scholarly journals The Influence of the Mother Tongue on the Use of Metaphor in English as a Second Language

10.29007/3mn2 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleksandra Iaroslavtseva ◽  
Hanna Skorczynska
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
The Other ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
British National Corpus ◽  
Central Tool ◽  
National Corpus

Metaphor has been widely recognized as a central tool of our cognitive apparatus, motivating the widespread use of metaphorical words and expressions in language and discourse. Therefore, it is important for language learners to use metaphors in the target language appropriately. The influence of the mother tongue on the use of metaphors in essays written by Spanish learners of English was analysed. Three corpora were used for this study: the experimental corpus contained 100 essays of Spanish-speaking learners of English, 50 with B2 level and 50 with C1 level (CEFR). The other two corpora were used as reference corpora: the British National Corpus (BNC) and the Corpus de Referencia del Español Actual (CREA). MIPVU method (Steen et al., 2010) was used to identify metaphors in the experimental corpus. The quantitative analysis showed that the influence of Spanish on errors in metaphors is higher at B2 level than at C1 level. The results of the analysis are especially helpful for learners and teachers of English as a Foreign Language as well as for testing researchers.

Translating ambiguous and nonambiguous Words in a foreign Language

2003 ◽  
Vol 139-140 ◽  
pp. 129-152
Author(s):  
Paul Bogaards ◽  
Elisabeth Van Der Linden ◽  
Lydius Nienhuis
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Lexical Ambiguity ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Bilingual Lexicon ◽  
The Individual

The research to be reported on in this paper was originally motivated by the finding that about 70% of the mistakes made by university students when translating from their mother tongue (Dutch) into their foreign language (French) were lexical in nature (NIENHUIS et al. 1989). This was partially confinned in the investigation described in NIENHUIS et al. (1993). A closer look at the individual errors suggested that many problems were caused by words with more than one meaning which each require different translations in the target language. In the research reported on in this paper, we checked our fmdings in the light of what is known about the structure of the bilingual lexicon and about the ways bilinguals have access to the elements of their two languages. On the basis of the model of the bilingual lexicon presented by KROLL & Sholl (1992) an adapted model is proposed for the processing of lexical ambiguity. This leads to a tentative schema of the mental activities that language learners have to perfonn when they are translating from their mother tongue into a foreign language, The second part of the paper describes two experiments we have carried out in order to find empirical support for such a schema. The last section of the paper contains a discussion of the results obtained as well as the conclusions that can be drawn.

scholarly journals Dunkin’ the Donut: A Study on Students’ Patterns of Language Use through Technology Applications in Independent Language Learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-132
Author(s):  
Norizul Azida Darus ◽  
Norhajawati Abdul Halim
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Technology Applications

Any language can be acquired at any time, but to acquire the language, one needs to learn the language. Learning a second or foreign language is not a favourite among second or foreign language learners. This is because learning a language is a very intense time-consuming activity. Learning is often unsuccessful because learners receive impoverished or insufficient input and lack of motivation. To this, second language or foreign language teachers play the most significant role to help and motivate the students to acquire the said language. The preferred method is to be immersed into the actual ecosystem of the target language and become part of the language ecosystem. The other way is to dunk the learners into the artificial ecosystem of the language classroom. In dunking, the learners are immersed temporarily and repeatedly into the simulated ecosystem language. As can be seen now, technology remains the only viable option to get enough interactive contact with the target language. Using interesting software is one of the methods in making learning more interesting. Furthermore, the students are able to practice the language not only during class time, but on their own free time outside of class hours, that is during students’ independent time of learning. The findings revealed that most students found using the applications has improved their language learning. The role of teachers on the other hand is to provide instructions and assist whenever necessary and needed by the students.

scholarly journals The Kinds of the Linguistic Interference

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 176
Author(s):  
Sayana Movsum Baghirova
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
First Language ◽  
The Other ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Teacher Student ◽  
Linguistic Interference

In the scientific literature, the symbols L1 (Language 1) and L2 (Language 2) are used to indicate the sequence of languages. In most countries, L1 is understood as a first language, and it usually coincides with the mother tongue. The other languages are learned later. This can be seen in the children of multilingual parents. Teaching a second foreign language covers everything a student hears and sees in a new language. This includes a variety of discourse activities, such as exchanges in restaurants and shops, talking to friends, reading billboards and newspapers, as well as teacher-student attitudes in the classroom, as well as language activities and books in the classroom. Regardless of the learning environment, the learner's goal is to master a target language. The learner starts the task of learning a second language from scratch (or close to it) and uses the necessary language skills in the mother tongue to determine the reciprocity of language units in the target language.

