Mother Tongue Groups Research Articles

Computer learner corpora, or how can we turn our students' interlanguage into a resource for EFL research and teaching?

The essay presents recent developments in the field of learner corpora, with special reference to some written corpora that have been collected in European academic contexts. One particular corpus, "The International Corpus of Learner English" (ICLE), is dealt with in more detail since it allows cross-linguistic comparison among 11 different national subcorpora. The research that has already been carried out on ICLE ranges from ad hoe case studies of mistakes made by specific groups of learners to wider and more systematic investigations of areas of difficulty and of features of "foreign-soundings" across different mother tongue groups, and from the discussion of corpus design criteria to the empirical testing of Second Language Acquisition hypotheses and findings. Using an already existing learner corpus, joining a project in progress or building a new learner corpus appear to be useful and challenging enterprises which may help reconcile research and teaching needs especially in the field of English, which is the most highly required foreign language in European universities.

Correlation Analysis between Cultural Differences and Normal Music Perception Based on Embedded Voice Multisensor

In order to effectively improve the sense of difference brought by the extracorporeal machine to users and minimize the related derived problems, the implementation based on embedded multisensor has become a major breakthrough in the research of cochlear implant. To explore the impact of different cultural differences on timbre perception, effectively evaluate the correlation between cultural differences and music perception teaching based on embedded multisensor normal hearing, evaluate the discrimination ability of embedded multisensor normal hearing to music timbre, and analyse the correlation between cultural differences and timbre perception, it provides a basis for the evaluation of music perception of normal hearing people with embedded multisensor and the design and development of evaluation tool. In this paper, adults with normal hearing in different cultures matched with music experience are selected to test their recognition ability of different musical instruments and the number of musical instruments by using music evaluation software, and the recognition accuracy of the two tests is recorded. The results show that the accuracy of musical instrument recognition in the mother tongue group is 15% higher than that in the foreign language group, and the average recognition rates of oboe, trumpet, and xylophone in the foreign language group are lower than those in the mother tongue group, the recognition rate of oboe and trumpet in wind instruments was low in both groups, and the recognition rate of oboe and trumpet in foreign language group was high.

Intergenerational language transmission in Quebec: patterns and predictors in the light of provincial language planning

ABSTRACT The study presented here is the first empirical investigation of the patterns and predictors of the intergenerational transmission of French in Quebec. An online questionnaire was used to gather data from 274 parents from different mother tongue (L1) groups: L1 French, L1 English, L1 French and English, and L1 Other. The results show that L1 French-and-English-speaking parents and L1 Other parents displayed particularly low rates of French transmission. Three variables were found to be significant predictors of the intergenerational transmission of French: having it as one’s L1, high proficiency, and positive attitudes towards the language on the solidarity dimension. The same three variables were also found to be significant predictors for the intergenerational transmission of English in Quebec, indicating that they may not be merely language-specific. Not significant for either French or English were language used with partner, attitudes on the status dimension, Quebec-based social identity, migration background, and location within Quebec. Further research is needed to ascertain whether the identified predictors are context-specific, and what other variables are at play. The article discusses the implications of this study’s findings for theory as well as for language planning in Quebec, and especially the potential effectiveness of acquisition and prestige planning.

Examining the secondary effects of mother-tongue literacy instruction in Kenya: Impacts on student learning in English, Kiswahili, and mathematics

Limited rigorous evidence is available from sub-Saharan Africa regarding whether children who learn to read in their mother tongue will have higher learning outcomes in other subjects. A randomised controlled trial of mother-tongue literacy instruction, the Primary Math and Reading (PRIMR) Initiative, was implemented in Kenya from 2013 to 2014. We compared the impacts of the PRIMR mother-tongue treatment group in two languages with those of another group that did not use mother tongue, but utilised the same instructional components. Results showed that assignment to the mother-tongue group had no additional benefits for English or Kiswahili learning outcomes beyond the non-mother-tongue group, and that the mother-tongue group had somewhat lower mathematics outcomes. Classroom observational analysis showed that assignment to the mother-tongue group had only small impacts on the usage of mother tongue in other subjects. Advocates for mother-tongue programmes must consider such results alongside local implementation resistance in programme design.

