Conclusion

Abstract

At the outset of this study I asked two questions: what has been the impact of the evolution of ICT on the experience of the language user/learner through the ages? What can we infer from this about how best to use ICT in language learning today? It can now be seen that one of the main effects of ICT has been to create more opportunities for language use. As these opportunities are seized, ICT turns into a centrifugal force, whose effect is tempered by that of centripetal forces, such as the need for mutual comprehension, or prescriptive attitudes favouring a particular set of forms. Over the past centuries, language learners have thus found themselves faced with a growing range of potential models soliciting their attention. This raises the important issue of which kind of language should be learnt and taught. Here, the analysis I have presented in terms of the effect of communication characteristics on participants and the importance of the social matrix provides a framework for making informed decisions by enhancing our understanding of the relative difficulty of different types of communication and the complex interplay of the factors at work.