Second Language Studies Research Articles

A Review of Structural Priming

With the development of second language acquisition research involving more and more disciplines, structural priming, as an experimental paradigm, can study the syntactic representation, language comprehension and production from the perspective of psychology. And then how all these processes in the language mechanism, a “black box” in the human brain is represented and processed can be attained. Therefore, the research of structural priming is of great significance to the study of both native language and second language, and even contributes to patients with aphasia. This review will examine how structural priming has been used to investigate the representation, comprehension and production of syntactic structures.

The Kolipsi Corpus Family: Resources for Learner Corpus Research in Italian and German

This article describes the Kolipsi Corpus Family (KCF), a collection of eight related resources for learner corpus research in German and Italian. The KCF supports the study of second language (L2) acquisition of Italian and German in upper secondary schools. It subsumes four L2 corpora with comparable corpus design (with respect to data collection, writing tasks, additional metadata, annotation and processing), portraying two homogeneous learner groups and their learner varieties. The corpora are representative of language learners in the multilingual Italian province of South Tyrol, where both languages are taught daily. The L2 corpora were collected at two different points in time, in 2007 (Kolipsi-1) and 2014 (Kolipsi-2), and all texts were labeled with CEFR levels to allow comparisons of proficiency levels across time. L2 German texts were collected in schools with Italian as the main language of instruction, whereas L2 Italian texts were collected in schools with German as the main language of instruction. Additional resources within the KCF allow researchers to compare the students’ language competences in their L2 with the language competences in their first language (L1) in a different task (Kolipsi-Matura) and with similarly aged L1 writers performing the same task (Kolipsi-1-L1). All texts are freely available to the scientific community. Access to the data is granted via an ANNIS search interface and via the Eurac Research CLARIN Repository, from which corpus data can be downloaded in various formats.

Positive Evidence and Parameter Resetting in the Teaching of English Grammar to Libyan University Students

This study builds on Chomsky’s principles and parameters framework (Chomsky, 1986) by applying it to the study of second language (L2) acquisition. In other words, it makes use of a parameter resetting model to explain aspects of the second language learning process. It aims to investigate whether classroom instruction which presents only positive evidence, that is to say grammatically correct samples of the L2, is sufficient to enable adult second language learners to acquire certain properties of L2 parameters which differ from their mother tongue (L1). The participants in the study have Arabic as their L1, and are learning English as an L2. The study hypothesizes that the participants, who are all adult students studying English language at an advanced level in Misurata University, Libya, will not be able to reset the pro-drop parameter and the verb raising parameter from their properties in Arabic to their different properties in English. The hypothesized reason is that they are taught using only positive evidence-based samples of English, and that is not sufficient to lead to parameter resetting. The results show that the students had great difficulty in resetting the pro-drop parameter and the verb raising parameter from Arabic to English.

Effects of script-based communicative intervention on psychological and cultural adaptation in students abroad in second-language contexts

ABSTRACTThis study examined the effects of a script-based communicative intervention (SBCI) on psychological and cultural adaptation in students studying abroad in second language (German and Spanish) contexts. Regardless of language proficiency, students with exposure to the SBCI, relative to those without the intervention, exhibited higher well-being and more positive interactions with members of the host culture. The SBCI improves confidence in authentic interactions, thus facilitating adaptation to the second-language study abroad context.

The impact of language attrition on language teaching: the dynamics of linguistic knowledge retention and maintenance in multilingualism

Language attrition has become a vibrant theme as it has implications for theoretical linguistics, including, for example, the organization of linguistic information in the brain and language processing. Insights from this area also have impact on the study of second language (L2) development and can feed the area of language teaching. Once language attrition may be of value for the study of language retention and maintenance, it can contribute to language teaching with long lasting results, more effective planning and syllabus design. In this perspective, as studies exploring L2 attrition are still limited, this article provides a synthesis of research on the area. By drawing from the Dynamic Model of Multilingualism and from the Threshold Hypothesis, it also explores the implications L2 attrition research has for language teaching with a view to establishing more informed language practices and policies.

