Second Language Learning and Language Teaching

Discussion topics
1
Why are we teaching second languages? Whose decision should it be and
which languages should be involved?
2
Are there really bilingual communities, or are there two communities who
speak each other’s language?
3
Is multilingualism such a new thing, or have a few countries simply 
been projecting their comparative lack of languages onto the rest of the
world?
4
To what extent is second language teaching necessarily political in one 
way or another?
5
What should be the goals of language teaching in a country where the
second language has no obvious use?
6
Does the peculiar position of English as a hypercentral language have
anything to say for the teaching of other languages?
7
Have you achieved your goals in second language learning?
The goals of language teaching
212
Box 11.4 The goals of teaching language
1 Central goals foster a second language within a society.
●
Assimilationist language teaching: minority speakers learn the majority
central language and relinquish their first language.
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Transitional language teaching: minority speakers learn to function in the
majority central language for some purposes, without giving up the first
language.
●
Language maintenance and bilingual language teaching: minority speakers
learn to function in both languages.
2 International goals foster a second language for use outside the society.
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Careers that require a second language.
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Higher education.
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Access to research and information.
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Travel.
3 Individual goals develop qualities in the learner rather than language 
per se.
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Understanding of foreign cultures.
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Understanding language itself.
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Cognitive training.
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General educational values.
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Learning the second language as an academic subject.
●
L2 learning as social change.
Framework of Reference for Languages (2008) of ‘can-do’ statements (what I can do),
rather than a measure of ‘can’t-do’ based on native speakers.

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Further reading
Apart from specific references in the text, this chapter draws on ideas and exam-
ples chiefly from: Grosjean (1982) Life with Two Languages; Skutnabb-Kangas
(1981) Bilingualism or Not: The Education of Minorities; Phillipson (1992) Linguistic
Imperialism; Canagarajah (2005) Reclaiming the Local in Language Policy and
Practice; and Brutt-Griffler (2002) World English: A Study of its Development.
Further reading 213

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