Meaning in the Second Language

Meaning in the Second Language PDF Author: Roumyana Slabakova
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
ISBN: 3110211513
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 341

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Book Description
This book reviews recent research on the second language acquisition of meaning with a view of establishing whether there is a critical period for the acquisition of compositional semantics. A modular approach to language architecture is assumed. The book addresses the Critical Period Hypothesis by examining the positive side of language development: it demonstrates which modules of the grammar are easy to acquire and are not subject to age effects. The Bottleneck Hypothesis is proposed, which argues that inflectional morphology and its features present the most formidable challenge, while syntax and phrasal semantics pose less difficulty to learners. Findings from the neurofunctional imaging (PET, fMRI) and electrophysiology (ERPs) of L2 comprehension are reviewed and critically examined. Since it is argued that experimental tasks in those studies are mostly in need of linguistic refinement, evidence from behavioral studies of L2 acquisition of semantics are brought to bear on comprehension modeling. Learning situations are divided into two types: those presenting learners with complex syntax, but simple semantics; and those offering complex semantic mismatches in simple syntactic contexts. The numerous studies of both types reviewed in the book indicate that there is no barrier to ultimate success in the acquisition of phrasal semantics.

Meaning in the Second Language

Meaning in the Second Language PDF Author: Roumyana Slabakova
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
ISBN: 3110211513
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 341

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book reviews recent research on the second language acquisition of meaning with a view of establishing whether there is a critical period for the acquisition of compositional semantics. A modular approach to language architecture is assumed. The book addresses the Critical Period Hypothesis by examining the positive side of language development: it demonstrates which modules of the grammar are easy to acquire and are not subject to age effects. The Bottleneck Hypothesis is proposed, which argues that inflectional morphology and its features present the most formidable challenge, while syntax and phrasal semantics pose less difficulty to learners. Findings from the neurofunctional imaging (PET, fMRI) and electrophysiology (ERPs) of L2 comprehension are reviewed and critically examined. Since it is argued that experimental tasks in those studies are mostly in need of linguistic refinement, evidence from behavioral studies of L2 acquisition of semantics are brought to bear on comprehension modeling. Learning situations are divided into two types: those presenting learners with complex syntax, but simple semantics; and those offering complex semantic mismatches in simple syntactic contexts. The numerous studies of both types reviewed in the book indicate that there is no barrier to ultimate success in the acquisition of phrasal semantics.

Form-Meaning Connections in Second Language Acquisition

Form-Meaning Connections in Second Language Acquisition PDF Author: Bill VanPatten
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135614202
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
This volume addresses theoretical and research domains related to questions of how forms-meaning connections are initiated, processed, and stored, and what internal and external factors may affect these mappings.

In Other Words

In Other Words PDF Author: Ellen Bialystok
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
Explores the reasons why it is often difficult to learn a second language and explains how language acquisition can be a process of self-discovery.

Developing Advanced Literacy in First and Second Languages

Developing Advanced Literacy in First and Second Languages PDF Author: Mary J. Schleppegrell
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135643172
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
This book addresses the linguistic challenges faced by diverse populations of students at the secondary and post-secondary levels as they engage in academic tasks requiring advanced levels of reading and writing. Learning to use language in ways that meet academic expectations is a challenge for students who have had little exposure and opportunity to use such language outside of school. Although much is known about emergent literacy in the early years of schooling, much less has been written about the development of advanced literacy as students move into secondary education and beyond. Developing Advanced Literacy in First and Second Languages: Meaning With Power: *brings together work on first and second language acquisition and emphasizes the importance of developing advanced literacy in the first language, such as Spanish for bilingual students, as well as English; *spans a range of theoretical orientations and analytic approaches, drawing on work in systemic functional linguistics, genre theory, and sociocultural perspectives; *addresses the content areas of science, history, and language arts; *provides specific information about genres and grammatical features in these content areas; and *presents suggestions for teacher education. What unites the contributors to this volume is their shared commitment to a view of literacy that emphasizes both the social contexts and the linguistic challenges. The chapters collected in this volume contribute in important ways to research and pedagogy on advanced literacy development for the multilingual and multicultural students in today's classrooms. This book is particularly useful for researchers and students in language and education, applied linguistics, and others concerned with issues and challenges of advanced literacy development in first and second languages.

