The Effects of Learner’s SL Proficiency Level on the Use of Communication Strategies

孟俊兵

Abstract： This paper is intended to analyze the effects of second language learners proficiency level on the use of communication strategies. The author chooses three second language learners with different proficiency levels， interviews them with same topics， then analyses their choices of communication strategies. Based on the analysis， it is concluded that second language proficiency levels have an important influence on learners use of communication strategies； second learners of limited proficiency prefer either reduction strategies or L1-based achievement strategies while the more advanced learners prefer L2-based achievement strategies or seldom use communication strategies.

Key words： communication strategies； second language proficiency level； effect

1. Introduction

In the field of linguistics and second language acquisition， more and more researchers pay attention to second language learners use of communication strategies. Among them， many have discussed the factors those have effects on the use of communication strategies. Some researchers， for example， Tarone， Bialystock， Ellis， Paribakht and so on， ever examined the relationship between learners SL proficiency level and the selection of communication strategies， and the result proved they had positive connection [1]. So far， the problem remains a theoretical stage in our country. In this paper， in order to prove the relationship between them， the author chooses three second language learners with different proficiency levels， interviews them with same topics， then analyses their choices of communication strategies.

2. Definition and typology of communication strategies

The term “communication strategies” was first coined by Selinker in 1972 in his work “interlanguage” in which he accounted for communication strategies as a by-product of the learners attempt to express meaning in spontaneous speech with their limited target language system. [2] However， he did not specify the nature of communication strategies. Since then a lot of researchers started to study the definition and typology.

2.1 Definition

There is no agreed definition of communication strategies so far， this paper lists some definitions of famous researchers.

Varadi （1973） points out that communication strategies are consciously employed by the learner in order to reduce or replace some element of meaning or form in the initial plan； Faerch and Kasper （1980） classify communication strategies as part of a particular kind of plan which is activated when the initial plan cannot be carried out； Tarone （1981） takes an interactional perspective， discusses communication strategies in psycholinguistic terms， and treats them as attempts to bridge the gap between the linguistic knowledge of the L2 learner and the linguistic knowledge of the learners interlocutor in real communication situations [3].

In the light of the foregoing discussion， communication strategies can be defined as follows：

Communication strategies are psycholinguistic plans which exist as part of the language users communicative competence. They are potentially conscious and serve as substitutes for production plans which the learner is unable to implement [3].

2.2 The typology of communication strategies

Perhaps because of the problems of definition， there is also no agreed typology of communication strategies. This paper provides the typology of Faerch and Kasper （1984） [3].

According to this kind of typology， communication strategies can be divided into two types： achievement strategies and reduction strategies. Achievement strategies belongs to compensatory and retrieval strategies while reduction strategies belong to avoidance strategies. When L2 learner has trouble in communication， there are two kinds of choices： one is to use reduction strategies to avoid the problem， in other words， learners give up part of initial communication aims， remain the information they want to express in their limited SL resource to avoid risk； while the other is to insist their initial communication aims， to choose achievement strategies， and to expand their SL resource by compensatory and retrieval strategies.

Faerch and Kasper describe respectively specific content of achievement strategies and reduction strategies. They divide reduction strategies into formal reduction strategies and functional reduction strategies. The classification of achievement strategies is a little complex. Achievement strategies include compensatory strategies and retrieval strategies. Compensatory strategies can be divided into non-cooperation strategies and co-operative strategies again. Non-cooperative strategies include L1/L3-based strategies， L2-based strategies and Non-linguistic strategies. L1/L3-based strategies consist of code-switching， foreignizing and literal translation. L2-based strategies consist of substitution， paraphrase， word coinage and restructuring. Co-operative strategies include direct appeal and indirect appeal.

3. Interview and analysis

The author uses same topics to interview three second language learners with different proficiency levels， then analyses their choices of communication strategies. The same topics are your favorite festival and your most admired figure. See appendix for the specific interview content. Concrete analysis is as follows.

3.1 The first interviewee A.

A is a non-English major sophomore in Northwest Minzu University. She is very interested in English and likes to speak English， but her English proficiency level is limited， is the lowest among these three.

In her discourse， she uses a lot of simple words， ignores tense problem and third person singular form of the verb. She pauses repeatedly， uses reduction strategies， direct appeal and L1-based achievement strategies such as code-switching， seldom chooses L2-based strategies.

She often attempts to do away with a problem， to give up part of her original communicative goal. For example， “It is a good， good...”； “My... Other children very like the cartoon， this is... Cartoon is cute.”； “I think more children say the， our...”； “It is important thing to... OK， thats all.” From these words， we can find that she avoids or abandons certain topics because of her limited second language resource. These belongs to functional reduction strategies.

She wants to avoid the second language rules of which she is not certain or which she cannot readily gain access to. For example， “My older sister let us to go to the book store.” She wants to express “My older sister brings us to the book store”. “I think it is an important reason， he is young.” “I think he looks like very young， he keeps regular hours every day.” In these two sentences， she avoids the rule of subordinate clause， but uses simple and short sentences. These are the use of formal reduction strategies.

