DOCSLIB.ORG

Multilingualism. Larissa Aronin and David Singleton (2012)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Multilingualism. Larissa Aronin and David Singleton (2012) Sociolinguistic ISSN: 1750-8649 (print) Studies ISSN: 1750-8657 (online) Review Multilingualism. Larissa Aronin and David Singleton (2012) Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Pp. 230. ISBN 9789027218704 Reviewed by Judith Ansó Ros Larissa Aronin and David Singleton have written a most complete book on multilingualism, ideal for readers who want to familiarize themselves with the study of multilingualism, bilingualism or sociolinguistics in the wider sense. The introduction to the volume is replete with references and examples. The authors cite different definitions of multilingualism starting with Bloomfield (1933), Braun (1937) and the 1961 edition of the Webster’s Dictionary. In addi- tion, they discuss more recent definitions such as the one presented in Edwards (1994). The authors also review the status quaestionis including the problematic concept of mother tongue. Other terms they discuss are bilingual and multi- lingual. Furthermore, they contrast (p. 5) L2 and L3 acquisition pace Hoffman (2001). By and large, they stress the differences between learning languages and cross-linguistic interaction in this first chapter. In Chapter 2 (pp. 11–32), Aronin and Singleton present multilingualism as a uniquely human possession, tool and ability. As far as the first dimension is concerned, they discuss features such as the use of the vocal-auditory channel as well as the arbitrariness, semanticity and cultural transmission of human communication. As a tool, they refer first and foremost to multilingualism from the point of view of sociolinguistics and the sociology of language. When Affiliation University of Turku, Finland e-mail: [email protected] SOLS VOL 7.1 & 7.2 2013 191–195 doi : 10.1558/sols.v7i1&2.191 © 2013, EQUINOX PUBLISHING 192 SOCIOLINGUISTIC STUDIES discussing multilingualism as ability, they draw upon neurobiology, neuro- linguistics and psycholinguistics. There is an interesting subchapter about the societal awareness of language (p. 19); in it the authors compare the societal awareness of monolingualism vis-à-vis multilingualism across time. In the third chapter (pp. 33–57), the authors develop the concept of multi- lingualism as a manifestation of globalization. They offer a critical discussion of different aspects such as space, time, technology and mobility. They also deal very exhaustively with the new linguistic dispensation, commenting on language ideologies and policies, language education and patterns of language in both communities and individuals. Their comparison of historical vs. current multilingualism (pp. 43–48) seems particularly interesting. The discussion of shifts in norms and new focal issues (pp. 54–55) is also likely to capture the reader’s attention. Chapter 4, entitled ‘Dominant Language Constellation’ (pp. 59–75), deals with the language community – the concept, its boundaries, functions and diverse illustrative cases. According to the authors, the Dominant Language Constellation (DLC) is made up of the languages present in a person’s linguistic environment which, taken together, enable him or her to meet all their linguistic needs (p. 59). They conclude the chapter by stating that the DLC is the key point of departure for the investigation of multilingualism. The individual aspect of multilingualism constitutes the focus of Chapter 5 (pp. 77–97). The authors begin by outlining the concepts of ethnicity and nationality which are connected to language and identity. They introduce us to the terminology of multilingualism – for instance, linguistic identity vs. multi- linguality – and its uses, points of views, connections, etc. In addition, they present different models of multilingualism, for instance Levelt (1989) and Clyne (2003) (pp. 83–84). In the same chapter they bring up the interesting dynamics of activation/inhibition of languages (p. 85) pace Green (1998), and the concept of language mode introduced by Grosjean (2001) (p. 86). They enumerate distinct factors which influence the learning of language like age, ability, motivation, etc., and which account for the individual differ- ences in multilinguals as personal life trajectories play a crucial role in con- temporary multilingual societies (pp. 93–96). Multilingual conditions are at the centre of Chapter 6. Aronin and Singleton give us several examples of language acquisition and its outcomes: from early childhood, usually simultaneously, and sequentially, just to name the most important ones. The last part of the chapter (pp. 109–114) deals with the advantages and disadvantages of multilinguality. The authors provide evidence for the argument that being multilingual is an asset, not an impediment. REVIEW: ANSÓ ROS 193 In Chapter 7 the authors introduce the reader to their classification of multilinguals constructed around the dimensions of user, environment and language.1 They present different typologies of bilingualism and using more than two languages (pp. 119–121) and their application to educational contexts (pp. 128–131), as well as typologies of multilingual societies, for example Kloss (1966; p.132),2 Stewart (1968; pp. 134–135),3 De Swaan (2001; p. 137),4 and Edwards (1992; pp.140-141).5 Cross-linguistic influence is the subject of Chapter 8, entitled ‘A Multilingual Monolith?’ The authors review the counterarguments of Wei (2011) and the multicompetence model of Cook (1992), but the theory of Harris (1981, 1998) is at the centre of the discussion of this chapter. The concept of blur is pivotal to Harris’s modelling of cross-linguistic interaction and multilingualism and is supported by the evidence that users tend to confuse their languages (pp. 153– 161). Chapter 9 summarizes the findings of recent research on multilingualism. In the first place, the authors point out the need for reconceptualizing multilingual- ism in the light of present conceptualizations. As far as new lines of inquiry are concerned, they stress the importance of taking into account four dimensions: the philosophy, the material culture, the complexity and the affordance6 of multilingualism. After that, they conclude their work by evaluating the advances that have been made in this area over recent years. As can be gleaned from the above, the book by Larissa Aronin and David Singleton is essentially a thorough presentation of the status quaestionis of studies on multiligualism, its main original contribution to the field being the DLC phenomenon. Nevertheless, it gives students and scholars a most useful overview of recent advances both in terms of theory development and case studies. Notes 1 Their nomenclature is slightly different from Edwards (1994) who takes into account speakers, settings and languages when discussing multilingualism. 2 Kloss distinguishes three types of communities: monolingual, bi-trilingual and multilingual. 3 Stewart aims at specifying language types in a multilingual society but ‘at a national level’. 4 In his Galactic Model, De Swaan proposes a hierarchy of languages consisting of thousands of languages in an ordered pattern. 5 Edwards presents a typology of minority languages. 6 The authors explain and exemplify the term ‘affordance’ on pp. 174–175 and 176, respectively. 194 SOCIOLINGUISTIC STUDIES References Bloomfield, L. (1933) Language. New York: Henry Holt. Braun, M. (1937) Beobachtungen zur frage der mehrsprachigkeit. Göttingische Gelehrte Anzeigen 4: 115–130. Clyne, M. (2003) Dynamics of language contact: English and immigrant languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO978051160 6526 Cook, V. (1992) Evidence for multi-competence. Language and Learning 42(4): 557–591. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1992.tb01044.x De Swaan, A. (2001) The words of the world: the global language system. Cambridge: Polity Press. Edwards, J. (1992) Sociopolitical aspects of language maintenance and loss: towards a typology of minority language situations. In W. Fase, K. K. Jaspaert and S. Kroon (eds) Maintenance and loss of minority languages 37–54. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203430927 Edwards, J. (1994) Multilingualism. London: Routledge. Green, D. W. (1998) Mental control of the bilingual lexico-semantic system. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 1: 67–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1366728998000133 Grosjean, F. (2001) The bilingual’s language modes. In J. Nicol (ed.) One mind, two languages: bilingual language processing 1–22. Oxford: Blackwell. Harris, R. (1981) The language myth. London: Duckworth. Harris, R. (1998) Introduction to integral linguistics. Oxford: Pergamon. Hoffman, C. (2001) The status of trilingualism in bilingualism studies. In J. Cenoz, B. Hufeisen and U. Jessner (eds) Looking beyond second language acquisition: studies in tri- and multilingualism 13–25. Tübingen: Stauffenburg. Kloss, L. (1966) Types of multilingual communities: a discussion of ten variables. Sociological Inquiry 36(2): 135–145. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-682X.1966 .tb00621.x Levelt, W. J. M. (1989) Speaking: from intention to articulation. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Stewart, W. (1968) A sociolinguistic typology for describing national multilingualism. In J. A. Fishman (ed.) Readings in the sociology of language 531–545. The Hague: Mouton. Wei, Li (2011) Moment analysis and translanguaging space: discursive construction of identities by multilingual Chinese youth in Britain. Journal of Pragmatics 43: 1222–1212. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2010.07.035 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Turkish College Students' Willingness to Communicate In
    TURKISH COLLEGE STUDENTS’ WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE IN ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Yesim Bektas Cetinkaya, M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 2005 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Keiko K. Samimy, Adviser _______________________ Professor Joseph A. Gliem Adviser Professor Alan R. Hirvela College of Education Copyright by Yesim Bektas Cetinkaya 2005 All right reserved ABSTRACT English, which is defined as an international language, is used by more than one and a half billion people (Strevens, 1992) as a first, second, or foreign language for communication purposes. Consequently, the purpose of teaching English has shifted from the mastery of structure to the ability to use the language for communicative purposes. Thus, the issues of whether learners would communicate in English when they had the chance and what would affect their willingness to communicate gain importance. Recently, a “Willingness to Communicate” (WTC) model was developed by McIntyre et al. (1998) to explain and predict second language communication. The objective of the present study was to examine whether college students who were learning English as a foreign language in the Turkish context were willing to communicate when they had an opportunity and whether the WTC model explained the relations among social-psychological, linguistic and communication variables in this context. The present study was a hybrid design that combined both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis procedures. First, a questionnaire was administered to 356 randomly selected college students in Turkey.
