1 Background Over the last three decades, the field of second language acquisition (SLA)
has witnessed two major turning points that have influenced the way we define a second
language: the social turn (eg Block, 2003; Duff, 2015; Eskildsen & Majlesi, 2018; Firth &
Wagner, 1997, 2007; Lantolf, 2011; Norton, 2000); and the multilingual turn (eg Cook, 1992;
Douglas Fir Group, 2016; García & Flores, 2014; May, 2011, 2014; Norton, 2014; Ortega,
2014). A common concern of both the social and the multilingual turn has been the …

This edited volume investigates the nature and possible applications of an expanded and
reconceptualized theoretical construct of speaking as a dynamic socially-constructed
endeavour. It addresses both theoretical perspectives and methodological procedures to
define and circumscribe the assessment of contextualized speaking. The chapters focus on
the complexity brought about by actual interactional competence in speaking tasks and
discuss how testing and assessment models and practices can incorporate recent research …