This volume investigates cultural migrants: people who, from their own free will, move to another country because of their interest in the target language and culture. Chapters include studies on cultural migrants acquiring French, Italian, Spanish and English and consider linguistic, psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic aspects of language acquisition. Cultural migrants have social and psychological advantages when acquiring a second language as adults, and the study of their linguistic knowledge and production increases our understanding of the possibilities and limits of L2 ultimate attainment. The work thus fills a gap in our understanding of high-level proficiency and will be of interest to researchers working in the field of SLA, as well as to social scientists studying the relationship between language, culture and integration.

Language fundamentally defines and distinguishes us as humans, as members of society, and as individuals. As we go through life, our relationship with language and with learning shifts and changes, but it remains significant. This book is an up-to-date resource for graduate students and researchers in second language (L2) acquisition who are interested in language learning across the lifespan. The main goal is to survey and evaluate what is known about the linguistic-cognition-affect associations that occur in L2 learning from birth through senescence (passing through the stages of childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and third age), the extent to which L2 acquisition may be seen as contributing to healthy and active aging, the impact of the development of personalized, technology-enhanced communicative L2 environments, and how these phenomena are to be approached scientifically and methodologically. The effects of certain specific variables, such as gender, socio-economic background, and bilingualism are also analyzed, as we argue that chronological age does not determine the positioning of L2 learners across the lifespan: age is part of a complex web of social distinctions such as psychological and individual factors that intersect in the construction of a learner’s relative status and opportunities.

The ability to speak two or more languages is a pervasive human experience. A comprehensive survey of research into bilingualism throughout life, from the first six years to late adulthood, this is an ideal work of reference for students and researchers, as well as anyone interested in bilingualism.

This book unites a range of emerging topics in the burgeoning transdisciplinary fields of second language acquisition and interculturality in a study abroad context. It explores key issues, trends and approaches within each strand and how the strands relate to one another, painting a big picture of the diversity and complexity underpinning second language acquisition in a study abroad context. The chapters highlight themes such as social networks, input and interaction issues, learner identities and study abroad in lingua franca contexts, while also presenting other themes spanning the breadth of second language acquisition and interculturality research, such as individual differences and linguistic development. This comprehensive and cohesive volume showcases the latest innovative research using quantitative, qualitative and mixed method approaches across a range of source and target language learner cohorts, and highlights emerging themes and directions for future research.

If language learning is self-initiated and self-regulated, can anyone become native-like in a new language, or are special gifts necessary?

This book explores the ways in which migrants’ experience in today’s multilingual and multicultural society informs language use and processing, behavioural patterns, and perceptions of self-identity. Drawing on survey data from hundreds of Italian migrants living in English- speaking countries, in conjunction with more focused interviews, this volume unpacks reciprocal influences between linguistic, cultural, and psychological variables to shed light on how migrants emotionally engage with the local and heritage dimensions across public and private spaces. Visualising the impact of a constant shifting of linguistic and cultural practices can enhance our understanding of migration experiences, foreign language acquisition, language processing and socialisation, inclusion, integration, social dynamics, acculturation tendencies, and cross-cultural communication patterns. Overall, this book appeals to students and scholars interested in gaining nuanced insights into the linguistic, cultural, and psychological underpinnings of migration experiences in such disciplines as sociolinguistics, cultural studies, and social psychology.

This collection explores student mobility and study abroad programmes across Europe, presenting original research on personal, linguistic, and intercultural development during study abroad experiences. The volume synthesizes work from the 2016-2020 Cost Action 15130 ‘Study Abroad Research in European Perspective’ research network, offering a multidisciplinary account of the intersection of language learning and study abroad in Europe amidst the changing contemporary higher education landscape, as well as new directions for future research. The initial section comprises short survey chapters outlining key themes and literature, connecting traditional study abroad research with new multilingual and transnational realities. This is supported by a main section containing original empirical studies in a wide range of European contexts and a short afterword bringing together policy and pedagogical proposals. Taken together, the collection shines a light on the impact of the internationalisation of higher education on linguistic dimensions of student mobility while including a range of lesser studied settings and languages. New insights are offered on language learning, identity, interculturality, student agency and motivation, and transnational social networks in the study abroad context. This book will be of particular interest to students, researchers and institutions interested in the intersection of language learning and study abroad, including such areas as multilingualism, higher education, and applied linguistics. Chapter 8 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

This volume offers a comprehensive overview of the range of varieties of English spoken on the island of Ireland, featuring information on their historical background, structural features, and sociolinguistic considerations. The first part of the volume explores English and Irish in their historical framework as well as current issues of contact and bilingualism. Chapters in Part II and Part III investigate the structures and use of Irish English today, from pronunciation and grammar to discourse-pragmatic markers and politeness strategies, alongside studies of specific varieties such as Urban English in Northern Ireland and the Irish English spoken in Dublin, Galway, and Cork. Part IV focuses on the Irish diaspora, with chapters covering topics including Newfoundland Irish English and Irish influence on Australian English, while the final part looks at the wider context, such as the language of Irish Travellers and Irish Sign Language. The handbook also features a detailed glossary of key terms, and will be of interest to a wide range of readers interested in varieties of English, Irish studies, sociolinguistics, and social and cultural history.

An encompassing picture of what high-level competence in second languages and in multilingual use is about.

This book addresses a particularly important area of second language acquisition research, specifically the factors that mediate learning outcomes in learning a second or foreign language. It provides a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of studies in the field of second language learning and L2 use from the point of view of personality traits and emotional intelligence. It also presents results of a mixed-method study researching the possible influence of these variables on the process of learning a second language. Furthermore, the book represents the first systematic exploration of the role of emotional intelligence and the factors related to it in moderating attainment in the target language. What is also unique here is the investigation of the role of personality with respect to different target language skills and subsystems, which allows finer-grained insights into this relationship. The book will be of considerable interest to both researchers, teachers and students in the fields of SLA, TESOL, applied linguistics, and bilingualism.