SOCIAL NETWORK DYNAMICS AND L2 PROFICIENCY: A SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF LEARNERS IN A SOUTH AFRICAN MULTILINGUAL CONTEXT
Abstract
This study examined sociolinguistic dimensions of second language acquisition (SLA) within a multilingual community in South Africa, focusing on how social identity, community participation, and cultural context shaped learners’ linguistic development. Employing a mixed-methods ethnographic approach, the research used sociolinguistic surveys and in-depth interviews with second-language learners from diverse linguistic backgrounds to investigate how factors such as social identity, social class, age, gender, and motivational dynamics influenced SLA outcomes. The study further explored how learners navigated sociocultural boundaries within complex multilingual networks and how language attitudes and ideologies informed their engagement with the target language community. Findings revealed that social network integration specifically the frequency and quality of interaction with target-language speakers emerged as the strongest predictor of linguistic proficiency, providing learners with sustained opportunities for meaningful language use. Positive attitudes toward the target language and its speakers were also associated with higher levels of linguistic integration and increased use of the language in everyday contexts. Overall, the research demonstrated that SLA was profoundly shaped by the interplay of social networks, identity positions, and local cultural dynamics. The study underscored the need for pedagogical and policy approaches that strategically promoted learners’ participation in target-language social networks to improve L2 acquisition in diverse multilingual settings.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Al-Mohtaseb, M. (2023). Identity negotiations among multilingual learners in hybrid English learning environments. Journal of Language and Identity, 12(2), 145–161.
De Klerk, V., & Makalela, L. (2022). Social cohesion and childhood multilingualism in South Africa. In X. Author & Y. Author (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of childhood multilingualism (pp. xxx–xxx). Cambridge University Press.
De Wet, A. (2022). Re-thinking motivation in multilingual South African classrooms. Per Linguam, 38(1), 45–62.
Drixler, N. (2022). Features of online second language interactional competence in a German–Israeli virtual exchange. TESOL in Context, 30(2), 65–95.
Eslami, Z. R. (2023). Social networks and second language acquisition: The role of interaction and community in language learning. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 27(2), 178–196.
Gallagher, S., & Hasegawa, M. (2025). Social network typology and L2 proficiency growth in university study-abroad programmes. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 47(1), 112–134.
Gao, X., & Li, W. (2022). Identity, power, and second language acquisition: A sociolinguistic perspective. Language and Society, 51(3), 289–307.
Heinzmann, S., Köylü, Z., & Ehrsam, K. (2024). The learning potential of English as a lingua franca context in the eyes of study-abroad students. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 14(2), 339–363. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.34274
Hughes, S. (2021). The role of sociocultural theory in L2 empirical research. SALT, XX, [page range].
Konishi, H., Kim, Y., & Tessier, A. (2022). Network analysis for modelling complex systems in second language acquisition research. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 44(4), 867–895.
Lantolf, J. P. (2023). Sociocultural theory and classroom second language learning in the East Asian context: Introduction to the special issue. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, [volume(issue)], [page range].
Li, X., & Zhang, H. (2021). Language socialization and second language acquisition: The role of interaction in linguistic and cultural learning. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 43(4), 512–526.
Ma, Q. (2025). Imagined identities and investment in English learning: Narratives of under-resourced EFL learners. Studies in Foreign Language Education, 57(1), 1–18.
Maseko, P., & Nomlomo, V. (2025). Multilingual pedagogies and identity construction in South African classrooms. Reading & Writing, 16(1), 90–110.
Matemba, B. (2024). Learners’ perceptions of English and home languages in rural South African schools. Journal for Language Teaching, 58(1), 20–36.
Mendes de Oliveira, M. (2024). English as a lingua franca and interculturality: Navigating structure- and process-oriented perspectives in intercultural interactions. Language and Intercultural Communication, 24(2), 105–117.
Nkosi, Z. (2024). English-medium instruction and social inequality in South African secondary schools. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 14(1), 1–12.
Norton, B. (2019). Identity and language learning: Extending the conversation (2nd ed.). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Norton, B., & De Costa, P. (2018). Research tasks on identity in language learning and teaching. Language Teaching, 51(1), 90–112.
Ogul, P. (2024). Second language identity formation in digital learning spaces. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 37(3), 302–318.
Pekarek-Doehler, S. (2022). Emergent L2 grammar in and for social interaction: Introduction to the special issue. Modern Language Journal, 106(S1), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12759
Pekarek-Doehler, S., & Skogmyr Marian, K. (2022). Multimodal word-search trajectories in L2 interaction: The use of gesture and how it changes over time. Social Interaction. Video-Based Studies of Human Sociality, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.7146/si.v5i2.130867
Simango, M., & Moyo, L. (2024). Multilingual pedagogies and learner motivation in low-income township schools. Reading & Writing, 15(2), 150–168.
Skogmyr Marian, K., Juillet, M., Forsberg Lundell, F., & Pekarek-Doehler, S. (2023). Combining longitudinal CA and automatic extraction methods in SLA: Opportunities and challenges. ASLA Studies in Applied Linguistics, 30, 374–402.
Wang, M. (2022). The need for social network analysis for the investigation of L2 learners’ affective variables in the social network of classroom learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 983698. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.983698
Zhang, L. (2023). Social networks and the acquisition of sociolinguistic variation among international students. Languages, 10(5), 108.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30743/ll.v1i1.12268
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.