emilychen
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Learning of Speaking and Oral Interactions
1) Can you identify the differences of language use in the two types of oral interactions? For example, you may find people use different tones, styles, and terms/words for information and interaction routines. Can you give examples to illustrate your points?
2) Based on your foreign language learning experience, which type of oral interactions is more difficult to learn and why? How do you think the use of technology can help you improve your oral communication skills in the target language? Please give specific reasons and examples.
Note: Groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 are required to respond to these two questions.
Last edited by emilychen, 11/1/2004, 3:41 pm
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11/1/2004, 3:38 pm
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LynnKuo
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Group 2
1.
People use different tones in different occasions. For example, when I had a job interview, I used definite and certain terms / words to response to my interviewer. But, when I talked to my friends or classmates, I used “Maybe,” “Perhaps” or “I guess so,” often. In addition, the speed of speaking in speeches is usually slower than in conversations. And usually, sentences in speeches are complete; on the contrary, the sentences we use in talking are fragmentary. I think that is why speeches are often given slower than conversations. On the other hand, we would say “what’s or don’t” instead of “what is or do not” in conversations. But when we give a speech, we wouldn’t say the shortened form of these words; we would say each word clearly, like “There is or we have been.” In conversations, we are usually say “Yep” to answer expressing agreement or willingness. But if we are in formal occasions like interview or speech, we will choose “Yes” to reply. This Thursday, I gave a speech in listening class, and I remembered that I chose “consume” enough water instead of “drink up.” I knew that “consume” was suitable than “drink up” in my speech. So we totally agree that people would use different tones, styles, and terms/words for information and interaction routines.
2.
According to our foreign language learning experience, we surely have taken English conversation classes. In English conversation classes, we need to discuss some certain topics assigned with classmates. Some of those topics are about biological, science, and crime. These kinds of topics are more in specific fields. The words and terms are difficult for us to learn and use in the conversation. It forces us to learn in advance and memorize them. We may feel stressful in the conversation classes.
There are many resources for us to improve oral communication skills by using technology. For instance, a kind of software called “talk to me” helps practice oral communication skills. We repeat what it says and imitate the accent after hearing its voice. It is useful if we want to make our accent more naturally. We know that imitation is part of the language learning process.
However, there is something not so perfectly. We probably do not know how to use other words, and terms in other ways if we just listen and repeat. For instance, we hear “how are you”, and we will say “I am fine, thank you.” We are so familiar with these two sentences. We will make a mistake if we answer “I am fine, thank you” after hearing “how old are you.” It is a direct reaction to do so. It seems that we are restricted to create something different by ourselves.
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11/5/2004, 9:43 pm
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jean201
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Re: Learning of Speaking and Oral Interactions
 Hi, class, we are group3: Eugene, Christine Wu, Jean, Stacey Chen and Queenie
1) Identify the differences of language use in the two types of oral interaction….
Our group identified the differences of language use in the two types of oral interactions are as follows:
For the information routines, we usually use more formal words, and more serious tone. For example, we all have presentations in class, and we all have to prepare professional information to introduce. Also like in the CALL class, we all have presentation to evaluate some websites by some formal approaches.
For the interaction routines, we usually use informal words, and much relaxed tone. When we are gossiping at the afternoon tea time, we use social/informal words even sometimes use or rude words, for example, call someone stupid or ***** …etc. Even sometimes we use some words which translated from Chinese directly, like “who birds you” (誰鳥你).
2) Which type of oral interactions is more difficult to learn…& the use of technology can improve your oral interaction skill?
Based on our foreign language learning experience, we all think that information routines of oral interactions are more difficult to learn. The Speech class, impressed us a lot in the first semester of the third grade, is difficult for us to prepare information on specific topic and a lot of proper nouns. In addition to this, we have to use easier words to explain those proper nouns to make sure our audience understanding what we were talking. For us, it’s difficult!!
About the use of technology, we think it has “limited” help to improve our oral communication skills in the target language. The main reason is that we think oral communication is communicating with people but not with computer. Technology might help improve our speaking skills or correct our pronunciation. But when we have to communicate with people, we are always too nervous to speak or communicate with others well. By the way, it did some help, if we use technology to practice repeatedly and then we wouldn’t be so nervous.    
Last edited by jean201, 11/6/2004, 2:23 am
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11/6/2004, 2:20 am
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Randi46
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Re: Learning of Speaking and Oral Interactions~~Group 4
Group4: Randi, Christine, Glenn, Raymond and Gary
1.
