The architecture of the mental lexicon and the selection of lexical nodes

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 189-196
Author(s):  
Florentina Halimi
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Mental Lexicon ◽  
Bilingual Learners ◽  
Language Typology ◽  
Second Languages ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Letter Word ◽  
Word Translation ◽  
Interactive Activation ◽  
Selection Of

This study presents the architecture of the mental lexicon of third language learners by focusing on three representation levels: letter, word and language. In particular, this analysis attempts to examine the extent of the influence of the first and second languages known by bilingual learners of English. The study is guided by Dijkstra’s (2003) Multilingual Interactive Activation (MIA) model, and the hypothesis of the language selective or language nonselective access of third language learners is tested. The method involved in this analysis is the word translation task as a tool for investigating the organization of the mental lexicon. The results obtained as a result of the translation task claim that trilingual speakers can operate with three languages during the process of learning.Keywords: multilingual processing, mental lexicon, language typology.

scholarly journals Effects of simultaneous interpreting experience and training on anticipation, as measured by word-translation latencies

Interpreting ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Chmiel
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Simultaneous Interpreting ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Word Translation ◽  
Interpreter Training ◽  
Professional Interpreting ◽  
The One ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract This study aims to investigate the influence of interpreter training and conference interpreting experience on anticipation, as measured by word-translation latencies in a semantically constrained context. It involved professional conference interpreters, on the one hand, and, on the other, interpreter trainees being tested at the beginning and at the end of their two-year training programme. Both groups were asked to translate words embedded at the end of high-context constraint sentences (thus easily predictable), low-context constraint sentences or those appearing in isolation in both directions (from and to their native language). The data suggest that word-translation latency improves in the course of interpreter training but it is not enhanced further in the course of professional experience, whereas anticipation is not improved by either training or experience. All the participants, being late foreign language learners, manifested an advantage in native language comprehension by anticipating more in an A–B versus a B–A translation direction. The findings also suggest that professional interpreting experience might facilitate inhibition and lead to the selection of the appropriate translation equivalent.

scholarly journals Giono, Translator or Reader of Moby-Dick?

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-42
Author(s):  
Isabelle Génin
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Moby Dick ◽  
Reading Experience ◽  
Paradoxical Situation ◽  
The Status ◽  
Word Translation ◽  
Jean Giono ◽  
The One ◽  
Selection Of

The article discusses the interaction between reading and translating, in the case of the first unabridged translation of Moby-Dick into French by Jean Giono, Lucien Jacques and Joan Smith, published by Gallimard in 1941. After a brief survey of the status of that translation—an important cultural landmark in France—the paper examines what the paratext (Giono’s diary, notes and letters) and the typescripts reveal about a seemingly paradoxical situation: Giono’s keen reading of Moby-Dick on the one hand and the simplification and clarification strategies adopted in the translation on the other hand. A selection of stylistic analyses illustrates both the choices made by the translators and the part played by each participant in the project. It appears that Giono did not necessarily misread Moby-Dick, underestimating its scope and significance. Instead, after reading the novel, he grew indifferent to its translation and concentrated his energy on his own writing in which he re-invested his reading experience. As to the other co-translators, Joan Smith provided a word-for-word translation of the text that made no attempt at interpreting the text, while Lucien Jacques strove to re-write Smith’s literal first draft, in spite of his difficult position as a non-reader (albeit an enthusiastic one) of Moby-Dick.

scholarly journals Effects of Bilingualism on Reading Fluency: An Analysis of Pausing Patterns of Iranian Learners of English as a Third Language

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Zahra Banitalebi ◽  
Ali Akbar Jabbari ◽  
Shouket Ahmad Tilwani ◽  
Mohammad Hasan Razmi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Oral Proficiency ◽  
Bilingual Learners ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Third Language ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Significant Difference

