The research comprised of three studies which examined the discussion skills of preschool children in different contexts. The first study was concerned with how frequently pre-schoolers could use complex linguistic strategies (such as giving justifications) in conflict situations, and in relation to gender, class and play activity. The second study was very similar to this but examined how complex speech acts were produced in a co-operative context. It was found that children could produce complex language relatively frequently in both conflictual and co-operative contexts. No substantial sex differences were recorded for the complexity of speech acts used but there were significant variations noted for class in Study 1, with children from the privately run nursery showing greater linguistic competence than their state-school peers. Play activity had a marked effect on the type of dialogue produced. Skilful language was associated with symbolic play whereas sand & water activities and individual pursuits were characterised by predominantly simple speech. The final study primarily built-upon the results obtained in Study 2 which had revealed that one specific pattern of dialogue often led to the production of complex speech. In order to further improve this output, this Particular pattern of speech was encouraged via a scaffolding procedure. This was successful in increasing the amount of individual complex speech strategies produced, but was less effective in frequently eliciting the required dialogue pattern. Overall, it was demonstrated that preschool children were linguistically more competent than many theorists or educational guidelines have suggested. Moreover, it appears that young children are able to engage in complex speech in both conflictual and co-operative situations, although it was also shown that the type of play activity may influence these discussion skills.

The relationship between language and culture has long been acknowledged, defined and discussed in the literature on foreign language learning and teaching (Kramsch, 1997; Krasner, 1999; Omaggio, 2001), though the integration of culture into foreign language learning has been inconsistent. Linguistic competence alone is not enough for learners to be competent in that language, and language learners need to be aware of the culturally appropriate ways to address people, express gratitude, make requests, and agree or disagree with someone. Language must be used with other culturally appropriate behavior to be successful. Despite the critical relationship between language and culture in effective foreign language instruction, postsecondary foreign language education lacks benchmarks, best practices or empirical standards for cultural integration. This forces college instructors of foreign language without guidance about how and when to integrate culture into their instruction. This descriptive case study examines the ways in which culture is integrated into a Basic Russian language university course. Through direct classroom observation, interviews with the instructor and a review of the textbook, the researcher examined the integration of big “C” culture and little “c” culture into foreign language instruction. The observations affirmed the general assertion that cultural infusion in college-level language instruction is limited and often delivered only as incidental additions to grammar and mechanics. Further, it was noted that instructors lack guidance about how to effectively integrate culture into their teaching, and this was further affirmed through a review of the class textbook. The study concludes with recommendations for further study into effective practices for cultural infusion into foreign language instruction and recommendations for improving foreign language teaching through the integration of culture. / text

