ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a summary of all findings, bringing together the analytical results on topic introduction and topic closure. This is the occasion for discussing the nature and the development of L2 interactional competence as it is seen through the lens of topic management in French as a second language. On the one hand, the analysis of topic introduction has shown some important changes in the ways the L2 speakers accomplish this action over time, and this is put in relation not only to linguistic features but also to their developing relationship with the family members. On the other hand, the investigation of topic closure has demonstrated a rather stable interactional microcosm, which allows for a discussion on the nature of L2 interactional competence and on its dependence on the interactional constellations within the host families. The social nature of L2 learning is foregrounded in the discussion of the results.
