New JESLA article: Genesee & White, 2024

In this article, we address Cook’s (1991 and subsequently) concept of multicompetence and the notion of a monolingual bias. We argue that the concept of multicompetence must be extended and modified to include other groups of language learners besides those originally addressed by Cook, and that their linguistic competencies must be considered in their own right, rather than as part of some holistic system. We provide an overview of language acquirers in four different contexts: simultaneous bilinguals, international adoptees, heritage language learners and third language learners. We suggest that comparisons with monolingual adults and with monolingual children acquiring the mother tongue, as well as with other learner groups, are useful and indeed necessary, provided that they are carried out with a view to understanding the nature of the grammars and the processes that underlie language learning in diverse situations. We propose that the concept of multicompetence must encompass groups of learners with learner profiles and language learning environments beyond those originally considered by Cook. In addition, understanding multicompetence requires consideration of specifically linguistic issues as well as more general properties of human cognition.