scholarly journals The Vowels of Qassimi Dialect

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Lubna Sulaiman Al-Numair
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Theoretical Description ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
English Second Language ◽  
English Vowels ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
Arabic And English ◽  
Vowel Phoneme

This paper describes the vowels of the Qassimi dialect and explores the characteristic features of those vowels. To achieve this goal, the researcher has compiled a list of Qassimi words. Each word represents a major allophone of each vowel phoneme. These words were then repeated by Qassimi female speakers from Buraidah and recorded by the researcher. The data was subjected to acoustic analysis, and the results were compared to the acoustic results of English vowels. The analysis showed many similarities in the characteristics of both Qassimi and English vowels. However, it also showed some significant differences that distinguish the vowel system of Qassimi from the English vowel system as well as other Saudi dialects. This study sheds light on those differences, however it is left to future studies to investigate further and possibly compare other aspects of these dialects. This study contributes to the theoretical description of Saudi dialects, an area that needs many more contributions. In addition, this paper could be a part of the contrastive studies of Arabic and English, second language acquisition studies, or various other applied studies.

scholarly journals Second Language Acquisition of Quantifiers by Arabic Speakers of English: Feature Reassembly Approach

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rashidah Albaqami
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Matching Task ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Arabic Speakers ◽  
Feature Reassembly ◽  
Semantic Concepts ◽  
Sentence Matching ◽  
Arabic And English

This paper reports on an experimental study addressing second language acquisition of English quantifiers by Arabic speakers. Due to several differences found between Arabic and English regarding types, meanings and functions of quantifiers, Arabic learners encounter challenges in mastering them properly. Unlike English, Arabic does not make lots of distinctions among the different meanings that each quantifier might bear; using the same quantifier to bear two or several meanings at the same time. Arabic, for instance, does not differentiate between countable and non-countable nouns using the same modifier in contrast to English. According to the Feature Reassembly Hypothesis (Lardiere 2005, 2009; Choi & Lardiere, 2006), second language (L2) speakers must successfully reassemble existing features of their first language (L1) into the L2 feature-based sets in order to accommodate the L2 grammar. The researcher tests the validity of this prediction for the L2 acquisition of English quantifiers, which requires Arabic learners of English to remap semantic concepts of quantity onto new and different morpholexical configurations. Data from 40 L1 Arabic learners of English at different levels of proficiency and 20 native speakers who completed a picture/sentence matching task suggest that only the meanings which require different and new semantics-morphology remapping is difficult.

scholarly journals Padrões de duração de seis vogais do inglês produzidas por alunos brasileiros (Duration patterns of six english vowels produced by brazilian learners)

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Ronaldo Lima Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Acoustic Phonetics ◽  
English Vowels ◽  
Different Ages ◽  
Learning English

Este artigo apresenta as principais características dos padrões de duração dos pares de vogais [i: I] [E æ] [u: U] produzidos por alunos brasileiros que começaram a estudar inglês-L2 em idades diferentes, que estavam cursando o último semestre de seus cursos de inglês como língua estrangeira, e que adquiriram a língua exclusivamente em salas de aula no Brasil.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Aquisição de língua estrangeira, fonética acústica, fonologia, inglês como língua estrangeira, vogais. ABSTRACT This paper presents the main characteristics in durational patterns of the pairs of vowels [i: I] [E æ] [u: U] as produced by Brazilian learners who started learning English as a Foreign Language at different ages. The students were in the last semester of their EFL courses and have acquired English exclusively in Brazilian classrooms.KEYWORDS: Second Language Acquisition. Acoustic Phonetics. Phonology. English as a Foreign Language. Vowels.  

