scholarly journals A New Approach to Automatic Detection and Correction of Derivational Errors in L2 Russian

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-68
Author(s):  
A. S. Vyrenkova ◽  
I. Yu. Smirnov
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Error Detection ◽  
Channel Model ◽  
Finite State Automaton ◽  
Noisy Channel ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Formidable Challenge

Learner corpora serve as one of the most valuable sources of statistical data on learners' errors. For instance, data from foreign-language learners’ corpora can be used for the Second Language Acquisition research. However, corpora representativity strongly depends on the quality of its error markup, which is most frequently carried out manually and thus presents a time-consuming and painstaking routine for the annotators. To make annotation process easier, additional tools, such as spellcheckers, are usually used. This paper focuses on developing a program for automatic correction of derivational errors made by learners of Russian as a foreign language. Derivational errors, which are not common for adult Russian native speakers (L1), but occur quite often in written texts or speech of Russian as foreign language learners (L2) [Chernigovskaya, Gor, 2000], were chosen as scope of our research because correction of such mistakes presents a formidable challenge for existing spellcheckers. Using the data from the Russian Learner Corpus (http://www.web-corpora.net/RLC/), we tested two already existing approaches to solve such kind of problems. The first one is based on a finite state automaton principle developed by Dickinson and Herring 2008, and it was test-ed as algorithm for derivational errors detection. The second one which relies on the Noisy Channel model by Brill and Moore, 2000, was used for studying errors correction. After we analyzed effectiveness of these tests, we developed our own system for autocorrection of derivational errors. In our program the algorithm of Dickinson and Herring was used as word-formation error detection module. The Noisy Channel model has been rejected, and we decided to use instead the Continuous Bag of Words FastText model, based on Harris distributional semantics theory [1954]. In addition, filtering rules have been developed for correcting frequent errors that the model is unable to handle. To restore automatically the correct grammatical word form, dictionary of word paradigms is used. Model results were validated on the data of Russian Learner Corpus.

Improving Communicative Competence Levels of Pre-Service Teachers Through Spoken-Based Reflection Instruction

2021 ◽  
pp. 002205742110445
Author(s):  
Chinaza Solomon Ironsi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
Speaking Skills

This study investigated the use of spoken-reflection instruction to improve the communicative competence level of English as Foreign Language learners in a second language acquisition classroom. A listening and speaking test was administered before and after the study to determine the participants’ level of speaking competence. A quantitative research design was adopted for the study. A 3-credit unit language course was designed and implemented for the study. The course was built on the core principles of reflective practice. Participants were taught using the normal language teaching method and spoken-based reflection instruction. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 65 English as Foreign Language learners who willingly participated in the study. At the end of the course, a questionnaire was used to obtain information from the participants about their perceptions of using spoken-based reflection instruction to improve their speaking skills. In addition, participants were administered a Reflection-Listening, and Speaking Skills Test before and after each experimental phase to determine whether their listening and speaking skills had improved. Most learners found the use of spoken reflections to be a fun way to learn. However, they expressed anxiety about doing teacher-student reflection because they felt intimidated by the presence of their language teacher, although sending recordings of their reflections to their teachers was more convenient than interacting with them on a one-to-one basis.

Analysis and classification of errors when shifting from general English to ESP teaching at University (the case of legal translation)

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Chiknaverova
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Error Analysis ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Introductory Course ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Legal Translation ◽  
Sociocultural Characteristics

Teaching legal translation at university causes a number of challenges which are caused by linguistic and sociocultural characteristics of the corresponding original and translation texts and psycholinguistic peculiarities of the second language acquisition process. There are some aspects in teaching legal translation that are rarely under investigation, among them there are issues that arise when shifting from general English to legal translation teaching. The article aims to comprehensively analyse and classify errors that students make during the introductory course of legal translation as well as to reveal the causes thereof. The author is guided by a set of methods including inter alia analysis of research on errors made by foreign language learners, observation and representative method. It concludes with recommendations related to teaching legal translation at the introductory level, summarises sources, types of errors and the ways to minimise and avoid them. Keywords: Teaching legal translation, ESP, ESL, error analysis.

The Role of Gender in the Linguistic Performance of Foreign Language Learners: Does Gender Make a Difference?

