Interactional modification is important in SLA research because it involves correcting problematic L2 use. However, not all modifications will lead to pedagogical changes. Participants in conversational interactions are not always oriented to linguistic forms or functions. One way to address this dilemma is to examine the process by which participants come to terms with problematic L2 use in interactional exchanges. “Language moments” refer to cases in which L2 forms and functions are objects of interactive exchanges in L2 interactions. Through conversation analysis, the present study uncovered four different types in which participants in L2 interaction discovered and acted on language moments in terms of the degree of explicitness in recognizing and addressing problematic L2 use. This study used data from ESL classroom interactions that featured native teachers of English and L2 learners in an US context. This descriptive account of interactional processes might complement prior research studies that have focused on effects of interactional modification.

Second language writing research has focused on the learning-to-write approach whose analytic and pedagogical goal is to develop L2 learners' writing proficiency. Equally important is the writing-to-Iearn approach that uses writing as a primary tool for content learning. Drawn from writing across the curriculum (WAC) movement in North America, the writing-to-Iearn approach integrates writing into content instructions across various disciplines. Considering that Korean universities have increased English-mediated courses, it is timely to explore how the writing-to-Iearn approach can be used for content learning in English. Writing in this approach is considered to demonstrate whether and how students understand and undertake the course content presented in the assigned readings. The present study examines in-class timed writings produced in a course for English majors at a university in Korea. The student writings were analyzed and classified into four distinctive categories in terms of how they use sources in their writings. The data analysis demonstrates the types of problems these students have in processing complex texts and specifies an array of distinctive ski lls they need to be fully proficient.