LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 15:3 March 2015
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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The Use of Communication Strategies in
Oral Communicative Situations by Engineering Students

Ms. Sunanda Patil (Shinde) and Dr. Tripti Karekatti

Abstract

When language learners do not know how to say a word in English, they can communicate effectively by using their hands, imitating sounds, inventing new words, or describing what they mean. These ways of communicating are communication strategies (CSs). This study investigated the communication strategies used by engineering students in selected oral communicative situations. Data came from three sources: (1) audio-recordings of students’ performances in select oral tasks (2) retrospective interviews after completion of each task; and (3) observation notes taken at the time of students’ performances in each task. To analyse the data taxonomy on communication strategies was adapted from Tarone (1977), Faerch and Kasper (1983), Ellis (1984), and Dornyei (1995).

The analysis of the use of CSs showed that the selected students of the study used more CSs in the task of interview than in public speech and presentation. The most often used strategies in all the tasks are use of fillers, repetition, and restructuring.

Keywords:Communication Strategies, Oral Communicative Situations, Engineering Students

Introduction

The use of communication strategies in the foreign language classroom has been studied in the United States, Great Britain, and China since the 1980’s and more recently in some Arab countries (Rababah, 2003; 2005). As per Selinker’s (1972) views, “Strategies of Second Language Communication” are the ways in which foreign/second language learners deal with the difficulties they encounter during the course of their speaking performances in target language when their linguistic resources are inadequate. Communication strategies are attempts to bridge the gap between the linguistic knowledge of the second-language learner and the linguistic knowledge of his or her interlocutor in real communication situations. Studies have found that communication strategies, unconsciously used in the first language, do not automatically transfer to the second language. Actually, communication strategies need to be explicitly taught for students to improve their accuracy and fluency (Dörnyei, 1995).

Studies on communication strategies used by engineering students in different oral communicative situations are scarce in India. Moreover, teachers are not always aware of the importance of teaching communication strategies to their students or, if they are aware, they do not explicitly train their students to use them. They do not use these strategies themselves to serve as a model to their students. To contribute to the knowledge on the use of communication strategies by engineering students and provide recommendations for communication skills teachers and syllabus designers this study investigated the communication strategies used by second year engineering students. The study intends to illustrate how communication strategies are used in oral communicative situations and how taxonomy of communication strategies can help interpret student interaction.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Sunanda

Ms. Sunanda Patil (Shinde), M.A., M.Phil., PGCTE (EFLU, Hyderabad)
Assistant Professor in English and Communication Skills
Gharda Institute of Technology, Lavel
Ratnagiri – 415708
Maharashtra
India
sunandagpatil@gmail.com

TKK

Dr. Tripti Karekatti, M.A., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in English
Department of English
Shivaji University
Kolhapur- 416 004
Maharashtra
India
triptikarekatti@gmail.com

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