The use of tag questions in the oral production of L2 English learners

This study investigates the acquisition of the Spanish Imperfect by 60 English learners of Spanish at three different proficiency levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced). Two oral production tasks and one interpretation task show that although the Imperfect is used from early on, the full array of interpretations associated with this form (habitual, continuous and progressive) is not completely acquired even at advanced levels. Learners accept the Imperfect in imperfective contexts but have problems rejecting the Preterit. This problem persists even at advanced levels in continuous contexts. The continuous is conveyed in English by Past Tense, which is used in both perfective and imperfective contexts, whereas in Spanish only the Imperfect is appropriate. We argue that the incorrect low rejection of the Preterit signals a mapping problem of aspect-related features present in both English and Spanish onto a new form (the Imperfect). These results support the problematic nature of feature reassembly in the acquisition of the Spanish Imperfect by English speakers.

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Can online translators and their speech capabilities help English learners improve their pronunciation?

10.14705/rpnet.2021.54.1320 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 126-131

Author(s):

Yue He ◽

Walcir Cardoso

Keyword(s):

Speech Recognition ◽

Phonological Awareness ◽

English Learners ◽

Speech Synthesis ◽

Text To Speech ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Oral Production ◽

Text To Speech Synthesis ◽

Speech Features ◽

Online Translators

This study investigated whether a translation tool (Microsoft Translator – MT) and its built-in speech features (Text-To-Speech synthesis – TTS – and speech recognition) can promote learners’ acquisition in pronunciation of English regular past tense -ed in a self-directed manner. Following a pretest/posttest design, we compared 29 participants’ performances of past -ed allomorphy (/t/, /d/, and /id/) by assessing their pronunciation in terms of phonological awareness, phonemic discrimination, and oral production. The findings highlight the affordances of MT regarding its pedagogical use for helping English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners improve their pronunciation.

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Agreement morphology errors and null subjects in young (non-)CLIL learners

Vigo International Journal of Applied Linguistics ◽

10.35869/vial.v0i18.3365 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 97-122

Author(s):

Yolanda Fernández Pena ◽

Francisco Gallardo del Puerto

Keyword(s):

English Learners ◽

Null Subjects ◽

Linguistic Features ◽

Commission Errors ◽

Oral Production ◽

Subtle Effect ◽

Younger Age ◽

Potential Impact ◽

Agreement Morphology ◽

The Individual

There is a wealth of studies on L2 English acquisition in CLIL contexts in Spain, but most have underexplored the potential impact of CLIL in the longer run on the morphosyntax of earlier starters from monolingual regions. This paper fills this gap by exploring agreement morphology errors and subject omission in the oral production of Primary Education English learners from the Spanish monolingual community of Cantabria. The sample investigated consists of the individual narration of a story by learners in two age-matched (11-12 year-olds) groups, one CLIL (n=28) and one non- CLIL (n=35). The results show no statistically significant differences between both groups for the provision of specific linguistic features at a younger age, though some evidence also points to a subtle effect of additional CLIL exposure. Both groups show moderately low rates of null subjects; they omit affixal morphology (*he eat ) significantly more frequently than suppletive inflection (*he _ eating) and they seldom produce commission errors (*they eats). Interestingly, non-CLIL learners show far greater rates of omission with auxiliary be than copula be and frequently use the placeholder is (*he is eat), which evinces an earlier stage of acquisition than that of CLIL learners.

