Full-text resources of CEJSH and other databases are now available in the new Library of Science.
Visit https://bibliotekanauki.pl

Results found: 10

first rewind previous Page / 1 next fast forward last

Search results

help Sort By:

help Limit search:
first rewind previous Page / 1 next fast forward last
1
Publication available in full text mode
Content available

Bi-/multilingual Communication, Identity and the Posited Intermingling of Language Systems in the Mind

100%
Singleton D.
Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition
|
2019
|
vol. 5
|
issue 2
25-38
EN
There seems to be a desire abroad in some areas of our field to abandon all talk of bounds between language-varieties in the mind. The response offered here to such a position is that language knowledge in the mind is all its aspects, in fact, highly differentiated, and that this differentiation broadly follows the lines recognized by the traditional conception which draws (always, of course, crossable) lines between languages. One powerful set of evidence in favour of this latter claim is that offered by phenomena observable in everyday bilingual and multilingual language use and interaction.  Such evidence bespeaks a necessary capacity on the part of multilinguals to keep their languages apart when using them, and an adeptness – even at a very early age – at making decisions as to which language to speak to whom.  The article explores such phenomena, which are heavy with consequences for the unboundedness view of languages. Another dimension of bilingual/multilingual experience which bespeaks boundedness is the way in which different languages connect to different identities or aspects of identity, which is also discussed in the article.
2
Publication available in full text mode
Content available

Apt to change: The problematic of language awareness and language aptitude in age-related research

100%
Singleton D.
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
|
2014
|
vol. 4
|
issue 3
557-571
EN
Language awareness and language aptitude often crop up in discussion of various second language acquisition phenomena, including age-related phenomena. There is a troublesome and ongoing definitional and theoretical problem in this connection: Different researchers have different perspectives on what is to be included in the respective notions; on how do to measure language awareness, on the one hand, and language aptitude, on the other; and on how or whether to differentiate the two constructs in terms of innateness versus experience. This article begins by addressing the entire problematic of the conceptualization of language awareness and language aptitude. The language awareness/aptitude issue features in the maturational debate in connection with two claims. First, it is discussed in relation to the view that second-language (L2) learning of older individuals is explicit (whereas that of younger individuals is implicit). Second, it is referred to in regard to the notion that there are older L2 learners who appear to be able to “beat” the critical period thanks to high levels of language aptitude. The article critically explores both these propositions and concludes that neither is particularly safe, especially given the uncertain state of the relevant research context.
3
Publication available in full text mode
Content available

Apt to change: The problematic of language awareness and language aptitude in age-related research

100%
Singleton D.
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
|
2014
|
vol. 4
|
issue 3
557-571
EN
Language awareness and language aptitude often crop up in discussion of various second language acquisition phenomena, including age-related phenomena. There is a troublesome and ongoing definitional and theoretical problem in this connection: Different researchers have different perspectives on what is to be included in the respective notions; on how do to measure language awareness, on the one hand, and language aptitude, on the other; and on how or whether to differentiate the two constructs in terms of innateness versus experience. This article begins by addressing the entire problematic of the conceptualization of language awareness and language aptitude. The language awareness/aptitude issue features in the maturational debate in connection with two claims. First, it is discussed in relation to the view that second-language (L2) learning of older individuals is explicit (whereas that of younger individuals is implicit). Second, it is referred to in regard to the notion that there are older L2 learners who appear to be able to “beat” the critical period thanks to high levels of language aptitude. The article critically explores both these propositions and concludes that neither is particularly safe, especially given the uncertain state of the relevant research context.
4
Publication available in full text mode
Content available

Editorial

100%
Singleton D.
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
|
2014
|
vol. 4
|
issue 3
407-408
EN
.
5
Publication available in full text mode
Content available

Language aptitude: Desirable trait or acquirable attribute?

100%
Singleton D.
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
|
2017
|
vol. 7
|
issue 1
89-103
EN
The traditional definition of language aptitude sees it as “an individual’s initial state of readiness and capacity for learning a foreign language, and probable facility in doing so given the presence of motivation and opportunity” (Carroll, 1981, p. 86). This conception portrays language aptitude as a trait, in the sense of exhibiting stability over long periods of time and being immune to training. The trait view of language aptitude tends towards the notion that it is innate, and indeed language aptitude has often been associated with the popular notion of a “gift for languages” (cf. Rosenthal, 1996, p. 59). The view of language aptitude as an innate trait has, however, long been questioned (see e.g., Neufeld, 1978). Recently, this questioning has intensified (see Singleton, 2014), especially since the development of a widespread consensus that working memory needs to be recognized as an important component of language aptitude (see Wen, 2016). Working memory was also once thought of as a trait, but is now recognized as susceptible to the influence of experience and instruction (see e.g., Williams, 2012). The present paper will track the trajectory of the above theoretical discussion and will explore the implications of the stage it has now reached.
6
Publication available in full text mode
Content available

Editorial

100%
Singleton D.
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
|
2014
|
vol. 4
|
issue 3
407-408
7
Publication available in full text mode
Content available

