Showing papers on "Second-language acquisition published in 2010"

Automatic analysis of syntactic complexity in second language writing

Abstract: We describe a computational system for automatic analysis of syntactic complexity in second language writing using fourteen different measures that have been explored or proposed in studies of second language development. The system takes a written language sample as input and produces fourteen indices of syntactic complexity of the sample based on these measures. The system is designed with advanced second language proficiency research in mind, and is therefore developed and evaluated using college-level second language writing data from the Written English Corpus of Chinese Learners (Wen et al. 2005). Experimental results show that the system achieves very high reliability on unseen test data from the corpus. We illustrate how the system is used in an example application to investigate whether and to what extent each of these measures significantly differentiate between different proficiency levels

Second language acquisition: an introductory course

Abstract: Second language acquisition: an introductory course (3rd edition), by Susan Gass and Larry Selinker, Oxford and New York, Routledge, 2008, xviii + 593 pp., £62.50/US$100.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-8...

An Academic Formulas List: New Methods in Phraseology Research

Abstract: This research creates an empirically derived, pedagogically useful list of formulaic sequences for academic speech and writing, comparable with the Academic Word List (Coxhead 2000), called the Academic Formulas List (AFL). The AFL includes formulaic sequences identified as (i) frequent recurrent patterns in corpora of written and spoken language, which (ii) occur significantly more often in academic than in non-academic discourse, and (iii) inhabit a wide range of academic genres. It separately lists formulas that are common in academic spoken and academic written language, as well as those that are special to academic written language alone and academic spoken language alone. The AFL further prioritizes these formulas using an empirically derived measure of utility that is educationally and psychologically valid and operationalizable with corpus linguistic metrics. The formulas are classified according to their predominant pragmatic function for descriptive analysis and in order to marshal the AFL for inclusion in English for Academic Purposes instruction.

An Introduction to Applied Linguistics

Abstract: 1. An overview of applied linguistics (Norbert Schmitt and Marianne Celce-Murcia) PART I: Description of language and language use 2. Grammar (Diane Larsen-Freeman and Jeanette DeCarrico) 3. Vocabulary (Paul Nation and Paul Meara) 4. Discourse analysis (Michael McCarthy, Christian Matthiessen and Diana Slade) 5. Pragmatics (Helen Spencer-Oatey and Vladimir Zegarac) 6. Corpus linguistics (Randi Reppen and Rita Simpson-Vlach) PART II: Essential areas of enquiry in applied linguistics 7. Second language acquisition (Nina Spada and Patsy M. Lightbown) 8. Psycholinguistics (Kees de Bot and Judith F. Kroll) 9. Sociolinguistics (Carmen Llamas and Peter Stockwell) 10. Focus on the language learner: styles, strategies and motivation (Andrew D. Cohen) PART III: Language skills and assessment 11. Listening (Tony Lynch and David Mendelsohn) 12. Speaking and pronunciation (Anne Burns and Barbara Seidlhofer) 13. Reading (Patricia L. Carrell and William Grabe) 14. Writing (Tony Silva and Paul Kei Matsuda) 15. Assessment (Carol A. Chapelle and Geoff Brindley) 16. Suggested solutions

Cognitive Bases of Second Language Fluency

Abstract: Winner of the 2011 Kenneth W. Mildenberger Prize Exploring fluency from multiple vantage points that together constitute a cognitive science perspective, this book examines research in second language acquisition and bilingualism that points to promising avenues for understanding and promoting second language fluency. Cognitive Bases of Second Language Fluency covers essential topics such as units of analysis for measuring fluency, the relation of second language fluency to general cognitive fluidity, social and motivational contributors to fluency, and neural correlates of fluency. The author provides clear and accessible summaries of foundational empirical work on speech production, automaticity, lexical access, and other issues of relevance to second language acquisition theory. Cognitive Bases of Second Language Fluency is a valuable reference for scholars in SLA, cognitive psychology, and language teaching, and it can also serve as an ideal textbook for advanced courses in these fields.

