Sentence imitations in monolingual and early second language learners and the implications for grammar teaching

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-183
Author(s):  
Valentina Cristante
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Reliable Data ◽  
The Other ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Elicited Imitation ◽  
Grammatical Knowledge ◽  
Grammar Teaching ◽  
Case Marking

Abstract In the present article I investigated whether data obtained from 7-year-old German L1 and German-Turkish eL2 children by means of an elicited imitation task including grammatical and ungrammatical sentences mirrored current findings in acquisition research concerning case marking, adjective inflection, V2 position and finiteness. The results show that L1 children have full mastery of all four phenomena, as they revealed a greater tendency to correct ungrammatical sentences than to introduce errors into grammatical sentences. On the other hand, eL2 children differed from L1 children in terms of how they dealt with the noun-related phenomena, as they did not reveal a clear preference for either changing grammatical items or correcting ungrammatical items. In the discussion, I propose how to minimise the likelihood that participants simply repeat ungrammatical items verbatim in further imitation studies and be thus able to collect more reliable data on their grammatical knowledge. The article ends with a proposal for a primary school exercise on case marking that involves correcting errors on case marking. The suggestion is that ungrammatical sentences can be used in grammar teaching to assess pupils’ linguistic knowledge and also to guide their attention to specific regularities of the language, thus stimulating language reflection.

scholarly journals Honorifics: A sociocultural verb agreement cue in Japanese sentence processing

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 551-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
YUKI YOSHIMURA ◽  
BRIAN MACWHINNEY
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Word Order ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Role Assignment ◽  
Verb Agreement ◽  
Case Marking ◽  
New Type

ABSTRACTCase marking is the major cue to sentence interpretation in Japanese, whereas animacy and word order are much weaker. However, when subjects and their cases markers are omitted, Japanese honorific and humble verbs can provide information that compensates for the missing case role markers. This study examined the usage of honorific and humble verbs as cues to case role assignment by Japanese native speakers and second-language learners of Japanese. The results for native speakers replicated earlier findings regarding the predominant strength of case marking. However, when case marking was missing, native speakers relied more on honorific marking than word order. In these sentences, the processing that relied on the honorific cue was delayed by about 100 ms in comparison to processing that relied on the case-marking cue. Learners made extensive use of the honorific agreement cue, but their use of the cue was much less accurate than that of native speakers. In particular, they failed to systematically invoke the agreement cue when case marking was missing. Overall, the findings support the predictions of the model and extend its coverage to a new type of culturally determined cue.

Elicited Imitation in Second Language Learners

1977 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Else Hamayan ◽  
Joel Saegert ◽  
Paul Larudee
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Elicited Imitation

Do second language learners acquire restrictive relative clauses on the basis of relational or configurational information? The acquisition of French subject, direct object and genitive restrictive relative clauses by second language learners

1989 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Hawkins
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Relative Clauses ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Linear Ordering ◽  
Restrictive Relative Clauses ◽  
The Way

Much of the work on the second language acquisition of restrictive relative clauses has made reference to the similarities between learners' order of diffi culty and Keenan and Comrie's (1977) typologically determined noun phrase accessibility hierarchy for relativisation (AH). There has been little considera tion, however, of whether this 'theory of markedness' (for that is the implica tion of citing the AH in the context of second language learning) actually determines the way that second language learners develop rules for restrictive relative clauses. The present study examines the way that learners of L2 French construct rules for French relativiser morphology from this perspective. It is found that there is no evidence to support the view that learners make use of a theory of markedness like the AH in constructing such rules. Rather, learners appear to construct rules on the basis of the linear ordering of the constituents of restrictive relative clauses in surface configurations. From the evidence it is suggested that 'markedness' in the development of L2 restrictive relative clauses is not a feature of the grammatical component of learners' linguistic knowledge, but is a feature of their L2 processing capacity.

The acquisition of coda consonants by Mandarin early child L2 learners of English

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 646-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
NAN XU RATTANASONE ◽  
KATHERINE DEMUTH
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Elicited Imitation ◽  
Early Child ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Australian English

Little is known about the acquisition of phonology in children learning a second language before the age of four. The study of Mandarin children's early learning of English coda consonants is of particular interest because of the different syllable structures permitted in the two languages. Using an elicited imitation task, this study explored the acquisition of coda consonants and related phrase-final lengthening in twelve three-year-old Mandarin-speaking children exposed to Australian English at preschool. Performance was good on /t/ and /s/ codas, but worse on the phonologically and morphologically more complex /ts/ coda. Although /n/ is one of the few codas permitted in Mandarin, both perceptual and acoustic analysis revealed surprisingly poor performance, suggesting possible L1 Mandarin effects. As expected, longer exposure to English resulted in better coda production. The results are discussed in terms of possible mechanisms underlying L2 phonological and morphological acquisition in early child second language learners (ECL2).

