Phonological awareness errors mirror underlying phonological representations: Evidence from Hebrew L1 – English L2 adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susie Russak ◽  
Elinor Saiegh-Haddad
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Reading Disability ◽  
First Language ◽  
Phoneme Segmentation ◽  
Phonological Representations ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
English Second Language ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
L1 English ◽  
Insight Into

This article examines the effect of phonological context (singleton vs. clustered consonants) on full phoneme segmentation in Hebrew first language (L1) and in English second language (L2) among typically reading adults (TR) and adults with reading disability (RD) ( n = 30 per group), using quantitative analysis and a fine-grained analysis of errors. In line with earlier findings, overall mean scores revealed significant differences between the two groups. However, no qualitative differences were found. In both groups and languages, full phoneme segmentation overall scores for CVC stimuli were higher than CCVC stimuli. This finding does not align with previous findings, obtained from a phoneme isolation task, showing that isolation from a cohesive CV unit is the most difficult. A fine-grained analysis of errors was conducted to glean insight into this finding. The analysis revealed a preference for creating and preserving CV units in phoneme segmentation in both L1 and L2. This is argued to support the cohesion of the CV unit. The article argues that the effect of language-specific sub-syllabic representations on phonemic analysis may not be always observed in overall scores, yet it is reflected in specific patterns of phonological segmentation errors.

The influence of first language polysemy and first language and second language lexical frequencies on second language learners’ use of false cognates

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 530-541
Author(s):  
Carl Cañizares-Álvarez ◽  
Virginia C Mueller Gathercole
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
First Language ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Complex Interaction ◽  
Word Choice ◽  
Relative Transparency ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
L1 English

Aims and objectives: This study examines second language (L2) bilinguals’ use of words that have the same or similar forms in their two languages but whose meaning extensions differ – that is, false cognates. We examine the conditions under which L2 speakers inappropriately use false cognates in the L2. How do frequency of the relevant words in each language and polysemy of the word in the first language (L1) affect L2 learners’ use of such words? Design: Fifty Spanish L1–English L2 adults translated 80 words in context from Spanish (S) to English (E). The words involved polysemous Spanish words that had several translations in English, one of which was a cognate form. Words were strictly balanced for L1 polysemy (high versus low), frequency of the S word, frequency of the E cognate form, and frequency of the E non-cognate translation. The words were presented in unambiguous contextual frames that pushed for the non-cognate translation in English. Data and analysis: Analyses of variance were used to analyze participants’ translations relative to the variables of Spanish polysemy and the frequencies of the forms in question. Findings: The findings show that the relative transparency or opacity of the mapping between the L1 and L2 influences word choice: the use of a false cognate instead of a competing correct lexical item depends on the complex interaction of L1 polysemy and the lexical frequencies of the L1 and L2 forms in the bilingual’s two languages. Originality: This study strictly controls for several factors crucial to L2 users’ choice of a word in the L2: polysemy in the L1, frequency of the L1 word, and frequencies of the L2 words involved. Significance: When these variables are viewed together, the data reveal a complex interaction showing factors that contribute to the transparency or opacity of the L1–L2 lexical semantic linkages.

scholarly journals DEFINITE DISCOURSE-NEW REFERENCE IN L1 AND L2

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 625-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Crosthwaite ◽  
Yuk Yeung ◽  
Xuefei Bai ◽  
Li Lu ◽  
Yeonsuk Bae
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Complex Syntax ◽  
L1 Data ◽  
L2 Production ◽  
Numeral Classifier ◽  
Crosslinguistic Influence ◽  
Asian Languages ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
L1 English

AbstractDefinite discourse-new bridging reference (e.g., a school …the teacher; Clark, 1975) is a complex syntax-pragmatic component of referential movement, one that is subject to relatively opaque form-function contingency compared with forms used for discourse-old reference, and one that is especially prone to crosslinguistic influence. Research shows Asian second language (L2) learners of English struggle to produce bridging reference appropriately, yet little research has been done on the L2 production of bridging in Asian languages. We collected oral picture sequence narrative data from 80 lower-intermediate L2 Mandarin learners from first language (L1) English (+ article, n = 23) and L1 Korean and Japanese (- article, n = 57) backgrounds, alongside equivalent L1 data. Speakers of article-L1s were more likely than those from article-less L1s to use numeral + classifier noun phrases (NPs) for nonbridging referents and demonstrative + classifier NPs when introducing bridging referents, essentially (and infelicitously) using these constructions as de facto English-like indefinite/definite articles in their L2 Mandarin production. Speakers of article-less languages infelicitously marked bridging relations with nonbridging forms. These findings confirm substantial crosslinguistic difficulties for the L2 marking of this complex syntax-pragmatic phenomenon across relatively underexplored L1/L2 pairs.

