Second language interactional competence and its development: An overview of conversation analytic research on interactional change over time

This paper reviews the research on the development of second language (L2) interactional competence. We first provide an overview of the historical advancements in L2 learning research that have occasioned the current interest in this topic and discuss some methodological issues involved in developmental investigations of this kind. We then review a number of recent empirical studies that use micro-analysis of naturally occurring social interaction data to investigate how L2 speakers develop their interactional practices and resources over time. We also address some points of critique commonly voiced against this type of research, discuss implications of its findings for L2 teaching and testing, and offer some avenues for future directions in the field.