27.2331, Review: Applied Ling; Lang Acq; Socioling: Jenks (2014)

Tue May 24 15:26:12 UTC 2016

LINGUIST List: Vol-27-2331. Tue May 24 2016. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 27.2331, Review: Applied Ling; Lang Acq; Socioling: Jenks (2014)

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Date: Tue, 24 May 2016 11:25:45
From: Jose Aguilar Río [jose.aguilarrio at univ-paris3.fr]
Subject: Social Interaction in Second Language Chat Rooms

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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/26/26-4052.html

AUTHOR: Christopher Joseph  Jenks
TITLE: Social Interaction in Second Language Chat Rooms
SERIES TITLE: Studies in Social Interaction
PUBLISHER: Edinburgh University Press
YEAR: 2014

REVIEWER: Jose Ignacio Aguilar Río, Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris III

Reviews Editor: Robert Arthur Cote

SUMMARY

Christopher J. Jenks' “Social Interaction in Second Language Chat Rooms” is a
10 chapter monograph that “examines language chat rooms from a
social-interaction perspective” (Jenks, 2014: back cover). Jenks' monograph is
divided into three main parts: survey, analysis, and application each
containing three chapters. There is a complete and a relatively up-to-date
references section at the end as well as a useful index.

Chapter 1 is an introduction, where the author states the scope of the present
work, that is ‘computer mediated communication’ (henceforth CMC). This is a
general construct, which Jenks later narrows down to ‘computer mediated spoken
interaction’ (henceforth CMSI). The author takes on a “social interaction
perspective” approach (ibid.: 1).

The following section is entitled “Survey” and is composed of chapters 2
through 4. Chapter 2 is entitled “Social Interaction and Chat Rooms”. Adopting
a conversation analysis approach, the author characterises social interaction
in a large sense before specifically addressing the characterisation of spoken
interaction and then  CMSI. Jenks insists on the validity of the conversation
analysis methods in order to study both macro and micro-social issues that can
be identified in social interaction, spoken interaction, as well as CMSI.
Chapter 2 is completed with technical details concerning the basic functioning
of network communication (ibid.: 14). Chapter 3 is entitled “Computed Mediated
Communication and Applied Linguistics”. Here Jenks describes applied
linguistics as a “reflection of contemporary society” (ibid.: 18), which
justifies the nature of the current work. A brief history of Computer Assisted
Language Learning (henceforth ‘CALL’) is provided which accounts for research
questions such as the language learning affordances provided by ICT solutions.
The author also discusses the relationships between language and discourse as
well as between sociality and culture. Chapter 3 ends with a through review of
recent works on CMSI from all over the world (ibid.: 29). Chapter 4 is
“Introduction to CMSI”. The first two thirds of the this chapter are of a
technical nature. Jenks distinguishes CMC – which the author associates with
written communication – and CMSI – whose main feature is its oral, spoken
nature. The author then reviews pieces of CMSI software. “Skype”® and
“Skypecasts”® stand out insofar as this is the very technology used by Jenks
for his fieldwork. Some specifications concerning transcription convention
follow, whereby the authors aligns with previous works of conversation
analysts, namely Atkinson and Heritage (1994). The chapter ends with a
characterisation of “English as an add language” (Jenks, 2014: 47), which is
precisely the code studied by Jenks.

The next section is called “Analysis” and contains chapters 5 through 7.
Chapter 5 is entitled “CMSI factors” and describes “the basic interactional
features of CMSI” (ibid.: 51): turn construction and transition, overlapping
utterances, turn allocation and identification practices. Jenks methodically
and systematically points out what distinguishes CMSI from everyday, ordinary
talk, namely the influence of “technological affordances and constraints”
(ibid.: 67). Excerpts taken from the author's CMSI corpus help illustrate
this. The title of Chapter 6 is “Turn-taking in chat rooms: texting versus
talking”, where Jenks points out “the dearth of studies that investigate, and
make comparisons of” text-based CMC and CMSI (ibid.: 77). At the end of the
chapter, he insists on empirically characterising “texting and talking [as]
distinctive communication endeavours” (ibid.: 93). Chapter 7 is entitled
“Contextual variables in CMSI”. These are presented as CMSI specific aspects,
which determine the quality of the interaction and consequently its analysis.

The last section is entitled “Application” and contains chapters 8 through 10.
Chapter 8, entitled “Teaching and learning”, is of an obvious pedagogical
nature. The author pleads for “second language chat rooms” as devices that may
grant “rich and authentic input” for learners (ibid.: 123). Jenks suggests the
learning validity of CMSI L2 chat rooms drawing on SLA literature, namely
Michael Long's models. The author also points out task-based (R. Ellis, 2003),
L2 learning affordances that are made possible due to CMSI. Chapter 9 is
entitled “Social and cultural issues”. Jenks insists of the complex
relationships among language, discourse, society and culture, this time he
concentrates on the pedagogical adequacy of CMSI in order to sensitize
learners to such complex, subtle matters. The final chapter presents a general
conclusion on CMSI second language chat rooms. The author insists on the
ethical aspects of any research that uses naturally-occurring data, such as
his. He finally points out future directions for social research interested on
CMSI, namely multitasking, multimodality, CMSI features and asynchronous CMSI.

EVALUATION

Christopher J. Jenks' monograph presents a thorough study of computer mediated
social interaction. The author's conversation analysis approach is
well-founded and allows for an empirically rigorous analysis of the ways in
which specific interlocutors may use “English as an add language” (ibid.: 47)
as the participate in spoken chatrooms. Jenks shows clearly how technology
comes to determine interactional features and opportunities. What Jenks does
not show as efficiently is whatever affordances second language chat rooms may
bring to the process of learning a new (or ;’add’) language. Notwithstanding
the empirical adequacy of his theoretical standpoint – namely, Michael Long's
interaction hypothesis and Rod Ellis' task-based approach – Jenks' choice of
second language chat rooms as fieldwork seems obscured by what comes about as
his main interest, that is, the characterisation of CMSI as social practice.
All in all, language pedagogy and SLA seem secondary to conversation analysis.
 The author's extensive knowledge of CMSI literature (Table 3.1., ibid.: 29)
is impressive. In effect, it seems rare for French scholars to be accounted
for by English speaking authors. Due to the large number  of acronyms used, a
short appendix containing a list may have been useful. Ultimately, Jenks’
monograph will interest both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as
Ph.D. candidates and scholars whose research interests lie in the fields of
communication and technology. Readership lacking a base knowledge on
conversational analysis may find this reading demanding at times.

REFERENCES

Atkinson, J. M. & Heritage, J. (1994). Structures of Social Action: Studies in
Conversation Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.

Jenks, C. J. (2014). Social Interaction in Second Language Chat Rooms.
Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Jose Ignacio Aguilar Río is a Senior Lecturer at Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris 3
University in France. He teaches undergraduate and post-graduate courses in
education and applied linguistics. His research interests are in classroom
interaction, foreign language teacher education and research methodology. He
has presented papers at international conferences in Europe. His works have
been published in international reviews.

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