The basic continuity hypothesis of L1 to L2 production

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Romano
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Sentence Production ◽  
The Other ◽  
Structural Priming ◽  
Production Task ◽  
Continuity Hypothesis ◽  
Syntactic Representation ◽  
L2 Production ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
L1 English

To what extent can second language (L2) speakers acquire a syntactic representation for an L2 structure absent in the first language (L1)? Findings from L2 structural priming studies are in conflict inasmuch as evidence for and against continuity between L1 and L2 sentence production has been shown. Furthermore, previous investigations have not adequately controlled for well-known animacy effects on choice of syntactic frames. I address the conflict of views in the field via three experiments of structural priming with native, Chinese, and Turkish speakers of English by means of an oral sentence-recall production task. The structure tested, the English genitive alternation, is subject to animacy effects as in the waiter’s photo / the photo of the waiter. Chinese and Turkish have no equivalent to English of genitives nor animacy effects in their genitive structure. Experiment 1 showed priming within-L1 English and found evidence of an animacy effect, albeit only numerical. Likewise, Experiment 2 showed priming within-L2 English and found the L1 Chinese were similarly susceptible to animacy effects. Experiment 3 also showed clear within-L2 English priming in Turkish speakers but the effects of animacy differed from the other groups. I argue the similarities between the native and L2 groups to constitute grounds for a basic continuity in L1 to L2 production.

scholarly journals The Impact of Error Analysis and Feedback in English Second Language Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 5-14
Author(s):  
Silvia Sánchez Calderón ◽  
Marina Pacheco Plaza
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Error Analysis ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
First Language ◽  
Written Feedback ◽  
English Second Language ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

This study examines written errors in a corpus of 30 compositions produced by 15 students of English as a second language (L2), whose first language (L1) is Spanish. Their ages range from 10 to 11. This paper identifies grammar errors as the most frequent due to L1’s interference in L2 learning. Positive, focused, indirect written feedback is proven to be the most effective, and the L1 seems to help the students to understand the teacher’s metalinguistic explanation to correct errors and avoid mistakes. These results provide insight into language learning given that they offer information regarding the teaching practice.

Quantitative Analysis Of X-Ray Images From Geological Materials

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-245
Author(s):  
J. M. Paque ◽  
R. Browning ◽  
P. L. King ◽  
P. Pianetta
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Bulk Composition ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Analytical Description ◽  
Bulk Sample ◽  
Geological Samples ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Software And Hardware ◽  
And Storage ◽  
Insight Into

Geological samples typically contain many minerals (phases) with multiple element compositions. A complete analytical description should give the number of phases present, the volume occupied by each phase in the bulk sample, the average and range of composition of each phase, and the bulk composition of the sample. A practical approach to providing such a complete description is from quantitative analysis of multi-elemental x-ray images.With the advances in recent years in the speed and storage capabilities of laboratory computers, large quantities of data can be efficiently manipulated. Commercial software and hardware presently available allow simultaneous collection of multiple x-ray images from a sample (up to 16 for the Kevex Delta system). Thus, high resolution x-ray images of the majority of the detectable elements in a sample can be collected. The use of statistical techniques, including principal component analysis (PCA), can provide insight into mineral phase composition and the distribution of minerals within a sample.

scholarly journals Longitudinal Developments in Bilingual Second Language Acquisition and First Language Attrition of Speech: The Case of Arnold Schwarzenegger

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Lisa Kornder ◽  
Ineke Mennen
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
First Language ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Speech Development ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
First Language Attrition ◽  
Second Formant ◽  
L1 And L2

The purpose of this investigation was to trace first (L1) and second language (L2) segmental speech development in the Austrian German–English late bilingual Arnold Schwarzenegger over a period of 40 years, which makes it the first study to examine a bilingual’s speech development over several decades in both their languages. To this end, acoustic measurements of voice onset time (VOT) durations of word-initial plosives (Study 1) and formant frequencies of the first and second formant of Austrian German and English monophthongs (Study 2) were conducted using speech samples collected from broadcast interviews. The results of Study 1 showed a merging of Schwarzenegger’s German and English voiceless plosives in his late productions as manifested in a significant lengthening of VOT duration in his German plosives, and a shortening of VOT duration in his English plosives, closer to L1 production norms. Similar findings were evidenced in Study 2, revealing that some of Schwarzenegger’s L1 and L2 vowel categories had moved closer together in the course of L2 immersion. These findings suggest that both a bilingual’s first and second language accent is likely to develop and reorganize over time due to dynamic interactions between the first and second language system.

