siti haridah 0713042047

SECOND LANGUAGE AQUSITION (SLA)

The Analysis of Negotiation of Meaning



Arranged by

Name : Siti Haridah
SRN : 0713042047







SCHOOL OF LANGUEGE AND ART
EDUCATION AND PEDAGOGY FACULTY
LAMPUNG UNIVERSITY
BANDAR LAMPUNG 2010
ACKNOWLEDGE

In every country where English is being learned as the foreign language, it is going to be difficult to make use it as well as their language. Especially, in Indonesia having so many tribes and also having different mother tongue, this is believed has become difficult to acquire English even they need to master Indonesian as well. Therefore, the linguistics is attracted to investigate the way how people acquire the language.

Second language acquisition is the study of how learning creates a new language system with only limited exposure to a second language (Yufrizal, 2007). By considering this, the writer believes that the language learner where English is as the second language will face some difficult things to acquire the language as well as native. The proficiency is not as good as people who live in the country who use it as their language. Therefore, they will create a new system so that they can master it.

In this opportunity, the writer tries to investigate how people communicate in English whether there are ways when they find difficulties in acquiring the meaning is used. Because each communicator will have their own strategies to negotiate when they don’t understand what people say to them?

This is also as the requirement in having semester test. But, before we elaborate it deeply, i must say thanks to Almighty Allah SWT who always gives us changes to learn everything in the world. Not only our God but we also thank to the greatest prophet Muhammad SAW as the leader of Moeslem. Honestly, we cannot comprehend this subject without our beloved lecture therefore we also thank to our best lecture Mr. Hery Yufrizal, M.A.,Ph.D as the Second Language Acquisition lecture who has given his merciful in teaching us this subject patiently. This whole material is taken from his book; the title is An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition.




I. INTRODUCTION


Since English is not easy, people try so many things in order to be able become proficiency in using it. Thus, they apply so many ways so that they are able to comprehend the meaning being said by the speaker. For example, it is the conversation between two speakers who have low ability in speaking English;
A : I bought a new car yesterday
B : You brought a new car yesterday
A : No, I bought a new car yesterday
B : sorry you bought or brought a new car yesterday?
A : I bought not I brought
B : Oooh,, You bought it

By observing this conversation, we can see that B has misunderstanding toward the words being said by A, and then B asks clarification from A. This way commonly happens in every circumstance where people try to communicate in English. That is what we call Negotiation of Meaning. But those errors are not totally broke the communication what the pioneer of education calls global errors. That ways is assumed as the technique to acquire the language by using the new system in order for easily to get the language.

It has been taken long time ago, people try to analyze how people negotiate the meaning when they found difficulties to grasp the meaning. Wagner (1996) in Yufrizal argues that interest in 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. In this view interaction is treated as one of the most important aspects that influences the success or failure of second and/or foreign language acquisition. Pica, Kanagy, and Falodun (1993) claim that ‘language is best learned and taught through interaction’ (p.10). Long (1996) confirms that interactional modification leads to second language development and more active involvement in negotiated interaction leads to greater development.

Therefore I am also interested to record the conversations then finally identify the conversation where negotiation of meaning is occurred. As the language learner and teacher to be, this is going to be important to recognize how the negotiation is happened and to know whether it has bad implication in acquiring the language or not.



II. FRAME AND THEORIES

A. Input and Output
There are two important differences between comprehensible input and comprehended input. First, the former implies the speaker, rather than the hearer, controls the comprehensibility. With comprehended input, the focus is on the hearer (the learner) and the extent to which he or she understands. In Krashen’s sense of the word taken from Yufrizal (2007), comprehension is treated as a dichotomous variable; something is either understood or it is not. He was apparently using the most common meaning of the word, whereas in this sense we refer to comprehension as a continuum probabilities ranging from semantics to detailed structure analysis.

B. Intake
Yufrizal (2007; 76) states that intake is the process of assimilating linguistic material; it refers to the mental activity that mediates input and grammar. Gass (1998) refers to intake as selective processing. Intake is not merely s subset of input. It is the intake component that psycholinguistic processing takes place. That is, it is where information is matched against prior knowledge and where, in general, processing takes place against the backdrop of the existing internalized grammatical rules.

