Study Of Language Acquisition Research Articles

A Review of Research on Second Language Acquisition from a Positive Psychology Perspective

This paper reviews the research on second language acquisition from the perspective of positive psychology. First, it introduces the background and purpose of the study and discusses the significance of the application of positive psychology in the field of language acquisition. Then, the basic theories of positive psychology, including the core concepts and principles of positive psychology, are summarized. Subsequently, the theory of second language acquisition is defined and outlined, including the definition, characteristics, and related developmental theories of second language acquisition. On this basis, the study of second language acquisition from the perspective of positive psychology is discussed in detail. By combing and synthesizing the literature, this paper summarizes the current situation and trend of second language acquisition research under the perspective of positive psychology and puts forward some future research directions and suggestions.

Universal Grammar and Universal Grammar’s Influence and Related Theories Concerning Second Language Acquisition

Universal Grammar, represented by Chomsky, believes that the human brain is born with a Language Acquisition Device. Under the stimulation of the language environment, the language function of the human brain dedicated to language learning will be activated and begin to acquire a language. Universal grammar is the core idea of Chomsky's generative linguistics theory, which is composed of a limited number of syntactic principles representing the common features of human language. It is precisely because the human brain naturally generates this universal grammar that human beings can acquire their own mother tongue when language input is poor or even lacks "negative corpus" (that is, the indication of language errors or faults). Chomsky once proposed a simple language acquisition model, namely "language input —Language Acquisition Device —language acquisition", which means that language input generates grammar through Language Acquisition Device, thus acquiring language. It is worth noting that Chomsky's theory is not specifically designed for the study of Second Language Acquisition, and he himself has not given any guidance in this field, but it provides theoretical support for the theory of Second Language Acquisition (Yang Chunyuan, 2020). Hence, learning the whole semester’s course of Second Language Acquisition, having seen universal grammar as a important content in my textbook, this paper tries to integrate these related theories and make a conclusion and comment or paraphrasing（not all the bibliographies are quoted directly in this paper, paraphrased or arranged instead）based on various bibliographies.

The use of Instagram to improve students' EFL Writing

Good communication makes it easier for us to connect with the community and other individuals with various backgrounds. Language is also a catalyst for us to understand ourselves and others, and is the key that opens the window of our world’s view. Every aspect on human life is very dependent on the proficiency of language skills. The goal of this paper was to see how the use of Instagram improved the students’ EFL writing ability. The method used to conduct this paper was Systematic Literature Review. There are 10 articles from various journals that are analyzed and synthetized to extract the data from. Based on the authors finding, the use of Instagram brought forth positive improvement on the students’ writing ability, as well as their motivation in language acquisition study.

Cross-linguistically consistent semantic and syntactic annotation of child-directed speech

AbstractCorpora of child speech and child-directed speech (CDS) have enabled major contributions to the study of child language acquisition, yet semantic annotation for such corpora is still scarce and lacks a uniform standard. Semantic annotation of CDS is particularly important for understanding the nature of the input children receive and developing computational models of child language acquisition. For example, under the assumption that children are able to infer meaning representations for (at least some of) the utterances they hear, the acquisition task is to learn a grammar that can map novel adult utterances onto their corresponding meaning representations, in the face of noise and distraction by other contextually possible meanings. To study this problem and to develop computational models of it, we need corpora that provide both adult utterances and their meaning representations, ideally using annotation that is consistent across a range of languages in order to facilitate cross-linguistic comparative studies. This paper proposes a methodology for constructing such corpora of CDS paired with sentential logical forms, and uses this method to create two such corpora, in English and Hebrew. The approach enforces a cross-linguistically consistent representation, building on recent advances in dependency representation and semantic parsing. Specifically, the approach involves two steps. First, we annotate the corpora using the Universal Dependencies (UD) scheme for syntactic annotation, which has been developed to apply consistently to a wide variety of domains and typologically diverse languages. Next, we further annotate these data by applying an automatic method for transducing sentential logical forms (LFs) from UD structures. The UD and LF representations have complementary strengths: UD structures are language-neutral and support consistent and reliable annotation by multiple annotators, whereas LFs are neutral as to their syntactic derivation and transparently encode semantic relations. Using this approach, we provide syntactic and semantic annotation for two corpora from CHILDES: Brown’s Adam corpus (English; we annotate $$\approx$$ ≈ 80% of its child-directed utterances), all child-directed utterances from Berman’s Hagar corpus (Hebrew). We verify the quality of the UD annotation using an inter-annotator agreement study, and manually evaluate the transduced meaning representations. We then demonstrate the utility of the compiled corpora through (1) a longitudinal corpus study of the prevalence of different syntactic and semantic phenomena in the CDS, and (2) applying an existing computational model of language acquisition to the two corpora and briefly comparing the results across languages.

