Sociocultural Theory, Intertheory Dialogues and (In-)Commensurabilities in the Field of Second Language Acquisition: Introduction to the Special Issue

In this article, we first discuss the rationale behind opening up a dialogic space between sociocultural theory and other compatible theories. In the second section, a brief sketch of sociocultural theory in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) is provided. In the third section, exploring the constitutive relationality that ineluctably holds between a given SLA theory and its putative worldview, we enunciate implications and categorical influence of worldviews on day-to-day research inquiries and scientific practices of the SLA scientific community. Then, we set out to delineate scientific development in SLA invoking a Kuhnian perspective with a honed focus on the theory-laden nature of empirical evidence as well as the key notions of paradigm, disciplinary matrix, and incommensurability of competing theories. In the fourth section, we specifically settle our attention on the issue of incommensurability of, and inter-theory dialogues between, SLA theories with a view to the articles which are included in the special issue and discuss their theoretical and practical implications. We conclude with some remarks on the importance of adopting a weltanschauung-centered perspective about doing research activities, theory choice, and scientific development in SLA for advancing a principally unified and scientifically coherent understanding and explanation of second language developmental processes.