Showing papers on "Written language published in 2012"
01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: Two types of dyslexia (acquired and developmental) are discussed in this paper, with several possible causes explored, including phonological mediation, the sounding out of letters and words.
Abstract: Reading is the process by which individuals decode a written language. Readers must translate from a written language (an ‘orthography’) to the underlying sound-based components (the ‘phonology’). Learning to read involves knowledge of the phonetic structure of language, and skilled reading requires hundreds of hours of practice. Beginning readers rely on the process of phonological mediation, the sounding out of letters and words. Skilled readers can access the words directly and phonological mediation plays a smaller role. Two types of dyslexia (acquired and developmental) are discussed, with several possible causes explored.
578 citations
TL;DR: The authors investigated the relationship between components of aptitude and the fluency, accuracy, syntactic complexity and lexical variety of performance in two types of written and spoken narrative tasks and found that deductive ability and grammatical sensitivity were most strongly related to the accuracy and complexity of production.
Abstract: The study reported in this paper investigated the relationship between components of aptitude and the fluency, accuracy, syntactic complexity and lexical variety of performance in two types of written and spoken narrative tasks. We also addressed the question of how narrative performance varies in tasks of different cognitive complexity in the written and spoken modes. Our findings indicate a complex interaction between aptitude components and task performance under different conditions. The components of aptitude that seemed to be most strongly related to the accuracy and complexity of production were deductive ability and grammatical sensitivity. The results also show that in writing the participants used more varied vocabulary than in speech, but their performance was similar in terms of syntactic complexity.
136 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that English as a second language (ESL2L) students face many difficulties and stresses in their academic writing, such as difficulty distinguishing between spoken and written English, making an outline before writing a draft, identifying the skills needed for successful writing, and avoiding plague words and phrases.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine what difficulties King Saud University students encounter when learning to write academic English and to differentiate between students’ learning needs and objectives. The sample consisted of 50 postgraduate students enrolled in King Saud University during the academic year 2009-2010. Analysis of the data showed that English as a second language (ESL) students face many difficulties and stresses in their academic writing, such as difficulty distinguishing between spoken and written English, making an outline before writing a draft, identifying the skills needed for successful writing, and avoiding plague words and phrases.
123 citations
01 Jan 2012
119 citations
TL;DR: This article identified the most frequently used multi-word constructions (MWCs) of various types (e.g., idioms, lexical bundles, and phrasal/prepositional verbs) in general academic writing across the academic divisions of the corpora and examined their usage patterns.
107 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored the discursive construal of news values across the modalities of written language and image, with a focus on attitude/evaluation/stance, to gain a fuller understanding of how events are retold and made "newsworthy".
Abstract: In this article we explore the discursive construal of news values across the modalities of written language and image, with a focus on attitude/evaluation/stance. From this perspective, news values are not beliefs that journalist hold or criteria that they apply, they are values that are constructed by choices in language and image. We argue that attention needs to be paid to the contribution of both modalities to this construction to gain a fuller understanding of how events are retold and made ‘newsworthy’. We illustrate our ‘discursive’ approach to news values through close analysis of online reporting of the 2011 Queensland floods on smh.com.au (the website of The Sydney Morning Herald , an Australian metropolitan broadsheet newspaper). As will be seen, a discursive perspective on news values provides a framework that allows for systematic analysis of how such values are constructed in both words and images. It allows researchers to systematically examine how particular events are construed as newsworthy, what values are emphasised in news stories, and how language and image establish events as more or less newsworthy.
92 citations
TL;DR: This article examined written language bursts in a sample of 33 children aged 11 years with specific language impairment and found that children with specific LAs produced a shorter number of words in each burst than did the age-matched group but the same as the language skill-matching group.
