英语学习者会话修补年龄差异研究

A Study of Age Differences in Speech Repair by English Learners

本文在现有会话修补理论基础上,采用定量和定性相结合的方法,对一组具有相似英语水平但年龄差异较大的英语学习者的会话修补模式、修补失误源的分布和修补标记语的使用进行了实证研究。结果发现:不同年龄段学习者口语中自我修补的频率都相当高,但在重复修补上,年龄偏小学习者案例显著多于较长者;年龄偏小学习者他人修补频数显然高于年长者;年龄偏小学习者会话修补更侧重简单的语言知识修补,而年龄较长者则倾向于语义修补;不同年龄段学习者在修补标记语使用上既有共同点,也具有一定差异。对我国二语学习者会话修补年龄差异的分析将有助于我们充分认识不同年龄二语学习者的会话策略和口头表达特征,从而有效地指导其提高语言能力。

Based on existing theories of speech repair,this paper attempts to investigate the use of speech repairs in PETS4 by 30 female English learners of different ages,with regard to the modes,trouble sources,use of repair markers.The study yielded the following findings： 1） a high frequency of self-repairs were observed across all age groups,but the younger learners had more cases of repetition than the older ones;2） the younger learners had a higher frequency of other-repairs than the older ones;3） the majority of the younger learners＇ repairs were to correct simple language errors while the older ones＇ repairs were concerned with meaning and content;4） in the use of repair markers,the learners of different ages showed differences as well as similarities.Such findings shed new light on the conversational strategies and spoken English features of learners in terms of age and may benefit teaching of spoken English.