Task-Modality and L1 Use in EFL Oral Interaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azkarai, Agurtzane; del Pilar García Mayo, María

2015-01-01

This study examines whether task-modality (speaking vs. speaking+writing) influences first language (L1) use in task-based English as a foreign language (EFL) learner-learner interaction. Research on the topic has shown that different task-modality triggers different learning opportunities with collaborative speaking tasks drawing learners'…

Language, Culture & Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lum, Lydia

2006-01-01

Nationally, foreign language faculty have been adjusting their curricula to ensure that today's college students know how to use technology to communicate effectively in languages other than their native tongue. Once upon a time, students were considered fluent if they could read, write, speak and aurally comprehend a foreign language. However…

Tact training versus bidirectional intraverbal training in teaching a foreign language.

PubMed

Dounavi, Katerina

2014-01-01

The current study involved an evaluation of the emergence of untrained verbal relations as a function of 3 different foreign-language teaching strategies. Two Spanish-speaking adults received foreign-language (English) tact training and native-to-foreign and foreign-to-native intraverbal training. Tact training and native-to-foreign intraverbal training resulted in the emergence of a greater number of untrained responses, and may thus be more efficient than foreign-to-native intraverbal training. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Applying Role-Playing Strategy to Enhance Learners' Writing and Speaking Skills in EFL Courses Using Facebook and Skype as Learning Tools: A Case Study in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yen, Yen-Chen; Hou, Huei-Tse; Chang, Kuo En

2015-01-01

English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction faces many challenges in Asia because of many cultural and environmental factors, such as the lack of interactive speaking environments, emphasis placed on test scores, and foreign language anxiety. The purpose of this research is to conduct an EFL instructional course by integrating Facebook…

Pragmatic Activities for the Speaking Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siegel, Joseph

2016-01-01

Being able to speak naturally and appropriately with others in a variety of situations is an important goal for many English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Because the skill of speaking invariably involves interaction with people and using language to reach objectives (e.g., ordering food, making friends, asking for favors), it is crucial…

Improving the English-Speaking Skills of Young Learners through Mobile Social Networking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Zhong; Lin, Chin-Hsi; You, Jiaxin; Shen, Hai jiao; Qi, Song; Luo, Liming

2017-01-01

Most students of English as a foreign language (EFL) lack sufficient opportunities to practice their English-speaking skills. However, the recent development of social-networking sites (SNSs) and mobile learning, and especially mobile-assisted language learning, represents new opportunities for these learners to practice speaking English in a…

The Unified Language Testing Plan: Speaking Proficiency Test. Russian Pilot Validation Studies. Report Number 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thornton, Julie A.

The report describes one segment of the Federal Language Testing Board's Unified Language Testing Plan (ULTP), the validation of the speaking proficiency test in Russian. The ULTP is a project to increase standardization of foreign language proficiency measurement and promote sharing of resources among testing programs in the federal government.…

The Unified Language Testing Plan: Speaking Proficiency Test. Spanish and English Pilot Validation Studies. Report Number 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thornton, Julie A.

This report describes one segment of the Federal Language Testing Board's Unified Language Testing Plan (ULTP), the validation of speaking proficiency tests in Spanish and English. The ULTP is a project to increase standardization of foreign language proficiency measurement and promote sharing of resources among testing programs in the federal…

Spelling Development in Arabic as a Foreign Language among Native Hebrew Speaking Pupils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russak, Susie; Fragman, Alon

2014-01-01

It has been suggested that linguistic proximity affects the ease of acquisition between typologically similar languages, due to the fact that the languages have shared phonological and orthographic properties (Koda, 2008). Thus, a native Hebrew speaker learning Arabic as a foreign language (AFL) would be expected to easily develop linguistic…

Students with Learning Disabilities in the Foreign Language Learning Environment and the Practice of Exemption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wight, Mary Caitlin S.

2015-01-01

This examination of the literature on foreign, or second, language learning by native English-speaking students with disabilities addresses the benefits of language learning, the practices and policies of language exemption, the perceptions of students and educators regarding those practices, and available resources for supporting students with…

Incidental Language Learning in Foreign Language Content Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodgers, Daryl M.

2015-01-01

This study examined the extent to which 40 students enrolled in upper level foreign language literary/cultural studies content courses showed evidence of incidental language learning over the course of a semester. Students completed a cloze passage and provided both writing and speaking samples at the beginning and end of the semester. In…

Language matters: thirteen-month-olds understand that the language a speaker uses constrains conventionality.

PubMed

Scott, Jessica C; Henderson, Annette M E

2013-11-01

Object labels are valuable communicative tools because their meanings are shared among the members of a particular linguistic community. The current research was conducted to investigate whether 13-month-old infants appreciate that object labels should not be generalized across individuals who have been shown to speak different languages. Using a visual habituation paradigm, Experiment 1 tested whether infants would generalize a new object label that was taught to them by a speaker of a foreign language to a speaker from the infant's own linguistic group. The results suggest that infants do not expect 2 individuals who have been shown to speak different languages to use the same label to refer to the same object. The results of Experiment 2 reveal that infants do not generalize a new object label that was taught to them by a speaker of their native language to an individual who had been shown to speak a foreign language. These findings offer the first evidence that by the end of the 1st year of life, infants are sensitive to the fact that the conventional nature of language is constrained by the language that a person has been shown to speak.

Improving Second Language Speaking Proficiency via Interactional Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Peter B.; Schlig, Carmen

2010-01-01

Researchers have suggested that interactional feedback is associated with foreign/second language learning because it prompts learners to notice foreign/second language forms. Using Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and Long's interaction hypothesis as conceptual frameworks, this study explores the use of systematic explicit feedback to…

Foreign Language Learning in Sweden.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orpet, Brian R.

1984-01-01

Describes a visit made to Sweden to ascertain why Swedish citizens speak such excellent English. Motivation was a key factor. Describes observations of the methods of teaching English as a second language in Swedish schools. Makes recommendations for foreign language teaching in Great Britain based on these observations. (SED)

32 CFR 68.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... Academic skills. Competencies in English, reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, and computer skills that..., degree competencies (e.g., foreign language, computer literacy), and elective course options that... course requirements, degree competencies (e.g., foreign language, computer literacy), and elective course...

32 CFR 68.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

.... Academic skills. Competencies in English, reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, and computer skills that..., degree competencies (e.g., foreign language, computer literacy), and elective course options that... course requirements, degree competencies (e.g., foreign language, computer literacy), and elective course...

EFL Teachers' Conceptions of Speaking Competence in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baleghizadeh, Sasan; Nasrollahi Shahri, Mohammad Naseh

2014-01-01

The present article lies at the intersection of research on teacher cognition and speaking competence in a second language. It is a qualitative analysis of teacher accounts of speaking in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Iran. More specifically, the study is an exploration of three EFL teachers' conceptions of learning and…

Foreign Language Anxiety on a Massive Open Online Language Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bárkányi, Zsuzsanna; Melchor-Couto, Sabela

2017-01-01

This paper examines learner attitudes, self-efficacy beliefs, and anxiety in a beginners' Spanish Language Massive Open Online Course (LMOOC) by answering three research questions: (1) how do learners feel about acquiring speaking skills on an LMOOC?; (2) do they experience anxiety with regards to speaking?; and (3) do their self-efficacy beliefs…

Language and EFL Teacher Preparation in Non-English-Speaking Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peretz, Arna S.

Linguistic and paralinguistic problems faced by non-native-English speakers training to be teachers of English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) in non-English-speaking environments are discussed. Relevant theories of second language learning and acquisition are reviewed, and the affective factors and sociocultural variables that appear to…

THE LANGUAGE LABORATORY. A HANDBOOK FOR TEACHERS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Orleans Public Schools, LA.

THE PURPOSE OF THE LABORATORIES IS TO DEVELOP FOUR BASIC SKILLS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY--AURAL UNDERSTANDING, SPEAKING, READING, WRITING, AND TO SUPPORT AN UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF THE CULTURE OF THE COUNTRY STUDIED. THE LABORATORY PROVIDES INDIVIDUAL SEMI-SOUNDPROOF BOOTHS EQUIPPED WITH HEADPHONES, MICROPHONES AND TAPE RECORDING…

Speaking Their Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Kevin

2009-01-01

Tapping into technology for foreign language learning is important, given that such learning is seen as vital to the nation's economic and cultural well-being. The development of technology has dovetailed nicely with a new paradigm of foreign language education, says Marty Abbott, director of education for the American Council on the Teaching of…

Creative Drama: A Possible Way to Alleviate Foreign Language Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saglamel, Hasan; Kayaoglu, Mustafa Naci

2013-01-01

This study aims to identify the language anxiety level of students studying at a Turkish state university, and investigate the role of creative drama in reducing language anxiety in speaking classes. To have a general picture of students, 565 students were administered an adapted version of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS).…

United States Special Operations Command’s Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus at ILR 1/1+: Initial Review and Recommended Changes to Improve Results and Lower Cost

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-01

to be useful for proficiency development, and with the limited research available, Doughty found that instructed language learners moved further...absolute speaking proficiency in languages taught at the Foreign Service Institute. Arlington, VA: Author. SOFLO Support Project USSOCOM’s Foreign...on language and linguistics 1999: Language in our time: Bilingual education and official English , ebonics and standard English , immigration and the Unz

Foreign body aspiration and language spoken at home: 10-year review.

PubMed

Choroomi, S; Curotta, J

2011-07-01

To review foreign body aspiration cases encountered over a 10-year period in a tertiary paediatric hospital, and to assess correlation between foreign body type and language spoken at home. Retrospective chart review of all children undergoing direct laryngobronchoscopy for foreign body aspiration over a 10-year period. Age, sex, foreign body type, complications, hospital stay and home language were analysed. At direct laryngobronchoscopy, 132 children had foreign body aspiration (male:female ratio 1.31:1; mean age 32 months (2.67 years)). Mean hospital stay was 2.0 days. Foreign bodies most commonly comprised food matter (53/132; 40.1 per cent), followed by non-food matter (44/132; 33.33 per cent), a negative endoscopy (11/132; 8.33 per cent) and unknown composition (24/132; 18.2 per cent). Most parents spoke English (92/132, 69.7 per cent; vs non-English-speaking 40/132, 30.3 per cent), but non-English-speaking patients had disproportionately more food foreign bodies, and significantly more nut aspirations (p = 0.0065). Results constitute level 2b evidence. Patients from non-English speaking backgrounds had a significantly higher incidence of food (particularly nut) aspiration. Awareness-raising and public education is needed in relevant communities to prevent certain foods, particularly nuts, being given to children too young to chew and swallow them adequately.

Sensitivity to the Learning Needs of Newcomers in Foreign Language Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Ana Maria

2008-01-01

This article focuses on the instructional needs of newcomers to the North American classrooms who already speak one or more foreign languages and who are coping with classroom-related language issues. It taps into positive instructional strategies that are culturally-validating and welcoming for these students. Inspired by an invited Oxford Round…

Culture Understanding in Foreign Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qu, Yi

2010-01-01

In the course of foreign language teaching, the priority should always be given to increase international understanding by enabling the students to enter into the life, thought, and literature of people who speak another language. The objective may vary from one period to another, but it should long be present in the thinking of our minds. The…

Video Dubbing Projects in the Foreign Language Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burston, Jack

2005-01-01

The dubbing of muted video clips offers an excellent opportunity to develop the skills of foreign language learners at all linguistic levels. In addition to its motivational value, soundtrack dubbing provides a rich source of activities in all language skill areas: listening, reading, writing, speaking. With advanced students, it also lends itself…

Developing Writing Proficiency for the Lower-Level Foreign Language Student.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeBoer, Valetta Jane

1984-01-01

Learning to communicate is important for today's foreign language student, and it is important to provide meaningful communicative experiences in writing as well as speaking the language. A letter exchange between peers can provide a meaningful and exciting writing experience for lower-level students. While not entirely without problems, arranging…

The Use of Foreign Languages in Tourism: Research Needs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watts, Noel

1994-01-01

Examines the research needs relative to the use of foreign languages in tourism activities in Australia and New Zealand. Findings indicate a lack of precise information on the ways in which the tourism industry in these countries provides appropriate language assistance to non-English speaking inbound visitors. Suggestions for future research are…

76 FR 4978 - Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant Proposals: National Security...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-27

... of 15 and 18 at the start of the program), in intensive, substantive overseas foreign language study... the learning and use of foreign languages by creating and optimizing overseas language study..., speaking, reading and writing), as verified through pre- and post- program assessment with a standardized...

Speaking Spontaneously in the Modern Foreign Languages Classroom: Tools for Supporting Successful Target Language Conversation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christie, Colin

2016-01-01

This article reports on the findings of a study into the conditions which promote spontaneous learner talk in the target language in the modern foreign languages (MFL) classroom. A qualitative case study approach was adopted. French lessons, with school students aged 11-16 years old, were observed and analysed with the aim of identifying tools and…

Speaking Foreign Languages in the United States: Correlates, Trends, and Possible Consequences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, John P.; Rivers, William P.; Brecht, Richard D.

2006-01-01

With President George W. Bush's unprecedented call in January 2006 to expand the foreign language capacity of the United States, it has become clear that languages other than English (LOE) are of great interest to public policy in the United States. Yet the language capacity of the United States remains poorly documented. The 2000 General Social…

Multilingual Learners and Foreign Language Acquisition: Insights into the Effects of Prior Linguistic Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de la Fuente, Anahí Alba; Lacroix, Hugues

2015-01-01

In foreign language classrooms we often find that, in addition to their mother tongue (L1), learners already speak--or are learning--at least one other language. As a result, they already have an array of linguistic and cognitive skills that may prove very useful if they are adequately exploited during the language learning process. However, in…

Foreign Languages and "Help Wanted": A Survey of Advertisements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savell, Don P.

1978-01-01

A survey of 360 "Positions Available" advertisements in "The Wall Street Journal" shows that there is a demand in the business and commercial world for persons with business, technical, or scientific training who can speak one or more foreign languages. (Author/SW)

Teaching English Speaking Skills to the Arab Students in the Saudi School in Kuala Lumpur: Problems and Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Sobhi, Bandar Mohammad Saeed; Preece, Abdul Shakour

2018-01-01

Of the four English language skills, speaking enjoys a superior status. Accordingly, it should be given high priority while teaching. In spite of its importance, teaching English speaking skill to Arab EFL learners has always been an exacting task for Arab teachers of English because it is considered a foreign language, i.e. not widely spoken or…

A Review of Research on the Effects of Second Life on Speaking Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Güzel, Serhat; Aydin, Selami

2014-01-01

Recent studies suggest that Second Life (SL) is a useful tool for educational purposes, specifically for the language learning. However, few studies provide data regarding the effect of SL on speaking anxiety of English as foreign language (EFL) learners. Thus, this paper aims at reviewing the studies on the role of SL as a language learning tool…

Semantic Radical Knowledge and Word Recognition in Chinese for Chinese as Foreign Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Su, Xiaoxiang; Kim, Young-Suk

2014-01-01

In the present study, we examined the relation of knowledge of semantic radicals to students' language proficiency and word reading for adult Chinese-as-a-foreign language students. Ninety-seven college students rated their proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in Chinese, and were administered measures of receptive and…

Factors Influencing the Use of Captions by Foreign Language Learners: An Eye-Tracking Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winke, Paula; Gass, Susan; Sydorenko, Tetyana

2013-01-01

This study investigates caption-reading behavior by foreign language (L2) learners and, through eye-tracking methodology, explores the extent to which the relationship between the native and target language affects that behavior. Second-year (4th semester) English-speaking learners of Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish watched 2 videos…

Possible Pedagogical Applications of a Talking Computer Terminal for the French-Speaking Blind to Foreign Language Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trescases, Pierre

A computer system developed as a database access facilitator for the blind is found to have application to foreign language instruction, specifically in teaching French to speakers of English. The computer is programmed to translate symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) into appropriate phonemes for whatever language is being…

The Role and the Use of Indonesian Language in the Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arung, Fernandes

2015-01-01

Mostly learners and even teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) are still not able to speak grammatically and fluently just because they lack of the Indonesian language proficiency and comprehension. This research was done to investigate how the Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) can assist the teachers and learners of EFL in improving their…

Advertisements: An Overlooked Resource in the Foreign Language Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deutsch, Rena

The use of newspaper and magazine advertisements for teaching foreign language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing as well as vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, grammar, pronunciation, and culture is encouraged and discussed. Suggested lessons and classroom activities are presented in four categories: vocabulary, grammatical rules…

Single-Center Study Investigating Foreign Language Acquisition at School in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults With Uni- or Bilateral Cochlear Implants in the Swiss German Population.

PubMed

Beeres-Scheenstra, Renske; Ohnsorg, Claudia; Candreia, Claudia; Heinzmann, Sybille; Castellanos, Susana; De Min, Nicola; Linder, Thomas E

2017-07-01

To evaluate foreign language acquisition at school in cochlear implant patients. Cohort study. CI center. Forty three cochlear implants (CI) patients (10-18 yr) were evaluated. CI nonusers and patients with CI-explantation, incomplete datasets, mental retardation, or concomitant medical disorders were excluded. Additional data (type of schooling, foreign language learning, and bilingualism) were obtained with questionnaires. German-speaking children with foreign tuition language (English and/or French) at school were enrolled for further testing. General patient data, auditory data, and foreign language data from both questionnaires and tests were collected and analyzed. Thirty seven out of 43 questionnaires (86%) were completed. Sixteen (43%) were in mainstream education. Twenty-seven CI users (73%) have foreign language learning at school. Fifteen of these were in mainstream education (55%), others in special schooling. From 10 CI users without foreign language learning, one CI user was in mainstream education (10%) and nine patients (90%) were in special schooling. Eleven German-speaking CI users were further tested in English and six additionally in French. For reading skills, the school objectives for English were reached in 7 of 11 pupils (64%) and for French in 3 of 6 pupils (50%). For listening skills, 3 of 11 pupils (27%) reached the school norm in English and none in French. Almost 75% of our CI users learn foreign language(s) at school. A small majority of the tested CI users reached the current school norm for in English and French in reading skills, whereas for hearing skills most of them were not able to reach the norm.

Chinese Students' Perceptions of Native English-Speaking Teachers in EFL Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rao, Zhenhui

2010-01-01

The article reports the views of 20 Chinese English as a foreign Language (EFL) students on the strengths and weaknesses of native English-speaking (NES) teachers in EFL teaching. Responding to an open-ended questionnaire and in-depth interviews, EFL students named the following as NES teachers' strengths: native language authenticity, cultural…

An Exploration of Speaking Anxiety with Kurdish University EFL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmed, Nehad Faisal

2016-01-01

The issue of language learning anxiety has been widely researched and investigated in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings. However, there have been very few studies conducted on this issue in Kurdistan, specifically about speaking anxiety in English classes. This study, therefore, aims to investigate Kurdish students' perceptions about…

A Comparative Analysis of Contracted versus Alphabetical English Braille and Attitudes of English as a Foreign Language Learners: A Case Study of a Farsi-Speaking Visually Impaired Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mobaraki, Mohsen; Nazarloo, Saber Atash; Toosheh, Elaheh

2017-01-01

In the educational system of Iran, in which English is a foreign language, the duration of primary school is six years. After that, these English as a foreign language students enter high school and start to learn English during an additional six-year period. In years seven and eight, English textbooks are embossed in alphabetic English braille;…

An "Heretical" Method for Teaching Foreign Languages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bar-Lev, Zev

This article presents an output-printed, lexically-based communicative teaching method. Specially designed to impart spontaneous speaking abilities for special students, it is a possible solution to broader problems of foreign language teaching. It is based on the assumption that acquisition-sequence is crucial to successful classroom study, but…

Reading Dilemmas in a Foreign Language Reduces Both Deontological and Utilitarian Response Tendencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muda, Rafal; Niszczota, Pawel; Bialek, Michal; Conway, Paul

2018-01-01

Moral dilemmas entail deciding whether to cause harm to maximize overall outcomes, such as killing 1 person to save 5. Past work has demonstrated that people are more willing to accept causing such outcome-maximizing harm when they read dilemmas in a foreign language they speak rather than their native language. Presumably this effect is due to…

"You Can Speak German, Sir": On the Complexity of Teachers' L1 Use in CLIL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gierlinger, Erwin

2015-01-01

Classroom code switching in foreign language teaching is still a controversial issue whose status as a tool of both despair and desire continues to be hotly debated. As the teaching of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is, by definition, concerned with the learning of a foreign language, one would expect the value of code switching…

Animacy Effect and Language Specificity: Judgment of Unaccusative Verbs by Korean Learners of English as a Foreign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pae, Hye K.; Schanding, Brian; Kwon, Yeon-Jin; Lee, Yong-Won

2014-01-01

This study investigated the tendency of overpassivization of unaccusative verbs by Korean learners of English as a foreign language (FL). Sixty Korean native college students participated in the study, along with 17 English-speaking counterparts serving as a comparison group. Consistent with the findings of previous research, this study found…

The Methodology of Foreign Language Integrative Teaching at the Initial Stage of Interpreter Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vedishenkova, Marina V.; Mironina, Anna Y.

2016-01-01

The topicality of the research is connected with the modern requirements to the education of future interpreters who are to speak a foreign language within the professional context. For this purpose, it is necessary to focus their language training at the initial stage of learning on forming their professional thinking. This raises the need for…

Voice Blogging and L2 Speaking Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Hsiu-Chen

2016-01-01

This paper reports on an exploratory study that investigated the effect of extensive speaking practice on the development of L2 speaking complexity, accuracy, and fluency in voice blogging. The participants were 30 college EFL (English as a foreign language) learners in Taiwan. As a supplement to the insufficient speaking practice in class, each…

Test Writing and Speaking at GCE Ordinary Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harding, Ann

1974-01-01

Discusses diversity which has arisen in testing of productive skills at GCE O level. Criteria to apply in assessment of foreign language acquisition, and writing and speaking tests in particular, are discussed, as well as the weighting of writing and speaking at O level. (RM)

Increasing Confidence to Decrease Reticence: A Qualitative Action Research in Second Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doqaruni, Vahid Rahmani

2015-01-01

This study reports on an action research on increasing the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' confidence in speaking. Participants involved in this study were 16 male university students who had an upper-intermediate level of English. Extra speaking activities were incorporated into the classroom for 8 successive weeks. Insights into…

The Effects of Video SCMC on English Proficiency, Speaking Performance and Willingness to Communicate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iino, Atsushi; Yabuta, Yukiko

2015-01-01

This paper introduces a case course with videoconferencing as a way of Synchronous Computer Mediated Communication (SCMC) for foreign language education in Japan. Research questions were to see the effects of videoconferencing on the learners' speaking ability and general English language proficiency, and also to see how the learners'…

The Acquisition of English Lexical Stress by Chinese-Speaking Learners: An OT Account

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuan, Man; Cheng, Wei

2017-01-01

Lexical stress is an important contributor to foreign accent as well as intelligibility of second language (L2) speech. The present study intends to find out to what extent Chinese-speaking learners whose native language has less evident stress can acquire English lexical stress. A production test was administered to nine advanced Chinese learners…

Arizona Bilingual Business and Office Education. Book 1--Bilingual Business Grammar.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chacon, Louis, Jr.; And Others

This book is the first in a set of four occupational and business education curriculum guides which were developed for Spanish speaking students with limited English speaking backgrounds and also for foreign language students who desire to reinforce their Spanish language skills. The guides are structured so that the teacher can provide service to…

Arizona Bilingual Business and Office Education. Book IV--Bilingual Business Careers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chacon, Louis, Jr.; And Others

This book is the fourth in a set of four occupational and business education curriculum guides which were developed for Spanish speaking students with limited English speaking backgrounds and also for foreign language students who desire to reinforce their Spanish language skills. The guides are structured so that the teacher can provide service…

Arizona Bilingual and Office Education. Book III--Bilingual Business Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chacon, Louis, Jr.; And Others

This book is the third in a set of four occupational and business education curriculum guides which were developed for spanish speaking students with limited English speaking backgrounds and also for foreign language students who desire to reinforce their Spanish language skills. The guides are structured so that the teacher can provide service to…

Arizona Bilingual Business and Office Education. Book II--Bilingual Business Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chacon, Louis, Jr.; And Others

This book is the second in a set of four occupational and business education curriculum guides which were developed for Spanish speaking students with limited Engligh speaking backgrounds and also for foreign language students who desire to reinforce their Spanish language skills. The guides are structured so that the teacher can provide service…

Pedagogical Values of Mobile-Assisted Task-Based Activities to Enhance Speaking Skill

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohammadi, Mojtaba; Safdari, Nastaran

2015-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of online mobile-assisted task-based activities on improving Iranian intermediate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' speaking skills. To achieve the purpose of the study, 90 intermediate language learners were selected ranging between 13 to 16 years old and divided into three…

Evaluating the Role of Writing in the First and Second Year University Foreign Language Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubert, Michael D.

2014-01-01

Approaches to foreign language (FL) instruction have changed a great deal in the past fifty years, the most fundamental change being the shift from a focus solely on language form to a focus on communicative competence (CC). Although most FL instructors now appear to focus on CC in the teaching of speaking, they do not necessarily apply CC to…

AI Tools for Foreign Language Training

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-01

certain of the four basic language skills (reading, writing, speak- ing, hearing ) are supported in this envircnmnnt. hile this argument is valid, we... skills . While this paper will not review the psycholinguistic parameters pertaining to foreign language learning, we mention it as cne of the essential...Institute Technologies for Skill Acquisition and Retention Technical Area Zita M. Simutis, Chief Training Research Laboratory Jack H. HiJler, Director U.S

"Sorry Can You Speak It in English with Me?" Managing Routines in Lingua Franca Doctor--Patient Consultations in a Diabetes Clinic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Gillian S.

2015-01-01

Research on the routines of doctor-patient consultations has been conducted in language and culture concordant dyads and in dyads where either doctor or patient uses a foreign language; yet there is an absence of scholarly engagement with consultations where both participants are using a foreign language. In seeking to address this gap, this…

Getting Them Speaking: Classroom Social Factors and Foreign Language Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Effiong, Okon

2016-01-01

This study, which focuses on foreign language anxiety (FLA) experienced by Japanese learners of English in four universities, explores causative agents by looking into the classroom. The research questions aim to explore how FLA is influenced by classroom social factors. The study adopted qualitative data collection procedures, and the field work…

Trivial Pursuit in the Foreign Language Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Monika

Trivial Pursuit is a fascinating and popular game most students are familiar with in English. Most are also eager to play it in a foreign language, with the result that inhibitions about speaking are reduced or eliminated and many structures are used. The game is available in German, French, Italian, and Spanish. Some questions about…

Speak Out and Touch Someone. The OMLTA Yearbook, 1983.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snyder, Barbara, Ed.

A number of topics of interest to secondary school foreign language teachers are discussed in this issue. The following articles are included: (1) "Teaching and Learning a Foreign Language via Tele(Video)phone: A Futuristic Mini-Computer Design," by G. Harewood; (2) "Meeting Students' Communication Needs," by B. Marckel and "Functional/Notional…

Phonological similarity influences word learning in adults learning Spanish as a foreign language

PubMed Central

Stamer, Melissa K.; Vitevitch, Michael S.

2013-01-01

Neighborhood density—the number of words that sound similar to a given word (Luce & Pisoni, 1998)—influences word-learning in native English speaking children and adults (Storkel, 2004; Storkel, Armbruster, & Hogan, 2006): novel words with many similar sounding English words (i.e., dense neighborhood) are learned more quickly than novel words with few similar sounding English words (i.e., sparse neighborhood). The present study examined how neighborhood density influences word-learning in native English speaking adults learning Spanish as a foreign language. Students in their third-semester of Spanish language classes learned advanced Spanish words that sounded similar to many known Spanish words (i.e., dense neighborhood) or sounded similar to few known Spanish words (i.e., sparse neighborhood). In three word-learning tasks, performance was better for Spanish words with dense rather than sparse neighborhoods. These results suggest that a similar mechanism may be used to learn new words in a native and a foreign language. PMID:23950692

Using Raters from India to Score a Large-Scale Speaking Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xi, Xiaoming; Mollaun, Pam

2011-01-01

We investigated the scoring of the Speaking section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language[TM] Internet-based (TOEFL iBT[R]) test by speakers of English and one or more Indian languages. We explored the extent to which raters from India, after being trained and certified, were able to score the TOEFL examinees with mixed first languages…

Kommunikative und rezeptive Kompetenz als didaktische und paedagogische Lernziele des schulischen Fremdsprachenunterrichts (Communicative and Receptive Competence as Didactic and Pedagogical Teaching Goals in School Foreign Language Teaching).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wendt, Michael

1980-01-01

School foreign language texts should use dialogs oriented to likely actual needs of the learners. Learning goals in schools, unlike those of language courses for adults, should include social competence and personality building. The following are discussed: course content, methodology, and the use of media for developing speaking and receptive…

Discrimination in the TESOL Profession in Mexico: Voices and Perspectives of English as a Foreign Language Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia-Ponce, Edgar Emmanuell; Lengeling, M. M.; Mora-Pablo, I.

2017-01-01

Over the last three decades, research has centred the attention on discrimination within TESOL motivated by issues concerning the distinction between native- and non-native English speaking teachers. However, based upon the authors' experience as English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers and researchers, it is claimed that discrimination in…

The Perilous Legitimacy of the Foreign-Born Spanish Instructor in the U.S.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barahona, Byron A.

2014-01-01

This article discusses the perilous legitimacy and professional vulnerability of the foreign-born Spanish instructor in the U.S. First, it examines the academic goals of language and in particular Spanish departments regarding the development of language proficiency, the study of cultural values of the Spanish-speaking world, and the place of…

Using Original Methods in Teaching English Language to Foreign Students (Chinese) in Indian Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devimeenakshi, K.; Maheswari, C. N. Baby

2012-01-01

The article gives information on English language teaching schemes in Indian classrooms for foreign students. The teacher monitors as facilitator and instructor. The trainees were trained in the four macro skills, LSRW. I taught some topics in three skills, namely, writing, listening and reading (just three, not speaking skills) to Chinese…

Can Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) Help Beginning-Level Foreign Language Learners Speak?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ko, Chao-Jung

2012-01-01

This study investigated the possibility that initial-level learners may acquire oral skills through synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC). Twelve Taiwanese French as a foreign language (FFL) students, divided into three groups, were required to conduct a variety of tasks in one of the three learning environments (video/audio, audio,…

5 CFR 9901.364 - Foreign language proficiency pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... particular language skills; (3) The difficulty of recruiting or retaining employees with the same... least two skills (listening, reading, speaking, or writing, as required). (2) FLPP may be paid for...

How Do Raters from India Perform in Scoring the TOEFL iBT[TM] Speaking Section and What Kind of Training Helps? TOEFL iBT[TM] Research Report. RR-09-31

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xi, Xiaoming; Mollaun, Pam

2009-01-01

This study investigated the scoring of the Test of English as a Foreign Language[TM] Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT[TM]) Speaking section by bilingual or multilingual speakers of English and 1 or more Indian languages. We explored the extent to which raters from India, after being trained and certified, were able to score the Speaking section for…

Interrelationship between learning English language and students' medical education.