Abstract: Writers typically produce their writing in bursts. In this article, the authors examine written language bursts in a sample of 33 children aged 11 years with specific language impairment. Comparisons of the children with specific language impairment with an age-matched group of typically developing children (n = 33) and a group of younger, language skill–matched children (n = 33) revealed the role of writing bursts as a key factor in differentiating writing competence. All the children produced the same number of writing bursts in a timed writing task. Children with specific language impairment produced a shorter number of words in each burst than did the age-matched group but the same as the language skill–matched group. For all groups, spelling accuracy and handwriting speed were significant predictors of burst length and text quality. The frequency of pauses at misspellings was related to shorter bursts. These results offer support to Hayes’s model of text generation; namely, burst length is constraine...
87 citations
TL;DR: This article explored the effects of written languaging by asking 24 Japanese learners of English to write out their own explanations in Japanese of the corrections they received on a draft they had written, and assessed the success of immediate subsequent text revisions.
Abstract: It has been argued that languaging plays a crucial role in learning a second language (L2). The effects of languaging, especially oral languaging (e.g., collaborative dialogue, private speech), have been tested on the learning of L2 knowledge domains. This study explored the effects of written languaging by asking 24 Japanese learners of English to write out their own explanations in Japanese of the corrections they received on a draft they had written. The effects of the type (e.g., grammar based vs. lexis based) of written languaging were then assessed by inspecting the success of immediate subsequent text revisions. Two major findings emerged. First, written languaging about direct feedback on linguistic errors in the first essay helped learners successfully correct these errors during immediate revision. Second, both lexis- and grammar-based written languaging were associated with improved accuracy. These findings support arguments that providing learners with the opportunity to language about or reflect on their developing linguistic knowledge in the course of L2 learning mediates L2 learning and development. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are also discussed.
79 citations
TL;DR: Results of this study suggest that exclusive use of analytic scores to select treatment goals and document writing progress may not translate into increased scores on writing rubrics, particularly for expository writing samples.
Abstract: Purpose Students with language-learning disabilities (LLD) demonstrate difficulties with written language, especially in the areas of productivity, complexity, and grammar. It is not clear how these deficits affect their performance on high-stakes tests, such as those required by the No Child Left Behind Act (U.S. Department of Education, 2002). This study used writing samples to compare how students with and without LLD scored on analytic writing measures that are typically used in writing research and on a more holistic measure of writing, the six-traits writing rubric (STWR; Education Northwest, 2006), which is used in high-stakes writing assessments. Method Fifty-six 4th and 5th graders with typical development (TD) or LLD produced 1 narrative and 1 expository writing sample. Measures of oral language ability and handwriting accuracy–speed were also obtained. The narrative and expository samples were scored using 5–6 separate analytic measures and 6 separate traits on the STWR. Results On narratives, ...
72 citations
TL;DR: Diabetes Australia believes optimal communication increases the motivation, health and well-being of people with diabetes, and that careless or negative language can be de-motivating, is often inaccurate, and can be harmful.
71 citations
TL;DR: This 1-year study expands on prior research by longitudinally examining the written language growth of 29 deaf middle-school students and the intervention's efficacy when used with students of various literacy levels.
Abstract: Nonstandard grammatical forms are often present in the writing of deaf students that are rarely, if ever, seen in the writing of hearing students. With the implementation of Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) in previous studies, students have demonstrated significant gains in high-level writing skills (e.g., text structure) but have also made gains with English grammar skills. This 1-year study expands on prior research by longitudinally examining the written language growth (i.e., writing length, sentence complexity, sentence awareness, and function words) of 29 deaf middle-school students. A repeated-measures analysis of variance with a between-subjects variable for literacy achievement level was used to examine gains over time and the intervention’s efficacy when used with students of various literacy levels. Students, whether high or low achieving, demonstrated statistically significant gains with writing length, sentence complexity, and sentence awareness. Subordinate clauses were found to be an area of difficulty, and follow up strategies are suggested. An analysis of function word data, specifically prepositions and articles, revealed different patterns of written language growth by language group (e.g., American Sign Language users, oral students, users of English-based sign).
