Language Acquisition Abilities Research Articles

APPLICATION OF LEARNING TO LISTEN METHOD TO PATIENT WITH DYSAUDIA

Dysaudia is a speech disorder associated with auditory feedback problems, which can occur due to hearing loss. Articulation is an important part of speech, and children with hearing problem need immediate help to improve their slow pronunciation skills due to hearing loss. One method of treating deaf children is to Learning to Listen. By relying on the remaining hearing, this method aims to help children detect sounds and associate sounds with objects. Methods: One-subject experiment, using a one-group pre-post test design. The participant was an 8-year-old boy with hearing loss who received speech therapy. Data were collected through interviews with the client's mother, direct observation of the client, tests, and study document. Speech therapy was conducted in 10 sessions by training the client receptive language at the word level. Comparing the client's language acquisition ability before and after therapy. Results: In the evaluation after speech therapy, there was an increase of 100% Conclusion: The listening training method is considered effective in improving the receptive language skills of children with hearing problem Recommendations: To find out whether the Learning to Listen Method is effective in improving pronunciation skills in deaf children, it is hoped that additional research can be carried out on this method.

Building a Literacy Culture for English Department Student Through Extensive Reading Program

xtensive reading has many benefits to increase students' literacy skills and increase their ability to acquire foreign languages. Because in Extensive Reading, students have many choices of material and the type of reading they want. They also have more time compared to intensive reading. In addition, several studies have concluded that extensive reading can improve foreign language acquisition abilities. Therefore, this community service aims at improving students’ English literacy by conducting a program namely extensive reading program. This activity uses the Participatory Action Research (PAR) method, especially focusing on problem solving (problem solving) and participation (participatory). While the strategy used in conducting this program is to mobilize human resources and student potential, in this case the empowerment team is the driving force in building student awareness of the importance of reading. Therefore, the type of activity that will be carried out is Focus Group Discussion. Community service partners in this extensive reading program are students of Tadris English, Institut Agama Islam Ma’arif NU (IAIMNU) Metro Lampung. At this early stage, this activity is specifically aimed at students who are actively involved in the management of the English Student Association or ESA. Finally, this program was run very well and improve students’ English productive skill and English literacy among the students, and easy searching some source reference at library online.

The Influence of Children’s Psychological Language Development Based on Computer Digital Statistics Technology

Children’s psychological language development cannot be explained by the mechanism of adults learning a second language, and there are great differences between them. Children’s language acquisition ability is congenital. They can obtain language information with the help of sensory organs and learn language features through brain black box processing. Therefore, studying the influence of children’s psychological language development is helpful to solve the problem of human language learning and provide a reliable research basis for language education. An important research method of psycholinguistics is behavioral experiment, which can provide detailed and real research materials and data on children’s language learning process, but it cannot reflect children’s psychological process. In this paper, the computer digital statistical technology model is introduced into the research on the impact of children’s psychological language development, combined with the dual network model of language model to simulate the psychological mechanism of children’s language acquisition process. The simulation results of the model show that the acquisition of phoneme category has an important impact on children’s language development. Compared with before learning, after children complete learning, the clustering and compactness of language consonant and vowel phoneme range are improved, which promotes the learning of language features.

English Process Assessment Based on Deep Learning and Cloud Computing

Summative assessment has long been the primary assessment method used in college English classes. Overemphasizing examinations has had a significant negative impact on foreign language instruction. We design and practice generative instructional objectives, open instructional activities, dynamic course resources, interactive instruction process, and developmental instructional assessment based on a cloud platform based on the basic idea of generative instruction and using the characteristics of a cloud computing platform. Measures to improve the generativeness of online classrooms have piqued students’ interest and enthusiasm for self-directed learning, allowing them to experience the joy of learning brought on by new technological advancements. We discovered that if you want to improve students’ language acquisition ability, you cannot just rely on assessment. The diversified process assessment can not only ensure that students complete their learning tasks efficiently and quickly but also ensure that students are assessed objectively and fairly. Using cloud computing, MATLAB algorithm, and artificial neural network theory, a mathematical model of an instruction quality assessment system is established in this paper. After the network has been trained, the quality of the instruction can be assessed, providing a useful reference point for future research into instruction quality assessment systems.

