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Symposium: Dynamic systems/Complexity theory as a new approach to second language development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 August 2012

Marjolijn Verspoor*
Affiliation:
University of Groningen and University of the Free [email protected]

Extract

Presented at the 16th World Congress of Applied Linguistics (AILA), Beijing Foreign Studies University, China, 24 August 2011.

The goal of the symposium was to show that a Dynamic systems/Complexity theory (DST) perspective will provide important insights into the L2 developmental process. Kees de Bot (University of Groningen) introduced the symposium by outlining the basic characteristics of a dynamic system: all factors or variables involved in language development are interconnected, interact with each other over time, and affect each other differently over time on different time scales. Initial conditions such as the learner's L1, motivation or level of proficiency are crucial and systems self-organize over time. Development is not linear and learners are not all the same, so variability and variation are the norm.

Type
Research in Progress
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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References

Watson-Gegeo, K. A. (2004). Mind, language, and epistemology: Toward a language socialization paradigm for SLA. The Modern Language Journal 88, 331350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar