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JLLT edited by Thomas Tinnefeld
Showing posts with label 94 Tables of Contents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 94 Tables of Contents. Show all posts
Volume 1 (2010) Issue 2  (PDF)

Table of Contents





I. Articles

Maduabuchi Agbo (Benin, Nigeria):


Abstract
This analysis of Igbo verbs with body-part complements is done within the theoretical perspective of Role and Reference Grammar. This framework has the advantage of determining the lexical decomposition of verbs and their inherent temporal properties. There are five sub-classes of verbs with body-part complements. The complements are:ónú ‘mouth’, óbi ̀ ‘heart’, ísí ‘head’, àhú ‘body’ and ányá ‘eye’. These complements are NPs which are semantic modifiers to the verbs. When used in sentence constructions, these complements give extended meanings beyond the basic expressions. For example, the complement ónú ‘mouth’ tends to carry an added sense of negativity in a sentence. The complement óbi ̀ ‘heart’ tends to always refer to the experiences of the soul. The complement ísí ‘head’ in a sentence, conjures up the state of the mind of the speaker or addressee, and the complement àhú ‘body’ brings up the mental picture of the state of the speaker’s or addressee’s well-being. The complement ányá ‘eye’ conjures up the knowledge of the worth of something by the speaker or addressee. The work concludes that the Igbo speaker’s knowledge of a verb’s meaning includes the meaning of its complement and their interaction with the principles of grammar.




Dinh Trong Pham (Regensburg, Germany):


Abstract
This study investigates how native speakers of Vietnamese observed Grice’s maxims. Three hundred conversational contributions in live talk exchanges from varied Vietnamese television channels and naturally occurring discourse were analysed. The results showed that Grice’s maxims were fulfilled in many instances. Nevertheless, in many other situations, two kinds of non-fulfilment of the maxims were observed: (i) the speaker deliberately exploited a maxim, which fits Grice’s framework and (ii) the speaker failed to observe but did not exploit a maxim, which leads to the possible interpretation of the cultural patterns of the Vietnamese language: “circular” discourse, communicative politeness, high context culture and the values of harmony in communication, all of which are regarded as the cultural identities and values manifesting in Vietnamese culture. The results implicate that understanding different ways of speaking in different cultures is a crucial point in intercultural communication and (foreign) language teaching and learning.


Maite Correa (Fort Collins (Colorado), USA):

Abstract

In this paper, I suggest an approach to Heritage Language teaching that is critical and comprehensive in nature because (1) it puts into question the social and economic power relationships that have been created surrounding the status of standard and local varieties; (2) it empowers students to reflect critically on the intrinsic value of the variety they bring with them into the classroom; and, more in line with comprehensive approaches to HL teaching, (3) it considers that preventing our students from exposure to academic or standard language would be negligent on the part of teachers and takes into consideration the different realities and attitudes that HL learners might face after they leave the classroom. This approach fills the gap in the Critical Pedagogy literature on why, how and when local and standard varieties should be incorporated into the HL curriculum in order to improve the learning experience for students both in the HL classroom and beyond.

Abstracto
En este artículo propongo un enfoque a la enseñanza de Lenguas de Herencia (LH) que es crítico y exhaustivo porque: (1) pone en duda las relaciones de poder socio-económicas que se han creado en torno al estatus de las variedades locales y estándares; (2) capacita (empodera) a los estudiantes para que reflexionen críticamente sobre el valor intrínseco de la variedad que ya traen consigo al aula; y más en línea con los enfoques exhaustivos a la enseñanza de Lengua de Herencia (3) considera que negarles a nuestros estudiantes la exposición a variedades estándares o académicas sería un acto de negligencia por parte de los instructores y toma en consideración las diferentes realidades y actitudes que los hablantes de herencia podrían afrontar después de abandonar el aula. Este enfoque complementa lo ya publicado sobre Pedagogía Crítica, específicamente por qué, cómo y cuándo deberían incorporarse las variedades locales y estándares en el curriculum de Lengua Heredada con el objetivo de mejorar la experiencia de aprendizaje para los estudiantes en el aula y cuando salen de ella.



