scholarly journals The Problematic Concept of Native Speaker in Psycholinguistics: Replacing Vague and Harmful Terminology With Inclusive and Accurate Measures

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauretta S. P. Cheng ◽  
Danielle Burgess ◽  
Natasha Vernooij ◽  
Cecilia Solís-Barroso ◽  
Ashley McDermott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Research Ethics ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Theory Construction ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Rigorous Theory ◽  
Language Research

Though the term NATIVE SPEAKER/SIGNER is frequently used in language research, it is inconsistently conceptualized. Factors, such as age, order, and context of acquisition, in addition to social/cultural identity, are often differentially conflated. While the ambiguity and harmful consequences of the term NATIVE SPEAKER have been problematized across disciplines, much of this literature attempts to repurpose the term in order to include and/or exclude certain populations. This paper problematizes NATIVE SPEAKER within psycholinguistics, arguing that the term is both unhelpful to rigorous theory construction and harmful to marginalized populations by reproducing normative assumptions about behavior, experience, and identity. We propose that language researchers avoid NATIVE SPEAKER altogether, and we suggest alternate ways of characterizing language experience/use. The vagueness of NATIVE SPEAKER can create problems in research design (e.g., through systematically excluding certain populations), recruitment (as participants’ definitions might diverge from researchers’), and analysis (by distilling continuous factors into under-specified binary categories). This can result in barriers to cross-study comparison, which is particularly concerning for theory construction and replicability. From a research ethics perspective, it matters how participants are characterized and included: Excluding participants based on binary/essentialist conceptualizations of nativeness upholds deficit perspectives toward multilingualism and non-hegemonic modes of language acquisition. Finally, by implicitly assuming the existence of a critical period, NATIVE SPEAKER brings with it theoretical baggage which not all researchers may want to carry. Given the issues above and how ‘nativeness’ is racialized (particularly in European and North American contexts), we ask that researchers consider carefully whether exclusion of marginalized/minoritized populations is necessary or justified—particularly when NATIVE SPEAKER is used only as a way to achieve linguistic homogeneity. Instead, we urge psycholinguists to explicitly state the specific axes traditionally implied by NATIVENESS that they wish to target. We outline several of these (e.g., order of acquisition, allegiance, and comfort with providing intuitions) and give examples of how to recruit and describe participants while eschewing NATIVE SPEAKER. Shifting away from harmful conventions, such as NATIVE SPEAKER, will not only improve research design and analysis, but also is one way we can co-create a more just and inclusive field.

scholarly journals Problematizing the native speaker in Psycholinguistics: Replacing vague and harmful terminology with inclusive and accurate measures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauretta S. P. Cheng ◽  
Danielle Burgess ◽  
Natasha Vernooij ◽  
Cecilia Solís-Barroso ◽  
Ashley McDermott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Research Ethics ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Theory Construction ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Rigorous Theory ◽  
Language Research

Though the term NATIVE SPEAKER/SIGNER is frequently used in language research, it is inconsistently conceptualized. Factors such as age, order, and context of acquisition, in addition to social/cultural identity, are often differentially conflated. While the ambiguity and harmful consequences of the term NATIVE SPEAKER have been problematized across disciplines, much of this literature attempts to repurpose the term in order to include and/or exclude certain populations. This paper problematizes NATIVE SPEAKER within psycholinguistics, arguing that the term is both unhelpful to rigorous theory construction and harmful to marginalized populations by reproducing normative assumptions about behavior, experience, and identity. We propose that language researchers avoid NATIVE SPEAKER altogether, and we suggest alternate ways of characterizing language experience/use.The vagueness of NATIVE SPEAKER can create problems in research design (e.g., through systematically excluding certain populations), recruitment (as participants’ definitions might diverge from researchers’), and analysis (by distilling continuous factors into under-specified binary categories). This can result in barriers to cross-study comparison, which is particularly concerning for theory construction and replicability. From a research ethics perspective, it matters how participants are characterized and included: Excluding participants based on binary/essentialist conceptualizations of nativeness upholds deficit perspectives towards multilingualism and non-hegemonic modes of language acquisition. Finally, by implicitly assuming the existence of a critical period, NATIVE SPEAKER brings with it theoretical baggage which not all researchers may want to carry.Given the issues above and how ‘nativeness’ is racialized (particularly in European and North American contexts), we ask that researchers consider carefully whether exclusion of marginalized/minoritized populations is necessary or justified—particularly when NATIVE SPEAKER is used only as a way to achieve linguistic homogeneity. Instead, we urge psycholinguists to explicitly state the specific axes traditionally implied by NATIVENESS that they wish to target. We outline several of these (e.g., order of acquisition, allegiance, comfort with providing intuitions), and give examples of how to recruit and describe participants while eschewing NATIVE SPEAKER. Shifting away from harmful conventions such as NATIVE SPEAKER will not only improve research design and analysis, but is also one way we can co-create a more just and inclusive field.

