Facilitative transfer only?

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanyu Guo ◽  
Boping Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Word Frequency ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Specific Property ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Learning Situation ◽  
Transfer Effects ◽  
Final Particle ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
English Speaking

Abstract This study investigates transfer effects and later development in English-Cantonese bilinguals’ L3 Mandarin grammar. Three types of Mandarin sentence-final particle clusters are involved as the target structures. The results show that L3 learners with the knowledge of Cantonese behave in a less native-like way than their English-speaking L2 counterparts on the illicit Mandarin cluster [*de le/* le de] that has a licit corresponding cluster in Cantonese, and outperform their L2 counterparts on the licit Mandarin cluster [le ne] that has a Cantonese equivalent. This is regarded as strong evidence of transfer effects from Cantonese, which is typologically and structurally more similar to Mandarin than English. We hence argue that L3 initial transfer is not determined by the order of the languages previously acquired but the structural similarity. More importantly, our study shows that transfer effects can be facilitative as well as detrimental. In addition, our data cross different proficiency levels show that factors such as the learning situation (learning or unlearning), word frequency and form-meaning relationship can influence the success of acquisition of a specific property in the L3.

Asymmetric transfer and development of temporal-aspectual sentence-final particles in English-Cantonese bilinguals’ L3 Mandarin grammars

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanyu Guo ◽  
Boping Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Bilingual Learners ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Source Selection ◽  
Content Acquisition ◽  
Language L ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Final Particles

Abstract Aiming to shed new light on the discussion on transfer at initial stages of third language (L3) acquisition and development at later stages, this article reports on an empirical study of L3 acquisition of Mandarin temporal-aspectual sentence-final particles (SFPs) le, ne and láizhe by English speaking and English-Cantonese bilingual learners, at both low and high proficiency levels. Cantonese is typologically and structurally closer to Mandarin than English is. Our findings show obvious facilitative effects on le by its Cantonese counterpart in English-Cantonese bilingual learners’ L3 Mandarin, which supports the L3 models that advocate the deterministic role of structural similarity in the transfer source selection. A transfer asymmetry is observed between the cases of le and láizhe. No transfer effects are found in the L3 Mandarin data of láizhe, even though it has an equivalent SFP in Cantonese. This discrepancy is argued to be attributable to input factors and misleading forms. Moreover, patterns observed over different proficiency levels indicate that the quality and quantity of input and the register property of a particular SFP can greatly affect initial transfer and later development of L3 acquisition.

scholarly journals A Bilingual Vocabulary Size Test of English for Vietnamese Learners

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Nguyen ◽  
Paul Nation
Keyword(s):  
Word Frequency ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Vocabulary Growth ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
Test Result

This article describes the development and validation of a Vietnamese bilingual version of the Vocabulary Size Test - a test which measures written receptive vocabulary size. The test can be used to measure the English vocabulary size of Vietnamese learners of English. A learner's total vocabulary size is calculated by multiplying their test result by 100. The research adds to our knowledge of vocabulary size testing in the following ways. First, it shows that a bilingual version of a monolingual test performs in much the same way as the monolingual test, distinguishing learners of different proficiency levels and returning lower scores at later levels of the test. Second, it shows that every level of the test should be sat, otherwise there will be a considerable underestimation of learners' vocabulary sizes. This suggests limitations to the previously accepted assumption that learners' vocabulary growth can be largely related to word frequency. Third, it shows that bilingual tests are feasible alternatives to more challenging and time-consuming monolingual tests. © The Author(s) 2011.

scholarly journals VLOG AS LEARNING MEDIA TO TRAIN ENGLISH FLUENCY AND PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILL

Prosodi ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-56
Author(s):  
Zakiyatul Mufidah ◽  
Miftahur Roifah
Keyword(s):  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Learning Situation ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Learning Goal ◽  
English Fluency ◽  
Speaking Skill ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Technology In Learning

The collaboration of technology and media can have positive effects on teaching and learning. In modern teaching traditions, teachers must include technology into their teaching and must be able to select a suitable media so they can deliver lessons in the classroom effectively and can achieve the learning goal. This study is going to explore and elaborate the effectiveness of incorporating technology in learning process by using a media to get more engaging learning situation and to know its impacts to the students’ learning achievements, especially to their fluency and public speaking skill. To be specific, this study is trying to implement Video Blog (Vlog) as learning media in English speaking subject. The results of the observation show that, training students’ fluency and public speaking by implementing Vlog as learning media give positive impacts to the students. Vlog increases students’ encouragement in speaking. Vlog can provide fun and enjoyable learning process and it can build confidence.

