The effect of phonological variation on adult learner comprehension

1981 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Eisenstein ◽  
Diana Berkowitz
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Research Report ◽  
Standard English ◽  
Phonological Variation ◽  
Adult Esl ◽  
Accented English ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
The Relationship

This research report focuses on the relationship of English phonological variation to intelligibility for adult second language learners of English. Fifty-eight adult ESL learners (29 advanced beginners and 29 high intermediates) were tested' on their ability to understand working-class (New Yorkese), educated (Standard English) and foreign-accented speakers of English. Subjects were also asked to rank these speakers according to expected ease of comprehension. Findings from this study indicate Standard English to be more intelligible than either New Yorkese or foreign accented English for these learners.

Prototype effects in first and second language learners: The case of English transitive semantics

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 618-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
SARUT SUPASIRAPRAPA
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
False Positive ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
Category Membership ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Adult Esl ◽  
Esl Learners

According to usage-based approaches to language acquisition, linguistic constructions should display prototype effects, or graded category membership (e.g., Bybee, 2010). Using the prototype-plus-distortion methodology (Franks & Bransford, 1971), Ibbotson, Theakston, Lieven, and Tomasello (2012) have provided evidence for prototype effects in adult native English speakers, who had false-positive recognition of sentences with prototypical transitive semantics as having been previously encountered after being exposed to non-prototypical transitive semantics. In the current study, I adopted this methodology and investigated whether the effects can be replicated and additionally observed from English-as-a-second-language (ESL) learners. Results from two groups of adult native English speakers (N=20 and N=21), each exposed to a different stimuli set, suggested some, but not strong, effects and revealed the complexity of the use of this methodology with linguistic materials. Moreover, no effects were observed from advanced adult ESL learners (N=22), suggesting possible differences between first and second transitive semantic representations.

scholarly journals A Perceptual Study of Phonological Variations in Pakistani English

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Abdul Malik Abbasi ◽  
Mansoor Ahmed Channa ◽  
Innayatullah Kakepoto ◽  
Rida Ali ◽  
Misbeh Mehmood
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Lexical Stress ◽  
English As Second Language ◽  
Perceptual Judgments ◽  
Lexical Items ◽  
Accented English ◽  
The Right ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Stress Patterns

The present study examines the perceptual judgments of English lexical items and English lexical stress by Urdu ESL (Note 1) (English as Second Language) learners. The analysis discusses the different sound systems of both languages and their syllabification system coupled with the stress patterns. The stimuli of 50 high frequency English words were designed as data collection tool for counting the number of syllables and for marking lexical stress as follows: 9 monosyllabic, 11 disyllabic, 10 tri-syllabic, 10 four-syllabic and 10 five-syllabic words. All participating subjects were 40 under graduate students from the department of computer sciences, Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU) Karachi. The findings of the study show English lexical items were syllabified with different numbers and primary stressed syllables were also marked with different places of the lexical items, however, data also show the correct syllabification and the right placement of lexical stress which is a strong evidence manifesting as Urdu-accented English perceived and produced by Urdu ESL learners. 

scholarly journals The relationship between phonotactic awareness and pronunciation in adult second language learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-214
Author(s):  
Hanna Kivistö-de Souza
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
L1 English ◽  
L2 Pronunciation

Abstract: This study examined to what extent L1 Brazilian Portuguese (BP) EFL learners are aware of L2 phonotactics and whether there would be a relationship between L2 phonotactic awareness and L2 pronunciation accuracy. The language learners were tested regarding their awareness of L2 onset consonant clusters with a lexical decision task presenting nonword stimuli with legal and illegal onset clusters. L2 pronunciation was measured with a Foreign Accent Rating Task. The results showed that L1 BP participants showed a high awareness concerning L2 phonotactics, not differing from L1 English speakers, t(86)=.20, p =.83. Furthermore, high phonotactic awareness was found to be related to higher accuracy in L2 pronunciation (r= -.46, p <.001). The results suggest that phonotactics should be taught in foreign language classrooms since increasing learners’ awareness might be beneficial for the accuracy of their L2 pronunciation.

