A VIEW OF THE NEURAL REPRESENTATION OF SECOND LANGUAGE SYNTAX THROUGH ARTIFICIAL LANGUAGE LEARNING UNDER IMPLICIT CONTEXTS OF EXPOSURE

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara Morgan-Short ◽  
ZhiZhou Deng ◽  
Katherine A. Brill-Schuetz ◽  
Mandy Faretta-Stutenberg ◽  
Patrick C. M. Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Procedural Memory ◽  
Neural Representation ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Artificial Language Learning ◽  
Implicit And Explicit

The current study aims to make an initial neuroimaging contribution to central implicit-explicit issues in second language (L2) acquisition by considering how implicit and explicit contexts mediate the neural representation of L2. Focusing on implicit contexts, the study employs a longitudinal design to examine the neural representation of L2 syntax and also considers how the neural circuits underlying L2 syntax vary among learners who exhibit different levels of performance on linguistic and cognitive tasks. Results suggest that when exposed to a L2 under an implicit context, some learners are able to quickly rely on neural circuits associated with first language grammar and procedural memory, whereas other learners increasingly use extralinguistic neural circuits related to control mechanisms to process syntax. Thus, there may be multiple ways in which L2 is represented neurally, at least when learned under implicit contexts.

scholarly journals Implicit and Explicit Second Language Training Recruit Common Neural Mechanisms for Syntactic Processing

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 936-951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Batterink ◽  
Helen Neville
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Learning Conditions ◽  
Grammar Rules ◽  
Implicit And Explicit

In contrast to native language acquisition, adult second-language (L2) acquisition occurs under highly variable learning conditions. Although most adults acquire their L2 at least partially through explicit instruction, as in a classroom setting, many others acquire their L2 primarily through implicit exposure, as is typical of an immersion environment. Whether these differences in acquisition environment play a role in determining the neural mechanisms that are ultimately recruited to process L2 grammar has not been well characterized. This study investigated this issue by comparing the ERP response to novel L2 syntactic rules acquired under conditions of implicit exposure and explicit instruction, using a novel laboratory language-learning paradigm. Native speakers tested on these stimuli showed a biphasic response to syntactic violations, consisting of an earlier negativity followed by a later P600 effect. After merely an hour of training, both implicitly and explicitly trained learners who were capable of detecting grammatical violations also elicited P600 effects. In contrast, learners who were unable to discriminate between grammatically correct and incorrect sentences did not show significant P600 effects. The magnitude of the P600 effect was found to correlate with learners' behavioral proficiency. Behavioral measures revealed that successful learners from both the implicit and explicit groups gained explicit, verbalizable knowledge about the L2 grammar rules. Taken together, these results indicate that late, controlled mechanisms indexed by the P600 play a crucial role in processing a late-learned L2 grammar, regardless of training condition. These findings underscore the remarkable plasticity of later, attention-dependent processes and their importance in lifelong learning.

Implicit and Explicit Knowledge in Second Language Learning, Testing and Teaching

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayo Reinders ◽  
Rosemary Erlam ◽  
JeneferVE Philp ◽  
Shawn Loewen ◽  
Catherine Elder
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Implicit And Explicit

Four L2 Learning Objectives to Guide Podcast Design

2011 ◽  
pp. 21-36
Author(s):  
Claudia Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Comprehension Skills ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
Target Culture

This chapter addresses the production of podcasts as second language (L2) instructional materials developed by language instructors. The author discusses the importance of having clear language learning objectives when creating podcasts. The clarity of the objectives will depend on the particular nature of these materials and will influence podcast design and outcomes. In an effort to contribute to the understanding of podcast design that effectively promotes L2 acquisition and development, the author proposes that podcasts - when used by students as listening tools - can help the L2 learner accomplish four main learning objectives: (1) language acquisition, (2) development of listening comprehension skills, (3) learning of explicit information about the L2 and (4) awareness of the target culture. As with any L2 learning materials (Mobile Assisted or not), podcast development should be based on what is known about L2 acquisition and best teaching practices (Rosell-Aguilar, 2007; 2009). Therefore, the author addresses some of the aspects of language learning and teaching that should be considered in order to create well-informed podcasts that aim at the four proposed learning objectives.

