The Effect of Instructed Second Language Learning on the Acoustic Properties of First Language Speech

This paper reports on a comprehensive phonetic study of American classroom learners of Russian, investigating the influence of the second language (L2) on the first language (L1). Russian and English productions of 20 learners were compared to 18 English monolingual controls focusing on the acoustics of word-initial and word-final voicing. The results demonstrate that learners’ Russian was acoustically different from their English, with shorter voice onset times (VOTs) in [−voice] stops, longer prevoicing in [+voice] stops, more [−voice] stops with short lag VOTs and more [+voice] stops with prevoicing, indicating a degree of successful L2 pronunciation learning. Crucially, learners also demonstrated an L1 phonetic change compared to monolingual English speakers. Specifically, the VOT of learners’ initial English voiceless stops was shortened, indicating assimilation with Russian, while the frequency of prevoicing in learners’ English was decreased, indicating dissimilation with Russian. Word-final, the duration of preceding vowels, stop closures, frication, and voicing during consonantal constriction all demonstrated drift towards Russian norms of word-final voicing neutralization. The study confirms that L2-driven phonetic changes in L1 are possible even in L1-immersed classroom language learners, challenging the role of reduced L1 use and highlighting the plasticity of the L1 phonetic system.

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Helping Second Language Student Writers Improve Their Revision

Writing across the University of Alberta ◽

10.29173/writingacrossuofa29 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Wenzhe Kang ◽

Ruiyi Zhang

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Language Learners ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

Comprehensive Evaluation ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

English Speakers ◽

Student Writers ◽

Writing Ability ◽

Language Students

Writing ability is a comprehensive evaluation of language learning level. Nowadays, most universities offer writing-related courses to help students lay a good foundation for writing and contribute to their subsequent studies. Compared with native English speakers, second language learners need to do more revision, which is a great challenge for second language learners. Therefore, in this paper, the aim is to make the second language students understand and apply the revision correctly.

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Learning Arabic Through Language of Journalism

Computer-Assisted Language Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7663-1.ch088 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1837-1867

Author(s):

Mai Samir El-Falaky

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Mass Media ◽

Language Learning ◽

Language Learners ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

First Language ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Natural Context ◽

Direct Exposure ◽

Lexical Items

Second language learning requires more than memorizing rules and vocabulary detached from contexts. Language teachers have to encourage the exposure to real context to enable their students to ‘acquire' the language in the same way they acquire their first language. This could entail an unconscious induction called ‘analogy'. Analogy may enable language learners to create neologisms for the purpose of communicating. This could also enable them to obtain a better understanding of lexical items in context. This chapter highlights the benefits of direct exposure to neologisms in journalistic texts, which influences learners' morphological choice. Mass media in general and journalism in particular are thought to be a perfect means of learning any language in its natural context.

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Educational failure or success

Australian Review of Applied Linguistics ◽

10.1075/aral.36.3.05dix ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 302-315 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Sally Dixon

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

First Language ◽

Poor Performance ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

English Speakers ◽

Standard English ◽

Students First ◽

Use Of Assessment

Within the Australian education system, Aboriginal students’ use of non-standard English features is often viewed simplistically as evidence of non-attainment of literacy and oral-English milestones. One reason for this is the widespread use of assessment tools which fail to differentiate between native- English speakers and students who are learning English as a second language. In these assessments, non-standard English features are framed as ‘mistakes’ and low scores taken as evidence of ‘poor’ performance. This paper will contrast a mistake-oriented analysis with one that incorporates knowledge of the students’ first language. It will clearly show that when consideration is given to the first language, a more nuanced picture of English proficiency emerges: one that is attuned to the specific second language learning pathway and thus far better placed to inform both assessment and classroom instruction.i

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Reading strategy training in second language contexts

Australian Review of Applied Linguistics ◽

10.1075/aral.16.1.05cot ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 71-82 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sara Cotterall

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Language Learners ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

First Language ◽

Learning Difficulties ◽

Reading Strategy ◽

Strategy Training ◽

Learning Context

Strategy training appears to be a promising means of assisting second language learners. However, strategy training operates within a context. If factors in that context are not considered, the training will not be successful. This paper discusses a number of insights highlighted by a reading strategy training study conducted in a second language (L2) setting. It cautions against the uncritical adoption of strategy training as a panacea for learning difficulties, and stresses the importance of recognising and taking account of factors in the second language learning context which may suggest modifications to procedures carried out successfully in first language (L1) settings.

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Syntactical interference of Katigan language to Indonesian language in SMP Negeri 1 at Katingan Tengah regency at Central Kalimantan

Journal of Applied Studies in Language ◽

10.31940/jasl.v1i1.683 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 82

Author(s):

Irni Cahyani ◽

Lili Agustina

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Second Language Acquisition ◽

Language Learning ◽

Language Learners ◽

Language Contact ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

Language Skills ◽

First Language ◽

Foreign Language Learners ◽

Word Change

Syntactical interference of Language of Katingan to Indonesian in Katingan Tengah School at Katingan Tengah regency has been a focus of some language research recently. The research was aimed at recognizing and identifying interference in second language acquisition. The term interference refers to two different linguistic phenomena, namely psychological interference and sociolinguistic interference. Psychological interference refers to the influence of old habits as a result of learning something against something being studied[1]. While sociolinguistic interference refers to the interaction of the language, such as loan or word change. Factors that cause interference is the factor of contact language and language skills. Interference is caused by language contact factors in bilingual societies and an unsteady language mastery factor in second language learners or foreign language learners [2]. This is in accordance with the teacher's opinion that there are still errors in the language, whether it's talking and writing activities. That's what makes researchers interested in doing this. Based on the above problems, it can be identified some points, namely the influence of the first language habit of Katingan in using a second language, Indonesian language, language skills that have not been steady in the second language learning and errors in the language, because of the influence of the first language. The result of research on the syntactic interference aspects of Katingan language to Indonesian language was found in two types of syntactic interference which was contained in oral and written language of students of SMPN 1 Katingan Tengah, such as: (1) Interference phrase to Indonesian language and (2) Interference sentence to Indonesian language.

