Input and Acquisition in Second Language Classrooms

In the speech of a group of francophone ESL learners, we examined introducer forms used to initiate picture descriptions. We then compared the learners' use of these forms to the corresponding forms in the classroom language the learners were exposed to-textbook language, the students' own classroom language, and their teachers' language. We also compared the learners' use of introducers to that of native speakers performing the same task. Some of the non-target-like characteristics of the learners' language were found to correspond to characteristics of the input they received.

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Exploring Factors of Speech Anxiety in Second Language Classroom

Advances in Language and Literary Studies ◽

10.7575/aiac.alls.v.10n.5p.97 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 97

Author(s):

Abdul Malik Abbasi ◽

Samreen Riaz Ahmed ◽

Alia Farooqi ◽

Stephon John

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

English Language ◽

English Speakers ◽

Speech Anxiety ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Language Classroom ◽

The World ◽

Language Classrooms ◽

Esl Learners

This study aims to investigate the factors affecting on English speech of undergraduate students at the SMIU, Karachi. The study prospects two aspects as outcomes of the study, one to discover what are the major issues and hindrances and another one to find their solutions for developing techniques and skills to gain confidence while speaking English as a second language in ESL classroom and in public. It will further investigate as how to help develop a wonderful speech free from speech anxiety. The study administered Likert Scale as a tool for data collection. Forty participating students were recruited from the department of Computer Science, Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Karachi. Speech anxiety is a common phenomenon amongst the students in the second language classrooms. Second language i.e., English, however, has become the lingua franca of the world. It is no longer the language of only native Britishers and Americans, rather, it is a widely spoken language by most people living in every nook & corner of the world. This study investigates as to how ESL learners turn out as nervous speakers while speaking English. Findings of the study suggest that speech anxiety seems to be an unavoidable phenomenon for ESL learners as the data reveal. In addition, this study is associated with the previous studies that there is a moderate level of Foreign Language Speech Anxiety (FLSA) amongst the Pakistani English speakers. Since English is taught from the primary level and every literate person almost understands and speaks English. Pakistani English language speakers should speak without speech anxiety, though it seems to be a part of human nature being nervous while speaking English as a second language. The students should learn how to manage speech anxiety by welcoming it and try to overcome it not by mindless imitation but by being natural in English speech.

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A Study on the Use of Humour in Motivating Students to Learn English

Asian Journal of University Education ◽

10.24191/ajue.v15i3.7807 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 257

Author(s):

Sufi Amin Salmee ◽

Marina Mohd Arif

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Intrinsic Motivation ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Language Classrooms ◽

Faculty Of Education ◽

Strongly Agree ◽

Supportive Learning Environment ◽

Esl Learners ◽

Vital Element ◽

Learning English

Throughout the years, a lot of research has been looking at the significance of effective atmosphere in second language classrooms. We often overlook the fact that humour is a vital element in attaining a supportive learning environment that can benefit students. There is limited research conducted on the effectiveness of the use of humour in ESL classroom, especially in the context of motivating the students to learn, in which the students are used as the indicator and method in gaining insights as they are the ones who experienced the learning process. Thus, this study was conducted to look at students’ views towards the effects of humour on their intrinsic motivation to learn English. A survey was conducted using questionnaires adapted from Deci & Ryan’s (2003) Intrinsic Motivation Inventory Test (IMI) on 70 students of various programmes from the Faculty of Education, UiTM. The acquired data were then compared based on each of the programmes in the Faculty of Education, UiTM. The findings from this study revealed that majority of the respondents strongly agree that humour has positive effects on students’ intrinsic motivation in learning English. The positive responses received from the respondents indicate that humour is indeed an effective teaching tool in promoting intrinsic motivation in learning the second language. KEYWORDS: ESL learners, Humour, Learning English, Motivation

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The functional roles of lexical devices in second language learners’ encoding of temporality: A study of Mandarin Chinese-speaking ESL learners

IRAL - International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching ◽

10.1515/iral-2018-0298 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Li Ma ◽

Gita Martohardjono ◽

William McClure

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Mandarin Chinese ◽

Language Learners ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Past Tense ◽

Functional Roles ◽

Past Time ◽

The Matrix ◽

Esl Learners

AbstractThe present study investigates the functional roles of two lexical devices, past-time temporal adverbials and frequency adverbs, in Mandarin Chinese-speaking ESL learners’ encoding of temporality in their English interlanguage. The results of the present study indicate that past-time temporal adverbials are facilitative in Mandarin Chinese-speaking ESL learners’ encoding of past time. Meanwhile, the existence/absence of the matrix agreement, which is a linguistic device that has not been discussed in previous studies, may also lead to learners’ different reactions. The results of the present study also show that the introduction of frequency adverbs is associated with a higher usage rate of the present tense and causes more difficulty in a past tense context. This association is found to exist not only in learners’ data, but also in English native speakers’ data. The present study contributes to our understanding of the development of second language learners’ expression of temporal locations and relations.