A Corpus-Based Comparative Study of Generality in Chinese EFL Students’ and International Scholars’ Stance in Academic Writing

AbstractAuthorial stance has attracted increasing attention in the study of second language writing. Many studies have focused on certainty in students’ academic writing, but little attention has been paid to generality in students’ academic stance. Employing a corpus-based approach, this study investigates features of generality in Chinese EFL students’ stance in academic writing through comparison with the writing of international scholars. Results show that the Chinese EFL students employed significantly more generalization markers than international scholars in their academic writing, while the international scholars used more qualified generalizations. Moreover, clear differences in the focus of generalization markers and in the distribution of qualified generalizations were found, though the two groups exhibit similar tendencies in the functions of these generalization features. The findings suggest that Chinese EFL students tend to generalize their claims to a larger scope in order to make their academic writing more persuasive, leaving an impression of exaggeration and overstatement, whereas international scholars are more likely to restrict the use of generality markers in their academic writing, making more circumscribed claims. The results have practical and pedagogical implications for second language academic writing instruction.

Enriching the Construct Structure of L2 Reading Motivation: Learners’ Attitudes in Focus

The systematic study of second language (L2) reading motivation has been a more recent topic in L2 motivation literature. The purpose of the current study was to highlight the role of L2 reading attitudes in developing the construct of L2 reading motivation. Participants of the study included 192 Iranian EFL learners at B1 level of language proficiency corresponding to the intermediate level. The data related to L2 reading attitudes and L2 reading motivation of the participants were collected through administering the L2 reading attitude and L2 reading motivation questionnaires, respectively. The items from the two measures were mixed and then factor analyzed. The results of statistical analyses revealed that a six-factor solution was the best way to conceptualize the L2 reading motivation construct among the Iranian EFL learners. The factors included both L2 motivational (reading interest) and L2 attitudinal items. This construct of L2 reading motivation was found more effective in predicting the reading achievement of the learners when compared with the reading motivation construct lacking the L2 reading attitude items.

Mitä on toisen kielen sujuvuus? Näkökulmia kognitiivisen ja puhetuotoksen sujuvuuden tutkimuksesta


 
 
 In this review article, we combine two approaches to the study of second language (L2) fluency: cognitive fluency and utterance fluency. The former concentrates on cognitive processing and its limitations, whereas the latter involves analyzing fluency-related features from speech samples. Despite theoretical links, the research traditions associated with the approaches have been relatively separate. In addition to providing an overview of the two approaches, the similarities and differences between them are illustrated with results related to one aspect of (dis)fluency, repetitions. Bringing together results related to cognitive and utterance fluency highlights the usefulness of combining different viewpoints in L2 fluency research and demonstrates the need for further interdisciplinary dialogue to gain a comprehensive picture of L2 fluency. Together, the results of studies emphasizing different aspects of L2 fluency also have important implications for L2 fluency assessment.
 
 

Techniques and Applications in Instructional L2 Learning

In this paper, a survey of certain techniques applied in the study of second language (L2) learning is presented. In this context, four types of techniques with reference to two critical questions in investigating instructional learning process of L2 sentences are described and commented: (1) how do individual L2 learners’ differences process sentences in real time?; (2) what is the decisive factor in L2 learners’ sentence processing? The aim is to show how comprehensive techniques that capture real-time sentence processing of L2 learners with instruction can be applied to elucidate such questions, with the purpose to suggest best suited techniques to particular research topics in exploring learners’ nature of instructional L2 sentence processing.

The Development of L2 Fluency During Study Abroad: A Cross‐Language Study

Examining speech samples from 75 American university students learning 1 of 3 languages (Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish), this article reports on a study of second language (L2) learners’ oral fluency development and its relationship with their gains in holistic proficiency ratings during a semester abroad. In study abroad research, there is a need for large‐scale studies that systematically investigate learners’ L2 development (Kinginger,; Rees & Klapper,). To address this need, the project used a quantitative design involving learners of 3 languages from multiple cohorts and diverse sending and destination institutions. Results from an analysis of 600 speech samples from 150 pretest and posttest Simulated Oral Proficiency Interviews (SOPIs) showed significant increases in speech rate as well as differences between the 3 language groups. The study also investigated the relationship between holistic oral proficiency ratings and fine‐tuned fluency measures and found some limited relationships between them. These findings can provide methodological suggestions for researchers interested in L2 fluency development among study abroad students and implications for foreign language educators and policy makers to promote study abroad and language learning.

NUMBER ATTRACTION EFFECTS IN NEAR-NATIVE SPANISH SENTENCE COMPREHENSION

Grammatical agreement phenomena such as verbal number have long been of fundamental interest in the study of second language (L2) acquisition. Previous research from the perspective of sentence processing has documented nativelike behavior among nonnative participants but has also relied almost exclusively on grammar violation paradigms. The present investigation examined the online comprehension of subject-verb number agreement by native and nonnative speakers of Mexican Spanish using the more subtle agreement attraction paradigm, with stimuli grammatical in both conditions, in addition to a nonlocal grammaticality paradigm. The results of a self-paced reading experiment confirmed that nonnatives can acquire nativelike online sensitivity to verbal number agreement, even without grammar errors, and that such sensitivity develops only at very high levels of L2 proficiency.

