After naming pictures in their second language (L2), bilinguals experience difficulty in naming pictures in their native language (L1). This phenomenon, the “L2 after-effect”, is a lingering ...consequence of language control mechanisms regulating the activation of L1 and L2 to facilitate L2 production. Building on the Inhibitory Control model proposed by Green (1998), we propose that how much language control is applied depends on the relative balance between the current activation of L1 and L2. In two experiments, Polish-English bilinguals immersed in their L1 performed a blocked picture-naming task. This paradigm provided a continuous measure of the relative balance between the two languages and made it possible to index engagement of control by measuring the L2 after-effect. The results indicate that the higher the activation level of L1 and the lower the activation level of L2, the bigger the L2 after-effect. The results also revealed an enduring down-regulation of L1 activation level in more language-balanced speakers.
•Global language control is applied to L1 to facilitate L2 production.•The degree of engagement of language control depends on the relative balance between L1 and L2 activation.•Language-balanced speakers have a lower default activation level of L1 than L1-dominant speakers.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) children need to master at least one language (spoken or signed) to reach their full potential. Providing access to a natural sign language supports this goal. Despite ...evidence that natural sign languages are beneficial to DHH children, many researchers and practitioners advise families to focus exclusively on spoken language. We critique the Pediatrics article ‘Early Sign Language Exposure and Cochlear Implants’ (Geers et al., 2017) as an example of research that makes unsupported claims against the inclusion of natural sign languages. We refute claims that (1) there are harmful effects of sign language and (2) that listening and spoken language are necessary for optimal development of deaf children. While practical challenges remain (and are discussed) for providing a sign language-rich environment, research evidence suggests that such challenges are worth tackling in light of natural sign languages providing a host of benefits for DHH children – especially in the prevention and reduction of language deprivation.
Chinese has been the fastest growing modern foreign language in African societies in the last decade, due largely to the perceived rise of China as a global superpower and its recent explosion in ...investment in Africa. This paper focuses on how African youths’ language beliefs and motivation to learn Chinese as a global language have been affected by an ever-increasing complicated nexus of political and economic engagement between Africa and China. Based on conversations with 59 African international students in Chinese higher education, I unpack and highlight the prevalence of beliefs that Chinese is a critical and global language. The instrumental value of Chinese, both to the continent, to nation-states and to individuals, is also found to be a common refrain among research participants, which motivates them to pursue Chinese as linguistic capital. This study contributes to the wider discussions of language ideology, motivations and aspirations of language learning, while encouraging us to reflect on the changing hierarchical ordering of languages in the world linguistic system. Pedagogical and curriculum design implications are discussed at the end of the article.
Few previous studies have investigated the relationship between global perspective (GP) and willingness to communicate (WTC) in English. Hence, more studies are needed to validate their correlation. ...Furthermore, hardly any pertaining studies have been conducted at English Medium Instruction (EMI) universities. As such, the current study aimed to fill these gaps in the context of an EMI university in China, by investigating whether GP correlates with second language (L2) WTC and what factors impact the two variables. Data were collected from students
via
an online questionnaire (
n
= 315) and follow-up interviews (
n
= 11). The questionnaire findings confirmed a moderate positive correlation between GP and L2 WTC. The interview data unraveled that several factors influenced students’ L2 WTC, including needs and motivations driving L2 WTC, concerns constraining L2 WTC, and intercultural cognition facilitating L2 WTC. These findings suggest that: (A) students could be more determined to practice their English if they realize the significance of the role of English in their life; (B) teachers could foster students’ WTC by creating a non-threatening English-speaking environment and encouraging students to communicate in English in and outside the classroom; and (C) teachers could educate students about GP and L2 WTC, which might help to expand students’ horizon and stimulate their interests in foreign cultures and global affairs, so as to facilitate the sustainable growth of their English learning.
Since educators play a decisive role in the formation of language attitudes, this study analyses perceived competence, habits of language use and attitudes towards three languages in contact ...harboured by prospective teachers. Our research replicates a 20-year-old study and is comparative, as it parallels two European regions: the Basque Autonomous Community in Spain, and Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy. The sample was made up of 553 participants. Quantitative data were collected by means of the original questionnaire. Significant results were obtained, with strong effect sizes. As for the minority language, our results show that while Basque is mainly linked with the educational domain and tends to be used more often with younger people, the situation is different for Friulian, which is virtually absent from the educational domain and tends to be used in exchanges with older people. The status of majority language is especially true for Italian in FVG, which, in addition to being the main language in education, is predominantly used by future teachers in all domains of their daily life. As for English, our findings seem to indicate that its general position is becoming stronger, and this trend may be maintained in both contexts in the future.
Few mobile-assisted vocabulary learning approaches fully correspond to the authenticity principle of the situated learning theory (SLT). A novel practice of changing the smartphone system language to ...second language (L2), which intends to better implement SLT in a real smartphone context, is the focus of this study. To explore the potential of using this under-researched approach to facilitate L2 vocabulary learning, a mixed-method design was adopted to investigate its impact on vocabulary acquisition, global language learning motivation, and vocabulary learning motivation. Participants’ pre- and post-test scores on the vocabulary knowledge test and motivation questionnaires were compared between the experimental and control groups. Interviews were also conducted to understand learners’ perceptions of this novel approach. Both quantitative and qualitative results indicated that the approach of changing smartphone system language to L2 was effective in increasing learners’ vocabulary knowledge gains and improving their global and vocabulary learning motivation. These findings contribute to the literature on L2 vocabulary learning and provide significant pedagogical implications.
The Netherlands is home to an increasing number of English-language churches. These churches are often established with an international audience in mind: however, interestingly, they also attract a ...large number of Dutch as a first-language (L1) speakers. This article investigates the language attitudes and language choices of Dutch L1 speakers attending these churches. It examines the religious considerations behind their language choices, and the influence a second language (L2) might have on their faith experience. The study shows that, while English is indeed permeating the religious domain of the Netherlands, Dutch is still used in many contexts. For example, a majority of the participants, while favouring English as the main language of the church service, preferred to pray in Dutch. We also found that ideologies surrounding the English language guided many of the participants' language choices. Lastly, the English language brought participants a sense of distance that aided discussions about their faith and prevented negative feelings associated with the Dutch language from interfering. This study adds to the discussion of the global spread of English and sheds new light on linguistic attitudes and choices in religious contexts.
This paper investigates the interplay between language and intercultural communication with a special focus on the importance of working knowledge of foreign languages other than English for a ...satisfactory experience during longer sojourns abroad. Its authors present a revised understanding of the role of lingua franca English and a local language (here Polish) in intercultural relationships, especially the crucial influence of local languages on conversational control and social integration while in a foreign land. Our study has shown that lingua franca English is insufficient to successfully function abroad, and individuals deciding to resettle need to invest in learning a local language which, in the longer perspective, emerges as a medium for in-depth intercultural communication pertaining to self-positioning, relation building and meaning-making of the new semiotic budget.
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