scholarly journals On the Role of Distinctive Features of British English Sounds in the Cartoon Peppa Pig for Chinese Learners to Conquer Mother Tongue’s Negative Transfer

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Gang Li
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Negative Transfer ◽  
British English ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Chinese Learners ◽  
Better Than

With the process of globalization and integration, more and more people tend to be bilingual. Undoubtedly, mastering a second language is significant. This thesis aims to explore how to conquer the difficulties in learning British English sounds through analyzing a British cartoon Peppa Pig.Chapter one begins with the research background, significance and purpose of research. The thesis takes the cartoon Peppa Pig as the starting point to demonstrate the role of distinctive features for Chinese learners to conquer negative transfer. The empirical research could be found in Chapter two, because of requiring to know the concrete circumstance of Chinese learners.Through the collection and analysis of data, we can know these problems which Chinese learners exist in the process of learning British English.Based on the comparison of Chinese and British English, Chapter three clarifies the difficulties in learning British English. As for Chinese learners, mastering distinctive features can promote learners to master British English sounds better than stress and rhythm. Chapter four states the role of the distinctive features in helping conquer Chinese negative transfer in the cartoon Peppa Pig. The final chapter is the conclusion of this thesis and involves a new study for Chinese learners to learn British English sounds under the distinctive features.

Cross-linguistic similarity in L2 speech learning: Evidence from the acquisition of Russian stop contrasts by Mandarin speakers

2020 ◽  
pp. 026765831990091
Author(s):  
Yuxiao Yang ◽  
Xiaoxiang Chen ◽  
Qi Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Perceptual Discrimination ◽  
Perceived Similarity ◽  
Specific Research ◽  
Speech Learning Model ◽  
Chinese Learners ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Speech Learning

This study investigated the role of cross-linguistic similarity in the acquisition of Russian initial stop contrasts by Chinese learners, addressing two specific research questions: (1) How similar are Russian voiced stops to Mandarin stops for Chinese learners? (2) How can the speech learning model (SLM) be applied to account for the acquisition of Russian initial stop contrasts by Chinese learners? Regarding the first question, a hypothesis was proposed that Russian voiced stops could be regarded as dissimilar ‘new’ sounds by Chinese learners, as judged by three commonly adopted methods: IPA comparison, acoustic difference, and feature redeployment. The results of the perceptual assimilation task, however, disconfirmed this hypothesis, as Russian voiced stops were perceived as being highly similar to the sounds of Mandarin voiceless unaspirated stops. According to SLM, perceptually similar second language (L2) sounds are difficult to acquire; hence, a corresponding hypothesis was advanced in relation to the second question; namely, that the acquisition of Russian initial stop contrasts could be challenging for Chinese learners. This hypothesis was supported by the results of the perceptual discrimination and the production tests. These findings corroborated SLM regarding the difficulty in acquiring L2 sounds that are perceptually similar to their first language (L1) counterparts, while posing challenges to the hypothesis that Russian voiced stops could be dissimilar ‘new’ sounds for Chinese learners, as predicted by the three methods. The results indicated that perceived cross-linguistic similarity plays a key role in L2 phonetic acquisition. However, the degree of perceived similarity cannot always be accurately deduced solely through the three methods, at least not in the case of stops.

Second language learning in the context of massively multiplayer online games: A scoping review

ReCALL ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (01) ◽  
pp. 92-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasser Jabbari ◽  
Zohreh R. Eslami
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Online Games ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Massively Multiplayer Online Games ◽  
Multiplayer Online Games ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

AbstractThis review examines the second language acquisition (SLA) literature with regard to the role of “massively multiplayer online games” (MMOGs) in second language (L2) learning. It focuses on commercially developed off-the-shelf (COTS) MMOGs only (some of them modified for educational purposes such as Reinders’ & Wattana’s work). It surveys the current empirical research to find out which aspects of L2 learning have been investigated, how they were studied, and what the findings suggest in relation to L2 learning opportunities and outcomes within and beyond MMOG contexts. We synthesized the findings of 31 studies reporting empirical evidence about the role of MMOGs in L2 learning. We observed that the empirical research in this area is mainly qualitative and that L2-related motivational and affective factors, L2 vocabulary, and learners’ communicative competence (or discourse management strategies) are the most widely investigated topics. Based on the findings, our paper presents a model that depicts hypothetical interrelationships among (a) MMOG designed settings, (b) the social and affective affordances provided in these settings, (c) L2 learning opportunities, and (d) the L2 learning outcomes achieved. We conclude that MMOGs provide socially supportive and emotionally safe (i.e. low-language-anxiety) environments that afford multiple opportunities for L2 learning and socialization, which, in turn, help L2 learners to enrich their L2 vocabulary repertoire and enhance their communicative competence in the target language.

