3. Teaching a Second Language vs a Foreign Language

Peter Schoenaerts: Hello there. Here's a question somebody sent me. 'I teach French in Australia. Am I a second language teacher or a foreign language teacher? And why does that even matter?' Well, it's a fair question, and we teachers often don't really think about it. But the answer to this question may change what you teach and how you teach it. And then there are also terms like additional language, world language, heritage language. Explaining them all, that's what today's episode is all about. And here we go. Many language teachers, whatever language they teach, aren't entirely sure themselves what the difference is between a second language and a foreign language. So let's clear that up first, because it has nothing to do with the number of languages that someone speaks. Here's the actual difference. If you're teaching a language within the region where it's actually spoken day to day, by the government, in shops, on the news, we call that language a second language. It's the language used everywhere when you leave the house. If you're teaching that same language in a region where it isn't part of daily life, where learners won't hear it the moment they leave the classroom, we call that a foreign language. So let's make that concrete. Take someone who has just moved to a new country and is learning the local language there. Let's say someone moved from the UK to France. At home, they still speak their mother tongue, English. But the moment they step outside, they're surrounded by French, the local language. On the street, in shops, at school. We're talking about a second language here. The language of the classroom and the language of daily life are one and the same. So there's a huge amount of natural input outside the lessons at school. Now take someone teaching French in Australia. The learners there mostly hear and speak English at home and in the streets. French for them only exists in the classroom. In this case, we're talking about foreign language learners. Same language, French, but in a completely different learning context. Now that difference between second and foreign language learning has real consequences for what you teach and how you teach it. Think about someone learning a language because they need to integrate in a new society. What do they need to learn quickly? Introducing themselves, greeting people, chatting at the bakery, buying food, applying for a job. Now think about someone learning that same language somewhere it isn't spoken day to day. They are unlikely to need the language to buy bread or to fill in a job application. So as a teacher you have to ask yourself: 'What kind of learner do I actually have in front of me? And what do they need the language for?' And that's why second language learning tends to lean heavily on oral interaction. While foreign language learning often puts more emphasis on culture and literature. Foreign language learners, they cannot pick up the culture just by stepping outside. So the classroom has to bring it to them. Another difference. Second language teachers are very often native speakers of the language they teach, which also means they're not necessarily familiar with every language and every cultural background sitting in their classroom. Foreign language teachers, on the other hand, are very often non-native speakers of the language they teach. They are people who once learned that language as a foreign language too. Think of English or French teachers in, for example, Germany or Italy or Japan. They are usually native speakers of the local language. They are not native speakers of French or English. And this leads to another difference, the one between homogeneous and heterogeneous groups. In a foreign language classroom, it's common for the teacher to share the same mother tongue and cultural background as the learners, because the group is often fairly homogeneous. And that has real advantages. There are fewer cultural misunderstandings and the teacher can explain difficult things directly in the learner's own language. Even if that occasionally means the teacher makes a small error themselves, or phrases something in a way a native speaker might find odd. Is that really a problem? No, it is not. Because modern language teaching is focused on communication, on getting a message across. In a second language classroom the picture is usually the opposite. A highly heterogeneous group with learners from all sorts of different language and cultural backgrounds. That makes it much harder to lean on any bridge or auxiliary language. Because explaining something in it, say in English, will always make things harder for the learners who don't know English or who don't know English well enough. So in that context, it's usually best to keep communicating in the target language itself. Because it means everyone's constantly practising it. And that's exactly why I think that you should do that in a second language classroom too. So, by now it should be clear whether you teach a second or a foreign language. Let me get into a few more details. In a foreign language context, teachers often use what's called a contrastive approach, comparing the target language directly with the learner's own language, pointing out where the two are similar and where they differ. That only works because the group shares one language and culture to begin with. It also fits with the fact that many foreign language learners have little or no contact with the language outside class. They're often learning it out of genuine interest in the country, in its people, its literature and culture, which is exactly why that's where the classroom focus tends to sit. Now, second language and foreign language aren't the only terms you'll come across. And it's worth knowing some others. Because they show up in different parts of the world for good reasons. In North America especially you'll often hear the term world language instead of foreign language. Teachers call themselves a world language teacher. Or at a school, you'll find the world languages department. The idea behind it is that they try to avoid the word 'foreign'. World language presents the language instead as something genuinely global and worth learning in itself. You will also increasingly hear the term additional language. This term tries to move away from the idea that a learner has one main language and is now learning a second one. Many learners already speak more than one language before they ever start studying yours. So calling it their second language doesn't feel right for some people. So the term additional language avoids that by simply recognising that this is one more language, on top of however many they already have. And one more term you might come across is heritage language. That refers to a language a learner has a personal or family connection to. Perhaps their parents or grandparents spoke it. Even if they themselves didn't grow up speaking it fluently. Teaching a heritage language learner is often a different experience again, because they may already have a strong feel for the sounds and culture of the language, even with limited active vocabulary. Now I want to make clear that none of these terms is more correct than the others. They've simply developed in different places for different reasons. But it's worth knowing them. So you understand what a colleague means when they introduce themselves as a world language teacher rather than a foreign language teacher. I think this is all clear. Now take a minute and ask yourself this question. Are you mainly a second or a foreign language teacher? Or perhaps a mix of both? Depending on the class or the region where you teach your language. If you're teaching second language learners, are you giving them enough oral functional practice for daily life? If you're teaching foreign language learners, are you making room for culture and context that they can't simply pick up outside the classroom? You might find that the teaching materials you use don't really match the group you actually have in front of you. And now we're back to where we started. Are you a second language or a foreign language teacher? And why does it matter? Once you know which one you are, you know exactly what your learners need to learn from you. And what you can safely leave for them to pick up on their own. So let me finish this episode with a few questions to think about. Do you actively help your learners to use the target language as a shared language in the classroom? Do you ever lean on a bridge language, an auxiliary language? And if so, why? And do you ever use a contrastive approach, comparing the target language with the learner's own language? Or is that impossible? Maybe you have too many mother tongues in the classroom. I hope today I explained clearly what the terms mean that you may come across. Next time we're tackling why there's not one method for learning or teaching a language. If you want to get all your learners engaged, genuinely engaged, you have to adapt how you teach to their individual needs and learning styles. And we'll look at what that actually means in practice. If this episode helped you place yourself as a teacher, do me a favour and share it with a colleague who might also be interested in it. Someone teaching in a context similar to yours, or maybe completely opposite. And if you haven't yet, subscribe to the Happy Language newsletter so you don't miss episode four. That's it. See you next time.