TITLE:
University Students’ Beliefs on Communicating Meanings: Justifying the Language Policy
AUTHORS:
Joseph Kimoga
KEYWORDS:
Beliefs, Practice, Language Policy, Open Questions, Closed Questions, Chorus Answer Questions
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Linguistics,
Vol.4 No.2,
April
30,
2014
ABSTRACT:
Language is about
passing on meanings. This implies a speaker’s level of proficiency and fluency
and a level of comprehension by the listener. English, a widely used medium,
has been deeply researched on in how it is used by non-native speakers to
inform native speakers, and by native speakers to inform non-native speakers.
However, little research is done on non-native speakers using it to inform
non-native speakers. This article draws on the research done with university
students carrying out their practicum using English as the medium suggested in
the government policy. Their voices indicate that despite their limited
proficiency and fluency, linguistic choices are based on their beliefs.
Therefore, utterances should not be judged on the basis of proficiency and
fluency but on beliefs which are shaped by their culture, policies and
interactive situation.