The impact of verb form, sentence position, home language, and second language proficiency on subject–verb agreement in child second language Dutch

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 777-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELMA BLOM ◽  
HARALD R. BAAYEN
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Verb Agreement ◽  
Verb Forms ◽  
Sentence Position ◽  
Default Form ◽  
Syntactic Properties ◽  
Communication Demands ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTIt has been argued that children learning a second language (L2) omit agreement inflection because of communication demands. The conclusion of these studies is that L2 children know the morphological and syntactic properties of agreement inflection, but sometimes insert an inflectional default form (i.e., the bare verb) in production. The present study focuses on factors that explain errors with subject–verb agreement in the speech of children learning Dutch as their L2. Analyses of experimentally obtained production data from 4- to 9-year-old L2 children reveal that verb form, sentence position, home language, and L2 proficiency determine accuracy with subject–verb agreement in the L2. Most errors were omissions of inflection, in line with the above hypothesis. However, in more exceptional contexts, the children also substituted verb forms, which is more difficult to reconcile with the claim that L2 children's errors reflect insertion of a default form.

An invited article: Bilingual education of majority-language children: The Immersion experiments in review

1983 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Genesee
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Language Immersion ◽  
Immersion Program ◽  
Social Settings ◽  
School Programs ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Evaluative Research ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTSecond-language “Immersion” school programs that have been developed in Canada and the United States during the last two decades are described and the results of evaluative research pertaining to them are reviewed. Major Immersion program alternatives (i.e., Early, Delayed, and Late variants) along with their theoretical bases and pedagogical characteristics are described first. Research findings are then discussed with respect to the impact of participation in an Immersion program on the students' native-language development, academic achievement, second-language proficiency, and on their attitudes and second-language use. Also, the suitability of Immersion in different geographical/social settings and for students with distinctive, potentially handicapping characteristics is considered. It is concluded that second-language Immersion programs are feasible and effective forms of education for majority-language children with diverse characteristics.

scholarly journals Latent variable evidence on the interplay between language switching frequency and executive control in Spanish-Catalan bilinguals

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 912-930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor A. Sanchez-Azanza ◽  
Raúl López-Penadés ◽  
Eva Aguilar-Mediavilla ◽  
Daniel Adrover-Roig
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Natural Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Age Of Acquisition ◽  
Switching Frequency ◽  
Language Switching ◽  
Second Language Proficiency ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
The Impact

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: We characterized the impact of several bilingualism-related factors on the executive control of Spanish-Catalan bilinguals. Design/methodology/approach: Participants self-reported information regarding their age of acquisition, second language proficiency and frequency of natural language switching, and performed non-linguistic tasks tapping into specific executive control subcomponents, including inhibition, switching and updating. Data and analysis: Data were analyzed by means of a structural equation model (SEM) approach. Findings/conclusions: Results revealed that the frequency of natural language switching positively modulated the executive control performance of Spanish-Catalan bilinguals, while neither age of acquisition nor second language proficiency had an effect. Moreover, we found that the impact of natural language switching exerted general-processing influences, affecting all subcomponents of executive control. Findings are discussed in relation to context-specific effects on the cognitive system of a particular bilingual population. Originality: The current study applied an SEM approach to provide new evidence on the previously ambiguous relation between bilingualism-related factors and executive control. Significance/implications: Our findings suggest that the frequency of natural language switching does globally influence the executive control of Spanish-Catalan bilinguals.

scholarly journals Teachers’ Beliefs about Translanguaging: Effects of Language Skills and Instructional Settings

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. p107
Author(s):  
Bruce Torff ◽  
Audrey Figueroa Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
General Education ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Instructional Settings

Experimental research was conducted to examine teachers’ beliefs about classroom activities involving translanguaging, a pedagogical practice in which students use both their home language and second language to communicate, learn academic content, and develop oral and literacy skills in both languages. Teachers (n = 249) completed a survey to rate the effectiveness of translanguaging in general and specifically for students who vary in L1 and L2 proficiency (in this research, Spanish and English). Participants were randomly assigned to respond concerning one of four instructional settings: Bilingual Education (BE), Dual Language (DL), General Education (GE), and English as a Second Language (ESL). In general, translanguaging was viewed as more effective when students’ Spanish skills are strong, although strong English skills also were seen to make it more effective to a lesser extent. Teachers rated translanguaging as generally more effective in DL and BE, likely because these settings explicitly leverage students’ home-language skills. Classroom practices based on these beliefs may exacerbate achievement gaps between high- and low-proficiency populations, by directing the richness of the home language and culture disproportionately to high-proficiency students. Teacher-education practices are needed emphasizing translanguaging for all students regardless of home-language proficiency.

scholarly journals The impact of the objectives of Arabic language learners as a second language and their involvement in the learning engagement on their language proficiency- field study on two Malaysian universities – Malaysia: علاقة الدافعية بتحسين الكفايات اللغوية لمتعلمي اللغة العربية كلغةٍ ثانيةٍ وانخراطهم في العملية التعلمية - دراسة ميدانية على طلبة جامعتي العلوم الإسلامية الماليزية والإسلامية العالمية الماليزيتين-

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikail Ibrahim, Zainalabidin Hajib, Yuslina Mohammad, Essamo
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Linguistic Competence ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

