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Park, Hyeson. "A minimalist approach to null subjects and objects in second language acquisition." Second Language Research 20, no. 1 (January 2004): 1–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/0267658304sr228oa.
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Studies of the second language acquisition of pronominal arguments have observed that: (1) L1 speakers of null subject languages of the Spanish type drop more subjects in their second language (L2) English than first language (L1) speakers of null subject languages of the Korean type and (2) speakers of Korean-type languages drop more objects than subjects in their L2 English. An analysis of these two asymmetries is conducted within the Minimalist Program framework (MP), which hypothesizes that language acquisition involves the learning of formal features of a target language.I propose, based on Alexiadou and Anagnostopoulou (1998), that the licensing of null subjects is conditioned by the interpretability of agreement features. When a language has [+interpretable] agreement features, raising of the verb to T (X-movement) satisfies the EPP requirement: hence, a null subject is allowed. On the other hand, in a language with [-interpretable] agreement features, the subject is obligatory since merger of the subject in the specifier of TP (XP-merge) is required to check the EPP feature. Learning of the obligatory status of English subjects is easier for Korean learners than for Spanish speakers since syntactically both English and Korean have the same feature value [-interpretable] (although null subjects are allowed in Korean for pragmatic reasons). Spanish has the opposite syntactic feature value [+interpretable] and resetting of this is more difficult. Licensing of null objects is hypothesized to be related to the strength of theta-features. Languages with strong theta-features, such as English and Spanish, do not allow null objects, whereas languages with weak theta-features like Korean allow null objects. It takes time for Korean speakers to learn the different value of English theta-features, resulting in the extended null object period in L2 English of Korean L1 speakers.
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Olshtain, Elite. "Is Second Language Attrition the Reversal of Second Language Acquisition?" Studies in Second Language Acquisition 11, no. 2 (June 1989): 151–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263100000589.
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The study of language attrition, whether it is concerned with first or second languages, focuses on the effects resulting from an individual's reduced use of the attrited language. Such reduction in use can be due to a change in the linguistic environment or to the termination of an instructional program. In either case, some other language (or languages) is or becomes the dominant one.The present article reports on a series of studies, all focusing on individual attrition of English as a second language (ESL) in an environment where Hebrew is the dominant language. The predictor variables discussed are age, sociolinguistic features, input variables, and linguistic variables. The attrition process affecting English as a second language in a Hebrew dominant context seems to exhibit two major trends of change in language use: (a) a greater variability in the application of peripheral and highly marked structural rules, and (b) lower accessibility of specific lexical items. In each of these trends one can identify a limited reversal of the acquisition process, particularly with young children (5–8-year-olds) as well as a typological transfer process from the dominant language.
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Lotze, Nathaniel. "Second Language Acquisition Applied To English Language Teaching." TESOL Journal 10, no. 1 (March 2019): e00414. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tesj.414.
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Leung, Yan-kit Ingrid. "Verb morphology in second language versus third language acquisition." EUROSLA Yearbook 6 (July 20, 2006): 27–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/eurosla.6.05leu.
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This paper reports an experimental study on L2 vs. L3 Spanish morphological representation. A total of 19 Spanish learners (10 Chinese native speakers who are upper intermediate to advanced L2 English users as well as 9 English native speakers who do not speak a prior language without overt morphology) participated in the study. A written production task using Spanish nonce verbs was used to elicit regular and irregular forms of Spanish past participles. The study revealed differences between native and non-native Spanish speakers but ones that are still compatible with an approach which posits a dual mechanism for morphological processing. In addition, no principal difference between the L2 and the L3 Spanish learners was identified. A follow-up experiment on L2 English was therefore carried out testing 26 native speakers of Chinese and 17 native speakers of English using a written production task eliciting English regular and irregular past tense forms for both real verbs and nonce verbs. The findings suggested that native and non-native English speakers’ performances pattern similarly. It seems that L2 English plays a crucial role in Chinese speakers’ L3 Spanish morphological representation and in their similar performance to the L1 English-L2 Spanish speakers.
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Azhar, Shopia. "SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE." ETERNAL (English, Teaching, Learning and Research Journal) 2, no. 2 (December 30, 2015): 331–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.24252/eternal.v12.2015.a12.
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Schachter, Jacquelyn. "On the issue of completeness in second language acquisition." Interlanguage studies bulletin (Utrecht) 6, no. 2 (December 1990): 93–124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/026765839000600201.
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The issue of completeness in adult second language acquisition is critical in the development of a theory of second language acquisition. Assuming the Chomskyan definition of core grammar as being those aspects of the language determined by the interaction of the innately specified Universal Grammar and the input to which the learner is exposed, we need to ask if it is possible for an adult learner of a second language to attain native-speaker competence in the core aspects of the grammar of the second language. This paper examines evidence for presence or absence of one principle of UG, Subjacency, in the grammars of groups of proficient nonnative speakers of English. There are three groups whose native languages - Korean, Chinese, Indonesian - differ from English with regard to Subjacency, Korean showing no evidence of it, Chinese and Indonesian showing partial evidence of it. There is one group whose native language, Dutch, shows the full range of Subjacency effects that English does. If all groups show the same Subjacency effects in English that native speakers do, then it must be the case UG is still available for adult second language learning and completeness in second language grammars is possible; if not, then completeness cannot be included as a possible characteristic of adult second language acquisition. Proficient nonnative university students with the above native languages were given grammaticality judgement tests on a set of sentences containing a variety of structures (islands) and Subjacency violations involving those structures. Analysis showed that though all groups were able to correctly judge grammatical sentences (containing islands) as grammatical, only the Dutch group was able to correctly judge ungrammatical sentences (containing Subjacency violations) as ungrammatical; the Korean subjects performed randomly on this task. This native language effect was shown not to be due to attribute variables, such as age of first exposure to English, number of months in an English-speaking country, number of years of English study, etc. The results support the conclusion that completeness is not a possible property of adult-acquired grammars since adults no longer have access to UG for the second language learning process.
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Smith, Daniel. "Spanish and English contact and morpheme acquisition." Normas 7, no. 2 (December 20, 2017): 297. http://dx.doi.org/10.7203/normas.v7i2.11166.
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Regarding the order of morpheme acquisition in both first language (L1) and second language (L2) acquisiton there appears to be a so-called 'natural order' of acquisition. In addition, there are peculiarities which are part of the morphosyntax of any language influencing the order of morpheme acquisition in L2, whether it be from the L1, or as in the case of simultaneous bilinguals, another L1. We use Myers-Scotton's (2002) 4-M model to help us analyze and discuss the data. The analysis shows a tendency for speakers to acquire language morphology in a natural order, regardless of the L1, but with special reference to Spanish and English we show that the two languages can influence each other and make changes in the order of acquisition.