PubMed

Milosavljević, Natasa

2008-01-01

Medical students and researchers need to learn English, not only because it is the means of teaching and learning, but also because its knowledge is necessary in their research activities. The objective of this study was to determine the importance of the study of English language learning for student medical education. The investigation was carried out among students of the Medical Faculty of Nis in 2006. The investigation included 312 students of all years of study and departments and was conducted using a questionnaire. Average rate in writing skill was 4.64 +/- 0.6, in speaking skill 4.62 +/- 0.6, while the students of the College of Nursing showed significantly lower average value. The average value of learning the foreign language was: writing (3.161 +/- .09); speaking (3.27 +/- 1.1); reading (3.84 +/- 1.0) and understanding (3.85 +/- 1.1). The students of the College of Nursing showed significantly lower grades in comparison to the other three Departments. The comparison analysis was done in order to determine the relation of writing and speaking skills in mother tongue and foreign language. As for the English language, the relation of writing and speaking skills was very strong (Pearson C = 0.641, p < 0.01), while in the mother tongue it was slightly lower (Pearson C = 0.44, p < 0.01). The percentage of students satisfied with their economic status was 55% and with social status 79%. The writing and speaking skills in the mother tongue and in English were significantly positively associated with students' satisfaction with their social and economic status, while satisfaction with achievements at the Faculty was associated only with the ability of verbal expression in the mother tongue. The students' satisfaction with their social and economic status was mostly associated with good oral skills in English, which indicates that good knowledge of a foreign language is of great influence on the status of an individual in a society.

Test-Takers' Strategic Behaviors in Independent and Integrated Speaking Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barkaoui, Khaled; Brooks, Lindsay; Swain, Merrill; Lapkin, Sharon

2013-01-01

This study investigated the strategic behaviors that test-takers reported using when responding to integrated and independent speaking tasks in an English oral proficiency test [the Speaking Section of the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language[TM] (TOEFL iBT)] and the relationship between test-takers' strategic behaviors and their…

Effects of Storytelling to Facilitate EFL Speaking Using Web-Based Multimedia System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Wu-Yuin; Shadiev, Rustam; Hsu, Jung-Lung; Huang, Yueh-Min; Hsu, Guo-Liang; Lin, Yi-Chun

2016-01-01

This study applied storytelling in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom in order to promote speaking skills. Students were asked to practice speaking EFL through producing individual and interactive stories with a Web-based multimedia system. We aimed to investigate an effectiveness of applying individual and interactive storytelling…

EFL Learners' Beliefs about Native and Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers: Perceived Strengths, Weaknesses, and Preferences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chun, Sun Young

2014-01-01

Although the number of native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts has increased in recent years with the emergence of English as an international language, only a few studies on NESTs and non-NESTs have extensively and directly examined students' beliefs about these two groups of teachers. To fill this…

Effects of Summary Writing on Oral Proficiency Performance within a Computer-Based Test for Integrated Listening-Speaking Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Zhihong; Wang, Yanfei

2014-01-01

The effective design of test items within a computer-based language test (CBLT) for developing English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' listening and speaking skills has become an increasingly challenging task for both test users and test designers compared with that of pencil-and-paper tests in the past. It needs to fit integrated oral…

Dutch courage? Effects of acute alcohol consumption on self-ratings and observer ratings of foreign language skills.

PubMed

Renner, Fritz; Kersbergen, Inge; Field, Matt; Werthmann, Jessica

2018-01-01

A popular belief is that alcohol improves the ability to speak in a foreign language. The effect of acute alcohol consumption on perceived foreign language performance and actual foreign language performance in foreign language learners has not been investigated. The aim of the current study was to test the effects of acute alcohol consumption on self-rated and observer-rated verbal foreign language performance in participants who have recently learned this language. Fifty native German speakers who had recently learned Dutch were randomized to receive either a low dose of alcohol or a control beverage that contained no alcohol. Following the experimental manipulation, participants took part in a standardized discussion in Dutch with a blinded experimenter. The discussion was audio-recorded and foreign language skills were subsequently rated by two native Dutch speakers who were blind to the experimental condition (observer-rating). Participants also rated their own individual Dutch language skills during the discussion (self-rating). Participants who consumed alcohol had significantly better observer-ratings for their Dutch language, specifically better pronunciation, compared with those who did not consume alcohol. However, alcohol had no effect on self-ratings of Dutch language skills. Acute alcohol consumption may have beneficial effects on the pronunciation of a foreign language in people who have recently learned that language.

Equipping K-4 Children to Speak Any Foreign Language with an Authentic Accent

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zuckermann, Ghil'ad; Benmark, Gadi

2010-01-01

In today's rapidly changing globalizing world, it is hard to predict which of many languages a child can learn today will be most useful to them twenty and thirty years from now, when they enter a global work place, interact socially with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, and may face relocation opportunities to foreign countries. Some…

Providing English Foreign Language Teachers with Content Knowledge to Facilitate Decoding and Spelling Acquisition: A Longitudinal Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahn-Horwitz, Janina

2016-01-01

This quasi-experimental study adds to the small existing literature on orthographic-related teacher knowledge in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context. The study examined the impact of a course on English orthography on predominantly non-native-speaking EFL preservice and inservice teachers' orthographic content knowledge, and the extent…

Language and Higher Education: Two Current Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brumfit, Christopher

2004-01-01

For higher education, two recent changes in world language practices are crucial: the emergence of English as the default language of international communication, and the technology of the Internet. The first appears to have contributed to problems of motivation for English-speaking learners of foreign languages. Information is provided about…

The Language Laboratory and Modern Language Teaching. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stack, Edward M.

Since the audiolingual forms of a foreign language (hearing and speaking) must be controlled before the graphic skills (reading and writing) are taught, exercises in a language laboratory, which affords students intensive, active, individual drill, ought to precede written exercises on the same material. The three major forms of language…

Foreign Language Needs of U.S. Businesses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kordsmeier, William; Arn, Joe; Rogers, Betty

2000-01-01

Of 171 human resource managers in multicultural corporations, 78.9% indicated the need for employees with second language fluency, especially in Spanish (69.6%). Second language speaking skills were in higher demand than reading or writing. Second language ability is a major consideration in hiring, promotion, and retention. (SK)

Validating TOEFL[R] iBT Speaking and Setting Score Requirements for ITA Screening

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xi, Xiaoming

2007-01-01

Although the primary use of the speaking section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based test (TOEFL[R] iBT Speaking) is to inform admissions decisions at English medium universities, it may also be useful as an initial screening measure for international teaching assistants (ITAs). This study provides criterion-related…

A Measure of EFL Public Speaking Class Anxiety: Scale Development and Preliminary Validation and Reliability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yaikhong, Kriangkrai; Usaha, Siriluck

2012-01-01

The present study contributes to developing a Public Speaking Class Anxiety Scale (PSCAS) to measure anxiety in the EFL public speaking class in the Thai context. Items were adopted from previous scales: Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) by Horwitz et al. (1986); Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24) and Personal…

Mastering Foreign Language Competence of Ecology and Environment Managers for Mining Industry of Kuzbass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenwald, Oksana; Islamov, Roman; Sergeychick, Tatyana

2017-11-01

The necessity to solve nature conservation problems of Kuzbass mining industry demands from postgraduate education institutions to train highly qualified specialists in ecology and environment management. As 21st century education is competence-based one, the article clarifies the concept of competence in education, focuses on key competences, namely foreign language competence and its relevance for specialists in ecology and environment management. Foreign language competence is acquired through the course of "Foreign Language" discipline which covers the following aspects: academic reading, academic writing and public speaking. The article also describes the experience of organizing students' individual work taking into account their motivation and specific conditions of the discipline as well. Thus, both the content of the discipline and the approach to organize students' learning contribute to mastering foreign language competence of ecology and environment managers as inherent condition of their professional efficiency for solving ecological problems of mining industry in Kuzbass region.

Unanswered Questions in Colombia's Foreign Language Education Policy (Preguntas por responder en la política educativa de lenguas extranjeras en Colombia)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonilla Carvajal, Camilo Andrés; Tejada-Sánchez, Isabel

2016-01-01

Following the trend of much of the Western, non-English speaking world, Colombia has tirelessly strived for spreading English education in an effort to augment economic benefits. This paper aims at providing a critical account of foreign language education policy in Colombia, with special attention to English. It outlines the impact of its…

The Views of the American Founding Fathers on the Study of the Modern Foreign Languages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pentlin, Susan Lee

The Founding Fathers of the United States placed great importance on the learning of foreign languages and on excellence in reading and writing English. Sacrifices in the curriculum in favor of English were justified by the desire that Americans speak and write English as well as the British. Above all, the Founding Fathers were concerned with the…

The Performance and Pedagogy of Migration in the Foreign Language Classroom: Staging Roland Schimmelpfennig's "Der Goldene Drache"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guenther, Christina

2017-01-01

This article explores how drama pedagogy in the foreign language classroom serves as a unique avenue for approaching the global issue of migration in the context of German-speaking Europe. The article focuses on how staging a contemporary play about migration, such as Roland Schimmelpfennig's "Der goldene Drache" (2009), in German for an…

Common American Attitudes That Help and Hinder in Communicating in a Foreign Culture. ACTFL Master Lecture Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geno, Thomas H.

Five American cultural characteristics hinder communication in foreign cultures: feelings of Anglo-American superiority, a myopic and insular mentality due to geographic isolation, lack of international perspective, chronic anti-intellectualism, and snobism attributed to the speaking of foreign languages by those who do not. Professionals teaching…

Resilience in Language Learners and the Relationship to Storytelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Kate; Stanley, Nile; Stanley, Laurel; Wang, Yonghui

2015-01-01

International students, who study a foreign language abroad, experience more adversities than their domestic peers. The social challenges they face include problems with immigration status, isolation, difficulty speaking a new language, and learning unfamiliar customs. There is limited research focused on the coping strategies of these…

The Impact of Powerful Oral Language Lab on Chilean EFL Preservice Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Hsuying Chiou; Andruske, Cynthia Lee

2013-01-01

This exploratory qualitative case study reports the impact of using a public-speaking structure (Powerful Oral Language Lab [POLL]) in teaching preservice Chilean English pedagogy students. It describes how this task-based method of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher training is related to language strategic competence. Twenty students…

Who Needs Linguistics? Service-Learning and Linguistics for Spanish Heritage Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Llombart-Huesca, Amàlia; Pulido, Alejandra

2017-01-01

In recent years, the World Languages field has witnessed an increased interest in service-learning (SL) initiatives. Many SL projects focus on the potential that Spanish-speaking communities offer students of Spanish, as a foreign language, to increase their language skills and cultural understanding of these communities. Some authors, however,…

Tutoring between Language with Comparative Multilingual Tutoring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brendel, Christian

2012-01-01

Writers who do not speak English as a native language perennially have presented unique challenges to the writing center, for these writers, who study English as a second language (ESL), or even as a third or fourth foreign language (EFL), may also be unacquainted with American academic discourse. ESL/EFL writers may face unfamiliarity with…

Predicting Foreign Language Usage from English-Only Social Media Posts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Volkova, Svitlana; Ranshous, Stephen M.; Phillips, Lawrence A.

Social media is known for its multicultural and multilingual interactions, a natural product of which is code-mixing. Multilingual speakers mix languages they tweet to address a different audience, express certain feelings, or attract attention. This paper presents a large-scale analysis of 6 million tweets produced by 23 thousand multilingual users speaking 11 other languages besides English. We rely on this multilingual corpus to build predictive models for a novel task – inferring non- English languages that users speak exclusively from their English tweets. We contrast the predictive power of different linguistic signals and report that lexical content and syntactic structuremore » of English tweets are the most predictive of non-English languages that users speak on Twitter. By analyzing cross-lingual transfer – the influence of non-English languages on various levels of linguistic performance in English, we present novel findings on stylistic and syntactic variations across speakers of 11 languages.« less

I Help, Therefore, I Learn: Service Learning on Web 2.0 in an EFL Speaking Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Yu-Chih; Yang, Fang-Ying

2015-01-01

The present study integrates service learning into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) speaking class using Web 2.0 tools--YouTube and Facebook--as platforms. Fourteen undergraduate students participated in the study. The purpose of the service-learning project was to link service learning with oral communication training in an EFL speaking class…

Native-English-Speaking Teachers in Cultures Other Than Their Own.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barratt, Leslie; Kontra, Edit H.

2000-01-01

Reports on two studies that directly surveyed the clients of native speaking teachers--their students and their English-as-a-foreign-language host colleagues. The aim was to get a consumer's view of what works and what does not for a visiting teacher in a strange land and to provide guidance for native speaking teachers who plan to work overseas,…

Validation of Empirically Derived Rating Scales for a Story Retelling Speaking Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirai, Akiyo; Koizumi, Rie

2013-01-01

In recognition of the rating scale as a crucial tool of performance assessment, this study aims to establish a rating scale suitable for a Story Retelling Speaking Test (SRST), which is a semidirect test of speaking ability in English as a foreign language for classroom use. To identify an appropriate scale, three rating scales, all of which have…

Computational Linguistics in Military Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

information dominance at the operational and tactical level of war in future warfare. Discussion: Mastering culture and language in a foreign country is decisive to understand the operational environment. In addition, the ability to understand and speak a foreign language is a prerequisite to achieve truly comprehension of an unfamiliar culture. Lasting operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and the necessity to breach the language gap lead to progress in the field of Machine Translation and the development of technical solutions to close the gap in the past decade. This paper

Motivation to Speak English: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dincer, Ali; Yesilyurt, Savas

2017-01-01

Based on a modern motivation theory of learning, self-determination theory (SDT), this study aimed to investigate the relationships between English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' motivation to speak, autonomous regulation, autonomy support from teachers, and classroom engagement, with both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The…

Using Moos To Help Learn English; Video Jigsaw; Practicing Speaking with Follow-Up Interviews and Student-Read Dictations; "Ask the Expert": Oral Presentations that Work; The Medium Is the Message.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, James; Reynolds, Judith; Noble, P. C.; Altschuler, Lee; Schauber, Holli

2001-01-01

Four short articles provide teaching tips for the English-as-a-Second/Foreign-Language classroom, including the use of Moos, a video jigsaw, practicing oral language skills with interviews and student-read dictations, an ask the expert activity which builds learner confidence in speaking in front of groups of people. (Author/VWL)

What Can I Do to Help?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higgs, Theodore V.

Recent developments in the foreign language education community indicate how concerned teachers are becoming with their students' degree of competence in speaking the languages they are learning. A variety of conferences, reports, and projects testify to the desire to make increased second language proficiency a matter of national importance. The…

Speaking in Many Tongues: Essays in Foreign Language Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivers, Wilga M.

This collection of 10 essays on the nature of second language learning focuses mainly on distinctions between the audiolingual and the cognitive-code theory of learning and also on the interrelationships between psychology, linguistics, and second language learning. A synthesis which cuts across divisions in methodology, caused by superficial…

Significance of Literature in Foreign Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Babaee, Ruzbeh; Yahya, Wan Roselezam Bt Wan

2014-01-01

This research aims to consider literature as a significant tool for teaching fundamental language skills including speaking, listening, reading and writing. Reasons for the use of literature in language classrooms and major factors for choosing appropriate kinds of literary texts in such classes should be highlighted in order to make readers aware…

O processo de aquisicao das vogais semi-abertas "e,""o" portuges (brasileiro) como lingua estrangeira (Vowels "e" and "o" in Brazilian Portuguese as a Foreign Language).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simoes, Antonio R. M.; Kelm, Orlando R.

1991-01-01

Study looks at whether Spanish-speaking learners of Brazilian Portuguese as a foreign language demonstrates advantage or disadvantage in acquisition of semi-open vowels e and o. To research the question, eight students enrolled in first-year Portuguese were given a listening discrimination test composed of 18 minimal pairs to determine the extent…

Learning Diaries in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom: A Tool for Accessing Learners' Perceptions of Lessons and Developing Learner Autonomy and Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porto, Melina

2007-01-01

The aim of this study was to learn from students' frame of reference how they experience foreign language classes. Data include learning diaries written during 2005 for more than 35 weeks (March to November). Subjects were 95 Argentine, Caucasian, mostly female, middle-class, Spanish-speaking College students between 19 and 21 years of age who…

Simulated Oral Proficiency Interviews: Recent Developments. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malone, Margaret

This digest discusses the simulated oral proficiency interview (SOPI), a performance-based, tape-mediated speaking test. The SOPI follows the general structure of the oral proficiency interview (OPI) used by government agencies and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) to measure speaking proficiency. Whereas the OPI is…

Digitally Speaking: How to Improve Student Presentations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Erik

2012-01-01

All teachers at all grade levels and in all subject areas assign speaking activities--for example, read-alouds, book reports, class discussions, lab results, research presentations, and dialogues in a foreign language. Effective communication is an essential skill in modern society, and the Common Core State Standards place particular emphasis on…

Are Communication Strategies Teachable?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Samantha

2011-01-01

This article discusses the teachability of communication strategies in the EFL classroom. As well as reflecting on the nature of speech production in the mother tongue, it looks at some of the difficulties encountered when speaking in a foreign language and the inherent difficulties in "teaching" speaking as a skill. It focuses on different types…

Forum: The Language Barrier: A Hidden Prejudice?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wasser, Bonnie L.

1980-01-01

The author, a tutor and adoptive mother of non-English-speaking children, warns teachers against unconsciously talking down to non-English-speaking students or treating them as stupid. Stressing the importance of cultural respect and nonverbal communication, she gives tips for acclimatizing the foreign child to the American classroom. (SJL)

Korean EFL Learners' Perspectives on Speaking Tasks: Discussion, Summary, and Information-Exchange Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mihye, Kim

2014-01-01

This study investigates Korean university English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners' task preference among three different speaking tasks. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires and qualitative data were collected from interviews. Quantitative data were obtained from 88 survey respondents and qualitative data from 50 interview…

Task and Tool Interface Design for L2 Speaking Interaction Online

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appel, Christine; Robbins, Jackie; Moré, Joaquim; Mullen, Tony

2012-01-01

Learners and teachers of a foreign language in online and blended learning environments are being offered more opportunities for speaking practice from technological developments. However, in order to maximise these learning opportunities, appropriate task-based materials are required which promote and direct student to student interaction in…

Profiles of Turkish Pre-Service Teachers of English in Terms of Language Learning Background

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uztosun, Mehmet Sercan

2017-01-01

This study aims to describe the language learning backgrounds of Turkish pre-service teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) with reference to their perceived language competence and satisfaction with perceived speaking ability. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a questionnaire that was administered to 365 first-year…

Hospital library foreign language labs: the experiences of two hospital libraries.

PubMed

Whelan, Julia S; Schneider, Elizabeth; Woodworth, Karl; Markwell, Linda Garr

2006-01-01

Increasingly, hospital-based physicians, residents, and medical students are welcoming into their care foreign-born patients, who do not speak English. Most hospitals today have an Interpretive Services Department, but many of the physicians, residents, and medical students want to become more proficient in the most frequently spoken foreign languages in their respective locales. To help recruit and retain a diverse workforce, some hospitals sponsor English programs for staff. The Treadwell Library at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Grady Branch Library at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, have developed a special collection and hospital library-based language laboratories in order to meet this need.

Investigating the Use of Interactive Whiteboards during the Pre-Task Phase of Speaking Tasks in the Secondary English Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Handley, Zoe

2012-01-01

Working within a task-based approach to the teaching of speaking, two interactive whiteboard-based pre-task activities focusing on different phases of the speech production process (Levelt, 1989) were developed and compared with an activity based on the speaking activities currently offered in English as a foreign language course books. The first…

On the Relationship between Listening and Speaking Grades of Al-Balqa Applied University English as a Foreign Language Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abu-Snoubar, Tamador K.

2017-01-01

This paper aims at exploring the relation between the two skills of listening and speaking. In addition, it tries to investigate the presence of any gender differences in this relation. To achieve these ends, the listening and speaking exams marks of (122) EFL students registered in the "English 102" on-line compulsory course were…

Literary Discussions and Advanced-Superior Speaking Functions in the Undergraduate Language Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darhower, Mark

2014-01-01

During the last decade, researchers of foreign language pedagogy have become increasingly interested in the "language-literature divide" (Donato and Brooks 2004). The purpose of the current study is to contribute to this growing body of research by investigating the extent to which whole class discussions in three third-year…

The English or Foreign Language Major and Liberal Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liberal Education, 2009

2009-01-01

Study in language, literature, and culture has long been a defining feature of education in the liberal arts. Speaking, reading, and writing have traditionally stood at the heart of education because the arts of language and the tools of literacy are key qualifications for full participation in social, political, economic, and cultural life. Today…

Usage of Mother Tongue in Learning English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tosuncuoglu, Irfan

2012-01-01

In Turkey, where English is a foreign language and where learners share the same native language, teachers are often reluctant to use small group speaking activities because the learners do the ranking, bridge the information gap, or find an answer activities using their first (native) language. This article studies the problem and suggests a…

Language and Culture in the Multiethnic Community: Spoken Language Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matluck, Joseph H.; Mace-Matluck, Betty J.

This paper discusses the sociolinguistic problems inherent in multilingual testing, and the accompanying dangers of cultural bias in either the visuals or the language used in a given test. The first section discusses English-speaking Americans' perception of foreign speakers in terms of: (1) physical features; (2) speech, specifically vocabulary,…

Linguistic Distance Effect on Cross-Linguistic Transfer of Morphological Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Dongbo

2013-01-01

This study examined transfer facilitation effect of first language morphological awareness on second language lexical inference ability among Grade 6 Chinese-speaking English as a foreign language learners in China. A set of paper and pencil tests was administered to measure children's morphological awareness and lexical inference ability in both…

Extraversion/Introversion and Gender in Relation to the English Pronunciation Accuracy of Arabic Speaking College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassan, Badran A.

The relationship between both extraversion/introversion and gender to the pronunciation accuracy of English as a foreign language was examined. Instruments for this study included a specifically developed introversion scale and an English language pronunciation accuracy test. Subjects were third-year English language specialists. It was found…

The Role of Language in National Re-Branding: A Sociolinguistic Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olaoye, Anthony Ayodele

2013-01-01

Language, whether indigenous or foreign, is a marker of identity. The language that a man speaks, the names he bears, the songs he sings, the tribal marks on his cheeks, his country's national anthem, coat of arms and national flags are symbols of personal and national identity. Language education policy, which shapes a man's global and local view…

Neo-Liberalism, Globalization, Language Policy and Practice Issues in the Asia-Pacific Region

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Majhanovich, Suzanne

2014-01-01

By the beginning of the twenty-first century, the English language had become the de facto "lingua franca" of the modern world. It is the most popular second or foreign language studied, such that now there are more people who have learned English as a second language and speak it with some competence than there are native English…

Teaching Practice and Cultural Difference of an English as Foreign Language Classroom in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, Hsien-Chung; Yang, Cheng-Cheng

2012-01-01

Uninterrupted interactions of merchants and travelers from different countries stress the significance of English. The purpose of the study was to investigate what cultures and teaching practices are different between native English-speaking teachers and Taiwanese senior high school students. Three native English-speaking teachers and six…

Users' Familiar Situational Contexts Facilitate the Practice of EFL in Elementary Schools with Mobile Devices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Wu-Yuin; Chen, Holly S. L.

2013-01-01

It is beneficial for students to experience situational learning, especially for English as a foreign language (EFL) learning. Providing more listening and speaking opportunities could help EFL students with English learning. Our research proposes a listening and speaking practice system employing personal digital assistants (PDAs) for situated…

English-Speaking Foreign Domestic Helpers and Students' English Reading Attainment in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tse, Shek Kam; Lam, Raymond Y. H.; Loh, Elizabeth K. Y.; Ip, Olivia K. M.; Lam, Joseph W. I.; Chan, Yiu Man

2009-01-01

The English reading comprehension ability of 4,352 Grade 4 Hong Kong students was tested. The students' parents completed questionnaires about home factors, including monthly income, language habitually spoken at home, whether the mother was employed, and whether an English-speaking domestic helper resided there. Analyses revealed statistically…

You Are What You Speak

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Motluk, Alison

2003-01-01

Does the language one speaks influence the way he thinks? Does it help define his world view? Anyone who has tried to master a foreign tongue has at least considered the possibility. Little linguistic peculiarities, though amusing, don't change the objective world people are describing. So how can they alter the way they think? Scientists and…

The Development and Evaluation of Listening and Speaking Diagnosis and Remedial Teaching System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, Hsien-Sheng; Chang, Cheng-Sian; Lin, Chiou-Yan; Chen, Berlin; Wu, Chia-Hou; Lin, Chien-Yu

2016-01-01

In this study, a system was developed to offer adaptive remedial instruction materials to learners of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL). The Chinese Listening and Speaking Diagnosis and Remedial Instruction (CLSDRI) system integrated computerized diagnostic tests and remedial instruction materials to diagnose errors made in listening…

Applied Linguistics and Language Acquisition in the Elementary Education Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Napier Boyer, Pamela

2010-01-01

The purpose of this research was to ascertain if the reading comprehension skills of English-speaking fifth grade students improve when they study a second language. The research was done in an inner-city elementary school in Rochester, New York. The researcher provided a weekly after-school workshop in foreign languages for a group of children…

On Culture Infiltration and the Strategy Integrated with Specialty Characteristics in College English Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Juan

2017-01-01

Language is an indispensable part of culture, and it is also a major carrier and medium of culture communication and transmission. Learning a foreign language means not only learning basic language knowledge, training and improving the ability of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating, but enriching the cross-cultural awareness,…

International Business: Stumbling Through the Communications Corridor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waltz, Loren E.

The increasing need for employees of U.S. businesses to speak the language of the customer is explored. It is shown that the need for foreign language skills in business far exceeds the supply and continues to increase. In the past, the detrimental impact of lack of language skills in U.S. business has been masked by the competitive advantage…

Overcoming Language and Cultural Barriers in School: Helping Hispanic Students Acquire Success in Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivey, Pauline S.

2011-01-01

Research shows that Hispanic second language students are not as successful as their English-speaking peers in school. The problem is in part due to several factors: curriculum deliverance in a foreign language, cultural differences, and family/school disconnect. Current census reports reveal that Hispanic populations in the United States, and…

Modern Languages and Distance Education: Thirteen Days in the Cloud

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dona, Elfe; Stover, Sheri; Broughton, Nancy

2014-01-01

This research study documents the journey of two modern language faculty (Spanish and German) from their original beliefs that teaching foreign languages can only be conducted in a face-to-face format to their eventual development of an online class using Web 2.0 technologies to encourage their students' active skills of reading and speaking in…

An Effective Role of E-Learning Technology for English Language Teaching by Using Meta Communication Actors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Istifci, Ilknur; Lomidazde, Tamar; Demiray, Ugur

2011-01-01

Meta communication plays a key role in foreign language learning and teaching. Broadly speaking, meta communication is communication about communication. Meta communication is something that goes beyond communication and all language learners and teachers should be familiar with its existence. It should be stressed that meta communication which…

Peace Corps Language Training Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peace Corps, Washington, DC. Information Collection and Exchange Div.

This competency-based curriculum in foreign language learning for Peace Corps volunteers is designed for beginning learners and stresses listening and speaking skills. The curriculum contains the following components: an initial Scope and Sequence chart; three sections on activities (General, Grammar, and Listening), 14 topic area units (the core…

Japanese Elementary School Teachers and English Language Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Machida, Tomohisa

2016-01-01

"Foreign language activities" (English) officially began in Japanese elementary schools in April 2011. Since that starting date, and despite insufficient knowledge and preparation, classroom teachers have been required to instruct in English. They also have been required to team-teach with native-English-speaking assistant language…

English as Cultural Action.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prodromou, Luke

1988-01-01

Discusses teaching and learning English as a foreign language in its cultural context, and the culture of the native speaker of English and its relation to the culture of the learner. Native-speaking teachers should recognize the international status of English and work from local varieties of the language. (Author/LMO)

Second and foreign language listening: unraveling the construct.

PubMed

Tafaghodtari, Marzieh H; Vandergrift, Larry

2008-08-01

Identifying the variables which contribute to second and foreign language (L2) listening ability can provide a better understanding of the listening construct. This study explored the degree to which first language (L1) listening ability, L2 proficiency, motivation and metacognition contribute to L2 listening comprehension. 115 Persian-speaking English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university students completed a motivation questionnaire, the Language Learning Motivation Orientation Scale, a listening questionnaire, the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire, and an English-language proficiency measure, as well as listening tests in English and Persian. Scores from all measures were subjected to descriptive, inferential, and correlational analyses. The results support the hypothesis that variability in L2 listening cannot be explained by either L2 proficiency or L1 listening ability; rather, a cluster of variables including L2 proficiency, L1 listening ability, metacognitive knowledge and motivation orientations can better explain variability in L2 listening ability.

The Use of Technology as an Oral Achievement Testing Tool: Analysis of Students' Perceptions and Oral Performance in a Portuguese Language Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santana-Paixao, Raquel C.

2017-01-01

Oral testing administration plays a significant role in foreign language programs aiming to foster the development of students' speaking abilities. With the development of language teaching software, the use of computer based recording tools are becoming increasingly used in language courses as an alternative to traditional face-to-face oral…

"When Music Speaks": Auditory Cortex Morphology as a Neuroanatomical Marker of Language Aptitude and Musicality.

PubMed

Turker, Sabrina; Reiterer, Susanne M; Seither-Preisler, Annemarie; Schneider, Peter

2017-01-01

Recent research has shown that the morphology of certain brain regions may indeed correlate with a number of cognitive skills such as musicality or language ability. The main aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which foreign language aptitude, in particular phonetic coding ability, is influenced by the morphology of Heschl's gyrus (HG; auditory cortex), working memory capacity, and musical ability. In this study, the auditory cortices of German-speaking individuals ( N = 30; 13 males/17 females; aged 20-40 years) with high and low scores in a number of language aptitude tests were compared. The subjects' language aptitude was measured by three different tests, namely a Hindi speech imitation task (phonetic coding ability), an English pronunciation assessment, and the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT). Furthermore, working memory capacity and musical ability were assessed to reveal their relationship with foreign language aptitude. On the behavioral level, significant correlations were found between phonetic coding ability, English pronunciation skills, musical experience, and language aptitude as measured by the MLAT. Parts of all three tests measuring language aptitude correlated positively and significantly with each other, supporting their validity for measuring components of language aptitude. Remarkably, the number of instruments played by subjects showed significant correlations with all language aptitude measures and musicality, whereas, the number of foreign languages did not show any correlations. With regard to the neuroanatomy of auditory cortex, adults with very high scores in the Hindi testing and the musicality test (AMMA) demonstrated a clear predominance of complete posterior HG duplications in the right hemisphere. This may reignite the discussion of the importance of the right hemisphere for language processing, especially when linked or common resources are involved, such as the inter-dependency between phonetic and musical aptitude.

The Effect of Pecha Kucha Presentations on Students' English Public Speaking Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coskun, Abdullah

2017-01-01

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the Pecha Kucha presentation format on English as foreign language learners' public speaking anxiety. The participants were 49 students in the English Translation and Interpretation Department of a state university in Turkey. A pre- and post-test experimental research design was used in…

ENGLISH FOR TODAY. BOOK FIVE, LIFE IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

SLAGER, WILLIAM R.; AND OTHERS

ON AN UPPER-INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED LEVEL OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE FOR SECONDARY STUDENTS, "LIFE IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES" IS THE FIFTH VOLUME IN THE "ENGLISH FOR TODAY" SERIES. THE MAIN EMPHASIS IN THIS VOLUME IS THE TRANSITION FROM READING TO COMPOSITION. EACH OF THE 14 READINGS IS FOLLOWED BY INTENSIVE COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS,…

A Study of Sociolinguistic Characteristics of Taiwan Children's Peer-Talk in a Mandarin-English-Speaking Preschool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Li-Chen; Hyun, Eunsook

2009-01-01

This qualitative study presents sociolinguistic characteristics of peer-talk of 44 children in a Mandarin-English-speaking preschool in Taiwan where English was taught as a foreign language (EFL). Key findings: teacher-dominated talk influences children's peer-talk; EFL and code-switching emerge in spontaneous peer-talk; children actively engage…

Effects of Using Mobile Devices on English Listening Diversity and Speaking for EFL Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Wu-Yuin; Huang, Yueh-Min; Shadiev, Rustam; Wu, Sheng-Yi; Chen, Shu-Lin

2014-01-01

This study designed learning activities supported by a mobile learning system for students to develop listening and speaking skills in English as a foreign language (EFL). How students perceive learning activities and a mobile learning system were examined in this study. Additionally, how different practices relate to students' language…

The Use of the 3/2/1 Technique to Foster Students' Speaking Fluency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molina, Mireya; Briesmaster, Mark

2017-01-01

For learners of English as a foreign language (EFL), fluency is one of the most difficult aspects to develop within the speaking skills. The Chilean teaching context has witnessed a gradual shift from the traditional grammar-translation approach to a more communicative one, thereby making it necessary to discover new strategies to develop…

EFL Learners' Beliefs about Speaking English and Being a Good Speaker: A Metaphor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dincer, Ali

2017-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the beliefs of English as foreign language (EFL) learners about speaking in English and being a good speaker of English through metaphor analysis. A phenomenological approach was adopted and 60 EFL learners completed a questionnaire with demographic questions and two prompts focusing on the characteristics of a good…

Spanish Basic Course: Units 46-55.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trease, B. David; Ulsh, Jack L.

