Target Language Environment Research Articles

Metacognitive Awareness in Second Language Learning: Displaced Primary School Students’ Experiences of Learning German Upon Transition to the Target Language Environment

Drawing on international pedagogical discourse on the inclusion of ethnically diverse refugee groups in the educational systems of OECD countries as well as our previous research on the Ukrainian refugee perspectives on primary school in Switzerland, the author examines experiences of second language acquisition by displaced Ukrainian children in Swiss primary schools. The two-year research period allowed for the exploration of dynamics of German language acquisition by displaced children in conditions of full immersion in the target language environment and identification of the factors influencing their second language (German) learning and performance. The involvement of a Ukrainian researcher in the research project ensured accessibility of the target group and effective researcher-respondent communication in the course of longitudinal study carried out within the framework of a qualitative methodology with data collection through narrative inquiry and participant observations as research tools. The study identifies the effects of the two groups of factors: learner-internal (motivation, metacognitive skills, prior knowledge, and learning strategies) and learner-external ones (second language learning context, type of second language instruction available upon displacement, etc.). Metacognitive skills proved to be instrumental in second language learning in the context of the learners’ unexpected transition to a new educational setting and full immersion in the target language environment. Effects of metacognitive skills on second language learning of the studied group of displaced children vary considerably depending on the student’s age, prior knowledge and language learning experiences, and second language instruction available upon the displacement. The multidisciplinary character of the second language acquisition research undertaken by the author allows for diverse practical applications of its results in second language pedagogy, psychology of education, as well as in refugee and primary education.

Analyse on Second Language Learners Learn English Without Native Language: A Case Study of Chinese Learners

Second language acquisition is a common phenomenon around the world. People around the world started to learn English after it became the universal language. Language transfer occurs between the target language and the mother tongue. In order to reduce the negative transfer between the different languages, the argument of how to deal with native language and target language is an intense discussion among linguistics. This paper focused on the relationship between the native language and target language among different ages, with a case study of Chinese learners who study English as a second language. The research was done by questionnaire and collected 126 responses. After collecting and analyse the data through chi-square, the result shows that there is no strong evidence to prove there has a significant relationship between language transfer with the different ages. But it shows an interesting point that it is necessary to promote the target language environment and mindset among the different ages no matter what motivation persuades the learners to study English.

Designing Tasks through Second Life for CFL Learners in the UK University

The development of technology has brought some alternative means in education. The enabling role of technology has been widely recognized in second language teaching and learning. Second Life (SL) is an online virtual world and is popular with digital natives. Some language educators apply this application to foreign-language teaching in university courses because of its benefits to students’ immersion and focus, imagination, and creativity in language learning. Language learners can immerse themselves in the target language environment to imitate real-world tasks, which promotes the provision of reality-oriented tasks and optimizes task-based language teaching tenets such as learning by doing, authenticity, negotiation of meaning, and exposure to abundant and authentic input. Based on the definition of tasks, the role of SL in foreign-language teaching, and previous pedagogic models and studies on designing tasks with SL, this study proposed two types of SL tasks for Chinese as a foreign-language learner in university settings, along with the rationale behind them. Additionally, challenges in designing tasks in SL were identified. Overall, this study offered valuable insights and guidance for the application of SL in teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages in UK universities.

Foreign language anxiety in and outside the classroom: A case of a non-native speaking student living abroad

Speaking in a foreign language, which is often perceived as intimidating by many foreign language learners, has long been associated with foreign language anxiety (FLA), particularly foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA). Although numerous studies have investigated FLA and FLSA, most have focused on the classroom environment, whereas the settings outside the classroom, where learners use the language to communicate with native speakers and foreigners, have been relatively overlooked. Although a foreign language classroom environment can be a significant source of anxiety, an authentic target language environment could also trigger anxiety. This study aims to address this gap by investigating FLA and FLSA in both classroom and non-classroom settings from the perspective of a Turkish student living in London. Unlike traditional questionnaire-based quantitative methods used in previous research, this study employs a qualitative method to better understand these issues from the participant's lived experience in both settings. The interview data revealed that the participant experienced a higher degree of anxiety outside the classroom, with peers having a greater impact on her degree of speaking anxiety than teachers in the classroom.

