Sociolinguistic approaches to identity negotiation and language learning: A circumstantiality perspective on communities of practice

Abstract

As a result of growing globalization, the learning experience of second/foreign (L2/FL) language learners has been inextricably linked to complex social structures and networks. Through a sociolinguistic lens, this paper provides a critical review of L2/FL learning, identity negotiation, and community of practice in the face of incremental changes in linguistic systems and norms concomitant with gradual transformations in politics, society, and economics. In different social structures, identity emerges and is formed in complex social, cultural, and interactional phenomena. Due to the complicity of identity work, methods employed in identity and language learning entail both qualitative and quantitative approaches, including micro and macro analysis of language use, and ethnographic study on social and cultural practices. It is examined in this paper how identity has been conceptualized in sociocultural theories of language learning. Moreover, I probe into the context in which language learning takes place and discuss to what extent L2 and FL communities overlap and exchange. I argue for a perspective on the "circumstantiality" of language learning and communities of practice. At the end of this paper, reflections on identity work are offered and implications for language learning are discussed in the hope of relevant issues to be further explored.

Language Learner Investment and Identity Negotiation in the Korean EFL Context

“…and to information, resources, and opportunities for participation" (Day, 2002, p. 15). Adapted to EFL contexts, Jou (2012) refers to the transferable nature of community of practice as circumstantiality, whereby the sense of community for bilinguals may extend well beyond the confines of their immediate communities. Jou described this process as a "two way street."…”

“…Immediate community circles are also usually composed of speakers of different varieties contributing to the circumstantial and temporal nature of L2 learners' identity negotiation and reconstruction. In increasingly globalized contexts, both imagined and circumstantial communities of practice have implications for language teaching and learning of bilinguals (Jou, 2012 Since the early 1990s, the Korean government has been gradually increasing the emphasis on English proficiency as a means of achieving national global success. The close connection between English ideology and globalization has been widely acknowledged (Nam, 2005).…”

Academic Motivation to Learn English in a Malaysian private University

“…Many recent researchers focused on the cultural and ethnic factors affecting English language learning. Jou (2012), stated that language is not only a means of communication but also a symbol of an individual's identity and cultural background. British curriculum was mainly designed to serve their colonising authority and had no reflection on the Malaysian context (Gill, 2005).…”

Leveraging Interactivities on Social Networking Sites for EFL Learning

“…In a case study conducted by Morita (2004), Japanese L2 English learners engaged more in CoP activities if the teacher acknowledged their contributions. With such a rich linguistic resource available in a CoP, students' learning effectiveness may be improved through active participation in the activities (Jou, 2013;Swain & Deters, 2007). Nevertheless, the CoPs constructed by the aforementioned research were led or dominated by native speakers of the target language.…”