THE CONTRIBUTION OF PSYCHOSOCIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL VARIABLES TO HERITAGE LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ LINGUISTIC KNOWLEDGE OF SPANISH

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (04) ◽  
pp. 695-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Torres ◽  
Ricardo Estremera ◽  
Sherez Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Elicited Imitation ◽  
Grammaticality Judgment ◽  
Specific Contribution

AbstractIndividual differences (IDs) largely contribute to success in adult second language attainment (e.g., Dörnyei, 2006). Heritage language (HL) studies have also explored the role of IDs, namely psychosocial variables, and biographical factors with an adult HL learner population. However, the specific contribution of these variables to HL learners' performance on linguistic tests that differ in degree of explicitness and modality remains unknown. Therefore, the current study tested 103 adult HL learners of Spanish who completed a spoken elicited imitation task (EIT) and a written untimed grammaticality judgment task (UGJT) that elicited their knowledge of vulnerable morphosyntactic structures in HL bilingual acquisition. To investigate the contribution of individual learner factors on their performance, participants completed a few questionnaires. Mixed-effects regression models revealed that sequential bilingual status, willingness to communicate, generation and motivation contributed significantly, but yet differentially to participants' performance on grammatical and ungrammatical items of the EIT and UGJT.

scholarly journals Input type effects on students’ written narrative responses

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Izwan Ramlee
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Visual Input ◽  
The Other ◽  
Written Responses ◽  
Input Type ◽  
Similar Content

This pilot study examines the differences of second language learners’ written responses when they are given two different input types with similar content. One input was through written narrative or visual only input, where the learners need to read, and the other was a performed narrative or audio-visual input, where learners need to watch. Learners were then required to respond to the input by completing the narratives. Results showed that there were no major discrepancies in terms of complete/incomplete storylines, length, and number of dialogues, but revealed that the audio-visual input influenced learners more as their responses have a stronger correspondence to the traits in the performance rather than the written narrative.

scholarly journals The Effect of Explicit Instruction of Requests on Saudi EFL learners using a pre-test, post-test Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Israa A Qari
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Test Instruction ◽  
Third Phase ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Request Strategies

The aim of the current study is to test whether explicit instruction of various L2 request forms can be a useful measure in developing Saudi learners’ linguistic and pragmatic competences. This study is based on the results obtained from a previous research investigating interlanguage requests. The findings in that study suggested that the second language learners were not aware of some of the request strategies which were exclusively employed by the British English native speakers. The aim and the question of this study is to find out whether explicit instruction of request strategies will be effective in helping Saudi EFL learners gain linguistic knowledge and achieve pragmatic appropriateness in making requests in L2. Thirty female foundation year students participated in this study. They were all EFL learners studying at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The group underwent three phases of instruction: pre-test, instruction/intervention, and post-test. The first and last phases consisted of written questionnaires which were distributed right before and after the instruction phase. The results showed that in the third phase, the students demonstrated great progress in their understanding of request forms in L2. Their improvement was manifested by the learners’ acknowledgement of these forms as proper employment of request strategies in English, recognition of request function names, ability to assign correct functions to linguistic realizations and their overall understanding of the appropriate use of these forms dictated by the weightiness of different request situations.

scholarly journals Increasing fluency in L2 writing with singing

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenni Alisaari ◽  
Leena Maria Heikkola
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
The Other ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Pedagogical Methods

Fluency is an essential part of a language learner’s skills. Despite various studies on fluency, little is known about the effects of different pedagogical methods on the development of written fluency. In this paper, we examine how different pedagogical methods affect the development of second language learners’ written fluency. Participants in this study were 51 language learners enrolled in two intensive Finnish courses. The pedagogical methods investigated in the study were singing, listening to songs, and reciting lyrics of songs. Written stories based on cartoon strips were used as a pretest and a posttest. The fluency of written stories was analyzed based on the number of words used in the texts. Differences between the groups taught by different pedagogical methods were analyzed. The results seem to indicate that fluency increased the most in the singing groups compared to the other groups. There was also a statistically significant difference between the singing group and the group reciting lyrics, as well as between the group listening to songs and the group reciting lyrics.

Comparing advanced L2 and heritage language learners’ Spanish grammars

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-73
Author(s):  
Clara Burgo
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Heritage Language Learners ◽  
Grammar Instruction ◽  
Processing Instruction ◽  
Teaching Techniques ◽  
Grammatical Knowledge ◽  
Grammar Teaching ◽  
Input Enhancement ◽  
Similarities And Differences

Abstract It is very well known that we should take a sociolinguistic teaching approach for Spanish heritage language (HL) learners' instruction. Potowski (2005) proposed that instruction be centered on literacy development and grammatical knowledge. However, not much has been said regarding grammar instruction: What does Spanish HL learners' grammar look like? What are the main similarities and differences between advanced L2 learners and HL learners? What are the most effective grammar teaching techniques for Spanish HL learners? Can those techniques used for L2 grammar teaching be applied to HL learners? In this article, an answer to all of these questions is offered. Moreover, practical examples of activities are provided using several techniques such as processing instruction, interactional feedback, dictogloss, and input enhancement, followed by pedagogical implications derived from current research on grammar instruction for both advanced L2 and HL learners of Spanish.

Strategic Competence in an ELT Syllabus

2004 ◽  
Vol 145-146 ◽  
pp. 145-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghaleb Ahmed Rabab'ah
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Strategy Training ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Teaching Methodology ◽  
Strategic Competence ◽  
Communication Problems

Abstract Communication strategies (CSs) are important in helping learners to communicate successfully when they are faced with a production problem due to their lack of linguistic knowledge. This paper aims to support the importance of developing second language learners’ strategic competence and making communication strategies part of an ELT syllabus. This paper first discusses the various definitions of strategic competence and communication strategies. Then it briefly presents various communication strategies used by second language learners to solve their communication problems. The major portion of this paper is devoted to strategy training and its advantages in language learning. Finally, the paper concludes with the importance of introducing tasks and activities on communication strategies in an EFL syllabus, and suggests ways of improving teaching methodology.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document