Monolingual Learners Research Articles

Facilitative L1-transfer in nonnative sound production of monolingual and bilingual learners

Abstract The L1-transfer pattern may be different between bilinguals and monolinguals as the former has multiple L1 candidates to transfer. This study compared how Mandarin monolingual learners (MDN), Shanghainese-Mandarin bilingual learners (SHM), and Japanese natives produce Japanese stops in word-reading and paragraph-reading tasks. The L2 Japanese learners varied in the years of learning (1–3 years). Shanghainese differs from Mandarin in that the word-medial voiced stops are prevoiced, which may allow facilitative transfer to Japanese voiced stops. As a result, SHM in general showed more target-like pronunciation of voiced stops than MDN. Regarding the L2 experience, third-year SHM produced more target-like word-medial voiced stops, whereas first-year SHM produced less target-like word-initial voiceless and word-medial voiced stops. These results suggest that the overlap between the target L2 and one of the learners’ L1s may lead to finer phonetic realization, but the facilitative transfer is subject to bilingual learners’ L2 experience.

Predictors of Kindergarten Science Achievement and Its Growth Across Elementary School for Multilingual and English Monolingual Learners

Predictors of Kindergarten Science Achievement and Its Growth Across Elementary School for Multilingual and English Monolingual Learners

The effectiveness of ChatGPT as a lexical tool for English, compared with a bilingual dictionary and a monolingual learner’s dictionary

Traditionally, language learners have relied on dictionaries when trying to read or write in a foreign language. However, new LLM-based chatbots may offer an alternative to traditional dictionaries as lexical tools. This study assesses the effectiveness of ChatGPT versus the monolingual Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (LDOCE, 2024) and the bilingual Diki.pl (Diki.pl, 2024) online dictionaries in supporting English language learners in receptive and productive lexical tasks. With a sample of 166 university students at B2 to C1 proficiency levels and forty uncommon English phrasal verbs, we investigate whether a leading AI-driven chatbot, a high-quality learners’ dictionary, or a popular free bilingual dictionary offers better support in accurately understanding and producing English. The results reveal ChatGPT to be more effective than either dictionary in production, and better than the monolingual dictionary, but not the bilingual dictionary, in reception.

Reading and writing feedback perceptions among multilingual and monolingual learners across K-20 contexts: A systematic review

BackgroundTo become proficient readers and writers, both multilingual and monolingual learners must engage with feedback – a precursor to learning and motivational outcomes. Given the importance of feedback to effective literacy learning, students’ perceptions of literacy feedback are critical factors in feedback uptake. However, it is unclear how students perceive literacy feedback. AimsWe synthesized students’ perceptions of feedback in reading and writing domains across kindergarten through higher education among both monolingual and multilingual learners. MethodsWe systematically reviewed 138 empirical reports. ResultsWe present descriptive characteristics, common conceptualizations and operationalizations of feedback perceptions, and themes across feedback perceptions results. Finally, we discuss how students’ literacy feedback perceptions compare to research-based practices for providing literacy feedback, how feedback perceptions may fit into existing literacy and feedback theoretical frameworks, and how student identities, particularly those of multilingual learners, play a role in student feedback perceptions. ConclusionsThe extant K-20 reading and writing feedback perceptions literature rarely conceptualize the construct in a clear manner. Additionally, students' feedback perceptions become more negative and critical as they progress through school. Lastly, students – especially multilingual learners – held positive perceptions of written, audio, and video formats of feedback that were provided by their instructor.

Can cross-domain term extraction benefit from cross-lingual transfer and nested term labeling?

Automatic term extraction (ATE) is a natural language processing task that eases the effort of manually identifying terms from domain-specific corpora by providing a list of candidate terms. In this paper, we treat ATE as a sequence-labeling task and explore the efficacy of XLMR in evaluating cross-lingual and multilingual learning against monolingual learning in the cross-domain ATE context. Additionally, we introduce NOBI, a novel annotation mechanism enabling the labeling of single-word nested terms. Our experiments are conducted on the ACTER corpus, encompassing four domains and three languages (English, French, and Dutch), as well as the RSDO5 Slovenian corpus, encompassing four additional domains. Results indicate that cross-lingual and multilingual models outperform monolingual settings, showcasing improved F1-scores for all languages within the ACTER dataset. When incorporating an additional Slovenian corpus into the training set, the multilingual model exhibits superior performance compared to state-of-the-art approaches in specific scenarios. Moreover, the newly introduced NOBI labeling mechanism enhances the classifier’s capacity to extract short nested terms significantly, leading to substantial improvements in Recall for the ACTER dataset and consequentially boosting the overall F1-score performance.