Acquiring non-native speech through early media exposure: Belgian children’s productions of english vowels

2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Simon ◽  
Ronaldo Lima ◽  
Ludovic De Cuypere
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Media Exposure ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
English Vowels ◽  
Vowel Formants ◽  
The Media ◽  
Native Speech ◽  
Vowel Categories ◽  
Repetition Task

AbstractThis study aims to map native Dutch and non-native English vowels of Belgian children who have not been immersed and have not received instruction in English, but who are exposed to it through the media. It investigates to what extent this type of exposure is sufficient to develop new phonetic vowel categories. Twenty-four children aged 9–12 years performed production tasks focusing on Dutch and English monophthongs. Vowel formants were normalized and statistically analysed, and results highlight the English contrasts /ɛ–æ/, /ʊ–u/ and /ɒ–ɔ/, which are lacking in Dutch. The children produced contrasting /ɛ/ and /æ/ in F1 and F2 in a repetition task, and English /ɛ/ and /æ/ were considerably different from the closest Dutch vowel /ɛ/ in terms of anteriority. The children’s /ʊ–u/ and /ɒ–ɔ/ differed in F1 and F2. The closest Dutch vowel /u/ did not differ from English /u/, and differed from /ʊ/ only in F1. Dutch /ɔ/ differed from /ɒ/ in F1 and F2 and differed from English /ɔ/ in F1. The results suggest that media-induced Second Language Acquisition should not be underestimated, for even in contexts of L2 acquisition exclusively through media exposure, children learn to produce contrasts between L2 vowels which do not exist in their L1.

scholarly journals AN EVALUATION OF FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTETO ENGLISH SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN THE UPPER PRIMARY PHASE OF AN URBAN SCHOOL IN NAMIBIA: A CASE STUDY

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1218-1224
Author(s):  
Ms. Aletta Mweneni Hautemo ◽  
Mr. Lukas Homateni Julius
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
School Context ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
English Language Acquisition ◽  
English Second Language

Majority of Namibian learners are not native speakers of English, that is, they barely speak English in their homes. Yet English is the medium of instruction in many Namibian schools. Many Namibian learners therefore face the double challenge of acquiring the English as the language of teaching and learning (Medium of Instruction) and at the same time developing the appropriate reading and writing proficiency needed to meet the requirements of the curriculum. This situation has created numerous teaching and learning problems which ultimately contribute to poor literacy levels among many Namibian learners.This paper focuses on language acquisition and literacy. It explores factors that contributes to effective English language acquisition as well as investigate and evaluate how the school context supports English language acquisition of the Upper Primary learners at an urban school in Namibia. Since the study targeted young learners, it has covered their reading skills, reading tools and resources such as the library and classroom which provides a rich learning environment. A qualitative interpretive approach was used to explore the factors that contribute to effective learners English second language acquisition. The theoretical framework was informed by Krashens conception of acquisition (1981; 1982). Data collection methods consisted of questionnaires and interviews were used. The findings indicated that the provision of well-structured classroom activities containing comprehensible input structures a bit beyond the learners current level and a low affective filter to allow them to acquire the second language easily. Moreover, error-based activities help learners to test hypothesis, revise and modify them and in the process develop good language awareness skills that help them to acquire and learn the language consciously. This paper suggests that a good supporting environment for reading, which is scaffold by enough assistance by the teachers and peers helps learners develop good language acquisition and learning skills.

scholarly journals Exploring the Uniqueness of Child Second Language Acquisition (SLA): Learning, Teaching, Assessment, and Practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenefer Philp ◽  
Margaret Borowczyk ◽  
Alison Mackey
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Second Language Development ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
English Second Language ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Child Language Acquisition

This issue was designed to include a wide range of research on children's second language learning. Here we provide a short overview of each of the articles contained in this issue, many of which bring up novel ideas and topics, as well as new takes on familiar themes that sometimes challenge prior conceptions and, ideally, inspire new understandings of child language acquisition, and policies, and practices in instructed settings. The 15 articles in this issue are based in instructed and naturalistic settings and include reviews and experimental work, and collectively represent learners between 5 to 18 years old. The language backgrounds include Mandarin (first language [L1]), Arabic (L1), Basque (L1), Cantonese (L1), English (second language [L2]), Hebrew (L1, L2), Spanish (L1, L2), and Thai (L1). Topics include the uniqueness of child second language acquisition (SLA); learning in majority language classrooms; best practices in bilingual schooling, cognition, and SLA in younger learners; testing and assessment relating to age and language choice; and methodological contributions that arise from the particular challenges of researching child second language development in instructed and naturalistic settings.

