Abstract
This paper proposes an account for the problem of miscommunication observed between native and non-native speakers of the English language. The analysis of interviews has shown that monologues produced by Russian speakers of English are structurally different from American monologues. A system based on the markedness theory was developed in order to account for the differences and provide a guide for teaching discourse skills in an ESL classroom It is suggested that universally sentences can be broken down into organizational features. This means that just like sounds, utterances can be found in polar opposition. The order in which utterances marked by these features are put together, represents the unmarked organizational structure of a monologue in a given language. The data received form the interviews indicates that Russian speakers of English do not acquire the unmarked American structure because they are not aware of the existing differences.
Highlights
Every person who had contact with non-native speakers of his/her language experienced some degree of frustration caused by the non-native interlocutor's prolonged, seemingly pointless utterances which quite often lead to irritation and lack of desire to continué the conversation on the part of the native speaker of the language
As a foreign language instructor I have often encountered this type of situation where even advanced students have problems in communication with the native speakers of the Target language (TL)
The major difficulty is that native speakers of the TL lose interest in what the students have to Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses say before they finish
Summary
Every person who had contact with non-native speakers of his/her language experienced some degree of frustration caused by the non-native interlocutor's prolonged, seemingly pointless utterances which quite often lead to irritation and lack of desire to continué the conversation on the part of the native speaker of the language. As a foreign language instructor I have often encountered this type of situation where even advanced students have problems in communication with the native speakers of the Target language (TL). The major difficulty is that native speakers of the TL lose interest in what the students have to Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses say before they finish. In order to help my students to overeóme this problem I carried out a study of naturally oceurring monologues of the native speakers of English, native speakers of Russian, and non-native speakers of English. The analysis and comparison of the recorded data produced striking results that allow the correction of the communication problem quite within a classroom setting
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
