>I did not understand this phrase, Bill.
>As in other activty, the language we use to direct our eyes becomes
>internalized and the use of our eyes during driving becomes as
>looking while driving becomes an operation, even more so when we
>consider the learning and predicting of the brain as it mediates
>many of our unconscious lookings.
>
>The example of learning to drive and the transformations that occur
>with gaining expertise is, I recall, an example from Leontiev. Is
>that so? If so, perhaps some of the SFL folks could talk about how
>the role
>of language as one of the mediational means in this transformation
>changes. In all of this, I assume our major objective in THIS
>discussion is how to eal with language in activity.
>
For what it's worth, my take on the role of language in driving fits
Leont'ev's distinction between action and operation. Too long ago to
remember, I must have been talked through the actions involved in
driving - brakes, gear shift, judging distances and so on. But all of
these actions now function as operations without need for conscious
monitoring. (It often surprises me when listening to a taped story or
chatting with a passenger, that I have apparently driven for many
miles without any recollection of paying conscious attention to what
I was doing.) However, when I am uncertain about where I am going, I
may ask someone to check the map to tell me when to turn (or do so
myself); when making a left turn at lights, I consciously check
whether I can turn when the main lights are green or whether I have
to wait for the green arrow. In these conditions, I am conscious
quite often of using language, either in unvocalized speech to self
or sometimes even aloud. On this basis, I would argue that language
is not involved in any form when driving does not require conscious
attention but that it comes into play when I have to make conscious
decisions. In this latter condition, I think my speech (inner or
vocalized) speech functions as a mediating operation but not as a
goal-directed action. In fact, I think speech is rarely an action in
its own right but rather an operation employed like a pointing finger
or conventional gesture to contribute to the achievement of the
action in play.
Gordon
-- Gordon Wells Dept of Education, http://education.ucsc.edu/faculty/gwells UC Santa Cruz. gwells@ucsc.edu_______________________________________________ xmca mailing list xmca@weber.ucsd.edu http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
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