L2 proficiency as a function of cultural identity in interlingual couples

63%
Singleton D., Pfenninger S. E.
Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition
|
2018
|
vol. 4
|
issue 1
EN
The “love factor” has increasingly figured in SLA research. Thus, Piller (2002) studied the language “glue” between cross-lingual couples; Marinova-Todd (2003) found a link between L2 proficiency and co-habitation with native speakers; Muñoz & Singleton (2007) reported a romantic connection between successful late L2 learners and native speakers; Gonçalves (2013) explored hybridity in bicultural relationships; and Kinsella & Singleton (2014) found that the participants in their study of late L2 learners whose L2 test results were all within native-speaker range had native-speaker life-partners. This issue is now being taken very seriously, as Dewaele & Salomidou’s (2016) recent article on “loving … in a foreign language” demonstrates. In the present article we report on the results of some recent qualitative research, based on interview data collected from five individuals who are involved in intercultural and cross-lingual relationships. The research shows the L2 learning process to be clearly influenced by the affective context in which it occurs. The data also suggest that identity construction may be moved in a particular direction by the language principally adopted by the couple, and that, for the partner for whom this language is an L2, the results can be dramatic in terms of both linguistic and cultural affiliation.
8
Publication available in full text mode
Content available

The Age Factor in the Foreign Language Class: What Do Learners Think?

63%
Pfenninger S. E., Singleton D.
Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition
|
2016
|
vol. 2
|
issue 1
EN
The present paper analyzes beliefs about the age factor of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) with different starting ages (early vs. late starters), in different grades (in Year 7 at the beginning and in Year 12 at the end of secondary school), and with different levels of EFL proficiency (high achievers vs. low achievers). The sample for the study was drawn from a larger sample of 200 secondary school students who were part of a longitudinal study, undertaken in Switzerland between 2008 and 2015. From this sample we selected 10 early starting high-achievers, 10 early starting low-achievers, 10 late starting high-achievers, and 10 late starting low-achievers. A qualitative analysis of language experience essays written at the beginning and at the end of secondary school revealed that learners with different starting ages, in different grades, and with different levels of proficiency displayed different beliefs about the age factor.  The overall lack of age effect on FL achievement found in our previous studies may be explicable in terms of a number of affective factors (e.g. disengagement of the early starters due to language practices of the classroom) and contextual factors (e.g. transition from English in primary to English in secondary).
9
Publication available in full text mode
Content available

Affordances theory in multilingualism studies

63%
Aronin L., Singleton D.
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
|
2012
|
vol. 2
|
issue 3
311-331
EN
The concept of affordances originating in Gibson’s work (Gibson, 1977) is gaining ground in multilingualism studies (cf. Aronin and Singleton, 2010; Singleton and Aronin, 2007; Dewaele, 2010). Nevertheless, studies investigating affordances in respect of teaching, learning or using languages are still somewhat rare and tend to treat isolated aspects of multilingualism. This is despite the fact that the theory of affordances can actually provide a valuable, supplementary, up-to-date framework within which a clearer, sharper description and explication of the intriguing range of attributes of multilingual communities, educational institutions and individuals, as well as teaching practices, become feasible. It is important that not only researchers and practitioners (teachers, educators, parents, community and political actors) but also language users and learners themselves should be aware of how to identify or, if necessary, design new affordances for language acquisition and learning. The aim of this article is to adapt the concept of affordances to multilingualism studies and additional language teaching, and in so doing advance theoretical understanding in this context. To this end the article contains a brief summary of the findings so far available. The article also goes further into defining the ways of how affordances work in relation to multilingualism and second language teaching and puts forward an integrated model of affordances.
10
Publication available in full text mode
Content available

Affordances theory in multilingualism studies

63%
Aronin L., Singleton D.
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
|
2012
|
vol. 2
|
issue 3
311-331
EN
The concept of affordances originating in Gibson’s work (Gibson, 1977) is gaining ground in multilingualism studies (cf. Aronin and Singleton, 2010; Singleton and Aronin, 2007; Dewaele, 2010). Nevertheless, studies investigating affordances in respect of teaching, learning or using languages are still somewhat rare and tend to treat isolated aspects of multilingualism. This is despite the fact that the theory of affordances can actually provide a valuable, supplementary, up-to-date framework within which a clearer, sharper description and explication of the intriguing range of attributes of multilingual communities, educational institutions and individuals, as well as teaching practices, become feasible. It is important that not only researchers and practitioners (teachers, educators, parents, community and political actors) but also language users and learners themselves should be aware of how to identify or, if necessary, design new affordances for language acquisition and learning. The aim of this article is to adapt the concept of affordances to multilingualism studies and additional language teaching, and in so doing advance theoretical understanding in this context. To this end the article contains a brief summary of the findings so far available. The article also goes further into defining the ways of how affordances work in relation to multilingualism and second language teaching and puts forward an integrated model of affordances.
first rewind previous Page / 1 next fast forward last
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.