The Complex Nature of Text Reading Difficulties: The Case of Bilingual Children

The present research examined the effect of nature of orthography on the development of reading acquisition among children acquiring Arabic and Hebrew. Speed and accuracy measures were examined in reading texts in Arabic and in Hebrew. It was found that Arabic speakers showed an almost equal control in reading both languages. Furthermore, it was found that the speed of read- ing texts in Arabic among Arabic speakers was 3 times slower than reading Hebrew texts among Hebrew readers. These findings confirm that there is difficulty in identifying and decoding visual stimuli in Arabic. Furthermore, findings of the present research paper emphasizes that reading in Hebrew is faster and more precise than reading in Arabic, beyond mother tongue groups (Arab and Hebrew speakers). In addition, Hebrew readers showed a significant difference in reading in favor of reading in their mother tongue (both in accuracy and speed). In conclusion, findings of the present research suggest that there is an objective difficulty in acquiring reading of the Arabic language, and there is need for systematic intervention among those who face difficulties in the learning process.

Temporal trends in Inuit, First Nations and non-Aboriginal birth outcomes in rural and northern Quebec

Objectives. The objective was to assess trends in Inuit, First Nations and non-Aboriginal birth outcomes in the rural and northern regions of Quebec.Study design and methods. In a birth cohort-based study of all births to residents of rural and northern Quebec from 1991 through 2000 (n = 177,193), we analyzed birth outcomes and infant mortality for births classified by maternal mother tongue (Inuit, First Nations or non-Aboriginal) and by community type (predominantly First Nations, Inuit or non-Aboriginal).Results. From 1991–1995 to 1996–2000, there was a trend of increasing rates of preterm birth for all 6 study groups. In all rural and northern areas, low birth weight rates increased significantly only for the Inuit mother tongue group [RR1.45 (95% CI 1.05–2.01)]. Stillbirth rates showed a non-significant increase for the Inuit mother tongue group [RR1.76 (0.64–4.83)]. Neonatal mortality rates decreased significantly in the predominantly non-Aboriginal communities and in the non-Aboriginal mother tongue group [RR0.78 (0.66–0.92)], and increased non-significantly for the First Nations mother tongue group [RR2.17 (0.71–6.62)]. Perinatal death rates increased for the First Nations mother tongue grouping in northern areas [RR2.19 (0.99–4.85)].Conclusion. There was a disconcerting rise of some mortality outcomes for births to First Nations and Inuit mother tongue women and to women in predominantly First Nations and Inuit communities, in contrast to some improvements for births to non-Aboriginal mother tongue women and to women in predominantly non-Aboriginal communities in rural or northern Quebec, indicating a need for improving perinatal and neonatal health for Aboriginal populations in rural and northern regions.

Birth outcomes and infant mortality among First Nations Inuit, and non-Indigenous women by northern versus southern residence, Quebec

BackgroundIn circumpolar countries such as Canada, northern regions represent a unique geographical entity climatically, socioeconomically and environmentally. There is a lack of comparative data on birth outcomes among Indigenous and...

Urban Living is Not Associated with Better Birth and Infant Outcomes among Inuit and First Nations in Quebec~!2009-11-30~!2010-04-12~!2010-07-06~!

OBJECTIVE: There is limited and inconsistent evidence concerning rural versus urban differences in birth and infant outcomes for Indigenous peoples. We assessed birth and infant outcomes among Inuit, First Nations and French mother tongue groups by rural versus urban residence in Quebec, Canada. STUDY DEIGN: A retrospective birth cohort study of 5,184 First Nations, 2,527 Inuit and 652,940 French mother tongue (the majority reference) births in Quebec, 1991-2000. RESULTS: In general, rural living was associated with slightly less favorable birth outcomes for French mother tongue women, but somewhat better outcomes for Indigenous women. For both Inuit and First Nations, rural births were half as likely to be small-for-gestational-age compared to urban births. Among First Nations, the difference in infant mortality rates comparing urban to rural areas was not statistically significant. Compared to infants of French mother tongue women, Inuit and First Nations infants were much less likely to be small-for-gestational-age in rural areas, while such an "advantage" diminished for First Nations and reversed for Inuit in urban areas. The disparities in infant mortality among First Nations versus French mother tongue births were greater in urban than in rural areas. These patterns of results remained after adjusting for maternal characteristics. CONCLUSION: Living in urban areas was not associated with better birth and infant outcomes for Inuit and First Nations in Quebec despite universal health insurance coverage, strongly indicating a need for improved socioeconomic conditions, perinatal and infant care for Indigenous people living in urban areas.

