An Introductory Message from the Practicing Anthropology Editor

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 2-2
Author(s):  
Anita Puckett

This issue of Practicing Anthropology, guest edited by University of Maryland Professor and Applied Anthropologist, Judith Freidenberg, offers a new addition to our usual format of short, reflective pieces on applied anthropological research by professional anthropologists. Judith kindly agreed to translate her introduction into her first language of Spanish, thus opening up her issue on immigration to a new audience for this journal. Given that the research discussed in this issue focuses for the most part on those who come to the United States not knowing English or knowing it as a second language, we both felt that this issue was an especially auspicious one for inaugurating a bilingual approach.

Author(s):  
Alex P. Davies

One's linguistic discourse is directly linked to his or her identity construction. The author conducted a qualitative study that investigated the sociolinguistic and sociocultural identities, both current and imagined, of a newly arrived adolescent of refugee status, named Yerodin, through a photo-narrative approach. Yerodin was unique in that he was 11 years old when he arrived to the United States but did not have any prior formalized schooling. Therefore, he was illiterate in both his first language of Swahili and second language of English. This study took place during a summer school program that sought to develop Yerodin and his siblings' literacy skills before the upcoming school year. Findings illustrated Yerodin's current identity as one who appreciated his experiences in the refugee camp prior to resettlement and as an English learner. Furthermore, Yerodin realized that English, his second language, and academics were key to accessing his desired communities of identity, including aspects of American culture and friendships with “American peers.”


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-55
Author(s):  
David Natvig

Using loanword data from Haugen (1953), this paper investigates variation in vowel integrations of English loanwords in the Norwegian among 19th century Norwegian immigrants to the United States, as first-language Norwegian and second-language English speakers. Previous research, most notably Flege (1995), has argued that speakers make use of L1 categories that are the most similar to the integrated L2 sound. In contrast, this research argues that the “most similar,” as well as less similar but attested, L1 integrated phonemes can be understood through the Lahiri and Reetz (2002) Underspecified Recognition model, where phonetic features of L2 input sounds are mapped onto hierarchically organized L1 distinctive features (i.e., Dresher, 2009).


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (16) ◽  
pp. 15-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henriette W. Langdon ◽  
Terry Irvine Saenz

The number of English Language Learners (ELL) is increasing in all regions of the United States. Although the majority (71%) speak Spanish as their first language, the other 29% may speak one of as many as 100 or more different languages. In spite of an increasing number of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who can provide bilingual services, the likelihood of a match between a given student's primary language and an SLP's is rather minimal. The second best option is to work with a trained language interpreter in the student's language. However, very frequently, this interpreter may be bilingual but not trained to do the job.


1981 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 198
Author(s):  
Barbara Brock ◽  
Patricia Byrd ◽  
Carol A. Drum ◽  
Barbara Jean Wittkopf

Significance The possibility of Japan joining the alliance is now seriously discussed in Tokyo and the capitals of the Five Eyes members -- the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Joining Five Eyes would signal Japan’s even deeper integration into US alliance structures, regionally and globally, and raise expectations for Japan to act as a fuller ally in all sorts of contingencies. Impacts Japan’s greatest potential contribution to allies is probably in signals and imagery intelligence, especially vis-a-vis China. The prime minister will avoid opening up a controversial foreign policy issue so close to a general election; his successor may be bolder. Japan’s partners still run a risk of leaks due to Japan’s lag in cybersecurity and institutional arrangements, but this is decreasing.


English Today ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 44-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norma A. Register

A review of the problems learners of English can have with actual and borderline taboo usages in the United States


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Markham ◽  
Mary Rice ◽  
Behnaz Darban ◽  
Tsung-Han Weng

While the number of English Learners (ELs) in the United States is steadily growing in most states, teacher preparation for working with ELs is far from universal. It fact, it is contested terrain as to whether information about topics like Second Language Acquisition (SLA) are helpful generally, and if so, what theories teachers are willing to adopt. The purpose of this study was to learn whether teachers in an SLA theory course would declare intentions to change their notions about SLA and express them as desire to shift practice. We also wondered if there were differences in pre-service versus in-service and international versus domestic students. The results confirmed that the participants were willing to change their initial theories because of participating in a second language acquisition course that presented information about SLA theories at a Completely Different or Somewhat Different level by the end of the course.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document