Native Language Skills Research Articles

Methodology of Organizing and Conducting Distance Olympiads in Korean as a Second Foreign Language in the Process of Professional Training of Future Foreign Language Teachers

In this article, the author presents the methodology of organizing and conducting distance Olympiads in Korean as a second foreign language in the process of professional training of foreign language teachers.The purpose of the study is to examine specifics of second foreign language distance Olympiads organization in the context of professional training, main objectives of the Korean language Olympiad (increasing motivation, interest in learning Korean, exposure to Korean culture, etc.), and to analyze the main requirements for distance Olympiad tasks of the first round (tests), and tasks of the second round, which are aimed to identify the level of communication abilities. Interview, testing and observation are used as the main methods of research.Results. The methodology proposed by the author was tested in groups of 3–4 year students of Sarsen Amanzholov East Kazakhstan University (educational program 6B01703 foreign language: two foreign languages). The article presents analysis of the distance Olympiad’s results, examples of tasks for each round and the main criteria for evaluating the tasks. The requirements to the second foreign language Olympiad tasks implied: possibility of mass coverage of students with Olympiad tasks; compliance of the tasks with the curriculum; time limit; relying on the students’ experience, including their native language skills and abilities; increasing tasks complexity; variety of tasks forms and content, the tasks contents and novelty; problem nature tasks to stimulate students thinking, language guess; using authentic material for the Olympiad tasks; the use of local history and extralinguistic material. The general complexity of the tasks, and difficulties associated with the nature of the linguistic material were also taken into account.Conclusion. According to the results of the experimental work, the author comes to the following conclusion: the leading principle of organizing distance Olympiads assumes that the university faculty will be focused on the timely identification of the future teachers’ interest to the Korean language, their involvement in preparation for the Olympiad, thus forming their interest in Korean culture and language. Olympiad assignments should be creative so that students learn to find their own ways of solving problems and develop self-education skills. Participation in the Olympiad increases students’ learning motivation, broadens their horizons, and develops their ability to express their opinions. The variety of requirements to the work of participants makes the assessment of each member of the jury quite subjective, but the collective nature of the evaluation procedure ensures correctness and objectivity of the final decision, allows participants to familiarize with the results of their work and consider appeals after each round of the Olympiad participants.

Turkish Language Teacher Candidates' Multimodal Literacy Levels and Their Attitudes Towards Information and Communication Technologies

As the digital technologies develop, the multi-modal structures in which multiple modes such as text, sound and image are used concurrently are frequently encountered in daily life. In this sense, the literacy levels of Turkish language teacher candidates who will work on improving their native language skills towards multimodal structures and their pre-disposition towards information and communication technologies they will use in order to use these structures are regarded as significant. The present study aimed to examine Turkish language teacher candidates' multimodal literacy levels and their attitudes towards information and communication technologies in terms of various variables and reveal the relationship between these two variables. The study was a quantitative study and was conducted in accordance with the relational screening model. The data was obtained from a total of 156 students studying at different levels in the Turkish language teaching undergraduate program at a state university. Data were collected with the Multimodal Literacy Scale, developed by Bulut, Ulu and Kan (2015), whose validity and reliability studies were conducted, and were also collected through the Information and Communication Technology Attitude Scale, which was developed by Günbatar (2014) and whose validity and reliability studies were conducted. In an attempt to reveal the relationship between variables, the simple linear relationship coefficient was calculated in the IBM SPSS 21 program. The significance of the scores obtained from the scales by gender and class was examined using the t-test, one of the parametric tests, and the Kruskal Wallis H test, one of the non-parametric tests, based on the normality of the distribution. As far as the results of the study are concerned, it was found that there was a medium-level relationship between Turkish language teacher candidates' attitudes towards information and communication technologies and their levels of multi-modal literacy (.350), and when the relationships between the sub-dimensions of the scales were examined, the two dimensions with the highest correlation coefficient were software use and Expressing oneself using multimodal structures (.541). It was concluded that the ICT attitudes did not differ significantly by the class and gender variables. It was also concluded that the multimodal literacy level demonstrated a significant difference in favor of the female students by gender, and between 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students in favor of 4th year students by the grade variable. The results obtained were considered and various suggestions were made.

