A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Arts University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in partial fulfilment for the Degree of Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology. / This dissertation explores the role of the speech-language therapist in second language acquisition. The motivation for the study arose out of recent political changes in South Africa, which led to desegregated education, and the need for young children to cope with English as the medium of instruction from the start of their schooling. The aim was to determine whether language intervention provided by a speech-language therapist significantly improved the English proficiency of a group of black pre-school children. A pre-test, post-test, centrol group experimental design was employed. The comprehension and expression of English vocabulary and syntax of thirty, three to six year old subjects was assessed using a modified version of the Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language-Revised (Carrow, 3.988), a newly devised vocabulary measure, as well as crystal's (1982) Profile in Lexical Semantics, and the Language Assessment Remediation and Screening Procedure (crystal et aL, 1989). The results showed that the English proficiency of the group of children who received language intervention from a speech-language therapist, improved significantly more than that of the first control group, who received only additional input in English, and the second control group, who received no input beyond that provided through the regular pre-school programme. The positive results of this research can now be applied to the teaching of languages other than English, and the training of teachers who would like to improve their skills at facilitating language acquisition. / Andrew Chakane 2018

Many adults who have dual language experience describe themselves as "passive bilinguals," able to understand two languages, but speak only one. The aim of this study was to examine the relation between language production and comprehension in bilingual children in order to determine whether bilingual comprehension is more readily achieved than production. ... Productive and receptive skills in both languages were assessed using standardized tests. Children's relative amount of exposure to each language, as well as their language choice during production was measured via interview with the primary caregiver.... Language exposure as measured via dominance in one language over another appears to affect productive language differently than receptive language, further evidencing that language exposure is a significant predictor of acquisition that predicts production and comprehension differently. Additionally, when input is held constant, child language choice is uniquely related to productive and receptive language skill. The results of this study not only describe patterns of productive and receptive language skills and their correlates in young bilinguals, but they also address competing theories regarding the roles of input and output in the development of language comprehension and production. / by Krystal M. Ribot. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Nesta tese observa-se o papel que a semântica e a pragmática desempenham, na gramática inicial (early grammar) da interlíngua de falantes de português, na compreensão de textos em inglês e em espanhol nos quais se relatam eventos passados e se empregam as oposições Present Perfect x Past Simple e Pretérito Perfecto x Pretérito Indefinido. Assumimos (MICHAELLIS, 1998) que um dos valores mais fortes das formas compostas dessas duas línguas é o resultativo e que como o português, na maioria das vezes, expressa o resultado de outros modos, o aprendiz vê naquelas apenas uma maneira de expressar ações passadas. Em função disso, ao analisar a estrutura da língua estrangeira, acaba atribuindo aos tempos compostos de ambas os valores aspectuais das perífrases [TER+Particípio] e [ESTAR+Gerúndio] do português, que em muitos casos não coincide com os valores das formas perifrásticas das línguas que estão aprendendo. Enquanto as perífrases da língua estrangeira têm o aspecto perfectivo resultativo, as do português têm valor imperfectivo continuativo. Tal fato, que afeta a compreensão do texto, não é percebido pelos aprendizes. Estes analisam primeiramente a sintaxe da língua-alvo (top-down procedure, Liceras, 2003a) uma vez que não têm acesso aos traços que desencadeiam a fixação de parâmetros para a realização do bottom-up. O padrão de atribuição dos valores das perífrases da L1 para a L2 aparece nas interlínguas do espanhol e do inglês, apontando para um mesmo