401 research outputs found
Valuing variability:Dynamic usage-based principles in the L2 development of four Finnish language learners
Full text linkThe general aim of this study is to trace the second language (L2) development of four beginner learners of Finnish over one academic year from a dynamic usage-based perspective. Contrary to many previous studies, this study starts out from meanings, not forms. In other words, an onomasiological approach is adopted. The aim is to investigate what kind of constructions the learners use to express 1) evaluation and 2) existentiality. In line with a dynamic usage-based approach, the goal is to investigate three aspects of development: 1) the interaction between different linguistic means used to express a certain meaning and between the instruction and learning trajectories, 2) variability patterns in different subsystems and in different constructions, and 3) the abstractness of the constructions the learners used. Free response data consisting of both written and spoken texts were collected weekly from the four university students over a nine-month period. The findings are reported in four research articles and in the overview. They point to some general patterns in L2 development, even though the details show that L2 development is individually owned. For all learners, the constructions that they used to express evaluation show a competitive interaction with each other, although the timing of the phases of competition differed among the learners. For all learners, a higher degree of variability in the use of evaluative constructions could be detected at times of rapid progress than at times of slower progress. When two evaluative constructions were compared in terms of their abstractness, it was found that different levels of abstractness characterized their initial use. With expressions of existentiality, individual learning paths were also found: some learners tried out only a few different linguistic means to express this idea and seemed to need the instruction to point out the target construction. This study shows that starting an investigation of L2 development from meaning can give us valuable information about the mechanisms of change in a developing L2
Predictors and stages of very young child EFL learners’ English development in China
Full text linkHet aantal zeer jonge taalleerders is sterk toegenomen in de wereld, maar studies over deze populatie zijn er weinig. Het huidige proefschrift neemt Chinese kleuters die Engels leren in China als focus, en bestudeert hun gedragsontwikkeling in de klas (op basis van twee case studies) en de belangrijkste voorspellers op hun Engelse taalvaardigheid (op basis van twee groepsstudies). Er is gebruik gemaakt van geavanceerde statistische benaderingen, zoals repetition analyse en Bayes’ factoranalyse bij de vier onderzoeken. De case studies tonen de rijke variatie in termen van het vroege Engels leren g in de klas op interpersoonlijke en intrapersoonlijke niveaus. Kinderen verschillen in de timing en de mate van het gebruik van verbaal en non-verbaal gedrag in de Engels klas en deze variatie is waarschijnlijk gerelateerd aan hun temperament. Deze bevindingen zijn in tegenspraak met de wijdverbreide misvatting dat jonge kinderen identiek zijn en er geen redden zou zijn om de verschillen tussen kinderen te onderzoeken. De twee groepsstudies tonen aan dat zowel interne factoren (bijvoorbeeld fonologisch korte termijn geheugen) en externe factoren (bijvoorbeeld Engels thuis en SES) een rol spelen bij de ointwikkeling van hun Engels. Vergeleken met interne factoren, zijnexterne factoren (of omgevingsfactoren) meer van cruciaal belang in de vroege vreemde-talenonderwijs Er moet voldoende Engelse input en gebruik zijn, anders zijn de voordelen van vroege FL's beperkt. Dit strookt met Usage-based opvattingen over taalverwerving die ervan uitgaan dat taal wordt geconstrueerd door gebruik
Learning an L2 and L3 at the same time: Help or hinder?
Full text linkThe aim of this doctoral study is to investigate whether learning a third language (L3) alongside with a second language (L2) helps or hinders the L2 development. Assuming a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory perspective, the current study views language development as a complex dynamic system within which different subsystems are interconnected and in constant change. Such subsystems can be the linguistic subsystems, such as the learners’ L2 and L3, but also the language learning resources, such as the learners’ individual difference (ID) factors. The current study traced 160 participants for 9 months. Pre-test and post-test on the ID factors and L2 speaking proficiency were administrated. L2 writing texts were collected on a tri-weekly basis. The results show that overall, the L2+L3 learners developed their L2 writing to the same degree as the L2 learners did, but the beginning L2+L3 learners showed higher variability in writing fluency. In addition, the beginning L2+L3 learners started with a higher English motivation and gained more working memory than L2 learners during the observation. Moreover, the variability in L2 writing scores was the best and only predictor for L2 writing proficiency when compared to the ID factors at the pre-test. In sum, the current study suggested that 1) the addition of an L3 does not hinder L2 writing development within the 9 months of observation; 2) ID factors are constantly changing and may be trained by language learning; 3) the degree of variability indicates the dynamics in L2 writing development and predicts L2 writing gains
Tireless in His Service: Rasmus Andersen, Pastor and Author 1878-1924
No full textOf the four founders of the Danish Lutheran Church in America in 1872, the one concerning whom the most information exists is Rasmus Andersen. Yet it has been my observation that comparatively little is known about him. A reason for this is that, to my knowledge, no comprehensive biography exists, and there is almost nothing available in the English language. Most of the material that does exist is to be found in the Danes World Wide Archives ( Udvandrerarkivet ) in Aalborg, Denmark. According to Birgit Flemming Larsen, who oversees that archive, the Andersen collection is the largest at the Aalborg archive. It consists of 104 archival boxes, filled with books, letters, diaries, memoirs, ministerial records, copies of letters sent, unpublished manuscripts and much more. The Danes World Wide Archives constitutes a treasure trove for the researcher who is interested in Rasmus Andersen
Entrenchment and Language Attrition
No full textIn cognitive linguistics it is assumed that the strength of entrenchment of linguistic knowledge in human memory has a direct impact on the way that such knowledge is structured and processed: more deeply entrenched knowledge will be represented more holistically and processed more automatically. At the same time, this view implies that linguistic knowledge may erode if certain memory traces are not used for longer periods of time. This process of deterioration is called language attrition, but it is unclear how exactly this erosion will proceed, and to what extent it can be explained solely on the basis of the degree of entrenchment of linguistic constructions.
The present contribution reviews evidence on language attrition relevant to the perspective of entrenchment. We discuss to what extent factors such as the frequency and context of use impact on language attrition, and how different aspects of language are differentially affected by the attrition process due to, for example, the frequency of an item or crosslinguistic similarity. We conclude that attrition takes place at the intersection of a range of complex processes: while the strong entrenchment of the first language especially in later second language learners can explain the often minimal amount of attrition found in these populations, findings suggest that instead of the overall degree of entrenchment and L1 use it is an interplay between entrenchment and the differing ability of bilingual speakers to inhibit the L2 that impacts the amount of first language attrition
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