GESTURE AND PRIVATE SPEECH IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Abstract

Within sociocultural theory, and particularly from a Vygotskian perspective, private speech refers to speech-for-the-self, as opposed to social speech. Private speech is a crucial window on how language mediates and regulates thought processes (Lantolf & Thorne, 2006). In the case of second language (L2) learning, the use of private speech, whether in the first language (L1) or L2, facilitates engagement with the L2 in relation to personal learning needs (e.g., studying for an exam, the task in the current study). Another, more recent area of investigation within L2 learning and sociocultural theory focuses on how forms of gesture mediate and regulate thought as well. This study examines how these forms of mediation operate in a dialogic capacity. Seven adult Korean-English bilingual students at a North American university were video- and audio-recorded during 3 h of solitary exam preparation in a private room. In microdiscourse analyses, participants are shown to use gestures together with private speech as a form of dialogic interaction with the self in cognitive activities for self-regulation.

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