农村初中生英语学习愉悦、焦虑及无聊情绪与英语成绩的关系研究

Based on the perspective of positive psychology, this article explores the status quo of students’ English learning enjoyment, anxiety and boredom in a rural middle school by investigating 203 participants in Grade two. From the data analysis, conclusions are drawn as follow: (1) Students experience a higher level of English learning enjoyment but lower levels of anxiety and boredom, while English learning anxiety is higher than boredom. (2) There is a significant gender difference in English learning anxiety, while there is insignificant difference between enjoyment and boredom. (3) There is a negative relationship between English learning enjoyment and anxiety, between English learning enjoyment and boredom and there is a positive relationship between English learning enjoyment and students’ academic achievements, and a negative relationship between English learning anxiety, boredom and students’ academic achievements. This study explores the relationship between foreign language learning emotions and foreign language academic achievements, which could further enrich studies of second language acquisition and the emotions of rural middle school students.

The Correlation between HUIT English Majors’ Short - Term Memory and Listening Comprehension Skills at Different Language Proficiency Levels

The study of short-term memory (STM) is crucial to the study of second language acquisition. STM plays an important role in language acquisition and development since it is an on-line capacity for processing and elaborating new information. A fundamental skill in learning English is listening comprehension. The ability to listen is crucial when learning a foreign language because receiving language input is the key to language learning. More and more academics at home and abroad have started to focus on the relationship between STM and listening comprehension in recent years. STM has been demonstrated to be a crucial component of listening comprehension, making it extremely vital to increase listening comprehension in second languages. STM helps in the immediate processing of incoming auditory information when listening in a second language. This essay investigates the relationship between short-term memory and listening comprehension skills of English - majored students from Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade. The results' implications suggest that improving short-term memory capacity is necessary to get students ready for the listening IELTS examination.

Language competency in autism: a scientometric review.

The study of atypical language acquisition in children with, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is crucial for both practical and theoretical reasons. Understanding the course of language development in ASD can inform potential interventions and treatments while shedding light on the necessary conditions for language development in typically developing children. This scientometric review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the research landscape in this field, identifying trends, patterns, and knowledge gaps. The methods employed in this review comprise a systematic search of three major databases: Scopus (5,026 documents), Web of Science (WoS; 4,570 documents), and Lens (3,235 documents). The analysis includes bibliometric indicators such as knowledge production size by year, country, university, source, subject area, author, and citation. Scientometric indicators consist of burst detection, silhouette, clusters, citation, and co-occurrence of keywords. The analysis reveals clusters focusing on various aspects of language development in ASD, such as motor skills, parental communication strategies, cognitive processes, and genetics. Key clusters include the relationship between fine motor gestures and language usage patterns, the role of expressive language skills and maternal gesture use, and the effectiveness of online parent training modules for improving prelinguistic predictors. Other noteworthy clusters explore the importance of core language skills, the role of natural language input and syntactic complexity, and the genetic underpinnings of language abilities in high-functioning adults with ASD. In conclusion, this scientometric review highlights the top 10 clusters and their respective Silhouette values, providing valuable insights into language acquisition in ASD. These findings have important implications for guiding future research directions and informing the creation of targeted and effective interventions to support language acquisition in this population.

