scholarly journals The Acquisition of Verbal Epistemic Stance Marking during Study Abroad: The Case of je pense in L2 French

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
Pascale Leclercq
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Functional Approach ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Personal Style ◽  
Epistemic Stance ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
Source Of Information

Epistemic stance markers, such as je pense in French, take on a variety of discursive functions, ranging from asserting an opinion, indicating the source of information, and mitigating a claim, to pragmatic functions, such as gaining time for discourse planning. Previous research suggests that the epistemic marker je pense is mostly used in French conversation to express opinions and can be used as an indicator of the development of a learner’s assertiveness and pragmatic competence during a study abroad period. Using a functional approach, this paper seeks to find out the extent to which study abroad fosters the development of assertiveness and pragmalinguistic competence among L2 learners, through an analysis of stance marking in interview data from 26 Anglophone learners of French, who spent nine months abroad in a French-speaking country, and 10 French native speakers. The results show that learners are globally less assertive in their use of je pense than native speakers, particularly prior to departure, and that they develop pragmatic uses of je pense, thereby showing a development in their interactional strategies. Finally, the high inter-variability in the way learners used je pense suggests the importance of personal style.

scholarly journals Confirming or asserting?

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-43
Author(s):  
Cecilia Andorno ◽  
Fabiana Rosi
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Discourse Markers ◽  
Negative Polarity ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
L2 Learners

Yes and no allow an easy management of talk-in-interaction and, unlike other classes of discourse markers, occur from early stages of L2 acquisition onwards (Perdue 1993; Bernini 1996, 2000; Andorno 2008a for L2 Italian). However, problems in their use can arise in replies to negative utterances such as “Didn’t you hear the news?”, “You didn’t read the news, did you?”, as in this case speakers have to choose one of the two conflicting values possibly encoded by the particles — either asserting a positive/negative polarity for the proposition at issue or confirming/reversing the negative polarity conveyed by the previous speaker. Since Pope (1973), a distinction has been drawn between languages with polarity-oriented particles, such as English yes/no, and languages with agreement-oriented particles, such as Japanese hai/iie. The study compares the use of Italian sì/no and other routines such as echo-constructions in native speakers and L2 learners with either a polarity-oriented or an agreement-oriented L1. Results show that cross-linguistic influence can affect the use of sì/no in L2, as pointed for other domains of pragmatic competence (Gass & Selinker 1992; Kasper 1992; Jarvis & Pavlenko 2008). Results further show that, even when learners lack pragmalinguistic competence in the use of particles, they treat replies of confirmation or rejection differently, thus revealing sociopragmatic sensitivity similar to that of native speakers in recognising the markedness of disagreement replies.

scholarly journals How L2 learners of French and English express modality using verbal means: A crosslinguistic and developmental study

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascale Leclercq ◽  
Amanda Edmonds
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Short Film ◽  
Developmental Study ◽  
Second Language Proficiency ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
French And English ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
English Speaking

AbstractThis study describes and analyzes how native and non-native speakers express modality using verbal means during oral retellings. Participants included native speakers of French and English, as well as English-speaking learners of French and French-speaking learners of English at three levels of language proficiency. All participants performed the same short film retelling, which was then transcribed and analyzed in terms of modalization. Results show that all groups use verbal modal means, although rates, meanings and types of modal forms used vary across the two languages, and especially as a function of second language proficiency.

Comprehension of conversational implicatures in L2 English

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yılmaz Köylü
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Visual Interpretation ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Oral Production ◽  
Conversational Implicatures ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
Learner Responses

Abstract This study investigated the development of the ability to interpret conversational implicatures in English as an L2. The study followed a cross-sectional design and used a methodologically innovative audio-visual interpretation task with an oral production component. By orally reporting their interpretations, participants demonstrated comprehension of conversational implicatures viewed in a video, rather than employing a predetermined response approach used in earlier studies, which neither explore nor reveal how L2 learners understand implicatures. Fifty participants, forty-five learners at three proficiency levels and five native speakers of English, took part in the study. The results indicated that the comprehension of conversational implicatures showed a significant improvement as L2 proficiency increased. Learner responses were additionally coded based on stages of implicature calculation, which demonstrated that not only learners’ correct interpretations but also their incorrect responses provide insights into their interlanguage development. Such a finding further illustrates the superiority of a free response approach over a predetermined one since the former approach can better shed light on L2 learners’ true pragmatic competence in conversational implicatures.