Fluency is one of the most important components of oral proficiency, which can be affected by a number of variables including frequency, duration, and place of pause phenomena. The present study aimed at investigating the effect of bilingualism on learning a foreign language from the angle of fluency and pausing patterns by comparing the pausing patterns of monolingual (Persian speakers) and bilingual (Iranian Turkish speakers; L1: Turkish and L2: Persian) EFL learners. To this end, a sample of 40 male and female advanced EFL learners were selected from Yazd University and several English-language institutes. An English reading passage test was used to measure students’ fluency in terms of their pausing patterns in prepared mode of speech. As learners started to read the passage, their speeches were recorded. The collected data were analyzed by Praat software. The statistical analyses revealed a significant difference between monolingual and bilingual learners in the frequency, duration, and placement of the pauses they had produced while they were reading the English passage. The results showed that bilingual learners outperformed monolingual participants, suggesting the superiority of bilinguals in their pausing patterns. The implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Duration and speed of speech events: A selection of methods

2015 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-83
Author(s):  
Dafydd Gibbon ◽  
Katarzyna Klessa ◽  
Jolanta Bachan
Keyword(s):  
Software Tool ◽  
Worked Examples ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Speech Technology ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Language Typology ◽  
Cart Analysis ◽  
Speech Timing ◽  
Speech Events ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractThe study of speech timing, i.e. the duration and speed or tempo of speech events, has increased in importance over the past twenty years, in particular in connection with increased demands for accuracy, intelligibility and naturalness in speech technology, with applications in language teaching and testing, and with the study of speech timing patterns in language typology. H owever, the methods used in such studies are very diverse, and so far there is no accessible overview of these methods. Since the field is too broad for us to provide an exhaustive account, we have made two choices: first, to provide a framework of paradigmatic (classificatory), syntagmatic (compositional) and functional (discourse-oriented) dimensions for duration analysis; and second, to provide worked examples of a selection of methods associated primarily with these three dimensions. Some of the methods which are covered are established state-of-the-art approaches (e.g. the paradigmatic Classification and Regression Trees, CART , analysis), others are discussed in a critical light (e.g. so-called ‘rhythm metrics’). A set of syntagmatic approaches applies to the tokenisation and tree parsing of duration hierarchies, based on speech annotations, and a functional approach describes duration distributions with sociolinguistic variables. Several of the methods are supported by a new web-based software tool for analysing annotated speech data, the Time Group Analyser.

L3 acquisition of German adjectival inflection: A generative account

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Jaensch
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Third Language Acquisition ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
L3 Acquisition ◽  
Adjectival Inflection ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Grammatical Number ◽  
Syntactic Properties

Studies testing the knowledge of syntactic properties have resulted in two potentially contrasting proposals in relation to third language acquisition (TLA); the Cumulative Enhancement Model (Flynn et al., 2004), which proposes that previously learned languages will positively affect the acquisition of a third language (L3); and the ‘second language (L2) status factor’ hypothesis (Bardel and Falk, 2007), which proposes that the primacy of the L2 can block the potential positive effects that may be transferable from the first language (L1). This article attempts to extend these hypotheses to the domain of morphosyntax, in relation to the TLA of the properties of grammatical number and gender concord marking on German attributive adjectives; these properties not present in the L1 of Japanese, or the L2 of English. Two further factors are of interest in the current study; first, the performance of the learners according to their L3 and their L2 proficiency levels, a variable not discussed in the above-mentioned studies; and, second, the role that the type of task has on the performance of these learners. Three groups of Japanese native speakers (matched for proficiency within each German group), but with differing English proficiencies, completed a carefully balanced gap-filling task, together with two oral elicitation tasks in the form of games; both of these elicited tokens of adjectival inflection. Initial results offer partial support for weaker versions of the two hypotheses mentioned above. However, neither of the L3 models tested can fully account for the results obtained, which are more consistent with a feature-based account of the organization of grammar in the domain of morphosyntax, such as that of Distributed Morphology (DM) (Halle and Marantz, 1993). DM is a model for language acquisition which — coupled with a view that the Subset Principle proposed by this account is not observed by non-primary language learners — has recently been proposed to explain the optionality observed in L2 learners’ production (Hawkins et al., 2006). The data presented here suggest that it could be extended to L3 learners’ production.

