Motivation of Foreigners to Learn the Lithuanian Language
Motivation of Foreigners to Learn the Lithuanian Language

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the motivation of adults coming to Lithuania to learn Lithuanian as a foreign language. The motivational background for learning “small” languages will be discussed. Lithuanian, spoken by approximately 3.5 million people worldwide, is an example of a less popular choice for foreign language learners. However, reindependence in 1991 and joining the European Union in 2004 created new opportunities for teaching Lithuanian as a foreign language. In this paper we wanted to examine the motivational factors driving foreign adults to come to Lithuania to learn its language. The theoretical framework was based on the motivation theories of Gardner and Lambert (1972) and Deci and Ryan (1985). The main tool used for the purpose of research was the Foreign Language Learning Motivation Questionnaire (Gonzales, Lopez 2016). We conducted quantitative research on a representative sample of 114 respondents who participated in different language courses in Lithuania. The results show that learning Lithuanian is strongly connected with internal and integrative motivation, rather than external and instrumental, while the autotelic value of Lithuanian language was also highly rated by the students. This confirms that learning “small” languages needs special motivation and instrumental factor plays a lesser role. The article ends with a discussion of the results within a wider context.

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