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1
Yamada, Yoshiko. "Automaticity and effects of language proficiency on syntactic processing /." view abstract or download file of text, 2006. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=null&did=1115121031&SrchMode=5&Fmt=2&retrieveGroup=0&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1166636580&clientId=11238.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2006.<br>Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 235-258). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.
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Caissie, Roland. "English verb phrase grammar prototypes for speakers of other languages : a cognitive approach to facilitate second language English composition /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/9351.
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Chiu, Lai-wan Hazel. "Consciousness-raising and the acquisition of grammar." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1999. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B21161823.
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Randall, Janet H. "Morphological structure and language acquisition." New York : Garland, 1985. http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/12237695.html.
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Prévost, Philippe 1966. "Truncation in second language acquisition." Thesis, McGill University, 1997. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=34766.
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In this thesis, I argue that early child second language (L2) grammars allow truncation, on a par with proposals by Rizzi (1993/1994) and Haegeman (1995) for first language (L1) acquisition. This account (the Truncation Hypothesis) holds that Rizzi's (1994) Root Principle, according to which root declaratives are CPs, is initially underspecified in L2 systems (for processing reasons). This means that the root of main declaratives will not systematically be CP. Instead, different types of roots should be projected, such as CP, IP or VP, with VP underlying root infinitives. If one further assumes that functional categories are present in early grammars, the possibility of truncation can thus account for optionality of verb-movement and finiteness in early SLA, and more generally for why such categories seem to be optionally projected initially (Vainikka & Young-Scholten, 1994; 1996; Eubank, 1992; 1993/1994; 1996).<br>Predictions based on the Truncation Hypothesis were tested against longitudinal spontaneous production data from child and adult L2 learners. There were two child and two adult learners of L2 French (whose L1s were English and Arabic) and two child two adult learners of L2 German (native speakers of Romance pro-drop languages). The findings suggest that the distribution of finite and nonfinite verbs is structurally determined in L2 child grammar, i.e. tenseless verbs only appear when VP is the root, while finite verbs are found when functional categories are projected. This in turn means that children project truncated structures in early L2 acquisition. I argue that no other theory of the nature of early L2 grammars is able to account for the full range of properties of the child L2 data.<br>The adult data are less conclusive concerning the possibility of truncation in adult L2 grammars. In particular, the learners seem to use infinitival markers as substitutes for finite inflections, which means that nonfinite verbs are found in contexts which are not predicted by the Truncation Hypothesis. The difference between the child and adult learners is attributed to problems that adults may have in mapping the syntactic and morphological systems (Lardiere, 1996), and not to a discrepancy in syntactic knowledge.
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Umeda, Mari. "Second language acquisition of Japanese wh-constructions." Thesis, McGill University, 2008. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=112128.
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Note:<br>This dissertation investigates the second language (L2) acquisition of Japanese wh-constructions by Chinese- and English-speaking learners. The focus of this study is twofold; first, it examines whether parameter resetting is possible in L2 acquisition, as both Chinese and English wh-constructions are parametrically different from Japanese wh-constructions. Second, it examines whether parameter resetting is affected by the learners' first language (Ll). Not only do Chinese and English wh-constructions differ from Japanese wh-constructions, but they also differ from each other. Chinese is, like Japanese, a wh-in-situ language, while English is a wh-movement language. Chinese wh-constructions, therefore, can be said to be more similar to Japanese wh-constructions than English wh-constructions. It is investigated whether the similarity between Chinese and Japanese and dissimilarity between English and Japanese affect the course and/or the ultimate attainment in the acquisition ofwh-constructions in Japanese.[...]<br>Cette dissertation enquete sur l’acquisition des constructions wh du japonais appris comme langue seconde (L2) par les anglophones et les sinophones. Le point de mire de cette etude est double. Dans un premier temps, elle cherche a savoir si le changement parametrique est possible en acquisition L2, puisque les constructions wh de l’anglais et du chinois sont parametriquement opposees a celles du japonais. Deuxiemement, elle cherche a savoir si le changement parametrique est affecte par 1a langue matemelle de l’apprenant. Non seulement les constructions wh de l’anglais et du chinois sont differentes de celles du japonais, elles different egalement l’une de l’autre. Le chinois, comme le japonais, est une langue wh-in-situ, alors que l’anglais est une langue a movement wh. Les constructions wh du chinois peuvent done etre decrites comme etant plus semblables a celles du japonais qu’a celles de l’anglais. Ce travail cherche a sa voir si la similarite entre le chino is et le japonais et la dissimilarite entre l’anglais et le japonais ont un effet sur le processus et/ou le resultat final de 1’acquisition de ces constructions en japonais.[...]
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Thompson, Cynthia Ann. "Semantic lexicon acquisition for learning natural language interfaces /." Digital version accessible at:, 1998. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/main.
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Lugoloobi-Nalunga, Maureen. "Teaching English grammar : A study of approaches to formal grammar instruction in the subject English in Swedish upper secondary school." Thesis, Karlstads universitet, Institutionen för språk, litteratur och interkultur, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-65459.
