Volume One, Number One (July 1997)
ABSTRACTS
Articles
Joint production of
intercultural discourse: communication in a multicultural workplace
Deborah M. Neil, Victoria University
This paper is based on an analysis of audio-recordings of naturally occurring interactions conducted in English in a multicultural workplace. The participants are non-native speakers of English from diverse ethnolinguistic backgrounds. Whilst such interactions are commonly associated with cross-cultural miscommunication, findings revealed that these speakers adopt a collaborative style of discourse in their interactions. Examples are presented of some of the strategies which facilitate their construction of mutually intelligible meanings. The observations of this study are consistent with previous studies of strategic competence (Faerch and Kasper 1984) and meaning negotiation (Long 1982; Canale 1983) among second language learners. However, this research draws on the insights of research on collaborative discourse among native English speakers (e.g. Coates 1989, 1993; Ferrara 1992) to emphasise the relevance of joint text production in the intercultural context. The paper concludes with the presentation and discussion of a model of collaborative intercultural discourse.
Aspects
of communicative uncertainty in the language of young East Germans
during the Wende
Heinz J. Kreutz, Monash
University
In this paper I shall address the issue of communication with respect to potential barriers and miscommunication, by illustrating how communicative uncertainty, as realised through a range of hedging strategies, may mark the speech of young East Germans. Special attention will be paid to the use of certain hedging constructions which may be explained not so much in terms of politeness, but more as an attempt to hide communicative uncertainty. Cursory reference will also be made to face saving strategies.
The Kikamba passive construction: a challenge
for the Government and Binding-based analyses
Angelina N. Kioko, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
Studies relating to the passive construction have focused on two main areas:(1) the universal characterisation of the construction (Comrie 1977; Perlmutter and Postal 1983; Siewierska 1984; and Keenan 1985); and (2) those interested in the formulation of theories on the passive construction (Chomsky 1965, 1981; Jaeggli 1986; Roberts 1987; Baker 1988; Afarli 1989, 1990; Perlmutter and Postal 1983; Postal 1986). Recent Government and Binding-based approaches analyse the passive morpheme as an argument of the verb which must receive the External Theta-role and the Structural Case assigned by the verb (Roberts 1987; Baker 1988; and Afarli 1989, 1990). This paper describes the passive construction in Kikamba and examines the descriptive adequacy of the Government and Binding claims.
Vietnamese-English
bilinguals in Melbourne: social relationships in code-switching of
personal pronouns
Tuc Ho-Dac, Monash University
This paper investigates the code-switching of personal pronouns in the speech of Vietnamese-English bilinguals in Melbourne. The highly complex system of person reference in Vietnamese has no counterparts in the English speaking world, and is examined in this paper. Relying on Myers-Scotton's Markedness Model (1993), I discuss in some detail the code-switching of English personal pronouns and argue that the switching of personal pronouns is to signal a change in the relationship between the addressor and the addressee.
Tonal aspects of code-switching
Lin Zheng, Monash University
This paper examines the tonal aspects of code-switching among Chinese-Australian bilingual children. Fifteen boys and fifteen girls aged from six to ten were chosen from three different primary schools in Victoria. Chinese is a tone language with a very highly constrained syllable structure. Mandarin Chinese has four basic tones with an additional neutral tone. The Chinese fourth falling tone corresponds to English intonation. A Chinese third curve tone, when immediately followed by a first, second or fourth tone or most neutral tones, usually becomes a half third tone, that is, the tone that only falls but does not rise. In addition, both the neutral tone words and the words with a weak stress are pronounced in a falling tone, the same as English. When the switches to English occur, they are usually following the Chinese fourth, half third and neutral falling tones or weak stress of word. These falling tones may also facilitate transitions between Chinese and English.
Reviews
Communication and
Cultural Literacy: An Introduction, by T. Schirato
and S. Yell. 1996. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
Reviewed
by Pam Dickinson
Semantics in Generative
Grammar, by Anne Pauwels. 1996. Melbourne: Macmillan.
Reviewed by Annette Harres