The language of adult immigrants: agency in the making

This book is the first to explore the constitution of language learner agency by drawing on performativity theory, an approach that remains on the periphery of second language research. Though many scholars have drawn on poststructuralism to theorize learner identity in non-essentialist terms, most...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Miller, Elizabeth R. (Author)
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: Blue Ridge Summit, PA Multilingual Matters [2014]
Series:New perspectives on language and education 39
Subjects:
Online Access:DE-1043
DE-1046
DE-858
DE-859
DE-860
DE-473
DE-739
Volltext
Summary:This book is the first to explore the constitution of language learner agency by drawing on performativity theory, an approach that remains on the periphery of second language research. Though many scholars have drawn on poststructuralism to theorize learner identity in non-essentialist terms, most have treated agency as an essential feature that belongs to or inheres in individuals. By contrast, this work promotes a view of learner agency as inherently social and as performatively constituted in discursive practice. In developing a performativity approach to learner agency, it builds on the work of Vygotsky and Bakhtin along with research on ‘agency of spaces’ and language ideologies. Through the study of discourses produced in interviews, this work explores how immigrant small business owners co-construct their theories of agency, in relation to language learning and use. The analysis focuses on three discursive constructs produced in the interview talk–subject-predicate constructs, evaluative stance, and reported speech–and investigates their discursive effects in mobilizing ideologically normative, performatively realized agentive selves
Item Description:Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 25. Jul 2018)
Physical Description:1 online resource
ISBN:9781783092055
DOI:10.21832/9781783092055

There is no print copy available.

Interlibrary loan Place Request Caution: Not in THWS collection! Get full text