This final volume in a series of four texts was prepared as an intensive language course in Spanish for Foreign Service Officers and other United States government agencies involved in foreign affairs who need to learn to speak Spanish. This volume differs from the first three primarily in that it is geared to advanced students whose…

A Mobile Game-Based English Vocabulary Practice System Based on Portfolio Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Ting-Ting; Huang, Yueh-Min

2017-01-01

English learning has become a vital educational strategy in many non-English-speaking countries. Vocabulary is a critical element for language learners. Therefore, developing sufficient vocabulary knowledge enables effective communication. However, learning a foreign language is difficult and stressful. In addition, memorizing English vocabulary…

Television, Dialogue Journals, and Feedback in the EFL Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ennis, Mark

1997-01-01

An approach used to teach English as a foreign language (EFL) and American culture that addresses the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading writing) in a complementary, non-contrived way is described. Classroom activities combine television viewing, discussion, writing, and reading journal entries. Students watch small segments of…

Improving Students' English Speaking Proficiency in Saudi Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alharbi, Heba Awadh

2015-01-01

In English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts, the absence of authentic language learning situations outside the classroom presents a significant challenge to improving students' English communication skills. Specific obstacles in the learning environment can also result in students' limited use of English inside the classroom. These issues…

Affective strategies, attitudes, and a model of speaking performance development for engineering students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijirahayu, S.; Dorand, P.

2018-01-01

Learning English as a Foreign language (EFL) as one of the challenges especially for students majoring in Telecommunication Engineering to develop their communication skill as a professional could be one of the chances for them to face a more global era. Yet, there are important factors that may influence the progress of the speaking performance and attitude is one of them. Therefore, a survey involving two main psychological variables in language learning namely attitude and affective strategies and the third variable is speaking performance was conducted and a model of affective strategies in language learning developing through the application of Content Language Integrated Learning and multimedia instruction was introduced. This study involved 71 sophomore students and two classes of university students majoring in Telecommunication Engineering and Electrical Engineering. The researchers used both survey and action research method with quantitative as well as qualitative in approach.

The Arabic Story: Mirror of a Culture a Curriculum for the West

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Mallakh, Olfat

2007-01-01

For so long the Americans did not see the need to learn a foreign language. They did not perceive this dire need. Speaking a language is not about making a noise of different sounds. It is about culture, mannerism, history, literature, customs, religion (s), mentality, and wisdom that translate into a language. Today, the West is forced to learn…

Foreign Language Education: Principles of Teaching English to Adults at Commercial Language Schools and Centers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tarnopolsky, Oleg

2016-01-01

The ever-increasing spread of English as the language of global communication leads to ever-increasing demand for learning it among adult populations of non-English-speaking countries. If such people did not have a chance of acquiring English during their school or university years but urgently need it for professional or personal purposes, they…

Arguing about How the World Is or How the World Should Be: The Role of Argument in IELTS Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coffin, Caroline

2004-01-01

Non native speakers of English wishing to study at tertiary level in English speaking countries are increasingly required to prove their English language competence by taking an internationally recognised test such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS). This article…

Phonological Short-Term Memory, Working Memory and Foreign Language Performance in Intensive Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kormos, Judit; Safar, Anna

2008-01-01

In our research we addressed the question what the relationship is between phonological short-term and working memory capacity and performance in an end-of-year reading, writing, listening, speaking and use of English test. The participants of our study were 121 secondary school students aged 15-16 in the first intensive language training year of…

The Anxiety Factors among Saudi EFL Learners: A Study from English Language Teachers' Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asif, Fariha

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that trigger language anxiety among Saudi learners in English as Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. The factor of anxiety is especially found among learners while developing proficiency in over all communication and speaking skills as felt by the EFL teachers. The study also seeks to answer…

Nasreddin Hodja Tales May Inspire Turkish Foreign Language Gifted and Talented Students to Speak Better English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yurtbasi, Metin

2016-01-01

This study deals with a special methodology to meet the special needs of Turkish gifted and talented students (GTS) in terms of improving their English oral proficiency. Most GTS are known to have been born also "gifted in languages". Their language awareness shows by their "communicative skills, creative flair and arguing and…

The Computer Integration into the EFL Instruction in Indonesia: An Analysis of Two University Instructors in Integrating Computer Technology into EFL Instruction to Encourage Students' Language Learning Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prihatin, Pius N.

2012-01-01

Computer technology has been popular for teaching English as a foreign language in non-English speaking countries. This case study explored the way language instructors designed and implemented computer-based instruction so that students are engaged in English language learning. This study explored the beliefs, practices and perceptions of…

TOEFL iBT Speaking Test Scores as Indicators of Oral Communicative Language Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bridgeman, Brent; Powers, Donald; Stone, Elizabeth; Mollaun, Pamela

2012-01-01

Scores assigned by trained raters and by an automated scoring system (SpeechRater[TM]) on the speaking section of the TOEFL iBT[TM] were validated against a communicative competence criterion. Specifically, a sample of 555 undergraduate students listened to speech samples from 184 examinees who took the Test of English as a Foreign Language…

Activities Contributing a Great Deal to the Students' Interactive Skills in Foreign Language Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asatryan, Susanna

2016-01-01

While teaching speaking it is desired to provide a rich environment in class for meaningful communication to take place. With this aim, various speaking activities can contribute a great deal to students in developing their interactive skills necessary for life. These activities make students active in the learning process and at the same time…

Performance of First Year University Students in the Speaking Tasks of a Simulated University Entrance Examination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia Laborda, Jesus; Luque Agullo, Gloria; Muñoz, Ana Isabel; Bakieva, Margarita

2015-01-01

The debate over the Foreign Language Test (English) in the University Entrance Examination (PAU) has become a critical issue in the Spanish Educational system. Despite the Ministry of Education's interest in changing a test that has its strong emphasis on reading, writing and grammar but a general negligence towards listening and speaking, limited…

Taiwan-Educated Teachers of English: Their Linguistic Capital, Agency, and Perspectives on Their Identities as Legitimate English Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, Pei Chia

2017-01-01

NNESTs have diverse educational backgrounds. For example, a number of non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) have obtained their degrees abroad in English-speaking countries and have returned to their countries in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) contexts, working alongside NNESTs who have been educated domestically. Yet, little is known…

German-American Bilingualism: Cui Malo? Mother Tongue and Socioeconomic Status among the Second Generation in 1940.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamphoefner, Walter D.

1994-01-01

Utilizes language data from the 1940 Census Public Law Sample to measure the socioeconomic impact of a foreign mother tongue by comparing second-generation Germans who grew up speaking German and English, respectively. Results show that the disadvantages of a foreign mother tongue proved to be negligible for this group. (GR)

Learning Icelandic Language and Culture in Virtual Reykjavik: Starting to Talk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bédi, Branislav; Arnbjörnsdóttir, Birna; Vilhjálmsson, Hannes Högni; Helgadóttir, Hafdís Erla; Ólafsson, Stefán; Björgvinsson, Elías

2016-01-01

This paper describes how beginners of Icelandic as a foreign and second language responded to playing the first scene in Virtual Reykjavik, a video game-like environment where learners interact with virtual characters--Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs). This game enables learners to practice speaking and listening skills, to learn about the…

Broadsheet English: Teaching English through Newspaper Articles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akdemir, Ahmet Selcuk; Barin, Muzaffer; Demiroz, Hakan

2012-01-01

In this study it is aimed to debate whether newspaper articles can be used as speaking materials in foreign language courses as they include most actual and living language patterns by all means. A quasi-experimental study has been carried out at Vocational School of Tourism and Hotel Services of Erzincan University. Thirty-eight preparatory…

L2 Willingness to Communicate (WTC) and International Posture in the Polish Educational Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mystkowska-Wiertelak, Anna; Pietrzykowska, Agnieszka

2011-01-01

Speaking, the language skill whose mastering appears to be the ultimate aim of every attempt at learning a foreign language, constitutes a formidable challenge. Apart from involving the online interaction of complex processes of conceptualization, formulation, articulation and monitoring (Levelt, 1989), it appears prone to numerous psychological…

The Influence of Topics on Listening Strategy Use for English for Academic Purposes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chou, Mu-hsuan

2015-01-01

Listening is an essential skill for English as a Foreign Language learners studying in English-speaking universities to succeed in various fields of study. To comprehend subject material and improve listening effectiveness, learners are generally advised to develop strategies which help them process the target language in specific contexts.…

Native- and Non-Native Speaking English Teachers in Vietnam: Weighing the Benefits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walkinshaw, Ian; Duong, Oanh Thi Hoang

2012-01-01

This paper examines a common belief that learners of English as a foreign language prefer to learn English from native-speaker teachers rather than non-native speakers of English. 50 Vietnamese learners of English evaluated the importance of native-speakerness compared with seven qualities valued in an English language teacher: teaching…

Femme, Frau, Mujer: A World of Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roe, Mary Jane B.

In response to requests from students for information about the role of women in target-language cultures, a curriculum was developed by the Minneapolis public schools for women's studies in the high school foreign language classroom. The focus was on women in French, German, and Spanish-speaking countries. The role of women in these cultures has…

Selective Teaching of L2 Pronunciation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Husby, Olaf; Koreman, Jacques; Martínez-Paricio, Violeta; Abrahamsen, Jardar E.; Albertsen, Egil; Hedayatfar, Keivan; Bech, Øyvind

2015-01-01

The pronunciation of a second or foreign language is often very challenging for L2 learners. It is difficult to address this topic in the classroom, because learners with different native languages (L1s) can have very different challenges. We have therefore developed a Computer-Assisted Listening and Speaking Tutor (CALST), which selectively…

Awareness of Racial Diversity in the Spanish-Speaking World among L2 Spanish Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abreu, Laurel

2016-01-01

For more than 30 years, foreign language instructors have considered approaches to teaching their students about Afro-Latin cultures, yet little research appears to address students' actual awareness of these populations. Using a photo ratings survey, the present study explored the perceptions of postsecondary second language learners and their…

A Novel Approach for Enhancing Student Reading Comprehension and Assisting Teacher Assessment of Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Jun-Ming; Chen, Meng-Chang; Sun, Yeali S.

2010-01-01

For students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), reading exercises are critical not only for developing strong reading comprehension, but also for developing listening, speaking, and writing skills. Prior research suggests that social, collaborative learning environments are best suited for improving language ability. However, opportunities…

Writing Conferences and Some Applications for the EFL Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renner, Christopher

1990-01-01

A teacher of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to adults in a non-English-speaking country describes use of classroom writing conferences to improve student language use and introduce writing into the communicative syllabus. The approach is based on a conference format and focuses on self-directed inquiry. Students are provided with monolingual…

Programmed Latin I, Part 1. Foreign Language: 7513.05.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

This curriculum guide is designed to be used in conjunction with the text "Artes Latinae," units 1-10. The course focuses on the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills as well as on cultural background material. Emphasis is placed on developing a positive student attitude toward language learning. The student moves at his own…

The Growth of English for Academic Communication in the Nordic Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brock-Utne, Birgit

2001-07-01

This article discusses the danger of subtractive English in higher education in Norway. If the use of a mother tongue as the medium of communication at the highest academic levels ceases, is drastically reduced and replaced through the use of a foreign tongue, we may speak of subtractive learning. If the mother tongue is being replaced by a foreign tongue in academic writing, in research and university level teaching, the mother tongue will stagnate. The vocabulary needed has not been allowed to develop at the highest academic level. The author maintains that the Norwegian language is threatened as an academic language and here discusses the following five phenomena, all contributing to this threat: 1. The increasing use of English words in Norwegian academic, bureaucratic or technological language. 2. The sale of more academic literature in English and stagnation of academic literature in Norwegian. 3. The recruitment of teaching staff who do not speak Norwegian. 4. The growth in Master degree courses taught in English. 5. The financial rewards being given to academic staff publishing in an international language (read: English) instead of in the mother tongue.

Exploring the Value of Bilingual Language Assistants with Japanese English as a Foreign Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macaro, Ernesto; Nakatani, Yasuo; Hayashi, Yuko; Khabbazbashi, Nahal

2014-01-01

We report on a small-scale exploratory study of Japanese students' reactions to the use of a bilingual language assistant on an EFL study-abroad course in the UK and we give an insight into the possible effect of using bilingual assistants on speaking production. First-year university students were divided into three groups all taught by a…

An Interview Study of Inter-Cultural Contact and Its Role in Language Learning in a Foreign Language Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kormos, Judit; Csizer, Kata

2007-01-01

The research reported in this paper investigates what types of inter-cultural contact Hungarian schoolchildren have, what kind of language-related attitudes they can give account of and how they see the role of contact situations in affecting their attitudinal and motivational dispositions towards the L2, the L2 speaking communities and the…

Bilingual/Multilingual Learners' Willingness to Communicate in and Anxiety on Speaking Chinese and Their Associations with Self-Rated Proficiency in Chinese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Meihua

2018-01-01

The present research explored bilingual/multilingual students' willingness to communicate in Chinese (WTCC) and foreign language anxiety (FLA) when speaking Chinese and their associations with self-rated proficiency in Chinese in a university in Beijing. The study recruited 167 bilingual and multilingual learners of Chinese to fill in a battery of…

Exploring Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers' Beliefs about the Monolingual Approach: Differences between Pre-Service and In-Service Korean Teachers of English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jang Ho

2016-01-01

The non-native English-speaking teachers' (NNESTs) beliefs about the monolingual approach have not been sufficiently studied in the teaching of English as a foreign language (EFL). In examining the NNESTs' beliefs about that issue, the present study adapts Guy Cook's recent framework, according to which the monolingual approach is based upon four…

The Effect of Group Dynamics-Oriented Instruction on Developing Iranian EFL Learners' Speaking Ability and Willingness to Communicate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alikhani, Mohsen; Bagheridoust, Esmaeil

2017-01-01

The study investigated how group-dynamics instruction techniques of adaptable nature can be to the benefit of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners so as to develop and improve their willingness-to-communicate and speaking-ability in the long run. After analyzing the data via ANCOVA and EFA, the researcher selected 108 young Iranian male…

The Role of Foreign Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong Chinese Children's English and Chinese Skills: A Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dulay, Katrina May; Tong, Xiuhong; McBride, Catherine

2017-01-01

We investigated the influence of nonparental caregivers, such as foreign domestic helpers (FDH), on the home language spoken to the child and its implications for vocabulary and word reading development in Cantonese- and English-speaking bilingual children. Using data collected from ages 5 to 9, we analyzed Chinese vocabulary, Chinese character…

[The Brumory test, an incidental long-term memory task designed for foreign, non-French-speaking people with low educational level].

PubMed

Vanderaspoilden, V; Nury, D; Frisque, J; Peigneux, P

2015-12-01

Cognitive assessment among foreign patients is a growing need for several reasons: foreign patients have a different culture, they have an insufficient command of the language of the consulting center, and the available cognitive tools are largely unsuitable. For these reasons, we developed a non-verbal test of long-term memory called the Brumory test. This test is based on incident encoding of 48 colored images followed by retrieval by recognition. We compared the performance of indigenous participants with that of immigrant participants (mainly from Morocco). Immigrant participants did not speak French properly and had a low educational level. The results indicate no significant difference in memory performance between the two groups of participants. Moreover, the instructions were easily understood by immigrant participants, despite the fact they do not master French. We conclude that the Brumory test is an appropriate test to assess memory among foreign non-French-speaking patients people with low educational level. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Its Nature and Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingram, D. E.

The nature and development of the recently released International English Language Testing System (IELTS) instrument are described. The test is the result of a joint Australian-British project to develop a new test for use with foreign students planning to study in English-speaking countries. It is expected that the modular instrument will become…

Overt and Covert Prestige in the French Language Classroom: When Is It Good To Sound Bad?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hedgecock, John; Lefkowitz, Natalie

2000-01-01

Examines the performance and perceptions of 100 university-level learners of French as a foreign language, with a view toward exposing the impact of social pressure in the learning environment. Addresses the contradictory nature of learners' perceptions of what it means to "sound good" when speaking French. (Author/VWL)

Social Conditionality of Multilinguism Education in Educational Establishments of the Country in the Modern Period

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Golovanova, Inna I.; Lopareva, Tatyana A.

2016-01-01

The urgency of the examined issue is stipulated by inconsistency between social services commissioning to speak several foreign languages and inadequate implementation of these services in educational establishments of the country. The aim of the article is to justify the necessity to reconsider models of mastering the language and to alter…

Mobile-Assisted Language Learning Community and Culture in French-Speaking Belgium: The Teachers' Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van de Vyver, Julie

2016-01-01

This paper focuses on the perceptions and uses of mobile technologies by 118 Belgian teachers in foreign language teaching and learning in secondary education. The purpose of the study is to analyze the teachers' attitudes towards the use of mobile technologies in- and outside the classroom via an online questionnaire. The preliminary findings…

Analyzing Istruction and Learning of Derivational Morhology in the Spanish Foreign Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miguel, Nausica Marcos

2013-01-01

Morphological awareness can help learners of a second language (L2) infer and learn the meaning of unknown words. It is, however, unclear how morphological awareness evolves in adult English-speaking learners of instructed L2 Spanish and how this development relates to vocabulary knowledge. Moreover, the manner in which derivational morphology is…

Improving Foreign Language Speaking through Formative Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuttle, Harry Grover; Tuttle, Alan Robert

2012-01-01

Want a quick way to get your students happily conversing more in the target language? This practical book shows you how to use formative assessments to gain immediate and lasting improvement in your students' fluency. You'll learn how to: (1) Imbed the 3-minute formative assessment into every lesson with ease; (2) Engage students in peer formative…

Authentic Tasks to Foster Oral Production among English as a Foreign Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramírez Ortiz, Sandra Milena; Artunduaga Cuéllar, Marco Tulio

2018-01-01

Attaining oral production is a challenge for most English language teachers because most of the strategies implemented in class do not engage students in speaking activities. Tasks are an optimal alternative to engage learners in communicative exchanges. This article presents the results of a qualitative action research study examining the effects…

User Experience of a Mobile Speaking Application with Automatic Speech Recognition for EFL Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahn, Tae youn; Lee, Sangmin-Michelle

2016-01-01

With the spread of mobile devices, mobile phones have enormous potential regarding their pedagogical use in language education. The goal of this study is to analyse user experience of a mobile-based learning system that is enhanced by speech recognition technology for the improvement of EFL (English as a foreign language) learners' speaking…

Primary English Language Education Policy in Vietnam: Insights from Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Hoa Thi Mai

2011-01-01

The introduction of English in primary education curricula is a phenomenon occurring in many non-English-speaking countries in Asia, including Vietnam. Recently, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in Vietnam issued guidelines for the piloting of an English as a foreign language (EFL) primary curriculum in which English is taught as a…

Foreigner

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Carrie

2011-01-01

Having lived in Oakland's Chinatown all her life, the author is proud to say that she loves her language--Cantonese. She is grateful that she can speak such a language, that she can use this skill to converse with her elders or peers, and that she is able to connect with others so lovingly, like her mother did on the streets of Chinatown. She has…

Language and Cultural Challenges Facing Business Faculty in the Ever-Expanding Global Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogel, Glen M.

2013-01-01

More than 690,000 foreign students studied in the United States during the 2009-10 academic year. As non-native English-speaking students continue to pour into American educational institutions, one question many educators have is: are these international students adequately prepared for the language and cultural demands they will face when they…

The Fallacy of Word-Counts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engels, L.K.

1968-01-01

The greatest fallacy of word counts, the author maintains, lies in the fact that advocates of frequency lists stress the high percentage without telling the whole truth. It has become common to pretend that a frequency list of 3,000 words covers 95 percent of the language, that it enables a person to speak and understand a foreign language by…

75 FR 43496 - Board of Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-26

..., operating procedures review, and oath. DLIFLC functional areas will be discussed. Public's Accessibility to... space, this meeting is open to the public. Seating is on a first-come basis. No member of the public attending open meetings will be allowed to present questions from the floor or speak to any issue under...

77 FR 13571 - Board of Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-07

... availability of space, this meeting is open to the public. Seating is on a first-come basis. No member of the public attending open meetings will be allowed to present questions from the floor or speak to any issue... meet members of the ACCJC as required, and will review past BoV recommendations. Public's Accessibility...

Politics, Economics, Society, and Overseas Chinese Teaching: A Case Study of Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Ping

2016-01-01

The history and current state of Chinese teaching in Australia has largely been determined by two key factors: first, the country's policy on languages, and in particular its policy regarding foreign language education; and second, its immigrants and overseas students from Chinese-speaking countries and regions. Beginning in the 1980s, Chinese…

The Use of Compensation Strategies in the Iranian EFL Learners' Speaking and Its Relationship with Their Foreign Language Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taheri, Ali Akbar; Davoudi, Mohammad

2016-01-01

Compensation Strategies (CpSs) are strategies which a language user employs in order to achieve his intended meaning when precise linguistic forms are for some reasons not available at that point of communication. Different factors may influence the use of CpSs, among which the level of language proficiency is one of the most important ones. The…

Problemas del Lenguaje Espanol en la Prensa: El Castellano, Esta Lengua Enferma (Problems of the Spanish Language in the Press: Castillian, That Closed-In Language)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quijada, Carlos Alonso

1977-01-01

Learned academies deplore the deterioration of Castillian Spanish due to foreign contamination. They ignore the real source of the problem within Spain itself where everyone speaks the language badly except those in the remote towns and a few intellectuals. A ray of hope comes from the Americans. (Text is in Spanish.) (AMH)

Teachers' Sense of Self-Efficacy, English Proficiency, and Instructional Strategies: A Study of Nonnative EFL Teachers in Iran

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eslami, Zohreh R.; Fatahi, Azizullah

2008-01-01

This study examined the efficacy beliefs of nonnative English speaking (NNES) Iranian EFL teachers. EFL teachers' perceptions of their teaching efficacy in terms of personal capabilities to teach English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and their perceived English language proficiency level were examined. A modified version of the Teacher Sense of…

Formulaic Sequences Used by Native English Speaking Teachers in a Thai Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steyn, Sunee; Jaroongkhongdach, Woravut

2016-01-01

The use of formulaic sequences in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lessons plays an integral role in language teaching and learning, but it seems still widely neglected in the Thai school context. To call attention to this issue, this study aims at identifying formulaic sequences used in a Thai primary school. The data were taken from three…

Starting Early with English Language Learners: First Lessons from Illinois

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Severns, Maggie

2012-01-01

In recent years, a boom in immigration and high birth rates among the foreign-born population has led to significant growth in the number of children in the United States who speak a language other than English at home. This demographic change presents a challenge to the public school system, where English proficiency is central to a child's…

Acquisition of English Tense-Aspect Morphology by Advanced French Instructed Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayoun, Dalila; Salaberry, M. Rafael

2008-01-01

The acquisition of English verbal morphology has been mostly tested as a second language (L2) in English-speaking settings (Bardovi-Harlig, 1992a, 1992b, 1992c, 1998; Bardovi-Harlig & Bergstrom, 1996; Bayley, 1991, 1994), more rarely as a foreign language (e.g., Robison, 1990, 1995), in only one cross-sectional study with native speakers of French…

Linguistic and Methodological Concepts Underlying a Pronunciation Course in English for Spanish-Speaking Seventh Graders in Puerto Rico.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nine, Carmen Judith

"An English Pronunciation Course for Puerto Rican Seventh-Graders" grew out of a similar remedial pronunciation course for freshmen at the University of Puerto Rico. One of the linguistic principles involved in teaching young adults a foreign language concerns the fact that "linguistic acquisition is stabilized by puberty," and language learning…

The Speaking Section of the TOEFL iBT[TM] (SSTiBT): Test-Takers' Reported Strategic Behaviors. TOEFL iBT[TM] Research Report. RR-09-30

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swain, Merrill; Huang, Li-Shih; Barkaoui, Khaled; Brooks, Lindsay; Lapkin, Sharon

2009-01-01

This study responds to the Test of English as a Foreign Language[TM] (TOEFL[R]) research agenda concerning the need to understand the processes and knowledge that test-takers utilize. Specifically, it investigates the strategic behaviors test-takers reported using when taking the Speaking section of the TOEFL iBT[TM] (SSTiBT). It also investigates…

Acquiring Interactional Competence in a Study Abroad Context: Japanese Language Learners' Use of the Interactional Particle "ne"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masuda, Kyoko

2011-01-01

This study examines the development of interactional competence (Hall, 1993, 1995) by English-speaking learners of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) in a study abroad setting, as indexed by their use of the interactionally significant particle "ne." The analysis is based on a comparison of (a) 6 sets of conversations between JFL learners and…

Why Is an Application of Multiple Intelligences Theory Important for Language Learning and Teaching Speaking Ability?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boonma, Malai; Phaiboonnugulkij, Malinee

2014-01-01

This article calls for a strong need to propose the theoretical framework of the Multiple Intelligences theory (MI) and provide a suitable answer of the doubt in part of foreign language teaching. The article addresses the application of MI theory following various sources from Howard Gardner and the authors who revised this theory for use in the…

Exploring Authorship Development among Mexican EFL Teacher-Researchers (Exploración sobre el desarrollo de la autoría en los profesores-investigadores de inglés como lengua extranjera)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trujeque Moreno, Eva Estefania; Encinas Prudencio, Fátima; Thomas-Ruzic, Maria

2015-01-01

This article presents a multi-theoretical model to address processes of "authorship development" in the English as a foreign language teaching profession. Working within a sociocultural perspective of second-language teacher education, the authors examined six experienced nonnative English-speaking teacher-researchers. Perceptions of…

76 FR 39076 - Board of Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-05

... floor or speak to any issue under consideration by the Board. Although open to the public, gate access... areas. Public's Accessibility to the Meeting: Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b and 41 CFR 102-3.140 through 102-3.165, and the availability of space, this meeting is open to the public. Seating is on a first-come...

77 FR 62223 - Board of Visitors Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-12

... floor or speak to any issue under consideration by the Board. Although open to the public, gate access... observations. Public's Accessibility to the Meeting: Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b and 41 CFR 102-3.140 through 102-3.165, and the availability of space, this meeting is open to the public. Seating is on a first come...

The Use of Discourse Markers among Mandarin Chinese Teachers, and Chinese as a Second Language and Chinese as a Foreign Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Pei-Shu; Chu, Wo-Hsin

2017-01-01

This study investigates how the use of discourse markers reflects speaking fluency in Chinese learners. In this study, 220 min of online Chinese courses were transcribed, with 17 Chinese learners and 5 native Chinese teachers as participants. Half of the transcribed data were drawn from students living in Taipei, Taiwan, a Chinese-speaking…

What a Chemist Needs to Know--Other than Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chemical and Engineering News, 1980

1980-01-01

Recommends a range of courses of study which may be important for one pursuing a career in chemistry. Discusses courses in computer science, statistics, public speaking, technical writing, mathematics, physics, economics, market research, psychology, chemical engineering, toxicology, history, foreign language, and science history. (CS)

Using Natural Approach Teaching Techniques.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitman, Charles

1986-01-01

Describes a beginning foreign language class applying the principles of Stephen Krashen's "Natural Approach" and James Asher's "Total Physical Response" method. Initially students carry out the instructor's commands in the form of actions rather than being required to speak. In later stages role play and simple discussions are…

Differential neural contributions to native- and foreign-language talker identification

PubMed Central

Perrachione, Tyler K.; Pierrehumbert, Janet B.; Wong, Patrick C.M.

2009-01-01

Humans are remarkably adept at identifying individuals by the sound of their voice, a behavior supported by the nervous system’s ability to integrate information from voice and speech perception. Talker-identification abilities are significantly impaired when listeners are unfamiliar with the language being spoken. Recent behavioral studies describing the language-familiarity effect implicate functionally integrated neural systems for speech and voice perception, yet specific neuroscientific evidence demonstrating the basis for such integration has not yet been shown. Listeners in the present study learned to identify voices speaking a familiar (native) or unfamiliar (foreign) language. The talker-identification performance of neural circuitry in each cerebral hemisphere was assessed using dichotic listening. To determine the relative contribution of circuitry in each hemisphere to ecological (binaural) talker identification abilities, we compared the predictive capacity of dichotic performance on binaural performance across languages. We found listeners’ right-ear (left hemisphere) performance to be a better predictor of overall accuracy in their native language than a foreign one. The enhanced predictive capacity of the classically language-dominant left-hemisphere on overall talker-identification accuracy demonstrates functionally integrated neural systems for speech and voice perception during natural talker identification. PMID:19968445

Re-Examine the Use of the Student's First Language in the English as a Foreign Language Classrooms: A Cross-Case Analysis from Undergraduate Engineering Students in Bangkok, Thailand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanichakorn, Neelawan

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine how the use of the student's first language (L1) by a non-native English-speaking EFL teacher affects the students' experiences in learning English compared to those in the classrooms where only English is used as a means of teaching. This study also investigates the role of the teacher in providing…

Individual Differences in Audio-Vocal Speech Imitation Aptitude in Late Bilinguals: Functional Neuro-Imaging and Brain Morphology

PubMed Central

Reiterer, Susanne Maria; Hu, Xiaochen; Erb, Michael; Rota, Giuseppina; Nardo, Davide; Grodd, Wolfgang; Winkler, Susanne; Ackermann, Hermann

2011-01-01

An unanswered question in adult language learning or late bi and multilingualism is why individuals show marked differences in their ability to imitate foreign accents. While recent research acknowledges that more adults than previously assumed can still acquire a “native” foreign accent, very little is known about the neuro-cognitive correlates of this special ability. We investigated 140 German-speaking individuals displaying varying degrees of “mimicking” capacity, based on natural language text, sentence, and word imitations either in their second language English or in Hindi and Tamil, languages they had never been exposed to. The large subject pool was strictly controlled for previous language experience prior to magnetic resonance imaging. The late-onset (around 10 years) bilinguals showed significant individual differences as to how they employed their left-hemisphere speech areas: higher hemodynamic activation in a distinct fronto-parietal network accompanied low ability, while high ability paralleled enhanced gray matter volume in these areas concomitant with decreased hemodynamic responses. Finally and unexpectedly, males were found to be more talented foreign speech mimics. PMID:22059077

Examining Argumentative Coherence in Essays by Undergraduate Students of English as a Foreign Language in Mainland China and Their English Speaking Peers in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gao, Lianhong

2012-01-01

I conducted this study to provide insights toward deepening understanding of association between culture and writing by building, assessing, and refining a conceptual model of second language writing. To do this, I examined culture and coherence as well as the relationship between them through a mixed methods research design. Coherence has been an…

Science Fiction and General Semantics as Interdisciplinary/Cross-Cultural Teaching Aids.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drake, Harold L.

