The acquisition of requests by second language learners of Spanish

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derrin Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Request Strategies ◽  
Using Data ◽  
L1 And L2

This cross-sectional study in interlanguage pragmatics analyzes the requests employed by English-speaking learners of L2 Spanish, using data collected from university students at four different levels of language learning. The most common request strategies are first identified in a cross-linguistic analysis of Spanish and English and are then compared to the interlanguage data. The requests of lower-level students are found to be more idiosyncratic and pragmatically ambiguous than those of advanced learners, although not necessarily more direct. Advanced learners show signs of improvement, but still rely largely on L1 request behavior. Learners at all levels display more difficulties in areas in which there is cross-linguistic variation between the L1 and L2.

Pragmatics in CLIL

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 467-494
Author(s):  
Nashwa Nashaat Sobhy
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Written Discourse ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
School Programs ◽  
Completion Test ◽  
Request Strategies

Abstract This study is a mixed-method, cross-sectional study that compares the acquisition of request modification in the productions of two secondary school groups (15–16 years old) in two school programs: content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and traditional mainstream (non-CLIL). A total of 192 requests were gathered from both groups by means of an elicitation instrument (a Written Discourse Completion Test – WDCT). The requestive pragmatic moves (external and internal modifiers and request strategies) were analysed according to their pragmatic functions (softeners and aggravators) and a data-driven taxonomy of request modification was elaborated in line with previously developed taxonomies (Blum-Kulka et al., 1989; Alcón Soler et al., 2005) for the data analysis. The results showed that both groups share similarities typical of foreign language learners. Nonetheless, significant statistical differences between them indicated that the CLIL group had a fuller repertoire of request modification strategies, yet their sociopragmatic knowledge is questioned.

Second Language Spanish Vowel Production: An Acoustic Analysis

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandy R. Menke ◽  
Timothy L. Face
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Short Story ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Vowel Production ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Spanish Study

AbstractFindings from a cross-sectional study of the Spanish vowel productions of sixty adult second language learners of Spanish are presented in this article. The data set is based upon digitally recorded readings of an authentic Spanish-language short story. An acoustic examination of F1 and F2 values was carried out on twenty tokens of each vowel, 10 in stressed syllables, 10 in unstressed. The findings show that learners in the early stages of their Spanish study struggle to produce vowels in a native-like way, but the vowels of more advanced learners are similar to those of native speakers. The unstressed vowels of all learners are produced with some degree of centralization, confirming the much theorized influence of English on Spanish vowel productions.

scholarly journals Metaphorical language in second language learners' essays: Products and processes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Đoan Hạ Thị Hoàng
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Metaphorical Language ◽  
Using Data ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

<p>This two-phase project investigated metaphorical language use in second language learners’ essays from both perspectives of products and processes. The first phase relied on text analysis to examine the patterns of metaphorical language use in 396 undergraduate essays at four different year levels, focusing on the metaphoricity and the phraseology of their metaphorical language. The study has shown that there were differences in metaphorical language use at different year levels. Metaphorical language use was also found to correlate with writing grades. Conventional metaphorical language use, in particular, significantly explained writing grades.  The second phase explored the learners’ thoughts behind their written production of metaphorical language using data from computer-logged keystrokes and stimulated retrospective interviews. It was found that there was a relationship between the locations and durations of the pauses and the metaphoricity and phraseology of the metaphorical language the participants produced. The study has shown that learners had low awareness of the metaphorical nature of the language they used, and that the underlying thoughts behind their metaphorical language use involved more non-metaphoric than metaphoric thinking.  The project has added new knowledge to current scholarship of metaphor in second language learning and has significant implications for the teaching of L2 vocabulary and writing.</p>

Contextuele invloeden op de productie van /h/ in het Nederlands van Belgisch-Franstalige leerders

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-108
Author(s):  
Charles Fayt ◽  
Willemijn Heeren
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Monitoring Task ◽  
Minimal Pairs ◽  
Speech Monitoring ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
French Speaker

Abstract The phoneme /h/ is absent in French and its acquisition has been described as being difficult for second language learners of Dutch, a language with /h/ in its phoneme inventory. In this study, several factors were examined that may affect the production of /h/ by Belgian-French learners of Dutch. Specifically, the factors included in this exploratory study were (1) L1-to-L2 transfer, (2) semantic contrastiveness, (3) the monitoring of one’s speech, and (4) educational grade. L1-to-L2 transfer was operationalized as the effect of liaison/elision contexts on /h/-production. The expectation was liaison contexts might transfer and would therefore hinder /h/-production. Semantic contrasts in minimal pairs including an h-initial word would elicit more /h/-productions if that word was contrasted with an empty onset than an onset (oor-hoor) filled by some other consonant (hand-tand). If a speaker pays more attention to his/her speech in an increased-monitoring task, the speaker is expected to produce /h/ more often, and finally it was expected that increased exposure to Dutch would result in more correct productions. In a cross-sectional study, students from the first, third and sixth grades of secondary education (60 in total, aged between 12 years and 19 years old) took part in two reading-aloud tasks, which were assumed to differ in the degree of speech monitoring they require. The first task was a text, with which L1-to-L2 transfer was assessed, and the second a list of minimal pairs containing h-onsets contrasting with either empty or filled onsets. Monitoring was assessed by comparing results between reading tasks. Results showed that increased monitoring positively influenced the numbers of [h]s produced, but that L1-to-L2 transfer of liaison/elision contexts did not occur. A small difference between conditions was found, but in the opposite direction. There was large between-learner variability and no performance increase with amount of exposure from first to sixth grade. Overall, performance left much room for improvement relative to native Dutch speakers and to the learners’ teacher. Further research is needed to better understand the development of French-speaker learners’ production of Dutch /h/.

