Using corpus linguistics to examine the extrapolation inference in the validity argument for a high-stakes speaking assessment

Investigations of the validity of a number of high-stakes language assessments are conducted using an argument-based approach, which requires evidence for inferences that are critical to score interpretation (Chapelle, Enright, & Jamieson, 2008b; Kane, 2013). The current study investigates the extrapolation inference for a high-stakes test of spoken English, the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) speaking task. This inference requires evidence that supports the inferential step from observations of what test takers can do on an assessment to what they can do in the target domain (Chapelle et al., 2008b; Kane, 2013). Typically, the extrapolation inference has been supported by evidence from a criterion measure of language ability. This study proposes an additional empirical method, namely corpus-based register analysis (Biber & Conrad, 2009), which provides a quantitative framework for examining the linguistic relationship between performance assessments and the domains to which their scores are extrapolated. This approach extends Bachman and Palmer’s (2010) focus on the target language use (TLU) domain analysis in their study of assessment use arguments by providing a quantitative approach for the study of language. We first explain the connections between corpus-based register analysis and TLU analysis. Second, an investigation of the MELAB speaking task compares the language of test-taker responses to the language of academic, professional, and conversational spoken registers, or TLU domains. Additionally, the language features at different performance levels within the MELAB speaking task are investigated to determine the relationship between test takers’ scores and their language use in the task. Following previous studies using corpus-based register analysis, we conduct a multi-dimensional (MD) analysis for our investigation. The comparison of the language features from the MELAB with the language of TLU domains revealed that support for the extrapolation inference varies across dimensions of language use.

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Test de Français Laval-Montreal: Does It Measure What It Should Measure?

TESL Canada Journal ◽

10.18806/tesl.v32i0.1219 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

pp. 87

Author(s):

Romain Schmitt ◽

Shahrzad Saif

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Language Use ◽

Target Language ◽

French Language ◽

Task Characteristics ◽

Language Abilities ◽

High Stakes ◽

Formation Initiale ◽

Teacher Training Programs ◽

Language Needs

This article reports on a study conducted as part of a larger investigation of the predictive validity of the Test de Français Laval-Montreal (TFLM), a high-stakes French language test used for admission and placement purposes for Teacher- Training Programs (TTPs) in major francophone universities in Canada (Schmitt, 2015). The objective of this study is to examine the validity of TFLM tasks for measuring language abilities required by tasks common to the Target Language Use (TLU; Bachman & Palmer, 2010) domains in which preservice teachers are expected to function. Adopting Messick’s conception of construct validity (1989) and Bachman & Palmer’s Framework of Task Characteristics (2010), the study features a comprehensive task analysis detailing the characteristics of TFLM tasks in contrast to those of three major TLU academic and instructional contexts linked to the test. The results of the study are discussed in terms of the standards of validity (Messick, 1996) and qualities of usefulness (Bachman & Palmer, 1996). Findings suggest that TFLM tasks and constructs do not represent those of the TLU contexts and do not address the language needs of preservice teachers as identified by the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS). The implications for the consequential aspect of TFLM validity and the potential nega- tive consequences of TFLM use as an admission test are discussed. Cet article présente une partie d’une étude plus complète sur la validité prédictive du Test de Français Laval-Montréal (TFLM), test de langue française à enjeux critiques utilisé comme test d’admission et de placement dans les programmes de formation initiale en enseignement d’importantes universités francophones au Canada (Schmitt, 2015). Le but de ce e étude est d’analyser la validité des tâches du TFLM à des fins d’évaluation des compétences linguistiques exigées dans les tâches communes aux domaines d’utilisation de la langue cible dans lesquels les enseignants en formation doivent fonctionner (Target Language Use (TLU); Bachman & Palmer, 2010). Basée sur la conception de la validité conceptuelle de Messick (1989) et le cadre d’analyse des caractéristiques des tâches de Bachman & Palmer (2010), l’étude compare de manière détaillée les tâches du TFLM à celles de trois contextes académiques et pédagogiques d’emploi de la langue cible. Les résultats de cette analyse sont évalués en termes de validité (Messick, 1996) et des qualités des tests (Bachman & Palmer, 1996). Les résultats indiquent que les tâches du TFLM et les construits qu’il est sensé évaluer ne correspondent pas à ceux des contextes d’emploi de la langue cible et ne répondent pas aux besoins des ensei- gnants en formation tels qu’identi és par le Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS). La validité du TFLM, les conséquences ainsi que les aspects potentiellement négatifs de son utilisation comme test d’admission sont discutés.

