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In:Study Abroad and the Second Language Acquisition of Sociolinguistic Variation in Spanish
Edited by Sara Zahler, Avizia Y. Long and Bret Linford
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 37] 2023
► pp. 54–81

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Chapter 2
Limited gains, restricted access

Student insights from study abroad in Peru

 | University of Oregon
Published online: 6 June 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.37.02gra
Abstract
This chapter explores how limited gains in the L2 acquisition of sociolinguistic variation relate to particularities of the program and host community where students study abroad. An ethnographic case study finds that learners’ access to input during one program was constrained by a number of interrelated factors, which extended beyond student-related variables to include the programming and policies of their SA school and presence of international tourism in the host community. These findings aid in explaining students’ limited development of local sociolinguistic variants and demonstrate that immersion in SA program cannot be conflated with ample access to sociolinguistic input. Understanding how SA affords the development of sociolinguistic competence requires consideration of programmatic factors in assessing individual differences in language learning outcomes.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Literature review
  • Data and methodology
    • Students
    • Setting
    • Positionality
  • Findings
    • L2 acquisition of sociolinguistic variants
    • Tourism in Cuzco
    • Study abroad programming and policies
    • Students’ social circles
  • Discussion
    • What major factors did students identify as having negatively impacted their access to input during SA in Cuzco?
    • In what ways do these factors relate to students’ social networks, identities, and attitudes?
    • How do these factors aid in explaining students’ limited acquisition of sociolinguistic variation from the local variety of Spanish?
  • Conclusions and implications
  • Note
  • References
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Grammon, Devin
2025. Inappropriate Identities: Racialized Language Ideologies and Sociolinguistic Competence in a Study Abroad Context. Applied Linguistics 46:2 ► pp. 193 ff. DOI logo
Grammon, Devin
2025. Language classrooms as communicative settings for learners’ development of sociolinguistic competence during study abroad. The Modern Language Journal 109:1 ► pp. 234 ff. DOI logo
Gudmestad, Aarnes
2025. The development of sociolinguistic competence in Spanish: insights from study-abroad research. Journal of Spanish Language Teaching 12:2 ► pp. 137 ff. DOI logo

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