Online English Monolingual Learner’s Dictionaries

Due to the development of technology, well-established publishers began to provide their English Monolingual Learner's Dictionaries (MLDs) online and free of charge. Dictionaries of this type have their own history, as well as common and distinctive features. The article presents a brief outline of the subsequent stages of the development of English Monolingual Dictionaries, with special reference to MLDs available online. Also, the article includes a synthetic description of the primary and secondary components of a dictionary entry and demonstrates if these components are present or absent in three online Monolingual Learner's Dictionaries: the Cambridge Dictionary, the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, and the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary. The article aims to characterise, compare and contrast some of the features of a typical entry in online English MLDs. Consequently, the scientific approach adopted in the analysis is a mixture of the comparative and the empirical method. Unlike previous topic-related research, the present study shows both common and distinctive features of the mentioned dictionaries and hints at their practical advantages (from the point of view of the end user).

Dictionary Representation of the Semantics of Adjectives Signifying Emotions

Abstract Naming emotions may pose a serious problem for foreign language learners as emotion words constitute a complex semantic field. Here is where monolingual learners’ dictionaries turn out to be useful. The paper reports on a comparative analysis of dictionary representation of the semantics of adjectives signifying emotions. To investigate the treatment of this semantic field, twenty-four adjectives are looked up in the five British pedagogical dictionaries published by Oxford, Cambridge, Longman, Macmillan and Collins. The qualitative analysis concentrates on definitions as primary carriers of meaning. Yet, examples, grammatical information and additional sources of information within a dictionary entry are also given attention. The study demonstrates that some inconsistencies in defining emotion words in individual dictionaries can be spotted. The value of examples is limited: some focus merely on presenting a word’s syntactic properties. Thus, the combination of the definition and the examples both clarifying meaning and illustrating the typical use of the words is judged to best represent meaning. The paper suggests model definitions of adjectives signifying emotions and offers recommendations aiming at improving the representation of their meaning in dictionaries.

Use of verb valency patterns in the Indonesian monolingual learner’s dictionary

The verb is one of the most perplexing features for learners of BIPA (Bahasa Indonesia bagi Penutur Asing “Indonesian for foreign speakers”). Indonesian verbs are particularly rich in affixes that correspond to their numerous senses. The learners find it challenging to use verbs with the appropriate affixes in a sentence structure. To function effectively as a learning tool, dictionaries must provide morphological and grammatical information. Frame semantics theory is used in this research to determine a verb’s meaning based on its semantic context and frame. The verb is described by identifying the grammatical constructions in which it participates, and by characterizing all of the obligatory and optional types of companions. By doing this, we can obtain the verb valency pattern to add to a dictionary’s morphological and grammatical information. This study aims to create entry models of affixed verbs with the valency pattern. The six transitive verbs for discussion comprise a variety of affixes with various senses: mempersembahkan “to present/dedicate”; membersihkan “to clean”; mencintai “to love”; memperlancar “to expedite”; memperbaiki “to fix”; and memberlakukan “to apply”. These entries serve as models for the BIPA learner’s dictionary.

The Effect of Turkish Pronunciation Training on Brain: An fMRI Study

This study aimed to develop the pronunciation skills of students who learned Turkish as a foreign language and determine the extent of the instruction given for that purpose by observing its cognitive effects. It was designed as an in-class action research and carried out with nine students speaking different languages. Of those, five were bilinguals: Four were native speakers of their native tribal language and French, and one was a native speaker of Kazakh and Russian. The remaining four students were native speakers of Arabic. The fMRI findings at the beginning and the end of the study showed that phonological and reading motor processes were better for bilingual learners who were native tribal speakers and learned French and Mongolian as their country's official language, compared with native Arabic monolingual learners. Based on the analysis, it can be stated that an increase in foreign language sound awareness of learners results in the acquisition of more accurate pronunciation skills.

LA INFORMACIÓN SINTÁCTICA EN LOS DICCIONARIOS BILINGÜES Y MONOLINGÜES DE APRENDIZAJE. SYNTACTIC INFORMATION IN BILINGUAL AND LEARNER'S DICTIONARIES

Bilingual and monolingual learner’s dictionaries provide information on the vocabulary a foreign language (FL) student should learn. Moreover, they specify grammatical information related to peculiar words, especially verbs. These dictionaries present, specifically, the syntactic contents in a more explicit way by means of construction indications and in a more implicit way by means of examples, or both. Starting from the English learner’s dictionaries, it is shown what lexicographical solutions the dictionaries analyzed in this paper adopt to transmit the syntactic information to the user. This description can be doubly useful: to teach the FL learner how to find syntactic information in dictionaries (something not everyone is able of) and to prepare new lexicographical works with more explicit indications.

