June 2009 Volume 13, Number 1
	Contents   |   TESL-EJ Top

Self-Repair in Oral Production by Intermediate Chinese Learners of English

Jiangtao Liu
Hangzhou Dianzi University
<ralphliu1983gmail.com>

Abstract

For various reasons, second language learners modify their speech by means of self-repair. This study, based on a small-scale corpus, shows the patterns and features of self-repairs by intermediate Chinese learners of English. The results suggest that intermediate Chinese learners of English more frequently make repairs than advanced Chinese learners of English do. Within the three overt repair types (same information, different information, and appropriateness), different information accounts for the highest percentage of repairs, and appropriateness repairs the lowest. Same information repairs represent the highest percentage of all the repair types. From a chi-square test, the results indicate that intermediate Chinese learners of English make more significant use of same information repairs than relatively advanced Chinese learners of English do. Some pedagogical implications of this finding are discussed.

Keywords: EFL, ESL, China, speaking, discourse analysis, conversation

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