Language Acquisition as Foreign Language among English Learners at FKIP UHN Pematangsiantar

Abstract

Language acquisition is the strategy of the learners to explain a message to his listener, when the initial plan cannot be carried out. This research is dealt with the problem: What communication strategies are used by the students in learning English as a foreign language? The writer intends to use the theory of Ellis (1985), Faerch and Kasper in Ellis (1985), and Brown (1980). This study is on classroom realities in learning English as a foreign language in EFL class at FKIP UHN Pematangsiantar. The data are interpreted by using theory of Faerch and Kasper about types of communication strategies. The data analysis shows that the students among English learners at FKIP UHN Pematangsiantar use some type of communication strategies in communication one to another, when they have problem how to say or to express a message to her listener in target language. The data analysis shows that the students are use formal reduction strategies, foreign zing strategies, codeswitching strategies and indirect appeal strategies. But the analysis shows that the students use more often formal reduction strategies than strategies. Communication strategies are very important for learning English as a foreign language. The best strategy users are those with adequate formal proficiency who modify the strategy to suit the specific concept to be conveyed. Therefore the writer makes the suggestion such as when learners have to refer to some object without knowing the second language word, they can use the communication strategies so that the can keep the conversation.