CONSIDERATIONS ON CONVERSATIONAL COMPETENCE. THE CASE OF ROMANIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (RFL), LEVEL A1

Authors

  • Lavinia-Iunia VASIU Faculty of Letters, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Email: laviniavasiu@gmail.com

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24193/subbphilo.2017.2.11

Keywords:

learner corpus, conversation analysis, communication strategies, initiating moves, responding moves, passive role, active role, feedback in conversation.

Abstract

Considerations on conversational competence. The case of Romanian as a foreign language (RFL), level A1. The study focuses on several aspects of L2 conversational competence in Romanian, at level A1. A learner corpus formed of spoken productions of students with different linguistic backgrounds is analyzed. Initiating and responding moves are calculated in the case of each student in order to determine what type of discourse each task generates. Communication strategies (message abandonment, approximation, word-coinage, literal translations, appeal for help, use of fillers, etc.) as well as means of giving feedback in conversation (continuers, collaborative completions, assessments, etc.) are also identified and investigated and possible implications in developing and assessing conversational competence in Romanian as a foreign language at level A1 are issued.

Rezumat. Observații privind abilitatea conversațională în cazul limbii române ca L2, nivelul A1. Lucrarea de față prezintă câteva aspecte ale abilității conversaționale în limba română ca L2 la nivelul A1, pe baza analizei unui corpus format din producții orale ale vorbitorilor nonnativi, din medii culturale diferite și cu diverse L1. S-au calculat, în dialog, replicile de răspuns (responding moves) și replicile de inițiere (initiating moves) în vederea identificării tipului de dialog rezultat (echilibrat, simetric, asimetric etc.). De asemenea, au fost identificate și analizate strategiile comunicative folosite (abandonarea mesajului, aproximarea, traducerile literale, repetițiile etc.), precum și mijloacele de oferire a feedbackului în conversație (completările colaborative, evaluări ale mesajului etc.). În final, se propun descriptori pentru evaluarea abilității conversaționale pe trei benzi diferite, la nivelul A1.

Cuvinte-cheie: corpus cu producții ale vorbitorilor nonnativi, analiza conversației, strategii comunicative, replici de inițiere, replici de răspuns, rol activ, rol pasiv, feedback în conversație.

Author Biography

Lavinia-Iunia VASIU, Faculty of Letters, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Email: laviniavasiu@gmail.com

Department of language, culture and civilization, Faculty of Letters, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, laviniavasiu@gmail.com

References

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Council of Europe. 2001. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Eggins, S. and Slade, D. 1997. Analysing Casual Conversation, London: Equinox.

Ellis, R. and Barkhuizen, G. 2005. Analysing Learner Language, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Gardner, R. 1994 (ed.). Spoken Interaction Studies in Australia. Special Volume of Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, Series S. Number 11.

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Tarone, E. 1981. ‘Some thoughts on the notion of communication strategy.’ TESOL Quarterly 15: 285-95.

Thornbury, S. and Slade, D. 2006. Conversation: from description to pedagogy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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Published

2017-06-15

How to Cite

VASIU, L.-I. (2017). CONSIDERATIONS ON CONVERSATIONAL COMPETENCE. THE CASE OF ROMANIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (RFL), LEVEL A1. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Philologia, 62(2), 153–166. https://doi.org/10.24193/subbphilo.2017.2.11

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Articles