scholarly journals Effects of perceptual abilities and lexical knowledge on the phonetic categorization of second language speech

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 045202
Author(s):  
Seth Wiener ◽  
Jiang Liu
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Lexical Knowledge ◽  
Perceptual Abilities ◽  
Phonetic Categorization

THE BENEFICIAL ROLE OF L1 SPOKEN LANGUAGE SKILLS ON INITIAL L2 SIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 833-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua T. Williams ◽  
Isabelle Darcy ◽  
Sharlene D. Newman
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
American Sign Language ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Cognitive Linguistic ◽  
Linguistic Skills ◽  
Phonetic Categorization

Understanding how language modality (i.e., signed vs. spoken) affects second language outcomes in hearing adults is important both theoretically and pedagogically, as it can determine the specificity of second language (L2) theory and inform how best to teach a language that uses a new modality. The present study investigated which cognitive-linguistic skills predict successful L2 sign language acquisition. A group (n = 25) of adult hearing L2 learners of American Sign Language underwent a cognitive-linguistic test battery before and after one semester of sign language instruction. A number of cognitive-linguistic measures of verbal memory, phonetic categorization skills, and vocabulary knowledge were examined to determine whether they predicted proficiency in a multiple linear regression analysis. Results indicated that English vocabulary knowledge and phonetic categorization skills predicted both vocabulary growth and self-rated proficiency at the end of one semester of instruction. Memory skills did not significantly predict either proficiency measures. These results highlight how linguistic skills in the first language (L1) directly predict L2 learning outcomes regardless of differences in L1 and L2 language modalities.

Using lexical indices to predict produced and not produced words in second language learners

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Crossley ◽  
Tom Salsbury
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Word List ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Lexical Knowledge ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Discriminant Function Analyses

The paper explores how linguistic indices related to lexical networks and psycholinguistic models of lexical knowledge can be used to predict produced and not produced words in second language (L2) speakers. Two hypotheses are tested in this study. The first addresses how lexical properties thought to be important in word knowledge interrelate with word production. The second addresses which lexical properties are most predictive of word production. To test these hypotheses, a set of 45 frequent nouns and verbs produced by L2 learners were collected. A comparison word list of 45 frequent nouns and verbs produced by native speakers, but not found in the L2 data set were also collected. Polysemy and hypernymy values from the WordNet database along with word meaningfulness, concreteness, familiarity, and imagability values from the MRC Psycholinguistic Database and frequency values from SUBTLEXus were collected for each word. ANOVA analyses of variance and discriminant function analyses were conducted for each data set to examine which lexical indices discriminated between produced and not produced words and how these indices interrelated. The results of the noun analysis indicate that produced nouns are more frequent, more meaningful, and more familiar than not produced nouns. Results from the verb analysis show that produced verbs are more frequent, more meaningful, less specific, and more familiar than not produced verbs. These findings provide evidence for the importance of word properties in lexical production.

Examining the Temporal Development of Phonetic and Lexical Learning in Second Language

2017 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. 785-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong-Im Han ◽  
Moongee Jeon ◽  
Sujin Oh
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Lexical Processing ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Lexical Representations ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Processing Abilities ◽  
Sound Discrimination ◽  
Sound Category ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Phonetic Categorization

The purpose of this study was to investigate how second-language (L2) learners lexically encode confusable phonemes. Given the inconsistency of previous studies on whether and if so how learners can establish separate lexical representations of confusable categories, we examined (1) how phonetic categorization and lexical encoding abilities were developed at the early stage of learning and (2) whether there are any differences in those abilities between the words with a sound pair from a corresponding native language (L1)-dominant category and those lacking such category. Native speakers of Korean learned Arabic words with these two types of sound pairs for four days and then their phonetic categorization and lexical processing abilities were evaluated in AXB discrimination and lexical decision tasks, respectively. The results showed that phonetic categorization of the words with a sound pair from an L1-dominant category developed very early. With success in their discrimination abilities, L2 learners began to overcome lexical competition from the words with such a sound pair. By contrast, learners showed poor sound discrimination and lexical encoding skills for words with a sound pair lacking an L1-dominant category. This suggests that (1) L2 learners’ accurate phonetic categorization abilities are prerequisite to success in L2 lexical encoding and (2) lexical representations of the L2 words with confusable phonemes depend on the distinct types of sound category matchup between L1 and L2.