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The Acquisition of English Word-Final Consonants by Cantonese ESL Learners in Hong Kong

The Canadian Journal of Linguistics / La revue canadienne de linguistique ◽

10.1017/s0008413100004291 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 231-253 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Alice Y.W. Chan

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Word List ◽

English Word ◽

Relative Difficulty ◽

Second Language Phonology ◽

Hong Kong Cantonese ◽

Esl Learners

AbstractThis study investigates the acquisition of English word-final consonants by Hong Kong Cantonese learners of English as a second language and assesses the validity of the Markedness Differential Hypothesis for second language phonology acquisition by these learners. Twelve participants and three native speakers performed four speech tasks: reading a word list, reading three passages, describing pictures, and participating in a conversational interview. The results show that: (i) word-finally, more non-target laterals were produced than voiceless obstruents; and (ii) non-target productions of voiced obstruents were the highest. We argue that the Markedness Differential Hypothesis does not explain the acquisition of English word-final singleton consonants by Cantonese ESL learners in Hong Kong. We conclude that markedness alone cannot be used as a predictor for the relative difficulty of acquiring the target segments of a second language.

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The parameter of aspect in second language acquisition

Second language Research ◽

10.1191/026765899674229440 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 283-317 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Roumyana Slabakova

Keyword(s):

Experimental Study ◽

Second Language ◽

Second Language Acquisition ◽

Language Acquisition ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Direct Access ◽

Theoretical Treatment ◽

Slavic Languages ◽

Language Classrooms ◽

New Evidence

The goal of this article is to present a detailed study of the second language acquisition (SLA) of English aspect by native speakers of Slavic languages. A parameterized distinction between English and Slavic aspect accounts for the subtle differences between English and Slavic telic and atelic sentences. Based on a syntax-theoretical treatment of aspect, the article investigates the process of SLA of aspect in Slavic speakers at three levels of proficiency in English: low intermediate, high intermediate and advanced. Second language (L2) learners are found to be capable of resetting the aspectual parameter value to the English setting, thus successfully acquiring a property of language almost never taught in language classrooms. The article also studies the acquisition of a cluster of constructions, which syntactic research relates to the English value of the aspectual parameter, and which have been found to appear together in the speech of English children (Snyder and Stromswold, 1997): double objects, verb–particles and resultatives. Results indicate that each of these constructions forms part of this aspect-related cluster and that knowledge of aspect and knowledge of the cluster co-occur. The results of the experimental study bring new evidence to bear on the theoretical choice between direct access to the L2 value (Epstein et al., 1996; Flynn, 1996) or starting out the process of acquisition with the L1 value of a parameter (Schwartz & Sprouse, 1994;1996),supporting the latter view.

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The Effect of the Academic Attainment of ESL Teachers on Evaluation of ESL Learners’ Errors: Educational Degree-Based Study

10.31235/osf.io/bvsp2 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Arab World English Journal ◽

Wael Abdeen

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

Word Order ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Academic Attainment ◽

Esl Teachers ◽

Native Speakers Of English ◽

Educational Degree ◽

Esl Learners

This paper analyzes reactions and evaluations of 70 participants, native and non-native speakers of English to 32 errors written by learners of English as a second language, ESL. It investigates the effect of the academic attainment of ESL teachers on the evaluation of ESL error seriousness. The educational attainment of teachers, both native and non-native, include the B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. Participants in the study include 34 non-native Palestinian ESL teachers, 26 English native speaking ESL teachers, and 10 English native speakers who are not teachers. Errors in this study are taken from compositions written by Arab-Palestinian students. Eight error categories including prepositions, concord, word order, plural, pronouns, spelling, vocabulary, and verb form are used. Four correct sentences are also included. All participants for the study had to underline errors and evaluate them by indicating the points from 0-5 they would deduct for each error; 5 indicates very serious errors; 0 is for error-free sentences; “1” is for errors which can easily be excused; “2”, “3”, and “4” are means to show intermediate degrees of seriousness. Results of the study show that the three academic groups differ in their evaluation of errors. Whereas the Ph.D. groups are the most lenient, the M.A. groups are the least tolerant. The non-teachers are the most tolerant of all groups.

