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Descriptors:
Bilingual Education; Comparative Analysis; Bilingualism; Language of Instruction; Bilingual Education Programs; Mathematics Education; High School Students; German; French; Problem Solving; Cognitive Ability; Code Switching (Language); Second Language Learning

Abstract:
Bilingual education programs implicitly assume that the acquired knowledge is represented in a language-independent way. This assumption, however, stands in strong contrast to research findings showing that information may be represented in a way closely tied to the specific language of instruction and learning. The present study aims to examine whether and to which extent cognitive costs appear during arithmetic learning when language of instruction and language of retrieving differ. Thirty-nine high school students participating in a bilingual education program underwent a four-day training on multiplication and subtraction problems in one language (German or French), followed by a test session in which they had to solve trained as well as untrained problems in both languages. We found that cognitive costs related to language switching appeared for both arithmetic operations. Implications of our findings are discussed with respect to bilingual education as well as to cognitive mechanisms underlying different arithmetic operations. (Contains 4 figures and 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Dictionaries; Spelling; Translation; Word Frequency; Phonemes; French; Graphemes; Spanish; Comparative Analysis; Phoneme Grapheme Correspondence; Contrastive Linguistics; Prediction

Abstract:
An experiment was carried out to compare the time course of the acquisition of two basic spelling mechanisms in Spanish, a shallow system, and French, a deep system. The first was lexical. It relies on the orthographic lexicon, a hypothetical structure containing the orthographic representations of words accessible for word spelling. To evaluate its contribution the participants were asked to spell words of high and low frequency containing phonemes which can take different graphemic values. The second mechanism relies on sub-lexical processes. Its contribution was evaluated asking the participants to spell words containing consistent phoneme-to-grapheme translation pairs which were identical in Spanish and French. Two contrasting predictions were considered, one derived from the Orthographic Depth Hypothesis (ODH, Frost, 2005) and the other from the Self-Teaching Hypothesis (STH, Share, 2004). According to the ODH, the orthographic lexicon should develop more rapidly in French than in Spanish because Spanish spellers can rely on phoneme-to-grapheme translation mechanisms to spell most words, meaning that they do not need to resort to the orthographic lexicon. In contrast, the STH suggests that effective identification of a word gradually generates its orthographic representation. The results revealed that both spelling mechanisms develop far faster in Spanish than in French. The fact that word frequency effects appeared earlier in Spanish than in French, indicating that the orthographic lexicon incorporates words more rapidly in a shallow than in a deep system, is clearly incompatible with the ODH and easier to handle in the context of the STH. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Evidence; Foreign Countries; Bilingualism; Educational Policy; Discourse Analysis; Elementary Education; Student Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Administrator Attitudes; Interviews; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; French; Language of Instruction

Abstract:
This research builds on several layers of meaning representing views from education officials, head teachers, teachers and pupils to investigate the discourse and implementation of official bilingualism policy in primary schools in Cameroon. While at the macro-level, the celebration of the "National Bilingualism Day" in schools has tended to suggest that the country's option for bilingualism is a success, at the micro-level, views from the participants researched indicate that the implementation of official bilingualism policy is still far from a reality. The exploration of participants' views at various levels showed how they grounded their accounts within the context of everyday practice and highlighted issues related to official bilingualism inefficiency, although statistics at a national level rather point to an apparent success of the policy in schools. While some adults seemed to operate double standards regarding their perception of policy application, the pupils' views were more straightforward, based on the evidence of classroom daily teaching and learning interaction. (Contains 9 figures and 19 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; French; Listening Skills; Verbs; Nouns; Second Language Learning; Metalinguistics; Learning Strategies; Second Language Instruction; Recall (Psychology); Task Analysis; Qualitative Research