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hosny Mostafa Al-Dali
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Linguistic Performance ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Number Of Males

<p>The present study examines the variation in the proficiency of adult learners (males and females) of English as a foreign language.  It is a generally accepted fact in L<sub>1</sub> acquisition that females enjoy a rate advantage, initially at least. However, I know of no study that has systematically investigated the rate of second language acquisition (SLA) in females versus males. It might be safe to cite few SLA studies: Farhady, 1982; Eisenstein, 1982; Lakoff, 1973; Zimmerman and West, 1975; and Gass and Varonis, 1986. Although these studies reported sex-related differences, they were incidental to their main focus. The subjects for the present study are 180 students in the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Minufiya University. They are divided into three groups according to their academic status in their university: Beginners (60); Intermediate (60); and advanced (60). Each group is equally divided into males (30), and females (30). Accordingly, the total number of males is 90, and that of females is 90, as well. All subjects performed three tasks: 1) listening; 2) reading, and 3) structure and written expressions, similar, to those used in the TOEFL test. The overall umbrella, under which all these tasks are designed, is ‘systematicity’; and/or ‘variability’; and whether learners' sex is responsible for it. Results are obtained and conclusions are made. </p><strong>Keywords</strong>: Variability; L<sub>2</sub> learners’ proficiency, sex.

Integrating learner corpora and natural language processing: A crucial step towards reconciling technological sophistication and pedagogical effectiveness

ReCALL ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylviane Granger ◽  
Olivier Kraif ◽  
Claude Ponton ◽  
Georges Antoniadis ◽  
Virginie Zampa
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Error Detection ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Pos Tagging ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Learner Corpora ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Learner Language

AbstractLearner corpora, electronic collections of spoken or written data from foreign language learners, offer unparalleled access to many hitherto uncovered aspects of learner language, particularly in their error-tagged format. This article aims to demonstrate the role that the learner corpus can play in CALL, particularly when used in conjunction with web-based interfaces which provide flexible access to error-tagged corpora that have been enhanced with simple NLP techniques such as POS-tagging or lemmatization and linked to a wide range of learner and task variables such as mother tongue background or activity type. This new resource is of interest to three main types of users: teachers wishing to prepare pedagogical materials that target learners' attested difficulties; learners themselves for editing or language awareness purposes and NLP researchers, for whom it serves as a benchmark for testing automatic error detection systems.

scholarly journals The Motivating Factors of Second Language Acquisition for Young Learners

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Ahmad Fawzi Shamsi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Motivating Factors ◽  
Young Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
North Cyprus ◽  
Effective Role ◽  
Motivating Factor ◽  
Learning English

Motivation plays a very effective role in teaching foreign languages. It has been suggested that the use of motivation can help in facilitating learning English. This study investigated the motivating factors for young learners in North Cyprus. The researcher aimed to find out the most motivating factor(s) for learning English for grade five pupils at a primary school in North Cyprus. The results show that there are many motivating factors that positively affect the learners’ attitudes towards learning English as a foreign language. Learners are motivated with many different factors: intrinsically, extrinsically, instrumentally, or integratively.

scholarly journals Transcription of foreign personal names in the written works of learners of Latvian as a foreign language

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 469-481
Author(s):  
Antra Kļavinska
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
Personal Names ◽  
Know How ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Study Process

Aim. The aim of this study is to analyse how personal names are transcribed in the written works of Latvian as foreign language learners, as well as the most typical mistakes when transcribing personal names in other languages, the attitude of students towards the Latvianisation of their personal names, and the experience of Latvian language teachers in teaching the principles of transcribing personal names. Methods. The study uses the corpus analysis method, as well as a survey of students and  survey of teachers who teach Latvian as a foreign language. The article includes error analysis of the personal name transcription established in the corpus and the analysis of the survey results. Results and conclusion. It was found out that students mostly know how to transcribe their names in Latvian; less frequently do they know how their surname should be transcribed. Their attitude towards Latvianisation of personal names is various: positive, negative or neutral. Latvian as a foreign language teachers emphasize the principle of transcription of foreign personal names and the need to provide its justification in the study process. It was concluded that further Latvian language acquisition process needs to be focused more on the problems with transcription of foreign personal names. Originality. This study highlights the aspect which is little researched in the applied linguistics – the issued linked to transcription of foreign personal names in the process of learning the Latvian language. The novelty is related to the use of a new resource (error-tagged learner corpus) data.

