Migrationsbedingte Faktoren beim Erwerb des Englischen als eine weitere Sprache - Eine Kategorienbestimmung -

Abstract

Migration-Specific Factors While Learning English as an Additional Language: For a long time, in academic debates the affective and socio-cultural aspects of language learning have been largely neglected. In my doctoral thesis I explore the affective factors underlying the acquisition of English as a third language. Especially, the affective sides of tertiary languages in migration contexts are a relatively new area requiring systematic and fundamental research. A close look at the biographies of young migrants shows interdependencies between the many factors which are involved in multilingual and multicultural learning experiences.Following the coding processes proposed by the Grounded Theory (Strauss/Corbin 1998), I discuss some authentic data from qualitative interviews with students, elaborating on five categories of learning processes that have evolved from these interviews. Re-formulated as metaphors, theseare: Burnt Child, Global Player, Toolbox Language, Lost in Translation, and America, America!The outcome of this project provides a new and remarkable insight into the interdependences of affective and cognitive factors of learning English as a third language in migration contexts.