36.1762, Calls: Bulletin suisse de linguistique appliquée - "Second language listening comprehension: challenges and didactic considerations" (Jrnl)

Thu Jun 5 11:05:02 UTC 2025

LINGUIST List: Vol-36-1762. Thu Jun 05 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.1762, Calls: Bulletin suisse de linguistique appliquée - "Second language listening comprehension: challenges and didactic considerations" (Jrnl)

Moderator: Steven Moran (linguist at linguistlist.org)
Managing Editor: Justin Fuller
Team: Helen Aristar-Dry, Steven Franks, Joel Jenkins, Daniel Swanson, Erin Steitz
Jobs: jobs at linguistlist.org | Conferences: callconf at linguistlist.org | Pubs: pubs at linguistlist.org

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

Editor for this issue: Valeriia Vyshnevetska <valeriia at linguistlist.org>

================================================================

Date: 04-Jun-2025
From: Sara Cotelli Kureth [sara.cotelli at unine.ch]
Subject: Bulletin suisse de linguistique appliquée - "Second language listening comprehension: challenges and didactic considerations" (Jrnl)

Journal: Bulletin suisse de linguistique appliquée
Issue: Second language listening comprehension: challenges and
didactic considerations
Call Deadline: 15-Sep-2025

Speech comprehension is one of the most fundamental domains of human
cognition, and its importance in language acquisition is
well-established (Feyten, 1991; Freedle & Carroll, 1972). Extensive
research in cognitive science – particularly in psycholinguistics –
has shed light on the complex processes involved in listening
comprehension, highlighting their diversity (phonological, lexical,
syntactic, semantic, and discourse-level processing), and their
dynamic interactivity (Christiansen & Chater, 2016; Cutler & Clifton,
1999; Cutler, 2012; Zwaan & Radvansky, 1998). In one’s native language
(L1), these processes are immediate and largely effortless – given
that speech perception and comprehension abilities emerge before birth
(Gervain, 2018) and develop “naturally” through the constant exposure
and use of the language.
In contrast, and although it draws on the same cognitive architecture
as L1 listening (Newell, 1990), listening in a second/foreign language
(L2) is far more challenging even for advanced learners. In
educational settings, the development of L2 listening comprehension
processes represents a major pedagogical challenge. L2 listening is
often ranked as the most difficult of all language skills by both
learners and teachers (Graham, 2006; Zoghlami, 2015), and L2 listening
situations have been shown to induce anxiety (Elkhafaifi, 2005;
Bekleyen, 2009). For example, in France, several studies highlight
persistent difficulties and indicate that, while the level in
listening comprehension performance among students of L2 English has
improved, it is still insufficient (e.g., Eteve et al., 2024).
Compared to the other language skills, the didactics of L2 listening
comprehension within communicative and action-oriented approaches
remains "approximate" (Zoghlami & Hilton, 2021, p.146). Since the
1980s, the prevailing methodological model has focused on evaluating
learners' performance (i.e. listen and answer comprehension questions
model) and has prioritized semantic and discourse-level processing
through explicit instruction of listening strategies as a cure-all for
any listening difficulty.
The limitations of this comprehension approach seem to be recognized
(Field, 2019). However, pedagogical alternatives grounded in solid
theoretical frameworks are lacking, and this despite the large number
of studies in L2 acquisition that explore key aspects of L2 listening
comprehension. These include predictive factors for successful
comprehension, the event-based nature of constructed meaning, as well
as links between various types of knowledge, metacognitive skills, and
articulatory and body gestures (e.g., Dobrego et al., 2022; Dyche,
2020; Jouannaud, 2021; Leonard, 2019; Matthews et al., 2023; Tsui &
Fullilove, 1998; Zoghlami, 2023; Zwaan, 2014). Other studies shed
light on teachers' practices and beliefs (Graham et al., 2014) and the
effects of different types of training (e.g., Henderson & Cauldwell,
2020; Roussel et al., 2019).
Thus, this special issue calls for papers that can be situated within
an acquisitionist (e.g. grounded in psycholinguistics) and didactic
perspective. We particularly invite contributions addressing questions
such as:
• What problems do learners encounter during L2 listening
comprehension tasks? For example, we can consider if the difficulties
vary depending on learners' L1 or the target L2.
• What role do different types of knowledge (linguistic, pragmatic,
cultural, etc.) and cues (physical, contextual) play in L2 listening
comprehension? Contributions on phonological and phraseological
knowledge are particularly welcome, as these aspects remain
underexplored.
• How can error analysis inform our understanding of the challenges at
different levels of L2 speech processing? What methods should be used
to diagnose these difficulties, and what activities or tests should be
recommended?
• How is L2 listening comprehension taught today? How have pedagogical
practices evolved over the past three decades? How do teachers and
learners perceive the factors that contribute to listening success or
difficulty?
• Taking into consideration the different types of processes, how can
L2 listening skills be developed concretely? What types of
awareness-raising activities, training methods and materials should be
recommended? What are the training effects on L2 listening
comprehension processes at different proficiency levels (skilled vs.
less skilled listeners)? For example, while metacognition-based
training is well-documented, the impact of perceptual training focused
on L2 phonology remains largely unexplored.
We welcome submissions that significantly contribute to our
understanding of L2 listening comprehension processes and challenges,
and which provide evidence-based teaching approaches to anticipate and
address learners’ difficulties.
Contributions may focus on diverse learner populations (primary,
secondary, university, adult education) and different L2s (English,
French as a Foreign/Second Language, German, Italian, Spanish,
Chinese, Arabic, etc.).
Submission Format:
To participate in the volume, please send a 300-word abstract, plus
references, in French, English, German, or Italian, by September 15,
2025, via email to: naouel.zoghlami at lecnam.net
Articles may be written in French, English, German, or Italian and
should not exceed 45,000 characters, including spaces, references, and
footnotes. All articles published in the Bulletin undergo a
double-blind peer review process. The guidelines for authors can be
found at the following address:
https://www.vals-asla.ch/en/journal/information-about-the-bulletin
For more information on the call see:
https://www.vals-asla.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/Journal__from_2025_/La_comprehension_de_l_oral_en_langue_etrangere-Second_language_listening_comprehension-Hoerverstehen_in_der_Fremdsprachee_Call__FR-EN-DE.pdf

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
                     Language Acquisition

Subject Language(s): English (eng)
                     French (fra)
                     German (deu)
                     Italian (ita)
                     Spanish (spa)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

********************** LINGUIST List Support ***********************
Please consider donating to the Linguist List to support the student editors:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=87C2AXTVC4PP8

LINGUIST List is supported by the following publishers:

Bloomsbury Publishing http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/

Cambridge University Press http://www.cambridge.org/linguistics

Cascadilla Press http://www.cascadilla.com/

De Gruyter Mouton https://cloud.newsletter.degruyter.com/mouton

Edinburgh University Press http://www.edinburghuniversitypress.com

Elsevier Ltd http://www.elsevier.com/linguistics

John Benjamins http://www.benjamins.com/

Language Science Press http://langsci-press.org

Lincom GmbH https://lincom-shop.eu/

MIT Press http://mitpress.mit.edu/

Multilingual Matters http://www.multilingual-matters.com/

Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics / Landelijke (LOT) http://www.lotpublications.nl/

Oxford University Press http://www.oup.com/us

Wiley http://www.wiley.com

----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-36-1762
----------------------------------------------------------