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The main aim of the present study was to identify examples of practical grammar instruction methods in an EFL/ESL classroom in Swedish upper secondary school. Data was collected through classroom observations and interviews. Four interview sessions were carried out with five teachers, and twelve observations were conducted in four different English classes. There are conflicting views and attitudes towards the role and place of grammar in EFL/ESL classrooms, but the participants agreed that the main goal of grammar instruction is to help students develop communicative skills. The interview results showed that four of the participants prefer inductive approaches, while the fifth regards deductive approaches as more effective. Characteristics such as student motivation, learning style, and experiences are considered equally vital for the choice of grammar instruction and application. The grammar instruction methods chosen and discussed are based on traditional structuralism, behaviourism, and the progressive natural approaches. Consistent with previous research, an eclectic grammar instruction approach was observed that blends both implicit and explicit methods to meet different learners’ needs. The methodologies which are often practically applied include grammartranslation, audiolingualism, and content- and/or task-based instruction. Nevertheless, a communicative framework using the communicative language teaching methodologies is often in the foreground, resulting in a Systemic Functional Grammar, SFG, approach.<br>Huvudsyftet med den aktuella studien var att identifieraexempel på praktiska grammatikundervisningsmetoder som används i ämnet engelska som andra- och/eller främmandespråk på gymnasienivå i Sverige. Data samlades in genom klassobservationer och intervjuer. Fyra intervjusessioner genomfördes med fem lärare och det gjordes även tolv klassrumobservationer i fyra olika klasser. Deltagarna hade motstridiga åsikter och attityder angående grammatikens roll och plats i klassrummet, men de var överens om att huvudsyftet med grammatikundervisning är att hjälpa eleverna att utveckla kommunikativa färdigheter. Intervjuresultaten visar att fyra av lärarna föredrar induktiva metoder, medan den femte betraktar deduktiva ansatser som effektivare. Egenskaper såsom lärstil, elevernas motivation och erfarenheter betraktas som lika avgörande för olika metodval och tillämpning. De valda grammatikundervisningsmetoderna som diskuteras i denna uppsats baseras på traditionell strukturalism, behaviorism samt de progressiva, naturliga tillvägsgångsätten. Ett eklektiskt tillvägagångssätt som blandar både implicita och explicita metoder för att möta elevernas behov observeras, vilket är i linje med tidigare forskning. De metoder som ofta praktiskt tillämpas innefattar bland annat grammatik-översättning, audiolingualism samt innehålls- och/eller uppgiftsbaserade instruktioner. Ett kommunikativt ramverk med kommunikativa språkundervisningsmetoder är ofta i förgrunden, vilket resulterar i ett tillvägsgångsätt med fokus på systematisk funktionell grammatik, SFG.
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Draine, Sean C. "Analytic limitations of unconscious language processing /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/9143.
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O'Neal, Carol. "The acquisition of consonants in first language development." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2014. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/51350/.
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This thesis reports on the longitudinal study of consonant production in fifteen typically-developing monolingual children living in the south-east of England acquiring non-rhotic accents of British English. The data relate to the consonant patterns found in spontaneous speech production as recorded in individual diaries kept by caregivers. The study follows two lines of enquiry. Firstly, the speech data are analysed to chart the emergence of English consonants in relation to phonemic targets. Separate analysis of the production of initial and final singletons and cluster consonants is undertaken. This reveals word-position asymmetries in the production of consonants and consonant classes, and identifies the classes and the contexts in which consonants are most avoided. Secondly, the speech data are analysed further for evidence of word-position bias in the use of the simplification processes identified in O'Neal (1998) as features of two discrete phonological profiles. Children who demonstrate tendencies towards either of these profiles in their patterns of consonant deletion, fronting, stopping and reduplication are identified, and their profiles compared and contrasted with those of other monolingual English-learning children.
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Chiu, Lai-wan Hazel, and 趙麗雲. "Consciousness-raising and the acquisition of grammar." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1999. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31945004.
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Slabakova, Roumyana. "Zero acquisition : second language acquisition of the parameter of aspect." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp02/NQ44589.pdf.
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Brown, Cynthia A. 1967. "Acquisition of segmental structure : consequences for speech perception and second language acquisition." Thesis, McGill University, 1997. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=34704.
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Through an investigation of the acquisition of feature geometric representations in first and second language acquisition, this dissertation demonstrates how the Feature Geometry theory contained in Universal Grammar actively guides and constrains the acquisition of segmental representations by children. In addition, it demonstrates how the mature feature geometry in a speaker's mental grammar restricts the range of nonnative phonemic contrasts that he or she will be sensitive to in the input and, hence, able to acquire as an L2 learner.<br>Three related areas of research are explored and integrated in this work: first, a theoretical study explores the feature-geometric representation of sonorant and non-sonorant laterals, based on their behavior in a variety of phonological processes cross-linguistically, and suggests that [lateral] is not a phonological feature, but rather that laterality is a phonetic property that derives from a specific feature-geometric representation; second, an experimental study investigates the acquisition of phonemic contrasts by English children and demonstrates that segmental representations are acquired in a uniform order that is consistent with properties of Feature Geometry; finally, a series of experimental studies examines the perception and acquisition of the English /l-r/, /b-v/, /p-f/, /f-v/ and /s-theta/ contrasts by native speakers of Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Korean.<br>The findings from each of these studies are synthesized to obtain a comprehensive picture of how segmental representations are acquired and how this L1 knowledge impinges on the acquisition of L2 phonemes: it is argued that the monotonic acquisition of feature-geometric structure by young children restricts their sensitivity to particular non-native contrasts, and the continued operation of this existing feature geometry in adult speech perception constrains which non-native contrasts adult learners will be sensitive to in the L2 input and, therefore, capable of acquiring; the circumstances in which the native grammar facilitates perception of non-native contrasts and in which acquisition is possible are also discussed.
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Thompson, Jeremy Paul. "Learning biblical hebrew vocabulary : insights from second language vocabulary acquisition." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/17819.
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Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2011.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Though Biblical Hebrew (=BH) is no longer a spoken language, students continue to learn it for the
purpose of reading, or at least interacting at a deeper level, with the text of the Hebrew Bible. This
suggests that BH shares with any modern language learning course the goal of learning to read. One
important part of learning to read is the acquisition of an adequate number of vocabulary items. The
purpose of this study is to determine which insights from Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition
(=SLVA) research and related fields hold the most promise for a new — and possibly more effective
— approach to learning BH vocabulary, to evaluate currently existing BH instructional materials in
light of these insights, to develop a new approach based on these insights, and to test aspects of the
new approach empirically.
Researchers in SLVA have uncovered a number of helpful insights concerning how vocabulary and
vocabulary learning should be defined as well as concerning how vocabulary is best learned. On the
other hand, BH instructional materials reflect little to no influence from these insights. These
materials have continued to define vocabulary narrowly as individual words and continued to
conceive of vocabulary learning primarily as pairing form and meaning in contrast to the much more
sophisticated definitions found in the SLVA literature. For example, SLVA researchers consider items
beyond the word level, such as idioms, to be vocabulary (Moon 1997; Lewis 1993, 1997). BH
instructional materials have also failed to include a significant number of beneficial Vocabulary
Learning Strategies (=VLSs), while including some VLSs that are either intrinsically problematic or
problematic in the ways they are employed. For example, the strategy of learning semantically related
items together is common in BH instructional materials, though it has been shown to be problematic
in a considerable number of experimental studies (e.g. Nation 2000; Finkbeiner & Nicol 2003;
Papathanasiou 2009).
