Teaching Requesting to EFL Learners: A Conversation Analysis-Informed Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 2018 (1) ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
Allan Nicholas
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Classroom Instruction ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Short Program ◽  
Potential Resource ◽  
Classroom Materials

Requesting can be a difficult speech act for EFL learners. However, current classroom materials do not always provide effective guidance, frequently lacking explicit instruction or failing to embed requests in wider conversations. Conversation analysis (CA), focusing on requesting in authentic talk, has been proposed as a potential resource for the EFL classroom. In the current study, the effectiveness of CA-informed classroom instruction in promoting development in learner requesting was investigated, focusing on a single participant. There were 3 study phases—a preprogramme set of requesting tasks; a short program of instruction, informed by the CA literature; and a further set of requesting tasks. Pre-and postprogramme transcript data and requesting models drawn by the participant were analysed. Postprogramme requesting performances were found to generally be more complex, with lengthier opening, requesting, and closing sequences. Learner requesting models also showed evidence of developing understanding of how requests are co-constructed in conversation. EFL学習者にとって、依頼行為は、難しい発話行為となりえる。しかしながら、授業で使用する教材は、効果的なガイダンスが提示されていないことがあり、明白な指示もしばしば不足し、また様々な会話での依頼行為を盛り込めていない。会話分析（CA）は、実際の会話での依頼行為にフォーカスし、EFLの授業のリソース候補として提唱されてきた。本論文では、CAに基づく授業指導の有効性を探っている。今回のCAは一人の実験参加者に着目し、3段階に分けて調査した。指導前の依頼行為、CA研究に基づく短かい指導、指導後の依頼行為である。そして、指導前後の会話データと、実験参加者が描いた依頼の会話チャートを分析した。指導後は、依頼行為が全体的により複雑化し、会話の始まり、依頼、そして結びまでが長くなることが判明した。また、学習者が描いた依頼の会話チャートでも、会話での依頼行為の（参加者による）共同の組み立て方をより理解した形跡が見られた。

Dynamic assessment and requesting: Assessing the development of Japanese EFL learners’ oral requesting performance interactively

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 545-575
Author(s):  
Allan Nicholas
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Dynamic Assessment ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Coding Scheme ◽  
Dynamic Methods ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Development Analysis ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractThis study investigates the use of dynamically-administered strategic interaction scenarios (D-SIS) in identifying Japanese EFL participants’ difficulties with requesting-in-interaction, and tracking their development. Informed by conversation analysis research, six Japanese EFL learners at a university in Japan carried out D-SIS tasks in two phases, with the aim of both identifying specific aspects of requesting-in-interaction that were challenging, and learner development. Analysis focuses on three particular areas of difficulty that arose for participants during the dialogic interactions—connecting request turn utterance linguistic choices to social context; pre-request expansions of requesting talk, and pre-closing sequences. A coding scheme was applied that analyzed mediation sequences in terms of the efficiency with which participants oriented to and resolved problems, allowing ZPD movement to be quantified. In combination with close qualitative analysis of the transcript data, mediation sequences provided insights into the participants’ knowledge and understanding of these areas that would not have been gained through non-dynamic methods. Results therefore provide insight into areas of difficulty for Japanese learners with regards to requesting, and provide support for the use of the D-SIS task type as a diagnostic tool in regards to request-based talk-in-interaction.

Intonazione e significato: l’esempio dell’italiano regionale di Bergamo

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-55
Author(s):  
Giorgio Antonioli ◽  
Manuela Caterina Moroni
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Form Function ◽  
Distinctive Type ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract In this paper we present a selection of preliminary results of our research project “Intonation and Meaning”, in which we compare recurrent intonation contours in German and Italian regional varieties. We apply the method of German Interactional Prosody Research (Interaktionale Prosodieforschung), which in turn is based on Conversation Analysis, to a sample of selfcollected empirical data. Our aim is to show the value of intonation as a resource to contextualize speech activities and to point out form-function relationships between intonation patterns and speech act types. In this respect, we observe the usage of intonation contours with rising accent (L*H) and with falling accent (H*L) in the utterance of question activities, and provide evidence for the fact that the latter represent a distinctive type of questions with epistemic presupposition, whereas L*H correlates rather with default, modally unmarked questions.

scholarly journals Cross-Sectional Study of Refusal Speech Act Used by Iraqi Undergraduate Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-173
Author(s):  
Hutheifa Y. Turki ◽  
Juma’a Q. Hussein ◽  
Ahmed A. Al-Kubaisy
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Arabic And English ◽  
Refusal Strategies

This paper is conducted to investigate how Iraqi EFL learners refuse different speech acts across different proficiency levels. It aims to examine the most appropriate strategies used by 2nd year students of English as compared to those of 4th year when refusing their interlocutors' invitation, suggestion, and offer. WDCT questionnaire was used to collect data from 40 Iraqi undergraduate students of English: 20 2nd year and 20 4th year. Adopting Beebe et al.'s (1990) theory of refusal, data collected was analyzed quantitatively using statistical analysis. The findings revealed that the 2nd year students of English were more frequent in using direct refusals than their 4th year counterparts. This means the latter were more aware of using refusals politely than the former. On the other hand, the findings showed that 4th year students more frequent in their use of indirect refusal strategies that the 2nd year students. This indicates that the EFL learners of low proficiency level might not bridge the gap between the pragmalinguistic strategies and the grammatical form of the target language. This means that they were not pragmatically competent of the use of the appropriate pragmalinguistic strategies. This implies that the 2nd year students need to pay more attention to pragmatics and use their refusal strategies appropriately. Thus, the paper recommends conducting further research on the use of refusal speech act in Arabic and English.

scholarly journals The Use of Thanking Speech Act Strategies in English Realized by Kurdish EFL Learners at Soran University

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiayee Khorsheed Faqe ◽  
◽  
Salah Jameel Jbrael ◽  
Kovan Rzgar Muhammad
Keyword(s):  
Speech Act ◽  
Efl Learners

scholarly journals Speech Acts

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen C. Levinson
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Linguistic Pragmatics ◽  
Recursive Structures ◽  
Core Language ◽  
Core Issues ◽  
Essential Insight

The essential insight of speech act theory was that when we use language, we perform actions—in a more modern parlance, core language use in interaction is a form of joint action. Over the last thirty years, speech acts have been relatively neglected in linguistic pragmatics, although important work has been done especially in conversation analysis. Here we review the core issues—the identifying characteristics, the degree of universality, the problem of multiple functions, and the puzzle of speech act recognition. Special attention is drawn to the role of conversation structure, probabilistic linguistic cues, and plan or sequence inference in speech act recognition, and to the centrality of deep recursive structures in sequences of speech acts in conversation.

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