A Critical Analysis of the Dilemmas Encountered By Learners of English as a Foreign Language in Speaking Skill at Intermediate Level

This study aims at highlighting the difficulties encountered by learners of English as a foreign language in speaking skill at intermediate level. The nature of this very research is qualitative. As an illustration, fifty students of both first and second year were chosen as participants at Govt. Degree College Peshawar as population for data collection. The data were collected by two tools namely; questionnaire and observation. The participants were given at first stage questionnaires and then followed by observation technique by giving them a topic in class about which they used to present a presentation where vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and enunciation all were closely observed. The result shows that the learners stop speaking because they suffer from various problems like as inhibition, mother tongue interference, attitude and lack of proper approach which play a decisive role adversely affecting the speaking ability to learn the speaking skill. In a nutshell, a number of recommendations have been suggested on the basis of results obtained from questionnaire and observation. Key Words: Speaking proficiency, EFL/ESL learners, target language environment, fluency, accuracy

An Analysis of Cultural Differences and Translation Strategies in Trademark Translation Based on Adaptation Theory

As the golden business card, the trademark is quite unique for commodity and closely related to the survival and development of an enterprise. A good trademark not only conveys the basic information of the product but also impresses the consumers and even triggers them to buy the product. As a popular saying in Chinese business circle goes like that “Trademark is soft power”. Trademark translation is a complicated process. Trademark itself has the characteristics of recognition, transmission, aesthetics, adaptability and modernity, so trademark translation is endowed with cultural pragmatic function. This study is theoretically based on the adaptation theory proposed by Jef Verschueren, a famous Belgian linguist and secretary-general of the International Association for Pragmatics. This article discusses the application of adaptation theory in trademark translation. Adaptation theory refers to how a translator can adapt to different cultural and linguistic environments to ensure that the translated trademark name has the same commercial appeal and conveys the same brand image. The article emphasizes the need for translators to understand the cultural and commercial significance of the source language trademark, select an appropriate trademark name that appeals to the target audience, and ensure the trademark is legally and commercially acceptable in the target language environment. Overall, adaptation theory is crucial for ensuring that trademark names are translated effectively across different cultures and languages. With a number of successful examples and failures of existing trademark translations, this study will analyze the cultural differences reflected in the translation of trademarks from the perspective of consumer psychology, customs, aesthetic concepts, religious beliefs and cognitive differences. Several basic trademark translation methods including transliteration, literal translation, combination of transliteration and literal translation, free translation will also be proposed and analyzed. This paper seeks to provide a reference value for seeking more appropriate trademark translations in the future. In addition, through the prediction and analysis of the trend of trademark translation, the author believes that the future direction of trademark translation is diversified, especially from the perspective of the cultural communicative function of trademarks, the emphasis of trademark translation will be on the exploration of cultural transmission and pragmatic function.

On the Translation of English Euphemism from the Perspective of Skopostheorie

As a kind of figurative use of language, Euphemism is a language phenomenon as well as a cultural phenomenon. In people’s daily communication, euphemism is often used. Euphemism is just like a lubricant in people’s daily communication and closely connected to people’s life. In people’s daily life, they often encounter many unpleasant taboos. In order to make language more polite and pleasant, people use metaphors to suggest and dilute the taboos in an indirect way. For example, people call death as passing away, funeral as something happened afterwards. The translation of euphemism not only brings a huge amount of new vocabularies to the target language, but also shows different cultures so as to narrow differences and promote the further communication of different cultures. Skopostheorie is formally proposed by Hans J. Vermeer in the 1970s. The birth of German functional translation theory pioneers a new perspective for the research on the translation theories. Skopostheorie indicates that translation strategy must be based on the purpose of translation. The reference in the translator’s translation process should be the desired communication function in the target language environment. The same euphemism has different translation versions in different contexts when facing various people. This thesis will summarize the translation strategy of euphemism under the guidance of skopostheorie. Keywords: Euphemism, Skopostheorie, Taboo, Translation strategy DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/97-03 Publication date: March 31 st 2023

