The article explores "culture talk" at the outset of first-time encounters between teachers and students of English as a foreign language in the conversation lounge of a Japanese university. It analyses the interactional procedures by which the foreign place of origin of the teacher becomes the topic of conversation following his or her…

Presents a framework for the analysis of verbal interaction between teacher and pupils in primary-level English as a foreign language (EFL) lessons. Attempts to illuminate the support to learning which can be offered by the teacher's responsiveness to pupils. The research data-base includes audio and video tapes from EFL classes in Malaysia,…

Examines the intersection of learner identity, social position, and second-language acquisition. The article, which focuses on a case study of a white woman learning Japanese in Japan, presents a conversation between the learner and her professor to show the dynamic coconstruction of identity and sociolinguistic proficiency within conversational…