scholarly journals Humans store about 1.5 megabytes of information during language acquisition

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 181393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Mollica ◽  
Steven T. Piantadosi
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
Upper Bound ◽  
Lexical Semantics ◽  
Linguistic Analysis ◽  
Amount Of Information ◽  
English Speaking

We introduce theory-neutral estimates of the amount of information learners possess about how language works. We provide estimates at several levels of linguistic analysis: phonemes, wordforms, lexical semantics, word frequency and syntax. Our best guess is that the average English-speaking adult has learned 12.5 million bits of information, the majority of which is lexical semantics. Interestingly, very little of this information is syntactic, even in our upper bound analyses. Generally, our results suggest that learners possess remarkable inferential mechanisms capable of extracting, on average, nearly 2000 bits of information about how language works each day for 18 years.

Identifying German–English cognates, false cognates, and non-cognates: methodological issues and descriptive norms

2001 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian M. Friel ◽  
Shelia M. Kennison
Keyword(s):  
Word Frequency ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
English Translation ◽  
Specific Character ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
German Word ◽  
Similarity Ratings ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Translation Accuracy

We investigated 563 German–English nouns for the purposes of identifying cognates, false cognates and non-cognates. Two techniques for identifying cognates were used and compared: (i) De Groot and Nas's (1991) similarity-rating technique and (ii) a translation-elicitation task similar to that of Kroll and Stewart (1994). The results obtained with English-speaking participants produced 112 cognates, 94 false cognates, and 357 non cognates and indicated that the two techniques yielded similar findings. Rated similarity of German–English translation pairs and translation accuracy were positively correlated. We also investigated whether the presence of German-specific characters and the availability of German pronunciation information influenced similarity ratings and translation accuracy. Ratings for translation pairs in which the German word contained a language-specific character were lower and the word was translated less accurately. Participants provided with pronunciation information rated German–English translation pairs as being more similar and translated German words correctly more often than participants who did not receive pronunciation information. We also report the relationships among word frequency, rated imageability and the performance measures. The resulting database of information is intended to be a resource for researchers interested in cognitive processing in German–English bilinguals.

Keterampilan Berbicara Bahasa Inggris Mahasiswa PNP dan Hubungannya dengan PBM Bahasa Inggris pada SMA dan SMK

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 82-89
Author(s):  
Husna Maani ◽  
Baetty Baetty ◽  
Welsi Haslina
Keyword(s):  
High Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Learning Situation ◽  
Speaking Proficiency ◽  
Speaking Skill ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Vocational High Schools ◽  
Study Context

This study is a mixed methods case on English students in a Vocational Higher Education Institution (VHEI) in West Sumatera. It is aiming at investigating factors that influence English proficiency within this case study context by referrin g it to English teaching  and  learning  experience  in  high  schools.  This  research  attempt  was  specified  into  measuring:  (a)  the  differences  and correlation between the students English learning process at both vocational high schools and high schools in general in West Sumatera and the English skills of VHEI students. The methods of data collection are students’ survey, unstructured interview with teachers, and observations at 5 high schools and 5 vocational high schools in 5 different regencies in West Sumatera.  The findings reveal that only16.7% of the VHEI have the score ranged 50-75 on dan 83.23% students has very limited English speaking proficiency by the score 0-50.It is also found : (a) learning processes is similar to the learning situation at the VHEI  and there is significant correlation between these two learning situation, (b) students’ achievement in other subjects do not differ from their English speaking skill and there is no significant correlation between these two variables,

scholarly journals Interpretação de pronomes em português L2: efeitos de transferência?

