Korean Learners Of English Research Articles

The Internal Structure of Foreign Language (L2) Learning Motivation of Korean Learners of English (KLE)

The Internal Structure of Foreign Language (L2) Learning Motivation of Korean Learners of English (KLE)

Orthographic Differences and English L2 Spelling Errors

This study investigated English L2 spellings among Korean L1 learners of English on the basis of linguistic differences in their L1 and L2 orthography. Two groups of 3rd graders, Korean L1 English learners (N=36) and native English speakers (N=30), performed a pseudoword spelling task, in which they listened to an audio recording of a total of 10 pseudowords and dictated what they heard. The task material targeting orthographic difference consists of two types of pseudowords: more consistent vowels and less consistent vowels. Data were tested with an experiment with a 2 x 2 factorial design with “group” and “word type” as independent variables. Word type included two contrasting types: more consistent and less consistent. The results support the prediction that learners whose L1 is relatively transparent had difficulty in spelling L2 words whose grapheme-phoneme correspondence is less transparent. Further analysis on error types and pedagogical implications regarding English L2 spellings are addressed.

The perceptual sensitivity to the prosodic cues in disambiguation of the ambiguous and the biased ambiguous sentences

This study explores the perceptual sensitivity to the prosodic cues in disambiguating the structurally ambiguous sentences by English native speakers and Korean learners of English. Also, this study aims to investigate that even the biased ambiguous interpretations due to their semantic factors were also affected by the prosodic cues. The perception experiment was conducted by the cognitive experimental tool, E-prime. In the perception test, one of the meanings of the sentences were presented on the screen, and then the acoustic stimuli were provided to the participants. The acoustic stimuli were given in two phases - the normal stimuli and the reinforced stimuli. The subjects were asked to judge the correspondence between the semantic and acoustic stimulus. The recognition rate increased, while the response time was shortened, when the reinforced stimuli were given. To be specific, English natives sensitively respond to the phrasal accent and phrase final lengthening, while Korean learners are sensitive to the substantial pause. With regarding to the biased ambiguous sentences, Korean learners do not rely on their baseline preference and easily shifted their resolution according to the prosodic factors they heard. while native speakers much rely on their internally fixed interpretation beside of the meticulous prosodic cues.

한국인 상급 학습자의 영어 비강세 모음의 특징 -영어단어와 한국어에 외래어로 유입된 영어단어의 비교연구-

The aim of this paper is to examine the phonetic realizations of English unstressed vowels produced by advanced Korean learners (KLs) of English compared with English native speakers (NSs) focusing on the comparative study of English words and English loanwords. The result shows that KLs are usually not native-like in producing the English unstressed vowel /ə/ and loanword orthography affects the way the KLs produce /?/. The vowel quality of the unstressed vowels produced by the KLs is different from that of the NSs. In duration and pitch, KLs show significantly less difference between the stressed and unstressed vowels than do the NSs. The KLs usually have a high pitch in the stressed and the last syllable while the NSs usually produce peak F0 in the stressed syllable. When the KLs have a similar vowel quality with that of the NSs, they produce a shorter duration of the unstressed vowels. However, there is no correlation between the realization of the pitch and the vowel quality in KLs speech.

Position and Function of Pre-repair-initiator so in Korean EFL Learners' Conversation

This paper attempts to observe and describe how Korean speakers of English use so along with repair initiators in their conversation. By transcribing recordings of the conversation among Korean learners of English, the present study reveals three findings: (i) learners use repair- initiators such as uh, gaps, or repetition in the same turn repair to earn time for a word search as native speakers of English do (Schegloff, 1979) (ii) learners put so before these repair initiators in the same turn repair to earn more time for a word search, and (iii) learners put this "pre-repair-initiator" so only in a position where turn-taking is relevant. This consistent position of so functions to secure not only extra time but also a speakership of a current speaker to compensate their disfluency in English conversation.

VOWEL EPENTHESIS AND SEGMENT IDENTITY IN KOREAN LEARNERS OF ENGLISH

Recent literature has sought to understand the presence of epenthetic vowels after the productions of postvocalic word-final consonants by second language (L2) learners whose first languages (L1s) restrict the presence of obstruents in coda position. Previous models include those in which epenthesis is seen as a strategy to mitigate the effects of coda licensing restrictions in the L1; others see epenthesis as a result of misperception of consonant releases in the L2 as indicating the presence of an additional syllable nucleus. The current study examines segmental identification and syllable counting in inexperienced Korean learners of English as a foreign language. Across stimuli, two effects were found. Increased perceptual epenthesis correlated with increased identification of a segment as voiceless, indicating a joint perception of voicelessness and an epenthetic vowel. Also, rate of epenthesis increased with accuracy of detecting sibilants and coronal segments, sounds characterized by salient consonant noise. Taken together, these results indicate a perceptual mechanism that evaluates segmental content and prosodic structure from an integrated percept. Analyses across individual listeners do not support a model in which perceptual epenthesis is a strategy to increase segmental accuracy; rather, they support models in which both syllable counting and segmental identification are skills that are reflections of increased proficiency in the L2. These results are discussed with respect to models of L2 phonology that rely on the robust encoding of lexical items.