Completing the fertility transition

The purpose of the present study is to examine third birth dynamics by mother tongue group in Turkey a country that has reached the advanced stage of its fertility transition. Third-birth intensities of Turkish speaking mothers are lower than Kurdish speaking mothers and the decline in fertility started much later for the latter group. Kurdish speaking women who cannot read and who live in more customary marriages have the highest third birth risk. We demonstrate that to understand contemporary fertility change in Turkey it is necessary to consider a combination of individual socioeconomic and cultural factors. (authors)

South African Perceptions of Russians: A Personified Portrait

This paper discusses the results of original research on reconstructing a personified ‘portrait’ of Russians according to South African perceptions. The data was collected from various social and mother-tongue groups in the RSA. Students from three South African universities were asked for their opinions on Russian heroes/symbols as a recognized resource for studying the ways in which foreigners perceive the Russian national identity. A personified portrait is understood to be a set of specific personalities, famous people from any country, in this case Russia. These people represent both the present and the past. They can also be characters from works of art' or fiction who could represent the Russian people in the perceptions of foreigners. The author underlines the scientific and general educational importance as well as the methodological and practical value of ethno-psycholinguistic modeling of the Russian national identity. The article also indicates some possibilities for utilization of the research results in teaching the Russian language, culture and literature to foreigners.

Mother tongue and marriage; the French and English in Canada

Linguistic intermarriage has important consequences both for the groups and individuals concerned. This paper examines marriage within and between the English and French mother tongue groups [in Canada] using individual level data. Characteristics such as education ethnic origin and official language ability were found to be significant factors but the social or demographic context was also important. A sizable effect of language ability was found but the magnitude varied with the demographic context. (SUMMARY IN FRE) (EXCERPT)

The Decline of Official Language Minorities in Quebec and English Canada

"This paper considers the evolution of French outside of Quebec and the English in Quebec.... The total historical set of national data on ethnicity, mother tongue, knowledge of official languages and home language [is first presented]. The 120 year stability showing French at around 30 percent of the national total is a function of compensating factors including high French fertility and high English immigration. During the 1960s both of these demographic supports disappeared and thus mobility across linguistic lines has become a particularly sensitive issue. "The picture with regard to French outside of Quebec has changed rather radically in the last thirty-five years. For instance, there was one French child to every nine in 1941 and one to every twenty-one children in 1976. While the English of Quebec were once represented in various parts of the province, their strength is now largely limited to the Montreal metropolitan area which includes 76 percent of the English mother tongue group. Outside of Montreal, the English amounted to 7.9 percent of Quebec's population in 1941 and 5.6 percent in 1976. The paper concludes with a discussion of the social factors that underlie these trends and their relevance to the models of institutional and territorial bilingualism." (summary in FRE)

The Ecology of Language Maintenance

Three factors have been identified as affecting one's ability to maintain his/her minority mother-tongue in a metropolitan area: proportion the minority mother-tongue group forms of the total metropolitan population, its degree of residential segregation, and the absolute number of people in the minority mother-tongue group. Each factor is an indicator of a model of the urban ecology of minority language maintenance. Data on people of six minority mother-tongues in nine U.S. metropolitan areas are used. The absolute number of minority language people in a metropolitan area has a large positive effect on minority language maintenance. Residential segregation also has a positive effect.

English-Canadian and French-Canadian Attitudes Toward Women: Results of the Canadian Gallup Polls

This paper examines the reaction of French and English mother tongue respondents to a variety of questions on women which were asked in the Gallup Polls between 1964. and 1973. These questions probe attitudes toward: 1) the acceptability of female physicians, lawyers and politicians; 2) the acceptability of married women working, both with and without family obligations; and 3) equality between men and women and the women’s liberation move ment. The analysis reveals that French mother tongue respondents tend to be more egalitarian than English mother tongue respondents with respect to women occupying male sex-typed occupations and with respect to equality in the public sector. However, once the mother and husband roles are involved, French Canadians are more likely than Anglo-Canadians to concur with the traditional stance that women should remain at home and husbands should be dominant. The analysis also reveals that for both mother tongue groups, differences in responses by sex exist, with women generally being slightly more egalitarian in their attitudes than males. However, the interaction between sex and language which was noted by Hobart iri his study of marital relations is virtually absent.