Relationship between written and spoken text recall in L2

AbstractThe relationship between written and spoken recall (SR) has primarily been analyzed with English‐speaking monolinguals. Written recall (WR) has been reported more accurate due to higher cognitive load and attention required to produce a text. This study examined the written and spoken text recall relationship in L2 learners of Russian and analyzed how individual working memory (WM) capacity influenced both types of recall. Twenty‐two intermediate‐low learners of Russian participated in the study. The obtained results were consistent with results obtained from research on monolingual learners. WR was found more accurate than SR. The WM score did not correlate, however, with accuracy for either type of recall. This could be due to low cognitive demands of the chosen text required from the participants. A longer text is suggested for future studies. Also, second language acquisition studies analyzing a possibility of scaffolding L2 speaking accuracy by practicing L2 writing are encouraged.

First and second language sentence repetition: a screening measure for dual language learners?

The sentence repetition (SR) test is considered as a promising diagnostic tool for detecting language proficiency in monolingual learners, but less is known about its potential to identify dual language learners’ (DLLs) linguistic proficiency. Considering that challenges with language learning, such as developmental language disorders (DLDs), is evident in both first and second language (L1 and L2), it is important to use tools that can assess language functions in both languages whenever feasible. We found that students’ L1 and L2 SR performance levels draw upon their phonological short-term memory capacity, vocabulary and grammar skills in the language being assessed. We also found a positive relationship between students’ L1 phonological memory and L2 SR scores, suggesting that DLLs’ phonological short-term memory capacity assessed in their L1 indicates individual differences in short-term verbal memory that support SR performance, as assessed in L2. The results highlight a challenge in both research and clinical settings which often use monolingual assessment tools and associated norms to identify DLLs who might be at risk of developing DLDs or other learning difficulties.

Levels of skills and predictive patterns of reading comprehension in bilingual children with an early age of acquisition

Bilingualism appears to be related to poor language and reading comprehension in the instructional language (L2). However, in the long term, an early age of second language acquisition (AoA) may produce higher levels of second language skills than a later onset of L2 exposure. Most studies on school-aged second language learners (L2 learners) include children with 3–7 years of second language (L2) exposure. We compared 91 early bilingual (Norwegian and a variety of different native languages) 5th graders with 196 monolingual peers on a range of linguistic skills and their relationships with reading comprehension. All bilingual learners in the sample had been exposed to the instructional language by at least the age of 2. The results, using structural equation modelling and latent variables, show that early bilingual learners’ vocabulary, listening comprehension, and reading comprehension are significantly lower than those of monolingual learners. Nevertheless, they have similar levels of knowledge of conjunctions and decoding skills and corresponding predictive patterns from linguistic skills to reading comprehension. We discuss the implications of the findings.

“The impact of bilingualism on Language and Literacy Development”

The impact of bilingualism on language and literacy development was investigated in the present study. The goals of this study were to determine the effect of bilingualism on language and literacy development, as well as to compare the features of bilingual and monolingual language development and literacy growth. The study was conducted in a cross-sectional manner. The information was gathered from the Department of Speech and Language Pathology; Mind Institute – Special Needs Centre, Qatar. A total of 25 patients were analysed using a battery of tests developed by the researcher, which included the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF-5), Renfrew Language Scale (Action Picture Test), Visualizing and Verbalizing, and Questionnaire. Each patient was assessed individually by a speech and language pathologist who is skilled in assessing learners with Learning Difficulties. The 25 participants were divided into five groups, each with a different age range. Language Development features such as Metalinguistic Concepts, Word Awareness, Syntactic Awareness, and Phonological Awareness, as well as Literacy Development characteristics including Reading and Writing abilities, were age/grade appropriate for monolingual learners in each group. Bilinguals, on the other hand, showed certain delays in only single language, English. Bilinguals, on the other side, have a larger vocabulary in two or more languages. It is vital to remember that bilingual learners require their own time to attain grade level. The study, it is concluded, will benefit in the efficient treatment of patients. Furthermore, timely or early intervention can help learners achieve age or grade-level language development and literacy growth while avoiding academic failure.

The Treatment of Academic Lexical Bundles in Online English Monolingual Learners’ Dictionaries

Abstract In recent years, there has been a growing interest in identifying dictionary-relevant lexical bundles and analysing their lexicographic treatment. However, past research has only examined bundle treatment in general bilingual dictionaries, leaving it open whether and to what extent lexical bundles are treated in other types of dictionaries. This study aims to fill this gap by focusing on the treatment of academic lexical bundles in online English monolingual learners’ dictionaries. To this end, we first derived a list of 85 target bundles from a large corpus of expert academic writing using a set of quantitative and qualitative criteria, and then examined these bundles regarding their coverage, accessibility, and macro- and microstructural presentation in selected dictionaries. The results showed a high degree of inaccessibility of lexical bundles as search strings, corroborated previous research findings regarding the subsidiary status of lexical bundles in the macrostructure, and identified variations and inadequacies in bundle presentation in the microstructure. The implications of this study for improving the identification, access and presentation of academic lexical bundles for e-lexicography are discussed.

