Page 14 - Kukanja Gabrijelčič, Mojca, and Maruška Seničar Željeznov, eds. 2018. Teaching Gifted and Talented Children in A New Educational Era. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 14
Knechtelsdorfer
Table 1 Areas of Pronunciation in Arabic and German
Consonants Arabic German
–
/p/ aspirated – word initial
/p/ – word initial
word initial
/b/ in contrast to /p/
/t/
/k/ in contrast to /g/
down. Strategies used in ELF are for example descriptions, code-switching, for-
eignization, cooperation and reduction (Björkman, 2014).
As language teaching and testing focus on the correct use of native speaker
Standard English, it is only logical that the intentional use of strategies such
as code-switching and reduction are not validated or even penalized with
bad grades. This can be seen in the assessment grid devised for the stan-
dardized Austrian oral Matura exam. Teachers assess a student’s performance
with band 0–10. Band 6–10 represent positive grades with various degrees,
band 5 and below are negative performances. Test assessors need to grade
the use of L1, so code-switching, with band 2 or 3, so negative. One factor in
the descriptor of band 10, so the best band, is that the student does not de-
scribe or paraphrase. This demonstrates clearly that although research shows
the importance of using communicative strategies for mutual intelligibility,
language teaching and testing still discourages languages learners to use
certain features of the virtual language.
Communicative strategies are, however, part of communication and the
communicative capability of everybody, even in L1 encounters. It is common
to paraphrase an utterance, if the interlocutor could not understand it, either
acoustically or because of a gap in the shared knowledge of the interlocu-
tors. This can happen in conversations between people of different gener-
ations, with different education or professions as well as differences in her-
itage culture and numerous other factors. And although new standardized
tests are said to test language students actually use in situations they actually
encounter as opposed to testing Shakespeare, they do lack a major aspect
of authenticity. In the light of ELF it seems counterproductive to punish the
use of strategies that are part of students’ language capabilities and which
they use strategically in order to communicate successfully. Although it is un-
derstandable that using communicative strategies might hint towards a lack
in for example vocabulary knowledge, the strategic use of communicative
strategies demonstrates flexibility and adaption, both of which are impor-
tant in communication.
12
Table 1 Areas of Pronunciation in Arabic and German
Consonants Arabic German
–
/p/ aspirated – word initial
/p/ – word initial
word initial
/b/ in contrast to /p/
/t/
/k/ in contrast to /g/
down. Strategies used in ELF are for example descriptions, code-switching, for-
eignization, cooperation and reduction (Björkman, 2014).
As language teaching and testing focus on the correct use of native speaker
Standard English, it is only logical that the intentional use of strategies such
as code-switching and reduction are not validated or even penalized with
bad grades. This can be seen in the assessment grid devised for the stan-
dardized Austrian oral Matura exam. Teachers assess a student’s performance
with band 0–10. Band 6–10 represent positive grades with various degrees,
band 5 and below are negative performances. Test assessors need to grade
the use of L1, so code-switching, with band 2 or 3, so negative. One factor in
the descriptor of band 10, so the best band, is that the student does not de-
scribe or paraphrase. This demonstrates clearly that although research shows
the importance of using communicative strategies for mutual intelligibility,
language teaching and testing still discourages languages learners to use
certain features of the virtual language.
Communicative strategies are, however, part of communication and the
communicative capability of everybody, even in L1 encounters. It is common
to paraphrase an utterance, if the interlocutor could not understand it, either
acoustically or because of a gap in the shared knowledge of the interlocu-
tors. This can happen in conversations between people of different gener-
ations, with different education or professions as well as differences in her-
itage culture and numerous other factors. And although new standardized
tests are said to test language students actually use in situations they actually
encounter as opposed to testing Shakespeare, they do lack a major aspect
of authenticity. In the light of ELF it seems counterproductive to punish the
use of strategies that are part of students’ language capabilities and which
they use strategically in order to communicate successfully. Although it is un-
derstandable that using communicative strategies might hint towards a lack
in for example vocabulary knowledge, the strategic use of communicative
strategies demonstrates flexibility and adaption, both of which are impor-
tant in communication.
12