A Case Study of Classic Prose as a Psychological Tool in Reflection Writing

This paper presents a case study of second language (L2) writing from a sociocultural perspective and highlights the mediational role of a piece of classic prose, “Youth,” as a psychological tool in the reflection writing process. Sixty English majors from a Chinese university participated in the study. Data were collected through reflection writing and interviews and were treated with the grounded theory method. The findings showed that in the appropriation of the classic prose, students not only improved their language skills but also deepened their understanding of the theme, which contributed to the buildup of their philosophy of life in a meaningful way.

Instrumental reasons for studying in compulsory English courses: I didn't come to university to study English, so why should I?

In numerous Asian-Pacific tertiary contexts – students' chosen department notwithstanding – second-language study is a requirement for both entry level and graduation. A practice by which Second Language motivation research could benefit from First Language procedures is to acknowledge instrumentality in such nonelective classes. Instrumental goals are central to the learning process and its outcomes; thus, students' lack of choice must be considered as a factor affecting both goal-setting and motivation. This study adapts Simons et al.'s inventory to a compulsory language-course context and then qualitatively validates it. First-year mixed major university students (n = 1071) taking compulsory English classes completed a 20-item inventory addressing instrumental reasons for studying within the university program. Exploratory factor analysis of the data (n = 535) suggested four clear factors: distal, social, proximal external, and personal. Confirmatory factor analysis (n = 536) replicated the four-factor solution well. Students' qualitative perceptions of the importance (r2=0.29) and utility (r2=0.16) of English each explained a meaningful amount of learners' quantitative distal goals. The strong relationship between distal goals and perceptions of the importance of English suggests that teachers might support students' instrumental motivation both by stressing the importance of English and aiding students' in developing distal goals for English.

Research in Second Language Studies at Michigan State University

Since its inception seven years ago, Michigan State University's vibrant Second Language Studies (SLS) Program has grown quickly under the direction of Dr. Susan Gass. Thus far, twelve students have graduated from the program and now hold academic positions in various universities in the United States and elsewhere. In 2011, the department welcomed two new faculty members, Dr. Aline Godfroid and Dr. Bill VanPatten, making a total of eleven core faculty members, and in Spring 2012, Dr. Rod Ellis joined the department as affiliated faculty. The program currently includes 30 doctoral students working on a wide range of research topics.

F. Meunier, S. De Cock, G. Gilquin, and M. Paquot (eds.): A Taste for Corpora. In Honour of Sylviane Granger.

The purpose of this volume is twofold. First of all, it is a valuable tribute to the work of Sylviane Granger, one of the pioneers in computer corpus linguistics with a specific focus on the compilation and analysis of language learner corpora. Secondly, it offers an informed account to both experienced corpus linguists and readers who are new to the discipline of the multiple uses to which corpus linguistics can be put. Corpus linguistics is, as Bengt Altenberg puts it in the synthesizing preface, a methodology rather than a theory of language (learning). Through it, new approaches to the study of (second or foreign) language (learning) and new ways of matching theory and empirical data are made possible. Such new possibilities can only but stimulate a healthy taste for corpora. The volume consists of 11 contributions, accompanied by the editors’ guided tour (Chapter 1). Being a Festschrift for Sylviane Granger, the contributions and introductory chapter pay special tribute to her career, as is worthy of one of the pioneers in the once very new discipline of corpus linguistics. Furthermore, Granger is also a specialist in contrastive linguistics, a lexicographer, and a teacher of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), being the first to engage in the compilation of learner corpora such as the International Corpus of Learner English (ICLE, Granger et al. 2009). An impressive list of her publications can be found in the addendum to the volume.

Ease of Inferencing, Learner Inferential Strategies, and Their Relationship with the Retention of Word Meanings Inferred from Context

In recent years the study of second language (L2) vocabulary learning through reading has attracted much attention in the field of L2 acquisition. A specific area that has received wide interest is the examination of the processes involved in deriving word meanings from context. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships between the ease with which learners infer word meanings from context, the inferential strategies they use, and their subsequent retention of these words. Eleven ESL learners read and inferred the meanings of 10 unknown words in an academic text. Think-aloud procedures were used to collect data about learners’ inferential strategies and their correct inferences during reading. A pre-test and a post-test were used to examine learners’ degrees of retention. The results showed an inverse relationship between ease of inference and retention. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of learners’ inferential strategies showed a significant relationship between the type and frequency of use of inferential strategies and retention. The findings confirm that a distinction needs to be made between ease of inferencing and the retention of the word meanings inferred from the context. Findings also suggest that the degree of retention depends on the type of strategies used.

