Intermittent Second-Language Intensification in the Host Culture: An Ethnographic Case Study of a Heritage Speaker in a Study-Abroad Program

Abstract

It may be claimed that study-abroad research has recently achieved more balanced perspectives and a reasonably mature stage where there is ample recognition of the coexistence of complex, interconnected processes and dimensions that have challenged early intuitive assumptions or sheer idealization. It is currently accepted, for example, that direct availability of opportunities for out-of-class second language learning does not mean that sojourners will automatically want to experience the target language or culture (L2 or C2) firsthand. Similarly, it is recognized that members of the host community may not be willing to engage in sustained, supportive interaction with L2 learners whose overall proficiency level in the L2 may be more than adequate for formal lectures, but not necessarily for sustained, colloquial interaction in the local variety of the target language. Regarding the target culture (C2), in addition to the widely expected host-culture integration (as implied, for example, in explicit references to “immersion experiences” and “immersed learners” in the study-abroad literature), both “third culture/place” formation and passive “spectator” (rather than proactive “participant”) behavior have also been observed and reported. As a result, it has become patent that students decide to go abroad for a wide variety of reasons, have different strengths and weaknesses regarding their individual learner differences, and set various goals that are not necessarily as immediate or clear-cut as is often assumed.