L2 Journal: An Open Access Refereed Journal for World Language Educators

This paper highlights a series of areas deemed worthy of attention by language researchers. In some cases the research effort would entail following up on studies initiated some years ago and in other cases the effort would involve relatively new research thrusts. The paper includes ideas about research regarding: (1) pathways to success in language learning – language learners as informed consumers, the role of motivation in the L2-FL interface, the language of thought for learning the target language, the impact of L2/FL error correction over time, the use and impact of websites accessed in support of language learning, and language attrition over time; (2) language learner strategies – the fluctuating functions of strategies, refining strategies for language learning, the language strategies of hyperpolyglots, and test-taking strategies; and (3) pushing the envelope with regard to TL pragmatics – the less researched speech acts, the effects of explicit instruction in pragmatics, the learning of pragmatics in the TL classroom from native- and non-native teachers, and the teaching of pragmatics in World Englishes.

The United States is one of the world’s most populous Hispanophone countries, with over 35 million Spanish-speakers. In addition, Spanish is the most widely taught foreign language in the United States, with more students enrolled in Spanish at the higher-education level than in all other modern languages combined. How, then, is the United States’ status as a top Spanish-speaking country reflected in the treatment of sociolinguistic variation in Spanish as a Foreign Language (SFL) curricula at the university level? This case study of a large, public university in the Southwest, which is home to an SFL program among the largest in the country, explores that question using a two-tiered approach. First, an analysis is conducted to examine the ideological underpinnings of how varieties of U.S. Spanish are presented in beginner and intermediate SFL textbooks used at the university. Second, focus groups of SFL instructors are conducted to gain insight into their beliefs and practices regarding language variety in the classroom. The study finds evidence of a systematic reinforcement of standard language ideology in the university’s beginner and intermediate SFL curriculum, with little attention paid to regional varieties of Spanish and, at times, an explicit de-legitimization of U.S. Spanish varieties in particular.

The individuals listed here served as referees for the L2 Journal in the calendar year 2017. We wish to express our sincere gratitude for their important contributions to the quality of the articles published in this journal.