Interview: #7; Language: Hindi; Interviewee: Janaki; Level: Advanced Low

In the warm-up section, the interviewee clearly demonstrates her ability to speak in connected short paragraphs about her interests in English, French and American history and where she lived before coming to the U.S. The interviewer checks her level by asking her to compare the life in London and in New York City (“kyaa samaantaaeN diktii haiN London aur New York ke biich meN”). This leads to a level probe on the topic of Britain’s political scene and its trade policies (“kyaa aapko raajniiti meN dilchaspii hai?”). The interviewee answers in connected language. She does not display the fast-flowing speech with interwoven paragraphs of a reporter, but she consistently speaks in well-constructed paragraphs. She has sufficient control over basic grammar, a sign of Advanced level – she uses correctly relative-correlative sentences (“jo bhii jaantii huuN …”), ‘to want to’ — infinitive + chaahnaa (“siikhnaa chaahtii huuN”), ‘are not able to do’ — verb stem + paanaa (“vyaapaar nahiiN kar paa rahe haiN”), subjunctive ‘both countries prosperity is to stay together’ (“donoN kii bhalaaii hai ki vo saath raheN”), etc. She also speaks in paragraphs, however, they are rather skinny and she uses English words (‘opposition party’, ‘trade policy’, ‘economic growth’, etc.).

Therefore, the interviewer introduces a new unfamiliar topic at the abstract level, the environment (“paryaavaraN”), however, the interviewee is unable to handle this question adequately. Next, the interviewer moves on to media-related questions that the interviewee can consistently answer in skinny paragraphs.

The interviewer then probes her level for more cohesive narration of stories from films she has seen and to compare old and new movies. The testee produces adequate linguistic performance to successfully fulfill the functions of narrating and describing, the essential ones at the Advanced level. She uses less English words and provides an example of the differences. She produced a paragraph and complex syntax when she described friendship through personal observations: ‘Every week new people come. So sometimes a person comes, then after coming the first week, becomes a friend and then starts coming every week’. (“har hafte naye log aate hain. to kabhi kabhii aisaa koii aataa hai, jo ek hafte aataa hai, fir dost ban jaataa hai, har hafte aane lagta hai…”)

The interviewer then pulls out an orange role-play card to make sure that interviewee can handle all Advanced level functions, which she does sufficiently. The interviewee is then probed with an unfamiliar topic – to compare ‘the two countries’ teaching approach’ (“donoN jagah kii jo shikShaa paddhati us meN aapko kis tarah ke andar dikhaii diye”), also which style of teaching is better for the student (“kaunsii padhati behtar hai vidyaarthii ke vikaas ke liye”) and further from a social perspective which one is better for the individual in a social context (“… saamaajik sandarbh meN … ek vyakti kaa kaafii chiizoN men thoRaa thoRaa gyaan honaa yaa ki ek hi vishay men Dher saaraa gyaan honaa … kaun vyakti kisii bhii samaaj ke liye behtar hai”). The student also handles with ease the topic – she produces a paragraph and exhibits partial control over a complex syntactical structure – the contrary-to-fact conditional sentences ‘if I would have gone to study to England, then I say I want to study history, then I am studying only history’ (“main agar England meN gayii hotii to maiN kahti ki mujhe itihaas paRhna hai aur tin saal ke liye sirf itihaas paRh rahii huuN”). In the wind-down the student is prompted to speak about a familiar topic – her class experience and about her plan for the day, which she handles with confidence.

Apparently, the interviewee can handle Advanced level functions, narration and description, very well. She is comfortable speaking about familiar and personal topics mostly in informal context and some formal too (as in the case of media and teaching methodology), she can also handle complications or unexpected turn of events and able to use communicative strategies such as rephrasing and circumlocution. However, at times she produces limited language especially at the abstract level (about environment and the elections), her vocabulary lacks specificity and she uses English as crutch, hence she handles partially the Advanced level context and content. She can talk comfortably in the three time frames but she speaks slowly and in single paragraphs which are usually short. Therefore, she is rated at the Advanced Low level, which means that she meets all the Advanced level criteria but at a minimum.

Listen to the rationale in Hindi: