Ambiguous Word Processing among Second Language Learners

Author(s):  
Essa Ali Qurbi

This study investigated second language learners’ processing of ambiguous words (e.g., bank: [1] a financial institution, [2] an edge of a river/lake) and whether these learners are able to activate the secondary meaning as quickly as they do with the dominant meaning. English L2 and L1 participants used a window paradigm to perform a self-paced reading task, in which all sentences were biased for the secondary meaning (i.e., bank as an edge of a river/lake). The results showed that L1 participants activated both the dominant and the secondary meanings of an ambiguous word even when it is embedded within a secondary-biasing context. However, L2 participants had some difficulty in activating the L2 secondary meaning even when the preceding context was biased for it. The results of the L1 participants were compatible with the autonomous access model in that all meanings of an ambiguous [L1] word are accessed even when the context is biasing for a specific meaning. However, the results of the L2 participants, although they knew both meanings of each ambiguous word in this study based on their post-experiment questionnaire, showed that the more dominant meaning of an L2 ambiguous word is activated first, even when the context is biasing for a secondary meaning.

Author(s):  
Matthew K. Leonard ◽  
Naja Ferjan Ramirez ◽  
Christina Torres ◽  
Marla Hatrak ◽  
Rachel I. Mayberry ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Thomas

AbstractThis article addresses the pedagogical implications of kūsho ( ; literally “air writing”), that is, the spontaneous manual tracing of Sino-Japanese characters (kanji) in the air with a bare fingertip, by learners of Japanese. I describe the phenomenon of kūsho, then review research indicating that it is common (if under-recognized) during kanji learning and recall and, moreover, is associated with a small but statistically significant advantage over conventional paper-andpencil copying as a technique for memorizing the shapes of kanji. I propose that teachers of Japanese explicitly sanction kūsho and encourage students to selfconsciously incorporate it into their repertoire of techniques for memorizing or recalling kanji. The issue is particularly salient in the context of the ongoing cultural shift away from writing by hand to computerized word processing, which in this generation is reshaping the psycholinguistics of literacy in Japanese. Practice of kūsho may secure a kinesthetic basis for facility with kanji among learners for whom keyboard-based typing is rapidly displacing manual writing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1528-1541
Author(s):  
Faiza Saeed ◽  
Aniqa Rashid ◽  
Wajiha Saleem ◽  
Muhammad Sufyan Afzal

Purpose of the study: The primary purpose of this research study was to get detailed insights about numerous aspects of the online ELT for second language learners and teachers in Faisalabad. Methodology: Our study was based on an online survey. Respondents were students and teachers of the English department from different universities in Faisalabad. Data was collected and analyzed to find answers to our research questions. Other characteristics like focus, comfort, understanding, communication, and expense pinpoint the differences between online and physical ELT methods. Main Findings: We found that students and teachers most commonly faced internet connectivity and audio-visual issues. The overall opinion of students about teachers was encouraging. However, teachers claimed that students were not that much serious in online classes. Online ELT has improved the technical capabilities of respondents, and it has made them proficient in using smartphones, online storage, word processing, and computer troubleshooting. Faculty respondents showed interest in learning new tools despite the burden faced and psychological fears. Finally, social media and solution-oriented discussion forums can prove effective and efficient in addressing future pandemic outbreaks. Applications of this study: This study provided us with valuable insights that can help design an effective online educational framework for efficient and result-oriented English language learning. Novelty/Originality of this study: Our study explored faculty and students' psychological and technological readiness at postgraduate institutes to cope with future pandemics.


2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine J. Midgley ◽  
Laura N. Soskey ◽  
Phillip J. Holcomb ◽  
Jonathan Grainger

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