Fluency in Native and Nonnative English Speech
Fluency in Native and Nonnative English Speech

Author: Sandra Götz

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 902720358X

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This book takes a new and holistic approach to fluency in English speech and differentiates between productive, perceptive, and nonverbal fluency. The in-depth corpus-based description of productive fluency points out major differences of how fluency is established in native and nonnative speech. It also reveals areas in which even highly advanced learners of English still deviate strongly from the native target norm and in which they have already approximated to it. Based on these findings, selected learners are subjected to native speakers' ratings of seven perceptive fluency variables in order to test which variables are most responsible for a perception of oral proficiency on the sides of the listeners. Finally, language-pedagogical implications derived from these findings for the improvement of fluency in learner language are presented. This book is conceptually and methodologically relevant for corpus-linguistics, learner corpus research and foreign language teaching and learning.

Fluency in Native and Nonnative English Speech
Fluency in Native and Nonnative English Speech

Author: Sandra Götz

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2013-03-20

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 9027272336

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This book takes a new and holistic approach to fluency in English speech and differentiates between productive, perceptive, and nonverbal fluency. The in-depth corpus-based description of productive fluency points out major differences of how fluency is established in native and nonnative speech. It also reveals areas in which even highly advanced learners of English still deviate strongly from the native target norm and in which they have already approximated to it. Based on these findings, selected learners are subjected to native speakers' ratings of seven perceptive fluency variables in order to test which variables are most responsible for a perception of oral proficiency on the sides of the listeners. Finally, language-pedagogical implications derived from these findings for the improvement of fluency in learner language are presented. This book is conceptually and methodologically relevant for corpus-linguistics, learner corpus research and foreign language teaching and learning.

Non-native Speech
Non-native Speech

Author: Ulrike Gut

Publisher: Peter Lang

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 9783631591154

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Based on an innovative corpus-based approach, this book offers a comprehensive survey of the phonological and phonetic properties of L2 speech in English and German. The first part of the book critically examines current theoretical models and research methodologies in the field of second language acquisition of phonology and describes the advances that have been made in corpus linguistics over the past few years - in particular, the development of phonological learner corpora. It furthermore presents the first learner corpus of L2 English and L2 German that is fully aligned and has extensive phonological annotations: the LeaP corpus. The second part of the book describes the results of the quantitative and qualitative corpus analyses in the following areas of non-native speech: fluency, final consonant cluster realisation, vowel reduction and speech rhythm, intonation and general foreign accent. In addition, the influence of many non-linguistic factors, including instruction and a stay abroad, on the phonological properties of non-native speech is explored.

Language Proficiency in Native and Non-native Speakers
Language Proficiency in Native and Non-native Speakers

Author: Jan H. Hulstijn

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2015-02-15

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 9027269025

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This book, written for both seasoned and novice researchers, presents a theory of what is called Basic and Higher Language Cognition (BLC and HLC), a theory aimed at making some fundamental issues concerning first and second language learning and bilingualism (more) empirical. The first part of the book provides background for and explication of the theory as well as an agenda for future research, while the second part reports on selected studies of language proficiency in native speakers, as well as non-native speakers, and studies of the relationship between literacy in a first and second language. Conceptual and methodological problems in measuring language proficiency in research on second language acquisition and bilingualism are also discussed. Further, the notion of levels of language proficiency, as rendered by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), is critically examined, suggesting ways of empirically investigating a number of questions that the CEFR raises but is not capable of answering.

The Native Speaker
The Native Speaker

Author: Alan Davies

Publisher: Multilingual Matters

Published: 2003-01-01

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 9781853596223

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Linguists, applied linguists and language teachers all appeal to the native speaker as an important reference point. But what exactly (who exactly?) is the native speaker? This book examines the native speaker from different points of view, arguing that the native speaker is both myth and reality.

¿Por Qué? 101 Questions About Spanish
¿Por Qué? 101 Questions About Spanish

Author: Judy Hochberg

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2016-10-20

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 1474227929

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¿Por qué? 101 Questions about Spanish is for anyone who wants to understand how Spanish really works. Standard textbooks and grammars describe the "what" of Spanish - its vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and pronunciation - but ¿Por qué? explains the "why". Judy Hochberg draws on linguistic principles, Hispanic culture, and language history to answer questions such as: Why are so many Spanish verbs irregular? - Why does Spanish have different ways to say "you"? - Why is h silent? - Why doesn't Spanish use apostrophes? - Why does Castilian Spanish have the th sound? Packed with information, guidance, and links to further research, ¿Por qué? is an accessible study guide that is suitable for Spanish students, instructors, native speakers, and the general reader. It is a valuable supplementary text for serious students of Spanish at all levels, from beginning to advanced. ¿Por qué? also covers topics usually left to specialized books, including the evolution of Spanish, how children and adults learn Spanish, and the status of languages that co-exist with Spanish, from Catalan to Spanish sign language to the indigenous languages of Latin America.

Fluency and Its Teaching
Fluency and Its Teaching

Author: Marie-Noëlle Guillot

Publisher: Multilingual Matters

Published: 1999-01-01

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 9781853594397

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We can all recognize fluency and practice it, but often do not understand what linguistic and paralinguistic operations are involved. This text tries to solve this puzzle. It begins by exploring perceptions of fluency to understand their common denomimators. It goes on to pinpoint the specific features which promote fluency while emphasizing its relative and interactional nature. These analyses produce both a methodological framework and a pedagogical strategy, illustrated by sample classroom activities. Language teachers, applied linguists, linguists and their students should find this book an accessible companion to the teaching and study of oral language, with French as its domain of application.

Second Language Speech Fluency
Second Language Speech Fluency

Author: Parvaneh Tavakoli

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-12-17

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 1108603432

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Second language (L2) fluency is an exciting and fast-moving field of research, with clear practical applications in language teaching. This book provides a lively overview of the current advances in the field of L2 fluency, and connects the theory to practice, presenting a hands-on approach to using fluency research across a range of different language-related professions. The authors introduce an innovative multidisciplinary perspective, which brings together research into cognitive and social factors, to understand fluency as a dynamic variable in language performance, connecting learner-internal factors such as speech processing and automaticity, to external factors such as task demands, language testing, and pragmatic interactional demands in communication. Bringing a much-needed multidisciplinary and novel approach to understanding the complex nature of L2 speech fluency, this book provides researchers, students and language professionals with both the theoretical insights and practical tools required to understand and research how fluency in a second language develops.

Learner Corpora in Language Testing and Assessment
Learner Corpora in Language Testing and Assessment

Author: Marcus Callies

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Published: 2015-04-15

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 9027268703

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The aim of this volume is to highlight the benefits and potential of using learner corpora for the testing and assessment of L2 proficiency in both speaking and writing, reflecting the growing importance of learner corpora in applied linguistics and second language acquisition research. Identifying several desiderata for future research and practice, the volume presents a selection of original studies, covering a variety of different languages. It features studies that present very thoroughly compiled new corpus resources which are tailor-made and ready for analysis in LTA, new tools for the automatic assessment of proficiency levels, and new methods of (self-)assessment with the help of learner corpora. Other studies suggest innovative research methodologies of how proficiency can be operationalized through learner corpus data. The volume is of particular interest to researchers in (applied) corpus linguistics, learner corpus research, language testing and assessment, as well as for materials developers and language teachers.