Communication Strategies--the Researcher Outmanoeuvred?

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Abstract
This article examines critically three aspects of research into communication strategies, with special reference to an article by Paribakht published in Applied Linguistics Vol. 6 No. 2 which uses a research method somewhat different from the usual one. (1) There is an examination of the nature of the distinction between ‘appeal for assistance’ communication strategies and theothers usually talked about. Paribakht's technique, it is suggested, only in effect elicits this class of communication strategy and hence produces data that is in certain ways artificially restricted and not similar to that produced by the sort of methods used by Tarone, or Faerch and Rasper. (2) The difference between communication strategies used to communicate a problem meaning and those used to communicate a problem word is explored. The conclusion is reached that whereas other communication strategy researchers rightly obtain data more on the former, Paribakht's method gives data on a rather artificial form of the latter. (3) There is an examination of possible ways ofsubclassifying ‘appeal for assistance’ strategies, particularly ones making use of a circumlocution or paraphrase to indicate the meaning for which a word is sought. Paribakht's classification is analysed and found to be unsatisfactory.

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