Language Learning after Generative AI

Cope, Bill; Kalantzis, Mary; Zapata, Gabriela C.

Abstract

Why would anyone need to learn another language now, when we have machines that will speak and write for us? At a time when cynicism is growing about the costs and value of education, whether cynicism is justified or not, this is a question that is likely to be asked. This paper examines in general terms the consequences of Generative AI (GenAI) for Another Language Learning (ALL) including teaching and learning in areas that have historically been called foreign language learning, second language learning, and heritage language maintenance. The chapter proceeds through three sections. The first traces the development of AI, culminating in the arrival of GenAI and its potential implications for language teaching and learning. In the second section, we analyze the ways in which GenAI processes language, making it a peculiarly text-semantic technology. Using our transpositional grammar as a framework, we analyze its limits, dangers, and its perhaps surprising potentials to reverse a long history of linguistic imperialism. In the last section, we use the multiliteracies pedagogical framework Learning by Design to suggest a possible re-orientation in language teaching and learning away from functional ends to a broader framework that acknowledges the potential role of GenAI in all aspects of language use and learning.

Citation

Cope, B., Kalantzis, M., & Zapata, G. C. (2025). Language Learning after Generative AI. In G. C. Zapata (Ed.), Generative AI Technologies, Multiliteracies, and Language Education. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003531685-2

• Publication Date: Jul 18, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jul 28, 2025
• Book Title: Generative AI Technologies, Multiliteracies, and Language Education
• Chapter Number: 1
• ISBN: 9781032871660
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003531685-2
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/52157287
• Publisher URL: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781003531685/generative-ai-technologies-multiliteracies-language-education-gabriela-zapata