Study of Influence of Negative Transfer of L1 Thinking on Second Language Acquisition

Language transfer is always the hot topic in the history of Linguistic researches. The influence of L1 thinking absolutely exists in the process of second language acquisition and varies with second language learners’ personal language acquisition ability. According to Piaget, junior high school students are in the transitional stage from the Concrete Operation to the Formal Operation, and some of them may belong to the later. Also, the learning years in junior high school is the initial time to study English grammar and write compositions, so this research takes junior high school students of Grade-one as research participant, and mainly focuses on the errors occur in their English compositions. Through the analysis of the reason why they made such errors, the author aims at revealing the influence of L1 thinking on Chinese students’ second language acquisition, also, the author intends to help educators to have clearer thoughts when sorting out educational plans and strategies, and enable both teachers and students to realize the importance of cultivating students’ second language thinking in junior high school.

A case of co-occuring synesthesia, autism, prodigious talent and strong structural brain connectivity

BackgroundSynesthesia is a sensory phenomenon where certain domain-specific stimuli trigger additional sensations of e.g. color or texture. The condition occurs in about 4% of the general population, but is overrepresented in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), where it might also be associated with the presence of prodigious talents.Case presentationHere we describe the case of a young transsexual man with Asperger Syndrome, synesthesia and a prodigious talent for foreign language acquisition. In our case, not only letters, numbers, spoken words, music, noises, weekdays and months lead to highly consistent, vivid color sensations but also his own and others’ emotions, geometric shapes, any mathematical symbol, and letters from an unfamiliar alphabet (Hebrew). These color associations seem to aid categorization, differentiation and storage of information and might thereby contribute to the young man’s language acquisition ability. We investigated the young man’s structural brain connectivity in comparison to adults with or without ASD, applying global fiber tracking to diffusion-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data. The case presented with increased connectivity, especially between regions involved in visual and emotion processing, memory, and higher order associative binding regions. An electroencephalography experiment investigating synesthetic color and shape sensations while listening to music showed a negligible occipital alpha suppression, indicating that these internally generated synesthetic sensations derive from a different brain mechanism than when processing external visual information.ConclusionsTaken together, this case study endorses the notion of a link between synesthesia, prodigious talent and autism, adding to the currently still sparse literature in this field. It provides new insights into the possible manifestations of synesthesia in individuals with ASD and its potential contribution to prodigious talents in people with an otherwise unexceptional cognitive profile. Additionally, this case impressively illustrates how synesthesia can be a key element not only of sensory perception but also social and emotional processing and contributes to existing evidence of increased brain connectivity in association with synesthesia.

An Empirical Study on the Influence of PBL Teaching Model on the Critical Thinking Ability of Non-English Majors

This study combines the PBL teaching model based on cooperative learning autonomous learning and inquiry learning with the intensive reading course of college English with the aim to test whether this model is conducive to promoting the critical thinking ability of students. Ability of second language acquisition (L2) is measured by language test and questionnaire survey among 95 subjects. The results show that the teaching model of PBL has a positive effect on improving students' critical thinking ability and second language acquisition ability.

LATERALIZATION OF THE BIOELECTRIC BRAIN ACTIVITY AS A PREDICTOR OF MOTIVATIONAL AND COGNITIVE PROCESSES

The conducted research was devoted to the study of influence of the laterality pattern of the bioelectric brain activity on the formation of foreign language acquisition abilities based on the actualization of motivational and cognitive processes. Medical students (n=620) studying at the Foreign Language Department took part in the research. Investigation of the bioelectric brain activity was carried out by EEG with the use of a 16-channel Neiron Spectr 3 (Russia) electroencephalograph. Aspiration level (motives) was revealed by V.K. Gerbachevskij Inventory (1969). Elers test was used to determine achievement and avoid-ance motivation. The level of state and trait anxiety was assessed by C. Spielberger-Ju. Hanin Inventory. Correlation between the motive choice and peculiarities of the bioelectric brain activity was determined. Being a success marker of foreign language acquisition abilities, the academic achievement is likely to be a reflection of the learning efficiency dependence on the laterality pattern of the bioelectric brain activity, motivational behavior. As a rule, students with achievement motivation predominance (well advanced students) relied on their own ab-ilities, aimed at self-actualization and tried to solve problems requiring effort. The predo-minance of motive of avoidance in the motivational structure of the personality in poorly ad-vanced students of the right profile had a negative influence on the course of cognitive processes, manifested in low efficiency of formation of foreign-verbal abilities.

