Willingness to Communicate: Rise, Development, and Some Future Directions

Abstract

Abstract In the last 20 years, several scholars have referred to willingness to communicate (WTC) as a useful construct in explaining an individual's first (L1) and second language (L2) communication. WTC in L2 is defined as a readiness to initiate discourse with specific person(s) at a particular time, using an L2 (MacIntyre, Dörnyei, Clément, and Noels ). This paper presents a sketch of the current themes and research directions in WTC, which are particularly novel or forward‐looking. The survey is divided into several main sections: the origin and theoretical advancements, orientations in research methodology, and directions for future research. The paper discusses how WTC was originally conceptualized with reference to L1 communication and, later, introduced as welcome appendage to L2 pedagogy. Furthermore, it compares trait‐like and situational views toward L2 WTC and argues for the importance of facilitating WTC in language learners. Finally, the paper outlines some possible venues for further research that can expand advance in L2 WTC research.