| February 19, 2001 Conversation Skills Learning a foreign language can be very difficult. Even once the grammar has been learned, and the vocabulary knowledge has become extensive, conversational rules must be implemented. As a TESOL minor, the information in the Oaks reading was very helpful in pointing out a problem to me that I hadn’t really considered: that of being familiar and comfortable with colloquial conversation use. The Oaks essay pointed out the problem that many foreign speakers have with English conversation, as well as some of the ways to fix it. The approximation is one that I have found very useful in speaking a foreign language; not knowing the word for tire, I used the word “wheel” in conversation, and as a result I was politely corrected with the better word. And “the little thing you put the bread in” turned out to be a “toaster.” This is sometimes an easier approach than the “how do you say” approach, making one look more sure of himself even while he asks for help. The latter can also be more difficult because it either requires the object in question to be in view, or it requires the speaker to perform a charade explaining the object. Asking for repetition is less likely to be used than the asking for clarification. It is easier to get the gist of the misunderstood word when it is heard in context again, for simply having a word repeated doesn’t necessarily mean the meaning will be more clear. Asking for clarification avoids the problem of having to ask a third time if the problem lies in not knowing the word rather than not hearing the word correctly. This method “plays it safe.” One communication problem comes from the culture’s informal conversation style. Often I’ve discovered when speaking to people of another culture in their language that when I finish speaking and pause, waiting for their response, they have nothing to say. As an American I tended to find this rude or at least strange, for in English we customarily reply “uh-huh” or “okay” to let the person know we were listening. Thus the checking also comes in very handy just to reassure ourselves that the message was received, even though the person we are checking with may find it an unnecessary and even tedious exercise. Understanding these colloquialisms and speaking them can be very different for the non-native speaker. It takes time and training of the ear before the tongue can naturally reproduce the conversation style. As the essay pointed out, the best way to help students learn these is to practice it in the classroom, through role-playing, and putting them in a situation where they actually need to interrupt or ask for help, rather than having them follow a script that tells them exactly what to do. |