TL;DR: This randomized controlled trial is one of the first investigations to evaluate a collaborative intervention that links changes in mainstream secondary teachers' instructional language practices with improvements in the language abilities of adolescents with LI.
Abstract: Purpose This study evaluated the efficacy of a collaborative intervention where a speech-language pathologist (SLP) trained mainstream secondary school teachers to make modifications to their oral and written instructional language. The trained teachers' uptake of techniques in their whole-class teaching practices and the impact this had on the language abilities of students with language impairment (LI) were evaluated. Method Two secondary schools were randomly assigned to either a trained or a control condition. A cohort of 13 teachers (7 trained and 6 control) and 43 Year 8 students with LI (21 trained and 22 control) were tested at pre, post, and follow-up times—teachers by structured interview and students by standardized spoken and written language assessments. Results Significantly increased use of the language modification techniques by the trained teachers was observed when compared to the control group of untrained teachers, with this increased use maintained over time. Results from the trained ...
TL;DR: This article investigated the relationship between first language (L1) typology, defined as the classification of languages according to their structural characteristics (e.g. phonological systems and writing systems), and the development of second (L2) and third (L3) language skills and literacy proficiency in multilingual children.
Abstract: The relationship between first language (L1) typology, defined as the classification of languages according to their structural characteristics (e.g. phonological systems and writing systems), and the development of second (L2) and third (L3) language skills and literacy proficiency in multilingual children was investigated in this study. The sample included 90 children in Grade 4: tested once at the beginning of Grade 4 (T1) and again at the end of Grade 4 (T2). The children belonged to one of three language groups: English monolinguals, multilinguals who were literate in an alphabetic L1, and multilinguals who were literate in a logographic/syllabary L1. The study examined the extent to which the development of L2 and L3 literacy skills varied primarily as a function of orthographic similarities with the L1. Results revealed that multilingual children who were literate in an alphabetic L1 showed advantages in L2 and L3 reading comprehension. However, there were no differences on tasks that measured word...
TL;DR: Findings from the National Standards Project of the National Autism Center are summarized, which identified 11 types of treatment, 8 of which address communication and both contemporary behavioral approaches and naturalistic developmental approaches are included.
TL;DR: It is indicated that spoken language performance is strongly predictive of reading/spelling profile in individuals with PPA and it is suggested that common networks of critical left hemisphere regions support central semantic and phonological processes recruited for spoken and written language.
Abstract: Connectionist theories of language propose that written language deficits arise as a result of damage to semantic and phonological systems that also support spoken language production and comprehension, a view referred to as the "primary systems" hypothesis. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the primary systems account in a mixed group of individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) by investigating the relation between measures of nonorthographic semantic and phonological processing and written language performance and by examining whether common patterns of cortical atrophy underlie impairments in spoken versus written language domains. Individuals with PPA and healthy controls were administered a language battery, including assessments of semantics, phonology, reading, and spelling. Voxel-based morphometry was used to examine the relation between gray matter volumes and language measures within brain regions previously implicated in semantic and phonological processing. In accordance with the primary systems account, our findings indicate that spoken language performance is strongly predictive of reading/spelling profile in individuals with PPA and suggest that common networks of critical left hemisphere regions support central semantic and phonological processes recruited for spoken and written language.
01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: The authors explored the contribution of linguistic landscape research to the understanding of the dynamics of minority language situations, with an explicit focus on Europe, and pointed out that the aspect of the visibility of minority languages in public space has received too little attention in traditional minority language research.
