Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Dediction, Kirk W. Junker

Kirk W Junker

Review Of The Book Reflections On Multiliterate Lives, Elizabeth C. Scheyder

Elizabeth C Scheyder

Many authors write books and papers about deficits in second language teaching and competence, shining a spotlight on what teachers are doing “wrong” or what students are lacking. In this volume, Diane Belcher and Ulla Connor set out to provide a model that bypasses these negative perspectives and showcases success stories in second (or nth) language learning. The result is a compilation of auto-ethnographies from 18 adults with successful professional careers who were asked to provide their “L1/L2 literacy autobiograph(ies)” (p. 209).

Language Plasticity Revealed By Electroencephalogram Mapping, Armando F. Rocha, Flávia B. Foz

Armando F Rocha

Reasoning is the result of the computations made by intelligent systems, for instance those in the brain. It is not an abstract concept because calculations performed by computations are very concrete transactions among the different central processing unit components. Entropy measurements are proposed here to disclose the plasticity of the cerebral processing associated with language comprehension in video game playing. It is also assumed that entropy may be evaluated from the correlation coefficients obtained for the game event-related activity calculated for the different electroencephalogram derivations in the 10/20 system. The brain mapping derived from these entropy measurements clearly demonstrates the …

Just What Is Incidental, Integrated And Implicit About Grammar Instruction?, Arshad Abd Samad

Arshad Abd Samad

This paper discusses popular notions of how grammar should be presented in the ESL classroom. Reference will especially be made to recent empirical and theoretical bases to grammar instruction which incorporate the role of various language sub-systems and acquisition processes. Drawing particularly on the findings of a study that examines the roles of meaning and structural aspects in processing language, this paper will make suggestions for grammar instruction in Malaysia.

Questionnaires In Dictionary Use Research: A Reexamination, Robert Lew

Robert Lew

The present paper re-examines the usefulness of questionnaires in dictionary use research, using Glynn Hatherall's well-known criticism of questionnaires as a starting point. It is argued here that charges directed at questionnaires apply equally easily to the alternatives suggested by Hatherall. It is claimed that some research questions require a questionnaire approach. It is also demonstrated through example that unreliability of questionnaire-based studies may well result from design factors unrelated to questionnaires themselves. Use of multiple methods and careful design is advocated. Finally, suggestions are offered for improving questionnaire design in dictionary use research.

A Study In The Use Of Bilingual And Monolingual Dictionaries By Polish Learners Of English: A Preliminary Report, Robert Lew

Robert Lew

The paper presents a selection of results from a study investigating dictionary use by 712 Polish learners of English representing a variety of FL competence levels and backgrounds. Data from Learner Survey, experiment, and Teacher Survey are brought in to test hypotheses relating to a variety of aspects of dictionary use. Here two aspects have been selected for presentation. First, frequency with which learners seek different types of information in their dictionaries is analyzed. It is found that the need for meaning and equivalents dominates over non-semantic information at all levels but the highest. At the advanced level, interest in …

Differences In The Scope Of Obstruent Voicing Assimilation In Learners' English As A Consequence Of Regional Variation In Polish, Robert Lew

Robert Lew

No abstract provided.

Production, Perception, And Emergent Phonotactic Patterns: A Case Of Contrastive Palatalization, Alexei Kochetov

Alexei Kochetov

No abstract provided.

Origins Of Apparent Violations Of The “No Phrase” Constraint In Modern Georgian, Alice Carmichael Harris

Alice Harris

It is widely suggested in the literature that words are based on words, roots, or stems, but not on phrases (the "No Phrase" Constraint). In Modern Georgian, constructions such as megobar-ta-gan-i '[one, some] of the friends' are common; they appear to violate the "No Phrase" Constraint because gan 'from' is traditionally considered a postposition. In this example, -i, the marker of the nominative case, serves as both inflectional and derivational morphology, deriving a substantive, apparently from the postpositional phrase. The paper demonstrates that the construction at issue originated in double case marking. Old Georgia had case marking of this sort, …

Comparative Markedness (Long Version), John J. Mccarthy

John J. McCarthy

The markedness constraints of classic Optimality Theory assign violation-marks to output candidates without reference to the input or to other candidates. This paper explores an alternative conception of markedness that is comparative: markedness constraints compare the candidate under evaluation with another candidate, the most faithful one. Comparative constraints distinguish two situations: the candidate under evaluation contains an instance of a marked structure that is also present in the fully-faithful candidate; or the candidate under evaluation contains an instance of a marked structure that is not present in the fully faithful candidate. The empirical consequences of comparative markedness are explored, including …

On Targeted Constraints And Cluster Simplification, John J. Mccarthy

John J. McCarthy

In his article 'Consonant cluster neutralisation and targeted constraints', Wilson (2001) proposes a far-reaching revision of Optimality Theory to accommodate targeted constraints, which compare candidates differing only in certain specific ways. Targeted constraints, it is argued, can explain why cluster-simplification processes affect the first member of a cluster but never the more marked member of a cluster. In this remark, I show that this argument encounters difficulties once it has been embedded in a fuller picture of constraint interaction. Some general properties of the targeted-constraints model are also discussed.

Hot-Stove League Talk, Richard Buttny, Arthur D. Jensen

Richard Buttny

No abstract provided.

National Standards And The Diffusion Of Innovation: Language Teaching In The Usa, Ana I. Schwartz

Ana I Schwartz

No abstract provided.

Synchronization Of The Human Cortical Working Memory Network, Sharlene Newman, Marcel Just, Patricia Carpenter

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

Language And Place: "Pittsburghese", Barbara Johnstone

Barbara Johnstone

No abstract provided.

Reasons For Reason-Giving In A Public-Opinion Survey, Martha S. Cheng, Barbara Johnstone

Barbara Johnstone

No abstract provided.

On The Difference Between Raising And Control, Jill Heather Flegg, Ileana Paul

Ileana Paul

No abstract provided.

Does Study Abroad Make A Difference? An Investigation Of Linguistic And Motivational Outcomes, Heather W. Allen

Heather Willis Allen

Investigated linguistic and affective outcomes of summer study abroad participation by 25 college French students. Sought to determine if significant changes occurred in two linguistic factors--oral and listening French skills--and two affective factors--integrative motivation and language anxiety after study abroad.