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Teaching Pragmatic Competence: A Journey from Teaching Cultural Facts to Teaching Cultural Awareness

TESL Canada Journal ◽

10.18806/tesl.v30i7.1153 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 30 (7) ◽

pp. 82 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Iryna Lenchuk ◽

Amer Ahmed

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Cultural Awareness ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Pragmatic Competence ◽

Federally Funded ◽

Esl Teachers ◽

Language Classroom ◽

Esl Learners

Pragmatic competence is one of the essential competences taught in the second language classroom. The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB, 2012a), the standard document referred to in any federally funded program of ESL teach- ing in Canada, acknowledges the importance of this competence, yet at the same time notes the limited resources available to help ESL teachers address it in the classroom. Informed by the theoretical construct of communicative competence and its application to second language learning, the article offers an exemplar of the whats and hows of teaching pragmatics in the ESL classroom. The article stresses the importance of making explicit to the learners the sociolinguistic and sociocultural variables that underlie native speakers’ linguistic choices. It is hoped that ESL learners will thus develop a better understanding of the reasons that make native speakers choose one linguistic expression rather than others when performing a certain linguistic act. The speech act of complimenting is used here as an exemplar.

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Tablets in second language learning: learners’ and teachers’ perceptions

CALL and complexity – short papers from EUROCALL 2019 ◽

10.14705/rpnet.2019.38.1033 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 340-344

Author(s):

Amira Shouma ◽

Walcir Cardoso

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

Qualitative Approach ◽

Teachers Perceptions ◽

Data Collection And Analysis ◽

Language Classrooms ◽

Willingness To Use ◽

Esl Learners

This study explores the perceptions of English as a Second Language (ESL) learners and teachers on using tablets in their language classrooms, focusing on the device’s four inherent affordances: learnability, usability, motivation, and willingness to use the technology. Adopting a quantitative and qualitative approach for data collection and analysis, our findings revealed overall positive perceptions from both ESL learners and their teachers on all four measures adopted (all above 3.4/5); these results were also corroborated by our thematic analysis of the interviews.

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The Use of Documentary Film Text in Developing Arabic Writing Skills: What the Experts Say

LSP International Journal ◽

10.11113/lspi.v4n2.56 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Tg Ainul Farha Tg Abdul Rahman ◽

Abdul Rahman Chik ◽

Muhammad Sabri Sahrir

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Documentary Film ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Writing Skills ◽

Strong Relationship ◽

Arabic Language ◽

Documentary Films ◽

Authentic Materials ◽

Language Classroom ◽

Language Classrooms

Documentary film is a language input which is based on writing skills since it consists of the introduction to subject, presentation of ideas, and conclusion of subject. Many studies have highlighted the linguistic, informational, and pedagogical purposes of documentary film in language classrooms as the processing of written texts is required before the production of a documentary film. Although documentary film has a strong relationship with writing skills and having access to these authentic materials are very easy, some educators ignore these authentic inputs. Thus this paper investigates the importance of using documentary film in enhancing the learning of Arabic as a second language with specific focus on writing skills. In addition, this paper examines local experts’ views on the utilization of documentary film in the Arabic as a second language classroom. A set of questionnaire with both open and closed-ended questions were distributed among twelve experts in the field of Arabic as a second language in Malaysian public universities. Feedbacks from the experts were collected and analyzed. The findings indicated strong recommendations from Arabic language experts in Malaysia. Among the recommendations are the types of documentary films to be utilized, the categories of writing skills that can be developed, and the appropriate instructional techniques to be used in the classroom. In general, this study hopes to contribute to the field of Arabic teaching language skills to non-native speakers and a useful reference for curriculum designers, ministry officials, textbook authors, and teachers.

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BACKGROUND SPEAKERS: DIVERSITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT IN THE LOTE CLASSROOM.Michael Clyne, Sue Fernandez, Imogen Y. Chen, and Renata Summo-O'Connell. Belconnen, ACT, Australia: Language Australia, 1997. Pp. vi + 177. A$30.80 paper.

Studies in Second Language Acquisition ◽

10.1017/s0272263101241060 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 135-135

Author(s):

Timothy Reagan

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Second Language ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Native Speakers ◽

The United States ◽

Language Classroom ◽

Foreign Language Classroom ◽

Language Classrooms ◽

K 12

One of the growing challenges facing foreign language educators in many societies is that created by the presence of “native speakers” in second language classrooms. Especially in countries with significant immigration patterns, such as Canada, the United States, and Australia, there are growing numbers of students enrolled in courses in languages other than English (LOTEs) with which they have some background familiarity or knowledge. All too often, these students have been seen as something of a problem in the foreign language classroom, especially in K–12 settings. Background speakers constitutes an important and valuable first step in changing such perceptions.

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