Sociocultural Theory in Second Language Acquisition by James P. Lantolf

Author:James P. Lantolf [Lantolf, James P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2013-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

Conclusion

In second language acquisition research, Vygotsky’s cognitive theory and his theory of tool-mediated action have taken precedence over his theory of signs. The reason why it has found such resonance might be that it has filled a need to take the sociocultural context of learning into account without putting in question the dominant view of communication as a problem to be solved with the help of linguistic ‘tools’. But Vygotsky was careful to show that language, unlike other, natural, signals found in the environment, is both a tool and a sign. As James Wertsch writes in light of Vygotsky’s work:

While one cannot understand tool-mediated action without understanding its origins, one cannot reduce a tool-mediated action to its origins. An adequate analysis of action must take into account … the transformation it undergoes as a result of becoming intertwined with a sign system.

(Wertsch 1985a: 206)

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