Abstract

This paper makes the case for a usage-driven approach to second language (L2) learning and an ensuing call for an experiential take on L2 teaching. Earlier research of language learners’ interactional practices in their everyday world has shown that especially self-initiated repair is a versatile resource for picking up linguistic items in the L2. The paper illustrates this finding and discusses recent research on other aspects of experiential language learning, aka language learning in the wild. Bringing in models of usage-based linguistics and conversation analysis the paper discusses current research on L2 acquisition through practice and use and sketches a theoretical background for the reported findings from language learning in the wild. In the final section, the paper discusses the pedagogical consequences of this approach and argues that language acquisition in a usage-based frame needs to be seen as a social endeavor where language learners’ interactional competence, range of activities, and their social networks expand together.

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