The difficulty of definition, however, does not mean that the issue is
not an important one in relation to the acquisition of a second language.
We may not be sure what culture the learner acquires, but it is certainly
different from the learner’s own culture and this difference is an important
part of the learning experience. Researchers are aware that acquisition is a
multidimensional phenomenon and entails linguistic, pragmatic, sociolinguistic
and sociocultural aspects (Dittmar et al. 1998). We know that
the learner acquires more than simply “linguistic” knowledge narrowly
defined. And the context of this acquisition must certainly affect what is
acquired, especially on the sociolinguistic level. In relation to language
learning abroad specifically, context is a crucial aspect of acquisition: “The
post structuralist revolution in the language sciences has given ever more
importance to the notion of context and variability in language acquisition
and use” (Kramsch 1991). We know context of acquisition is an
important causal variable. The learner plunged into a new social and linguistic
environment is obliged to communicate and yet may not have all
the necessary means at his disposal to do so. He is forced inevitably to use
some sociolinguistic strategies. The learner thus must learn and communicate
simultaneously. In this sense, we can say that sociolinguistic strategies
promote acquisition. One of the tasks for the researcher is to explore
the relationship between exposure, intake and use, but we need to develop
some way of charting and measuring it. Freed (1993) rightly points out
in relation to study abroad in general: “studies tell us little about actual
language use. We need a range of linguistic variables (phonological, syntactic,
semantic, sociolinguistic and discourse features).” Until recently
there was little data in relation to specifically sociolinguistic features. The
field of SLA and study abroad was enlarged in 1995 with the appearance
of a cross-linguistic and cross-cultural volume (Freed, 1995) which focused on research on SLA in a study abroad context.