General semantics and science fiction are disciplines that can be incorporated in lectures for public speaking and other speech communication classes. Alfred Korzybski's theories of general semantics lend themselves to researching, preparing, delivering interpersonal communication messages, and establishing student interest in foreign languages,…

Total Physical Response: A Technique for Teaching All Skills in Spanish.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glisan, Eileen W.

1986-01-01

Presents a strategy for using an expanded version of Total Physical Response (TPR) as one tool for teaching listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish. Variations of TPR are suggested for the purpose of implementing the technique within the foreign language curriculum. (Author/CB)

Speak up! Oral Examinations and Political Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buehler, Melissa J.; Schneider, Laura U.

2009-01-01

Testing assessments of undergraduate political science students is predictable and stagnant. A missing, yet valuable, testing assessment tool that can contribute to the repertoire of political science is the oral examination. Borrowing this testing tool largely from foreign language departments, oral exams require students to "think on their…

Two Tongues, One Brain: Imaging Bilingual Speech Production

PubMed Central

Simmonds, Anna J.; Wise, Richard J. S.; Leech, Robert

2011-01-01

This review considers speaking in a second language from the perspective of motor–sensory control. Previous studies relating brain function to the prior acquisition of two or more languages (neurobilingualism) have investigated the differential demands made on linguistic representations and processes, and the role of domain-general cognitive control systems when speakers switch between languages. In contrast to the detailed discussions on these higher functions, typically articulation is considered only as an underspecified stage of simple motor output. The present review considers speaking in a second language in terms of the accompanying foreign accent, which places demands on the integration of motor and sensory discharges not encountered when articulating in the most fluent language. We consider why there has been so little emphasis on this aspect of bilingualism to date, before turning to the motor and sensory complexities involved in learning to speak a second language as an adult. This must involve retuning the neural circuits involved in the motor control of articulation, to enable rapid unfamiliar sequences of movements to be performed with the goal of approximating, as closely as possible, the speech of a native speaker. Accompanying changes in motor networks is experience-dependent plasticity in auditory and somatosensory cortices to integrate auditory memories of the target sounds, copies of feedforward commands from premotor and primary motor cortex and post-articulatory auditory and somatosensory feedback. Finally, we consider the implications of taking a motor–sensory perspective on speaking a second language, both pedagogical regarding non-native learners and clinical regarding speakers with neurological conditions such as dysarthria. PMID:21811481

Teacher Linguistic, Cultural, and Technological Awareness Development and Transfer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Congcong

2012-01-01

This dissertation includes two studies: a pilot study on native-English-speaking preservice teachers' perceptions of learning a foreign language online and a follow-up study on inservice teachers' perceptions of transferring teacher linguistic, cultural and technological awareness into teaching practice. Conducted in 2010, the pilot…

Educating Information Professionals in a Multicultural Information Society.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jorna, Kerstin

2002-01-01

Discusses the neglect of foreign languages by LIS (library and information science) departments in English-speaking countries and the problems this will cause in an increasingly multicultural environment. Topics include monolingualism in United Kingdom LIS departments; and suggestions for how to integrate new modules into LIS courses to overcome…

The Conversation Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Acy L.

2012-01-01

The conversation class occupies a unique place in the process of learning English as a second or foreign language. From the author's own experience in conducting special conversation classes with Persian-speaking adults, he has drawn up a number of simple but important guidelines, some of which he hopes may provide helpful suggestions for the…

Rotating Poster Presentations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lagares, Manuel; Reisenleutner, Sandra

2017-01-01

Oral presentations are a common practice in foreign language classes, often used to assess students' speaking skills. Usually, the presentations are delivered by students in front of the class, often with PowerPoint slides or Prezi as support. However, frequently the audience does not engage with the presentation and thus, the benefits of this…

THhe MLA Foreign Language Proficiency Tests for Teachers and Advanced Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

del Olmo, Guillermo

1967-01-01

The development, design, and purposes of these advanced proficiency tests are discussed, along with brief descriptions of their seven component parts--listening comprehension, speaking, reading, writing, applied linguistics, civilization and culture, and professional preparation. Some of the research inspired by the tests is identified. (AF)

INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH MANUAL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

AMADOR, MABLE; KELLER, YVONNE KELLER

This document presents a set of guidelines for authors who wish to express themselves more clearly to foreign readers, or readers whose first language is not American English. Topics include idioms, technical terms, jargon, word meaning, acronyms, and international conventions of measurement. The guidelines will help writers of technical documents present their ideas more effectively to audiences that may include individuals whose first language is not American English, including audiences with individuals from other English-speaking countries.

On raising the international dissemination of German research: Does changing publication language to English attract foreign authors to publish in a German basic psychology research journal?

PubMed

Dinkel, Andreas; Berth, Hendrik; Borkenhagen, Ada; Brähler, Elmar

2004-01-01

It has been proposed that German basic psychology journals should change publication language to English in order to facilitate access to research from German-speaking countries. However, to truly increase the dissemination of German research, it seems crucial to progress towards an internationalization of authors and readers. We applied bibliometric analysis to investigate the impact of the transition to English on the rate of foreign authors publishing in Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie/Experimental Psychology, as well as possible associated changes in citation patterns. There was an increase in the rate of articles published by foreign authors from 14.6 and 8.7 per cent, respectively, for the last biannual periods as German-language journal, to 52.7 per cent in the first biannual period as English-language journal. Regarding citations patterns, the clearest changes emerged for domestic authors. The results illustrate possible consequences of a transition to English as publication language, and reveal that Experimental Psychology has successfully established certain prerequisites for an increase of the international dissemination of German psychology research.

"La Evaluacion de la Actuacion Oral de los Hispanoparlantes Bilingues Mediante las Directrices de ACTFL (Evaluation of the Oral Presentation of the Bilingual Spanish Speaking Professionals by Moderators of the ACTFL).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonso, Esther

1997-01-01

Discusses the validity of a rating scale created by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages for the purpose of measuring the oral language proficiency of bilingual professionals who are speakers of English and Spanish. Notes that this scale measures various levels of competence and features of an individual's speech. (14…

E-learning Constructive Role Plays for EFL Learners in China's Tertiary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Lin; Suwanthep, Jitpanat

2011-01-01

Recently, speaking has played an increasingly important role in second/foreign language settings. However, in many Chinese universities, EFL students rarely communicate in English with other people effectively. The existing behavioristic role plays on New Horizon College English (NHCE) e-learning do not function successfully in supplementing EFL…

FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEEDS OF MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES IN TEN METROPOLITAN AREAS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

WELLEMEYER, JOHN F.

VARIOUS AGENCIES IN CITIES WITH PROBLEMS OF NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING RESIDENTS WERE SURVEYED. THE CITIES WERE BOSTON, BUFFALO, CHICAGO, CLEVELAND, DETROIT, LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK, PHILADELPHIA, SAN ANTONIO, AND TAMPA. SUMMARY STATEMENTS WERE USED TO CONSOLIDATE THE MORE SIGNIFICANT ITEMS INCLUDED IN THE DETAILED FULL REPORTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL CITIES.…

Automatic Speech Recognition: Reliability and Pedagogical Implications for Teaching Pronunciation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, In-Seok

2006-01-01

This study examines the reliability of automatic speech recognition (ASR) software used to teach English pronunciation, focusing on one particular piece of software, "FluSpeak, as a typical example." Thirty-six Korean English as a Foreign Language (EFL) college students participated in an experiment in which they listened to 15 sentences…

L'insegnamento integrato degli aspetti dell'attivita verbale (Integrated Teaching of the Aspects of Verbal Activity).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Di Silvestre, Flavio

1988-01-01

Discusses an article written by three Soviet teachers who analyze studies conducted in the area of foreign language teaching, particularly the teaching of Russian. Their focus is on the methodological principles of an approach that integrates the teaching of the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing). (CFM)

Photomontage: A New Task to Change Speaking into Talking Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassaskhah, Jaleh; Asli, Shohreh Rahimizadeh

2015-01-01

This study introduces photomontage as a task to facilitate talking in English as a Foreign Language classrooms. Thirty-three undergraduate English major students studying at the University of Guilan were assigned to design a composite photographic image by combining images from separate photographic sources, and use it as the stimulus to initiate…

What Do Mobiles Speak in Algeria? Evidence from SMS Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mostari, Hind Amel

2009-01-01

When Algeria opened its markets to foreign investment starting from the early 2000s, a technological boom occurred, including the expansion of mobile phone use. New technologies have had a considerable impact on the Algerian diglossic situation, in recent decades, and have contributed in the democratisation of the local dialects, which are being…

Exploring the Relationship between Modified Output and Working Memory Capacity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackey, Alison; Adams, Rebecca; Stafford, Catherine; Winke, Paula

2010-01-01

This study examines the relationship between learners' production of modified output and their working memory (WM) capacity. The task-based interactions of 42 college-level, native English-speaking learners of Spanish as a foreign language were examined. A relationship was found between learners' WM test scores and their tendency to modify output.…

Courting, Marriage and Death in Colombia: An Interview.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Constance

There are a variety of methods to impart the cultural setting of a foreign language. The teacher can use, among other things, cultural assimilators, films, mini-dramas, culture capsules, background lectures, and native-speaking class visitors. This last technique can be extremely effective but difficult to arrange and difficult to control once it…

Research on Writing a Local Tourism Book for Germans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atas, Dogu; Genç, Ayten

2016-01-01

Tourism is an important sector in Turkey and the employees in this sector are required to speak foreign languages in order to have good communication with tourists. The official records (Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism) show that the majority of tourists visiting Turkey for holidays come from Germany. Therefore, students…

Do Our Students Learn What We Teach Them?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boss, Bettina; Jansen, Louise

2003-01-01

Teachers like to believe that students learn what they are taught. Following up on research that questions this belief, a large-scale study of the acquisition of German as a foreign language by French-speaking school students in Geneva (DiGS, or "Deutsch in Genfer Schulen," "German in Geneva schools") further explored the…

Constructing Visually-Based Digital Conversations in EFL with VoiceThread

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kent, David

2017-01-01

VoiceThread holds potential to provide students who rarely speak in class a means to create visually-based digital conversations. In light of this, pedagogical affordances of the tool are considered, along with efficacy behind VoiceThread development within English as a Foreign Language contexts. Instructional strategies, supported by examples,…

77 FR 3474 - National Environmental Justice Advisory Council; Notification of Public Teleconference Meeting...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-24

... primary topics of discussion will be: (1) Following up on action items from the October 2011 NEJAC public.... Non-English speaking attendees wishing to arrange for a foreign language interpreter may also make....m. Eastern Time on Monday, January 23, 2012, will be included in the materials distributed to the...

Collocational Competence of Arabic Speaking Learners of English: A Study in Lexical Semantics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zughoul, Muhammad Raji; Abdul-Fattah, Hussein S.

This study examined learners' productive competence in collocations and idioms by means of their performance on two interdependent tasks. Participants were two groups of English as a Foreign Language undergraduate and graduate students from the English department at Jordan's Yarmouk University. The two tasks included the following: a multiple…

Language as a determinant of participation rates in Finnish health examination surveys.

PubMed

Tolonen, Hanna; Koponen, Päivikki; Borodulin, Katja; Männistö, Satu; Peltonen, Markku; Vartiainen, Erkki

2018-03-01

A high participation rate is considered as a prerequisite for representative survey results, especially when it is known that non-participation is selective. In many countries migration is increasing and the proportion of people speaking other language(s) than the official language(s) of the country is also increasing. How does this affect survey participation rates? Data from four cross-sectional health examination surveys (the FINRISK Study) were used to evaluate the effect of the registered mother tongue to participation in the survey. Finland has two official languages (Finnish and Swedish). Between 1997 and 2012, the proportion of the population with some other language as their registered mother tongue has increased significantly. Participation rates in the health surveys have been highest among the Finnish language group (68% in men in 1997 and 76% in women in 1997), while lowest among the foreign language group (43% in men in 1997 and 57% in women in 1997). In 2012, the participation rates had declined in all language groups: for men, 58%, 62% and 41% for Finnish, Swedish and foreign groups respectively, and for women 68%, 75% and 56%. The participation rate for the foreign language group was significantly lower than for the Finnish and Swedish groups. In future surveys it will be important to include actions to promote participation, e.g. providing survey material in several languages. These actions will increase costs but will be essential to ensure high participation rates and reliable results for the total population.

Orthographic learning and self-teaching in a bilingual and biliterate context.

PubMed

Schwartz, Mila; Kahn-Horwitz, Janina; Share, David L

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine self-teaching in the context of English as a foreign language literacy acquisition. Three groups comprising 88 sixth-grade children participated. The first group consisted of Russian-Hebrew-speaking bilinguals who had acquired basic reading skills in Russian as their first language (L1) and literacy and who were literate in Hebrew as a second language. The second group consisted of Russian-Hebrew-speaking bilinguals who had not learned to read in their native Russian but had acquired Hebrew as their first literate language. The third group consisted of Hebrew-speaking monolingual children who were literate in Hebrew. This design facilitated examining the effect of biliteracy and bilingualism on basic English reading skills. We hypothesized that due to the proximity between the Russian and English orthographies as opposed to the Hebrew-English "distance," the Russian-Hebrew-speaking biliterate group who acquired basic reading and spelling skills in L1 Russian would have superior self-teaching in English as opposed to the two other groups. The standard two-session self-teaching paradigm was employed with naming (speed and accuracy) and orthographic choice as posttest measures of orthographic learning. Results showed that after 4 years of English instruction, all three groups showed evidence of self-teaching on naming speed and orthographic recognition. The Russian-Hebrew-speaking biliterate group, moreover, showed a partial advantage over the comparison groups for initial decoding of target pseudowords and clear-cut superiority for measures of later orthographic learning, thereby showing self-teaching while supporting the script dependence hypothesis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On How Thinking Shapes Speaking: Techniques to Enhance Students' Oral Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casamassima, Myrian; Insua, Florencia

2015-01-01

The institution at which the authors work--Asociación Ex Alumnos del Profesorado en Lenguas Vivas "Juan Ramón Fernández" (AEXALEVI)--is devoted to the teaching of foreign languages, particularly English, and it administers examinations all over Argentina. One central problem the authors identified in their work in the AEXALEVI Teachers'…

ELT in Brazilian Public Schools: History, Challenges, New Experiences and Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teixeira de Almeida, Ricardo Luiz

2016-01-01

Historically speaking, the teaching of English was never a part of Brazilian primary schools programmes. Foreign language teaching as an obligatory school subject appears only in the sixth year of basic education, and its goal is more connected to the development of critical citizens, rather than to the promotion of proficient speakers of the…

Self-Concepts in Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking: A Multidimensional and Hierarchical Structure and Its Generalizability across Native and Foreign Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arens, A. Katrin; Jansen, Malte

2016-01-01

Academic self-concept has been conceptualized as a multidimensional and hierarchical construct. Previous research has mostly focused on its multidimensionality, distinguishing between verbal and mathematical self-concept domains, and only a few studies have examined the factorial structure within specific self-concept domains. The present study…

An Experimental Study of the Effects of Listening on Speaking for College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Yan

2009-01-01

As China enters WTO, more college graduates with higher oral English proficiency are required. However, we learned that even students in some distinguished universities are lack of this ability. Based on her teaching experiences and the theory proposed by Krashen and some other well-know foreign languages teaching researchers, the author of this…

A Program for Teaching and Learning to Read Professional Texts in a Second/Foreign Language at Siemens AG.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Flanagan, M. J. R.

A course was developed for teaching reading comprehension of English technical texts to German speaking professionals. Before proceeding with the course, students are administered a memory test and vocabulary test to determine their initial skill levels in English. The materials used for the course include learner's dictionaries of approximately…

Toddlers Learn Words in a Foreign Language: The Role of Native Vocabulary Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koening, Melissa; Woodward, Amanda

2012-01-01

The current study examined monolingual English-speaking toddlers' (N=50) ability to learn word-referent links from native speakers of Dutch versus English, and second, whether children generalized or sequestered their extensions when terms were tested by a subsequent speaker of English. Overall, children performed better in the English than in the…

Why Algerian Students Struggle to Achieve in English Literature: An Appraisal of Possible Root Causes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bouazid, Tayeb; Le Roux, Cheryl S.

2014-01-01

This article examines the challenges experienced by Arabic-speaking students and lecturers at meeting the proposed learning outcomes in English Literature (EL) at a residential university in Algeria. An overview of the history of foreign languages (French and English) in the curricula in Algerian schools and tertiary education institutions has…

The Role Foreign Language Texts Play in Limiting Communication and Understanding.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Houten, Jacqueline

Four first-year secondary school commercial French textbooks were analyzed for the number and type of pictorial references to diversity in race, class, and gender, with particular attention given to how French-speaking countries other than France are portrayed. It is concluded that while some of the books represented a pluralistic society better…

A Research on a Student-Centred Teaching Model in an ICT-Based English Audio-Video Speaking Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Zhihong; Hou, Leijuan; Huang, Xiaohui

2010-01-01

The development and application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the field of Foreign Language Teaching (FLT) have had a considerable impact on the teaching methodologies in China. With an increasing emphasis on strengthening students' learning initiative and adopting a "student-centred" teaching concept in FLT,…

Computer-Assisted Detection of 90% of EFL Student Errors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey-Scholes, Calum

2018-01-01

Software can facilitate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' self-correction of their free-form writing by detecting errors; this article examines the proportion of errors which software can detect. A corpus of 13,644 words of written English was created, comprising 90 compositions written by Spanish-speaking students at levels A2-B2…

"Who's Giving Us the Answers?" Interpreters and the Validation of Prior Foreign Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diedrich, Andreas

2013-01-01

This paper critically discusses the role of the interpreter in the validation of the prior learning of recent immigrants arriving in Sweden by drawing on a perspective from the sociology of translation. The recent immigrants' difficulties with speaking the local language is usually described as the main problem when it comes to validating their…

Increasing EFL Learners' Oral Production at a Public School through Project-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaca Torres, Ady Marcela; Gómez Rodríguez, Luis Fernando

2017-01-01

This research study examined how a group of ninth graders enhanced the speaking skill in an English as a foreign language classroom through project-based learning. Data about the experience were collected through field notes, transcripts of learners' oral performance, and one interview. Grounded theory was implemented for data analysis, out of…

To Activate English Learning: Listen and Speak in Real Life Context with an AR Featured U-Learning System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Shu-Chun; Hsieh, Sheng-Wen; Sun, Pei-Chen; Chen, Cheng-Ming

2017-01-01

The increasing advance of mobile devices and wireless technologies has generated great interest in ubiquitous learning (u-learning) among academia, practitioners, and policy makers. However, design elements that incorporate learning styles and learning strategies into u-learning system applications in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education…

Eat, Drink, Play, Discover: Engaging the Imagination through the Senses to Discover Spanish-Speaking Cultures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindner, Blue

2010-01-01

At Sonrisas Spanish School, educators are interested in finding ways to teach children in the way children actually learn. Their mission is to create high quality, standards-based Spanish classes and curriculum materials that are both effective for teachers and also provide a positive foreign language learning experience for students. They value…

75 FR 49930 - National Environmental Justice Advisory Council Notification of Public Teleconference and Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-16

... meeting on Thursday, August 26, 2010, starting at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. The primary topic of discussion... deadline. Non- English speaking attendees wishing to arrange for a foreign language interpreter also may... Time, Monday, August 23, 2010, will be included in the materials distributed to the members of the...

Learning Preferences of Saudi University Students with Native English Speaking Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moores-Abdool, Whitney; Yahya, Noorchaya; Unzueta, Caridad H.

2009-01-01

Like many countries building up human and technological resources, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has embarked on the goal of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) to its citizens. One goal for the KSA Ministry of Education is increasing acceptance rates at teacher colleges for both genders specializing in English, in addition to…

The Effect of Computer-Assisted Cooperative Learning Methods and Group Size on the EFL Learners' Achievement in Communication Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

AbuSeileek, Ali Farhan

2012-01-01

This study explored the effect of cooperative learning small group size and two different instructional modes (positive interdependence vs. individual accountability) on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) undergraduate learners' communication skills (speaking and writing) achievement in computer-based environments. The study also examined the…

A Selective Mutism Arising from First Language Attrition, Successfully Treated with Paroxetine-CBT Combination Treatment.

PubMed

Serra, Agostino; Di Mauro, Paola; Andaloro, Claudio; Maiolino, Luigi; Pavone, Piero; Cocuzza, Salvatore

2015-10-01

After immersion in a foreign language, speakers often have difficulty retrieving native-language words and may experience a decrease in its proficiency, this phenomenon, in the non-pathological form, is known as first language attrition. Self-perception of this low native-language proficiency and apprehension occurring when speaking is expected and, may sometimes lead these people to a state of social anxiety and, in extreme forms, can involve the withholding of speech as a primitive tool for self-protection, linking them to selective mutism. We report an unusual case of selective mutism arising from first language attrition in an Italian girl after attending a two-year "German language school", who successfully responded to a paroxetine-cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) combination treatment.

A Selective Mutism Arising from First Language Attrition, Successfully Treated with Paroxetine-CBT Combination Treatment

PubMed Central

Serra, Agostino; Di Mauro, Paola; Andaloro, Claudio; Maiolino, Luigi; Pavone, Piero

2015-01-01

After immersion in a foreign language, speakers often have difficulty retrieving native-language words and may experience a decrease in its proficiency, this phenomenon, in the non-pathological form, is known as first language attrition. Self-perception of this low native-language proficiency and apprehension occurring when speaking is expected and, may sometimes lead these people to a state of social anxiety and, in extreme forms, can involve the withholding of speech as a primitive tool for self-protection, linking them to selective mutism. We report an unusual case of selective mutism arising from first language attrition in an Italian girl after attending a two-year "German language school", who successfully responded to a paroxetine-cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) combination treatment. PMID:26508972

Modern Standard Arabic vs. Non-Standard Arabic: Where Do Arab Students of EFL Transfer From?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahmoud, Abdulmoneim

2000-01-01

Focuses on the learning of English as a foreign language (EFL) by Arabic-speaking secondary school students. To see which variety students transferred from, they were asked to translate into English two versions of a short Arabic text: one Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), and the other non-standard Arabic (NSA). Results indicate the importance of…

Are Replication Studies Possible in Qualitative Second/Foreign Language Classroom Research? A Call for Comparative Re-Production Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markee, Numa

2017-01-01

A widely accepted orthodoxy is that it is impossible to do replication studies within qualitative research paradigms. Ontologically and epistemologically speaking, such a view is largely correct. However, in this paper, I propose that what I call comparative re-production research--that is, the empirical study of qualitative phenomena that occur…

Teaching Speaking Skills from Role-play to Communicative Competence via Information-gap and Opinion-gap Activities. One Teacher's Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scullard, Sue

1986-01-01

The task of the teacher of foreign languages is to enable the students to progress gradually from teacher/coursebook controlled utterances to complete linguistic autonomy. Role play and a progression of information-gap activities are discussed in terms of developing students' personal autonomy at each level of linguistic competence. (Author/LMO)

The Use of Plays and Sketches in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language to Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Helen

1980-01-01

Discusses the advantages of play-acting for teaching English to children. The play is a challenge that is not examination based, it breaks down barriers between teacher and learners, the speaking-load is spread among the students, many different skills are harnessed, and parents can witness their children's progress. Other considerations are…

Enhancing Students' Speaking Skills through "Kunci Inggris" Videos in Islamic Junior High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erlangga, Rifqi Aulia

2016-01-01

Personal ability of a teacher when integrated with good learning material will make his students get more involved and absorb teaching material better hence improving their foreign language. There are many materials may be used to teach, one of them is videos. The video is expected to trigger students' enthusiasm and improve their motivation. Even…

Exploring Culture from a Distance: A U.S./Israeli E-Mail Exchange Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nutta, Joyce W.; Spector-Cohen, Elana

2002-01-01

Explores the use of electronic mail to link native-English-speaking teachers and teacher candidates in one country with English-as-a-Foreign-Language students in the other. An average of 10 participants per semester have spent approximately 2 months leaning about each other's cultures through an e-mail exchange of ideas and views. (Author/VWL)

Effects of Phonological and Musical Training on the Reading Readiness of Native- and Foreign-Spanish-Speaking Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrera, Lucia; Lorenzo, Oswaldo; Defior, Sylvia; Fernandez-Smith, Gerard; Costa-Giomi, Eugenia

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a music training program on children's phonological awareness and naming speed in Spanish. Participants were preschool children whose first language was either Spanish (n = 45) or Tamazight ( n = 52), a Berber dialect spoken in Morocco's Rif area. The two-year pretest/posttest study…

Bidirectional clear speech perception benefit for native and high-proficiency non-native talkers and listeners: Intelligibility and accentednessa

PubMed Central

Smiljanić, Rajka; Bradlow, Ann R.

2011-01-01

This study investigated how native language background interacts with speaking style adaptations in determining levels of speech intelligibility. The aim was to explore whether native and high proficiency non-native listeners benefit similarly from native and non-native clear speech adjustments. The sentence-in-noise perception results revealed that fluent non-native listeners gained a large clear speech benefit from native clear speech modifications. Furthermore, proficient non-native talkers in this study implemented conversational-to-clear speaking style modifications in their second language (L2) that resulted in significant intelligibility gain for both native and non-native listeners. The results of the accentedness ratings obtained for native and non-native conversational and clear speech sentences showed that while intelligibility was improved, the presence of foreign accent remained constant in both speaking styles. This suggests that objective intelligibility and subjective accentedness are two independent dimensions of non-native speech. Overall, these results provide strong evidence that greater experience in L2 processing leads to improved intelligibility in both production and perception domains. These results also demonstrated that speaking style adaptations along with less signal distortion can contribute significantly towards successful native and non-native interactions. PMID:22225056

Skype™ Conference Calls: A Way to Promote Speaking Skills in the Teaching and Learning of English (Llamadas para conferencia en Skype™: una forma de promover la habilidad de habla en la enseñanza y aprendizaje del inglés)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romaña Correa, Yeferson

2015-01-01

This article presents the results of a research project on the teaching and learning of English through the use of Skype™ conference calls. The research was carried out with a group of 12 English as a foreign language adult learners in the language institute of Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Bogotá, Colombia. The findings of this…

A study of the effects of English language proficiency and scientific reasoning skills on the acquisition of science content knowledge of Hispanic English language learners and native English language-speaking students participating in grade 10 science classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres, Hector Neftali, Sr.

2000-11-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of English language proficiency and levels of scientific reasoning skills of Hispanic English language learners and native English language speaking students on their acquisition of science content knowledge as measured by a state-wide standardized science test. The researcher studied a group of high school Hispanic English language learners and native English language speaking students participating in Grade 10 science classes. The language proficiency of the students was to be measured through the use of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) instrument. A Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning developed by Lawson (1978) was administered in either English or Spanish to the group of Hispanic English language learners and in English to the group of native English language-speaking students in order to determine their levels of scientific reasoning skills. The students' acquisition of science content knowledge was measured through the use of statewide-standardized science test developed by the State's Department of Education. This study suggests that the levels of English language proficiency appear to influence the acquisition of science content knowledge of Hispanic English language learners in the study. The results of the study also suggest that with regards to scientific reasoning skills, students that showed high levels or reflective reasoning skills for the most part performed better on the statewide-standardized science test than students with intuitive or transitional reasoning skills. This assertion was supported by the studies conducted by Lawson and his colleagues, which showed that high levels of reasoning or reflective reasoning skills are prerequisite for most high school science courses. The findings in this study imply that high order English language proficiency combined with high levels of reasoning skills enhances students' abilities to learn science content subject matter. This lends support to Cummins' theoretical framework, which indicates that learning science content subject matter requires cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). The study also indicates that CALP maybe the combination of high order English language proficiency and high levels of reasoning skills. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Enhancing speech learning by combining task practice with periods of stimulus exposure without practice

PubMed Central

Wright, Beverly A.; Baese-Berk, Melissa M.; Marrone, Nicole; Bradlow, Ann R.

2015-01-01

Language acquisition typically involves periods when the learner speaks and listens to the new language, and others when the learner is exposed to the language without consciously speaking or listening to it. Adaptation to variants of a native language occurs under similar conditions. Here, speech learning by adults was assessed following a training regimen that mimicked this common situation of language immersion without continuous active language processing. Experiment 1 focused on the acquisition of a novel phonetic category along the voice-onset-time continuum, while Experiment 2 focused on adaptation to foreign-accented speech. The critical training regimens of each experiment involved alternation between periods of practice with the task of phonetic classification (Experiment 1) or sentence recognition (Experiment 2) and periods of stimulus exposure without practice. These practice and exposure periods yielded little to no improvement separately, but alternation between them generated as much or more improvement as did practicing during every period. Practice appears to serve as a catalyst that enables stimulus exposures encountered both during and outside of the practice periods to contribute to quite distinct cases of speech learning. It follows that practice-plus-exposure combinations may tap a general learning mechanism that facilitates language acquisition and speech processing. PMID:26328708

Sentence durations and accentedness judgments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bond, Z. S.; Stockmal, Verna; Markus, Dace

2003-04-01

Talkers in a second language can frequently be identified as speaking with a foreign accent. It is not clear to what degree a foreign accent represents specific deviations from a target language versus more general characteristics. We examined the identifications of native and non-native talkers by listeners with various amount of knowledge of the target language. Native and non-native speakers of Latvian provided materials. All the non-native talkers spoke Russian as their first language and were long-term residents of Latvia. A listening test, containing sentences excerpted from a short recorded passage, was presented to three groups of listeners: native speakers of Latvian, Russians for whom Latvian was a second language, and Americans with no knowledge of either of the two languages. The listeners were asked to judge whether each utterance was produced by a native or non-native talker. The Latvians identified the non-native talkers very accurately, 88%. The Russians were somewhat less accurate, 83%. The American listeners were least accurate, but still identified the non-native talkers at above chance levels, 62%. Sentence durations correlated with the judgments provided by the American listeners but not with the judgments provided by native or L2 listeners.

The Specificity of Sound Symbolic Correspondences in Spoken Language.

PubMed

Tzeng, Christina Y; Nygaard, Lynne C; Namy, Laura L

2017-11-01

Although language has long been regarded as a primarily arbitrary system, sound symbolism, or non-arbitrary correspondences between the sound of a word and its meaning, also exists in natural language. Previous research suggests that listeners are sensitive to sound symbolism. However, little is known about the specificity of these mappings. This study investigated whether sound symbolic properties correspond to specific meanings, or whether these properties generalize across semantic dimensions. In three experiments, native English-speaking adults heard sound symbolic foreign words for dimensional adjective pairs (big/small, round/pointy, fast/slow, moving/still) and for each foreign word, selected a translation among English antonyms that either matched or mismatched with the correct meaning dimension. Listeners agreed more reliably on the English translation for matched relative to mismatched dimensions, though reliable cross-dimensional mappings did occur. These findings suggest that although sound symbolic properties generalize to meanings that may share overlapping semantic features, sound symbolic mappings offer semantic specificity. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

[Spatio-Temporal Bioelectrical Brain Activity Organization during Reading Syntagmatic and Paradigmatic Collocations by Students with Different Foreign Language Proficiency].

PubMed

Sokolova, L V; Cherkasova, A S

2015-01-01

Texts or words/pseudowords are often used as stimuli for human verbal activity research. Our study pays attention to decoding processes of grammatical constructions consisted of two-three words--collocations. Russian and English collocation sets without any narrative were presented to Russian-speaking students with different English language skill. Stimulus material had two types of collocations: paradigmatic and syntagmatic. 30 students (average age--20.4 ± 0.22) took part in the study, they were divided into two equal groups depending on their English language skill (linguists/nonlinguists). During reading brain bioelectrical activity of cortex has been registered from 12 electrodes in alfa-, beta-, theta-bands. Coherent function reflecting cooperation of different cortical areas during reading collocations has been analyzed. Increase of interhemispheric and diagonal connections while reading collocations in different languages in the group of students with low knowledge of foreign language testifies of importance of functional cooperation between the hemispheres. It has been found out that brain bioelectrical activity of students with good foreign language knowledge during reading of all collocation types in Russian and English is characterized by economization of nervous substrate resources compared to nonlinguists. Selective activation of certain cortical areas has also been observed (depending on the grammatical construction type) in nonlinguists group that is probably related to special decoding system which processes presented stimuli. Reading Russian paradigmatic constructions by nonlinguists entailed increase between left cortical areas, reading of English syntagmatic collocations--between right ones.

