Notre travail se focalise sur deux phénomènes observés dans le cadre de l'apprentissage de l'anglais langue seconde (L2) chez des adultes francophones: d'une part, l'usage non conventionnel de verbes, et d'autre part, l'importance du taux de production des verbes génériques (vs spécifiques). Notre population est constituée d'un groupe d'étudiants universitaires francophones en situation d'apprentissage de l'anglais de niveau B1 (population cible), ainsi que d'un groupe de locuteurs d'anglais L1 (population de référence), placés en situation de dénomination orale de 42 vidéos d'actions de type cut et break. Nos résultats montrent des différences significatives entre la manière dont les deux groupes catégorisent ces types d'actions, avec un taux plus élevé de descriptions non conventionnelles et de verbes génériques chez les locuteurs de l’anglais L2. A l'appui de ces résultats, nous soulignons l'importance de l'usage des verbes non conventionnels et génériques, qui constitue des stratégies de communication permettant aux apprenants L2 de pallier leurs lacunes lexicales. / Our work focuses on two phenomena that appear in the language of English L2 learners: the use of unconventional verbs, and the production of generic, high-frequency verbs (rather than specific verbs). Our study involves a group of Francophone university students learning English as a second language, with a B1 level (experimental group), as well as a group of native English speakers (control group), both placed in a naming task using 42 videos that show cut- and break-type actions. Results show significant differences in the way that the two groups categorize these types of actions, with a higher frequency of unconventional and generic verbs used by the L2 learners. Based on these results, we highlight the importance of the use of these types of verbs as a communication strategy, allowing L2 learners to compensate for gaps in their lexicon.

Esta Tese situa-se na área de Semiótica e Lingüística Geral do Departamento de Lingüística da Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas da Universidade de São Paulo. Tem por tema os processos semióticos da construção do sentido no ensino-aprendizagem da Língua Inglesa (L2) com vistas à interação educador-educando. Está fundamentada nos pressupostos teóricos da Semiótica Discursiva Greimasiana (1979), complementados por alguns aspectos da Psicanálise Lacaniana (1966), incluindo a teoria da comunicação de Jakobson (1969). A hipótese que orienta o estudo realizado considera que o discurso pedagógico viabiliza um modo de aplicação metodológico adequado às necessidades do educando adulto, bem como um olhar sensível às dificuldades encontradas, por ele, em seu processo de aquisição de uma língua estrangeira. Assim, tanto um quanto outro constroem percursos possíveis para chegarmos ao objeto de valor (Ov) dos sujeitos envolvidos nesse processo, em especial, o educando. O corpus desta pesquisa é constituído pela parte teórica, que sustenta a argumentação desta Tese, e pela parte observacional, que se refere à análise dos problemas do educando no processo de aquisição da L2. O procedimento metodológico adotado foi teórico-analítico e descritivo durante o processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Os passos seguidos, para esse procedimento, basearamse no modelo lingüístico-pedagógico, proposto pela pesquisadora: 1ª etapa - entrevista (needs analysis), testes oral e escrito; 2ª etapa - revisão dos conteúdos lingüísticos e exercícios escritos e orais; e 3ª etapa - desenvolvimento e aprofundamento dos conteúdos lingüísticos. O objetivo principal deste trabalho é contribuir para uma postura diferenciada na relação que se estabelece entre educador e educando, e os objetivos específicos são: 1) identificar sistemas de significação verbais, não verbais e sincréticos e verificar como se dá, nesses sistemas e no processo de enunciação, a conversão dos modelos mentais, em estruturas semióticas e sua manifestação em discurso; 2) buscar as possibilidades de aplicação desses processos ao ensino de língua inglesa para falantes do português como língua materna; e 3) examinar em que medida os modelos mentais e os processos de semiotização desses modelos podem ser transpostos para outra semiótica-objeto, em fase de aquisição de competência pelo mesmo sujeito. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que a hipótese foi adequada e os objetivos atingidos, satisfatoriamente. Além disso, os resultados provaram que o mal-estar do educando, advindo de um processo falho na interação entre educador e educando, na transmissão de um saber lingüístico, pode ser superado não só por um olhar sensível, mas também pela instauração de um processo de ensino-aprendizagem eficaz e adequado às necessidades do educando adulto. / This Thesis is set in the field of Semiotics and General Linguistics of the Department of Linguistics of Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas da Universidade de São Paulo [School of Philosophy, Arts and Human Sciences of the University of São Paulo]. Its theme is the semiotical processes of the construction of meaning in the \"teaching-learning\" of English Language (L2) aiming at the \"teacher-learner\" interaction. It is based on the theoretical premises of Greimasian Discursive Semiotics (1979), supplemented by some aspects of the Lacanian Psychoanalysis (1966), including the communication theory of Jakobson (1969). The hypothesis that guides the accomplished studies considers that the pedagogical discourse enables a methodological way of application appropriated to the needs of the adult learner, as well as a sensitive look at the difficulties found by him/her in his/her acquisition process of a foreign language. Therefore, both teacher and learner create possible paths for us to get to the object of value (Ov) of the individuals involved in this process, especially the learner. The corpus of this research is constituted by the theoretical part, that supports the argumentation of this Thesis, and by the observational part, that refers to the analysis of the learner\'s problems, in the L2 acquisition process. The adopted methodological procedure was a theoretical analytical and descriptive one, during the process of \"teaching-learning\". The steps followed for this procedure were based on the linguistic pedagogical model proposed by the researcher: 1st stage - interview (needs analysis), oral and written tests; 2nd stage - review of the linguistic contents and oral and written exercises; and 3rd stage - development and profound study of the linguistic contents. The main purpose of this project is to contribute to a different attitude in the relationship established between the teacher and the learner, and the specific purposes are: 1) to identify verbal, non-verbal and syncretic meaning systems and to verify how, in these systems and in the enunciation process, the conversion of mind models into semiotic structures and its manifestation into discourse happen; 2) to seek the possibilities of applying these processes to the teaching of English language for the speakers of Portuguese as the mother tongue; and 3) to study to what extent the mind models and the semiotization processes of such models can be transposed to another semiotic object, in the competence acquisition phase by the same individual. The results obtained showed that the hypothesis was appropriate and the purposes were satisfactorily reached. In addition, the results proved that the learner uneasiness, arising from an ineffective process of the interaction between the teacher and the learner in the transmission of the linguistic knowledge, can be overcome not only by a sensitive look, but also by the establishment of a \"teaching-learning\" process that is effective and appropriate to the needs of an adult learner.

