scholarly journals Adult New Speakers of Welsh: Accent, Pronunciation and Language Experience in South Wales

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Meinir Williams ◽  
Sarah Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Community Perceptions ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Questionnaire Data ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Vowel Length ◽  
South Wales ◽  
New Speakers ◽  
L1 English

This study examines the experiences of adult new speakers of Welsh in Wales, UK with learning pronunciation in Welsh. Questionnaire data were collected from 115 adult L2 speakers with English as an L1 located in South Wales. We investigated self-reported perceptions of accent and pronunciation as well as exploring which speech sounds were reported to be challenging for the participants. We also asked participants how traditional native speakers responded to them in the community. Perceptions of own accent and pronunciation were not rated highly for the participants. We found an effect of speaker origin affected responses to perceptions of accent and pronunciation, as well as speaker learning level. In terms of speech sounds that are challenging, the results show that vowel length as well as the consonants absent in the L1 (English) were the most common issues reported. A range of responses from traditional native speakers were reported, including speaking more slowly, switching to English, correcting pronunciation or not responding at all. It is suggested that these results indicate that adult new speakers of Welsh face challenges with accent and pronunciation, and we discuss the implications of this for language teaching and for integration into the community.

Singular they in English as a foreign language

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Stormbom
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Third Person ◽  
And Gender ◽  
L1 English

AbstractA much-debated issue in English is the use of “epicene pronouns”, i.e. third-person singular pronouns of indeterminate gender. Previous studies have shown that singular they is the most common epicene in L1 English, but this pronoun has not received much attention in studies of L2 use. The present study extends previous research by examining variation between L2 groups in the distribution of epicene pronouns, focussing particularly on the use of singular they and how it is affected by three features of the antecedent: definiteness, notional number, and gender expectancy. The data originate in an elicitation experiment, which was completed by 338 university students of English from eight L1 backgrounds. The results show that singular they was most frequently used with notionally plural antecedents, whereas it was least common with gender-stereotyped antecedents. The study also disclosed variation between learners: In some L1 groups, they was used frequently with all types of antecedents, suggesting that these learners perceive singular they as a singular pronoun in its own right. In other groups, singular they appeared to function mostly as a modification of the plural they, as the pronoun was only frequent with notionally plural antecedents. The findings have important implications for language teaching.

Verstaanbaarheid als interactioneel en contextgebonden fenomeen

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-170
Author(s):  
Ellen Simon ◽  
Chloé Lybaert
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
Second Language Education ◽  
Communicative Success ◽  
And Migration

Abstract As a result of growing mobility and migration flows, the number of non-native speakers of Dutch in Belgium and the Netherlands have gradually increased over the past decades and so have the number of people enrolled in Dutch as a Second Language education. While there is huge variation in the profiles of these non-native speakers, they almost exclusively have in common that their Dutch sounds, in some way and at some stage, accented. In line with worldwide trends in foreign language teaching, the pronunciation goal in Dutch as a Second Language education has shifted from native-like to intelligible. Indeed, the notion of intelligibility has become prominent in language teaching and assessment. In this paper, we discuss the complexity of this notion and set it off against related terms like ‘comprehensibility’ and ‘foreign accent’. Through a literature review, we argue that intelligibility is an interactional and context-sensitive phenomenon: it is as much a responsibility of the speaker as it is of the listener or conversational partner(s) in general, whose attitudes will have an impact on the intelligibility and thus on the conversational flow and communicative success. After reviewing literature on the intelligibility of Dutch as a Second Language, we end by formulating some promising lines for future research.

scholarly journals Linguodidactic potential of concepts in teaching foreign languages to students-interpreters

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 258-262
Author(s):  
Svetlana S. Vasilenko
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Semantic Content ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
The World ◽  
Interdisciplinary Nature

The paper discusses possibilities and ways of studying concepts in teaching foreign languages to students-interpreters. The author notes that modern didactic research has interdisciplinary nature, analyzes the theory of the concept from the point of view of linguistics, cultural studies and psycholinguistics. The author also notes the fact of creation of linguo-conceptodidactics as a new scientific direction. The paper presents a linguodidactic understanding of the concept, analyzes its structure and semantic content. The author describes in detail the process of foreign language concepts acquisition and presents it as a sequence of several stages. The acquisition of foreign language concepts is associated with the development of concept competence. The paper notes that the acquisition of foreign language concepts should go in parallel with the acquisition of foreign language lexis. In addition, it is necessary to use authentic materials in teaching foreign languages that allows forming a conceptual picture of the world of native speakers. Acquisition of foreign language concepts is especially important for students-interpreters who study several foreign languages and are faced with the problem of translating foreign concepts and phenomena of foreign language reality. The paper presents how conceptuality can be realized in teaching foreign languages. The author gives a practical example of studying the English concept Travel, offers examples of exercises and tasks for mastering it, as well as mnemonic techniques for memorizing lexemes that represent the concept. In the paper is stressed, that the concepts should be included in the content of foreign language teaching to students-interpreters. This contributes to the development of correct ideas about foreign language reality, understanding the facts of the native and foreign language culture, i.e. cultural reflection development.