Abstract:
This paper considers the issue raised in 2008 by Gillian Brown in her article "Selective listening" regarding whether nouns are "privileged" in memory over verbs during listening tasks, and whether attention to nouns, at least in the early stages of L2 learning, is a desirable strategy to be taught to learners, as Brown suggests it might be. The question of verb/noun recognition was explored in the present study using data from 30 lower-intermediate learners of French in England. Learners completed a listening task on two occasions, six months apart, producing recall protocols for short oral passages in French. We also explored learners' attentional strategy use by asking them to report on this in writing immediately after the recall task. An analysis of verbs and nouns recognised indicated that verb recognition was lower than that of nouns, and that progress in verb recognition over six months was negligible. A qualitative analysis of learners' strategy use indicated that learners with a more balanced verb/noun recognition profile took a broader focus, tending to focus their attention consciously at phrase/sentence level rather than at word level. These findings are discussed in terms of the development of listening skills over time, and the implications of this for L2 listening pedagogy. (Contains 6 tables and 4 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
French; Written Language; Oral Language; Syllables; Phoneme Grapheme Correspondence; Phonology; Orthographic Symbols

Abstract:
Syllabification of spoken words has been largely used to define syllabic properties of written words, such as the number of syllables or syllabic boundaries. By contrast, some authors proposed that the functional structure of written words stems from visuo-orthographic features rather than from the transposition of phonological structure into the written modality. Thus, the first aim of the study was to assess whether the explicit segmentation of written words in French was consistent with syllabification patterns for spoken words previously reported. Second, given that spelling does not map perfectly with phonology, we examined how readers segmented printed words with grapheme/phoneme misalignments. The examination of the whole patterns of written segmentation produced by participants showed that, though written segmentation followed spoken segmentation for words matched for phonological/orthographic forms, discrepancies were found in cases of mismatch, therefore suggesting that readers rely on orthographic cues to parse printed strings of letters. This conclusion was confirmed with an on-line letter detection task. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures and 2 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Parent Child Relationship; Foreign Countries; Language Acquisition; Ideology; Multilingualism; Language Planning; Participant Observation; Jews; Judaism; Language Attitudes; Language Usage; Spanish; Language Variation; Biographies; Oral History; Educational History; French; Second Language Learning; Social Status; Code Switching (Language); Ethnicity

Abstract:
This article explores the diminished use of Judeo-Spanish among Jews living in Turkey and asks the following research question: What factors, ideologies, and practices contribute to the demise of Judeo-Spanish? To address this question, we employed life history inquiry based on two oral history archives documenting elderly Turkish-Jewish community members' lived experiences in Turkey. We argue that the endangerment of Judeo-Spanish is caused by the reciprocal interaction between broader, societal language ideologies and family-internal language practices. In particular, the opening of the Alliance schools among the Turkish Jewry in the second half of the nineteenth century relegated Judeo-Spanish to a lower social standing and promoted French as the language of Western enlightenment while Turkish nationalism and the "Turkish-only" language policies of the newly formed Turkish Republic aimed to create a monolingual public space in Turkey. To further explain how monolingual language ideologies influenced the use of Judeo-Spanish in the family, we discuss the negative language attitudes towards Judeo-Spanish that are reproduced in the family and specific language practices (e.g., code-meshing) that relegate Judeo-Spanish to linguistic periphery, yet keep this language as a marker of ethnic identity. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Teaching Methods; Linguistics; Foreign Countries; Speech; Second Language Learning; Decoding (Reading); Multilingualism; Preschool Teachers; Oral Language; Creoles; Preschool Children; Case Studies; English; French; Emergent Literacy; Printed Materials; Bilingualism; Language Usage; Classroom Environment

