FACTORS INFLUENCING THE COMPREHENSION OF CONVERSATIONAL IMPLICATURES BY NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY INSPIRED BY BOUTON’S (1988)

Linguistic Backgrounds

The main goal of the present study has been to examine implicature comprehension in native and foreign/second language speakers of English from different linguistic backgrounds. The project was inspired by an earlier work of Bouton (1988), whose objective was to measure the influence of cultural background on the ability to grasp implied meanings in English, by comparing native and non-native speakers' performance. A modified digital version of the original multiple-choice test (Bouton 1988) was used to collect the data. Gricean (1989) theory of conversational implicature served as a theoretical framework for the study. The quantitative analysis of the data collected from the speakers of 33 languages was compared against the original results and the scope of the analysis was expanded to incorporate the examination of other factors affecting implicature understanding in native and nonnative languages. The present results corroborate some of the earlier findings and suggest that language competence and cultural background are crucial factors in understanding implicated meanings.

How native and non-native English speakers adapt to humor in intercultural interaction

Humor - International Journal of Humor Research ◽

10.1515/humor.2007.002 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Nancy D Bell

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Intercultural Communication ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

The Other ◽

English Speakers ◽

Intercultural Interaction ◽

Negative Message ◽

AbstractHumor can often carry an implicit negative message and thus be potentially dangerous to use. In addition, it is culturally and linguistically complex and sophisticated. Because of these things, it poses a challenge for L2 (second language) speakers and we might expect to see attempts at humor failing and causing offense in intercultural interaction. This paper reports on a study that examined humor in interaction between native and non-native speakers of English and found that humor did not seem to be a cause of conflict because of adjustments speakers made to their speech and their situated interpretations of meaning. In general, taboo topics and potentially dangerous forms of humor were avoided and humor was carefully contextualized. Native speakers reported being careful about the vocabulary they used in creating humor and both sides appeared to approach humor in intercultural communication prepared to accommodate the other and with an attitude of leniency.

First and Second Language Patterns of Brain Activation in Korean Layrngeal Contrasts

Korean Linguistics ◽

10.1075/kl.14.01hp ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 1-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Haeil Park ◽

Gregory Iverson

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Occipital Lobe ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Specific Activities ◽

The Right ◽

The Brain

Abstract. This study aims to localize the brain regions involved in the apprehension of Korean laryngeal contrasts and to investigate whether the Internal Model advanced by Callan et al. (2004) extends to first versus second language perception of these unique three-way laryngeal distinctions. The results show that there is a significant difference in activation between native and second-language speakers, consistent with the findings of Callan et al. Specific activities unique to younger native speakers of Korean relative to native speakers of English were seen in the cuneus (occipital lobe) and the right middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann Area [BA] 10), areas of the brain associated with pitch perception. The current findings uphold Silva's (2006) conclusion that the laryngeal contrasts of Korean are increasingly distinguished less by VOT differences than by their effect on pitch in the following vowel. A subsequent experiment was conducted to establish whether more traditional, older native speakers of Korean who still make clear VOT distinctions also activate both the cuneus and BA 10 in the same task. Preliminary results indicate that they do not, whereas speakers with overlapping VOT distinctions do show intersecting activations in these areas, thus corroborating Silva's claim of emergent pitch sensitivity in the Korean laryngeal system.

Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada/Spanish Journal of Applied Linguistics ◽

Linking or delinking of ideas?

10.1075/resla.18020.nav ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Noelia Navarro Gil ◽

Helena Roquet Pugès

Keyword(s):

Foreign Language ◽

Academic Writing ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Initial Position ◽

American University ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Learner Corpus ◽

Argumentative Texts ◽

Linguistic Backgrounds

Abstract This paper explores the use of adversative Linking Adverbials (LAs) in the academic writing of advanced English Foreign Language (EFL) learners with different linguistic backgrounds. The learner corpus used in this study consists of 50 argumentative texts, which are contrasted with a native corpus: the American university students’ corpus (LOCNESS). Liu’s (2008) comprehensive list of adversative LAs has been used for the analysis. Findings reveal that both non-native (NNS) and native speakers of English (NS) use similar types of adversative LAs, but NNS place them regularly in sentence- and sometimes in paragraph- initial position, which often results in punctuation issues and misuse. A total of 9 LAs were found to be overused (e.g., nevertheless) and underused (e.g., actually) by NNS. The analysis performed according to L1 has yielded unexpected results in terms of preference, frequency, and placement of adversative LAs. The so-called ‘teaching effect’ is considered one of the main factors influencing the learners’ choices.

