scholarly journals Denasalisation in the spoken French of Ijebu undergraduate French learners in selected universities in south West of Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 100-109
Author(s):  
Amos Damilare Iyiola

Denasalisation is a lexical phenomenon brought into play during the process of lexicalisation while nasalisation is a natural process which occurs when an oral sound is modified in the environment of an adjacent nasal sound. Little attention is paid to the former because phonologists admit that nasalisation is more natural during speech production. This paper, therefore, examined denasalisation in the spoken French of 50 Ijebu Undergraduate French Learners (IUFLs) in Selected Universities in South West of Nigeria with a view to establishing instances of denasalisation in their spoken French. Data collection for this study was through tape-recording of participants’ production of 30 sentences containing French vowel and consonant sounds. Goldsmith’s Autosegmental phonology blended with distinctive feature theory was used to analyse instances of denasalisation in the data collected. The study revealed instances of denasalisation of nasal sounds at initial and final positions in the spoken French of the IUFLs.Keywords: IUFLs, Denasalisation, Autosegmental Phonology, French as Foreign language

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-159
Author(s):  
Suharyanto H Soro

Lecturer plays an important role in teaching Englishas a foreign language, in spite of the success of teaching English itself depends on the many factors, one of them is students’ participation in the English class. In the other words, the teaching of English becomes useful and more systematically when the lecturer is fully aware of the aims and values of teaching of English subject since the core principle of any teaching  is “know what you do and only do what you know”. Hence it is essential to understand the aims and values of teaching English. In linguistics study,performance and competence are different, competence is study about language rules in the abstract form or one’s capacity to use a language, while performance is the application of one’s ability in the concrete form, or the actual application of this competence in speaking or listening. Chomsky (1965:18) said that  performance is the effect or the application of competence. Further he said that clearly, the actual data of linguistic performance will provide much evidence for determining the correctness of hypotheses about underlining linguistic structure. Notice the following figure. The data collection procedures in the present study are based on classroom participant observation, student interviews, and questionnaire  are the primary sources of data collection. As a point of departure, unstructured interviews conducted with English and students to gain initial understanding of the learning English as a foreign language. This also serves as a pilot study, paving the way for designing the guidelines for the semi structured individual interviews. Notes taken in these unstructured interviews were included in the data analysis. Taking lecture involves the lecturer and the students in formal setting. Lecturer is one who transfers special knowledge (English teaching materials) to his students in form of academic setting. They are engaged in academic norms, for example lecturer has qualified education (magister or doctorate degree) and the students  have already registered their status as a university student. The lecturer’s function is threefold. In the presentation stage of the material, the lecturer serves as a model, setting up situations in which the need for the target structure is created and modeling the new structure for students to repeat. The lecturer was required to be skillful manipulator, using questions, commands, and other cues to elicit correct sentences from the students. The students wanted the lecturer to give more opportunities for English practice. They can learn from mistakes and develop in real situation. Role play is one of methods can be applied in teaching English. The students like this methods (96%) because they can imitate and practice their English pronunciation.


Author(s):  
Selami Aydin

Little attention has been paid to the problems about portfolio keeping in English as a foreign language (EFL) writing, while the existing literature mostly focuses on the effects of portfolios on writing skills of learners, rather than those of teachers or pre-service teachers. This study aims to investigate the problems encountered and contributions of portfolios to the language skills of EFL pre-service teachers. The sample group consists of 39 pre-service teachers; a background questionnaire, interviews, a survey, and essays were used for data collection. The results indicate that portfolios significantly contribute to the writing skills, and that there exist potential problems. It was concluded that teachers and teacher trainers should use portfolio as a learning tool after solving the problems.


Author(s):  
Toni P. Johnson

It is important that assessments used in a classroom reflect the standards that students are expected to achieve. When this occurs, the data collected can be used as indications of a student's proficiency in a language. This chapter focuses on how the data collected in the classroom can be used to guide instruction. The author begins with an overview of assessments that are available to foreign language teachers. This is followed by information on data collection and analysis. The second half of the chapter focuses on how to use the data to develop lessons that provide all students with the instruction they need in order to be successful in the foreign language classroom. Examples of analysis of authentic data and changes in classroom elements, as well as the need for a mastery mindset, are also presented.


Author(s):  
Angela Bailey ◽  
Nayibe Rosado ◽  
Lourdes Rey

In this chapter, the authors demonstrate a practical view of a foreign language curriculum development in Colombia. Within the chapter, they give a brief description of language policies that guided the curriculum; a discussion of the research framework, methods, and data collection; and a reflection of the choices made with regard to education, language, and language learning. By triangulating existing policies, contextual and conceptual needs analyses, and existing classroom practices, the authors demonstrate a collaborative and flexible means of meeting foreign language teaching across a broad spectrum of inconsistencies. Conclusions review and discuss the importance of maintaining an open and adaptable perspective throughout foreign language curriculum design while establishing and creating a working, flexible English language curriculum.


Author(s):  
Vítor Romário Monticelli Garcia

This study investigates motivational factors and language learning strategies involved in the process of learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in the elderly. The taxonomy of strategies developed by Oxford (1990) is adopted, as well as discussions on motivation in language learning. Twenty-five (25) elderly students participated in this research. Three instruments were administered for data collection, (i) a placement test; (ii) a background questionnaire; (iii) and a translated version of the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL), proposed by Oxford (1990). Results identified 11 strategies used more frequently, most of them metacognitive strategies. Results also show that learning English, travelling, and socializing are motivational factors in this group. This paper may contribute to researchers and to English teachers and elderly students by shedding some light on features of EFL learning in the elderly regarding language strategies and motivational aspects.


1976 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonis Costello ◽  
Joanne M. Onstine

The effectiveness of articulation remediation procedures based on distinctive feature theory was evaluated through the administration of an articulation program designed for this purpose. Two preschool children with multiple phoneme errors which could be described by a distinctive feature analysis were the subjects. Both children substituted stop phonemes for most continuant phonemes. Each child was individually administered the distinctive feature program which is described in full. Data are presented which indicate the adequacy of. the treatment program, the acquisition of correct articulation of the two directly treated target phonemes, and the concurrent improvement of five other nontreated error phonemes. Such across-phoneme generalization was predicted by distinctive feature theory. Certain modifications in the treatment program are suggested and theoretical/empirical questions regarding articulation remediation from a distinctive features viewpoint are discussed.


1972 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn Pollack ◽  
Norma S. Rees

The application of distinctive feature theory to the analysis of the speech of children with defective articulation is suggested as a clinical approach. Distinctions are made between children with phonetic disorders and children with phonemic disorders. Distinctive feature analyses were made of the articulation test data of a child receiving speech therapy for an articulation disorder at three intervals, at ages 5-2, 5–8, and 6-3. Each analysis was compared with the adult model to reveal the rules of the child’s phonological competence at that time. Each analysis is compared with the preceding one(s) to show the changes in the rule system as the child’s speech gradually approached the adult model. Discussion of these analyses suggests some specific applications of the resulting data to clinical management and some limitations of this approach.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document