Chapter published in:
Usage-inspired L2 Instruction: Researched pedagogy
Edited by Andrea E. Tyler, Lourdes Ortega, Mariko Uno and Hae In Park
[Language Learning & Language Teaching 49] 2018
► pp. 75–91

Chapter 4
On the relationship between interaction and language learning

A usage-based perspective grounded in interactional sociolinguistics

| The University of Alabama

Interactional Sociolinguistics (IS) offers a multifaceted perspective on how language is contextually interpreted, as well as a rich methodology for discovering the speaker’s choices when creating situated discourse. For those concerned with second language learning and the current usage-based turn, IS can provide important insights into language use and learning. This chapter gives a brief overview of the fundamentals of IS, followed by a set of examples concerning how an IS orientation has been implemented in practice, starting with classroom-based learning and moving into increasingly authentic contexts while at the same time increasing the agentivity of the learner. The key idea is that an approach rooted in interactional sociolinguistics highlights the development of skills in the learner to become an active agent and even an ethnographer of his/her/their own communication.

Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Interactional sociolinguistics: A précis
  • Contexts of language learning
  • The traditional language classroom
  • ITA training as a special situation linked to a classroom context
  • Supplementary conversation groups
  • Research as a context of teaching
  • Typically invisible language learning opportunities
  • Student is guided in becoming an ethnographer of his/her own communication
  • Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 13 February 2018
https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.49.04dav
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