The acquisition of connectors in French L2 narrative discourse

Betsy Kerr-Barnes

doi:10.1017/s0959269500004142

The acquisition of connectors in French L2 narrative discourse

Journal of French Language Studies ◽

10.1017/s0959269500004142 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 189-208 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Betsy Kerr-Barnes

Keyword(s):

Learning Environment ◽

Narrative Discourse ◽

Oral Narratives

AbstractThe article examines the use of connectors in oral narratives of 27 adult American learners of French, who are classified in four groups according to length of instruction and type of learning environment, i.e. classroom or immersion or mixed. The patterns of acquisition are found to be in general quite similar to those of child LI French learners, including a routinised use of one or more markers which serve as pause fillers. Surprisingly, even very proficient learners show overgeneralisation of some connectors, in particular of transitional connectors (alors, donc) and discourse-structuring particles (eh bien, bon), whose functions are relatively opaque.

Download Full-text

Narrative as cultural representation

Narrative Inquiry ◽

10.1075/ni.20063.min ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Masahiko Minami

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Conceptual Understanding ◽

Local Level ◽

Cultural Representation ◽

Narrative Discourse ◽

Oral Narratives ◽

Global Level ◽

Appropriate Use ◽

Content Structure ◽

Cognition And Culture

Abstract This paper addresses issues related to narrative, cognition, and culture within the framework of foreign- or second-language (L2) narrative discourse, using a methodology of connecting the story- and language-related qualities of narrative discourse. The term “coherence” refers to whether or not a text makes sense at a global level, whereas “cohesion” describes the linguistic relationships among clauses in a narrative, such as how its surface linguistic elements are linked together at a local level. The paper (1) examines oral narratives, (2) reveals how both coherence and cohesion serve as the twin engines of narrative, and (3) emphasizes the significance of noting not only the narrative content/structure but also the appropriate use of linguistic devices, to identify language-specific ways of expressing affective elements in narrative. That is, the paper suggests the importance of developing conceptual understanding of L2 forms (e.g., grammatical variables) and their stylistic significance.

Download Full-text

Cognitive Processing and Narrative Discourse Production in Children with ADHD

South African Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1177/008124630903900307 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 326-335 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Sharon Moonsamy ◽

Heila Jordaan ◽

Kirston Greenop

Keyword(s):

Academic Success ◽

Cognitive Processing ◽

Oral Language ◽

Personal Narrative ◽

Narrative Discourse ◽

Assessment System ◽

Attention Deficits ◽

Oral Narratives ◽

Oral Narrative ◽

Children With Adhd

Children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have cognitive processing difficulties due to their disinhibition and attention deficits, which influence their scholastic performance. Cognitive processing also impacts on the production of oral narratives, an essential skill required for academic success. Therefore the relationship between cognitive processing and oral narratives is investigated. Thirty males, aged 9–11 years, were selected from English medium remedial schools and were assessed on the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS). The results were correlated to their performance on two narrative tasks, involving a Picture Sequence and a Personal Narrative. Measures of Cohesion and Coherence were analysed quantitatively. Participants' low Planning and Attention scores in this study confirmed the validity of the CAS as a diagnostic device for ADHD but were not significantly related to their oral narrative production. However, their approach to the task indicated insufficient use of planning. The structured task (picture sequence) yielded more complex stories than the unstructured task (personal narrative), which may be reflective of the participants' attention deficits. The findings suggest that narrative measures are useful instruments for oral language evaluation in children with ADHD. In addition, the importance of understanding oral narratives within a therapeutic situation is important for both therapist and child.

Download Full-text

Assessing an Eliciting Narrative Tool Used for Studying the Development of Persian-speaking Children’s Narrative Discourse Skills

Journal of Modern Rehabilitation ◽

10.32598/jmr.14.1.7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 55-68

Author(s):

Setareh Mojahedi Rezaeian ◽

Abbas Ali Ahangar ◽

Peyman Hashemian ◽

Mehrdad Mazaheri

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Age Groups ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Narrative Discourse ◽

Oral Narratives ◽

Children's Narratives ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Picture Story

Introduction: Developing children’s skills in producing oral narratives can reflect their linguistic and cognitive abilities. However, to evaluate these abilities appropriately, it is necessary to find and apply an efficient narrative assessment tool. This study primarily aimed to assess the reliability and validity of a picture story, as a narrative eliciting tool, based on Persian-speaking children’s narratives. This assessment is going to be done at the microstructure and macrostructure levels. Furthermore, to evaluate the power of the assessment tool, we explored the effect of age and gender variables on using different narrative elements at the microstructure and macrostructure levels. Materials and Methods: We used a picture story, “Frog, where are you?” to elicit oral narratives in 48 subjects, including 7-, 9-, and 11-year-old boys and girls. The reliability and validity of the tool were respectively assessed by test-retest and factor analysis. Results: The findings indicated a significantly high correlation between the evaluated features based on test-retest. Besides, factor analysis revealed four categories: sentence structures, references, conjunctions, measures of story length. They were valid indicators for assessing Persian-speaking children’s narratives. The results also showed a statistically significant difference among different age groups, but an insignificant effect of gender on using discursive features in the tales.Conclusion: The picture story “Frog, where are you?” can be used as a reliable and valid narrative eliciting tool for Persian data at the microstructure and macrostructure levels. Also, the age factor, but not the gender one, affects the stories recited by Persian children.

Download Full-text

The structure of emotion discourse: from Labovian to socio-cognitive models

Text & Talk - An Interdisciplinary Journal of Language Discourse Communication Studies ◽

10.1515/text-2013-0004 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Manuela Romano ◽

María Dolores Porto ◽

Clara Molina

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Models ◽

Narrative Discourse ◽

Oral Narratives ◽

Oral Narrative ◽

Emotional Events

AbstractThis paper focuses on how narrators convey emotion in the structure of oral narrative discourse in Spanish. To this end, the structure of personal oral narratives of highly emotional events in a sample of radio narratives is analyzed from two different approaches:

Download Full-text