Strategies
NO STRATEGIES
1 Speaker cues
2 Listener cues
3 Turn requesting cues
4 Turn denying cues
5 Back-channelling cues
6 achievement strategies
STEPS:
-guessing
-paraphrase
-cooperative strategies
7 Cooperative Strategies
8 reduction strategies
9 Avoidance Strategies
10 Phonological avoidance
11 Topic avoidance
12 Compensatory Strategies
EXPLANATION
 guess work, intuition, remembered expression or
various kinds of analogy
 speakers do not lose or alter any of theirs words
when using achievement strategy.
These are used when the speaker asks for help.
They include asking for the problematic word,
asking for a translation of his/her L1, physically
indicating the object that he/she means and
miming. The speaker may also get the listener to
finish his /her sentence for him/her.
The speaker reduced his message to something he was able
to say.
The most common type of avoidance strategy is syntactic or
lexical avoidance within a semantic category.
common e.g. a Japanese speaker may avoid the word rally
(due to its phonological difficulty) and instead, choose to
simply say, “hit the ball”
(i) Changing the subject;
(ii) Pretending not to understand (a very effective means to
avoid answering questions);
(iii) Simply not responding at all; or
(iv) Noticeably abandoning a message when a thought
becomes too difficult to express.
 Circumlocution :Describing or exemplifying the
target object of action (e.g. “the thing you open
bottles with” for “corkscrew”).
• Approximation :Using an alternative term which
expresses the meaning of the target lexical item as
closely as possible (e.g. “ship” for “sailboat”).
• Use of All-purpose :Words Extending a general,
empty lexical item to contexts where specific words
are lacking (e.g. the overuse of “thing, stuff, what-
do-you-call-it thingie”).
• Word Coinage :Creating a non-existing L2 word
based on a supposed rule (e.g. “vegetarianist” for
“vegetarian”).
• Prefabricated Patterns :Using memorised stock
phrases, usually for survival purposes (e.g. “Where
 is the”or „Comment allez ă vous? , where the
morphological components are not known to the
learner).

• Nonlinguistic Signals: Mime, gesture, facial

expression or sound imitation.

• Literal Translation “Translating literally a lexical

item, idiom, compound word or structure from L1
to L2.

Example from your module:

L2 learner: I have to look after a machine if something is er doesn’t work have

to well it’s not difficult because there’s only three buttons you know all
automatic. (Haastrup & Phillipson, 1983, p. 149)

In the example above, the speaker was supposed to be describing his job in a
laundry. However, he did not have the language to describe what he had to do
with the machine. So, he abandoned his attempt and talked about the controls
instead, something he could do. The speaker reduced his message to
something he was able to say. These actions are known as reduction strategies.
Reduction strategies are popular, especially with beginners, as they do not
have mastery of the whole repertoire of L2 expressions.

This is how you answer the assignment:

Link to the media:
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC9_Aan_S9Q

A. An introduction to the conversation.

The participants of these conversation / dialogue are a group of MUET students …..are
1. Ali: a student who wants …
2. Miss Courtney: the school principal
3. Mr. Brown: the English teacher
i. Who are the participants?
 ii. What is the topic being discussed?
In this conversation, the student (Ali) is looking for his classroom). IN
this discussion the students were given the following topic “ “.
iii. The context of the conversation (time, place, medium).
Conversation took place at the main hall of the school The
iv. Length of conversation (time).
The conversation was about 20 minutes.
(5 marks)

v. Transcript of conversation at the point of EACH relevant occurrence.

vi. Identification of strategy used in the selection.
vii. Your interpretation / explanation of,
1. Why is the strategy used in this occurrence?
2. Was the use of the strategy successful?
3. Why did it succeed or fail?

B. Analysis of strategies.

Analysis 1:
Transcript of conversation
A: squeeze me please lady.
B: Yes, what is it?

Identification of strategy: For this part of the conversation, Speaker A is using

Compensatory Strategies and Foreignising strategy.
Interpretation and explanation of strategy:
In the conversation above, speaker A was using Compensatory Strategies. The part of the
conversation was speaker A’s greeting to speaker B. (Greeting? Topic Introduction?
Information echange? Which part of conversation). This is a common set of strategies
involves compensation for missing knowledge. Instead of avoiding the problem, a speaker
may alter his or her message to make it more manageable. Speaker A specifically used the
Foreignising strategy. A is using a L1 word by adjusting it to L2 phonology (i.e. with a L2
pronunciation). Speaker mispronounced the word “excuse me” as “squeeze me”. He thinks
both words denote similar meaning. The strategy was used successfully. It was successful as
it did not impede the understanding of the listener. Eventhough Ali used the word “squeeze
me”, Miss Courtney understood.

Analysis 2:
Transcript of conversation
A: yes please and I'm hopping to be unrolled
B: Hoping to be unrolled?
A: looking to be unrolled like it say in your sillybus
B: you mean hoping to be enrolled that is

Identification of strategy: Compensatory Strategies and Appeal for Help strategy.

Interpretation and explanation of strategy:
In the conversation, Speaker B is also using compensatory strategies. (Greeting? Topic
Introduction? Information exchange? Which part of conversation). This is a common set of
strategies involves compensation for missing knowledge. Instead of avoiding the problem, a
speaker may alter his or her message to make it more manageable. Speaker B used the
Appeal for Help strategy. Speaker B asked for aid from the interlocutor either directly or
indirectly (e.g. rising intonation, pause, eye contact, puzzled expression). Here, the speaker B
used puzzle expression (non -linguistic signal strategies) and asked “Hopping to be
unrolled?” as she was confused when speaker A said “I'm hopping to be unrolled”. The
strategy was not successful. It was unsuccessful because Speaker A did not rectify the word
“unrolled” to “enroll”.

Analysis 3:
Transcript of conversation

A: looking to be unrolled like it say in your sillybus

B: you mean hoping to be enrolled that is

In the conversation, Speaker A is using compensatory strategies, specifically

the Nonlinguistic Signals which is sound imitation. (Greeting? Topic Introduction?
Information echange? Which part of conversation). Speaker A compensated the sound
“ syllabus” with “sillybus”. Maybe, to him the word is “sillybus” as he is
familiar with that word. Obviously, he did not know what the word “syllabus”
means.
1. Why is the strategy used in this occurrence?
2. Was the use of the strategy successful?
3. Why did it succeed or fail?

Analysis 4:
Transcript of conversation

B: down the corridor turn left at bottom and wait in room five
A: (repeat the speaker B) …you are confusing me
B: look you just go down the corridor turn left and wait in room five room  
In the conversation above, Speaker A is using Cooperative Strategies.
Cooperative Strategies are used when the speaker asks for help. They include
asking for the problematic word, asking for a translation of his/her L1,
physically indicating the object that he/she means and miming. The speaker
may also get the listener to finish his /her sentence for him/her. (Greeting? Topic
Introduction? Information echange? Which part of conversation). Speaker A is asking for
the help of speaker B the direction to the classroom. Speaker B gave the
instructions. Speaker A was miming/imitating speaker B in order to remember
the instructions of the directions to his classroom.
1. Why is the strategy used in this occurrence?
2. Was the use of the strategy successful?
3. Why did it succeed or fail?

C. Conclusion
a. Describe any major pattern in strategy selection that you see in the
conversation.

References:
Link for the MUET discussion
OUM module

Appendice:
1. transcription
2. Audio/video