Learner pragmatics at the discourse level: Staying “on topic” in a telecollaborative eTandem task

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

The present paper examines topic management in the task-based interactions of German learners of English and their Irish English speaking partners. Specifically, the paper explores the resources employed by speakers to maintain cohesion in talk while transitioning topics via announcement turns. Two resources for maintaining cohesion are explored in detail: co-class membership relations and contrast relations. The quantitative results suggest that learners employ similar resources to the NS. The qualitative results reveal areas on the level of linguistic realisation of topic transitioning turns where learners exhibit some difficulty in alignment and in the use of discourse connectives.

Data for the present study is drawn from Language LINC, a corpus of telecollaborative eTandem interactions. Methodologically, the present paper applies tools from conversation analysis (CA) in a sequentially sensitive analysis of the collection of announcements. In addition to a careful qualitative analysis of each case, a quantitative analysis is presented in order to uncover variation in the methods employed by the learners as opposed to the expert speakers. This mixed method approach is considered with respect to its place in the CA research tradition (Stivers, 2015) and its fit for analyses of authentic, consequential interactions in the interlanguage pragmatic tradition.
Original languageEnglish
JournalSystem
Volume75
Pages (from-to)33-47
Number of pages15
ISSN0346-251X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 07.2018

    Research areas

  • Language Studies - Topic management, topic transitions, Topic transitioning resources, Announcements, Mixed methods, telecollaboration, Computer mediated communication

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Mindsets and reflection in teacher education for inclusive language classrooms
  2. Application of novel constrained friction processing method to produce fine grained biomedical Mg-Zn-Ca alloy
  3. Risk Aversion and Sorting into Public Sector Employment
  4. Can guided introspection help avoid rationalization of meat consumption?
  5. Photodegradation of micropollutants using V-UV/UV-C processes
  6. Dynamic Semantic Web Content for Museum Guides
  7. NIF4OGGD - NLP interchange format for open German governmental data
  8. Mapping water ecosystem services: Evaluating InVEST model predictions in data scarce regions
  9. Knowledge Spaces of Globalization
  10. sPlotOpen – An environmentally balanced, open-access, global dataset of vegetation plots
  11. A Model Based Feedforward Regulator Improving PI Control of an Ice-Clamping Device Activated by Thermoelectric Cooler
  12. A new magnesium alloy system
  13. Heterogenous activation of dynamic recrystallization and twinning during friction stir processing of a Cu-4Nb alloy
  14. Secret Agents
  15. Assuring a safe, secure and sustainable space environment for space activities
  16. Dynamic material flow analysis in the life cycle assessment tool chain
  17. Spatial prioritisation for conserving ecosystem services
  18. On the notion of ecological justice
  19. Three-dimensional microstructural analysis of Mg-Al-Zn alloys by synchrotron-radiation-based microtomography
  20. Dealing with availability and response expectations: Are older employees at an advantage and why?
  21. Exploring the uncanny valley effect in social robotics
  22. Bimodal IT
  23. The impact of supervisory board composition on CSR reporting
  24. Dietary patterns of children on three indigenous societies