Handling language

Gesture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-62
Author(s):  
Marion Tellier ◽  
Gale Stam ◽  
Alain Ghio

Abstract This paper addresses the question of how speakers adapt their gestures according to their interlocutor’s proficiency level in the language of the interaction especially in the specific context of foreign language teaching. We know that speakers make changes in their speech when addressing a non-native speaker, called Foreigner Talk (Ferguson, 1975) to make their speech more comprehensible. However, whether and how gestures are also modified along with speech has hardly been addressed in the literature. In this study, we examined the speech and gesture of future teachers of French in a word explanation task to see what types of adjustments they made when explaining a word to a native speaker and a non-native speaker. We had ten future teachers of French explain the same 12 words to a native and a non-native speaker of French and compared the explanations. We found that the future teachers produced significantly more gestures, significantly longer gestures in duration, significantly more illustrative (iconic and deictic) gestures, and significantly larger gestures when addressing a non-native interlocutor. These results show that native speakers make not only speech adjustments but also gesture adjustments in addressing non-native speakers.

1997 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 119-133
Author(s):  
Gerard M.M. Willems

By definition, foreign languages are learned with intercultural communication in mind. Therefore, it is curious, to say the least, that textbooks in use in foreign language teaching almost exclusively offer idealised native-speaker - native-speaker (NS) interaction. In the rare cases where alleged non-native speakers are involved, they appear to be indistinguishable, linguistically as well as pragmatically, from the NS. On the basis of an anthropological definition of culture and a recent model relating the components of communicative competence (Willems, 1993), a task group of a Europe-wide LINGUA project devised an analytical tool to test how realistic and intercultural input materials in recent textbooks used in the Netherlands are. An example is given of how disastrous a naive, mainly linguistically based, competence works out in intercultural contacts. Subsequently, an analysis is attempted of a contrived dialogue in German written as an illustration of how negotiatory skills and a willingness to create a safe intercultural common ground may lead to more satisfactory results. It is suggested that the introduction of this type of input not only brings a much needed integrated cultural component to foreign language teaching, but also enhances the social competence of the learner which is useful in any type of communication, including the mono-cultural interaction, if such a thing exists. Willems, G.M., (ed.) Attainment targets for foreign language teacher education in Europe, a European view. Brussels: ATEE Cahiers No. 5, 1993.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 258-262
Author(s):  
Svetlana S. Vasilenko

The paper discusses possibilities and ways of studying concepts in teaching foreign languages to students-interpreters. The author notes that modern didactic research has interdisciplinary nature, analyzes the theory of the concept from the point of view of linguistics, cultural studies and psycholinguistics. The author also notes the fact of creation of linguo-conceptodidactics as a new scientific direction. The paper presents a linguodidactic understanding of the concept, analyzes its structure and semantic content. The author describes in detail the process of foreign language concepts acquisition and presents it as a sequence of several stages. The acquisition of foreign language concepts is associated with the development of concept competence. The paper notes that the acquisition of foreign language concepts should go in parallel with the acquisition of foreign language lexis. In addition, it is necessary to use authentic materials in teaching foreign languages that allows forming a conceptual picture of the world of native speakers. Acquisition of foreign language concepts is especially important for students-interpreters who study several foreign languages and are faced with the problem of translating foreign concepts and phenomena of foreign language reality. The paper presents how conceptuality can be realized in teaching foreign languages. The author gives a practical example of studying the English concept Travel, offers examples of exercises and tasks for mastering it, as well as mnemonic techniques for memorizing lexemes that represent the concept. In the paper is stressed, that the concepts should be included in the content of foreign language teaching to students-interpreters. This contributes to the development of correct ideas about foreign language reality, understanding the facts of the native and foreign language culture, i.e. cultural reflection development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 2041-2046
Author(s):  
Akmaral A. Batayeva Et al.

     There are various teaching methods when teaching a foreign language, it is necessary to pay attention to new ways to stimulate the speech of students.  However, numerous classical schools still try to teach by the old methods and from the old books.  There will always be problems, and you will never speak the foreign language well.  By using new methods, it is easy to learn to speak English and improve at it.  You will be able to speak like a native speaker.