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Merritt, Haily. "Language Mode Influences Language-Specific Categorization." IU Journal of Undergraduate Research 4, no. 1 (December 16, 2018): 118–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.14434/iujur.v4i1.24536.
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The present study aims to fill a gap at the intersection of the phenomena of language mode—the state of activation of the bilingual’s languages and language processing mechanisms—and the subset problem—issues learners face when the second language has fewer of some kind of contrast than the first language. When the subset problem is present in second language acquisition, learners may struggle to acquire specific contrasts of a language and may map them incorrectly to their first language. By studying advanced learners of Spanish and considering language mode, we are able to investigate whether learners create separate categories for Spanish vowels—as opposed to simply adapting their English categories—and whether the use of such categories depends on the language being perceived. Spanish and English serve as convenient languages for study of these phenomena because Spanish has fewer vowels than English. With this, we ask: “Does language mode influence language-specific categorization?” To investigate this question, we had native English-speaking, proficient Spanish learners perform an AX task in both English and Spanish, where they identified whether two aurally presented vowel stimuli were the same or different. There was no strong effect of language mode across conditions, but we found that reaction times were significantly slower and that error rates were higher in tasks that included stimuli from more than one language. Thus, we conclude that when multiple languages are activated it is more difficult to process a given language.
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Slabakova, Roumyana. "The parameter of aspect in second language acquisition." Second Language Research 15, no. 3 (July 1999): 283–317. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/026765899674229440.
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The goal of this article is to present a detailed study of the second language acquisition (SLA) of English aspect by native speakers of Slavic languages. A parameterized distinction between English and Slavic aspect accounts for the subtle differences between English and Slavic telic and atelic sentences. Based on a syntax-theoretical treatment of aspect, the article investigates the process of SLA of aspect in Slavic speakers at three levels of proficiency in English: low intermediate, high intermediate and advanced. Second language (L2) learners are found to be capable of resetting the aspectual parameter value to the English setting, thus successfully acquiring a property of language almost never taught in language classrooms. The article also studies the acquisition of a cluster of constructions, which syntactic research relates to the English value of the aspectual parameter, and which have been found to appear together in the speech of English children (Snyder and Stromswold, 1997): double objects, verb–particles and resultatives. Results indicate that each of these constructions forms part of this aspect-related cluster and that knowledge of aspect and knowledge of the cluster co-occur. The results of the experimental study bring new evidence to bear on the theoretical choice between direct access to the L2 value (Epstein et al., 1996; Flynn, 1996) or starting out the process of acquisition with the L1 value of a parameter (Schwartz & Sprouse, 1994;1996),supporting the latter view.
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Chen, Chen. "A Study on Positive Transfer of Native Language and Second Language Teaching Methods." Theory and Practice in Language Studies 10, no. 3 (March 1, 2020): 306. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1003.06.
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Native language is one of the important factors that affect second language acquisition (SLA). However, compared with the heated discussion about the negative transfer of native language, the positive transfer of native language lacks due attention. Taking Chinese and English as a case study, this paper first reveals the similarities between the two languages, then discusses the positive effects of native language on SLA, and finally explores English teaching methods so as to promote the positive transfer of native language and reduce the negative transfer.
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Kpogo, Felix, and Virginia C. Mueller Gathercole. "The influence of native English-speaking environment on Akan-English bilinguals’ production of English inter-dental fricatives." International Journal of Bilingualism 24, no. 4 (April 24, 2019): 559–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1367006919844032.
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Aims and Objectives: This study examined how age of acquisition, immersion in a native English-speaking environment, and phonological environment influence Akan-English bilinguals’ production of English inter-dental fricatives. Design/Methodology: Forty-five Akan-English bilinguals who immigrated to the USA between the ages of 10 and 64 participated. English inter-dental fricatives occurring in word-initial, intervocalic, and word-final positions were elicited through a production task using sentence frames. Accuracy of production was analyzed relative to age of acquisition, relative length of immersion, and phonological environment. Findings/Conclusion: Performance was better overall on the voiceless than the voiced inter-dental, but the phonological environment mattered: performance was at ceiling for both in the medial position, but less good in the initial and final positions. Early age of acquisition conspired with length of residence in the USA to foster better production for both sounds. However, substitutions for target segments were still observed in the most fluent speakers. These results indicate that in determining speakers’ proficiency in the second language, we must consider all of these factors—phonological environment, age of acquisition, and length of stay—together to gain a comprehensive picture of development. Originality: Few studies have examined Ghanaian speakers’ English, even though English is the official language of Ghana. Further, previous studies on second-language speakers’ abilities with inter-dental fricatives have largely focused on word-initial environments. The present study reveals that distinct phonological environments may not show the same effect. Here, speakers were particularly accurate in intervocalic positions. Significance: This study contributes to theoretical debates concerning the roles of input and age of acquisition for second-language learning. It also provides insights on some of the possible hurdles that second-language learners face as they strive to acquire additional languages, which can assist second-language teachers in designing appropriate methodologies to help learners.
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Haerazi, Haerazi. "PRINCIPLES OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN CHILDREN." Jo-ELT (Journal of English Language Teaching) Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa & Seni Prodi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris IKIP 3, no. 1 (February 28, 2020): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.33394/jo-elt.v3i1.2424.
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To understand the principles of second language acquisition, we could adopt a variety of perspective. Research on second language acquisition (SLA) by children and adults is characterized by many different subfields and perspectives, both cognitive and social in orientation. Although children feature as participants in this research, it is relatively rare to find reviews or overviews of SLA that deal specifically with child SLA although there are a few important exceptions. This general lack of focus on children’s SLA is somewhat surprising, considering that data from children as first language learners have often provided a basis and impetus for SLA theorizing. Among the best-known first language studies to prove influential was Brown’s seminal work showing a predictable order of morpheme acquisition by children under the age of three. Many early years settings now welcome children and families from different cultures who use languages other than English. Young children who are starting to learn English as an additional language may also be attending a nursery school, pre-school, day nursery or child-minder perhaps for the first time. They will bring with them many skills and experiences from their home culture and will be both anxious and excited about their new situation. A good foundation for learning English as an additional language is embedded in quality early years practice. To know more about the principle of second language acquisition in children, this paper will present some issues related with it such as the nature and the role of language learning and the logical problem in language learning.