Statistical learning and language acquisition

Abstract: Human learners, including infants, are highly sensitive to structure in their environment. Statistical learning refers to the process of extracting this structure. A major question in language acquisition in the past few decades has been the extent to which infants use statistical learning mechanisms to acquire their native language. There have been many demonstrations showing infants' ability to extract structures in linguistic input, such as the transitional probability between adjacent elements. This paper reviews current research on how statistical learning contributes to language acquisition. Current research is extending the initial findings of infants' sensitivity to basic statistical information in many different directions, including investigating how infants represent regularities, learn about different levels of language, and integrate information across situations. These current directions emphasize studying statistical language learning in context: within language, within the infant learner, and within the environment as a whole. WIREs Cogn Sci 2010 1 906-914 This article is categorized under: Linguistics > Language Acquisition Psychology > Language.

Foreign and second language anxiety

Abstract: The possibility that anxiety interferes with language learning has long interested scholars, language teachers, and language learners themselves. It is intuitive that anxiety would inhibit the learning and/or production of a second language (L2). The important term in the last sentence is ‘anxiety’. The concept of anxiety is itself multi-faceted, and psychologists have differentiated a number of types of anxiety including trait anxiety, state anxiety, achievement anxiety, and facilitative-debilitative anxiety. With such a wide variety of anxiety-types, it is not surprising that early studies on the relationship between ‘anxiety’ and achievement provided mixed and confusing results, and Scovel (1978 – this timeline) rightly noted that anxiety is ‘not a simple, unitary construct that can be comfortably quantified into ‘high’ or ‘low’ amounts’ (p. 137). Scovel did not, however, anticipate the identification in the mid-1980s of a unique form of anxiety that some people experience in response to learning and/or using an L2. Typically referred to as language anxiety or foreign language anxiety (FLA), this anxiety is categorized as a situation-specific anxiety, similar in type to other familiar manifestations of anxiety such as stage fright or test anxiety.

Motivation and Second Language Acquisition: The Socio-Educational Model

Abstract: Offering a historical and empirical account, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the socio-educational model of second language acquisition. This approach to understanding motivational variables that promote success in the learning of a second or foreign language - distinguishing between language classroom motivation and language learning motivation - is a major one in the history of this field of research. Chapters include a discussion of the definition and measurement of motivation; historical foundations of the model; recent studies with the International Attitude Motivation Test Battery for English as a foreign language in different countries; the implications of the model to the classroom context; and a discussion of criticisms and misconceptions of the model. The book provides graduate students and researchers with unique coverage of this research-oriented approach as well as serving as a source book for the area. It is ideal for courses on motivation in second language learning, or as a supplemental text for research-oriented courses in applied linguistics, educational psychology, or language research in general.

Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition: A Rationale for Pedagogy

Abstract: I SETTING THE STAGE 1 Historical Trends in Second Language Vocabulary Instruction by Dr. Cheryl Boyd Zimmerman 2 The Lexical Plight in L2 Reading by Dr. Batia Laufer 3 The Role of Orthography in Word Perception and Acquisition by Dr. Keiko Koda II CASE STUDIES 4 Vocabulary and Comprehension by Dr. Kate Parry 5 Oral Production of Vocabulary by Dr. Roann Altman 6 Reading and Vocabulary Development in a Second Language by Dr. William Grabe & Fredricka L. Stoller III EMPIRICAL RESEARCH 7 Tracking the Acquisition of L2 Vocabulary by Dr. Lynne Yang 8 Rare words, Complex Lexical Units, and the Advanced Learner by Dr. Pierre Arnaud 9 Vocabulary Enhancement Activities and Reading for Meaning in Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition by Dr. T. Sima Paribakht & Dr. Marjorie Wesche IV PEDAGOGY 10 Mnemonic methods in foreign-language vocabulary learning by Dr. Jan Hulstijn 11 Teaching Vocabulary in L2 through Extensive Reading by Dr. James Coady 12 Teaching Vocabulary by Paul Nation and Jonathan Newton 13 Pedagogical implications of the Lexical Approach by Michael Lewis V SUMMING UP 14 L2 Vocabulary Acquisition: A Rationale for Pedagogy by James Coady

What You Hear and What You Say: Language Performance in Spanish English Bilinguals