    [Show full text]
  • Discourses of Multilingualism, Identity and Belonging: the View of Arabic Bilinguals in the UK
    Featured Topic Journal of Social Science Education Volume 17, Number 4, Winter 2018 DOI 10.4119/UNIBI/jsse‐v17‐i3‐1774 Discourses of Multilingualism, Identity and Belonging: The View of Arabic Bilinguals in the UK Fatma Said University of York, UK Purpose: This sociolinguistic paper discusses the relationship between language and belonging from the perspective of Arabic‐English speaking bilinguals. It explores what knowledge of language(s) means for the minority language speaker and investigates the challenges, consequences and opportunities multilingualism poses for its speakers in a globalised era that is fraught with re‐imagining nationalism, country, security, loyalty, and belonging. The project reported in this paper aimed to (1) understand the symbolisms the Arabic language held for its speakers, (2) understand the ramifications knowledge of Arabic had for these bilinguals; and (3) explore how second generation Arabic heritage speakers define their identities and feelings of belonging to the UK. Method: Sixty‐two people took part in the project; data was collected through a short survey followed up by interviews that further explored issues of multilingualism, identity and belonging. Data from interviews and qualitative responses from the survey were analysed thematically in light of Ingrid Piller’s emerging linguistic social justice framework (Piller, 2016). Finding: The findings suggest that English and Arabic are equally important to speakers; additionally Arabic is highly symbolic for reasons of religion, family, and cultural ties. The results however, also point to the apprehensiveness speakers have in using Arabic in public because they fear that they may be deemed too different, weird, abnormal, dangerous, disloyal or untrustworthy (Tonkin, 2003).
    [Show full text]
  • A Critical Period for Second Language Acquisition: Evidence from 2/3 Million English Speakers ⁎ Joshua K
    Cognition xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Cognition journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cognit Original Articles A critical period for second language acquisition: Evidence from 2/3 million English speakers ⁎ Joshua K. Hartshornea,b, , Joshua B. Tenenbauma, Steven Pinkerc a Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Building 46, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States b Department of Psychology, Boston College, McGuinn Hall 527, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, United States c Department of Psychology, Harvard University, William James Hall 970, 33 Kirkland St., Cambridge, MA 02138, United States ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: Children learn language more easily than adults, though when and why this ability declines have been obscure Language acquisition for both empirical reasons (underpowered studies) and conceptual reasons (measuring the ultimate attainment Critical period of learners who started at different ages cannot by itself reveal changes in underlying learning ability). We L2 acquisition address both limitations with a dataset of unprecedented size (669,498 native and non-native English speakers) and a computational model that estimates the trajectory of underlying learning ability by disentangling current age, age at first exposure, and years of experience. This allows us to provide the first direct estimate of how grammar-learning ability changes with age, finding that it is preserved almost to the crux of adulthood (17.4 years old) and then declines steadily. This finding held not only for “difficult” syntactic phenomena but also for “easy” syntactic phenomena that are normally mastered early in acquisition. The results support the existence of a sharply-defined critical period for language acquisition, but the age of offset is much later than previously speculated.