Influence of fellow L2 learners on pragmatic development during study abroad

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Hassall
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Pragmatic Development ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Multimethod Approach ◽  
Explicit Discussion

AbstractThis is an initial exploratory study of how study-abroad learners influence each other’s pragmatic development in naturalistic settings. It focuses on a cohort of 12 Australian learners of Indonesian during a short summer course and uses a multimethod approach, including a pretest/posttest instrument, diary entries, and regular interviews. Findings revealed a variety of influences on each other’s development. Learners noticed pragmatic features in talk produced by fellow learners that was addressed to native speakers of the target language. They also sometimes noticed features in talk by native speakers that was addressed to their fellow learners, or in talk between fellow learners. They reflected on the relevant features and often modified their knowledge about them. The learners also talked with each other about the pragmatics of the L2 in various ways, such as through explicit discussion, correction of each other’s performance, or the telling of personal anecdotes. That talk too prompted the learners to reflect on pragmatic features and modify their knowledge about them. The learners also planned complex pragmatic action together and performed it together, which can affect pragmatic development in myriad ways. To sum up, the study changes our perceptions of how learners learn pragmatics during study abroad by showing how time spent with fellow learners can stimulate that learning.

scholarly journals Adult Second Language Learners’ Pragmatic Development in the Study-abroad Context: A Review

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Complex Relationship ◽  
Pragmatic Development ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Research Studies

This article aims to further probe this complex relationship between the study abroad context and pragmatic development by synthesizing existing research studies under the guidance of two questions: 1) What pragmatic features have been examined in the study abroad context, and how have they been measured? and 2) Do adult L2 learners improve their pragmatic competence in the study abroad context over time?

scholarly journals The Importance of Utilizing Pragmatics in EFL/ESL Context

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Younis Salih Fatah ◽  
Noor Mala Bt Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Teacher Competence ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Efl Classrooms ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pragmatic Performance

Abstract Pragmatics research in the last few years has gained eminence under the impact of Soler and the succeeding paradigms of Communicative Competence. Amid the diverse components of communicative competence, a great number of L2 studies have attended to the concept of pragmatic competence, that deals with both pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic knowledge. Hence, pragmatics interlanguage research is concerned with the pragmatic competence and pragmatic performance of L2 learners; though, teaching pragmatics to Non-native Speakers, particularly EFL learners, is a prickly subject. Hence, pragmatic competence has been noticeably absent from ELT curricula, notwithstanding the fact that it has been guaranteed a place in diverse models of Communicative competence. This is mainly due to the hindrances of teaching and learning pragmatics in the ESL/EFL classes. Hence, the study primarily aims at discoursing challenges and lacunas in teaching and learning pragmatics within the confines of EFL classrooms drawing on the existing published literature and proffers recommendations to overcome these problems. Thus, the paper concentrates on these central and prominent fields: the EFL/ESL setting, ELT materials, and available to teach learners, teacher competence, and evaluating pragmatic ability.