People using different tones, styles, and terms/words depends on different audiences, purposes, and situations. In our group, we use more formal words and more serious tone for information routines; however, more informal words, more relaxed and less stressed tone are used in interaction routines. For example, when I make a speech or do a presentation, the words or terms I choose will be more difficult than those I use in conversations with my friends or classmates. For instance, I will use “elaborate” instead of “explain” in my presentation. Also, the sentences in speech are complete, but they are sometimes incomplete in chat. At times, we will say “Because it’s harmful.” instead of “You should not drink too much because it is harmful to your health.” Moreover, we can find that a lot of Americans use slang in their conversations; nevertheless, in formal condition, they seldom use that. For example, they may say "I really had a ball in Las Vegas.” in their chat. Besides, we give more specific evidence in formal occasion. We would say “Two recent research studies report that…...” But, in talk, we might say “You know I find…..” Through these examples, our group members agree that people use different tones, styles, and terms/words for information and interaction routines.
2.
According to our learning experience, our group mentions that oral interaction is a way you try to express your feeling and opinion. Most people don’t focus on the grammar problem or structure mistake when they are listening to your delivery. However, it is more difficult when the topic is about an unfamiliar field. For example, we have learned a lesson about AIDS. In fact, I don’t know the illness very well. Besides, there are some official or professional words in the article which is hard to express. It is hard to have oral interaction when you get lost in unfamiliar topic or nouns.
I don’t think that the technology can help you to improve your oral communication skill very much. Technology has its limitation. There are many learning program may help you to practice your oral pronunciation through repeat again and again. Its function is to develop your correct pronunciation. In oral communication, people can use many different ways to explain their thought. Computer probably can not do it. Communication is always human to human.
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11/7/2004, 5:40 pm
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jessiechung
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Group 1
Question1:
Can you identify the differences of language use in the two types of oral interactions? For example, you may find people use different tones, styles, and terms/words for information and interaction routines. Can you give examples to illustrate your points?
Answer:
Generally speaking, by using different tones, styles, and terms, people speak much formally for information routine than for interaction ones. For example, when one is giving instructions, s/he speaks in a tone of firmness and seriousness lest audience would question about what s/he has said. Moreover, like an expert, s/he has to speak under evidences or theories… instead of merely expressing his/her own point of view. Likewise, when one is delivering a speech, s/he may speak formally as s/he is just reading from a carefully written manuscript.
By contrast, people speak for interaction routines prefer a natural, spontaneous delivery which conveys a lively sense of communication. They would use short, simple, everyday words to make their interlocutors easily take in their messages. They also like to use slang, contractions, and colloquial word such as “ gonna.” Besides that, they would make light of some verbal mistakes. For instance, when people chat on line, they often use fragmental or telegraphic sentences which are grammatically incorrect to convey their messages. Yet, they do not care about their language use at all. They only care about whether their messages have been delivered successfully or not.
On the whole, there are indeed many differences of language use between information routines and interaction ones. However, we hold that no matter for which type of oral interactions, people should firstly take these two factors into account: where they are and whom they are speaking to.
Question2:
Based on your foreign language learning experience, which type of oral interactions is more difficult to learn and why? How do you think the use of technology can help you improve your oral communication skills in the target language? Please give specific reasons and examples.
Answer:
We think interaction routines are more difficult than information routines because when learners learn a target language, if they can get more specific rules such as grammar, they can justify what they say or “predict” a sentence by themselves easily. For example, if I know the sentence “I am happy today”, when I want to say “他今天很幸運”, I can imitate the structure and the grammar of the previous sentence. I know I should say “He is lucky today.” (The structure is S+V+Adj+Time. Grammar= S: First-person narrator=>Third-person narrator, V: plus “s”). Through these rules, learners can learn a target language easily. However, learners will feel difficult when they meet friends at a dinner party because most conversations are not predictable. For instance, I meet John at a party. I ask him “Hey, how are you recently?” John answers, “Not bad. How about you?” At the moment, I don’t know what to say because his answer is not “I’m fine, thanks. And you?” When we interact with people (not machine), our reactions must be elastic. Some sentences don’t correspond to grammar, including “no time no see” or “people mountain people sea”. That’s why we think interaction routines give learners more challenges than information routines do.
Conclusion:
Information routines:
Advantage: People can create a sentence according to what they had learned in school, especially in grammar, structure and tenses.
Disadvantage: People are “formulized” by these routines and may lose their elastic reactions because they are focus on “form” too much. Not every sentence corresponds to grammar.
Interaction routines:
Advantage: People can get more stimulation through interaction routines because there are lots of unpredictable conversations. If learners want to interact with others, they should know some information concerning the target language’s culture. However, culture can’t be formulized. Learners can’t through some “rules” to decide how to say some sentences. (EX:中文=我餓的能吃下一頭牛，English=I can eat a horse.) Through interaction routines, learners can learn more knowledge except routine conversations.
Disadvantage: Although people know how to express their meaning, people might omit some correct sentence structures or grammar. This will influence learners writing. That’s why some people can speak smoothly but can’t write correctly.
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11/7/2004, 9:02 pm
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