Abstract:
This paper comes from a doctoral study which sought to explore the relationship between home and language. The study attempted to disclose the lived meaning of being at home in language (cf. Merleau-Ponty, 1973; Heidegger, 1971) and to show that language is one way through which we know home and can feel at home. The intention was to show that the human way of being with language has a depth which is rarely considered in the context of language teaching. It has not been my intention to imply that syllabuses and methodologies of language teaching are redundant, but to show that there is a more fundamental or a more thoughtful way of considering the needs of immigrants who must learn a new language in a new country.