Abstract: Being visible may be as important for minority languages as being heard. Traditional research on minority languages focuses on language maintenance and language shift, on language endangerment and revitalization, on language transmission in the family, on education, and on language policies in other social domains such as the media. Although literacy has become an important issue also for speakers of minority languages, much less attention has been given to the written displays of minority languages in the public space. In this volume, our aim is to explore the contribution of linguistic landscape research to the understanding of the dynamics of minority language situations, with an explicit focus on Europe. We wish to add a new perspective to the long history of studies of linguistic minorities, because we believe the aspect of the visibility of minority languages in public space has received too little attention in traditional minority language research. The linguistic landscape approach seems particularly appropriate for a number of reasons. First, it adopts an all-encompassing view on written language in the public space, paying attention to all signs, rather than limiting its scope to the study of predominantly one type of signs. Second, linguistic landscape research not only studies the signs, but it investigates as well who initiates, creates, places and reads them. Moreover, linguistic landscape research as presented in this volume looks at how the linguistic landscape is manipulated — consciously or unconsciously — in order to confirm or to resist existing or presumed language prestige patterns and hierarchies.
TL;DR: The typography of written language not only serves as a conduit of verbal narrative, but also serves as visual element and semiotic resource with its own meaning potentials as mentioned in this paper, in conjunction with an ana...
Abstract: >The typography of written language not only serves as a conduit of verbal narrative, it serves as a visual element and semiotic resource with its own meaning potentials. In conjunction with an ana...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors share the authors' work with first graders and how, through various reading, writing, and art experiences around picturebooks, the children learned to read and communicate through art along with written language.
Abstract: This article shares the authors' work with first graders and how, through various reading, writing, and art experiences around picturebooks, the children learned to read and communicate through art along with written language. The work is grounded in multimodality theory and the belief that all modes (particularly art for the purposes of this article) are equally valid and significant ways of communicating meaning. The article provides examples of experiences with the picturebooks I Love My New Toy and Guji Guji of how the children came to understand the language of art. Insights from this work that are discussed include that young children can and do think and read multimodally, that understanding art as an equally valid mode of communication, along with written language, provides children with additional pathways through which to construct meaning, and that art is a valid language that needs to be valued and taught.
24 Sep 2012
TL;DR: For instance, Tardy and Matsuda as discussed by the authors have pointed out that the debate over the notion of voice has tended to be caught in a simplistic individual-social dichotomy, and that voice plays an important role in advanced academic literacy.
Abstract: Voice in written language — a metaphorical concept capturing the sense of author identity that comes through when readers interact with texts — has intrigued many writing teachers and researchers. While some teachers regard voice to be an essential feature of good writing, others consider it to be unnecessary, if not distracting, especially in the context of academic and professional writing. One of the most obvious reasons for this discrepancy is the varied conception of voice. In the early years, voice was conceptualized in individualistic terms, focusing on the expression of authentic self (Elbow, 1968; Stewart, 1969, 1972). This perspective has often been at odds with social-constructionist views of voice that emphasize the normative aspects of language use (Cope and Kalantzis, 1993; Hyland, 2008). There are more recent, social-constructivist conceptions of voice that see individual and social voice to be mutually constitutive and inevitable (Ivanic, 1998; Ivanic and Camps, 2001; Matsuda, 2001; Prior, 2001). Studies using a social-constructivist definition of voice (Matsuda, 2001) have shown that voice plays an important role in advanced academic literacy (Matsuda and Tardy, 2007; Tardy and Matsuda, 2009). Yet, as Tardy (this volume) has pointed out, the debate over the notion of voice has tended to be caught in a simplistic individual—social dichotomy.
TL;DR: The study suggested that when using mobile devices as training tools, the provision of written text facilitates the acquisition of information but not the schema construction of the English listening comprehension skill.
Abstract: This study investigated the effects of simultaneous written text on the comprehension of spoken English as a foreign language, when the text is presented with the aid of a personal digital assistant (PDA) as a learning tool. Eighty-seven university students majoring in applied foreign languages were randomly assigned to either listening with auditory materials only, or listening with identical and concurrent written text. Performance efficiency was used to provide a better indicator of the quality of learning. The results revealed that for learners with lower English levels, the presence of concurrent written text elicited higher performance efficiency in the immediate recall task of the English listening comprehension. However, the beneficial effect of the written text did not extend to the subsequent auditory-only passage. The study suggested that when using mobile devices as training tools, the provision of written text facilitates the acquisition of information but not the schema construction of the English listening comprehension skill.
