Tavoitekieli

Tavoitekieli, meaning “target language” in Finnish, is a concept in language education that refers to the language that learners aim to understand and use in a given learning situation. It is the language that students are expected to produce and comprehend during authentic communication and task-based activities.

Etymology and scope: The term is formed from tavoite (goal or aim) and kieli (language). In Finnish educational discourse, tavoitekieli is used to distinguish the language being targeted for acquisition from the language of instruction (opetuskieli) or from the learner’s first language. The concept is applied across language learning contexts, including foreign language classrooms, bilingual education, and immersion programs.

Practical use: In practice, the tavoitekieli is the language emphasized during classroom interactions, reading materials, and communicative tasks. Its use aims to provide sufficient exposure to meaningful language use and to promote active production by learners. The degree of reliance on the tavoitekieli can vary with learners’ proficiency, learning goals, and curriculum. Early stages may involve more scaffolding and occasional language switching, while later stages often encourage greater use of the tavoitekieli to develop fluency and communicative competence.

Relation to classroom pedagogy: Tavoitekieli is commonly discussed alongside choices about language of instruction and instructional strategies. Some approaches advocate immersive use of the tavoitekieli to maximize exposure, whereas others incorporate controlled alternation (code-switching) to support understanding and learning when needed.

See also: Language learning, Target language, Immersion education, Code-switching.