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The Impact of Native Language Use on Second Language Vocabulary Learning by Saudi EFL Students

English Language Teaching ◽

10.5539/elt.v9n5p134 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 134 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Muhammad Saleem Khan

Keyword(s):

Community College ◽

Second Language ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Secondary Students ◽

English Language ◽

Language Use ◽

Native Language ◽

Vocabulary Learning ◽

Target Language ◽

The Impact

This paper strives to explore the impact of Native Language use on Foreign Language vocabulary learning on the basis of empirical and available data. The study is carried out with special reference to the English Language Programme students in Buraydah Community College, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. The Native Language of these students is Arabic and their Second Language is English. The participants in this research study are the post-secondary students of Buraydah Community College in Intensive Course Programme. The instrument used in this study was in the form of two tests. It is well known that in language assessment tests play a pivotal role in evaluating the EFL learners’ language proficiency. The use of native language as a semantic tool for assessing second language learners’ understanding shouldn’t be rejected altogether especially for the undergrad Saudi EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students. The outcomes of the study show that in learning the vocabulary of target language is significantly helped by the use of translation method of native language (Arabic) in understanding the meaning of novel words and expressions of foreign language (English). This method is widely welcomed by majority of the students of Buraydah Community College. It’s recommended to use this method in order to take the students directly to the core meaning of the word or expression. It also, sometimes, gives a sense of accuracy of the meaning of native language equivalents.

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Students’ Perception of Teachers’ Bilingual Language Use in EFL Classroom

Global Expert: Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra ◽

10.36982/jge.v8i2.963 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Desi Surayatika

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

English Language ◽

Language Use ◽

First Language ◽

Language Instruction ◽

Target Language ◽

English Language Learning ◽

Classroom Language ◽

Students First ◽

English Classroom

ABSTRACTStudents’ perception of teachers’ bilingual language use was based on bilingual approach in English language learning in which the students’ first language ( L1 ) is combined with the target language ( L2 ) being studied to be a language instruction used by the teacher to conduct an English classroom. The purpose of this research was to find out the students’ perception toward the use of Bilingual language they are English and Indonesian by the teacher in EFL classroom. This research was a qualitative approach with the forty students as the sample. In collecting the data, questionnaire was used. The data was analyzed through Likert Scale in order to find out students’ perception of teachers’ bilingual language use in EFL classroom. Based on the result of data analysis and interpretation of the data gained from questionnaire, it indicates that students show their positive perceptions to the use of bilingual language done by the teacher as language instruction in their English classroom. Finally, the result of the research would give a contribution to the improvement of the classroom language instruction used by the teacher in an English language learning classroom particularly for teaching the students who were learning English as a foreign language ( EFL ).Keyword : Bilingual, Students’ Perception, language use, EFL classroomABSTRAKPersepsi siswa tentang penggunaan dua bahasa oleh guru didasarkan pada pendekatan bilingual dalam pembelajaran bahasa Inggris di mana bahasa pertama siswa ( L1 ) dikombinasikan dengan bahasa target (L2) yang dipelajari menjadi pengajaran bahasa yang digunakan oleh guru untuk melaksanakan pembelajaran bahasa Inggris di kelas. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui persepsi siswa terhadap penggunaan dua bahasa yaitu bahasa Inggris dan bahasa Indonesia oleh guru di kelas EFL. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan empat puluh siswa sebagai sampel. Dalam mengumpulkan data, kuesioner digunakan. Data dianalisis melalui Skala Likert untuk mengetahui persepsi siswa tentang penggunaan dua bahasa oleh guru di kelas EFL. Berdasarkan hasil analisis data dan interpretasi data yang diperoleh dari kuesioner, hal ini menunjukkan bahwa siswa memiliki persepsi positif terhadap penggunaan dua bahasa yang dilakukan oleh guru sebagai bahasa pengantar di kelas bahasa Inggris.. Pada akhirnya, hasil penelitian diharapkan dapat memberikan kontribusi pada peningkatan pengajaran bahasa Inggris di kelas yang digunakan oleh guru di kelas pembelajaran bahasa Inggris terutama untuk mengajar siswa yang belajar bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa asing ( EFL ).Kata kunci : Dua bahasa, Persepsi Siswa, penggunaan bahasa, kelas EFL

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Chope dos Mortos – a tradução de jogos de palavras em um estudo direcionado pelo corpus / Beer Hall of the Dead – the translation of puns in a corpus-driven study

Texto Livre Linguagem e Tecnologia ◽

10.17851/1983-3652.11.1.24-42 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 24-42

Author(s):

Nilson Roberto Barros da Silva

Keyword(s):

Corpus Linguistics ◽

English Language ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Formal Structure ◽