scholarly journals How the factor of reading hours affect extensive reading of teenage elementary level students at North America International school

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-81
Author(s):  
Dang Hoang Bich Tram ◽  
Huynh Cong Minh Hung
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
International School ◽  
Reading Performance ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Elementary Level ◽  
Extensive Reading ◽  
The Relationship

Extensive reading has been received much attention because of its benefits for second language learners. This paper aims to determine the effect of the reading hour factor on the efficiency of extensive reading process of teenage students at North America International School. The experiment was conducted so as to find out whether increasing reading hours has any impact on learners reading performance. The study implications could either announce the teachers and educators the relationship between reading hours and extensive reading or employ in teaching and learning reading extensively. Besides, the revealed findings will provide the teachers proper insights of implementing a successful extensive reading program.

scholarly journals “Reduced Forms” Influence on Second Language Learners’ Listening Input-Intake Conversion

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 194-199
Author(s):  
Yueyang Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Comprehension Ability ◽  
Input Hypothesis ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Reduced Forms

This article analyses the factors influencing the process of input-intake conversion and focuses on the effect of “reduced forms” on English as a Second Language (ESL) learners’ listening comprehension. The Input Hypothesis, the Noticing Hypothesis, the input-intake relationship, and the factors influencing the input-intake relationship are critically reviewed and analyzed. The empirical study of Brown and Hilferty [1] is reviewed and discussed to show reduced forms’ influence on ESL learners’ listening comprehension. The results prove that integrating reduced forms into ESL lessons is both necessary and meaningful for improving students’ listening comprehension ability.

scholarly journals Voicing up in Debate Competition: Oral Development of Two Malaysian ESL Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 90
Author(s):  
Farzaneh Amiri ◽  
Moomala Othman ◽  
Maryam Jahedi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Linguistic Resources ◽  
Communicative Strategies ◽  
English Second Language ◽  
Oral Development ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
The Impact

This research used a qualitative approach to focus on the classroom debate between Malaysian English second language learners (ESL). Since debate has been often perceived as not a suitable activity for low proficiency students due to their limited linguistic resources, there has not been much emphasis on the impact of debate on incompetent ESL learners; however, this study was an attempt to concentrate on two students who were not competent in English to investigate their oral development via debate. The study observed the communicative strategies employed in this challenging task during the five debate rounds. Although the progress made was quite limited, the study showed that debate competition can be a relevant and meaningful practice for speaking activity among low proficiency students. Moreover, it showed that debate can be used to scaffold students’ practice in speaking.

scholarly journals Politeness in Business Communication: Investigating English Modal Sequences in Chinese Learners’ Letter Writing

RELC Journal ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
David D. Qian ◽  
Mingwei Pan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
First Language ◽  
Letter Writing ◽  
Epistemic Modality ◽  
Cultural Tradition ◽  
Tertiary Level ◽  
Esl Learners

Politeness has been a source of inspiration for research in pragmatics and inter- and intra-cultural communication. However, the existing literature focusses more on how politeness is realized in the context of first language use. Few studies have investigated the issue related to the use of English by second language learners from varying subcultures within the same cultural tradition. The present study examines how Hong Kong and Shanghai tertiary-level learners of English convey politeness in their business letter writing, as reflected in the use of modal sequences. Three hundred business letters were collected from students in Hong Kong and another 300 from students in Shanghai. Majoring in various disciplines, these students were all in their final year of study, and their English proficiency level was generally scored at B2, as compared with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Following a mixed-methods approach, the study tracked a rather complex distribution of politeness realizations by different modal sequences. The findings were that Hong Kong ESL learners appeared to be more strategic users of modal sequences as evidenced by a variety of usage examples from the two purpose-built learner corpora, which were developed to monitor and compare English learners’ business writing at the tertiary level. Another finding was that epistemic modality tended to better preserve politeness in the writing.

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