Language, Experience, and Negotiation

ABSTRACT

An assumed link between language and experience prompted the narrative collection and mutual interpretation of data between me and an immigrant from Iran whom I taught ESL. An underlying theme of the study was the quest for a helpful image of language. Realizing that dictionary meanings were inadequate in the meaning-making process, we concentrated on illustrative examples for the meaning of words. We exploited mininarratives implicit in such examples—incipient stories based on the speaker's past, present, and imaginatively projected experiences. As we expanded these “experiential narratives,” the student's personal practical knowledge emerged and helped clarify troublesome words and sentences. Viewing language as experiential narrative demonstrated the importance of the context of acquisition. It increased opportunities for the negotiation of meaning and highlighted the notion of agency in the constitution of meanings.