37.2381, Confs: Variability(ies) in SLA (France)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-2381. Thu Jul 16 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.2381, Confs: Variability(ies) in SLA (France)

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Date: 14-Jul-2026
From: Simona Anastasio [simona.anastasio at univ-tlse2.fr]
Subject: Variability(ies) in SLA


Variability(ies) in SLA

Date: 12-Nov-2026 - 13-Nov-2026
Location: Toulouse, France
Meeting URL: https://variabilites.sciencesconf.org/?lang=en

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics; Language Acquisition;
Psycholinguistics

Submission Deadline: 30-Jul-2026

In the field of second language acquisition (SLA), there is a
consensus among researchers that a multitude of factors come into play
during the acquisition process and influence both the pace of
acquisition and the success of that process.
Indeed, several factors account for inter- and intra-individual
differences: age, working memory, motivation, aptitude for the L2,
learning strategies, proficiency level in the L2, and the subjects’
linguistic repertoire, not to mention the importance of social aspects
such as socio-cultural and economic background or the parent-child
relationship in the case of bilingual children (see, among others,
Ellis 2004; Dörnyei 2005, 2006).
Institutional factors, considered as external, such as guided vs.
unguided, immersive vs. non-immersive contexts, teaching programmes,
and the intensity and duration of contact with the L2, also play a
crucial role in developmental variability among learners. Learners
also exhibit varying trends depending on the language modality used.
Lowie & Verspoor (2019) show that the degree of variability in L2
writing is correlated with success and that, as noted by Thelen &
Smith (1994), variability proves to be greater during the rapid phase
of development when the learner explores new strategies and
behaviours.
Variable patterns in learners’ performance are also influenced by the
typological properties of the languages in contact (Véronique 2009)
and the proficiency in the L2. In the 1990s, the European Sciences
Foundation (ESF) project, based on the ‘learner variety’ approach,
highlighted common trends in the initial stages of learning and
divergent behaviours attributable to the specificities of first
languages from the post-basic level onwards (Perdue 1993, Benazzo et
al. 2023).
The variability among second-language learners has always been a
subject of great interest to members of the RéAL2 thematic network.
Indeed, this theme was the focus of one of the network’s first
meetings, entitled ‘Variability in Second-Language Acquisition
Pathways’, held on 3 June 2016 in Toulouse, which proved fundamental
in the network’s creation. These study days aim to shed new light on
the variability of acquisition trajectories, 10 years on, by taking
stock of their complexity, new sources of variability (e.g. profiles
of learners studied) and the contribution of new methods of analysis.
The “Variability in L2 Acquisition” workshop welcomes proposals for
papers addressing aspects of variability in the processes and pathways
of acquisition in L2 or any other additional language, from an
acquisitionist or didactic perspective. Presentations will aim to shed
light on the following aspects (non-exhaustive list):
 - Learner factors (intra- vs inter-individual);
 - The effect of typological distance/proximity between source and
target languages on variability;
 - Learning contexts and variability;
 - Language modality (written, spoken, gestural, etc.) and
variability;
 - Methodological aspects (tools, measures);
 - Variability vs. systematicity;
 - Variability and heterogeneity.
 - Taking learner variability into account in language classrooms



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