Communicating with oneself: On the phenomenon of private/inner speech in language acquisition

Abstract

The aim of this paper is first of all to introduce the construct of private/ inner speech according to Vygotsky and demonstrate its applicability to research in second/foreign language learning processes. The functions that private speech/inner speech perform in L2 use seem to be fundamental to intentional language processing and are most visibly expressed in learners’ editing their language before performing it. Private speech seems to function in a similar fashion in foreign language use to L1 language processing, especially in the case of communicative tasks. In L2 adults, it is observed that private speech performs the role of an instrument in gaining control over one’s performance. The paper will demonstrate how the concept of private/inner speech is employed in SLA studies. The main method of data collection, that is, simultaneous introspection, will be elaborated on and also illustrated with examples of think aloud protocols as representative samples of private speech. The discussion will focus on the context of third language acquisition to show how the learning process is commented on by a learner in a dialogue with himself/herself. The empirical data that will serve as the basis for this discussion comes from verbal reports of language learners produced simultaneously with the performance of a language task, in this case translation.