Phonetics and Phonology Commons^™

English Diphthongs For English Learners: The Same, But Different, Kristin Lems

Faculty Publications

In any language, diphthongs need to be reckoned with, but teaching diphthongs to learners of English as a new language requires greater insight and special skills. In this column, we take a look at English diphthongs, why they matter, and how they might be best handled when teaching English language learners.

Phonetic Attrition As An Outcome Of L1-L2 Phonetic Interaction: Effects Of L2 Exposure In Arabic-English Bilinguals, Dema Smadi

Linguistics & TESOL Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how length of second language (L2) exposure shapes the phonetic relationship between the first language (L1) and the L2 in adult Arabic-English bilinguals. Focusing on the production of voiced stops /b/ and /d/, the study examines how L1 Arabic and L2 English interact within a shared phonetic system and how this interaction develops as a function of increasing L2 exposure. Building on the Speech Learning Model and its revised version (SLM, SLM-r), the study adopts a relational perspective in which L1 and L2 are not treated as independent systems, but as dynamically interacting components of a shared …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Análisis Sociolingüístico De Una Hispanohablante En Harrisonburg, Virginia/Sociolinguistic Analysis Of A Spanish Speaker In Harrisonburg, Virginia, Tessa Adams

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Los patrones dialectales de hispanohablantes nativos quienes saben inglés como un idioma segundo han sido un foco para académicos lingüísticos por mucho tiempo. El estudio presente compara las experiencias de una hispanohablante nativo biligüe de Harrisonburg, Virginia, con patrones de voz que son común en otras investigaciones más amplias. Utilizando un formato de entrevista estructurado y un análisis hecho como en un caso práctico, la escritora muestra que que los rasgos lingüísticos de “Mirabel” alinea con aspetos claves de escolaridad existente mientras probando como una excepción a otras tendencias establecidas.

The dialectical patterns of native Spanish speakers who know English …

A Perceptual Investigation Of Speech Rhythm Based On A Continuum Of Durational Change, Matthew Benton

Linguistics & TESOL Dissertations - Archive

Speech rhythm is a complicated prosodic feature of spoken languages. Being a suprasegmental feature, it is not a clear cut difference between tonal (Chinese) and non-tonal (English) languages. The popularization of defining languages in terms of their speech rhythms was popularized in the mid 1900’s. Terms like syllable-timed and stress-timed were coined and ever since then there has been much debate on what is a speech rhythm and why particular languages have different rhythms. While speech rhythm was initially a study based on how a listener perceived a spoken language, it became much more focused on measurements and attempts to …

Language Learning Simulation Using Duolingo Assignment Description, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

It is likely that preservice teachers will work with students learning English as their second (third, fourth, etc.) language. For preservice teachers to better understand the language learning process, Duolingo was used to simulate the learning experience. The assignment description outlines how preservice teachers can reflection pre-simulation and post-simulation about what they learned about language learning.

Khmer Phonetics & Phonology: Theoretical Implications For Esl Instruction, Alex Donley

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis develops an approach to English teaching for Khmer-speaking students that centers on Khmer phonetics and phonology. Cambodia has a strong demand for English instruction, but consistently underperforms next to other nations in terms of proficiency. A significant reason for Cambodia’s skill gap is the lack of research into linguistic hurdles Khmer speakers face when learning English. This paper aims to bridge Khmer and English with an understanding of the speech systems that both languages use before turning to the unique challenges Khmer speakers must overcome based on the tenets of L1 Transfer Theory. It closes by outlining strategies …

Perception Of American–English Vowels By Early And Late Spanish–English Bilinguals, Miriam Baigorri, Luca Campanelli, Erika S. Levy

Publications and Research

Increasing numbers of Hispanic immigrants are entering the US and learning American–English (AE) as a second–language (L2). Previous studies investigating the relationship between AE and Spanish vowels have revealed an advantage for early L2 learners for their accuracy of L2 vowel perception. Replicating and extending such previous research, this study examined the patterns with which early and late Spanish–English bilingual adults assimilated naturally-produced AE vowels to their native vowel-inventory and the accuracy with which they discriminated the vowels. Twelve early Spanish–English bilingual, 12 late Spanish–English bilingual, and 10 monolingual listeners performed perceptual-assimilation and categorical-discrimination tasks involving AE /i,ɪ,ɛ,ʌ,æ,ɑ,o/. Early bilinguals …

Contextualized Recognition Of Fingerspelled Words, Campbell Mcdermid, Lynn Finton, Alexis Chasney

Journal of Interpretation

Fingerspelling, an aspect of American Sign Language, is difficult for second language English-speaking adults to learn (Bahleda, 1998), yet mastery is required by professional ASL-English interpreters. This study compared novice and expert interpreters’ interpretation of fingerspelled words under the assumption that exposure to priming material in their L1, English, would enable the interpreters to recognize those terms when fingerspelled in their L2, ASL. In this study, participants (15 novices, 15 experts) were asked to interpret an ASL text with 25 “carefully” fingerspelled words embedded. Ten subjects were not given priming materials, ten a list of words in printed English that …

Pedagogía De Hablantes De Herencia: Implicaciones Para El Entrenamiento De Instructores Al Nivel Universitario, Lina M. Reznicek-Parrado

Department of Modern Languages and Literatures: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study researches the differences in pedagogical needs between learners of Spanish as a Foreign Language (FL learners) and learners of Spanish as a Heritage Language (HL learners) at the university level. By using the UNL Modern Languages and Literatures Department as an illustrative case and based on an analysis of the Heritage Language student profile in the context of the United States, this study seeks to explore arguments in favor of providing training for university-level instructors of Spanish that responds to the specific pedagogical needs of Heritage Language Learners.