Since SLVA research has yet to influence BH instructional materials, a new approach to BH
vocabulary learning is warranted. This new approach is based on sound theory concerning what
vocabulary is and what it means to learn it, while offering learners as many helpful strategies for
learning lexical items as possible. To justify this new approach, a set of experimental studies was run
including one longitudinal case study and three larger-scale experiments. This testing was partial in
nature since it was only possible to test one variable at a time. The testing revealed a number of
important areas for future research into BH vocabulary learning.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Alhoewel Bybelse Hebreeus (=BH) nie meer gepraat word nie, hou studente aan om dit aan te leer vir
die doel om te lees, of ten minste om op ‘n dieper vlak met die oorspronklike teks van die Hebreeuse Bybel om te gaan. Dit impliseer dat die aanleer van BH net soos met die aanleer van moderne tale, ten doel het om die taal te kan lees. Een belangrike aspek van om te leer lees, is om die woordeskat aan
te leer wat vir hierdie doel nodig is. Die doel van hierdie studie is om vas te stel watter insigte, verkry
uit Tweede Taal Woordeskat-Aanleer (=TTWA) navorsing en ander verwante studievelde, die meeste
belofte inhou vir ‘n nuwe – en moontlik meer effektiewe – benadering tot die leer van BH
woordeskat; om huidige BH leermateriaal te evalueer, in lig van hierdie insigte; om ‘n nuwe
benadering te ontwikkel gebaseer op hierdie insigte; en om aspekte van die nuwe benadering empiries toets. Navorsers in TTWA het al heelwat insig verkry in hoe woordeskat en die aanleer van woordeskat
gedefineer behoort te word, sowel as aangaande die mees effektiewe maniere waarop woordeskat
aangeleer kan word. Dit lyk egter of beskikbare BH leermanier niks of baie min by hierdie insigte
baatgevind het. Hierdie materiaal handhaaf tipies ‘n baie nou definisie van wat woordeskat is, te
wete, individuele woorde. Dit beskou dus die aanleer van woordeskat as die aanleer van hoofsaaklik
woordpare met verskillende vorme en betekenisse, in plaas daarvan om die meer gesofistikeerde
definisies te gebruik wat in TTWA literatuur gevind word. TTWA navorsers beskou, byvoorbeelde
idiome, wat uit meer as een woord kan bestaan, ook as woordskat-eenhede (Moon 1997; Lewis 1993,
1997). BH leermateriaal gebruik selde van die groot getal beskikbare nuttige Woordeskat Leer-
Strategieë (=WLS). Daar word eerder dikwels strategieë gebruik wat volgens TTWA navorsing nie
baie effektief is nie.’n Goeie voorbeeld in hierdie verband is die strategie om semanties-verwante
items saam te leer. Empiriese navorsing het aangetoon dat hierdie strategie sonder twyfel problematies
kan wees (bv. Nation 2000; Finkbeiner & Nicol 2003; Papathanasiou 2009).
Aangesien TTWA feitelik nog geen beduidende invloed op BH leermateriaal gehad het, is ‘n nuwe
benadering tot die aanleer van BH woordeskat waarin TTWA insigte verreken word, geregverdig.
Hierdie nuwe benadering is gebaseer op ‘n deeglik begrondige teoriese model aangaande wat
woordeskat is, en wat dit beteken om dit te leer. Verder kan geput word uit die skat van nuttige
strategieë wat al in TTWS geïdentifiseer is om sodoende aan BH leerder strategieë te bied wat
hulleself al bewys het. Om die nuwe benadering empiries te begrond, is ‘n reeks eksperimentele
studies geloods. Nie alle aspekte van die nuwe model kon sistematies getoets word nie. Die grondslag
vir verdere navorsing is egter gelê.
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Pocock, Simon James. "Prepositions, syntax and the acquisition of English as a foreign language." Thesis, University of London, 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.243437.
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Cao, Xuexin. "The acquisition of double-gapped relatives in Chinese: Grammar and processing." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/28978.
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This dissertation is an acquisition study of double-gap relatives in Chinese, developed under the thesis of subject-object asymmetry as postulated in Huang (1984). Two sets of act-out experiments were conducted. The first experiment tested covert-binder relatives, i.e. double gap relatives with the binder of their non-head EC unmentioned in the sentence. This type of relative was presented in two contexts: pragmatically neutral vs. biased conditions. Assuming that in the absence of pragmatic bias there is a requirement for the head of a double gap relative to be construed as the object of the relative, it was speculated that the provision of a topic NP might produce a swing towards the head of the relative being construed as the relative subject. Under this speculation, it was predicted that there would be a higher proportion of subject interpretation of the relative head in the pragmatically enriched condition than in the neutral condition. The second experiment is a follow-up, testing overt-binder relative, i.e. double gap relatives with either an overt matrix subject or topic as a potential binder of their non-head EC of the relative. The prediction here was that while a subject interpretation of the head for a subject-binder relative should be linguistically blocked, the head of a topic-binder relative was allowed to be interpreted either as the null subject or as the null object of the relative. The main result is that there is a general preference for construing the head as the null object for both covert- and overt-binder relatives. An additional finding is that the younger children, but not the older children, show some sensitivity to context, giving more object construals under the enriched condition. Huang's account is not supported by the data. The general preference for the head as null object is explained in terms of an independently attested principle of sentence processing: empty categories are always identified as soon as possible in on line coreference assignment (e.g. Nicol & Swinney, 1989; Gibson, 1998). Young children's sensitivity to the enriched context calls for future work in the field of acquisition and processing.
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Hopp, Holger Christian. "Ultimate attainment at the interfaces in second language acquisition grammar and processing /." [S.l. : Groningen : s.n. ; University Library of Groningen] [Host], 2007. http://irs.ub.rug.nl/ppn/305542354.
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Grüter, Therese. "Object clitics and null objects in the acquisition of French." Thesis, McGill University, 2006. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=102802.