Language Use of Bilingual Young People: Case of Germany and France

Starting from the second half of the 20th century, Turkish people who had to migrate to European countries due to the need for labor force in Europe, gradually settled in these countries through family reunification. Today, fourth-generation Turkish people are born and raised, educated, and integrated into the working life in these lands. The generations that grow up in a bilingual and double culture environment are exposed to both languages and cultures in their daily lives. In this study, the language use and native language skills of 9 university students from the third and fourth generations who were born and raised in France and Germany are examined in their family and social lives. In this context, the research questions of the study are: "What are the factors that determine the language use of third and fourth-generation Turkish people living in Germany and France?" and “How do competences in language skills affect the language use of bilingual young people?”. In this qualitative study, the phenomenological pattern has been used. Interview technique was used as a data collection tool and semi-structured interview questions were asked to participants, including language use and native language skills. As a result of the study, it was found that young people of the third generation living in France and the fourth generation living in Germany use the dominant language, French and German, mostly, in their social environment and education life. In the family, both languages are used effectively, however, the preferred language with parents is mostly Turkish or a mixture of both languages. Young people tend to speak the target language or code-switch with their siblings and Turkish friends. Regarding to the native language skills, they are more effective in oral communication and comprehension.

Requirements Needed for the Improvement of English Listening-Speaking Courses in Iraq

English language students and learners, of a non-native mother-tongue, and especially in Iraq, do not practice communicating in English sufficiently. Students of English language and literature in Iraqi educational systems interact very little in English. Also, this is a similar case found to be present in educational systems in Iraq, whether in schools or upper educational systems, such as colleges and universities. As an English language teacher in Iraq for many years, it has been found that English students are exposed very little to speaking practices in English. There is insufficient second/foreign language exposure to native English communication, whether through the lack of interaction with native speakers or the lack of exposure to native language communication through tapes and materials. It is the aim of this paper, to give certain suggestions, reached through experience and study of teaching/learning methods and advice, which should lead to better English language teaching/learning. Certain points have been suggested, which involve requirements and needs of better English language teaching/learning, specifically in Iraq. As an English teacher, specifically as a teacher of speaking and listening courses, and as an English language student, in and outside of Iraq, certain conclusions have been reached for better and more efficiency in English classrooms. Results include the need of a more appliance of the communicative approach and more emphasis on native language exposure and skills. Through experience also, it has been reached that English language students, in Iraq, in general, are incapable to communicate proficiently in English. Thus, a second aim is to show how this leads to a gap in English as a second/foreign language learning and teaching and, therefore, suggestions have been listed and discussed in order to help learners of English language reach better competence of English and improve their second/foreign language capabilities and skills, especially their speaking and listening skills.

Immersion in dual-language programs does not impede children's native language processing.

The benefits of dual-language immersion (DLI) versus English-only classrooms for minority-language speakers' acquisition of English have been well documented. However, less is known about the effect(s) of DLI on majority-language speakers' native English skills. Prior studies largely used accuracy-focused measures to index children's language skills; it is possible that processing-based tasks are more sensitive to the effects of DLI experience. Thirty-three monolingual native English-speaking children attending English-only classrooms and thirty-three English-speaking children attending English-Spanish DLI matched in age, gender, nonverbal IQ, and socio-economic status were tested twice, 1 year apart, on standardized and processing-based measures of English vocabulary and morphosyntax. We ran linear mixed-effects models to examine the extent to which group and time would predict scores on knowledge-based measures of vocabulary and morphosyntactic knowledge, as well as accuracy and reaction times on processing-based measures of English vocabulary and morphosyntax. Results revealed comparable levels of growth in English for both groups. A subtle effect of DLI was observed on a lexical-decision task: bilinguals were slower in Year 1 but both groups were equally efficient in Year 2. These results indicate that DLI programs have minimal impact on majority-language speakers' native-language skills in the age-range tested. This study is the first to longitudinally examine processing-based native language outcomes in bilingual children in DLI classrooms. We do not find evidence that DLI exposure carries a cost to native language development, even when indexed by processing measures. This should reassure parents, educators, and policymakers in that there are no downsides to DLI.

