Resumen de Expressing and perceiving identity and intentions in a second language: a preliminary exploratory study of the effect of (extra)curricular contact on sociolinguistic development
This exploratory study examines the effect of (extra)curricular target-language contact on learners’ abilities to perceive and to express identity and intentions in a second language (L2). Drawing on the self-reported abilities of 38 Canadian French-as-a-second-language learners during interviews and via questionnaires, preliminary qualitative analysis yielded three groups: learners able to both perceive the identity and intentions of others and able to express their own; those reporting only the perceptive ability; and those reporting neither ability. Further, most learners who provided examples of sociolinguistic variants they had learned during extracurricular contact were from the first of these three groups. Finally, preliminary analysis revealed a positive connection between the self-reporting of both abilities and increased (extra)curricular L2 exposure.