scholarly journals “Wait, How Do I Say that in English?” Communication Strategies for English as a Foreign Language Learners

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 149
Author(s):  
Zulfadli Aziz ◽  
Ika Apriani Fata ◽  
Syarifah Balqis
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
The Other ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Topic Avoidance ◽  
Literal Translation ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Successful Group ◽  
Speaking Skill

This research aimed to investigate communication speaking skill strategies applied by two groups of English foreign language learners in two boarding senior high schools in Aceh, Indonesia. Of the successful group, there were 52 learners and of the less successful group 24 learners. To collect the data, this study employed the observation sheet adapted by Tarone(1978), which determined nine categories of communication strategies; approximation, word coinage, circumlocution, literal translation, language switch, mime, appeal for assistance, topic avoidance, and message abandonment. The students were observed during their speaking class. The result of this research is the literal translation, approximation, and language switchbecome the most frequent strategies used by the less successful learners. It implies that the students have had difficulties communicating in the target language. On the other hand, successful learners prefer to use approximation, literal translation, and appeal for assistance strategies. It implies that the students tend to speak and communicate well, if not yet fluently. Based on the findings, it is suggested that English teachers should introduce several communication strategies for both groups of learners to improve their effective communication.

scholarly journals KETIDAKLAZIMAN KOLOKASI PEMBELAJAR BIPA DAN IMPLIKASINYA TERHADAP PEMBELAJARAN BAHASA

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mashadi Said
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Trainee Teachers ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Descriptive Method

Abstract: Unacceptable Collocations by Learners of Indonesian as a ForeignLanguage and the Implication in Language Learning. Foreign language learners’ability to collocate words that are natural and acceptable in the target language isimportant in foreign language learning; however, it is notoriously difficult forforeign language learners and sometimes makes them frustrated. This studyattempts to describe the negative transfer of English collocations into Indonesiancollocations made by learners of Indonesian as a foreign language in their writingassignments. This study employed a qualitative descriptive method. The data werecollected from 36 writing assignments by 12 learners whose mother tongue isEnglish. They were trainee teachers with experience in teaching Indonesian inAustralia. The finding shows that there are 176 unnatural Indonesian collocations,some of which are negative transfers of learners’ mother tongue. This suggests thatdirect teaching of collocations should be given special emphasis in teachingIndonesian as a foreign language.Keywords: collocation, lexical collocation, grammatical collocation, languagelearning

Papier Is Geduldig

1993 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 45-52
Author(s):  
J.P.M. Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Classroom Situation ◽  
Written Form ◽  
Correspondence Course

Translation usually is a solitary activity, but it is often taught in the classroom and not as a skill (or art) leading to a goal, a text in a target language, but as a means of helping language learners to increase their awareness of the subtleties and intricacies of a foreign language. Unfortunately, teachers are rarely sufficiently equipped to anticipate all the variants which students may come up with in a classroom situation. It may difficult to convince students that certain options are wrong, and others acceptable only in a certain context. When the translation training does not take place in the classroom, but rather in a written form, on the basis of a large number of translations sent in by students, the teacher/author can select all variants in the quiet of his study, and argue his choice carefully and with an eye for details. An added advantage is that the teacher/author will be able to distinguish between very common mistakes, between variants which occur very often, and those that are very rare. For more than a century, the Dutch magazine De Talen [the languages] has offered students (in the broadest sense of the word) the opportunity to increase their language proficiency through carefully discussed translations. Five times a year, students are offered texts in French, German, Spanish and English for translation into Dutch, and five times Dutch texts must be translated into these foreign languages. Subscribers to the magazine can send in their attempts at a translation, using a pseudonym. These translations are corrected and used as the basis for a thorough discussion of all possible variants. It does not concern a correspondence course, although the submitted translations are graded, and these grades are published under the pseudonym. It is assumed that the mother tongue of the subscribers is Dutch, although quite a number of people whose native language is not Dutch use the magazine to improve their command of Dutch. This article, by the editor of the English part of the magazine, describes in some detail the history and setup of De Talen.