scholarly journals The development of shared syntax in second language learning

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROBERT J. HARTSUIKER ◽  
SARAH BERNOLET
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Explicit Memory ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Structural Priming ◽  
Priming Effects ◽  
Memory Processes ◽  
L1 And L2

According to Hartsuiker et al.'s (2004) shared-syntax account bilinguals share syntactic representations across languages whenever these representations are similar enough. But how does such a system develop in the course of second language (L2) learning? We will review recent work on cross-linguistic structural priming, which considered priming in early second language learners and late second language learners as a function of proficiency. We will then sketch our account of L2 syntactic acquisition. We assume an early phase in which the learner relies on transfer from L1 and imitation, followed by phases in which language- and item-specific syntactic representations are added and in which such representations become increasingly abstract. We argue that structural priming effects in L2 (and between L1 and L2) depend on the structure of this developing network but also on explicit memory processes. We speculate that these memory processes might aid the formation of new representations.

scholarly journals Metaphorical language in second language learners' essays: Products and processes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Đoan Hạ Thị Hoàng
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Metaphorical Language ◽  
Using Data ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

<p>This two-phase project investigated metaphorical language use in second language learners’ essays from both perspectives of products and processes. The first phase relied on text analysis to examine the patterns of metaphorical language use in 396 undergraduate essays at four different year levels, focusing on the metaphoricity and the phraseology of their metaphorical language. The study has shown that there were differences in metaphorical language use at different year levels. Metaphorical language use was also found to correlate with writing grades. Conventional metaphorical language use, in particular, significantly explained writing grades.  The second phase explored the learners’ thoughts behind their written production of metaphorical language using data from computer-logged keystrokes and stimulated retrospective interviews. It was found that there was a relationship between the locations and durations of the pauses and the metaphoricity and phraseology of the metaphorical language the participants produced. The study has shown that learners had low awareness of the metaphorical nature of the language they used, and that the underlying thoughts behind their metaphorical language use involved more non-metaphoric than metaphoric thinking.  The project has added new knowledge to current scholarship of metaphor in second language learning and has significant implications for the teaching of L2 vocabulary and writing.</p>

scholarly journals Clinical and Socio-demographic Determinants of Self-care Maintenance, Monitoring and Management in US Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

2020 ◽  
pp. 105477382091698
Author(s):  
Michela Luciani ◽  
Emanuela Rossi ◽  
Paola Rebora ◽  
Michael Stawnychy ◽  
Davide Ausili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Care Management ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sociodemographic Determinants ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Using Data

The aims of this study were to describe self-care in US T2DM patients and to identify clinical and sociodemographic determinants of self-care maintenance, monitoring, and management in US T2DM patients. A secondary analysis was performed using data from a cross-sectional study done to test the psychometric performance of the Self-Care of Diabetes Inventory in US English speaking adults with diabetes. In our sample ( n = 207), self-care maintenance was adequately performed (median = 75), self-care monitoring was borderline (median = 67.6) and self-care management was poor (median = 55.6). Low income ( p = .0019) and low self-care confidence ( p < .0001) were associated with relatively lower self-care maintenance. Not taking insulin ( p = .0153) and low self-care confidence ( p < .0001) were associated with relatively low self-care monitoring. Low self-care confidence ( p < .0001) was associated with low self-care management. Self-care confidence is a strong determinant of self-care. Interventions designed to improve self-care confidence are urgently needed.

Assessing the L2 pragmatic awareness of non-native EFL teacher candidates: Is spotting a problem enough?

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-65
Author(s):  
Karen Glaser
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Target Language ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Language Teacher Education ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Efl Teacher ◽  
Pragmatic Awareness ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Research Gap

AbstractThe assessment of pragmatic skills in a foreign or second language (L2) is usually investigated with regard to language learners, but rarely with regard to non-native language instructors, who are simultaneously teachers and (advanced) learners of the L2. With regard to English as the target language, this is a true research gap, as nonnative English-speaking teachers (non-NESTs) constitute the majority of English teachers world-wide (Kamhi-Stein 2016). Addressing this research gap, this paper presents a modified replication of Bardovi-Harlig and Dörnyei’s (1998) renowned study on grammatical vs. pragmatic awareness, carried out with non-NEST candidates. While the original study asked the participants for a global indication of (in)appropriateness/ (in)correctness and to rate its severity, the participants in the present study were asked to identify the nature of the violation and to suggest a repair. Inspired by Pfingsthorn and Flöck (2017), the data was analyzed by means of Signal Detection Theory with regard to Hits, Misses, False Alarms and Correct Rejections to gain more detailed insights into the participants’ metalinguistic perceptions. In addition, the study investigated the rate of successful repairs, showing that correct problem identification cannot necessarily be equated with adequate repair abilities. Implications for research, language teaching and language teacher education are derived.

