A Dissertation by GRACE HUI-CHIN LIN Submitted to the Office of ...

No response and change topic
How to use this strategy: The learner simply tries not to
talk about concepts for which the TL (target langue: English)
item or structure is not known well by the target language
learners.
A: I visited a chemical company with my brother yesterday,
which was a company produced pesticide.
B: ( B don’t know anything about this topic, no response,
so A change to another topic)
A: I am going to a concert tomorrow.
B: Whose concert is it?
A: Michael Jackson’s
B: Do you have a ticket for me?
A: Yes.
B: Where will the concert take place?
A: In Taipei stadium. Could you drive me there?
B: No problem.
No response and change topic
‘Avoiding’ certain lexical items.
A: What’s your opinion about preventing
the cancer disease?
B: ( B think that this topic is perceived as
problematic from a linguist point of view,
so he would like to talk something that is
easier to communicate)
Let’s talk about how to eat healthier.
A: I think that we should ear more
vegetables.
B: Yeah, I like to eat carrot for preventing
eye disease.
No response and change topic
A: Do you know how people are affected by HIV
(Human Immunodeficiency Virus)?
B: ( B consider this topic is beyond his knowledge and
vocabulary ability, he does not respond to the
question and wait for changing to another topic)
Mmm…..
A: ( B does not respond and A realize that the
topic of AIDS needs to be changed to a new
one.) Let’s talk about what’s your career goal. Do
you want to be a businessman?
B: I am interested in international trade. I guess that I
will be a translator of a trade company after
graduating from Tunghai University.
A: I think it is a good idea to stay in a company and
accumulate working experience. Then, think about
what to do later.
B: Yeah.
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