English Language Speakers Research Articles

Functional activity and white matter microstructure reveal the independent effects of age of acquisition and proficiency on second-language learning

Two key factors govern how bilingual speakers neurally maintain two languages: the speakers’ second language age of acquisition (AoA) and their subsequent proficiency. However, the relative roles of these two factors have been difficult to disentangle given that the two can be closely correlated, and most prior studies have examined the two factors in isolation. Here, we combine functional magnetic resonance imaging with diffusion tensor imaging to identify specific brain areas that are independently modulated by AoA and proficiency in second language speakers. First-language Mandarin Chinese speakers who are second language speakers of English were scanned as they performed a picture-word matching task in either language. In the same session we also acquired diffusion-weighted scans to assess white matter microstructure, along with behavioural measures of language proficiency prior to entering the scanner. Results reveal gray- and white-matter networks involving both the left and right hemisphere that independently vary as a function of a second-language speaker's AoA and proficiency, focused on the superior temporal gyrus, middle and inferior frontal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, and the basal ganglia. These results indicate that proficiency and AoA explain separate functional and structural networks in the bilingual brain, which we interpret as suggesting distinct types of plasticity for age-dependent effects (i.e., AoA) versus experience and/or predisposition (i.e., proficiency).

Spoken English Errors of Undergraduate Students in Selected Tertiary Institutions in Southeastern Nigerian

This paper examines spoken English errors of undergraduate students of selected tertiary institutions in southeastern Nigeria. The data draws from community of informants in randomly selected Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education located in Enugu and Ebonyi states of Nigeria. The respondents aged between 18 and 25 constitute the representative population. Findings reveal that mother tongue interference is a common phenomenon in the spoken English of some educated population of Nigerian second language speakers of English. Some are unconsciously displayed by the speakers while others are not. Notwithstanding that tertiary institution students in Nigeria constitute an educated class who must have been exposed to written and spoken English for about twelve years in the primary and secondary schools, respondents still displayed predominantly the error of substitution, where some English phonemes which do not exist in Nigerian languages were replaced with the ones they have in their various languages or dialects. These substitutions could lead to distortion in communication and meaning especially in communications involving non-speakers of Igbo language.

Cross-linguistic influence in the interpretation of boundary crossing events in L2 acquisition

This paper analyses the interpretation of boundary-crossing events in second language acquisition (SLA) to determine whether L2 learners are able to select the target-like option for the interpretation of motion events or whether, on the contrary, their choice reflects cross-linguistic influence (CLI) of their L1. The two groups participating in the study – thirty Spanish learners of L2 English and sixteen English first language (L1) speakers – were subjected to an experiment involving an interpretation task with L2 boundary-crossing events pictures. Findings indicate that Spanish L2 learners selected three possible constructions (manner verb + path satellite, path in verb + manner in satellite and a combination of both) in clear contrast to English L1 speakers who only selected one construction (manner verb + path satellite). CLI has also been found to regulate the type of boundary-crossing event selected, primarily in cases of motion INTO a bounded space in the horizontal axis.

A SOCIAL STRATEGY OF UNIVERSITY LEARNERS OF LOW-LEVEL SPEAKING PROFICIENCY

This study is to investigate the learning strategies applied by low-level leaners (LLLs), the results of which can be used as the basis for placing them in an English language speaking class. Specifically this study is to find an answer To what extent do low-level leaners use social strategies in learning to speak English?? Observation and an in-depth interview wereused to collect the data which were in the form of the subjects? spoken utterances (verbal behavior) and their accompanying actions (non-verbal behavior). The data were analyzed using the social language learning strategies (SLLS) proposed by Rebecca Oxford. Three universityleaners from the third semester who are of the same level of proficiency were selected as the subjects of the study. Results of the data analysis show that the LLLs do not use all social strategies in speaking activities. Based on what has been shown by this study, it is suggestedthat supportive teacher behaviors, i.e., building leaners? confident, giving motivation during the teaching, listening attentively to students while speaking, giving hints and encouragement, being responsive to student questions, creating natural setting and showing students empathy need to be provided in speaking class activities to explore leaners social strategies.

Should All Deaf Children Learn Sign Language?

Should All Deaf Children Learn Sign Language?

