1 Introduction to Language Learning and Leisure

Abstract

The introduction to Language Learning and Leisure provides two reviews of the literature in this area, overviewing first the field to date and second the contributions to the book itself. We begin with a short etymologically-based explanation of the choice of title of the book and a brief history of the genesis of the volume. The review of the field to date examines literature touching on informal or leisure-related language acquisition since the early examples in the 1980’s and 90’s. It analyses past publications according to five categories: what informal language learners do, where they do it, the prevalence of English, what is learnt (language development) and the relationship of informal and leisure learning to other types of learning. The presentation of the contributing chapters follows the organisation of the book, presenting the nature of informal second language learning and informal second language learning research, research into language outcomes, learner activities and strategies, psychological dimensions of informal second language learning and more specifically engagement.

1 Introduction

The Liddell and Scott Greek lexicon1 offers several insights into the origins of the word leisure (σχολή – schole).1 The primary descriptions offered (leisure, rest, idleness) seem, at first glance, to somewhat contrast with the secondary descriptions given (that in which leisure is employed, learned discussion, disputation, lecture … a group to whom lectures are given, school). It is interesting indeed that “school” should appear as an example of a place of leisure. However, considering the full spectrum of this lexicon entry we may infer the journey from “leisure” to “school” more clearly: time allowing for rest or idleness also allows for intellectual activity, which may lead to discussing ideas, rhetorical debate, the development of philosophies and worldviews, which over time may become sufficiently sophisticated so as to be associated with a physical place: a school. That the primary and secondary descriptions strike us as incongruent serves as a reminder that in the present age, school is most often thought of in the category of work and that intellectual undertakings are assumed to be distinct from relaxation and leisure.

One of Liddell and Scott’s references in Plato’s Laws finds Clinias and the Athenian discussing the study of physical sciences and mathematics in the following terms:

• Athenian: People should be setting problems like these for one another, competing in activities that are valuable to them, a much more refined pastime (σχολή – schole: leisure) for old men than draughts.

• Clinias: No doubt. After all there is not a great deal of difference between draughts and these subjects. (Paraphrased from Laws 7:820:c-d)2

While a leisure pursuit such as draughts may be helpful for certain mathematical reasoning skills, the central reflection of this book will be on the affordances of leisure activities for second language learning. With the relationship between study and play as a starting point for a collection of chapters on language learning and leisure, it may be helpful to keep in mind the following questions: Philosophically, to what extent are leisure and schooling, free time and learning, all part of the same system? How do listening to music, watching videos or playing video games – widespread leisure activities for many young people today – contribute to the process of developing an additional language?

The study of informal involvement with additional languages has emerged as a relevant area of research within SLA. With the rapid development and spread of internet-based technologies, contact with foreign languages outside the classroom has become commonplace, even for learners who cannot study abroad and may never have travelled. While this contact can take multiple forms, online contents are a major driving force because they present learners with unprecedented opportunities for exposure to and use of target languages, regardless of their physical location. The literature concerning informal language learning has grown substantially over the past decade and in 2018 an inaugural conference was organized by Henriette Arndt and Christina Lyrigkou at the University of Oxford entitled (In)formal L2 learning: Integrating informal practices into formal contexts. This first gathering of researchers was followed by a symposium at the AILA 2021 World Congress of Applied Linguistics, Learning through leisure: Informal L2 learning in the 21st century. Serving as a venue for discussions on the current state of the field, the symposium also acted as a catalyst for the creation of this book.

As research in this area has grown over the past decade, so too has the variety of labels used to describe informal involvement with languages. Readers may be familiar, for example, with Online Informal Learning of English (OILE), Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) or Extramural English (EE). For the present volume we have chosen Informal Second Language Learning (ISLL), initially coined by Henriette Arndt (2019), as an umbrella term for these different varieties, each of which examines informal language usage from a particular perspective or within a certain context. OILE, IDLE and EE, for example, all identify phenomena linked specifically to the learning of English. In addition, OILE and IDLE are restricted to digital environments while EE includes both face-to-face interactions as well as the use of traditional media. In any collection of studies from a wide variety of contexts, such as here, it is important to be as terminologically inclusive as possible. Therefore, broader notions of learning “out of class” or “beyond the classroom”, which may offer a more substantial role for teacher-suggested activities, also have their place in some of the studies presented under the ISLL umbrella. Nonetheless, the central idea of learning through leisure, suggesting learner agency and enjoyment in exploring the affordances of materials not specifically designed for learning, should be kept in mind when taking this collection as a whole.

In the following pages, we will present two overviews: firstly of informal second language learning in general, including its historical developments and some of its more significant publications; secondly of the chapters included in this volume, explaining the rationale behind the groupings and order of inclusion.

2 Overview of the field

A review of previous ISLL literature will give insights into the current state of research in the field. Since non-native speakers around the world increasingly have access to their additional languages through online leisure content and interactions, researchers who may have limited their study of SLA to the classroom in the past are now expanding their realm of investigation beyond the formal sphere. However, we would be remiss to assume that studies on language learning in leisure contexts are limited to this recent wave of research. For example, Spada (1986) compared informal interactive contact in an ESL context, such as conversations, with purely receptive exposure, such as watching television programs. She found that the informal interactive contact correlated to greater speaking fluency and improvement in grammatical fluency, especially when the interactions took place in multiple contexts. Within an EFL context, Pickard (1996) queried German L1 secondary students on their out-of-class activities and found that they favoured reading and listening activities as opposed to production activities such as speaking and writing. They also selected their activities based on personal preference rather than on teacher recommendation. Murphy (2005) investigated adult French, German & Spanish learners’ exposure to their target languages outside of class and inventoried the activities they engaged in. She also noted students’ tendency to focus on meaning as opposed to form during their usage events, as well as some students’ wishes for more easily accessible content in the L2. Murphy concluded by affirming the role of informal activities as a “recognised and valued aspect of study” (2005: 311). Finally, Murray (2008) reported on...