O curso de língua portuguesa, na China, têm passado por uma expansão nos últimos dez anos com o crescimento rápido da economia, no entanto encontram-se problemas evidentes tanto com relação à adequação dos livros didáticos (LDs). Esta dissertação tem por objetivo pesquisar, com base em entrevistas e questionários, as aspirações dos alunos e dos docentes chineses no que se refere ao tipo de LD e também conhecer as dificuldades para sua produção. Assumindo a perspectiva sociocultural (Vygotsky, 1978; Leontiev, 1981; Luria, 1982), a cognição humana é formada por meio do engajamento do indivíduo em atividades sociais. Para análise dessas relações, torna-se instrumento eficiente de verificação os materiais mediadores. Os LDs, nesta dissertação, assumem esse papel. Esperamos identificar se os LDs de português na China revelam um processo interativo, mediado pela cultura, pelo contexto, pela línguagem e pela interação social (Johnson, 2009). Quando tratamos de LD, não podemos desprezar o papel social dos docentes de língua portuguesa no contexto chinês, tampouco as necessidades manifestadas pelos alunos. Metodologicamente, decidimos realizar uma pesquisa qualitativa e os instrumentos que permitiram escutar os professores que ensinam há mais de dois anos e os alunos de nível mais avançado na aprendizagem do português foram questionários e entrevistas. Esses materiais foram analisados quanto ao conteúdo discursivo e os resultados demonstram a existência de lacunas que devem ser consideradas para melhorar os LDs. Ao final, apresentamos uma proposta de sequência didática que atende às necessidades dos agentes do processo de ensino-aprendizagem. / The course of Portuguese language in China have experienced an expansion in the past decade with the rapid growth of the economy, however there are obvious problems both with respect to the adequacy of textbooks. This thesis aims to research, based on interviews and questionnaire, the aspirations of students and Chinese teachers in relation to the type of textbooks of Portuguese and also know the difficulties in their production. Assuming the sociocultural perspective (Vygotsky, 1978; Leontiev, 1981; Luria, 1982), human cognition is formed through the individual engagement in social activities. For analysis of these relationships, it becomes efficient instrument to identify mediators materials. The textbooks in this thesis assume that role. We hope to identify whether the Portuguese textbooks in China reveal an interactive process, mediated by culture, context, by language and social interaction (Johnson, 2009). When dealing with textbooks, we can not overlook the social role of Portuguese-speaking teachers in the Chinese context, neither the needs expressed by the students. Methodologically, we decided to conduct a qualitative research in which the teachers who have teaching experience for more than two years and the students of advanced level in learning Portuguese accepted our questionnaires and interviews. These materials were analyzed for discursive content and the results demonstrated the shortage that should be considered to complete of the textbooks. Finally, we propose a didactic book that meets the needs of the agents of the teaching-learning process.

