This study offers a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in the field of second language (L2) teaching and applied linguistics, spanning from the early developments in 1995 to 2022. It aims to uncover current trends, prominent themes, and influential authors, documents, and sources. A total of 185 relevant articles published in Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) indexed journals were analyzed using the VOSviewer bibliometric software tool. Our investigation reveals a highly multidisciplinary and interconnected field, with four main clusters identified: AI, natural language processing (NLP), robot-assisted language learning, and chatbots. Notable themes include the increasing use of intelligent tutoring systems, the importance of syntactic complexity and vocabulary in L2 learning, and the exploration of robots and gamification in language education. The study also highlights the potential of NLP and AI technologies to enhance personalized feedback and instruction for language learners. The findings emphasize the growing interest in AI applications in L2 teaching and applied linguistics, as well as the need for continued research to advance the field and improve language instruction and assessment. By providing a quantitative and rigorous overview of the literature, this study contributes valuable insights into the current state of research in AI-assisted L2 teaching and applied linguistics and identifies key areas for future exploration and development.

The purpose of this article is to investigate the interactional strategies that secondary school EFL learners use during telecollaboration with interlocutors from a different cultural and linguistic background. Its novelty lies in the educational level and cultural contexts explored as well as in the goal of examining whether frequency of strategy use may depend on the interlocutor and, if so, what the relevant factors are for such variation. The study focuses on two projects in which 10 participants from one Bulgarian school and 18 partners from two schools in Spain took part in dyadic synchronous videoconferences discussing culture-related topics. Data were collected via video recordings, field observations, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires. The article presents both descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis of the communicative behavior of three case study students interacting with different telecollaborative partners. We found that the participants demonstrate differences in interactional behavior and utilize strategies with varying frequency depending on their interlocutor. The results also reveal crucial factors in the design of telecollaborative educational projects if learners are to successfully implement skills of discovery and interaction in real time.