COMPARISION OF KOREAN ESL LEARNERS’ WITH NATIVE SPEAKERS’ APOLOGIES: IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHERS

Abstract

For language learners, pragmatic competence is important to communicate appropriately with native speakers. Acquiring pragmatic competence takes longer time for language learners. In that sense, this present study compares Korean ESL learners’ apologies to native speakers of English. Data collected through Written Discourse Completion Tests applied to 22 Korean ESL learners and 54 American students. The data was coded based on the speech act sets for apologies. Then the data analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively focusing on age, gender, English language proficiency level and cultural variables. The findings indicate that for Korean language learners time spent in the US and English language learning are significant in terms of using apologies more in line with native behavior. Use of intensifiers changes according to gender-females tend to use more- and cultural background and language proficiency level-Americans tend to use more compared to Koreans. Implications for ELT have been discussed throughout the paper.

Keywords

• speech acts, ELT, apologies, pragmatics

Abstract

Bir dili öğrenenler için kişinin o dildeki kullanım edinci yetkinliği, o dili anadili olarak konuşan kişilerle uygun şekilde iletişim kurmasında önemlidir. Kullanım edinci yetkinliğinin edinilmesi dili öğrenenler açısından uzun zaman alan bir süreçtir. Bu sürece yönelik olarak bu çalışma Koreli İngilizce öğrenen öğrencilerin özür dileme durumları ve özür üretim stratejilerini Amerikalı öğrencilerinkiyle karşılaştırmaktadır. Veriler 22 Koreli ve 54 Amerikalı öğrencilerin Yazılı Söylem Tamamlama Testi kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Veriler, Sözeylemlerden Özürlerin Sınıflandırılması temel alınarak, yaş, cinsiyet, İngilizce yeterlilik seviyesi ve kültürel değişkenler açısından nicel ve nitel olarak incelenmiştir. Bulgular, Koreli İngilizce öğrenen öğrencilerin özür formlarının İngilizceyi anadili olarak konuşanların kullandıkları formlara yakınlıklığı, Korelilerin Amerika’da ve İngilizce öğrenmek için geçirdikleri süre ile ilintili olduğunu göstermektedir. Özürlerde kullanılan pekiştiriciler cinsiyet, ki bayanlar erkeklere oranla daha çok, kültürel ve İngilizce yeterlilik seviyesi, ki Amerikalı öğrenciler Korelilere göre daha çok özür dileme eğiliminde, değişkenleri açısından farklılık göstermektedir. Bulguların İngiliz dili eğitimi açısından çıkarımları makale boyunca açıklanmaktadır.

Keywords

• sözeylemler, İngiliz Dili eğitimi, özürler, kullanım edinci

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