ERIC Number: ED345488
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1988
Pages: 21
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Processes Involved in Composing a Narration in a First and a Second Language.
Bowie, David G.; Schallert, Diane L.
Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education, v1 n2 p70-89 Fall 1988
In a study of the processes used to compose a story, 12 Portuguese/English bilingual adults created narrations for 2 published, wordless picture stories and, while viewing a videotape of their narration, recalled aloud the processes they used in constructing the stories. One study was narrated in Portuguese and the other in English. The narrations and thinking-aloud were transcribed and analyzed for comments in four areas, including: reference to or use of prior knowledge; information processing constraints; audience awareness and textual space; and linguistic constraints. Results for the fourth category are presented here. It is concluded that the narratives composed by the participants contained examples of a lexicalization problem. Repeated successful and unsuccessful lexical searches, avoidance of certain words and structures, intrusions of one language into another, efforts to use descriptive variety and poetic structures, and even serendipitous discoveries appeared in the narrative and think-aloud tasks, strongly substantiating the claim that linguistic constraints influence the composing of oral narratives. Collection of both first- and second-language composition information was found especially useful. A 50-item bibliography is included. (MSE)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Journal Articles
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers; Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: For the journal as a whole, see FL 019 498.