Learning a Foreign Language by Alex Poole

Author:Alex Poole
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2012-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

When Understanding Is the Goal

An alternative version of the wedding shower involves Augie wanting to understand. The noise and his lack of vocabulary concern him less than his lack of comprehension. One option entails appealing for help (Dörnyei, 1995); in this case, he could request assistance by encouraging his interlocutor to restructure the utterance (Celce-Murcia, Dörnyei, & Thurrell, 1995). Spanish equivalents of Could you say that another way? Can you tell me what you mean by that? and simply What?—in addition to body language (e.g., frowning)—could serve as cues.

Because some body language is not universal, misinterpretations can occur. In fact, comprehension is never a guarantee; the interlocutor may also grow bored, embarrassed, or take pity on the language learner and change the topic. Prejudice against non-native speakers may cause some native speakers to become impatient and impede learner participation. In extreme cases, they might abandon the conversation.

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