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Beyond Global English: Motivation to Learn Languages in a Multicultural World: Introduction to the Special Issue
Author(s) -
USHIODA EMA,
DÖRNYEI ZOLTÁN
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the modern language journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.486
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1540-4781
pISSN - 0026-7902
DOI - 10.1111/modl.12407
Subject(s) - redress , multilingualism , multiculturalism , psychology , globalization , sociology , relation (database) , linguistics , language acquisition , pedagogy , mathematics education , political science , computer science , philosophy , database , law
This special issue takes a critical look at a largely uncharted area of language learning motivation: the motivation to learn languages other than English (LOTEs) in an era of globalization and multilingualism. Most 21st‐century literature on motivation in second language acquisition has focused on the learning of English, whose dominant status as a global language has significantly shaped current conceptualizations of second language motivation in relation to notions of self and identity. In an effort to redress this balance, the articles in this special issue critically examine two key questions: (a) How far are current theoretical perspectives adequate to account for motivation to learn LOTEs? and (b) What impact does global English have on motivation to learn other second or foreign languages in a globalized yet multicultural and multilingual world? In examining these core questions across a range of sociopolitical and educational settings, this issue brings together broader sociological as well as individual–psychological perspectives on motivation to learn LOTEs.