Advocating School-University Partnership for Responsive Teacher Education and Classroom-based Curricula: Evidence from Teachers' Cognitions about Principles of Curriculum Design and Their Own Roles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rahimi, Muhammad; Zhang, Lawrence Jun; Esfahani, Nasim Nasr

2016-01-01

This study investigated the differences between novice and experienced non-native English-speaking English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers' cognitions about EFL curriculum design principles and their own roles in designing an EFL curriculum. The challenge these teachers faced in their roles and the support system they needed were also…

VISP 2.0: Methodological Considerations for the Design and Implementation of an Audiodescription Based App to Improve Oral Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ibáñez Moreno, Ana; Vermeulen, Anna

2015-01-01

In this paper the methodological steps taken in the conception of a new mobile application (app) are introduced. This app, called VISP (Videos for Speaking), is easily accessible and manageable, and is aimed at helping students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to improve their idiomaticity in their oral production. In order to do so, the app…

Specialist English as a foreign language for European public health: evaluation of competencies and needs among Polish and Lithuanian students.

PubMed

Sumskas, Linas; Czabanowska, Katarzyna; Bruneviciūte, Raimonda; Kregzdyte, Rima; Krikstaponyte, Zita; Ziomkiewicz, Anna

2010-01-01

Foreign languages are becoming an essential prerequisite for a successful carrier among all professions including public health professionals in many countries. The expanding role of English as a mode of communication allows for university graduates to project and to seek their career in English-speaking countries. The present study was carried out in the framework of EU Leonardo da Vinci project "Specialist English as a foreign language for European public health." The study aimed to get a deeper insight how the English language is perceived as a foreign language, by Polish and Lithuanian public health students, what is level of their language competence, which level of English proficiency they expect to use in future. MATERIAL AND METHODS. A total of 246 respondents completed the special questionnaires in autumn semester in 2005. A questionnaire form was developed by the international project team. For evaluation of English competences, the Language Passport (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages of Council of Europe) was applied. RESULTS. Current self-rated proficiency of the English language was at the same level for Lithuanian (3.47+/-1.14) and Polish (3.31+/-0.83) respondents (P>0.05). Majority of respondents (88.6% of Lithuanian and 87.8% of Polish) reported using the English language for their current studies. Respondents reported a significant increase in necessity for higher level of English proficiency in future: mean scores provided by respondents changed from B1 level to B2 level. Respondents gave priority to less formal and practice-based interactive English teaching methods (going abroad, contacts with native speakers) in comparison with theory-oriented methods of learning (self-studying, Internet courses). CONCLUSIONS. Similar levels of English language in all five areas of language skills were established in Polish and Lithuanian university students. Respondents gave more priorities to less formal and practice-based interactive English teaching methods (going abroad, contacts with native speakers) in comparison with theory-oriented or classroom-based methods of learning (self-studying, Internet courses). Survey showed a growing interest of students in improving English language in the future in Poland and Lithuania.

The Effect of Communication Strategy Training on the Development of EFL Learners' Strategic Competence and Oral Communicative Ability.

PubMed

Rabab'ah, Ghaleb

2016-06-01

This study examines the effect of communication strategy instruction on EFL students' oral communicative ability and their strategic competence. In a 14-week English as a Foreign Language (EFL) course (English Use II) based on Communicative Language Teaching approach, 80 learners were divided into two groups. The strategy training group ([Formula: see text]) received CS training based on a training program designed for the purpose of the present research, whereas the control group ([Formula: see text]) received only the normal communicative course using Click On 3, with no explicit focus on CSs. The communication strategies targeted in the training program included circumlocution (paraphrase), appeal for help, asking for repetition, clarification request, confirmation request, self-repair, and guessing. Pre- and post-test procedures were used to find out the effect of strategy training on language proficiency and CS use. The effect of the training was assessed by three types of data collection: the participants' pre- and post-IELTS speaking test scores, transcription data from the speaking IELTS test, and 'Click On' Exit Test scores. The findings revealed that participants in the strategy training group significantly outperformed the control group in their IELTS speaking test scores. The results of the post-test transcription data also confirmed that the participants in the strategy training group used more CSs, which could be attributed to the CS training program. The findings of the present research have implications for language teachers, and syllabus designers.

Listening with an accent: speech perception in a second language by late bilinguals.

PubMed

Leikin, Mark; Ibrahim, Raphiq; Eviatar, Zohar; Sapir, Shimon

2009-10-01

The goal of the present study was to examine functioning of late bilinguals in their second language. Specifically, we asked how native and non-native Hebrew speaking listeners perceive accented and native-accented Hebrew speech. To achieve this goal we used the gating paradigm to explore the ability of healthy late fluent bilinguals (Russian and Arabic native speakers) to recognize words in L2 (Hebrew) when they were spoken in an accent like their own, a native accent (Hebrew speakers), or another foreign accent (American accent). The data revealed that for Hebrew speakers, there was no effect of accent, whereas for the two bilingual groups (Russian and Arabic native speakers), stimuli with an accent like their own and the native Hebrew accent, required significantly less phonological information than the other foreign accents. The results support the hypothesis that phonological assimilation works in a similar manner in these two different groups.

“When Music Speaks”: Auditory Cortex Morphology as a Neuroanatomical Marker of Language Aptitude and Musicality

PubMed Central

Turker, Sabrina; Reiterer, Susanne M.; Seither-Preisler, Annemarie; Schneider, Peter

2017-01-01

Recent research has shown that the morphology of certain brain regions may indeed correlate with a number of cognitive skills such as musicality or language ability. The main aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which foreign language aptitude, in particular phonetic coding ability, is influenced by the morphology of Heschl’s gyrus (HG; auditory cortex), working memory capacity, and musical ability. In this study, the auditory cortices of German-speaking individuals (N = 30; 13 males/17 females; aged 20–40 years) with high and low scores in a number of language aptitude tests were compared. The subjects’ language aptitude was measured by three different tests, namely a Hindi speech imitation task (phonetic coding ability), an English pronunciation assessment, and the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT). Furthermore, working memory capacity and musical ability were assessed to reveal their relationship with foreign language aptitude. On the behavioral level, significant correlations were found between phonetic coding ability, English pronunciation skills, musical experience, and language aptitude as measured by the MLAT. Parts of all three tests measuring language aptitude correlated positively and significantly with each other, supporting their validity for measuring components of language aptitude. Remarkably, the number of instruments played by subjects showed significant correlations with all language aptitude measures and musicality, whereas, the number of foreign languages did not show any correlations. With regard to the neuroanatomy of auditory cortex, adults with very high scores in the Hindi testing and the musicality test (AMMA) demonstrated a clear predominance of complete posterior HG duplications in the right hemisphere. This may reignite the discussion of the importance of the right hemisphere for language processing, especially when linked or common resources are involved, such as the inter-dependency between phonetic and musical aptitude. PMID:29250017

"You never know who are Sami or speak Sami" Clinicians' experiences with language-appropriate care to Sami-speaking patients in outpatient mental health clinics in Northern Norway.

PubMed

Dagsvold, Inger; Møllersen, Snefrid; Stordahl, Vigdis

2016-01-01

The Indigenous population in Norway, the Sami, have a statutory right to speak and be spoken to in the Sami language when receiving health services. There is, however, limited knowledge about how clinicians deal with this in clinical practice. This study explores how clinicians deal with language-appropriate care with Sami-speaking patients in specialist mental health services. This study aims to explore how clinicians identify and respond to Sami patients' language data, as well as how they experience provision of therapy to Sami-speaking patients in outpatient mental health clinics in Sami language administrative districts. Data were collected using qualitative method, through individual interviews with 20 therapists working in outpatient mental health clinics serving Sami populations in northern Norway. A thematic analysis inspired by systematic text reduction was employed. Two themes were identified: (a) identification of Sami patients' language data and (b) experiences with provision of therapy to Sami-speaking patients. Findings indicate that clinicians are not aware of patients' language needs prior to admission and that they deal with identification of language data and offer of language-appropriate care ad hoc when patients arrive. Sami-speaking participants reported always offering language choice and found more profound understanding of patients' experiences when Sami language was used. Whatever language Sami-speaking patients may choose, they are found to switch between languages during therapy. Most non-Sami-speaking participants reported offering Sami-speaking services, but the patients chose to speak Norwegian. However, a few of the participants maintained language awareness and could identify language needs despite a patient's refusal to speak Sami in therapy. Finally, some non-Sami-speaking participants were satisfied if they understood what the patients were saying. They left it to patients to address language problems, only to discover patients' complaints in retrospect. Consequently, language-appropriate care depends on individual clinicians' language assessment and offering of language choice.

Turkish Senior Nursing Students' Communication Experience With English-Speaking Patients.

PubMed

Guvenc, Gulten; Unver, Vesile; Basak, Tulay; Yuksel, Cigdem; Ayhan, Hatice; Kok, Gulsah; Konukbay, Dilek; Kose, Gulsah; Aslan, Ozlem; Tastan, Sevinc; Iyigun, Emine

2016-02-01

Simulation has been widely accepted as a valuable learning method in nursing education programs so that nursing students can learn and develop communication skills. The aim of this study was to evaluate nursing students' communication experience with an English-speaking standardized patient in the context of the Rational Administration of Medicines course. Involving both quantitative and qualitative research designs, this descriptive study was conducted with 104 nursing students in Ankara, Turkey, from September 2012 to July 2013. The majority (98.1%) of the participants stated the necessity of improving their English to communicate with English-speaking patients. Three overarching categories, including seven themes, emerged from the description of nursing students' experience: recognition of emotions, experiences during the simulation, and gains. Standardized patient practice emphasized the significance of cultural differences, of knowing and using a foreign language, of communication, and of patient safety. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

The current challenges of teaching ESP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fălăuş, A.

2017-05-01

Although the status of lingua franca can easily be claimed by English nowadays, there are always plenty of challenges involved in the process of teaching a foreign language. The simple mastering of the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and the acquisition of general grammar and vocabulary may not be enough in some circumstances. ESP focuses on the specific needs of the learners, concentrating more on language in context and on the students’ need to acquire a set of professional skills and particular job-related functions. This paper, consequently, focuses on identifying the current challenges that teachers and students may encounter in the process of teaching and learning English for Specific Purposes.

“You never know who are Sami or speak Sami” Clinicians’ experiences with language-appropriate care to Sami-speaking patients in outpatient mental health clinics in Northern Norway

PubMed Central

Dagsvold, Inger; Møllersen, Snefrid; Stordahl, Vigdis

2016-01-01

Background The Indigenous population in Norway, the Sami, have a statutory right to speak and be spoken to in the Sami language when receiving health services. There is, however, limited knowledge about how clinicians deal with this in clinical practice. This study explores how clinicians deal with language-appropriate care with Sami-speaking patients in specialist mental health services. Objectives This study aims to explore how clinicians identify and respond to Sami patients’ language data, as well as how they experience provision of therapy to Sami-speaking patients in outpatient mental health clinics in Sami language administrative districts. Method Data were collected using qualitative method, through individual interviews with 20 therapists working in outpatient mental health clinics serving Sami populations in northern Norway. A thematic analysis inspired by systematic text reduction was employed. Findings Two themes were identified: (a) identification of Sami patients’ language data and (b) experiences with provision of therapy to Sami-speaking patients. Conclusion Findings indicate that clinicians are not aware of patients’ language needs prior to admission and that they deal with identification of language data and offer of language-appropriate care ad hoc when patients arrive. Sami-speaking participants reported always offering language choice and found more profound understanding of patients’ experiences when Sami language was used. Whatever language Sami-speaking patients may choose, they are found to switch between languages during therapy. Most non-Sami-speaking participants reported offering Sami-speaking services, but the patients chose to speak Norwegian. However, a few of the participants maintained language awareness and could identify language needs despite a patient's refusal to speak Sami in therapy. Finally, some non-Sami-speaking participants were satisfied if they understood what the patients were saying. They left it to patients to address language problems, only to discover patients’ complaints in retrospect. Consequently, language-appropriate care depends on individual clinicians’ language assessment and offering of language choice. PMID:27836018

Development of Vocabulary in Spanish-Speaking and Cantonese-Speaking English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uchikoshi, Yuuko

2014-01-01

This study examines vocabulary growth rates in first and second languages for Spanish-speaking and Cantonese-speaking English language learners from kindergarten through second grade. Growth-modeling results show a within-language effect of concepts about print on vocabulary. Language exposure also had an effect on English vocabulary: earlier…

Social Interaction Affects Neural Outcomes of Sign Language Learning As a Foreign Language in Adults.

PubMed

Yusa, Noriaki; Kim, Jungho; Koizumi, Masatoshi; Sugiura, Motoaki; Kawashima, Ryuta

2017-01-01

Children naturally acquire a language in social contexts where they interact with their caregivers. Indeed, research shows that social interaction facilitates lexical and phonological development at the early stages of child language acquisition. It is not clear, however, whether the relationship between social interaction and learning applies to adult second language acquisition of syntactic rules. Does learning second language syntactic rules through social interactions with a native speaker or without such interactions impact behavior and the brain? The current study aims to answer this question. Adult Japanese participants learned a new foreign language, Japanese sign language (JSL), either through a native deaf signer or via DVDs. Neural correlates of acquiring new linguistic knowledge were investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The participants in each group were indistinguishable in terms of their behavioral data after the instruction. The fMRI data, however, revealed significant differences in the neural activities between two groups. Significant activations in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) were found for the participants who learned JSL through interactions with the native signer. In contrast, no cortical activation change in the left IFG was found for the group who experienced the same visual input for the same duration via the DVD presentation. Given that the left IFG is involved in the syntactic processing of language, spoken or signed, learning through social interactions resulted in an fMRI signature typical of native speakers: activation of the left IFG. Thus, broadly speaking, availability of communicative interaction is necessary for second language acquisition and this results in observed changes in the brain.

Cross-Linguistic Interference: L1, L2, L3 (+) Acquisition of French Adverbial Pronouns en and Y by Bilingual Spanish and English-Speaking Students of the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras: Implicit-Inductive Teaching/Learning versus Explicit Teaching/Deductive Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beloucif, Oihida

2017-01-01

This is a longitudinal case study of two groups of students (24 students in total) from the Foreign Languages Department of the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras. This research deals with the acquisition of the French adverbial pronouns "en" and "y" through two different teaching approaches, the implicit-inductive teaching…

Acculturation and Maternal Health Behaviors

PubMed Central

Hawkins, Summer Sherburne; Gillman, Matthew W.; Shafer, Emily F.; Cohen, Bruce B.

2014-01-01

Background Although prior studies have shown disparities in maternal health behaviors according to race/ethnicity and acculturation, whether these patterns are evident among new immigrant populations remains unclear. Purpose To examine the associations among proxies of acculturation and maternal smoking during pregnancy and breastfeeding initiation within each major ethnic group in Massachusetts. Methods Data were from the Standard Certificate of Live Births on 1,067,375 babies by mothers from 31 ethnic groups for 1996–2009. Mothers reported whether they smoked during pregnancy and the birth facility recorded whether mothers started breastfeeding. The acculturation proxy combined mothers’ country of birth and language preference: U.S.-born, foreign-born English-speaking, and foreign-born non-English speaking. For each ethnic group, adjusted logistic regression models were conducted to examine associations between the acculturation proxy and whether mothers smoked or initiated breastfeeding. Data were analyzed from 2012 to 2013. Results A lower proportion of foreign-born mothers had a high school degree or private insurance than U.S.-born mothers. However, foreign-born mothers who were English (range of AORs=0.07–0.93) or non-English speakers (AORs=0.01–0.36) were less likely to smoke during pregnancy than their U.S.-born counterparts. Foreign-born mothers who were English (AORs=1.22–6.52) or non-English speakers (AORs=1.35–10.12) were also more likely to initiate breastfeeding compared to U.S.-born mothers, except for some mothers with Asian ethnicities. Conclusions The consistency of the associations of being foreign-born with less smoking and more breastfeeding suggests that for the majority of ethnic groups studied, acculturation in the U.S. results in poorer maternal health behaviors. PMID:24951043

Examining differences in nurses' language, accent, and comprehensibility in nursing home settings based on birth origin and country of education.

PubMed

Wagner, Laura M; Brush, Barbara L; Castle, Nicholas G; Eaton, Michelle; Capezuti, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

As nursing homes turn abroad to fill vacancies, the diverse linguistic backgrounds of nurse hires are creating new challenges in comprehensibility between nurses, providers, and residents. Accents are a natural part of spoken language that may present difficulty even when the parties involved are speaking the same language. We surveyed 1,629 nurses working in 98 nursing homes (NHs) in five U.S. states to determine if and how language difficulties were perceived by nurses and others (e.g. physicians, residents and family members). We found that when participants were asked how often other care team members and residents/families had difficulty understanding them due to language use or accent, foreign born nurses were significantly more likely to report that they experienced difficulty at least some of the time across all groups. This study supports an assessment of nurses' language, accents, and comprehensibility in these settings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language-independent talker-specificity in first-language and second-language speech production by bilingual talkers: L1 speaking rate predicts L2 speaking rate

PubMed Central

Bradlow, Ann R.; Kim, Midam; Blasingame, Michael

2017-01-01

Second-language (L2) speech is consistently slower than first-language (L1) speech, and L1 speaking rate varies within- and across-talkers depending on many individual, situational, linguistic, and sociolinguistic factors. It is asked whether speaking rate is also determined by a language-independent talker-specific trait such that, across a group of bilinguals, L1 speaking rate significantly predicts L2 speaking rate. Two measurements of speaking rate were automatically extracted from recordings of read and spontaneous speech by English monolinguals (n = 27) and bilinguals from ten L1 backgrounds (n = 86): speech rate (syllables/second), and articulation rate (syllables/second excluding silent pauses). Replicating prior work, L2 speaking rates were significantly slower than L1 speaking rates both across-groups (monolinguals' L1 English vs bilinguals' L2 English), and across L1 and L2 within bilinguals. Critically, within the bilingual group, L1 speaking rate significantly predicted L2 speaking rate, suggesting that a significant portion of inter-talker variation in L2 speech is derived from inter-talker variation in L1 speech, and that individual variability in L2 spoken language production may be best understood within the context of individual variability in L1 spoken language production. PMID:28253679

Acculturation and Outcomes among Patients with Heart Failure

PubMed Central

Peterson, Pamela N.; Campagna, Elizabeth J.; Maravi, Moises; Allen, Larry A.; Bull, Sheana; Steiner, John F.; Havranek, Edward P.; Dickinson, L. Miriam; Masoudi, Frederick A

2013-01-01

Background Acculturation to U.S. society among minority patients may influence health outcomes beyond race and ethnicity alone. In particular, those who are foreign-born and who do not speak English as their primary language may have greater challenges interacting with the health care system and thus be at greater risk for adverse outcomes. Methods and Results We studied patients hospitalized with a principal discharge diagnosis of HF between January 2000 and December 2007 in an integrated delivery system that cares for minority patients. Individuals were defined as having low acculturation if their primary language was not English and their country of birth was outside of the U.S. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to determine the independent risk of 30-day rehospitalization and 1-year mortality, respectively. Candidate adjustment variables included demographics (age, gender, race/ethnicity), coexisting illnesses, laboratory values, left ventricular systolic function, and characteristics of the index admission. Of 1,268 patients, 30% (n=379) were Black, 39% (n=498) Hispanic, and 27% (n= 348) White. Eighteen percent (n=228) had low acculturation. After adjustment, low acculturation was associated with a higher risk of readmission at 30 days (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.07-2.68) but not 1-year all-cause mortality (HR 0.69; 95% CI 0.42-1.14). Conclusions Patients with HF who are foreign-born and do not speak English as their primary language have a greater risk of rehospitalization, independent of clinical factors and race/ethnicity. Future studies should evaluate whether culturally concordant interventions focusing on such patients may improve outcomes for this patient population. PMID:22247483

JPRS Report, China

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-11-22

thereby relatively increasing China’s foreign debt burden. Generally speaking, a decline in foreign exchange rates helps increase exports; however, the...offset by currency inflation. This leads to further currency over- valuation, which hurts exports. Generally speaking, a fall in foreign exchange rates can...restrain exports; however, the fall in China’s foreign exchange rates in recent years has played no marked role in restricting imports. The

Two French-Speaking Cases of Foreign Accent Syndrome: An Acoustic-Phonetic Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Johanna-Pascale; Macoir, Joel; Martel-Sauvageau, Vincent; Boudreault, Carol-Ann

2012-01-01

Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is an acquired neurologic disorder in which an individual suddenly and unintentionally speaks with an accent which is perceived as being different from his/her usual accent. This study presents an acoustic-phonetic description of two Quebec French-speaking cases. The first speaker presents a perceived accent shift to…

Native Language Spoken as a Risk Marker for Tooth Decay.

PubMed

Carson, J; Walker, L A; Sanders, B J; Jones, J E; Weddell, J A; Tomlin, A M

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess dmft, the number of decayed, missing (due to caries), and/ or filled primary teeth, of English-speaking and non-English speaking patients of a hospital based pediatric dental clinic under the age of 72 months to determine if native language is a risk marker for tooth decay. Records from an outpatient dental clinic which met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. Patient demographics and dmft score were recorded, and the patients were separated into three groups by the native language spoken by their parents: English, Spanish and all other languages. A total of 419 charts were assessed: 253 English-speaking, 126 Spanish-speaking, and 40 other native languages. After accounting for patient characteristics, dmft was significantly higher for the other language group than for the English-speaking (p<0.001) and Spanish-speaking groups (p<0.05), however the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking groups were not different from each other (p>0.05). Those patients under 72 months of age whose parents' native language is not English or Spanish, have the highest risk for increased dmft when compared to English and Spanish speaking patients. Providers should consider taking additional time to educate patients and their parents, in their native language, on the importance of routine dental care and oral hygiene.

One-Parent-One-Language (OPOL) Families: Is the Majority Language-Speaking Parent Instrumental in the Minority Language Development?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venables, Elizabeth; Eisenchlas, Susana A.; Schalley, Andrea C.

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the strategies majority language-speaking parents use to support the development of the minority language in families who follow the pattern of exposure known as one-parent-one-language (OPOL). In this particular pattern of raising a child bilingually, each parent speaks only their own native language to their…

Nursing as a career choice: perceptions of school students speaking Arabic, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Turkish or Vietnamese at home.

PubMed

Tang, K C; Duffield, C; Chen, X C; Choucair, S; Creegan, R; Mak, C; Lesley, G

1999-01-01

Australia is a multicultural society and nowhere is this more evident than in Sydney where 25% of the population speaks a language other than English. In one of the largest area health services in New South Wales, the five most frequently spoken languages at home are Arabic, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Turkish or Vietnamese, with these language groups comprising 12% of Sydney's population. Yet nurses speaking one of these five languages comprise less than 1% of the nursing workforce. A cost-effective method of addressing the shortage of nurses speaking languages other than English is to recruit students who already speak another language into the profession. This study examined high school students' perceptions of nursing in order to determine appropriate methods of recruiting students speaking one of these languages. Implications for the design of recruitment campaigns are also discussed.

English Language Learners: Development and Intervention--An Introduction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCardle, Peggy; Leung, Christy Y.Y.

2006-01-01

Nearly one in five Americans speaks a language other than English at home; among Americans speaking languages other than English, the largest single language group is Spanish speaking (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2004). The increase in the total group of language minority individuals has been dramatic, with their proportion in the U.S. population…

Are Immigrants More Physically Active Than Native-Born Australians and Does it Changes Over Time? Evidence From a Nationally Representative Longitudinal Survey.

PubMed

Joshi, Suresh; Jatrana, Santosh; Paradies, Yin

2017-02-01

We investigated the differences and over time changes in recommended physical activity among foreign-born (FB) from English speaking countries (ESC) and non-English speaking countries (NESC) relative to native-born (NB) Australians, and whether the association between nativity and duration of residence (DoR) and physical activity is mediated by English language proficiency, socioeconomic status and social engagement/membership. This study applies multilevel group-meancentered mixed (hybrid) logistic regression models to 12 waves of longitudinal data (12,634 individuals) from the Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia survey with engagement in physical activities for more than 3 times a week as the outcome variable. Immigrants from ESC had higher odds of physical activity, while immigrants from NESC had significantly lower odds of physical activity than NB Australians, after adjusting for covariates. There was no evidence that these differences changed by DoR among immigrants from NESC, whereas ESC immigrants had higher odds of physical activity when their DoR was more than 20 years. We also found a mediating role of English language proficiency on immigrants physical activities. Appropriate health promotion interventions should be implemented to foster physical activities among NESC immigrants, considering English language proficiency as an important factor in designing interventions.

A comparison of sensory-motor activity during speech in first and second languages.

PubMed

Simmonds, Anna J; Wise, Richard J S; Dhanjal, Novraj S; Leech, Robert

2011-07-01

A foreign language (L2) learned after childhood results in an accent. This functional neuroimaging study investigated speech in L2 as a sensory-motor skill. The hypothesis was that there would be an altered response in auditory and somatosensory association cortex, specifically the planum temporale and parietal operculum, respectively, when speaking in L2 relative to L1, independent of rate of speaking. These regions were selected for three reasons. First, an influential computational model proposes that these cortices integrate predictive feedforward and postarticulatory sensory feedback signals during articulation. Second, these adjacent regions (known as Spt) have been identified as a "sensory-motor interface" for speech production. Third, probabilistic anatomical atlases exist for these regions, to ensure the analyses are confined to sensory-motor differences between L2 and L1. The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and participants produced connected overt speech. The first hypothesis was that there would be greater activity in the planum temporale and the parietal operculum when subjects spoke in L2 compared with L1, one interpretation being that there is less efficient postarticulatory sensory monitoring when speaking in the less familiar L2. The second hypothesis was that this effect would be observed in both cerebral hemispheres. Although Spt is considered to be left-lateralized, this is based on studies of covert speech, whereas overt speech is accompanied by sensory feedback to bilateral auditory and somatosensory cortices. Both hypotheses were confirmed by the results. These findings provide the basis for future investigations of sensory-motor aspects of language learning using serial fMRI studies.

Language Use in a Spanish-English Dual Immersion Classroom: A Sociolinguistic Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potowski, Kimberly

Dual immersion classrooms combine students who speak a non-English language (in this case Spanish) with English speaking students learning the native language of the nonnative English speaking students. This case study recorded the output of Spanish first language (L1) and second language (L2) fifth graders over 5 months of Spanish language…

Predictors of English Reading Comprehension: Cantonese-Speaking English Language Learners in the U.S.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uchikoshi, Yuuko

2013-01-01

In this paper, first language (L1) and second language (L2) oral language and word reading skills were used as predictors to devise a model of reading comprehension in young Cantonese-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in the United States. L1 and L2 language and literacy measures were collected from a total of 101 Cantonese-speaking ELLs…

Nonadjacent Dependency Learning in Cantonese-Speaking Children with and without a History of Specific Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iao, Lai-Sang; Ng, Lai Yan; Wong, Anita Mei Yin; Lee, Oi Ting

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study investigated nonadjacent dependency learning in Cantonese-speaking children with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI) in an artificial linguistic context. Method: Sixteen Cantonese-speaking children with a history of SLI and 16 Cantonese-speaking children with typical language development (TLD) were…

A Narrative Evaluation of Mandarin-Speaking Children with Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hao, Ying; Sheng, Li; Zhang, Yiwen; Jiang, Fan; de Villiers, Jill; Lee, Wendy; Liu, Xueman Lucy

2018-01-01

Purpose: We aimed to study narrative skills in Mandarin-speaking children with language impairment (LI) to compare with children with LI speaking Indo-European languages. Method: Eighteen Mandarin-speaking children with LI (mean age 6;2 [years;months]) and 18 typically developing (TD) age controls told 3 stories elicited using the Mandarin…

Overcoming language barriers in healthcare: A protocol for investigating safe and effective communication when patients or clinicians use a second language.

PubMed

Meuter, Renata F I; Gallois, Cindy; Segalowitz, Norman S; Ryder, Andrew G; Hocking, Julia

2015-09-10

Miscommunication in the healthcare sector can be life-threatening. The rising number of migrant patients and foreign-trained staff means that communication errors between a healthcare practitioner and patient when one or both are speaking a second language are increasingly likely. However, there is limited research that addresses this issue systematically. This protocol outlines a hospital-based study examining interactions between healthcare practitioners and their patients who either share or do not share a first language. Of particular interest are the nature and efficacy of communication in language-discordant conversations, and the degree to which risk is communicated. Our aim is to understand language barriers and miscommunication that may occur in healthcare settings between patients and healthcare practitioners, especially where at least one of the speakers is using a second (weaker) language. Eighty individual interactions between patients and practitioners who speak either English or Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese) as their first language will be video recorded in a range of in- and out-patient departments at three hospitals in the Metro South area of Brisbane, Australia. All participants will complete a language background questionnaire. Patients will also complete a short survey rating the effectiveness of the interaction. Recordings will be transcribed and submitted to both quantitative and qualitative analyses to determine elements of the language used that might be particularly problematic and the extent to which language concordance and discordance impacts on the quality of the patient-practitioner consultation. Understanding the role that language plays in creating barriers to healthcare is critical for healthcare systems that are experiencing an increasing range of culturally and linguistically diverse populations both amongst patients and practitioners. The data resulting from this study will inform policy and practical solutions for communication training, provide an agenda for future research, and extend theory in health communication.

Language Corrections and Language Ideologies in Israeli Hebrew-Speaking Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Netz, Hadar; Yitzhaki, Dafna; Lefstein, Adam

2018-01-01

This article is about language corrections in Israeli Hebrew-speaking primary classrooms. The ideological significance of language corrections, particularly within the highly contested context of Israeli society and Modern Hebrew, underlies the current study. Teachers in Israeli, Hebrew-speaking classes were found to frequently correct not only…

Nonadjacent Dependency Learning in Cantonese-Speaking Children With and Without a History of Specific Language Impairment.

PubMed

Iao, Lai-Sang; Ng, Lai Yan; Wong, Anita Mei Yin; Lee, Oi Ting

2017-03-01

This study investigated nonadjacent dependency learning in Cantonese-speaking children with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI) in an artificial linguistic context. Sixteen Cantonese-speaking children with a history of SLI and 16 Cantonese-speaking children with typical language development (TLD) were tested with a nonadjacent dependency learning task using artificial languages that mimic Cantonese. Children with TLD performed above chance and were able to discriminate between trained and untrained nonadjacent dependencies. However, children with a history of SLI performed at chance and were not able to differentiate trained versus untrained nonadjacent dependencies. These findings, together with previous findings from English-speaking adults and adolescents with language impairments, suggest that individuals with atypical language development, regardless of age, diagnostic status, language, and culture, show difficulties in learning nonadjacent dependencies. This study provides evidence for early impairments to statistical learning in individuals with atypical language development.

Identification and discrimination of bilingual talkers across languages1

PubMed Central

Winters, Stephen J.; Levi, Susannah V.; Pisoni, David B.

