Romandani Adyan (0713042042)

NEGOTIATION OF MEANING
(SLA Assignment)







By
Romandani Adyan
0713042042











ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
ART AND LANGUAGE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
SCHOOL OFEDUCATION AND PEDAGOGY
UNIVERSITY OF LAMPUNG
2011

I.         INTRODUCTION

Writer had recorded three conversations before. Then, in this paper he will find out 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.
Negotiation process usually occur during communicative exchange in which addressee had difficulty understanding and addressor sensed this difficulty, addressor can restructure the conversation in order to make their input comprehensible to the addressee and thus allow the conversation to continue. In this restructuring, addressor could pause and question addressees as to whether they understood, or sensing confusion on the addressees’ parts, then addressor can simply repeat it. Such modification in restructuring also can be used. It would give the interlocutor more opportunities to negotiate for message meaning and would allow addressees more time to process message content and thus sort out the confusions it triggered. Addressees could restructure for clarification or through utterances seeking to confirm whether what they heard was actually what had been said.
Pica et al (1989) suggest that negotiation of meaning basically consist of four interrelated moves. They are trigger (T), signal (S), Response (R), and follow up (F).
and analyze how many interrelated moves are used during the conversations of negotiation of meaning.


Negotiation of meaning is defined as a series of exchanges conducted by addressors and addresses to help themselves understand and be understood by their interlocutor. For example, during communicative exchanges in which addresses had difficulty understanding and addressors sensed this difficulty, addressors could restructure the conversation in order to make their input comprehensible ton addresses and thus allow the conversation to continue. In this restructuring, addressors could, for example, pause and question addresses as to whether they understood, or sensing confusion on the addresses’ part, addressors could simply repeat themselves vibratim or in paraphrase.
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:
o    Trigger (T) which invokes or stimulates incomplete understanding on the part of hearer.
o    Indicator (I) which is the hearer’s signal of incomplete understanding.
o    Response (R) is the original speaker attempt to clear up the unaccepted-input.
o    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.



A.   Conversation 1

The first conversation was happen between two girls named lala and dini. Both of them are in the same level in English Low and Low;Their task is finding the place of some things. They have their own worksheet in form of picture, but the information which they have is different (information gap).

lala       : “Where is the spoon?”
dini       : “It is above the cupboard, beside the plates.”
lala       : “Emmmm…. Where is the ?”
dini       : “gloves? Hemm… it is in the cupboard beside the refrigerator, in the second drawer.”
lala       : “Ok. Where is the fish?”
dini       : “It is in the refrigerator.”
lala       : “In the upper part or in the lower part?” (Clarification check)
dini       : “In the upper part first drawer.”
lala       : “Alright.”
dini       : “Let me ask you where the stove is?”
lala       : “Beside the oven.”
dini       : “The knive?” *(T)
lala       : “Pardon?” (I/Clarification check)
dini       : “Where are the knive?” (R self-repetition)
lala      : “knive?” (Confirmation check)
dini       : “Yes, where is the knive?” (R self-repetition)
lala      : “It is next to the plate.” (RR)
dini       : “Next to the plate?” (Confirmation check)
lala      : “Yes.” (RR)
 “Now where is the tea pot?” **(T)
dini      : “Tea pot?” (Confirmation check)
lala       : “Yes, tea pot. Place to make tea.” (Comprehensible input)
dini       : “The tea pot is in the upper cupboard, in the most right cupboard.” (RR)
lala      : “The cupboard above the stove?” (Clarification check)
dini       : “Yes.” (RR)
lala       : “Emmm… Where is the cup?”
dini      : “The cup is in the same cupboard with the tea pot, but it is in the second drawer of the left side.”
lala       : “Ok.”
dini       : “Now, what about the sausage?”
lala       : “It is in the middle cupboard, second drawer, right side.”
dini       : “Thank you.”




Analysis
In the conversation above, there are three sequences of negotiation of meaning. In the first sequence (*) there are 18 words which were utterance by the learners.
In the second sequence (**) there are 36 words and in the third sequence (***) there are 16 words. There are 7 signals which divided into three kinds of signal: clarification check, confirmation check, and comprehension check.


