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Descriptors:
Ethnicity; Language Acquisition; Immersion Programs; Parent Participation; Parent School Relationship; Uncommonly Taught Languages; Second Language Learning; Qualitative Research; Korean; English (Second Language); Interviews; Self Concept; Outcomes of Education; Bilingual Education; Parent Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Student Attitudes

Abstract:
This qualitative study examines the experiences of Korean-American students, parents and teachers in a newly instituted 50/50 Korean-English dual language immersion programme, where the majority of the students are of Korean descent. Based on home and school observations, as well as interviews with six Korean-American students and their parents and teachers, the data provided insights into the perceived benefits and challenges of participation in a dual language immersion programme. Although parents and children recognised the potential of the programme to develop bilingualism and biculturalism and foster stronger ethnic identity, they also perceived inequities in the ways in which the programme was organised and instruction was executed. The characteristics of the programme brought forth tensions for the parents and teachers in terms of expectations for language development in English vs. Korean, academic outcomes of bilingual vs. English-only education, parental involvement among Korean vs. non-Korean parents and instructional needs of Korean vs. non-Korean students. Furthermore, the analysis highlighted both shared perspectives as well as perspectives that were unique to children, parents and teachers arising from their different roles in the school. Implications for improved practices and policies for dual language immersion programmes for the less commonly taught languages are provided. (Contains 2 figures and 1 note.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Nouns; Semantics; Morphology (Languages); Human Body; Grammar; Case Studies; Uncommonly Taught Languages; Role; Comparative Analysis; Finno Ugric Languages; Linguistic Theory; Language Research

Abstract:
Body parts have played an important role in the development of theories describing grammaticalization processes (Heine and Kuteva, 2002, pp. 62-63 and 165-171). Within Uralic linguistics, this particular area of study has not yet received a great deal of attention, although the agglutinative character of most of these languages is known to have resulted in a large number of postpositions that are derived from a nominal basis. This paper will focus on body parts as the basis of grammaticalization processes in Mordvin, and compare these findings with expected development paths. For in a recent study, (Suutari, 2006) it is argued that Finno-Ugric languages in some respects do not follow the standard grammaticalization paths. An important part of this paper will therefore be to see whether the developments in Mordvin are in line with these recent findings. (Contains 7 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Acoustics; Foreign Countries; Vowels; Bilingualism; Multivariate Analysis; College Students; Linguistic Input; Second Language Learning; Language Acquisition; Mothers; Speech Communication; Parent Child Relationship; Indigenous Populations; Uncommonly Taught Languages; Language Research

Abstract:
Distributional learning is a proposal for how infants might learn early speech sound categories from acoustic input before they know many words. When categories in the input differ greatly in relative frequency and overlap in acoustic space, research in bilingual development suggests that this affects the course of development. In the present study we describe the nature and extent of vowel variation in nearly 900 vowel tokens in maternal speech in Gurindji Kriol, a mixed language of northern Australia, which, like bilingual input, has differences in the relative frequency of adjacent, overlapping vowel categories. In Analysis 1, we provide the first systematic account of vowel variation and phone frequency in maternal speech in Gurindji Kriol. In Analysis 2, cluster analysis was applied to the vowel formant and duration data, to see what categories might emerge from acoustic data alone. The results suggest that, were infants to base their initial vowel categories solely on the clusters emerging in acoustic space, they might likely set up relatively few vowel categories. We discuss implications for how infants may learn Gurindji Kriol and for distributional learning. (Contains 1 note, 1 table and 4 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Evidence; Topography; Foreign Countries; Spatial Ability; Time; Futures (of Society); Indigenous Populations; Self Concept; Nonverbal Communication; Uncommonly Taught Languages; Concept Formation; Time Perspective; Schemata (Cognition)

