Second Language Communication Research Articles

The Influence of Shandong dialect on English learning

Phonologythe material shell of languagehas its own peculiarities because language structures and realizations vary. Behaviorist phonological theory implies that prior phonological patterns interfere with second-language communication. Learners inadvertently transfer their native language pronunciation to foreign language acquisition. The transfer is a psychological phrase that used to refer primarily to the influence of former learning on subsequent learning but now refers to the influence of one type of learning on another. Positive and negative transfers exist. English is Indo-European, while Chinese is Sino-Tibetan. distinct language families mean distinct phonological intonation systems and pronunciation patterns, therefore negative transfer of phonological learning is inevitable. Chinese students learn various dialects, each with its own system, and these dialects deeply affect English phonological intonation learning. This paper examines the transfer effect of the Shandong dialect on English phonology and the negative transfer of dialects to English intonation learning. The phonological system differs in terms of consonant parts and pronunciation methods, and the intonation system differs in tone, intonation, stress, and rhythm.

The idiodynamic method in individual differences research: a review of applications and contributions

ABSTRACT Over the past decade, the focus of investigation in individual differences (IDs) research has shifted from the utilization of large-scale questionnaire surveys toward the adoption of methodological diversity and development of new approaches to second-language (L2) communication (Dörnyei and Ryan [2015]. The Psychology of the Language Learner Revisited. New York: Routledge.). One innovative approach to researching complex dynamic systems (e.g. individual difference characteristics such as motivation) is the ‘idiodynamic method’, which is developed to capture moment-by-moment fluctuations during L2 communication tasks. This review aims to examine the contributions that the idiodynamic methodology can make to individual differences in L2 learning. Focusing on three prominent areas in ID research (L2 willingness to communicate, language motivation, and language learning anxiety), the review examined 32 idiodynamically-informed studies published in the last decade. The findings indicate that the idiodynamic method – as a powerful research tool – could potentially contribute to investigating the dynamics associated with learner-related and teacher-related factors. The idiodynamic method is found to (1) encourage a reinterpretation of IDs, modeling them in terms of different timescales and changes in real time; (2) recognize the trajectories involved in learning-teaching behaviors; (3) highlight the interaction of communication traits and co-existence of stability and variability in the L2 learning system; and (4) quantify the variability in the ratings and the variation in IDs in real time communication. The review confirms the practical value of the idiodynamic methodology in L2 research and concludes with a brief discussion of implications of the methodology and suggestions for future studies.

Towards Emotionally Expressive Virtual Human Agents to Foster L2 Production: Insights from a Preliminary Woz Experiment

In second-language communication, emotional feedbacks play a preponderant role in instilling positive emotions and thereby facilitating the production of the target language by second-language learners. In contrast, facial expressions help convey emotion, intent, and sometimes even desired actions more effectively. Additionally, according to the facial feedback hypothesis, a major component of several contemporary theories of emotion, facial expressions can regulate emotional behavior and experience. The aim of this study was to determine whether and to what extent emotional expressions reproduced by virtual agents could provide empathetic support to second-language learners during communication tasks. To do so, using the Facial Coding Action System, we implemented a prototype virtual agent that can display a collection of nonverbal feedbacks, including Ekman’ six basic universal emotions and gazing and nodding behaviors. Then, we designed a Wizard of Oz experiment in which second-language learners were assigned independent speaking tasks with a virtual agent. In this paper, we outline our proposed method and report on an initial experimental evaluation which validated the meaningfulness of our approach. Moreover, we present our next steps for improving the system and validating its usefulness through large-scale experiments.

EFL learners’ grit, classroom enjoyment and their willingness to communicate: Iranian public school versus private English language institute learners

The pivotal role of communication in second language (L2) learning has triggered plethoric research to identify factors that may influence learners’ willingness to communicate (L2 WTC). However, there is a dearth of comparative research on L2 WTC, especially among EFL learners studying English at different educational institutions. To this end, the present study investigates the role of ‘grit’ and ‘classroom enjoyment’ (CE) in learners’ L2 WTC in two different educational settings of public schools and private language institutes. Grit includes two lower-order constructs, namely perseverance of effort (POE) and consistency of interest (COI), which were examined separately in this study. A total of 269 Iranian students from both public schools and private institutes completed an online survey. What was revealed from the data analysis through the Mann–Whitney u-test, Spearman’s rho, and multiple regression analysis is that private institute learners enjoyed higher levels of WTC compared to public school students. While POE and CE exerted a significant effect on L2 WTC in both educational settings, COI failed to do so. The findings of this study are discussed from a socio-educational perspective with regard to the difference between these two educational contexts.

Multimodal Second-Language Communication: Research Findings and Pedagogical Implications

This article reviews research findings involving visual input in speech processing in the form of facial cues and co-speech gestures for second-language (L2) learners, and provides pedagogical implications for the teaching of listening and speaking. It traces the foundations of auditory–visual speech research and explores the role of a speaker’s facial cues in L2 perception training and of gestural cues in listening comprehension. There is a strong role for pedagogy to maximize the salience of multimodal cues for L2 learners. Visible articulatory gestures that precede the acoustic signal and the preparation phase of a hand gesture that precedes the acoustic onset of a word provide a priming effect on perceivers’ attention to signal upcoming information and facilitate processing, and visible gestures that co-occur with speech aid ongoing processing and comprehension. L2 learners benefit from an awareness of these visual cues and exposure to input.

Are Females Better Than Males In Communication In Second Language?