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Kalisa, Pasca. "Communication Strategies in English Second Language Acquisition." Language Circle: Journal of Language and Literature 14, no. 1 (October 1, 2019): 93–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.15294/lc.v14i1.21475.
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This research aims to describe and analyze communication strategies used by learners in the acquisition of a second language. In this case, this research analyzes the use of communication strategies in which English is the language of instruction.This study involved 21 students at the Department of English Language and Literature, in one of the state universities in Semarang, Indonesia. These students are second year students in the English Language and Literature Department. This research is a case study in the purpose of investigating the communication strategies used when the participants are engaged when the learning activities take place. The participants are given a conversation project in pairs and exposed to a variety of setting such as in the restaurant, in the professor’s room, and in a company. Data collection was carried out through video and audio recordings. The data obtained are then categorized into 13 categories of communication strategies (Dornyei, 1995) and sorted to obtain the frequency of occurrence. The findings indicate that the students mostly use time-gaining strategy (36%) to overcome the problem in their communication with the interlocutors. It is then followed by the use of meaningless words which occurs very frequently (18%) from all utterances, “repetition” strategy which occurs rather frequently about 16% of the total, literal translation (13%), and “use of non-linguistics means” (10%). In conclusion, choices of communication strategies are highly influenced by the level of the conversation tasks given (Wongsawang, 2001). The occurrence of certain types of communication strategies depends on the tasks given to the students and the level of difficulty of those tasks.
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Kostadinova, Viktorija, Nuria Yáñez-Bouza, Gea Dreschler, Sune Gregersen, Beáta Gyuris, Kathryn Allan, Maggie Scott, et al. "I English Language." Year's Work in English Studies 98, no. 1 (2019): 1–166. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ywes/maz004.
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Abstract This chapter has fourteen sections: 1. General; 2. History of English Linguistics; 3. Phonetics and Phonology (not covered this year); 4. Morphology; 5. Syntax; 6. Semantics; 7. Lexicography, Lexicology, and Lexical Semantics; 8. Onomastics; 9. Dialectology and Sociolinguistics; 10. New Englishes and Creolistics; 11. Second Language Acquisition. 12. English as a Lingua Franca; 13. Pragmatics and Discourse. 14. Stylistics. Section 1 is by Viktorija Kostadinova; section 2 is by Nuria Yáñez-Bouza; sections 4 and 5 are by Gea Dreschler and Sune Gregersen; section 6 is by Beáta Gyuris; section 7 is by Kathryn Allan; section 8 is by Maggie Scott; section 9 is by Lieselotte Anderwald; section 10 is by Sven Leuckert; section 11 is by Tihana Kraš; section 12 is by Tian Gan, Ida Parise, Sum Pok Ting, Juliana Souza da Silva and Alessia Cogo; section 13 is by Beke Hansen; section 14 is by Jessica Norledge.
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Buckledee, Steve. "Motivation and Second Language Acquisition." ELOPE: English Language Overseas Perspectives and Enquiries 5, no. 1-2 (June 16, 2008): 159–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.4312/elope.5.1-2.159-170.
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A feature of Italian universities is the high student drop-out rate in nearly all degree courses. It is likely that among the causes of this phenomenon a significant factor is loss of motivation. This study represents the first stage of a longitudinal research project aimed at monitoring students’ motivation levels over a three-year period. At the beginning of the academic year 2008-2009 a questionnaire was administered to 150 newly enrolled students of English at the University of Cagliari in Italy. The closed-response items were designed to measure the respondents’ instrumental and intrinsic motivation. The responses were then considered in the light of the following variables: age, gender, level of competence in English and choice of degree course. The major finding was that a clear majority of respondents reported a considerably higher level of intrinsic than instrumental motivation, while the most significant variables were shown to be competence level and choice of degree.
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Lowie, Wander. "Exploring a second language." EUROSLA Yearbook 5 (August 2, 2005): 251–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/eurosla.5.12low.
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A dynamic approach to the acquisition of morphologically complex words assumes that, initially, all words are interpreted holistically. At later stages of acquisition, increasingly more words are analyzed and morphological regularities are discovered. When productivity is defined as the chance that a newly formed word is produced on the basis of a particular affix (Baayen and Lieber, 1991), discovering morphological regularity can be interpreted as discovering productivity. This study finds evidence that contradicts an earlier study (Lowie, 2000) which suggested that morphological productivity starts playing a role only at the most advanced levels of acquisition. The current study used response latencies to test productivity cross-sectionally by comparing English native speaker response rates to those of Dutch learners of English at different levels of proficiency. Using this paradigm, productivity was evident from the earliest stages of acquisition and, at advanced levels, awareness was found even of the productivity of marginally productive affixes.
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Wakabayashi, Shigenori. "Lexical learning in second language acquisition: optionality in the numeration." Second Language Research 25, no. 2 (April 2009): 335–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0267658308100293.
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Lardiere suggests that second language acquisition (SLA) researchers should pay more attention to the distribution of a given feature in source and target languages, using the distribution of [plural] in English, Chinese and Korean to illustrate. I argue that the distribution of [definite] in English shows a similar complexity, and that this has largely been ignored in existing second language studies. I propose that it is distributional complexity of this kind that underlies the gradual development and variability observed in second language (L2) performance. A four-stage model is outlined, attributing gradual development/variability (partly) to optionality in the numeration.
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White, Lydia, Alyona Belikova, Paul Hagstrom, Tanja Kupisch, and Öner Özçelik. "Restrictions on definiteness in second language acquisition." Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism 2, no. 1 (February 10, 2012): 54–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/lab.2.1.03whi.
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In this paper we investigate whether learners of L2 English show knowledge of the Definiteness Effect (Milsark, 1977), which restricts definite expressions from appearing in the existential there-insertion construction. There are crosslinguistic differences in how restrictions on definiteness play out. In English, definite expressions may not occur in either affirmative or negative existentials (e.g. There is a/*the mouse in my soup; There isn’t a/*the mouse in my soup). In Turkish and Russian, affirmative existentials observe a restriction similar to English, whereas negative existentials do not. We report on a series of experiments conducted with learners of English whose L1s are Turkish and Russian, of intermediate and advanced proficiency. Native speakers also took the test in English, Turkish, and Russian. The task involved acceptability judgments. Subjects were presented with short contexts, each followed by a sentence to be judged as natural/unnatural. Test items included affirmative and negative existentials, as well as items testing apparent exceptions to definiteness restrictions. Results show that both intermediate and advanced L2ers respond like English native speakers, crucially rejecting definites in negative existentials. A comparison with the groups taking the test in Russian and Turkish confirms that judgments in the L2 are quite different from the L1, suggesting that transfer cannot provide the explanation for learner success.
