ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the various contexts in which people pursue their second language learning in adulthood, including young adults between 20 and around 40 years of age as well as adults in midlife. In so doing, various phenomena are considered that reflect the heterogeneity of this age group, such as the “love factor” in SLA; cultural hybridity in bi-national couples; the learning (and re-learning) into adulthood of “heritage” languages; the classroom L2 learning experience of adults and achievement in their home country or region; and the attempts to come to grips with the language of a country on the part of those who have migrated to the country in question as adults.
