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Interpreting Dialogue: Bakhtin’S Theory and Second Language Learning

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Interpreting Dialogue: Bakhtin’S Theory and Second Language Learning INTERPRETING DIALOGUE: BAKHTIN’S THEORY AND SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Ludmila A. Marchenkova, University Diploma, M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2005 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Keiko K. Samimy, Adviser Professor Diane D. Belcher _________________________ Adviser Professor Alan Hirvela College of Education Professor Shelley Wong ABSTRACT This study seeks to establish the relevance of Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of dialogue to second language acquisition (SLA) theory and research. Recently, scholars have begun to use Bakhtin’s ideas in the debate on various aspects of second and foreign language and literacy learning. These applications of Bakhtin’s thought remain, however, fragmentary and often rely on secondary sources. This study is the first consistent and relatively extensive introduction of Bakhtin’s theory of dialogue to SLA. As the foundation of Bakhtin’s theories of language, culture, and identity, the theory of dialogue has been chosen out of Bakhtin’s legacy because it explains interpersonal and intercultural communication. All these themes are subject of current concern and of an on-going debate among SLA researchers. Employing the hermeneutic method, the study demonstrates that the theory of dialogue elaborated by Bakhtin can be fruitfully explored in second language theory and research. Grounded in a philosophical aspiration for dialogic polyphony, it can help us see the relations among languages, cultures, and individuals in a new light. The novelty of Bakhtin’s approach consists in the dialogic understanding of language, culture, and the self. His theory supplements many existing second language learning perspectives and allows us to develop an approach to language, culture, and identity as emerging in interactive discursive and intercultural practices. The key underlying idea of Bakhtin’s view of social interaction and social relations is that they are inherently dialogic. This view is based, in turn, on Bakhtin’s understanding of language as dialogic at the most basic level. This is the most significant contribution to SLA theory that we can derive from Bakhtin’s legacy. Bakhtin’s ideas are also important for the discussion of the role of language in the formation of personal identity. Through inner conceptual affinities ii Vygotsky’s pedagogical insights are used to give a pedagogical dimension to Bakhtin’s philosophical and literary construal of dialogue. In all three chosen areas, language, culture, and identity, the predominant theme of their dialogic nature is brought out as a common thread. By emphasizing parallels and interconnections among them, a theoretical framework is finalized and brought into focus. iii To Vladimir, Maria, and Darya iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I owe especial gratitude to the members of my dissertation committee and, first of all, to Professor Keiko K. Samimy, for her trust in me and consistent support as my adviser in both the master’s and doctoral programs. Diane Belcher has inspired me by her exemplary scholarship, generosity, and friendly advice. Her encouragement strengthened my confidence and faith in myself as a scholar. Shelley Wong’s unfailing enthusiasm for Bakhtin and Vygotsky has been a source of optimism that helped me bring this project to fruition. Alan Hirvela’s constructive remarks have heightened my awareness of the unconventional nature and specific direction of my research. My admiration for the work of Caryl Emerson and Cecily O’Neill has had a profound impact on me. Their broad erudition and talent, as well as their personal warmth, exemplify to me the ideal of a scholar. I am deeply indebted to them for their guidance and generosity. This project could not have begun without the understanding of its potential importance by many faculty members at the OSU College of Education in the course of my studies there. My initial attempts at articulating the theme of my research received encouragement from a number of professors at the College of Education: Anna Soter, Laurel Richardson, Becky Kirschner, Rebecca Kantor, Patti Lather, Charles Hancock, Robert Tierney, and Brian Edmiston. Two remarkable teachers, Ludmila Vdovina and Evgeniia Devi, instilled in me a love for two languages and cultures: Russian and English. What they taught me many years ago set me on a journey that has made me a participant in a multilingual, global dialogue today. v Among my friends and colleagues Linda Galloway, Suzanne Panferov, Edwina Carreon, Gergana Vitanova, Annie Pecastaings, Karen Macbeth, and Fernanda Capraro have given me invaluable moral and intellectual support, each in their own special way, over the past few years. I thank you all! I am deeply grateful to my extended family in Russia, especially my mother and my sister, for their unconditional love. And, finally, I owe the most to my husband Vladimir without whose loving support and sacrifice this journey could neither have started nor finished. I dedicate my work to him and my lovely daughters, Maria and Darya, who have helped me be at home in a foreign land. vi VITA 1979 ....................................................University Diploma, English & German St. Petersburg State Hertsen University, Russia 1997 ....................................................M.A. Foreign and Second Language Education, The Ohio State University 1997 - present ..................................... Graduate Teaching Associate, ESL Composition, The Ohio State University PUBLICATIONS 1. Marchenkova, L. (2005). Language, culture, and self: The Bakhtin - Vygotsky encounter. In J. K. Hall, G. Vitanova, & L. Marchenkova (Eds.), Dialogue with Bakhtin on Second and Foreign Language Learning (pp. 171-188). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 2. Hall, J. K., Vitanova, G., & Marchenkova, L. (Eds.). (2005). Dialogue with Bakhtin on Second and Foreign Language Learning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 3. Hall, J. K., Vitanova, G., & Marchenkova, L. (Eds.). (2005). Introduction: Dialogue with Bakhtin on Second and Foreign Language Learning. In J. K. Hall, G. Vitanova, & L. Marchenkova (Eds.), In Dialogue with Bakhtin on Second and Foreign Language Learning (pp. 1-8). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. FIELDS OF STUDY Major field: Education Foreign and Second Language Education vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract................................................................................................................................ii Dedication ..........................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgments ...............................................................................................................v Vita ...................................................................................................................................vii List of Figures .....................................................................................................................x 1. Chapter 1: Introduction ..........................................................................................1 Background of the topic ..............................................................................1 Problem description.....................................................................................6 Objectives and research questions ..............................................................8 Significance of the study .............................................................................9 A note on terminology ..............................................................................11 Preliminary remarks on methodology .......................................................11 Limitations of the study ............................................................................12 Summary of the study ...............................................................................13 2. Chapter 2: Literature Review ........................................................................ ……16 Rationale for the review ............................................................................16 The need for new theoretical resources ....................................................17 Bakhtin in SLA literature ..........................................................................27 Conclusions................................................................................................37 3. Chapter 3: Methodology .......................................................................................38 Method ......................................................................................................38 Trustworthiness .........................................................................................44 Textual issues .................................................................................... ……46 4. Chapter 4: Bakhtin’s theory of dialogue and second language learning and use..53 Introduction ...............................................................................................53 Overview ............................................................................... ……53 Bakhtin on foreign language .........................................................55 viii Language and language use; linguistics and metalinguistics ....................56 Dialogue ....................................................................................................60
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