Phonological Working Memory and Second Language Acquisition: A Developmental Study of Francophone Children Learning English in Quebec (review)

2010 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 412-413
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Steele
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Developmental Study ◽  
Phonological Working Memory ◽  
Learning English

scholarly journals Does Critical Period Affect Bilingual Advantage for Working Memory and Metacognition?

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Kexuan Huang
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Bilingual Advantage ◽  
Experience Questionnaire

There have been many studies exploring the advantages that bilingualism confers to individuals’ working memory and metacognition (see Ransdell, 2006; Del Missier et al., 2010). The hypothesis of language critical period states that if no language learning and teaching happen during the critical period, an individual will never be able to fully grasp any language to a full extent (Fromkin et al., 1974). This study investigates whether late bilingualism (second language acquisition after the critical period) will positively affect a person’s working memory and metacognition just like early bilingualism (second language acquisition before the critical period) does. Sixty Chinese persons between the ages of 18 and 35 participated in my online experimental protocol, including a language experience questionnaire, a reading comprehension exam, and a reading span task. I found that late bilingualism poses a similar advantage to an individual’s working memory as early bilingualism, while it negatively affects an individual’s metacognitive awareness of their own language ability. 

scholarly journals Padrões de duração de seis vogais do inglês produzidas por alunos brasileiros (Duration patterns of six english vowels produced by brazilian learners)

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Ronaldo Lima Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Acoustic Phonetics ◽  
English Vowels ◽  
Different Ages ◽  
Learning English

Este artigo apresenta as principais características dos padrões de duração dos pares de vogais [i: I] [E æ] [u: U] produzidos por alunos brasileiros que começaram a estudar inglês-L2 em idades diferentes, que estavam cursando o último semestre de seus cursos de inglês como língua estrangeira, e que adquiriram a língua exclusivamente em salas de aula no Brasil.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Aquisição de língua estrangeira, fonética acústica, fonologia, inglês como língua estrangeira, vogais. ABSTRACT This paper presents the main characteristics in durational patterns of the pairs of vowels [i: I] [E æ] [u: U] as produced by Brazilian learners who started learning English as a Foreign Language at different ages. The students were in the last semester of their EFL courses and have acquired English exclusively in Brazilian classrooms.KEYWORDS: Second Language Acquisition. Acoustic Phonetics. Phonology. English as a Foreign Language. Vowels.  

Modularity, working memory, and second language acquisition: A research program

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Truscott
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Research Program ◽  
The State ◽  
Important Place ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Way

Considerable reason exists to view the mind, and language within it, as modular, and this view has an important place in research and theory in second language acquisition (SLA) and beyond. But it has had very little impact on the study of working memory and its role in SLA. This article considers the need for modular study of working memory, looking at the state of common approaches to the subject and the evidence for modularity, and then considering what working memory should look like in a modular mind. It then sketches a research program to explore working memory within a modular mind and particularly its role in SLA. This is followed by a brief look at the way that the Modular Online Growth and Use of Language (MOGUL) approach can serve as a framework for such a program.

Associations of natural language switching with executive control in early bilinguals

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 1008-1019
Author(s):  
Raúl López-Penadés ◽  
Victor A. Sanchez-Azanza ◽  
Eva Aguilar-Mediavilla ◽  
Lucía Buil-Legaz ◽  
Daniel Adrover-Roig
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Natural Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Interference Control ◽  
Language Switching ◽  
Working Memory Updating

AbstractThis study aimed at identifying linguistic factors that could contribute to understanding individual differences in executive control among bilinguals. Directionality and type of natural language switching, age of second language acquisition, and language proficiency were evaluated in a sample of 112 early bilingual adults. Participants performed several computerized tasks tapping into three dimensions of executive control: inhibition of interference, working memory updating, and shifting. Regression analyses showed that frequent switching to the second language was associated with more efficient executive processing, enhanced working memory updating processes, and better shifting ability. Moreover, higher frequency of unintended language switches was associated with lower interference control abilities. Frequency of language switching behavior was the principal predictor of executive control, beyond age of second language acquisition and language proficiency. Results suggest that frequent language switching is related to enhanced executive control, while the unintended switching of languages could be associated with low interference control.

scholarly journals Motivational Factors that Influence English as a Foreign Language Learners at Quality Leadership University, Panama City, Panama

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 543
Author(s):  
Ricardo Roman Jr. ◽  
Aixa M. Nunez
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Instrumental Motivation ◽  
Learning English

Research in second language acquisition took off in the early 1970s. This study on integrative and instrumental motivation examined the correlation between the two forms in terms of second language acquisition, and the interest it has generated through continued research efforts in language learning. Research to date suggests a possible relationship between motivation and second language learning. The results obtained by this research were determined by two basic types of motivation which play a relevant role in second language acquisition, it also revealed which was the most prevalent motivational factor that influences students in learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at Quality Leadership University, Panama. Our objective was to prove that instrumental motivation is more prevalent among students learning English as a Foreign Language in Panama. Although cultural awareness is very much present in the EFL classroom, it too plays a major role with English Language Learners (ELLs). This is a quantitative research study which includes a questionnaire classifying twenty motivational statements into two types of motivation, integrative and instrumental. The study revealed that instrumental motivation was more prevalent among English language learners at Quality Leadership University, Panama. Albiet learning about new cultures has been the driving force with which students approach language learning and students in Panama are not the exception. We can thus conclude that instrumental motivation has been acknowledged as the significant factor by students surveyed and the interest in specific language learning for career advancement, whereas integrative motivation is linked to more general second language acquisition for the benefit of cultural integration.

scholarly journals Comparison of Three Models Dealing with Working Memory and Its Dimensions in Second Language Acquisition

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Alshahrani
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Review Literature ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Affecting Factors ◽  
Language Characteristics

The current status of research on working memory (WM) and its components in second language acquisition (SLA) was examined in this review. Literature search was done on four aspects using search terms in Google Scholar. Hence, the review results are given and introduced. 1. In the definition of WM, some confusion exists on whether short term memory (STM) or recent memory is the same as WM or different. 2. In this review, three main models have been discussed elaborately, as they are the only ones discussed in literature. They are: multicomponent model of Baddeley (2000), embedded process model of Cowan (2005) and attention control model of Engle and Kane (2003). 3. The phonological and executive components of WM were examined in more detail, as these determine the two basic aspects of language acquisition: language characteristics and acquisition methods (Wen, 2012). Overall, the variables related to phonological and executive working memories are evident from published research, but their interactive relationships and affecting factors are not entirely clear. 4. Admittedly, several diverse internal and external factors affect WM in relation to SLA. Some practically useful interventions are indicated by certain findings. 

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