MACROSOCIAL FACTORS

MACROSOCIAL FACTORS

1. Global and national status of L1 and L2

   • National
     • Language gives cohesion and political identification
   • Global
     • Need for L2 learning at a global level is motivated largely by control of and access to resources
       • In
         • Commerce
         • Information/technology transfer.

2. Boundaries and Identities

   • Part of the identity function of language is accomplished by creating or reinforcing national boundaries, but linguistic boundaries often also exist within or across national borders.
   • They serve
     • To
       • Unify speakers as members of one language community,
       • Exclude outsiders from insider communication.
   • Acculturation
     • Is
       • Crossing a linguistic boundary
         • To participate in a different language community
     • Requires
       • Learning the culture of that community
         • And
           • adapting to those values and behavioral patterns.

3. Institutional forces and constraints

   • Systems established by law, custom or practice
     • To
       • Regulate and organize the life of people in public domains
         • Religion, politics, education
   • Official or unofficial policies
     • That
       • Regulate which language is to be used in particular situations.

4. Social categories

   • Influence
     • What experiences they have
     • How they are perceived by others,
     • What is expected of them
   • Age, sex, ethnicity, education level, occupation, and economic status.

5. Circumstances of learning

   • Learners’ prior educational experiences
     • learning begins with children’s
       • First experiences with the families into which they are born,
       • The communities to which they belong
       • The cultural environment within which they live.
   • Informal versus formal/ naturalistic versus instructed learning