The Labor Market Effects of English Language Proficiency: Communication Skills and the Occupational Choice of Childhood Immigrants to the United States

I examine the effect of English language proficiency on the occupational choices of childhood immigrants into the United States. In particular, I focus on the annual earnings and skills composition associated with immigrants' chosen occupations. Following Bleakley and Chin (2004; 2010), I use an instrumental variables approach that exploits young children's superior language acquisition abilities to estimate the causal effect of English language skills on immigrants' choice of occupation. In addition, I employ another instrument, based on Chiswick and Miller (2004), that accounts for the variation in English language acquisition difficulty among native speakers of other languages. I find that higher proficiency allows immigrants to work in more lucrative occupations. In addition, a better grasp of the English language leads immigrants to choose occupations in which communication skills -- active listening, negotiation, persuasion, reading comprehension, speaking, and writing -- are more important. These findings suggest that occupational choice is an important additional channel through which immigrants with a good command of the English language achieve better labor market outcomes.

Stages of Displacement: The Immigration Experience of Latinos

Limited research has been conducted that examined the experiences of Latino immigrants in transitioning to the United States. As the Latino population continues to grow in the United States, it is important for rehabilitation counselors to be knowledgeable of this population and the characteristics of their transition as it may provide insight to the mental health needs of Latinos. Research has shown that experiences of acculturation differ among individuals in terms of their age, gender, level of education, socioeconomic status and language acquisition ability (Berry, 2001). This qualitative study investigated the stages of displacement experienced by Latinos immigrating to the United States. Specifically, this study examined the acculturation, attitudinal, behavioral, cultural identity shifts, and transition characteristics of Latino immigrants. Five distinct stages of displacement for Latino immigrants emerged: seeking opportunities, emotional reactions, adjustment, rationalization, and acknowledgement. Implications for rehabilitation counselors are discussed.

English Language Proficiency and Occupational Choice: Evidence from Childhood Immigrants into the United States

I examine the effect of English language profi ciency on the occupational choices of childhood immigrants into the United States. Following Bleakley and Chin (2004; 2010), I use an instrumental variables approach that exploits young children's superior language acquisition abilities to estimate the causal effect of English language skills on immigrants' choice of occupation. I find that immigrants with higher proficiency are more likely to work in jobs that require a sophisticated use of the English language, such as sales and administrative occupations. By contrast, immigrants with a weaker grasp of English are more likely to end up in occupations that do not rely on language skills, e.g. food preparation, farming, or production. I show that this effect is not driven primarily by the education channel, but is rather mostly the result of individuals' choice of the most suitable job within their educational category.

Using the lens of phonetic experience to resolve phonological forms

This special issue of the Journal contains a selection of papers developed from original presentations at the 2nd ASA Special Workshop on Speech with the theme of Cross-Language Speech Perception and Variations in Linguistics Experience. The papers represent major theoretical and empirical contributions that converge upon the common theme of how our perception of phonological forms is guided and constrained by our experience with the phonetic details of the language(s) we have learned. Several of the papers presented here offer key theoretical advances and lay out novel or newly expanded frameworks that increase our understanding of speech perception as shaped by universal, first language acquisition abilities, general learning mechanisms, and language-specific perceptual tuning. Others offer careful empirical investigations of language learning by simultaneous bilinguals, as well as by later second language learners, and discuss their new findings in light of the theoretical proposals. The work presented here will provide a stimulating and thoughtful impetus toward further progress on the fundamentally significant issue of understanding of how language experience shapes our perception of phonetic details and phonological structure in spoken language.

