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L2 Motivation and Multilingual Identities

Henry, Alastair LU (2017) In The Modern language journal 101(3). p.548-565
Abstract
By tradition, L2 motivation research has a monolingual bias – the motivational systems of a learner’s different languages conceptualized as separate entities rather than as cognitively interconnected. At a time when multilingualism has become a new world order (Douglas Fir Group, ) and where there is evidence of powerful identity experiences connected to speaking several languages (Pavlenko, ) this is unfortunate. In alignment with the multilingual and dynamic turns in SLA (de Bot, ; May, ), and adopting a complexity thought modeling approach (Larsen–Freeman & Cameron, ), this article explores multilingual learners’ L2 motivation. It is suggested that the motivational systems of a multilingual learner’s different languages can be... (More)
By tradition, L2 motivation research has a monolingual bias – the motivational systems of a learner’s different languages conceptualized as separate entities rather than as cognitively interconnected. At a time when multilingualism has become a new world order (Douglas Fir Group, ) and where there is evidence of powerful identity experiences connected to speaking several languages (Pavlenko, ) this is unfortunate. In alignment with the multilingual and dynamic turns in SLA (de Bot, ; May, ), and adopting a complexity thought modeling approach (Larsen–Freeman & Cameron, ), this article explores multilingual learners’ L2 motivation. It is suggested that the motivational systems of a multilingual learner’s different languages can be understood as constituting a higher-level multilingual motivational self system that is part of an ecology of interconnected and interpenetrating systems. This system contains multilingual self guides, one of which is the ideal multilingual self. Drawing on construal-level theory (Trope & Liberman, ), the manner and effects of mental representations of an ideal multilingual self are assessed. Finally, it is suggested that motivation deriving from a broader identity that encompasses but, in important ways, transcends a multilingual person’s language-specific identities has a central role to play in multilingual education. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
L2 motivational self system, complex dynamic systems, multilingualism, multilingual turn, ideal multilingual self, construal-level theory, multilingual education, Specific Languages, Studier av enskilda språk
in
The Modern language journal
volume
101
issue
3
pages
18 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85028384898
ISSN
0026-7902
DOI
10.1111/modl.12412
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
2018-01-13T15:14:35.702+01:00
id
3993a561-60c8-4853-ae4f-ce0514c73051
alternative location
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hv:diva-11593
date added to LUP
2023-09-06 08:55:33
date last changed
2023-09-25 08:32:51
@article{3993a561-60c8-4853-ae4f-ce0514c73051,
  abstract     = {{By tradition, L2 motivation research has a monolingual bias – the motivational systems of a learner’s different languages conceptualized as separate entities rather than as cognitively interconnected. At a time when multilingualism has become a new world order (Douglas Fir Group, ) and where there is evidence of powerful identity experiences connected to speaking several languages (Pavlenko, ) this is unfortunate. In alignment with the multilingual and dynamic turns in SLA (de Bot, ; May, ), and adopting a complexity thought modeling approach (Larsen–Freeman & Cameron, ), this article explores multilingual learners’ L2 motivation. It is suggested that the motivational systems of a multilingual learner’s different languages can be understood as constituting a higher-level multilingual motivational self system that is part of an ecology of interconnected and interpenetrating systems. This system contains multilingual self guides, one of which is the ideal multilingual self. Drawing on construal-level theory (Trope & Liberman, ), the manner and effects of mental representations of an ideal multilingual self are assessed. Finally, it is suggested that motivation deriving from a broader identity that encompasses but, in important ways, transcends a multilingual person’s language-specific identities has a central role to play in multilingual education.}},
  author       = {{Henry, Alastair}},
  issn         = {{0026-7902}},
  keywords     = {{L2 motivational self system; complex dynamic systems; multilingualism; multilingual turn; ideal multilingual self; construal-level theory; multilingual education; Specific Languages; Studier av enskilda språk}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{548--565}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{The Modern language journal}},
  title        = {{L2 Motivation and Multilingual Identities}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/modl.12412}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/modl.12412}},
  volume       = {{101}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}