scholarly journals Influence of language skills on the choice of terms used to describe lung sounds in a language other than English: a cross-sectional survey of staff physicians, residents and medical students

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e044240
Author(s):  
Abraham Bohadana ◽  
Hava Azulai ◽  
Amir Jarjoui ◽  
George Kalak ◽  
Ariel Rokach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
C Language ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Chest Auscultation ◽  
English Speaking

IntroductionThe value of chest auscultation would be enhanced by the use of a standardised terminology. To that end, the recommended English terminology must be transferred to a language other than English (LOTE) without distortion.ObjectiveTo examine the transfer to Hebrew—taken as a model of LOTE—of the recommended terminology in English.Design/settingCross-sectional study; university-based hospital.Participants143 caregivers, including 31 staff physicians, 65 residents and 47 medical students.MethodsObservers provided uninstructed descriptions in Hebrew and English of audio recordings of five common sounds, namely, normal breath sound (NBS), wheezes, crackles, stridor and pleural friction rub (PFR).Outcomes(a) Rates of correct/incorrect classification; (b) correspondence between Hebrew and recommended English terms; c) language and auscultation skills, assessed by crossing the responses in the two languages with each other and with the classification of the audio recordings validated by computer analysis.ResultsRange (%) of correct rating was as follows: NBS=11.3–20, wheezes=79.7–87.2, crackles=58.6–69.8, stridor=67.4–96.3 and PFR=2.7–28.6. Of 60 Hebrew terms, 11 were correct, and 5 matched the recommended English terms. Many Hebrew terms were adaptations or transliterations of inadequate English terms. Of 687 evaluations, good dual-language and single-language skills were found in 586 (85.3%) and 41 (6%), respectively. However, in 325 (47.3%) evaluations, good language skills were associated with poor auscultation skills.ConclusionPoor auscultation skills surpassed poor language skills as a factor hampering the transfer to Hebrew (LOTE) of the recommended English terminology. Improved education in auscultation emerged as the main factor to promote the use of standardised lung sound terminology. Using our data, a strategy was devised to encourage the use of standardised terminology in non-native English-speaking countries.

scholarly journals 33. Concerning Trends of Pediatric Leprosy in Minas Gerais, Brazil and Associations with Number of Municipality Medical Facilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S17-S17
Author(s):  
Taylor Landay ◽  
Julie A Clennon ◽  
José A Ferreira ◽  
Lucia A Fraga ◽  
Maria Aparecida F Grossi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Period 2 ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Medical Facilities ◽  
Age Of Diagnosis ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Incident Cases

Abstract Background Leprosy in children under 15 years of age, and in particular, the presence of leprosy grade 2 disability (G2D) in children, signifies ongoing transmission and the need for improved surveillance. Our objective was to describe the epidemiology of pediatric leprosy in Minas Gerais, Brazil and to explore associations with access to medical facilities. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Brazilian Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (SINAN) from 2002–2017. Incident cases were included if they resided in a municipality with both adult and pediatric cases. Municipalities were divided by the number of medical facilities per municipality: &lt; 5, 5–17, and 18 or higher. Analyses compared pediatric cases across two time periods (2002–2009 and 2010–2017) and number of medical facilities / municipality using chi-square, t-tests, and logistic regression. Results A total of 27,725 cases were reported with 1,611 under 15 years of age. Overall incidence declined from 34.8 per 100,000 to 13.6 per 100,000 during the study period with pediatric incidence declining from 2.6 per 100,000 to 0.8 per 100,000. Time period 2 (TP2) showed an increase in the proportion of pediatric G2D (2.58% vs 1.91%, p &lt; 0.0001) when compared to time period 1 (TP1). Mean age of diagnosis in children was younger in TP2 then in TP1 (10.06 vs 10.43, p=0.02). In 2017, the pediatric incidence in municipalities with the fewest medical facilities was 0.95 per 100,000 compared to 0.23 per 100,000 in municipalities with &gt; 5 facilities (p=0.009). There was significantly higher odds of disability at diagnosis (grades 1 and 2) in pediatric cases residing in municipalities with &lt; 5 medical facilities (aOR 1.88; 95% CI 1.37–2.59), adjusted for age and sex. See map (Fig 1). Figure 1. Cases of Pediatric Disability By Number of Municipality Medical Facilities from 2002–2017 (White areas without reported pediatric leprosy) Conclusion The increasing proportion of G2D in children in the second half of the study period despite declining incidence suggest occult infections among children and adults alike in Minas Gerais. Furthermore, the average age of diagnosis in children should increase, not decrease, if M. leprae transmission was truly declining. Lastly, the association between fewer municipality health facilities and increased disability suggest barriers to timely diagnosis and a critical area of focus for research into access to healthcare and leprosy risk. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

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