ABSTRACT
This chapter explores whether learners’ Second Language (L2) development follows a ‘natural order’ and, if so, considers the possible implications of the potential ‘internal syllabus’ for language teaching. Developmental sequence studies and claims in support of the internal syllabus, the Natural Order Hypothesis and teachability provide teachers and applied linguists with much to think about. The chapter examines learners’ orientation to learning from a more ‘social’ perspective; investigating ‘acculturation’ and the social distance learners might ‘travel’ when learning a new language. It investigates issues of social identity and ‘investment’ in L2 learning. It also explores how different metaphors for L2 learners and learning construct and convey differing images of what and how learners might contribute to language learning and the L2 classroom. The chapter helps the readers to reflect upon the theoretical perspectives and the contrasts between them, considering what the conceptualizations might contribute to their own understanding of L2 learners and learning in their own professional environments.