`To be a native speaker means not to be a nonnative speaker’

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
ZhaoHong Han
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Scientific Inquiry ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Theory Construction ◽  
Nonnative Speaker ◽  
Language Knowledge

The construct of the native speaker is germane to second language acquisition (SLA) research; it underlies, and permeates, a significant bulk of SLA theory construction and empirical research. Nevertheless, it is one of the least investigated (and for that matter, least understood) concepts in the field. Even a cursory reading of the major SLA literature would not yield one readily available definition that captures the essential uses that have been made of the concept: including, but not limited to, setting the native speaker as a goal or a model for SLA or using the native speaker as a yardstick to measure second language knowledge. As is, the concept remains assumed-based on common sense observation and intuition-rather than exposed to scientific inquiry. In this article I would like to draw attention to this pivotal yet much neglected concept by reviewing Davies (1991; 2003) on the native speaker. A by no means exhaustive account, the books outline principal parameters for considering the native speaker concept, thereby providing a useful basis for further inquiry.

scholarly journals Does Critical Period Affect Bilingual Advantage for Working Memory and Metacognition?

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Kexuan Huang
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Experience Questionnaire

There have been many studies exploring the advantages that bilingualism confers to individuals’ working memory and metacognition (see Ransdell, 2006; Del Missier et al., 2010). The hypothesis of language critical period states that if no language learning and teaching happen during the critical period, an individual will never be able to fully grasp any language to a full extent (Fromkin et al., 1974). This study investigates whether late bilingualism (second language acquisition after the critical period) will positively affect a person’s working memory and metacognition just like early bilingualism (second language acquisition before the critical period) does. Sixty Chinese persons between the ages of 18 and 35 participated in my online experimental protocol, including a language experience questionnaire, a reading comprehension exam, and a reading span task. I found that late bilingualism poses a similar advantage to an individual’s working memory as early bilingualism, while it negatively affects an individual’s metacognitive awareness of their own language ability. 

scholarly journals A critical review of age-related research on L2 ultimate attainment

2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Muñoz ◽  
David Singleton
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Brain Research ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ultimate Attainment

This article addresses age-related attainment effects in second language acquisition, posing the question of whether such effects are to be explained in terms of a Critical Period with a predictable and abrupt offset point or in terms of the impact of a wider range of factors. It attempts to explore this question by focusing on four discussion points in the current debate: (i) the wide use of native-speaker behaviour as the key L2 attainment yardstick; (ii) the degree of compatibility of prevailing views regarding the notion of a critical period for L2 acquisition; (iii) the relative narrowness of much research in this area, where age of L2 onset is often regarded as the crucial if not the only critical variable; and (iv) insights relative to maturational constraints on language acquisition offered by recent brain research. The article concludes that a loosening of the association between ultimate L2 attainment research and Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) issues would shed more light on L2 attainment in terms both of the comprehensiveness and of the acuity of the insights which would result.