Author(s):  
Vladimir Vladimirovich ZAVYALOV

We examine the main trends in foreign language teaching for professional communication in high school students of the “Jurisprudence” programme, the impact of studying on the formation of general cultural and professional competences, as well as differentiation on various training profiles and their influence on the future professional activity. Allocation of training profiles for law students are conditioned both by the capabilities of a particular higher education institution and by the needs of the region for specialists with fundamental knowledge in certain areas of law. In most universities of the Russian Federation within the framework of the “Jurisprudence” programme, three training profiles are distinguished: state law, criminal law, and civil law. Within the framework of the model of integrated subject-language learning of a foreign language for professional communication, the subject content of training should be correlated with the future professional activity of students and the profile of training. The analysis of the main modern vocational education programs (OPOP) in the “Jurisprudence” programme of most universities in the country indicates that the subject content of foreign language teaching is invariant for all training profiles and does not reflect the specifics of the future professional activity of graduates. We describe the specifics of training for each profile in the framework of the “Jurisprudence” programme and highlight the subject content of English teaching to students of state law, civil law, and criminal law training profiles.


1980 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-25
Author(s):  
Werner Hüllen

It is generally accepted that the aim of second or foreign language teaching is communicative competence; after a sequence of courses, students should be able to use the language (approximately and in certain fields of communication) as native speakers do. But how, for that matter,donative speakers use their language? An exhaustive answer to this question would certainly demand more than one paper. Attention will therefore be drawn to only two points that are important for the problem under discussion: correctness and communicative value.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maripaz Garcia

<p>Foreign language instructors want and need to keep up with the rapid changes in the field of foreign language teaching and learning, but sometimes have a hard time identifying which areas they should focus on (and within each area, what to do) to make their instruction in line with 21st century approaches. The present article describes 10 areas instructors should examine and reflect on (technology, culture, collaboration, interaction with native speakers, communication and grammar, materials, skills, content, motivation, and professional development) to assure they are using innovative techniques that reflect modern philosophies in the field of foreign and second language teaching. </p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0761/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>


2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Ballestracci

This paper focuses on the acquisition of German sentences by Italian native speakers in Foreign Language Teaching, with the verb located in second position, and the subject found in the middle field. The study is based upon a corpus of texts written by Italian students during their first six semesters at the University of Pisa. The first part of the study describes the main grammatical structural differences between Italian and German declarative sentences, referring to position of verb, subject and clause constituents. In the second part, I summarize the research results of the main German-Italian linguistic contrastive studies on the acquisition of word order in German, by focusing on declarative sentences with the subject in the middle field. The final part of this paper focuses on the linguistic and contextual factors influencing the acquisition process for further development in this field of study, in order to offer suggestions for foreign language teaching of German.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-189
Author(s):  
Saleh bin Ayad al - Hagory Saleh bin Ayad al - Hagory

This research aims at discussing the false friends in teaching and learning Arabic. This is shown by means of a theoretical approach which explicates the false friends concept origin, and types . It also presents the western implication of the false friends, their origin in the languages, as well as their influence upon teaching and learning a language. The research then presents an applied approach of those false friends in five languages, compared to the Arabic language, namely: Urdu, Indonesian, Turkish, Malay, and Hosa based on the analytical descriptive approach. The false friends are mostly common among languages that have relationship –or from the same language family- and are less common in the diverged languages. Furthermore, false friends emerged as a result of borrowing among languages, by hairing an effect on teaching Arabic to non-native speakers of Arabic in five languages.


2001 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-73
Author(s):  
Akemi Dobson

Abstract This paper argues that the teaching of culture in second/foreign language classrooms involves more than equipping learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to communicate with native speakers. In the past few decades, the emphasis in second/foreign language teaching has shifted from acquisition of linguistic forms to enhancing communicative competence. In that process the native speaker has been seen as a source of "correctness" in communication behaviour and the target culture, monolithic and homogeneous. Such practice enforces the current nationalism-dominated worldview and may contribute to boundary maintenance between nations as much as, or possibly more than, to cross-cultural understanding and tolerance. This argument is based on the recognition that second/foreign language classrooms act as a location where more than two nations intersect, contributing to formations of cultural identities: both Us and the Other. In the current world of ever-increasing globalisation, national identity, which is embedded in our language and discourse, is more vigorously formed than ever in order to maintain national boundaries. Therefore, it is necessary for the second/foreign language profession to address the implications of cultural contents beyond communication needs and to foster critical attitudes in language learners.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document