    [Show full text]
  • The Critical Period Hypothesis for L2 Acquisition: an Unfalsifiable Embarrassment?
    languages Review The Critical Period Hypothesis for L2 Acquisition: An Unfalsifiable Embarrassment? David Singleton 1 and Justyna Le´sniewska 2,* 1 Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; [email protected] 2 Institute of English Studies, Jagiellonian University, 31-120 Kraków, Poland * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: This article focuses on the uncertainty surrounding the issue of the Critical Period Hy- pothesis. It puts forward the case that, with regard to naturalistic situations, the hypothesis has the status of both “not proven” and unfalsified. The article analyzes a number of reasons for this situation, including the effects of multi-competence, which remove any possibility that competence in more than one language can ever be identical to monolingual competence. With regard to the formal instructional setting, it points to many decades of research showing that, as critical period advocates acknowledge, in a normal schooling situation, adolescent beginners in the long run do as well as younger beginners. The article laments the profusion of definitions of what the critical period for language actually is and the generally piecemeal nature of research into this important area. In particular, it calls for a fuller integration of recent neurolinguistic perspectives into discussion of the age factor in second language acquisition research. Keywords: second-language acquisition; critical period hypothesis; age factor; ultimate attainment; age of acquisition; scrutinized nativelikeness; multi-competence; puberty Citation: Singleton, David, and Justyna Le´sniewska.2021. The Critical Period Hypothesis for L2 Acquisition: An Unfalsifiable 1. Introduction Embarrassment? Languages 6: 149. In SLA research, the age at which L2 acquisition begins has all but lost its status https://doi.org/10.3390/ as a simple quasi-biological attribute and is now widely recognized to be a ‘macrovari- languages6030149 able’ (Flege et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Multilingual Practices and Identity Negotiation Among Multilingual Heritage Language Learners in New Zealand
    Multilingual Practices and Identity Negotiation among Multilingual Heritage Language Learners in New Zealand By Mohammed Yousef Nofal A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics Victoria University of Wellington 2020 To Hanadi who will remember the time and place if not the people, Sara, Sireen, Mahamoud, and Salma who filled my life with joy, euphoria and love 2 Abstract While heritage languages (HLs) have been receiving much research attention, there is still a scarcity of studies conducted on local HL communities. However, researchers in New Zealand have been actively engaged with various community languages for over four decades, providing rich insights into the dynamics of language maintenance and language shift within these communities. Although New Zealand sociolinguistic scholarship has covered a wide range of languages and ethnicities, there is no known study on the Indian Hindi community, whose HL is the fourth most spoken language in the country (Statistics New Zealand, 2013). Additionally, previous research has traditionally examined the functional aspects of language use and language attitudes in determining whether language can be preserved, viewing HL communities often as homogeneously formed. In contrast, current trends in the field of sociolinguistics aim to examine the connections between individuals and their languages (i.e. identity), taking multilingualism as a norm and focusing on dynamism in intraspeaker and interspeaker language use. This thesis addresses these issues by exploring how the realities that heritage language learners (HLLs) live connect to identity negotiation and development in social interaction. In particular, this thesis focuses on a group of learners of Hindi as a heritage language in New Zealand – a group that is under-explored.
    [Show full text]
  • Aptitude in L2 and L3 Learners of German Katharina Neema Kipp Purdue University
    Purdue University Purdue e-Pubs Open Access Dissertations Theses and Dissertations January 2015 Aptitude in L2 and L3 Learners of German Katharina Neema Kipp Purdue University Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations Recommended Citation Kipp, Katharina Neema, "Aptitude in L2 and L3 Learners of German" (2015). Open Access Dissertations. 1122. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations/1122 This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. Graduate School Form 30 Updated 1/15/2015 PURDUE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL Thesis/Dissertation Acceptance This is to certify that the thesis/dissertation prepared By Katharina Neema Kipp Entitled APTITUDE IN L2 AND L3 LEARNERS OF GERMAN For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Is approved by the final examining committee: John Sundquist Chair Mariko Wei Colleen Neary-Sundquist Tony Silva To the best of my knowledge and as understood by the student in the Thesis/Dissertation Agreement, Publication Delay, and Certification Disclaimer (Graduate School Form 32), this thesis/dissertation adheres to the provisions of Purdue University’s “Policy of Integrity in Research” and the use of copyright material. Approved by Major Professor(s): John Sundquist Approved by: Madeleine Henry 12/4/2015 Head of the Departmental Graduate Program Date i APTITUDE IN L2 AND L3 LEARNERS OF GERMAN A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Purdue University by Katharina Neema Kipp In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2015 Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana ii Para las dos personas mas importantes en mi vida, mi hijo Alejandro y mi esposo Enrique.
