Circumlocution
Circumlocution is a communication strategy in which a speaker describes or explains a concept when they cannot access the exact word or phrase they need. Rather than abandoning the message or switching to the L1 (see Code-Switching), the speaker uses known language to talk around the gap — for example, saying the machine that cuts food into small pieces when they cannot recall food processor.
In general usage, circumlocution implies deliberate vagueness or evasion (Dickens famously satirized bureaucratic circumlocution). In SLA and ELT, the meaning is different: it is an achievement strategy — a way of getting the message across despite a lexical gap.
Place in Communication Strategy Taxonomies
Circumlocution appears in all major communication strategy taxonomies:
Tarone (1977, 1981)
Tarone classified communication strategies into five categories:
| Strategy | Description |
|---|---|
| Avoidance | Topic avoidance or message abandonment |
| Paraphrase | Approximation, word coinage, circumlocution |
| Conscious transfer | Literal translation, language switch |
| Appeal for assistance | Asking the interlocutor for help |
| Mime | Non-verbal strategies |
Circumlocution falls under paraphrase — the learner uses existing L2 resources to describe the target concept.
Faerch & Kasper (1983)
Faerch and Kasper divided strategies into:
- Reduction strategies — the learner gives up on part of the message (avoidance)
- Achievement strategies — the learner finds a way to communicate the message
Circumlocution is a prime achievement strategy — the learner solves the problem rather than avoiding it.
Dornyei (1995)
Dornyei's taxonomy further specified circumlocution types:
| Sub-type | Mechanism | Example (target: corkscrew) |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Physical properties | It is a small metal thing with a spiral shape |
| Function | What the object does | You use it to open wine bottles |
| Exemplification | Giving an example of the category | It is a kind of tool, like a bottle opener but with a screw |
| Analogy/comparison | Relating to something similar | It looks like a small drill |
Examples in Learner Language
| What the learner wants to say | Circumlocution used |
|---|---|
| kettle | the thing you boil water in |
| evaporate | it becomes a gas |
| pedestrian crossing | the place with white lines where people walk across the road |
| exhausted | very very tired, I can't move |
| blender | the machine that makes liquid from fruit to drink |
Circumlocution and Proficiency
Circumlocution use varies with proficiency:
- Beginners often cannot circumlocute effectively because they lack the L2 resources to describe concepts — they tend to use avoidance, L1 transfer, or Code-Switching instead.
- Intermediate learners use circumlocution most — they have enough L2 to describe things but not enough to know the precise word for everything. This is the sweet spot for strategy training.
- Advanced learners use circumlocution less frequently because they know more words, but they deploy it skillfully when needed — often seamlessly enough that listeners do not notice the gap.
Why It Matters for Teaching
- Teach it explicitly. Circumlocution is trainable. Learners benefit from structured practice in describing objects, actions, and concepts using known language. Activities: describe and draw, Taboo (the board game), definition games, what's in the bag?
- Value it as a positive strategy. Circumlocution keeps the learner in the target language and maintains communicative flow — far better than message abandonment or defaulting to L1. It demonstrates communicative competence.
- It develops lexical knowledge. The act of circumlocuting forces learners to activate and recombine their existing vocabulary, which strengthens lexical networks. It also creates a "need" for the target word, making subsequent vocabulary learning more memorable.
- IELTS relevance. In IELTS Speaking, circumlocution is a legitimate and effective strategy. A candidate who says the thing you use to measure temperature instead of thermometer demonstrates lexical resourcefulness. The band descriptors reward the ability to paraphrase effectively. See IELTS Speaking Elaboration.
- Distinguish from avoidance. Circumlocution is an achievement strategy; avoidance is a reduction strategy. A learner who talks around a word is engaging with the communicative challenge; a learner who changes topic is retreating from it.
- Pair with vocabulary building. After a circumlocution episode, supply the target word. The learner has just created the perfect mental space for it — they had a need, tried to express it, and are now maximally receptive to the correct form.
Key References
- Tarone, E. (1977). Conscious communication strategies in interlanguage. In H.D. Brown, C.A. Yorio, & R.C. Crymes (Eds.), On TESOL '77. TESOL.
- Tarone, E. (1981). Some thoughts on the notion of communication strategy. TESOL Quarterly, 15(3), 285–295.
- Faerch, C. & Kasper, G. (1983). Strategies in Interlanguage Communication. Longman.
- Dornyei, Z. (1995). On the teachability of communication strategies. TESOL Quarterly, 29(1), 55–85.
- Dornyei, Z. & Scott, M.L. (1997). Communication strategies in a second language: Definitions and taxonomies. Language Learning, 47(1), 173–210.
- Kellerman, E. (1991). Compensatory strategies in second language research: A critique, a revision, and some (non-)implications for the classroom. In R. Phillipson et al. (Eds.), Foreign/Second Language Pedagogy Research. Multilingual Matters.