Although research in education, including worldwide Programme for International Stu-dent Assessment (PISA) by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, shows that female language learners outdo their male counterparts in the development of verbal skills, a number of re-searchers have strongly challenged that claim. The aim of this paper is to find out whether professional foreign language competence in a higher education institution (HEI) in Latvia is different between females and males. In order to determine this, we have analyzed final grades and presentation scores (lecturer, peer and self-assessment) of students in an ESP (English for Specific Purposes, in our case: Sport English) course, as well as their levels of second language acquisition, obtained in centralized secondary school leaving exams, which serves as the basis for further development of professional foreign language competence in a sport related HEI. Whereas grades, scores and levels are considered in the present paper as depen-dent variables, gender constitutes an independent variable. A series of Mann-Whitney U tests has revealed no significant difference in male and female achievement in centralized school leaving exam in second language (English); in final grades, obtained by students in an ESP course; and in lecturer assessment of student presentations in the ESP course. However, the analysis of peer assessment of student presentations in the ESP course reveals that females tend to overestimate themselves and their peers. The latter observation, as this paper argues, may result from the fact that sport related HEI students are characterized by increased self-esteem (Rudzinska, 2007).

Willingness to Communicate from Indonesian Learners’ Perspective

The present study is aimed at investigating dynamic complex systems and sub-systems underlying students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) in the classroom context. The fact that students’ reticence still arises during the classroom discussion until to date. It is insufficient to see students’ willingness to communicate from a single perspective. Seen from dynamic complex theory, the present study postulates the systems and sub-systems underlying students’ willingness to communicate in L2 that are dynamic and interconnected one to another. I conducted a naturalistic inquiry by investigating eight Indonesian university students (4 low English proficiency students and 4 high English proficiency students). A number of research instruments (face to face interview, online interview, and students’ log) were used to collect the data with regard to the students’ participation in the classroom. The finding reveals that classroom systems such as social and classroom context, linguistic competence, individual differences, and cultural context affect participants’ WTC in L2. Those systems encompass some sub-systems interacting and interconnecting one to another that affect classroom communication in second language.

Erratum to Neural correlates of second-language communication and the effect of language anxiety Neuropsychologia 66 (2015) 182–192

Erratum to Neural correlates of second-language communication and the effect of language anxiety Neuropsychologia 66 (2015) 182–192

Neural correlates of second-language communication and the effect of language anxiety

Communicative speech is a type of language use that involves goal-directed action targeted at another person based on social interactive knowledge. Previous studies regarding one's first language (L1) have treated the theory of mind system, which is associated with understanding others, and the sensorimotor system, which is associated with action simulation, as important contributors to communication. However, little is known about the neural basis of communication in a second language (L2), which is limited in terms of its use as a communication tool. In this fMRI study, we manipulated the type of speech (i.e., communication vs. description) and the type of language (L1 vs. L2) to identify the specific brain areas involved in L2 communication. We also attempted to examine how the cortical mechanisms underlying L2 speech production are influenced by oral proficiency and anxiety regarding L2. Thirty native Japanese speakers who had learned English as an L2, performed communicative and descriptive speech-production tasks in both L1 and L2 while undergoing fMRI scanning. We found that the only the L2 communication task recruited the left posterior supramarginal gyrus (pSMG), which may be associated with the action simulation or prediction involved in generating goal-directed actions. Furthermore, the neural mechanisms underlying L2 communication, but not L2 description, were sensitive to both oral proficiency and anxiety levels; (a) activation in the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) increased as oral proficiency levels increased, and (b) activation in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), including the left insula, decreased as L2 anxiety levels increased. These results reflect the successful retrieval of lexical information in a pragmatic context and an inability to monitor social behaviors due to anxiety. Taken together, the present results suggest that L2 communication relies on social skills and is mediated by anxiety and oral proficiency.

日本の高校生の英語コミュニケーション行動を予測する心理的過程

This study presents a new model of psychological processes to predict English communication behaviors of Japanese high school students. Various models have been proposed in Japan, based mainly on Canadian models, to predict second-language communication behaviors. This study shows problems with the previous models in Japan and introduces a new model from the perspective of "Expectancy-Value Theory". Questionnaire Survey 1 compared the previous model and the modified models which suggested that a new psychological variable, "Value in English Communication", was necessary to construct the new model. In Survey 2, the new model was further modified by incorporating into it various English learning values which the Japanese have. This study makes a significant contribution to studies and practices of teaching English as a foreign language in Japan.

A Dynamic System Approach to Willingness to Communicate: Developing an Idiodynamic Method to Capture Rapidly Changing Affect

Willingness to communicate (WTC) can be conceptualized as changing from moment to moment, as opportunities for second-language communication arise. In this study we present an idiodynamic methodology for studying rapid changes in WTC. The methodology consists of recording responses from six young adult, female speakers to second-language communication tasks, their self-ratings of changes in WTC during those tasks, and reporting of their experience and attributions for fluctuations in WTC. The role of stable personal characteristics of the speakers is taken into account, as are observations made by an observer during the respondents’ speech. Conceptualizing WTC as a dynamic system allows for an examination of the variation in WTC over time. The results show both consistency and variation in WTC even among a relatively homogeneous sample of speakers. Searching memory for vocabulary was identified as a key process affecting WTC, though it is argued that other factors (including language anxiety) are also operating to affect WTC. After concluding that WTC can be seen as a dynamic system, limitations of the methodology and future research directions are discussed.

Understanding Communication in Second Language Classrooms

PART 1 UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION IN SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS 1 Understanding communication in second language classrooms 2 Teachers' control of the patterns of classroom communication 3 Students' perceptions of the patterns of classroom communication 4 Students' knowledge and use of language 5 Students' use of language for classroom learning and second language acquisition PART 2 EXAMINING PATTERNS OF COMMUNICATION IN SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS 6 Examining teacher-student interaction 7 Examining student-student interaction 8 Examining community/school-based issues and second language classrooms PART III PROMOTING COMMUNICATION IN SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS 9 Promoting communication in second language classrooms 10 Classroom communicative competence.