Abstract
As research into the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) intensifies, questions on the implications of the findings for English Language Teaching (ELT) are increasingly being raised. In this regard, research on misunderstanding in ELF has much to offer ELT practitioners. Awareness of what causes misunderstanding means that learners can be trained to take relevant measures to avoid the triggers that contribute to the problem. Among these, ambiguity has been identified as a major source of ELF misunderstanding. This article investigates further the role of ambiguity in triggering misunderstanding and examines some of the practices speakers employ to increase the explicitness of what they say. Based on conversation analytic procedures, speakers were found to enhance the clarity of their talk through the use of a parenthetical remark that provides illustration, description, definition, and comparison of similarity or dissimilarity. Learning activities that provide learners with opportunities to use the aforementioned can contribute to developing in learners the ability to communicate effectively in lingua franca settings.
About the author
Jagdish Kaur is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya. Her research interest lies mainly in the microanalysis of interactions in English as a lingua franca, using conversation analytic procedures, to establish how speakers of ELF communicate and to identify the kinds of competences they rely on to achieve success in communication. She has published her findings on ELF in journals like World Englishes, Journal of Pragmatics, Intercultural Pragmatics and Text &Talk.
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Appendix 1. Participants according to ethnicity, mother tongue and role
| Ethnicity (in alphabetical order) | Mother Tongue | Role | No. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Burmese | Burmese | Student | 1 |
| 2. | Cambodian | Cambodian | Student | 2 |
| 3. | Filipino-Chinese | Chinese | Lecturer | 1 |
| 4. | Indonesian | Indonesian | Student | 1 |
| 5. | Italian | German | Research Student | 1 |
| 6. | Korean | Korean | Student | 2 |
| 7. | Laotian | Lao | Student | 1 |
| 8. | Malaysian-Chinese | Chinese | 3 Students, 1 Research Student | 4 |
| 9. | Malaysian-Indian | Tamil | Research Fellow | 1 |
| 10. | Malaysian-Malay | Malay | 2 Students, 1 Lecturer | 3 |
| 11. | Nigerian | Igbo | Student | 1 |
| 12. | Spanish | Spanish | Lecturer | 1 |
| 13. | Sri Lankan | Sinhala | Student | 1 |
| 14. | Thai | Thai | Student | 1 |
| 15. | Vietnamese | Vietnamese | Student | 1 |
Appendix 2
The transcription notations used in the paper are as follows:
[ a left square bracket marks the onset of overlap
] a right square bracket marks the end of overlapping talk; this notation is only indicated when it can be accurately discerned
= an equal sign marks latching
- a hyphen marks a cut off
…(0.5) a numeral placed within parentheses following three dots marks a
pause measured in seconds
: a colon marks a stretched sound
? a question mark marks rising intonation
. a full stop marks falling intonation
, a comma marks continuing intonation
°soft°degree signs mark speech that is relatively softer than the surrounding talk
© 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
