Discussion paper

In this paper, I develop a critical appreciation of how conversation analytic research on second language acquisition (CA-SLA) sheds light on the ways participants’ shared interactional histories shape second language learning behavior. I do this by: (1) examining whether this special issue has achieved its stated editorial goals, and (2) evaluating how this collection expands our emerging understanding of this topic. Specifically, I develop a critical but constructive respecification of the themes developed in this collection, inspired by the work of C. Goodwin (2009) , in which I show how the groundbreaking research agenda outlined in this publication could be further expanded to develop an even more sophisticated research program on these exciting new ideas.