Формирование предпосылок функциональной грамотности детей дошкольного возраста в процессе литературного образования на родном (удмуртском) языке

The paper justifies the necessity to form preschoolers’ functional literacy. The research objective includes identifying peculiarities of the Udmurt preschool literary education focused on forming preschoolers’ reading competence and basic components of functional literacy. The article justifies the thesis that preschoolers’ functional literacy can be formed in the process of literary education in the native (Udmurt) language. The author introduces an authorial educational-methodological complex “Зарни бугор” aimed to form preschoolers’ native language literacy, and herein lies scientific originality of the study. The conducted research allows drawing the following conclusions: preschool literary education in the native (Udmurt) language should focus on forming preschoolers’ native language literacy; the educational-methodological complex “Зарни бугор” can be efficiently used to form preschoolers’ native language skills.

Linking L2 proficiency and patterns of functional connectivity during L1 word retrieval

Second language (L2) learners differ greatly in language proficiency, which is partially explained by variability in native language (L1) skills. The present fMRI study explored the neural underpinnings of the L1-L2 link. Twenty L2 learners completed a tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) task that required retrieving words in L1. Low-proficiency L2 learners showed greater functional connectivity for correct and TOT responses between the left inferior frontal gyrus and right-sided homologues of the temporoparietal regions that support phonological processing (e.g., supramarginal gyrus), possibly reflecting difficulty with phonological retrieval. High-proficiency L2 learners showed greater connectivity for erroneous responses (TOT in particular) between the left inferior frontal gyrus and regions of left medial temporal lobe (e.g., hippocampus), associated with implicit learning processes. The difference between low- and high-proficiency L2 learners in functional connectivity, which is evident even during L1 processing, may affect L2 learning processes and outcomes.

Some guidelines for a smart and suitable design of applications for the social inclusion of functional illiterates

This article investigates the design of application interfaces and the development of activities based on the principles of active methodologies that focus on the social inclusion of a population with low linguistic proficiency in the Portuguese language spoken in Brazil. The focus is on the inclusive, smart and suitable design of activities for learning and improving the writing and reading levels of these individuals, who are classified as functional illiterates, as defined by the National Indicator of Functional Literacy (INAF). They feel the direct impact of access to new technologies mainly because they cannot read written documents and interpret visual language. The people on whom this study focuses are keen to improve their native language skills but should also be guided and helped by an inclusive design in technological applications. They use WhatsApp to produce communications and exchange content, whether through audio messages or pictures, but they avoid writing or reading text. In this paper, we propose an inclusive smart design for an application to expand the possibilities of linguistic communication.

The Effect of Foreign Language Education on Preschoolers’ Native Language Development

The present study is conducted to examine how foreign language education may affect preschool children's native language development. The study was carried out with 70 children who were 48-60 months-old and attending a public preschool in Alanya, a district of Antalya, in Turkey. The Solomon Four-Group Design was used. Children’s native language skills were assessed via the Turkish Early Language Development Test (Tedil-3) and the experimental process took 8 weeks. Mann Whitney U and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Tests were used in the analysis of the data as the data did not show normal distribution. After determining the effect of the experimental procedure, the children included in the control groups were subjected to the same experimental procedure for 8 weeks under the “right to benefit from the experiment process” which has never been applied before in any studies in Turkey. The findings were discussed within the framework of the literature and various suggestions were presented.

The Effect of Foreign Language Education on Preschoolers’ Native Language Development

The present study is conducted to examine how foreign language education may affect preschool children's native language development. The study was carried out with 70 children who were 48-60 months-old and attending a public preschool in Alanya, a district of Antalya, in Turkey. The Solomon Four-Group Design was used. Children’s native language skills were assessed via the Turkish Early Language Development Test (Tedil-3) and the experimental process took 8 weeks. Mann Whitney U and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Tests were used in the analysis of the data as the data did not show normal distribution. After determining the effect of the experimental procedure, the children included in the control groups were subjected to the same experimental procedure for 8 weeks under the “right to benefit from the experiment process” which has never been applied before in any studies in Turkey. The findings were discussed within the framework of the literature and various suggestions were presented.

Translator Trainees’ Reading Literacy, Problem Solving, and Translation Skills A Comparative Study

Abstract Linguistic and cultural mediators, such as translators, interpreters, and language teachers, need complex and well-developed language skills in all the languages they work with. In this study, we examine the connections and correlations among the following skills: reading literacy in native language, reading literacy in foreign language, problem solving and translation. Three of these skills (reading in native and foreign language and problem solving) are evaluated on a three-level scale based on the three cognitive processes used in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessments (location of information, understanding, evaluation and reflection) (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – OECD 2018). The methodology of measuring reading comprehension in native language and problem-solving skills has already been developed and applied by our research group (Pletl 2019, Harangus 2018); therefore, after assessing the foreign language reading literacy and translation skills, we will be able to analyse the translator trainees’ results based on the aforementioned three-level scale and examine possible connections and correlations between the different but interrelated skills. With an interdisciplinary approach, this study concentrates on revealing the overlaps and meeting points, the spaces in between the use of these skills.

