Multi‐competence and the learning of many languages

Abstract The term ‘multi‐competence’ is used to define an individual's knowledge of a native language and a second language, that is L1 linguistic competence plus L2 interlanguage. The paper discusses the persistent tendency in L2 pedagogy, from the 1920s to the present, to make fallacious comparisons between multi‐competent L2 learners and monoglot speakers of the target language. The fallacy is perpetuated by many formal models of language acquisition, such as Universal Grammar, which is opposed to any notion of multiple competences. The paper lists and describes the principal elements of multi‐competence and presents a number of their implications for the construction of syllabi and examinations and the development of teaching methods.