The relevancy of this study is not only based on …

Live...From The Language Lab., Ursula H. Raeth

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Teaching Pronunciation In An Undefined Curriculum, Joan Elaine Branson

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Observations On The Language Acquisition Of A Thai/English Bilingual Child, Michael A. Betcher

MA TESOL Collection

A child subject, bilingual in Thai and English, was studied during his 25th months for aspects of transference* and interference in his developing speech. A speach diary was kept on a daily basis. Attention was focused on prosodic features (intonation/tonality), word borrowing and code switching. Examples of all these phenomena were recorded, but the most significant was that of prosodic interference, wherein English intonation indicating stress, excitement or urgency was carried over into the strictly regulated Thai intonation system. * A term which is used to avoid the negative implications of "interference" and to indicate the use of a syncretic …

Bengali Sound-Color Fidel And Spelling Charts And Their Analysis, Husne Jahan Alam

MA TESOL Collection

The Sound-Color Fidel represents in color all the sounds of modern Bengali and is designed to facilitate the easy recognition and reproduction of those sounds. The colored Spelling Charts are a group of phonic codes which include all the signs and spellings of written Bengali arranged in vertical columns corresponding to the Sound-Color Fidel. They are designed to organize and simplify the complexities of written Bengali. My paper explains the assumptions about teaching and learning I developed during the production of the charts, my understanding of the sounds and spellings of the Bengali language and their arrangement on the charts …

A Resource And Idea Book ( For Teachers Of English To Speakers Of Other Languages ), Eleanor C. Boone, Rick Gildea, Pat Moran

MA TESOL Collection

This is a resource manual for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. Those teachers who should find the manual most useful are Peace Corps EFL teachers in host country secondary schools.

This manual is divided into two parts. The first part consists of seven chapters, the first six of which deal specifically with resources (teaching ideas, techniques and suggestions) for HOW to present, develop and reinforce Pronunciation, Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading, Writing and Conversation. There is an additional chapter on games as techniques for reviewing the language skills already taught.

The second part of the manual, the appendices, contains …

Spoken Bakhtiari, Gholam Hossein Rahmanian

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Visual Developmental Dyslexia In Children (Specific Language Disability), Sue Golden

MA TESOL Collection

Developmental Dyslexia is a disorder manifested by difficulty in learning to read, speak, and write, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and socio-cultural opportunity. Although this disorder affects approximately 10% of all school children, it remains unknown to many teachers, especially those in the field of English as a Second Language (ESL). The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the nature of this disorder and the current remedial methods and techniques being used. It also points out some of the discrepancies that exist between theory (the treatment that a child would ideally receive), and reality; this is …

The Importance Of Including In An Esl Program: A Study Of Intonation Patterns Used In Everyday Spoken English And Some Suggestions For Working With Intonation In The Classroom, A. Rebecca Cardozo

MA TESOL Collection

Native speakers of English rely on more than just words and grammatical structures to communicate their feelings, attitudes and intentions. In fact, it is often not the words and the grammar that convey the speaker's message. Rather, it is the speaker's intonation pattern, body language and voice volume that get the message across. It is the purpose of this paper to illustrate the importance of including in the ESL classroom a study of intonation patterns used in everyday spoken English. It is also the purpose of this paper to suggest materials and methods which could be used in the classroom …

Teaching Dari To English Speakers, Sajia Sultany

MA TESOL Collection

This project contains the materials, methods and rationale used in teaching Dari to a group of American Peace Corps Volunteers. Included in the materials covered are the Dari alphabet and the pronunciation of Dari phonemes as well as the basic grammatical structures and vocabulary in the course. The final segment of this project consists of five appendicies outlining specific materials used to teach alphabet, pronunciation and vocabulary.

Pronunciation And The Silent Way Fidel, Bonnie Mennell Moyer

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

English Language In The Akamba Classroom: Competition And Culture, Nancy E. Horn

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Teaching English To Japanese, Kayoko Hisano

MA TESOL Collection

This paper aims at offering some information on the background of Japanese students to native teachers of English. Japanese students have a unique background in English education, which it is advisable for teachers of English to know about if they are to be as effective as possible when teaching them.

CHAPTER I touches on why the Japanese learn English, and CHAPTER II examines the kind of English education that is taught at Japanese high schools. CHAPTER II covers linguistic differences between Japanese and English, and CHAPTER IV deals with the psychology of Japanese students.

The Use Of The Language Laboratory For Language Learning In Japan (English), Hideko Fukuhara

MA TESOL Collection

This is a work-related study concerning the language laboratory in Japan. It is primarily based on my working experience at the National L.L. School, my student teaching site, and at the Seibi Bunka Center (Seibi Cultural Center) where I worked as a coordinator sent from the National office. It is also supported by my study of selected articles in Modern Language Journal, books written by Japanese experts, a report of Osaka-fu Kagaku Kyoiku Center ( The Osaka Prefectural Educational Science Center) where I attended lectures on the language laboratory, and information from a questionnaire sent to secondary school teachers who …

Spare The Rod And Spoil The Child: An Approach To The Teaching Of English The Silent Way, Betty J. Stone

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Max: An Independent Professional Project, Elleen Gillespie

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.