L2 acquisition of the bei passive in Mandarin Chinese: A constructionist approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-198
Author(s):  
Chen Chen ◽  
Feng-hsi Liu
Keyword(s):  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
Choice Task ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Passive Construction ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Constructionist Approach ◽  
High Level ◽  
And Function

Abstract A major claim in the constructionist approach to language acquisition is that grammar is learned by pairings of form and function. In this study we test this claim by examining how L2 learners of Mandarin Chinese acquire the bei passive construction, a construction that is associated with the meaning of adversity. Our goal is to find out whether L2 learners make the association between the passive and adversity. Participants performed a sentence choice task under four conditions: an adversative context with an adversative verb, an adversative context with a neutral verb, a neutral context with a neutral verb and a positive context with a neutral verb. In each context participants were asked to select either the bei passive construction or its active counterpart. We found that high-level learners consistently chose the bei passive significantly more in adversative contexts than in non-adversative contexts regardless of the connotations of the verbs, while low-level learners made the distinction half of the time. In addition, while low-level learners did not yet associate adversity with the form of the construction, high-level learners did. We conclude that L2 learners do learn the bei passive construction as a form-meaning pair. The constructionist approach is supported.

The computation and suspension of presuppositions by L1-Mandarin Chinese L2-English speakers

2021 ◽  
pp. 026765832199387
Author(s):  
Shuo Feng
Keyword(s):  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
First Language ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Similar Response ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Precise Understanding ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
External Interface ◽  
Discourse Interface

The Interface Hypothesis proposes that second language (L2) learners, even at highly proficient levels, often fail to integrate information at the external interfaces where grammar interacts with other cognitive systems. While much early L2 work has focused on the syntax–discourse interface or scalar implicatures at the semantics–pragmatics interface, the present article adds to this line of research by exploring another understudied phenomenon at the semantics–pragmatics interface, namely, presuppositions. Furthermore, this study explores both inference computation and suspension via a covered-box picture-selection task. Specifically, this study investigates the interpretation of a presupposition trigger stop and stop under negation. The results from 38 native English speakers and 41 first language (L1) Mandarin Chinese learners of English indicated similar response patterns between native and L2 groups in computing presuppositions but not in suspending presuppositions. That is, L2 learners were less likely to suspend presuppositions than native speakers. This study contributes to a more precise understanding of L2 acquisition at the external interface level, as well as computation and suspension of pragmatic inferences.

scholarly journals Management of the Crooked Nose

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-172
Author(s):  
Jessica W Scordino ◽  
Frederick J Stucker
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Techniques ◽  
Successful Outcome ◽  
Open Approach ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Crooked Nose ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
High Level ◽  
And Function ◽  
Nasal Function

ABSTRACT Aim: To describe an approach for the diagnosis and management of patients presenting with crooked nose. Background Patients with crooked nose suffer from functional ailments, most significant nasal obstruction, as well as esthetic concerns which may impact their self-image as well as others’ perception of them. As such, management of the crooked nose is an especially challenging task in that it demands careful attention to both nasal function and appearance. There are a plethora of surgical techniques which may be utilized, and the surgeon's approach must be tailored to each individual patient's presentation. Technique Accurate diagnosis is imperative for a successful outcome and relies on a thorough history and careful physical examination. Surgical intervention may be addressed by either an endonasal or open approach based on the location and severity of the deformity. It is helpful to break down the nose in vertical thirds when planning your surgical approach. Different techniques are used to address the upper third comprising the nasal bones, middle third composed of the upper lateral cartilages and septum, and the lower third composed of the lower lateral cartilages and caudal septum. Conclusion Management of the crooked nose is a technically challenging endeavor that highlights the need to address both form and function for a successful outcome. Effective treatment can significantly improve a patient's quality of life leading to a high level of satisfaction for both the patient and the surgeon. How to cite this article Scordino JW, Stucker FJ. Management of the Crooked Nose. Int J Head Neck Surg 2016;7(3):168-172.

