Language Emergence: Implications for Applied Linguistics--A Sociocultural Perspective

The appearance of this special issue on emergentism, chaos/complexity theory and dynamic systems theory (henceforth, ECCTDST) is a welcome addition to the mix of theories that inform the field of applied linguistics in general and SLA in particular (see Lantolf 1996).1 This set of theories has been particularly provocative for those working on L2 development from the perspective of Vygotskian sociocultural theory (henceforth, SCT). As Steve Thorne and I were writing our recent book (see Lantolf and Thorne 2006), we wondered if and how the set of theories meshed with what we were saying about Vygotsky's theory of mind. We did not pursue the topic in great depth in the book; although we did argue that Hopper's (1998, 2002) views on ‘emergent grammar’ were compatible with Vygotsky's theory of mind. I was nevertheless delighted, although admittedly a bit apprehensive, when the editors of the special issue invited me to comment on the collection of articles. Delighted because their invitation afforded the opportunity to explore in greater depth the potential compatibility and connections between ECCTDST and SCT, and apprehensive, because I do not have the extensive background in ECCTDST that the editors and contributors to the special issue have. Thus, even though I approach my task with some uncertainty, I nevertheless believe there is considerable potential for the two theoretical perspectives to illuminate each other and hope that this commentary represents only the initial step in this direction.