Processing of Theta Role and Pragmatic Violations by Korean Learners of English: An ERP-based Analysis

Processing of Theta Role and Pragmatic Violations by Korean Learners of English: An ERP-based Analysis

Acoustic variation in Korean vowels spoken by beginning and advanced native Acoustic variation in Korean vowels spoken by beginning and advanced native English learners of Korean

Acoustic variation in Korean vowels spoken by beginning and advanced native Acoustic variation in Korean vowels spoken by beginning and advanced native English learners of Korean

A Corpus-based Analysis of Clause Ordering in English Complex Sentences

This study is a corpus-based analysis of ordering patterns of adverbial and main clauses in written and spoken English. The previous studies indicated that conditional clauses tend to precede the main clause more frequently than temporal clauses, and that temporal clauses are more frequently in the sentence-initial position than causal clauses. This study aims to present a more comprehensive picture for the usages of 13 adverbial clauses. The data are from LOB representing written English and parts of BNC representing spoken English. The corpus analysis shows that till-, until-, and before-clauses representing Time before follow the main clause most frequently among temporal clauses, but that as-clauses representing Same time precede the main clause frequently. Because- clauses show a strong tendency to occur sentence-finally, and causal as-clauses follow the main verb much more frequently particularly in spoken English. If-clauses tend to occur in the sentence-initial position, whereas unless- and though-clauses tend to be in the final position. Considered an informal variant of although-clauses, though-clauses are used frequently in written English, showing a preference for the final position in both written and spoken English. The ordering patterns are explained in terms of the principles of iconicity, processing, and information structure. Pedagogically, this study suggests that teaching materials should be developed for Korean learners of English based on these objective results of the corpus data in order to enhance the correct use of adverbial and main clauses in complex sentences.

Exploring Differences in Compliment Responses in English between American Undergraduates and Korean Undergraduates

This study examined compliment responses (CRs) among American undergraduates and Korean undergraduate learners of English. A total of 120 undergraduates from both countries participated in the study. The data was gathered through the instrument of written discourse completion tasks (DCTs), with four situational settings: appearance, character, ability, and possession. The findings demonstrated that Korean undergraduate learners of English had a high tendency of using fewer positive strategies than the American undergraduates did. Furthermore, the Korean participants used an indirect approach in response to compliments, preferring modest strategies to CRs; whereas, their counterparts, conversely, preferred using direct CRs, which was due to cultural stimulus. This indicates that the participants from both cultural backgrounds used different compliment protocols, and CRs in both cultures varied in meaning respectively.

The Effects of Giving Peer Feedback: Case Studies of Korean Learners of English

The Effects of Giving Peer Feedback: Case Studies of Korean Learners of English

The acquisition of phonetic details: Evidence from the production of English reduced vowels by Korean learners

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acquisition of non-contrastive phonetic details of a second language. Reduced vowels in English are realized as a schwa or barred- i depending on their phonological contexts, but Korean has no reduced vowels. Two groups of Korean learners of English who differed according to the experience of residence in English-speaking countries and a group of English native speakers were asked to produce English reduced vowels in word-initial, word-internal and word-final positions. The mean duration ratios, and the mean values and distribution patterns of F1/F2 of the reduced vowels were compared between the three groups, which revealed that Korean learners without residence experience tended to produce each variant of English reduced vowels as the corresponding full vowels, whereas those with experience displayed similar patterns to the natives. The present results suggest that it is possible for second language (L2) learners to learn the statistical properties in L2.

Perception and Production of Illicit Lateral Sequences by Korean Learners of English

Speech production has been thought to be the product of speech perception and thus reflects what listeners perceive. Given the patterns of production and perception of illicit consonant sequences involving the lateral by Korean of English, this paper investigates adaptation of English illicit sequences on a perceptual and productional basis, and explores the relationship between speech perception and production. The results of two experiments show a clear discrepancy between Korean learners perception and production of the sequences. Given the results, this paper maintains that speech production might not mirror speech perception while it does mirror the phonology of the native language, which is against the traditional theories but is partly congruent with recent studies. This finding suggests that production is very loosely related to perception in the case of a cluster acquisition, and that acquisition of foreign illicit sequences are different from acquisition of a foreign segment. It also contends that native phonological constraints including phonotactics play a more important role in speech production than in speech perception.

Quantitative Analyses of Word Association by Korean Learners of English

Quantitative Analyses of Word Association by Korean Learners of English

Using pretask modelling to encourage collaborative learning opportunities

The current study examines the impact of pretask modelling on the collaborative learning opportunities that occurred when Korean learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) carried out three tasks: dictogloss, decision-making, and information-gap. Forty-four adolescents who were enrolled in a required English course at a middle school in Korea completed the tasks over a two-week period. Half of the learners viewed videotaped models of collaborative interaction prior to carrying out the tasks, while the other learners did not receive pretask modelling. The interaction between the learners was analysed in terms of the type and resolution of language related episodes (LREs) and the learners’ pair dynamics. Results indicated that learners who received pretask modelling produced more LREs and correctly resolved a greater proportion of those LREs than learners who did not receive any models. They also demonstrated more collaborative pair dynamics than learners who did not receive models. Trends in the data are discussed in terms of the potential benefits of pretask modelling for encouraging collaboration between young learners in EFL settings.

