ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses willingness to communicate (WTC), the development of the concept from a stable characteristic of a person (trait) to a dynamic concept of willingness that fluctuates from moment to moment. A point of emphasis for this chapter is that the considerations that go into thinking about trait-level WTC can sometimes be very different from the considerations that go into thinking about the dynamics of WTC changing from one moment to the next. Yet they are two sides of the same communicative coin. The major research articles reviewed highlight work in both first language (L1) and second language (L2), trait and dynamic approaches, and with various learners in various places. A range of WTC measurement strategies are reviewed that assess trait-level and dynamic influences, both in the classroom and outside it. Finally, the pedagogical recommendations offered suggest that if pupils must talk in order to learn a new language, it is well worth the effort to understand what makes some individuals more willing to communicate than others, but also what makes a specific person more willing to communicate at some times and less willing at other times.
