书面交际——非目标语环境下成人外语学习的有效途径

Written Communication:An Effective Way for Adults to Learn a Foreign Language

非目标语环境下,口头表达机会极少,自然、真实的口头交际更是罕有,学习者(尤其是成年人)无法像孩童通过口头交际习得母语那样学习外语,但却可以通过由读写构建的书面交际促进外语语言能力的持续发展。这一过程中,书面输入虽然起到基础性作用,但其单纯的意义导向影响其语言促学作用的有效发挥,而既是意义导向又是形式导向的书面输出则具有决定性作用,因为书面输出不仅是交际过程不可或缺的重要一环,而且其慢节奏、可视性等特点,以及其本身对语言准确性、明晰性、复杂性等的高要求,更有利于输出注意功能、假设检验功能与元语言反思功能的充分发挥。可以说,不断阅读、并针对阅读不断进行写作,从而让学习者进入真正的、持续性的交际状态,这才是非目标语环境下成人外语学习的最佳途径。

In the non-target language context,there are few opportunities for oral output,let alone natural and real oral communication.As a result,it is quite impossible for learners(especially adults)to learn a foreign language as children acquire their mother tongue through oral interaction.However,they are most likely to develop their foreign language competence through written communication,namely interaction between written input and written output.In the process,meaning-and form-oriented written output is not only indispensible but also decisive while written input,though playing a fundamental role,usually has a quite limited language learning potential owing to its meaning-oriented nature.Besides,the slow pace and visibility of writing as well as its great demand on accuracy,clarity and complexity may help bring into fuller play the three functions of output,i.e.the noticing/trigging function,the hypothesis testing function and the metalinguistic function.Therefore,it can be argued that the best way for adults to learn a foreign language in the non-target language environment is to immerse themselves in continual authentic written communication by creating an interactive cycle of reading and writing.