Abstract:
Mauritius is a multilingual island, where there is a linguistic and literacy paradox. While Mauritian Creole dominates as the spoken language of the population, English and French are the main print languages, as well as the main languages of literacy and education. In such a complex situation, preschool is an interesting terrain in which to observe children's first official introduction to the printed word. The aim of this paper is to consider the ways in which preschool teachers expose children to print and decoding skills and some of the factors shaping their choices and pedagogical practices. This paper uses data from a longitudinal case study, using an ethnographic approach, to describe and analyse the strategies used by three teachers as they expose a group of four- to five-year-olds to the printed word in a government preschool. I argue that in foreign language contexts such as Mauritius, children's exposure to the printed word is often cosmetic and educational, with emphasis on the direct teaching of some decoding skills. I also argue that the relationship that the children build with print is one of seriousness, associated with schoolwork, thus playing down the meaning-making, more playful and more entertaining functions and uses of print. This is related to local linguistic, sociocultural and educational factors. (Contains 5 tables, 10 figures and 3 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Reading Tests; Reading Skills; Longitudinal Studies; Interaction; Foreign Countries; Second Language Learning; Films; Listening Skills; Parent Background; Educational Attainment; Questionnaires; Parent Attitudes; Scores; Statistical Analysis; Predictor Variables; Correlation; Language Usage; Work Environment; Parent Child Relationship; Parent Influence; Listening Comprehension Tests; Second Language Instruction; English (Second Language); French; Elementary School Students

Abstract:
The project Early Language Learning in Europe (ELLiE) has studied the longitudinal effects of an early foreign language (FL) start in seven European contexts. This article presents a sub-study of ELLiE that investigates the impact of out-of-school factors on learners' listening and reading skills in year four of formal FL instruction. More specifically, we include parents' educational level, parents' use of the FL professionally, exposure, interaction and cognate linguistic distance. Data were collected by means of listening and reading tests and a parents' questionnaire. Results of the statistical analyses show that cognate linguistic distance was the strongest predictor of both listening and reading scores, followed closely by exposure, and parents' FL use at work and international interaction at some distance. Parents' educational levels only impacted on reading scores, and domestic interaction did not have any effect on listening or reading. Furthermore, the results confirm previous research on young learners' incidental FL acquisition through watching subtitled films, as watching films was the most powerful exposure type for both listening and reading. Parents' use of FL at work correlated significantly with exposure, indicating that the influence of parents would have an effect on the opportunities for their children's FL exposure. (Contains 6 tables, 2 figures and 3 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Phonemics; French; Language Variation; Language Processing; Brain Hemisphere Functions; Diagnostic Tests; Auditory Discrimination; Standard Spoken Usage; Vowels; Pronunciation; Psycholinguistics

Abstract:
This combined ERP and behavioral experiment explores the dynamics of processing during the discrimination of vowels in a non-native regional variety. Southern listeners were presented with three word forms, two of which are encountered in both Standard and Southern French ([kot] and [kut]), whereas the third one exists in Standard but not Southern French ([kot]). EEG recordings suggest that all of the word pairs were discriminated by the listeners, although discrimination arose about 100ms later for the pairs which included the non-native word form than for those which contained word forms common to both French varieties. Behavioral data provide evidence that vowel discrimination is sensitive to the influence of the listeners' native phonemic inventory at a late decisional stage of processing. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Secondary School Students; Males; Modern Languages; French; Second Language Learning; Performance Factors; Social Class; Monolingualism; Bilingualism; Language Skills; Learning Motivation; Sociocultural Patterns; Learning Strategies; Bilingual Students; Academic Achievement; Listening Comprehension; Multiple Regression Analysis

Abstract:
There has been increasing concern over the poor performance and lack of interest in modern language learning among secondary-school students. Although there is some evidence as to the under-achievement of boys in modern languages (ML), there is less information as to the degree to which other factors such as social class, and bilingual or monolingual status play a role; the focus of much ML research being on individual rather than sociocultural differences in language learning. The present study took place in two London schools with 120 students aged 12-13 years learning French. Using multiple regression analysis, it brings together psychological and sociocultural perspectives to examine the role of these factors on performance and motivation. In addition, it explores if these same factors are also significant in terms of students' responses to explicit instruction to teach students the strategies they need to operate autonomously. Findings suggest that at this early stage in their language learning career, there was no significant difference in terms of gender on performance or motivation but all bilingual students, regardless of whether they were in the control or experimental classes, out-performed their monolingual peers in listening comprehension; linguistic features of their home background appeared to provide some explanation. Furthermore, the strategy instruction was also a significant factor in determining progress. The 12-13 age range may be a critical time for students, when teaching them how to learn may reverse an otherwise downward spiral in achievement and motivation. (Contains 4 tables, 5 figures, and 6 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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