TESOL- Word Recognition in English Listening

Word Recognition in English Listening

from the Angle of Schema Theory

Abstract

Schema Theory has long been applied to analyze the related English learning and teaching. During the process of its development in history, it also began to play an irreplaceable part in the direction of English listening. This essay focuses on Schema Theory application in English listening study, especially in the aspect of word recognition.

1. Introduction

The Schema Theory, known as a kind of knowledge representation and storage mode centering a certain kind of theme in mind, has long been applied to analyze the related English learning and teaching. From the result of researches, many scholars raised the following point of view:

1)The impact of Schema in listening comprehension cannot be ignored. Listeners would predict other related contents through the listening material, and at the same time pick up related background knowledge from their Schema Frame.

2)Schema should be activated in listening process. While listening their existing Schema in mind should be activated and new one shall be established in order to improve their listening comprehension.

3)Schema Theory plays an important role in teaching English listening. Teachers should put Schema Theory into teaching in accordance with different conditions.

2. The Functions of Schema in English Listening

According to the Schema Theory, there are three kinds of schemas with impact on word recognition in English listening. First, in Linguistic Schema, various kinds of linguistic knowledge are needed to help recognize words. Such as grammar, phonemes, stress, rhythm and tone. Second, the Content Schema pays much attention to the accumulation of background knowledge. It would activate existing schema in listeners’ mind during their listening process. Third, the Formal Schema holds that putting the word into its sentence to comprehend, and combining phonological information to recognize the word.

It acts on the following aspects in English listening:

1)Comprehension. When people accept new knowledge, they need to activate their existing knowledge, that is schema. During the listening process, the more schemas one has, the more accurate will the listeners grasp the information.

2)Selection. Schema will help select the input information. On the one hand, it selects information to prove its precedent prediction, on the other hand, it selects the important information from input materials. Therefore, to the word recognition in English listening, what we say about “key words” is of overwhelming importance.

3)Prediction. The Schema helps notice and remember key words, predict unclear information and provide organized frame to coming new information. People speak logically and connectively, and that is schema used by listeners matches what they hear with what they know to enhance their listening competence.

3. Information Processing Model and Suggestions for improving English listening

This model includes Bottom-up Process, Top-down Process, and Interactive Process. According to the three kinds of Schema and three models of information processing, some advice can be inferred to help the word recognition in listening.

1)Bottom-up Process. It argues that listeners gain their information from listening materials, from single word to sentence and then to paragraph and even the whole text. In this respect, linguistic knowledge is the essence to word recognition in English listening. Mainly, the linguistic schema plays a role here.

2)Top-down Process. It is also a one-way recognition method from the whole to the part, from the existing knowledge to the understanding of listening materials. Therefore, listeners could use their existing background knowledge and related common sense to predict and conjecture the theme and content of listening materials. In this way, listening comprehension will be improved effectively and more accurate.

3)Interactive Process. In the perspective of psycholinguistics, the above two process often work in an interactive way in order to highlight their strong points and avoid shortcomings. In this sense, listeners’ knowledge and linguistic information work together during the listening comprehension process.

Suggestions for improving English listening

To language learners, there are two important points to improve their word recognition in English listening. First, the accumulation of linguistic knowledge, especially the knowledge related to phonetics and phonology. Second, the background knowledge is of great importance not only in word recognition, but also in comprehension of the whole.

To foreign language tutors, the existing schema of learners should be activated. Tutors should properly guide learners to use their inner knowledge consciously to participate in English listening. Moreover, they should also instruct learners to establish new schemas in mind. In the one way, tutors could introduce directly about the culture and civilization of English-speaking countries. In another, some forms of non-linguistic staff are also helpful. For instance, related pictures, videos and so on.