1. Lexical resources and interpersonal function at C1 and C2 speaking levels Siân Morgan Centro Linguistico di Ateneo Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia Italy morgan@unimore.it

2. Today’s session research on variables influencing test performance examples of interpersonal devices used at B1, B2, C1 and C2 levels transcripts of C1 and C2 interactive tasks analyse a recording together

3. Some research findings paired or individual format? (Brooks 2009) degrees of extroversion (Nakatsuhara 2009) similarity of level (Nakatsuhara 2006; Norton 2005) familiarity of partner (O’Sullivan 2002)

4. B1 expressing opinion In my opinion It’s a good idea but… I think the best for her is I think it is very boring For me* As for me, I think* It’s my cup of tea *

5. B1 Agreeing Yes I like that idea I think this is important I agree with you Yes I see eye to eye with you*

6. B1 Qualified agreement and disagreement Yes it could be nice but I think X could be more It could be, but I don’t think I partially agree with you I don’t agree with you I don’t think so I don’t think it’s the best idea I’d prefer to

7. B1 Suggesting I don’t think it’s the best idea It could be.. It can be..

8. B2 Expressing opinion In my opinion (sentence initial position) For me I think this is a very good thing So that’s a bit of a waste.. which wouldn’t be good for the town So that’s not really healthy Maybe this picture

9. B2 Agreeing Yes I agree with you I couldn’t agree more Exactly Yeah Repetition + yes Yes + repetition Synonym + yes Ah yes Yes that’s right

10. B2 Disagreeing I don’t know if that’s too good though Actually, I think….

11. C1 Expressing opinion ‘ X is very important’ I think X is essential I think X is of great importance If there were any kind of X then I think I would choose that town I’d say probably the first are I would say that I have the impression they are happy

12. C1 agreement You’re absolutely right I totally agree with you I agree with you when you say You’re right Yes you are right Yes I think that’s right… X are always very important Yes I see what you mean.

13. C1 qualified agreement I totally agree with you about X but I think that …. You might be right but I think.. I think its surely important but even if I agree and I disagree with you (uses intonation) I don’t know..

14. C2 expressing opinion maybe one of the most important things is.. this might be a useful way to I think it might be I personally find I personally believe that It seems to me It’s an even more prepared pose, no?

15. C2 agreeing yeah I agree.. they could represent (agreeing and adding justification) er yeah so you can discover (agreeing and justifying) yeah and also ( agreeing and adding another suggestion) yeah we could include (agreeing and suggesting)

16. Food for thought ? ‘the colourful,the curious, the rare’ …are more psychologically salient’ to the observer’ ‘the banal, hidden, subliminal patterns of everyday lexicon stubbornly resist exposure’ (O’ Keefe,Carter & McCarthy)

17. Mariastella & Veronica VR: Er I don’t think so because erm I think that mm most people are not so good in the kitchen so mmm maybe..erm it could be also stressing….to try to cook when you are not so good at … MS: Really? I don’t think so because maybe if you’re not good..at cooking er you can improve you can learn..it’s a way to learn….above all for for …male since female are better..

18. Elisabetta and Chiara 1..I think it might be interesting..well these 2 pictures seem to represent different periods I think …and this might be a useful way to raise money …this idea we hadn’t thought of ….organising courses and encouraging people to effectively produce

19. Elisabetta and Chiara 2 E….. it helps maybe er when you er get funds because people will pay for what they eat or drink C. For the service …and this might be a useful way to raise money and maybe a small service to a limited budget could organise activities for children … E:..and schools

20. Elisabetta and Chiara 3 E: well in a museum obviously the main activity is the er exposition the exposition and er the description of the collection, permanent and temporary C: And obviously also a service of tourist guides and.. E: and er maybe a small cafeteria or something like that to provide er

21. Points for reflection 1.Can ‘fixed expressions’ become a straightjacket even at lower levels if taught too prescriptively? 2.What do we consider to be appropriate discourse and interaction at higher levels? 3.The more native-like the language performance is, might pragmatic error create more of a negative impression because unexpected ? 4.In a world of limited classroom contact, how can we best help students aiming for C2 level ?

22. References Carter, R & McCarthy, M (1997). Exploring Spoken English, (Cambridge University Press) Davies, A. (1995). Proficiency or the native speaker: what are we trying to achieve in ELT?’ in Principle and Practice in Applied linguistics (Oxford University Press). Galaczi E. (2010). Paired speaking tests: an approach grounded in theory and practice. (in Mader and Urkun eds.) Recent approaches to Teaching and Assessing Speaking. IATEFL Teasig Hartle, S(2010) What is spoken level and how should we assess it? (in Mader and Urkun eds.) Recent approaches to Teaching and Assessing Speaking. IATEFL Teasig McCarthy, M. (2009). English Profile in Teacher talk from Nottingham www.nottingham.ac.uk/ttfn/ O’ Keefe, A., McCarthy, M. & Carter, R.(2007). From Corpus to Classroom (Cambridge)

23. Diolch yn Fawr! Siân Morgan Language Centre University of Modena & Reggio Emilia Italy morgan@unimore.it