William Dwight Whitney’s study of language acquisition in The Life and Growth of Language (1875): His entry point to his scientific method and theory of language and mind

ABSTRACT William Dwight Whitney (1827–1894) began The Life and Growth of Language: An Outline of Linguistic Science (1875) with an initial chapter fully devoted to language acquisition. He began his study of linguistic science with language acquisition because for him it was the logical starting point for a study of language, and it introduced his scientific method and his theory of language and mind. Throughout the chapter, Whitney exemplified the centring of his scientific method on direct observation. By beginning his study of language with language acquisition, he rejected the prevailing divine origin theory of his time, which contended that language was divinely created, given to humans, and in decline ever since. Rather, Whitney argued that language began with language acquisition, and that it was continually evolving to meet the ever-changing social and personal needs of its speakers. He also used language acquisition to introduce his reader to his theory of language and mind: a theory that would run consistently throughout his book. Whitney’s scientific method and his theory of language and mind positioned linguistics prominently among the emerging sciences of the late nineteenth century and would significantly influence a new course for linguistics in the twentieth century.

On the acquisition of tense and agreement in L2 English by adult speakers of L1 Chinese

Abstract This study investigates whether forms associated with verbal inflection can be acquired in relation to two UG-based L2 acquisition hypotheses: the Full Transfer Full Access (FTFA) Hypothesis (Schwartz, Bonnie & Rex Sprouse. 1994. Word order and nominative case in nonnative language acquisition: A longitudinal study of (L1 Turkish) German interlanguage. In Teun Hoekstra & Bonnie D. Schwartz (eds.), Language acquisition Studies in generative grammar, 317–368. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, Schwartz, Bonnie & Rex Sprouse. 1996. L2 cognitive states and the ‘full transfer/full access’ model. Second Language Research 12. 40–72) and the Interpretability Hypothesis (Tsimpli, Ianthi-maria & Maria Dimitrakopoulou. 2007. The Interpretability hypothesis: Evidence from wh-interrogatives in second language acquisition. Second Language Research 23. 215–242). The former captures the insight that convergence on grammars like those of native speakers is possible, whereas the latter argues that a native/non-native divergence results from the inaccessibility of some uninterpretable syntactic features. Ninety adult L1 speakers of Chinese of different English proficiency levels were asked to interpret and produce tense and agreement in various contexts in three tasks. Results suggest that the underlying grammatical representations in the end-state grammar may not be the same as native speakers’. We speculate that the inaccessibility of the uninterpretable [uInfl:] feature of v and the uninterpretable [uInfl:*] feature of be are the potential source of difficulty in acquiring verbal inflection in L2 English.

The Enlightenment of Monitoring Theory on Japanese Language Teaching

Krashen's monitoring theory is the most influential one in the study of second language acquisition, and the core part of it is the language input hypothesis, which provides many valuable teaching implications for foreign language teaching and has been applied to the 21st century. At present, Japanese Teaching in China is facing some challenges. This paper will explore the problems existing in Japanese teaching and put forward some effective strategies to promote the development of Japanese Teaching in China. I hope these suggestions can bring some new thinking and improvement to Japanese teaching.

Teaching Hispanic Culture, Diversity, and Tolerance through Hispanic Dances and Music: Two Approaches for Flamenco & Caribbean Dances