Esta tese versa sobre o tema do papel que a gramática desempenha na aquisição da competência linguística no processo de ensino e de aprendizagem do francês como língua estrangeira (FLE). A principal causa para sua realização se encontra no domínio do uso da gramática em sala de aula. Pesquisas realizadas nos últimos anos têm debatido sobre o estudo excessivo das regras gramaticais no ensino de línguas, tanto materna quanto estrangeira, provocando, assim, distúrbios no desenvolvimento da competência linguística e, por conseguinte, da competência comunicativa. A hipótese que norteou a pesquisa foi a de que, em princípio, a abordagem gramatical não deve ser dissociada do âmbito da sala de aula nem o ensino de FLE deve ser orientado de maneira excessiva na descrição gramatical com a aplicação de exercícios estruturais. O corpus foi coletado a partir da elaboração de um questionário destinado aos discentes e docentes. As questões abertas tiveram por finalidade obter informações que pudessem responder à problemática estabelecida no início do trabalho e foram elaboradas de maneira que os informantes expressassem suas impressões verdadeiras e peculiares, além de caracterizar o tratamento dado à gramática pelo professor. Além do questionário, foi elaborado um diário de classe que foi desenvolvido a fim de auxiliar e relacionar os dados e informações obtidas por meio dos questionários. O objetivo principal foi de identificar de que forma ela conduz o aprendiz à aquisição da tão visada competência linguística. Ao final do estudo, concluiu-se que a maior parte dos aprendizes de FLE concebe a gramática como elemento importante, senão indispensável, para a aquisição da competência linguística e que, diante disso, os professores devem reconhecê-la como importante ferramenta no ensino do francês. Nesse sentido, concernente ao papel que a gramática desempenha no curso da aprendizagem do FLE, ficou claro que o estudo das suas regras nos níveis morfológico e sintático, em meio institucional, se revela bastante importante para que os aprendizes possam interiorizar a gramática implícita e, assim, produzir enunciados pertinentes à língua. / This thesis is concerned with the role that grammar exerts upon the acquisition of linguistic competence in the teaching and learning process of French as a foreign language (FFL). The main justification to its carrying out lies on the domain of grammar use in the language classroom. Researches undertaken in the last few years have debated upon the heavy study of grammar rules in the teaching of languages, both mother tongue and foreign ones, resulting in disturbance in the development of linguistic competence, as well as in the communicative competence. The hypothesis here is that, at first, the grammar approach must not be dissociated from the classroom environment, and neither the teaching of FFL must be oriented in an excessive way in the grammar description with de applying of structural exercises. The corpus was collected by means of a questionnaire applied to students and teachers. The open questions aimed at gathering information which could answer the question established in the beginning of this work, and they were made in a way that informants could express their true and peculiar impressions. The questionnaire also aimed at featuring the treatment given to grammar by the teacher. Besides the questionnaire, it was also created a classroom diary developed in order to help and relate data and information obtained through questionnaires. The principal objective was to identify which way grammar conducts the learner to the acquisition of the so called linguistic competence. At the end of the study it was concluded that most of the FFL learners conceive the grammar as an important element to the acquisition of linguistic competence, and as a result teachers must recognize it as being an important tool in the teaching of French. In this sense, concerned for the role that grammar exerts in the process of FFL learning, it was clear that the study of its rules at the levels of morphology and syntax, at institutional means, is of great importance to the learners, in order for them to internalize the implicit grammar, and thou produce speech relevant to the language.

Esta tese versa sobre o tema do papel que a gramática desempenha na aquisição da competência linguística no processo de ensino e de aprendizagem do francês como língua estrangeira (FLE). A principal causa para sua realização se encontra no domínio do uso da gramática em sala de aula. Pesquisas realizadas nos últimos anos têm debatido sobre o estudo excessivo das regras gramaticais no ensino de línguas, tanto materna quanto estrangeira, provocando, assim, distúrbios no desenvolvimento da competência linguística e, por conseguinte, da competência comunicativa. A hipótese que norteou a pesquisa foi a de que, em princípio, a abordagem gramatical não deve ser dissociada do âmbito da sala de aula nem o ensino de FLE deve ser orientado de maneira excessiva na descrição gramatical com a aplicação de exercícios estruturais. O corpus foi coletado a partir da elaboração de um questionário destinado aos discentes e docentes. As questões abertas tiveram por finalidade obter informações que pudessem responder à problemática estabelecida no início do trabalho e foram elaboradas de maneira que os informantes expressassem suas impressões verdadeiras e peculiares, além de caracterizar o tratamento dado à gramática pelo professor. Além do questionário, foi elaborado um diário de classe que foi desenvolvido a fim de auxiliar e relacionar os dados e informações obtidas por meio dos questionários. O objetivo principal foi de identificar de que forma ela conduz o aprendiz à aquisição da tão visada competência linguística. Ao final do estudo, concluiu-se que a maior parte dos aprendizes de FLE concebe a gramática como elemento importante, senão indispensável, para a aquisição da competência linguística e que, diante disso, os professores devem reconhecê-la como importante ferramenta no ensino do francês. Nesse sentido, concernente ao papel que a gramática desempenha no curso da aprendizagem do FLE, ficou claro que o estudo das suas regras nos níveis morfológico e sintático, em meio institucional, se revela bastante importante para que os aprendizes possam interiorizar a gramática implícita e, assim, produzir enunciados pertinentes à língua. / This thesis is concerned with the role that grammar exerts upon the acquisition of linguistic competence in the teaching and learning process of French as a foreign language (FFL). The main justification to its carrying out lies on the domain of grammar use in the language classroom. Researches undertaken in the last few years have debated upon the heavy study of grammar rules in the teaching of languages, both mother tongue and foreign ones, resulting in disturbance in the development of linguistic competence, as well as in the communicative competence. The hypothesis here is that, at first, the grammar approach must not be dissociated from the classroom environment, and neither the teaching of FFL must be oriented in an excessive way in the grammar description with de applying of structural exercises. The corpus was collected by means of a questionnaire applied to students and teachers. The open questions aimed at gathering information which could answer the question established in the beginning of this work, and they were made in a way that informants could express their true and peculiar impressions. The questionnaire also aimed at featuring the treatment given to grammar by the teacher. Besides the questionnaire, it was also created a classroom diary developed in order to help and relate data and information obtained through questionnaires. The principal objective was to identify which way grammar conducts the learner to the acquisition of the so called linguistic competence. At the end of the study it was concluded that most of the FFL learners conceive the grammar as an important element to the acquisition of linguistic competence, and as a result teachers must recognize it as being an important tool in the teaching of French. In this sense, concerned for the role that grammar exerts in the process of FFL learning, it was clear that the study of its rules at the levels of morphology and syntax, at institutional means, is of great importance to the learners, in order for them to internalize the implicit grammar, and thou produce speech relevant to the language.

