Sociopsychological and Pedagogic Considerations in L2 Acquisition

Abstract

In this article, Brown's (1980) optimal distance model of target language acquisition in its native milieu is criticized for having neglected the issue of the possibly harmful effects of sociocultural factors upon learners' psychological frame of mind and instead stressing the pedagogic aspects of the process of acculturation. Especially in those cases where the learners' original motivations are instrumental, it is suggested here that there will be a conflict between such orientations and an integrative approach to language teaching which attempts assimilation or adaptation, thereby increasing the negative effects of acculturation and hampering the language learning process itself. The pedagogic implications which follow attempt to serve the affective needs of the instrumentally oriented learners. It is hoped these implications will facilitate and improve the learners' language acquisition process in the target sociocultural setting.

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