Variable Identities in Brussels. The Relationship Between Language Learning, Motivation and Identity in a Multilingual Context

Abstract

In Belgium and Brussels, macrocontextual features such as language policy and language legislation have a profound impact on people's language use and on the way languages are learned. In order to explain this impact, the political and economic developments that have determined the current context of learners in Brussels are discussed. Secondly, a number of recent events that are the result of the interplay of language legislation and sociolinguistic mechanisms are presented. These contextual issues are linked to some theoretical insights which allow us to look at: (1) how the specific context of Brussels influences instructed and non-instructed L2 learning; (2) what the implications are for learners’ identification processes; and (3) how this relates to their L2 learning motivation. These questions are addressed in an empirical study carried out in a Dutch-speaking secondary school in Brussels. The results suggest that adolescents in Dutch-speaking schools in Brussels have variable identity profiles and specific L2 learning motivations, depending on their language use in different contexts.