On the nascency of ChatGPT in foreign language teaching and learning

Abstract The emergence of ChatGPT as a leading artificial intelligence language model developed by OpenAI has sparked substantial interest in the field of applied linguistics, due to its extraordinary capabilities in natural language processing. Research on its use in service of language learning and teaching is on the horizon and is anticipated to grow rapidly. In this review article, we purport to capture its nascency, drawing on a literature corpus of 71 papers of a variety of genres – empirical studies, reviews, position papers, and commentaries. Our narrative review takes stock of current research on ChatGPT’s application in foreign language learning and teaching, uncovers both conceptual and methodological gaps, and identifies directions for future research.