Understanding Silence and Reticence: Ways of Participating in Second Language Acquisition

Abstract

For many language teachers, a significant amount of classroom time is dedicated to helping students speak. Generally silent or reticent students are often encouraged to participate and speak more; their silence is deemed counterproductive and/or non-participatory. Because of this, much second-language acquisition (SLA) research has been dedicated to talk in the classroom and ways that it can be improved and encouraged by both students and teachers alike. However, while talk is an important element of a second-language (L2) classroom, silence can be equally important. In Understanding Silence and Reticence: Ways of Participating in Second Language Acquisition, Dat Bao takes a close look at this often neglected element of the L2 classroom and offers insights into the role of silence in SLA.