scholarly journals INVESTIGATING SEVERAL SIMILAR QUESTIONS TYPES IN TURKISH, KURDISH, ENGLISH, RUSSIAN AND GERMAN

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-59
Author(s):  
Mehmet Veysi BABAYİĞİT
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
The Other ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
The World ◽  
Multiple Question ◽  
Alternative Questions ◽  
Topic Issue

Language is used as a tool of communication in all over the world, and each society or country may adopt a different language leading various dialects or language usages. In order to interrogate different aspects, multiple question types are utilized in a language. Also, questions are globally used to get information about a topic / issue, ask for confirmation, request something or clarify some controversial aspects almost in all languages. In addition, some questions are directed to speakers via question words such as what, where or how; on the other hand, some questions are conducted via helping verbs, adjuncts or question tags. Foreign language learners first learn affirmative, then negative and finally questions forms in the target language that is why it may be inferred that using questions in a language requires improvement and experience. The current study aims to find out some similar questions types in Turkish, English,Kurdish, Russian and German; hence, an analysis has been conducted on question samples obtained descriptively in those languages. The results of the analysis indicated that there are some similar types of questions such as general questions, special questions, tag questions and alternative questions in both languages. Key Words: Types, question, Kurdish, English, Turkish, Russian, German

A Corpora-Based Analysis of Rely on and Depend on

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-21
Author(s):  
Namkil Kang
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
American English ◽  
The Other ◽  
Information State ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
British National Corpus ◽  
National Corpus

The ultimate goal of this paper is to provide a comparative analysis of rely on and depend on in the Corpus of Contemporary American English and the British National Corpus. The COCA clearly shows that the expression rely on government is the most preferred by Americans, followed by rely on people, and rely on data. The COCA further indicates that the expression depend on slate is the most preferred by Americans, followed by depend on government, and depend on people. The BNC shows, on the other hand, that the expression rely on others is the most preferred by the British, followed by rely on people, and rely on friends. The BNC further indicates that depend on factors and depend on others are the most preferred by the British, followed by depend on age, and depend on food. Finally, in the COCA, the nouns government, luck, welfare, people, information, state, fossil, water, family, oil, food, and things are linked to both rely on and depend on, but many nouns are not still linked to both of them. On the other hand, in the BNC, only the nouns state, chance, government, and others are linked to both rely on and depend on, but many nouns are not still linked to both rely on and depend on. It can thus be inferred from this that rely on is slightly different from depend on in its use.

scholarly journals The effectiveness of explicit or Implicit pronunciation teaching to Greek learners of english

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Βάϊα Παπαχρήστου
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Phonological Development ◽  
Phonological Acquisition ◽  
Speaker Variability ◽  
English Classes ◽  
Pronunciation Instruction ◽  
English Vowels ◽  
The One

Previous research on second language phonological acquisition has shown that mastery of the L2 phonological system constitutes a challenging task for L2 learners. Several parametres have been suggested to constrain pronunciation accuracy, such as, interference from speakers’ mother tongue, learners’ age, quality and quantity of exposure to the target language, as well as motivation, attitude and other social and psychological factors. However, research on pronunciation teaching and its potential effectiveness on learners’ L2 phonological development has been quite limited, especially in foreign language contexts.The main aim of the present thesis is to investigate the production of English vowels by Greek learners of English and the effectiveness of explicit vs. implicit pronunciation instruction within a foreign language setting. To this end, three groups of speakers aged 9 and 15 years old were examined; i.e. two experimental groups, one which received explicit pronunciation tuition and one which was taught the pronunciation of the English vowels implicitly, via the use of recasts, and a control one which did not get any pronunciation tuition. Both experimental groups received 43 mini pronunciation interventions embedded in the regular English classes at school. The methodology adopted was the one proposed by Celce-Murcia, Brinton and Goodwin (1996) moving from controlled and guided activities to more communicative ones. Additionally, L1 Greek and L1 English data were obtained in order to compare the vowel inventories of the two languages.The results showed that after teaching, explicit pronunciation instruction can selectively bring about a change in both young and older students’ L2 vowel production, while no improvement was reported for the implicit and control groups9for either age group. Generally, considerable intra- and inter-speaker variability was revealed after tuition and despite the small changes observed, systematic native-like production was difficult to attain. Moreover, no clear effect of learners’ age was documented. A thorough examination of the factors hindering pronunciation accuracy is presented and the findings are discussed on the basis of current theories of L2 phonological acquisition.

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