DOES RECALL OF COLLOQUIAL AND STANDARD ENGLISH DISCOURSE VARY WITH LANGUAGE COMPETENCE AND TOPIC?

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of spoken language variations on the memory for content. A primary emphasis of the study is the use of natural speech. Subjects were tested with samples of Singapore Standard English and Singapore Colloquial English which were recorded from actual conversations. The effects of competence in language and domain were also investigated. The latter, pertaining to the functions of language varieties in Singapore, was represented by selected topics. The most interesting result of the study was superior recall for colloquial discourse compared to standard discourse, which questions the assumption that standard is necessarily the best variety. Recall was also found to depend on subjects' competence in language and topic. The characteristics of the recall passages were also important determinants. The only significant interaction effect was found between competence and topic. A memory model for the results was suggested which supports Chomsky's distinction that 'performance' is not equivalent to 'competence'.