Conflict and challenges in esl acquisition: an investigation within francophone immigrant college students’ environment in Cape Town

Abstract

The complexity of second language acquisition (SLA) by young adults as seen through the lenses of students with different needs and objectives has a tremendous language conflict potential to the acquirers. Languages spoken both at home, within communities, social gatherings, and at learning institutions of which a specific language is the medium of instruction, differ from one ethnic group to another and from one society to the other. South Africa as a multilingual and multicultural society is hosting migrants with similar characteristics of a multilingual and multicultural background. This is an indication that SLA is unavoidable by the immigrants who are the minority. Acquiring English as a second language (ESL) is of paramount importance for their academic success. The current study focuses on French-speaking immigrant college students (FICS) in Cape Town. These immigrant college students interact closely with speakers of different languages in South Africa. This might have a significant influence in their SLA in the form of language conflicts and challenges. FICS may be semi proficient in various languages they encounter including English; however, fully proficient in none. This study is therefore established on the assumption that language contact resulting in language conflict plays a significant role towards SLA by French-speaking students within their Cape Town environments. Using a qualitative research methodology and the theoretical underpinnings of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, this study investigates the language conflicts and identifies the types of challenges encountered by FICS in Cape Town