<div>Voice Onset Time (VOT) and onset f0 are known correlates of voicing distinctions in stops and both contribute to the production and perception of voicing (House & Fairbanks, 1953; Abramson & Lisker, 1965; Ohde, 1984). As the values of VOT and onset f0, which correspond to voicing categories, vary cross-linguistically, a second language (L2) learner has to acquire a novel use of these acoustic cues to produce and perceive voicing in their L2. Although the acquisition of the primary voicing cue, VOT, has been studied extensively in L2 research (Flege & Eefting, 1988; Flege 1991; Birdsong et al. 2007), little is known about the acquisition of onset f0. The present study compares the use of VOT and onset f0 in French and English speech produced by American learners of French (23). The study also examines evidence for phonetic drift in L2 learners by comparing their English productions to a monolingual control group (33). Results indicate that although learners’ VOT values in French were heavily influenced by English, their onset f0 production in both English and French were on target, showing that learners are able to manipulate the two cues independently of one another. Little evidence of the effect of learners’ second language on the first language was found.</div><div>This study also examines the role of individual learning history on the realization of VOT and onset f0, determining that average number of hours speaking French and age of L2 acquisition (AOA) reported by learners shows the strongest correlation with the learner’s acoustic productions.</div>

O curso de língua portuguesa, na China, têm passado por uma expansão nos últimos dez anos com o crescimento rápido da economia, no entanto encontram-se problemas evidentes tanto com relação à adequação dos livros didáticos (LDs). Esta dissertação tem por objetivo pesquisar, com base em entrevistas e questionários, as aspirações dos alunos e dos docentes chineses no que se refere ao tipo de LD e também conhecer as dificuldades para sua produção. Assumindo a perspectiva sociocultural (Vygotsky, 1978; Leontiev, 1981; Luria, 1982), a cognição humana é formada por meio do engajamento do indivíduo em atividades sociais. Para análise dessas relações, torna-se instrumento eficiente de verificação os materiais mediadores. Os LDs, nesta dissertação, assumem esse papel. Esperamos identificar se os LDs de português na China revelam um processo interativo, mediado pela cultura, pelo contexto, pela línguagem e pela interação social (Johnson, 2009). Quando tratamos de LD, não podemos desprezar o papel social dos docentes de língua portuguesa no contexto chinês, tampouco as necessidades manifestadas pelos alunos. Metodologicamente, decidimos realizar uma pesquisa qualitativa e os instrumentos que permitiram escutar os professores que ensinam há mais de dois anos e os alunos de nível mais avançado na aprendizagem do português foram questionários e entrevistas. Esses materiais foram analisados quanto ao conteúdo discursivo e os resultados demonstram a existência de lacunas que devem ser consideradas para melhorar os LDs. Ao final, apresentamos uma proposta de sequência didática que atende às necessidades dos agentes do processo de ensino-aprendizagem. / The course of Portuguese language in China have experienced an expansion in the past decade with the rapid growth of the economy, however there are obvious problems both with respect to the adequacy of textbooks. This thesis aims to research, based on interviews and questionnaire, the aspirations of students and Chinese teachers in relation to the type of textbooks of Portuguese and also know the difficulties in their production. Assuming the sociocultural perspective (Vygotsky, 1978; Leontiev, 1981; Luria, 1982), human cognition is formed through the individual engagement in social activities. For analysis of these relationships, it becomes efficient instrument to identify mediators materials. The textbooks in this thesis assume that role. We hope to identify whether the Portuguese textbooks in China reveal an interactive process, mediated by culture, context, by language and social interaction (Johnson, 2009). When dealing with textbooks, we can not overlook the social role of Portuguese-speaking teachers in the Chinese context, neither the needs expressed by the students. Methodologically, we decided to conduct a qualitative research in which the teachers who have teaching experience for more than two years and the students of advanced level in learning Portuguese accepted our questionnaires and interviews. These materials were analyzed for discursive content and the results demonstrated the shortage that should be considered to complete of the textbooks. Finally, we propose a didactic book that meets the needs of the agents of the teaching-learning process.

