The History of CALL

Abstract

It has been over 50 years since the emergence of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) that would forever change how second/foreign languages are taught. This article presents a historical overview of the evolution of CALL from the early years of the mainframe computer to the integrative technologies of the 21st century. It examines the evolution of the dual fields of educational technology and second/foreign language teaching as they intertwined over the last half of the 20th century into present day CALL. The paper describes the paradigm shifts experienced along this journey and the current state of CALL as new technologies rapidly advance language teaching capabilities and challenge practitioners to provide optimum learning environments for the future.