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Iakovleva, Tatiana. "Typological constraints in foreign language acquisition." Language, Interaction and Acquisition 3, no. 2 (December 19, 2012): 231–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/lia.3.2.04iak.
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This study examines the impact of typological constraints on second language acquisition. It explores the hypothesis of a conceptual transfer from first to foreign language (L1 to L2). Based on Talmy’s (2000) distinction between Verb- and Satellite-framed languages, corpus-based analyses compare descriptions of voluntary motion events along three paths (up, down, across), elicited in a controlled situation from native speakers (Russian, English) and Russian learners at two levels (upper- intermediate and advanced) acquiring English in a classroom setting. Results show that in spite of considerable differences between Russian and English native speakers’ performance, particularly with respect to the relative variability in their lexicalization patterns, idiosyncratic forms and structures produced by L2 learners rarely mirror motion conceptualization in their first language, which suggests the absence of a substantial transfer from L1.
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Agcam, Reyhan, Mustafa Coban, and Zeynep Karadeniz Cisdik. "Second Language Acquisition of Syntactic Movement in English by Turkish Adult Learners." ÜNİVERSİTEPARK Bülten 4, no. 1-2 (December 30, 2015): 23–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.12973/unibulletin.412.3.
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Henderson, Lalitha. "Interference in Second Language Learning." ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics 81-82 (January 1, 1988): 73–111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/itl.81-82.04hen.
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Abstract This study deals with the acquisition of English and Tamil as a second language and to explain the errors found in the speech of L2 learners caused by the interference from the first language within the frame of reference of the phonological system of the target language (L2) as perceived and produced by the native speaker of the first language (L1). The overall systems are compared so as to highlight the most genera] similarities and differences. The comparison also focuses on the similarities and contrasts between the phonetic manifestations of each phonological unit of L1 and its counterpart in L2. The data from the actual speech of English and Tamil by the L2 speakers are used to bring out the contrast between the two languages and the L1 interference on L2.
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Almousawi, Sayed Ahmad. "Examining English Language Learning Apps from A Second Language Acquisition Perspective." International Journal of Higher Education 10, no. 5 (May 18, 2021): 166. http://dx.doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v10n5p166.
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This study set out to explore dedicated language learning apps pedagogically while focusing mainly on aspects of second language acquisition. A total of 20 English language learning apps were collected for analysis. The study took one model of analysing course book materials and another, computer-assisted language learning model and combined them into one analytical framework with bespoke criteria, ensuring the analysis was most suitable for our case. The analytical framework which was developed reached a number of conclusions about dedicated language learning apps (DLLAs). The findings revealed that DLLAs tend to provide mechanical forms-focused practice without facilitating collaborative learning nor focusing on developing users’ communicative competence, which suggests that DLLAs reflect a behaviouristic view of language learning. The conclusion offers some suggestions to improve DLLAs and proposes that, for the time being, educators should look beyond DLLAs and instead investigate how can apps that are not designed for language learning (generic apps) be used in the manner of DLLAs to avoid the issues that this paper identifies with them.
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Verovkina, Olena, and Iryna Vietrova. "CORRECTING MISTAKES IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE." Naukovì zapiski Nacìonalʹnogo unìversitetu «Ostrozʹka akademìâ». Serìâ «Fìlologìâ» 1, no. 9(77) (January 30, 2020): 239–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.25264/2519-2558-2020-9(77)-239-242.
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The article deals with the problem of finding out the most effective techniques and strategies of correcting students’ mistakes in the English language teaching process. The research is aimed at the analysis of the concept “mistake” and defining its role in teaching English. It is stated, that communicative approach views mistakes as an inevitable and necessary aspect in studying a second language. Three types of mistakes have been singled out: slips, errors and attempts. It has been found out, that errors are indicators of what should be taught. It is also defined, that the main reasons of making slips are hurrying and carelessness, attempts are caused by students’ desire of achieving the communicative goal, and only errors are viewed as gaps in students’ knowledge. There also have been found out the most productive strategies of correcting mistakes by teachers. Nonetheless, according to the observation, teachers do not use all types equally often, a large number of correction cases is taken by recasts and elicitation, accounting for over a half of all feedback. It is stated, that peer correction and self-correction are not widely used, though the last should be taken into consideration by teachers as the productive and efficient strategies for successful English language acquisition.
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White, Lydia. "Argument structure in second language acquisition." Journal of French Language Studies 1, no. 2 (September 1991): 189–207. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959269500000983.
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AbstractThis paper investigates the effects of the first language (LI) on second language (L2) argument structure, in two situations: (i) LI sentences form a superset of those permitted in the L2; (ii) L2 sentences form a superset of those permitted in the LI. An experiment was conducted on 55 anglophone children learning French in Canada. Subject completed a perference task, comparing sentences which varied the types of arguments and adjuncts, and their ordering. Result indicate that the subject differed from a native speaker control group in various ways; English argument structure had effects but learners were also sensitve to properties of French which are distinct from English.
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Dewey, Dan P., R. Kirk Belnap, and Rebecca Hillstrom. "Social Network Development, Language Use, and Language Acquisition during Study Abroad: Arabic Language Learners’ Perspectives." Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad 22, no. 1 (January 15, 2013): 84–110. http://dx.doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v22i1.320.
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In this paper, we explore language use, social network development, and language acquisition by second learners of Arabic in Jordan and Morocco. Students in these programs reported speaking, listening to, and writing as much English as Arabic during study abroad, but they reported reading more Arabic than English. While patterns indicated similar levels of use of English and Arabic in general, questions focusing on learners' use of language with more familiar friends and acquaintances indicated learners thought they used Arabic more than English with these native friends. Regarding English language use, learners felt that speaking English with natives often created opportunities to interact in Arabic as well. Students’ Arab social networks tended to be small, but there was considerable variation in these networks. The closer their friendships with natives, the more likely students were to report gains in Arabic. English proficiency of friends and acquaintances in one’s social network, degree of friendship, and time spent speaking with people outside of this network predicted language proficiency development.
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David, Mette Morrison. "Report on the Demographics and Language Groups of Thursday Island State High School Students at the State Esl (English as a Second Language) Conference, Brisbane, December 2001." Australian Journal of Indigenous Education 31 (2003): 71–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1326011100003707.
