Second language interaction: current perspectives and future trends

Abstract

This article considers how the nature of interaction may best be represented in the second language (L2) construct. The starting point is Bachman’s model of communicative language ability which, it is argued, incorporates interaction from an individual-focused cognitive perspective. The alternative view advocated here is that individual ability and contextual facets interact in ways that change them both. Thus, ‘an ability - in language user - in context’ view is to be preferred over Bachman’s ‘ability - in language user’ representation. Acceptance of this new approach entails a local, context-bound view of language ability, which is difficult to reconcile with the tester’s need for score generalizability. The way forward is to recognize that, while some contexts activate stable ability features, others produce more variable performance from learners. Thus, the focus of both theory formulation and empirical research should be on how to account for inconsistent performance in particular contexts from a social interactional perspective.