An Experimental Study of Chinese Disyllabic Tone Errors in Native French Speakers and an Investigation of Online Teaching Strategies

In the learning of Chinese as a second language, phonetic learning serves as the basis of the whole learning process, among which the learning of Chinese tones is of paramount importance. In this regard, this paper aims to explore the pronunciation of Chinese tones by native French speakers in the target language environment. First, through the experimental analysis as well as the recording of the tones of native French speakers, this paper selects a total of 237 disyllabic words, with a total of four combinations determined except for the combination of the same disyllabic neutral tone in the target language environment. Meanwhile, this paper utilizes PRAAT software to acquire the average frequency of tone sampling points, whereby the tone-pattern error of each tone combination can be clarified. Secondly, by comparing and analyzing the foregoing results with the tone patterns of Chinese students, this paper further finds out the tone-pattern errors of the same tone combination in disyllabic words, thus summarizing the corresponding error rules. Through the above experimental analysis, this paper concludes that the combination of Tone 3 and Tone 3 presents the highest pronunciation error rate, followed by the combination of Tone 2 and Tone 2. In addition, this paper reveals that the tone error is the main tone error and that there are also duration errors. Lastly, combined with the specific reasons for the errors, this paper proposes targeted online teaching strategies suitable for international Chinese education.

Research on the Online Classroom Mode of Chinese Teaching Based on Multimodal Discourse Theory

Under the background of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the limited entry of international students, the number of overseas students in China has decreased significantly, and the teaching Chinese as a second language (TCSL) has entered a slow development stage. Due to the low learning efficiency of online classroom teaching and the lack of support for the target-language environment, online TCSL cannot be popularized and promoted. To solve the drawbacks and develop a new way of online teaching, this paper combines multimodal theory with the online class of TCSL to explore the new teaching model.

Gegar Bahasa pada Program Pertukaran Mahasiswa Indonesia di Jepang: Sebuah Studi Kasus

The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of a language learner in an Indonesian student exchange program in Japan aimed to enable students to learn the language and culture directly in their home country. This experience was captured through a descriptive case study conducted to obtain a clear picture of what happened and find out what aspects could cause language concussion; and how the influence of language shock on the social acculturation of language learners. Data were collected through observation and interviews. The results showed that the language shock experienced by the Research Subjects in the target language environment included linguistic aspects at the phonological and morphological levels. Sociolinguistic aspects at the level of the use of a variety of respect. Anxiety also occurs due to the loss of signs and symbols of social relationships commonly known by the Research Subjects. Therefore, cultural differences between Indonesia and Japan should be anticipated so as not to cause difficulties in carrying out social acculturation.

Virtual Reality Language Lab of Second Language Learning Based on J Bruner’s Discovery Learning and Self-Efficacy Theory—Literature Review and Solution Improvement

Language learning has gradually involved innovative technology such as the use of 3D virtual worlds, which can enhance learners’ immersion through improved engagement with the help of their motivational components. Immersion in the target language environment for example English, Spanish, French and German environment provides maximum exposure to the communicative use, offering the opportunity to learners’ active creativity. Since real travel is expensive and impractical, virtual travel in the virtual reality language lab provides them a brand new opportunity. Adopting the literature research method, this paper aims to figure out the optimum time duration and time frequency for most language learners to spend in the virtual world. Based on Discovery Learning and Self-efficacy Theory, we tend to focus on the behaviors of the learner in the virtual world, such as how they express themselves in second language and acquire daily expressions with the help of Unity3D to design and develop 3D virtual worlds and the EEG (electroencephalogram) equipment to reflect changes in the neural representation of the task environment. In order to find a possible relationship between communicative activities and the learning theories of Discovery Learning and Self-efficacy Theory, correlative analysis and principal component analysis were performed. According to this research, we can effectively limit the time and frequency of the immersion in the second language environment and promote the efficiency.