A critical review of research relating to the learning, use and effects of additional and multiple languages in later life

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone E. Pfenninger ◽  
David Singleton
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Active Ageing ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Mature Adults ◽  
L2 Learning

AbstractWhile there is a growing body of research on second language acquisition (SLA) in children, adolescents, young and more mature adults, much remains to be explored about how adults in later life learn a new language and how good additional language learning is for them. Our goal in this article is to survey and evaluate what is known about the linguistic, socio-affective, neurobiological and cognitive underpinnings of the second language (L2) learning process in older individuals, the extent to which L2 acquisition may be seen as contributing to healthy and active ageing, and how these phenomena are to be approached scientifically, methodologically and pedagogically. Our view is that a developmental enterprise as complex as L2 learning in senior adulthood and its effects in later life cannot be explained by a single theory or set of principles. Furthermore, we take it that L2 acquisition in the third age needs to be regarded not just as a goal in itself but as a means of promoting social interaction and integration, and that it is partly through the stimulation of social well-being that its cognitive effects may potentially be observed.

The Neurolinguistics of Bilingualism

2019 ◽  
pp. 260-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Green ◽  
Judith F. Kroll
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Tightly Coupled ◽  
New Research

In the last two decades, the development of new methods for imaging and tracking the neural basis of language processing has revealed remarkable evidence for plasticity. Perhaps no other topic on language has exploited these developments as fully as bilingualism. Until recently, the acquisition and use of a second language, especially for adults, had been taken to be a model of how language processes might be constrained beyond early childhood. The new research has exposed a system that is more open to new language learning and more tightly coupled to the brain networks that engage cognitive control mechanisms than previously understood. This chapter reviews the most exciting new findings on how second-language learners and bilinguals adapt to the openness of the system to enable proficient language use. In this way, bilingualism becomes a model for the development of neuroplasticity across the life span.

scholarly journals When timing is everything: Age of first-language acquisition effects on second-language learning

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 537-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
RACHEL I. MAYBERRY
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Linguistic Structure ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Sensory Motor ◽  
L1 Acquisition ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Motor Modality

The present paper summarizes three experiments that investigate the effects of age of acquisition on first-language (L1) acquisition in relation to second-language (L2) outcome. The experiments use the unique acquisition situations of childhood deafness and sign language. The key factors controlled across the studies are age of L1 acquisition, the sensory–motor modality of the language, and level of linguistic structure. Findings consistent across the studies show age of L1 acquisition to be a determining factor in the success of both L1 and L2 acquisition. Sensory–motor modality shows no general or specific effects. It is of importance that the effects of age of L1 acquisition on both L1 and L2 outcome are apparent across levels of linguistic structure, namely, syntax, phonology, and the lexicon. The results demonstrate that L1 acquisition bestows not only facility with the linguistic structure of the L1, but also the ability to learn linguistic structure in the L2.

Implications of the declarative/procedural model for improving second language learning: The role of memory enhancement techniques

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T Ullman ◽  
Jarrett T Lovelett
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Declarative Memory ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Memory Systems ◽  
Procedural Memory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Memory Enhancement

The declarative/procedural (DP) model posits that the learning, storage, and use of language critically depend on two learning and memory systems in the brain: declarative memory and procedural memory. Thus, on the basis of independent research on the memory systems, the model can generate specific and often novel predictions for language. Till now most such predictions and ensuing empirical work have been motivated by research on the neurocognition of the two memory systems. However, there is also a large literature on techniques that enhance learning and memory. The DP model provides a theoretical framework for predicting which techniques should extend to language learning, and in what circumstances they should apply. In order to lay the neurocognitive groundwork for these predictions, here we first summarize the neurocognitive fundamentals of the two memory systems and briefly lay out the resulting claims of the DP model for both first and second language. We then provide an overview of learning and memory enhancement techniques before focusing on two techniques – spaced repetition and retrieval practice – that have been linked to the memory systems. Next, we present specific predictions for how these techniques should enhance language learning, and review existing evidence, which suggests that they do indeed improve the learning of both first and second language. Finally, we discuss areas of future research and implications for second language pedagogy.

scholarly journals How adult second language learning differs from child first language development

1996 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 721-723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Clahsen ◽  
Pieter Muysken
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Alternative View ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Target Article ◽  
Theoretical Developments

AbstractWe argue that the model developed in Epstein et al.'s target article does not explain differences between child first language (LI) acquisition and adult second language (L2) acquisition. We therefore sketch an alternative view, originally developed in Clahsen and Muysken (1989), in the light of new empirical findings and theoretical developments.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document