scholarly journals Grammar Errors by Slovenian Learners of Japanese: Corpus Analysis of Writings on Beginner and Intermediate Levels

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-104
Author(s):  
Miha PAVLOVIČ
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Intermediate Level ◽  
Corpus Analysis ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Carry Over ◽  
Japanese Learners

This paper presents the construction of a corpus of writings by Slovene learners of Japanese as a foreign language at the beginner and intermediate levels and an analysis of the grammar errors contained within it, with the purpose of providing a simple and effective means of acquiring data on errors made by students of Japanese as a second language. Additionally, an error analysis of the grammar errors in the corpus and a comparison of the most common errors found on both levels, reveals the types of errors that carry over from the beginner to the intermediate level, negatively affecting the learning process. By compiling and analyzing a collection of 182 written texts written by Japanese learners, 492 cases of grammar misuse were observed on the beginner and 564 on the intermediate level. A comparative analysis of the most common types of grammar misuse on each level highlights the types of errors that seem to carry over from the beginner to the intermediate level. The findings can be useful to Japanese language learners as well as teachers. Furthermore, the learner’s corpus created in the process marks the first step towards the creation of a larger, annotated and publicly accessible learner corpus of writings by Slovenian learners of Japanese to be used for further research in the field of second language acquisition.

Young Learners

2018 ◽  
pp. 58-75
Author(s):  
Joanna Rodiki Petrides
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Definition Of

This chapter refers to a very complex factor that is of primary importance in language learning theories: motivation. It aims—through a brief analysis of existing theories and research findings on motivation, its impact on foreign language learning, and second language acquisition—to provide a definition of this complicated term, to explain how motivation can affect foreign language learners, and how young foreign language learners can be motivated to learn a foreign or additional language effectively and become competent users of it. To manage to provide a clear description of how motivation affects young language learners, it is necessary to refer to the theories that analyze foreign language learning or language acquisition and then relate them to the theories on motivation. Different types of motivation are described, including intrinsic, extrinsic, integrative, and instrumental, as well as motivation in the language classroom.

Extended discourse in first and second language acquisition: A challenge and an opportunity

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine E. Snow
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
First Language ◽  
Educational Setting ◽  
Word Generation ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Effective Component

AbstractFirst language learners acquire vocabulary in the context of participation in discourse, and the quantity and richness of that discourse is the best predictor of their progress. Similarly, we argue, engagement in discourse, in particular debate and discussion, is an effective component of classroom instruction for second and foreign language learners. Evidence supporting the effectiveness of a particular discussion-based program, Word Generation, is presented, in particular its effectiveness with current and former second language learners of English. Principles implemented in Word Generation that could be applied in any educational setting are identified.

scholarly journals Developmental Stages and the CEFR Levels in Foreign Language Learners’ Speaking and Writing

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Yumiko Yamaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Council Of Europe ◽  
Written Narratives ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
English Syntax ◽  
Japanese Learners

<p class="AbstractTitle"><em>This paper aims to investigate foreign language learners’ speaking and writing based on a second language acquisition (SLA) theory and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR; Council of Europe, 2001). While the CEFR has been widely used as a reference instrument in foreign language </em><em>education</em><em>, there has been insufficient empirical research undertaken on the CEFR levels (e.g., Hulstijin, 2007; Wisniewski, 2017). Also, few studies have examined how the CEFR levels relate to the developmental stages predicted in SLA theories. In this study, spoken and written narratives performed by 60 Japanese learners of English are examined based on one of the major SLA theories, namely Processability Theory (PT; Pienemann, 1998, 2005; Bettoni &amp; Di Biase, 2015), as well as on the CEFR. Results show that the Japanese L1 learners acquire English syntax as predicted in PT in both speaking and writing. In addition, there seems to be a linear correlation between the CEFR levels and PT stages. However, it is also found that the learners at the highest PT stage are not necessarily at a higher CEFR level.</em><em></em></p>

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