2018 ◽  
pp. 83-97
Author(s):  
Alexandra Fiéis ◽  
Ana Madeira
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Effects ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Developmental Effect ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
European Portuguese ◽  
Reflexive Pronouns ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Full Knowledge ◽  
Truth Value ◽  
Value Judgement

This study investigates how knowledge of the interpretative properties of strong object pronouns develops in L2 European Portuguese. We focus on the anaphor si, which, in biclausal domains, may take either a local or a long-distance antecedent. Previous studies have shown that L2 learners show delays in the acquisition of non-reflexive pronouns in monoclausal domains (Kim et al 2014), but not of anaphors; however, knowledge of the locality constraints on anaphors in biclausal sentences has been shown to exhibit transfer effects and develop late (Domínguez et al 2012). In this study we investigate whether the learners’ L1 influences the development of the interpretative properties of pronouns by considering two groups of learners whose L1s differ regarding long-distance binding: Spanish, where it is disallowed (Otero 1999), and Italian, where, according to Napoli (1979), it is allowed. Moreover, we investigate whether learners attain full knowledge of these properties, and, if so, whether development of this knowledge is delayed, by comparing learners at different proficiency levels (intermediate and advanced). Results of two truth-value judgement tasks indicate the presence of L1 effects in learners’ interpretation of non-reflexive pronouns, but not of si in biclausal contexts, where a local interpretation is preferred over a long-distance one. Moreover, a comparison between the intermediate and the advanced groups reveals a developmental effect in the Spanish group (but not in the Italian group), indicating that the interpretative properties of si may be fully acquired, albeit subject to delays.

Development of perception of second language Japanese geminates: Role of duration, sonority, and segmentation strategy

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
DEBRA M. HARDISON ◽  
MIKI MOTOHASHI SAIGO
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Complex Interaction ◽  
Speech Segmentation ◽  
Identification Task ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Segmentation Strategy ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Beginning Learners

ABSTRACTThis study explored the second language perceptual accuracy of Japanese geminates (moraic units) by English-speaking learners at three proficiency levels: beginner (28), low–intermediate (42), and advanced (15). Stimuli included singleton and geminate /t/, /k/, /s/ followed by /a/ or /u/ produced by a native speaker in isolated words and carrier sentences. Results of a forced-choice identification task revealed a significant complex interaction involving all factors. Simple effects tests indicated scores for geminate /s/ followed by /u/ in carrier sentences were significantly lower across proficiency levels. The singleton-geminate contrast for /t, k/ was significant for beginning learners, marginal for low–intermediate, and nonsignificant for advanced. Duration differences did not account for all findings. Greater consonant–vowel sonority difference facilitated perception, enhancing mora boundaries for speech segmentation.

Clitics and object expression in the L3 acquisition of Brazilian Portuguese: Structural similarity matters for transfer

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvina Montrul ◽  
Rejanes Dias ◽  
Hélade Santos
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Oral Production ◽  
Null Objects ◽  
L3 Acquisition ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
L1 And L2

This article addresses the role of previously acquired languages in the acquisition of a third language (L3) in two experimental studies on object expression in Brazilian Portuguese (BP). Participants were English-speaking learners of BP as L3 with knowledge of Spanish as a second language (L2) and Spanish-speaking learners of BP with knowledge of English as L2. Like Spanish, BP has object clitic pronouns, but there are important differences between the two languages with respect to the rates of clitics used in spoken and written registers, null objects and the position of clitics with respect to the verb. English, by contrast, lacks object clitics. Study 1 tested use of clitics and other objects in an oral production task. Study 2 tested knowledge of clitic placement in a written acceptability judgment task. The general results of the two studies show that acquisition of Brazilian Portuguese object expression is not very problematic but there are transfer effects from Spanish (as L1 and L2) in the two experimental groups. This result suggests that structural similarity or cross-linguistic correspondences matter in L3 acquisition.

Developing a lexical profiler for spoken French L2 and Italian L2

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 75-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Bardel ◽  
Christina Lindqvist
Keyword(s):  
Word Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Individual Profiles ◽  
Profiling Analysis

This study is a follow-up to Lindqvist et al. (to press), where we investigated lexical frequency profiles of learners of French and Italian at different proficiency levels. By analyzing the proportion of low-frequency words used by the learners, we could distinguish proficiency levels that differ significantly at group level and correspond to morphosyntactic proficiency levels. However, some individual results within the groups indicated a need to analyze individual profiles in order to get a better picture of the actual quality of the learner’s vocabulary knowledge. The present study focuses on thematic vocabulary and cognates among the low-frequency words used by learners at different proficiency levels. We suggest that investigating qualitative aspects of learners’ word knowledge is a fruitful complement to traditional lexical profiling analysis. Such a combination can lead to a more complete picture of learners’ lexical profiles. Although we are aware that word frequency is known to be a powerful factor in vocabulary acquisition, our on-going research aims at developing a more general lexical profiler that integrates additional aspects that we have found to be relevant for learnability.

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