First and Second Language Acquisition Commons^™

Techniques And Methods Change, Methodology Remains The Same: Web Technology Use As Cosmetic Change In Cfl Classrooms, Justin Olmanson, Xianquan Liu, Nannan Wang, Christopher Heselton

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

Technology has been a staple in the language classroom for more than fifty years. From audio cassettes, to video tapes, to multimedia CD-ROMs, to static and interactive web technologies, language teachers have taken the time to learn these tools and integrate them into the classroom experience. Each new technology, each new app, creates an opportunity to alter the experience of teaching and learning—often supporting increased authentic interactions with the Chinese language. This potential however can go unrealized when the ways the technologies are used align with more traditional grammar and vocabulary-focused teaching methodologies and promote efficiency over communication. In this …

Mandarin Assessment In Chinese-English Bilingual Preschoolers, Jennifer A. Chard

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Immigrant children who grow up in linguistically and culturally diverse households are at risk for misdiagnosis for language impairment and inappropriate placement in or exclusion from special education classes. Research shows that native language testing is essential in determining eligibility for disability services, as reflected both in federal law (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004). However, despite growing agreement that native language assessment is a critical component to understanding the abilities and challenges bilingual students face, the standard assessments currently used are largely administered in Standard English and normed on monolingual English speakers. Few options are available to …

Articulation Of The Japanese Moraic Nasal: Place Of Articulation, Assimilation, And L2 Transfer, Ai Mizoguchi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The moraic nasal /N/ in Japanese has been transcribed in multiple ways, but very few studies have examined its articulation. The nature of its assimilation has often been described in phonology, but again, very few articulatory investigations have been conducted. Also, while a first language (L1) effect on second language (L2) production has been discussed for some phonemes, there is no good research on the effect of Japanese /N/ on L2 English syllable-final nasals. This dissertation investigates the articulation of the moraic nasal /N/ in Japanese using an ultrasound articulatory imaging technique to assess 1) its place of articulation, 2) …

Variable Neutralization Of The Tap/Trill Contrast In A Bilingual Spanish-Creole Community, Falcon Restrepo-Ramos

World Languages & Cultures Department Publications

No abstract provided.

Editorial, Miglena Nikolova, Veronika Roth, Carina Staudte

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

No abstract provided.

Thematic And Narratological Affinities In George Eliot’S Felix Holt And Theodor Fontane’S Frau Jenny Treibel, Monica Felix

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

This article investigates affinities in George Eliot’s “Felix Holt: the Radical” and Theodor Fontane’s “Frau Jenny Treibel.” Both texts present suggestive narratological and thematic affinities in how the 19th-century female identity is articulated within the socio-political framework of society novels. This analysis interrogates the boundaries of a ‘sentimental education’ to uncover deeper layers distinguishing Bildung from Herzensbildung, thereby placing greater emphasis on women’s romantic education in the public performance of identity.

“[T]here is no private life which has not been determined by a wider public life... ”

-George Eliot, Felix Holt: The Radical

“Männer männlich, Weiber weiblich.”

-Theodor Fontane, …

Structuring Peer Review Activities For Beginning Learners Of German As A Second Or Foreign Language, Miglena Nikolova

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

The present paper offers a complete framework for effective implementation of peer review into beginning German language courses. The framework is informed by insights gained from research literature addressing the use of peer review and feedback provided by the students who were engaged in the peer review activities. The suggestions made in this paper have implications for materials development and would allow language instructors to make informed pedagogical decisions.

Aspekte Der Psychoanalyse Und Der Subjektivität In Judith Hermanns Erzählung ‘Sonja’, Martha Christine SüSs

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

Der vorliegende Artikel untersucht zwei Frauenfiguren aus der Erzählung ‘Sonja’ der Autorin Judith Hermann, die über ihr Sprechen Einblicke in die Verfasstheit ihres sprachanalog organisierten Unbewussten ermöglichen. Dabei deutet das volle Sprechen der Figur Verena auf eine erfolgreiche Subjektwerdung; das Sprechen der Figur Sonja hingegen auf eine erfolglose, die die Figur jedoch mehrmals mithilfe des namenlosen Ich-Erzählers nachzuholen versucht. Diese Versuche bleiben insgesamt erfolglos und Sonja verschwindet aus dem Leben des Erzählers, der für sie nicht mehr nutzbringend ist. Mithilfe der Arbeiten des Psychoanalytikers Jaques Lacan und des Ethnologen Claude Lévi-Strauss arbeitet der Artikel heraus, dass die Verwendung von Sprache …

Nicht Der Rede Wert? Zur Vielfalt Der Deutschen Sprache Im Fach Deutsch Als Fremdsprache, Naomi Shafer

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

Deutsch ist offizielle Amtssprache mehrerer europäischer Länder und Regionen. Doch selbstredend sprechen im amtlich deutschsprachigen Raum nicht alle Menschen genau gleich. Sprachliche Vielfalt findet sich aber nicht nur auf der Ebene von Dialekt und Regiolekt. Varietäten und Varianten zeigt sich auch in der mündlichen und schriftlichen Standardsprache – also in derjenigen Sprachform, um die es im Deutschunterricht ja üblicherweise geht.

