INTERTEXTUAL COMPETENCE: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF ADVANCED L1 RUSSIAN LEARNERS OF ENGLISH

Abstract

Language acquisition is normally discussed in terms of acquiring various linguistic competences, which comprise the basic set of two productive (speaking and writing) and two receptive (reading and listening) skills. However, a fuller understanding of a foreign language text, spoken or written, is achieved only through a wider range of competences, including inter-textual competence. Inter-textual competence is defined as the ability to spot and recognize inter-textual elements in a given text to decode their pragmatic and contextual meaning. Identifying the source is optional. It presents difficulties for learners and hinders the development of their receptive skills. Cultural awareness can be developed, but in order to do that educators must be guided with a clear road-map of the existing knowledge gap. The article presents the findings of an experimental study of inter-textual competence of tertiary level students when dealing with a foreign language (English) text. All subjects were Upper-Intermediate to Advanced English speakers (B2). They were presented with a specially designed questionnaire consisting of headlines, leads, captions and extracts from The Economist newspaper. Each item on the questionnaire was a case of intertextuality. The subjects were asked to identify the source of the inter-textual element and briefly describe its meaning. The aim of the study was to determine (1) whether the students are able to decode meaning when intertextuality is involved; (2) whether knowing the source affects understanding.