Variability(ies) in SLA

The annual symposium of the RéAL2 thematic network will be hosted by the Université de Toulouse Jean Jaurès

 

Variability(ies) in SLA

In the field of second language acquisition (SLA), there is a consensus among researchers that a multitude of factors come into play during the acquisition process and influence both the pace of acquisition and the success of that process. 

Indeed, several factors account for inter- and intra-individual differences: age, working memory, motivation, aptitude for the L2, learning strategies, proficiency level in the L2, and the subjects’ linguistic repertoire, not to mention the importance of social aspects such as socio-cultural and economic background or the parent-child relationship in the case of bilingual children (see, among others, Ellis 2004; Dörnyei 2005, 2006).

Institutional factors, considered as external, such as guided vs. unguided, immersive vs. non-immersive contexts, teaching programmes, and the intensity and duration of contact with the L2, also play a crucial role in developmental variability among learners. Learners also exhibit varying trends depending on the language modality used. Lowie & Verspoor (2019) show that the degree of variability in L2 writing is correlated with success and that, as noted by Thelen & Smith (1994), variability proves to be greater during the rapid phase of development when the learner explores new strategies and behaviours.

Variable patterns in learners’ performance are also influenced by the typological properties of the languages in contact (Véronique 2009) and the proficiency in the L2. In the 1990s, the European Sciences Foundation (ESF) project, based on the ‘learner variety’ approach, highlighted common trends in the initial stages of learning and divergent behaviours attributable to the specificities of first languages from the post-basic level onwards (Perdue 1993, Benazzo et al. 2023).

The variability among second-language learners has always been a subject of great interest to members of the RéAL2 thematic network. Indeed, this theme was the focus of one of the network’s first meetings, entitled ‘Variability in Second-Language Acquisition Pathways’, held on 3 June 2016 in Toulouse, which proved fundamental in the network’s creation. These study days aim to shed new light on the variability of acquisition trajectories, 10 years on, by taking stock of their complexity, new sources of variability (e.g. profiles of learners studied) and the contribution of new methods of analysis.

The “Variability in L2 Acquisition” workshop welcomes proposals for papers addressing aspects of variability in the processes and pathways of acquisition in L2 or any other additional language, from an acquisitionist or didactic perspective. Presentations will aim to shed light on the following aspects (non-exhaustive list):

• Learner factors (intra- vs inter-individual);
• The effect of typological distance/proximity between source and target languages on variability;
• Learning contexts and variability;
• Language modality (written, spoken, gestural, etc.) and variability;
• Methodological aspects (tools, measures);
• Variability vs. systematicity;
• Variability and heterogeneity.
• Taking learner variability into account in language classrooms

 

Benazzo, S. Dimroth, C. & Andorno, C. 2023. Back to the Basic Variety: Does it emerge only with specific learner profiles, environments and languages? In C. Granget, I. Repiso & G. Fon Sing (eds.), Language, creoles, varieties: From emergence to transmission, 29–70. Berlin: Language Science Press. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10280596

Dörnyei, Z. 2005. The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. Mahwah, N.J.: L. Erlbaum.

Dörnyei, Z. 2009. Individual differences: Interplay of learner characteristics and learning environment. Language Learning 59, 230-248.

Ellis, R. 2004. Individual differences in second language learning. In A. Davies & C. Elder (Eds.), The handbook of applied linguistics (pp. 525-547). Malden, Mass.: Blackwell.

Lowie, W. M. & Verspoor, M. 2019. Individual differences and the ergodicity problem. Language Learning 69, 184–206.

Perdue, C. (éd.) 1993. Adult Language Acquisition: cross-linguistic perspectives, vol. 1: Field methods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Thelen, E. & Smith, L. B. 1994. A dynamic systems approach to the development of cognition and action. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.