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Authenticity of Language Practices in Virtual Learning Sites

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Virtual Sites as Learning Spaces

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Abstract

In this chapter, the focus lies on language practices on virtual learning sites. A questionnaire sent to students on net-based courses in English demonstrated that the informants still had a conservative view of norms in the English language, in that they aimed to have native speaker-like proficiency. They reported that English as a lingua franca was relevant for communication with other non-native speakers in informal situations; however, education in particular was seen as a preserve of native-speaker norms. The informants saw English as a lingua franca as a performance variety that they wanted to learn alongside native varieties. However, textchat data of actual language practices demonstrated that users of English can develop their own norms through interaction with other non-native speakers. The conclusion of these studies is that, even though they may still report that they want to be like native speakers, they do develop their own language practices in the process of interacting with others. This entails that they have a much freer practical view of what is authentic language than their reported attitudes suggest, and I propose that this is due to them using the language on a virtual learning site. Thus, virtual learning sites are environments where, consciously or unconsciously, new non-standard linguistic practices can be developed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of English, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden

    Jonathan R. White

Authors
  1. Jonathan R. White
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Correspondence to Jonathan R. White .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden

    Sangeeta Bagga-Gupta  & Ylva Lindberg  & 

  2. Department of Education and Special Education, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Giulia Messina Dahlberg

Appendix: The Questionnaire

Appendix: The Questionnaire

Attitudes to English questionnaire. The first 5 questions are, what are your native language, what other languages do you speak, a scale for how important is English in different aspects and how often do you speak English, and who do you go to for advice about English proficiency?
Attitudes to English questionnaire. The sixth to ninth questions are, do you aim to develop a near-native speaker level of proficiency in English, a scale for what kinds of English accents you find easiest to understand, please describe in your own words what kind of English you want to use, and a scale for various statements about English.
Attitudes to English questionnaire. The tenth to twelfth questions are, is it appropriate to speak English as a Lingua Franca with native and non-native speakers in different given situations, and rate the non-standard English in terms of how good they are, come with a scale from completely appropriate or completely okay to not appropriate at all or do not understand the sentence.

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White, J.R. (2019). Authenticity of Language Practices in Virtual Learning Sites. In: Bagga-Gupta, S., Messina Dahlberg, G., Lindberg, Y. (eds) Virtual Sites as Learning Spaces. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26929-6_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26929-6_3

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