Beyond the Native Speaker: An Interactional Ecology for English Learning

The role of native-speaker interaction in English language learning has long been debated in applied linguistics. Traditional second language acquisition theories have frequently positioned native-speaker input as the most authentic model of language exposure. However, the global expansion of English as a lingua franca, together with the rapid development of AI-mediated communication, increasingly challenges this assumption. Drawing on recent scholarship, this article critically examines three complementary interactional pathways- non-native teacher scaffolding, peer interaction, and AI-mediated communication. Rather than presenting original empirical findings, the paper is positioned as a conceptual framework study that synthesizes existing research in order to propose an interactional ecology framework for English language learning. The analysis suggests that effective language development depends less on interlocutor nativeness than on the quality, diversity, and pedagogical design of interactional experiences across learning contexts.