A Sociology Approach: Dance can be a useful tool for teaching students about culture and community. Through the language of Dance and Music (Caribbean Dance), context is given to social facts, which engages and informs students about such social issues as history, Colonialism, social class, gender, race/ethnicity, and social justice. The added bonus of using Dance as a lens is that it involves active, embodied learning (Dewey, English, Mead), making the material more memorable, meaningful, and relevant to the learner. A Communicative Approach (Task-based Learning Activity) \& Language for Specific Purposes: Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is a derivative of the Communicative Approach (CA) and Second language Acquisition (SLA) studies. Certain types of communicative learning activities can lead to acquisition of language (Abdel Kazeroni, Aquilino Sanchez, Margaret Robertson, Yiqng Lin). When teaching a Hispanic Dance Session using specific Spanish vocabulary of the dance to address certain dance movements (like Flamenco dance), we engage language learners in acquiring Spanish parts of language related to the flamenco dance. We also immerse learners in the culture of flamenco dance, and its rich cultural context, so they can learn about the social context, gender issues, the different meanings of the dance movements, the metaphors, and by extension they will learn about diversity, tolerance, inclusion, and respect for another culture through dance and music (Language for Specific Purposes: Angela N. Gardner, Howard Gardner, Victoria Escaip). A Sociology Approach: Dance can be a useful tool for teaching students about culture and community. Through the language of Dance and Music (Caribbean Dance), context is given to social facts, which engages and informs students about such social issues as history, Colonialism, social class, gender, race/ethnicity, and social justice. The added bonus of using Dance as a lens is that it involves active, embodied learning (Dewey, English, Mead), making the material more memorable, meaningful, and relevant to the learner. A Communicative Approach (Task-based Learning Activity) \& Language for Specific Purposes: Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is a derivative of the Communicative Approach (CA) and Second language Acquisition (SLA) studies. Certain types of communicative learning activities can lead to acquisition of language (Abdel Kazeroni, Aquilino Sanchez, Margaret Robertson, Yiqng Lin). When teaching a Hispanic Dance Session using specific Spanish vocabulary of the dance to address certain dance movements (like Flamenco dance), we engage language learners in acquiring Spanish parts of language related to the flamenco dance. We also immerse learners in the culture of flamenco dance, and its rich cultural context, so they can learn about the social context, gender issues, the different meanings of the dance movements, the metaphors, and by extension they will learn about diversity, tolerance, inclusion, and respect for another culture through dance and music (Language for Specific Purposes: Angela N. Gardner, Howard Gardner, Victoria Escaip).

Feats: A database of semantic features for early produced noun concepts.

Semantic feature production norms have several desirable characteristics that have supported models of representation and processing in adults. However, several key challenges have limited the use of semantic feature norms in studies of early language acquisition. First, existing norms provide uneven and inconsistent coverage of early-acquired concepts that are typically produced and assessed in children under the age of three, which is a time of tremendous growth of early vocabulary skills. Second, it is difficult to assess the degree to which young children may be familiar with normed features derived from these adult-generated datasets. Third, it has been difficult to adopt standard methods to generate semantic network models of early noun learning. Here, we introduce Feats-a tool that was designed to make headway on these challenges by providing a database, the Language Learning and Meaning Acquisition (LLaMA) lab Noun Norms that extends a widely used set of feature norms McRae et al. Behavior Research Methods 37, 547-559, (2005) to include full coverage of noun concepts on a commonly used early vocabulary assessment. Feats includes several tools to facilitate exploration of features comprising early-acquired nouns, assess the developmental appropriateness of individual features using toddler-accessibility norms, and extract semantic network statistics for individual vocabulary profiles. We provide a tutorial overview of Feats. We additionally validate our approach by presenting an analysis of an overlapping set of concepts collected across prior and new data collection methods. Furthermore, using network graph analyses, we show that the extended set of norms provides novel, reliable results given their enhanced coverage.

Semantics Acquisition in 4 Years Old Child (The Case Study of Aisyah)

A child master a language through some language acquisition process. After being capable to pronounce vocabulary, child will enter on the stage of semantics acquisition. Semantic acquisition will make a child is able to use the word appropriately according to the context meaning and are also able to interpret a word or sentence spoken by others. Therefore, language acquisition of children, especially in the area of semantics, becomes necessary to be reviewed further. This paper aims to describe the form of the acquisition of semantics in a 4-year-old child. Furthermore, the acquisition of semantic descriptions that are discussed include acquisition in each word class and extant interpretation of its meaning in each word class that appears on a child speech. The research subject is a child named Aisyah, who was 4 years old. The object of the research is speech language of a girl named Aisyah. The study of language acquisition in children using a longitudinal method. As for the data acquisition method using direct observation and participatory observation. A method of data analysis in this study uses the referential methods to analyze meanings.

