engleski

Native-like Competence in Croatian as a Second Language - Spurs and Obstacles in its Achievement

The purpose of learning a second language often influences the level of language knowledge and the competence that second language learners aim to achieve. For the majority of L2 learners, especially students of a second language, that level is a native-like language competence. On their way to achieve that goal, second language learners encounter various linguistic and non-linguistic difficulties. How effective these difficulties will be remedied, depends on various factors: language aptitude, learner’ s first language, other languages that learners speak, etc. This paper deals with native-like competence in Croatian as a second language. The term native-like competence in Croatian L2 will be examined according to the linguistic and sociolinguistic features of Croatian language, as well as through the relation between Croatian language and Croatian culture. Also, this paper deals with the possibility of achievement of native-like competence in the environment where the target language is not spoken and the advantages and disadvantages that various groups of learners (heritage and non-heritage language learners) have in achieving native-like language competence.

Croatian as L2; language competence; native-like competence; learning

nije evidentirano