Lexical proficiency in a second language (L2) has long been effectively assessed through the measurement of various lexical indices, or textual characteristics that act as observable indicators of such conceptual categories as lexical richness, diversity, sophistication, and fluency. While many studies have established links between these lexical characteristics and levels of overall language proficiency

Guided by Foucault's concept of “discursive formations,” the study reported here draws on primary archival and secondary source material to examine how French has been discursively shaped in England and in relation to English. Unpacking sociohistorical constructions of sameness–difference offers a productive frame to explore ideological positionings in new, interdisciplinary ways that have thus far

Domestic immersion (DI) is an effective context for postsecondary language learning, given that DI's instructor‐curated environments promote meaningful second language use while providing abundant support for learners. However, DI is at present understudied within second language acquisition research, especially when compared to its more well‐known counterpart of study abroad (SA). This review focuses

Many scholars have identified teacher education (TE) as a crucial site for strengthening the research–practice interface. Much of this work has focused on formal TE opportunities, English‐language instructors, or university‐level contexts. Less is known about how other educator demographics engage with second language (L2) research throughout their careers. This mixed‐method study explores how K–12

Study abroad (SA) is touted for providing language learners with regular exposure to a second language (L2) in naturalistic settings. However, few studies have examined how interaction occurs in situ. This study analyzed 13 hours of naturalistic dyadic conversations self‐recorded by 15 US‐based undergraduate sojourners studying abroad for one semester in Spain. Conversations were analyzed for interaction

The adjustment of syntactic and phraseological complexity is a key consideration in text adaptation. However, research on this topic in the context of Chinese as a second language (CSL) remains limited. Using 700 CSL reading texts graded following the newly issued Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education, this study examines differences in syntactic and phraseological

In the Yoruba community, proverbs are regarded as Yoruba philosophy repository, with wisdom, brevity, criticality, and stored experience that are believed to be a viable tool of acquiring the language. Hinging on reversing language shift model theory, the study investigated: (a) whether Yoruba proverbs are effective in the acquisition of Yoruba language and culture by children, and (b) whether the

Developing proficiency and intercultural competence are goals promoted by the Modern Language Association and widely shared by postsecondary second language programs across the United States. Although the development of proficiency has been studied extensively in this context, comparatively little is known about how intercultural competence develops domestically as part of a broader postsecondary educational

This article examines language classrooms as communicative settings for learners’ development of sociolinguistic competence involving target language variation in a study abroad context. Specifically, it investigates how two Spanish teachers in Peru imparted knowledge of the social and contextual appropriateness of local linguistic variants that were not taught as part of the official curriculum. An

Around the globe, beginner sign language programs have seen surging enrolments in recent years. Yet relatively few learners progress to higher‐level sign language study. In this article, we explore factors shaping retention and attrition among a cohort of 70 beginner Australian Sign Language (Auslan) students studying in a vocational education context. We explore the influence of both demographic variables

This theoretical article, with recommendations for practice, interrogates how the field discusses dual language bilingual education (DLBE) models in the United States, with international implications for bilingual, immersion, and content and language integrated learning contexts. We reconceptualize the equity problems and potentials of so‐called program models and language allocation as aspects of

The recent dynamic turn in second language acquisition research has called for an investigation in learner agency by taking its complex dynamic nature into account. Informed by complex dynamic systems theory (CDST), this study investigated the agency of learners in a complex educational context where mainstream schooling and private tutoring (shadow education) coexist, and when teaching and learning

With a forward‐looking and problem‐solving mindset, this article aims to combine theoretical knowledge and empirical evidence from different schools of thought in the field of second language (L2) learning and teaching—namely, instructed second language acquisition, generative linguistics, and an ecological perspective that includes multiple frameworks. Acknowledging numerous fundamental differences

This complex article has six subsections. Following a brief introduction, one team of three co‐authors and three single authors present compact statements of their distinctive individual research perspectives on second language acquisition and teaching (SLA/T): Atkinson, Mejía‐Laguna, and Ribeiro offer a sociocognitive perspective; Cappellini introduces an eclectic perspective in which online communication

In this article, we present our vision of a transformed second language acquisition and teaching (SLA/T) disciplinary community that approaches second language (L2) education through four pillars. The first pillar is praxeology (i.e., the study of human action) to highlight the sociocontextually emergent nature of L2 competence. It locates the emergence of L2 grammar and interactional competence in