Meaning and Structure in Second Language Acquisition

Meaning and Structure in Second Language Acquisition PDF Author: Jacee Cho
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISBN: 9027263647
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 329

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Book Description
This volume presents a range of studies testing some of the latest models and hypotheses in the field of second/third language acquisition, such as the Bottleneck Hypothesis (Slabakova, 2008, 2016), the Scalpel Model (Slabakova, 2017), and the Interface Hypothesis (Sorace & Serratrice, 2009) to name a few. The studies explore a variety of linguistic properties (e.g., functional morphology, linguistic properties at the syntax-discourse interface) by focusing on distinct populations (L2 acquisition, L3/LN acquisition, Heritage Speakers), while also considering the links between experimental linguistic research, generative linguistics, and, in some cases, language pedagogy. Dedicated to Roumyana Slabakova, each chapter can be directly linked to her work in terms of the empirical testing of extant hypotheses, the formulation of new models and ideas, and her efforts to advance the dialogue between different disciplines and frameworks. Overall, the contributions in the volume bear evidence of Slabakova’s enduring influence in the field as a collaborator, teacher, and researcher.

Measuring Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition

Measuring Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition PDF Author: James Milton
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
ISBN: 1847693784
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
Measuring Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition provides an examination of the background to testing vocabulary knowledge in a second language and in particular considers the effect that word frequency and lexical coverage have on learning and communication in a foreign language. It examines the tools we have for assessing the various facets of vocabulary knowledge such as aural and written word recognition, the link with word meaning, and vocabulary depth. These are illustrated and the scores they produce are demonstrated to provide normative data. Vocabulary acquisition from course books and in the classroom in examined, as is vocabulary uptake from informal tasks. This book ties scores on tests of vocabulary breadth to performance on standard foreign language examinations and on hierarchies of communicative performance such as the CEFR.

Understanding Second Language Acquisition

Understanding Second Language Acquisition PDF Author: Lourdes Ortega
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 144411705X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
Whether we grow up with one, two, or several languages during our early years of life, many of us will learn a second, foreign, or heritage language in later years. The field of Second language acquisition (SLA, for short) investigates the human capacity to learn additional languages in late childhood, adolescence, or adulthood, after the first language --in the case of monolinguals-- or languages --in the case of bilinguals-- have already been acquired. Understanding Second Language Acquisition offers a wide-encompassing survey of this burgeoning field, its accumulated findings and proposed theories, its developed research paradigms, and its pending questions for the future. The book zooms in and out of universal, individual, and social forces, in each case evaluating the research findings that have been generated across diverse naturalistic and formal contexts for second language acquisition. It assumes no background in SLA and provides helpful chapter-by-chapter summaries and suggestions for further reading. Ideal as a textbook for students of applied linguistics, foreign language education, TESOL, and education, it is also recommended for students of linguistics, developmental psycholinguistics, psychology, and cognitive science. Supporting resources for tutors are available free at www.routledge.com/ortega.

Teachers' Roles in Second Language Learning

Teachers' Roles in Second Language Learning PDF Author: Bogum Yoon
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 1617358495
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
This book is designed to provide practical applications of sociocultural theory with regard to teachers’ roles in second language education. By providing specific examples of teachers’ roles in the classroom, the book aims to help researchers, teacher educators, and classroom teachers make clear connections between practice and theory in second language learning. All the studies in this edited book are conducted in the PreK-16 classroom setting. Each chapter presents rigorous research analysis within the framework of sociocultural theory and provides rich descriptions of teachers’ roles. The book is intended to be used in teacher education courses. The primary audience of the book is in-service teachers who work with second language learners (SLLs) in their classrooms including ESL/Bilingual classrooms or regular classrooms. Since many SLLs receive instructions both in the ESL/Bilingual classrooms and in the regular classrooms, it is important to discuss teachers’ roles in both settings. The secondary audience of the book is teacher educators and researchers who work with pre-service and in-service teachers in teacher education. This book will be an excellent resource for book study groups and practitioners working with professional learning communities.

Where Words Get their Meaning

Where Words Get their Meaning PDF Author: Marianna Bolognesi
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISBN: 9027260427
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
Words are not just labels for conceptual categories. Words construct conceptual categories, frame situations and influence behavior. Where do they get their meaning? This book describes how words acquire their meaning. The author argues that mechanisms based on associations, pattern detection, and feature matching processes explain how words acquire their meaning from experience and from language alike. Such mechanisms are summarized by the distributional hypothesis, a computational theory of meaning originally applied to word occurrences only, and hereby extended to extra-linguistic contexts. By arguing in favor of the cognitive foundations of the distributional hypothesis, which suggests that words that appear in similar contexts have similar meaning, this book offers a theoretical account for word meaning construction and extension in first and second language that bridges empirical findings from cognitive and computer sciences. Plain language and illustrations accompany the text, making this book accessible to a multidisciplinary academic audience.

Age and the Rate of Foreign Language Learning

Age and the Rate of Foreign Language Learning PDF Author: Carmen Muñoz
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
ISBN: 1847699774
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
This book examines the various ways in which age affects the process and the product of foreign language learning in a school setting. It presents studies that cover a wide range of topics, from phonetics to learning strategies. It will be of interest to students and researchers working in SLA research, language planning and language teaching.