Possibility of Crosslingual Transfer: A Comparative Study of Chinese (L1) and English (L2) Lessons

This article reports a comparative study of first language (L1) Chinese and second language (L2) English lessons in Hong Kong secondary schools. Aiming to explore how to take advantage of L1 academic proficiency for the benefit of L2 development, the study asked how Chinese and English lessons compare in terms of the content knowledge covered and the levels and depth of such coverage. Through a corpus‐aided approach, 3 differences were identified, namely, the “aboutness” of the lessons through a keyword analysis, the “abstractness” reflected in the use of metalanguage, and the “richness in coverage” of meanings in classrooms. The findings indicated that the Chinese lessons were either text‐based, involving discussion of literary concepts in metalanguage, or task‐based, engaging students in debating about a current issue, while English lessons were based on linguistic knowledge and composed mainly of discrete grammatical drills through simple classroom routines. This article argues that the 3 differences identified were deficiencies in the L2 classrooms. However, they could also be areas where crosslingual transfer might be possible. Constant exposure to literary text‐related concepts and cognitively complex tasks in the L1 may lead to students’ development of academic language proficiency; such proficiency could be capitalized for the development of academic proficiency in the L2.

Spanish learners' perception of American and Southern British English vowels

Second-language (L2) studies show that learners differ in their vowel perception patterns, which can be attributed to their L2 proficiency or to different initial stages at the onset of L2 learning. The present study assessed the L2 perception of Southern British English (SBE) and American English (AE) vowels in 196 Spanish learners of English with different general comprehension proficiencies. Escudero and Chladkova (2010) showed that naive Spanish listeners perceived AE vowels differently than SBE vowels. The current results show that L2 learners' performance matches that of naive listeners. For instance, learners identified AE /ae/ correctly in only 3% of the time, as opposed to 32% for the same SBE vowel. This is because naive listeners assimilate AE /ae/ to Spanish /e/, which is the same native vowel they choose for AE /I/ and /E/, while SBE /ae/ is mostly assimilated to Spanish /a/. In addition, there was a significant effect of L2 proficiency on vowel identification accuracy and on the use of vowel duration. More proficient learners identified L2 vowels more accurately and used duration in a more native-like way than less proficient learners. Implications of our findings for models of L2 speech perception are discussed.

Thinking with your hands: speech–gesture activity during an L2 awareness-raising task

This article reports on a study of second language (L2) French learners’ self-generated use of gesture to think through and resolve a metalinguistic awareness-raising task during small-group work with an expert mediator. Although the use of gesture in L2 communication and pedagogy has recently received increasing attention, little research has explored L2 learners' use of gesture to mediate their own thinking in order to work through L2 problems. The present study responds to Lantolf's call for research investigating learners’ use of gestures to mediate their own learning. We present three excerpts of a video-recorded small-group awareness-raising task dealing with stylistic variation in French. We argue that the learners use gesture to mediate their thinking as they learn the concept of stylistic variation and develop an understanding of various form–meaning relationships. The focus on speech–gesture activity provides an enhanced view of these learners’ thinking processes that would not have been observable if speech alone had been considered.

Phonetic and Phonological Factors in the Second Language Production of Phonemes and Phonotactics

AbstractThe study of second language (L2) speech production has been informed by research in a number of areas, including phonological theory, acoustic phonetics, and articulatory phonetics. A synthesis of the research in these areas is presented in this paper. First, early theories about ‘foreign accents’ that have continued to influence current research are discussed, including the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis and interlanguage. Next, we turn to the acquisition of consonants and vowels, which has been the subject of both experimental and theoretical investigations. The last section examines the acquisition of suprasegmental structure, such as syllables, phonotactics, and prosodic position. Several theories that elucidate the relative contributions of first language transfer and universal markedness are presented, such as the Markedness Differential Hypothesis and Optimality Theory. Both phonetic and phonological aspects of L2 production are considered in light of data from learners at all stages of language acquisition, from cross‐language speech production studies which may reflect the initial state of language learning to proficient L2 speakers.