Modifying Speech to Learners

Features of Classroom Discourse

Week 12

Pre-Activity
Watch the video of a mother talking to her daughter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a52Dk36X7mo

Pay attention and make a note on:

1.The vocabulary she used is it simple or complex
2.The length of the sentences is it long or short
3.The use of idiomatic phrases
4.How does she maintain her daughter attention
5.The use of expression, gestures, tone of talk

Modifying Speech to Learners

A major portion of class time in teaching is taken up by teachers
talking in front of the class give directions, explain activities,
clarify the procedures students should use on an activity, and
check students' understanding.

Ellis (1984: 120)

A large proportion of the teacher's total communicative efforts
can be taken up with coaxing along the communicative process
itself, especially when the learners are relative beginners.

The teacher has to get the pupils' attention, monitor their

understanding by constant checking, clarify, explain, define and
when appropriate summarize.

Modifying Speech to Learners

It is crucial for the teachers to make their
directions, explanation and instructions
understandable to the learners.

Teachers work on certain strategies to ensure

that their talk is understandable to the learners
Strategies to modify their speech/talk

Reasons for Modifying Language for

Learners
1. The link between comprehension and progress in L2

If students do not understand the input they receive, it is

unlikely that they will progress.
2. The issue of the influence of teacher language on learner
language

L2 teachers is to model target language for their learners

In some contexts, the teachers are the only exposure to the
language that learners receive

Reasons for Modifying Language for

Learners
3. The difficulties experienced by learners in
understanding their teachers

Without some simplification or reduction in speed of

delivery, it is highly unlikely that students would understand
what was being said by the teachers.

Four Aspects of Language Modification

(Chaudron, 1998 in Walsh, )
1. Vocabulary is simplified and idiomatic phrases are
avoided.

2. Grammar is simplified through the use of shorter, simpler

utterances and increased use of present tense.

3. Pronunciation is modified by the use of slower, clearer

speech and by more widespread use of standard forms.

4. Increased use of gestures and facial expressions

Chaudrons four aspect of teachers language modification in

an L2 context compare very closely with the ones made by
parents when talking to young children acquiring their first
language.

Parents features of talk:

1. simpler vocabulary
2. shorter sentences and fewer idiomatic phrases are used,
3. accompanied by exaggerated facial expressions and gestures

Teachers Strategies of Modifying Their

Speech
1. Tardiff (1994)
2. Lynch (1996)
3. Chaudron (1988)

Teachers Language Modification

Strategies
(Tardiff, 1994)
Self- repetition
Linguistic modelling
Providing information
Expanding an utterance
Using extensive elicitation, where questions are graded
and adjusted

Ways in which Teachers

Modify Their Interaction (Lynch,
1996)
1. Confirmation checks teachers make sure they understand the
learner

2. Comprehension checks ensuring that learners understand the

teacher

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Repetition
Clarification requests asking students for clarification;
Reformulation rephrasing a learners utterance
Completion finishing a learners contribution
Backtracking returning to an earlier part of a dialogue.

Strategies to Modify Speech

(Chaudron, 1988)
Speaking more slowly

When teachers speak to language learners in the classroom,

they often use a slower rate of speech than they
other situations.

would use in

Using pauses

Teachers tend to pause more and to use longer pauses when

teaching language learners, particularly lower-level students.

These pauses give learners more time to process what the

teacher has said and hence facilitate their comprehension.

Changing pronunciation.

Teachers may sometimes use a clearer articulation or a

more standard style of speech, one which contains fewer
reductions and contractions than they would use outside of
a teaching situation.

For example, instead of saying, "Couldja read that line,

Juan?" the teacher might more carefully enunciate "Could
you . . . ?"

Modifying vocabulary

Teachers often replace a difficult word with what they think is

a more commonly used word.

For example, the teacher might ask, "What do you think this
picture shows instead of "What do you think this picture
depicts?

However, teachers sometimes unwittingly "complicate"

vocabulary instead of simplifying it. For example, teachers might
say, "What do you think this picture is about? supplying an
idiomatic (but not necessarily simpler) replacement for depicts.

Modifying grammar

Language teachers often simplify the grammatical

structure of sentences in the classroom.

For example, teachers may use fewer subordinate

clauses in a classroom situation than in other contexts, or
avoid using complex tenses.

Modifying discourse

Teachers may repeat themselves or answer their own questions in order to make themselves
understood.

Example:

These kinds of modifications in teachers' speech can lead to a

special type of discourse which has been referred to as teacher talk.

When teachers use teacher talk they are trying to make themselves as
easy to understand as possible, and effective teacher talk may provide
essential support to facilitate both language comprehension and
learner production.

Krashen (1985) argues that this is how teachers provide learners

with "comprehensible input" (input which is finely tuned to the learner's
level of comprehension),

Krashen sees this as "the essential ingredient for second language

acquisition"

However, sometimes teachers may develop a variety of teacher talk which would
not sound natural outside of the classroom.

The following are examples of teachers using this variety of teacher talk
when teaching low-level ESL learners.

Take a look at these examples:

Although these examples may be extreme, they

illustrate that in their efforts to provide students
with comprehensible input, teachers may sometimes
develop a style of speaking that does not reflect
natural speech.

Chaudrons Strategies for Speech Modification is summarized in

the taxonomy below.

Learners Modifying Their Speech?

Musumeci (1996)
Teachers rarely ask for modifications to learners speech,
relying instead on imposing their own interpretation.

This observation goes some way in explaining why

teachers persist in filling in the gaps and smoothing over
learner contributions, as a means of maintaining the flow of
a lesson or in order to create a flawless discourse.

Unfortunately, by so doing, learners may be denied crucial

opportunities for learning.

Musumeci argues that by seeking clarification and

requesting confirmation, by getting learners to reiterate
their contributions, learners language development is
fostered.

Example Extract 1.6

Notes from Extract 1.6

It is immediately apparent that the teacher by seeking
clarification and by negotiating meaning helps the learners
to express themselves more fully and more clearly.

In the extract, it is clear that learner turns are frequently

longer and more complex that those of the teacher (122, 126).

The teacher adopts a less evaluative role and instead seeks to

clarify (121, 123, 129) and elicit from the learners,
descriptions of their writing strategies.

Notes from Extract 1.6

Clarification requests are extremely valuable in promoting
opportunities for learning since they compel learners to
reformulate their contribution, by rephrasing or
paraphrasing.

There is clear evidence in this extract that the teachers

unwillingness to accept the learners first contribution (in
123, 125) promotes a longer turn and higher quality output
in 126

Post-Activity
Review the list of strategies for modifying
teacher talk by Chaudron (1988)

Which of these strategies do your teacher use

most when teaching?

Which of these strategies are most helpful for

you as the learners?