Text modification in French as a Foreign Language: the «elaboration» type as a proposal

Abstract

Foreign Language Acquisition usually considers that authentic input can be too complex for the learner, especially at the early and intermediate stages of learning, and that it is preferable to offer them modified input, easier to understand and thus to acquire. The most usual modification type is “simplification”, although lately the modification called “elaboration” has been a preferred one in didactics. Our aim is to study if elaborated input is better understood than simplified input, and which type of comprehension is enhanced: literal or inferential. We have carried out a research study, with Spanish intermediate French students, comparing the comprehension of an authentic text and this same text modified through elaboration. Our results show that the elaborated text is better understood than the authentic one, and for the two comprehension types. Elaboration seems to be a better modification process than simplification, as it maintains the style of authentic texts.