Delayed Exposure to Second Language Acquisition: The Robustness of Critical Period Hypothesis and the Limitations of the Plasticity Theory

Studies of language acquisition have shown that language learning ability declines with age. It has been documented that the overwhelming majority of learners who begin the process of second language (L2) learning after passing the critical period — after a certain age – cannot attain native-like competence (underlying knowledge of language) at the end state. There is a universal folk belief, shared by almost all psycholinguists, that at an early age, the brain is plastic; it can modify its own structure, organization and function as a direct consequence of experiences and learning. According to this belief, the plasticity of the brain fades with age and with the increasing specialisation of the different hemispheres and areas of the brain. However, recently neuroscientists, equipped with the complementary aid of brain neuroimaging, have discovered that mature brain is far from being fixed as previously thought; it has the ability to continuously adapt its structure and function based on internal and external environmental changes and/or input such as experience, ageing, illness, injury and learning, meaning that the brain remains plastic throughout life. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to illustrate that the theory about the loss of brain plasticity during natural maturation is not valid in explaining the question why L2 learning is affected by delayed exposure to a language? It should be mentioned here that until now, the overwhelming majority of L2 researchers tend to think of plasticity as a phenomenon confined to early development; and therefore, evidence supporting plasticity is generally ignored.

Exploring Co-adaptation in an Ecosystem of Dyadic Interaction

In the field of applied linguistics, Diane Larsen-Freeman is widely recognized, among her numerous contributions, as the originator of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST). Over the years since her seminal publication (Larsen-Freeman, 1997), CDST has evolved into a meta-theory that guides the field’s thinking on a variety of developmental phenomena, not least the study of second language acquisition. As its theoretical potency rises, so does the need to achieve a tangible understanding of CDST’s core constructs. In this paper, we empirically examine one such construct, co-adaptation, in the context of asynchronous dyadic interaction. A data corpus of 39 emails sent between two college students in China and the United States over the course of seven weeks is analyzed using NVivo 12. Co-adaptation is observed at the pragmatic, discourse, and linguistic levels. True to the spirit of CDST, we describe, and discuss the nuances of, our findings. Considering the novelty of our approach to data analysis, we end by reflecting on the limitations specific to our study, as well as worthwhile directions for future pursuits.

Corpus of Mandarin Child Language: a preliminary study on the acquisition of semantic content categories in Mandarin-speaking preschoolers.

In studying language acquisition in children, sizable research studies have been focusing on the investigation of form and lexical semantics. This study aims to establish a child language database annotated both syntactically with part of speech and semantically with semantic content category to supplement the study of child language acquisition in the semantic domain beyond lexical level. The Corpus of Mandarin Child Language (CMCL) that documented the production of different semantic content categories by Mandarin-speaking children was established. Naturalistic language samples of 82 native Mandarin-speaking children aged 25-60 months, divided into three age groups, were obtained. The corresponding semantic content categories coded in each utterance were tagged according to previous studies, in addition to the annotations of part of speech. MLU and lexical diversity were examined and the usage and acquisition of different semantic content categories were also analyzed. The results regarding syntactic complexity and lexical diversity replicated the typical language acquisition pattern from previous studies, which supported the validity of the data obtained in the CMCL. To investigate the trajectory of acquisition of various semantic content categories by age, a 90% acquisition criterion was used. Our findings regarding the acquisition order of semantic content category were basically in line with previous studies in general, with some minor differences. This acquisition order observed is largely explained by the cognitive and syntactic complexity associated with the semantic content category, with additional influence from language specific properties and cultural specific factors of Mandarin. In addition, with the tags in both part-of-speech and semantic content category, the CMCL potentially provides a platform for examining the form-content interface in early child language acquisition, which also implies significantly on the theoretical and clinical ground.

