One Family’s Personal Account of Linguistic Challenges of Bringing up Children in a Third Culture

10.47908/12/4 ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 69-93
Author(s):  
Shane Doyle ◽  
Fiona Creaser
Keyword(s):  
Third Culture ◽  
Personal Account ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
Foreign Nationals ◽  
Parental Views ◽  
Linguistic Challenges ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Different Cultures

In this chapter, we focus on the challenges of bringing up three children in three different cultures in two languages. We attempt to raise the issue of Japanese heritage inherent to the Japan-born foreign nationals and the difficulties encountered in trying to maintain and further L1 and L2 bilingualism. We introduce difficulties associated with L1 fluency as dictated by the necessity of living in a predominantly monolingual society and the desire to maintain and further L2 proficiency within this environment. Through the language struggles, we also attempt to highlight issues of identity that arise through the monolingual culture of Japan. We raise the question of which language the L1 language is and which language becomes the L2. We question perceptions of this, in particular in relation to parental views. Finally, we introduce some of the solutions to these difficulties in the hope that parents in similar situations may find them of benefit.

SOURCES OF VARIATION IN SECOND AND NATIVE LANGUAGE SPEAKING PROFICIENCY AMONG COLLEGE-AGED SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Mona Roxana Botezatu ◽  
Taomei Guo ◽  
Judith F. Kroll ◽  
Sarah Peterson ◽  
Dalia L. Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Native Language ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
Speaking Proficiency ◽  
Sources Of Variation ◽  
Internal Sources ◽  
L1 And L2

Abstract We evaluated external and internal sources of variation in second language (L2) and native language (L1) proficiency among college students. One hundred and twelve native-English L2 learners completed measures of L1 and L2 speaking proficiency, working memory, and cognitive control and provided self-ratings of language exposure and use. When considering learner-external variation, we found that more frequent L2 exposure predicted higher L2 and L1 proficiency, while earlier L2 exposure predicted higher L2 proficiency, but poorer L1 maintenance. L1–L2 distance limited crosslinguistic transfer of print-to-sound mappings. When considering learner-internal variation, we found that L1 and L2 proficiency were highly correlated and that better working memory, but not cognitive control, accounted for additional variance in L2 and L1 proficiency. More frequent L2 exposure was associated with better cognitive control.

Understanding CLIL from an ELF perspective: language in Taiwanese primary bilingual education

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-233
Author(s):  
Inmaculada Pineda ◽  
Wenli Tsou
Keyword(s):  
Bilingual Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
Related Language ◽  
Class Management ◽  
Academic Communication ◽  
Teachers Training ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Linguistic Backgrounds ◽  
Language Content

Abstract Recent global developments have intensified the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF), the principal means of communication employed among speakers of different linguistic backgrounds to interact worldwide. Consequently, there has been a growing interest in the pedagogical implications and applications of ELF in language teaching and learning. Few works, though, have investigated the influence of ELF in bilingual education such as in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The current paper describes the design and implementation of a CLIL + ELF observation tool that was used to study a pilot CLIL program in Taiwan and to anticipate CLIL teachers’ training needs. The data collected from the rubric were contrasted with several unstructured interviews. The rubric contains 10 criteria developed from previous CLIL and ELF studies including: learners’ L1 and L2 proficiency; teachers’ L2 proficiency; teachers’ ability to reflect upon their practice; their familiarity with CLIL and ELF methodologies; and the school’s commitment to bilingual education and language policy considerations. Using these criteria, the researchers identified many positive results such as teachers’ growing familiarity with CLIL and their use of class management language, content-related language, and academic communication. The study also suggests areas for improvement such as the need for teacher training regarding ELF.

scholarly journals El papel del lenguaje en la construcción de explicaciones en la clase de ciencias en contextos bilingües a través del enfoque CLIL

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (21) ◽  
pp. 105-122
Author(s):  
Mauricio Mancipe Triviño ◽  
Cynthia Marcela Ramírez Valenzuela
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Language ◽  
Natural Phenomena ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
Close Link ◽  
Cognitive Linguistic ◽  
Science Classes ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
L1 English ◽  
Do So