ANALYZING COMPLAINTS BY INDONESIAN EFL SPEAKERS

Celt A Journal of Culture English Language Teaching & Literature ◽

10.24167/celt.v14i1.57 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 63

Author(s):

Anna Marietta Da Silva

Keyword(s):

Language Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Initial Period ◽

Pragmatic Competence ◽

Language Competence ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Grammatical Competence ◽

Pragmatic Transfer ◽

The English language competence of an EFL learner can be reflectedin his pragmatic competence. Yet, for language learners and teachers a mastery of the pragmatic competence may unconsciously be neglected. In other words, it may not be taught in line with the grammatical competence since the initial period of learning. The article centers on two problems: (1) the similarities and differences of speech act of complaints among Indonesian EFL learners, Indonesian EFL teachers and American native speakers, and (2) the evidence of any pragmatic transfer in the complaint performance. DCT was used to gather the data, which was then analyzed using Rinnert, Nogami and Iwai?s aspects of complaining (2006). It was found that there were both differences and similarities of complaints performed by both the native and non-native speakers of English when power and social status were involved. Some evidence on pragmatic transfer was also tangible; mainly it was due to cultural differences

Timed versus untimed recognition of L2 collocations: Does estimated proficiency modulate congruency effects?

Applied Psycholinguistics ◽

10.1017/s014271642000051x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (5) ◽

pp. 1197-1222

Author(s):

Suhad Sonbul ◽

Dina El-Dakhs

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Language Translation ◽

First Language ◽

Judgment Task ◽

Choice Test ◽

Foreign Language Learners ◽

Mixed Effects Modeling ◽

AbstractCongruency (the availability of a direct first language translation) and level of proficiency have been reported among the most important determinants of second language collocation processing. However, only very few studies looked at the interaction between the two determinants, and none of these directly compared untimed collocation recognition assessed through traditional tests to timed recognition evident in psycholinguistic tasks. The current study administered both types of form recognition measures to 228 female Saudi English as a foreign language learners in two separate experiments: a traditional multiple-choice test (Experiment 1) and a timed acceptability judgment task (Experiment 2). Experiment 2 also tested 37 native speakers of English as a baseline for comparison. Congruency, estimated proficiency (vocabulary test scores), and the interaction between the two were evaluated as predictors of untimed and timed recognition through mixed-effects modeling. Results showed that congruency and estimated proficiency had a clear effect on untimed and timed recognition. More interesting, the effect of proficiency was clearer on timed recognition with a gradual decrease in the first language effect as proficiency increased getting closer to nativelike collocation processing. Results have implications for second language collocation learning and testing.

Language and identity in virtual space

Journal of Asian Pacific Communication ◽

10.1075/japc.26.2.03sul ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 216-237 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Shaila Sultana

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Meaning Making ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Ethnographic Study ◽

Virtual Space ◽

Linguistic Features ◽

Native Form ◽

Conscious Choice ◽

Based on the data drawn from an intensive ethnographic study on young adults in Bangladesh conducted in the virtual space, specifically Facebook (FB) and analysis of those data through a transglossic framework, the paper shows that the meaning-making processes in lingua franca (LF) encounters can be appropriately deciphered when their language is considered in terms of translocalisation, transculturation, transmodality, and transtextualisation. The data also demonstrate that the young adults deliberately flout the linguistic features of English with their Bangladeshi counterparts, while they prefer to approximate a native form of English with other native and non-native speakers of English. Even though their English is variable and emergent in the potential LF context of the virtual space, their conscious choice of approximating a near-native form indicates that they are keenly aware of the ideologies related to ELF and associated with ELF identity attributes. The paper confirms the necessity of reconceptualisation of ELF, considering the idiosyncrasies of young adults’ language practices; and identifies the paradoxes of sociolinguistic profiling of South Asian speakers, based on dichotomous and binary phenomena, such as ELF and non-ELF speakers, EFL (English as a Foreign Language) vs. ESL (English as a Second Language) speakers, or members of the Inner Circle vs. Outer Circle.

