Two models of third language acquisition and the multilingual competence of foreign language students in Norway

Abstract

In this paper, I outline the multilingual competence of a group L3 French and German students in Norwegian upper secondary education, showing that their multilingual repertoire extends beyond their first language and English as a second language, and that their repertoire varies in terms of proficiency level and formal language knowledge. Subsequently, I discuss how two models of cross-linguistic influence (transfer) in third-language acquisition may have components that allow for modelling language learning in light of the range of multilingual competence present in Norwegian foreign-language classrooms. Finally, I make some connections between the type of implicit cross-linguistic influence studied in L3 acquisition models and the type of explicit learning strategies advocated in the curriculum in foreign languages, which states that foreign-language students should be able to reflect on how they transfer knowledge from other languages they speak or have knowledge of (Ministry of Education and Research, 2019).