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Bilingual children with language impairment: A comparison with monolinguals and second language learners

Applied Psycholinguistics ◽

10.1017/s0142716408080016 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 3-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 91

Author(s):

VERA F. GUTIÉRREZ-CLELLEN ◽

GABRIELA SIMON-CEREIJIDO ◽

CHRISTINE WAGNER

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

Language Impairment ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

First Language ◽

English Speakers ◽

Bilingual Children ◽

Accuracy Rates ◽

Different Levels ◽

Regular Verb

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is twofold: (a) to examine whether English finite morphology has the potential to differentiate children with and without language impairment (LI) from Spanish-speaking backgrounds and different levels of English proficiency in comparison to Hispanic English speakers and (b) to investigate the extent to which children who are bilingual exhibit differences in their grammatical performance because of cross-linguistic influence from their first language. Seventy-one children between the ages of 4 years, 5 months and 6 years, 5 months were distributed into the following five groups: English as a first language (EL1) speakers with typical language development (TLD), EL1 speakers with LI, Spanish–English bilinguals with TLD, Spanish–English bilinguals with LI, and English as a second language (EL2) learners with TLD were compared on regular verb finiteness and nominative subject use using spontaneous narrative samples. The EL1 children with LI had significantly lower verb accuracy rates than the EL1 controls with TLD. Verb finiteness marking was also a significant discriminator for the bilinguals with LI. There was no evidence of cross-linguistic influence, however. The analysis indicated no significant differences between EL1 and bilingual children on subject or verb use. The EL2 group only presented difficulties with finite verb use. The typological differences between English and Spanish for overt subject use did not seem to affect the performance of either typical or atypical bilingual learners. The findings underscore the need for addressing language dominance in future bilingual studies.

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Learning Arabic through Language of Journalism

Advances in Linguistics and Communication Studies - Handbook of Research on Cross-Cultural Approaches to Language and Literacy Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-8668-7.ch019 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 471-498

Author(s):

Mai Samir El-Falaky

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Mass Media ◽

Language Learning ◽

Language Learners ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

First Language ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Natural Context ◽

Direct Exposure ◽

Lexical Items

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Referential place-holding in Chinese children's acquisition of English articles

Applied Psycholinguistics ◽

10.1017/s0142716400006962 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 29-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kang Lee ◽

Catherine Ann Cameron ◽

Murrary J. Linton ◽

Anne K. Hunt

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Language Learners ◽

Second Language Learning ◽

First Language ◽

The Other ◽

Definite Article ◽

Indefinite Article ◽

Coding Scheme ◽

English Articles

ABSTRACTThis longitudinal study examines the acquisition of English articles by three 6-year-old, second language learning children whose native tongue is Chinese, a language without articles. Brown's coding scheme and an extended coding scheme were used in scoring the corpora of children's responses to a Syntax Elicitation Task. Results revealed that the Chinese children's acquisition of the definite article differed from- what had been previously found using Brown's coding scheme with English as first language learners and second language learning children of other native language origins. Chinese children's use of the definite article developed through an unmarked phase, a referential place-holding phase, a marked phase, and a referential substitution phase before the definite article was fully acquired. The acquisition of the indefinite article, on the other hand, was similar to the acquisition pattern already reported for children learning English as a first language or as a second language. It is suggested that referential place-holding, as well as referential substitution, might not be a Chinese-specific second language learning phenomenon; rather, they might be derived from a universal referential strategy for learning articles.

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Second Language Learners’ Coping Strategy in Conversations with Native Speakers

Journal of International Students ◽

10.32674/jis.v2i2.530 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 168-183

Author(s):

Sachiko Terui

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learning ◽

Language Learners ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

English Speakers ◽

The Many ◽

Communicative Strategy

One of the many strategies that many international students employ to cope with their lack of English proficiency is to pretend to understand or not to understand the conversational content exchanged with native English speakers. Combining autoethnography and iterative interviews this research explores the pretending behavior profoundly from non-native speakers’ perspectives. During the iterative interviews, six students shared their personal experience specified in pretending behaviors. This study aims at informing the second language learning experience and promoting mutual understanding between native and non-native speakers in multi-lingual and multi-cultural societies. As a result, under the metatheme (Tesch, 1987) of pretending in conversation, pretending as a Communicative Strategy, eleven themes emerged.

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Acoustic Cues Used by Learners of English

Proceedings of the Annual Meetings on Phonology ◽

10.3765/amp.v7i0.4469 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Author(s):

Danica Reid

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Real Time ◽

Language Learners ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

First Language ◽

English Speakers ◽

Acoustic Cues ◽

Real Time Processing ◽

Time Processing ◽

Language Groups

Second language learners must acquire the ability to use word boundary cues to segment continuous speech into meaningful words. Previous studies have used two types of s+stop clusters to test second language English speakers on their ability to segment fluent English speech: cross-boundary clusters (this table) where allophonic aspiration is present and word-initial clusters (this stable) where allophonic aspiration is absent. These studies suggested that first language segmentation strategies influence second language segmentation. The goal of this study was to test real-time processing of these cluster types by second language learners from one language where cue adaptation was possible (Mandarin Chinese) and one where a new cue would have to be learned (French). Results did not support the idea that first language segmentation strategies influence second language segmentation, but found that both language groups had high accuracy of identification despite showing uncertainty in real-time processing.

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