AN ANALYSIS OF THE DISCOURSE DOMAIN HYPOTHESIS AND ITS ADEQUACYIN EXPLAINING THE TOPIC-BASED INTERLANGUAGE VARIATIONAMONG ENGLISH LEARNERS OF L1 CHINESE

Abstract

The phenomenon of topic-based interlanguage variation among second language learners leads to the proposal of the Discourse Domain Hypothesis. However, theoretically, the core concept ‘discourse domain’ is ill-defined and the statement fails to meet the standard criteria for good theory construction. Therefore, it has been suggested that the term ‘discourse domain’ be abandoned. Empirically, interview data from ten participants’ on two random topics were analysed. No significant topic-based interlanguage variation was found in terms of complexity, accuracy or fluency considering factors such as life experience of residing in English-speaking countries, content control, frequent practice and emotional investment. This suggests that the hypothesis may not adequately explain the phenomenon. Comparatively speaking, such life experience, particularly in relation to the frequency of practice and the exposure to the target language, may play a greater role in determining interlanguage variation than other factors.

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