scholarly journals Differences in word learning: bilingualism or linguistic experience?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Borragan ◽  
Angela de Bruin ◽  
Viktoria Havas ◽  
Ruth de Diego-Balaguer ◽  
Mila Dimitrova Vulchanova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Recall Task ◽  
Linguistic Competence ◽  
The Other ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Similar Performance ◽  
Better Than

AbstractBilinguals may be better than monolinguals at word learning due to their increased experience with language learning. In addition, bilinguals that have languages that are orthotactically different could be more used to dissimilar orthotactic patterns. The current study examines how bilinguals with languages that are orthotactically similar and dissimilar and monolinguals learn novel words that violate or respect the orthotactic legality of the languages they know and how this learning may be affected by the similarity between the bilinguals’ two languages. In Experiment 1, three groups of children were tested: monolinguals, Spanish-Basque bilinguals (dissimilar orthotactic languages), and Spanish-Catalan bilinguals (similar orthotactic languages). After an initial word learning phase, they were tested in a recall task and a recognition task. Results showed that Spanish-Basque bilingual children performed differently than the other two groups. While Spanish monolinguals and Spanish-Catalan bilinguals recognized illegal words worse than legal words, Spanish-Basque bilinguals showed equal performance in learning illegal and legal patterns. A replication study conducted with two new groups of Spanish-Basque children (one group with high Basque proficiency and one group with a lower proficiency) indicated that the effects were not driven by the proficiency in the second language since a similar performance on legal and illegal patterns was observed in both groups. In Experiment 2, two groups of adults, monolinguals and Spanish-Basque bilinguals, were tested with the same task used in Experiment 1. The effect seen in children seems to be absent in adults. Spanish-Basque bilingual adults showed better overall learning performance than monolinguals, irrespective of the illegality of the items. Differences between groups could be due to the effect of having acquired literacy and linguistic competence.

scholarly journals Better to Be Alone than in Bad Company: Cognate Synonyms Impair Word Learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Eneko Antón ◽  
Jon Andoni Duñabeitia
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
The Other ◽  
Matching Task ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
New Words ◽  
L2 Word Learning ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
Better Than

The effects of cognate synonymy in L2 word learning are explored. Participants learned the names of well-known concrete concepts in a new fictional language following a picture-word association paradigm. Half of the concepts (set A) had two possible translations in the new language (i.e., both words were synonyms): one was a cognate in participants’ L1 and the other one was not. The other half of the concepts (set B) had only one possible translation in the new language, a non-cognate word. After learning the new words, participants’ memory was tested in a picture-word matching task and a translation recognition task. In line with previous findings, our results clearly indicate that cognates are much easier to learn, as we found that the cognate translation was remembered much better than both its non-cognate synonym and the non-cognate from set B. Our results also seem to suggest that non-cognates without cognate synonyms (set B) are better learned than non-cognates with cognate synonyms (set A). This suggests that, at early stages of L2 acquisition, learning a cognate would produce a poorer acquisition of its non-cognate synonym, as compared to a solely learned non-cognate. These results are discussed in the light of different theories and models of bilingual mental lexicon.

scholarly journals Better to Be Alone Than in Bad Company: Cognate Synonyms Impair Word Learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eneko Antón ◽  
Jon Andoni Duñabeitia
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
The Other ◽  
Matching Task ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
New Words ◽  
L2 Word Learning ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
Better Than

The effects of cognate synonymy in L2 word learning are explored. Participants learned the names of well-known concrete concepts in a new fictional language following a picture-word association paradigm. Half of the concepts (set A) had two possible translations in the new language (i.e., both words were synonyms): one was a cognate in participants’ L1 and the other one was not. The other half of the concepts (set B) had only one possible translation in the new language, a non-cognate word. After learning the new words, participants’ memory was tested in a picture-word matching task and a translation recognition task. In line with previous findings, our results clearly indicate that cognates are much easier to learn, as we found that the cognate translation was remembered much better than both its non-cognate synonym and the non-cognate from set B. Our results also seem to suggest that non-cognates without cognate synonyms (set B) are better learned than non-cognates with cognate synonyms (set A). This suggests that, at early stages of L2 acquisition, learning a cognate would produce a poorer acquisition of its non-cognate synonym, as compared to a solely learned non-cognate. These results are discussed under the light of different theories and models of bilingual mental lexicon.

scholarly journals Differences in word learning in children: Bilingualism or linguistic experience?