B.   Conversation 2

The conversation below was happen between two boys of Senior High School grade XI. They have the same task with the previous conversation (information gap) that is finding the location of some things.

Adit      : Where is the plate?
Erda      : The plate is in the third cupboard, first drawer.
Adit      : Third cupboard? (Confirmation check)
Erda     : Yes. The cupboard above the stove. (RR)
Adit      : Oh ya, in the left side or in the right side? (Clarification check)
Erda     : In the left side. (RR)
Adit     : Ok.
Yudi      : What about knives? *(T)
Adit     : Knives? (Confirmation check)
Oh ya, they are in the cupboard under the stove. (RR)
Erda     : Under the stove? There are two cupboards. (Clarification check)
Adit      : They are in the first cupboard upper drawer of the right side. (RR)
Erda      : First cupboard, upper drawer of the right side. (Confirmation check)
Adit      : Yes. (RR)
Can you tell me where the doll is?
Erda      : The doll is the cupboard beside the refrigerator in the first drawer.
Adit      : O..yes. I know. What about the oven?
 Erda     : The oven is beside the stove.
Adit      : Ok.
Erda      : Where is the frying pan?
Adit      : The frying pan is above the stove of the left side.
Erda        : Thank you.
Adit      : Do you know where the coffee is?
Erda      : Yes, it is in the first cupboard above the refrigerator in the left side second drawer. The coffee is beside the milk powder.
Adit     : So, there are milk powder and coffee in the same drawer?
Erda      : Yes, do you know where the shoes are?
Adit      : The shoes are in the same cupboard with the knives but they are in the second drawer of the left side.
Adit     : Ok. Thank you.
Erda     : You are welcome.


Analysis

 In this conversation there are five sequences of negotiation of meaning. The first sequence (*) there are 33 words used y the two learners. In the second (**) and third sequence (***), in each sequence there are 18 words. In the fourth sequence (****) there are 16 words and in the fifth (*****) there are 15 words.




C.   Conversation 3

The last conversation was happen between Dani and Tami. The task which is used is information gap.

Dani      : “Where are the plates?”
Tami       : “It is on the table, behind the lamp.”
Dani     : “Ok, what about the cup?”
Tami       : “It is on the table too. What about a pen?”
Dani      : “It is above the table.”
Tami      : “O……..”
Dani      : “Do you know where the radio is?”
Tami       : “It is on the table too,
Dani      : “Thank you.”
Tami       : “It’s ok. Where is the glove?” * (T)
Dani      : “Pardon?”(I/Clarification check)
Tami       : “Glove, it is used to cover your hand.” (Comprehensible input)
Dani      : “Ow…..it is on the sofa.” (RR)
Tami       : “Which sofa?” (Clarification check)
Dani      : “The sofa which is for one person.” (RR)
Tami       :”O…ya”
Dani      : “Where is the umbrella?”
Tami       : “It is leaning on the long sofa, in front of the ball.”
Dani      : “Where is the newspaper?”
Tami       : “It is under the sofa.”
Dani      : (no answer)
Tami       : “The sofa which is for one person.”
Dani      : “Ok. Where is the pillow?”
Tami       : “It is on the long sofa. Do you want to sleep?” (laughing)
Dani      : (laughing) “Yes, later. Ok, is there any question?”
Tami       : “Yes, where is a bag?”
Dani      : “It is on the long sofa, near the lamp.”
Tami       : “Ok. What about a hat?” **(T)
Dani      : “Pardon?”(I/Clarification check)
Tami       : “A hat?” (R self-repetition)
Dani     : “O……. it is on the wooden chair.” (RR)
Tami       : “Ok, thank you. I think that’s all.”
Dani      : “You’re welcome.”

Analysis

The conversation above has two sequences of negotiation of meaning. In the first sequence (*) there are 27 words used by the two learners. In the second sequence (**)
In both sequences there is only Clarification check used by the learners consists of three clarification check.


CONCLUSION
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 same level of proficiency in English. 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.