Shing-Lung Chen (Kaohsiung, Taiwan):

Abstract  (English)
Patents are generally said to deal with solutions to technical problems. In reality, however, some patents deal with the learning of foreign languages. Patents of this kind have hardly been examined up to the present day, and no adademic literature exists on this field of research, yet. The present article aims at such an academic analysis. Only an innovative model can become a patent. Patents often deal with the question of how the success of language learning can be improved by means of information technology. Moreover, a learning effect is to be generated, which cannot be produced by traditional print media. In the present article, selected patents on the learning of foreign languages are classified and subdivided in three groups: patents on the problems of language learning, patents for the promotion of learner motivation and patents on the development of learning tools. TÍn this analysis of patents, new models are described by which the success of learning foreign languages can be increased via information technology.
Key words: Patents of language learning, development of learning systems, analysis of patents, e-learning, learning and technology

Abstract  (Deutsch)
Es besteht häufig der Eindruck, dass Patente sich auf die Lösung technischer Probleme beschränken. In Wirklichkeit behandeln manche Patente jedoch das Fremdsprachenlernen. Diese sind bisher kaum untersucht worden, und es existieren noch keine entsprechenden wissenschaftlichen Artikel. Dieser Artikel versucht sich an einer einschlägigen Analyse. Nur ein innovatives Denkmodell kann ein Patent werden. Bei Patentschriften handelt es sich oft darum, wie das Fremdsprachenlernen mittels der Informationstechnologie in seinem Lernerfolg verstärkt werden kann. Außerdem soll eine Lernwirkung erzielt werden, die traditionelle Printmedien nicht erreichen können. Dieser Artikel klassifiziert ausgewählte Patentschriften zum Fremdsprachenlernen und untergliedert sie in drei Gruppen: Patente zu Sprachlernproblemen, Patente zur Förderung der Lernmotivation und Patente zur Entwicklung der Lernwerkzeuge. In dieser Analyse der Patentschriften bietet der Artikel Lehrern neue und vielfältige Denkmodelle an, mit denen der Lernerfolg mittels der Informationstechnologie erhöht werden kann.


Kay Cheng Soh (Singapore):


Abstract
The use of L1 in L2 learning (and teaching) is a controversy of long history which typically appears as a debate between the audio-lingual and the cognitive-code approaches to L2/FL instruction. The Paivio-Desrochers bilingual dual-coding model has spawned a number of empirical studies involving both European and Asian languages largely supporting the latter. This article adopts the Paivio-Desrochers model and re-interprets data collected for a study on bilingual code-switching between English and Chinese among primary school children in Singapore where young children learn two languages concurrently within the school context. High correlations were obtained for scores of monolingual and bilingual tests based on the same content. Implications for L1 in L2 instruction are discussed.



II. University Report

Adriano Murelli (Mannheim, Germany)  / Rosanna Pedretti (Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany):

Abstract  (English)
This paper represents a report on an e-tandem project conducted at Freiburg University (Germany) from the winter term 2009/2010 on. It started with a German-Italian pilot course organised in cooperation with Pavia University (Italy). In order to promote autonomous language learning, the authors used several web-based applications, relying on Skype to enable full (i.e. visual, auditive) interaction between learning partners and on e-mails to let participants practise writing and reading in the respective foreign language. Additionally, participants were asked to compile a weekly electronic portfolio (EPOS) to record their improvements as well as their difficulties. In the paper, the structure of the pilot course will be described and a first balance will be drawn.

