Measuring (online) word segmentation in adults and children

Since Saffran, Aslin and Newport (1996) showed that infants were sensitive to transitional probabilities between syllables after being exposed to a few minutes of fluent speech, there has been ample research on statistical learning. Word segmentation studies usually test learning by making use of “offline methods” such as forced-choice tasks. However, cognitive factors besides statistical learning possibly influence performance on those tasks. The goal of the present study was to improve a method for measuring word segmentation online. Click sounds were added to the speech stream, both between words and within words. Stronger expectations for the next syllable within words as opposed to between words were expected to result in slower detection of clicks within words, revealing sensitivity to word boundaries. Unexpectedly, we did not find evidence for learning in multiple groups of adults and child participants. We discuss possible methodological factors that could have influenced our results.

Prosody training benefits in perception vs. production skills in simultaneous interpreting: an experimental study

The present study investigates the prosody training benefits for interpreter trainees in perception vs. production skills in simultaneous interpreting. Two groups of student interpreters were formed. Participants were assigned to groups at random. The control group received routine instruction in interpreting skills. The experimental group spent 20 minutes less time per session on the routine curriculum and instead re­ceived awareness training on prosodic features of English. The total instruction time was the same for the students in two groups, i.e., 15 hours. Students then took a posttest in interpretation skills. The results showed that the experimental group performed better than the control group in simultaneous interpretation performance. Moreover, the study revealed that prosody training enhances the students’ perception skills more than that of the production skills. These results have pedagogical implications for curriculum designers, interpreter training programs, and all who are involved in language study and pedagogy.

Hoe universeel zijn receptieve meertaligheidsstrategieën?

There are multiple ways in which language learners’ multilingual repertoire can be put to use in foreign language learning and teaching. One such use is receptive multilingualism (RM, cf. Blees & Ten Thije 2017). Despite the fact that RM has been found to be an effective means of communication between adult speakers of typologically related languages, like Dutch and German (see Beerkens, 2010; Van Mulken & Hendriks, 2015; Ribbert & Ten Thije, 2007), there is hardly any research investigating its use and effectiveness in younger learners in school settings (Ten Thije, Gulikers & Schoutsen, 2020). In this contribution, we present the results of a pilot study in which we investigate whether German secondary-school students make use of their multilingual repertoire by employing receptive multilingual strategies when decoding an unknown, but typologically related language (Dutch) and whether they can transfer these skills when decoding a less typologically related, unknown language (Maltese).

Learners’ Reflective Practice between the Repeated Performances of Tasks: Effects on Second Language Development

This study attempted to explore the role of reflection in the accurate use of the English regular past tense structure using task repetition. Thirty-one learners were assigned into two conditions: task repetition only (TR) and task repetition with self-reflection (TR+SR). Both groups repeated an oral narrative task two times and then carried out a new task of the same type (i.e., another oral narrative task). However, only the TR+SR learners were engaged in self-reflection through responding to a questionnaire developed for the purpose of this study. Results revealed that learners’ reflection on their first task performance helped them notice the gap between their existing and target structure use as attested by their significantly high scores in the repeated tasks as well as the new task. The results therefore indicate the potential of reflective practice as an effective intervention strategy between repeated performances of the same task in terms of accuracy.

An exploratory study of predictors of vocabulary knowledge of Vietnames preschool-age children in a city

This study explores the effects of child-external and child-internal factors on vocabulary skills of Vietnamese pre-schoolers. Thirty-nine Vietnamese children (54-77 months) were tested on vocabulary and cognition skills. Their parents completed a questionnaire on background information. Correlation and regression analyses were performed to explore the contribution of multiple factors to the variability in vocabulary skills. Results showed that the effects of multiple factors varied across modality and domain. Productive vocabulary was individually sensitive to more factors than receptive vocabulary; and phonologically-based vocabulary was more sensitive than semantically-based vocabulary. The strongest predictor of receptive vocabulary, productive vocabulary, semantically-based vocabulary and phonologically-based vocabulary was child intelligence, child pre-schooling length, household income and child age, respectively. The findings seem to support the multidimensional views of language with evidence that different domains or modalities of vocabulary skills respond to the effects of multiple factors differently; and components of verbal ability should be examined separately.

