Samara, Singh, & Wonnacott (pre-print). Statistical learning and spelling: Evidence from an incidental learning experiment with children

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Samara ◽  
Daniela Singh ◽  
Elizabeth Wonnacott
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Literacy Development ◽  
Incidental Learning ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Substantial Evidence ◽  
Spelling Development ◽  
Learning Conditions

Statistical learning processes–akin to those seen in spoken language acquisition (Saffran, Aslin, & Newport, 1996)–may be important for the development of literacy, particularly spelling development. One previous study provides direct evidence for this process: Samara and Caravolas (2014) demonstrated that 7-year-olds generalize over permissible letter contexts (graphotactics) in novel word-like stimuli under incidental learning conditions. However, unlike in actual orthography, conditioning contexts in Samara and Caravolas’ (2014) stimuli comprised perfectly correlated, redundant cues in both word-initial and word-final positions. The current study explores whether 7-year-olds can extract such constraints in the absence of redundant cues. Since theories of literacy development predict greater sensitivity to restrictions within word-final units, we also contrast learning in word-initial and word-final units. We demonstrate that–for 7-year-old learners in two linguistic contexts (English and Turkish)–there is substantial evidence for the learning of both types of restriction.

Singh, Samara, & Wonnacott (pre-print). Statistical and explicit learning of graphotactic patterns with no phonological counterpart: Evidence from an artificial lexicon study with 7- 8-year-olds and adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Singh ◽  
Anna Samara ◽  
Elizabeth Wonnacott
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Explicit Learning ◽  
Pattern Generalization ◽  
Literacy Scores ◽  
Practice Of Teaching

Children are powerful statistical spellers, showing sensitivity to untaught orthographic patterns. They can also learn novel written patterns with phonological counterparts via statistical learning processes, akin to those established for spoken language acquisition. It is unclear whether children can learn written (graphotactic) patterns which are unconfounded from correlated phonotactics. We address this question by inducing novel graphotactic learning under incidental versus explicit conditions. Across three artificial lexicon experiments, we exposed children and adults to letter strings ending either in singlets or doublets (that share the same pronunciation; e.g., s vs. ss) depending on the preceding vowel. In post-tests, children and adults incidentally generalized over such context-based constraints that varied in complexity. Explicit instruction further benefitted pattern generalization, supporting the practice of teaching spelling patterns, and there was a relationship between explicit learning and literacy scores. We are first to demonstrate that statistical learning processes underlie graphotactic generalizations among developing spellers.

Construction Grammar and Second Language Acquisition

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Transfer Effects ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Psychological Analysis ◽  
Form Function

This chapter analyzes second language acquisition in the context of Construction Grammar. It provides evidence for the psychological reality of constructions in a second language and presents a psychological analysis of the effects of form, function, frequency, and contingency that are common to both first and second language construction learning following statistical learning processes which relate input and learner cognition. The chapter also considers crosslinguistic transfer effects and possible future directions for research into constructional approaches to second language acquisition.

Effects of Instruction on Sla: Issues and Evidence

1988 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 164-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit Harley
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Classroom Instruction ◽  
Mental Processes ◽  
Learning Conditions ◽  
L2 Instruction ◽  
Individual Variables

Inverstigating the effects of classroom instruction on second language acquisition is a fascinating, but formidable, task: fascinating, because it addresses fundamental issues concerning the nature of the mental processes underlying SLA and how they are affected by different learning conditions; formidable, because of the complex, multifaceted nature of both SLA and instruction, the difficulty of establishing valid and reliable profiles of each, and the interacting effects of social context and individual variables. In this brief survey, empiricial research on the effects of L2 instruction is outlined in relation to a few basic issues. For more detailed reviews of the literature, the reader is referred to Long (1983; 1988), Pica (1983a), Ellis (1984a; 1985), and Chaudron (1988).

scholarly journals An experiment in spoken language acquisition

1992 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 2369-2369
Author(s):  
A. L. Gorin ◽  
S. E. Levinson
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Spoken Language

Questions about constructions

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 449-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
JIM MILLER
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
First Language ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
First Language Acquisition ◽  
Central Topic

Ravid & Tolchinsky are to be applauded for proposing literacy as a central topic in first language acquisition. A synthesis of research in spoken language, in literacy and literacy practices and the lines of enquiry represented in MacWhinney (1999) has interesting consequences for theories of first language acquisition, not least the nativist ones. This response focuses on constructions but a brief list of controversial points in R&T's paper will be useful.

Individual differences, cognitive abilities, aptitude complexes and learning conditions in second language acquisition

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 368-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Learning Condition ◽  
Learning Conditions ◽  
Complex Hypothesis ◽  
Acquisition Processes

Individual differences in resource availability, and the patterns of cognitive abilities they contribute to, are important to:• explaining variation between learners in the effectiveness of second language (L2) instructional treatments;• describing differences in implicit, incidental and explicit L2 learning processes; and• explaining child-adult differences in acquisition processes, and therefore to any general theory of second language acquisition (SLA).In this article I describe a framework for research into the effects of cognitive abilities on SLA which is based on four interlocking hypotheses. These hypotheses are drawn from research in psychology, education and SLA and, where possible, I present evidence to support each of them. The hypotheses are:1) the Aptitude Complex Hypothesis;2) the Ability Differentiation Hypothesis;3) the Fundamental Difference Hypothesis; and4) the Fundamental Similarity Hypothesis.The hypotheses, and the relationships between them, define an Aptitude Complex/Ability Differentiation framework for further examining the influence of individual differences in cognitive abilities on SLA, and for developing a theoretically motivated measure of language learning aptitude. I argue that such research should adopt the interactionist approach described by Snow (1994) to identifying individual difference/learning condition interactions at a number of levels. I illustrate some of these interactions.

Observations of the spoken language acquisition process based on a multimodal infant behavior corpus

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryo Tsuji ◽  
Tomohiko Kasami ◽  
Shogo Ishikawa ◽  
Shinya Kiriyama ◽  
Yoichi Takebayashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Infant Behavior ◽  
Acquisition Process
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