Abstract  (Italiano)
Oggetto del presente contributo è il progetto di e-tandem condotto all’università di Freiburg a partire dal semestre invernale 2009/2010. Il primo passo è stato un corso pilota tedesco-italiano in cooperazione con l’università di Pavia. Per favorire l’autonomia dei discenti nell’apprendimento linguistico ci siamo serviti di diverse applicazioni web: Skype ha consentito di ottenere una piena interazione (visuale e auditiva) tra i partecipanti; scambi e-mail hanno permesso di esercitare anche le abilità di lettura e scrittura. Inoltre, i partecipanti hanno compilato di settimana un portfolio elettronico (EPOS), elencando tra le altre cose progressi e difficoltà incontrate. Nel contributo descriveremo brevemente la struttura del corso pilota e tracceremo poi un primo bilancio.



III. Book Reviews


Barbara Beyersdörfer (Saarbrücken, Germany):



Thomas Tinnefeld (Saarbrücken, Germany):




IV. Announcements


"Beiträge zur Fremdsprachenvermittlung (bzf)"
-  Issues 44-49           

Posted by JLLT
Volume 1 (2010) Issue 1   (PDF)




 Table of Contents


Editorial


Foreword to the Issue


I. Articles


Esmaeil Momtaz (Aberdeen, UK) & Mark Garner (Aberdeen, UK):
Does Collaborative Learning Improve EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension? (15-35) 


Abstract
Despite a widespread assumption that collaborative learning (CL) is pedagogically effective, there has been little research on its place in non-Western educational institutions, specifically in relation to EFL. A mixed-method study was conducted in Iranian EFL reading comprehension classes in order to establish whether (a) CL leads to greater comprehension of a text than private reading, and, if so, (b) the processes by which it enhances comprehension. Participants were pre-tested for reading comprehension and streamed into two classes. The intervention consisted of four texts of equal length. Each class read two texts collaboratively and two privately, after which they answered in writing ten comprehension questions. Collaborative reading resulted in consistently and significantly higher scores than private reading for all four texts. Group interactions during collaborative reading were tape recorded and transcribed, and 10 students selected at random from the two classes were interviewed in depth. Using these methods, certain processes of collaborative reading were identified, including brainstorming, paraphrasing, and summarizing.




Mehrnoosh Fakharzadeh (Isfahan / Iran) & Abbass Eslami Rasekh (Shiraz / Iran):


On the Applicability or Non-Applicability of the Gricean Maxims to Nursery Rhymes (37-73)


Abstract
The present article reports the findings of a study designed to examine whether the Gricean Maxims, based on his cooperative principle, are observed or flouted in one language activity, nursery rhymes. Examining 30 popular English rhymes and justifying the position of the rhymes on a literary-nonliterary continuum, adapting Halliday's functional framework for non-literary and Cook's cognitive change function for literary discourses, the researchers found that for this language activity to be performed successfully, some modifications are required to be made on the definition of the maxims of quantity and relevance. It has also been revealed that while the maxim of quality might be flouted, the maxim of manner is observed in all the songs. Our analysis of the data suggests that it is not only the assumed cooperation between addresser and addressees which governs the whole discourse, but also that another principle may need to be defined on the basis of some modifications made to the maxims.



Valerie A. Wust (Raleigh, North Carolina, USA):


Pronominalization in French: Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice (75-110)


Abstract
This article examines reasons for which the two complementary French pronominal systems are so difficult to teach and learn. The first part of the article synthesizes the findings of empirical studies on pronoun acquisition by learners of French in a variety of contexts. The second part examines specific learnability issues (e.g., Ellis 2006) that contribute to the developmental difficulties experienced by instructed second language learners in particular. In the final section suggestions for an informed pedagogy of French object pronouns are offered, moving from beginning to advanced levels of development.


II. University Reports


Rainer Reisel (Saarbrücken, Germany):


Das Deutsch-Französische Hochschulinstitut (DFHI) in der vierten Dekade seines Bestehens - eine Zwischenbilanz (113-122)


Abstract
In the present article, the political and academic development of the German-French University Institute (DFHI / ISFATES) – from its beginnings in 1975 via the Bologna process up to the present day - is described from the point of view of its former director, the conceptual highlights of its institutional and methodological approach being elaborated. Last but not least, the article witnesses a fruitful university cooperation between a French and a German university, for the benefit of students and their professional success. For reasons of illustration, four specific study programmes –Electrical Engineering and Logistics, Bachelor and Master, respectively– are exemplified.




