PRIBADI HADHI (0713042037)

NEGOTIATION OF MEANING

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

The study of interaction within the last two decades is partly due to consideration of the role of communication for second/foreign language acquisition.  Second/foreign language acquisition occurs especially when learners are engaged in the use of the language for communication.  Interaction is treated as one of the most important aspects that influences the success or failure of second and or foreign language acquisition.

Interaction is very important in acquiring a language, because without interaction someone would never acquire a language. Long (1981, 1982) said that comprehensible input is not enough for language acquisition. Learners need to interact with native speaker. Long’s study found that the native speaker talk to nonnative speaker contained a limited number of input modifications but extensive interactional adjustment.

Negotiation of meaning is defined as a series of exchanges conducted by addressors and addressees to help themselves understand and be understood by their interlocutors. In this case, when native speakers and non native speakers are involved in an interaction, both interact ants work together to solve any potential misunderstanding or non understanding that occurs.

In order to solve their misunderstanding or non understanding that occurs, we can solve them by checking each others’ comprehensions, requesting clarifications and confirmation and by repairing and adjusting speech (Pica, 1988). Pica et al (1989) also suggest that negotiation of meaning basically consist of four interrelated moves. They are trigger (T), signal (S), Response (R), and follow up (F).

The writer is interested in finding out how many those interrelated moves are used during a conversation of negotiation of meaning.

CHAPTER II

FRAME OF THEORIES

2.1 The role of Communication in Second Language Acquisition

Long (1981, 1982) says comprehensible input is not enough for language acquisition. Learners need to interact with native speakers. He discovered that number of input modifications but extensive interactional adjustments. The hypothesis advances two major claims about second language acquisition:

1. Comprehensible input is necessary for acquisition.
2. Modifications to the interactional structure of conversation in the process of  negotiating solutions 

    to communication problem helps in making input comprehensible to learners.

This is very true since real communication that serves as practice provider will help greatly for learners in order to acquire the second language. The problem is that not every single communication serves its purpose right. Some of them might actually confuse the learners due to the lack of information of the learners (information gap). We have to admit that native speaker has more power than non native speaker (the learners), both in turn taking and dealing with the topic.

2.2 Negotiation of Meaning

Negotiation of meaning is defined as a series of exchanges conducted by addressors and addressees to help themselves understand and be understood by their interlocutors. In this case, when native speakers and non native speakers are involved in an interaction, both interact ants work together to solve any potential misunderstanding or non understanding that occurs, by checking each others’ comprehension requesting clarifications & confirmation and by repairin gspeech.
These same restructuring techniques could be used following utterances of the addressees. Such modification would give interlocutors more opportunities to negotiate for message meaning and would allow addressees more to produce message content and thus sort out the confusion it triggered. Addressees could restructure the conversation through requests to addressors for clarification or through utterances seeking to confirm whether what they heard was actually what had been said.

Veronis and Gass proposed a simpler model for the exchanges that create negotiation of meaning. The model consists of four primes called:
• Trigger (T) which invokes or stimulates incomplete understanding on the part of      hearer.
• Indicator (I) which is the hearer’s signal of incomplete understanding.
• Response (R) is the original speaker attempt to clear up the unaccepted-input.
• Reaction to the response (R) which is an element that signals either the hearer’s acceptance or continued 

   difficulty with the speaker’s repair.

The models also suggest that in an interactional modification or negotiation, there are at least two different moves: the move of signals and the move of reaction to the signal (repair or modification). The move of signal consists of three concepts: confirmation check, comprehension check, and clarification request. The repair move consists of self- and other-repetition, elaboration and justification

CHAPTER III

THE CONVERSATION SCRIPTS & CODING

3.1 The First Conversation

This conversation was taken from the interaction between two women, named Fetris and Meila. They are university students taking English as their major.

