On the nature of morphological awareness in Japanese–English bilingual children: A cross-linguistic perspective

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
YUKO HAYASHI ◽  
VICTORIA A. MURPHY
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
Morphological Awareness ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Morphological Development ◽  
Morphological Knowledge ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Reciprocal Transfer ◽  
Japanese English

While morphological awareness has received much attention to date, little is understood about how morphological awareness develops within bilingual children learning typologically different languages. Therefore, we investigated children's knowledge of inflections and derivations in Japanese and English, and also asked whether morphological awareness in one language predicted morphological awareness in the other. To that end, 24 Japanese learners of L2 English (ESL) and 21 English learners of Japanese as a heritage language (JHL) were recruited and participated in a range of tasks assessing both vocabulary and morphological knowledge. Cross-linguistic contributions of morphological awareness were identified in both directions (Japanese ↔ English), after controlling for age, IQ, and vocabulary knowledge. This bidirectional transfer was, however, identified only in the ESL group. The group-specific and reciprocal transfer observed is discussed in terms of morphological complexities and relative competence in each language. The potential role of different types of L2 instruction in morphological development is also discussed.

The acquisition of Greek gender by bilingual children: The effects of lexical knowledge, oral input, literacy and bi/monolingual schooling

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 901-920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Prentza ◽  
Maria Kaltsa ◽  
Ianthi Maria Tsimpli ◽  
Despina Papadopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Parental Education ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Lexical Knowledge ◽  
Gender Assignment ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Grammatical Development ◽  
Distinct Process

Aim: The objectives of this study are to examine (a) the development of gender assignment and agreement in real and pseudo nouns by bilingual Greek-Albanian children and (b) how different input-related factors impact on these different processes. Methodology: Real and pseudo nouns were investigated to assess the effect of lexical knowledge (real nouns) and of morphological cues (pseudo nouns). Four tasks eliciting gender production in determiner phrases (assignment) and adjective predicates (agreement) for real and pseudo items were administered. Data: 150 bilingual children and 57 Greek monolingual children, aged 8–12 years old, were tested. Bilingual performance is investigated in relation to the role of the bilinguals’ Greek vocabulary knowledge, as well as in relation to early/current language exposure, oral input, literacy, monolingual/bilingual schooling and parental education as a proxy for socioeconomic status. Findings: The results show a strong relationship between the bilinguals’ performance and their Greek vocabulary development, the amount of oral Greek input and the type of school they are attending. For real nouns, oral Greek input is a positive predictor for accuracy, while literacy in Albanian is associated with lower scores. In pseudo nouns, bilinguals attending bilingual schools are shown to perform significantly better than those attending monolingual schools. Originality: The contribution of this study is related to (a) the examination of pseudo nouns along with real ones showing that gender marking in the former involves a distinct process, (b) the finding regarding the pervasive role of vocabulary knowledge and (c) the consideration of schooling type in relation to the development of a specific grammatical feature. Implications: Bilingual education was shown to positively affect the development of gender, which suggests that schooling type has a significant impact not only on literacy development but also on grammatical development.

Multi-Faceted Morphological Awareness and Vocabulary Knowledge in English as a Second Language Learners: A Multivariate Analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhang Haomin ◽  
Zhuang Bilü
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Morphological Awareness ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Chinese College Students ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Vocabulary Depth

AbstractThis study investigates the role of morphological awareness in ESL vocabulary acquisition. Participants were 198 Chinese college students enrolled in a joint program which required them to study in China for the first two years and then study in the U.K. to complete their degrees. They completed a total of four paper-and-pencil tests: morpheme discrimination, morpheme recognition, vocabulary size test (VST) and word associates test (WAT) tests. We drew upon path analysis to explore the interconnected relationships among multiple explanatory variables (facets of morphological awareness) and outcome variables (facets of vocabulary knowledge). The results demonstrated that English derivational awareness was strongly predictive of both ESL vocabulary breadth and ESL vocabulary depth, and that preexisting ESL vocabulary breadth could enhance the relation between derivational awareness and ESL vocabulary depth. To summarize, these results indicate that an improved English derivational awareness not only helps to expand ESL vocabulary size but can also consolidate learners’ deep understanding of word properties, which will in turn assist them to establish connections with other associative words and phrases.