TL;DR: The authors examined the comprehension of L2 learners of Spanish who either attended to lexical or grammatical forms while reading for meaning or read for meaning alone, and found that learners who processed these forms more deeply evidenced greater comprehension.
Abstract: The aims of the present study were twofold. The study addressed the issues of simultaneous attention to form and meaning in second language (L2) written input and reactivity of think-alouds. Specifically, the study examined the comprehension of L2 learners of Spanish who either attended to lexical or grammatical forms while reading for meaning or read for meaning alone. Learners completed these tasks while either thinking aloud or not. Results indicated only a minimal effect for thinking aloud that did not appear to compromise the internal validity of the study. Additionally, results showed that attending to grammatical or lexical form while reading for meaning did not affect comprehension. Indeed, learners who processed these forms more deeply evidenced greater comprehension. These findings are considered in light of methodological issues and the larger issue of simultaneous attention to form and meaning in a L2.
13 Jan 2012
TL;DR: The aim of this pioneering volume is to advance the understanding of written language learning in instructed second/foreign languageacquisition (SLA) through a collection of empirical studies in which the contribution of diverse theoretical perspectives to the authors' understanding of L2 writing development is explored.
Abstract: The aim of this pioneering volume is to advance our understanding of written language learning in instructed second/foreign languageacquisition (SLA). This is achieved through a collection of empirical studies in which the contribution of diverse theoretical perspectives to our understanding of L2 writing development is explored. The volume will be of great interest to academics in the disciplines of SLA and second/foreign language (L2) writing.
TL;DR: In this paper, a multiple-probe, multiple-baseline, across-subjects design was used to examine the writing performance of four low-achieving adult students with and without disabilities enrolled in general equivalency diploma (GED) preparatory classes.
Abstract: A multiple-probe, multiple-baseline, across-subjects design was used to examine the writing performance of four low-achieving adult students with and without disabilities enrolled in general equivalency diploma (GED) preparatory classes. Students’ writing was evaluated before instruction and after self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) instruction for the POW (Pick my idea–pay attention to the prompt, Organize, Write and say more) + TREE (Topic sentence, Reasons, Explanations, Ending) + COPS (Capitalize, Organize, Punctuate, Sense) strategies. Results following the instruction indicated that students had learned to independently write expository essays. The number of essay parts and transition words increased, demonstrating evidence of organized essays. The number of words written and descriptive word use also increased. Gains were maintained on maintenance probes. All students who took the GED exam passed the essay-writing portion following the intervention.
TL;DR: This paper examined the relationship among multiple components of language, namely, phonology, morphology, and vocabulary and reading outcomes in 83 bilingual English-Arabic children and found associations between phonological awareness skills across English and Arabic.
Abstract: The connection between language and reading is well established across many languages studied to date. Little is known, however, about the role of language in reading in Arabic—a Semitic language characterized by diglossia—in which the oral and written varieties differ across language components. This study examined the relationship among multiple components of language, namely, phonology, morphology, and vocabulary and reading outcomes in 83 bilingual English-Arabic children. Results revealed associations between phonological awareness skills across English and Arabic. These associations did not hold for morphological awareness skills. Results also revealed that for Arabic and English, phonological awareness predicted word and pseudoword reading accuracy and vocabulary predicted reading comprehension. These findings are consistent with the tenets of the extended version of the Triangle Model of reading, which underscores the importance of multiple language components in predicting reading outcomes. Implications for future research, early intervention, and instruction with bilingual children are highlighted.
TL;DR: In this paper, a genetic, typological and sociolinguistic description of South Korea?s national language and an overview of minority languages, including English as well as other languages, recently transported into the country by migrant workers and foreign brides are presented.
