Identity and Second Language Learning: Meaning and Implications for Practice

Drawing on personal experience, observations of myriad students over the past twenty years, recent discussions with language teachers in a wide variety of contexts around the globe, and available literature, this article examines the topic of identity and second language learning, to include what it entails and the implications for classroom practice. It begins by explaining how language is a social semiotic, and then shows how culture imposes itself on the process of learning a new language, one that involves the transformation of self. The article concludes by highlighting different tools that teachers can utilize in an effort to explore the narrative of identity with students in both ESL and EFL settings.