Measuring Phonological and Orthographic Similarity

2018 ◽  
pp. 49-67
Author(s):  
Muhlise Coşgun Ögeyik
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Second Languages ◽  
Orthographic Similarity ◽  
Level Of Difficulty ◽  
L1 And L2

Marked and unmarked language forms can be distinguished with the level of simplicity or complexity denotations of the forms. Unmarked target language forms may create little or no difficulty, even if they do not exist in the native language of the learner, while marked forms can be relatively difficult for language learners. In addition to the notions of markedness/unmarkedness, there has also been an emphasis on similarity and dissimilarity between the items of first (L1) and second languages (L2). Along with similarity or dissimilarity of L1 and L2 forms, the level of difficulty may vary enormously in different language-specific procedures. In this chapter, therefore, it is intended to build an understanding of the recognized pronunciation and orthographic problems of similar loanwords in both Turkish (L1 of the participants) and English (L2).

scholarly journals The Influence of Frequency on the Acquisition and Textbooks Design of Second Language Vocabulary

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Anwar Saad Aljadani
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Teaching Objectives ◽  
Dominant Feature ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
Selection Of

This paper provides an overview of the role of vocabulary frequency in second language (L2) acquisition as vocabulary is a dominant feature of language acquisition and vitally important to language learners. It reported the vocabulary frequency’s significant role in both the earlier acquisition and the easier remembering comparing to infrequent vocabulary in L2 acquisition. It also seeks to discuss the influence of frequency on the selection of vocabulary in L2 textbooks as they are sometime the only source of L2 vocabulary in the classroom. It presents discussions of what vocabulary should be selected, how selective vocabulary are organised in the textbooks to reach determined teaching objectives as well as the teaching rate pre lesson. 

scholarly journals C2+-DaF-Lernende reflektieren über eine perfekte Sprachbeherrschung – ist diese vor dem Hintergrund der postulierten funktionalen Mehrsprachigkeit in Alltag und Beruf künftig noch gefragt?

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Schumacher
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Oriented Approach

AbstractBy adopting “functional plurilingualism” – a recurring concept in its new curriculum, “Lehrplan 21” – Switzerland is pursuing new avenues in foreign language education. The term refers to a goal-oriented approach to foreign language learning and teaching in primary and secondary schools, and implies that barriers to communication can be overcome by exploiting the sum of the individual’s linguistic capacities. In future, language learners will be expected to build on the interrelatedness of languages instead of developing abilities in languages that they keep separate from one another. This view of foreign language education coincides with the recommendations of the Council of Europe’sHaving reached the highest level specified by the CEFR, some learners continue their studies, seeking to maintain or reinforce their competences or to address individual weaknesses. In this article, a group of C2+ learners of German as a foreign language reflect on their desire for linguistic perfection and the notion of “functional plurilingualism” against the background of their own biographies. These learners have a high awareness and knowledge of German (often their third language) and of the learning process, which allows them to make informative statements. The data was analysed qualitatively and subjective theories were reconstructed – an approach that took account both of the multiperspectivity of the topic and of the uniqueness of the individual cases.

scholarly journals Non-native English Varieties: Thainess in English Narratives

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piyahathai Singhasak ◽  
Phongsakorn Methitham
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Lexical Borrowing ◽  
New Variety ◽  
Second Languages ◽  
Code Mixing ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Thai English

<p>This study aims at examining Thainess as a writing strategy used in non-literary texts written by non-professional bilingual writers. These writers are advanced language learners who are pursuing their Master’s degree in English. Seven English narratives of their language learning experiences were analyzed based on Kachruvian’s framework of bilingual’s creativity and contact literatures. The findings showed that four out of six contextualization processes - transfer, translation, code-mixing, and reduplication - were utilized when conveying the writers’ experiences in acquiring their first and second languages. Unlike the findings in previous studies of Thainess in literary genre, lexical borrowing and shift process were not found in narratives. Although Thai English as a new variety in World Englishes has been debated for years and remains in an obscure status, it cannot be denied that the research findings in this study show the uniqueness of Thai English writing strategies.</p>

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