Sign and indexicality:a case study of enhancing alignment of situation models in SCWT  

作　　者：Jing Zhu Chunyun Duan 

机构地区：[1]Soochow University,Suzhou,P.R.China [2]oochow University,Suzhou,P.R.China

出　　处：《Language and Semiotic Studies》2022年第4期197-215,共19页语言与符号学研究（英文）

基　　金：This research was supported by a fund from Social Science Foundation of Soochow University(Award reference:NH33711320);a fund from High Education Teaching Reform Foundation of Soochow University(Award reference:5731502420)。

摘　　要：The story continuationwriting task(SCWT)is anewly emerging proficiency test of National Matriculation English Test(NMET)in three provinces in China.Nevertheless,little is known with respect to how test-takers enhance their alignment of situation models in SCWT.This paper reports on a case study of the development of situational alignment of one L2(second language)learner in a senior high school in Jiangsu Province,China,drawing on qualitative data collected via individual faceto-face interviews,and supplemented by face-to-face conversations and email exchanges,over a period of one year.This study investigates how the test-taker enhances her alignment of situation models,and what factors contribute to her development of situational alignment under the framework of a new semiotic research finding,a pan-indexicality model.This paper concludes that test-takers possess the capacity of developing their alignment of situation models,and that a pan-indexicality model,affording opportunities for test-takers to accurately decode the meaning of a linguistic sign at the overall sense level,plays a decisive role in identifying and integrating key dimensions of situation models and eventually enhancing test-takers’situational alignment.This study suggests that a pan-indexicality model can be employed by test-takers to understand the meaning of a linguistic sign at the overall sense level,and test-takers’encyclopedic knowledge,contextual information,and personal emotions regarding a linguistic sign should be highlighted in classroom instruction to help test-takers construct aligned situation models in SCWT.

关 键 词：alignment of situation models linguistic sign Pan-indexicality model SCWT 

分 类 号：H315[语言文字—英语]