Abstract: PURPOSE: This study assesses the factors that contribute to Spanish and English language development in bilingual children. METHOD: 757 Hispanic Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten age children completed screening tests of semantic and morphosyntactic development in Spanish and English. Parents provided information about their occupation and education as well as their children's English and Spanish exposure. Data were analyzed using zero-inflated regression models (comprising a logistic regression component and a negative binomial or Poisson component) to explore factors that contributed to children initiating L1 and L2 performance and factors that contributed to building children's knowledge. RESULTS: Factors that were positively associated with initiating L1 and L2 performance were language input/output, free and reduced lunch, and age. Factors associated with building knowledge included age, parent education, input/output, free and reduced lunch and school district. CONCLUSION: Amount of language input is important as children begin to use a language, and amount of language output is important for adding knowledge to their language. Semantic development seemed to be driven more by input while morphosyntax development relied on both input and output. Clinicians who assess bilingual children should examine children's language output in their second language to better understand their levels of performance.

Cross-Linguistic Evidence for the Nature of Age Effects in Second Language Acquisition.

Abstract: Few researchers would doubt that ultimate attainment in second language grammar is negatively correlated with age of acquisition, but considerable controversy remains about the nature of this relationship: the exact shape of the age-attainment function and its interpretation. This article presents two parallel studies with native speakers of Russian: one on the acquisition of English as a second language in North America (n = 76), and one on the acquisition of Hebrew as a second language in Israel (n = 64). Despite the very different nature of the languages being learned, the two studies show very similar results. When age at testing is partialed out, the data reveal a steep decline in the learning of grammar before age 18 in both groups, followed by an essentially horizontal slope until age 40. This is interpreted as evidence in favor of the critical period. Both groups show a significant correlation between ultimate attainment and verbal aptitude for the adult learners, but not for the early learners. This is interpreted as further evidence that the learning processes in childhood and adulthood not only yield different levels of proficiency but are also different in nature.

Second Language Acquisition of Gender Agreement in Explicit and Implicit Training Conditions: An Event-Related Potential Study

Abstract: This study employed an artificial language learning paradigm together with a combined behavioral/event-related potential (ERP) approach to examine the neurocognition of the processing of gender agreement, an aspect of inflectional morphology that is problematic in adult second language (L2) learning. Subjects learned to speak and comprehend an artificial language under either explicit (classroomlike) or implicit (immersionlike) training conditions. In each group, both noun-article and noun-adjective gender agreement processing were examined behaviorally and with ERPs at both low and higher levels of proficiency. Results showed that the two groups learned the language to similar levels of proficiency but showed somewhat different ERP patterns. At low proficiency, both types of agreement violations (adjective, article) yielded N400s, but only for the group with implicit training. Additionally, noun-adjective agreement elicited a late N400 in the explicit group at low proficiency. At higher levels of proficiency, noun-adjective agreement violations elicited N400s for both the explicit and implicit groups, whereas noun-article agreement violations elicited P600s for both groups. The results suggest that interactions among linguistic structure, proficiency level, and type of training need to be considered when examining the development of aspects of inflectional morphology in L2 acquisition.

Second Language Acquisition, Teacher Education and Language Pedagogy.

Abstract: Various positions regarding the Second Language Acquisition (SLA) – Language Pedagogy (LP) nexus have been advanced. Taking these as a starting point, this article will examine the nature of the SLA/LP relationship both more generally and more concretely. First, it will place the debates evident in the different positions regarding the relationship in a broader educational and professional context by examining the nature of the theory/practice nexus – because the issues at stake do not just concern SLA. Second, it will examine critically a number of options for bridging the divide (e.g. through presenting the pedagogical implications of research, engaging teachers in researching their own classroom or promoting research–teacher collaboration). Third, it will probe the relationship in terms of a framework that links (i) SLA researchers, (ii) classroom researchers, (iii) teacher educators and (iv) language teachers. This framework will serve as a basis for formulating a set of eleven principles that can guide attempts to use SLA theory and research in teacher education programmes.

Bilingual language acquisition: Commentary on Sebastian-Galles

Abstract: Bilingualism is a fascinating area of study with the potential to contribute much to the understanding of language learning, production, comprehension and processing. Nuria Sebastian-Galles’ paper [this issue] provides some interesting evidence on the early speech perception of bilingual language acquisition. I first make some comments on the data she presents before moving on to a somewhat broader consideration of the problems and possibilities raised by research into bilingual language acquisition.