This paper covers the issue with respect to elaborating explanations about natural phenomena in the Science class in bilingual contexts (Spanish (L1) – English (L2)), in which the role of the language is analysed from two perspectives: communicative and explanatory. To do so, this article focuses on the categorisation of cognitive-linguistic abilities exhibited by the students throughout the implementation of the designed unit, as well as analysing the expressions used by them from the communicative perspective; this analysis is born from the upcoming and growing concern of bilingualism implementation in Colombia and Latin America. The methodology used follows an interpretative-qualitative analysis with an inductive analysis approach, analysing the collected information during the didactic implementation in recordings, products developed by students and class diaries from a sample of 25 and 19 students belonging to two private secondary schools located in Cajicá and Bogotá, Colombia. The document presents the reflections arisen from the analysis categories built to assess the collected information: socio-linguistic abilities, communication of ideas in both L1 and L2, the conceptual, social, epistemological and didactic aspects of knowledge. It was found a close link between the L2 proficiency and the depth of the explanations elaborated by the students, enabling the more competent students in L2 to communicate better using the scientific language and getting to more complex explanations. Moreover, the implementation re-dimensioned the content perspective applied by some teachers when using the CLIL approach, placing bilingualism in the Science classes in a dimension distant from transmitting information, being a medium that fosters communicative and explanatory processes by nurturing different cognitive-linguistic abilities.

Influence of L2 proficiency on speech movement variability: Production of prosodic contrasts by Bengali–English speakers

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
RAHUL CHAKRABORTY
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Stress Pattern ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Movement Variability ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
Motor Systems ◽  
Lip Movement ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Speech Motor ◽  
Novel Words

This paper examines the influence of age of immersion and proficiency in a second language on speech movement consistency in both a first and a second language. Ten monolingual speakers of English and 20 Bengali–English bilinguals (10 with low L2 proficiency and 10 with high L2 proficiency) participated. Lip movement variability was assessed based on bilingual participants’ production of four real and four novel words embedded in Bengali (L1) and English (L2) sentences. Lip movement variability was evaluated across L1 and L2 contexts for the production of real and novel words with trochaic and iambic stress pattern. Adult bilinguals produced equally consistent speech movement patterns in their production of L1 and L2 targets. Overall, speakers’ L2 proficiency did not influence their movement variability. Unlike children, the speech motor systems of adult L2 speakers exhibit a lack of flexibility which could contribute to their increased difficulties in acquiring native-like pronunciation in L2.

scholarly journals Third Culture Kids

Communication ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Aldelina Lijadi
Keyword(s):  
Living Arrangements ◽  
International Schools ◽  
High Mobility ◽  
Third Culture Kids ◽  
Third Culture ◽  
Early Maturity ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Language Schools ◽  
Changing Schools ◽  
Different Cultures

Third culture kids (TCK) are individuals who follow their parents on their overseas assignment, relocating to one (or more) countries for a period of time with an option to either repatriate or stay abroad if permitted. The day-to-day routine for these TCK families starts with continuous efforts to adapt to their new place while juggling their work and colleagues, culture, language, schools, weather, environment, living arrangements, and the most daunting mission: making new friends. At the same time, TCK families have to deal with homesickness, losses, and nostalgia for their previous country of residence. It is understandable that while living overseas, TCK families tend to find comfort and build relationships with other expatriates as they undergo similar experiences. As a result, TCK grow up being exposed to three different cultures. The first is the primal culture or heritage culture; the second is the culture of the countries where they have lived; and the third is the interstitial culture and lifestyle shared and understood by TCK and other communities of expatriates. After the initiation of the term “TCK” in the 1960s, social science researchers have shown interest in this unique population. The emergence of journals dedicated to capturing the occurrences of high-mobility lifestyles and people who directly or indirectly affect TCK followed. Sponsoring organizations, international schools, and expatriate communities are contributing stakeholders during the developmental years of TCK. Living in several countries with cross-cultural exposure offers many benefits for TCK. They become bilingual or multilingual, gain a worldview perspective, are sensitive to different cultures and peoples, and develop early maturity, all of which match the qualities of a future international leader. Because of the promising benefits gained from living overseas, recent decades have witnessed the emergence of self-initiated expatriation, mostly with individuals who are TCK themselves wishing to give the same benefits to their family. However, numerous life disruptions (i.e., moving, losses, changing schools, learning a new language) have lasting effects on TCK. In their adulthood, on top of dealing with potential repatriation issues, TCK may be confronted with commitment issues, nostalgia, and unsettling emotions. Therefore, there is a strong urge for creating awareness of the TCK phenomenon within the society to prevent backlash from this upbringing.

