The use of stative progressives by school-age learners of English and the importance of the variable context

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Fuchs ◽  
Valentin Werner
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Intermediate Level ◽  
School Age ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Dialectal Variation ◽  
Aspect Hypothesis ◽  
Intermediate Learners

Abstract Previous studies indicate that even advanced learners of English as a Foreign Language and speakers of English as a Second Language extend the progressive to stative verbs, contrary to the predictions of the Aspect Hypothesis (AH). We test this claim based on a corpus of beginning and lower intermediate learner writing produced by speakers of three languages with and three without a progressive. In contrast to previous studies, we measure the frequency of stative progressives using the variable context method, which is frequently used in research on dialectal variation. Results reveal that stative progressives are very rare at the beginning/lower intermediate level, regardless of the presence of a progressive in the learners’ L1, confirming the claim of the AH for beginning and lower intermediate learners. Moreover, stative progressives mostly occur in contexts that are grammatical in native usage, especially in the interlanguage of learners with a progressive in their L1.

The Recognition Of Words Spoken In Isolation In a Foreign Language

1991 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 144-160
Author(s):  
Miriam van Nus
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Perceptual Information ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Intermediate Learners ◽  
Native Speakers Of English

This article discusses some of the results of an experiment in which native speakers of English, Dutch advanced and intermediate learners of English listened to frequently occurring English words, which had been sliced into fragments of increasing duration. From the initial 100 ms. of a word onwards, each fragment contained the preceding fragment and an added 50 ms. of the word. The subjects were asked to write down the sounds they had heard and to identify the test words as soon as they had sufficient perceptual information about the words. Their responses show that the Dutch intermediate learners needed significantly more perceptual information before they were able to recognize a word than the advanced learners and the native speakers. This article discusses some of the results of an experiment in which native speakers of English, Dutch advanced and intermediate learners of English listened to frequently occurring English words, which had been sliced into fragments of increasing duration. From the initial 100 ms. of a word onwards, each fragment contained the preceding fragment and an added 50 ms. of the word. The subjects were asked to write down the sounds they had heard and to identify the test words as soon as they had sufficient perceptual information about the words. Their responses show that the Dutch intermediate learners needed significantly more perceptual information before they were able to recognize a word than the advanced learners and the native speakers.

scholarly journals Begrijpelijkheid en accent bij beginnende NT2-leerders

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-221
Author(s):  
Bart Deygers ◽  
Carolien Frijns
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Educational Backgrounds ◽  
Beginning Learners ◽  
The One

Abstract In social interaction, foreign language accent and comprehensibility impact how we perceive our conversational partners. In recent years, research interest in these constructs has been on the rise, while many issues remain underexposed. These issues include the relationship between comprehension and accent on the one hand, and background variables of both learner and assessor on the other. Since most research to date has been conducted with highly educated and advanced learners of English as a second or foreign language, we do not know to what extent those results can be generalised to a wider population that includes beginning learners of Dutch as a second language from various educational backgrounds. In addition, little research has been done into the comparability of the judgements of trained and non-trained assessors. In the current study, we compared the judgments of four trained evaluators with the intuitive judgments of 272 non-trained evaluators (first-year students at various Educational Bachelor’s Programmes in Primary Education). The first group of raters evaluated the speaking performance of 116 learners of Dutch as a second language using standardised criteria, the second group used more subjective criteria. The results show that the two groups of evaluators make very similar judgements and that these judgements are mainly related to two background variables: the nature of the NT2 course the learners followed (also an indicator of prior education and cognitive ability) and the level of language proficiency of the course.

scholarly journals Piloting Netflix for intra-formal language learning

2019 ◽  
pp. 13-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonie Alm
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Cognitive Engagement ◽  
Intermediate Level ◽  
Formal Context ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Pedagogical Approaches

The expansion of the Netflix TV-network around the globe has made foreign language films and TV-series accessible for formal and informal language learning experiences. As students in educational settings are starting to engage in informal second language (L2) Netflix viewing, it is time that new pedagogical approaches support learners to optimise the resource for successful language learning. This pilot study reports on a project conducted with 12 intermediate level German students who watched self-selected German TV-series. For three weeks, students described and commented on each other’s viewing experiences in their weekly blogs. In a final report, participants reflected on their affective and cognitive engagement with the series. Findings of this study indicate that previous informal exposure to Netflix series positively impacted on the participants’ willingness to engage in extensive out-of-class listening. The learning experience in the formal context positively affected subsequent informal L2-series watching.

scholarly journals Grammar Errors by Slovenian Learners of Japanese: Corpus Analysis of Writings on Beginner and Intermediate Levels

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-104
Author(s):  
Miha PAVLOVIČ
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Intermediate Level ◽  
Corpus Analysis ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Carry Over ◽  
Japanese Learners

This paper presents the construction of a corpus of writings by Slovene learners of Japanese as a foreign language at the beginner and intermediate levels and an analysis of the grammar errors contained within it, with the purpose of providing a simple and effective means of acquiring data on errors made by students of Japanese as a second language. Additionally, an error analysis of the grammar errors in the corpus and a comparison of the most common errors found on both levels, reveals the types of errors that carry over from the beginner to the intermediate level, negatively affecting the learning process. By compiling and analyzing a collection of 182 written texts written by Japanese learners, 492 cases of grammar misuse were observed on the beginner and 564 on the intermediate level. A comparative analysis of the most common types of grammar misuse on each level highlights the types of errors that seem to carry over from the beginner to the intermediate level. The findings can be useful to Japanese language learners as well as teachers. Furthermore, the learner’s corpus created in the process marks the first step towards the creation of a larger, annotated and publicly accessible learner corpus of writings by Slovenian learners of Japanese to be used for further research in the field of second language acquisition.

