Comprehensible input and learning outcomes

Segones Jornades de Foment de la Investigació de la FCHS (Any 1996-1997)In Krashen’s terms, optimal input has to be comprehensible to the learner if we want acquisition to take place. An overview of the literature on input indicates two ways of making input comprehensible: the first one is to premodify input before it is offered to the learner, (premodified input), and the second one is to negotiate the input through interaction (interactionally modified input). The aim of the present paper is twofold: on the one hand, we shall discuss the two types of input mentioned above; on the other hand, the major findings that both premodified input and interactionally modified input have on second language acquisition will be reported. Further research is suggested to establish the direct or indirect relationship between comprehensible input and the acquisition of an L2

The use of circumlocution in the foreign language context

The present article reports on a study carried out among non-native speakers of English as a foreign language who made use of a series of compensatory strategies (circumlocution) when faced with unknown lexical items. According to the results, this particular kind of strategies proved to be especially useful to solve gaps in communication in order to keep the flow of conversation. From our findings, some pedagogical remarks derive which point to the facilitative role of compensatory strategies as a tool to cope with problematic vocabulary.El presente estudio se centra en el uso que hicieron seis hablantes de inglés como lengua extranjera de estrategias compensatorias (circunloquios) cuando tuvieron que describir vocabulario nuevo. Según muestran los resultados, esta particular clase de estrategias comunicativas fueron especialmente útiles para resolver dificultades léxicas. Una serie de implicaciones pedagógicas se desprenden de nuestros resultados, las cuales apuntan al papel altamente positivo de las estrategias compensatorias como herramienta disponible para estudiantes de lenguas extranjeras al tratar de expresar léxico nuevo o problemático.This study is part of a research project funded by a grant from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (HUM2004-04435/FILO), co-funded by FEDER, and a grant form Fundació Universitat Jaume I and Caixa Castelló-Bancaixa (P1.1B2004-34)

Fórmulas de tratamiento y marcadores de cortesía en correos electrónicos de estudiantes españoles al profesorado

In the present era of global online communication, email exchanges are one the most common means of interaction between students and professors (Tseng, 2015). However, emails may convey an impolite tone if students do not take status or power imbalance into account to show politeness (Economidou-Kogetsidis, 2011). The present study explored the informal second person pronoun of address (tú) and the formal one (usted) in first and follow-up requestive emails sent by Spanish students. In addition, some structural elements to show politeness in the emails were also examined. Although students had time to edit and correct their emails, our results indicate that in half of first- contact emails tú is employed, a percentage that increases in the follow-up email, therefore ignoring the degree of politeness expected in student-professor email communication. On the other hand, verbal and structural markers of politeness were broadly employed to indicate deference, especially in the first email.En la era actual de comunicación global online, los correos electrónicos son una de las formas más comunes en la interacción entre estudiantes y profesorado (Tseng, 2015). Sin embargo, los correos pueden contener un tono descortés si los estudiantes no tienen en consideración variables como estatus o poder para mostrar cortesía (Economidou-Kogetsidis, 2011). En este estudio se analizó el pronombre de segunda persona informal (tú) y el formal (usted) en correos de primer contacto y en sucesivos enviados por estudiantes españoles. También se examinaron los elementos estructurales que marcan cortesía. A pesar de que los estudiantes tuvieron tiempo para editar y corregir sus correos, nuestros resultados muestran que en la mitad de los primeros correos se usa tú, porcentaje que se incrementó en los correos posteriores, ignorando de esta manera el grado de cortesía esperado en la comunicación estudiante-profesorado. Por otra parte, los marcadores verbales y estructurales de cortesía se usaron ampliamente para indicar deferencia, especialmente en el primer correo

EFL Students' Preferences Towards Written Corrective Feedback: An Exploratory Study on Age and Level of Proficiency

Corrective feedback (CF, henceforth) has been an issue of investigation in second language acquisition for a number of years now. In the English-as-aforeign-language classroom, students may have different preferences towards how to have their errors corrected. Research has shown that differences in the learning styles of the students will affect the learning environment by either supporting or inhibiting their intentional cognition and active engagement. In the classroom, teachers can use this information as a tool to motivate students and help them improve their learning process. This exploratory study was carried out to analyse students’ preferences towards written correction in two different groups at a high school in Spain. Students filled out a questionnaire and results were analysed in order to determine whether age and level of English may be factors affecting their preferences for error correction.La retroalimentación correctiva lleva años siendo un tema de investigación en el campo de la adquisición de segundas lenguas. En el aula de inglés como lengua extranjera, los estudiantes pueden mostrar preferencias distintas en lo que respecta a la corrección de sus errores. Investigaciones anteriores revelan que las diferencias en los estilos de aprendizaje de los estudiantes pueden afectar el clima de aprendizaje, bien reforzando o inhibiendo su participación. De esta forma, en el aula, los profesores pueden utilizar esta información como herramienta para motivar a los estudiantes y ayudarles a mejorar en el proceso de aprendizaje. El presente estudio exploratorio tiene como objetivo analizar las preferencias de dos grupos de estudiantes españoles hacia la corrección escrita. Los participantes rellenaron un cuestionario para determinar si la edad y nivel de competencia en inglés pueden ser factores que afecten sus preferencias hacia la corrección de errores.This study was conducted within the framework of a research project funded by Universitat Jaume I (P1.1B2015-20