Fetris               : Hi, good afternoon, Mei

Meila               : Afternoon, Fetris

Fetris               : Hmm Do you have something that is your favorite thing in your  

                          house? (Trigger)

Meila               : Hmm… yes. I have….. It’s my doll. It’s teddy bear.  I call it   

                          Teddy. (Signal, Comprehension Check)

Fetris               : You are like a child, you know? (Respond)

Meila               : Yes. (Follow Up)

Fetris               : You know, I don’t have any favorite doll in my house. (Trigger)

Meila               : Why? (Signal)

Fetris               : Since I was at kinder garden I didn’t like playing doll.

                         (Respond, Self Expression)

Meila               : You don’t like it? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Fetris               : Yes. (Follow Up)

Meila               : So, what is your favorite thing in your house? (Trigger)

Fetris               : It is my motorcycle. (Signal, Clarification Request)

Meila               : Ooh… Why? (Respond)

Fetris               : It always accompanies me wherever I want to go, such as my

                          school, and my campus now. Do you know? I bought it when I

                          was at senior high school, third grade exactly.

Meila               : In senior high school? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Fetris               : Yes (Respond, Self Repetition)

Meila               : Oh, it is so long. (Follow Up)

Fetris               : You know what the reason is? (Trigger)

Meila               : No. (Signal)

Fetris               : It is because I broke with my ex-boy friend, So I had to go to my

                          school by…(Respond)

Meila               : Angkot? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Fetris               : Me myself (Respond)

Meila               : By angkot? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Fetris               : No, not by angkot (Respond)

Meila               : By your foot? (Signal, Clarification Request)

Fetris               : By my foot but I think it was so tired at that time to walk.

                          (Respond)

Meila               : Alone? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Fetris               : Alone with my foot. (Follow Up)

Meila               : Hmm…

Fetris               : And find angkot here, I found so many pickpockets there.

                          (Trigger)

Meila               : Yes, I know. (Signal)

Fetris               : So, that is why I asked my father to buy….(Respond)

Meila               : Motorcycle. (Follow Up)

Meila               : So, what is the colour of my motorcycle? (Trigger)

Fetris               : As you see here, the color is red.(Signal, Comprehension Check)

Meila               : Red? (Respond, self repetition)

Fetris               : Yes, I love red.(Respond, Self Expression)

Meila               : Oh yes. (Follow Up)

Fetris               : Because well spirit. And then you know? I haven’t broken this

                          motorcycle. (Trigger)

Meila               : You haven’t broken this motorcycle? (Signal, Confirmation)

Fetris               : Yes, fell with this motorcycle, I haven’t.

                          (Respond, self expression)

Meila               : Woow, that’s great. Even I have more than three times broke with

                          my motorcycle.(Follow Up)

Meila               : You know?

Fetris               : Did it hurt you?

Meila               : Not really actually, but I felt so embarrassed because so many

                          people watched over me.

Fetris               : Oh my God.

Meila               : You know, how was about my feeling at that time? (Trigger)

Fetris               : Oh, maybe people thought there was an interesting attraction.

                          (Signal, Comprehension Check)

Meila               : Yes. (Respond)

Fetris               : How could you fell from your motorcycle? How was the way?

                          By jumping? (Signal, Clarification Request)

Meila               : No, It was when I learnt how to ride it, I forgot where the….

                          What is “rem” in English? (Respond)

Fetris               : Rem? Choke. (Signal, Comprehension Check)

Meila               : Yes, I forgot where the choke is. (Respond)

Fetris               : So you choose the break? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Meila               : Yes,

Fetris               : The gas?

Meila               : Yes, the gases

Fetris               : Ok, that’s great.  I have the same experience as you.  When I

                          wanted to stop my motorcycle, suddenly I choose the gas, and

                          the motorcycle, almost what is that?

Meila               : Crash?

Fetris               : Yes, crash my aunty and my mother?

Meila               : Your mother?

Fetris               : No, Crash my aunty.

Meila               : You almost crashed your aunty. (Trigger)

Fetris               : Yes. (Respond, Self Expression)

Meila               : So, your mother got angry with you.

             (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Fetris               : Yes, she said why I rode the motorcycle without her permission.

                          (Respond)

Meila               : Oh I see, because you didn’t get any permission from your

                          mother,  right? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Fetris               : Yes, that’s right. (Respond)

Meila               : Ok Fetris. I think I should go home. So, I’ll see you next week.

