A conversation analysis-complex dynamics systems theory (CA-CDST) approach for analyzing longitudinal development in L2 pragmatics

The compatibility of Conversation Analysis (CA) and Complex Dynamics Systems Theory Approach (CDST) in analyzing second language (L2) development has long been discussed (e.g., Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008a). Nevertheless, how CA and CDST are compatible and how the method can be applied to data to analyze L2 development has been rarely demonstrated, with a few exceptions (e.g., Siegel & Seedhouse, 2024). This paper builds upon these prior discussions, explaining the compatibility of CA and CDST and a demonstration of the Conversation Analysis-Complex Dynamics Systems Theory (CA-CDST) approach to holistically analyze L2 pragmatic development. The CA-CDST approach is exemplified through the analysis of the use of code-switching in L2 interaction. The analysis demonstrates that unmarked code-switching in L2 interaction is not an omnipresent interactional phenomenon. Rather, it is learned; it is an interactional resource that is co-constructed through the sequential process of multiple encounters, adaptation, and accommodation to both the interlocutor and the interactional setting. Moreover, the analysis demonstrates the adaptable nature of CA and how the CA-CDST can elucidate the non-linear nature of L2 pragmatic development.