scholarly journals Morphological Awareness in L2 Chinese Reading Comprehension: Testing of Mediating Routes

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haomin Zhang ◽  
Xing Zhang ◽  
Mengjie Li ◽  
Yiming Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Morphological Awareness ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Chinese Reading ◽  
Morphological Knowledge ◽  
Chinese Learners ◽  
L2 Chinese ◽  
Path Models ◽  
Inference Task

This study aims to examine the contribution of morphological awareness to second language (L2) Chinese reading comprehension through potential mediating factors. Adult L2 Chinese learners (n = 447) participated in the study and completed two morphological awareness tasks (segmentation and discrimination), two vocabulary knowledge tasks (character knowledge and word-meaning knowledge), one lexical inference task, and one reading comprehension task. By testing alternative path models, this study identified the preferred model assuming the covariates of morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge. Morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge jointly contributed to L2 Chinese reading comprehension through lexical inference. The written modality of morphological awareness induced the activation of both morphological and orthographic information in print. The result suggests that morphological awareness (in the form of grapho-morphological knowledge) and vocabulary knowledge seem to be two parallel components under the same construct predicting Chinese reading comprehension. More importantly, this study underscores the intermediary effect of lexical inference in associating morphological awareness and reading comprehension in L2 Chinese learners.

Acts of Identity: Typical and New English Learners

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Laurel Kamada
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
English Learning ◽  
School Subject ◽  
Japanese Children ◽  
Cultural Symbol ◽  
English Classes ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Changing Role ◽  
Double Minority

This plenary explores the notion of ‘English as an ideology’ in Japan rather than just as a means of communication or a school subject, where local English usagefunctions as a cultural symbol of globalization. Emerging notions of English learning/usage in Japan as acts of identity highlight the changing role of English. I examine the construction and deconstruction of English, not only of typical Japanese learners/users of English, but also of a new growing sector of atypical Japanese nationals from families of mixed-parentage (Japanese and non-Japanese) who stake claim to diverse ethnicities. How do half/double (minority Japanese) perform “acts of Englishing” whileresisting, altering or celebrating their multiethnic, multilinguistic identities? What ideologies/stereotypes do typical (majority Japanese) children take to elementary school English classes with them? How do they construct/perform identities of themselves as Japanese, and images of non-Japanese-looking people in Japan? 本講演では、単なるコミュニケーションの手段や学校の教科としての英語というよりは、日本における「イデオロギーとしての英語」の概念について検討する。というのは、日本における英語の使用は、グローバリゼーションの文化的な象徴として機能しているからである。最近、日本では、英語の学習や使用は、acts of identity (アイデンティティー活動)という概念として把握されつつあるが、これは英語の役割が変わってきていることを浮き彫りにしている。私はここで、「典型的な」日本人の英語学習者・使用者だけでなく、最近その数が増加している「非典型的な」（日本人と非日本人の）多様な民族の特徴を持つ両親の下で育った日本国籍保持者による英語の構築と脱構築について検討する。（少数派の日本人である）「ハーフ」「ダブル」は、彼らが持つ多民族や多言語のアイデンティティーに抵抗したり、修正を加えたり、あるいは享受しながら、どのようにacts of Englishing (英語の言語活動)を実践するのだろうか。「典型的な」（多数派の日本人の）子どもたちは、小学校の英語の授業に、どんなイデオロギー・ステレオタイプを持ちこむのだろうか。また、彼らは、日本人としての彼ら自身のアイデンティティーや、日本に暮らす日本人に見えない人々のイメージとしてのアイデンティティーを、どのように作り上げ、実践するのだろうか。

Japanese English Learners’ Perceptions of Filipino Teachers’ Online English Lessons: Implications for Global Englishes Research

RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822110616
Author(s):  
Yoko Kobayashi
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
English Classrooms ◽  
English Classes ◽  
Concurrent Study ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking Teachers ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Japanese English ◽  
Filipino Teachers

Situated in the domain of Global Englishes research, this study explores a question of how far the issue of the English model for Japanese learners is complicated by the hierarchical coexistence of regular English courses taught by Anglophone English teachers and extracurricular online English lessons taught by non-Anglophone instructors. A questionnaire survey was administered to 100 Japanese English learners aged 18–34 who have taken such lessons. This study provides both hopeful and challenging suggestions for Global Englishes research and practice, that is, Japanese English learners’ favourable perceptions of Filipino teachers’ affordable and flexible lessons that, they believe, would not interfere with their subsequent or concurrent study of ‘real’ English taught by native Anglophone teachers. This study indicates future directions of research and practice regarding the legitimate positioning of in-class or online English classes taught by Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other non-native English-speaking teachers in East Asian English classrooms that remain bound by native English norms.

Building Vocabulary of English Learners With Reading Disabilities Through Computer-Assisted Morphology Instruction

2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya-yu Lo ◽  
Adrienne L. Anderson ◽  
Kimberly Bunch-Crump
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Reading Disabilities ◽  
English Language ◽  
Morphological Awareness ◽  
The United States ◽  
Instructional Program ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Computer Assisted

Many educators in public schools in the United States experience challenges in meeting the unique needs of the growing population of English learners who must simultaneously attain academic skills while acquiring English language proficiency. Such unique needs intensify for English learners with reading disabilities. Morphological awareness is key to vocabulary knowledge, which is an essential area of literacy instruction. This article provides justification for the use of explicit morphology instruction and offers a structure for developing a computer-assisted morphology instructional program to increase morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge of English learners with reading disabilities.

The role of home and school factors in predicting English vocabulary among bilingual kindergarten children in Singapore

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. QUENTIN DIXON
Keyword(s):  
Family Income ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Vocabulary Test ◽  
Peabody Picture Vocabulary ◽  
School Factors ◽  
Home And School

ABSTRACTResearch in monolingual populations indicate that vocabulary knowledge is essential to reading achievement, but how vocabulary develops in bilingual children has been understudied. The current study investigated the role of home and school factors in predicting English vocabulary among 284 bilingual kindergartners (168 Chinese, 65 Malay, 51 Indian) in the multilingual context of Singapore. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Third Edition was administered in English and in translations into Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil. Home factors including caretaker language, television language, and mother tongue vocabulary were found to be significant predictors of English vocabulary, controlling for mother's years of education and family income. The curriculum emphasis of the kindergarten center was also found to be a significant predictor of English vocabulary.

Lexical transfer and second language morphological development

1994 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Hancin-Bhatt ◽  
William Nagy
Keyword(s):  
English Word ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Morphological Development ◽  
Bilingual Students ◽  
Morphological Knowledge ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
8Th Grade ◽  
Systematic Relationships ◽  
Cross Language ◽  
Lexical Transfer

AbstractThis study investigates the development of two levels of morphological knowledge that contribute to Spanish-English bilingual students’ ability to recognize cognates: the ability to recognize a cognate stem within a suffixed English word, and knowledge of systematic relationships between Spanish and English suffixes (e.g., the fact that words ending in -ty in English often have a Spanish cognate ending in -dad). A total of 196 Latino bilingual students in 4th, 6th, and 8th grade were asked to give the Spanish equivalent for English words, some of which had derivational and inflectional suffixes. The results indicated that the students’ ability to translate cognates increased with age above and beyond any increase in their vocabulary knowledge in Spanish and English. There was also marked growth in the students’ knowledge of systematic relationships between Spanish and English suffixes. Students recognized cognate stems of suffixed words more easily than noncognate stems, suggesting that, in closely related languages such as Spanish and English, cross-language transfer may play a role, not just in recognizing individual words, but also in the learning of derivational morphology.

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