Abstract:
Time, an everyday yet fundamentally abstract domain, is conceptualized in terms of space throughout the world's cultures. Linguists and psychologists have presented evidence of a widespread pattern in which deictic time--past, present, and future--is construed along the front/back axis, a construal that is "linear" and "ego-based". To investigate the universality of this pattern, we studied the construal of deictic time among the Yupno, an indigenous group from the mountains of Papua New Guinea, whose language makes extensive use of allocentric topographic (uphill/downhill) terms for describing spatial relations. We measured the pointing direction of Yupno speakers' gestures--produced naturally and without prompting--as they explained common expressions related to the past, present, and future. Results show that the Yupno spontaneously construe deictic time spatially in terms of allocentric topography: the past is construed as downhill, the present as co-located with the speaker, and the future as uphill. Moreover, the Yupno construal is not linear, but exhibits a particular geometry that appears to reflect the local terrain. The findings shed light on how, our universal human embodiment notwithstanding, linguistic, cultural, and environmental pressures come to shape abstract concepts. (Contains 1 table and 4 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Language Processing; Linguistic Theory; Grammar; Uncommonly Taught Languages; Morphology (Languages); Syntax; Classification; Language Research; Languages

Abstract:
This epilogue addresses the most important topics and challenges for the Morphosyntactic Level in Functional Discourse Grammar that have been raised in the articles in this Special Issue. We begin by exploring the differences between the Morphosyntactic Level in FDG and the treatment of morphosyntactic phenomena in other linguistic frameworks. We then concentrate on the relevance of typological work to the construction of the formalism and to the organization of the Morphosyntactic Level. We conclude that one of its main advantages is its flexibility in accounting for the morphosyntactic diversity of the languages of the world. This flexibility is the result of three main aspects: the distinction between a configurational and a hierarchical ordering of units, the influence of external factors such as iconicity, domain integrity and functional stability, and compatibility with general observations on human language processing and production which result in a dynamic implementation of the Morphosyntactic Level. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Gifted; Indigenous Populations; Foreign Countries; Epistemology; Culturally Relevant Education; Teaching Methods; Uncommonly Taught Languages; Indigenous Knowledge; Educational Theories; Ceremonies

Abstract:
A systemic theory of gifted education, and in particular the notion of the actiotope receives surprising support from an epistemology until recently largely unrecognized and undervalued--that of Australian Aborigines. As part of an ongoing transdisciplinary collaborative research practice, a group Yolngu (north east Arnhem Land Aboriginal) elders have been advising education authorities on culturally appropriate approaches to the education of young people in remote communities, including the education of gifted children. Yolngu grow up speaking Australian languages within communities which maintain traditional cultural and ceremonial lives. Their knowledge authorities work to ensure that the practices of schooling enhance rather than undermine the always ongoing traditional collective practices of remaking strong Aboriginal culture into the new generation. In this article, the author first shares a story, then provides three comments on the systemic theory. (Contains 1 note.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Language Tests; Foreign Countries; Language Skills; Word Recognition; Usability; Vocabulary Development; Nouns; Case Studies; Indigenous Populations; Uncommonly Taught Languages; Receptive Language; Language Acquisition; Test Validity; Test Reliability

Abstract:
This article reports on the development and piloting of a vocabulary recognition test designed for Indigenous Australian children. The research is both application oriented and development oriented. The aims of the article are to determine how well the test is used as a test instrument and the extent to which children recognize vocabulary items in Walmajarri (a local Indigenous language still spoken mainly by the older generation). The test was developed in collaboration with one community and extended to three neighboring communities where the same Indigenous language is spoken. Children's receptive knowledge of vocabulary items (nouns) in Walmajarri was tested, with 80 child participants across all communities. The usability of the test is discussed, as well as results of this language test, and recommendations are offered for future research in this area. (Contains 4 figures, 8 tables, and 9 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Strategies; Teaching Methods; Semitic Languages; Foreign Countries; Educational Change; Bilingualism; Bilingual Students; Vocabulary Development; Preschool Children; Elementary School Students; Correlation; Language Attitudes; Childhood Attitudes; Parents; Teachers; Teacher Surveys; Interviews; Questionnaires; Instructional Materials; Achievement Tests; Uncommonly Taught Languages