2008-01-01

This study investigated the extent to which language familiarity affects the perception of the indexical properties of speech by testing listeners’ identification and discrimination of bilingual talkers across two different languages. In one experiment, listeners were trained to identify bilingual talkers speaking in only one language and were then tested on their ability to identify the same talkers speaking in another language. In the second experiment, listeners discriminated between bilingual talkers across languages in an AX discrimination paradigm. The results of these experiments indicate that there is sufficient language-independent indexical information in speech for listeners to generalize knowledge of talkers’ voices across languages and to successfully discriminate between bilingual talkers regardless of the language they are speaking. However, the results of these studies also revealed that listeners do not solely rely on language-independent information when performing these tasks. Listeners use language-dependent indexical cues to identify talkers who are speaking a familiar language. Moreover, the tendency to perceive two talkers as the “same” or “different” depends on whether the talkers are speaking in the same language. The combined results of these experiments thus suggest that indexical processing relies on both language-dependent and language-independent information in the speech signal. PMID:18537401

Factors that Enhance English-Speaking Speech-Language Pathologists' Transcription of Cantonese-Speaking Children's Consonants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockart, Rebekah; McLeod, Sharynne

2013-01-01

Purpose: To investigate speech-language pathology students' ability to identify errors and transcribe typical and atypical speech in Cantonese, a nonnative language. Method: Thirty-three English-speaking speech-language pathology students completed 3 tasks in an experimental within-subjects design. Results: Task 1 (baseline) involved transcribing…

Toddlers learn words in a foreign language: The role of native vocabulary knowledge

PubMed Central

Koenig, Melissa A.; Woodward, Amanda L.

2013-01-01

The current study examined monolingual English-speaking toddlers’ (N=50) ability to learn word-referent links from native speakers of Dutch versus English and secondly, whether children generalized or sequestered their extensions when terms were tested by a subsequent speaker of English. Overall, children performed better in the English than in the Dutch condition; however, children with high native vocabularies successfully selected the target object for terms trained in fluent Dutch. Furthermore, children with higher vocabularies did not indicate their comprehension of Dutch terms when subsequently tested by an English speaker whereas children with low vocabulary scores responded at chance levels to both the original Dutch speaker and the second English speaker. These findings demonstrate that monolingual toddlers with proficiency in their native language are capable of learning words outside of their conventional system and may be sensitive to the boundaries that exist between language systems. PMID:22310327

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Report 26: The technical communication practices of aerospace engineering students: Results of the phase 3 AIAA National Student Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinelli, Thomas E.; Hecht, Laura M.; Barclay, Rebecca O.; Kennedy, John M.

1994-01-01

This report describes similarities and differences between undergraduate and graduate engineering students in the context of two general aspects of the educational experience. First, we explore the extent to which students differ regarding the factors that lead to the choice of becoming an engineer, current satisfaction with that choice, and career-related goals and objectives. Second, we look at the technical communication practices, habits, and training of aerospace engineering students. The reported data were obtained from a survey of student members of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The survey was undertaken as a phase 3 activity of the NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Data are reported for the following categories: student demographics; skill importance, skill training, and skill helpfulness; collaborative writing; computer and information technology use and importance; use of electronic networks; use and importance of libraries and library services; use and importance of information sources and products; use of foreign language technical reports; and foreign language (reading and speaking) skills.

The Impact of Foreign Accent on Credibility: An Analysis of Cognitive Statement Ratings in a Swiss Context.

PubMed

Stocker, Ladina

2017-06-01

The present paper reports on a study investigating whether the presence of a foreign accent negatively affects credibility judgments. Previous research suggests that trivia statements recorded by speakers with a foreign accent are judged as less credible than when recorded by native speakers due to increased cognitive demands (Lev-Ari and Keysar in J Exp Soc Psychol 46(6):1093-1096, 2010. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2010.05.025 ). In the present study, 194 French- and 183 Swiss-German-speaking participants were asked to judge the truthfulness of 48 trivia statements recorded by speakers with French, Swiss-German, Italian and English accents by means of an online survey. Before submitting the survey, raters were asked to attribute given labels-including adjectives referring to credibility-to a language group aiming to elicit raters' stereotypes in a direct manner. Although the results of this task indicate that the raters do hold different stereotypes concerning credibility of speech communities, foreign accent does not seem to have an impact on credibility ratings in the Swiss context.

The influence of talker and foreign-accent variability on spoken word identification.

PubMed

Bent, Tessa; Holt, Rachael Frush

2013-03-01

In spoken word identification and memory tasks, stimulus variability from numerous sources impairs performance. In the current study, the influence of foreign-accent variability on spoken word identification was evaluated in two experiments. Experiment 1 used a between-subjects design to test word identification in noise in single-talker and two multiple-talker conditions: multiple talkers with the same accent and multiple talkers with different accents. Identification performance was highest in the single-talker condition, but there was no difference between the single-accent and multiple-accent conditions. Experiment 2 further explored word recognition for multiple talkers in single-accent versus multiple-accent conditions using a mixed design. A detriment to word recognition was observed in the multiple-accent condition compared to the single-accent condition, but the effect differed across the language backgrounds tested. These results demonstrate that the processing of foreign-accent variation may influence word recognition in ways similar to other sources of variability (e.g., speaking rate or style) in that the inclusion of multiple foreign accents can result in a small but significant performance decrement beyond the multiple-talker effect.

Accent on Foreign Languages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McWilliams, Larry; And Others

A guide on foreign languages is presented for counselors, administrators, teachers, and parents. An introductory section discusses reasons for foreign language study, college entrance or exit requirements, foreign language and SAT scores, careers that use foreign languages, myths about learning foreign languages, and information about French,…

Access to healthcare interpreter services: where are we and where do we need to go?

PubMed

Bischoff, Alexander; Hudelson, Patricia

2010-07-01

Due to international migration, health care professionals in Switzerland increasingly encounter language barriers in communication with their patients. In order to examine health professionals' attitudes and practices related to healthcare interpreting, we sent a self-administered questionnaire to heads of medical and nursing departments in public healthcare services in the canton of Basel-Stadt (N = 205, response rate 56%). Strategies used to communicate with foreign-language speaking patients differed, depending on the patient's language. While nearly half of respondents relied on patients' relatives to translate for Albanian, Tamil, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Portuguese and Turkish, a third did so for Spanish, and a fourth did so for Arabic. Eleven percent relied on professional interpreters for Spanish and 31% did so for Tamil and Arabic. Variations in strategies used appear to mainly reflect the availability of bilingual staff members for the different languages. Future efforts should focus on sensitizing health professionals to the problems associated with use of ad hoc interpreters, as well as facilitating access to professional interpreters.

How Do Chinese ESL Learners Recognize English Words during a Reading Test? A Comparison with Romance-Language-Speaking ESL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Hongli; Suen, Hoi K.

2015-01-01

This study examines how Chinese ESL learners recognize English words while responding to a multiple-choice reading test as compared to Romance-language-speaking ESL learners. Four adult Chinese ESL learners and three adult Romance-language-speaking ESL learners participated in a think-aloud study with the Michigan English Language Assessment…

Implementation of Flipped Instruction in Language Classrooms: An Alternative Way to Develop Speaking Skills of Pre-Service English Language Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Köroglu, Zeynep Çetin; Çakir, Abdulvahit

2017-01-01

Flipped Instruction is overemphasized in recent years that has a significant impact in language education. In this context, the current research investigates the effects of Flipped Instruction on pre-service English language teachers' speaking skills development. The research covers subskills of speaking skills. In this study quantitative data…

Incidental acquisition of foreign language vocabulary through brief multi-modal exposure.

PubMed

Bisson, Marie-Josée; van Heuven, Walter J B; Conklin, Kathy; Tunney, Richard J

2013-01-01

First language acquisition requires relatively little effort compared to foreign language acquisition and happens more naturally through informal learning. Informal exposure can also benefit foreign language learning, although evidence for this has been limited to speech perception and production. An important question is whether informal exposure to spoken foreign language also leads to vocabulary learning through the creation of form-meaning links. Here we tested the impact of exposure to foreign language words presented with pictures in an incidental learning phase on subsequent explicit foreign language learning. In the explicit learning phase, we asked adults to learn translation equivalents of foreign language words, some of which had appeared in the incidental learning phase. Results revealed rapid learning of the foreign language words in the incidental learning phase showing that informal exposure to multi-modal foreign language leads to foreign language vocabulary acquisition. The creation of form-meaning links during the incidental learning phase is discussed.

Cyprus.

PubMed

1988-04-01

Cyprus is a small island of 9251 sq. km. situated in the eastern Mediterranean just west of Syria. The 670,000 Cypriots include 77% Greek-speaking Orthodox Christians and 18% Turkish-speaking Muslims. Both languages, as well as English, are used. 66% attend secondary school, but higher education must be obtained abroad. The growth rate is 1.3%; infant mortality is 12/1000; life expectancy is 72 (males) and 77 years (female); literacy is 99%. The economy is based on services and tourism (47%). light industry (16%), and agriculture, mainly vegetables and fruits (9%). Cyprus has been inhabited since pre-historic times, and featured a Hellenic culture from 700 B.C., the 1st of a series of foreign colonies and conquests. Cyprus became independent of Britain in 1960. A stable government, including both the majority Greek Cypriot republican government and the northern Turkish government based on a French system, has yet to be formed.

Relationship among Iranian EFL Students' Foreign Language Anxiety, Foreign Language Listening Anxiety and Their Listening Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Serraj, Samaneh; Noordin, Noreen Bt.

2013-01-01

Anxiety is an influential factor in a foreign language learning domain and plays a crucial role in language learners' performance. The following study was conducted to explore the possible impact of Foreign Language Anxiety and Foreign Language Listening Anxiety on language learners' listening skill. The researcher was interested to know the…

Inclusion of non-English-speaking patients in research: A single institution experience.

PubMed

Bernier, Rachel; Halpin, Erin; Staffa, Steven J; Benson, Lindsey; DiNardo, James A; Nasr, Viviane G

2018-05-01

Considering the recent increase in medical care provided to patients from foreign countries and the diversity of languages spoken by families living within the United States, it is important to determine whether non-English-speaking patients have access to participate in clinical research from which they may benefit. We aimed to determine the number of non-English-speaking patients presenting to Boston Children's Hospital for medical care between 2011 and 2016, the number of clinical research protocols active within the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine approved to enroll non-English-speaking patients, as well as the number of both non-English- and English-speaking patients approached and enrolled in these studies. Furthermore, we attempted to determine barriers that may have prevented non-English-speaking patients from inclusion in clinical research. We conducted a retrospective review of various data sources during a 5-year period. Data included the number of non-English-speaking patients presenting to Boston Children's Hospital for care as well as the number of English- and non-English-speaking patients approached for studies at the Department of Anesthesiology each year. Additionally, we reviewed data from the IRB which included the justification that research teams provided when opting to exclude non-English-speaking participants. In addition, we attempted to determine the barriers that may have prevented these patients from inclusion in research protocols. We found that the number of non-English-speaking patients presenting to Boston Children's Hospital increased over time. However, the number of studies approved to enroll non-English-speaking patients within the Department of Anesthesiology and the rate of enrollment of these patients did not increase at the same rate. In order to increase the number of non-English-speaking patients approached to participate in research, we must improve cultural awareness and provide investigators with resources for interpreter and translation services. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Avoidance and Overuse of Indonesian Language among Balinese Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pageyasa, Wayan

2017-01-01

The use of Indonesian language by children who speak the Balinese language, especially for children who live in rural areas is quite difficult. This is because their Balinese language is much different from Indonesian language. If they speak Indonesian language, they have to fall back to the language first. That is, language transfer process will…

Accounting for ethnic-cultural and linguistic diversity in neuropsychological assessment of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy: A retrospective study.

PubMed

Peviani, Valeria; Scarpa, Pina; Toraldo, Alessio; Bottini, Gabriella

2016-11-01

Neuropsychological assessment is critical in both diagnosis and prognosis of patients with epilepsy. Beyond electrophysiological and anatomical alterations, other factors including different ethnic-cultural and linguistic backgrounds might affect neuropsychological performance. Only a few studies considered migration and acculturation effects and they typically concerned nonclinical samples. The current study aimed at investigating the influence of ethnic background and time spent in Italy on a full neuropsychological battery administered to both Italian and foreign-born patients and at providing a brief interview for obtaining relevant information on each patient's transcultural and language-related history. Clinical reports from 43 foreign-born patients with drug-resistant epilepsy were collected from the archives of Milan Niguarda Hospital. Epileptogenic zone, age, education, profession, illness duration, seizure frequency, handedness, and gender were considered in selecting 43 Italian controls. Ethnicity (Italian/foreign-born) and years spent in Italy were analyzed as main predictors on 21 neuropsychological scales by means of General(ized) Linear Models. An additional analysis studied two composite scores of overall verbal and nonverbal abilities. Ethnicity significantly affected the following: the verbal overall score, Verbal Fluency, Naming, Token-test, Digit Span, Attentional Matrices, Trail-Making-Test, Line-Orientation-Test, and Raven matrices; no effects were found on the nonverbal overall score, Word Pairs Learning, Episodic Memory, reading accuracy, visual span, Bells test, Rey Figure, and face memory and recognition. No significant effects of years spent in Italy emerged. While years spent in Italy does not predict neuropsychological performance, linguistic background had a strong impact on it. With respect to Italian-speaking patients, those who were foreign-born showed large task-related variability, with an especially low performance on language-related tests. Hence, language tests should not be considered as valid measures of neuropsychological impairment in this population, not even in foreign-born patients with good Italian fluency. Clinicians should consider such asymmetries in order to improve the accuracy of neuropsychological assessment of foreign-born patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS): The Speaking Test.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingram, D. E.

1991-01-01

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) assesses proficiency in English both generally and for special purposes of non-native English speakers studying, training, or learning English in English-speaking countries. The Speaking subtest of the IELTS measures a candidate's general proficiency in speaking in everyday situations via a…

An Integrative Approach to Foreign Language Teaching: Choosing Among the Options. ACTFL Foreign Language Education Series, Vol. 8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarvis, Gilbert A., Ed.

This volume on foreign language teaching and learning concerns the following topics: lifelong learning, small-group learning, the minicourse, student attitudes toward foreign languages, problems in secondary schools, humanistic education, curricula in uncommonly taught languages, foreign languages in elementary and adolescent-centered education,…

Teaching Creole-Speaking Children: Issues, Concerns and Resolutions for the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wigglesworth, Gillian; Billington, Rosey

2013-01-01

There are now significant numbers of children who speak a language other than English when they enter the formal school system in Australia. Many of these children come from a language background that is entirely different from the school language. Many Indigenous children, however, come from creole-speaking backgrounds where their home language…

The Usefulness of Pictorial Aids in Developing Female Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners' Speaking Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afraz, Shahram; Taghizade, Leila; Taghinezhad, Ali

2018-01-01

Speaking is a crucial form of communication in language learning settings. Through speaking skill, ESL/EFL language learners can communicate and convey information. Pictorial aids have been deployed as efficacious mediatory tools in teaching various disciplines such as language teaching. Still, to the best of the researchers' knowledge, a direct…

Classification Accuracy of Brief Parent Report Measures of Language Development in Spanish-Speaking Toddlers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guiberson, Mark; Rodriguez, Barbara L.; Dale, Philip S.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to examine the concurrent validity and classification accuracy of 3 parent report measures of language development in Spanish-speaking toddlers. Method: Forty-five Spanish-speaking parents and their 2-year-old children participated. Twenty-three children had expressive language delays (ELDs) as…

Interrogative Types in Parental Speech to Language Learning Children: A Linguistic Universal? Research Report No. 56.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buium, Nissan

The verbal interactions of eight mother-child pairs (four Hebrew-speaking mothers and four English-speaking mothers with their 24-month-old language learning children) were recorded and analyzed to determine the frequency of occurrence of various interrogative forms in the mothers' language. Results indicated that English-speaking mothers produced…

Spoken Language Comprehension of Phrases, Simple and Compound-Active Sentences in Non-Speaking Children with Severe Cerebral Palsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geytenbeek, Joke J. M.; Heim, Margriet J. M.; Knol, Dirk L.; Vermeulen, R. Jeroen; Oostrom, Kim J.

2015-01-01

Background Children with severe cerebral palsy (CP) (i.e. "non-speaking children with severely limited mobility") are restricted in many domains that are important to the acquisition of language. Aims To investigate comprehension of spoken language on sentence type level in non-speaking children with severe CP. Methods & Procedures…

The impact of language barriers and immigration status on the care experience for Spanish-speaking caregivers of patients with pediatric cancer.

PubMed

Zamora, Eduardo R; Kaul, Sapna; Kirchhoff, Anne C; Gwilliam, Vannina; Jimenez, Ornella A; Morreall, Deborah K; Montenegro, Roberto E; Kinney, Anita Y; Fluchel, Mark N

2016-12-01

An increasing proportion of pediatric cancer patients in the United States are Latino and many have Spanish-speaking immigrant parents with limited English proficiency (LEP). Little is known about how language or undocumented immigration status impacts their care experience. A cross-sectional survey was administered to English (N = 310) and Spanish-speaking LEP (N = 56) caregivers of pediatric cancer patients. To assess differences in healthcare experiences between the language groups, t-tests and chi-square statistics were used. Multivariable logistic regression evaluated associations between primary language and knowledge of clinical trial status. Spanish-speaking caregivers were more likely to report higher rates of quitting or changing jobs as a direct result of their child's cancer, and their children were more likely to experience a delay in education. Although Spanish-speaking caregivers reported higher satisfaction with care, 32% reported feeling that their child would have received better care if English was their primary language. Spanish-speaking caregivers were more likely to incorrectly identify whether their child was on a clinical trial compared with English-speaking caregivers. The majority of Spanish-speaking caregivers reported at least one undocumented caregiver in the household and 11% of them avoided or delayed medical care for their child due to concerns over their undocumented immigration status. Language barriers and undocumented immigration status may negatively impact the quality of informed decision-making and the care experience for Spanish-speaking LEP caregivers of pediatric cancer patients. These families may benefit from culturally appropriate Spanish language resources to improve communication and open a dialogue regarding undocumented immigration status. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Adaptation and Assessment of a Public Speaking Rating Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iberri-Shea, Gina

2017-01-01

Prominent spoken language assessments such as the Oral Proficiency Interview and the Test of Spoken English have been primarily concerned with speaking ability as it relates to conversation. This paper looks at an additional aspect of spoken language ability, namely public speaking. This study used an adapted form of a public speaking rating scale…

The development of cross-cultural recognition of vocal emotion during childhood and adolescence.

PubMed

Chronaki, Georgia; Wigelsworth, Michael; Pell, Marc D; Kotz, Sonja A

2018-06-14

Humans have an innate set of emotions recognised universally. However, emotion recognition also depends on socio-cultural rules. Although adults recognise vocal emotions universally, they identify emotions more accurately in their native language. We examined developmental trajectories of universal vocal emotion recognition in children. Eighty native English speakers completed a vocal emotion recognition task in their native language (English) and foreign languages (Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic) expressing anger, happiness, sadness, fear, and neutrality. Emotion recognition was compared across 8-to-10, 11-to-13-year-olds, and adults. Measures of behavioural and emotional problems were also taken. Results showed that although emotion recognition was above chance for all languages, native English speaking children were more accurate in recognising vocal emotions in their native language. There was a larger improvement in recognising vocal emotion from the native language during adolescence. Vocal anger recognition did not improve with age for the non-native languages. This is the first study to demonstrate universality of vocal emotion recognition in children whilst supporting an "in-group advantage" for more accurate recognition in the native language. Findings highlight the role of experience in emotion recognition, have implications for child development in modern multicultural societies and address important theoretical questions about the nature of emotions.

Literacy Development of Linguistically Diverse First Graders in a Mainstream English Classroom: Connecting Speaking and Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Eileen

2006-01-01

Children who speak different home languages and dialects in a monolingual classroom often carry the challenge of having to develop literacy in a different language. This article presents a qualitative study of five first graders who speak different home languages in an inner city mainstream English classroom. Through interviews, classroom writing,…

Scaffolding Learning: Developing Materials to Support the Learning of Science and Language by Non-Native English-Speaking Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afitska, Oksana

2016-01-01

In recent years, the UK, like many other English first-language-speaking countries, has encountered a steady and continuous increase in the numbers of non-native English-speaking learners entering state primary and secondary schools. A significant proportion of these learners has specific language and subject learning needs, many of which can only…

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Report 28: The technical communication practices of aerospace engineering and science students: Results of the phase 4 cross-national surveys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinelli, Thomas E.; Hecht, Laura M.; Barclay, Rebecca O.; Kennedy, John M.

1994-01-01

This report describes similarities and differences between undergraduate and graduate aerospace engineering and science students in the context of two general aspects of the educational experience. First, we explore the extent to which students differ regarding the factors that lead to the choice of becoming an aerospace engineer or a scientist, current satisfaction with that choice, and career-related goals and objectives. Second, we look at the technical communication skills, practices, habits, and training of aerospace engineering and science students. The reported data were obtained from a survey of students enrolled in aerospace engineering and science programs at universities in India, Japan, Russia, and the United Kingdom. The surveys were undertaken as part of the NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Data are reported for the following categories: student demographics; skill importance, skill training, and skill helpfulness; collaborative writing; computer and information technology use and importance, use of electronic networks; use and importance of libraries and library services; use and importance of information sources and products; use of foreign language technical reports; and foreign language (reading and speaking) skills.

Online Speaking Strategy Assessment for Improving Speaking Ability in the Area of Language for Specific Purposes: The Case of Tourism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phaiboonnugulkij, Malinee; Prapphal, Kanchana

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the differences in strategies used in an online language for specific purposes (LSP) speaking test in tourism with two proficiency groups of students, and to investigate the strategies that should be used for low-proficiency students to improve their LSP speaking ability. The Web-based Speaking Test in…

Foreign Language Planning in Saudi Arabia: Beyond English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payne, Mark; Almansour, Maram

2014-01-01

This paper presents findings from an exploratory study of foreign language planning in Saudi Arabia. In terms of official policy, the sole foreign language taught in Saudi public schools is English. Therefore, researching foreign languages there is often limited to researching the area of English as a Foreign Language. However, evidence shows that…

34 CFR 658.1 - What is the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Foreign Language Program? 658.1 Section 658.1 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of... STUDIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM General § 658.1 What is the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program? The Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program is designed...

34 CFR 658.1 - What is the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Foreign Language Program? 658.1 Section 658.1 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of... STUDIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM General § 658.1 What is the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program? The Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program is designed...

The Effect of Ethnolinguistic Differences on Proximity between Cantonese and Mandarin Speaking Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leung, Lanna Oi-Ling; Lewis, George F.

1999-01-01

Examined effects of ethnolinguistic differences on social proximity between Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking Chinese children in a day care center. Found that each group of children was more likely to be in closer proximity to children speaking their own language than to children speaking the other language during free choice floor- and group-time…

Assessing Foreign Language Proficiency of Undergraduates. Issues in Language Program Direction: A Series of Annual Volumes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teschner, Richard V., Ed.

This collection of papers includes: "Foreign Language Testing Today: Issues in Language Program Direction" (Frank Nuessel); "Assessing the Problems of Assessment" (M. Peter Hagiwara); "Testing in Foreign Language Programs and Testing Programs in Foreign Language Departments: Reflections and Recommendations" (Elizabeth…

The Representation and Execution of Articulatory Timing in First and Second Language Acquisition.

PubMed

Redford, Melissa A; Oh, Grace E

2017-07-01

The early acquisition of language-specific temporal patterns relative to the late development of speech motor control suggests a dissociation between the representation and execution of articulatory timing. The current study tested for such a dissociation in first and second language acquisition. American English-speaking children (5- and 8-year-olds) and Korean-speaking adult learners of English repeatedly produced real English words in a simple carrier sentence. The words were designed to elicit different language-specific vowel length contrasts. Measures of absolute duration and variability in single vowel productions were extracted to evaluate the realization of contrasts (representation) and to index speech motor abilities (execution). Results were mostly consistent with a dissociation. Native English-speaking children produced the same language-specific temporal patterns as native English-speaking adults, but their productions were more variable than the adults'. In contrast, Korean-speaking adult learners of English typically produced different temporal patterns than native English-speaking adults, but their productions were as stable as the native speakers'. Implications of the results are discussed with reference to different models of speech production.

Access to Healthcare Interpreter Services: Where Are We and Where Do We Need to Go?

PubMed Central

Bischoff, Alexander; Hudelson, Patricia

2010-01-01

Due to international migration, health care professionals in Switzerland increasingly encounter language barriers in communication with their patients. In order to examine health professionals’ attitudes and practices related to healthcare interpreting, we sent a self-administered questionnaire to heads of medical and nursing departments in public healthcare services in the canton of Basel-Stadt (N = 205, response rate 56%). Strategies used to communicate with foreign-language speaking patients differed, depending on the patient’s language. While nearly half of respondents relied on patients’ relatives to translate for Albanian, Tamil, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Portuguese and Turkish, a third did so for Spanish, and a fourth did so for Arabic. Eleven percent relied on professional interpreters for Spanish and 31% did so for Tamil and Arabic. Variations in strategies used appear to mainly reflect the availability of bilingual staff members for the different languages. Future efforts should focus on sensitizing health professionals to the problems associated with use of ad hoc interpreters, as well as facilitating access to professional interpreters. PMID:20717543

Perceptual Accent Rating and Attribution in Psychogenic FAS: Some Further Evidence Challenging Whitaker’s Operational Definition

PubMed Central

Keulen, Stefanie; Verhoeven, Jo; Bastiaanse, Roelien; Mariën, Peter; Jonkers, Roel; Mavroudakis, Nicolas; Paquier, Philippe

2016-01-01

A 40-year-old, non-aphasic, right-handed, and polyglot (L1: French, L2: Dutch, and L3: English) woman with a 12-year history of addiction to opiates and psychoactive substances, and clear psychiatric problems, presented with a foreign accent of sudden onset in L1. Speech evolved toward a mostly fluent output, despite a stutter-like behavior and a marked grammatical output disorder. The psychogenic etiology of the accent foreignness was construed based on the patient’s complex medical history and psychodiagnostic, neuropsychological, and neurolinguistic assessments. The presence of a foreign accent was affirmed by a perceptual accent rating and attribution experiment. It is argued that this patient provides additional evidence demonstrating the outdatedness of Whitaker’s (1982) definition of foreign accent syndrome, as only one of the four operational criteria was unequivocally applicable to our patient: her accent foreignness was not only recognized by her relatives and the medical staff but also by a group of native French-speaking laymen. However, our patient defied the three remaining criteria, as central nervous system damage could not conclusively be demonstrated, psychodiagnostic assessment raised the hypothesis of a conversion disorder, and the patient was a polyglot whose newly gained accent was associated with a range of foreign languages, which exceeded the ones she spoke. PMID:26973488

Competence linguistique et environnement social (Linguistic Competence and Social Environment).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laflamme, Simon; Berger, Jacques

1988-01-01

A study found native French-speaking and native English-speaking university students had similar writing skill levels and error patterns despite their position as language-minority or language-majority members of society. It is concluded that language competency is not necessarily linked to language difficulty or to the position of the language.…

A Qualitative Research on the Teaching Strategies and Class Applications of the High School Teachers Who Teach English in Turkey as a Foreign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gocer, Ali

2010-01-01

Nowadays, whichever position the individuals work in, they feel the need to learn a foreign language even a second foreign language. In parallel with the need for a foreign language, the importance of the foreign language teaching increases. In language teaching, conditions such as the facilities of the environment, learner's features, the social…

Factors Associated with Expressive and Receptive Language in French-Speaking Toddlers Clinically Diagnosed with Language Delay

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sylvestre, Audette; Desmarais, Chantal; Meyer, Francois; Bairati, Isabelle; Rouleau, Nancie; Merette, Chantal

2012-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine child and environmental factors known to be associated to language development and how they relate to results in expressive vocabulary, expressive language, and receptive language in language-delayed toddlers. The cross-sectional data on 96 French-speaking children aged 18-36 months were…

Gesture, Play, and Language Development of Spanish-Speaking Toddlers with Developmental Language Disorders: A Preliminary Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guiberson, Mark

2016-01-01

The purpose of this preliminary study was to (a) examine relationships between the symbolic and language skills of a mixed (developmental language disordered [DLD] and typical language [TL]) Spanish-speaking sample; (b) describe gesture, play, and language skills of DLD and TL groups; (c) compare the development between groups; and (d) explore…

Building Capacity for Disaster Risk Reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McAdoo, B. G.; Bryner, V.

2013-05-01

Disaster risk is acutely high in many emerging economies due to a combination of geophysical hazards and social and ecological vulnerabilities. The risk associated with natural hazards can be a critical component of a nation's wealth, hence knowledge of these hazards will affect foreign investment in these emergent economies. On the hazard side of the risk profile, geophysicists research the frequency and magnitude of the extant hazards. These geophysicists, both local and foreign, have a responsibility to communicate these risks in the public sphere - whether they are through the mass media, or in personal conversations. Because of this implicit responsibility, it is incumbent upon geophysicists to understand the overall risk, not just the hazards. When it comes to communicating these risks, local scientists are often more effective because they speak the language, understand the social context, and are often connected to various modes of communication unavailable to foreign researchers. Investment in multidisciplinary undergraduate education is critical, as is training of established local scientists in understanding the complexities of risk assessment as well as communicating these risks effectively to broad audiences. Onagawa, Japan. 2011.

Pre-Service Preschool Teachers' Beliefs about Foreign Language Learning and Early Foreign Language Teaching in Slovenia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fojkar, Mateja Dagarin; Skubic, Darija

2017-01-01

The implementation of foreign languages in preschool education has prompted the need for qualified teachers. However, most recent studies report a gap between the supply of qualified foreign language teachers of young learners and the demand for such teachers as foreign languages are introduced earlier and earlier. The authors of this paper…

Bilingualism and Biliteracy in Down Syndrome: Insights From a Case Study.

PubMed

Burgoyne, Kelly; Duff, Fiona J; Nielsen, Dea; Ulicheva, Anastasia; Snowling, Margaret J

2016-12-01

We present the case study of MB-a bilingual child with Down syndrome (DS) who speaks Russian (first language [L1]) and English (second language [L2]) and has learned to read in two different alphabets with different symbol systems. We demonstrate that, in terms of oral language, MB is as proficient in Russian as English, with a mild advantage for reading in English, her language of formal instruction. MB's L1 abilities were compared with those of 11 Russian-speaking typically developing monolinguals and her L2 abilities to those of 15 English-speaking typically developing monolinguals and six monolingual English-speaking children with DS; each group achieving the same level of word reading ability as MB. We conclude that learning two languages in the presence of a learning difficulty need have no detrimental effect on either a child's language or literacy development.

Bilingualism and Biliteracy in Down Syndrome: Insights From a Case Study

PubMed Central

Burgoyne, Kelly; Duff, Fiona J.; Nielsen, Dea; Ulicheva, Anastasia

2016-01-01

We present the case study of MB—a bilingual child with Down syndrome (DS) who speaks Russian (first language [L1]) and English (second language [L2]) and has learned to read in two different alphabets with different symbol systems. We demonstrate that, in terms of oral language, MB is as proficient in Russian as English, with a mild advantage for reading in English, her language of formal instruction. MB's L1 abilities were compared with those of 11 Russian‐speaking typically developing monolinguals and her L2 abilities to those of 15 English‐speaking typically developing monolinguals and six monolingual English‐speaking children with DS; each group achieving the same level of word reading ability as MB. We conclude that learning two languages in the presence of a learning difficulty need have no detrimental effect on either a child's language or literacy development. PMID:27917003

The Effects of Multisensory Structured Language Instruction on Native Language and Foreign Language Aptitude Skills of At-Risk High School Foreign Language Learners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sparks, Richard; And Others

1992-01-01

A multisensory structured language (MSL) approach was utilized with two groups of at-risk high school students (n=63), taught in either English and Spanish (MSL/ES) or Spanish only. Foreign language aptitude improved for both groups and native language skills for the MSL/ES group. A group receiving traditional foreign language instruction showed…

The emotional impact of being myself: Emotions and foreign-language processing.

