NEGOTIATION, NOTICING, AND THE ROLE OF
SELECTIVE CROSSLINGUAL STRATEGIES IN
FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS

by

WILLIAM ROBERT PELLOWE

A dissertation submitted to the
Faculty of Arts
of the University of Birmingham
in part fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Master of Arts
In
TEFL/TESL


This dissertation consists of approximately 14,800 words.

- Supervisor: Peter Crompton
Centre for English Language Studies
School of English
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT
United Kingdom

March 1998

ABSTRACT

When learners in foreign language classrooms all share the same native language, that language is always available for use should the need arise. Teachers in these situations often instinctively feel that limited, timely use of L1 has a role to play, yet feel guilty using it. In this dissertation, the author aims to provide a theoretical basis for timely, judicious application of L1. To bridge the gap between ESL theory and EFL practice, an exploration of problems and potential solutions for negotiation for meaning and form in EFL classrooms is followed by analysis of learners' use of code-switching and lack thereof in learner/learner interaction and within written texts. Principled, crosslingual teaching approaches based within current language acquisition theory and research findings are provided.

CONTENTS

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION  
1.1 Historical Overview (Of L2-Only Orthodoxy) 1
1.2 Teacher Guilt From Using L1 2
1.3 Findings on Teacher L1 Use 3
1.4 Scope Of The Present Study 4
CHAPTER 2 NEGOTIATION, GUIDED NEGOTIATION
2.1 Negotiation of Meaning 5
2.2 "Barranquismo" (L1-Aided Guided Negotiation) 6
2.3 Hotchkiss (Lexical Transfer) 12
2.4 "Ong ha" (Phonological Influence of L1) 14
2.5 Conclusion 16
CHAPTER 3 CODE-SWITCHING: STUDENTS' L1 USE IN THE CLASSROOM  
3.1 Factors Governing Language Choice 18
3.2 Promoting L2 Use 21
3.3 Cited/Recited Language: Negotiation of Form? 21
3.4 Negotiation of Meaning, Disregarding Form 24
3.5 Unintentional Switches 24
3.6 Conclusion 27
CHAPTER 4 CODE-SWITCHING IN TEXTS: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN STUDENTS HAVE THE CHOICE TO USE L1?  
4.1 The extensive reading program tests 28
4.2 Results 29
4.3 Functions of Switches 31
4.4 Discussion (Factors Influencing Language Choice) 35
4.5 Conclusion 37
CHAPTER 5 CROSSLINGUAL TEACHING STRATEGIES  
5.1 The "Checking Device" And Word Storage 39
5.2 Katakana English And Loanwords 41
5.3 Starter Rules: A Contrastive Analysis Technique 44
5.4 The Uniqueness Principle (And Pedagogical Implications) 45
5.5 Crosslinguistic Error Awareness Raising to Promote Noticing 47
5.6 Comparisons Between Languages 49
5.7 Conclusion 49
CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION 50
ENDNOTES 51
LIST OF REFERENCES 52


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure 1: Hotchkiss Stapler 12


LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Language of Test Texts Per Student 30
Table 2: Japanese Usages in Mixed Texts 30
Table 3: Numerical Breakdown of English Words vs. Japanese Words 31
Table 4: Functional Distribution of Japanese Code Switches by Types 32

LIST OF DEFINITIONS


Abbreviations and terms used herein either conform to the accepted norms of the field or are defined when presented. However, to avoid confusion in terminology, two standard abbreviations are used in a more restrictive sense than is normally found in the literature.

L1 L1 will always refer to the mother tongue of the students.
L2 L2 will always refer to the target language, which may or may not be the mother tongue of the instructor. Thus, an "L1-proficient teacher" could be a native or a non-native speaker of that language.


- Bill Pellowe
March 30, 1998
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billp@gol.com