TELL us about CALL: An introduction to the Virtual Special Issue (VSI) on the development of technology enhanced and computer assisted language learning published in the System Journal

Virtual Special Issues (VSIs) are a new format introduced to System to highlight previously published articles that made a particular impact on the field. This introduction to the first VSI, “TELL us about CALL”, shows developments of Technology enhanced (TELL) or Computer Assisted (CALL) language learning represented through often-cited articles. As one of the most prominent and long-standing journals dealing with technology in language learning and teaching, System is well placed to represent the development of the field. For this purpose, twelve articles from issues of System between 2004 and 2015 were chosen based on the frequency of citations they received, weighted by number of years in publication.The selection shows that CALL and TELL have come a long way over the past decade: trends towards more ecological and long-term studies are identified, and speculation about future developments is presented. A broader view of the field also ascertains that CALL has become normalised, in practice as well as in research, and the implicit use of computers for language teaching as well as for data collection and data analysis has led to a widening of publication outlets and an uptake of TELL articles in applied linguistics publications, in general.