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This dissertation investigates (direct) object clitics and object omission in the acquisition of French as a first language. It reports on two original empirical studies which were designed to address aspects of object omission in child French that have remained unexplored in previous research. Study 1 investigates the incidence of object omission in the spontaneous speech of French-speaking children aged three and above, an age group for which no analysis, and only little data, have been available so far. Findings show that object omission continues to occur at non-negligible rates in this group. A comparison with age- and language-matched groups of English- and Chinese-speaking children (from Wang, Lillo-Martin; Best & Levitt 1992) suggests that French-speaking children omit objects at higher rates than their English-speaking peers, yet at lower rates than children acquiring a true null object language, such as Chinese. Study 2 was designed to investigate whether French-speaking children would accept null objects on a receptive task, an issue that has not been previously investigated. A series of truth value judgment experiments is developed, adapting an experimental paradigm that has not been used previously in the context of null objects. Results from English- and French-speaking children show that both groups consistently reject null objects on these tasks, a finding that constitutes counterevidence to proposals which attribute object omission in production to a genuine null object representation sanctioned by the child grammar. Overall, the pattern of results turns out not to be consistent with any developmental proposals made in the literature, suggesting that a novel approach is required. Proposing a minimalist adaptation of Sportiche's (1996) analysis of clitic constructions, and taking into consideration the recent emphasis on 'interface' requirements imposed by language-external systems, I put forward a hypothesis for future research, the Decayed Features Hypothesis (DFH), which locates the source of object (clitic) omission in child French in a specific language-external domain, namely the capacity of working memory.
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Kozłowska-Macgregor, Martyna. "The state of near-native grammar : a study of aspect in L2 Polish." Thesis, McGill University, 2002. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=38500.
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Sorace (1993) suggests that competence at the final stage of non-native acquisition falls into qualitatively distinct categories: (1) incomplete grammar, which lacks a representation for a part of the target system; (2) divergent grammar, which has the target distinctions with non-target instantiations. She captures the general nature of the two systems but leaves their contents undefined. This study adopts her proposal and investigates non-native grammars with respect to acquisition of the Polish aspects: completive, pofective and perfective, in an attempt to define the properties of incomplete or divergent knowledge in the domain of aspect.<br>According to the account of the aspectual system of Polish proposed in this thesis, acquisition of this system requires knowledge of the following semantic and morpho-syntactic properties: (1) aspectual interpretations, which depend on the semantic features of a VP; (2) the semantic features carried by the aspects; (3) the distinct feature context required for each aspectual interpretation; (4) restriction on feature composition with respect to the syntactic domain of derivation, namely l(exical)-syntax vs. s(syntactic)-syntax. The learners' competence, therefore, must contain information about which feature context yields which interpretation, which interpretations are unrealizable in these contexts, and which aspectual structures are allowed by virtue of their syntactic vs. lexical feature character. The Polish aspectual system involves many elements of knowledge that must be acquired for the L2 end-state to be complete. It also provides a wide range of properties whose nontarget status would lead to a divergent grammar.<br>Experimental data were elicited from two groups of English speakers who were advanced or near-native learners of Polish in a series of tests (grammaticality judgments, semantic and end-state compatibility tasks, and picture selection) each addressing separate sets of restrictions governing the system. Results were compared to native speaker adult and child controls.<br>Although the results reveal two types of competence, these cannot be categorically defined as either complete or divergent. While the near-natives' knowledge manifests a complete representation of the elements of the target grammar and native-like distinctions between the aspects, it also bears some characteristics of an incomplete system. The advanced learners manifest a system that is both divergent and incomplete. The study shows that the classification proposed by Sorace (1993) is only appropriate with reference to individual properties of grammar, as a single system of knowledge may show the characteristics of complete, incomplete, divergent and, possibly, non-divergent competence.
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Sharpe, Dean. "The acquisition of natural language negation : a logical resources approach." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp02/NQ44581.pdf.
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Cray, Ellen Nichols. "Grammar : text, context, and discourse." Thesis, Lancaster University, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.314239.
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Peterson, Barbara Jean Bivins. "How grammar instruction can benefit students in the second language classroom." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2004. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2640.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that grammar has played in second language teaching methods throughout history and to question whether explicit grammar study has a place in the second language classroom today.
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Kilpatrick, Cynthia D. "The acquisition of ungrammaticality learning a subset in L2 phonotactics /." Diss., [La Jolla] : University of California, San Diego, 2009. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ucsd/fullcit?p3369165.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2009.<br>Title from first page of PDF file (viewed September 16, 2009). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-225).
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Ming, Tao. "The acquisition of temporal marking a bidirectional study /." Diss., Restricted to subscribing institutions, 2008. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1619405921&sid=2&Fmt=2&clientId=1564&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Lu, Yuan. "The acquisition of Chinese connectives by second language learners." Diss., University of Iowa, 2017. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/5560.
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This study investigates the acquisition of Chinese connectives by second language learners under the theoretical framework of usage-based theory. Language is not a random set of words and phrases, but rather a coherent and cohesive set of utterances. As such, learning a second language (L2) entails, among other processes, learners’ development of employing cohesive devices to construct a coherent discourse in their target language. One type of cohesive devices frequently used by L2 learners is connectives. In Chinese, connectives are utilized to denote various semantic relationships between the clauses in a compound sentence. Due to their flexibility and complexity in nature, Chinese connectives present a huge challenge to L2 learners’ learning. However, to date no study has been set up to explore the learners’ development of Chinese connectives within L2 Chinese research community.
This study aims to fill this gap in the literature and build an L2 acquisitional model of Chinese connectives under the theoretical framework of Constructionist Usage-based Theory. Constructionist Usage-based Theory maintains that the basic unit of language is constructions and that the syntactic and lexical form of constructions and its corresponding semantic and discourse functions are conventionalized in language usage. According to these notions, language learning is believed to be driven by the factors grounded in the form and function of constructions in language usage. This study specifically examines how the factors of frequency, form, function, contingency (interaction of form and function), and L1-tuned attention affect L2 Chinese learners’ development of Chinese connectives. Furthermore, the study investigates the learners’ knowledge about the distribution of Chinese connectives across different proficiency levels.
