Social Distance as a Factor in Second Language Acquisition

This paper examines a series of societal factors that promote either social distance or proximity between two groups and thus affect the degree to which a second language learning group (2LL group) acquires the language of a particular target language group (TL group). It is argued that social distance and hence a bad language learning situation will exist where the 2LL group is either dominant or subordinate, where both groups desire preservation and high enclosure for the 2LL group, where the 2LL group is both cohesive and large, where the two cultures are not congruent, where the two groups hold negative attitudes toward each other and where the 2LL group intends to remain in the target language area only for a short time. It is also argued that social solidarity and hence a good language learning situation will exist where the 2LL group is non‐dominant in relation to the TL group, where both groups desire assimilation for the 2LL group, where low enclosure is the goal of both groups, where the two cultures are congruent, where the 2LL group is small and non‐cohesive, where both groups have positive attitudes toward each other, and where the 2LL group intends to remain in the target language area for a long time. Examples of both good and bad language learning situations are drawn from actual contact situations: Americans living in Saudi Arabia, American Indians in the US. and American Jewish immigrants in Israel.