On the Issue of Ultimate Attainment in L2 Acquisition: Theoretical and Empirical Views

Abstract

One of the challenges for L₂ acquisition research is to explain not just success with L₂ but also failure.  That is, L₂ researchers have wondered about why most L₂ learners do not achieve the same degree of proficiency in an L₂, as they do in their L₁.  The major question, then, is why variations occur in the performance of L₂ learners. The present study, therefore, addresses the debate on the causes of variability in L₂ learners’ performance.  First, it traces the conceptual framework of such a debate and, in so doing, a multidisciplinary approach was adopted. The purpose was to provide a thorough review of the issues pertinent to the present issue under investigation.  Second, the present study reports the results of an experiment conducted on fifteen learners of English as an L₂, enrolled in the Intensive English programme at the University of Pittsburgh, USA. Results were obtained and conclusions were made.