C. Integration
Gass and Slinker (1994) outlined four possibilities for the outcome of input. The first two take place in the intake component and result in integration, the third takes place in the integration component, and the fourth represents input that exist the system early in the process.

D. Negotiation of Meaning in Interaction
Yufrizal (2007; p.80) states Negotiation of meaning is defined as a series of exchange conducted by addressors and addressees to help themselves understand and be understood by their interlocutors. In this case, when native speakers (NSs) and non native speakers (NNSs) are involved in an interaction, both interactants work together to solve any potential misunderstanding or non understanding that occurs, by checking each others’ comprehension, requesting clarification and confirmation and by repairing and adjusting speech (Pica, 1988).
Varonis and Gass (1985) proposed a simpler model for the exchanges that create negotiation of meaning. The model consists of four primes called:
a. Trigger (T) Which invokes or stimulates incomplete understanding on the part of the hearer.
b. Indicator (I), which is the hearer’s signal of incomplete understanding.
c. Response (R) is the original speaker’s attempt to clear up the unaccepted-input, and,
d. Reaction to the response (RR), which is an element that signals either the hearer’s acceptance or continued difficulty with the speaker’s repair. The model was elaborated into the following figure and excerpt that follows:


E. The Roles of Negotiation of Meaning in Second Language Acquisition

Every researcher will have their own definitions and description of negotiation of meaning. It shows that interest in the study of negotiation of meaning has developed rapidly. Beside the forms and definition of negotiation of meaning, researchers also vary in their perception of the role of negotiation of meaning in second/foreign language acquisition. Pica (1996) admits that although there has been no empirical evidence of a direct link between negotiation of meaning and second/foreign language development, research studies in negotiation of meaning for the last two decades have shown that there are two obvious contribution of negotiation of meaning to second language acquisition. Firstly, through negotiation of meaning (particularly in interaction involving native speakers) nonnative speaker obtain comprehensible input necessary for second language acquisition much more frequently than in interactions without negotiation of meaning. Secondly, negotiation of meaning provides opportunities for non native speakers to produce comprehensible output necessary for second language acquisition much more frequently than in interactions without negotiation of meaning.





III. ANALYSIS


A. Dialog I

This is a conversation between two people in the school male and male taken from 2rd grade of Senior High School. Both of them are in the different level in English High and Low;

(TU) A : Excuse me, where is the police office?
(S)(T) B : Police office what?
(TU) A : Police office. When somebody lost his valuable things he must report to police office.
(S) B : Sorry, which one police office ?
(R) A : I asked you where but..... (pause) oh..
(S) B : Kedaton police office or tanjung karang police office?
(T) A : Yes police office the nearest. The nearest police office.
(R)(TU) B: There is no the nearest but tanjung karang police office is near here.
(R) A : Yes tanjung karang police office.
(TU) B : What happen with you?
(T) A : Someone has stolen my wallet.
(S) B : Pardon?
Your wallet? A bird? Police doesn’t care about bird.
(R) A : No, wallet means pocket. (showing pocket place in behind of the pants)
(TU) B : Oh i see. now we’re in Gramedia book store. Go straight then you will see circle traffic and turn right. After that go straight again and turn left. The police will be on your right side.
(R)(S) A : Go straight and i will see circle traffic and turn right. After that i have to go straight again and then turn left. The police will be on my right side?
(TU) B : Yeah. You’re in the right side. Good luck

Trigger (T) : Sound that can make misunderstanding
Signal (S) : Confirmation Check, Clarification Request
Response (R) : Self Repetition
Follow up (TU) : Statement showed understanding


B. Dialog II
This is a conversation between male and female students in the school taken from 3rd grade
of Senior High School. Both of them are in the different level in English High and High;
note: F = Female ; B = Boy.