This study evaluated the efficacy of Dynamic Written Corrective Feedback (DWCF) on advanced students' writing accuracy of Spanish. This method focuses on manageable, meaningful, timely and constant feedback. Previously, DWCF was studied in the context of English as a second language. The current study investigated the efficacy of DWCF in the context of students who were enrolled in an advanced Spanish grammar class at the university level. A comparative study was conducted measuring students' writing accuracy who received the DWCF against students' writing accuracy who did not receive this feedback methodology. Results showed that there was not a significant difference in writing accuracy between these two groups of students. However, both groups improved their writing accuracy over time. This study also provided a list of the most frequent writing errors made by 28 students in an advanced Spanish class. The results show that the most frequent linguistic errors for learners of Spanish are accent marks, prepositions, gender and number, punctuation, and word choice.

La comparaison des enfants qui acquièrent une langue seconde (L2) à des enfants avec trouble spécifique du langage (TSL) a montré des similarités entre les performances morphosyntaxiques des deux groupes. Cette étude vise à mieux comprendre l’acquisition L2 enfantine typique afin de permettre l’identification d’un TSL chez les enfants L2. Une étude longitudinale de taux de propositions enchâssées et d’erreurs ont été a été faite à partir d’échantillons de langage spontané en français de 22 enfants anglophones âgés de 6;9-12;7 et de 19 enfants monolingues francophones avec TSL âgés de 6;5 à 12;11. Les résultats révèlent que les L2 font plus d’enchâssées que les enfants avec SLI, mais les deux groupes ont eu des taux d’erreurs comparables. La discussion porte sur l’implication de ces résultats sur l’identification des TSL chez les enfants L2. / Research on children acquiring a second language (L2 children) and children with SLI has revealed similarities in their morphosyntactic performance. This study seeks to better understand how children acquire an L2 in order to distinguish typical from atypical L2 acquisition. A longitudinal study of clausal embedding and error rates was made based on spontaneous language samples of 22 English-speaking children (aged 6;9-12;7) acquiring French as an L2 and 19 monolingual French-speaking children with SLI (aged 6;5-12;11). The results revealed that L2 children used clausal embedding more often than the children with SLI, but the SLI and L2 had similar error rates. Analyses of the frequency of embedding and errors revealed correlations that were positive in the L2 group and negative in the SLI. The discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for the identification of SLI in L2 children.

This study investigated the effects of planning on second-language written production with regard to proficiency level, and task type. The participants were 157 Korean learners of English as a foreign language attending a four-year university in Korea. They were asked to complete two different types of writing tasks (Expository writing task and Argumentative writing task) in different planned conditions (Individual Planned Condition and Collaborative Planned Condition) over a two-week period. In the Individual Planned Condition, learners were given 10 minutes for individual planning in the prestructured task sheet and then asked to write an essay for 30 minutes. In the Collaborative Planned Condition, learners were allowed to interact with a peer during planning and they required to independently complete an essay. Participants' written products were evaluated on five analytic measures covering the areas of Content, Organization, Language in Use, Grammar, and Mechanics. The results of MANOVA tests indicated that the planned condition had an impact on learners' written performance in both tasks. Individually considered, learners in the Collaborative Planned Condition were able to achieve significantly higher scores in all the analytic features in Task 1 (Expository writing task). In contrast, there were no significant mean differences between two conditions in Task 2 (Argumentative writing task). The results also indicated that proficiency had influenced learners' written performance in both tasks. The proficiency effect was consistently found throughout the analytic scores Task 1 and Task 2. However, the interaction between condition and proficiency was not found in the two tasks. The results of repeated measures for the effect of task type revealed that significant mean differences were only found in the Mechanics section. It is concluded that Korean EFL learners' written performance was affected by planned condition and proficiency, but to only a small degree by the nature of task type with regard to the five analytic features. The findings of this study help broaden the understanding of second language learners' cognitive writing process involving planning. In addition, the results have pedagogical implications as well as theoretical implications in second language writing and relevance to second language writing assessment.