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Maria Borragan ◽  
Angela de Bruin ◽  
Viktoria Havas ◽  
Ruth de Diego-Balaguer ◽  
Mila Dimitrova Vulchanova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Learning Phase ◽  
Replication Study ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Specific Language ◽  
Linguistic Experience ◽  
Similar Performance ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The current study examines how monolingual children and bilingual children with languages that are orthotactically similar and dissimilar learn novel words depending on their characteristics. We contrasted word learning for words that violate or respect the orthotactic legality of bilinguals’ languages investigating the impact of the similarity between those two languages. In Experiment 1, three groups of children around the age of 12 were tested: monolinguals, Spanish–Basque bilinguals (orthotactically dissimilar languages), and Spanish–Catalan bilinguals (orthotactically similar languages). After an initial word-learning phase, they were tested in a recognition task. While Spanish monolinguals and Spanish–Catalan bilingual children recognized illegal words worse than legal words, Spanish–Basque bilingual children showed equal performance in learning illegal and legal patterns. In Experiment 2, a replication study was conducted with two new groups of Spanish–Basque children (one group with high Basque proficiency and one group with a lower proficiency) and results indicated that the effects were not driven by the proficiency in the second language, as a similar performance on legal and illegal patterns was observed in both groups. These findings suggest that word learning is not affected by bilingualism as such, but rather depends on the specific language combinations spoken by the bilinguals.

Effect of speaker certainty on novel word learning in monolingual and bilingual children

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (04) ◽  
pp. 883-895 ◽  
Author(s):  
MILIJANA BUAC ◽  
AURÉLIE TAUZIN-LARCHÉ ◽  
EMILY WEISBERG ◽  
MARGARITA KAUSHANSKAYA
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Novel Word Learning ◽  
Linguistic Backgrounds ◽  
Novel Words

In the present study, we examined the effect of speaker certainty on word-learning performance in English-speaking monolingual (MAge = 6.40) and Spanish–English bilingual (MAge = 6.58) children. No group differences were observed when children learned novel words from a certain speaker. However, bilingual children were more willing to learn novel words from an uncertain speaker than their monolingual peers. These findings indicate that language experience influences how children weigh cues to speaker credibility during learning and suggest that children with more diverse linguistic backgrounds (i.e., bilinguals) are less prone to prioritizing information based on speaker certainty.

Song and infant-directed speech facilitate word learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (7) ◽  
pp. 1036-1054
Author(s):  
Weiyi Ma ◽  
Anna Fiveash ◽  
Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis ◽  
Douglas Behrend ◽  
William Forde Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
The Relationship

Two separate lines of research have examined the influence of song and infant-directed speech (IDS—a speech register that includes some melodic features) on language learning, suggesting that the use of musical attributes in speech input can enhance language learning. However, the benefits of these two types of stimuli have never been directly compared. In this investigation, we compared the effects of song and IDS for immediate word learning and long-term memory of the learned words. This study examines whether the highly musical stimuli (i.e., song) would facilitate language learning more than the less musical stimuli (i.e., IDS). English-speaking adults were administered a word learning task, with Mandarin Chinese words presented in adult-directed speech (ADS), IDS, or song. Participants’ word learning performance was assessed immediately after the word learning task (immediate word learning) and then 1 day later (long-term memory). Results showed that both song and IDS facilitated immediate word learning and long-term memory of the words; however, this facilitative effect did not differ between IDS and song, suggesting that the relationship between the degree of musicality and language learning performance is not linear. In addition, song and IDS were found to facilitate the word association process (mapping a label to its referent) rather than the word recognition process. Finally, participants’ confidence in their answers might not differ among ADS, IDS, and sung words.

scholarly journals Psycho-linguistic and socio-cultural approaches to language learning: A never ending debate

2011 ◽  
pp. 142
Author(s):  
Monica Stella Cardenas Claros
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
The Other ◽  
Relevant Work ◽  
Better Than

This paper critically examines psycholinguistic and socio-cultural approaches for language learning. It provides a thorough discussion of the ontological positions where they originate, the methods they use, some relevant work under each perspective and most importantly criticisms that each perspective faces. The paper concludes that no approach is better than the other and advocates for collaboration projects nurtured from both perspectives.

scholarly journals Different bias mechanisms in recall and recognition of conceptual and perceptual information of an event

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elvira García-Bajos ◽  
Malen Migueles ◽  
Alaitz Aizpurua
Keyword(s):  
Response Bias ◽  
False Recognition ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Recall Task ◽  
Perceptual Information ◽  
Verbal Information ◽  
Memory Biases ◽  
High Tendency ◽  
Better Than

