L2 Interactional Competence and Development

Edited by Prof. Joan Kelly Hall, John Hellermann, Simona Pekarek Doehler

Publication date:

18 July 2011

Publisher

Multilingual Matters

Dimensions:

234x156mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781847694065

Drawing on data from a range of contexts, including classrooms, pharmacy consultations, tutoring sessions, and video-game playing, and a range of languages including English, German, French, Danish and Icelandic, the studies in this volume address challenges suggested by these questions: What kinds of interactional resources do L2 users draw on to participate competently and creatively in their L2 encounters? And how useful is conversation analysis in capturing the specific development of individuals’ interactional competencies in specific practices across time? Rather than treating participants in L2 interactions as deficient speakers, the book begins with the assumption that those who interact using a second language possess interactional competencies. The studies set out to identify what these competencies are and how they change across time. By doing so, they address some of the difficult and yet unresolved issues that arise when it comes to comparing actions or practices across different moments in time.

Hall et al have advanced our understanding of second language learning with this timely collection. Contributors demonstrate the importance of interactional competence and they show how it develops through embodied participation in multi-party interaction. This collection provides a comprehensive account of one of most exciting developments in second language learning and teaching.