Bilingual Acquisition: The Early Steps

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuria Sebastian-Galles ◽  
Chiara Santolin
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Infants And Toddlers ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Current Review ◽  
Social Abilities ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact

How different is the process of language learning in infants exposed to two languages from birth? Not so long ago, the available evidence pointed to a delay in language learning in bilinguals and suggested differences in several linguistic aspects between monolinguals and bilinguals. At present, the bulk of studies indicates the existence of specific adaptations to the process of language learning. In the current review, we discuss the existing evidence in several abilities in language acquisition in young bilingual infants and toddlers. We also examine studies investigating the impact of bilingual exposure in the emergence of cognitive and social abilities beyond language. We analyze the importance of clarifying several methodological issues and challenges, including the definition of bilingualism itself, for the field to advance.

scholarly journals Fostering EFL/ESL Students’ Language Achievement: The Role of Teachers’ Enthusiasm and Classroom Enjoyment

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Liu ◽  
Mingjie Zhang ◽  
Xuetao Zhao ◽  
Fang Jia
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Current Review ◽  
Teacher Enthusiasm ◽  
Role Of Teachers

Thanks to the inflow of positive psychology (PP) in language education in general and language learning in particular, extensive consideration has been drawn to the role of emotion in second language acquisition (SLA). Enjoyment as a mutual constructive sensation experienced by students has engrossed academic attention. Likewise, teachers are redirected as the most remarkable figure of any educational association, and their enthusiasm is substantial for students in the classroom. In line with the inquiries of teacher enthusiasm, principles of PP, and classroom enjoyment, the current review strives for this form of connection and its impacts on learners’ achievement. Subsequently, the suggestions of this review for teachers, learners, and educator trainers are deliberated.

scholarly journals THE IMPACT OF INTELLIGENCE AND APTITUDE IN THE SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING: A BRIEF STUDY

2017 ◽  
pp. 199-206
Author(s):  
Hitendra Vyas
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Dimensions Of Learning ◽  
Language Capacity ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Impact

This paper focuses on the relationship between Intelligence and Aptitude, and second language learning. The definition of aptitude refers to cognitive abilities rather than attitudes and affective dimensions of learning. Aptitude measures can predict achievement in cognitive language capacity rather than ability to communicate on an interpersonal level. Two sets of intellectual abilities are involved in learning a L2. One of them is intelligence, “a general academic or reasoning ability” (Ellis 1986). As Mc Donough (1981) suggests, intelligence refers to “the capacity rather than the contents of the mind.” Initial attempts to identify successful and unsuccessful language learners focused mainly on the concept of intelligence (Gardner 1985). Intelligence is involved in the learning of other school subjects as well as an L2. It underlies “our ability to master and use a whole range of academic skills” (Ellis 1986)

Language-in-education policies in the Catalan language area

AILA Review ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 31-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Xavier Vila i Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Language Area ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Language Areas ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Learning Language

The territories where Catalan is traditionally spoken as a native language constitute an attractive sociolinguistic laboratory which appears especially interesting from the point of view of language-in-education policies. The educational system has spearheaded the recovery of Catalan during the last 20 years. Schools are being attributed most of the responsibility for the (failure of integration) of past and current immigrant waves. There is a historical, demolinguistic and political fragmentation of the linguistic area of Catalan because at least 8 different national and sub-national authorities have a say in the definition of language policies in education. This circumstance has led to the establishment of a number of school models which deal differently with each of the challenges described before. In this contribution, an overview is produced of the main school models which are currently running in the Catalan language areas from a comparative perspective, highlighting their points in common and their differences. The article also provides a summary of available research results in connection with language learning, language practices, the impact on social integration and cohesion, and on academic achievement. It does review some of the challenges that will have to be faced by each system in the near future.