An English academic reading course for Dutch pre-university students

In this research note we argue that reading lessons for the subject of English in Dutch pre-university education require adjustments. Currently, these lessons do not prepare students well for university reading. Too often, lessons emphasize searching for information, the dominant skill to pass the school exit exam. Instead, students would benefit much more from instruction on reading to learn and critical reading, which are important university skills. Moreover, the expository texts for English classes generally concern school subjects instead of genuine English content such as language and linguistics. To address these problems, we are in the process of developing an academic reading course focussing on linguistic topics to enhance students’ academic readiness, while at the same time adding depth and content to the subject of English in Dutch pre-university education. An empirical study to evaluate the effectiveness of this course will follow.

Dutch speech intelligibility in bilingual Turkish-Dutch children in Flanders

This study examines the Dutch intelligibility of a group of monolingual Dutch and bilingual Turkish-Dutch preschool children in Flanders, as rated by native Dutch listeners and measured by a Dutch intelligibility test. The intelligibility of the bilingual children is compared to that of the monolingual Dutch children, in order to examine whether age and/or task effects are similar or different in the two groups. The results revealed that intelligibility was affected by age, but showed no significant interaction between age and group. However, we found a significant interaction between age and task: children’s intelligibility increased with age for a word production as well as a sentence production task, but much more so for the latter than for the former. We discuss the results in relation to the children’s developing phonological systems, the age of exposure to Dutch and the nature of the test.

Defining linguistic reasoning

Until recently, throughout the world, linguistic theory was virtually absent in secondary education, mostly limited to grammar teaching still based on 19th century linguistic theory. There is a growing call, however, for enriching grammar teaching with modern linguistic insights, integrating higher order critical thinking skills, like reasoning. This study tries to lay the groundwork for a model of linguistic reasoning in particular. Based on a well-established model for historical reasoning (Van Boxtel & Van Drie, 2018), a linguistic model is developed in two steps. First, the components of the historical model are theoretically analysed and transposed to the linguistic domain, and second, the model is applied in qualitative analysis of linguistic experts’ reasoning. It is found that the model fits linguistic reasoning fairy well: all central components can be observed, and are evenly distributed over different experts. It is concluded that the linguistic reasoning model can be used in the development of a new grammar pedagogy.

Ethnic labeling among pupils with migration backgrounds

This paper analyzes ethnic self-labeling among pupils of a secondary school in Venlo, the Netherlands. Pupils with migration backgrounds, born in the Netherlands, referred to themselves as ‘Moroccan’, ‘Turk’ or ‘foreigner’, and to others as ‘Dutch’. Ascription to these ethnic categories is often understood as an expression of national (un)belonging. Based on nine months of linguistic ethnographic fieldwork, I argue that ethnic labels functioned to manage everyday interpersonal social relations and did not necessarily express feelings of (un)belonging to the nation. Rather, pupils used ethnic labels to associate social personae with particular styles and behaviors and to construct local social hierarchies. The paper contributes to the investigation of ethnic labels as signs with locally contingent meanings, which nevertheless retain indexical links with wider discourses about social categories and belonging. It furthermore emphasizes the necessity of investigating the local meanings of ethnic categories.

Language development in children from different SES backgrounds

The aim of the study is to analyze prelexical speech development in young children with a different socio-economic status (SES): children from low SES backgrounds (lowSES) are compared with mid-to-high SES (mhSES) children. Timing of the onset of babbling and the consonantal development in consonant-vowel (cv) syllables are investigated. Result show that lowSES children reach the babbling onset milestone significantly later than mhSES children. In addition, they use different consonant types in their cv-syllables: they use more glides, but fewer stops, nasals, fricatives, and liquids. These early differences between children of different backgrounds seem to be in line with the literature on SES differences later on in life.