Developing pragmatic competence in the EFL setting: the case of request in tourism texts

In this paper we present an analysis of how the speech act of requesting is offered in several EFL (English as a Foreign Language) materials from the discipline of tourism. Our objective is to examine which is the most common request structure presented in the recorded material in order to see the range of requests presented to students. The request strategies are analysed according to the taxonomy proposed by Trosborg (1995), who divided them into four main categories: indirect requests, conventionally indirect (heareroriented conditions), conventionally indirect (speaker-oriented conditions), and direct requests. In a previous study (Salazar and Usó, in press) we analysed the request strategies presented in the written materials and the exercises students had to perform in order to practise this speech act. We found that the second category, conventionally indirect requests (heareroriented conditions), is the most common category used by all textbooks under study. Results from the present study corroborate the finding that the second category is the most frequent strategy used in the tapescripts students have to listen to. There seems to be a connection between the request structures students are presented with in the written texts and the recorded materials. We propose several tasks in order to widen the scope of the requests taught to students so as to incorporate pragmatic aspects.Comunidad Valenciana GV-00-147-0

Factores que influyen en el aprendizaje del inglés en la tercera edad

Entre el alumnado que acude a la universidad para recibir una formación general se encuentran las personas mayores, un colectivo que presenta unas características muy específicas que inciden en el aprendizaje del inglés en la edad adulta. Se han realizado muy pocas investigaciones sobre los factores que influyen en el éxito del aprendizaje de lenguas en la tercera edad. En un intento de dar respuesta a varias preguntas de investigación en este campo, presentamos un estudio que pretende determinar algunos factores que influyen en el aprendizaje del inglés en las personas mayoresAmong the range of students who go to university for academic tuition there are also senior citizens, This segment of the population has very specific features that have an impact on foreign language learning. Very little research has been conducted on the factors influencing successful foreign language among the elderly. In order to help shed more light onto this issue, this article aims to explore some factors which may play a role when senior citizens learn English

Student-initiated email communication: An analysis of openings and closings by Spanish EFL learners

Emails are one of the most widely-used forms of communication in the institutional context since they are pervasive in lecturer student exchanges. This study analyzes opening and closing sequences in first-contact emails written by two groups of students with similar characteristics: one group employed their mother tongue (Spanish) and the second their foreign language (English) when making a request to one of their lecturers. Results show that regardless of language, openings did not show the degree of formality expected in this type of emails. In contrast, closings revealed deference and respect to the lecturer in both kinds of emails

DEVELOPING PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE IN THE EFL SETTING. THE CASE OF REQUESTS IN TOURISM TEXTS

AbstractIn this paper we present an analysis of how the speech act of requesting is offered in several EFL (English as a Foreign Language) materials from the discipline of tourism. Our objective is to examine which is the most common request structure presented in the recorded material in order to see the range of requests presented to students. The request strategies are analysed according to the taxonomy proposed by Trosborg (1995), who divided them into four main categories: indirect requests, conventionally indirect (heareroriented conditions), conventionally indirect (speaker-oriented conditions), and direct requests. In a previous study (Salazar and Usó, in press) we analysed the request strategies presented in the written materials and the exercises students had to perform in order to practise this speech act. We found that the second category, conventionally indirect requests (heareroriented conditions), is the most common category used by all textbooks under study. Results from the present study corroborate the finding that the second category is the most frequent strategy used in the tapescripts students have to listen to. There seems to be a connection between the request structures students are presented with in the written texts and the recorded materials. We propose several tasks in order to widen the scope of the requests taught to students so as to incorporate pragmatic aspects

Les societats diverses. Mirades interdisciplinàries des de les ciències humanes i socials

El conjunt de recerques recollides en aquest volum intenten donar respostes interdisciplinàries a problemes complexos de les societats culturalment, lingüísticament i socialment diverses. Des d'enfocaments propis de les ciències humanes i socials, es posa èmfasi en les interrelacions entre diversitat i prosperitat i es fa una crida a desenvolupar i aplicar formes de gestió de la diferència que puguen estar a l'alçada dels reptes actuals

"Thank you for a lovely day!" Contrastive thanking in textbooks for teaching English and Spanish as foreign languages

Thanking, as other speech acts such as apologizing or requesting,can be performed in numerous contexts and, for their analysis, many crucial variables must be taken into consideration (eg. social distance, gender, age,etc.), which often are difficult to control. Besides these variables, speech acts are carried out in different situations, taking into account the culture in which they are performed. For example, thanking might be performed after alighting a bus in the UK, the USA or Australia, but this might not necessarily happen in Spain. The aim of the study on which this paper is based, in to explore thanking contrastively in British English and in Peninsular Spanish from a pragmatic viewpoint,by looking at specific independent variables: the context and situation in which this speech act is performed, the relationship between the interlocutors who perform it, which includes social power and distance, and the reason for expressing gratitude. For the purpose of this investigation, a corpus of 128 textbooks (64 for each language) for the learning and teaching of Spanish and English as foreign languages was used. It is important to note that, although these corpora are built on prefabricated dialogues and these can be regarded as abstractions of reality, the communicative situations found in the textbooks are aimed at depicting exchanges and linguistic patterns representing what naturally occurs in real conversations in both cultures