Exploring vowel formant estimation through simulation-based techniques

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler Kendall ◽  
Charlotte Vaughn
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Linear Predictive Coding ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Vowel Formant ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractThis paper contributes insight into the sources of variability in vowel formant estimation, a major analytic activity in sociophonetics, by reviewing the outcomes of two simulations that manipulated the settings used for linear predictive coding (LPC)-based vowel formant estimation. Simulation 1 explores the range of frequency differences obtained when minor adjustments are made to LPC settings, and measurement timepoints around the settings used by trained analysts, in order to determine the range of variability that should be expected in sociophonetic vowel studies. Simulation 2 examines the variability that emerges when LPC settings are varied combinatorially around constant default settings, rather than settings set by trained analysts. The impacts of different LPC settings are discussed as a way of demonstrating the inherent properties of LPC-based formant estimation. This work suggests that differences more fine-grained than about 10 Hz in F1 and 15–20 Hz in F2 are within the range of LPC-based formant estimation variability.

scholarly journals Interdependence between L1 and L2: The case of Syrian children with refugee backgrounds in Canada and the Netherlands

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Elma Blom ◽  
Adriana Soto-Corominas ◽  
Zahraa Attar ◽  
Evangelia Daskalaki ◽  
Johanne Paradis
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
First Language ◽  
Refugee Camp ◽  
Syntactic Skills ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Bilingual Language Development ◽  
Dutch Sample ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Children who are refugees become bilingual in circumstances that are often challenging and that can vary across national contexts. We investigated the second language (L2) syntactic skills of Syrian children aged 6-12 living in Canada (n = 56) and the Netherlands (n = 47). Our goal was to establish the impact of the first language (L1 = Syrian Arabic) skills on L2 (English, Dutch) outcomes and whether L1–L2 interdependence is influenced by the length of L2 exposure. To measure L1 and L2 syntactic skills, cross-linguistic Litmus Sentence Repetition Tasks (Litmus-SRTs) were used. Results showed evidence of L1–L2 interdependence, but interdependence may only surface after sufficient L2 exposure. Maternal education level and refugee camp experiences differed between the two samples. Both variables impacted L2 outcomes in the Canadian but not in the Dutch sample, demonstrating the importance to examine refugee children’s bilingual language development in different national contexts.

New insight into the molecular switch mechanism of human Rho family proteins: shifting a paradigm

2013 ◽  
Vol 394 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamta Jaiswal ◽  
Eyad Kalawy Fansa ◽  
Radovan Dvorsky ◽  
Mohammad Reza Ahmadian
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Bound State ◽  
Molecular Switch ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Gtp Binding ◽  
Switch Mechanism ◽  
Rho Family ◽  
Rho Family Proteins ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Made In

Abstract Major advances have been made in understanding the structure, function and regulation of the small GTP-binding proteins of the Rho family and their involvement in multiple cellular process and disorders. However, intrinsic nucleotide exchange and hydrolysis reactions, which are known to be fundamental to Rho family proteins, have been partially investigated in the case of RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42, but for others not at all. Here we present a comprehensive and quantitative analysis of the molecular switch functions of 15 members of the Rho family that enabled us to propose an active GTP-bound state for the rather uncharacterized isoforms RhoD and Rif under equilibrium and quiescent conditions.

scholarly journals PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSING OF STRESS BY NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS LEARNING SPANISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Ramsés Ortín ◽  
Miquel Simonet
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
First Language ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
Recall Task ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Auditory Stimuli ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
L1 English ◽  
Processing Stress

Abstract One feature of Spanish that presents some difficulties to second language (L2) learners whose first language (L1) is English concerns lexical stress. This study explores one aspect of the obstacle these learners face, weak phonological processing routines concerning stress inherited from their native language. Participants were L1 English L2 learners of Spanish. The experiment was a sequence-recall task with auditory stimuli minimally contrasting in stress (target) or segmental composition (baseline). The results suggest that learners are more likely to accurately recall sequences with stimuli contrasting in segmental composition than stress, suggesting reduced phonological processing of stress relative to a processing baseline. Furthermore, an increase in proficiency—assessed by means of grammatical and lexical tests—was found to be modestly associated with an increase in the accuracy of processing stress. We conclude that the processing routines of native English speakers lead to an acquisitional obstacle when learning Spanish as a L2.

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