An Interlanguage Study of Thai EFL Learners’ Apology

English Language Teaching ◽

10.5539/elt.v12n5p116 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 116

Author(s):

Boonjeera Chiravate

Keyword(s):

Native Speakers ◽

Cultural Background ◽

Target Language ◽

High Exposure ◽

Pragmatic Development ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Similarities And Differences ◽

Low Levels ◽

Low Exposure

Although a number of interlanguage studies on apologies have been conducted, there has been no study of apologies among Thai EFL learners that differentiates between learners with high and low levels of exposure to the target language. This study, differentiating between learners with high and low levels of exposure to the target language, addresses two research questions: (i) What are the similarities and differences between perception of offense context of Thai EFL learners and native speakers of English? (ii) What are the similarities and differences between apology strategies used by Thai EFL learners and native speakers of English? Data for the analysis came from a questionnaire consisting of 12 scenarios eliciting different offense contexts. The participants were divided into four groups: native speakers of English (NEs), native speakers of Thai (NTs), Thai EFL learners with high exposure to the target language (TEHs) and Thai EFL learners with low exposure to the target language (TELs). The results revealed that due to the influence of cultural background, the learners’ perception of offense context was dissimilar to the NEs in certain respects. However, the investigation of apology strategies showed that compared to the TELs, the TEHs’ apology strategies tended to be less influenced by their cultural background and more similar to the NEs’. Providing support for levels of exposure to the target language, as individual differences vary in L2 pragmatic development, the study sheds light on pedagogical intervention that may enhance learners’ pragmatic competence.

Missionary Language Learning in a World Hierarchy of Languages

Missiology An International Review ◽

10.1177/009182969402200405 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 481-488

Author(s):

William A. Smalley

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Language Competence ◽

The People ◽

The World ◽

English Speaking

Languages are organized into a hierarchy of multilingualism based on patterns of learning and use. Native speakers of English, at the top of the hierarchy, find the popularity of English to be convenient. However, it is also detrimental to the work of English-speaking missionaries, as many are inhibited by hierarchical assumptions from gaining the level of skill which they need in the languages of the people to whom they want to minister. Missionary language competence therefore seems to be decreasing throughout the world as English increases, and only conversion of the typical Anglo missionary worldview can reverse the decline.

Incipient miscommunication as a resource in international negotiations

HERMES - Journal of Language and Communication in Business ◽

10.7146/hjlcb.v8i15.25369 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (15) ◽

pp. 81

Author(s):

Britt-Marie Öberg

Keyword(s):

Language Proficiency ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Cultural Background ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

International Negotiations ◽

This paper presents a categorization of sequences of incipient miscommunication according to their sources and to how they are indicated, thematized and solved in cross-cultural negotiating activities between native and non-native speakers of English. It was found that cross-cultural miscommunicative instances were an intrinsic part of the establishing of consensus and therefore they could be used as a communicative resource. Moreover, the importance of the problems presented by the issues at hand overrides the significance of the problems presented by the participants’ language inadequacies. However, miscommunication related to differences in socio-cultural background and to divergent degrees of unawareness regarding the miscommunication often has more serious interactional consequences than a varying or insufficient language proficiency.

Hong Kong university students’ perceptions of their identities in English as a Lingua Franca contexts

Journal of Asian Pacific Communication ◽

10.1075/japc.24.1.06sun ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 94-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Chit Cheung Matthew Sung

Keyword(s):

Hong Kong ◽

University Students ◽

Native Speakers ◽

First Language ◽

Cultural Backgrounds ◽

Lingua Franca ◽

Chinese Speakers ◽

Asian Context

This paper presents findings from an exploratory study that investigated the perceptions of a group of Hong Kong university students concerning their identities in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) contexts. Qualitative data were collected primarily via in-depth interviews with a group of second-language speakers of ELF who use English with people from different first-language and cultural backgrounds on a regular basis. The analysis revealed that these participants came to terms with their identities as non-native speakers of English and emphasized the importance of maintaining their cultural identities as Hong Kong or Chinese speakers of ELF. In addition, most of them valued their ‘multicompetence’ in English, Cantonese and Putonghua when speaking English in ELF situations. The inquiry also found that some participants’ identification with other non-native speakers of English within the ELF community was rather selective and that different members within the ELF community were not perceived as equally ideal speakers of ELF. The study offers some valuable insights into the identities of ELF speakers and the wider ELF community within an Asian context.