    [Show full text]
  • Conceptual Dynamics in Multilingual Competence Natalia Sáez Teachers College, Columbia University
    Teachers College, Columbia University Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 60-62 The Forum Conceptual Dynamics in Multilingual Competence Natalia Sáez Teachers College, Columbia University Mulitlingualism represents the capacity of linguistic communities and individuals to regularly use more than one language on a daily basis (Franceschini, 2011). Recently, mounting theoretical and empirical studies on multilingualism have emerged within the field of applied linguistics. Among such analyses, there has been much attention on the notion of multicompetence, which places a psycholinguistic/cognitive lens upon the study of multilingual minds (e.g., Bassetti & Cook, 2011; Brown & Gullberg, 2012). This piece will briefly explore multicompetence with regards to the influence of language(s) on the conceptual structures of multilingual speakers. In relation to this, a brief discussion on the dynamic nature of multilingual competence from the conceptual lens will also be provided. In a mind with more than one language, conceptual transfer between the different languages known to a speaker, defined broadly as the type of crosslinguistic influence that occurs at the conceptual level, is bound to occur (Odlin, 2010). Crosslinguistic studies have identified important differences between languages, not only in terms of their linguistic structures, but also with regards to how speakers organize and interact with experience and reality (Lucy, 1996). A widely acknowledged position is that learning a language affects cognition (i.e., one’s conceptual representations) only in terms of the grammatical and lexical elements that can be accessed in a language to encode experience, that is, from the thinking-for- speaking approach (Slobin, 1996).
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Heritage Language Learners' Critical Language
    languages Article Understanding Heritage Language Learners’ Critical Language Awareness (CLA) in Mixed Language Programs Laura Gasca Jiménez * and Sergio Adrada-Rafael Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT 06824, USA; sadradarafael@fairfield.edu * Correspondence: lgascajimenez1@fairfield.edu Abstract: Despite the prevalence of mixed language programs across the United States, their impact on the unique socio-affective needs of heritage language (HL) students has not been researched sufficiently. Therefore, the present study examines HL learners’ critical language awareness (CLA) in a mixed Spanish undergraduate program at a small private university in the eastern United States. Sixteen HL learners enrolled in different Spanish upper-level courses participated in the study. Respondents completed an existing questionnaire to measure CLA, which includes 19 Likert-type items addressing different areas, such as language variation, language ideologies, bilingualism, and language maintenance. Overall, the results show that learners in the mixed language program under study have “somewhat high” and “high” levels of CLA. The increased levels of CLA in learners who had completed three courses or more in the program, coupled with their strong motivation, suggests that this program contributes positively toward HL students’ CLA. However, respondents’ answers also reveal standard language ideologies, as well as the personal avoidance of code-switching. Based on these findings, two areas that could benefit from a wider representation in the curriculum of mixed language programs are discussed: language ideologies and plurilingual language practices. Keywords: critical language awareness; language attitudes; mixed language program; standard Citation: Gasca Jiménez, Laura, language ideology; code-switching; language variation; plurilingualism and Sergio Adrada-Rafael.
    [Show full text]
  • Interlanguage and the Models Before
    English Language Teaching; Vol. 11, No. 10; 2018 ISSN 1916-4742 E-ISSN 1916-4750 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education Approaching the Language of the Second Language Learner: Interlanguage and the Models Before Ayad Hameed Mahmood1 & Ibrahim Mohammed Ali Murad2,3 1 English Department, College of Educationt, University of Diyala, Diyala, Iraq 2 English Department, School of Basic Education, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq 3 English Department, College of Education & Natural Sciences, University of Charmo, Sulaimani, Iraq Correspondence: Ibrahim Mohammed Ali Murad, School of Basic Education, University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq. E-mail: [email protected] Received: August 6, 2018 Accepted: September 13, 2018 Online Published: September 16, 2018 doi: 10.5539/elt.v11n10p95 URL: http://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v11n10p95 Abstract The present paper attempts to provide a critical evaluation of the most prominent pedagogical models that have dealt with the language of the second language (L2) learner starting from the second half of the 20th century. The three most influential approaches in the domain are investigated in this study: contrastive analysis (CA), error analysis (EA), and interlanguage (IL). Each of these models is tackled in terms of its beginning, psychological background, essential tenets, mechanism, and its pedagogical value. Prominently, this work is aimed at teasing apart the confusion that surrounds the fields of acquiring second/foreign language. It also endeavors to clear out the overlapping of both terminology and concept that cloud these areas. Focus is placed on IL owing to the dominant share of attention it has received from researchers and applied linguists who have found many of their questions answered and many information-gaps filled in with this theory.