Adult learners’ retention of collocations from exposure:

Abstract: Formulaic language is widely recognized to be of central importance to fluent and idiomatic language use. However, the mechanics of how formulaic language is acquired are not well understood. Some ...

Pre-service teacher beliefs about language learning: The second language acquisition course as an agent for change

Abstract: This large mixed methods study investigated the effects of the introductory second language acquisition (SLA) course on the beliefs of pre-service teachers (n = 381) enrolled over a three-year period at a state university in California. Pre- to post-course paired sample t-tests that were run on 23 beliefs statements from a widely used survey revealed significant changes in beliefs in several areas including the length of time for acquisition, difficulty of language acquisition, the role of culture, the role of error correction, the importance of grammar, and the efficacy of audiolingual learning strategies. In extensive written post-course explanations, the pre-service teachers attributed their pre-course beliefs to language learning experience in high school and post-course changes in their beliefs to the SLA course content and experiential activities, most notably tutoring an ESL student (the first contact for some teachers). Depth of knowledge was revealed in the teacher comments; this included informa...

Computerized Games and Simulations in Computer-Assisted Language Learning: A Meta-Analysis of Research

Abstract: This article explores research on the use of computerized games and simulations in language education. The author examined the psycholinguistic and sociocultural constructs proposed as a basis for the use of games and simulations in computer-assisted language learning. Research in this area is expanding rapidly. However, to date, few studies have critically investigated this body of work. The author reviewed key findings from influential studies. The author’s analysis reveals that, although these studies are subject to limitations, simulations and games present valuable opportunities for effective language learning. The contemporary literature on theories of language acquisition hypothesizes that simulations and games are beneficial methods for helping learners acquire another language. This article concludes by identifying potential areas for future research.

Meta-analysis in Second Language Research: Choices and Challenges

Abstract: Applied linguists are increasingly conducting meta-analysis in their substantive domains, because as a quantitative approach for averaging effect sizes across studies, it is more systematic and replicable than traditional, qualitative literature reviews. Additional strengths, such as increased statistical power, moderator analyses, and model testing, have also contributed to its appeal. The current review describes typical stages of a meta-analysis in second language acquisition (SLA) research: (a) defining the research domain, (b) developing a reliable coding scheme, (c) analyzing data, and (d) interpreting results. Each stage has a host of equally reasonable decisions that can be made; each decision will influence the conduct of the meta-analysis, the nature of the results, and the substantive implications of findings for SLA. We highlight a number of benefits and challenges that inform these decisions. In general, when a meta-analysis in applied linguistics is well planned, employs sound statistical methods, and is based on a thorough understanding of relevant theory, it can provide critical information that informs theory as well as future research, practice, and policy.

Monitoring Processes in Spanish as a Second Language During a Study Abroad Program

