1887
Volume 17, Issue 2
  • ISSN 0155-0640
  • E-ISSN: 1833-7139
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

This paper sets out to address the problem of just what, from the vast amount of research now available into the spoken language, can and ought to form part of the oral component of a second or foreign language course. Exemplification is principally based on spoken English from the British Isles, but reference is made, where appropriate, to other modern languages. Structural, interactive, generic and contextual constraints are discussed in terms of their implications for teaching, and a core set of features are highlighted. Some results of discourse analysis and conversation analysis are argued as better treated within the domain of cross-cultural studies, and other features of spoken language usually considered within the domain of discourse analysis are proposed for inclusion within the lexico-grammatical areas of the syllabus. Methodological implications are discussed in the final section, where it is argued that traditional ‘presentational’ approaches to language teaching need to be rethought and supplemented by more inductive- and language awareness based activities.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/aral.17.2.05mcc
1994-01-01
2025-02-15
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Aijmer, K.
    (1989) Themes and tails: the discourse function of dislocated elements. Nordic Journal of Linguistics12,2: 137–54. doi: 10.1017/S033258650000202X
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S033258650000202X [Google Scholar]
  2. Bradford, B.
    (1988) Intonation in context (student’s and teacher’s book). Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Brazil, D.C.
    (1985) The communicative value of intonation in English. Birmingham, English Language Research, University of Birmingham.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Brown, P. and S. Levinson
    (1987) Politeness: some universals in language usage. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Duranti, A.
    (1991) Four properties of speech-in-interaction. In J. Verschueren (ed.) Pragmatics at issue. Amsterdam, John Benjamins. doi: 10.1075/pbns.6.1.10dur
    https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.6.1.10dur [Google Scholar]
  6. Duranti, A. and E. Ochs
    (1979) Left dislocation in Italian conversation. In T. Givón (ed.) Syntax and semantics. Volume12Discourse and syntax. New York, Academic Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Edmondson, W. , J. House , G. Kasper and B. Stemmer
    (1984) Learning the pragmatics of discourse: a project report. Applied Linguistics5,2:113–27. doi: 10.1093/applin/5.2.113
    https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/5.2.113 [Google Scholar]
  8. Fraser, B.
    (1990) An approach to discourse markers. Journal of Pragmatics14:383–95. doi: 10.1016/0378‑2166(90)90096‑V
    https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-2166(90)90096-V [Google Scholar]
  9. Guitart, J.M.
    (1989) On Spanish cleft sentences. In C. Kirschner and J. Decesaris Studies in Romance linguistics. Amsterdam, John Benjamins. doi: 10.1075/cilt.60.09gui
    https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.60.09gui [Google Scholar]
  10. Hoey, M.P.
    (1991) Some properties of spoken discourse. In R. Bowers and C. Brumfit (eds) Applied linguistics and English language teaching. Basingstoke, Macmillan/MEP.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Houtkoop-Steenstra, H.
    (1991) Opening sequences in Dutch telephone conversations. In D. Boden and D. Zimmerman (eds) Talk and social structure. Oxford, Polity Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Hong, B.
    (1985) Politeness in Chinese: impersonal pronouns and personal greetings. Anthropological Linguistics27,2:204–13.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Kallgren, G. and E.F. Prince
    (1989) Swedish VP-topicalisation and Yiddish verb-topicalisation. Nordic Journal of Linguistics12:47–58. doi: 10.1017/S033258650000192X
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S033258650000192X [Google Scholar]
  14. Labov, W.
    (1972) Language in the inner City. Oxford, Basil Blackwell.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Lambrecht, K.
    (1988) Presentational cleft constructions in spoken French. In J. Haiman and S. Thompson (eds) Clause combining in grammar and discourse. Amsterdam, John Benjamins. doi: 10.1075/tsl.18.08lam
    https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.18.08lam [Google Scholar]
  16. Lebra, T.S.
    (1987) The cultural significance of silence in Japanese. Multilingua6,4:343–57. doi: 10.1515/mult.1987.6.4.343
    https://doi.org/10.1515/mult.1987.6.4.343 [Google Scholar]
  17. Lewis, M.
    (1993) The lexical approach: the state of ELT and a wayforward. Hove, UK, LTP.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. McCarthy, M.J.
    (1991) Discourse analysis for languageteachers. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. McCarthy, M.J. and R.A. Carter
    (1994) Language as discourse: perspectives for language teaching. London, Longman.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Nattinger, J. R. and J. S. DeCarrico.
    (1992) Lexical phrases and language teaching. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Noguchi, R.R.
    (1987) The dynamics of rule conflict in English and Japanese conversation. International Review of Applied Linguistics25,1:15–24.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Ono, T. and R. Suzuki
    (1992) Word order variability in Japanese conversation: motivations and grammaticalization. Text12,3:429–45.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Sacks, H. , E.A. Schegloff and G. Jefferson
    (1974) A simplest systematics for the organisation of turn-taking for conversation. Language50,4:696–735. doi: 10.1353/lan.1974.0010
    https://doi.org/10.1353/lan.1974.0010 [Google Scholar]
  24. Scarcella, R.
    (1983) Developmental trends in the acquisition of conversational competence by adult second language learners. In N. Wolfson and E. Judd (eds) Sociolinguistics and language acquisition. Rowley Mass, Newbury House.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Schegloff, E.A. and H. Sacks
    (1973) Opening up closings. Semiotica8,4:289–327. doi: 10.1515/semi.1973.8.4.289
    https://doi.org/10.1515/semi.1973.8.4.289 [Google Scholar]
  26. Schiffrin, D.
    (1987) Discourse Markers. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511611841
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511611841 [Google Scholar]
  27. Sifianou, M.
    (1989) On the telephone again. Differences in telephone behaviour: England versus Greece. Language in Society18,4:527–44. doi: 10.1017/S0047404500013890
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404500013890 [Google Scholar]
  28. Sinclair, J.McH. and R.M. Coulthard
    (1975) Towards an analysis of discourse. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Swan, M.
    (1980/1994) Practical English usage. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Testa, R.
    (1988) Interruptive strategies in English and Italian conversation: smooth versus contrastive linguistic preferences. Multilingua7,3:285–312. doi: 10.1515/mult.1988.7.3.285
    https://doi.org/10.1515/mult.1988.7.3.285 [Google Scholar]
  31. Tyler, A.E. , A.A. Jeffries and C.E. Davies
    (1988) The effect of discourse structuring devices on listener perceptions of coherence in non-native university teachers’ spoken discourse. World Englishes7,2:101–10. doi: 10.1111/j.1467‑971X.1988.tb00223.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971X.1988.tb00223.x [Google Scholar]
  32. Watts, R.J.
    (1989) Taking the pitcher to the ‘well’: native speakers’ perception of their use of discourse markers in conversation. Journal of Pragmatics, 13:203–37. doi: 10.1016/0378‑2166(89)90092‑1
    https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-2166(89)90092-1 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/aral.17.2.05mcc
Loading
  • Article Type: Research Article
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error