Statistical analyses of task-based lexicons found in the classroom speech of native and non-native English language instructors

摘要

We compared language-class English spoken by three English teachers (ET), a Japanese teacher (JT), and a CD produced by the publisher of the textbook used in class (CD). A high school English language class was videotaped and transcribed for one semester (49 class periods of 45 minutes each). Word frequencies, n-grams, and utterance lengths show that (a) ETs focus on oral interaction, particularly on open-ended questions that intend to elicit longer spoken responses from students, (b) the JT directs classroom behavior, defines lexical items, explains syntax, and asks short questions, and (c) the CD presents longer, well-formed utterances with characteristics of read speech. Our findings suggest that (a) ETs might become aware of students' intent and language limitations, (b) JTs might engage in dialog with their students, and (c) ETs and JTs currently provide the sole source of disfluencies such as filled pauses, false starts, and repairs.