Two Heads Better Than One: C[omputer] M[ediated]C[ommunication] for the L2Curriculum

The interactionist model predicts that oral discussions between native speakers (NS)

and non-native speakers (NNS), as well as those that only involve NNS interacting

with other NNS, will prime second language learners to notice their linguistic limita-

tions-an essential step in the SLA process (Gass: 1997; Schmidt: 2001). The notion

of negotiation is central to this priming process and can be defined as ‘communica-

tion in which participants’ attention is focused on resolving a communication prob-

lem as opposed to communication in which there is a free-flowing exchange of infor-

mation’ (Gass: 1997:107). Typically, negotiations arise in the foreign-language class-

room when students must accomplish a communicative task and then encounter a

non-understanding along the way.2 Researchers have referred to the process of “push-

ing down” from the original line of discourse in order to resolve these miscommuni-

cations or non-understandings (Varonis & Gass: 1985). The conversation is momen-

tarily put on hold while the particular item, be it lexical or grammatical, is negotiat-

ed and the participants “push [back] up” to the original line of discourse. These lin-

guistic negotiations become precious moments when new structures can first be

noticed or primed for acquisition.