Interaction in Luxembourgish as an Additional Language: An analysis of language learning as related to affordances among multilingual adult learners

This study examines affordances for Luxembourgish as the ‘speak-able’ and ‘use-able’ of the target language in the learning environment. Grounded in the Sociocultural theory that assumes that active verbal engagement in naturally occurring interaction enables learners to develop knowledge of target language use, the study analyses Luxembourg learners’ discourses and actions in interaction. Results show that in a context where the target language's functions are limited to "juste les petites conversations wie geet et?" [only mini-dialogues how are you?], metalinguistic awareness is crucial for the occurrence of executive affordance that allows for language learning and development to take place. Awareness of the context on the one side and of the status of the target language on the other side plays an important role in the learning and development of Luxembourgish.