Linguistic Risk-Taking: A Bridge Between the Classroom and the Outside World

Oct 15, 2026

An article presents a Canadian bilingual-university initiative designed to help L2 French and L2 English learners take “linguistic risks”: authentic, autonomous communicative acts that push learners beyond their comfort zone. The project is implemented through a Linguistic Risk-Taking Passport containing 74 campus and everyday-life risks. Interview and self-report evidence from teachers and completed passports examines classroom integration and which items are perceived as especially high-risk. A cyclical task-based framework links classroom learning with real-world L2 use, followed by practical implications for adaptation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time1 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Linguistic Risk-Taking: A Bridge Between the Classroom and the Outside World

The Linguistic Risk-Taking Initiative

The Passport

Linguistic Risk-Taking: A Bridge Between the Classroom and the Outside World Ed Griffiths University of Ottawa Nikolay Slavkov University of Ottawa Abstract This article describes an initiative launched at a Canadian bilingual university in order to encourage L2 French and L2 English learners to take ‘linguistic risks’: authentic, autonomous communicative acts where learners are pushed out of their linguistic comfort zone. The initiative was operationalized through the development of a Linguistic RiskTaking Passport, which contains 74 linguistic risks that students can take in their L2 across the university campus and in their everyday life. An analysis of interviews with participating teachers (n=6) and learner self-report data from completed passports (n=410) examines how the initiative was integrated into the classroom and which passport items were perceived by students as particularly high-risk. A cyclical process of risk-taking within a broad TaskBased Language Teaching (TBLT) framework is described in which risks are viewed as learner-selected tasks with a dynamic affective slant; risks can be used to connect classroom learning with real-life L2 use and vice versa. The data illustrate that linguistic risk-taking can help TBLT practitioners generate ideas on how to narrow the gap between the classroom and the real-world. The article concludes with a list of practical implications and suggestions for adapting linguistic risk-taking to other institutional contexts. Résumé Cet article s’intéresse à une initiative lancée à une université bilingue canadienne afind'encourager les apprenants de L2 française et de L2 anglaise à prendre des « risques linguistiques », définis comme des actes communicatifs authentiques et autonomes où les apprenants sont poussés hors de leur zone de confort linguistique. L'initiative a été mise en place par le développement d'un Passeport de prise de risques linguistiques, qui contient 74 risques linguistiques que les étudiants peuvent prendre en utilisant leur L2 sur le campus universitaire et dans leur vie quotidienne. Une analyse des entretiens avec les enseignantsayant participé (n=6) et des données d'autoréflexion recueillies à partir des passeports remplis par des apprenants (n=410) examine comment l'initiative a été intégrée dans la salle de classe et quelles activités du passeport ont été perçues par les étudiants comme ayant un niveau de risque particulièrement élevé . Nous présentons un processus cyclique de prise de risque dans le cadre général d'une approche d'Apprentissage des langues basé sur les tâches (ALBT) dans lequel les risques sont considérés comme des tâches avec une orientation affective et dynamique et sont choisies par l'apprenant; les risques peuvent être utilisés pour faire le lien entre l'apprentissage dans la salle de classe et l'utilisation de la L2 dans la vie quotidienne et vice versa. Les données indiquent que la prise de risques linguistiques peut Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, Special Issue, 24, 2 (2021) : 127-158 CJAL * RCLA Griffiths & Slavkov 128 aider les professionnels de l'enseignement des langues qui utilisent l’approche ALBT à générer des idées sur la manière de réduire l'écart entre la salle de classe et le monde réel. L'article se termine par une liste d'implications pratiques et de suggestions pour adapter laprise de risque linguistique à d'autres contextes institutionnels. Linguistic Risk-Taking: A Bridge Between the Classroom and the Outside World It has been said that “you take a risk every time you open your mouth in a foreign language”(Beebe, 1983, p. 89) . On the one hand, this sense of risk is related to potential discomfort or anxiety caused by factors such as fear of making errors,(perception of) failing to be understood or to understand others, loss of face or identity, the inability to socialize with others, etc. (see MacIntyre, 2017, for an overview of social, cognitive and academic factors related to lan

FAQs

What is the “linguistic risk-taking” initiative described in the article?

It is a program at a Canadian bilingual university that encourages L2 French and L2 English learners to perform authentic, autonomous communicative acts beyond their linguistic comfort zone.

How does the initiative work in practice?

It is operationalized through a Linguistic Risk-Taking Passport containing 74 linguistic risks students can complete in campus life and everyday contexts.

What does the article investigate using interview and self-report data?

It analyzes how the initiative was integrated into classroom practice and identifies which passport items students perceived as particularly high-risk.

Oct 15, 2026

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