The conflict of form & function in ELF: A consideration of differences in proficiency levels in arising misinterpretations in ELF

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2016-08-04
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en
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This thesis empirically researched misinterpretations, in addition to signalling and preventive strategies, in English as a lingua franca through a communicative task for speakers with different proficiency levels in the target language and by conducting detailed pragmatic conversational analyses of recorded lingua franca conversations. The paper distinguished three dialogue dimensions within the domain, i.e. proficient-proficient, proficientunproficient, and unproficient-unproficient. It addressed questions relating to interdimensional differences in terms of qualitative and quantitative signalling and preventive strategies and to the extent to which misinterpretations arise. This study, thus, clarified the manner in which misinterpretations surface and how they may be resolved. The task consisted of a discussion of ambiguous stories; two interlocutors were to collaboratively establish several scenarios by discussing their ideas. These conversations were analysed for strategies and misinterpretations to find any interdimensional differences. The study argues that a) interlocutors use semantically and pragmatically based strategies, b) interlocutors employ a larger inventory of strategies than anticipated and display interdimensional qualitative differences in strategies, c) interlocutors use more strategies than anticipated and there are interdimensional quantitative differences, and d) insufficient utilisation of strategies and resulting misinterpretations are most often precipitated in the proficient-unproficient dimension. Interlocutors, regardless of their proficiency level, qualitatively and quantitatively adjusted their strategies in an attempt to approximate the linguistic norms of their coconversationalists. Unproficient speakers in this dimension, however, may be insufficiently able to approximate these norms, which precipitated the misinterpretations; these situations have been resolved by unproficient interlocutors’ increased reliance on strategies.
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