Heartfelt images: learning cardiac science artistically

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Ann Courneya
Keyword(s):  
Dental Students ◽  
Dental Student ◽  
Visual Metaphor ◽  
Art Making ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Anatomy And Physiology ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Process Understanding ◽  
High Level ◽  
And Function

There are limited curricular options for medical students to engage in art-making during their training. Yet, it is known that art-making confers a variety of benefits related to learning. This qualitative study utilises a visual methodology to explore students’ art-making in the context of the cardiovascular sciences. The existence of a multiyear repository of medical/dental student generated, cardiac-inspired art, collected over 6 years, provided the opportunity to explore the nature of the art made. The aim was to categorise the art produced, as well as the depth and breadth of understanding required to produce the art. The data set included a wide variety of titled art (paintings, photographs, sketches, sculptures, collages, poetry and music/dance). Systematic curation of the collection, across all media, yielded three main categories: anatomical renderings, physiology/pathophysiology renderings and kinesthetic creations (music/dance/tactile). Overall (medical and dental) student-generated art suggested a high level of content/process understanding, as illustrated by attention to scientific detail, integration of form and function as well as the sophisticated use of visual metaphor and word play. Dental students preferentially expressed their understanding of anatomy and physiology kinesthetically, creating art that required manual dexterity as well as through choreography and dance. Combining art-making with basic science curricular learning invited the medical and dentistry students to link their understanding to different modes of expression and a non-biomedical way of knowing. Subsequent incorporation of the student-generated cardiac art into lectures exposed the entire class to creative pictorial expressions of anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology.

scholarly journals Using elicited imitation to measure global oral proficiency in SLA research: A close replication study

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Kevin McManus ◽  
Yingying Liu
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Original Study ◽  
High Level Language ◽  
Elicited Imitation ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Fourth Level ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
High Level

Abstract We closely replicated Wu and Ortega (2013), who found that an elicited imitation test (EIT) reliably distinguished low-level from high-level language abilities among instructed second language (L2) learners of Mandarin Chinese. The original study sampled learners (1) from second-level courses to represent low-level language abilities and (2) from third-, fourth- and graduate-level courses to represent high-level language abilities. Results showed high-level learners outperformed low-level learners on the Mandarin EIT. Our close replication used Wu and Ortega's (2013) materials and procedures in order to understand (1) the extent to which this EIT can additionally distinguish between finer-grained language abilities and (2) the ways in which the broad grouping of language abilities in the high group may have contributed to the findings. Sixty-five instructed L2 learners from four instructional levels were assigned to one of three groups: Beginner (first-level courses), Low (second-level courses), High (third- and fourth-level courses). Consistent with the original study, our results showed clear between-group differences, indicating that the EIT can distinguish between both broad (beginner vs high) and finer-grained (beginner vs low, low vs high) language abilities. These results are discussed in light of the original study's findings with implications for proficiency assessment in second language acquisition (SLA) research.

Optionality in non-native grammars: L2 acquisition of German constructions with absent expletives

2005 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALDONA SOPATA
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
First Language ◽  
Production Task ◽  
Null Subjects ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Written Production ◽  
Grammaticality Judgment ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
High Level

This paper investigates the knowledge of constructions with absent expletives by advanced and high-proficiency non-native speakers of German whose first language is Polish. German grammar is known to license null subjects due to the strength of AGRP but not to identify them. Therefore only expletive subjects can be absent in German, except for Topic-drop and, crucially, the expletive subjects have to be absent in certain cases due to the Projection Principle. The knowledge of this phenomenon by second language (L2) learners has been investigated by two methods, elicited written production task and grammaticality judgment tests. High-level non-native speakers of German differ significantly from native speakers in both types of tasks. The differences are clearly not the result of transfer. The results reported here reveal permanent optionality in L2 grammars suggesting a deficit in the grammatical representations of L2 learners.

scholarly journals Does the reform of English local government contain lessons for New Zealand?

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Reid
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Local Government ◽  
The Other ◽  
Government Reform ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Opposite View ◽  
High Level ◽  
And Function ◽  
Local Government Policy

In recent decades, despite differences of form and function, local government reform in England and New Zealand has exhibited very similar characteristics, with each system borrowing from the other: changes introduced in one country have usually been followed a few years later in the other. It is interesting, then, that at a time when both countries have centre-right governments, that trend now appears to have changed, and local government policy is  showing signs of major divergence. Where the New Zealand government appears to believe that only by greater ‘hands on’ involvement can the nation’s economic development be guaranteed, the British government has taken quite the opposite view, identifying the country’s high level of centralisation (second only to New Zealand’s in the OECD) as the problem, not the solution.