Specifically, this study aims to address four research questions: (1) what is the relationship between L2 learners’ proficiency level and language background and the acquisition of Chinese connectives?; (2) do L2 learners overuse or underuse Chinese connectives in constructing responses when the other in a pair is given and what errors do L2 learners make when using Chinese connectives?; (3) how can 12 target pairs of Chinese connectives be categorized into (hierarchical) groups based on L2 Chinese learners’ performance?; and (4) how do theoretically-motivated models represent the factorial structure underlying L2 acquisition of Chinese connectives?
To address the four research questions, this study elicited L2 Chinese learners’ performance in two tests: a mini-discourse completion test and a form-function association test. In the mini-discourse completion test, learners were required to supply a missing clause to complete a three-clause discourse in which one of paired connectives was embedded; in the form-function association test, learners were asked to choose options of paired connectives to link two given clauses where connectives were omitted.
Results showed that the development of all Chinese paired connectives was positively correlated to L2 learners’ L2 proficiency level. Learners with heritage language background seemed to have an advantage over less frequent and less prototypical connectives. Predominantly, L2 learners underused Chinese connectives, resulting from the cross-linguistic influence of disparity between English and Chinese connectives at the structural level in particular and between English and Chinese textual cohesion at the discourse level in general. Based on L2 learners’ performances in the two tests, the 12 pairs of Chinese connectives were classifier into four hierarchical groups. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the usage-based factors (i.e., frequency, co-occurrence strength, formulaicity, prototypicality, contingency, and L1-tuned attention) jointly determined the L2 acquisition and development of Chinese connectives in a complex, adaptive, dynamic manner. Summarizing these findings, this study proposed a usage-based acquisitional model of L2 Chinese connectives, providing theoretical contributions to the usage-based theory and pedagogical implications for Chinese connectives.
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Hankvist, Annikki. "Technology in the English Language Classroom : Computer-Assisted Grammar Learning." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Utbildningsvetenskap, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-144495.
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As technology advances so does the availability of computer-assisted learning software. Since the Swedish curriculum and syllabus in the subject English do not state how teachers should teach grammar or what grammatical items they should focus on, it is left to the teachers to decide themselves. This thesis aims to investigate how one can make use of CALL, Computer-Assisted Language Learning, when teaching grammar in the English language classroom. The following three research questions are posed: • In what ways is CALL used in teaching grammar? • Are any of the different ways of using CALL more successful than others? • What are the students’ reactions to using CALL as a means of learning grammar? The questions are answered by analyzing the theoretical background of second language acquisition, as well as by analyzing ten articles about learning grammar with the help of modern technology. The findings show that there are more ways of using technology in a teaching environment than there are articles about it, and this thesis only covers a few of the different means of using CALL to teach grammar. The findings also show that the results of computer-assisted teaching and learning are overall positive, but it cannot be concluded whether this is because of the software or the novelty of using CALL. Some software shows better results than other, such as error correction software. The overall perceptions of using CALL in the classroom are overwhelmingly positive from both teachers’ and students’ perspective. Furthermore, the results show that the students believe that using technology to learn helps them more than it actually does, showing how it helps motivate students to acquire new knowledge by making it more interesting for them. All in all, the findings of the research give teachers an overview of the current progress of CALL, as well as giving them suggestions about how to incorporate technology in their own teaching.
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Amonette, Maria Mohr. "Beyond the ESL grammar classroom : a descriptive study of transfer of grammatical instruction /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/9435.
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Mai, Ziyin. "Properties of the (shi)...de focus construction in adult L2 acquisition and heritage language acquisition of mandarin Chinese." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.607706.
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Chien, Ya Chi. "Effects of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) instruction on the acquisition of passive grammatical forms by post-secondary English as a second language (ESL) students." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2011. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4869.
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The purpose of this study is to compare Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) grammar instruction with traditional classroom teacher-directed grammar instruction for post-secondary English as a Second Language (ESL) students enrolled in an Intensive English Program (IEP). Students' achievement was measured by their performance on the three measures (multiple-choice, cloze/fill-in-the-blank, and open-ended tests) of passive grammatical forms. This study gathered quantitative data on students' performance on the three measures for both teacher-directed and CALL instruction groups as well as qualitative data with respect to CALL participants' perception of the Azar Interactive online grammar instruction program. Results of the mixed design repeated measures factorial MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) showed that there was no statistically significant difference in acquisition of the passive grammatical forms for ESL students taught in a conventional classroom setting as compared to those taught solely by CALL. However, there was a statistically significant increase in scores on the open-ended tests for Level 4, the most advanced students at the IEP from pretest to delayed test as well as from posttest to delayed test. Students' level of proficiency affected the amount of increase in their scores over time regardless of the method of instruction. This study has offered a research-based indication that CALL instruction was as effective as traditional classroom teacher-directed instruction for teaching grammar to students of different levels of English proficiency. Recommendations for future research have also been discussed.<br>ID: 030422720; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2011.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 176-187).<br>Ed.D.<br>Doctorate<br>Teaching, Learning and Leadership<br>Education and Human Performance<br>Curriculum and Instruction
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Kou, Yupeng. "L2 Chinese grammar pedagogy: the case of the ba-construction." Diss., University of Iowa, 2016. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/6450.