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ABSTRACTThis report was originally delivered to the State English as a Second Language Conference held in Brisbane in December 2001. It was part of a team presentation made to a plenary session by representatives from Torres Strait (Terry McCarthy, Mette Morrison David, Judy Christian Ketchell, Raba Jobi, Keith Fisher, Kay Ahmat and Susan Shepherd). Its aim was to inform Queensland English as a Second Language teachers about the language situation at Thursday Island State High School shortly after the appointment of an Education Advisor English Language Acquisition. The report deals with the linguistic background of the students, the teaching of languages other than English and the urgent need for appropriate professional development in English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language insights and methodologies.
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Mazhabi, Zobi. "PENGAJARAN BAHASA INGGRIS UNTUK ANAK USIA DINI BEBERAPA HAL YANG HARUS DIPERHATIKAN." Thufuli : Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Islam Anak Usia Dini 1, no. 2 (December 31, 2019): 50. http://dx.doi.org/10.33474/thufuli.v1i2.4940.
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The need, awareness, and understanding about the early foreign languages teaching on young learners makes the education experts try to apply English learning and teaching as early as possible for students. Therefore, English has been introduced in formal educational institutions at the level of early childhood. This decision made experts have to consider several things in term of learning and teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) and early childhood as students when a foreign language is introduced and taught at the level of early childhood (young learners), then an understanding of how foreign language acquisition or second language on children (SLA) and learning and teaching foreign languages (Teaching English as Foreign Language / TEFL) in children needs to be understood and considered as a reference for conducting the learning process, so that good and appropriate learning methods can be formulated. In this article, the author tries to elaborate on the process of language acquisition in children (language acquisition), both in their first language (L1) and their second language (L2), as well as how an understanding of these can have a positive interfearence on the formulation and selection of the right method. in the process of learning and teaching English at the level of early childhoo.
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Aljumah, Fahad Hamad. "Second Language Acquisition: A Framework and Historical Background on Its Research." English Language Teaching 13, no. 8 (July 31, 2020): 200. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n8p200.
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Research shows many problems and ambiguities of second language acquisition (SLA), which have made learners and readers worldwide unsatisfied. Therefore, this study attempts to highlight theories and research that have comprehensive explanations of the problems and ambiguities of second language acquisition, which learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) face while learning a second or foreign language. After that, the study discusses a framework discussion on second language acquisition (SLA). It discusses the historical background of SLA research on different decades and the most notable views of different scholars throughout the past decades on second language acquisition. This study is a longitudinal research that identifies the advantages that could be an assist to English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Longitudinal research is always based on the qualitative method. This study's data is based on the qualitative method that collects views, opinions, materials, and earlier studies on second language acquisition (SLA). It reveals the most significant theories which precisely connected to second language acquisition (SLA) and largely to applied linguistics. The study resulted in that: (i) second language acquisition still has several doubts and ambiguities in its many different aspects, (ii). In this study, the researcher summarizes second language acquisition (SLA) research's main goals and draws comparisons on the scholars' dissimilarities between language learning and second language acquisition (SLA) on different perceptions that could give insights towards learning of second and foreign languages easily by the English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners.
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MARECKA, MARTA, JAKUB SZEWCZYK, ANNA JELEC, DONATA JANISZEWSKA, KAROLINA RATAJ, and KATARZYNA DZIUBALSKA-KOŁACZYK. "Different phonological mechanisms facilitate vocabulary learning at early and late stages of language acquisition: Evidence from Polish 9-year-olds learning English." Applied Psycholinguistics 39, no. 1 (October 30, 2017): 1–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0142716417000455.
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ABSTRACTTo acquire a new word, learners need to create its representation in phonological short-term memory (STM) and then encode it in their long-term memory. Two strategies can enable word representation in STM: universal segmentation and phonological mapping. Universal segmentation is language universal and thus should predict word learning in any language, while phonological mapping is language specific. This study investigates the mechanisms of vocabulary learning through a comparison of vocabulary learning task results in multiple languages. We tested 44 Polish third graders learning English on phonological STM, phonological awareness in Polish and in English, and on three tasks, which involved learning novel word forms in Polish (first language), in English (second language), and in a language that did not resemble any language known to participants (an unknown language). Participants’ English proficiency was controlled through a vocabulary task. The results suggest that word learning engages different mechanisms for familiar and unfamiliar languages. Phonological awareness in English predicted learning second language and unknown language words, and phonological STM predicted learning words of the unknown language. We propose that universal segmentation facilitates word learning only in an unfamiliar language, while in familiar languages speakers use phonological mapping in order to learn new words.
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Paradis, Johanne. "Individual differences in child English second language acquisition." Internal and External Factors in Child Second Language Acquisition 1, no. 3 (July 29, 2011): 213–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/lab.1.3.01par.
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This study investigated how various child-internal and child-external factors predict English L2 children’s acquisition outcomes for vocabulary size and accuracy with verb morphology. The children who participated (N=169) were between 4;10 and 7;0 years old (mean = 5;10), had between 3 to 62 months of exposure to English (mean = 20 months), and were from newcomer families to Canada. Results showed that factors such as language aptitude (phonological short term memory and analytic reasoning), age, L1 typology, length of exposure to English, and richness of the child’s English environment were significant predictors of variation in children’s L2 outcomes. However, on balance, child-internal factors explained more of the variance in outcomes than child-external factors. Relevance of these findings for Usage-Based theory of language acquisition is discussed.
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Seftiawan, Fery. "Mother Tongues Roles' In English Language Learning." Langkawi: Journal of The Association for Arabic and English 4, no. 1 (June 8, 2018): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.31332/lkw.v4i1.747.
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The Indonesian language as the medium of instruction indirectly affects all sectors of life across the nation. Starting from business, workplace, and entertainment to education, Indonesian language is used as the main standard language. The usage of the Indonesian language leads the hypothesized thought that it may in one side eradicate the existing tribal languages gradually. While in another side it may also have beneficial aspects like helping people (different ethnic group) to communicate as well as assisting remote learners to study English better. Due to the cases happen in two divergent conditions, this paper examines the use of Indonesian language in facilitating learners to study English. The result of this short paper shows that Indonesian language implication to some extent helps learners to study English better than those who use tribal language as their daily language to communicate. In term of second language acquisition, Indonesian language helps learners achieve some words through translation. Children in different region have different language acquisition as well as their style of learning a foreign language. Those who live in a “sophisticated” area are likely familiar with the Indonesian language that leads them learn English better than those who live in a suburban area.