                          Bye. (Follow Up)

3.2 The Second Conversation

This conversation was taken from the interaction between two men, named Hadhi and Dicky. They are university students taking English as their major.

Hadhi              : Dicky, you know what? Next week, on Tuesday, it is my turn to

                          present micro teaching. (Trigger)

Dicky              : So, what will you prepare? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Hadhi              : Well, I havent’t got any idea yet. But, I think I am going to

                          present analytical exposition. (Respond)

Dicky              : Ow, analytical exposition? (Signal, Clarification Request)

Hadhi              : Yes, analytical exposition.(Respond, Self Repetition)

Dicky              : That’s good (Follow Up)

Dicky              : Last week was about my presentation. (Trigger)

Hadhi              : Presentation? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Dicky              : Yes, presentation. It was hortatory exposition.

  (Respond, Self Expression)

Hadhi              : What is it? (Signal, Comprehension check)

Dicky              : Hortatory exposition. (Follow Up)

Hadhi              : Well, it is almost the same, analytical exposition and hortatory

                          exposition.

Dicky              : Yes.

Hadhi              : Yes, so, can you tell me about your presentation? (Trigger)

Dicky              : Hmm, the hortatory exposition is just like analytical exposition,

                          but in the end of paragraph (Signal, Clarification Request)

Hadhi              : Well (Respond)

Dicky              : It gives suggestion for the audiences or people, who want to,

                          we…we…we… (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Hadhi              : We? What is that? (Respond)

Dicky              : We… What is “merayu” in English?

  (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Hadhi              : Merayu? kind of licker? (Respond)

Dicky              : No. (Signal)

Hadhi              : Oh, different. (Respond)

Dicky              : No, such kind of people we ask to do something.(Follow Up)

Hadhi              : To do something? Oh, it is like suggestion.

Dicky              : Yes, yes of course, because the function of hortatory exposition is

                          asking someone to do something.

Hadhi              : Ok, good. I have tried to browse some information about

                          analytical exposition. (Trigger)

Dicky              : What? Browse? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Hadhi              : Yes, browsing. (Respond, Self Repetition)

Dicky              : Browsing? Ok. (Signal, Comprehension Check)

Hadhi              : Searching some information in the internet (Respond)

Dicky              : Ok. (Follow Up)

Hadhi              : And then, there I found three parts of analytical exposition.

Dicky              : Wu,, What sound is that?

Hadhi              : I don’t know, maybe someone taking something.

Dicky              : Yes.

Hadhi              : Ok, just let it be.

Hadhi              : The first one is thesis. (Trigger)

Dicky              : Well. (Signal)

Hadhi              : Thesis is like in hortatory exposition, it contains of some

                          sentences and it is the major of sentence.

  (Respond, Self Modification)

Dicky              : Yes. And then? (Signal)

Hadhi              : The next one, it is about argument.(Respond)

Dicky              : Argument? (Signal)

Hadhi              : Argument, ok. In this, we support the thesis.  Some sentences to

                          support it. (Respond, Self Other Repetition)

Dicky              : Ok. (Follow Up)

Hadhi              : And then the last is about conclusion. But, it does not suggest

                          something.

Dicky              : Or someone to do something?

Hadhi              : Yes, It is just like a general repetition of the whole sentences.

Dicky              : Oh, I see.

Hadhi              : That’s make it different.

Dicky              : So, what media are you going to use? (Trigger)

Hadhi              : Ok, there are three parts of the activity. For the first one, I’m

                          going to show a poster. (Signal, Clarification Request)

Dicky              : What poster? (Respond, Self Repetition)

Hadhi              : It’s about global warming poster. (Signal, Comprehension Check)

Dicky              : Global warming? (Respond, Self Repetition)

Hadhi              : Yes, global warming. (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Dicky              : Oh, I thought its global warning. (Respond, Self Modification)

Hadhi              : No, warming, ok (Follow Up)

Dicky              : Next?