This research aims to study the correlative relationships between the orientation towards the goal and engage in the learning process, and their relationship to the acquisition of Arabic language skills as a second language between students of the University of Islamic Science Malaysia and International Islamic University Malaysia. The study followed the correlative approach. The questionnaire consisted of a questionnaire that was distributed to a random stratified sample. The study population consisted of students from the University of Islamic Sciences Malaysia and the International Islamic University Malaysia. It reached 451 students (males = 170, females = 281). The researchers used the typical structural equation for statistical treatments. The result of the analysis showed a statistically significant relationship between the goal of empowerment, the goal of performance on the one hand, and linguistic competence on the other. While the negative relationship between avoiding schoolwork and language competence. The study also revealed that there is a strong positive relationship between engaging in the learning process mentally, behaviorally, emotionally and linguistic competence, and the behavioral involvement factor obtained the strongest relationship in determining the fate of the language learning process. Finally, the analysis showed that females are more capable than males. In light of the results, the current study recommended the application of such studies in some countries where Arabic is considered a second language to ensure the validity and consistency of the scale, and the possibility of generalizing it. Developing the skills of Arabic language teachers through training workshops and introducing them to modern teaching methods in teaching the Arabic language.

scholarly journals What vocabulary size tells us about pronunciation skills: Issues in assessing L2 learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-160
Author(s):  
Paolo Mairano ◽  
Fabian Santiago
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Speaking Skills

AbstractMeasures of second language (L2) learners’ vocabulary size have been shown to correlate with language proficiency in reading, writing and listening skills, and vocabulary tests are sometimes used for placement purposes. However, the relation between learners’ vocabulary knowledge and their speaking skills has been less thoroughly investigated, and even less so in terms of pronunciation. In this article, we compare vocabulary and pronunciation measures for 25 Italian instructed learners of L2 French. We measure their receptive (Dialang score) and productive (vocd-D, MTLD) vocabulary size, and calculate the following pronunciation indices: acoustic distance and overlap of realizations for selected L2 French vowel pairs, ratings of nasality for ratings of foreign-accentedness, fluency metrics. We find that vocabulary measures show low to medium correlations with fluency metrics and ratings of foreign-accentedness, but not with vowel metrics. We then turn our attention to the impact of research methods on the study of vocabulary and pronunciation. More specifically, we discuss the possibility that these results are due to pitfalls in vocabulary and pronunciation indices, such as the failure of Dialang to take into account the effect of L1-L2 cognates, and the lack of measures for evaluating consonants, intonation and perception skills.

MANAGING TRANSITION: TEACHER ACCOMMODATION STRATEGIES IN AN ENGLISH SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-66
Author(s):  
Blandina Makina
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Intermediate Phase ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
First Language ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Slow Development ◽  
And Function

The South African Language in Education Policy (LiEP) makes provision for learners to be taught in their first language in the first three years of schooling. In accordance with this language policy, in most public schools, learners are taught in their home language in the first three years of school. In grade 4, which is the beginning of the intermediate phase, English - the second language (L2) – becomes the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) across all subjects except the mother tongue. Contrary to expectations, by grade 4, learners in disadvantaged environments have barely developed sufficient reading and writing skills in their home language to make a successful transition and function effectively in the L2. This paper is based on insights from lesson observations and interviews of three Grade 4 teachers of English as a Second Language. It documents the accommodation strategies used to help learners manipulate the language of learning and teaching (LoLT). Findings indicate that the translanguaging processes involved in making English part of the learners’ linguistic repertoire are heavily embedded in the home language, resulting in very slow development of the learners’ language proficiency in English. Recommendations are made on how to enable teachers to assist their learners to bridge this transition gap.

scholarly journals Język a tożsamość. Język pierwszy, drugi i obcy a sukcesy i niepowodzenia szkolne

Neofilolog ◽  
2017 ◽  
pp. 7-24
Author(s):  
Hanna Komorowska
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
School System ◽  
School Context ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Second Language Proficiency ◽  
The Impact

The article investigates relationships between national/ ethnic identity and languages used in the school context. The impact of imposed, attributed, regained and selected identities on first and second language proficiency is analyzed on numerous examples drawn from the areas of history, literature and culture. Approaches to bi-and monolingualism and bi and monoculturalism are then presented with special emphasis on the role of stereotypes. Linguistic factors which influence success and failure are discussed vis-à-vis immigration and re-emigration. Attention is given to difficulties encountered by students using restricted L1 codes as well as to problems faced by pupils lacking proficiency in the language of schooling. Implications are sought for language education in the school system.

scholarly journals The Impact of Consecutive Interpreting Training on the L2 Listening Competence Enhancement

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Tongtong Zhang ◽  
Zhiwei Wu
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Active Listening ◽  
Selective Listening ◽  
Listening Skill ◽  
Listening Ability ◽  
L2 Listening ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Consecutive Interpreting

In recent years, a growing number of people have taken up interpreting training, with the intention of not only developing interpreting skills, but improving language proficiency as well. The present study sets out to investigate the impact of English-Chinese consecutive interpreting (CI) training on the enhancement of the second language (L2, English) listening competence. An empirical study was conducted on 50 interpreting student beginners to assess the effect of two different interpreting training modes on students’ English listening ability. The study indicates that CI training can enhance students’ L2 listening competence, specifically intensive listening skill and selective listening skill, but to a varying extent. Active listening, when trained as a stand-alone rather than a built-in component in the curriculum, contributes more to improving students’ listening ability. In view of this, pedagogical implications for interpreting training and L2 listening teaching are discussed.

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