processo, independente de a língua-alvo ser mais ou menos próxima do português. Testes com análise de variância comprovam que se trata de um mesmo processo para as duas línguas, que começa a partir da reestruturação da L1, sugerindo que a aquisição dessa é regida pelos princípios da GU, mas que a marcação de parâmetros não acontecerá como na L1, mas se dará via reestruturação de porções da L1. Os valores semânticos utilizados na interlíngua, nesse estágio, também são os da L1, o que aponta que, assim como acontece com a fonologia, a criança nasce com sensibilidade para acessar qualquer valor semântico, mas existe um período crítico que faz com que a aquisição da L2 ocorra por reestruturação não apenas sintática mas também semântica dos valores da L1. A pragmática, por sua vez, será acessada, após a semântica, como uma sintonia fina do sentido / In this thesis, the roles of Semantics and Pragmatics in text comprehension tasks have been investigated in Portuguese speakers interlanguage early grammar. The texts in both English and Spanish had past events told employing Present Perfect x Past Simple and Pretérito Perfecto x Pretérito Indefinido pairings. We have adopted (Michaellis, 1998) that the English periphrasis has as its most salient meaning the resultative reading and have applied it to the Spanish periphrasis as well. Portuguese, on the other hand, expresses resultative meaning in different ways most of the times leading students to see in the Present Perfect and Pretérito Perfecto structures the past event meaning alone. Consequently, when analyzing the foreign language structures, learners end up assigning them the aspectual values which belong to the Portuguese [TER+Participle] and [ESTAR+Gerund] periphrases, despite their not sharing the same aspectual values most of the time, because the English and Spanish forms express the perfective and resultative aspect, while the Portuguese periphrasis indicates the imperfective and durative aspect. This mismatch affects text comprehension, but is not perceived by the students. Learners first analyze the target language structure (topdown procedure, Liceras, 2003a), once they cannot have access to the features which trigger the parameter setting, precluding a bottom-up procedure. The same pattern of value assignment from the L1 periphrasis to both L2 is noticeable in both English and Spanish interlanguages. Analysis of Variance tests have proven that both interlanguages undergo the same process, which starts from L1 reestructuring. This fact suggests that adult L2 learner will make use of UG principles, but will not set parameters the way children do, L2 will grow by reestructuring portions of L1. The semantic values applied in both English and Spanish interlanguages at this stage, are L1?s as well, allowing a comparison to the phonology acquisition. Children are born sensitive to any semantic value, but due to a critical period for semantics, adult L2 learners will acquire L2 semantic values by reestructing not only the syntax of L1 but also its semantic values. Learners will have access to pragmatics, after semantics, as a fine-tuned meaning

Second language (L2) learners of English must learn to produce English phonemes, words, and sentences. These L2 learners make many errors when learning English; they may change the place or manner of articulation, insert vowels, or delete consonants. Obstruent sounds, such as fricatives, affricates, and stops, can be especially difficult for L2 learners. This study analyzed native English speakers<'> perception of the quality of obstruents produced by native Mandarin Chinese and Korean speakers. Target words containing obstruents had been produced in three different tasks: in a carrier phrase, in a paragraph, and in a spontaneous speech sample. Obstruents were produced in word-initial position and word-final position. Raters with differing levels of expertise listened to these words and rated the perceptual quality of the obstruents within the words. This study found that overall, English obstruent productions by native Mandarin and Korean L2 speakers learning English were rated most clear when produced in word-initial position in a carrier phrase or a paragraph. The lowest ratings given were of obstruents in word-final position in spontaneous speech. No significant differences were found for listener expertise level. Combined with future research, results from this study will help educate the field of second language instruction as to how the speech of Korean and Mandarin learners of English is perceived. It also provides additional information on the effect that listener expertise has on the judgment of L2 speech production.

