Many languages, many modalities : Finnish Sign Language signers as learners of English

Abstract

For a multilingual person, language learning is a process which requires and makes use of many varied characteristics that have developed in multilingual environments. This study deals with the learner beliefs of Finnish Sign Language (FinSL) signers who study at the university. The data for this study consist of student interviews and essays collected in connection with an English course at the Language Centre. In this article, we focus on discussing how the linguistic background and learner beliefs of FinSL signers form a basis for exploring features that affect their learning of English. Based on the socio-cultural framework, the learner beliefs these students have formed have been examined in order to better understand what kinds of elements are included in their linguistic identity. Their diverse linguistic backgrounds as minority language users in Finland and their active involvement in transnational communities have an effect on how they approach learning English.