Abstract WP246: Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients With a Primary Language Other Than English Do Not Have Significantly Increased Door-to-Needle Times for Intravenous TPA

Background: Rapid administration of intravenous alteplase (IV tPA) leads to better outcomes, but language barriers have the potential to introduce delays and to hinder effective communication with patients and collateral historians during the acute evaluation. Hypothesis: Acute ischemic stroke patients with a non-English primary language will have significantly longer door-to-needle times for IV tPA. Methods: We abstracted information on primary language for all adults that received IV tPA for acute ischemic stroke in the emergency department of an academic referral center in San Francisco, CA, from February 2008 to May 2015. Approximately 38% of San Francisco residents speak a language other than English at home. Primary language was determined from the electronic medical record and was confirmed by reviewing specific documentation in subsequent speech therapy evaluations and admission notes. Age, sex, race, presenting NIHSS, aphasia as a presenting symptom, whether the patient was accompanied to the emergency department by a family member or caregiver, discharge disposition, and door-to-needle (DTN) administration time for IV tPA were abstracted from clinical records and quality improvement registries. Results: A total of 237 patients received IV tPA for acute ischemic stroke in the emergency department during the study period. Median age was 76 years (IQR 64-86), 53% were female, and median DTN time was 62 minutes (IQR 48-86). A total of 34% of patients had a primary language other than English (20% Cantonese, 6% Russian, 3% Spanish). These patients were more likely to be older (median age 80 vs. 73 years, p = 0.001), to be accompanied by a family member or caregiver (80% vs. 59%, p = 0.003), and to have a higher NIHSS (median 9 vs. 11, p = 0.03), but DTN times were similar among English and non-English primary language speakers (median 62 vs. 62, p=0.88) and short-term outcomes were not significantly different (in-hospital mortality 9% English primary language vs 14% non-English primary language, p=0.27; discharge to home 43% vs 32%, p=0.16) . Conclusions: At a center serving a multiethnic population, a patient’s primary language did not appear to predict DTN times for acute ischemic stroke.

Teaching English in ASEAN: The voices of English teachers in ASEAN nations

The effective teaching of the English language is regarded as an essential element in the creation of a culturally vibrant, economically sound and socially stable ASEAN community. The ASEAN region is populated by a culturally diverse collection of peoples with very different and complex linguistic histories, some of which included a strong English component. This paper examines the opinions and understandings of teachers of English in eight of the ten ASEAN nations. It arose out of a research study of English teaching in ASEAN being conducted jointly by Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia and CfBT Brunei. Although the teachers differed in their levels of competence in English and in their experience of local, national and international culture, they shared a remarkably similar story in attempting to provide the best instruction they possibly could to their students. As non-native speakers of English, they shared the responsibility of representing not only the English language but also the culture of first language English speakers to their non-native speaking students. The conflicts and tensions of their roles were identified and examined. The study concluded that teachers need support in their intercultural role as well as in their pedagogical responsibilities. Teachers reported that their students had little knowledge or appreciation of the ASEAN community or of the importance of their own capacity to speak English in it.

Communication Strategies, Attitude, and Oral Output of EFL Learners: A Study of Relations

The present study aimed at investigating the relationship among EFL learners’ speaking strategies use, attitude, and English language oral output. The data was collected from 150 EFL language institute students regarding the relationship among their speaking strategies use, attitude, and English language oral output. To this end, three instruments of the Oral Communication Strategy Questionnaire (Nakatani, 2006), Attitude Scale (Rastegar, 2003), and Cambridge Preliminary English Test (PET), placement tool for language proficiency, were used. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between different subscales of communication strategies use and attitude of the intermediate Iranian EFL learners. Moreover, relationship between communication strategy use of EFL learners and their English language oral output was statistically significant. As a major conclusion, the importance of speaking strategy training in learner education with a regard to the learners’ attitude towards language learning and their oral language output should not be ignored.

Effect of Phonotactic Constraints on Second Language Speech Processing.

In this study, we examined whether phonotactic constraints of the first language affect speech processing by Japanese learners of English and whether their proficiency of the second language influences it. Native English speakers and second language speakers with a high level of language proficiency and those with a low level took part in a monitoring task. They were given two kinds of sound stimuli as target syllables (i.e., consonant–vowel and consonant–vowel–consonant) and were asked to detect them in lists of words that have stress on the first or second syllable (e.g., biscuit and beside). The results showed that both stress and phonotactics facilitated segmentation strategies by the three groups. The Japanese groups did not rely on either phonotactics or morae to segment the target syllables. They rather used stress to detect the target syllables in the English words, which is a different segmentation strategy from their first language. This study showed that phonotactic constraints did not interfere with second language processing by native Japanese speakers and provided evidence that second language speakers use the segmentation strategy that is used by native speakers of the target language.

