Longman Dictionary of

PE2379 ch03.qxd 24/1/02 16:05 Page 205
contrastive STRESS (I saw JOHN at the market) or a CLEFT SENTENCE (It
was John who I saw at the market).
see also FUNCTIONAL SENTENCE PERSPECTIVE, GROUNDING
focused interview n
an interview that explores a particular aspect of an event or situation,
particularly with a group of individuals who have had similar experience
of the event. For example, in language programme evaluation a focused
interview may be held with teachers to find out how well students are
reacting to a new set of teaching materials.
See also DEPTH INTERVIEW, GUIDED INTERVIEW
focus on form n
in general terms, any focusing of attention on the formal linguistic characteristics
of language, as opposed to a pure focus on meaning in communication.
In a more technical sense, focus on form has been defined as a brief
allocation of attention to linguistic form as the need for this arises incidentally,
in the context of communication. This may be contrasted with a
focus on forms (plural), referring to the kind of focus on one form (or rule)
at a time that one finds in a language course where there is a “structure of
the day”, usually pre-specified by the teacher or the textbook.
see also CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING
focus on forms n
see FOCUS ON FORM
foreground(ed) information n
see GROUNDING
foreigner talk
foreigner talk n
the type of speech often used by native speakers of a language when
speaking to foreigners who are not proficient in the language. Some of the
characteristics of foreigner talk are:
a it is slower and louder than normal speech, often with exaggerated pronunciation
b it uses simpler vocabulary and grammar. For example, articles, function
words, and INFLECTIONs may be omitted, and complex verb forms
are replaced by simpler ones.
c topics are sometimes repeated or moved to the front of sentences, for
example: Your bag? Where you leave your bag?
Native speakers often feel that this type of speech is easier for foreigners
to understand.
205