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The Chinese ba-construction is a frequently used, language-specific construction that is difficult for most learners who study Chinese as a second language. The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a Chinese second language pedagogical model on the ba-construction among college-level English-speaking learners of Chinese. For the ba-construction, namely “Subject + ba + ba-NP + ba-VP (Verb + Complement),” the investigator proposed an L2 instructional model that emphasizes both syntactic and semantic relationships between the ba-NP and the ba-VP. Based on this model and on cognitive theories of second language acquisition, the investigator designed a series of grammar instruction sessions that combined meaningful input, communicative tasks and form-focused instruction on four frequently used types of the ba-construction and one less frequently used type. The instruction sessions were administered weekly to the participants for a total of four weeks. Fourteen participants at two proficiency levels, namely novice and intermediate, were recruited for the study. Quantitative data were obtained from a pre-test, a post-test and a delayed post-test in the form of four measurement tasks: Grammaticality Judgement, Cloze, Translation and Contextualized Sentence Production with Keywords. Using a split-plot statistical model (with the time factor crossed and the proficiency level factor non-assignable), non-parametric alternative tests and a semi-structured interview, the investigator addressed the following three research questions: 1) Is the pedagogical model effectively strong in explaining the ba-construction and facilitating L2 learners’ comprehension and production? 2) Are the instruction sessions beneficial to L2 learners’ understanding of different form–meaning mappings of the ba-construction? 3) Do the effects of the pedagogical model and the instruction vary for L2 learners at different proficiency levels? Data analyses revealed a significant main time effect on participants’ overall performance and performance on each measurement task; the main group effect was not significant except for the Cloze task; no interaction effects were found in either the comprehension or production tasks. While participants acquired the ba-constructions in comprehension significantly better than in production, different trends in acquisition patterns were also found between their performances in these two language skills. After receiving instruction, participants performed significantly better in comprehension tasks and could maintain that level of performance in the delayed post-test; their performance on production tasks became better right after the instruction sessions, but deteriorated significantly afterwards. The participants’ improvement on ba-constructions with directional complements (Type 3) and resultative complements (Type 4), as well as the less commonly used type, was significant in general; in comprehension tasks, participants’ improvement on Type 5 was significantly higher than that for the Type 1 ba-constructions expressing relocation/displacement. Data collected from the semi-structured interviews indicated participants’ favorable evaluation and need for integrated L2 instruction that included elements of pedagogical grammar, especially on language-specific constructions. These results point to the importance of L2 grammar instruction in drawing L2 learners’ attention to form and to the association between form and meaning; instruction plays an indispensable role in communicative L2 classes and serves as a necessary reinforcement to the frequent exposure to meaningful L2 input. For Chinese ba-constructions, instruction that focuses on declarative knowledge is beneficial across proficiency levels.
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Mayer, Kaylea. "The facilitative effects of the acquisition of one linguistic structure on a second pedagogical implications of the competition model /." Connect to Electronic Thesis (ProQuest) Connect to Electronic Thesis (CONTENTdm), 2008. http://worldcat.org/oclc/436714825/viewonline.
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Wang, Fu-Chuan. "An integration of cognitive academic language proficiency and content-based instruction." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2003. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2297.
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Schell, Karyn. "Functional categories and the acquisition of aspect in L2 Spanish : a longitudinal study /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/8407.
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Judson, Carrie Ann. "Accuracy of Automated Developmental Sentence Scoring Software." Diss., CLICK HERE for online access, 2006. http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/ETD/image/etd1448.pdf.
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Svirko, Elena. "Individual differences in complex grammar acquisition : causes and consequences." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2011. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:b0b039d2-5025-4f48-8aa5-546b6bd29090.
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A longitudinal study lasting 3.5 years was conducted to investigate complex grammar development, focusing on acquisition of the passive and type 3 conditionals, and its relationship with a number of domain-general, domain-specific and environmental factors. 128 children (M = 5 years 10 months) were tested at the beginning and towards the end of each school year starting from Year 1. The administered measures included established tests of fluid intelligence, short-term and working memory, seriation, grammar, vocabulary, literacy and arithmetic, plus newly-developed tests of passive and conditional sentence acquisition, and arithmetic word problem solving. It was demonstrated that grammar acquisition is not complete even when children start Year 4 of primary school (M = 8 years 7 months), when the current study was completed. At that time, 32% of children have not acquired type 3 conditionals and 89% showed no understanding of centre-embedded sentences. However, only 3% showed no passive sentence acquisition. Fluid intelligence, verbal STM and WM, ability to seriate, vocabulary and parental education level were all found to contribute to individual differences in complex grammar acquisition, independently of age differences and, where relevant, independently of non-verbal ability. There were differences between the passives and the conditionals in their relationship to these variables. Complex grammar development was found to be a significant predictor of reading comprehension, spelling and arithmetic performance, independently of age, non-verbal ability, verbal STM and WM. The findings demonstrate the inter-relatedness of higher cognitive functions, particularly domain-general with domain-specific ones. Modularity in its strictest sense (informational encapsulation, functional isolation) is not present in normally developing brains. Educational applications of the results are discussed.
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McPherson, Leslie M. (Leslie Margaret). "Identifying verbs early in language learning : the roles of action and argument structure." Thesis, McGill University, 1995. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=39964.
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This dissertation describes and evaluates a thesis about the means of identifying verbs early in learning a language, and a first language in particular. The thesis is presented briefly in the first section. The second section provides a critical review of theories about children's early part-of-speech identifications. Section 3 presents a new theory of verb identification. I argue that learners initially identify members of a category, predicator, that subsumes verbs and adjectives. Predicators have argument structures. Learners identify a predicator through an inference that the word must take noun-phrase arguments because the phrase containing the word is interpreted into a nonseparable phenomenon--a property or relation that exists or occurs only by virtue of one or more individuals (i.e., the bearers of the property, or the participants in the relation), the referent(s) of the argument(s). Actions are prototypical of that which is nonseparable (being dependent for their realisation upon one or more participants), and so words for actions will usually be identified as predicators. This tendency will be augmented when an unfamiliar predicator appears in an utterance with its one or more noun-phrase arguments, and the noun phrases are interpretable (by the learner) into the one or more individuals that are the participants in an ongoing action (or other nonseparable phenomenon); under these conditions, the learner should readily divine that the novel word is a predicator and the noun phrases are its arguments. These conjectures form the nonseparability hypothesis. To identify verbs in particular, a learner must first discover a distinction between verbs and adjectives, where it exists in a language, through distributional analyses within phrases. Subsequently, details of syntax and morphology will reveal to the learner a predicator's subcategory (verb or adjective). Section 4 contains reviews of literatures that provide support, in varying degree, for the theor
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Lin, Chieh-Ting. "The effects of teacher-fronted and group work techniques on beginning Chinese as a Foreign Language learners' acquisition of grammar in a Performed Culture classroom /." Diss., CLICK HERE for online access, 2008. http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/ETD/image/etd2615.pdf.
