Group 6:
Isnaini Farida Khilmi (2130730038)
Dyah Nuraini (2130730040)
Nurmawati Kolong (2130730052)
Vita Fitriyah (2120730087)

 

Communication Strategies

1.      Communication strategy is a systematic technique employed by a speaker to express his meaning when faced with some difficulties; (Corder, 1977).

2.      A mutual attempt of two interlocutors to agree on a meaning in a situations where requisite meaning structures are not shared; (Tarone, 1980)

3.      Potentially conscious plans for solving what to an individual presents itself as a problem in reaching a particular communicative goal; (Faerch and Kasper, 1983a)

4.      Techniques of coping with difficulties in communicating in an imperfectly known second language; (Stern, 1983)

All the above definitions reveal the same purpose of communication strategies, namely, to solve an emerged communication problem by applying some kinds of techniques. Communication strategies also pertain to employment of verbal or nonverbal mechanisms for the productive communication of information. In the arena of linguistic interaction, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the two. However, as long as one can appreciate the slipperiness o such a dichotomy, it remains a useful distinction in understanding the nature of strategies, especially for pedagogical purposes.

            According to Dornyei’s (1995) classification of communicative strategies, there are two opposite direction in communication. One is avoiding and the other is compensating. This classification is an appropriate practical basis for some further comments.

vAvoidance strategies

Avoindance strategies are a common communication strategy that can be broken down into several subtypes; they are message abandonment and topic avoidance.

§  Massage abandonment      : a learner’s beginning to talk about a concept but being unable to continue due to lack of meaning structure, and stopping in mid-utterance.

§  Topic avoidance                : a learner’s using of passing concepts for which the vocabulary or other meaning structures are not known of them.

 Avoidance may be the most frequent means that students have ever employed. When asked a specific question, the student who does not know the answer will just keep silent about it and lead to the occurrence of topic avoidance. 

vCompensatory strategies

Compensatory strategies involve “compensation for missing knowledge” (ibid: 129) Dorneyi outlines eleven types of compensatory strategies in a very comprehensive way which include circumlocution, approximation, use of all-purpose words, word coinage, prefabricated patterns, nonlinguistic signal, literal translation, foreign zing, code-switching, appealing for help, appeal for help, stalling or time-gaining strategies.

§  Circumlocution : describing of exemplifying the target object of action (e.g. the thing you open bottles with for corkscrew)

§  Approximation : using an alternative term which express the meaning of the target lexical item as closely as possible ( e.g. ship for sailboan )

§  Use of all-purpose words : extending a general, empty lexical item to contexts where specific words are lacking ( e.g. the overuse of thing, stuff, what-do-you-call-it, thingies )

§  Word coinage : creating a nonexisting L2 word based on a supposed rule (e.g. vegetarianist for vegetarian )

§  Prefabricated pattern : using memorized stuck phrases, usually for “survival” purposes (e.g. where is the_____ or comment allez-vous? Where the morphological components are not known to the learner )

§  Nonlinguistic signal : mime, gesture, facial expression, or sound imitation

§  Literal translation : translating literally a lexical item, idiom, compound word, or structure from L1 to L2

§  Foreignizing : using L1 word by adjusting it to L2 phonology (i.e. with a L2 pronunciation ) and/or morphology (e.g. adding to it a L2 suffix )

§  Code-switching : using a L1 word with L1 pronunciation or a L3 word with L3 pronunciation while speaking in L2 )

§  Appeal for help : asking for ad from the interlocutor either directly (e.g. what do you call…? ) or indirectly ( e.g. rising intonation, pause, eye contact, puzzled expression )

§  Stalling or time-gaining strategies : using fillers or hesitation devices to fill pauses and to gain time to think (e.g. well, now let’s see, uh, as a matter of fact ).