Analyzing ESL students’ performance in teaching linguistics

Since linguistics aids in the explanation of English grammar to students, it is essential in English teaching. Every language has a set of grammatical rules that are taught in terms of syntax, semantics, phonology, and morphology. Nevertheless, the study of psychology, education, cognitive science, anthropology, language acquisition, sociology, bilingualism, and fourth language instruction should all be included in the teaching of English. It's critical for teachers to know their students in order to establish welcoming classroom environments. The instructor should be able to put himself in the shoes of the pupils and show them empathy and patience. The overall goal of teaching English to pupils is to enable them to communicate effectively and responsibly in both written and conversational modes.

The Impact of Images in Enhancing the ESL Vocabulary Breadth of Malaysian Year 4 Students

The role of ESL vocabulary plays in language competence and literacy development is increasingly prevalent in language acquisition studies, especially so within the domain of second language acquisition research. In Malaysia, generally, the young learners face difficulties in their learning is due to their scarce vocabulary knowledge. This quasi-experimental study scrutinizes how the employment of images in Malaysian primary school level ESL classrooms via the adapted Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM) effects on students’ ESL vocabulary breadth development. Both the experimental group (n=35) and control group (n=35) consisted of Malaysian national primary school Year 4 pupils. The vocabulary recall and retention of the two intact groups were collated. The data of the two groups were collected from pre-tests, post-tests, and delayed post-tests. These collected data were statistically analysed and assessed. The analysis shown that the Experimental group demonstrated higher recall and retention implying the efficacy of PWIM in enhancing the ESL vocabulary breadth knowledge recall and retention among Malaysian young learners. This study and its findings are of significance to shed light on the development of the ESL vocabulary research. Besides, there is a dearth of thorough study pertinent to the use of images for language learning, especially for the Malaysian primary level 2.

A Study to Analyze the Fossilized Spelling Errors in Compositions of Second Language Learners at Intermediate Level

The errors committed by second language learners in their compositions have been the focus of current studies of second language acquisition, as these errors anticipate the difficulties faced by them in second language learning. The focus of this paper is to display the common errors in ESL compositions by intermediate students and the reasons behind these errors. Data for this paper was gathered through the administration of a questionnaire followed by a self-written composition. The analysis of the data was based on the classification of errors according to different aspects like vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, and grammar syntax. Subsequently, the qualitative data was then quantified. The results reveal that errors are inevitable. Gaining insight into errors would therefore highlight the difficulty faced by learners in L2 learning. It is therefore proposed that the learners must have sufficient exposure and training in L2 to incorporate language rules and to minimize the possibility of errors in their compositions. This paper can also help the teachers to be more conscious of the most common errors committed by intermediate students and to help the students get over the concepts in English that are difficult and problematic for them by offering relevant activities and practice material. Keywords: Errors, Composition, Second Language Learners, Accuracy

Long-form recording of infant body position in the home using wearable inertial sensors.

Long-form audio recordings have had a transformational effect on the study of infant language acquisition by using mobile, unobtrusive devices to gather full-day, real-time data that can be automatically scored. How can we produce similar data in service of measuring infants' everyday motor behaviors, such as body position? The aim of the current study was to validate long-form recordings of infant position (supine, prone, sitting, upright, held by caregiver) based on machine learning classification of data from inertial sensors worn on infants' ankles and thighs. Using over 100h of video recordings synchronized with inertial sensor data from infants in their homes, we demonstrate that body position classifications are sufficiently accurate to measure infant behavior. Moreover, classification remained accurate when predicting behavior later in the session when infants and caregivers were unsupervised and went about their normal activities, showing that the method can handle the challenge of measuring unconstrained, natural activity. Next, we show that the inertial sensing method has convergent validity by replicating age differences in body position found using other methods with full-day data captured from inertial sensors. We end the paper with a discussion of the novel opportunities that long-form motor recordings afford for understanding infant learning and development.