Dialogue With Bakhtin On Second And Foreign Language Learning PDF Download

Abstract: This study seeks to establish the relevance of Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of dialogue to second language acquisition (SLA) theory and research. Recently, scholars have begun to use Bakhtin's ideas in the debate on various aspects of second and foreign language and literacy learning. These applications of Bakhtin's thought remain, however, fragmentary and often rely on secondary sources. This study is the first consistent and relatively extensive introduction of Bakhtin's theory of dialogue to SLA. As the foundation of Bakhtin's theories of language, culture, and identity, the theory of dialogue has been chosen out of Bakhtin's legacy because it explains interpersonal and intercultural communication. All these themes are subject of current concern and of an on-going debate among SLA researchers. Employing the hermeneutic method, the study demonstrates that the theory of dialogue elaborated by Bakhtin can be fruitfully explored in second language theory and research. Grounded in a philosophical aspiration for dialogic polyphony, it can help us see the relations among languages, cultures, and individuals in a new light. The novelty of Bakhtin's approach consists in the dialogic understanding of language, culture, and the self. His theory supplements many existing second language learning perspectives and allows us to develop an approach to language, culture, and identity as emerging in interactive discursive and intercultural practices. The key underlying idea of Bakhtin's view of social interaction and social relations is that they are inherently dialogic. This view is based, in turn, on Bakhtin's understanding of language as dialogic at the most basic level. This is the most significant contribution to SLA theory that we can derive from Bakhtin's legacy. Bakhtin's ideas are also important for the discussion of the role of language in the formation of personal identity. Through inner conceptual affinities Vygotsky's pedagogical insights are used to give a pedagogical dimension to Bakhtin's philosophical and literary construal of dialogue. In all three chosen areas, language, culture, and identity, the predominant theme of their dialogic nature is brought out as a common thread. By emphasizing parallels and interconnections among them, a theoretical framework is finalized and brought into focus.