PubMed

Ivaz, Lela; Costa, Albert; Duñabeitia, Jon Andoni

2016-03-01

Native languages are acquired in emotionally rich contexts, whereas foreign languages are typically acquired in emotionally neutral academic environments. As a consequence of this difference, it has been suggested that bilinguals' emotional reactivity in foreign-language contexts is reduced as compared with native language contexts. In the current study, we investigated whether this emotional distance associated with foreign languages could modulate automatic responses to self-related linguistic stimuli. Self-related stimuli enhance performance by boosting memory, speed, and accuracy as compared with stimuli unrelated to the self (the so-called self-bias effect). We explored whether this effect depends on the language context by comparing self-biases in a native and a foreign language. Two experiments were conducted with native Spanish speakers with a high level of English proficiency in which they were asked to complete a perceptual matching task during which they associated simple geometric shapes (circles, squares, and triangles) with the labels "you," "friend," and "other" either in their native or foreign language. Results showed a robust asymmetry in the self-bias in the native- and foreign-language contexts: A larger self-bias was found in the native than in the foreign language. An additional control experiment demonstrated that the same materials administered to a group of native English speakers yielded robust self-bias effects that were comparable in magnitude to the ones obtained with the Spanish speakers when tested in their native language (but not in their foreign language). We suggest that the emotional distance evoked by the foreign-language contexts caused these differential effects across language contexts. These results demonstrate that the foreign-language effects are pervasive enough to affect automatic stages of emotional processing. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

What Is the Criterion of Interest in Identifying Limited-English Speaking Students: Language Dominance or Proficiency?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Estes, Gary D.; Estes, Carole

The issue of using language proficiency or language dominance to assess programs for high school students with limited English speaking backgrounds is addressed. The development and initial analyses of the Competency Based Oral Language Assessment (COLA) are discussed. Three components of oral language are rated separately: semantics; syntax and…

Language of Instruction as a Moderator for Transfer of Reading Comprehension Skills among Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlo, María S.; Barr, Christopher D.; August, Diane; Calderón, Margarita; Artzi, Lauren

2014-01-01

This three-year longitudinal study investigated the role of language of instruction in moderating the relationships between initial levels of English oral language proficiency and Spanish reading comprehension and growth in English reading comprehension. The study followed Spanish-speaking English language learners in English-only literacy…

Honoring the Child with Dyslexia in a Montessori Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skotheim, Meghan Kane

2009-01-01

Speaking, listening, reading, and writing are all language activities. The human capacity for speaking and listening has a biological foundation: wherever there are people, there is spoken language. Acquiring spoken language is an unconscious activity, and, barring any physical deformity or language learning disability, like severe autism, all…

Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners' Experiences in High School Chemistry Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flores, Annette; Smith, K. Christopher

2013-01-01

This article reports on the experiences of Spanish-speaking English language learners in high school chemistry courses, focusing largely on experiences in learning the English language, experiences learning chemistry, and experiences learning chemistry in the English language. The findings illustrate the cognitive processes the students undertake…

Is Language a Factor in the Perception of Foreign Accent Syndrome?

PubMed

Jose, Linda; Read, Jennifer; Miller, Nick

2016-06-01

Neurogenic foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is diagnosed when listeners perceive speech associated with motor speech impairments as foreign rather than disordered. Speakers with foreign accent syndrome typically have aphasia. It remains unclear how far language changes might contribute to the perception of foreign accent syndrome independent of accent. Judges with and without training in language analysis rated orthographic transcriptions of speech from people with foreign accent syndrome, speech-language disorder and no foreign accent syndrome, foreign accent without neurological impairment and healthy controls on scales of foreignness, normalness and disorderedness. Control speakers were judged as significantly more normal, less disordered and less foreign than other groups. Foreign accent syndrome speakers' transcriptions consistently profiled most closely to those of foreign speakers and significantly different to speakers with speech-language disorder. On normalness and foreignness ratings there were no significant differences between foreign and foreign accent syndrome speakers. For disorderedness, foreign accent syndrome participants fell midway between foreign speakers and those with speech-language impairment only. Slower rate, more hesitations, pauses within and between utterances influenced judgments, delineating control scripts from others. Word-level syntactic and morphological deviations and reduced syntactic and semantic repertoire linked strongly with foreignness perceptions. Greater disordered ratings related to word fragments, poorly intelligible grammatical structures and inappropriate word selection. Language changes influence foreignness perception. Clinical and theoretical issues are addressed.

Confessions of a Communications Junkie: Cliff Notes From the Science-Practice Interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moser, S. C.

2006-12-01

Graduate education in the sciences is - among other things - about learning a foreign language. Proficiency in disciplinary jargon and a strange sort of eloquence in speaking English without being understood by anyone outside one's small 'country of expertise' are among the requirements for entry into academe. Until very recently, the ability to translate one's quirky knowledge back into common language was not part of entraining scientists. Yet, increasingly, the interested public, policy-makers and resource managers, not to speak of science funders, demand that scientists illustrate that their science has societal relevance. Moreover, the urgency of several complex societal and environmental problems puts the onus on scientists to work with experts in other disciplines. This means that the ability to communicate effectively with those outside one's own disciplinary home is rapidly becoming an essential qualification of a 'good' scientist. My own journey from a disciplinary boundary crosser, to hobby communicator, to professional translator of science into English, to alumnae of various media trainings and Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, to researcher of the science-practice interface and expert in communication for social change will form the basis of this talk. It weaves together personal experience with scientific insights on why scientists should, why many don't, and how they could interact more effectively with members of a 'different tribe.'

Disparities in Rates of Inpatient Mortality and Adverse Events: Race/Ethnicity and Language as Independent Contributors

PubMed Central

Hines, Anika L.; Andrews, Roxanne M.; Moy, Ernest; Barrett, Marguerite L.; Coffey, Rosanna M.

2014-01-01

Patients with limited English proficiency have known limitations accessing health care, but differences in hospital outcomes once access is obtained are unknown. We investigate inpatient mortality rates and obstetric trauma for self-reported speakers of English, Spanish, and languages of Asia and the Pacific Islands (API) and compare quality of care by language with patterns by race/ethnicity. Data were from the United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, 2009 State Inpatient Databases for California. There were 3,757,218 records. Speaking a non-English principal language and having a non-White race/ethnicity did not place patients at higher risk for inpatient mortality; the exception was significantly higher stroke mortality for Japanese-speaking patients. Patients who spoke API languages or had API race/ethnicity had higher risk for obstetric trauma than English-speaking White patients. Spanish-speaking Hispanic patients had more obstetric trauma than English-speaking Hispanic patients. The influence of language on obstetric trauma and the potential effects of interpretation services on inpatient care are discussed. The broader context of policy implications for collection and reporting of language data is also presented. Results from other countries with and without English as a primary language are needed for the broadest interpretation and generalization of outcomes. PMID:25514153

Foreign Language Research in Cross-Cultural Perspective. Volume 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Bot, Kees, Ed.; And Others

Papers from a conference on empirical research on foreign language instruction in Europe and the United States include: "Foreign Language Instruction and Second Language Acquisition Research in the United States" (Charles A. Fergurson, Thom Huebner); "Empirical Foreign Language Research in Europe" (Theo van Els, Kees de Bot,…

The foreign-language effect: thinking in a foreign tongue reduces decision biases.

PubMed

Keysar, Boaz; Hayakawa, Sayuri L; An, Sun Gyu

2012-06-01

Would you make the same decisions in a foreign language as you would in your native tongue? It may be intuitive that people would make the same choices regardless of the language they are using, or that the difficulty of using a foreign language would make decisions less systematic. We discovered, however, that the opposite is true: Using a foreign language reduces decision-making biases. Four experiments show that the framing effect disappears when choices are presented in a foreign tongue. Whereas people were risk averse for gains and risk seeking for losses when choices were presented in their native tongue, they were not influenced by this framing manipulation in a foreign language. Two additional experiments show that using a foreign language reduces loss aversion, increasing the acceptance of both hypothetical and real bets with positive expected value. We propose that these effects arise because a foreign language provides greater cognitive and emotional distance than a native tongue does.

Foreign Languages and Foreign Cultures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berman, Russell A.

2002-01-01

Calls on foreign language departments to take a closer look at a long-standing component of their curriculum: culture. The discussion focuses on language and culture, teaching foreign cultures, and foreign cultures, transnationality, and globalization. (Author/VWL)

9 CFR 381.128 - Labels in foreign languages.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Labels in foreign languages. 381.128... in foreign languages. Any label to be affixed to a container of any dressed poultry or other poultry product for foreign commerce may be printed in a foreign language. However, the official inspection legend...

The Link between Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety, Second Language Tolerance of Ambiguity and Self-Rated English Proficiency among Chinese Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dewaele, Jean-Marc; Ip, Tsui Shan

2013-01-01

Previous research has suggested that high levels of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) have a negative effect on foreign language learning (Horwitz, 2001; Lu & Liu, 2011) while moderate levels of Second Language Tolerance of Ambiguity (SLTA) are believed to boost foreign language learning (Ely, 1995). There is prima facie evidence that…

Integrating Language-and-Culture Teaching: An Investigation of Spanish Teachers' Perceptions of the Objectives of Foreign Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castro, Paloma; Sercu, Lies; Mendez Garcia, Maria del Carmen

2004-01-01

A recent shift has been noticeable in foreign language education theory. Previously, foreign languages were taught as a linguistic code. This then shifted to teaching that code against the sociocultural background of, primarily, one country in which the foreign language is spoken as a national language. More recently, teaching has reflected on…

Thinking More or Feeling Less? Explaining the Foreign-Language Effect on Moral Judgment.

PubMed

Hayakawa, Sayuri; Tannenbaum, David; Costa, Albert; Corey, Joanna D; Keysar, Boaz

2017-10-01

Would you kill one person to save five? People are more willing to accept such utilitarian action when using a foreign language than when using their native language. In six experiments, we investigated why foreign-language use affects moral choice in this way. On the one hand, the difficulty of using a foreign language might slow people down and increase deliberation, amplifying utilitarian considerations of maximizing welfare. On the other hand, use of a foreign language might stunt emotional processing, attenuating considerations of deontological rules, such as the prohibition against killing. Using a process-dissociation technique, we found that foreign-language use decreases deontological responding but does not increase utilitarian responding. This suggests that using a foreign language affects moral choice not through increased deliberation but by blunting emotional reactions associated with the violation of deontological rules.

A Narrative Evaluation of Mandarin-Speaking Children With Language Impairment.

PubMed

Hao, Ying; Sheng, Li; Zhang, Yiwen; Jiang, Fan; de Villiers, Jill; Lee, Wendy; Liu, Xueman Lucy

2018-02-15

We aimed to study narrative skills in Mandarin-speaking children with language impairment (LI) to compare with children with LI speaking Indo-European languages. Eighteen Mandarin-speaking children with LI (mean age 6;2 [years;months]) and 18 typically developing (TD) age controls told 3 stories elicited using the Mandarin Expressive Narrative Test (de Villiers & Liu, 2014). We compared macrostructure-evaluating descriptions of characters, settings, initiating events, internal responses,plans, actions, and consequences. We also studied general microstructure, including productivity, lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, and grammaticality. In addition, we compared the use of 6 fine-grained microstructure elements that evaluate particular Mandarin linguistic features. Children with LI exhibited weaknesses in 5 macrostructure elements, lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, and 3 Mandarin-specific, fine-grained microstructure elements. Children with LI and TD controls demonstrated comparable performance on 2 macrostructure elements, productivity, grammaticality, and the remaining 3 fine-grained microstructure features. Similarities and differences are noted in narrative profiles of children with LI who speak Mandarin versus those who speak Indo-European languages. The results are consistent with the view that profiles of linguistic deficits are shaped by the ambient language. Clinical implications are discussed.

Foreign Languages for Business in the Secondary School Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grosse, Christine Uber

A survey of the 20 most populous states concerning their secondary school provision of foreign languages for business is reported. State foreign language supervisors were interviewed for information on state policy or planning for the inclusion of foreign language for business or applied language studies, for information about specific programs or…

Language Acquisition in the Swedish-Speaking Minority in Finland.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brunell, A. Viking

1991-01-01

Documents the differences in language acquisition and school achievement between Finnish- and Swedish-speaking students in Finland's comprehensive school systems. Discusses the need for language maintenance and enrichment measures in both out-of-school and in-school environments. (SR)

Bridging English Language Learner Achievement Gaps through Effective Vocabulary Development Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Charles

2016-01-01

Despite a well-documented history of immigration in the United States of America and rise in population of students that speak a language other than English, academic achievement gaps between English Language Learners and their native English language speaking counterparts from Grades Pre-Kindergarten through the college/university level still…

Linguistic Skills and Speaking Fluency in a Second Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Jong, Nivja H.; Steinel, Margarita P.; Florijn, Arjen; Schoonen, Rob; Hulstijn, Jan H.

2013-01-01

This study investigated how individual differences in linguistic knowledge and processing skills relate to individual differences in speaking fluency. Speakers of Dutch as a second language ("N" = 179) performed eight speaking tasks, from which several measures of fluency were derived such as measures for pausing, repairing, and speed…

Modern English Drama and the Students' Fluency and Accuracy of Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pishkar, Kian; Moinzadeh, Ahmad; Dabaghi, Azizallah

2017-01-01

Speaking a language involves more than simply knowing the linguistic components of the message, and developing language skills requires more than grammatical comprehension and vocabulary memorization. In teaching-learning processes, drama method may have some positive effects on ELL students' speaking fluency and accuracy. This study attempts to…

Assessing Second Language Speaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fulcher, Glenn

2015-01-01

While the viva voce (oral) examination has always been used in content-based educational assessment (Latham 1877: 132), the assessment of second language (L2) speaking in performance tests is relatively recent. The impetus for the growth in testing speaking during the 19th and 20th centuries is twofold. Firstly, in educational settings the…

Rater Judgment and English Language Speaking Proficiency. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chalhoub-Deville, Micheline; Wigglesworth, Gillian

2005-01-01

The paper investigates whether there is a shared perception of speaking proficiency among raters from different English speaking countries. More specifically, this study examines whether there is a significant difference among English language learning (ELL) teachers, residing in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the USA when rating speech samples of…

34 CFR 658.35 - What priority does the Secretary give?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... school foreign language instruction or that require each graduating student to earn two years of postsecondary credit in a foreign language (or have demonstrated equivalent competence in the foreign language... POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION UNDERGRADUATE INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE...

Using African Languages for Democracy and Lifelong Learning in Africa: A Post-2015 Challenge and the Work of CASAS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brock-Utne, Birgit; Mercer, Malcolm

2014-01-01

Africans speak African languages in their everyday lives while lessons in school are delivered in an exogenous language. In many places adult education is also carried out in a language the majority of people do not speak. The exogenous languages, which are the languages of the former colonial powers and mastered just by a small African elite, are…

Preschool Teachers’ Language and Literacy Practices with Dual Language Learners

PubMed Central

Sawyer, Brook E.; Hammer, Carol Scheffner; Cycyk, Lauren M.; López, Lisa; Blair, Clancy; Sandilos, Lia; Komaroff, Eugene

2016-01-01

The purposes of this study were to (a) examine the degree to which teachers used linguistically responsive practices to support the language and literacy development of Spanish-speaking Dual Language Learners (DLL) and (b) to investigate the associations between these practices and select teacher-level factors. The sample consisted of 72 preschool teachers. Observational data were collected on practices. Teachers self-reported on language and culture beliefs, Spanish speaking ability, and classroom composition. Results indicated that teachers, including those who spoke Spanish, used few linguistically responsive practices to support preschool DLLs. Only Spanish-speaking ability was related to practices. Implications for targeted professional development are discussed. PMID:27667968

Preschool Teachers' Language and Literacy Practices with Dual Language Learners.

PubMed

Sawyer, Brook E; Hammer, Carol Scheffner; Cycyk, Lauren M; López, Lisa; Blair, Clancy; Sandilos, Lia; Komaroff, Eugene

The purposes of this study were to (a) examine the degree to which teachers used linguistically responsive practices to support the language and literacy development of Spanish-speaking Dual Language Learners (DLL) and (b) to investigate the associations between these practices and select teacher-level factors. The sample consisted of 72 preschool teachers. Observational data were collected on practices. Teachers self-reported on language and culture beliefs, Spanish speaking ability, and classroom composition. Results indicated that teachers, including those who spoke Spanish, used few linguistically responsive practices to support preschool DLLs. Only Spanish-speaking ability was related to practices. Implications for targeted professional development are discussed.

Shaping the Future of Foreign Language Education: FLES, Articulation, and Proficiency. Report of Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lalande, John F. II, Ed.

Selected papers from the 1988 conference on foreign language issues for the future include: "Articulation for Elementary School Foreign Language Programs: Challenges and Opportunities" (Carol Ann Pesola); "Articulation: A Resolvable Problem?" (Dale L. Lange); "Profiles of Frustration: Second Language Learners with Specific Learning Disabilities"…

Understanding Language Learning: Review of the Application of the Interaction Model in Foreign Language Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixon, L. Quentin; Wu, Shuang

2014-01-01

Purpose: This paper examined the application of the input-interaction-output model in English-as-Foreign-Language (EFL) learning environments with four specific questions: (1) How do the three components function in the model? (2) Does interaction in the foreign language classroom seem to be effective for foreign language acquisition? (3) What…

The Effect of Language Learning Strategies on Proficiency, Attitudes and School Achievement.

PubMed

Habók, Anita; Magyar, Andrea

2017-01-01

This study examines language learning strategy (LLS) use in connexion with foreign language attitude, proficiency and general school achievement among lower secondary students in Years 5 and 8 ( n = 868) in Hungary. An adapted version of the Strategies Inventory for Language Learning questionnaire was used for data collection. The results showed that Hungarian students mainly engage in metacognitive strategies in both years. Differences between more and less proficient language learners' strategy use have also been found. With regard to the effect of LLS on foreign language attitude, the foreign language mark and school achievement, path analysis indicated a good fit in both years. The metacognitive, social and memory strategies primarily influenced foreign language attitudes and marks in Year 5. The metacognitive strategies had a slight impact on school achievement as well as on foreign language marks. We demonstrated the dominant effect of metacognitive strategies and the low effect of memory strategies in Year 8. In addition, metacognitive strategies also influenced foreign language marks. The effect of foreign language marks on school achievement was also remarkable. There was a strong impact on the children's attitudes through these variables.

The Status of Foreign Language Education: 1984.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiley, Patricia Davis

1984-01-01

Presents a brief history of the status of foreign language instruction from 1953 to 1984. Summarizes research on effects of foreign language study. Describes the foreign language education program at the University of Tennessee--Knoxville, providing an overview of the organization, curricular content, and methodology. Evaluates Knoxville's unique…

Incidental Foreign Language Acquisition from Media Exposure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuppens, An H.

2010-01-01

A number of experimental studies have demonstrated the incidental acquisition of a foreign language by children and adolescents when watching foreign language television. While such experiments can only establish short-term effects, this article investigates the extent to which children's foreign language skills benefit from their long-term…

Foreign Language Effect and Psychological Distance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shin, Hong Im; Kim, Juyoung

2017-01-01

Does using a foreign language result in forming different moral decisions than using our mother tongue? Two studies were conducted to investigate whether there is a relationship between foreign language effects (differences between native vs. foreign language conditions) and psychological distance. Study 1 tested four moral dilemmas adapted from…

Using Language ENvironment Analysis to improve outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

PubMed

Aragon, Miranda; Yoshinaga-Itano, Christine

2012-11-01

Very little is known about the language environments of children in the United States in non-English-speaking homes. There is currently no published research that analyzes deaf or hard of hearing children in Spanish-speaking households, although the Colorado Home Intervention Program demographics indicate that these households account for 10 to 15% of the population of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. In other geographic regions in the United States, it is likely that the population of deaf and hard of hearing children from Spanish-speaking homes is considerably larger. The Spanish-speaking population in the United States has grown considerably within the last 5 to 10 years and will continue to expand. For these children to receive adequate treatment, research must be conducted to understand their language environment. The Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) System uses a small recording device to collect, analyze, and sort a child's language environment into multiple categories and analyzes variables such as child vocalizations, adult words, and conversational turn taking. The normative data for the LENA System are from families who are English-speaking. The article demonstrates the feasibility of using the LENA System to gain understanding of the language environment of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing in a Spanish-speaking household. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Dictionary Use of Undergraduate Students in Foreign Language Departments in Turkey at Present

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tulgar, Aysegül Takkaç

2017-01-01

Foreign language learning has always been a process carried out with the help of dictionaries which are both in target language and from native language to target language/from target language to native language. Dictionary use is an especially delicate issue for students in foreign language departments because students in those departments are…

Measuring Grammatical Development in Bilingual Mandarin-English Speaking Children with a Sentence Repetition Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woon, Chai Ping; Yap, Ngee Thai; Lim, Hui Woan; Wong, Bee Eng

2014-01-01

Sentence repetition (SR) tasks have been used to measure children's expressive language skills in normal and abnormal language development, and to examine the development of the speaking skills in second language acquisition, as well as to survey the proficiency of bilingual language development. Recently, SR tasks have been recognized as a…

An Exploration of Oral Language Development in Spanish-Speaking Preschool Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neu, Renee A.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative, multi-case study was to explore the oral language of Spanish-speaking preschool students and their responses to questions, comments and requests made by an English-speaking teacher. Research questions focused on students' responses to questions; comments and requests by the teacher; and whether the response was…

The Influence of Speaking a Dialect of Appalachian English on the College Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunstan, Stephany Brett

2013-01-01

Many students will arrive at college speaking a dialect that is considered non-standardized or stigmatized due to the socially stratified nature of language. In the United States, where there are commonly held ideologies about the type of language that is considered "correct" or "proper," students who speak non-standardized…

From Language Learner to Language Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snow, Don

2007-01-01

Today, there are about four nonnative-speaking English teachers for every teacher who is a native speaker. More English teachers work in non-English-speaking settings than in English-speaking settings, and most are natives of the countries in which they teach. This volume focuses on the challenges faced by English teachers for whom English is a…

Young Spanish-English Speaking Children's Reading Attitudes in Relation to Language Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Carla L.; Gabas, Clariebelle M.

2017-01-01

Background: Reading attitudes are recognised as an influencing factor on the language and literacy achievement of school age monolingual English-speaking children. The relationship between reading attitudes and achievement in young Spanish-speaking English Learners (ELs) remains understudied. Purpose: The aim of the current study was to describe…

The Effects of New Jersey's K-8 Foreign Language Authorization on K-5 Foreign Language Teaching: Two Teachers' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raymond, Robert B. L.

2012-01-01

Recent research in language education policy (LEP) refocuses attention from the role of governments to local stakeholders that shape LEP. However, little attention has been given to teacher agency in LEP implementation for early foreign language (FL) education in the United States. This pilot study considers the role of foreign language elementary…

Examination of Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety and Achievement in Foreign Language in Turkish University Students in Terms of Various Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dogan, Yunus; Tuncer, Murat

2016-01-01

This correlational survey study aimed to investigate whether the Turkish prep-class students' foreign language classroom anxiety levels and foreign language achievement significantly differ in terms of such variables as their gender, their experience abroad, perceived level of income and any third language (other than Turkish and English) they…

The "Joint Venture" in International Business, Economics, and Foreign Languages at Appalachian State University: An Interdisciplinary Endeavor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothschild, Judith Rice

1982-01-01

A cooperative program of the economics and foreign languages departments offers three undergraduate majors: an economics B.A., with two foreign languages; a B.A. double major of economics and either French or Spanish, complemented by a second language; and a B.S. in business administration, individually designed, with one modern foreign language.…

Foreign Languages and the Business World: A Close Partnership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Portuondo, Alicia M.

The role of foreign languages in the liberal arts colleges and of business training in the foreign language curriculum is examined. In recent years, student interests in foreign languages have shifted from the traditional focus on literary scholarship to practical applications and communication. International studies are also necessary in…

Revisiting Problems with Foreign Language Aptitude

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Safar, Anna; Kormos, Judit

2008-01-01

This study investigated three of the issues recently raised in connection with the traditional concept of foreign language aptitude: the relationship between foreign language aptitude and working memory and phonological short-term memory capacity, the role of foreign language aptitude in predicting success in the framework of focus-on-form foreign…

Foreign Language K-12. Program Evaluation 1991-92.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wadden, Jerry M.

The Des Moines (Iowa) Public Schools foreign language program for K-12 is described and evaluated. The evaluation report focuses on six areas, including: (1) school district mission and philosophy of foreign language instruction; (2) context (state policies and standards, foreign language program overview and enrollment, fiber-optic communication…

Foreign Language Listening Anxiety and Listening Performance: Conceptualizations and Causal Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Xian

2013-01-01

This study used structural equation modeling to explore the possible causal relations between foreign language (English) listening anxiety and English listening performance. Three hundred participants learning English as a foreign language (FL) completed the foreign language listening anxiety scale (FLLAS) and IELTS test twice with an interval of…

SURVEY OF PERSONNEL POLICIES IN RELATION TO FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMPETENCES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

WELLEMEYER, JOHN F.

THE PRINCIPLE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AGENCIES THAT OPERATE IN FIELDS REQUIRING FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMPETENCIES, THE U.S. MILITARY SERVICES AND SOME PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS, WERE SURVEYED TO DETERMINE THEIR OPERATING POLICIES THAT RELATE TO PERSONNEL WITH FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS. THE AGENCIES THAT HAVE THE GREATEST NEED FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS…

16 CFR 14.9 - Requirements concerning clear and conspicuous disclosures in foreign language advertising and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... conspicuous disclosures in foreign language advertising and sales materials. 14.9 Section 14.9 Commercial... and conspicuous disclosures in foreign language advertising and sales materials. The Federal Trade... are being printed in foreign languages. In recent years the Commission has issued various cease-and...

Teaching Reading in Foreign Language Classes: A Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenewald, M. Jane

This bibliography of articles, books, and ERIC documents on the teaching of reading in foreign language classes is intended for university content reading specialists, reading coordinators and consultants, secondary and university foreign language teachers, and methodologists in foreign language education. More than 95 sources are listed in the…

Foreign Languages: A Guide to Curriculum Development [Revision].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connecticut State Board of Education, Hartford.

The guide is designed to help school district planners develop and implement suitable foreign language curricula. Focusing on programs in grades K-12, it provides an overview of current philosophies, objectives, methods, and materials in foreign language education; illustrates how these may be implemented in a sequential foreign language program…

Parental numeric language input to Mandarin Chinese and English speaking preschool children.

PubMed

Chang, Alicia; Sandhofer, Catherine M; Adelchanow, Lauren; Rottman, Benjamin

2011-03-01

The present study examined the number-specific parental language input to Mandarin- and English-speaking preschool-aged children. Mandarin and English transcripts from the CHILDES database were examined for amount of numeric speech, specific types of numeric speech and syntactic frames in which numeric speech appeared. The results showed that Mandarin-speaking parents talked about number more frequently than English-speaking parents. Further, the ways in which parents talked about number terms in the two languages was more supportive of a cardinal interpretation in Mandarin than in English. We discuss these results in terms of their implications for numerical understanding and later mathematical performance.

Addressing the Standards for Foreign Language Learning. Dimension '97. Selected Proceedings of the Joint Conference of the Southern Conference on Language Teaching and the South Carolina Foreign Language Teachers' Association (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terry, Robert M., Ed.

Seven papers from the annual conference are presented. "Developing Tomorrow's Technology-Using Foreign Language Teachers: Where We Are, Where We Are Going" (Marjorie H. DeWert, Audrey Heining-Boynton) looks at whether language teachers are being trained to take full advantage of educational technology. "Foreign Language Placement in…

76 FR 45543 - Board of Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-29

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Board of Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center AGENCY: Department of the Army, DOD. ACTION: Notice; cancellation. SUMMARY: The Board of Visitors, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center meeting scheduled for August 3 and 4, 2011...

A SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MICHEL, JOSEPH

DESIGNED FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS AND PERSONS PREPARING TO BECOME FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS, THIS BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS PUBLISHED BETWEEN 1892 AND 1966 CONTAINS SECTIONS OF--(1) THE NATURE AND FUNCTION OF LANGUAGE, (2) LINGUISTICS, INCLUDING APPLIED LINGUISTICS FOR SPECIFIC LANGUAGES, (3) PSYCHOLOGY OF LANGUAGE, (4) PHYSIOLOGY OF SPEECH, (5)…

Foreign Language Teachers' Language Proficiency and Their Language Teaching Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, Heather; Conway, Clare; Roskvist, Annelies; Harvey, Sharon

2013-01-01

Teachers' subject knowledge is recognized as an essential component of effective teaching. In the foreign language context, teachers' subject knowledge includes language proficiency. In New Zealand high schools, foreign languages (e.g. Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish) have recently been offered to learners earlier in their schooling,…

First Language Proficiency and Successful Foreign Language Learning: The Case of High School Students Learning French as a Foreign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gnintedem, Antoine

2014-01-01

This study investigated whether there was a correlation between first language proficiency as measured by the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT II) Reading and Language Arts and foreign language proficiency as measured by the French Language Proficiency Test. Data for the independent variable, first language proficiency, was collected from the…

A Home-Language Free Adult Pre-Vocational Audio-Visual Course in English-as-a-Second Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Philip D., Jr.

A pre-vocational English-as-a-second language course for adults was developed for the non-native speaker based upon the following assumptions: the teacher does not have to speak the language of the student; students in a class do not have to speak each others' language; the teacher need not be professionally trained in the field of teaching ESL;…

Foreign Language in the Workplace.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambert, Richard D., Ed.; Moore, Sarah Jane, Ed.

1990-01-01

Articles in this theme issue of the journal, devoted to the subject of languages in the workplace, include: "Language Use in International Research" (Eugene Garfield, Alfred Welljams-Dorof); "The Foreign Language Needs of U.S.-Based Corporations" (Carol S. Fixman); "Foreign Language Use Among International Business…

Multilingual Effects on EFL Learning: A Comparison of Foreign Language Anxiety Experienced by Monolingual and Bilingual Tertiary Students in the Lao PDR

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phongsa, Manivone; Mohamed Ismail, Shaik Abdul Malik; Low, Hui Min

2018-01-01

Foreign language anxiety is common among adult learners, especially those who lack exposure to the language that they are learning. In this study, we compared the foreign language anxiety experienced by monolingual and bilingual tertiary students in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) who were learning English as a Foreign Language. The…

A Cross-Lingual Mobile Medical Communication System Prototype for Foreigners and Subjects with Speech, Hearing, and Mental Disabilities Based on Pictograms

PubMed Central

Wołk, Agnieszka; Glinkowski, Wojciech

2017-01-01

People with speech, hearing, or mental impairment require special communication assistance, especially for medical purposes. Automatic solutions for speech recognition and voice synthesis from text are poor fits for communication in the medical domain because they are dependent on error-prone statistical models. Systems dependent on manual text input are insufficient. Recently introduced systems for automatic sign language recognition are dependent on statistical models as well as on image and gesture quality. Such systems remain in early development and are based mostly on minimal hand gestures unsuitable for medical purposes. Furthermore, solutions that rely on the Internet cannot be used after disasters that require humanitarian aid. We propose a high-speed, intuitive, Internet-free, voice-free, and text-free tool suited for emergency medical communication. Our solution is a pictogram-based application that provides easy communication for individuals who have speech or hearing impairment or mental health issues that impair communication, as well as foreigners who do not speak the local language. It provides support and clarification in communication by using intuitive icons and interactive symbols that are easy to use on a mobile device. Such pictogram-based communication can be quite effective and ultimately make people's lives happier, easier, and safer. PMID:29230254

How native-like can you possibly get: fMRI evidence for processing accent

PubMed Central

Ghazi-Saidi, Ladan; Dash, Tanya; Ansaldo, Ana I.