scholarly journals The impact of L2 proficiency on cross-language influence during L2 word processing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Branzi ◽  
Ya-Ning Chang ◽  
Claudia Gaele ◽  
Theodora Alexopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Word Processing ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Proactive Inhibition ◽  
Target Language ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
Main Hypothesis ◽  
Phonological Representations ◽  
Cross Language ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
The Impact

We investigated the relationship between L2 proficiency and the language control strategies employed during L2 word-processing to cope with cross-language interference. Our main hypothesis is that proactive inhibition of the non-target language (L1) is the best cognitive strategy to optimise L2 performance when L1 and L2 lexical/phonological representations do not overlap. This strategy should be especially implemented by L2 high proficient individuals. We tested a group of native speakers of Chinese (L1) with various levels of proficiency in L2 English in a task that required to decide whether English words presented in pairs were related in meaning or not. Crucially, L2 learners were unaware of the fact that half of the words concealed a character repetition when translated into Chinese which allowed us to measure the activation of L1 phonological representations. Contrary to our predictions, we found that higher proficiency correlated with higher L1 activation.

scholarly journals Comprehension under noise in L1 and L2: Acoustic entrainment of speech envelope

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin D. Zinszer ◽  
Qiming Yuan ◽  
Zhaoqi Zhang ◽  
Bharath Chandrasekaran ◽  
Taomei GUO
Keyword(s):  
Response Function ◽  
Temporal Response ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
Continuous Speech ◽  
Noisy Conditions ◽  
Speech Envelope ◽  
Cortical Entrainment ◽  
L1 And L2

Listeners regularly comprehend continuous speech despite noisy conditions. Previous studies show that cortical entrainment to speech degrades under noise, predicts comprehension, and increases for non-native listeners. We test the hypothesis that listeners similarly increase cortical entrainment for both L2 and noisy L1 speech, after controlling for comprehension. Twenty-four Chinese-English bilinguals underwent EEG while listening to one hour of an audiobook, mixed with three levels of noise, in Mandarin and English and answered comprehension questions. We estimated cortical entrainment for one-minute tracks using the multivariate temporal response function (mTRF). Contrary to our prediction, entrainment of the L2 was significantly lower than L1, while L1 entrainment significantly increased when speech was masked by noise without reducing comprehension. However, greater L2 proficiency was positively associated with greater entrainment. We discuss how studies of entrainment relating to noise and bilingualism might be reconciled with an approach focused on exerted rather than demanded effort.

Understanding semantic accents in Japanese–English bilinguals: A feature-based approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-153
Author(s):  
Eriko Matsuki ◽  
Yasushi Hino ◽  
Debra Jared
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Cultural Immersion ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
Feature Based ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Japanese English

AbstractA bilingual exhibits a “semantic accent” when they comprehend or use a word in one language in a way that is influenced by its translation. Semantic accents are well-captured by feature-based models: however, few studies have specifically examined the processing of features that contribute to a semantic accent. Japanese–English bilinguals and monolinguals of each language completed three feature-based tasks focusing on culture-specific semantic features. Bilinguals exhibited semantic accents in L1 and L2 in that they had stronger associations than monolinguals between the features specific to one culture and words in the other language. Within bilinguals, culture-specific features were more strongly associated with the congruent language than the incongruent language. Finally, changes in the strengths of associations between culture-specific features and words depended more on L2 cultural immersion than L2 proficiency. Semantic accents lessened in L2 and increased in L1 after many years of exposure to the L2 culture.

Predicting individual differences in L2 speakers’ gestures

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaya Nagpal ◽  
Elena Nicoladis ◽  
Paula Marentette
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Important Predictor ◽  
Story Telling ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
The Individual ◽  
L1 And L2

While it is well known that there is a lot of variability in L2, researchers rarely measure the variability in L1 to predict the variability in L2. In this study we tested two explanations of the rate of gestures used in telling a story in L2: (1) a story-telling style underlying both L1 and L2 and (2) proficiency/fluency in L2. Hindi—English bilingual adults performed a story-telling task in their two languages. There was some support for the second predictor: the participants used more gestures in L2 than L1, consistent with gesturing to aid in accessing language. However, the results were strongly supportive of a story-telling style underlying both languages: the individual differences in gesture rate (along with the story length and the vocabulary variability) were highly correlated across languages but not correlated with L2 proficiency/fluency. These results illustrate the importance of studying L1 variability as an important predictor of L2 gesture use.

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