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Schroeder, Mariel. "Investigating the Learnability of a Rogue Grammar| Null Subject Parameter Resetting in Second Language Acquisition." Thesis, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10275925.
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<p> Access to Universal Grammar (UG) and the ability for parameter setting under Principles and Parameters Theory are proposed to explain how first and second language acquisition is possible given Poverty of the Stimulus (POS) effects. Following from this position is the claim that interlanguage grammars are constrained by UG and are never “rogue” (inconsistent with the principles and parameters of UG), but empirical results have been inconclusive. This research approaches the question of access to UG in SLA from a new angle by examining the learnability of a rogue grammar. </p><p> This study examines English L1’s ability to learn artificial grammars with four different settings for the Null Subject Parameter (NSP): two that match the setting in English but have different verbal paradigms, one that matches the setting in Spanish, and one that is rogue (a setting not found in any natural languages). The four artificial grammars were constructed by the researcher: the rogue quality arises from a violation of the Morphological Uniformity Hypothesis, which is an implicational universal related to the NSP. Four groups of learners were taught a small portion of one of the four different artificial grammars using computer-based, covert instruction. Learners then completed a Vocabulary Test, a Conjugation Test, a Grammaticality Judgment Task to measure NSP resetting, and a Co-Reference Judgment Task to test knowledge of the Overt Pronoun Constraint, which is attested to exhibit POS effects. Response data to the nearest millisecond was collected. </p><p> Since access to UG is claimed to “fill in” the gaps of impoverished input, learning a rogue grammar from impoverished input should be harder than learning a natural grammar from impoverished input because UG cannot “fill in” the gaps for the rogue grammar like it can for the natural grammar. Results demonstrating that the rogue grammar is harder to learn (lower accuracy rates and/or longer reaction times) than the natural grammars could suggest access to UG in adult SLA. </p><p> The comparative learnability of the four grammars is analyzed based on accuracy and response times. Results indicate that the two grammars sharing English’s setting for the NSP were the easiest to learn, demonstrating transfer. There is some indication that the rogue grammar was harder to learn than the grammar with a Spanish-like setting for the NSP, but this is a tentative claim that should be more fully examined through further refinement of this study.</p><p>
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Kapatsinski, Vsevolod M. "The architecture of grammar in artificial grammar learning formal biases in the acquisition of morphophonology and the nature of the learning task /." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2009. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3358981.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Linguistics, 2009.<br>Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Feb. 10, 2010). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: . Advisers: David B. Pisoni; Kenneth J. de Jong.
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Olsen, Michael Lee. "THE REALIZATION OF FINAL STOPS IN INTERLANGUAGE: MORE EVIDENCE FOR UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR." OpenSIUC, 2014. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/1450.
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This master's thesis investigated realizations of typologically marked structures (word final stops) in the interlanguages of 15 ESL learners across Arabic, Brazilian-Portuguese and Japanese first languages (L1s). In general, previous theories of markedness (see Eckman's MARKEDNESS DIFFERENTIAL HYPOTHESIS and STRUCTURAL CONFORMITY HYPOTHESIS) and transfer (such as Major's ONTOGENY MODELS) were upheld in that more marked structures proved more problematic than less marked areas. Where uniformity of modification strategies was found, OPTIMALITY THEORY was implemented to illustrate process of acquisition undertaken during interlanguage development. In an isolated speech task, participants who demonstrated acquisition of more marked structures (ie., voiced final stops) were also successful with their less marked counterparts (voiceless final stops), but not vice versa. In connected speech, more advanced participants' modifications of target structures (such as assimilation of voicing and place of articulation) were more similar to patterns exhibited by native speakers of the target language while less advanced participants' productions (ie., lack of intervocalic voicing) were more reflective of their L1. These findings support the hypothesis that interlanguages adhere to universal grammar and, thus, behave as natural languages. Finally, future directions such as potential research of L1/L2 perception issues and pedagogical implications of the study's results are explored.
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Larsen, Lars Jacob Ege. "The Acquisition of Inflectional Verb Morphology Through Input Enhancement." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2002. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1040070794.
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Montrul, Silvina A. "Transitivity alternations in second language acquisition : a crosslinguistic study of English, Spanish and Turkish." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/NQ44520.pdf.
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An, Youngjae. "Crossover effects in second language acquisition : a view from German-English and Korean-English interlanguage grammar." Thesis, University of York, 2017. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/20573/.
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This thesis investigates first languages (L1) influence on second language (L2) acquisition of long-distance wh-movement and related constraints governed by Universal Grammar. It thus seeks to integrate L2 syntactic knowledge into L2 knowledge at the syntax-semantics interface in order to find out more about the nature of L2 acquisition, thesis extends its body of research into L2 processing at the syntax-semantics interface. That being so, it allows us not only to explore an ultimate issue of whether L2 speakers have access to Universal Grammar but also to consider how grammar and meaning interact in real time. To this end, this thesis examines crossover phenomena in L2 English, by speakers of German and Korean. A series of experiments are employed in this research: an acceptability judgement task, a truth-value judgement task, and a self-paced reading task. Experiment 1 investigates whether L2 speakers have acquired syntactic knowledge of long-distance wh-movement in English. This experiment, in particular, examines whether L2 speakers are sensitive to locality conditions on wh-movement. Experiment 2 identifies whether semantic knowledge is facilitated by syntactic knowledge in L2 acquisition. Experiment 3–4 examine whether L2 speakers make use of syntax-semantics interface knowledge during online processing. The findings from Experiment 1–4 suggest that that L1 does not influence acquisition and processing of L2.
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Denhovska, Nadiia. "The role of frequency in implicit learning of a second language." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2015. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/the-role-of-frequency-in-implicit-learning-of-a-second-language(6a4bf2e5-b45f-422b-b9e5-c65b01b95292).html.