Hadhi              : I’m going to divide white board into two, the first is what should

                          you do to prevent global warming, the next one what shoul not we

                         do.

Dicky              : Then?

Hadhi              : I am going to make some chunked sentences.

Dicky              : What is the function?

Hadhi              : There are some activities related to the point and then I am going

                          to ask them to attach each utterance into the right place.

Dicky              : Ok, that’s a good preparation.

Hadhi              : Yes.

Dicky              : Then, how about the whilst activity? (Trigger)

Hadhi              : Yes, just tell them the function and the feature of analytical

                          exposition, and finally providing them some questions related to

                          the topic. (Signal, Comprehension Request)

Dicky              : How about the post activity? (Respond)

Hadhi              : I think I am going to ask them to make a poster. (Signal)

Dicky              : Well, I think that is very good preparation. I wish you will have a

                          good score. (Respond, Self Modification)

Hadhi              : Ok, thanks. (Follow Up)

3.3 The Third Conversation

This conversation was taken from the interaction between one man and one woman, named Dicky and Meila. They are university students taking English as their major.

Dicky              : I saw you phone a fiew moment. (Trigger)

Meila               : Yes? (Signal)

Dicky              : And I saw your wallpaper. It looks like your boy friend.

  (Respond)

Meila               : Yes, of course yes. (Signal, Clarification Request)

Dicky              : Hey, you changed your boyfriend again. (Respond)

Meila               : Yes, this is my new boyfriend. (Follow Up)

Dicky              : New boyfriend, the newest actually, but not the last boyfriend

Meila               : No

Dicky              : There will be another boy friend again.

Meila               : The last my ex boyfriend was a liar. (Trigger)

Dicky              : Liar? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Meila               : Yes. (Respond, Self Repetition)

Dicky              : You have to thank to God because you broke with him.(Signal)

Meila               : Hmm… yes (Respond)

Dicky              : What kind of lie that he made? (Signal)

Meila               : Ehm, hee (Respond)

Dicky              : He has another girlfriend?  (Signal)

Meila               : Yes, he had another girlfriend, and he already made relationship

                          with her for about three years. (Respond)

Dicky              : Three years? (Signal)

Meila               : Yes, three years. (Respond)

Dicky              : And, you had a relationship with him for about three, sorry about?    

                          (Signal)

Meila               : Six months.(Respond)

Dicky              : Six months, that’s really….(Signal)

Meila               : Can you imagine? (Respond)

Dicky              : Yes. So that is why I don’t like a boy.(Follow Up)

Meila               : Of course.

Dicky              : Yes.

Meila               : Yes, you don’t like a boy.

Dicky              : Your ex boyfriend is a sailor or liar? (Trigger)

Meila               : both of them (Signal, Clarification Request)

Dicky              : Hah? (Respond)

Meila               : He was a sailor and a liar. (Signal, Comprehension Check)

Dicky              : So, if the boy is a sailor, means he is a liar, too? (Respond)

Meila               : No.( Follow Up)

Dicky              : No ya.

Meila               : No.

Dicky              : Sailor, is like a popeye?

Meila               : Hmmm

Dicky              : Popeye the sailorman. Hmm, Mei, Have you ever think that you

                          want to get a boyfriend from our class? (Trigger)

Meila               : No, I never think it. (Signal, Clarification Request)

Dicky              : Why? (Respond)

Meila               : Because there are no boy friend’s in the class that make me, hmm,

                          there is no chemistry. (Signal, Comprehension Check)

Dicky              : Chemistry? (Respond, Self Repetition)

Meila               : Yes, (Follow Up)

Dicky              : I think it is like a lesson.

Meila               : (Laughing)

Dicky              : You know Mas Rahmat? Mas Rahmat looks handsome. (Trigger)

Meila               : Yes, but he already has (Signal, Clarification Request)

Dicky              : A girlfriend (Respond, Self Other Repetition)

Meila               : Aprita Sari? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Dicky              : Yes, Aprita Sari (Respond, Self Repetition)

Meila               : Yes. (Follow Up)

Dicky              : You better kill her.