An Overview of Audiovisual Input as a Means for Foreign Language Acquisition in Different Contexts

2021 ◽  
pp. 002383092098589
Author(s):  
Sandro Caruana
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Source Information ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Foreign Language Acquisition ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
The Impact

Traditional media, such as television and cinema, provide rich audiovisual input that is conducive to language acquisition, as research in the field has shown. This includes contexts where learner-viewers are exposed to a foreign language without subtitles, as well as when exposure occurs using subtitles in their different modalities—interlingual and intralingual. The aim of this review article is to source information from different contexts to explore the extent to which incidental foreign language acquisition occurs through input, identifying how specific linguistic competences benefit from it. The main questions that will be addressed regard age and cognateness, when exposure to foreign audiovisual input occurs both in the absence and in the presence of foreign language learning. Some brief considerations will be forwarded in relation to the impact of dubbing and of recent technological developments on language acquisition.

scholarly journals First and second language acquisition: Towards a reconcillation

2015 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-140
Author(s):  
Nicole Nau
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
The Other ◽  
First Language Acquisition ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
The One ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract For the past two decades, research on first language acquisition on the one side, and on second language acquisition and learning on the other have largely developed separately, probably as a reaction to the failure of earlier attempts to use the same methods or simply transfer insights gained in one of the fields to the other. T his article argues that a reconciliation may be fruitful, provided that different aspects which have often got blurred in the discussion are considered separately. These aspects include the assessment of multilingualism and monolingualism, the age factor and the definition of “first” and “second” language, the understanding of linguistic competence and of completeness of acquisition, different forms of acquisition and learning, and uniformity vs. individual differences in the process of language acquisition. By challenging some widely held views on characteristics of first language acquisition and its differences to second language learning, more fine-grained research questions are revealed, some of which have been addressed in recent studies on language acquisition and multilingualism

scholarly journals HOW GESTURE PROVIDES A HELPING HAND AND SUPPORTS CHILDREN’S LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-74
Author(s):  
Ma'rifah Nurmala
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Semantic Relations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Gestural Input ◽  
Do So

Children use gesture to refer to objects before they produce labels for these objects to convey semantic relations between objects before conveying sentences in speech. The gestural input that children receive from their  or teacher shows that they provide models for their children for the types of gestures and gesture to produce, and do so by modifying their gestures to meet the communicative needs of their children. This article aims to discuss what we know about the impact of gestures on memorization of words. This article describes an explanation the form and example why using gesture would help educator and parent in supports children’s language development. More importantly, the gestures that parents and teachers produce, in addition to providing models, help children learn labels for referents and semantic relations between these referents and even predict the extent of children’s vocabularies several years later. The existing research highlights the important role parental even the teacher gestures play in shaping children’s language learning.

scholarly journals Features of ethno-oriented language learning

New Collegium ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (103) ◽  
pp. 109-113
Author(s):  
T. Laguta ◽  
O. Verzhanskaya
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Students ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Cultural Experience ◽  
Successful Communication ◽  
Preparatory Stage ◽  
Approach To Teaching ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Linguistic Material

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of ethno-oriented language teaching of foreign students. The definition of communicative ethnostistics is given, its object and subject are considered. The urgency of the problem is substantiated. The aim of the work is to consider different styles of national communication, as well as the parameters that are used to describe the national style of communication. Two main types of language acquisition are considered − communicative and non-communicative. Listeners of the communicative type prefer an intuitive way of learning the language, they easily learn the language during verbal communication. In most cases, they do not need deep theoretical explanations of the language material; they work successfully when attention is directed not to the learning process itself, but to its content side. Students of the non-communicative type are more inclined to analyze linguistic material, to identify logical and grammatical patterns in the language. It is emphasized that taking into account the ethnopsychological characteristics, mentality, national and cultural experience of representatives of different countries contributes to the organization of an effective educational process in a foreign audience and high-quality preparation of foreign students for successful communication. It is concluded that the national traditions of education and the associated styles of language acquisition must be taken into account already in teaching the Ukrainian language at the preparatory stage, which will optimize the process of learning the Ukrainian language. An ethno-oriented approach to teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language will allow teachers to adequately understand foreign students; to determine the effectiveness of the most acceptable forms and methods of teaching for representatives of a certain ethnic group; provide concrete assistance in solving problems of adaptation to a new socio-cultural environment; identify the difficulties that representatives of different ethnic groups face during language acquisition. Ethno-oriented education covers the interaction of the native and foreign (Ukrainian) languages in the cultural and educational space.