When she decides to keep to the original communicative goal， she tries to compensate. For example， “I like 熱鬧， and it is important， I can have 紅包，money...”， “I means 春晚，I dont know how to say it.” She does not call for the assistance， but makes use of her first language， Chinese， to express it. These ways belong to code-switching strategies based on L1.

In order to insist her original communicative goal， she also use other ways.

Literal translation strategies， for example， “a cold holiday”， the correct expression is “a winter vacation”； “watch Spring night”， the right expression is “watch Spring Festival Gala Evening”； “Cheng Longs movies”， the right expression is “Jackie Chan”； “He is a dreamful people”， the right expression is “He has a dream”； “the book room”， the right expression is “the study”.

Direct appeal in co-operative strategies， she overtly requests assistance. For example， “How to say it， I dont know. 斑馬？” and “I means 春晚，I dont know how to say it.”

Waiting in retrieval strategies. When she has a problem locating the required item but decides to persevere rather than use a compensatory strategy， she pauses and waits for the item to come to her. In her discourse， she pauses for many times.

Besides these strategies， she uses restructuring strategy， the strategy is based on second language. For example， “regular hours” is an alternative constituent plan， she wants to say “regular lifestyle”.

Above all， A prefers reduction strategies and L1-based achievement strategies.

3.2 The second interviewee B.

B is also a non-English major sophomore in Northwest Minzu University， but he ever studied in an international class when he was a high school student. So he can communicate with foreigners fluently in English. However， he is just good at spoken English， he also makes many grammar mistakes， so his English proficiency level is middle among these three. He uses the following strategies：

Code-switching strategies based on L1. For example， “they will give me...壓歲錢”. He makes use of a form in the first language. This belongs to compensatory strategies.

Substitution strategies based on L2. For example， he uses “good meal” to replace “superb meal”； he makes use of “traditional culture” to substitute for “traditional custom”； he chooses “his character” to replace “his quality”； he uses “full of stress” to substitute for “full of power”. The learner B makes uses of alternative L2 forms to replace one L2 form.

Paraphrase strategies based on L2. For example， “And my family and all my ... They are not my family， but we have blood relationship”， he uses the sentence to describe the word “relative”； “or I should say they put money into red envelope as the gift of New Year”， he replaces the phrase “lucky money” by explaining it； “my brothers， sisters. They are my uncles children”， he uses the explaining to substitute for the word “cousin”. The learner B replaces an L2 item by describing or exemplifying it.

Word coinage strategies based on L2. For example， he uses “table games” to replace the phrase “board role-playing games”； he uses “guest room” to substitute for “living room”； he makes use of “a finger guitar player” to substitute for “a fingerstyle guitar player”. The learner B replaces an L2 item with an item made up from L2 forms.

Restructuring strategies based on L2. For example， “my brothers， sisters” should be expressed as “cousins”； “my grandma， my grandpa” should be expressed as “my grandparents”. The learner B develops an alternative constituent plan.

Waiting in retrieval strategies. When the learner B has trouble expressing， he stops until he remembers it.

Above all， B with middle proficiency level prefers L2-based achievement strategies to reduction strategies and L1-based achievement strategies.

3.3 The last interviewee C.

C is an English major postgraduate， the brother of the author， has more advanced English proficiency level. His discourse hardly makes mistakes， and hardly pauses or hesitates. He uses the following strategies：

Substitution strategies based on L2. For example， the word “hobby” is not as appropriate as “interests”； the word “retain” is less appropriate than “maintain”. He replaces one L2 form with another.

Paraphrase strategies based on L2. For example， he uses the sentence “Thank the great earth， no， bigger than the earth.” to explaining and replacing the word “universe”. The learner replaces an L2 item by describing or exemplifying it.

Restructuring strategies based on L2. For example， the learner develops “Clothes， food” as an alternative constituent plan of “material condition”.

Above all， we can find that the learner C with more advanced English proficiency level just uses a handful of communication strategies， and he prefers using some L2-based compensatory strategies.

The author uses a table to show the result that these three learners use variable communication strategies in their discourses.

4. Conclusion

From the table we can conclude that second language proficiency levels have an important influence on learners use of communication strategies； second learners of limited proficiency prefer either reduction strategies or L1-based achievement strategies while the more advanced learners prefer L2-based achievement strategies or seldom use communication strategies [4].

All communication strategies can help to expand resources. However， they can also prevent acquisition.

Bibliography：

[1]劉乃美， 交際策略研究對我國外語教學的啟示[B]， Foreign Language World， 2005 （3）： 55-60

[2]孔京京， 開展交際策略教學的一項研究[B]， Foreign Language World， 2004 （5） 33-39

[3]Rod Ellis， Understanding Second Language Acquisition[H]， 上海外語教育出版社， 1999： 181-187

[4]王艷， 學習者的第二語言程度和性格差異對交際策略選擇的交互影響[B]， 外國語言文學， 2005 （4）：249-153