The Direct Method

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Purwarno
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Direct Method ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Translation Method ◽  
Grammar Translation Method

The Direct Method was the outcome of a reaction against the Grammar Translation Method. It was based on the assumption that the learner of a foreign language should think directly in the target language. According to this method, English is taught through English. The learner learns the target language through discussion, conversation and reading in the second language. It does not take recourse to translation and foreign grammar.

FIRST AND SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING THROUGH TEXTBOOKS IN ALBANIAN SCHOOLS (COMPARATIVE OVERVIEW OF ALBANIAN AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS)

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 2319-2324
Author(s):  
Rina Muka ◽  
Irida Hoti
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
First Language ◽  
Grammatical Knowledge ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
The Third

The language acquired from the childhood is the language spoken in the family and in the place of living. This language is different from one pupil to another, because of their social, economical conditions. By starting the school the pupil faces first the ABC book and then in the second grade Albanian language learning through the Albanian language textbook. By learning Albanian language step by step focused on Reading, Writing, Speaking and Grammar the pupil is able to start learning the second language on the next years of schooling. So, the second language learning in Albanian schools is related to the first language learning (mother tongue), since the early years in primary school. In our schools, the second language (English, Italian) starts in the third grade of the elementary class. On the third grade isn’t taught grammar but the pupil is directed toward the correct usage of the language. The textbooks are structured in developing the pupil’s critical thinking. The textbooks are fully illustrated and with attractive and educative lessons adequate to the age of the pupils. This comparative study will reflect some important aspects of language learning in Albanian schools (focused on Albanian language - first language and English language - second language), grade 3-6. Our point of view in this paper will show not only the diversity of the themes, the lines and the sub-lines but also the level of language knowledge acquired at each level of education. First, the study will focus on some important issues in comparing Albanian and English language texts as well as those which make them different: chronology and topics retaken from one level of education to another, so by conception of linear and chronological order will be shown comparatively two learned languages (mother tongue and second language). By knowing and learning well mother tongue will be easier for the pupil the foreign language learning. The foreign language (as a learning curriculum) aims to provide students with the skills of using foreign language written and spoken to enable the literature to recognize the achievements of advanced world science and technology that are in the interest of developing our technique. Secondly, the study will be based on the extent of grammatical knowledge, their integration with 'Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing' as well as the inclusion of language games and their role in language learning. The first and second language learning in Albanian schools (grade III-VI) is based on similar principles for the linearity and chronology of grammatical knowledge integrated with listening, reading, writing and speaking. The different structure of both books help the pupils integrate and use correctly both languages. In the end of the sixth grade, the pupils have good knowledge of mother tongue and the second language and are able to write and speak well both languages.

Learners’ attitudes to first, second and third languages pronunciation in structuring multilingual identity

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Szyszka
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Foreign Language Acquisition ◽  
Negative Relationships ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractThis paper investigates multilingual learners’ attitudes to native (L1 – Ukrainian), second (L2 – Polish) and foreign (L3 – English) languages’ pronunciation, and discusses them from the perspective of structuring multilingual identity. In the study, the choice of the sample has been controlled in terms of the participants’ nationality and the context in which they acquire their second and foreign languages – variables that are interwoven in shaping identities. More specifically, the 40 Ukrainian individuals, taking part in the study, are in the process of a foreign language acquisition, English, embedded in the context of their second language, Polish. The attitudes to L1, L2 and L3 pronunciation of the 40 multilinguals have been measured quantitatively and analysed with the aim of providing more insight into understanding how individuals construe their multilingual identities. Negative relationships were found between those who reported an L1 accent as an important factor involved in the perception of their selves and the desire to sound native-like in L2 – Polish (r = −0.37, p < 0.05), and L3 – English (r = −0.43, p < 0.05). The latter variable, however, correlated positively with having native-like pronunciation as a goal in learning Polish (r = 0.75, p < 0.05) and English (r = 0.89, p < 0.05).

Creating Critical Literacy Praxis: Bridging the Gap between Theory and Practice

RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822098266
Author(s):  
Tsung-han Weng
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Critical Literacy ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Speakers Of Other Languages ◽  
Literacy Implementation ◽  
Critical Literacy Pedagogy ◽  
Literacy Research

Although research in critical literacy has long been conducted in English as a second language contexts, a modicum of critical literacy research in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts in which English is seldom used outside the classroom environment has also been undertaken. This article aims to discuss the introduction of critical literacy in the Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL) profession, which has been neglected by TESOL researchers and practitioners in EFL contexts. The article reviews and synthesizes the existing literature by providing conceptualizations of the critical literacy approach to TESOL, examples of critical literacy implementation, and the benefits and challenges of implementing critical literacy pedagogy. The article concludes by calling for more critical literacy research in EFL contexts.

scholarly journals Social Psychological Theories and Sustainable Second Language Learning: A Model Comparison Approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Kyung Kim ◽  
Tae-Il Pae
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Second Language ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
School Students ◽  
South Korean

The purposes of the present study are two-fold: (1) To examine whether social psychological variables, such as attitude and subjective norm, can predict South Korean English as a foreign language high school students’ intention to learn English, and (2) to identify the best social psychological model for sustainable second language learning in the context of South Korean English as a foreign language (EFL) learning. A total of 614 South Korean high school learners of English participated in the present study. Data collected from a survey questionnaire were analyzed using a structural equation modeling procedure. Results of the present study indicate that South Korean high school students’ attitudes toward learning English and subjective norms made a significant and independent contribution to the variance in their intention to study English. Among the three competing social psychological models examined in the current study, the theory of Planned Behavior and an expanded model of Gardner’s Socio-educational Model proved to be the most effective in terms of the strength of path coefficients and explanatory power. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are provided.

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