'So please be nice in class!': An analysis of the complexity, accuracy, and fluency of two English learners' language through a heteroglossic lens

Abstract

The present study supports the idea of heteroglossia and its contributions to language learning in SLA theory. Bakhtin’s (1934/1981) theory of heteroglossia differs from variety and register in that when learning a language, one internalizes the voices of others. Viewing interlanguage through a heteroglossic lens, it is possible that these voices in heteroglossia may have an effect on learner language. By blending sociolinguistic and sociocultural frameworks, this study attempts to fill a gap that otherwise remains unexplored. In exploration of whether the CAF of two English language learners differed when they enacted the voice of a perceived interlocutor or perceived self, versus when they recounted a narrative, this study found that all three measures of the CAF framework did in fact differ. These findings support the notion that an individual may have variable linguistic systems, and raise other important theoretical and practical implications for SLA research and L2 instruction.