Modified Input (Foreigner Talk)

Modified Input
Foreigner Talk (FT)
By: Sawsan Fawzy & Rana Atef

Modified Input Definition
• Definition: When NSs adjust their speech in a number of ways to suit
the comprehension abilities of their addressee (Ellis, 2003, 247).
• Examples of modified input registers:
Speaker Addressee Register (Modified input)
Caretaker Children acquiring NL Caretaker talk, baby talk, motherese
NS NNS Foreigner talk (FT)

Foreigner Talk
• Definition: NS talk that is modified through simplification. It shares many of the
characteristics of other simplified registers such as care-taker talk and pidgins. Its main
function is exchanging information.
Studying FT in detail involve:
• The extent to which FT is grammatical or ungrammatical
• Formal modifications
• Interactional modifications
• Discourse structure
• Functions of FT

(Ungram. FT)
Ungrammatical input modifications
Situations:
• Down-talking; addressing workers
• Giving direction to a passer-by tourist
Ungram. Modifications:
• Omission of function words, copula and inflections
• Expansion, i.e, insertion of “you” in imperatives “You give me money”
• Negation rearrangement; pre-verb negation instead of post-verb negation
i.e, “No want play”
• Pronunciation: insertion of additional or longer vowels, exagerated
intonation
• Lexis: use of names instead of pron.

Factors affecting Ungram. FT
• According to Long (1983), ungrammatical foreigner talk is induced by:
• Learner’s proficiency level- more likely to be low
• Status of Native speaker – when NS think he is of higher status
• NS has high use of language but low experience in dealing with foreigners of
low proficiency
• The extent where language is spontaneous- Ungrammatical FT is less likely in
planned, formal discourse

(Gram. FT)
Grammatical input modifications
Situation:
• In most classrooms
Gram. FT modifications are characterized by 3 processes:
• Simplification
• Regularization
• Elaboration

Simplification: Helpful for learners

Regularization
Selection of basic explicit forms: Helpful for learners in classrooms
• Fewer false starts (Ex: well)
• Preference for full forms over contracted ones Ex. The 747 is a big plane. It is made by
Boeing. It is an American plane
• Explicit gram. markers (Ex. He asked me to go (not he asked to go)
• Avoidance of idiomatic expressions and formal style Ex: using “tu” instead of “vous”
• The movement of the topic to the front of the sentence-Ex. John, he is a good man
• Use of general terms (Ex. Flower instead of rose or tulip)

Elaboration
• The opposite of simplification in form but not in goal as it is thought
to be
• Both aim at clarifying and simplifying meanings
Elaboration uses
• Lengthened and redundant sentences (Ex. It is a big plane, called
Jumbo, manufactured by Boeing which is an American company. )
• Synonyms (Ex. Funds, money)
• Providing examples
• Definitions
• Paraphrase of lexical items to explain them (Ex. Cling= hold on tightly)

Summary of Gram. FT Processes
• Simplification: Simple forms
• Regularization: Basic explicit forms
• Elaboration: Lengthened redundant sentences

Interactional modifications
• Definition: Modifications made during interaction to avoid
miscommunication
• Involve discourse management and discourse repair
• Discourse management: simplification of discourse to avoid
communication problems
• Discourse repair: repairing communication breakdown or responding to
errors

Types of Interactional modifications

Discourse structure
• Examining the speech of both participants
• Studying how the sequences (turns) of FT are constructed
• Many models were developed

An example of FT discourse models
Model of meaning negotiation

FT Functions
Three main functions:
1) To teach target language implicitly through conversations or
explicitly in classrooms
2) Promote communication
3) Signal, implicitly or explicitly, speakers’ attitudes towards their
interlocutors (other speakers). Ex. Ungram. FT can reflect
a) downward divergence, lack of respect
b) downward convergence, solidarity

 Table 10.3 Summary of foreigner talk features Hatch (1983).
 SLOW RATE = clearer articulation –
 Final stops are released –
 Fewer reduced vowels –
 Fewer contractions –
 Longer pauses
 VOCABULARY
 High frequency vocabulary –
 Less slang - Fewer idioms- Fewer pronoun forms
 Definitions Overtly marked (e.g., This means X)
 Semantic feature information (e.g., a cathedral usually means a church, that’s a very high ceiling) Contextual
information (e.g., if you go for a job in a factory, they talk about a wage scale) Gestures and pictures
 SYNTAX Short and simple sentences
 Movement of topics to front of sentence
 Repetition and restatement New information at the end of the sentence (Mobiles are hard to live without. This
means they are important and we cannot leave them at home.)
 NS grammatically repeats/modifies learners’ incorrect utterances (Can does, or can do?)
 NS fills in the blank for learners’ incomplete utterances (A (NNS) (pointing to a picture): He is a (… ) B: tall man?
 DISCOURSE NS gives reply within a question –
 NS uses tag questions-
 NS offers correction

Example of FT conversation
• NS gives multiple choices when the NNS does not
understand. The setting is a restaurant reservations
ofﬁce.
• (10-18) Sam: . . . How can I help you?
• Watanabe: My name is Watanabe. “W” as in
Wisconsin, “A” as—
• S: Okay. How can I help you?
• W: I want to take a table.
• S: Okay, when would you like to come in?
• W: We are four people.
• S: All right. When would you like to come in?
• W: Four people.
S: Okay . . . What day of the week would you like to come in?
W: Four.
S: I’ll be right with you ma’am. (Puts her on hold, takes a deep breath, then
returns.) Sorry about that.
W: No have four?
S: No, no. (Trying a new tactic.). Four people on Monday? Tuesday? Wednesday?
W: Ohhh! Tuesday.
S: Okay, Tuesday. Would you like to come in for lunch or dinner?
W: Lunch!
S: Okay! Lunch on Tuesday. What time?
W: Seven P.M.
S: Ma’am. That’s dinner.
W: Dinner?
S: Yes seven P.M. is dinner and we are fully committed for dinner on Tuesday.
W: Ful-ly?
S: We don’t have any tables.
W: Oh, I call you back.

Example of FT
• (10-2)
• NNS: There has been a lot of talk lately about additives and preservatives in food. In what ways
has this changed your eating habits?
• NS: I try to stay away from nitrites.
• NNS: Pardon me?
• NS: Uh, from nitrites in uh like lunch meats and that sort of thing. I don’t eat those.

Examples of non-obvious Foreign- talk characteristics
• Consider 10-1 and 10-2, which come from a survey on food and nutrition that NNSs conducted over
the telephone (Gass and Varonis, 1985, p. 48):
• (10-1)
• NNS: How have increasing food costs changed your eating habits?
• NS: Well, we don’t eat as much beef as we used to. We eat more chicken, and uh, pork, and uh, ﬁsh,
things like that.
• NNS: Pardon me?
• NS: We don’t eat as much beef as we used to. We eat more chicken and uh, uh pork and ﬁsh . . . We
don’t eat beef very often. We don’t have steak like we used to.

References
Gass & Selinker. (2008). Second Language Acquisition. (3rd Ed.) NY:
Routeledge
Ellis, R. (1994). The study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford, UK:
oxford University Press

Modified Input (Foreigner Talk)

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