Communication Breakdown and Its Repair in the Beginning English Classroom

Communication Breakdown and Its Repair in the Beginning English Classroom

This study examined how communication breakdown occurred and how it was repaired in second language learning context. For the purpose of the study, the author tape-recorded two English conversation classes for the beginning learners of English as a foreign language in college. The analysis of the recording showed that students' inability to produce grammatically correct utterances was its most noticeable cause. Its second biggest cause was the instructor's ignorance of students' native culture. Students' insufficient knowledge of the target culture did not seem to pose a big threat to the problem, in that the instructor usually provided students with the explanation of the problematic target culture in advance. The study also stressed the importance of the instructor's role in restoring the communication process. The study suggests that the instructor should be aware that communication is a joint effort to negotiate meaning and provide students with opportunities to contribute to the communication process. Overall, the study makes it clear that communication breakdown is an inevitable phenomenon and offers rather opportunities to develop their discourse and strategic competence.