The Foreign Language Appropriation Conundrum: Micro Realities & Macro Dynamics by Thomas Szende (review)

In The Foreign Language Appropriation Conundrum, Thomas Szende addresses critical issues of foreign- and second-language teaching in our globalized world of the twenty-first century. Clearly passionate about language teaching, he takes care to position concerns about classroom practices and the increasing reliance on technology (called “micro realities”) in relation to the myriad external cultural, political, and institutional forces (“macro dynamics”) that influence attitudes toward language learning. At a time when the legitimacy of foreign languages as an academic endeavor in the United States is being challenged and dismissed as mere “skill building” by those who make critical decisions regarding core curriculum at state universities and colleges, Szende’s study is a welcome contribution to the debate on the importance of multilingualism in our globalized society.

His central argument is that language is not separate from culture. He first argues that “the plurality of language and culture is part of the dynamics of humanity” (13) and continues to observe that language teaching “is to fully enter into all that defines language as a socially appropriate tool” and that it reflects the society in which it is spoken (21). Teaching a foreign language, then, means to broaden the horizons of language learners, as well as to guide them toward being able to move beyond the boundaries of their native language and culture as they learn to “see the world through the lens of the Other and thus to see themselves more clearly” (42).

Szende’s respect for languages and cultures, especially those from marginalized or non-dominant communities of speakers, shines through in his considerations about the relative status of local and imposed languages in former colonies. Repeatedly, he points out the importance of “political, economic, cultural, and other power[s]” that determine the value assigned to a particular language (38). In this context, he expresses legitimate concern about the linguistic hegemony of English brought about by globalization, as well as to the migrations of peoples due to forces of globalization and war. He suggests that migration, its “linguistic consequences,” and the dichotomy of disrespect by the host culture for unskilled, uneducated migrants juxtaposed against the respect for “elite,” educated migrants, are major twenty-first century concerns (27).

Set against the backdrop of international concerns about languages and their perceived value, much of the book examines the roles of the language teacher and the learners in a world of ubiquitous technology. He views it as the teacher’s responsibility to use the methodology suitable to her/his local situation “1) to expose learners to (linguistic and cultural) alterity and 2) to bring learners to analyze their relationship to the Other” (237). Szende reiterates the critical importance of learner autonomy, the learner’s personal responsibility for learning, the importance of the learner being invested in the project, clearly concluding that “the mere act of being exposed to the input does not mean that it will retain the learner’s focus or that they will be able to exploit or internalize it for the purpose of acquisition” (194). Likewise, he reassures the reader that technology of itself “cannot guarantee quality” (236) and that good language teaching requires good language teachers. He raises a particularly good question asking if there will be people and languages excluded from the “information society” (133).

Two aspects in the section dedicated to teaching language are of particular note. First is the emphasis that metalinguistic knowledge is equally important as communicative tasks “because to learn, foreign language students must be able to understand” (163) and adult learners can use knowledge of their native language and other foreign languages to assist their acquisition of the target language. He is clear, however, that he considers metalinguistic knowledge useful only insofar as it furthers the project of language learning and that the use of emerging language skills, as practiced for example in task-based learning scenarios, are essential to furthering students’ communication skills and enhancing their critical thinking skills (186). The second aspect is...