Nadine Imhof / Anne Lejeune / Ann-Katrin Marsel / Marie Philippi / Johanna Volk (Saarbrücken, Germany / Metz, France):


Das DFHI aus studentischer Sicht - L'ISFATES dans une perspective étudiante (123-134)


Abstract


In the present article, written in German and French, respectively, three German and two French students, enrolled in the DFHI programme Master of Management Sciences, give a detailed report about the German-French University Institute (DFHI / ISFATES), using their respective mother tongues, with these two languages alternating occasionally. After a short description of the German-French University Institute, which represents the umbrella organisation of the different study programmes which are offered in the cooperation of two universities – Saarland University of Applied Sciences in Germany and Paul Verlaine University in Metz (France) –, one of these programmes is outlined. Its multilingual (German, French and English) and intercultural orientation is positively evaluated. The geographic place of study is described as well as the student organisation. Finally, two typical projects are exemplified.


III. Book Reviews


Christine Schowalter (Landau, Germany):
Marcel Eggler: Argumentationsanalyse textlinguistisch. Argumentative Figuren für und wider den Golfkrieg von 1991. Tübingen: Niemeyer 2006. 450 Seiten. (137-143) 


Thomas Tinnefeld (Saarbrücken, Germany):
Dlaska, Andrea / Christian Krekeler: Sprachtests. Leistungsbeurteilungen im Fremdsprachenunterricht evaluieren und verbessern. Baltmannsweiler: Schneider Verlag Hohengehren 2009, 195 Seiten (145-153) 


IV. Call for Papers


Contrastive Linguistics


Editorial


This is the first issue of the new Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching which is published in Saarbrücken (Germany). Its target is to bring out linguistic and methodological findings on a worldwide basis and within a short delay after their elaboration.

The critical reader may wonder whether there is a need of a new journal in the academic world, taking into consideration the considerable number of academic journals which already exist. This question can be answered in the affirmative. Let us quickly cast some light on the reasons which can be raised in favour of this new journal.

The ultimate goal pursued in the launching of this journal is to show that linguistics is by no means a science which could be seen as l'art pour l'art, but that, on the contrary, it provides important research results which are closely linked to relevant areas of practice, among which the teaching of foreign languages is an important one. Linguistics - as theoretical as it may appear at times - (nearly) always presents useful findings whose practical importance may not in every case be immediately visible, but which is always there. This very reason alone would be sufficient to create a journal like the present one.

Apart from and in addition to this first important point, there is an urgent need of a journal covering the full range of topics between linguistics on the one hand and language methodology on the other. This range is, in general, covered by applied linguistics - but not necessarily nor exclusively: Should there be any new findings made even in the field of theoretical linguistics, which may stand for or possibly lead to an improvement in the teaching of the language examined in the given study, the place for the publication of these results will be in the present journal.

Should, on the other side of the continuum, any findings be made which were originated by practical teaching and which may have an influence on the linguistic analysis of the given phenomenon - a case which can easily be imagined in the dichotomy of system and norm, for example -,  its place for publication will be in the present journal as well.

These two extremes are to illustrate the enormous range of topics publishable in this journal, with any academic question situated between them being relevant for this new academic organ.
The Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching, which is accessible for publication to any researcher or practitioner having interesting findings to communicate, is - last but not least - meant to be a platform for academic discourse and discussion. It will therefore be possible for readers to utter their opinions and to react to articles published here by writing articles of their own in response or by writing short statements, comparable to the text type Letters to the Editor, which will then be published under the corresponding rubric. In this manner, an intensive exchange of ideas can be realised for the best of linguistic research and the teaching of foreign languages.

