Second Language Learning and Language Teaching

8.2 Attitudes
Individual differences in L2 users and L2 learners
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Box 8.1 Motivation and L2 learning
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Both integrative and instrumental motivations may lead to success, but lack
of either causes problems.
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Motivation in this sense has great inertia.
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Short-term motivation towards the day-to-day activities in the classroom
and general motivations for classroom learning are also important.
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What do you think are people’s typical reactions to foreigners? To bilinguals?
To monolinguals?
●
Mark how much you agree with these statements:
It is important to be able to speak two languages.
strongly slightly neither 
agree
slightly strongly 
agree
agree
nor disagree
disagree
disagree
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
I will always feel more myself in my first language than in my second.
strongly slightly neither 
agree
slightly strongly 
agree
agree
nor disagree
disagree
disagree
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
Focusing questions
The roots of the motivations discussed in the last section are deep within the stu-
dents’ minds and their cultural backgrounds. One issue is how the student’s own
cultural background relates to the background projected by the L2 culture. Lambert
(1981, 1990) makes an important distinction between ‘additive’ and ‘subtractive’
bilingualism. In additive bilingualism, the learners feel they are adding something
new to their skills and experience by learning a new language, without taking any-
thing away from what they already know. In subtractive bilingualism, on the other
additive bilingualism: L2 learning that adds to the learner’s capabilities in 
some way
subtractive bilingualism: L2 learning that takes away from the learner’s 
capabilities