Interaction, Foreign Language Production and Development

This study investigates the influence of interaction on foreign language production and development. In the last decade research has focused on the way in which nonnative speakers interact with native speakers and other nonnative speakers, but little is known about the effect of conversational inte...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Eva Alcón Soler
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad de Zaragoza 1996-12-01
Series:Miscelánea: A Journal of English and American Studies
Online Access:https://papiro.unizar.es/ojs/index.php/misc/article/view/11031
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Summary:This study investigates the influence of interaction on foreign language production and development. In the last decade research has focused on the way in which nonnative speakers interact with native speakers and other nonnative speakers, but little is known about the effect of conversational interaction on the development of a foreign language. The present study was undertaken to determine whether native speakers’ signals of incomprehension—clarification questions, comprehension and confirmation checks—influence nonnative learners' output and their effect on language development. Fourteen Spanish women were audiotaped perforing two communication tasks in three different periods of time. Outcomes of the study shed light on the role that different tasks play in regulating the amount of learner interaction. Interactional modifications also correlate with learner awareness of linguistic difficulties. However, the relationship between interaction and language development is not linear.
ISSN:1137-6368
2386-4834