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Lexical difficulty – using elicited imitation to study child L2

Language Testing ◽

10.1177/0265532215623580 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 197-221 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Dorota E. Campfield

Keyword(s):

English Learners ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Large Scale ◽

Item Difficulty ◽

Sentence Length ◽

Function Word ◽

Future Research ◽

Elicited Imitation ◽

Oral Production ◽

Post Hoc

This paper reports a post-hoc analysis of the influence of lexical difficulty of cue sentences on performance in an elicited imitation (EI) task to assess oral production skills for 645 child L2 English learners in instructional settings. This formed part of a large-scale investigation into effectiveness of foreign language teaching in Polish primary schools. EI item design and scoring, IRT and post-hoc lexical analysis of items is described in detail. The research aim was to resolve how much the lexical complexity of items (lexical density, morphological complexity, function word density, and sentence length) contributed to item difficulty and scores. Sentence length, as number of words, predicted better than number of syllables. Function words also contributed, and their importance to EI item construction is discussed. It is suggested that future research should examine phonological aspects of cue sentences to explain potential sources for variability. EI is shown to be a reliable and robust method for young L2 learners with potential for classroom assessment by teachers for emergent oral production skills.

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The use of previously known languages in the oral production of L3 English learners: A pseudolongitudinal study

European Journal of Applied Linguistics ◽

10.1515/eujal-2017-0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 229-254 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Izaskun Arratibel-Irazusta ◽

María Martínez Adrián

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Studies ◽

English Learners ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Discourse Markers ◽

Integrated Learning ◽

Third Language ◽

Oral Production ◽

Teaching Programs ◽

Common Manifestation ◽

Learning English

AbstractRecent studies have concluded that type of language teaching programs such as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) may have an effect on the use of previously known languages. Most of the studies that have tackled the use of previously known languages in the CLIL literature have compared CLIL to non-CLIL learners. However, few (pseudo)longitudinal studies have been conducted in this respect. This paper will try to fill this gap by examining the use of previously known languages (L1 Spanish/L2 Basque) in an oral narration task in two different age/proficiency CLIL groups. Participants are Basque/Spanish bilinguals learning English as a third language (L3) in a CLIL setting. Both groups started learning English at the age of 3 but differ in length and amount of exposure. Results show that both groups behave in the same way in terms of the use of previously known languages except for the production of foreignizings, which were more frequent in the younger group. The examination of the results also revealed that discourse markers was the most common manifestation of use of previous linguistic experience when compared to the rest of the categories.

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How accurately can the Google Web Speech API recognize and transcribe Japanese L2 English learners’ oral production?

The JALT CALL Journal ◽

10.29140/jaltcall.v13n1.212 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 59-76 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Tim Ashwell ◽

Jesse Elam

Keyword(s):

English Learners ◽

Oral Production

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School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Adherence to Practice Guidelines for Assessment of English Learners

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/2020_lshss-20-00037 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Virginia L. Dubasik ◽

Dubravka Svetina Valdivia

Keyword(s):

Professional Practice ◽

Practice Guidelines ◽

Case History ◽

English Learners ◽

Online Survey ◽

Dynamic Assessment ◽

Federal Legislation ◽

Assessment Practices ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

School Based

Purpose The purpose of this study was to ascertain the extent to which school-based speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) assessment practices with individual English learners (ELs) align with federal legislation and professional practice guidelines. Specifically, we were interested in examining SLPs' use of multiple tools during individual EL assessments, as well as relationships between practices and number of types of training experiences. Method School-based SLPs in a Midwestern state were recruited in person or via e-mail to complete an online survey pertaining to assessment. Of the 562 respondents who completed the survey, 222 (39.5%) indicated past or present experience with ELs, and thus, their data were included in the analyses. The questionnaire solicited information about respondent's demographics, caseload composition, perceived knowledge and skills and training experiences pertaining to working with ELs (e.g., graduate school, self-teaching, professional conferences), and assessment practices used in schools. Results The majority of respondents reported using multiple tools rather than a single tool with each EL they assess. Case history and observation were tools used often or always by the largest number of participants. SLPs who used multiple tools reported using both direct (e.g., standardized tests, dynamic assessment) and indirect tools (e.g., case history, interviews). Analyses revealed low to moderate positive associations between tools, as well as the use of speech-language samples and number of types of training experiences. Conclusions School-based SLPs in the current study reported using EL assessment practices that comply with federal legislation and professional practice guidelines for EL assessment. These results enhance our understanding of school-based SLPs' assessment practices with ELs and may be indicative of a positive shift toward evidence-based practice.

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