Discourse Aspects of Interlanguage

The study of learner discourse in SLA has been informed by two rather different goals. On the other hand there have been attempts to discover how L2 learners acquire the ‘rules’ of discourse that inform nstive-speaker language use. This work is analogous to the work on acquisition of grammar and is essentially descriptive in nature. On the other hand, a number of reasearchers have sought to show how interaction shapes interlanguage develpment (i.e. how discource influences the kinds of errors learners make and the developmental orders and sequences thay pass through). This work is explanatory and will be our major concern here. First, however, we will briefly consider some of the descriptive work on learner discourse.

     1.       Acquiring discourse rules

There are rules or, at least, regularities in the ways in which native speakers hold conversations. In American English, for example, compliment responses are usually quite elaborate, involving some attempt on the part of the speaker to play down the compliment by making some unfavourable comment. For example :

A : I like your sweater.

B : It’s so old. My sister bought it for me in Italy some time ago.

However, L2 learners behave differently. Sometimes they fail to respond to a compliment at all. At other times thay produce bare responses {for example, ‘Thank you’}.

The acquisition of discourse rules, like the acquisition of grammatical rules, is systematic, reflecting both distinct types of errors and developmental sequences. More work is needed to demonstrate which aspects are universal and which are language specific as it is already clear that many aspects oflearner discourse are influenced by the rules of discourse in the learner’s L1. We will later examine how learners transfer discourse features from their L1 to the L2.

     2.       The role of input and interaction in L2 acquisition

If learner discourse can be shown to have special properties it is possible that these contribute to acquisition in some way. It does indeed have special properties. Just as caretakers modify the way they speak to children learning their L1, so do native speakers modify their speech when communicating with learners. These modifications are evident in both input and interaction. Input modifications have been investigated through the study of foreigner talk, the language that native speakers use when addressing non-active speakers. Two types of foreigner talk can be identified – ungrammatical and grammatical.

Ungrammatical foreigner talk is socially marked. It often implies a lack of respect on the part of the native speaker and can be resented by learners. Ungrammatical foreigner talk is characterized by the deletion of certain grammatical features such as copula be, modal verbs (for example, can and must) and articles, the use of the base form of the verb in place of the past tense form, and the use of special constructions such as ‘no + verb’.

Grammatical foreigner talk is the norm. Various types of modification of baseline talk (i.e. the kind of talk native speakers address to other native speakers) can be identified. First, grammatical foreigner talk is delivered at a slower pace. Second, the input is simplified. Third, grammatical foreigner talk is sometimes regularized. Fourth, foreigner talk sometimes consists of elaborated language use.

     3.       The role of output in L2 acquisition

After all, discourse supplies learners with the opportunity to produce language as well as hear it. Here we find conflicting opinions. Krashen argues that ‘speaking is the result of acquisition not its cause’. He claims that the only way learners can learn from their output is by treating it as auto-input. In effect, Krashen is refuting the cherised belief of many teachers that languages are learned by practising them. In contrast, Merrill Swain has argued that comprehensible output also plays a part in L2 acquisition. She suggests a number of specific ways in which learners can learn from their own output. Output can serve a consciousness-raising function by helping learners to notice gaps in their interlanguages. That is, by trying to speak or write in the L2 they realize that they lack the grammatical knowledge of some feature that is important for what they want to say. Second, output helps learners to test hypotheses. They can try out a rule and see whether it leads to successfu; communication or whether it elicits negative feedback. Third, learners sometime talk about their own output, identifying problems with it and discussing ways in which they can be put right.