The moderating effect of Korean preschoolers' receptive and expressive language skills on the link between Korean PA and English PA.

The purpose of the current study was to examine whether oral language skills moderate the effect of Korean phonological awareness (PA) on English PA for Korean preschoolers in the initial stage of learning English as a second language. The study participants comprised 81 five- to six-year-old Korean preschoolers attending Korean-medium preschools in South Korea. The findings demonstrated that Korean PA was significantly associated with English PA. In addition, Korean receptive and expressive language skills had moderating effects on the relationship between Korean PA and English PA, respectively. This study is discussed not only in terms of cross-language PA transfer in processing two phonologically and orthographically different languages but also in light of the importance of native language skills interacting with native PA in the second-language PA development of preschool children in the initial stage of learning a second language.

Translators Training for Joint Venture Employment

The paper deals with some issues of professional translator and interpreter training for employment in joint Russian and French enterprises. The key factors determining the need to develop the problem is changing political and economic situation, increased dependence on high quality translation and localisation for purposes of international business and higher requirements to personnel providing translation services in the context of globalization and the active introduction of digital technologies into economic, social, managerial processes in the global market in countries with different levels of economic development. At the same time, profound changes in translator and interpreter training have occurred over the past 20 years which is related both to globalization in the area of professional education, accessibility and relevance of various methods and technologies for teaching translation personnel, as well as to growing demands from business employers determined by the increasing complexity of economic activity. Scientific and technological context requires from mediator and translators new expertise and adaptive skills due to global trends of mass production including localisation of joint ventures operations and websites. The authors of the paper describe the principles of translators and interpreters training based on specific texts use, analyse advantages of “mixed” group format classes and compare them to traditional teaching approaches. The suggested methods are based on the Interpretive Theory of Translation developed by the French Translation School (ESIT); specific exercise series have been compiled for development of native and source language skills accompanied by relevant background knowledge and corresponding methodology. The authors have proved the effectiveness of the mixed group classed format conducted with the use of the developed complex of training exercises for the need of business environment helping to overcome linguistic, cultural and economic differences as well as to enhance comprehension within multinational companies through internationalization, standardization and localization.

Exploring the Relationship between Native Language Skills and Foreign Language Learning in Children with Developmental Language Disorders

ABSTRACTLearning English as a foreign language (FL) is mandatory for children with developmental language disorders (DLD) in elementary education in the Netherlands. Because of their difficulties in acquiring their first language, learning an FL at school can be challenging. To date, almost no literature on children with DLD and FL learning exists. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between language proficiency in Dutch of monolingual and multilingual children with DLD and learning English as an FL.A cross-sectional study was conducted in four special education schools for children with DLD. Thirty-five sixth graders (mean age 12;3 years) participated in this study. Twenty-two children were monolingual, and 13 children were multilingual. Correlation analyses between scores on standardised Dutch language tests and a standardised test for English proficiency were performed. Because the English proficiency test partly relies on reading skills, scores on a Dutch word decoding test were included in the analyses. Results show that the children with DLD performed poorly on the FL proficiency test when compared to typically developing children. Significant positive relationships were found between Dutch and English language skills of children with DLD, with no significant differences in FL proficiency between the monolingual and multilingual groups. Possibly, children with DLD cannot achieve acceptable proficiency levels of English as an FL, because of poor word decoding skills and impaired morphosyntactic skills in Dutch. Future research should focus on oral English proficiency of the children, because the English proficiency test only uses written and auditory presented tasks.

Владение родным языком у представителей коренных малочисленных народов Севера: социологический анализ на примере города Ханты-Мансийска

Владение родным языком у представителей коренных малочисленных народов Севера: социологический анализ на примере города Ханты-Мансийска

Return Migration of Ethnic Turkish Youth to Turkish Universities

We examined the return migration of ethnic Turkish youth who were living in European countries to universities in Turkey. We conducted semistructured interviews with 27 students who had come to Turkey from Western European countries to attend university. We found that the education system of the host country was more difficult for participants than Turkey’s education system. Cultural capital, which includes parental higher education expectations, ethnic native and host country language skills, and ethnic culture, affected participants’ return migration decision making. Social capital, involving previous visits to see relatives in Turkey, also affected this decision. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Explaining the association between music training and reading in adults.