Thomas Tinnefeld
JLLT
Editor


Foreword to the Issue

It is my great pleasure to present the first issue of the Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching, which we are able to publish four months after the launch of the Journal. Since the beginning of this year, a number of articles have been sent to us - some of which still being under review in their first or second phase -, and the first five of them are being published now, others following in the subsequent issue. Article submissions came from four different continents, the manuscripts covering the most varied scope of topics, all of them being interesting and innovative.

I would like to thank the authors who have submitted articles to JLLT, trusting Editor and Editorial Board and thus endorsing a new initiative and an innovative academic organ and, in doing so, encouraging many more authors to submit their manuscripts as well, knowing that they and their work will be in good hands and that their findings will be published on a short-term basis.

In addition, I would like to thank those members of the Editorial Board who have contributed to the making of this first issue and whose work has increased the quality of articles even more. Although there will always be cases in which manuscripts will be rejected, our work so far has shown that the board members' motivation has been - and will be - to make publications possible rather than to block them. By means of intensive communication with authors, academic quality is and will be guaranteed and promising research findings are and will be conveyed to the academia in a functional manner.

This first issue of JLLT comprises five articles and two book reviews. These will be briefly described in what follows so as to give our readers a short overview of what may be of interest to them. In addition, both in the table of contents and preceding the articles themselves, an English abstract for each article will be given, which is even more expressive than the following short lines can be.

In the rubric articles and in the chronology of publications - not in that of manuscript submission -, the first article, whose authors -  Esmaeil Momtaz and  Mark Garner - both work at the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom, deals with collaborative learning and its potential influence on reading comprehension in an EFL context. The results elaborated in this study are significant in scope and nature and may have a strong impact on the course planning of language teachers in the whole world, who may, in this article, find a confirmation of their own observations.

The second article by  Mehrnoosh Fakharzadeh (Isfahan, Iran)  and  Abbass  Eslami Rasekh (Shiraz,Iran) discusses the potential of applicability of the Gricean Maxims to a new corpus: nursery rhymes. In an original approach, the authors examine a set of popular English nursery rhymes, slightly modifying two of the maxims and extending the set of principles to be applied to this very text type.

Whereas in the first two articles, scientific interest lies on English as a second language, in the third article, the French language taught to American natives is examined in a well-defined area: the use, position and combination of subject and object pronouns. This grammatical category, which is characterised by a complicated set of rules to be applied to any utterance these pronouns occur in, presents considerable obstacles to most learners, who are required to overcome them should they ever strive for speaking and writing French more or less correctly. In her article, Valerie A. Wust (Raleigh, North Carolina, USA), points out the reasons for the high degree of difficulty characteristic of this pronominal system and examines specific issues of its learnability. In a further step, she transfers these findings to the teaching of French pronouns from a beginners' level to advanced levels.

The second rubric - university reports - consists of two articles which are closely interlinked  and which are of informative and intercultural rather than of purely academic value. These articles describe an original approach, i.e. a joint German-French university institute - DFHI / ISFATES - organised by one university in each country, which has just entered its fourth decade of existence. The first of the two articles just mentioned was written by Rainer Reisel (Saarbrücken, Germany), the former German director of this institute, who gives an overview of its history, presenting its continued development and its competitivity up to the present day.

The second article was written by five Master students of the same institute -Nadine Imhof,  Anne Lejeune,  Ann-Katrin Marsel,  Marie Philippi, and Johanna Volk (Metz, France / Saarbrücken, Germany) -, two of whom are French, three being German. This article, written in French and German combined, just according to the philosophy of this institute, describes important aspects from a student perspective, thus complementing Rainer Reisel's article.

This first issue of JLLT is rounded off by two book reviews. Christine Schowalter (Landau, Germany) presents a monograph on applied argumentation analysis, and  Thomas Tinnefeld  (Saarbrücken, Germany) evaluates a book on language testing.

May this short overview of the various components of this first issue arouse our readers' interest and boost their inspiration so that, as the best possible effect, the texts published here may inspire new research and new findings which will then be published in future issues of JLLT.

Thomas Tinnefeld
JLLT
Editor


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