In this field study report, the author investigates behaviour associated with inviting in order to see if there is any effect on the language used across cultures due to factors such as status, age, gender in actual social interactions. Chapter one gives a brief introduction to the important role of the English Language in the world in general, and in Vietnam nowadays in particular, and a review of Teaching Methods which have been used in Vietnam so far. Chapter two will deal with the theoretical background, language competences including linguistic competence, sociolinguistic competence and communicative competence. In addition, speech act theory , face work, distance, power in relation to status, age and gender as well as reviews research on the differences between spoken and written are also discussed. Chapter three defines the structure of an invite with its social and cultural characteristics focussing on the natural structure of a spoken invitation. Chapter four describes research and data analysis of the issuing, accepting and declining of spoken invitations used by Vietnamese speakers of Vietnamese (VSV). Chapter five contains the data analysis of the issuing, accepting and declining of spoken invitations used by Australian speakers of English (ASE). Chapter six discusses the comparison of Vietnamese and Australian spoken invitations, the main difference being found in the use of much more direct forms used in VSV as opposed to more tentative forms preferred by ASEs. Directness of form, however, does not reflect a lack of politeness, which is conveyed to a much larger extent by other prosodic and paralinguistic features. Chapter seven is a brief cross-cultural investigation of the spoken invitations of Vietnamese learners speaking English. This shows up a degree of cross-cultural interference and offers some implications for the classroom. Chapter eight contains a summary and conclusion. The results of the study may suggest that Vietnamese learners of English need to be taught not only linguistic competence but also communicative competence with an emphasis on cultural and social factors. Spoken invitations which really have some function in actual interactions need to be incorporated in the program for teaching spoken English.

Cultural competence, mandated by Federal law since 1964, has not been appropriately addressed due to its lack of specifics and the lack of specifics within subsequent mandates. This study was designed to determine specific key elements of cultural and linguistic appropriateness which would "operationalize" cultural competence in the provision of healthcare services. Knowing the elements of cultural and linguistic appropriateness will assist non-Hispanic healthcare providers to remove personal barriers of cultural and linguistic differences for Texas' Hispanic population. The problem of cultural competence gained national focus during the Civil Rights movement of the '60s. Current research revealed that Hispanics continue to have the worst healthcare outcomes of any minority population. Census data reflecting that Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the population, with Texas having the nation's second largest Hispanic population, make it imperative for healthcare providers to determine methods to improve healthcare for Texas' Hispanic population. A Delphi Technique was used to extract expert opinions from 26 highly qualified, Texas Hispanic healthcare providers regarding the key elements of cultural and linguistic appropriateness for Texas' Hispanic population. The ultimate goal of the research was to determine essential information which would assist non-Hispanic healthcare providers in removing personal barriers of cultural and linguistic appropriateness to the delivery of healthcare services for Texas' Hispanics. Through the approximately 16-month process of the Delphi Technique, the Panel produced 249 distinct elements in 11 groups of cultural appropriateness and 8 groups of linguistic appropriateness. Members of the Panel ranked the groups for importance, indicated the level of agreement/disagreement with each element, and rated each element for its individual importance. This study is important because it is the first time an expert panel of solely Hispanic healthcare providers has spoken collectively about what constitutes cultural and linguistic appropriateness. This research can provide a framework for professional practices, grant providing organizations, or evaluation teams to assess professionals and programs to determine their degree of cultural and linguistic appropriateness. The work can also form the basis for curricula to be used in Texas' healthcare professions preparatory schools or continuing education for practicing healthcare professionals.

