(M)other Tongue: Towards generating an ideal L2 self

Denyze Toffoli

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0879-8761

France

Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier image/svg+xml

Denyze Toffoli is a full professor whose research interests concern primarily the online informal learning of English, often extended to all foreign language development outside the classroom. She favours psycholinguistic perspectives on learning, but is also concerned with how classroom interaction can support extramural learning. Her supervision of recent theses and the mentoring of new colleagues has led to her recent interest in AI applications for language learning. 

Ana Bumber

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2801-2922

France

Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier

Ana Bumber holds a PhD in literature (Nabokov) from the University of Tours in France. Since her arrival at the University of Toulouse III in 2022, she has been teaching English for Specific Purposes to students of Chemical and Process Engineering and has invested in research devoted to language teaching and didactics, specifically concerning the use of different AI tools, such as automatic speech recognition, automatic captioning, and video translators.

Opeyemi Comfort Oso

https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5649-7659

France

Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier image/svg+xml

Opeyemi Oso is a doctoral student in Applied Linguistics. Her thesis concerns digital technologies for teaching and learning L2 French & English pronunciation.

Submitted: 12/28/2024

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Accepted: 07/08/2025

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Published: 12/02/2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4995/eurocall.2025.23134

Copyright (c) 2025 Denyze Toffoli, Ana Bumber, Opeyemi Comfort Oso

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Keywords:

AI-generated video translation, ideal L2 self, visualisation, imitation

Supporting agencies:

This research was not funded

Abstract:

The (M)other Tongue project is a contribution to research in applied linguistics on the use of generative intelligent tools (AI) for additional language learning. 2023 saw the commercialisation on-line of several AI-enabled multilingual video services, with at least one including lip-synchronisation and translation functions. The (M)other Tongue project aims to determine relevant pedagogical uses of this type of video-platform for foreign language learning by evaluating the possible perceptive and imitational value of translated videos of adult learners of additional languages. This pilot study worked with fifteen volunteer university lecturers for whom videos of them speaking their L1 were translated into another language. Both the quality of the video products and the emotional impact on the participants were then assessed and recommendations made as to how such tools could further several areas of applied linguistics inquiry, including ideal L2 self-theory, motivation, imitation and pronunciation. This article presents and discusses this preliminary study and the next steps envisaged for a larger-scale study with non-specialist students of English.

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