Perceptual Assimilation of American English Vowels by Monolingual and Bilingual Learners in Iran

Perceptual Assimilation of American English Vowels by Monolingual and Bilingual Learners in Iran

FL code-switching in the L1 environment among early-aged monolingual learners: a pilot study

Code-switching has recently become an interesting phenomenon to study because it is a part of the developmental processes, as well as the result of the use of, and exposure to, multiple languages. For this reason, code-switching usually occurs during foreign language teaching and learning, “especially when studying English based on the different backgrounds and reasons” (Yusuf, 2009). Accordingly, code-switching can be examined from various viewpoints such as the form, location, patterns, conditions, and functions, in relation to the use or the roles of the L1 and L2 or FL in the classroom, the former being most often referred to. This paper aims to determine the conditions for the use of code-switching in a quite different situation, namely, among very young learners conceived of as monolinguals who happen to switch to English (FL) in the L1 classroom environment. The article opens with a brief characterization of code-switching, defining its most frequent forms and functions, and a description of bilingual and monolingual code-switching contexts, an emphasis being put on the role of L1 in the language adaptation process and switching. The study, composed of a questionnaire distributed among 5 kindergarten teachers in public kindergartens in Poland, has shown bits and pieces of code-switching to be observed among four groups of Polish children (early-aged monolinguals), and their “linguistic behaviors” on a daily basis in the kindergarten classroom. What has been hinted at ranges from the exact situations of switching to language samples, presented according to age, and possible reasons for the current state of affairs.

Effects of Bilingualism on Reading Fluency: An Analysis of Pausing Patterns of Iranian Learners of English as a Third Language

Fluency is one of the most important components of oral proficiency, which can be affected by a number of variables including frequency, duration, and place of pause phenomena. The present study aimed at investigating the effect of bilingualism on learning a foreign language from the angle of fluency and pausing patterns by comparing the pausing patterns of monolingual (Persian speakers) and bilingual (Iranian Turkish speakers; L1: Turkish and L2: Persian) EFL learners. To this end, a sample of 40 male and female advanced EFL learners were selected from Yazd University and several English-language institutes. An English reading passage test was used to measure students’ fluency in terms of their pausing patterns in prepared mode of speech. As learners started to read the passage, their speeches were recorded. The collected data were analyzed by Praat software. The statistical analyses revealed a significant difference between monolingual and bilingual learners in the frequency, duration, and placement of the pauses they had produced while they were reading the English passage. The results showed that bilingual learners outperformed monolingual participants, suggesting the superiority of bilinguals in their pausing patterns. The implications are discussed.

Proficiency in English is a better predictor of educational achievement than English as an Additional Language (EAL)

ABSTRACT We compared two tools that have been used to capture the linguistic heterogeneity and achievement of students in England: the exposure-based distinction between English as an additional language (EAL) and monolingual learners, and the 2017–2018 five level teacher rating of proficiency in English (from “New to English” to “Fluent”). Based on a nationally representative sample of 140,000 students aged 5 to 16 years, we assessed the explanatory power of the proficiency in English rating in relation to educational achievement and compared it directly to EAL status. Our results demonstrate that proficiency in English is a significantly better predictor of student achievement than EAL status and that it accounts for up to six times more variance than other student background variables (ethnicity, gender and socio-economic disadvantage) combined. Proficiency in English was particularly (but certainly not solely) predictive for student performance in subjects such as English and reading vis-à-vis mathematics. Our findings are clear in demonstrating the value of a proficiency in English rating for assessing linguistic heterogeneity and student achievement, in contrast to the exposure-based EAL measure. We recommend the (re)introduction of proficiency in English ratings to monitor and support student progress and discuss the value of classroom-based language assessments.

The Use of the Progressive in Light of the AH in Monolingual EFL-Instructed Spanish Learners at University Level: A Longitudinal Learner Corpus-Based SLA Study

Despite recent interest in the analysis of the progressive in light of the Aspect Hypothesis (AH), little information is available on the use of the progressive by EFL Spanish learners. To gain a better understanding of the use of the progressive in EFL-instructed Spanish learner writing at advanced levels, this longitudinal learner corpus-based SLA study examines the frequency of use of the progressive, as well as two of the associations of the AH: (i) the progressive with dynamic verbs; (ii) and, no overextension of the progressive to stative verbs. The effects derived from factors or variables such as the tense employed, target- and non-target-like uses, students’ academic year and expected higher proficiency level, task type and individual preferences are also discussed as a way to fine-tuning the strong version of the AH to the use of the progressive by this learner group