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Carroll, Mary, Jorge Murcia-Serra, Marzena Watorek, and Alessandra Bendiscioli. "THE RELEVANCE OF INFORMATION ORGANIZATION TO SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION STUDIES." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 22, no. 3 (September 2000): 441–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263100003065.
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The present cross-linguistic study deals with the relevance of principles of information organization in adult second language acquisition. It looks at typological features of information structure that allow speakers to organize and shape the flow of information when carrying out complex tasks, such as giving a description, and pinpoints factors that lead to the selection of linguistic form. At the focus of our attention are means used in reference introduction, such as existential and locational constructions, the morphosyntactic forms of expressions applied in reference maintenance, and word order. The cross-linguistic comparison shows that the options found in the expression of these functions in German, English, and Romance languages (French, Italian, and Spanish) follow distinct patterns in that the linguistic means used reflect unifying principles of a typological nature. These principles are perspective driven and are associated with patterns of grammaticization. Structures in language that reflect core principles in information organization may be difficult to acquire because learners have to recognize clusters of form-function relations that range over different domains. The nature of the analyses required is described for learners of German with English and Spanish as their source languages. The interlanguages (ILs) of these speakers show a high degree of compatibility with German in formal syntactic terms and are near native in many respects, but the levels at which the IL and target language diverge can be linked to fundamental principles of organization underlying information structure. Although the stage of acquisition is advanced, the languages still retain core principles in information structure typical of those found for English and Romance languages.
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Izumi, Shinichi. "THE ACQUISITION OF JAPANESE AS A SECOND LANGUAGE.Kazue Kanno (Ed.). Amsterdam: Benjamins, 1999. Pp. xi + 181. $72.00 cloth." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 25, no. 4 (November 24, 2003): 587–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263103240250.
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This volume, focusing on Japanese as a second language (JSL), is part of the Language acquisition and language disorders series by Benjamins. As the editor points out in the introductory chapter, there is a pressing need to investigate the acquisition of languages other than English and other European languages if SLA claims to be a discipline broad enough to encompass acquisition of any second language (L2). In particular, given the importance of Japanese as one of the most commonly studied languages in Asia and the fact that Japanese has many linguistic features not found in European languages, research on the acquisition of JSL should have important implications for both practical applications in language teaching and theoretical investigation of language universals, innate principles, and the like.
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Uygun, Serkan, and Ayşe Gürel. "Compound processing in second language acquisition of English." Journal of the European Second Language Association 1, no. 1 (August 1, 2017): 90–101. http://dx.doi.org/10.22599/jesla.21.
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Shamsi, Ahmad Fawzi. "The Motivating Factors of Second Language Acquisition for Young Learners." Journal of Studies in Education 9, no. 3 (August 15, 2019): 64. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jse.v9i3.15075.
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Motivation plays a very effective role in teaching foreign languages. It has been suggested that the use of motivation can help in facilitating learning English. This study investigated the motivating factors for young learners in North Cyprus. The researcher aimed to find out the most motivating factor(s) for learning English for grade five pupils at a primary school in North Cyprus. The results show that there are many motivating factors that positively affect the learners’ attitudes towards learning English as a foreign language. Learners are motivated with many different factors: intrinsically, extrinsically, instrumentally, or integratively.
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Mady, Callie. "Novice teachers’ perspectives on the use of languages in French as a second language classes that include English language learners: A longitudinal view." Brock Education Journal 28, no. 2 (June 17, 2019): 82–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.26522/brocked.v28i2.490.
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In the Canadian context, although most considerations of the home-target language use divide are centred on the presence of English in French Second Language (FSL) programs, the increasing number of immigrants has provided impetus to extend the discussion to include the use of languages beyond Canada’s official languages. With the use of questionnaires with novice teachers pre and post Bachelor of Education programs and interviews for three years hence, this study sought to explore novice teachers’ perspectives on the use of languages in the FSL classes that include English language learners (ELL). Novice teachers remained consistent in identifying the need to maximize French use, minimize English use, and include languages from students’ language repertoires as useful means to support the FSL acquisition of ELLs. In addition, the novice teacher participants revealed a preference for ELLs to be included in core French as opposed to immersion programming.
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Aiking-Brandenburg, Marijke J. T. J., Allan R. James, and Willem J. Meijs. "Suffixation and second Language Acquisition." ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics 87-88 (January 1, 1990): 65–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/itl.87-88.04aik.
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The aim of the present paper was to find out which learning strategies secondary school pupils of different ages employ to acquire complex words in English as their second language: either by applying rules and analogies or by learning by heart. As a working hypothesis, it was postulated that younger pupils probably preferred the latter approach and older pupils the former. In order to test this hypothesis, a 122-item complex word derivation test was devised, containing three categories of words: (1) words of which both the base-form and the derived form had been studied, (2) words of which just the base-form had been studied and (3) words of which neither form had been studied. The test was administered to pupils in three grades of secondary school and a group of 1st year university students of English. Statistical treatment of the data neither confirmed nor falsified the original hypothesis, but it showed many correlations and gave rise to a large number of additional conclusions. Amongst other things, it was concluded that the presence of the proposed tentative change-over in learning approach, from learning words as whole entities to applying word-formation rules, may or may not have been present, but if it were, it had been completely obscured. It was evident from several different indications that a dominant influence on the pupils' scores was exerted by exposure. In addition, the data collected revealed numerous correlations concerning the influence of education level, word category, regularity, frequency, etc. Finally, suggestions are given for application of the test results in second language education in secondary school in general.
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Hashim, Haida Umiera, and Melor Md Yunus. "English as a Second Language (ESL) Learning: Setting the Right Environment for Second Language Acquisition." Tadris: Jurnal Keguruan dan Ilmu Tarbiyah 3, no. 2 (December 30, 2018): 207. http://dx.doi.org/10.24042/tadris.v3i2.2941.
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Early exposure to English is very important as it is crucial for learners to acquire English language at early age as English is a global language that is used not only in the level of primary and secondary school but also in tertiary level of education. Schools can be one of the important roles in influencing second language acquisition, particularly English language. However, most schools did not consider acquiring English from the perspective of learners’ fluency and rarely consider movements or approaches that they can take to improve ESL learning among students. This study intended to investigate the influence of school settings and routines on ESL learning among secondary students. A qualitative method is used in this study as data were collected through the method of observation and interview. The observation period throughout the process of collecting data has been conducted based on a field note specifically prepared for this study. The participants involved in this study were all-girl school students located in Selangor. The gathered data were then interpreted in the findings analysis. Based on this study, it was proven that there are co-relations between the school settings and routines on ESL learning among secondary students. It was found that school settings and routines do influence ESL learning among secondary students. Discussion and recommendations are further explained in this study. Thus, it is hoped for future researchers to conduct further research on related factors that might help to contribute in ESL learning among ESL learners.
