A Study of Miscommunication and the Repair Process in Native-Nonnative Chinese Conversations

Inspired by Gonzalez-Lloret (2005), this study attempts to investigate the miscommunication phenomenon in the conversations between native speakers (NS) and non-native speakers (NNS; learners of Chinese) of Chinese language, and to reveal informative findings through a discourse analysis approach. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the discoursal characteristics of NS/NNS communication in Chinese language, and to find communicative strategies used by NSs and NNSs of Chinese. The main interest of this study is the reconstruction of the interactional process between interlocutors when misunderstanding or non-understanding occurs in NS/NNS conversations. In light of this study’s findings, relevant discussions and pedagogical implications, such as the importance of teaching communication repair and reconstruction strategies, can be drawn to enhance the effectiveness of speaking instruction in the field of teaching Chinese as a foreign language.