Abstract
Given the implicit disincentive that the native knowledge of a global language poses to the learning of other languages, improvement in student recruitment in language studies is a key priority for educational institutions in English-speaking countries. This paper explores how a major Australian tertiary institution markets five European languages, by focusing on which characteristics of L2 learning are incorporated in the persuasive discourse of a university brochure and on how these are reflective, more or less deliberately, both of L2 motivation theories and of marketing strategies in higher education. It shows that the brochure creates future L2 visions for prospective students through the description of the cultural and instrumental benefits associated with L2 proficiency, and details how to turn this L2 vision into action, by providing a glimpse into L2 learning experiences and by presenting the University as a reputable and trustworthy institution. The study offers a multifaceted theoretical framework which can be utilised in future investigations on a bigger sample of universities and suggests that re-thinking marketing material for language learning in terms of the creation and operationalisation of future L2 Selves could be a fruitful avenue of research with significant implications for student recruitment.
Brochure analysed: Bachelor of Arts, academic year 2017. Please contact the author to see a copy of the brochure, which is no longer online.
About the author
Riccardo Amorati is a PhD Candidate and a Teaching Associate at the School of Languages and Linguistics of the University of Melbourne (Australia). He holds a BA, a MA and a Diploma in Secondary Teaching from the University of Bologna (Italy). His research interests lie in two main areas: (1) the emergence and development of L2 motivations; (2) language anxiety and the strategies for reducing its impact in the L2 classroom.
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