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Slabakova, Roumyana. "THE COMPOUNDING PARAMETER IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION." Studies in Second Language Acquisition 24, no. 4 (October 28, 2002): 507–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0272263102004011.
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This article presents an experimental study investigating the compounding parameter in the L2 Spanish interlanguage of English and French NSs in light of the Subset Principle and its predictions for the process of L2 development. The compounding parameter (Snyder, 1995, 2001) argues that languages permit complex predicate constructions like verb particles, resultatives, and double objects if and only if they can productively form N-N compounds. English exhibits the plus value of the parameter, allowing N-N compounds and the related constructions, whereas in Spanish and French these compounds and constructions are ungrammatical. Because English also allows periphrastic constructions of the same meaning, which are the only option in French and Spanish, English represents the superset parameter value to the Spanish and French subset value. At issue is whether L2 learners are able to acquire the subset value of the compounding parameter based on the naturalistic input they receive. In this case, the learning task involves realizing that some L1 constructions are unavailable in the L2. Results indicate that the learners initially transfer the L1 (superset) value and do not start with the subset value of the parameter. Findings also inform the debate on whether negative evidence can engage UG-related acquisition. Ten of the 26 advanced subjects were able to successfully reset the whole parameter based on negative data for only two of the four constructions in the cluster. This fact suggests that it is not impossible for negative evidence to be utilized in grammar reorganization.
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Ordem, Eser. "Acquisition of Zero Relative Clauses in English by Adult Turkish Learners of English." Journal of Education and Training Studies 5, no. 1 (January 3, 2017): 190. http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/jets.v5i1.2056.
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Studies on acquisition of relative clauses by first and second language learners have evoked considerable interest in recent decades. In line with such studies, in this present study we aim to show the possible effect of first language (Turkish) on second language (English) in zero relative clause constructions. English uses certain stranded prepositions in zero relative clauses, whereas Turkish uses the same suffix in non-subject relative clause constructions. This observation in two typologically different languages led the study to claim that Turkish word order in non-subject relative clauses affects the acquisition of zero relative clauses in English. Fifty sentences in Turkish were prepared and composed of five categories. Each category consisted of ten sentences. Each category referred to one of the five cases in Turkish. These cases were accusative, locative, ablative, dative and instrumental. The participants (N=91) were asked to translate these Turkish sentences into English. The results showed that the participants tended to omit prepositions in English zero relative clauses except the construction that did not entail any preposition. Therefore, the study implies that Turkish language learners may be under the effect of their mother tongue while producing zero relative clauses in English.
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Oh, Eunjeong. "Recovery from first-language transfer: The second language acquisition of English double objects by Korean speakers." Second Language Research 26, no. 3 (July 2010): 407–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0267658310365786.
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Previous studies on second language (L2) acquisition of English dative alternation by Korean speakers (Oh and Zubizarreta, 2003, 2006a, 2006b) have shown that the acquisition of English benefactive double object (DO) (e.g. John baked Mary a cake) lags behind that of its counterpart goal double object (e.g. John sent Mary the letter). This asymmetry was attributed to grammatical differences between English and Korean benefactive DOs; goal DOs in the two languages have similar grammatical properties. Given the negative first language (L1) influence attested in the acquisition of English DOs by Korean speakers, this article examines the recovery process from these negative effects of L1 transfer and the triggering factors in such a process by investigating L2 learners’ knowledge of semantic properties pertinent to English DOs, using an Acceptability Judgment task with contexts. The present study found that most advanced learners are indeed capable of acquiring semantic properties of both types of English DOs, restructuring their interlanguage grammar in such a way that both types of DOs denote prospective possession. This article suggests that acquisition of the semantics of goal DOs, possibly attributed to L1 transfer, bootstraps acquisition of the semantics of benefactive DOs, and that this generalization from goal DOs to benefactive DOs is made possible by the surface generalization hypothesis (Goldberg, 2002), which states that argument structure patterns sharing the surface forms should be analysed on their own as a class. Furthermore, this article argues that this recovery process can be interpreted as evidence of a tie between syntax and semantics: developing sensitivity to the semantics of English DOs is indispensable for acquiring the syntax of English DOs (compare Lardiere, 2000; Slabakova, 2006). On this view, learning a construction essentially means learning its associated semantics, and acquisition of the syntax of a construction is a consequence of acquisition of the semantics of the construction.
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Archibald, John. "Learning to Parse Second Language Consonant Clusters." Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique 48, no. 3-4 (December 2003): 149–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0008413100000633.
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AbstractIn this article, a number of broad questions related to the acquisition of consonant clusters in a second language are investigated. Drawing on the structural relations and phonological principles of Government Phonology, it is argued that the behaviour of second language learners can be accounted for by a top-down, left-to-right phonological parser. Appealing to a model of cognitive architecture, it is demonstrated that one can account for the different behaviours of speakers of languages that share the trait of lacking tautosyllabic clusters (Korean and Finnish) when learning a language which allows such clusters (English). Properties of the LI segmental inventory and a licensing strength scale are proposed to explain why Finnish learners have less trouble than Korean learners when acquiring English clusters.
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Ahmed, Mahdi Aben. "Cross-Cultural Adjustment and Second Language Acquisition." International Journal of Language and Literary Studies 3, no. 2 (June 30, 2021): 290–300. http://dx.doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v3i2.646.
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The purpose of this study is to examine how the process of cross-cultural adjustment affects second language acquisition for Saudi students in the American universities. The sample consists of a group of Saudi students studying at one of the American universities in the USA. Interviews were carried out to collect data about daily life experiences of subjects, their feelings, and ways of coping in academic and social community, and also what motivates them to study English, and their attitudes toward the English language, its culture and its people.
The findings of this study suggest that there are several factors for healthier adjustment and greater successful acquisition of second language, and there are other factors that keep a number of the interviewees socially and psychologically distant from the target population, and the target culture. From the findings of the current study, a number of implications and recommendations for future research have been developed to help professionals involved with international students and English as a Second Language field better understand Saudis and their journey towards cross-cultural adjustment, and acquiring a second language.