Second Language Acquisition Research and Language Pedagogy: A Critical View

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Reza Talebinejad ◽  
Aasa Moattarian
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Language Research ◽  
Class 1 ◽  
Research Findings

<p class="1"><span lang="X-NONE">Over the past several decades, a substantial body of research on second language acquisition has been provided. The current study was an attempt to investigate language teachers’ views on applying research findings in their every day practice of language teaching through a critical lens. Data for this qualitative study was collected by means of a semi structured interview with 10 language teachers teaching English at different language institutes in Iran. Analyses of data revealed that, although teachers find second language acquisition research a useful tool for their professional development; they do not usually consult bodies of research in their every day teaching practice. They report problems in applying second language research in their practice due to problems with practicality, particularity, and possibility. The findings suggest that language teachers need to be exposed to insight from SLA research and practice.</span></p>

scholarly journals Language Acquisition and Cultural Identity Among Modern Chinese Minority College Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1203-1216
Author(s):  
Huanan Su ◽  
Fengyi Ma
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Local Language ◽  
Modern Chinese ◽  
Great Support ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Minority College Students ◽  
The Relationship

This research attempts to have an empirical analysis on the relationship between the acquisition of language and the cultural identity among modern Chinese minority college students，and try to show an empirical view of how the acquisition of language matters with the cultural identity from one side as well as the mutual influences reflected from the relationship between language acquisition and cultural identity from the other side. The research employs mainly three analytical methods including method of theoretical analysis, method of comparative analysis and method of questionnaire to acquire a full understanding of the relationship between the acquisition of language and the cultural identity among modern Chinese minority college students. The current study data shows that compared with the local language, modern Chinese minority college students use Mandarin more in most of the time and occasions. At the same time, while acknowledging the importance of their local language, modern Chinese minority students also strongly advocate the promotion of Mandarin and English. Conclusion: Language acquisition and cultural identity are closely related. This is mainly reflected in the fact that language acquisition deeply reflects the elements of cultural identity, while cultural identity deeply reciprocally affects the way of language acquisition. The cultural identity of modern Chinese minority college students has determined the series of characteristics and methods they exhibit in the process of their language acquisition. The close relationship between language acquisition and cultural identity has provided great support and enlightenment both theoretically and practically for the majority of language educators.

scholarly journals Research ethics by design: A collaborative research design proposal

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-91
Author(s):  
Donald S Borrett ◽  
Heather Sampson ◽  
Ann Cavoukian
Keyword(s):  
Research Ethics ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Personal Data ◽  
Ethics Committees ◽  
Research Ethics Committees ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Collective Benefit ◽  
Design Proposal

Privacy by Design, a globally accepted framework for personal data management and privacy protection, advances the view that privacy cannot be assured solely by compliance with regulatory frameworks but must become an organisation’s default mode of operation. We are proposing a similar template for the research ethics review process. The Research Ethics by Design framework involves research ethics committees engaging researchers during the design phase of the proposal so that ethical considerations may be directly embedded in the science as opposed to being viewed as addendums after the fact. This collaborative research design proposal results in the establishment of a culture of ethical research rather than research with ethical oversight. Both researchers and research ethics committees come to view the review process as one in which individual protection and collective benefit co-exist in a doubly-enabling positive-sum manner.

An exploratory study of linguistic–colour associations across languages in multilingual synaesthetes

2009 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 1343-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kylie J. Barnett ◽  
Joanne Feeney ◽  
Michael Gormley ◽  
Fiona N. Newell
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Semantic Information ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Age Of Acquisition ◽  
Visual Structure ◽  
Visual Properties

In one of the most common forms of synaesthesia, linguistic–colour synaesthesia, colour is induced by stimuli such as numbers, letters, days of the week, and months of the year. It is not clear, however, whether linguistic–colour synaesthesia is determined more by higher level semantic information—that is, word meaning—or by lower level grapheme or phoneme structure. To explore this issue, we tested whether colour is consistently induced by grapheme or phoneme form or word meaning in bilingual and trilingual linguistic–colour synaesthetes. We reasoned that if the induced colour was related to word meaning, rather than to the acoustic or visual properties of the words, then the induced colours would remain consistent across languages. We found that colours were not consistently related to word meaning across languages. Instead, induced colours were more related to form properties of the word across languages, particularly visual structure. However, the type of inducing stimulus influenced specific colour associations. For example, colours to months of the year were more consistent across languages than were colours to numbers or days of the week. Furthermore, the effect of inducing stimuli was also associated with the age of acquisition of additional languages. Our findings are discussed with reference to a critical period in language acquisition on synaesthesia.

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