得レベルにおける割り込み発話の生起理由の特徴 - 日本人テスタ一と韓国人学習者の会話の場合

Characteristics of Japanese Language Learners" Interruption Utterances by their Acquisition Level

  This study examines the use and characteristics of interruption utterances which occurred in thirty Oral Proficiency Interview(OPI) session between native speakers of Japanese and Korean learners. It also investigates the reasons for each interruption occurrence in detail. The results show that the frequency of interruption utterances increases as the learners" proficiency level advances. Korean learners are likely to use more interruption utterances while the Japanese testers are likely to let them go with the flow during the conversation. The study also found that "meaning negotiation" is used more frequently for the novice and intermediate level learners, while "discourse promotion" is used for the advanced and superior level learners. Korean learners" uses of "meaning negotiation" and "discourse promotion" are different by their proficiency levels. Furthermore, the more proficient their language is, the more freely Korean learners are likely to adjust themselves with the flow of communication. "Discourse discontinuance" is used by the learners at intermediate, advanced, and superior levels but rarely at the novice level. The study concludes that speakers" use of interruption utterances depends on their proficiency level.