scholarly journals The Role of Universal Grammar in Second Language Acquisition from the Perspective of Chinese Acquiring English Reflexives

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. p284
Author(s):  
Jing Song
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Universal Grammar ◽  
The Past ◽  
Chinese Learners ◽  
Chinese And English

In China, the second language learning has always played an important role in primary and higher education. The issue of how children acquire the second language has experienced a boom in China over the past decade as the proficiency of a person’s English level mainly depends on its acquisition in primary stage. The main focus of this paper is to examine the role of UG in the second language acquisition and to what extent it plays in the process. To illustrate this, the four access hypotheses were given firstly. In addition, the role of UG from the aspect of Chinese learners’ acquiring the English reflexives was discussed. In this section, the importance of analyzing the reflexives and the different features of them in Chinese and English were exhibited.

Engineering Technicians in Africa: a Kenyan Case-Study

1983 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-291
Author(s):  
Paul Bennell
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Middle Level ◽  
Historical Evolution ◽  
Technical Personnel ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Relationship

While the importance of the rôle of formally qualified high- and middle-level technical personnel in the development process in Africa has been repeatedly underlined since the early 1950s, relatively little empirical research has focused on the historical evolution and present constitution of the occupations which embody these skills. As a contribution to such an analysis, this case-study examines the determinants of the institutional provision of Kenyans with engineering technician qualifications, and their subsequent employment and utilisation. In other words, we are concerned with the relationship between the supply of, and demand for, one group of skilled individuals. Although formulating the problem in this way may, at first sight, appear to be narrowly economistic, this framework provides a methodologically useful starting point for a multi-disciplinary analysis.

scholarly journals An examination of prosody and second language sentence processing through pause insertion

2021 ◽  
pp. 136700692110187
Author(s):  
Lan Fang ◽  
Yiyang Xie ◽  
Keke Yu ◽  
Ruiming Wang ◽  
John W. Schwieter
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Sentence Comprehension ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Auditory Comprehension ◽  
Prosodic Cues ◽  
Chinese Learners ◽  
Syntactic Boundaries

Objectives: Research on second language (L2) sentence comprehension often has examined reliance on semantic and syntactic information but has left aside for the most part the role of prosodic cues. In the present study, we compare less- and more-proficient L2 learners’ integration of prosody and syntax structure during auditory L2 sentence comprehension. Design: Two group Chinese learners of L2 English learners (A2 and C1 levels) participated in an auditory comprehension task, which included sentences that had artificial pauses inserted either between or within syntactic boundaries. After hearing each sentence, learners were asked to judge the translation as ‘identical’ or ‘not identical’ on the keyboard. Data Analysis: We conducted t-tests and an analysis of variance to examine prosodic effects among the two learner groups. Findings: The results showed that both A2 and C1 learners were sensitive to pauses. However, the direction and magnitude of this sensitivity was significantly different for the two groups. A2 learners were faster to respond to auditory sentences in which a brief pause was placed within syntactic phrases. Contrarily, C1 learners responded faster when the brief pause was placed between syntactic phrases. Originality: Unique to the present study is the inclusion of the pause-insertion paradigm to examine the role of prosody in L2 auditory sentence processing. Implications: The results imply that the two groups of learners do not rely on prosodic and syntactic cues in the same manner when processing L2 sentences. We argue that the processing mechanisms involved in L2 sentence comprehension evolve hand-in-hand with L2 proficiency development. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research.

scholarly journals The Role of Sociocultural Theory in L2 Empirical Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Sociocultural Theory ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
Sociocultural Perspective ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
Social Applications

Second language acquisition (SLA) is a complex, interdisciplinary field of study which has its roots in subjects as varied as cognition and psychology to social applications and actions in anthropology and sociology (Han & Nassaji, 2019). One of the oldest and most influential ideas in SLA comes from the sociocultural perspective and, in particular, the work of Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky. Nearly a century ago, Vygotsky attempted to connect the seemingly disparate areas of society, culture, and cognition in his unifying, wide-angle theory called Sociocultural Theory (SCT).

scholarly journals The Negative Influence of Chinese L1 on English L2 Writing

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Yu ◽  
Hongyu Chen
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Negative Transfer ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Verb Phrase ◽  
Sufficient Knowledge

