Reconciling Language Anxiety and the ‘Montréal Switch’ : An Autoethnography of Learning French in Montréal and Negotiating my Canadian Identity Through Language

Type of resource
Author/collaborator
Title
Reconciling Language Anxiety and the ‘Montréal Switch’ : An Autoethnography of Learning French in Montréal and Negotiating my Canadian Identity Through Language
Abstract
In this autoethnography, the author explores and attempts to make sense of the tensions she experienced in negotiating her identity as an adult learner of French as an additional language in Montreal. In 2009, after eleven years in Australia, the author returned to Canada to learn French. Using a critical sociolinguistics lens, the author discusses and critically analyzes her experiences of using French in the world beyond the language classroom, particularly what it was like when she spoke to people in French and they switched to English (the author refers to this practice as the "Montréal switch"). The author discusses how notions of citizenship and belonging intersected with her feelings of language anxiety in dealing with the Montréal switch, and attempts to unpack her assumptions and (mis)perceptions of her experiences with this linguistic phenomenon. The author explains that her analyses have the potential to shed light on the wider social and cultural world of being a language learner in Montreal. She points out that her experiences may be of interest not only to learners of French as an additional language but also to additional language researchers and teachers looking to support and prepare learners for the world beyond the language classroom.
Publication
Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education / Revue canadienne des jeunes chercheur(e)s en éducation
Volume
Vol. 6
Issue
no. 2
Pages
9-15
Date
Fall/automne 2015
Language
en
URL
Citation
Godfrey-Smith, Lauren Anne. “Reconciling Language Anxiety and the ‘Montréal Switch’ : An Autoethnography of Learning French in Montréal and Negotiating My Canadian Identity Through Language.” Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education / Revue canadienne des jeunes chercheur(e)s en éducation Vol. 6, no. 2 (Fall/automne 2015): 9–15. https://cjc-rcc.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjnse/article/view/30675.
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