SLA theory accepts participation in discourse is effective in acquiring L2, yet strategies adult ESOL learners use to speak at length are overlooked in practice. Data from adult ESOL learners' conversations show 1) strategies learners use to hold the floor; 2) genres of extended discourse, evidence to inform L2 practice.

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Talking At Length:
Strategies and Genres of Extended Discourse
Kate Gill, Ed.D.
TESOL 2010
The Problem
Such as concrete
referents, joint focus
of attention,
compelling subjects,
and an authentic need
to communicate.
Conditions that support meaningful
interactions among peers are often absent.
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Your turn now.
Azar’s Basic Grammar, 2007.
Classroom Communication
• IRE or IRF
participant
structure and
textbooks
.
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Authentic Communication
Widely discussed as effective in L2 acquisition
• Wid l di d ff ti i L2 i iti
• Participants negotiate turns and topics
• Unpredictability of response
• Co‐construct meaning
Participants
SESSIONS
•Juan from Chile: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
•Lola from Brazil: 1, 2, 3, 5
•Gary from Haiti: 1, 2, 5
•Mary from Ethiopia: 1,3
•Qin from Taiwan:
•Qin from Taiwan: 1
•Kim from Korea: 1
•Liz from the U.S: 1, 4, 5
•Kate from the U.S: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
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Two Paintings by Cézanne
Small Houses Near Pontoise Still Life with Commode
1883-1884 1887‐1888
Features of Authentic Communication
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Why look at extended discourse?
•compared to topic exchange and repair, understudied
•a diagnostic indicator of L2 proficiency
•evidence of individual adult speaker’s L2 acquisition
• functions and structures that support genres of talk
Strategies
•Using fillers like um and uh
•Using fillers like um and uh
•Repeating a word in a turn
•Using a stock word or phrase
Ui t k d h
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Fillers
Kate: So tell me, what did you notice in this painting? What did
you—
Gary: I uh see some apples. Uh some sugar thing.
Kate: Did you agree?
Juan: Uh apples.
Kate: Apples?
Qin: Is not apples!
Kate: Wait, sorry.
Qin: Peaches.
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Repetition
• Juan: Um last last time um we have speak about the this picture
um of Cézanne. Um is the um a rural hill in in in French French
coast and is the the house is a little house of peasant. And is
not um the mansion of lord—is a peasant house. People work land.
Is um the time for for for people is is is begin began spring. And the
um nature is growing up. Is the color is um intensive green. Is um
good color. ah vita vital vitalism vital? Um and the hour is is um
evening.
•
Stock phrases: For me
Juan: For me, is apples.
###
Lola: For me, no. It’s only a decoration.
Only a decoration for me.
Tutor: It’s a decoration?
Lola: Yes, no for sugar.
###
Gary: The last time we said, me personally I
said, we have some apples. The other
people said we have some pear.
###
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Maybe
Juan: Maybe peaches or apples.
For me is apples for the configuration more long.
Lola: For the form.
Tutor: This is the other room?
Juan: Yes maybe maybe is the window open.
Tutor: OK.
Juan: More light in this room.
Tutor: OK.
Juan: For me this is the painting.
Tutor: This, for you, this section?
Tutor: This part—here—is another room?
Juan: Yes maybe.
Genres
• Narrative: Telling a story
• Explanatory: Explaining what or why
• Reflective: Talking about your feelings &
thoughts
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Narrative
Gary: When I was in my country, my mother have one. When
she served somebody coffee à Haiti, she used this thing.
Gary: When you arrive in my country in a peasant home, you
know, p-e-a-s-a-n-t ? Uh, you can find a table like this, uh, full
the same thing. Because this peasant no have a big home, he
has small home. He has a small table. He make all things with
the table.
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Explanation
Juan: Mary said this is is no is very very very days ago is uh this
um no fresh but but um the other sense is ah this picture is um
sense um um peasant environment peasant farmer's house.
Is countryside environment for relaxed. um the picture
picture?
Liz: The painter?
Juan: The painter. Uh create the different movement situations
with technique. Uh uh different forms uh different colors and
uh different um shape this picture um for is no this form.
Explanatory
Juan: The farmer is small farmer, big
farmer. The f
f farm is rich, the farmer
f
is rich. And the peasant level is
subsistence.
Gary: Subsistence level, yeah.
Juan: The peasant normally is subsistence.
subsistence
Kate: That’s a good point, yeah.
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Explanatory
Gary: But it’s better to say
peasant no farmers.
Kate: I think you’re right.
Gary: When I talk about my
country, a poor country,
I can say peasant. When I
talk about the United States,
French, I can say farmers.
Kate: Yeah, I guess that’s a
word we don’t use much.
Gary: Okay.
Reflective
Mary: Me, I confused because everybody say different things. But the
artist have different something inside you know. He think for
something. When I see the first time I didn’t think about it. This is fruit
and one sugar plate. This some plate, some other. But now when I
see, it really it looks another thing. I said fruit, he said not this one
fruit. I said fresh, not fresh, he said not fresh. So I will think about this
one.
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Reflective
Lola: I changed my –I changed my mind. When I saw it the first time, I
didn’t like this. Yeah, I didn’t like this picture. Because I didn’t like the
still life. But I understand I have not too much for this picture, for this
kind of picture. Then I can see more, one more dimension.For me is
art. I see the movements and then I can imagine. Across the hall and
another room and another peoples, and peoples go aut and pick up
the apples and take to the tables and share with somebody. And then
is more sympathic to me, too. The first time I couldn’t see. It very
freeze. Now it’s turned to a warm. And I see life in there. Oh I see
movement.
movement I see dimension and imagine people too in the room and
dimension, room,
another room.
Tutor: What interested you today?
Juan: Um for me uh the interesting for today is about the, uh,
technique. The uh the painter uh created the um.
Tutor: Technique?
Juan: Or imagination for recreate the situation. How how to different
J O i i ti f t th it ti H h t diff t
form is what is the imagination for recreate these things, these things?
Maybe to put the other elements all in painting different color uh mixed
uh everything.
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Summary
• Strategies such as fillers, repeating words, phrases—support
learners participation in authentic communication.
learners’ participation in authentic communication.
• Learners dysfluencies support fluency—key elements in
constructing discourse.
• L2 speakers can achieve discourse: tell stories, explain things,
construct knowledge about topics of mutual interest, and
reflect on their feelings/thoughts in the process.
Implications
•Students at all levels of L2 proficiency
can successfully participate in
can successfully participate in
discourse—they need opportunities.
•Teachers can set up conditions to
support peer to peer response and
support peer‐to‐peer response and
participation in discourse, facilitating L2
acquisition.
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Um
Thank You.
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