L1 is, generally, believed to affect the acquisition of second language negatively. Because there is likely to be a negative transfer form L1 to L2, when the learner lacks sufficient knowledge for communicating his or her ideas in L2 and then draw upon the L1. The transfer includes both positive and negative transfer. However, the role of L1 is more often viewed as negative, causing negative transfer that results in a variety of errors. Generally, English and Chinese do not have many of the shared syntactical features. Hence the syntactic transfer is predictable when using the L2. This may lead to such errors as those in the noun phrase, in the verb phrase and various omissions. This paper analyses those errors in English writing, which represent the negative syntactic transfer from Chinese to English. Moreover, it discusses in details the particular causes for that transfer and propose improving the awareness of the syntactic distinction between these two languages in Chinese students.

scholarly journals How the Universities of technology cooperates with SMEs on the example of Polish universities

2022 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 152-159
Author(s):  
Justyna Bętlewska
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Modern Economy ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
New Challenges

The fundamental aim of the study is to indicate how Polish universities of technology cooperate with enterprises belonging to the small and medium-sized enterprise sector. The study was conducted from the perspective of polytechnic schools. Given the goal indicated in this way, the key activities included obtaining an answer to the question regarding the scope, conditions, and quality of cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises and technical universities. In-depth literature studies in the indicated research problem, own observations as well as conducting empirical research contributed to the formulation of detailed questions, the solution of which determined the answer to the main problem, which is to indicate how Polish technical universities cooperate with small and medium-sized enterprises on the example of Polish technical universities. The conducted research allowed to obtain an answer to the question concerning the motivating and limiting factors, including the cooperation of technical universities with small and medium-sized enterprises. This publication, constituting an empirical cognitive foundation, can be a starting point for further considerations on the increase in the importance and role of cooperation, as well as a better understanding of new challenges in the development of the modern economy. The paper focuses on showing the phenomenon of cooperation, systematizing this phenomenon in the theory of management, and also on presenting the results of own research along with the methods of its implementation. This paper is important to better understand the importance of collaboration between science and business and create new opportunities to develop areas of collaboration.

scholarly journals Teaching the English article system: Definiteness and specificity in linguistically-informed instruction

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Intervention Period ◽  
Chinese Learners ◽  
Article System ◽  
Informed Instruction ◽  
Incorrect Usage ◽  
Short Intervention ◽  
Better Than

Many explanations have been offered for the widely attested problems second language (L2) learners experience with the English article system. One influential proposal from formal linguistics is the Article Choice Parameter and associated Fluctuation Hypothesis, which states that learners of English fluctuate between correct and incorrect usage by sometimes selecting articles on the basis of definiteness (correct for English) and sometimes on the basis of specificity (correct for Samoan). The current study trialled new instruction materials which taught specificity then measured the outcome with low-intermediate first language Chinese learners of English ( n = 50). Results show that learners who were taught about specificity did not perform significantly better than learners who were taught about definiteness (using standard teaching materials) or learners who received no instruction on the English article system. The low proficiency of the learners and short intervention period likely contributed to their difficulty understanding the complexities of article meaning. Issues also arose when developing instructional materials which were both linguistically-accurate and sufficiently simple for learners of this level.

Non-salient form in Chinese as a second language instruction: Input flood of Chinese notional passive construction

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-276
Author(s):  
Liulin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Frequency Effect ◽  
Second Language Instruction ◽  
Passive Construction ◽  
Chinese Learners ◽  
Incidental Exposure

AbstractDrawing upon the frequency effect and the noticing hypothesis in language acquisition, input flood treatment was introduced to second language instruction involving artificially increased incidence of the target items in the audio or visual texts that learners are exposed to, with the expectation that this artificial increase will aid learners in noticing and then acquiring the form. Targeting at Chinese notional passive construction (NPC), the present study employs pre-post testing to assess the effect of input flood, and employs think-aloud protocol (including source attributions) analysis during the posttest to detect participants’ awareness of the linguistic knowledge underlying their choices. Results from experiment 1 show that in comparison with the marked 被bèi construction (BEIC), NPC is extremely difficult to be noticed in incidental exposure, rendering the input flood treatment helpless in participants’ acquisition of NPC. However, it is found in experiment 2 that the effect of input flood can be elicited with a little amount of explicit instruction, which is indicative of an indispensable role of explicit instruction in teaching non-salient language forms. Besides, the linguistic knowledge demonstrated by participants regarding the selectional constraints between NPC and BEIC is primarily unconscious and is inherent among intermediate and advanced Chinese learners.

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