Wie lässt sich die Diversität des Standard- bzw. Hochdeutschen im DACH-Raum linguistisch beschreiben und erklären? Hört man, ob jemand aus Deutschland, Österreich oder aus der Deutschschweiz kommt – auch dann, wenn der/die Sprecher/in auf einem schriftlichen Text basiert und …

How Much Do Emotional, Behavioral, And Cognitive Factors Actually Impact College Student Attitudes Towards English Language Learning? A Quantitative And Qualitative Study, Xin Zuo, Regina D. Weaver, Julia Macrae, Limin Wang

Intensive English Language Program Faculty Publications and Presentations

Researchers have proposed many multidimensional frameworks to identify significant and potential factors, e.g., educational background, positive feelings and career aspirations, that impact English learning attitude in second language acquisition. Yet, there is still very little research to graphically describe the interactions between these factors and how these factors directly or indirectly impact learning attitude. To this end, a questionnaire survey was conducted in Changchun University of Technology. Statistical measures and Bayesian network analysis were introduced to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the collected data. Furthermore, the significant attitudinal differences between students majoring in the Liberal Arts or Sciences were investigated for …

Einführung In Die Deutsche Linguistik / Introduction To German Linguistics, Christopher D. Sapp

Textbooks and Open Educational Resources

This book is an introduction to the study of German linguistics, for students whose native language is not German. Although there are many introductions to German linguistics, this is the first one that is written with intermediate-level second-language learners in mind. The book, therefore, has two primary goals: to introduce students to formal linguistics as it applies specifically to German, and to foster second language acquisition of German by connecting linguistic analysis to practical exercises in pronunciation, grammar, sociolinguistics, etc.

Storytelling Study, Samantha Irene Pepe

Honors Theses and Capstones

Expressive prosody (i.e., a manner of communication that is characterized by lively rhythm and tempo) and inexpressive prosody (i.e., monotone speech) present different environments for listening to a story during a read-aloud session. This study aims to assess whether there are visual attention differences for preschoolers in these varied prosodic environments and how this affects comprehension.

Dialogic Feedback And Its Effects On English Language Learners’ Writing Development: A Case Study, Shokhsanam Djalilova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory case study aimed to investigate the meanings that second language (L2) learners derive from their writing purposes revising processes and their engagement with dialogic feedback. The goal was to grasp the meaning that revision experiences had for L2 learners (n=17) and to understand the context within which they were operating and its influence on their revision behavior. In order to gain a better understanding of L2 learner engagement and investment in the revision processes which were bound to time and context the case study was built upon an ecological-semiotic approach to learning. The case study aimed to construct …

Beyond A Language Boundary: Encounters With Silence And L1 Spanish-Speakers' Willingness To Communicate In English, John Turnbull

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The descriptive multi-case study asks three adult migrants, first-language (L1) Spanish-speakers from México, about their interpretations of their own and others’ silences as they navigate daily life, jobs, family, and English-language learning in the United States. Subjective opinions about silence, their second-language (L2) acquisition processes, comfort levels in various speaking situations, functions of L2 communication, and affective and social dimensions of language learning are related to participants’ willingness to communicate (WTC), a construct that measures a predisposition to talk, rather than stay silent, in L2 interaction.

The research, through daily language-use surveys and semi-structured Spanish-language interviews with the three English-language …

Bilingualism, Executive Function, And Beyond: Questions And Insights, Irina A. Sekerina, Lauren Spradlin, Virginia V. Valian

Publications and Research

The papers in this volume continue the quest to investigate the moderating factors and understand the mechanisms underlying effects (or lack thereof) of bilingualism on cognition in children, adults, and the elderly. They grew out of a 2015 workshop organized by two of us (Irina Sekerina and Virginia Valian) at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, funded by NSF’s Developmental and Learning Sciences and Linguistics Programs (grant #1451631). The workshop’s goal was to bring together researchers whose fields did not always overlap and who could learn from each other’s insights. In attendance were linguists working on …

Exploring The Use Of Podcasts On Students’ Language Learning And Change Of Students’ Self-Efficacy About The Use Of Podcasts, Silvia Rehulina Ginting

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Similar to other types of mobile technologies, podcasts are believed to provide many advantages for language instruction, including English as a second language (ESL) learners’ listening skills and pronunciation and changes in their self-efficacy from using the podcasts for learning ESL. The convergent parallel mixed methods design used Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning and Bandura’s self-efficacy as foundations. It used 11 different instruments to collect quantitative data and qualitative data from two sections of an upper-intermediate ESL class at one university in Midwest United States. Quantitative data were collected using a pre-test, a post-test, and the note taking quizzes …

Principals' Perceptions Of Professional Development And Caring Communities For English Learners, Sunny Sue Chang Jonas

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A growing population of English Learners (ELs) have unique challenges when navigating the American educational system. In fact, there is an achievement gap such that EL students lag behind their native English peers in school outcomes. Accordingly, there is increased demand for professional development (PD) lead by principals to address the needs of the changing population of ELs. To support effective PD aimed at improved achievement for ELs, principals need embrace transformative thinking in their work. Although PD has the potential to be the driving force of change, traditional approaches to PD have limited impact on academic success of ELs. …

Ita Language Proficiency Testing: Recommended Replacement For The Speak® Test, Anne Marie Stoughton

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Oral language tests have been used since the 1950s to assess the proficiency of spoken language. In the 1980s and 1990s, the need for oral proficiency testing increased as states began to mandate that universities within their jurisdictions test the English proficiency of instructors due to growing concerns over international teaching assistants’ (ITAs) comprehensibility. Many universities turned to the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit® (SPEAK test), a language proficiency test created and distributed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), as means to test ITA proficiency in English. ETS’s discontinuance of the SPEAK test in 2010 has forced, and is forcing, …