Rethinking Language Proficiency: Commentary on Hulstijn (2024)
We enjoyed reading Jan Hustijn’s update of his Basic Language Cognition (BLC) theory in the pages of Languages (Hulstijn, 2024), and we are honored to provide a commentary here. Researchers, language learners, and educators hold varying definitions and understandings of language proficiency. Innovat...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/10/4/58 |
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| author | Lourdes Ortega Shu-Ling Wu |
| author_facet | Lourdes Ortega Shu-Ling Wu |
| author_sort | Lourdes Ortega |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We enjoyed reading Jan Hustijn’s update of his Basic Language Cognition (BLC) theory in the pages of Languages (Hulstijn, 2024), and we are honored to provide a commentary here. Researchers, language learners, and educators hold varying definitions and understandings of language proficiency. Innovative work that helps researchers in the field rethink proficiency is therefore of utmost importance. Hulstijn’s BLC theory offers a clear, well-motivated, and comprehensive framework for investigating what language proficiency may be, what ceilings there may be in what can be attained, and what causes there may be for attainment differences. Hulstijn tells us that BLC rests on a metatheory (i.e., a foundation of assumptions) of language and language learning grounded in two areas familiar to most scholars in second language acquisition (SLA): usage-based linguistics and complex systems. He offers BLC as a theory, that is, a tool to empirically investigate the causation and development of a phenomenon, in this case, proficiency, through a well-articulated research program. In this commentary, we highlight some aspects of the updated BLC theory that we find most useful. Following the Popperian spirit embraced by Hulstijn, we also introduce some critical probes subjects for refinements that may benefit BLC theory in the future. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2fa76f6ba3824096900b9d28ce7e89b4 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2226-471X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Languages |
| spelling | doaj-art-2fa76f6ba3824096900b9d28ce7e89b42025-08-20T02:28:24ZengMDPI AGLanguages2226-471X2025-03-011045810.3390/languages10040058Rethinking Language Proficiency: Commentary on Hulstijn (2024)Lourdes Ortega0Shu-Ling Wu1Department of Linguistics, Georgetown University, 1421 37th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20057, USASchool of Languages and Linguistics, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1000 Faner Drive, Carbondale, IL 62901, USAWe enjoyed reading Jan Hustijn’s update of his Basic Language Cognition (BLC) theory in the pages of Languages (Hulstijn, 2024), and we are honored to provide a commentary here. Researchers, language learners, and educators hold varying definitions and understandings of language proficiency. Innovative work that helps researchers in the field rethink proficiency is therefore of utmost importance. Hulstijn’s BLC theory offers a clear, well-motivated, and comprehensive framework for investigating what language proficiency may be, what ceilings there may be in what can be attained, and what causes there may be for attainment differences. Hulstijn tells us that BLC rests on a metatheory (i.e., a foundation of assumptions) of language and language learning grounded in two areas familiar to most scholars in second language acquisition (SLA): usage-based linguistics and complex systems. He offers BLC as a theory, that is, a tool to empirically investigate the causation and development of a phenomenon, in this case, proficiency, through a well-articulated research program. In this commentary, we highlight some aspects of the updated BLC theory that we find most useful. Following the Popperian spirit embraced by Hulstijn, we also introduce some critical probes subjects for refinements that may benefit BLC theory in the future.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/10/4/58Basic Language Cognition (BLC)Extended Language Cognition (ELC)bi/multilingual exposureliteracystandard languageusage-based approach |
| spellingShingle | Lourdes Ortega Shu-Ling Wu Rethinking Language Proficiency: Commentary on Hulstijn (2024) Languages Basic Language Cognition (BLC) Extended Language Cognition (ELC) bi/multilingual exposure literacy standard language usage-based approach |
| title | Rethinking Language Proficiency: Commentary on Hulstijn (2024) |
| title_full | Rethinking Language Proficiency: Commentary on Hulstijn (2024) |
| title_fullStr | Rethinking Language Proficiency: Commentary on Hulstijn (2024) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rethinking Language Proficiency: Commentary on Hulstijn (2024) |
| title_short | Rethinking Language Proficiency: Commentary on Hulstijn (2024) |
| title_sort | rethinking language proficiency commentary on hulstijn 2024 |
| topic | Basic Language Cognition (BLC) Extended Language Cognition (ELC) bi/multilingual exposure literacy standard language usage-based approach |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/10/4/58 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lourdesortega rethinkinglanguageproficiencycommentaryonhulstijn2024 AT shulingwu rethinkinglanguageproficiencycommentaryonhulstijn2024 |