Foreign accent

Mandarin speakers’ productions of English sentences, spontaneous speech, and filtered speech were rated for degree of foreign accent by native English and Mandarin listeners. Results showed Mandarin speakers with 12 years' length of residence (LOR) in the U.S. were rated to be accented as those with zero LOR. Untrained native Mandarin listeners with no LOR in the target language environment were comparable to native English listeners in gauging degree of foreign accent based on sentences and spontaneous speech. No stimulus effect was found between sentences and spontaneous speech for accent rating. Filtered natural speech appeared to attenuate degree of foreign accent and Mandarin listeners were not able to assess foreign accent based on long excerpts of filtered speech. The findings suggest that LOR is not an important predictor of degree of foreign accent for adult speakers with late age of arrival (AOA).

At-Taʻlīm wa at-Taʻallum as-Siyāqī wa Mauqiʻ al-Jazīrah li Taʻlīm al-ʻArabiyyah

Students need contextual Arabic learning to improve Arabic language competence that is relevant to the target language environment through using of internet sites as alternative teaching materials such as those contained in Learning Aljazeera site. This article aimed to discuss Learning Aljazeera site as an alternative teaching material in Arabic learning based on contextual teaching and learning. Researcher used contain analysis method to discuss and analyze the site. From the data analysis, it showed that the material on the site consisted of media language and general language that prioritized fahm al-masmūʻ and fahm al-maqrūʻ through various topics based on student level in addition to basic materials such as phonology and syntax. Learning Aljazeera sites can support the needs of learning Arabic today and can be used for contextual learning purposes in Arabic lessons.

Collocational Development during a Stay Abroad

The purpose of the current study was to explore if and how additional-language learners may show changes in phraseological patterns over the course of a stay in a target-language environment. In particular, we focused on noun+adjective combinations produced by a group of additional-language speakers of French at three points in time, spanning 21 months and including an academic year in France. We extracted each combination from a longitudinal corpus and determined frequency counts and two strength-of-association measures (Mutual information [MI] score and Log Dice) for each combination. Separate analyses were conducted for frequency and the strength-of-association measures, revealing that phraseological patterns are significantly predicted by adjective position in the case of all three measures, and that MI scores showed significant change over time. We interpret the results in light of past research that has reported contradictory findings concerning change in phraseological patterns following an immersion experience.

Pedagogical grammar as the framework of tefl research. part 10. the impact of formal teaching on the foreign language acquisition

The relevance of the paper is accounted for by the need of establishing a common framework to integrate the research in teaching foreign languages, specifically in the development of grammar competence, into a single area with uniform approaches, terminology and criteria. Its aim is to look for the ways of promoting the efficiency of grammar subskills development by taking into consideration its key features, specifically, the role of formal teaching in this process. Basing on the analysis of experimental data related to the effect of the monitor on the sequence of the foreign-language grammar structures acquisition, on the one hand, and the rate and quality of the foreign-language acquisition, on the other, it is concluded that their results are conflicting or, at least, incongruent. The author explains it by the fact that most of the experiments were carried out in the countries where it was possible to communicate in the target language outside the classroom. Hence, it is unfeasible to distinguish the improvement of the subjects’ performance that resulted from the formal teaching (i.e. “learning”, in Krashen’s terminology) and the one brought about by communicating in the target language environment outside the classroom (i.e. “acquisition”). The author assumes that in the experiments that showed low efficiency of formal teaching as opposed to “acquisition” in the target language environment outside the classroom, the subjects might have practised outside the classroom much more than they did in the classroom. And the picture might have been the opposite one in the experiments that proved the advantage of the formal teaching. The author believes that the main shortcoming of the said research is the absence of information concerning the subjects’ activities outside the classroom. It is important, as some subjects might have intensively communicated with the native speakers outside the classroom improving their command of English, while others, due to the circumstances or personal characteristics (anxiety, etc.) might have been isolated from that kind of communication altogether. This constituted a major random variable that might have affected the experimental results. Furthermore, some subjects might have additionally learned grammar rules in their extracurricular time and thus complemented their “acquisition” mechanisms with those of “learning”. The author offers a list of other potential random variables (motivation, anxiety, attitude, aptitude, analytical capabilities, know ledge of the language structure) and outlines the prospects of the further research.