Individual differences in child English second language acquisition

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanne Paradis
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
External Factors ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Verb Morphology ◽  
English Second Language ◽  
Theory Of Language ◽  
Analytic Reasoning

This study investigated how various child-internal and child-external factors predict English L2 children’s acquisition outcomes for vocabulary size and accuracy with verb morphology. The children who participated (N=169) were between 4;10 and 7;0 years old (mean = 5;10), had between 3 to 62 months of exposure to English (mean = 20 months), and were from newcomer families to Canada. Results showed that factors such as language aptitude (phonological short term memory and analytic reasoning), age, L1 typology, length of exposure to English, and richness of the child’s English environment were significant predictors of variation in children’s L2 outcomes. However, on balance, child-internal factors explained more of the variance in outcomes than child-external factors. Relevance of these findings for Usage-Based theory of language acquisition is discussed.

scholarly journals The Fluency Way: A Functional Method for Oral Communication

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Faramarz Samifanni
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Functional Method ◽  
Functional Language ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Learner Centeredness

This study delves into the analysis of theories of language acquisition and teaching methods. A qualitative approach was used to analyze three language acquisition theories and five teaching methods to help and provide teachers with methods that are relevant and applicable in developing and enhancing the speaking skills of the students. Findings revealed that grammatical skill is not the focus of Second Language Acquisition. It is concluded that language learning and acquisition are dynamic activities requiring social, cultural, and cognitive competencies on the part of the teacher. The teaching of language is most effective and productive when the learners are actively engaged in authentic tasks that are conducted in a natural and spontaneous manner to enable learners to gain a total psycho-socio-cultural-linguistic experience. Learner-centeredness is a universal theme and the teacher-learner relationship is a cooperative and collaborative partnership for relevant and functional language competence. Suggestions and recommendations for future studies were proposed.

scholarly journals Cognitive perceptions of second language acquisition in Chinese undergraduate ESL/EFL students: A mixed methods approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 510
Author(s):  
Robert W. Elliott ◽  
Di Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Global Education ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Efl Students

<span>With the continued demand for teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL/EFL) in China, colleges and universities in China continue to struggle with teaching oral English to high volumes of undergraduate students using faculty-centered strategies. This concurrent mixed-methods, single-level, case study intends to examine Chinese undergraduate students’ cognitive perceptions of their oral English ability as a segue to a more effective second language acquisition environment in a 21st Century global education. The data analysis revealed three main themes intersected by the findings of the quantitative and qualitative analyses. The findings from this and future studies are intended to guide leaders, administrators, scholars, and students to affect national and provincial policy, school and classroom-based practices, and personal strategies to enhance students’ ability to acquire their oral English skills.</span>

scholarly journals Second Language Acquisition of English Unaccusative Verbs: A Theoretical Critique and Prospects for Future Studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 657
Author(s):  
Junhua Mo
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Theoretical Approach ◽  
Panoramic View ◽  
L1 Transfer ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Online Processing ◽  
Unaccusative Verbs ◽  
Shed Light

Unaccusative verbs are a focus of second language acquisition research. Taking the second language acquisition of English unaccusative verbs as an example, this study first reviews the Unaccusative Hierarchy Hypothesis, the Unaccusative Trap Hypothesis and the Semantic Verb Class Hypothesis, which are exclusively concerned with the acquisition of unaccusative verbs. Then it examines the Entrenchment Hypothesis and the Interface Hypothesis, which address language acquisition in general, but shed light on the second language acquisition of English unaccusative verbs. This study maintains that these five hypothesis help to provide a panoramic view of second language acquisition of English unaccusative verbs. But it also points out that these hypotheses need to be further tested. It advises future studies to take a usage-based theoretical approach. It also calls for more attention to the possible between-verb variations, the possible influence of L1 transfer and the online processing of English unaccusative verbs

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document