Abstract:
In this study, the researchers attempted to address the main hypothesis that diglossia may impede vocabulary growth of Lebanese bilingual students [in L1 Arabic], but they should eventually catch up in the upper cycle. A correlation design based on a two-stage random sample was used with 100 participants including pre-schoolers, first, second, fourth and fifth graders, answering a standardized, US normed picture vocabulary test. Parents and teachers were also surveyed to answer a number of questions related to children's language preference at home and at school and vocabulary teaching practices. The results obtained show that their Arabic skills were not grade appropriate, especially the older students. Thus the negative effect worsens for the older group. Both parents and teachers recognized the challenges posed by the diglossia effect and most of them had no reliable strategies to draw on. Diglossia was therefore shown to impede vocabulary development in young Arabic of Lebanese bilingual students, a finding which should call for a reform in the Arabic language instruction in the school system. Implications of the study are detailed, and a number of instructional strategies are provided to palliate the effect of diglossia and address the Arabic language deficits in Lebanon. (Contains 3 tables and 1 footnote.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Uncommonly Taught Languages; Second Languages; Second Language Learning; Academic Standards; Educational Objectives; Second Language Instruction; Cultural Awareness; Communicative Competence (Languages); National Standards; Language Usage; Expectation; College Students; Student Attitudes; Goal Orientation

Abstract:
The "Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century" represent a major effort for setting goals for language instruction across the United States and across instructional levels. They provide descriptions of what "language students should know and be able to do" through 11 content standards in five goal areas, the five C's--Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities--which, as Byrnes (2008) pointed out, "pertain to diverse facets of language use." The framework of interrelated goals has helped states institute standards for learning, helped teachers set learning goals, and helped students achieve them. It has had a major impact on language teaching and student learning in the United States. This study investigates the alignment between student goals and expectations and the Standards. First, it investigates whether university students report having goals that align with the goals in the Standards, as well as whether students believe they will achieve these goals by the end of their formal university studies. Then, it explores differences in the goals and expectations of students of commonly taught languages (CTLs) and less commonly taught languages (LCTLs). This research shows that postsecondary students' perspectives of their own reported goals for language learning align well with the Standards. In that students' own views had not previously been measured directly, this finding is most welcome to a profession that is preparing curriculum toward the goals articulated through this framework. It is particularly compelling that postsecondary students share the goals of the Standards, which could help put to rest doubts that the Standards are applicable to that level of instruction. It is equally important that LCTL students share the goals of the Standards, in fact even more than CTL students, which should encourage continued development of standards specific to these groups. (Contains 4 figures, 1 table and 7 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Uncommonly Taught Languages; Second Languages; Second Language Learning; Educational Technology; Language Skills; Educational Research; Research Methodology; Research Problems; Literature Reviews; Language Research; Higher Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Second Language Instruction; Educational Theories; Instructional Effectiveness; Web 2.0 Technologies; Web Sites; Electronic Publishing; Computer Assisted Instruction; Computer Mediated Communication; Social Networks; Computer Simulation

Abstract:
This article reviews current research on the use of Web 2.0 technologies in second language (L2) learning. Its purpose is to investigate the theoretical perspectives framing it, to identify some of the benefits of using Web 2.0 technologies in L2 learning, and to discuss some of the limitations. The review reveals that blogs and wikis have been the most studied Web 2.0 tools, while others, such as social networking applications and virtual worlds, have been less frequently explored. In addition, the most commonly investigated languages have been English, Spanish, German, and French. Considerably less research has been conducted on applying Web 2.0 technologies to less commonly taught languages, such as Arabic, Chinese, or Russian. Additionally, the language learning environments afforded by Web 2.0 technologies have greatly broadened the scope of topics explored in computer-assisted language learning (CALL): from earlier research which tended to concentrate on the traditional four broad language skills, to more recent topics, such as learners' identities, online collaboration, and learning communities. Although very few studies surveyed have actually examined students' progress and learning outcomes associated with these tools, the most frequently reported benefit associated with Web 2.0 technologies is the favorable language learning environments they help to foster. Finally, this review found that much research on Web 2.0 technology and language learning is not clearly grounded in theory, and that a number of studies suffer from a set of common methodological limitations. (Contains 5 notes and 8 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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