Three-Dimensional Transformation of Chen Bochui’s Version of The Wizard of O z From the Perspective of Ecological Translatology

The American writer Frank Baum created the fairy tale The Wizard of OZ in the early 20th century, known as the American version of Journey to the West. By now, there are many translations of this book in China, the first and the wildly praised of which was translated by Mr. Chen Bochui, a prestigious Children’s literature writer and translator. It has been published for a long time and continues to be reprinted. This paper is designed to explore how the translator proactively chooses and adapts to the target language environment on the ground of the “three-dimensional transformation” model from the perspective of ecological translatology, and to provide a new approach for the research of juvenile literature translation.

Developing Pragmatic Competence in an Instructed Setting: The Effectiveness of Pedagogical Intervention in Greek EFL Learners’ Request Production

Author(s): Economidou-Kogetsidis, Maria; Soteriadou, Louiza; Taxitari, Loukia | Abstract: Using a short pedagogical intervention, a pretest-posttest design and baseline data (L1 English), the present study examined the effects of explicit instruction on the use of internal and external modification in requests among Greek Cypriot EFL learners. The findings revealed a complex picture with mixed results. Even though external modification showed some positive effects after the intervention, the study revealed no gains in relation to the overall use of internal modification as the learners’ overall use of lexical/phrasal mitigators deviated even more from NS usage after the pedagogical treatment. We argue that, in relation to the learners’ pragmalinguistic performance, the results seem to confirm the fact that surrounding factors such as the duration, quantity and quality of the pedagogical intervention play a complex role in accounting for such mixed findings. Results further showed that the way learners perceived social reality was not affected by the instructional treatment. Our findings suggest that learners’ sociopragmatic development may not be as easily amenable to teaching as pragmalinguistic development. The development of L2 sociopragmatic awareness seems to need both longer explicit pedagogical instruction and rich exposure to the target language environment.

Contextualised MALL: L2 Chinese students in target and non-target country

Contextualised Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) has been known for its potential in language learning pedagogies. However, investigation of relations between variables and MALL components, are seemingly missing. This research aims to explore variables that influence contextualised MALL – target country (Taiwan/Israel) and language learning orientation (generic/dedicated). Accordingly, device mobility and real world and real life context level variables were quantitatively compared between Taiwan – target language environment and Israel – non-target language environment, and between generic and dedicated activities. Empirical data was collected using a structured interview from 53 Chinese L2 students in Taiwan and Israel, encompassing 296 types of students’ MALL activities. Findings show that contextualised MALL was significantly higher in the target country but only in generic activities. Furthermore, the findings support the existence of similarities and differences between real world and real life context definitions. The findings contribute to missing data about definitions and relations among MALL constituents.

The impact of subtitled movies on vocabulary development

Learning new vocabulary compromises a significant factor for success within language learning since without the adequate knowledge of words and their meaning, learners are not able to use the target language efficiently. Moreover, vocabulary tends to be forgotten if it is not acquired and used through the right methods that will provide learners with language inputs in genuine target language environment. In this regard, the increasing access to different multimedia and technology resources facilitate spontaneous vocabulary acquisition for the contemporary age learners. In particular, movies with subtitles can be a great tool in bringing students closer to authentic real life communication vocabulary. As a result, previous studies have found out several benefits of using subtitled movies by confirming that subtitles indeed improve vocabulary development.

THE ACCULTURATION MODEL OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: INSPECTING WEAKNESSES AND STRENGTHS

Previous research has highlighted the significant impact of culture on learning a second language (L2). Accordingly, culture is now believed to be a major learning-affecting factor which, along with linguistic competence, facilitates the process of L2 learning. Some have proposed that being surrounded in the L2 environment gives one a better chance of learning an L2. Based on this premise, Schumann in 1978 proposed the acculturation/pidginization model as an environmental-oriented model that emphasizes identification with a community as the primary requirement of second language acquisition. This study attempts to take a closer look at different aspects of this theory. The taxonomy of factors which control social distance is presented along with the different types of acculturation and the stages/steps of acculturation in an L2 environment. The article concludes with a discussion on the advantages and shortcomings of the model.Keywords: acculturation, culture, pidginization, target language environment