Intensifying constructions in French-speaking L2 learners of English and Dutch

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isa Hendrikx ◽  
Kristel Van Goethem ◽  
Stefanie Wulff

Abstract We investigate the cross-linguistic influence and the (longitudinal) impact of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) on the acquisition of intensifying constructions, using corpora of written French, Dutch, and English productions by L1 speakers, and L2 English and L2 Dutch produced by French-speaking learners in CLIL and traditional foreign language education. We hypothesize that learners will benefit from similarities between the L1 and target language (TL) intensifying constructions, and secondly, that more input and use (through CLIL) will lead to a more target-like use of intensifying constructions. The analyses include quantitative measures of frequency and productivity, and covarying analyses (Gries, 2007). Our findings suggest that, as expected, CLIL students produce intensifying constructions in a more target-like manner. The effect of the duration of TL learning, however, is more apparent in English than in Dutch.

2021 ◽  
Vol IX(256) (100) ◽  
pp. 34-38
Author(s):  
K. Ye. Stupak

The paper considers Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) as one of the approaches to achieve the purpose of learning foreign languages, represented in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages adopted by the Council of Europe in 2001. To acquire a language means not merely to obtain communication skills in one, two or even three languages, studied separately, but “to develop a linguistic repertoire in which all language skills are present,” as mentioned in the European Recommendations on Language Education. People who possess even little knowledge can achieve a certain level of communication proficiency using all their linguistic “tools”, experimenting with alternative forms of expression in different languages and dialects, using paralinguistic means (mimics, gestures, facial expressions, etc.) and radically simplifying their use of language [1; P. 19]. Researchers in Finland, whose success in the education system is recognized worldwide, are searching for methods and approaches to achieve this purpose of foreign language education. One of their attempts is Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The paper reveals: the history and the origins of CLIL. According to C. Nieminen it includes the method of immersion, created and widely used in Canada. This research also outlines the advantages and factors limiting the usage of CLIL, as well as the prospects for further implementation of this approach to the study of foreign languages in different countries. In Ukraine this training method has not yet become widely applied, only some cases of CLIL implementation take place in specialized schools and in higher education institutions at foreign language departments. Therefore, according to national scholars Ukraine focuses on improving the level of foreign language proficiency, profound research and implementation of the CLIL methodology in schools and higher education institutions all over the country.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 15-27
Author(s):  
Mustafa Dolmaci ◽  
Hatice Sezgin

In order to provide “a common basis for the elaboration of language syllabuses, curriculum guidelines, examinations, textbooks, etc. across Europe”, The Common European Framework for Languages (CEFR) was published in 2001 by the Council of Europe. It has affected the way languages are taught, learnt and assessed and also how foreign language proficiency levels are defined all around the world. The CEFR adopts an intercultural approach to foreign language, and the main purpose is to protect cultural diversity and to give importance to cultural activities rather than being a part of foreign language education. For this reason, culture is at the very core of the CEFR. In 2018 and 2020, two Companion Volumes were published to complement the CEFR. The present paper offers a comparative corpus analysis of these three texts focusing on the occurrences of culture-related items using n-gram tool of Sketch Engine (Lexical Computing, n. d.), which creates frequency lists of sequences of tokens. Based on the findings, it is suggested according to the CEFR that rather than focusing on the national culture of the native speakers of the target language, foreign language education should focus more on the “new culture” formed by the encounters of people coming from different cultures.


Author(s):  
Ryuko Kubota

Historically, foreign language education in Japan has been influenced by local and global conditions. Of the two major purposes of learning a language—to gain new knowledge from overseas and to develop practical communication skills—the latter pragmatic orientation became dominant toward the end the 19th century, when access to foreign language learning increased and English became a dominant language to learn. The trend of learning English as an international language for pragmatic purposes has been further strengthened since the 1980s under the discourses of internationalization and neoliberal globalization. An overview of the current status of foreign language education reveals that there are both formal and non-formal learning opportunities for people of all ages; English predominates as a target language although fewer opportunities to learn other languages exist; English is taught at primary and secondary schools and universities with an emphasis on acquiring communicative skills, although the exam-oriented instructional practices contradict the official goal; and adults learn foreign languages, mainly English, for various reasons, including career advancement and hobbyist enjoyment. Such observations include contestations and contradictions. For instance, there have been debates on whether the major aim of learning English should be pragmatic or intellectual. These debates have taken place against the backdrop of the fact that the learning of a foreign language—de facto English—is much more prevalent in society in the early 21st century compared with previous periods in history, when access to learning opportunities was limited to elites. Another contradiction is between the multilingual reality in local and global communities and the exclusive emphasis on teaching English. This gap can be critically analyzed through a critical realist lens, through which multilayers of ideology in discourses and realities in the material world are examined. The predominance of English is driven by a neoliberal ideology that conceptualizes English as a global language with economic benefit, while testing and shadow education enterprises perpetuate the emphasis on English language teaching. The political economy of foreign language education also explains the longstanding socioeconomic disparity in English ability.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-181
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Sofronieva ◽  
◽  
Christina Beleva ◽  

The article offers a brief historical overview of some of the main methods in foreign language teaching and focuses on the use of the native language in their application. A modern study conducted among children from nursery schools in Bulgaria shows that when language education is carried out only in the target language, children also use only this language in their language interactions and vice versa. Some of the research findings are that 42.2 percent of the children whose teachers communicate with them in both languages, also make use of Bulgarian when trying to convey meanings and messages in English language. In general, children’s comprehension skills are better developed than their English speaking skills. In conclusion, the research results show that at the present stage, the offered foreign language education of children in nursery schools as entertaining as it may be, is not effective enough. Working methods and well-established approaches should be applied in early foreign language education of children in order to develop their skills to communicate in a new language.


MANUSYA ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 60-67
Author(s):  
Zhou Yan

The paper shows that the students at Beijing Foreign studies University (BFSU) are from various parts of the country with uneven exposure to and different training in English. They have to go through a period of adjustment: learning new materials, new ways of language learning as well as of unlearning certain learning habits gotten from their high schools. It is pointed out that language learning does not only mean mastering linguistic rules or structures but also understanding culture of the target language. In order to do this many things are required: motivation, willingness to do rote learning and monotonous drills of basic structures, perseverance in practising newly acquired language skills, and psychological strength without feeling intimidated by error corrections by teachers or laughter by peers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-166
Author(s):  
Diego Fernando Macías

This review examines studies in the area of classroom management in foreign language education. It is organized into three large areas: The first area focuses on the distinctive characteristics of foreign language instruction that are more likely to impact classroom management in foreign language classes. The second area provides a description of classroom management issues that foreign language teachers usually encounter in their practice; and the third area centers on the different alternatives to reduce the negative impact of classroom management on foreign language classes. Conclusions suggest a need for more research particularly on the relationship between classroom management and aspects such as target language use and teaching methods. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Getsov ◽  
Sylvia Velikova

This paper focuses on the role of media linguistics and the use of media discourse in (foreign) language education. Based on an example of a specific critical incident in the context of teaching Bulgarian as a foreign language, the study concludes that (foreign) language teaching and learning should go beyond the normative spaces of the “standard” language, and that learners should be exposed to the lexico-grammatical and discourse features of different target language varieties and registers. Thus, they will expand their language repertoire beyond the perimeter of the codified standard norm of public communication, which will allow them to use the language appropriately in diverse social and cultural settings.


2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 2141-2153
Author(s):  
Eva Stranovská ◽  
Silvia Hvozdíková ◽  
Dáša Munková ◽  
Gadušová Zdenka

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