Learner's Language: Implications of Recent Research for Foreign Language Instruction

by a L2 learner is marked by deeper-level modifications. The learner may not know the L2 well enough to encode his message by the proper selection of grammatical categories: verb, noun phrase, adjective, etc. He will then be forced to employ a variety of strategies that may even include the modification of the intended messagel These strategiesapproximative communicative systems-include borrowing (improperly labelled interference by some researchers), calquing or loan translation, and paraphrasing. Materials designed to lead to some degree to communicative competence should incorporate activities that will provide practice in the use of these strategies. Finally, in the elaboration of efficient pedagogical sequences an important criterion should be the perception and evaluation of errors on the part of naive native listeners. Errors that native listeners fail to notice need minimal correction or y a L2 learne is marked by d eper-level modifiations. The learn r may not know the L2 well nough to encode his message by the proper sel cion of grammatical categories: verb, noun phrase, djective, tc. He will then be forced to employ a ariety of strategies that may even include the odification f the intended messagel These trategiesapproximative communicative sysems-include borrowing (improperly labelled interfer nce by some researchers), calquing or loan translation, and p raphrasing. Materials deigned to lead to some degree to communicative ompet nce should incorporate activities tha w ll rovide practice in the use of these stra egies. inally, in the elaboration of efficient pedaogical sequ nces an important criterion should e the perc ption and evaluation of err rs on the art of naive native listeners. Errors that native they may even find their place in pedagogical sequences if they lead to more rapid acquisition. F r example, in a pilot study it was observed that Fre ch listen rs scored very low (that is, they were very tolerant of) inaccurate renditions of uvular [R] or glided r alizations of final tense [e] and [o] but very high the nasalization of vowels occurring before nasal consonants and weakly released final consonants. This is not surprising since the latter two features serve to distinguish masculine from f m nine forms of adjectives or 3rd person singular from 3rd p rson plural present indicative forms of verbs (americain/americaine, vient/viennent; grand/grande, attend /attendent). Yet remedial pronunciation handbooks devote considerable space to [R] and the production of unglided final v wels while generally neglecting the inaccuracies re dily observed and severely scored by native judges. ey ay ev n find their place in p dagogical seences if they ead to more rapid acquisition. r example, in a pilot study it was observed that rench listen rs scored v ry low (that is, they were ery tolerant of) inaccurate enditio s of uvular ] or glid realiz t ons f final te se [e] and [o] t very igh the nasalization of vowels occurring efore nas l conso ants and weakly released fin l nsonants. This is not surprising since the latter o features serve to distinguish ma culine from e inine forms of adjectives or 3rd person singur from 3rd person plural p esent indicat ve forms verbs (americain/americaine, vient/ nnent; rand/grande, attend /attendent). Yet rem dial ro unciation handbooks devote considerable ace to [R] and the production of unglided final owels while generally neglecting the inaccuracies eadily observ d and sever ly scored by native