We sought to clarify whether the positive association between music lessons and reading ability is explained better by shared resources for processing pitch and temporal information, or by general cognitive abilities. Participants were native and nonnative speakers of English with varying levels of music training. We measured reading ability (comprehension and speed), music-perception skills (melody and rhythm), general cognitive ability (nonverbal intelligence, short-term memory, and working memory), and socioeconomic status (SES; family income, parents' education). Reading ability was associated positively with music training, English as a native language, and general cognitive ability. The association between reading and music training was significant after SES, native language, and music-perception skills were controlled. After general cognitive abilities were held constant, however, there was no longer an association between reading and music training. These findings suggest that the association between reading ability and music training is a consequence of general cognitive abilities. (PsycINFO Database Record

Second-language learning in adolescents with cochlear implants

Speech signals delivered via cochlear implants (CIs) lack spectro-temporal details, yet, young-implanted children can develop good native language skills (L1). This study explores three research questions: 1. Can adolescents with CIs learn a second language (L2)? 2. Is there a difference in spoken (auditory-A) vs. written (visual-V) L2 skills? 3. Which perceptual and cognitive factors influence L2 learning? Two groups (L1 = Dutch, age 12—17 years), one with normal hearing (NH) and one with CIs, and both learning English (L2) at school, participated. L1 and L2 proficiency was measured in receptive vocabulary (A), comprehension (A, V), and general proficiency (V). Further, basic auditory functioning, in temporal (gap detection) and spectral (spectral ripple detection) resolution, and cognitive functioning, in IQ, working memory, and attention, were measured. Preliminary data (n = 7 per group) indicated comparable L1 proficiency between NH and CI groups. While some CI users showed L2 proficiency within the NH range, on average, L2 proficiency was lower for the CI group. This effect was more pronounced for auditory tests. Reduced temporal and spectral resolution, but no difference in cognitive tests, were observed in CI group compared to NH, emphasizing the importance of auditory factors in L2 learning.

РАСШИРЕНИЕ ЯЗЫКОВОЙ СРЕДЫ КОРЕННЫХ МАЛОЧИСЛЕННЫХ НАРОДОВ ДАЛЬНЕГО ВОСТОКА ПОСРЕДСТВОМ ПЕДАГОГИЧЕСКОГО ПРОЕКТИРОВАНИЯ: СОЗДАНИЕ ЕДИНОГО ИНФОРМАЦИОННО-ПОЗНАВАТЕЛЬНОГО ПРОСТРАНСТВА ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОЙ ОРГАНИЗАЦИИ

The article considers the issues of preserving language and traditional culture of the indigenous peoples of the Far East by the teachers of the Khabarovsk Territory through the expansion of the language environment of the ethnos within the project of creating a single information and cognitive space. The targeted internet resource «Khay-nu erdenge» that contains various linguistic and extralinguistic tools and materials is an effective means for achieving the goal. The project launching enabled to increase the interest and motivation to study the ethnic Nanai language: the growth of the corresponding parameters including native speaker language skills, respect to the language, and the awareness of the necessity of its learning was 4-8%. Popularizing Nanai customs and traditions among the young generation and harmonizing inter- and inner-generation relations enabled to decrease ethnic indifference and ethnoegoism that can also be considered as a positive result of the project.

Rigorously Collecting Commonsense Judgments for Complex Question-Answer Content

Community Question Answering (CQA) websites are a popular tool for internet users to fulfill diverse information needs. Posted questions can be multiple sentences long and span diverse domains. They go beyond factoid questions and can be conversational, opinion-seeking and experiential questions, that might have multiple, potentially conflicting, useful answers from different users. In this paper, we describe a large-scale formative study to collect commonsense properties of questions and answers from 18 diverse communities from stackexchange.com. We collected 50,000 human judgments on 500 question-answer pairs. Commonsense properties are features that humans can extract and characterize reliably by using their commonsense knowledge and native language skills, and no special domain expertise is assumed. We report results and suggestions for designing human computation tasks for collecting commonsense semantic judgments.