The language learning hub: reframing fandoms as communities of practice for language acquisition in Bangladesh

Abstract

This research explores how global fandoms can be proven to be “communities of practice” especially in terms of the collective pursuit of language learning (Wenger, 1998, p.3). It reframes the idea of a fandom using Etienne Wenger and Jean Lave’s concept of communities of practice and highlights the participatory, collaborative and productive nature of fandoms as active language learning communities. Moreover, this effort reveals how practices within fandom communities impacts Bangladeshi language learners. The study applies a qualitative phenomenological approach to interview individuals who have attained expertise in specific languages through interactions within fandoms to determine the nature of their involvement with other fans and the resources they encounter that have impacted their language learning. Through the interviewees’ self-reported experiences this study reveals how various interpersonal and parasocial engagements within fandoms bolster language exposure, provide affective reinforcement, increase accessibility to unique user-generated language resources and broaden the scope of regular language practice through the development of specific linguistic codes and ensuring accountability and growth with continuous feedback. Eventually, this research portrays how the communities of practice constructed by global fandom culture supports language absorption in learners in informal settings through unconventional methods within the Bangladeshi context.