Target Language ◽

Semantic Structure ◽

The Novel ◽

Translation Strategies ◽

The Dead ◽

Beer Hall

RESUMO: Este trabalho discute a tradução de jogos de palavras (JPs) na direção português-inglês, mais especificamente o JP intitulado ‘Chope dos Mortos’, que faz parte do romance O xangô de Baker Street (SOARES, 1995). O artigo é o recorte de nossa tese de doutorado, e tem como objetivo analisar a tradução do JP citado para a língua inglesa. Utiliza-se da abordagem teórico-metodológica da Linguística de Corpus para selecionar o JP como dado a ser analisado na pesquisa e identifica-se como um estudo direcionado pelo corpus, conforme discutido por Tognini-Bonelli (2001). A análise baseia-se principalmente nas estratégias de tradução de JPs apresentadas por Delabastita (1996) e considera, dentre outras, as postulações de Raskin (1985) e Attardo (1994). Como resultado, verifica-se que as estratégias de tradução usadas para recriar (traduzir) o JP em inglês são compatíveis com a estratégia JP → JP, em que um JP é traduzido por outro na língua-alvo, sendo permitidas diferenças em termos de estrutura formal, estrutura semântica ou função textual.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: tradução; jogos de palavras; Linguística de Corpus. ABSTRACT: This study discusses the translation of puns in the Portuguese-English direction, more specifically the pun 'Beer hall of the dead', which is part of the novel O xangô de Baker Street (SOARES, 1995), translated into English as 'A samba for Sherlock'. The article derives from our doctoral thesis, and aims to analyze the translation of the pun into the English language. It uses the theoretical-methodological approach of Corpus Linguistics to select puns as data to be analyzed and is characterized as a 'corpus-driven approach' as discussed by Tognini-Bonelli (2001). The analysis is based mainly on the strategies of pun translation presented by Delabastita (1996) and takes into account theoretical conceptions of Raskin (1985) and Attardo (1994). As a result, it verifies that the translation strategies used to recreate the pun in English are compatible with the PUN → PUN strategy, in which a pun is translated by another one in the target language, being allowed differences in terms of formal structure, semantic structure, or textual function.KEYWORDS: translation; puns; Corpus Linguistics.

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Integrating Concordance Tools Into L2 Vocabulary Instruction

10.4018/978-1-7998-8267-1.ch008 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 156-170

Author(s):

Erdi Şimşek

Keyword(s):

English Language ◽

Language Use ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Vocabulary Instruction ◽

English Language Teaching ◽

Target Language ◽

Historical Overview ◽

Traditional Language ◽

L2 Vocabulary

Since its emergence, corpora have made investigating language possible in a precise and objective way. Language practitioners are now equipped with concordancing tools that can check millions of utterances in seconds. These tools have caused a revolution in processing and analyzing a language for different purposes. Teachers now can examine the information in a textbook by referring back to corpus tools, keep track of the target language use, and infer generalizations that are hardly provided by traditional language books. After presenting a theoretical and historical overview of corpora and concordancers, this chapter discusses the role of corpora and concordancing tools in English language teaching (ELT), specifically in vocabulary instruction, and presents four corpus-based activity ideas that the classroom practitioners can easily utilize in their classes.

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CORPUS LINGUISTICS, LANGUAGE CORPORA AND LANGUAGE TEACHING

ENGLISH JOURNAL ◽

10.32832/english.v14i2.3845 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 75

Author(s):

Eska Perdana Prasetya ◽

Anita Dewi Ekawati ◽

Deni Sapta Nugraha ◽

Ahmad Marzuq ◽

Tiara Saputri Darlis

Keyword(s):

Academic Writing ◽

Corpus Linguistics ◽

Language Use ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Applied Linguistics

This research is about Corpus Linguistics, Language Corpora, And Language Teaching. As we know about this science is relatively new and is associated with technology. There are several areas discussed in this study such as several important parts of the corpus, the information generated in the corpus, four main characteristics of the corpus, Types of Corpora, Corpora in Language Teaching, several types that could be related to corpus research, Applications of corpus linguistics to language teaching may be direct or indirect. The field of applied linguistics analyses large collections of written and spoken texts, which have been carefully designed to represent specific domains of language use, such as informal speech or academic writing.