Abstract: This monograph discusses South Korea?s language situation in a language policy and planning context. This monograph consists of four parts. Part 1 presents a genetic, typological and sociolinguistic description of South Korea?s national language, and an overview of minority languages, including English as well as other languages, recently transported into the country by migrant workers and foreign brides. Also included is information on the native writing system called Hankul. Part 2 focuses on language spread and maintenance through the national education system and other means. Part 3 concerns the major issues in South Korea?s language planning and policy, including orthographic reforms, lexical purification, the use and teaching of Chinese characters, digitization of Korean, and ?linguistic reunification? of North and South Korea. The final part of the monograph explores future prospects of South Korea?s language policy, some of the major issues being the ?linguistic reunification? of North and South K...
04 May 2012
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a model of writing Chinese characters: Data from Acquired Dysgraphia and writing development, which they use to assess the writing skills of college students.
Abstract: D.D. Preiss, E. Mambrino, E.L. Grigorenko, Preface. Part 1. The Origins of Writing. D. Schmandt-Besserat, Tokens as Precursors of Writing. A. Lock, M. Gers, The Cultural Evolution of Written Language and Its Effects: A Darwinian Process from Prehistory to The Modern Day. D. Olson, Language, Literacy and Mind: The Literacy Hypothesis. Part 2. Writing and Human Development. J. Zins, S.R. Hooper, The Inter-Relationship of Child Development and Written Language Development. V.W. Berninger, L. Chanqouy, What Writing Is and How It Changes Across Early and Middle Childhood Development: A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective. T.L. Richards, V.W. Berninger, M. Fayol, The Writing Brain of Normal Child Writers and Children with Writing Disabilities: Generating Ideas and Transcribing Them through the Orthographic Loop. Part 3. Working Memory and Expertise in Writing. R.T. Kellogg, A.P. Whiteford, The Development of Writing Expertise. T. Olive, Writing and Working Memory: A Summary of Theories and Findings. M. Fayol, J.N. Foulin, S. Maggio, B. Lete, Towards a Dynamic Approach of How Children and Adults Manage Text Production. D.L. Coker, Jr., Descriptive Writing. Part 4. The Teaching of Writing. M. Chuy, M. Scardamalia, C. Bereiter, Development of Writing through Knowledge Building: Theoretical and Empirical Bases. J. Randi, T. Newman, L. Jarvin, Creative Writing as Assessment of Content. C.R. Fallahi, Improving the Writing Skills of College Students. J.S. Hedgcock, Second Language Writing Processes Among Adolescent and Adult Learners. Part 5. Creativity and Emotions in Writing. J. Piirto, Themes in the Lives of Creative Writers. J.C. Kaufman, J.D. Sexton, A.E. White, The Creative Writer and Mental Health: The Importance of Domains and Style. M. Tan, J. Randi, B. Barbot, C. Levenson, L. Friedlaender, E.L. Grigorenko, Seeing, Connecting, Writing: Developing Creativity and Narrative Writing in Children. P. Smagorinsky, E.A. Daigle, The Role of Affect in Students' Writing for School. Part 6. Disorder of Written Language: Diagnostic Criteria, Prevalence, and Biological Bases. A. Ardila, Neuropsychology of Writing. E. Mambrino, Written Expression's Neuropsychological Nexus (WENN): A Working Clinical Theory. J. Reich, E.L. Grigorenko, The Effect of Language and Orthography On Writing Disabilities and the Necessity for Cross-Linguistic Research. M. Leung, S. Law. R. Fung, H. Lui, B.S. Weekes, A Model of Writing Chinese Characters: Data From Acquired Dysgraphia and Writing Development. Part 7. The Diagnosis and Assessment of Writing as a Skill and a Competence. J. Lee, L. Stankov, Large-Scale Writing Assessment: New Approaches Adopted In the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). J. Manzi, P. Flotts, D.D. Preiss, Design of a College-Level Test of Written Communication: Theoretical and Methodological Challenges. Part 8. Testimonials. R. Couch, Burning Down the House: Ethics and Reception in Poetry Translation. J. Felstiner, Bringing Redemption to the World: A Translation Sampler. A. Jeftanovic, A Narrator's Testimony Between Reading, Writing, and Displacements. G.J. Rose, The Story Behind My Being A Writer. R.J. Sternberg, Twelve Hundred Publications Later: Reflections on a Career of Writing in Psychology.
