Address and reference systems in second language teaching

Abstract

The significance of the address and reference systems lies in the fact that in their operations they involve, explicitly or implicitly, all the socio-linguistic aspects of speech interactions. In the incorporation of the socio- linguistic aspects into SLT and FLT the extent to which language varieties are introduced should be carefully considered. The position held in this paper is that the standard variety should be prior to other varieties. Particular attention should be paid to address and reference systems in SLT, particularly if the systems of the target language are complex. The Indonesian address and reference systems serve as an example. Reciprocal and non-reciprocal patterns are found in these systems. The patterns involve various terms and their operations are governed by various social conditions, such as the identities of the interlocutors as well as the person-referred-to, the setting, the topic, etc. Three main pedagogical problems are implied in the address and reference system of BT, if this language is taught as an SL, namely, discovering social conditions, sociolinguistic interference, and sociolinguistic ambiguity. These problems are assumed to be universal. Some specially devised drills which have been found effective in overcoming the three problems are presented. The drills aim at developing and strengthening the students' awareness of the existence of sociolinguistic conditions governing the operation of the address and reference systems. These examples are hoped to serve as an aid in devising the most effective models that can be used in SLT.