Meila               : But, Aprita Sari has a boyfriend, Frequencia Sukmana Firdaus.

  (Trigger)

Dicky              : Yes.

Meila               : You know him? (Signal)

Dicky              : They are already broken. (Respond)

Meila               : No, they (signal)

Dicky              : Nyambung again (Respond)

Meila               : Continue again. (Follow Up)

Dicky              : (Laughing)

Meila               : They continue their relationship.

Dicky              : Oh, I see. So, it means Aprita Sari is like “ada gelatik di samping

                          itik, cantik cantik munafik”.

Meila               : Yes, exactly.

Dicky              : No, no, no, maybe they still have chemistry too.

Meila               : Yes, they still.

Dicky              : To build their relationship, but I think I agree with you because I

                          don’t have any feeling to the girls in our class. (Trigger)

Meila               : Why? (Signal, Clarification Request)

Dicky              : Yes, because the girls in our class come from kampong.

                          (Respond)

Meila               : Really? It’s not me. (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Dicky              : Yes, not you. (Respond)

Meila               : I’m from Kalianda. (Follow Up)

Dicky              : Yes, Kalianda

Meila               : It’s a city.

Dicky              : A big city, the gate of Lampung

Meila               : Yes, in South Lampung

Dicky              : But it’s still kabupaten, right?

Meila               : Yes, but it is a city already.

Dicky              : City? (Trigger)

Meila               : Yes, small (Signal, Clarification Request)

Dicky              : Siti Haridah you mean? (Respond, Self Modification)

Meila               : No, small city. (Follow Up)

 

CHAPTER IV

DISCUSSION and ANALYSIS

As we can see from the transcript, negotiation of meaning does occur in each of the conversation. It does not matter who the interactants are (female to female, male to female, or female to male). Here are the break downs of each conversation above.

4.1 The First Conversation

This conversation contains of eight sequences of negotiation of meaning. Those eight sequences have:

•   8 triggers

• 15 signals; containing confirmation and comprehension cheks

• 11 responds, and

• 8 follow up.

Here is one example of the sequences:

Meila               : So, what is your favorite thing in your house? (Trigger)

Fetris               : It is my motorcycle. (Signal, Clarification Request)

Meila               : Ooh… Why? (Respond)

Fetris               : It always accompanies me wherever I want to go, such as my

                          school, and my campus now. Do you know? I bought it when I

                          was at senior high school, third grade exactly.

Meila               : In senior high school? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Fetris               : Yes (Respond, Self Repetition)

Meila               : Oh, it is so long. (Follow Up)

4.2 The Second Conversation

This conversation contains of seven sequences of negotiation of meaning. Those seven sequences have:

• 7 triggers

• 18 signals; containing confirmation and comprehension cheks

• 17 responds, and

• 7 follow up.

Here is one example of the sequences:

Hadhi              : Dicky, you know what? Next week, on Tuesday, it is my turn to

                          present micro teaching. (Trigger)

Dicky              : So, what will you prepare? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Hadhi              : Well, I havent’t got any idea yet. But, I think I am going to

                          present analytical exposition. (Respond)

Dicky              : Ow, analytical exposition? (Signal, Clarification Request)

Hadhi              : Yes, analytical exposition.(Respond, Self Repetition)

Dicky              : That’s good (Follow Up)

4.3 The Third Conversation

This conversation contains of seven sequences of negotiation of meaning. Those seven sequences have:

• 7 triggers

• 16 signals; containing confirmation and comprehension cheks

• 20 responds, and

• 7 follow up.

Here is one example of the sequences:

Dicky              : You know Mas Rahmat? Mas Rahmat looks handsome. (Trigger)

Meila               : Yes, but he already has (Signal, Clarification Request)

Dicky              : A girlfriend (Respond, Self Other Repetition)

Meila               : Aprita Sari? (Signal, Confirmation Check)

Dicky              : Yes, Aprita Sari (Respond, Self Repetition)

Meila               : Yes. (Follow Up)

Based on the explanation in the previous chapter, we can draw conclusion that the length of a sequence of negotiation of meaning may vary depends on the interact ants.