Abstract: In an effort to understand better how and why accuracy in speaking develops during study abroad, a group of 16 U.S. students of Spanish as a second language were followed during their 6-week program in Argentina. They were interviewed in Spanish at the beginning and the end of their stay, each time followed by a stimulated recall session. They were also given a questionnaire on their views about language learning and observed in a wide variety of social contexts. The data collected this way, along with a written proficiency test and an aptitude test, both given at the beginning of their program, along with students' comments on their classroom experiences in the United States, paint a picture of students who are motivated and eager to practice and who hope to improve their speaking proficiency dramatically, but who quickly feel that they are stalled and lose their motivation as a result. The explanation that emerges from both the quantitative and the qualitative data is that the students' shaky grammar knowledge and their virtually total lack of proceduralized knowledge made it impossible to make much progress automatizing their knowledge; even speaking accurately without trying to be fluent was largely impossible, even for rather basic structures, and even at the end of the 6 weeks abroad. It appears that the promise of study abroad remains unfulfilled without adequate preparation in the form of proceduralized or at least declarative knowledge of the second language grammar. Key words: Spanish as a foreign language, fluency, monitoring, skill acquisition, study abroad Introduction A strong focus of the study abroad literature has always been the documentation of growth in language proficiency during the month, semester, or year spent overseas. Research on this topic has shown that the popular concept of fast and effortless improvement in proficiency is vastly exaggerated at best, and perhaps more myth than reality. The more nuanced picture that emerges from the literature of the past couple of decades is that accuracy tends to improve little, but fluency more. Even these modest advantages of study abroad are far from firmly established, however. Rees and Klapper argued that ''the case for strong foreign language proficiency gains during SA [study abroad] is far from proven'' (2008, p. 90), due to the methodological weaknesses inherent in this area of research, such as small group sizes, lack of adequate control groups, and poor instrumentation. Their main suggestion for improvement in this area of research was about the reliability of the proficiency measures and the statistical analysis of the data from repeated tests. A different approach to the problem is to try to narrow the gap between the quantitative and qualitative research traditions. As Lafford (2007, p. 749) argued, research in this and other areas of second language acquisition (SLA) has failed more often than not to tie ''macrolevel phenomena'' (often of a cognitive nature, and documented quantitatively) with more ''microlevel phenomena'' (often of a more social nature, and documented qualitatively). The research I present here falls within this second approach. I document the progressFor lack of itFof 16 learners of Spanish as a second language during a 6-week stay in Argentina in a rather traditional way, by comparing accuracy ratings for the beginning and the end of the stay abroad, and show how the myth-shattering findings can be explained through the patterns in the qualitative data, which show the students' valiant struggle in a battle for which they were ill-equipped, in spite of at least 2 years of college instruction and a high level of motivation. The better-prepared students continued on the path they started on in the classroom; less prepared students could not stand on that scaffolding and did try to learn differently, but with disappointing results. This in turn suggests that a second myth about study abroad, that students abroad go through radically different learning processes compared to classroom learners at home, is also false. …

Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course. 3rd ed. by GASS, SUSAN, & LARRY SELINKER

Abstract: The article reviews the book "Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course," 3rd edition, by Larry Selinker and Susan Gass.

On the typological economy of syntactic transfer: Word order and relative clause high/low attachment preference in L3 Brazilian Portuguese

Abstract: One central question in the formal linguistic study of adult multilingual morphosyntax (i.e., L3/Ln acquisition) involves determining the role(s) the L1 and/or the L2 play(s) at the L3 initial state (e.g., Bardel & Falk, Second Language Research 23: 459–484, 2007; Falk & Bardel, Second Language Research: forthcoming; Flynn et al., The International Journal of Multilingualism 8: 3–16, 2004; Rothman, Second Language Research: forthcoming; Rothman & Cabrelli, On the initial state of L3 (Ln) acquisition: Selective or absolute transfer?: 2007; Rothman & Cabrelli Amaro, Second Language Research 26: 219–289, 2010). The present article adds to this general program, testing Rothman's (Second Language Research: forthcoming) model for L3 initial state transfer, which when relevant in light of specific language pairings, maintains that typological proximity between the languages is the most deterministic variable determining the selection of syntactic transfer. Herein, I present empirical evidence from the later part of the beginning stages of L3 Brazilian Portuguese (BP) by native speakers of English and Spanish, who have attained an advanced level of proficiency in either English or Spanish as an L2. Examining the related domains of syntactic word order and relative clause attachment preference in L3 BP, the data clearly indicate that Spanish is transferred for both experimental groups irrespective of whether it was the L1 or L2. These results are expected by Rothman's (Second Language Research: forthcoming) model, but not necessarily predicted by other current hypotheses of multilingual syntactic transfer; the implications of this are discussed.

Extended, Embodied Cognition and Second Language Acquisition

Abstract: A cognitivist approach to cognition has traditionally dominated second language acquisition (SLA) studies. In this article, I examine two alternative approaches—extended cognition and embodied cognition—for how they might help us conceptualize SLA. More specifically, I present: (i) summaries of extended and embodied cognition, followed by reasons why the two can be treated as a single, synthetic perspective; (ii) an approach to SLA grounded in an extended, embodied view of cognition—i.e. a sociocognitive approach—in three principles; and (iii) a naturally occurring example of extended, embodied cognition-for-SLA.