THE USE OF SKILLS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND DEVELOPING A BASIS FOR READING AND LEARNING

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 2263-2267
Author(s):  
Lirije Ameti
Keyword(s):  
Learning Style ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Active Reading ◽  
Reading Efficiency ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Paper Work ◽  
Source Of Information

This theme:” The Use of Skills and particularly Developing a Basis for Reading and Learning” is very broad, interesting, challenging and very useful at the same time. It is very useful for teachers and students during lectorical exercises which require a joint effort of participating interactively in class in order to be more efficient, flexible and pragmatic in order to achieve the main goal of learning and improving English Language. This source of information is useful for native speakers as well as for us, that are learning and improving English Language as a second language that intend to be future teachers or interpreters from English to respective languages.To Learn and improve English language are used the four main skills: Listening, Reading, Speaking (Communicating) and Writing. During lectures in order to practice and elaborate each of the skills, teachers and students encounter into different situations that in order to answer or conduct one of the skills you will have to answer and imply flexibility and efficiency by giving answers by all the other subjects which I consider an interweave of grammar, morphology, syntax, phonology, and for style of language explanations from theory of literature. And to grasp the main purpose or idea of the author to have general knowledge of different fields in life such as social, psychological, economical, historical ect.Through this paper work I will try to demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of using the first main skill which is Reading, how to analyze the reading efficiency and learning style, how to develop the reading flexibility, principles of efficiency, evaluating the rate of reading and flexibility the factors that have impact in reading efficiently. Shortly as well is mentioned critical thinking and active reading which guides toward thinking and improving concentration. Finally, how to monitor comprehension the factors that impact upon reading which require pre-reading, rereading and prediction to retain elevating results.

Second language processing of English past tense morphology: The role of working memory

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Filiz Rızaoğlu ◽  
Ayşe Gürel
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Masked Priming ◽  
Morphological Processing ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Past Tense ◽  
L2 Learners

AbstractThis study examines, via a masked priming task, the processing of English regular and irregular past tense morphology in proficient second language (L2) learners and native speakers in relation to working memory capacity (WMC), as measured by the Automated Reading Span (ARSPAN) and Operation Span (AOSPAN) tasks. The findings revealed quantitative group differences in the form of slower reaction times (RTs) in the L2-English group. While no correlation was found between the morphological processing patterns and WMC in either group, there was a negative relationship between English and Turkish ARSPAN scores and the speed of word recognition in the L2 group. Overall, comparable decompositional processing patterns found in both groups suggest that, like native speakers, high-proficiency L2 learners are sensitive to the morphological structure of the target language.

A Variationist Analysis of Second Language Spanish Trill Production

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-37
Author(s):  
Danielle Daidone ◽  
Sara Zahler
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Opposite Direction ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Phonetic Context

Abstract The current study examines the production of the Spanish trill by advanced second language (L2) learners using a variationist approach. Findings indicate that learners produced less multiple occlusion trills than native speakers and their variation was not constrained by the same factors as native speakers. Phonetic context conditioned the use of the multiple occlusion variant for native speakers, whereas frequency and speaker sex conditioned this variation for learners, and in the opposite direction of effect as expected from previous native speaker research. Nevertheless, the majority of tokens produced by learners were other variants also produced by native speakers, and when the variation between native and non-native variants was examined, learners’ variation was conditioned not only by frequency, but also phonetic context. Some of the phonetic contexts in which learners produced non-native variants were comparable to those in which native speakers were least likely to produce the multiple occlusion trill, indicating that articulatory constraints governed variation in trill production similarly for both groups. Thus, although L2 learners do not exhibit native-like trill variation, they appear to be developing toward a more native-like norm. These insights provide support for adopting a multifaceted variationist approach to the study of L2 phonological variable structures.

Study abroad and the SLA of variable structures: A look at the present perfect, the copula contrast, and the present progressive in Mexico and Spain

Probus ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Kanwit ◽  
Kimberly L. Geeslin ◽  
Stephen Fafulas
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Present Perfect ◽  
Immersion Programs ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Grammatical Structures

AbstractThe present study connects research on the L2 acquisition of variable structures to the ever-growing body of research on the role of study abroad in the language learning process. The data come from a group of 46 English-speaking learners of Spanish who participated in immersion programs in two distinct locations, Valencia, Spain and San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Simultaneously, we tested a group of native speakers from each region to create an appropriate target model for each learner group. Learners completed a written contextualized questionnaire at the beginning and end of their seven-week stay abroad. Our instrument examines three variable grammatical structures: (1) the copulas

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