Betekenisonderhandeling in Lingua-Franca-Interactie

One of the central issues in research on native-nonnative speaker (NS-NNS) interaction is the negotiation of meaning that is initiated when problems of understanding arise. In lingua franca (LF) interaction, interlocutors communicate in a language other than their mother tongue. The interlocutors have to clarify problems of understanding without having native competence at their disposal. In this contribution, we report on a multiple-case study in which second language learners of Dutch perform an experimental task that requires the use of an LF. The aim of the study is to gain insight into the nature and the structure of negotiation of meaning in LF interaction. The nature of negotiation moves proves to be very similar to that of the moves found in NS-NNS interaction research. The data further point to a difference between language-based and information-based negotiation of meaning. The frequencies of sequences of moves show that the negotiation of meaning usually consists of either a confirmation check and a confirmation or a problem indicator and a clarification. The article concludes with the presentation of a model of negotiation of meaning in LF interaction.