The primary purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between Haitian-Creole and Spanish-speaking English Language Learners students’ number of years in the ELL program and their academic achievement as indicated by performance on the third-grade Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test Reading. This study also sought to determine if elementary school size (total student population), ELL student count (total number of ELL students in a school), school socioeconomic status (percentage of free and reduced lunch), student gender, and student home language (Haitian-Creole and Spanish), individual SES, and individual Idea Proficiency Test moderate the relationship. The study included data analysis using quantitative methods for the 141 elementary schools in school district. A bivariate correlation of the Pearson Correlation value (r = -.021, p > .05) was used to test the relationship between the number of years in the ELL program and achievement results for third-grade student FCAT Reading proficiency and the moderator variables (elementary school size, ELL student count, school SES, student gender, student home language, individual SES, and IPT individual score). Later, a multiple regression was used to test the moderation hypotheses. The study found that the degree of relationship between the number of years students are in the ELL program and FCAT scores of Haitian-Creole- and Spanishspeaking English Language Learner students is higher as SES increases. As SES decreases, so does the relationship. Of the 1,204 records reviewed, 423 were classified as Haitian-Creole-speaking students versus 782 classified as Spanish-speaking students. Only 16% of the students scored a level 3-5 (passed as proficient) as opposed to 84% who scored a level 1-2 (non-proficient). The study reveals a need for further research to investigate the impact that ELLs’ SES as well as the school’s SES has on the school’s achievement. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This study investigates the perceptions that second language students have of those who speak the language that these students are trying to acquire and examines how these perceptions relate to students' progress in acquiring the target language. The study is based on the psychological theory of the need to belong, i.e. belongingness as well as on the concept of integrative motivation. This study is a qualitative investigation that uses the Repertory Grid Technique and Personal Construct Theory in order to elicit subject perceptions and their constructs. Membership checking was carried out with nine of the originally interviewed 22 subjects in order to obtain more insight into the subjects' perceptions of themselves, their progress, and, most importantly, their perceptions of the target language speakers. One of the important findings in this study is the establishment of what elements second language students use to construct views of target language speakers. / The subjects of this study used specific culture, generic culture, language, and perceptions to try to understand target language speakers. Furthermore, those subjects who had graduated from the community college program from which the subjects were drawn and who were now working in the everyday world showed strong desire to integrate into English-speaking society. Conversely, these program graduates showed an increased degree of criticism of American English speakers. Their views may be attributed to the close contact and lack of preparation for contact with target language speakers, as the community college program contained little or no instruction on American English culture. / The perceptions of being marginalized expressed by the graduates, perceptions not shared by those students still in the community college program, indicate a need for a change in curriculum which would emphasize the students' social needs outside of and beyond the classroom and cultivate a sense of belonging to target language society. Belongingness and integrative motivation may well the key to a bright new future of second language acquisition. As more research is done on the significance of both concepts, and as they are increasingly incorporated into language learning classrooms, students should acquire target languages with greater ease. / by Robb Kvasnak. / Vita. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2007. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, FL : 2007 Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This study tests Newports Less is More hypothesis with a language teaching experiment. Computerized French language lessons were presented to forty-two adults over two one-hour sessions. Learning trials were presented either in full sentences to resemble the adult learning environment, or in small increments that gradually increased to full sentences, resembling the steadily expanding processing capabilities of children. Trials were also presented randomly or ordered such that multiple examples of the same objects and verbs were presented consecutively. Language proficiency tests were administered after the lessons. A 2 (Presentation: incremental or full sentence) x 2 (Order of presentation: blocked or random) mixed ANOVA was used to analyze the data. The incremental conditions outperformed the sentence conditions on all proficiency measures. There was no significant effect of the blocking manipulation. This outcome suggests that a teaching method based on Newport's Less is More hypothesis can be advantageous in learning a foreign language. / by Simone L. Chin. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Research in second language acquisition reveals that adults have difficulty learning the grammatical aspects of a foreign language. The present study investigated the efficacy of three teaching methods that were predicted to help adults better learn the grammar of a foreign language. First, lessons were presented in small pieces that gradually increased to full sentences. Second, lesson trials were blocked such that multiple examples of sentences with the same object or verb were presented consecutively. Third, participants were instructed to gesture the actions of the verbs within sentences. All three methods were predicted to increase the likelihood of learning the grammar form of sentences through guiding adults’ attention to fewer components of language input at a time. In Experiment 1, 82 English native speakers played an adventure videogame designed for the learning of French vocabulary and grammar of French sentences for two one-hour sessions. All three methods were incorporated in the lessons portion of the game resulting in a 2(incremental vs. full sentence) X 2(blocked vs. unblocked order) X 2(gesture vs. no gesture) between subjects design. The results from Experiment 1 revealed a) more nouns were acquired than verbs and b) a trend that the incremental conditions performed worse than the full sentence conditions on the grammar measures. In Experiment 2, 110 adult learners played the French videogame, but only the blocked presentation and gesture imitation methods were incorporated in the lessons portion (omitting the method of incremental presentation). The results from Experiment 2 revealed a) conditions with either method of blocked presentation or gesturing performed better on vocabulary and grammar measures than the unblocked non-gesture condition, and b) the combination of blocked presentation and gesturing led to better learning of inductive grammar than either method alone. The outcome of the study suggests gesturing and blocked order teaching methods that encourage adults to attend to a few but important components within a sentence are advantageous in learning the grammar of a foreign language. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

何子煌 = A study of the effects of academic and ... / 手稿影印本. / Thesis (M.A.)--香港中文大學硏究院敎育學部. / Shou gao ying yin ben. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 186-199). / He Zihuang = A study of the effects of academic and ... / Thesis (M.A.)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue yan jiu yuan jiao yu xue bu. / Chapter 第一章 --- 緒論 --- p.1 / 問題說明 --- p.1 / 文獻探討 --- p.13 / 假設 --- p.68 / 重要名詞釋義 --- p.69 / 研究的局限 --- p.73 / Chapter 第二章 --- 研究方法 --- p.75 / 研究設計 --- p.75 / 研究對象與取樣方法 --- p.77 / 研究工具 --- p.79 / 實施程序 --- p.95 / Chapter 第三章 --- 結果與討論 --- p.97 / Chapter 第四章 --- 研究結論與建議 --- p.167 / 摘要與結論 --- p.167 / 建議 --- p.183 / 參考文獻 --- p.186 / 附錄 / Chapter 一 --- 華語第二語文聽能測驗（錄音稿） --- p.200 / Chapter 二 --- 華語第二語文聽能測驗（試卷） --- p.221 / Chapter 三 --- 華語第二語文聽能測驗（答案紙） --- p.227 / Chapter 四 --- 學生資料調查問卷 --- p.228 / Chapter 五 --- 華語第二語文聽能測驗試題的難度及鑑別度 --- p.233 / Chapter 六 --- 信件 --- p.234

