An Interview with APPLE Lecture Speaker Dr. Steven Thorne

Abstract

On April 10th, 2026, the Studies in Applied Linguistics & TESOL (SALT) journal interviewed Dr. Steven Thorne, an invited speaker for the 2026 APPLE Lecture Series hosted by the Applied Linguistics and TESOL Program at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Dr. Thorne is a Professor of Second Language Acquisition in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Portland State University, and holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Applied Linguistics at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. His research interests include cultural-historical and usage-based approaches to language development, technology-mediated language learning, and indigenous language maintenance and revitalization. He is co-author of Sociocultural Theory and the Genesis of Second Language Development (Oxford University Press, 2006) and has published extensively in leading journals, including the Modern Language Journal, TESOL Quarterly, and Language Learning & Technology. He received his M.A. in Hindi and Urdu and his Ph.D. in Language, Literacy, and Culture from the University of California, Berkeley.