In this final article in this guest‐edited issue on synergies in second language acquisition and teaching (SLA/T), we attempt to bring together the main content of this issue in an overall, combined synergy statement, concluding this project as a whole. Let us remind readers of the project: A shared effort by 17 scholars taking 11 different perspectives on SLA/T is not the norm in our field. Our aim

The construct of identity has been widely debated among social theorists, as previous understandings of identity have given way to new conceptualizations that consider the important impact of social contextual and material factors. In light of this, it is clear that our theories of identity construction require heightened consideration of the dynamicity of such social and material factors, as do our

Meta‐analytic studies of second language (L2) learning typically employ a classic approach to meta‐analysis. Although the classic approach can clarify findings, a multivariate, multilevel meta‐analysis (3M) approach increases transparency by accounting for (a) dependencies in the evidence presented by primary studies, (b) methodological differences confounding the effectiveness of interventions, (c)

Chinese immersion programs have been increasingly popular in US schools. However, we have insufficient data on young English‐speaking children's acquisition of Chinese as a second language in these programs, and specifically on social contextual variables systematically promoting or hindering Chinese language use. Taking a variationist sociolinguistic approach, this mixed‐methods case study identifies

Research indicates that high‐immersion virtual reality (VR) has several unique affordances for language learning that contribute to learning outcomes, such as boosting learners’ confidence, engagement, and motivation. However, little is known about the extent to which VR promotes language skills, in particular learners’ verbal interaction using a second language (L2). The present study uses an intervention

Aptitude–treatment interaction (ATI) research is of both theoretical and practical interest to second language (L2) learning, since it provides insights into the processes linking learner‐internal individual difference factors and learner‐external contextual variables including instructional approach—variables that jointly determine L2 outcomes. The present study employed a full range of aptitude measures

This article examines the relationship between collective memory and individual second‐language (L2) learning motivation as articulated in a qualitative research study with language revitalization practitioners. These practitioners learn and teach their languages and engage in other activities in order to bring Indigenous or ancestral languages into new use following a period of loss. In this study

Framed by family language policy (FLP), in conjunction with the Douglas Fir Group's ecological transdisciplinary framework for second language acquisition, this multiple case study investigates the FLPs of two Hmong–American families in relation to a Hmong–English dual‐language program (DLP) where their children are enrolled. Interviews, artifacts, and family‐recorded interactions were utilized to

The use of students’ first language (L1) in additional language (L2) instruction has been a recurring theme in language education research. While research has documented the amount of L1 use and its purposes in L2 instruction, little research has investigated the multifaceted motives that influence language choices at the micro level of social activity where language learning takes place. This study

This systematic review synthesizes the literature (involving 62 empirical studies) regarding the effectiveness of cognitive linguistics‐inspired language pedagogies (CL‐ILPs) on second language (L2) learning. It begins with an overview of the main theoretical tenets of cognitive linguistics followed by a description of the data selection, coding, and analysis. Then, besides noting a sharp increase

Empirical work exploring additional language (L+) learning emotions has both proliferated and expanded its focus over the past 15 years. The current article explores one possibility for responding to the challenge of capturing and describing emotions in order to furnish a more contextualized, multidimensional picture of emotions in L+ learning: the small‐lens approach. From the perspective of the author

The article introduces triangulation to converge evidence from corpus and experimental data, by means of two case studies in second language (L2) learners of Greek. The first case study investigates the acquisition of gender agreement, while the second probes the development of relative clauses. In both studies, findings from the corpus are tested against online experimentation using eye‐tracking and

This study used idiodynamic methodology to investigate the dynamics of second language (L2) learners’ foreign language anxiety (FLA) and foreign language enjoyment (FLE), and the details of emotion regulation (ER) directed at managing these emotions, in pair‐ and group‐work speaking tasks performed by 10 advanced English‐as‐a‐foreign‐language (EFL) learners. L2 classroom tasks were video recorded and

In foreign language learning, it is important that learners become autonomous and learn how to self‐regulate their learning to continue language development. This article presents a self‐evaluation procedure designed to promote self‐regulation in speaking skills in a foreign language. This self‐evaluation procedure was tested in a quasi‐experimental study among 329 secondary school students in the

Second language (L2) learners hold different learning beliefs that influence their interpretation of classroom experiences and their L2 learning process. Developing a thorough understanding of such beliefs is therefore imperative. This article reports the representations of Iranian English‐as‐a‐foreign‐language (EFL) learners’ beliefs about L2 speaking fluency as revealed by elicited metaphors and