The core of this paper is an empirical study in which non-native speakers of English were interviewed and asked to engage in “languaging” about their spoken linguistic output. The theoretical foundation of the empirical study primarily lies in Merrill Swain’s research on the output hypothesis in which she considers the activity of producing language – which she later defines as “languaging” – to be of high importance for making progress in SLL. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: First it primarily supports the view that languaging can be an effective tool for language learning and eventually proposes its implementation in modern SLL. The empirical study is going to show that languaging can fulfil the metalinguistic function of Merrill Swain’s output hypothesis. Second, this paper aims to raise both L2 learners’ and teachers’ awareness of the fact that many errors that trigger the need for languaging result from interferences of one’s mother tongue or even another foreign language with the target language.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Output processing and languaging
3. An Empirical Study of Languaging in Oral Interviews
3.1. Objectives and Approach
3.2. Speaker Profiles
3.3. Errors
3.3.1. François
3.3.2. Tatjana
3.4. Languaging Behavior
3.4.1. François
3.4.2. Tatjana
4. Conclusion and Suggestions for the Implementation of Languaging in SLL
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper explores the efficacy of "languaging"—the act of thinking aloud about linguistic output—as a metalinguistic tool for second language learning, drawing on Merrill Swain’s output hypothesis to analyze how non-native speakers identify and correct errors in oral discourse.
- The theoretical application of Merrill Swain’s output hypothesis and the "coming-to-know-while-speaking" phenomenon.
- Empirical analysis of error patterns and language interference from mother tongues (French, Russian) and secondary languages (German).
- Investigation of the metalinguistic function of languaging during assisted oral reflection.
- Development of pedagogical guidelines for implementing languaging in second language learning environments.
Excerpt from the Book
3.4.1. François
In this example, Monika asks François to ponder about a statement he gave that contains two lexical errors. He realises rightaway that the word “actuality” is the wrong word here to use and uses languaging in order to discover the right concept. Hence, turn 50 is a brilliant example of successful languaging: “Uh actuality, that doesn’t sound right... uuuh... actuality ... actualities ... uh news ... I’m looking for the right word for uuh ... like ... news”. He is checking out various possibilities (hypotheses), seeing how each sounds. After trying “actuality” and “actualities” finally the word “news” is popping up in his mind. The same method, i.e. listing up options as a method for getting to the right word, he uses to solve his problem with the preposition in front of “the internet”, as can be seen in turn 54: “In the internet? … that might be a … proposition mistakes, propositions are very hard … to know in every language but on the internet, in the internet … I think … actuality in the internet … on … on the internet … ja I think on the internet sounds sounds a bit better … so ja.” He is testing the hypothesis of using “on” as the preposition for “the internet” and compares it to the version with “in”. Hence, François has noticed his error and comes up with the right solution. This effect can be explained with the “coming-to-know-while-speaking” phenomenon (cf. chapter 2 / Swain 2006:5).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the study's aim to evaluate the impact of languaging on second language learning and error correction.
2. Output processing and languaging: Reviews the theoretical underpinnings of the output hypothesis and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory as they relate to language production.
3. An Empirical Study of Languaging in Oral Interviews: Details the study's methodology, including speaker profiles, error categorization, and the observed languaging behaviors of two non-native speakers.
4. Conclusion and Suggestions for the Implementation of Languaging in SLL: Synthesizes the findings and provides pedagogical recommendations for integrating languaging techniques into classroom practice.
Keywords
Languaging, Output Hypothesis, Second Language Learning, Metalinguistic Function, Error Analysis, Language Interference, Negotiating Meaning, Oral Discourse, Learner Awareness, Pedagogical Guidelines, Performance vs Competence, Think-aloud, Swain, Vygotsky, Linguistic Reflection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The paper examines how "languaging," or thinking aloud about one's own language, helps non-native speakers notice and correct errors in their English output.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The work focuses on Merrill Swain’s output hypothesis, the role of metalinguistic reflection in learning, the interference of native and secondary languages, and practical classroom implementation.
What is the main goal of this paper?
The primary goal is to demonstrate that languaging serves as an effective metalinguistic tool for second language learners and to propose its integration into modern language teaching.
Which research methodology is employed?
The study utilizes empirical analysis through qualitative oral interviews where participants are encouraged to reflect on their own speech production errors.
What is covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section contains a detailed analysis of two specific case studies, identifying syntactic, morphological, and lexical errors, and documenting the participants' languaging behaviors during follow-up sessions.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include Languaging, Output Hypothesis, Metalinguistic Function, Error Analysis, Language Interference, and Negotiating Meaning.
How does languaging help with morphological errors?
As shown in the François case study, languaging allows learners to repeat problematic segments to themselves, which often triggers the identification of the correct grammatical form, such as adding a missing plural morpheme.
What role does a co-learner play in languaging?
The study suggests that a co-learner in a dyadic situation can assist in the "negotiation of meaning," helping the speaker identify correct linguistic forms when they are unable to self-correct during the languaging process.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Christian Kreß (Autor:in), 2008, The Role of Languaging in Spoken Discourse, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/175812