Arabic Spelling: Errors, Perceptions, and Strategies

AbstractThis study investigated common spelling errors among first language English speakers who study Arabic at the college level. A sample of 63 students (45 males and 18 females) was asked to write texts about a variety of topics and then to answer survey questions regarding their perceptions and strategies. Their writing produced 457 spelling errors, which were examined and classified. The results demonstrate that the spelling skill is developmental and that it offers a necessary structure for students to master key elements of Arabic. The wide variety of spelling errors made by participants points to their unsatisfactory awareness of the language's phonology, morphology, and orthography aspects. Participants perceived an important connection between the spelling skill and such other skills as reading, writing, and pronunciation, but they perceived its development as challenging, due to insufficient practice. Their strategies for memorizing words included using textbooks and online dictionaries, repetition and practice, and simply sounding out the words. The results indicated potential implications that current and future Arabic instructors can use to help students develop the spelling skill.

Negotiating domination and resistance: English language learners and Foucault’s Care of the Self in the context of English-only education

This article explores the basis for resistance to the normalizing technologies associated with English-only legislation and resulting educational practices. The dominance of English-only education in US public schools has normalized English first language speakers and English language learning by appropriating the technology of language in order to become ‘Americanized.’ Because of the growing number of English language learners (ELL) in US public schools, it is important to understand how the normalizing educational practices and disciplinary power associated with English-only education also cultivate possibilities for resistance. I draw upon Foucault’s analytic care of the self to explore the space of English-only education by asking: ‘What alternatives to the normalization of ELL students might be mobilized for resistance?’ This analysis suggests that to shift from a normalized ‘American’ identity requires questioning the racist and nativist discourse on English-only education, and focusing attention on contradictory and multilayered notions of ‘American’. The article concludes with recommendations for teacher education on how to cultivate prospective teachers’ resistance to English-only education.

The development of morphological awareness in Chinese ESL students

Similar to English words, Chinese words can be viewed as the combination of root morphemes with either grammatical affixes, word-formation affixes, or other free morphemes. Therefore, it is logical to argue that Chinese speakers develop knowledge about inflectional and derivational morphemes similar to speakers of English language. To test this research hypothesis, 287 junior high school students (grades 7–9) were administered morphological awareness tests in both Chinese and English. Results from the Structural Equation Modeling showed that both inflectional and derivational awareness of Chinese are necessary (along with an awareness of compound words) to a construction of Chinese morphological awareness. The students' awareness of Chinese inflection and derivation is partially explained by their awareness of Chinese compound words, but there are still features that are uniquely inherent to Chinese inflection and derivation (in contrast to their counterparts in English). The overall transferring coefficient from Chinese MA to English MA in this study was .56, which suggests that higher levels of Chinese MA are associated with higher levels of English MA. Inductive reasoning can be as important as Chinese MA to the development of English MA, since it supports learners dealing with morphological features with which they are less familiar (English derivations) and that share many connections (such as English compounding).

Ethnography at a distance: globally mobile parents choosing international schools

The research we report on was conducted from our computer desktops. We have not met the people we have studied; they are part of what Eichhorn described as a “textual community”, gathered around the threads of online conversations associated with a website servicing the needs of English-language speakers in Germany. The thread in question started in 2008 with a query from someone about to move to Berlin, seeking advice about the best international school in which to enrol her three children. The ensuing conversations are revealing, not only because of the schools canvassed and the manner in which they are discussed, but also because of the schools that are not charted into the discussion. This paper raises questions about qualitative research methodologies in online settings, particularly in relation to studies of the global middle-class. It examines claims about an emerging commitment to “nonlocal ethnography” and the surmising one can make about research subjects one never meets, but who remain comprehensible because of the broader cultural context in which they are situated. The research carries the promise of “rich enough” ethnography, reflecting a commitment to understanding what people do, documenting and analysing the intricate realities influencing and shaping individual choices people make, the complexities they face and the realities they help create. The fact that it was done “at a distance”, in so-called virtual spaces, does not undermine its ethnographic authenticity.

Nonformal institutional interaction in a conversation club

The data analyzed in this paper come from audio-recorded interaction among first and second language speakers of English at a conversation club sponsored by an English language school. As the analysis shows, the interaction in the conversation club can be understood as a type of non-formal institutional interaction. The analysis focuses on the questions asked by the first language speakers, or conversation partners. In particular, it focuses on the questioning styles of serial-questioning and pivoting. In addition, the conversation partners tend to assume a discourse identity as primary participant within the participation framework, a discourse identity that they work to maintain and, when necessary, re-establish. As non-formal institutional interaction, it does not involve turn pre-allocation or restrictions on the type of turn that participants may take. It is, though, oriented toward the fulfilment of institutionally relevant goals.