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Kwok, Chung Kam, and Lorna Carson. "Integrativeness and intended effort in language learning motivation amongst some young adult learners of Japanese." Language Learning in Higher Education 8, no. 2 (September 25, 2018): 265–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2018-0016.
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AbstractSince the 1990s, many researchers in the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) have become focused on second/foreign language learners’ motivation to learn a language, and the role of motivation in determining future success. However, much of the research agenda has revolved around the acquisition of English as an Additional Language, and target languages other than English have been under-researched. This paper reports on a survey study designed to investigate the motivation of 84 beginner learners of Japanese learning the language in a university language centre evening programme. Examining the relationship between learners’ intended effort and six motivational orientations commonly used in SLA motivational studies using multiple linear regression, this study found that integrativeness was the only variable that contributed to learning motivation. This finding is in distinct contrast to studies focused on English learning where the ideal L2 self has often been found to be the best predictor of motivation. While it is far from sufficient to draw a conclusion that Japanese learning motivation is different from that of English based on one study, the current study does point to the key role of cultural identification in second/foreign language motivation, consistent with a small group of other motivational studies conducted in the context of Languages Other than English (LOTEs).
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Kyeong Pae, Hye, Rose A. Sevcik, and Robin D. Morris. "Cross-language links between English and Korean in second-language reading acquisition." Journal of Multilingual Communication Disorders 2, no. 1 (March 2004): 68–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1476967031000091033.
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Mayberry, Rachel I. "First-Language Acquisition After Childhood Differs From Second-Language Acquisition." Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 36, no. 6 (December 1993): 1258–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/jshr.3606.1258.
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This study determined whether the long-range outcome of first-language acquisition, when the learning begins after early childhood, is similar to that of second-language acquisition. Subjects were 36 deaf adults who had contrasting histories of spoken and sign language acquisition. Twenty-seven subjects were born deaf and began to acquire American Sign Language (ASL) as a first language at ages ranging from infancy to late childhood. Nine other subjects were born with normal hearing, which they lost in late childhood; they subsequently acquired ASL as a second language (because they had acquired spoken English as a first language in early childhood). ASL sentence processing was measured by recall of long and complex sentences and short-term memory for signed digits. Subjects who acquired ASL as a second language after childhood outperformed those who acquired it as a first language at exactly the same age. In addition, the performance of the subjects who acquired ASL as a first language declined in association with increasing age of acquisition. Effects were most apparent for sentence processing skills related to lexical identification, grammatical acceptability, and memory for sentence meaning. No effects were found for skills related to fine-motor production and pattern segmentation.
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Broselow, Ellen, and Daniel Finer. "Parameter setting in second language phonology and syntax." Interlanguage studies bulletin (Utrecht) 7, no. 1 (February 1991): 35–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/026765839100700102.
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This paper reports on studies of second language acquisition in two domains, phonology and syntax. The phenomena investigated were the acquisition by native speakers of Hindi, Japanese, and Korean of two areas of English: in phonology, the mastery of particular syllable onset clusters, and in syntax, the acquisition of the binding patterns of reflexive anaphors. Both these areas are ones for which multi-valued parameters have been posited to account for the range of variation across natural languages. The paper presents evidence that acquisition in these two areas is quite similar: at a certain stage of acquisition learners seem to arrive at a parameter setting that is midway between the native and the target language settings. This effect occurs both when the target language employs a less marked setting than the native language and when the target language setting is more marked than that of the native language.
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Wallin, Jamie, and Boonsri Cheevakumjorn. "Learning English as a Second Language: Earlier is Better." JEES (Journal of English Educators Society) 5, no. 1 (March 28, 2020): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.21070/jees.v5i1.349.
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This study reviews recent evidence concerning childhood bilingualism: what is the optimal age to begin learning a second language? Acquiring a first language is mainly unconscious and begins at birth. A bilingual child is one who has acquired a second language simultaneously or is acquiring a second language sequentially. Research evidence confirms that second language acquisition should begin as early as possible. It requires a holistic approach in which learners are immersed in the sounds and daily experiences of the second language, much in the same way as the first language was acquired. It is during the very early years of a child’s life that brain development is most receptive to acquiring linguistic competence in one or more additional languages. Evidence is clear that younger-age learners will have better accents and a more diversified vocabulary than those who are older. Thus, creating an immersion-like environment is essential for schools which aim to develop sequential bilinguals. Elements for successful English as a second language programmes are identified, with supporting research evidence.
HIGHLIGHTS:
When young bilinguals ‘borrow’ words from the other language could be regarded as being very resourceful, not confused.
Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may lack certain linguistic experiences in terms of vocabulary size, and lack of exposure to books, conversation practice, or first-hand life experiences.
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Akbarov, Azamat, and Larisa Đapo. ""I am years seven old." Acquisition of English word order by Bosnian and Turkish children." English Studies at NBU 2, no. 1 (August 20, 2016): 59–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.33919/esnbu.16.1.5.
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This paper aims to investigate differences in the acquisition of English word order between Bosnian and Turkish students resulting from word order in these two languages (Bosnian and Turkish). In second language acquisition, the knowledge of the native language (L1) in acquisition of a foreign language (L2) can indeed have a facilitating or inhibiting effect on the learner’s progress in mastering a new language. Thirty children from the first grade at the International School of Sarajevo were tested. Some of them attended the kindergarten where English was a language of communication and the rest of them had six months of exposure of English in school settings. We wanted to find possible differences in acquiring word order in English in these groups of children as well. This study offers new results for acquiring correct word order in English.
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JIA, GISELA, DORIS AARONSON, and YANHONG WU. "Long-term language attainment of bilingual immigrants: Predictive variables and language group differences." Applied Psycholinguistics 23, no. 4 (November 19, 2002): 599–621. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0142716402004058.
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This study examined the variables related to US immigrants' long-term attainment in English, their second language (L2), and their native language (L1). For 44 Mandarin–English bilinguals, with increasing age of arrival (AOA) in the United States, their accuracy in L2 grammaticality judgment tasks decreased and accuracy in an L1 grammaticality judgment task increased. Moreover, both AOA in the United States and mothers' English proficiency uniquely predicted a significant proportion of the variance for bilinguals' L2 proficiency. Finally, as a group, 72 speakers of three Asian languages showed lower levels of L2 proficiency and stronger AOA effects on the task performance than 32 speakers of six European languages. These differences in language proficiency were associated with differences in language use, language learning motivation, and cultural identification between the two groups. These findings suggest that L2 acquisition in the immigration setting is a complicated process involving the dynamic interactions of multiple variables.