Abstract
This article investigates the perception of the reverse of communication—silence—in instructed English language learning, as seen by adult language learners and teachers of adult learners. After a brief presentation of theoretical aspects referring to the notion of silence in the second language acquisition literature, a short survey study is described whose aim was to find out how adult language learners and language teachers of adults conceptualise silence. In particular, an attempt was made to determine if the respondents find silence in any way useful for the achievement of language learning success, or would rather resort to communication in the target language as soon as possible. The paper finishes with some recommendations regarding further investigations and implications for teaching adults.
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A list of factors determining the supremacy of comprehension over production in second language learning is provided by Prabhu (1987, pp. 78–80).
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This is not the same group of learners to which Jolanta and Bożena referred to at the beginning of the article belonged to. As mentioned above, they provided only some inspiration in bringing the present study to fruition.
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It was assumed that in the communication-focused contemporary classroom, silence in language learning would not be a topic which learners would openly discuss, even if it was applied by them. Lack of readiness to talk about silence made the author look for indirect ways of investigating it.
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Appendices
Appendix A: Survey for an Adult Language Learner
Answer the following questions and give a short explanation.
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1.
Do you think that in order to learn a target language you must speak a lot in it? Why?
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2.
What emotions do you experience when you are called on to speak in a target language? Please explain your answer.
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3.
Are the emotions enumerated in question 2 affected by other factors, i.e. other people (teacher, classmates), anxiety about making a mistake, etc.? Please explain your answer.
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4.Would you be able to accept learning a target language without the necessity of speaking it aloud until you yourself felt willingness or readiness to speak? Please explain your answer.
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5.
Do you talk to yourself silently or silently answer other people’s questions in the language classroom? Are there any benefits for you from listening to other people’s answers? Please list these benefits and/or give some information about this.
Appendix B: Survey for a Language Teacher of Adults
Answer the following questions and give a short explanation.
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1.
Do you promote learners’ speaking in your language lessons? If so, how do you do it?
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2.
Do you find learners’ silence easy to tolerate? Why (not)?
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3.
Would you be able to accept the view that a learner starts talking in a target language when he or she is ready, and a teacher should not call him or her on to give an answer? Please justify your response and, if possible, list the circumstances that would make such an approach possible.
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Werbińska, D. (2015). Is There Any Place for Silence in the Communication-Oriented Process of Adult Language Learning?. In: Pawlak, M., Waniek-Klimczak, E. (eds) Issues in Teaching, Learning and Testing Speaking in a Second Language. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38339-7_11
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