Native speaker effects, C2 receptivity of learner and co-construction of Third-Space personae

Central to engaging in a foreign culture at the most sophisticated level is the asymmetrical power relations between native and non-native speakers. This chapter outlines the native speaker effect, particularly how the mentality of native speakers as the self-perceived "rightful owners" of their language influences their perception and evaluation of non-native learners' language usage. Regardless of whether this "ownership" is real or simply imagined, it has actual, concrete influences on people's practice and perception as revealed in Chinese as a Second/Foreign Language (CSL/CFL) learners' observations and testimonies. Grounded in an ecological framework of second/foreign language learning, this chapter offers a theoretical discussion of the need for and rationale of proposing a pedagogy of target culture (C2) expectations as a new model for foreign language education. The goal of learning a foreign language, this new model proposes, is not to become a native speaker but rather to construct a desirable and effective Third-Space persona, which makes use of the part of nativeness that is accessible to non-native speakers, so they can negotiate their intentions effectively. The chapter argues that a Third-Space persona most effectively creates fruitful cross-cultural communications when one properly recognizes the situated C2 expectations and negotiates the level of expectations accordingly through observable performances. To achieve this goal, a pedagogy of C2 expectations trains learners to recognize what is culturally expected of them as "non-native speakers and cultural outsiders/insiders" and to develop strategies for using those expectations to their own advantage. Foreign language programs that consistently produce learners who can function at this most sophisticated level are the future of the field of foreign language education in the 21st century.