    [Show full text]
  • Multilingualism and Fmri: Longitudinal Study of Second Language Acquisition
    Brain Sci. 2013, 3, 849-876; doi:10.3390/brainsci3020849 OPEN ACCESS brain sciences ISSN 2076-3425 www.mdpi.com/journal/brainsci/ Article Multilingualism and fMRI: Longitudinal Study of Second Language Acquisition Edna Andrews 1,*, Luca Frigau 2, Clara Voyvodic-Casabo 3, James Voyvodic 3,4 and John Wright 1 1 Linguistics Program, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; E-Mail: [email protected] 2 Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; E-Mail: [email protected] 3 Brain Imaging and Analysis Center (BIAC), Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; E-Mails: [email protected] (C.V.-C.); [email protected] (J.V.) 4 Department of Radiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-919-660-3142; Fax: +1-919-660-3141. Received: 5 March 2013; in revised form: 3 May 2013 / Accepted: 7 May 2013 / Published: 28 May 2013 Abstract: BOLD fMRI is often used for the study of human language. However, there are still very few attempts to conduct longitudinal fMRI studies in the study of language acquisition by measuring auditory comprehension and reading. The following paper is the first in a series concerning a unique longitudinal study devoted to the analysis of bi- and multilingual subjects who are: (1) already proficient in at least two languages; or (2) are acquiring Russian as a second/third language. The focus of the current analysis is to present data from the auditory sections of a set of three scans acquired from April, 2011 through April, 2012 on a five-person subject pool who are learning Russian during the study.
    [Show full text]
  • The Case Against Monolingual Bias in Multilingualism
    Teachers College, Columbia University Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 42-44 The Forum The case against Monolingual Bias in Multilingualism Farah S. Akbar Teachers College, Columbia University Driven primarily by globalization, multilingualism has become a topic du jour in the field of applied linguistics in general and in critical applied linguistics in particular (May, 2013). Especially in the last decade, the field has witnessed an intensive period of research into multilingualism and multiple language acquisition. A fundamental premise for research in the field is that a multilingual is not the sum of many monolinguals in the same person. Hence an individual with more than one language needs to be studied as a multilingual, with researchers avoiding a so-called “monolingual bias” (Grosjean, 2008). This commentary presents a short description of the so-called monolingual bias, followed by a brief discussion of the critique mounted over this notion from within SLA, and concludes with a brief analysis of the proposed solution for a way out and forward by Ortega (2010). Grosjean’s (1985) attempt to present the bilingual speaker in a bilingual or holistic approach has influenced the debate on multilingualism. To him, the multilingual speaker can be compared to “a high hurdler who combines the two (or more) types of competencies, jumping and sprinting, in one person” (Herdina & Jessner, 2002, p. 59). Research in second language acquisition (SLA), however, has had a strong psycholinguistic anchoring, often with an emphasis on nativeness or near-nativeness. Hence, the educated native speaker has traditionally been the locus in achieving communicative competence in a second or additional language.
    [Show full text]
  • Examining the LLAMA Aptitude Tests
    Rogers, V. et al. (2017). Examining the LLAMA aptitude tests. Journal of the European Second Language Association, 1(1), 49–60, DOI: https://doi.org/10.22599/jesla.24 RESEARCH Examining the LLAMA aptitude tests Vivienne Rogers, Paul Meara, Thomas Barnett-Legh, Clare Curry and Emma Davie This study assesses the reliability1 of the LLAMA aptitude tests (Meara, 2005). The LLAMA tests were designed as shorter, free, language-neutral tests loosely based on the MLAT tests (Carroll & Sapon, 1959). They contain four sub-components: vocabulary acquisition, sound recognition, sound-symbol correspondence and grammatical inferencing. Granena (2013) and Rogers et al. (2016) provided initial results regarding factors which might influence LLAMA test scores. This paper develops this previous work by examining some of issues raised with a larger cohort and focuses on the following research questions. 1. Are the LLAMA tests language neutral? 2. What is the effect of bilingualism on LLAMA test scores? 3. What is the effect of age on LLAMA test scores? 4. How much variance can background factors account for in the LLAMA test results? Data were collected from 240 participants aged 10–75 for RQ1–3. We found no significant differences in terms of language background (RQ1) but instructed second language learners significantly outperformed monolinguals (RQ2). For RQ3 we found that the younger groups were outperformed by all the other groups. For RQ4, we investigated how much variance in LLAMA test results six individual background factors could explain. We combined data from Rogers et al. (2016) and this study giving 404 participants in total. Using a multiple regression analysis, we found that prior L2 instruction predicted more of the variance (6%) than any other factor.
    [Show full text]