Class and SLA

David Block ^[1]
1. [1] University of London
  
  University of London
  
  Reino Unido
Localización: Language teaching research, ISSN 1362-1688, Vol. 16, Nº. 2, 2012 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Are cognitive-interactional and socio-cultural perspectives on L2 learning and teaching compatible, complementary, or incommensurable?), págs. 188-205
Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
- This article explores how class might be brought to the fore as an identity inscription in studies of second language learning, alongside other identity inscriptions such as gender, ethnicity and national identity, which have been the focus of rather more research. It begins by clarifying what is meant by class through a brief discussion of the work of Karl Marx, Max Weber and Pierre Bourdieu as contributors to thinking about class among social scientists. It then examines how the construct of class has been neglected in research on second language learning as well as in the related area of research on bilingualism. The article goes on to suggest how class might be central to understandings of second language identities in migrant contexts. The starting point is a conversation involving an adult migrant in London, which is then linked with the individual’s life trajectory and the micro-level intricacies of accent and discourse patterns. These and other factors contribute to an analysis of the individual’s lack of development in English in terms of his and others’ class positioning.