Acquisition of the constraints on wanna contraction by advanced second language learners: Universal grammar and imperfect knowledge

Contraction of want to to wanna is subject to constraints that have been related to the operation of Universal Grammar. Contraction appears to be blocked when the trace of an extracted wh-word intervenes. Evidence for knowledge of these constraints by young English-speaking children has been taken to show the operation of Universal Grammar in early child language acquisition. The present study investigates knowledge of these constraints in adults, both English native speakers and advanced Korean learners of English. The results of three experiments — using elicited production, oral repair, and grammaticality judgments — confirmed native speaker knowledge of the constraints. A second process of phonological elision may also operate to produce wanna. Learners also showed some differentiation of contexts, but much less clearly than native speakers. We speculate that non-natives may be using rules of complement selection, rather than the constraints of Universal Grammar (UG) to control contraction.

A Study on the Communicative Characteristics of Spontaneous English Speech by Korean Learners of English

This study reports a small but fully transcribed database of spontaneous English speech spoken by Korean learners of English. The spontaneous speech was gathered under a naturalistic setting, using a problem-solving task (called the Diapix task from Van Engen et al., 2010) involving two talkers. Using the database, we examined whether the communicative characteristics of Korean users’ English speech differ depending on the language background of the conversation partners with whom the Korean users interact in a given discourse. For this, we focused on examining how efficiently the Korean talkers communicated with their conversation partners by considering three primary measures, namely (i) how fast they completed the dialogue task, (ii) how balanced the conversation was, and (iii) how many types of English words they used. The data showed that for all three measures the native language background of the interlocutor with whom a Korean learner of English interacts in a dialogue affects the speech characteristics of the Korean learner of English. Discussions of the current results and implications of them are provided.

Native and Non-native Use of Existential There in CMC

This study is an attempt to locate differences in language use between native speakers and Korean learners of English through the existential there constructions occurring in a series of computer-mediated communication (CMC). The data examined were collected from a semester-long CMC interaction held as a supplementary activity of coursework which was jointly offered by a Korean and a US university. Students discussed the course subject through an asynchronous Internet bulletin board system. The discussions were compiled to construct two comparable corpora of native and non-native language use. The existential there constructions were examined for frequency, collocation with verbs, and extensions etc. as appeared in both data. There was no notable difference in word frequency, but some important distinctions in other features were identified: the native use of the construction showed more flexibility in positioning adverbials, and more complexity both in combining with verbs and in the extension of notional subject. More “intermediate items” of there reflecting the dynamics of the morpheme are found in native samples. The last part of the finding is related to the grammaticalization account of language change.

Pauses in Korean-accented conversational English

The current study investigates the characteristics of speech disfluencies (i.e., silent and filled pauses) produced by Korean learners of English. Unlike previous studies that focused on speech disfluencies in read English speech by Korean talkers (e.g., Lee, 2007; Yom, 2006; Cha, 2005), this study gathered English disfluency data uttered by Korean speakers in a more naturalistic setting referred to as the Diapix task in the literature (Kim et al., 2011; Van Engen et al., 2010; Baker & Hazan, 2010) where two talkers were involved in a spontaneous dialogue to achieve a common goal. One central finding of the current study is that Korean learners of English produce pauses to a greater extent when their conversation partner is another non-native speaker of English than when their partner is a native speaker of English. We put forward a hypothesis that can account for this finding--pauses serve as a facilitatory perceptual cue for Korean learners of English, independent from their more typical role as repairing errors (Levelt, 1983; Kormos, 1999). Additional implications that the current findings have for the studies of speech disfluencies in foreign-accented conversational English are discussed.

Deficits in the perception of English word-initial consonant clusters by Korean learners of English

It is well known that Korean learners of English are deceived into perceiving an illusory epenthetic vowel when hearing consonant clusters. The purpose of this study is to investigate if this deficit in speech perception can be resolved as Korean learners improve their English skills. In previous literature, Lee (2010) conducted a perception test among Korean learners of English with four different proficiency levels: advanced, high-intermediate, intermediate, and low levels. In analyzing the experimental data, she calculated d-prime (d`) scores, based on which she concluded that all of the groups could successfully perceive English word-initial consonant clusters. The present study attempts to reanalyze Lee`s (2010) raw experimental data, employing a different method of analysis (A` scores) rather than d` scores. Contrary to Lee`s (2010) findings, it is found that all groups, even advanced learners, are unsuccessful in perceiving consonant clusters. It is therefore implied that an A` score is better than a d` score when we need insight into subjects` overall performance on a perception test. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that a speech perception deficit will be more difficult to resolve than a speech production deficit.