Sin Ping Wong. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1991. / Bibliography: leaves 143-147. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgements --- p.ii / Table of Contents --- p.iii / Chapter CHAPTER 0. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 0.1. --- Learning the English Sound System --- p.1 / Chapter 0.2. --- The Importance of the Acquisition of English Word Stress --- p.5 / Chapter 0.2.1. --- "Stress, Morphology and Syntax" --- p.5 / Chapter 0.2.2. --- Stress and Intelligibility of Non-native Speech --- p.7 / Chapter CHAPTER 1. --- THE STRESS PATTERNS OF ENGLISH WORDS --- p.12 / Chapter 1.1. --- The Phonetic Properties of English Word Stress --- p.12 / Chapter 1.2. --- Theoretical Approaches to English Word Stress --- p.13 / Chapter 1.2.1. --- Chomsky and Halle (1968) 一一 The Sound Pattern of English --- p.14 / Chapter 1.2.1.1. --- Strong/Weak Syllables --- p.15 / Chapter 1.2.1.2. --- The Transformational Cycle --- p.15 / Chapter 1.2.1.3. --- The Main Stress Rule --- p.18 / Chapter 1.2.1.4. --- The Compound Stress Rule and Nuclear Stress Rule --- p.20 / Chapter 1.2.2. --- Liberman and Prince (1977) -- Metrical Phonology --- p.22 / Chapter 1.2.2.1. --- The Stress Rules --- p.24 / Chapter 1.2.2.2. --- The Lexical Category Prominence Rule --- p.26 / Chapter 1.2.3. --- Selkirk (1980) ´ؤ Prosodic Categories --- p.29 / Chapter 1.2.4. --- Hayes (1981) ´ؤ Extrametricality --- p.34 / Chapter 1.2.4.1. --- Rime Projection --- p.34 / Chapter 1.2.4.2. --- Extrametricality --- p.35 / Chapter 1.2.4.3. --- English Stress Rules and Word Tree Construction --- p.36 / Chapter 1.3. --- Prerequisites for the Acquisition of English Word Stress --- p.40 / Chapter CHAPTER 2. --- STUDIES ON THE ACQUISITION OF STRESS --- p.43 / Chapter 2.1. --- The Acquisition of Stress by Children --- p.43 / Chapter 2.2. --- Adults' Stress Patterns - Native Speakers and ESL Learners --- p.45 / Chapter CHAPTER 3. --- METHODOLOGY --- p.51 / Chapter 3.1. --- Research Objectives --- p.51 / Chapter 3.2. --- Research Design --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2.1. --- Test Materials --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2.1.1. --- Criteria for the Coinage of Test Items --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2.1.2. --- The Rime Structure of Test Words --- p.57 / Chapter 3.2.1.3. --- Number of Syllables and Directionality of Rule Application --- p.59 / Chapter 3.2.1.4. --- Syntactic Categories --- p.61 / Chapter 3.2.2. --- Subjects --- p.64 / Chapter 3.2.3. --- Procedure --- p.64 / Chapter CHAPTER 4. --- FINDINGS --- p.68 / Chapter 4.1. --- Overall Performance --- p.69 / Chapter 4.1.1. --- Proficiency Test --- p.69 / Chapter 4.1.2. --- Overall Performance in Test Items --- p.70 / Chapter 4.1.2.1. --- Secondary Students Versus University Students --- p.72 / Chapter 4.1.2.2. --- Syntactic Category --- p.73 / Chapter 4.2. --- Learners' Stress Patterns Classified According to Syllable Structures --- p.76 / Chapter 4.2.1. --- The Stress Patterns of ESL Learners in Verbs --- p.78 / Chapter 4.2.1.1. --- 2-syllable Verbs --- p.78 / Chapter 4.2.1.2. --- 3-syllable Verbs (Regularly Patterned Responses) --- p.83 / Chapter 4.2.1.3. --- 3-syllable Verbs (Irregularly Patterned Responses) --- p.87 / Chapter 4.2.2. --- Stress Patterns of ESL Learners in Nouns --- p.92 / Chapter 4.2.2.1. --- 2-syllable Nouns --- p.92 / Chapter 4.2.2.2. --- 3-syllable Nouns --- p.96 / Chapter 4.3. --- 4-Syllable Nouns --- p.104 / Chapter CHAPTER 5. --- DISCUSSION --- p.116 / Chapter 5.1. --- Summary of Findings --- p.117 / Chapter 5.2. --- The Metrical Theory and the Stress Patterns of ESL --- p.123 / Chapter 5.2.1. --- Rime Structures --- p.123 / Chapter 5.2.2. --- Extrametricality --- p.125 / Chapter 5.2.2.1. --- Consonant Extrametricality --- p.125 / Chapter 5.2.2.2. --- Noun Extrametricality --- p.126 / Chapter 5.2.3. --- Directionality --- p.130 / Chapter 5.2.4. --- Stress Assignment --- p.132 / Chapter 5.3. --- Second Language Acquisition --- p.137 / Chapter 5.3.1. --- Learners' Strategy --- p.137 / Chapter 5.3.2. --- Group Difference --- p.138 / Chapter 5.3.3. --- L1 Transfer --- p.139 / Chapter CHAPTER 6. --- CONCLUSION --- p.141 / REFERENCES --- p.143 / Appendix A --- p.i / Appendix B --- p.vi / Appendix C --- p.xvi