Volume 10 (2019) Issue 2 (PDF)
Articles
Michel Cabot (Oslo, Norway):
Unpacking Meaningful Grammar Feedback: An Analysis of EFL Student Teachers’ Feedback Preferences and Learning Moments
Abstract
Writing research has acknowledged the value of formative grammar feedback in English-as-a-foreign-language teacher writing education. Yet we know little about perceptions of the understanding and use of such meaningful feedback. To fill this research gap, two pilot interviews, ten semi-structured and four member-check interviews were carried out with twelve student teachers in Western Norway. To unpack feedback perceptions, these student teachers used two different essays as prompts (the first with written and oral feedback, the second without any feedback). The findings revealed that student teachers favoured feedback that pushed them cognitively and combined different feedback modes and types. Moreover, they commented positively on repetitive feedback with a high focus on accuracy. Student teachers’ awareness and the concreteness of the feedback given played important roles in the perception of learning moments. To discuss the findings, ecological-agentic theories were integrated with linguo-didactic theories. This study may inspire all those instructors who wish to develop their feedback practices.
Marcela Ruiz-Funes (Statesboro (GA), USA):
The Language-Learning Potential of Writing for Learners of Spanish: Languaging and Task Complexity in Foreign Language Writing
Abstract (English)
This investigation explored the processes involved in languaging during composing and its relationship to task complexity in foreign language writing. It focused on the language-learning potential of writing for learners of Spanish as a foreign language (FL) at a southeast university in the United States. A multiple case study design was adopted. The students worked individually on two writing tasks of different levels of cognitive complexity and were asked to think-aloud while composing. The languaging processing was studied through the analysis of language-related episodes (LREs) based on the think-aloud protocols. The keystroke-logging software Inputlog was also used to gather process data about the writers' behavior to solve the LREs. In addition, students were asked to complete a questionnaire to gauge their perception of task complexity. The data analysis employed a mixed-methods approach. The LREs, records from Inputlog, and the data from the task perception questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Patterns regarding the interplay between task complexity and languaging started to emerge. These indicated that the learners were involved in languaging processes, mainly with a focus on lexis followed by form, yet with some variation depending on task demands and level of proficiency of the learner. The paper ends with a discussion of the benefits and challenges of the methodological approach employed.
Kristin Killie (Tromsø, Norway):
The Acquisition of Subject-Verb Agreement Among Norwegian (Teenage) Learners of English: Focus on the Subject
Abstract
Subject-verb agreement in English is a complex area that causes problems for learners. It is important to determine which aspects of this topic are most difficult to learn and automatize so that we can focus on these in the language classroom. The present paper aims to make a contribution by presenting data on subject-verb agreement among Norwegian adolescents (12-13 and 15–16 years old). The research question is whether learners make more mistakes with some types of subject than with others. A main finding is that there are more errors with noun subjects than with personal pronoun subjects. It is argued that this is the result of drilling of paradigms as well as high frequencies in the input and output. Another finding is that the error rate is particularly high when the subject consists of two or more conjoined noun phrases. This fact is explained in terms of ‘Agreement Attraction’ (Strang 1966). On the basis of the data, it is suggested that the teaching of subject-verb agreement should focus more on noun subjects, including conjoined subject noun phrases.
Abstract (Español)
Esta investigación exploró los procesos involucrados en "languaging" (el modo de emplear el lenguaje) durante la composición y su relación con la complejidad de la tarea en la escritura en una segunda lengua. Se enfoca en el potencial de aprendizaje de idiomas de la escritura para estudiantes de español como lengua extranjera (LE) en una universidad del sureste de los Estados Unidos. Se adoptó un diseño de estudio de casos múltiples. Los estudiantes trabajaron individualmente en dos tareas de escritura de diferentes niveles de complejidad cognitiva y se les pidió que pensaran en voz alta mientras componían. El procesamiento de languaging se estudió mediante el análisis de episodios relacionados con el lenguaje (LRE) basadosen los protocolos de pensamiento en voz alta. El software de registro de pulsaciones de teclas Inputlog se utilizó para recopilar datos de proceso sobre el comportamiento de los escritores para resolver problemas relacionados con los LREs. Además, se pidió a los estudiantes que completaran un cuestionario para evaluar su percepción de la complejidad de la tarea. El análisis de datos empleó un enfoque de métodos mixtos. Los episodios relacionados con el lenguaje, los registros de Inputlog y los datos del cuestionario de percepción de tareas se analizaron cuantitativamente y cualitativamente. Comenzaron a surgir patrones con respecto a la interacción entre la complejidad de la tarea y el lenguaje. Estos indicaron que los aprendices estaban involucrados en procesos de lenguaje, principalmente con un enfoque en el aprendizaje seguido por la forma, pero con algunas variaciones dependiendo de las demandas de la tarea y el nivel de competencia del aprendiz. El documento termina con una discusión de los beneficios y desafíos del enfoque metodológico empleado.