(TU) F : Excuse me Sir..
(TU) B : Yes, what can i do for you?
(T) F : How much does green heat cost?
(S) B : Pardon? Which one?
(R) F : Green hat. There is letter ‘O’
(R)(TU) B: You mean green hat with letter Ou?
(TU) F : Hmmmmm (pause),.. ya ya
(TU) B : It costs twenty-seven thousand rupiah
(T) F : If i give you sixty thousand rupiah bills, how much change will i get?
(S) B : what? fifty thousand rupiah?
(R) F : no, i mean sixty thousand rupiah
(R)(TU) B: it is not necessary if you can pay with fifty thousand rupiah bills
(R) F : but I ask you if i give you sixty thousand rupiah bills, how much change will i get?
(TU) B : thirty-three thousand rupiah
(T) F : and how much this blue skirt jeans price?
(S) B :pardon, blue jeans skirt or shirt?
(R)(S) F : Blue skirt jeans?
(R)(TU) B: Blue skirt. it costs seventy-eight thousand rupiah
(TU) F : If i give you a hundred thousand rupiah bills, how much change will i get?
(TU) B : Twenty-two thousand rupiah
(TU) F : I don’t want to buy the items. That’s my math lesson for tomorrow, and I needed some help with it. Thank you.
(TU) B : You’re welcome
Trigger (T) : Sound that can make misunderstanding
Signal (S) : Confirmation Check, Clarification Request
Response (R) : Self Repetition
Follow up (TU) : statement showed understanding
C. Dialogue III
This is a conversation between female and female students in the school taken from 3rd grade
of Senior High School. Both of them are in the same level in English High and High;
(TU) A :excuse me. where’s the bathroom please?
(TU) B : right in the left back corner of the store
(S) A : pardon, am in right position?
(R) B : no, you’re in my left position.
(TU)(S) A : should i change my position?
(R) B : yes you should change your position.
(TU) A : okay, right in the left back corner of the store
(TU)(R)B : yes, turn right in the left back corner of the store
(TU) A : thank you.
(pause...) and the girl coming back.
(T) A : what gives?! There is no toilet in the bath room
(S)(R) B : pardon, you didn’t ask for a toilet room, you ask for bath room!
(TU) A : actually i need toilet room
(TU)(T) B : toilet room is in the right back corner
(S) A : in the right black corner? The black one?
(R) B : no, in the right back corner of the store.
You see?
(TU) A : yes i do. Thank you.

Notes
Trigger (T) : Sound that can make misunderstanding
Signal (S) : Confirmation Check, Clarification Request
Response (R) : Self Repetition
Follow up (TU) : statement showed understanding
Explanation of Analysis

Based on the conversation above, the writer analyze there are so many negotiation of meaning done by the speakers. They tried to clarify each words which probably difficult to be understood so that the conversation can run well. It commonly happens with Indonesian’s students whereas English is a foreign language. Nevertheless, the writer believes that negotiation of meaning is a part of learning the language. That is one of ways to acquire the language directly, consciously/unconsciously.
Students in the conversation I are both in the different level of proficiency in English, High and Low. They are talking about where the police office is. They try to negotiate the meaning when they find the difficulties in comprehending the aim of the speakers. As stated above there are T (Sound that can make misunderstanding), S (Confirmation Check, Clarification Request), R (Self Repetition), Follow up/TU (statement showed understanding). They are the symbol of negotiation of meaning.

While Students in the conversation II are both in the same level of proficiency in English High and High. The girl pretend to ask about the things and price. Then, the boy pretend about the shopkeeper. During the conversation there are so many misunderstanding (trigger), confirmation check or clarification request (signal), self repetition (response) and statement showed understanding (follow up).
In the dialogue III, the setting is in the store. One girl asking about the location of toilet. But, there is trigger of meaning between bathroom and toilet. The girl supposed that bathroom always there a toilet and she ask bathroom to looking for toilet. But infact, there is no toilet in the bathroom.
Hence, the writer believes that this is not only happening in English as foreign language circumstance but also happening in the place where English has become the second language. Therefore, the writer assumes that negotiation of meaning is naturally happen for the people who are speaking in not their mother tongue. It is the way to clarify the meaning when they find the gap in the conversation so that it can run well.


IV. CONCLUSSION

1. This paper discuss about the role of interaction in second language learning. Both input and output have certain function in helping second language of learners to improve their ability.
2. Throught the modification of input, native speakers provide the comprehensible input. With comprehensible output, learners gain three advantages:
2.1 the advantage of noticing their weaknesses
2.2 the advantage of testing hypothesis o the rules they have learned
2.3 the advantage on talking about language.
3. To get comprehensible input and produce comprehensible output is through negotitaton of meaning, which also provide learners opportunity to use the target language as much as possible.













V. REFERENCES

Yufrizal, Hery. 2008. A Text Book for ESL Learners and English Teachers : An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition. Bandung : Pustaka Reka Cipta.