2015-01-01

Introduction: If ever attained, adopting native-like accent is achieved late in the learning process. Resemblance between L2 and mother tongue can facilitate L2 learning. In particular, cognates (phonologically and semantically similar words across languages), offer the opportunity to examine the issue of foreign accent in quite a unique manner. Methods: Twelve Spanish speaking (L1) adults learnt French (L2) cognates and practiced their native-like pronunciation by means of a computerized method. After consolidation, they were tested on L1 and L2 oral picture- naming during fMRI scanning. Results and Discussion: The results of the present study show that there is a specific impact of accent on brain activation, even if L2 words are cognates, and belong to a pair of closely related languages. Results point that the insula is a key component of accent processing, which is in line with reports from patients with foreign accent syndrome following damage to the insula (e.g., Katz et al., 2012; Moreno-Torres et al., 2013; Tomasino et al., 2013), and healthy L2 learners (Chee et al., 2004). Thus, the left insula has been consistently related to the integration of attentional and working memory abilities, together with fine-tuning of motor programming to achieve optimal articulation. PMID:26578931

A Cross-Lingual Mobile Medical Communication System Prototype for Foreigners and Subjects with Speech, Hearing, and Mental Disabilities Based on Pictograms.

PubMed

Wołk, Krzysztof; Wołk, Agnieszka; Glinkowski, Wojciech

2017-01-01

People with speech, hearing, or mental impairment require special communication assistance, especially for medical purposes. Automatic solutions for speech recognition and voice synthesis from text are poor fits for communication in the medical domain because they are dependent on error-prone statistical models. Systems dependent on manual text input are insufficient. Recently introduced systems for automatic sign language recognition are dependent on statistical models as well as on image and gesture quality. Such systems remain in early development and are based mostly on minimal hand gestures unsuitable for medical purposes. Furthermore, solutions that rely on the Internet cannot be used after disasters that require humanitarian aid. We propose a high-speed, intuitive, Internet-free, voice-free, and text-free tool suited for emergency medical communication. Our solution is a pictogram-based application that provides easy communication for individuals who have speech or hearing impairment or mental health issues that impair communication, as well as foreigners who do not speak the local language. It provides support and clarification in communication by using intuitive icons and interactive symbols that are easy to use on a mobile device. Such pictogram-based communication can be quite effective and ultimately make people's lives happier, easier, and safer.

The Need for Foreign Language Competence in the United States. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamayan, Else

Americans generally lack foreign language competence, and their exposure to foreign languages in the United States is inadequate. Foreign language instruction is deficient in both quality and quantity, and although there are indications of improvement in both areas, it will be many years before the effects of improvements are clear. The…

Look Out World, Here We Come!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snyder, Barbara, Ed.

1984-01-01

The journal includes nine articles on the theme of a world view of foreign language teaching. They are: "The Foreign Language Articulation Task Force Survey: A Report" (Reid Baker); "Report of the Ohio Foreign Language Task Force" (Barbara Snyder); "The Akron Story Part I: Summer Foreign Language Camps" (John D. Durden and Sandra K. Strauber);…

Progress Report on the South Carolina Market for Foreign Languages Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgenroth, Robert L.; And Others

The Market for Foreign Languages Study was begun in South Carolina to ascertain both the state's projected needs for modern foreign language competencies and the state's foreign language resources over the next five years. Questionnaires have been sent to industrial plants, secondary schools, and junior and senior colleges. Of the plants…

Is There a Foreign Language Barrier in Engineering Research?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawks, Carla; And Others

Perception and effects of foreign language publications in engineering research are examined. Through the use of both survey and archival sources, including coverage in major scientific and technical databases as vended by DIALOG, various aspects of the foreign language barrier were measured. A foreign language barrier is said to exist when…

Teacher to Teacher: Model Lessons for K-8 Foreign Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redmond, Mary Lynn, Ed.; Lorenz, Eileen, Ed.

This book provides resources for foreign language teachers, supervisors, and others involved in developing and implementing a curriculum. It is the outcome of a 1997 institute, "National Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Curriculum Reform for K-8 Foreign Language Education." The model shows how the national standards can be used…

Bilingual Baby: Foreign Language Intervention in Madrid's Infant Education Centers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferjan Ramirez, Naja; Kuhl, Patricia

2017-01-01

The first years of life represent a unique window of opportunity for foreign language learning. However, key questions are: How much and what kind of foreign language exposure is needed to ignite learning? We conducted a foreign language (English) intervention in four public Infant Education Centers in Madrid, Spain. Intervention children (N =…

New Perspectives and New Directions in Foreign Language Education. The ACTFL Foreign Language Education Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birckbichler, Diane W., Ed.

The five essays in this volume address broad trends and issues in foreign language education. "Bandwagons Revisited: A Perspective on Movements in Foreign Language Education" (Frank M. Grittner) suggests that the bandwagons flourish because of lack of standardization and centralized authority in American education. Characteristics and results of…

Classroom Management in Foreign Language Education: An Exploratory Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macías, Diego Fernando

2018-01-01

This review examines studies in the area of classroom management in foreign language education. It is organized into three large areas: The first area focuses on the distinctive characteristics of foreign language instruction that are more likely to impact classroom management in foreign language classes. The second area provides a description of…

Foreign Language Week: A Successful Public Relations Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reschke, Claus

A detailed description is presented of a foreign language (FL) week project that was organized and executed by the Houston Area Teachers of Foreign Languages (HATFL) during the 1979-80 academic year. The document describes the preparation activities of the organizing committee, the pre-foreign language week advertising campaigns, the design of…

Foreign Language Study: Fact and Fancy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Virgil

The purposes of this paper are to: (1) demonstrate the absolute necessity for foreign language study; (2) dispel some of the fancies or fantasies that have grown up concerning the learning of foreign languages; and (3) suggest various alternative programs in foreign language study and possible ways of implementing them. Some of the fallacious…

Development of Early English Language and Literacy Skills among Spanish-Speaking Children: Does Preschool Make a Difference?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Han, Myae; Silva, Luisa; Vukelich, Carol; Buell, Martha; Hou, Likun

2014-01-01

This study examined the early English language and literacy skill development of 179 children from 11 Head Start classrooms who participated in an added focus on language and literacy skill-building supported by Early Reading First programme. Of this sample, 118 children were Spanish-speaking English Language Learners (ELL). All children were…

Language Maintenance and Language Shift among Chinese Immigrant Parents and Their Second-Generation Children in the U.S.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Donghui

2010-01-01

This study examines the language experiences of two distinct Chinese immigrant groups in the U.S.: a Mandarin-speaking group and a Fujianese-speaking group across two generations. The different language trajectories of the parents' generation, along with their social class and different settlement patterns in the U.S., shaped the second-generation…

Meeting the Needs of Signers in the Field of Speech and Language Pathology: Some Considerations for Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cripps, Jody H.; Cooper, Sheryl B.; Supalla, Samuel J.; Evitts, Paul M.

2016-01-01

Deaf individuals who use American Sign Language (ASL) are rarely the focus of professionals in speech-language pathology. Although society is widely thought of in terms of those who speak, this norm is not all-inclusive. Many signing individuals exhibit disorders in signed language and need treatment much like their speaking peers. Although there…

Speech Analysis and Visual Image: Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loo, Alfred; Chung, C. W.; Lam, Alan

2016-01-01

Students will speak a second language with an accent if they learn the language after the age of six. It does not matter how motivated and clever they are, the accent will not go away. Only a few gifted students can speak a second language flawlessly. The exact reasons for this phenomenon are unknown. Although a large number of hypotheses have…

Flipping between Languages? An Exploratory Analysis of the Usage by Spanish-Speaking English Language Learner Tertiary Students of a Bilingual Probability Applet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesser, Lawrence M.; Wagler, Amy E.; Salazar, Berenice

2016-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) are a rapidly growing part of the student population in many countries. Studies on resources for language learners--especially Spanish-speaking ELLs--have focused on areas such as reading, writing, and mathematics, but not introductory probability and statistics. Semi-structured qualitative interviews investigated…

The Effect of Language Learning Strategies on Proficiency, Attitudes and School Achievement

PubMed Central

Habók, Anita; Magyar, Andrea

2018-01-01

This study examines language learning strategy (LLS) use in connexion with foreign language attitude, proficiency and general school achievement among lower secondary students in Years 5 and 8 (n = 868) in Hungary. An adapted version of the Strategies Inventory for Language Learning questionnaire was used for data collection. The results showed that Hungarian students mainly engage in metacognitive strategies in both years. Differences between more and less proficient language learners’ strategy use have also been found. With regard to the effect of LLS on foreign language attitude, the foreign language mark and school achievement, path analysis indicated a good fit in both years. The metacognitive, social and memory strategies primarily influenced foreign language attitudes and marks in Year 5. The metacognitive strategies had a slight impact on school achievement as well as on foreign language marks. We demonstrated the dominant effect of metacognitive strategies and the low effect of memory strategies in Year 8. In addition, metacognitive strategies also influenced foreign language marks. The effect of foreign language marks on school achievement was also remarkable. There was a strong impact on the children’s attitudes through these variables. PMID:29379461

Does a Speaking Task Affect Second Language Comprehensibility?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crowther, Dustin; Trofimovich, Pavel; Isaacs, Talia; Saito, Kazuya

2015-01-01

The current study investigated task effects on listener perception of second language (L2) comprehensibility (ease of understanding). Sixty university-level adult speakers of English from 4 first language (L1) backgrounds (Chinese, Romance, Hindi, Farsi), with 15 speakers per group, were recorded performing 2 tasks (IELTS long-turn speaking task…

Using Word Clouds to Teach about Speaking Style

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, Lisa

2012-01-01

Good public speaking style requires, among other skills, "effective management of the resources of language." Good speakers choose language carefully to create credibility, emotional impact, and logical appeal. If a speaker's language is wishy-washy, dull, vague, or long-winded, the speaker appears less trustworthy. Audience distrust of a speaker…

National Identity and Language in Multi-Ethnic Latin America. Occasional Papers, 24.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mar-Molinero, Clare

A discussion of the relationship between national identity and language in Spanish-speaking Latin America focuses on issues concerning indigenous languages, education, and literacy. The sociolinguistic history and configuration Spanish-speaking Latin America are outlined briefly, noting the influences of indigenous populations, non-Spanish…

7 CFR 253.5 - State agency requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... households which speak the same non-English language and which do not contain adults(s) fluent in English as a second language. If the non-English language is spoken but not written, the State agency shall... sufficient bilingual staff for the timely processing of non-English speaking applicants. (3) The State agency...

Language Learning: A Worldwide Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christian, Donna; Pufahl, Ingrid U.; Rhodes, Nancy C.

2005-01-01

Numerous reports and articles have decried the mediocrity of U.S. students' foreign language skills and have called for improved language education. One study that looked at foreign language education in 19 countries suggests several characteristics of successful foreign language programs: starting early, providing an articulated framework,…

Construct Validity in TOEFL iBT Speaking Tasks: Insights from Natural Language Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyle, Kristopher; Crossley, Scott A.; McNamara, Danielle S.

2016-01-01

This study explores the construct validity of speaking tasks included in the TOEFL iBT (e.g., integrated and independent speaking tasks). Specifically, advanced natural language processing (NLP) tools, MANOVA difference statistics, and discriminant function analyses (DFA) are used to assess the degree to which and in what ways responses to these…

Heritage Language Acquisition and Maintenance: Home Literacy Practices of Japanese-Speaking Families in Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nomura, Takako; Caidi, Nadia

2013-01-01

Introduction: In this study, we examine the case of Japanese-speaking families in Canada and their experiences with teaching a heritage language at home, along with the uses and perceived usefulness of public library resources, collections, and services in the process. Methods: We interviewed fourteen mothers who speak Japanese to their children.…

Diagnostic Dilemmas and Cultural Diversity in Emergency Rooms

PubMed Central

Weaver, Charlotte; Sklar, David

1980-01-01

Language and cultural beliefs play an extremely important role in the interaction between patients from diverse cultural groups and physicians. Especially in emergency rooms, there are many dangers in missed communications. A patient from a foreign culture, especially one who does not speak English, often expresses symptoms in ways that are unfamiliar to many American physicians. Specific areas of cultural vulnerability can be identified for the major ethnic groups in the United States as they interact with the scientific medical system. A short review of folk medical beliefs and recommendations for improving diagnostic accuracy and treatment may assist emergency room staffs in offering care that is culturally acceptable to patients of diverse ethnic backgrounds. PMID:7347053

Even Teachers Get the Blues: Recognizing and Alleviating Language Teachers' Feelings of Foreign Language Anxiety.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horwitz, Elaine K.

1996-01-01

Argues that many nonnative foreign-language teachers experience foreign-language anxiety and that this anxiety can have negative consequences for language teaching. The article discusses how anxiety affects teachers' feelings of self-confidence, use of the target language, and instructional choices and offers suggestions for increasing teachers'…

Developing the Students’ English Speaking Ability Through Impromptu Speaking Method.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lumettu, A.; Runtuwene, T. L.

2018-01-01

Having multi -purposes, English mastery has becomea necessary for us.Of the four language skills, speaking skill should get the first priority in English teaching and speaking skills development cannot be separated from listening.One communicative way of developing speaking skill is impromptu speaking,a method sudden speaking which depends only on experience and insight by applying spontaneity or improvisation. It is delivered based on the need of the moment of speaking using simple language.This research aims to know (1). Why impromptu speaking is necessary in teaching speaking? (2). How can impromptu speaking develop the students’ speaking skills.The method of this research is qualitative method and the techniques of data collection are: observation,interview and documentation. The results of data analysis using Correlation shows a strong relation between the students’ speaking ability and impromptu speaking method (r = 0.80).The research show that by using impromptu speaking method, the students are trained to interact faster naturally and spontaneously and enrich their vocabulary and general science to support speaking development through interview, speech, presentation, discussion and storytelling.

The Use of Newspapers and Magazines in the Foreign-Language Classroom. ERIC Focus Reports on the Teaching of Foreign Language, No. 31.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Charles J.; Lange, Dale L.

Newspapers and magazines have been used only on a limited basis in the foreign language classroom, because language study has traditionally led to the study of literature. However, this trend is now changing because (1) foreign language curriculum at the secondary school level is expanding to encompass new goals, and (2) the influence from college…

LANGUAGE TEACHING--BROADER CONTEXTS. REPORTS OF THE WORKING COMMITTEES OF THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE ON THE TEACHING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, 1966.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MEAD, ROBERT G., JR.

TO FOCUS ATTENTION ON CURRENT PROBLEMS CONFRONTING THE PROFESSION, THE 1966 NORTHEAST CONFERENCE ON THE TEACHING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES PUBLISHED ITS WORKING COMMITTEE REPORTS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING RESEARCH, WIDER USES FOR LANGUAGES, AND THE SUPERVISION AND COORDINATION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING. THE FIRST REPORT, "RESEARCH AND LANGUAGE LEARNING,"…

Nociones de la programacion de lenguas extranjeras (Ensayo metodologico) (Programming Foreign Languages [A Methodological Study])

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feldman, David

1975-01-01

Stresses the importance of language laboratories and other technical devices used in foreign language teaching, particularly in programed language instruction. Illustrates, by means of taxonomies, the various stages a foreign language learning program should follow. (Text is in Spanish.) (DS)

[Union-Endicott Schools: Foreign Language Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connell, Raymond S.

This brochure describing language programs to both parents and prospective high school language students in Endicott, New York focuses on developing student motivation and interest. Topics discussed include: (1) reasons for studying foreign language, (2) stages of foreign language learning, (3) course offerings, (4) homework, and (5) examinations.…

Parental attitudes regarding analgesic use for children: differences in ethnicity and language.

PubMed

Fortier, Michelle A; Martin, Sarah R; Kain, Danielle I; Tan, Edwin T

2011-11-01

The aim of this study was to identify the impact of ethnicity and language on parental attitudes regarding analgesic use to treat children's pain. A total of 206 parents of children undergoing outpatient surgery were recruited to complete the Medication Attitudes Questionnaire, a measure of parental beliefs about using analgesic medications to treat children's pain. Parents were grouped into one of 3 categories according to ethnicity and primary language spoken: English-speaking white, English-speaking Hispanic, and Spanish-speaking Hispanic. Group differences in pain medication attitudes were examined. After controlling for socioeconomic status, English-speaking Hispanic parents endorsed higher levels of misconceptions about pain medication use, including a tendency to avoid analgesic use for children, compared with English-speaking white and Spanish-speaking Hispanic parents. This study highlights parental characteristics, including ethnicity and language, which may place children at higher risk for undertreatment of acute pain based on misconceptions about analgesic use for children. Specifically, English-speaking Hispanic parents may be most likely to undertreat children's pain at home. Future studies are needed to identify the most appropriate means of providing education to counter parental misconceptions and support optimal pain management of children's pain in the home setting. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

34 CFR 658.4 - What definitions apply to the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... International Studies and Foreign Language Program? 658.4 Section 658.4 Education Regulations of the Offices of... UNDERGRADUATE INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM General § 658.4 What definitions apply to the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program? The definitions in 34 CFR 655.4 apply to this...

34 CFR 658.4 - What definitions apply to the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... International Studies and Foreign Language Program? 658.4 Section 658.4 Education Regulations of the Offices of... UNDERGRADUATE INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM General § 658.4 What definitions apply to the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program? The definitions in 34 CFR 655.4 apply to this...

Investigating the Development of Foreign Language Anxiety: An Autobiographical Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trang, Tran Thi Thu; Baldauf, Richard B., Jr.; Moni, Karen

2013-01-01

Foreign language anxiety (FLA) has been found to exist in tertiary students learning foreign languages in many countries; however, limited research has explored how it develops. This study investigated how anxiety developed in students of English as a foreign language (EFL), focusing on changes in their feelings about EFL learning as they learned,…

The Effects of Cooperative Learning on Foreign Language Anxiety: A Comparative Study of Taiwanese and American Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duxbury, John G.; Tsai, Ling-ling

2010-01-01

This study investigated the level of foreign language anxiety in the classroom, plus the correlation between foreign language anxiety and cooperative learning attitudes and practice among university students at one university in the United States and three universities in Southern Taiwan. Two instruments (The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety…

Foreign Language Teaching and Learning in the Netherlands 1500-2000: An Overview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilhelm, Frans

2018-01-01

The Netherlands are quite unique in that the Dutch have always learned various foreign languages. Until 1940, French was the most important foreign language. Between roughly 1870 and 1970, Dutch learners in grammar schools and higher secondary schools were even obliged to learn three foreign languages: French, German and English. Since 1970,…

Foreign Languages and Your Career.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourgoin, Edward

Divided into two major parts, this book is intended to indicate careers in which people need foreign languages in their work and to provide suggestions and sources of further information for those who already have foreign language skills and those who are planning to acquire them. Part 1 discusses careers in which a foreign language is needed as a…

Non-adherence to Newly Prescribed Diabetes Medications among Insured Latino and White Patients with Diabetes

PubMed Central

Fernández, Alicia; Quan, Judy; Moffet, Howard; Parker, Melissa M.; Schillinger, Dean; Karter, Andrew J.

2017-01-01

Importance Medication adherence is essential to diabetes care. Patient-provider language barriers may impact medication adherence among Latinos. Objective Determine the role of patient ethnicity, preferred language, and provider language concordance on adherence to newly prescribed diabetes medications. Design Observational study, 2006–2012. Setting Large, integrated health care delivery system with professional interpreter services. Participants Insured patients with type 2 diabetes, including English-speaking whites, English-speaking Latinos, or Limited English proficiency (LEP) Latinos with newly prescribed diabetes medication. Exposures Patient ethnicity, preferred language, and provider self-reported Spanish language fluency. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary non-adherence (never dispensed), early stage non-persistence (dispensed only once), late stage non-persistence (received ≥2 dispensings, but discontinued within 24 months), inadequate overall medication adherence (>20% time without sufficient medication supply during 24 months after initial prescription) based on new prescription medication gaps (NPMG). Results Participants included 21,878 whites, 5,755 English-speaking Latinos, and 3,205 LEP Latinos with 46,131 prescriptions for new diabetes medications. Among LEP Latinos, 50.2% had a primary care provider reporting high Spanish fluency. For oral medications, early adherence varied substantially: 32.2% of LEP Latinos, 27.2% of English-speaking Latinos and 18.3% of whites were either primary non-adherent or early non-persistent (p<0.05). Inadequate overall adherence was observed in 60.2% of LEP Latinos, 51.7% of English-speaking Latinos and 37.5% of whites. For insulin, early stage non-persistence was 42.8% among LEP Latinos, 34.4% among English-speaking Latinos, and 28.5 % among whites (p<0.05). After adjustment for patient demographic and clinical characteristics and provider demographics, LEP Latinos were more likely to be non-adherent to oral medications and insulin than English-speaking Latinos [RRs 1.11–1.17, p<0.05] or whites [RRs 1.36–1.49, p<0.05]. English-speaking Latinos were more likely to be non-adherent compared to whites [RRs 1.23–1.30. p<0.05]. Patient-provider language concordance was not associated with rates of non-adherence among LEP Latinos. Conclusions and Relevance Non-adherence to newly prescribed diabetes medication is substantially greater among Latinos than whites, even among English-speaking Latinos. LEP Latino patients are more likely to be non-adherent than English-speaking Latinos independent of the Spanish language fluency of their providers. Interventions beyond ensuring access to interpreters or patient-provider language concordance will be required to improve medication adherence among Latino patients with diabetes. PMID:28114642

Barrier-free communication in maternity care of allophone migrants: BRIDGE study protocol.

PubMed

Origlia Ikhilor, Paola; Hasenberg, Gabriele; Kurth, Elisabeth; Stocker Kalberer, Barbara; Cignacco, Eva; Pehlke-Milde, Jessica

2018-02-01

To describe communication and access barriers encountered by allophone women of different migration backgrounds in the Swiss maternity care services, from the perspective of users, healthcare professionals and intercultural interpreters. In addition to the challenges of maternal adjustment, pregnant migrant women must also deal with an unfamiliar health service system. Some must overcome language barriers and the stress of uncertain residence status. Limited access to maternity care increases perinatal morbidity and mortality. Almost 10% of foreigners speak none of Switzerland's official languages. Factors that facilitate or hinder communication between migrant women and perinatal healthcare professionals are under-studied and must be understood if we are to overcome those barriers in clinical practice. Qualitative exploratory study with quantitative sub-study. Participants will be drawn from German to speaking regions of Switzerland. We will conduct focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with users in their own language (Albanian and Tigrinya) and with healthcare professionals and intercultural interpreters (March-June 2016), then perform Thematic Analysis on the data. In the sub-study, midwives will report their experience of using a telephone interpreting service during postnatal home visits in a questionnaire (October 2013-March 2016). Data will be analysed with descriptive statistics. Our study will reveal patterns in communications between allophone migrant women and healthcare providers and communication barriers. By incorporating multiple perspectives, we will describe the challenges all parties face. Our results will inform those who draft recommendations to improve provision of maternity care to allophone women and their families. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: BernUAS NCT02695316. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Perception of Foreign Accent Syndrome Speech and Its Relation to Segmental Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dankovicova, Jana; Hunt, Claire

2011-01-01

Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is an acquired neurogenic disorder characterized by altered speech that sounds foreign-accented. This study presents a British subject perceived to speak with an Italian (or Greek) accent after a brainstem (pontine) stroke. Native English listeners rated the strength of foreign accent and impairment they perceived in…

Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horwitz, Elaine K.; And Others

1986-01-01

Identifies foreign language anxiety as a conceptually distinct variable in foreign language learning and interprets it with the context of existing theoretical and empirical work on specific anxiety reactions. Discusses the effects of this anxiety on language learning and its pedagogical implications. (SED)

Foreign language affects the contribution of intentions and outcomes to moral judgment.

PubMed

Geipel, Janet; Hadjichristidis, Constantinos; Surian, Luca

2016-09-01

We examine whether the use of a foreign language, as opposed to the native language, influences the relative weight intentions versus outcomes carry in moral evaluations. In Study 1, participants were presented with actions that had positive outcomes but were motivated by dubious intentions, while in Study 2 with actions that had negative outcomes but were motivated by positive intentions. Participants received the materials either in their native or a foreign language. Foreign language prompted more positive moral evaluations in Study 1 and less positive evaluations in Study 2. These results show that foreign language reduces the relative weight placed on intentions versus outcomes. We discuss several theoretical accounts that are consistent with the results such as that foreign language attenuates emotions (triggered by intentions) or it depletes cognitive resources. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Missing Link in Vision and Governance: Foreign Language Acquisition Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kramsch, Claire J.

1987-01-01

Foreign language acquisition research (concerned with the theoretical and practical issues related to socialization into and literacy in another language and culture) can help integrate language, literature, and culture in foreign language departments because it draws on insights gained from such diverse fields as anthropology, sociology,…

The Emotional Impact of Being Myself: Emotions and Foreign-Language Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivaz, Lela; Costa, Albert; Duñabeitia, Jon Andoni

2016-01-01

Native languages are acquired in emotionally rich contexts, whereas foreign languages are typically acquired in emotionally neutral academic environments. As a consequence of this difference, it has been suggested that bilinguals' emotional reactivity in foreign-language contexts is reduced as compared with native language contexts. In the current…

Foreign Language Anxiety of Students Studying English Language and Literature: A Sample from Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elaldi, Senel

2016-01-01

A considerable number of foreign language learners experience a feeling of anxiety in language learning process. The purpose of this research was to find out foreign language anxiety levels of students studying in the Faculty of English Language and Literature at Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey when they were in preparatory class and when…

Foreign Language Display Library Catalog. Supplement to Studies in Language and Language Behavior, Progress Report VIII.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ann Arbor Public Schools, MI.

Designed as a tool for foreign language teachers attempting to keep updated on the constantly proliferating number of printed materials being produced for use in elementary and secondary school language classes, this catalog attempts to bring together in one collection a representative selection of foreign language texts, readers, workbooks, and…

Aging in Australia: country of birth and language preferences of residents in aged care facilities.

PubMed

Petrov, Ljubica; Joyce, Catherine; Gucciardo-Masci, Tonina

2017-09-05

Objective There is a need to better understand the use of aged care services by people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The aim of the present study was to describe the prevalence of people living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) who were born in non-English-speaking countries and/or have a preferred language other than English and to describe service utilisation rates. Methods The present study consisted of a secondary analysis of data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Aged Care Data Clearinghouse. Data were analysed by country of birth, preferred language, state or territory and Aged Care Planning Regions within Victoria. Results Nationally, over 30000 (18.3%) RACF residents were born in a non-English-speaking country. In Victoria, almost one in four RACF residents (23.9%) was born in a non-English-speaking country, and approximately one in eight (13.1%) has a preferred language other than English. Most Victorian RACFs (72.4%) have at least one resident with a preferred language other than English. Approximately one in four residents (26.1%) with a preferred language other than English are the sole speaker of the language in their facility. Conclusion All RACFs need to effectively address the needs and preferences of their residents, including those who were born in a non-English-speaking country or prefer to speak a language other than English. What is known about the topic? The number of older people from a non-English-speaking background continues to increase, but little is known about the prevalence of this cohort living in RACFs and how aged care providers are responding to their needs and preferences. What does this paper add? The present study provides detailed, service- and policy-relevant information, demonstrating a substantial degree of diversity among people living in RACFs, with wide distribution across facilities and regions. The findings confirm the need for a systematic, sector-wide approach to addressing linguistic diversity and developing inclusive practices. What are the implications for practitioners? All RACFs are required to develop policies and procedures in order to cater to the needs and preferences of residents who were born in non-English-speaking countries and/or who prefer to speak a language other than English.

Early Oral Language and Later Reading Development in Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners: Evidence from a Nine-Year Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kieffer, Michael J.

2012-01-01

Using nationally-representative, longitudinal data on a cohort of Spanish-speaking English language learners in the U.S., this study investigated the extent to which early oral language proficiency in Spanish and English predicts later levels and rates of growth in English reading. Latent growth models indicated that both Spanish and English…

Marking of Verb Tense in the English of Preschool English-Mandarin Bilingual Children: Evidence from Language Development Profiles within Subgroups on the Singapore English Action Picture Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brebner, Chris; McCormack, Paul; Rickard Liow, Susan

2016-01-01

Background: The phonological and morphosyntactic structures of English and Mandarin contrast maximally and an increasing number of bilinguals speak these two languages. Speech and language therapists need to understand bilingual development for children speaking these languages in order reliably to assess and provide intervention for this…

Learning to Remember by Learning to Speak

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ettlinger, Marc; Lanter, Jennifer; Van Pay, Craig K.

2014-01-01

Does the language we speak affect the way we think, and if so, how? Previous researchers have considered this question by exploring the cognitive abilities of speakers of different languages. In the present study, we looked for evidence of linguistic relativity within a language and within participants by looking at memory recall for monolingual…

Japanese Language Proficiency, Social Networking, and Language Use during Study Abroad: Learners' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dewey, Dan P.; Bown, Jennifer; Eggett, Dennis

2012-01-01

This study examines the self-perceived speaking proficiency development of 204 learners of Japanese who studied abroad in Japan and analyzes connections between self-reported social network development, language use, and speaking development. Learners perceived that they gained the most in areas associated with the intermediate and advanced levels…

La Lengua Espanol en los Estados Unidos (The Spanish Language in the United States).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnach-Calbo, Ernesto

This report on the use of the Spanish language in the United States discusses the Spanish-speaking population, the language itself, and bilingual education in the United States. The background about the Spanish-speaking population includes the following topics: (1) "A Nations of Immigrants," (2) "The Population of the…

Variability in Community Characteristics and Spanish-Speaking Children's Home Language and Literacy Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reese, Leslie; Thompson, Sylvia Linan; Goldenberg, Claude

2008-01-01

Drawing on data from 14 communities in California and Texas, this paper examines the variability in language and literacy resources across communities with large numbers of Latino families. Spanish-speaking children live in communities that vary considerably with respect to language use, ethnic composition and education levels. Children's…

Designing a VOIP Based Language Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia Laborda, Jesus; Magal Royo, Teresa; Otero de Juan, Nuria; Gimenez Lopez, Jose L.

2015-01-01

Assessing speaking is one of the most difficult tasks in computer based language testing. Many countries all over the world face the need to implement standardized language tests where speaking tasks are commonly included. However, a number of problems make them rather impractical such as the costs, the personnel involved, the length of time for…

The Emergent Literacy Development of Spanish-Speaking Preschool Children with Specific Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pratt, Amy Susan

2017-01-01

This dissertation portfolio is comprised of three first-authored pieces of writing that investigate the oral language and emergent literacy development of Spanish-speaking children with specific language impairment (SLI). Each piece features a unique but complementary aim. The first study investigates group differences on a battery of emergent…

The Relationship of Phonological Skills to Language Skills in Spanish-English-Speaking Bilingual Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooperson, Solaman J.; Bedore, Lisa M.; Pena, Elizabeth D.

2013-01-01

These two studies investigate the relationship between phonological production skills and performance in other domains of language in Spanish-English-speaking bilingual children. We examine the relationship between scores on a single-word phonology test and language measures selected from formal testing and narrative samples in Spanish and…

The English Language Fellows Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blakely, Richard

1995-01-01

Discusses the English Language Fellows (ELF) Program, a pilot project that pairs specially-trained, native-speaking undergraduates with nonnative-speaking (NNS) classmates to study the content of courses that both are taking together. Woven into that study of course content, for the benefit of the NNS students, is the study of language as it is…