Vincent Chanethom (Fairfax (VA), USA) & Patrick-André Mather (San Juan, Puerto Rico):
Perception and Production of French Nasal Vowel Contrasts by English- and Spanish-Speaking L2 Learners
Abstract (English)
This study investigates the acquisition of French nasal vowels among 10 English-speaking and 10 Spanish-speaking L2 learners. Specifically, the study examines how L2 learners maintain these categories separate acoustically in their speech production and whether their ability to perceive such contrasts influences their acoustic implementation. Participants were asked to complete a language proficiency test, a production task where participants were asked to read words containing the three French nasal vowels, and a perception task where they were asked to discriminate between pairs of words. Results revealed significant differences between the two language groups, mainly with respect to the /ɑ̃/ - /õ/ contrast. While L2 Spanish speakers showed no particular difficulty with that contrast, their English-speaking counterparts displayed lower accuracy rates in distinguishing /ɑ̃/ from /õ/ and implemented significantly smaller acoustic distances between the two categories. These empirical findings suggest that, for the study of French nasal vowels, foreign language instructors should design separate pronunciation activities for English native-speaking students, with more emphasis on the /ɑ̃/ - /õ/ pair than the other contrasts.
Abstract (Français)
Cet article étudie l’acquisition des voyelles nasales du français par 10 locuteurs natifs de l’anglais et 10 locuteurs natifs de l’espagnol. L’étude examine en particulier la manière dont les apprenants maintiennent ces catégories vocaliques séparées dans leur production orale et, le cas échéant, l’influence de leur capacité perceptive sur l’implémentation acoustique de ces contrastes. Les participants à cette étude ont complété une série de tâches expérimentales, dont un test de niveau en langue française, un test de production orale pour lire des mots illustrant les voyelles nasales du français, et un test de perception orale pour distinguer des paires de mots. Les résultats de l’analyse indiquent des différences significatives entre les deux groupes de locuteurs natifs, surtout par rapport au contraste /ɑ̃/ - /õ/. Le groupe d’apprenants hispanophones n’a pas montré de difficultés particulières dans la production ou perception de ce contraste. En revanche, les apprenants anglophones ont affiché un taux d’exactitude relativement faible pour la distinction entre /ɑ̃/ et /õ/. De plus, les résultats indiquent aussi que les apprenants anglophones appliquaient une plus petite distance acoustique entre les deux catégories que les apprenants hispanophones. Ces données empiriques suggèrent que pour l’étude des voyelles nasales du français, les enseignants de français langue étrangère doivent développer des activités pédagogiques en prononciation tenant compte des spécificités des apprenants anglophones, en insistant sur le contraste /ɑ̃/ - /õ/.
Thomas Tinnefeld (Saarbrücken, Deutschland):
Aktuelle deutsche Plakatwerbung in kultureller Sicht - eine Bestandsaufnahme
Abstract (English)
This article examines current German advertising in the form or posters and advertisements with regard to cultural aspects and text-image references. Starting from a concept of culture that is closely related to language and its use, cultural implications are documented, which refer to relevant political aspects in Germany’s recent and most recent history, to the image of the German economy as well as to current social phenomena and attitudes. In this area, it was possible to identify relevant filters that largely contribute to the effect of the corresponding advertisements. As far as text-image references are concerned, some very original examples are analysed, in which text and image are in a relationship of complementarity, exemplification or symbolisation. As a whole, highly concrete manifestations of contemporary German culture become obvious.
Abstract (Deutsch)
In dem vorliegenden Artikel wird die aktuelle deutsche Plakat- und Anzeigenwerbung mit Bezug auf kulturelle Gesichtspunkte und auf Text-Bild-Bezüge untersucht. Ausgehend von einem eng an die Sprache und ihre Verwendung angelehnten Kulturbegriff, werden zunächst kulturelle Bezüge dokumentiert, die sich auf die politische Aspekte Deutschlands in seiner neueren und neuesten Geschichte beziehen, auf das Image der deutschen Wirtschaft sowie auf derzeit aktuelle gesellschaftliche Phänomene und Einstellungen. In diesem Bereich konnten einschlägige Filter herausgearbeitet werden, die zu der Wirkung der entsprechenden Werbung beitragen bzw. diese maßgeblich ermöglichen. Mit Blick auf die Text-Bild-Bezüge, werden zum Teil recht originelle Beispiele analysiert, in denen Text und Bild in einer Relation der Komplementarität, der Exemplifizierung oder der Symbolisierung stehen. Insgesamt werden dabei recht konkrete Erscheinungsformen der gegenwärtigen deutschen Kultur augenfällig.