Student perceptions and attitudes towards the use of Facebook to support the acquisition of Japanese as a second language

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-237
Author(s):  
Niamh Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Peer Assessment ◽  
First Year ◽  
Lexical Knowledge ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Core Language

Abstract Linking Second Language Acquisition theories with a theoretically-grounded socio-constructivist pedagogical approach, this paper documents the attitudes and perceptions of first year language learners using social media (Facebook) as part of their core language module in an Irish university. Results from this study would indicate that while students acknowledge that it can support the acquisition of language, particularly grammatical and lexical knowledge, this does not necessarily mean students like it as a learning tool. Student attitudes are analysed to see if there is evidence of the major tenets of a socio-constructivist pedagogy. The analyis suggest that it supports some such tenets, namely peer-learning, student engagement, collaborative and contextualised learning. There is little evidence that it supports the tenets of motivation, self and peer assessment and a learner-centred approach.

INTRODUCTION

2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvina Montrul
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Argument Structure ◽  
Thematic Issue ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Lexical Knowledge ◽  
Lexical Information ◽  
Verb Meaning ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
Linguistic Approaches

Due to the recognition of the centrality of the lexicon for SLA theory (see the 1987 thematic issue of SSLA, edited by Susan Gass), the last few years have witnessed an increased interest in understanding lexical knowledge. As Gass (1999) reminded us, learning vocabulary in a second language is a complex task that involves much more than learning sound-meaning pairings; it also involves learning how lexical information is morphologically expressed and syntactically constrained. The present issue provides a natural sequel to the 1999 SSLA thematic issue, “Incidental L2 Vocabulary Acquisition,” by addressing some of the questions raised in that volume, in particular the questions related to the intimate relationship between syntax and semantics at the lexical interface. This issue is devoted to the L2 acquisition of verb meaning and argument structure crosslinguistically, and it explores in detail the nature of linguistic systems that L2 learners acquire in this particular domain. The six central articles offer a coherent approach to the topic, using linguistic theory to help us understand the characteristics of learner grammars. Until recently, linguistic approaches to SLA have placed a strong emphasis on understanding the acquisition of functional categories, for example, and the acquisition of the lexicon has received less attention. Understanding how the lexico-syntactic interface is mentally represented, and how it evolves during the second language acquisition process, is crucial for developing an adequate theory of L2 knowledge in general, as well as for informing theories of the lexicon.

scholarly journals Interdisciplinary approaches to researching L2 lexical acquisition, processing, and use: An introduction to the special issue

2021 ◽  
pp. 026765832098805
Author(s):  
Irina Elgort ◽  
Anna Siyanova-Chanturia
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Computational Linguistics ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Lexical Knowledge ◽  
Development Organization ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approaches

Lexical knowledge is complex, multidimensional, and difficult to pin down to a set of defined components. The development, organization, and use of lexical knowledge in the first and additional languages are studied in a number of neighbouring disciplines beyond second language acquisition and applied linguistics, including psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, computational linguistics, and language education. In this introduction, we highlight how the five articles in this special issue hone our understanding of different aspects of second language (L2) lexical knowledge, its acquisition, and use by adopting innovative research design, methods, and approaches to data collection and analysis from these distinct but related disciplines, affording new theoretical and empirical insights.

scholarly journals Effects of first and second language on segmentation of non-native speech

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
ADRIANA HANULÍKOVÁ ◽  
HOLGER MITTERER ◽  
JAMES M. MCQUEEN
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Lexical Knowledge ◽  
Native Speech ◽  
Target Words

Do Slovak–German bilinguals apply native Slovak phonological and lexical knowledge when segmenting German speech? When Slovaks listen to their native language, segmentation is impaired when fixed-stress cues are absent (Hanulíková, McQueen & Mitterer, 2010), and, following the Possible-Word Constraint (PWC; Norris, McQueen, Cutler & Butterfield, 1997), lexical candidates are disfavored if segmentation leads to vowelless residues, unless those residues are existing Slovak words. In the present study, fixed-stress cues on German target words were again absent. Nevertheless, in support of the PWC, both German and Slovak listeners recognized German words (e.g., Rose “rose”) faster in syllable contexts (suckrose) than in single-consonant contexts (krose, trose). But only the Slovak listeners recognized, for example, Rose faster in krose than in trose (k is a Slovak word, t is not). It appears that non-native listeners can suppress native stress segmentation procedures, but that they suffer from prevailing interference from native lexical knowledge.

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