Examining lexical development in second language learners: An approximate replication of Salsbury, Crossley & McNamara (2011)

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A. Crossley ◽  
Stephen Skalicky
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Statistical Technique ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Lexical Development ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Individual Participant ◽  
Lexical Items

This paper reports on an approximate or partial replication of a study by Salsbury, Crossley & McNamara (2011) that examined the longitudinal developmental of a number of core lexical features related to word imageability, concreteness, familiarity, and meaningfulness in a spoken corpus of English second language (L2) learners. Salsbury et al. found no developmental growth patterns for word familiarity but strong growth patterns for word concreteness, imageability, and meaningfulness as a function of time such that L2 learners began to produce more sophisticated words. Salsbury et al. were the first to formally identify this relation between English proficiency and lexical sophistication, and a large number of studies investigating lexical proficiency have cited this article as a foundational study. There were, however, a number of limitations to the Salsbury et al. (2011) study that make it appropriate for replication. First, the sample size was relatively small (six learners sampled six times over the course of a year). In addition, the study did not control for a number of factors important in L2 acquisition studies (e.g., age, proficiency level, gender) and used a statistical technique that averaged group means and did not properly account for individual participant variation. This replication study addresses these areas and the findings from the replication reflect those reported by Salsbury et al., providing support for the notion that developing L2 lexicons move from the production of words with stronger links to core lexical items to words with weaker links to core lexical items over time. Implications for language learning and teaching are discussed.

Wie Zijn 'Onze' Leerders?

1999 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 87-97
Author(s):  
Anne-Mieke Janssen-van Dieten
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
The One

There is an increasing awareness that the number of non-native speakers in the category of 'adult, highly educated, advanced L2-learners' is rapidly increasing. This paper presents an analysis of what it means to teach them a second language - whether it is Dutch or any other second language. It is argued that, on the one hand, conceptions about language learning and teaching are insufficiendy known, and that, on the other hand, there are many widespread misconceptions that prevent language teachers from catering adequately for people's actual communicative needs, and from providing tailor-made solutions to these problems.

scholarly journals A Case Study of Using Online Communities and Virtual Environment in Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) as a Learning and Teaching Tool for Second Language Learners

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isara Kongmee ◽  
Rebecca Strachan ◽  
Alison Pickard ◽  
Catherine Montgomery
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Role Playing Games ◽  
Second Language Speakers ◽  
Massively Multiplayer

Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) create large virtual communities. Online gaming shows potential not just for entertaining, but also in education. This research investigates the use of commercial MMORPGs to support second language teaching. MMORPGs offer virtual safe spaces in which students can communicate by using their target second language with global players. Using a mix of ethnography and action research, this study explores the students’ experiences of language learning and performing while playing MMORPGs. The results show that the use of MMORPGs can facilitate language development by offering fun, informal, individualised and secure virtual spaces for students to practise their language with native and other second language speakers.

scholarly journals Applied linguistics

2004 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-210
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Relevance Theory ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Language Research

04–413 Biber, Douglas and Cortes, Viviana (Northern Arizona U., USA). If you look at…: lexical bundles in university teaching and textbooks. Applied Linguistics (Oxford, UK), 25, 3 (2004), 371–405.04–414 Davies, C. E. (U. of Alabama, USA), Developing awareness of crosscultural pragmatics: The case of American/German sociable interactionMultilingua (Berlin, Germany), 23, 3 (2004), 207–231.04–415 Kaufman, Dorit.Constructivist issues in language learning and teaching. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics (Cambridge, UK), 24 (2004), 303–319.04–416 Kern, Richard, Ware, Paige and Warschauer, Mark. Crossing frontiers: new directions in online pedagogy and research. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics (Cambridge, UK), 24 (2004), 243–260.04–417 Liszka, S. A. (U. of London, UK; Email: [email protected]). Exploring the effects of first language influence on second language pragmatic processes from a syntactic deficit perspective. Second Language Research (London,UK), 20, 3 (2004), 212–231.04–418 McArthur, T. Is it world or international or globalEnglish, and does it matter?English Today (Cambridge, UK), 20, 3 (2004), 3–15.04–419 Ying, H. G. (U. of Colorado at Denver, USA; Email: [email protected]). Relevance mapping: a study of second language learners' processing of syntactically ambiguous sentences in English. Second Language Research (London,UK), 20, 3 (2004), 232–255.04–420 Zegarac, V. (U. of Luton, UK; Email: [email protected]). Relevance Theory andthein second language acquisition. Second Language Research (London, UK), 20, 3 (2004), 193–211.

scholarly journals Linking adverbials in English

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Zihan Yin
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Stage I ◽  
Detailed Account ◽  
Stage Ii ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Social Settings ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
The Difference