scholarly journals SLIPS OF THE TONGUE IN INDONESIAN DAILY CONVERSATION: A PSYCHOLINGUISTIC VIEW

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-132
Author(s):  
Merry Lapasau ◽  
Sulis Setiawati
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Speech Errors ◽  
Speech Error ◽  
Teaching Language ◽  
Descriptive Approach ◽  
Slips Of The Tongue

Abstract: This research aims at analyzing speech errors, also known as slips of the tongue madeby adult Indonesians as native speakers. Those errors were analyzed regarding types andbackground of the occurence with Meringer’s theory of slips of the tongue as the framework ofthe research. This research is mainly qualitative with a descriptive approach within thepsycholinguistics view. The results show that slips of the tongue occurred by adult Indonesian asnative speakers were: 1. Exchange, 2. Anticipation, 3. Postposition, 4. Contamination, and 5.Substitution. Researchs about slips of the tongue can provide input to the language process whichis very important for language teaching. Language teachers can interact better with students if theproblems as the sources of the students' errors are identified. Above all, by comprehending varioustypes of speech errors we can increase our understanding of the acquisition, production, andperception of our language thoroughly.Key Words: speech error; slips of the tongue; psycholinguistics

scholarly journals La terminologia per il CLIL in lingua straniera e in italiano L2

2021 ◽  
pp. 83-98
Author(s):  
Silvia Gilardoni
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
Second Language Teaching ◽  
Italian Context

In this paper we examine the treatment of terminology in CLIL context (Content and language integrated learning), through the analysis of a corpus of subject textbooks in a foreign language and in Italian as a second language. After introducing the CLIL methodology and its application in the field of foreign language and Italian as a second language teaching as regards the Italian context, we consider the role of terminology in CLIL environment. Then we present the results of the analysis of the corpus, which consists of CLIL textbooks in English for the secondary school and of subject textbooks in Italian as a second language for non-native speakers of secondary school and adult migrants who need the qualification of Italian secondary school. The analysis of the treatment of terminology in the corpus allows to outline methodological suggestions to integrate the terminological approach into teaching practice in different CLIL contexts.

scholarly journals A Semantic Prosody Analysis on Two Synonymous Pairs in English Native Speakers’ and Chinese Learners’ Writings

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Zhou Bi
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Research Interest ◽  
Chinese Learners ◽  
Semantic Prosody

The concept of semantic prosody has attracted great research interest in language teaching. Identifying learners’ perception of semantic prosody and collocation may be beneficial to vocabulary teaching. This study analyzes two pairs of synonyms in English writings of Chinese students and English native speakers based on the ICNALE corpus. The analysis finds that Chinese writers’ perception of semantic prosody is mostly consistent with that of native speakers. However, the use of collocation is quite different between them.

scholarly journals 'Real English' in Japan : team teachers' views on nativeness in language teaching

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Sutherland
Keyword(s):  
Team Teaching ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Teacher ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Interview Research ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking

In Japan, English is often taught by teams composed of a local Japanese teacher of English (JTE) and a native English speaking assistant English teacher (AET). This form of team teaching is typically assumed to be beneficial as it provides the students with exposure to models of native English which they would otherwise not encounter. Research has found that students and JTEs approve of team teaching as it provides students with motivation to study a language that would otherwise have little relevance to their daily lives. Less research has been done to explore how team teaching affects the JTEs with regards to their feelings about their own skills as English language users. In this paper, based on interview research with JTEs, I argue that team teaching reinforces the dichotomy between native and non-native speakers to the detriment of both Japanese teachers and their students.

Language Experience and Subjective Word Familiarity on the Multimodal Perception of Non-Native Speakers’ Vowels

2021 ◽  
pp. 002383092199872
Author(s):  
Solène Inceoglu
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
American English ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Monosyllabic Words ◽  
Word Familiarity ◽  
Multimodal Perception

The present study investigated native (L1) and non-native (L2) speakers’ perception of the French vowels /ɔ̃, ɑ̃, ɛ̃, o/. Thirty-four American-English learners of French and 33 native speakers of Parisian French were asked to identify 60 monosyllabic words produced by a native speaker in three modalities of presentation: auditory-only (A-only); audiovisual (AV); and visual-only (V-only). The L2 participants also completed a vocabulary knowledge test of the words presented in the perception experiment that aimed to explore whether subjective word familiarity affected speech perception. Results showed that overall performance was better in the AV and A-only conditions for the two groups with the pattern of confusion differing across modalities. The lack of audiovisual benefit was not due to the vowel contrasts being not visually salient enough, as shown by the native group’s performance in the V-only modality, but to the L2 group’s weaker sensitivity to visual information. Additionally, a significant relationship was found between subjective word familiarity and AV and A-only (but not V-only) perception of non-native contrasts.

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