Thesis (M.A.T.) -- School for International Training, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-93).

The aim of this study was to determine the role of visual language input on PCS sentence construction. Thirty-nine participants were divided into two comparable groups and exposed to two inputs of presentations of PCS to investigate the impact of each input on the sentence construction of the participants. In the SVO input the sequence of buttons was in the normal English word order sequence (Subject-Verb-Object) and in the SOV input the word order was Subject-Object-Verb. Both input groups had to answer six questions by using PCS as well as speech. The findings indicated that the participants did not sequence their output to match the word order of the unfamiliar SOV input. The participants receiving the SOV condition used fewer PCS elements than the participants receiving the SVO condition. The participants receiving the SVO and SOV inputs gave similar spoken answers. Reasons for these findings are discussed, as are the implications for further research. / Dissertation (M (Augmentative and Alternative Communication))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC) / unrestricted

Para la formación del traductor profesional es necesario desarrollar distintas competencias, una de las más importantes es la competencia lingüística. Sin embargo, durante los últimos años, el desarrollo de esta competencia se ha visto afectada debido a la creencia generalizada de que los estudiantes de traducción tienen un dominio completo de su segunda lengua. Ligado a la competencia lingüística, se encuentra el desarrollo de las destrezas de comprensión de lectura y expresión escrita, ambas fundamentales para el buen desempeño de los estudiantes en los cursos de traducción. Por ello, la presente investigación se centra en describir las estrategias de enseñanza utilizadas por los docentes de inglés para el desarrollo de la comprensión de lectura y la expresión escrita del programa de traducción e interpretación de la UPC. Para lograr esto, se propone analizar los documentos usados para la enseñanza de los cursos de inglés, observar las clases y realizar entrevistas en los dos últimos niveles de enseñanza de inglés (Inglés TI4 e Inglés TI5) con la finalidad de lograr los objetivos planteados. / In the professional translation training it is necessary to develop different competences, one of the most important is the linguistic competence. However, in recent years, the development of this competence has been affected due to the widespread belief that translation students have a comprehensive knowledge of the second language. Furthermore, the development of reading comprehension and writing skills is closely linked to the linguistic competence, and both are essential for students’ academic performance in translation courses. Therefore, this investigation focuses on describing the teaching strategies applied by English teachers in order to develop reading comprehension and writing skills in the translation and interpreting English program at UPC. To achieve this, we proposed to analyze the documents used for teaching English courses, observe classes, and conduct interviews in the last two levels of English teaching (Ingles TI4 and Ingles TI5). / Trabajo de investigación

The purpose of this paper was to review research within the field of digital games and language learning to explore whether gaming can facilitate communicative competence and foster motivation for language learning. To answer my questions I conducted a research synthesis, compiling a variety of research over the last decade to answer my questions as effectively as possible. Results showed that digital games do in fact facilitate language development and induce motivation. Research also showed that different games provide different opportunities and activities, resulting in some games fostering language competence more than others. For instance, World of Warcraft provided social situations where conversations were erratic, spontaneous, contextual and driven by small events in the game, while The Sims focused more on strategic and creative activities. Additionally, research suggested that digital games motivated learners to develop their L2 language in hope of achieving more goals together within a variety games and game types.