Oral and Written Language Development of Children Adopted From China

The sharp increase in the number of international adoptions in the United States has prompted a heightened interest in the language development of internationally adopted children. Although recent studies have investigated the early language development of adoptees, little is known about the school-age language and literacy skills of internationally adopted children. The focus of this study was the oral and written language skills of school-age adoptees from China. The participants were 24 children between the ages of 7;0 (years;months) and 8;8. Oral and written language skills were assessed using standardized measures and a narrative retell task. As a group, the majority of children exhibited scores in the average to above average range for all oral and written standardized language measures. Narrative analysis indicated that an increase in the number of grammatical errors was moderately correlated with lower reading comprehension scores. Age at adoption was negatively correlated with several measures, including a narrative measure of grammatical errors per T-unit. These findings provide an encouraging outlook on the oral and written language outcomes of internationally adopted children from China through the early elementary grades. Moreover, these findings support earlier research that speaks to the resiliency and robustness of language acquisition abilities in children.

ICON programming for humanists By Alan D. Corre (review)

648 LANGUAGE. VOLUME 67, NUMBER 3 (1991) This diversity is evident in the papers of the four plenary speakers. Roger W. Andersen ( 1 24 ) examines the use of verbal inflections, in context, to consider 'what makes it possible for native speakers of a language to convey complex expressive messages quickly and easily to accomplish their purposes in verbal interaction' (2). Rod Ellis's topic (25-60) is the use ofmetalinguistic judgments in second-language research ; he concludes that the reliability of grammaticality-judgment tasks in such research is 'circumspect'. Henning Wode (85-116) questions 'the prevailing assumption' that there is a 'discontinuity' between first-language acquisition and adult second-language acquisition, and proposes a 'continuity' view of language acquisition abilities. Perhaps the most useful paper for not only understanding second-language acquisition but also applying that knowledge to improve second -language teaching is T. Givón's (61-84). Givón's argument is that the natural order of both first- and second-language acquisition involves , first, acquisition of the lexicon (in a 'nongrammatical pidgin mode') and then acquisition of grammar (in a 'grammatical communication mode'). At the outset of language learning, neither word recognition nor grammar use is a habituated task, and both require attention . Only after vocabulary recognition becomes automatic can the learner be free to focus his/her attention on grammar. Givón proposes experiments to test his hypotheses about the 'cognitive basis for acquisition order', 'the efficiency of structured language learning', and 'vocabulary size and grammar-lexicon competition ', and he distinguishes his approach from 'communicative', 'immersion', and 'lexicalpidgin ' approaches. Those with special interests in second-language acquisition are likely to find among these 36 papers at least two or three that address their interests. All in all, these volumes provide, as Burmeister & Rounds claim, 'an up-to-date representation of the relevant issues and current state of affairs in L2 acquisition research' (iii). [Timothy J. Riney. International Christian University.] ICON programming for humanists. By Alan D. Corre. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1990. Pp. xiv, 157. Some linguists will remember SNOBOL, a language with unusual facilities for character manipulation and pattern matching in which considerable linguistic programming was done, especially in the 1960s and early 1970s. Aside from these special features, SNOBOL is a very primitive language, especially in its low-level control structures. ICON is a modern descendant of SNOBOL, syntactically not unlike C and Pascal, designed and implemented by a research group at the University of Arizona led by Ralph Griswold, one of the creators of SNOBOL . ICON has been implemented for a wide variety of machines and operating systems and is distributed electronically at no charge and by mail at cost. ICON'S easy string handling, pattern matching , and mapping facilities make it useful for searching for information in a corpus, translating one representation into another, and constructing word lists, reverse dictionaries, and concordances. These, combined with its automatic storage allocation and rich data structures (lists, queues, stacks, records, and tables), which make it easy to represent graphs (of which the trees and feature structures used in linguistics are special cases), make it very suitable for parsing and morphological analysis. An especially useful feature is the fact that arbitrary values, not just integers, may be used to index into tables. Thus, a word-counting program could increment the count of the word the by this statement: words ["the"] + : = 1 . Corré's book provides an introduction to ICON suitable for those with little or no background in programming. It presupposes very little , explaining such things as how to use the EDLIN and EMACS text editors and how to execute programs once they are written, as well as basic programming techniques. It is very clearly written, with a variety of simple examples . The reader who completes this book should be able to write simple ICON programs and will have a basic knowledge of ICON' s pattern matching facilities. Two factors render the book incomplete as a textbook of ICON for linguists. First, the applications illustrated are almost all concerned with the computation oftext statistics (e.g. computing the standard deviation of the lengths of sentences in a text, or correlating the frequencies of words...