AbstractThe aim of this research was to study the memory and response bias for conceptual and perceptual information in the recall and recognition of an event. The participants watched a movie trailer video and their memory of verbal and visual actions and details was evaluated using specific recall questions or a true/false recognition task. The participants recalled and recognized actions better than details, and visual information better than verbal information. Memory biases affected recall and recognition differently. The participants showed a high tendency to accept false verbal actions consistent with the gist of the event as true in the recognition task, while in the recall task the participants were more likely to answer incorrectly questions involving visual perceptual details. These results reflect the different mechanisms which are involved in the processing and cognitive management of conceptual and perceptual information of an event.

scholarly journals Psychological and Electrophysiological Correlates of Word Learning Success

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-192
Author(s):  
Nadezhda A. Mkrtychian ◽  
Svetlana N. Kostromina ◽  
Daria S. Gnedykh ◽  
Diana M. Tsvetova ◽  
Evgeny D. Blagovechtchenski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Temporal Correlation ◽  
Learning Success ◽  
Alpha Oscillation ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Novel Words

Background. A rich vocabulary supports human achievements in socio-economic activities, education, and communication. It is therefore important to clarify the nature of language acquisition as a complex multidimensional process. However, both the psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning language learning, as well as the links between them, are still poorly understood. Objective. This study aims to explore the psychological and neurophysiological correlates of successful word acquisition in a person’s native language. Design. Thirty adults read sentences with novel nouns, following which the participants’ electroencephalograms were recorded during a word-reading task. Event-related potentials in response to novel words and alpha oscillation parameters (amplitude, variability, and long-range temporal correlation dynamics) were analyzed. Learning outcomes were assessed at the lexical and semantic levels. Psychological variables measured using Amthauer’s test (verbal abilities), BIS/BAS scales (motivation), and the MSTAT-1 (ambiguity tolerance) and alpha oscillation parameters were factored. Results. Better recognition of novel words was related to two factors which had high factor loadings for all measured alpha oscillation parameters, indicating the role of attention networks and respective neural activity for enabling information processing. More successful learners had lower P200 amplitude, which also suggests higher attention-system involvement. Another factor predicted better acquisition of word meanings for less ambiguity-tolerant students, while the factor which pooled logical conceptual thinking ability and persistence in goal-reaching, positively correlated with acquisition of both word forms and meanings. Conclusion. The psychological factors predominantly correlated with word-learning success in semantic tasks, while neurophysiological variables were linked to performance in the recognition task.

scholarly journals Effects of Social Network Information on Online Language Learning Performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Abrar Al-Hasan
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Social Information ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Networked Learning ◽  
Network Information ◽  
Online Language Learning ◽  
Collaborative Language ◽  
Better Than

This study examines the value and impact of social network information on a user's language learning performance by conducting an online experiment in a peer-to-peer collaborative language learning marketplace. Social information or information about others in one's network can present a socially networked learning environment that enables learners to engage more in the learning process. Experimental research design in an online language learning marketplace was conducted. The study finds evidence that the mere visibility of social network information positively impacts a learner's learning performance. Learners that engage with social interaction perform better than those that do not. In addition, active social interaction has a stronger impact on learning performance as compared to passive social interaction. The study concludes with implications for platform developers to enable the visibility of social information and engineer the user experience to enhance interactive learning.

Bilingual advantage in L3 vocabulary acquisition: evidence of a generalized learning benefit among classroom-immersion children

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Florian Salomé ◽  
Séverine Casalis ◽  
Eva Commissaire
Keyword(s):  
Recognition Task ◽  
English Word ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
School Program ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Emergent Bilingual ◽  
Cross Language ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The present study explored whether emergent bilingual children showed enhanced abilities to learn L3 vocabulary including written, spoken and conceptual forms compared to monolinguals, and the impact of L2/L3 cross-language similarities on such an effect. To this end, we contrasted the English word learning performance of French fifth-graders attending either a monolingual school program or a classroom-immersion program with German as an L2. Half of the items to be learned were German/English (L2/L3) cognate words while the other half were monolingual English (L3) words. Learning was assessed with a forced-choice recognition task, a go/no-go auditive recognition task and an orthographic judgment task. Results yielded a generalized bilingual advantage, with classroom-immersion children outperforming monolinguals on all tasks, irrespective of cognateness, except for the orthographic task. These findings advocate for a bilingual advantage in children that is globally not driven by the specific language properties of cognates, except for the written modality.

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