How experience shapes individual differences among second language learners : a biographical study of Hong Kong learners in five age groups

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsia-hui, Alice Chik
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Biographical Study

scholarly journals Can non-interactive language input benefit young second-language learners?

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
TERRY KIT-FONG AU ◽  
WINNIE WAILAN CHAN ◽  
LIAO CHENG ◽  
LINDA S. SIEGEL ◽  
RICKY VAN YIP TSO
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Second Graders ◽  
Story Reading ◽  
Linguistic Input ◽  
Children First

ABSTRACTTo fully acquire a language, especially its phonology, children need linguistic input from native speakers early on. When interaction with native speakers is not always possible – e.g. for children learning a second language that is not the societal language – audios are commonly used as an affordable substitute. But does such non-interactive input work? Two experiments evaluated the usefulness of audio storybooks in acquiring a more native-like second-language accent. Young children, first- and second-graders in Hong Kong whose native language was Cantonese Chinese, were given take-home listening assignments in a second language, either English or Putonghua Chinese. Accent ratings of the children's story reading revealed measurable benefits of non-interactive input from native speakers. The benefits were far more robust for Putonghua than English. Implications for second-language accent acquisition are discussed.

The acquisition of some Dutch morphological rules

1980 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 539-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine E. Snow ◽  
Norval S. H. Smith ◽  
Marian Hoefnagel-Höhle
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
First Language ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Correct Performance ◽  
Rule Systems

ABSTRACTThe acquisition of the morphological rules for plural, agentive, and diminutive suffixes in Dutch was studied. Subjects included 7- and 12-year-old native speakers, and second-language learners in three age groups (5–10 years, 12–18 years, and adult). The first- and second-language learners showed very similar orders of acquisition for the rule systems governing plural and diminutive, but the second-language learners showed a subtle form of interference from their first language in acquiring the agentive. The findings suggest that morphological acquisition proceeds piecemeal, with the learning of specific word ending + allomorph sequences, and that generalizations at the level of morphological rules may not be made even after several years of correct performance with the allomorph in question.

scholarly journals Using drama activities to teach beginner’s French to Chinese students at a tertiary institution in Hong Kong: An exploratory case study

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 711-736
Author(s):  
Zarina Marie Krystle M. Abenoja ◽  
Matthew DeCoursey
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Tertiary Institution ◽  
Positive Effects

The exam-oriented education system in Hong Kong has created a language learning environment that is largely confined to traditional classroom settings, which may not take best advantage of students’ abilities to relate what they have learnt in class to real-life scenarios. Such learning environments may have implications for the way second language learners learn a new language. Numerous studies suggest that drama activities used in language classrooms can enhance second language learning. These studies put forward tasks that generate pleasant and rewarding experiences, enhance confidence and subsequently increase motivation to learn a language. By focusing on students studying in a beginning French course at a tertiary institution in Hong Kong, this article reports on how drama activities make a target language more enjoyable and easier to recall. Classroom observations and interviews with students (N = 30) revealed that learning French via drama had a number of positive effects on second language learners especially in terms of their confidence. The learning of French through drama may provide a language learning environment that enables students to apply their French language skills more effectively in real-life situations.

scholarly journals Reexamining L2 accent: How much can personality explain?

2017 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-244
Author(s):  
Germán Zárate-Sández
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Individual Difference ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Considerable Portion ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Speaking Task

Previous studies have shown that learners’ individual differences (e.g., motivation, age) can impact second language learners’ pronunciation. This study focused on one individual difference that has received relatively little attention, namely personality, and sought to determine to what extent personality accounts for learners’ L2 accent during quasispontaneous and unplanned speech. Fifty-one English-speaking learners of Spanish performed a speaking task that was scored for degree of L2 accentedness. Results revealed that personality explained a considerable portion of the variance, and that extraversion and neuroticism were significant predictors of L2 accent. 

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