Today, English is spoken by more non-native speakers than native speakers; current estimates by Graddol (2007) indicate five to one. With this transformation English has become the international language of business and intercultural communication. The emergence of English as Lingua Franca is apparent in Korean society where English plays a defining role in educational, career, social, cultural, and economic domains. Despite such inextricable links the acquisition of English in Korea has not been successful. This study examines the relationship between Korean university students' International Posture or non-ethnocentric attitude (Yashima, 2002, p. 57) and their L2 (Second Language) Learning Motivation, and L2 Proficiency in English, first described by Yashima (2002) in her study of Japanese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) tertiary students. The methodology used in this thesis was quantitative as it employed Likert scales in order to elicit students' International Posture, and L2 Motivation, and obtained L2 Proficiency from percentile grades in the TOEIC exam. With the use of path analysis software, AMOS 7, data from 118 university freshman (majoring in English literature) from Hannam University, South Korea were analyzed in order examine the relationship between International Posture, L2 Learning Motivation, and L2 Proficiency among South Korean EFL students. The results indicated a significant and very strong relationship between International Posture and L2 Learning Motivation and a significant and moderate relationship between L2 Learning Motivation and overall L2 Proficiency. The findings of the study conclude that EFL learner motivation can be understood by an agglomeration of integrative and instrumental motivational orientations. The findings in this study also suggest that the tendency for Korean EFL learners to approach, rather than avoid, interaction with people of different cultures is especially important to understanding Korean tertiary level students' attitude, motivation and performance in EFL. These findings could be implemented in the classroom by providing Korean EFL learners with safe and appropriate opportunities to interact with foreigners. Potential areas for further research include longitudinal studies (utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies) that look into the effect of EFL learner age, gender, and teaching pedagogy on International Posture, L2 Learning Motivation, and L2 Proficiency.

This dissertation examines the role of the native dialect in non-native perception and production in the specific case of Cuban and Peninsular Spanish as native varieties and of English vowels as in hat, hut, hot as the target. In most second language studies, the learners’ native variety is assumed to be homogenous, regardless of their regional variety. Nevertheless, regional varieties differ in non-trivial ways and such differences need to be considered when analyzing second language acquisition. This dissertation takes shape around the main research question of whether potentially systematic differences between vowels in the native dialects of Cuban and Peninsular Spanish would produce matching phonetic differences in non-native perception and production of English vowels. This question was addressed in three experiments that compared native vowels in these Spanish varieties, as well as the perception and production of the target English vowels as in hat, hut, hot by Cuban and Peninsular Spanish learners. Significant cross-dialectal differences were identified in the production of native vowels, namely, locations of /i, o/, durations of /e, a, o/ as well as different variability patterns, which were predicted to influence mapping of sounds in L2 perception and production. In L2 perception, discrimination for advanced and naïve listeners from each dialect was tested with English contrasts as in hat-hut, hut-hot, and hat-hot. No clear native dialect effect could be identified; however, Cuban advanced listeners obtained high error rates with hut-hot. In L2 production, though, dialect-specific patterns were found: Peninsular learners produced vowels as in hat, hut, hot with significant spectral but no durational differences whereas Cuban learners produced vowels as in hut, hot with no significant spectral but with duration differences. I concluded that the native dialect was one of several factors generating the differences between Peninsular and Cuban participants’ perception and production of English vowels as in hat, hut, hot. The conjoint effect of the native dialect, input and learning experience were shown to have contributed to the distinctions. This finding contributes to second language acquisition research because it stresses the need to control for learners’ native dialect. This research contributed new acoustic data on Cuban Spanish and on L2 English. It uncovered specific patterns and interlanguage strategies of Spanish learners of English.