TL;DR: This article explored the viability of automated semantic tagging as a tool of cultural analysis comparing American and British English using the Brown family of corpora, and concluded that computerised semantic tagging can offer a wider reaching and more scientific comparison of language patterns.
Abstract: This paper explores the viability of automated semantic tagging as a tool of cultural analysis comparing American and British English using the Brown family of corpora. Pairs of corpora representing written language production from circa 1961, 1991 and 2006 were contrasted by comparing key semantic tags. This method was then evaluated in relation to three earlier studies which attempted to uncover cultural differences via assigning keywords to ad hoc categories. After outlining the differences found, we conclude that computerised semantic tagging can offer a wider reaching and more scientific comparison of language patterns. However, we suggest that this method is most appropriate as a starting point for a more in-depth cultural analysis, rather than as a final or certain indication of cultural change.
TL;DR: It is important for teachers to expand their concept of academic language instruction to include approaches emphasizing explicit language instruction and plentiful opportunities for oral and written language practice that show promise for assuring that ELs can develop academic language proficiency.
Abstract: The concept of academic language (also referred to as academic English) has developed substantially in the 30 years since Cummins introduced the distinction between basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). Cummins’ (1979, 1981, 2000a) work explains why English language learners (ELs) may acquire basic conversational fluency in English quickly but require substantially longer to acquire academic language. The BICS/CALP framework has also influenced pedagogy, particularly by promoting highly contextualized teaching of academic content. More recent work drawing on linguistic approaches, including corpus linguistics and Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), provides insights into the specific features of language used in school settings. Pedagogical approaches emphasizing explicit language instruction and plentiful opportunities for oral and written language practice show promise for assuring that ELs can develop academic language proficiency. Given the need to address the academic achievement of the growing population of ELs, it is important for teachers to expand their concept of academic language instruction to include these approaches.
TL;DR: This paper examined bilingual lexical access among bilinguals whose two languages have distinct scripts and found a simultaneous activation of the non-target language in a monolingual task, suggesting non-selective lexical attention in bilinguals.
Abstract: Lexical access in bilinguals is known to be largely non-selective. However, most studies in this area have involved bilinguals whose two languages share the same script. This study aimed to examine bilingual lexical access among bilinguals whose two languages have distinct scripts. Korean–English bilinguals were tested in a phoneme monitoring task in their first or second language. The results showed a simultaneous activation of the non-target language in a monolingual task, suggesting non-selective lexical access even among bilinguals whose two languages do not share the same script. Language dominance did not affect the pattern of results.
TL;DR: The authors investigated the syntactic ability of 82 struggling adult readers who recognize words between the third and fifth grade levels and found that they were deficient on syntactic task, however their other oral language skills did not individually predict reading comprehension.
Abstract: This study investigated the syntactic ability of 82 struggling adult readers who recognize words between the third and fifth grade levels. Analysis of the adults’ performance on the TOLD-I:3 indicated that they were deficient on the syntactic task. Correlations found the struggling adult readers’ oral language skills, written language skills, and reading comprehension skills to be related. A regression analyses indicated that the adults’ syntactic knowledge did not individually predict reading comprehension, however their other oral language skills did. The findings of this study suggest that the adults performed similar to children who are either learning to read or considered poor readers. This study also contributes to the adult literacy field by providing exploratory information on an area (syntax and struggling adult readers) that is lacking.