Some Parameters of Simplification.
Jorma Tommola · 1980
Simplification of text as a pedagogical technique second language instruction implies: (1) the selection of a restricted set of features from the full range of foreign language resources (linguistic simplification) and/or (2) the rearrangement of content of foreign language messages (content simplification) for purposes of instructional efficiency. The second option is more central to the communicative approach to language teaching, where a minimal level of formal linguistic competence is necessary for well-defined and restricted communication tasks; the first option results in just a contrived laboratory text. Both types of simplification result in a reduction of authenticity. Factors accompanying the simplification of instructional materials include lexical factors such as word frequency, degree of abstractness, lexical density, paraphrasing, and substitution of word meaning for (-annotations; syntactic factors such as sentence splitting, deletion of irrelevant information, or addition of examples or glosses; and text and discourse factors such as temporal organization of segments, text organization with reference to the main topic and subtopics, theme progression, and addition of metatext. The use of some parameters of simplification is illustrated with a sample text and two simplications. Two pages of references are included. (MSE)