Linguistic typology, language modality, and stuff like that

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-119
Author(s):  
Chen-Yu Chester Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
Linguistic Typology ◽  
Multiple Functions ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Functional Distribution ◽  
Language Modality ◽  
And Function

Abstract Pragmatic particles termed general extenders (GE) have been examined across languages and are found to serve multiple functions. Despite the fruitful findings, few study the use of GEs in different language modalities and in typologically more different languages such as Chinese. This research aims to contribute to this literature by investigating the use of the GE zhilei(de) (zld), ‘of that kind,’ in spoken and written Chinese. Data from corpora of spoken and written Chinese suggest that zld displays some distinctive patterns in its form and function, partly due to the typological traits of Mandarin Chinese. The results also indicate that the language modality where zld is deployed may have impacts on its structural and functional distribution. The current article thus holds implications not only for the literature of GEs but also for the study of the interface between linguistic typology, language modality, and pragmatic expressions.

scholarly journals A bridge to systems thinking in engineering design: An examination of students’ ability to identify functions at varying levels of abstraction

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 535-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Tomko ◽  
Jacob Nelson ◽  
Robert L. Nagel ◽  
Matthew Bohm ◽  
Julie Linsey
Keyword(s):  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Functional Modeling ◽  
Levels Of Abstraction ◽  
Student Responses ◽  
Abstract Function ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Level Function ◽  
High Level ◽  
And Function ◽  
Systems Thinking Approach

AbstractThis paper aims to situate functional abstraction in light of systems thinking. While function does not extensively appear in systems thinking literature, the literature does identify function as part of systems thinking that enables us to recognize and connect that function has a role in building a systems thinking approach for students. A systems thinking approach is valuable for students since it helps them view a system holistically. In this research, we measure how well students are able to abstract function. We asked students to generate functions for two different products and examined how students taught functional modeling and function enumeration compare to students who are only taught function enumeration. The student responses were examined using a rubric that we developed and validated for assessing function. This rubric may be used to classify functions by correctness (correct, partially correct, and incorrect) and categories (high level, interface, low level, and ambiguous). On questions where students were not explicitly asked to write a high-level function or low-level function, and so on, students who were taught functional modeling were able to better demonstrate systems thinking in their responses (low-level and interface functions) than those students who were only taught function enumeration.

scholarly journals Function first or form first—a comparison of two design methods for undergraduate basic course

2020 ◽  
Vol 189 ◽  
pp. 03038
Author(s):  
Xie Guanyi ◽  
Duan Huifang
Keyword(s):  
Interior Design ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Formal Logic ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Functional Logic ◽  
High Level ◽  
And Function

Talking about form and function in the architecture, two major traditions in design are always inevitable. They are two methods of architectural design: the first one is used by Beaux-Art system which takes form and order as the core; the second one is of Bauhuas system which focuses on function. Architecture is closely related to the interior, so are there also two design methods in the field of interior design? Through analysis of interior design textbooks in different academies, it was found that most existing design methods are based on function. Function-based design methods have a series of operable standard methods for function, but also have the problem of high level of functional logic and low level of formal logic. Does interior design also have a design approach starting from form and order and unifying function logic and formal logic? By transplanting the “kit-of-parts approach” in architectural design into interior design, applying the two design methods in undergraduate course of environmental design and comparing the two course design results, it was verified in this paper which design method is easier to balance form and function in basic design course.

Acquisition of time and locative phrases in Mandarin Chinese

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Hongyi Jia ◽  
Feng-hsi Liu
Keyword(s):  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Complex Time ◽  
Form Function ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Type Frequency ◽  
Beginning Learners ◽  
L1 English

In this study we explore the role played by input saliency in L2 acquisition of the time phrase and the locative phrase in Mandarin Chinese. In Chinese the time phrase that indicates when an event takes place and the locative phrase that indicates where an event takes place are similar in that neither can occur after the verb. L1 English L2 learners of Chinese have to learn to place both phrases pre-verbally. Our goal is to find out whether learners acquire the placement of the two types of phrases equally well. On the basis of input saliency measured in terms of form-function mapping and type frequency, we predicted that the time phrase will be easier to acquire than the locative phrase. We then conducted an experiment and put the hypothesis to test on learners at an early stage. The findings largely support our hypothesis: Simple time phrases are easier to acquire than simple locative phrases for beginning learners. In addition, the same group of learners had difficulty with both complex time phrases and complex locative phrases, suggesting that structural complexity also plays a role.

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