scholarly journals The Impact of Pictures on Second Language Acquisition

SEEU Review ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-135
Author(s):  
Shejla Tahiri
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The need for worldwide communication has made people learn as many foreign languages as they can in order to be able to send and receive information from all over the world. Realizing this situation, researchers and linguists have carried out a large number of studies in order to find out the best ways for teaching and learning English as a second or foreign language. The terms language learning and language acquisition are not new since in many earlier researches language acquisition is compared to the process of learning the mother tongue whereas language learning is compared to the process when a child learns a second or foreign language. This paper aims to showcase that teaching/learning new vocabulary using pictures is much more effective than the other methods of vocabulary learning. The research also puts emphasis on the language level of learners. It demonstrates that the method of using pictures and illustrations works well with all levels of proficiency and as such, it has brought very useful results. It was carried out at the South East European University (SEEU) in North Macedonia and participants were thirty (30) students from all five Faculties, divided in three different groups based on their language proficiency. Each group consisted of ten (10) students, aged 18 to 22 years. They were of elementary, pre-intermediate and intermediate level of English. The research lasted for six weeks, because the students had to be introduced to six different vocabulary topics. Since the experiment was carried out in a real classroom environment, the target vocabulary topics used for this purpose were chosen from their students’ book. Data were collected in three phases. During the first phase, students were asked to complete a questionnaire, consisting of questions regarding the vocabulary learning methods, mainly vocabulary associated with pictures. In the second phase, they were engaged in real activities in a traditional classroom setting, while in the last phase, at the end of the last session, participants took a quiz that was supposed to provide evidence and additional data about participants’ achievements. It is expected that the findings from this experiment will be useful to current and prospective teachers as they show that the method of pictures and illustrations associating the target vocabulary functions well with different levels.

Quotations, Imitations, and Generalizations. Factual and Methodological Analyses

1979 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernst L. Moerk ◽  
Claudia Moerk
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Methodological Problem ◽  
Time Intervals ◽  
Generalized Imitation ◽  
Syntactic Development ◽  
Picture Story ◽  
Conversational Interactions ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact

Methodological and factual analyses are presented of children's use of imitative speech as a strategy in language acquisition. A new definition encompassing a greater variety of imitative speech is chosen and the manner in which model utterances are employed and restructured is followed over brief and longer time intervals. Speech samples of one girl between the ages of 20 and 32 months were recorded and related to the input she obtained in conversational interactions and through picture-story books. The impact of these two sources upon vocabulary, morphological, and syntactic development is described. Broad and profound effects of model-speech are demonstrated in all three domains of language. These impacts often become visible only after considerable intervals and can appear in extensively restructured utterances. Based upon the methodological complexities that were encountered in the present study and in the literature, four methodological problem areas are analyzed: pertaining to the definition of imitation, to the child's use of it, to the investigator's interpretation of its effects, and to the contrast between abstracting or 'generalized imitation' versus direct copying.

Language Development and Delay in Internationally Adoped Infants and Toddlers

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Glennen
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Infants And Toddlers ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Internationally Adopted Children ◽  
Developmental Risks ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Internationally Adopted

When children change cultures through adoption, they experience a transition from a birth first language to a new adoptive first language. Because adoptive families rarely speak the birth language, use of that language arrests at the time of adoption and undergoes attrition while the child learns the new adopted language. During this process, internationally adopted children have limited abilities in both languages. This makes it difficult to determine which children require speech and language services, and which will learn the new language spontaneously over time. This article reviews information on arrested language development in bilingual children and applies it to the internationally adopted child. The influence of cross-linguistic patterns of transfer and interference in infants and toddlers is explored, along with the medical and developmental risks associated with children adopted from orphanages. The primary goal of this article is to help professionals understand post-adoption language learning issues affecting internationally adopted children, as well as the impact of preadoption history on those developmental processes.

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