Blurb:

The presence of 541 language learning startups on AngelList evidences the industry’s momentum. While language learners may welcome this proliferation of options, the authors hypothesized that some claims made by these startups reflect ignorance about the findings of Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Thus, learners may find these startups unable to deliver on their bold claims and give up on language learning altogether. To determine the effects of this, we analyzed the congruence between the claims of six archetypical startups (Memrise, Verbling, BliuBliu, Duolingo, Elsa, and ChattingCat), the actual affordances of their platforms, and recommendations from the field of instructed language acquisition. Commonly-held language fallacies (the minimal effort myth, a preference for native speakers, or a focus on simplistic conceptions of language as isolated easily-translatable words) were found, together with more realistic promises. Companies truly after measurable social impact should start by using more honest, transparent, and accurate language in their marketing literature.