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The present dissertation explored the acquisition of grammatical knowledge in L2 by adults. The main focus was to investigate the role of type and token frequency in knowledge acquisition under incidental learning conditions. Such impact was studied by using different experimental conditions, in which items were presented with high or low type and token frequency during training. The mediating effect of working memory in such learning conditions was also measured. The material for the study was a natural language (Russian), as opposed to the previous research having used mainly artificial or semi-artificial languages. Within the course of four experiments native speakers of English with no previous knowledge of a Slavic language were exposed to noun-adjective agreement patterns of different complexity. A simple noun-adjective agreement pattern according to gender was used in Experiment 1. A medium-complexity pattern, according to gender and case, was chosen in Experiment 2. And a complex noun-adjective agreement pattern, according to gender, case and number, was used in Experiment 3. Experiment 4 employed the same agreement pattern as in Experiment 2; animacy effects were also studied by selecting animate and inanimate head nouns as stimuli. The knowledge acquired was tested both in comprehension and production domains. Working memory was measured using the Operation and Reading span tests. The results supported a “starting small” approach for production; accuracy was greater in the low type low token frequency and low type high token frequency conditions. For comprehension, high type frequency had shown more effect. Working memory was differentially involved in the production of acquired knowledge in different conditions and not engaged where learning was facilitated by frequency. Levels of knowledge also depended on the complexity of the agreement pattern, frequency effects and the domain of knowledge acquisition: comprehension versus production.
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Steele, Jeffrey 1972. "Representation and phonological licensing in the L2 acquisition of prosodic structure." Thesis, McGill University, 2002. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=38520.
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It is widely recognized that differences in both prosodic complexity and position-sensitive contrasts exist both within and across languages. In contemporary phonological theory, these differences are often attributed to differences between heads and non-heads and the asymmetries in licensing potential that exist between such positions.<br>In this thesis, the consequences of such differences for the second language (L2) acquisition of prosodic complexity and position-sensitive contrasts are explored. It is argued that an explanatorily adequate account of L2 syllabification must include highly-structured representations as well as a theory of licensing, which distinguishes between the licensing of a given position and the licensing of featural content in such a position. Using data drawn primarily from a number of studies that investigate the acquisition of French by native speakers of English and Mandarin, it is demonstrated that the widely-attested interlanguage (IL) syllable-structure-modification processes of deletion, epenthesis, and feature change have a common source. Specifically, all three processes result from the IL grammar's inability to license a syllable position or (some of) the featural content present in such a position in the target representation. Within Optimality theory, the framework adopted, this is formalized through the competition between Faithfulness constraints and Markedness constraints, which evaluate the wellformedness of the licensing relationships. Finally, it is argued that Prosodic Licensing and the principle of Licensing Inheritance from Harris (1997) work together to encode prosodic markedness in representation, as they create a series of head-dependent asymmetries in which heads are strong licensors vis-a-vis their dependents.
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Waltmunson, Jeremy C. "The relative degree of difficulty of L2 Spanish /d, t/, trill, and tap by L1 English speakers : auditory and acoustic methods of defining pronunciation accuracy /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/8373.
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Guo, Ling-Yu Tomblin J. Bruce Owen Amanda J. "Acquisition of auxiliary and copula BE in young English-speaking children." [Iowa City, Iowa] : University of Iowa, 2009. http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/370.
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Siefert, Thomas Raymond. "Translation in Foreign Language Pedagogy: The Rise and Fall of the Grammar Translation Method." Thesis, Harvard University, 2013. http://dissertations.umi.com/gsas.harvard:11049.
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Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is identified as dismissing translation, applying to all
"translation" the restricted expression of translation within the discredited Grammar Translation Method (GTM). Recent, negative classifications of the GTM are considered and, this dissertation observes, the concept of the GTM is shown as prone to being mythologized. A summary definition of the GTM is offered. Of the five Prussian language teachers viewed by history as originating the GTM, Joahnn Valentin Meidinger and, to a lesser degree, Heinrich Gottfried Ollendorff are shown offering methods and an approach to translation that are most similar to the definition of the GTM used today. Johann Heinrich Philipp Seidenstücker, Johann Franz Ahn, and Carl Julius Ploetz are found also to stand in the lineage of the GTM, but with important qualifications. The name "Grammar Translation Method" is asserted by this dissertation to originate in the Reform Movement, specifically, Wilhelm Viëtor’s Der Sprachunterricht muß umkehren! (1882) and a lecture of Viëtor’s from 1899. Viëtor is noted characterizing "traditional" methodologies with the terms "Grammatik" and "Übersetzung," beginning with Meidinger’s Practische Französische Grammatik (1783). Translation is found to remain problematic for the Reform Movement. A separate, concurrent movement, resulting in the Direct Method, is seen banishing all use of translation, and arguably lives on in CLT today. The formulation of a novel definition of the translation of texts is attempted. This definition, along with opinions from Translation Studies, is applied to a statement by Viëtor, where translation is particularly problematized, with the goal of mitigating this problematic. The dissertation recommends that CLT similarly use this definition of translation, so as to mitigate its own skepticism towards translation.
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Murphy, Victoria A. "Universal grammar and second language acquisition : the effect of modality of presentation on a grammaticality judgment task." Thesis, McGill University, 1993. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=69623.
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Typical experiments investigating the accessibility and/or role of principles of Universal Grammar (UG) in adult second language acquisition (SLA) use a written grammaticality judgment (GJ) task to infer knowledge of principles of UG. The present investigation examined whether subjects would judge sentences differently in the aural modality than the visual. It was hypothesized that subjects in the aural condition would be less accurate and slower at judging sentences violating the subjacency principle than subjects in the visual condition. Four language groups were tested: ESL (English second-language) FSL (French second-language), L1.E (English first language) and L1.F (French first language). Subjects were assigned to either an aural or a visual condition; the same sentences were presented via computer. The target sentences presented to the subjects were declarative sentences involving embedded questions, as well as ungrammatical wh-questions which violated subjacency. The presentation times for all sentences were matched across conditions. Accuracy and reaction time to grammaticality judgment were measured. The hypothesis that subjects would be slower and less accurate in the aural condition than the visual one was supported. Furthermore, subjects were less accurate and slower to judge violations of subjacency than other sentences, in both modalities. The detrimental effects of the auditory task on judgments was most pronounced for the L2 learners. These results are discussed in the context of the informativeness and validity of outcomes derived from GJ tasks, and the ways in which they are presented.
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Liu, Kristina. "Evidence for implicit learning of color patterns and letter strings from a study of artificial grammar learning /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/7585.
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