Language Learners' Interaction and the Production of Modified Output

Building upon two studies of Pica et al. (1996) and Iwashita (2001) on modified output, the present study examines L2 learners’ interaction and the production of modified output, particularly investigating whether learners’ interactions in nonnative speaker-nonnative speaker (NNS-NNS) and native speaker-nonnative speaker (NS-NNS) dyads would make any differences in opportunities for modified output through interactional moves, types of interactional moves provided to other interlocutors, and production of modified output in response to interactional moves. Data were collected from the audio-recorded interactions of five dyads of NNS-NNS and five dyads of NS-NNS of English on two communication tasks of one-way information gap. The results showed that, although there was no significance difference between the types of dyads in providing interactional moves, NNSs would have more opportunities to modify their output in interacting with NSs than with other NNSs. However, the frequent opportunities did not lead to rich forms in NNSs’ modifications as compared to those of NSs’. The findings thus indicated that NS-NNS interaction was not a particularly rich context to aid learners in modified output production and have implications for L2 learning and classroom interactions. Key words: L2 learners’ interaction, nonnative and native speakers, modified output.