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British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Students’ Manual: A Critical Analysis of the Coursebook Taught at Pakistani Universities for Academic Purposes (EAP) Students’ Manual: A Critical Analysis of the Coursebook Taught at Pakistani Universities

University of Chitral Journal of Linguistics and Literature ◽

10.33195/uochjll/3/1/03/2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Critical Analysis ◽

English Language ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Language Skills ◽

Primary Source ◽

English For Academic Purposes ◽

Target Language ◽

Teaching Principles

English for Academic Purposes course focusing on the academic language needs of students is a subfield of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It is a type of specialized course to integrate specific subject matter, language content, and material based on learners’ needs. The study aims to evaluate the British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) coursebook in terms of content, sequencing, learners’ autonomy, motivation, feedback and focus on language skills. Furthermore, the study tries to provide a general perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of the coursebook for undergraduate students. The EAP Students’ Manual coursebook is used as a primary source for the data collection. The researcher has chosen Nation & Macalister (2010) model of language teaching principles to analyze and discuss the data. The study found the coursebook a useful, effective and an appropriate source of English language learning in terms of the investigated aspects of the book. The findings report that the coursebook provides practice and practical usage in all domains of the academically required English language skills. It helps the students to build language competency and to be more independent learners. In addition, it provides an opportunity to the learners to think in the target language, use the language more practically and learn it in a natural type of environment. The study concludes and suggests that the content needs to be supplemented with English language audios and videos presenting the students relevant documentaries and helping material in order to make the coursebook and the learning process more useful, effective, interesting and motivating. Furthermore, the study recommends that while choosing /designing a coursebook for a certain course, it needs to be evaluated following the various criteria and language-teaching-principles suggested by different language researchers.

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British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Students’ Manual: A Critical Analysis of the Coursebook Taught at Pakistani Universities

University of Chitral Journal of Linguistics and Literature ◽

10.33195/jll.v3i1.104 ◽

2019 ◽

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

English Language ◽

Language Teaching ◽

Language Skills ◽

Primary Source ◽

English For Academic Purposes ◽

Target Language ◽

Teaching Principles ◽

Language Needs

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An historical analysis of species references in American English

Corpora ◽

10.3366/cor.2019.0177 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 327-349

Author(s):

Craig Frayne

Keyword(s):

Environmental Change ◽

Sentiment Analysis ◽

Quantitative Methods ◽

English Language ◽

Language Use ◽

American English ◽

Historical Analysis ◽

The Past ◽

Corpus Studies ◽

Google Books

This study uses the two largest available American English language corpora, Google Books and the Corpus of Historical American English (coha), to investigate relations between ecology and language. The paper introduces ecolinguistics as a promising theme for corpus research. While some previous ecolinguistic research has used corpus approaches, there is a case to be made for quantitative methods that draw on larger datasets. Building on other corpus studies that have made connections between language use and environmental change, this paper investigates whether linguistic references to other species have changed in the past two centuries and, if so, how. The methodology consists of two main parts: an examination of the frequency of common names of species followed by aspect-level sentiment analysis of concordance lines. Results point to both opportunities and challenges associated with applying corpus methods to ecolinguistc research.

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Error Analysis for English Language Teachingat Primary Level

SMART MOVES JOURNAL IJELLH ◽

10.24113/ijellh.v6i9.4927 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (9) ◽

pp. 7

Author(s):

Dr. Shreeja Sharma ◽

Prof. Shubhra Tripathi

Keyword(s):

Error Analysis ◽

English Language ◽

English Language Teaching ◽

Target Language ◽

Primary Level ◽

Indian Schools ◽

Prime Concern ◽

School Teaching ◽

Linguistic Code ◽

Global Language

The prime concern of every language teacher, and to some extent every linguist, is to device pedagogical methods and strategies which facilitate language acquisition. The concern of any teacher or applied linguist is, though not explicitly stated anywhere, to equip the learners with “correct” features of the language being learnt. Emphasis on “correctness” is due to the presumption that erroneous structures or deviations from linguistic code will lead to incomprehensibility and impediment in communication.As a result of such convictionsContrastive Analysis (CA) and Error Analysis (EA) focussed their attention on “correct” grammatical, lexical and syntactical features of Target Language (TL), in this case English.Both Contrastive Analysts and Error Analysts analysed the language and tried to predict areas of ease or difficulty. This was often achieved with ‘some’ degree of success. However, in the present socio-educational milieu of Indian schools, where English language teaching is a significant stake, insights from CA and EA, particularly the latter, are either not taken into cognizance, or found inadequate. CA is taken into consideration, though obliquely, indirectly and cursorily, where English language is taught resorting to bilingualism. EA is usually ignored completely. Even when teachers correct students’ assignments and copies, they point out mistakes/errors, suggest corrections, but neither take into account why these mistakes/errors have occurred, nor how to prevent such cases in future. With the ever growing importance of English as a global language and a second language in India, no stakeholder in education can afford to undermine the significance of ELT.The time is therefore ripe to take a fresh look at Error Analysis (EA) and assess how it can be deployed as a powerful tool in school teaching.

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