<p>Linking adverbials play an important role in textual cohesion. Applied linguistic studies (e.g. Altenberg & Tapper, 1998; Bolton, Nelson, & Hung, 2002; Chen, 2006) have shown that second language learners have difficulty in using linking adverbials appropriately. Biber, Johansson, Leech, Conrad, and Finegan (1999) is to date the only corpus-based reference grammar book which covers all three aspects of usage patterns of linking adverbials, i.e., form, meaning and position. But as the book provides a very comprehensive grammar, there is not room for a detailed account of all three aspects of usage patterns of a small grammar category such as linking adverbials. Also, the previous literature does not agree upon the terms used to refer to linking adverbials and the linguistic elements referred to by linking adverbials and other related terms. This two-stage study examined research questions of what linking adverbials are and how they are used in different registers using both a qualitative and quantitative approach. In Stage I, a random sample of 67 texts of a total of over 100,000 words from the Wellington Corpora of Written and Spoken New Zealand English (WWC and WSC) were manually analysed, which provided coverage of the target five registers of written academic prose, academic lectures, conversation, written news and broadcast news. In Stage II, the most frequent linking adverbials identified in written registers in Stage I were automatically searched in larger corpora, i.e., the whole WWC, BNC and COCA. The intonation unit was adopted as the analysis unit for spoken data and sound files were needed in deciding intonation units. Thus, automatic search for patterns in spoken data was not viable in Stage II. This study suggests a new definition of linking adverbials and explains the difference between linking adverbials and conjunctions. This study then provides a detailed account of usage patterns of not only the form, meaning and position of linking adverbials but also patterns of types of each form, meaning and position in five registers. Such usage patterns are compared and explained among different written and spoken registers and in different social settings. It is worth noting that a register-specific meaning categorization system and a semantic-pragmatic continuum are suggested in this study. The aforementioned findings contribute to theories of the nature of linking adverbials, and have implications for second language learning and teaching in EAP and ESP contexts and future corpus-based pedagogical grammar studies.</p>

Second Language Learners' Spoken Discourse

2017 ◽  
pp. 367-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catia Cucchiarini ◽  
Helmer Strik
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Speech Technology ◽  
Spoken Discourse ◽  
Learning And Teaching

This chapter examines the use of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology in the context of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and language learning and teaching research. A brief introduction to ASR is first provided, to make it clear why and how this technology can be used to the benefit of learning and development in second language (L2) spoken discourse. This is followed by an overview of the state of the art in research on ASR-based CALL. Subsequently, a number of relevant projects on ASR-based CALL conducted at the Centre for Language and Speech Technology of the Radboud University in Nijmegen (the Netherlands) are presented. Possible solutions and recommendations are discussed given the current state of the technology with an explanation of how such systems can be used to the benefit of Discourse Analysis research. The chapter concludes with a discussion of possible perspectives for future research and development.

Internet-Based Technology Use in Second Language Learning

2015 ◽  
pp. 432-446
Author(s):  
Shuyi Guan
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Instructional Tools ◽  
Second Languages ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Online Technologies

Ever since computer technologies were accessible to second language learners and teachers, various types of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) have been harnessed in the service of teaching languages. Most recently, the advent of online technologies has sparked CALL practitioners to integrate this powerful form of teaching and learning into language education. This paper synthesizes the extant research on these online language education activities and the state of current understanding regarding the potential of Internet-based teaching and learning second languages. The results of analyzing extensive studies of Internet-based second language learning reveals that Internet-based technology has been widely used in second language learning. In addition, Internet-based technologies are effective instructional tools for second language learning and teaching.

Second Language Learners’ Spoken Discourse

2013 ◽  
pp. 169-189
Author(s):  
Catia Cucchiarini ◽  
Helmer Strik
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Speech Technology ◽  
Spoken Discourse ◽  
Learning And Teaching

This chapter examines the use of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology in the context of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and language learning and teaching research. A brief introduction to ASR is first provided, to make it clear why and how this technology can be used to the benefit of learning and development in second language (L2) spoken discourse. This is followed by an overview of the state of the art in research on ASR-based CALL. Subsequently, a number of relevant projects on ASR-based CALL conducted at the Centre for Language and Speech Technology of the Radboud University in Nijmegen (the Netherlands) are presented. Possible solutions and recommendations are discussed given the current state of the technology with an explanation of how such systems can be used to the benefit of Discourse Analysis research. The chapter concludes with a discussion of possible perspectives for future research and development.

scholarly journals Classroom Participation as a Performative Act of Language Learners’ Identity Construction

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 72-84
Author(s):  
Rea Lujić
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Classroom Participation ◽  
Learner Identity ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
L2 Learners

Abstract In the first part of this study, we briefly present different approaches used to define the concept of second language learners’ identity. Then we introduce Butler’s theory of performativity (1988) and we attempt to apply its main concepts as tools for describing L2 learners’ identity. In the second part of the study, we try to answer the following question: What are typical performative acts of a good and a poor language learner in the language learning classroom? Our research suggests that performing a good language learner identity refers to the learner’s frequent and repetitive participation in utterances whose content is related to the language classroom, regardless of the chosen communicative resources. As for performing a poor language learner identity, it appeared that it refers to the learner’s repetitive and frequent participation in utterances whose content is not related to the language classroom, regardless of the chosen communicative resources.

scholarly journals Which type of instruction fosters chunk learning? Preliminary conclusions

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Mercedes Pérez Serrano
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Learning Gains ◽  
Formulaic Language ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Lexical Approach

<p>Formulaic language learning has been shown to be problematic and slow in adult L2 learners. In this study, we test some of the recommendations of a lexical approach. We compare the results of the implementation of chunk attention-directing techniques and explicit exercises of previously selected chunks in 52 Spanish as a second language learners over a period of seven weeks. In light of the results obtained, we can conclude that (1) exposure to lexical chunks, chunk noticing in the input and explicit exercises contribute to the development of abilities in the active recognition of chunks, and (2) learning gains obtained through explicit exercises are significantly greater than those obtained through attention-directing techniques.</p>

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