Key Terms in Second Language Acquisition

Abstract: The new edition of Key Terms in Second Language Acquisition defines the key terminology within second language acquisition, and also provides accessible summaries of the key issues within this complex area of study. The final section presents a list of key readings in second language acquisition that signposts the reader towards classic articles and also provides a springboard to further study. The whole book has been updated and expanded to take into account a wider range of theories and developments since the first edition. It remains at the top of its game. The text is accessibly written, with complicated terms and concepts explained in an easy to understand way. Key Terms in Second Language Acquisition is an essential resource for students.

The Role of L1 Transfer in the Interpretation of Articles with Definite Plurals in L2 English

Abstract: This study examines second language (L2) acquisition of the interpretation of plural noun phrases. Languages with articles differ in whether they use bare plurals (English) or definite plurals (Spanish) to express generic interpretation (Chierchia, 1998; Dayal, 2004; among others). It is hypothesized that Spanish-speaking learners of English transfer the interpretation of definite plurals from their native language. Results of a truth-value judgment task provide support for this hypothesis: Spanish speakers (N= 24) overaccepted the generic interpretation of English definite plurals to a greater extent than proficiency-matched speakers of Korean (N= 29), an articleless language. Results of a follow-up study further show that with advanced proficiency and increased immersion in the target language, Spanish-speaking learners of English (N= 11) were as targetlike as Korean-speaking learners of English (N= 9) on the interpretation of definite plurals, which suggests that recovery from first language transfer is possible. Implications of these findings for theories of L2 acquisition are discussed.

The Social Psychology of English as a Global Language: Attitudes, Awareness and Identity in the Japanese Context

Abstract: This ground-breaking work is a detailed account of an innovative and in-depth study of the attitudes of in excess of 500 Japanese learners towards a number of standard and non-standard as well as native and non-native varieties of English speech. The research conducted refines the investigation of learner attitudes by employing a range of pioneering techniques of attitude measurement. These methods are largely incorporated from the strong traditions that exist in the fields of social psychology and second language acquisition and utilize both direct and indirect techniques of attitude measurement. The author locates the findings in the context of the wealth of literature on native speaker evaluations of languages and language varieties. The study is unique in that the results provide clear evidence of both attitude change and high levels of linguistic awareness among the informants of social and geographical diversity within the English language. These findings are analyzed in detail in relation to the global spread of English as well as in terms of the pedagogical implications for the choice of linguistic model employed in English language classrooms both inside and outside Japan. The issues examined are of particular interest to educators, researchers and students in the fields of applied linguistics, TESOL, second language acquisition, social psychology of language and sociolinguistics. The pedagogical and language policy implications of the findings obtained make essential reading for those with a specific focus on the role of the English language and English language teaching, both in Japan and beyond.

The study of the role of the background languages in third language acquisition. The state of the art

Abstract: The aim of this article is to give an up-to-date picture of study of the role of the background languages (the first language, L1, and the second language, L2) in third language (L3) acquisition, mainly in the two areas of vocabulary and syntax. These seem to be the two linguistic levels on which there has so far been most research concerning cross-linguistic influence (CLI). Lexical CLI and syntactic transfer have in most cases been studied separately, but as we will see studies indicate that L3 learners seem to rely on both vocabulary and grammar from their background languages, at least to some extent. The role of the background languages in morphology and phonology has been less investigated in L3 studies, although there are a few studies that indicate that L3 performance can reflect activation of previously acquired languages at these linguistic levels too. The paper also includes a survey of neurolinguistic approaches to multilingualism and discusses how these findings can contribute to the understanding of transfer in L3 acquisition.

Teaching English to Young Learners

Abstract: This chapter provides an overview of current theoretical approaches and empirical research into the teaching of English as a second or foreign language to young learners. Like affect and aptitude, learning style and learning strategy are both complex concepts. The rapid growth in interest in the Teaching of English to Young Learners (TEYL) has been prompted, at least in part, by the emergence of English as the global language of the day. The young learner in general, and the young language learner in particular, has been variously defined, depending on writers' purposes. In relation to language acquisition, the hypothesis argues that for high-level mastery of a foreign language, study should be embarked upon before the onset of puberty. In considering the social context of second language acquisition, a distinction is traditionally drawn between the classroom and the world beyond the classroom: A general distinction can be made between 'natural' and 'educational' settings.