Foreign Language Learning in a Welfare Linguistics Framework

If we make statements such as learning a new language enriches your life, we presume a connection between language and well-being. The latter is usually studied along scales. One can be more or less well, and it is reasonable to consider that learning a foreign language can affect well-being positively or negatively. This chapter explores this issue from the perspective of the nascent discipline of welfare linguistics, which has an analytical prowess that allows us to study language learning, teaching, and intercultural communication from a new perspective. It also has applicative aspects and provides insights on various issues such as language pedagogy, course and curriculum design, textbook writing, and language and language-in-education policies.