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L2 Research (l2 + research)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Humanities and Social Sciences100%

Selected Abstracts

Adequate language description in L2 research/teaching: the case of pro-drop language speakers learning L2 English

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS, Issue 3 2008
Dilin Liu
Taking the example of ESL learners' difficulties in resetting the pro-drop parameter, this paper explores the need for L2 research and teaching to be based on sound linguistic data and description. First of all, it reviews key studies on the acquisition of non-null arguments in English, focusing on the varying difficulties that speakers of different pro-drop languages face in the acquisition process. Secondly, it examines some major English grammar reference books and student textbooks, illustrating the inadequacy of the existing depiction of the English argument parameter. Finally, it suggests how a more accurate description can result in a better understanding of ESL learners' difficulties and lead to an informed pedagogy, tailored to the unique needs of learners of different L1 backgrounds. [source]

Alignment and Interaction in a Sociocognitive Approach to Second Language Acquisition

MODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2007
DWIGHT ATKINSON
This article argues for the crucial role of alignment in second language acquisition, as conceptualized from a broadly sociocognitive perspective. By alignment, we mean the complex processes through which human beings effect coordinated interaction, both with other human beings and (usually human-engineered) environments, situations, tools, and affordances. The article begins by summarizing what we mean by a sociocognitive approach to second language acquisition. We then develop the notion of alignment, first in terms of general learning/activity and next in relation to second language (L2) learning. Following that, we provide an extended example of alignment-in-action, focusing on the coordinated activities of a Japanese junior high school student and her tutor as they study English in their sociocognitively constructed world. Next, we speculate on possible uses of the alignment concept in L2 research and teaching, and finally we conclude by restating our claim,that alignment is a necessary and crucial requirement for L2 development. [source]

Factors Affecting How Second Language Spanish Students Derive Meaning from Context

MODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2003
Diana Frantzen
Although first language (L1) and second language (L2) research has indicated that the meanings of unknown words can be derived from the contexts in which they occur, research has also found limitations to the value of context. Using data gathered in a classroom experiment on L2 vocabulary acquisition (Frantzen, 1998), the present study sought to determine some of the reasons why the context in which a word appears does not always lead a language learner to an accurate interpretation of its meaning. It expands the existing research by using a natural, intact, unmanipulated text as the context (an aspect underrepresented in current L2 word inferencing literature). Analysis of the students' answers, their self,reported guessing strategies, the contexts in which the words appeared, and the text's glossing revealed that the "blame" for the incorrect answers may be placed on: (a) the context itself, (b) the students' behavior, and in a minor way (c) the story's glossing. Numerous patterns are presented and discussed in light of other L1 and L2 research and new patterns are reported. [source]

Derivational Morphological Analysis as a Strategy for Vocabulary Acquisition in Spanish

MODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2003
Regina Morin
Although first language (L1) and second language (L2) research has indicated that the meanings of unknown words can be derived from the contexts in which they occur, research has also found limitations to the value of context. Using data gathered in a classroom experiment on L2 vocabulary acquisition (Frantzen, 1998), the present study sought to determine some of the reasons why the context in which a word appears does not always lead a language learner to an accurate interpretation of its meaning. It expands the existing research by using a natural, intact, unmanipulated text as the context (an aspect underrepresented in current L2 word inferencing literature). Analysis of the students' answers, their self,reported guessing strategies, the contexts in which the words appeared, and the text's glossing revealed that the "blame" for the incorrect answers may be placed on: (a) the context itself, (b) the students' behavior, and in a minor way (c) the story's glossing. Numerous patterns are presented and discussed in light of other L1 and L2 research and new patterns are reported. [source]