The integration of English in Flemish versus African online peer group language: a comparative approach

ABSTRACTThe present article deals with the integration of English in informal written computer-mediated communication (CMC) by teenagers and young adults who are not native or first language speakers of English. Data from an extensive Flemish chat corpus are compared to South African, Kenyan, Nigerian, Ghanaian and Sierra Leonean chat and texting data. While the general (socio) linguistic context of the respective speech communities varies considerably, the younger generations appear to share an orientation towards global CMC English. Moreover they apply similar strategies when integrating English in their online discourse and demonstrate both cosmopolitan and local chat linguistic dexterity. The approach of the present study is mainly qualitative. It focuses on spelling adaptations and on the presence of ‘universal’ English chatspeak features. While the parallelisms between the Flemish and African data are most significant, the discrepancies point to the potential impact of factors related to the local context and the CMC medium.

The Effectiveness of a Task- Based Instruction Program in Developing the English Language Speaking Skills of Primary Stage Pupils

The Effectiveness of a Task- Based Instruction Program in Developing the English Language Speaking Skills of Primary Stage Pupils

Development of a mobile English speaking app for middle school students: Speaking English Jr.

The purpose of this study is to introduce the development process and the outcome of an English speaking application (app), Speaking English Jr., designed for Korean middle school students. The app is based on the Korean national curriculum and is designed to help students to practice their spoken English. This paper introduces the structural design of the speaking app, and the features of each functions that were developed based upon the stake-holders’ needs. This paper also attempted to examine the level of satisfaction from 288 student participants in 15 different Korean middle schools, by conducting a questionnaire to examine their perceptions and experience about using the English speaking app after eight weeks. Descriptive statistics and one-way and two-way ANOVA were implemented to analyze the quantitative data. The results show that, overall, a majority of students in both areas were satisfied with the program as a supplement for their English speaking practices. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for developing efficient English language speaking programs and ways to apply those programs to develop the English speaking proficiency of Korean middle school students are proposed.

Code-Switching as a Strategy in Conducting Public Affairs: A Case Study of Rural Namibians

Outapi is a rural town in the northern part of Namibia. Its residents are exposed to a variety of languages. Speakers whose English proficiency is limited, but who are able to communicate in Oshiwambo, use Oshiwambo to communicate. The problem arises when communication is in English, as the majority are English second or third language speakers and thus unable to express themselves very well. This study sought to understand the role of code switching between English and Oshiwambo by Outapi residents and public officials when conducting public affairs in the bank, the clinic and the post office. A qualitative research approach based on a case study research design was applied to determine the pertinence of code switching in the multilingual community. Findings from observations and interviews revealed that code switching facilitated communication in Outapi for speakers to attain their communication goals. Although the study indicated how code switching enriches Oshiwambo in terms of vocabulary, it also indicates a contribution to the language death of local languages.

Exploring second language speakers’ linguistic identities in ELF communication: a Hong Kong study

AbstractThis paper reports on a qualitative inquiry that investigated a group of Hong Kong university students’ perceptions of their linguistic identities in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) communication. The participants of the study were proficient second language (L2) speakers of English who reported to have participated in intercultural ELF communication on a regular basis. By analyzing data gathered via two rounds of in-depth interviews, the study revealed that these participants did not evaluate their “non-native” status negatively but embraced their identities as legitimate and empowered speakers of English in ELF interactions. In addition, they validated their identities as multilingual, multicompetent, and translingual speakers of English with the ability to draw upon a diverse set of multilingual resources flexibly in ELF contexts. The analysis also found that these participants’ linguistic identities were constructed and negotiated in relation to the perceived linguistic competence of other ELF speakers, especially L2 speakers of other cultural/national backgrounds. This paper sheds light on the complexity of linguistic identities in ELF contexts and contributes to the growing ELF research in the Asian context.

Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions of the Communicative Language Teaching Methodology in the CALL Environment: A Case Study

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) engages learners in authentic communication to develop their communicative competence. The learners are more involved and the learning more effective, if the teachers provide opportunities that best meet learner needs (Littlewood, 2010). With the increase in the promotion of communicative language teaching approach in the Computer Assisted Language Learning environment (CALL), the importance of designing relevant activities and their execution in the communicative environment remain a challenge. The varied perceptions of teachers and students in the conduction of activities create a gap that affects the appropriacy of the content used in the language learning activities for the non-native speakers of English language. The purpose of the study is to analyze the perceptions of teachers’ and students’ of the communicative language teaching methodology in the Computer Assisted Language Learning environment. The study followed the qualitative methodology in the tradition of a case study. The subjects of the study were fifty students registered in the first semester English Language course of the Computer Science Degree Program at FAST National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences. The data was collected from the communicative language activities feedback and a questionnaire survey administered at the end of the course. The results indicate that the overall perceptions of the teachers and students show positive attitude towards the communicative language teaching approach. However, some variation in their perceptions regarding the appropriateness was also reported. The variation can serve as a basis for developing content that meet the specific learner's needs.