The Effects of Spanish-Language Background on Completed Schooling and Aptitude Test Scores

We investigate the effect of speaking Spanish at home as a child on completed schooling and aptitude test scores using data on Hispanics who grew up in the U.S. from the NLSY79. We model the accumulation of traditional human capital and English fluency, leading to the joint determination of schooling and test scores. We find that speaking Spanish at home reduces test scores but has no significant effect on completed schooling. The reduction in test scores is more dramatic the higher the education of the parents and when the choice of home language is endogenous.Hispanics, language, aptitude, ability, NLSY79

LANGUAGE APTITUDE AND ITS RELATION TO ENGLISH SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS’ MASTERY OF GRAMMATICAL RULES: a case study of english conditional sentences

This research paper attempts to reveal the correlation of language aptitude and English second language learners’ mastery of conditional sentences. It also investigates the relationship between three constituent abilities of language aptitude, such as Rote Memory, Phonetic Coding, and Grammatical Sensitivity, and the learners’ mastery of conditional sentences. The study employed a quantitative method. The theory used in the study is language aptitude which is proposed by John Carroll (1981). Two instruments were used in the study, such as the Modern Language Aptitude Test and test on conditional sentences, while the subject of the study involved 20 students who are taking English Language and Literature as their major in a state university in Bandung. The findings reveal that there is a weak positive relationship between language aptitude and English second language learners’ mastery of conditional sentences (r = 0.35). The three constituent abilities of language aptitude also correlate to English second language learners’ mastery of conditional sentences. The obtained r of Rote Memory is -0.39 which indicates a weak negative relationship, while the obtained r of Phonetic Coding is -0.01 and Grammatical Sensitivity is 0.73

Pitch ability as an aptitude for tone learning

Tone languages such as Mandarin use voice pitch to signal lexical contrasts, presenting a challenge for second/foreign language (L2) learners whose native languages do not use pitch in this manner. The present study examined components of an aptitude for mastering L2 lexical tone. Native English speakers with no previous tone language experience completed a Mandarin word learning task, as well as tests of pitch ability, musicality, L2 aptitude, and general cognitive ability. Pitch ability measures improved predictions of learning performance beyond musicality, L2 aptitude, and general cognitive ability and also predicted transfer of learning to new talkers. In sum, although certain nontonal measures help predict successful tone learning, the central components of tonal aptitude are pitch-specific perceptual measures

The Development of Language Learning Aptitude and Metalinguistic Awareness in Primary-School Children: A Classroom Study

In the typical foreign language classroom, many learners all over the world find themselves in a minimal-input environment. Existing research suggests that in such a setting, adolescents typically outperform younger children. The greater cognitive maturity of older learners manifests itself in greater language learning aptitude, greater metalinguistic awareness, and enhanced capacity for explicit learning. We examined whether the teaching and learning of either Esperanto or French would facilitate the development of language learning aptitude and metalinguistic awareness in 8-9-year-old children (N=28), thus setting the scene for enhanced explicit learning even at a young age. Following instruction in either Esperanto or French over a school year, children made significant gains on measures of aptitude, metalinguistic awareness, and L2 proficiency. Effect sizes in the Esperanto group were larger throughout, however, with greater homogeneity of performance in evidence and a closer association between aptitude, metalinguistic awareness, and L2 proficiency at the end of the treatment. Moreover, Esperanto proved significantly easier to learn than French, with larger gains in L2 proficiency achieved by the Esperanto group compared with the French group. Finally, we found that language-analytic ability emerged as a significant predictor of L2 achievement in the sample as a whole

Neurology of foreign language aptitude

This state-of-the art paper focuses on the poorly explored issue of foreign language aptitude, attempting to present the latest developments in this field and reconceptualizations of the construct from the perspective of neuroscience. In accordance with this goal, it first discusses general directions in neurolinguistic research on foreign language aptitude, starting with the earliest attempts to define the neurological substrate for talent, sources of difficulties in the neurolinguistic research on foreign language aptitude and modern research methods. This is followed by the discussion of the research on the phonology of foreign language aptitude with emphasis on functional and structural studies as well as their consequences for the knowledge of the concept. The subsequent section presents the studies which focus on lexical and morphosyntactic aspects of foreign language aptitude. The paper ends with a discussion of the limitations of contemporary research, the future directions of such research and selected methodological issues

Language aptitude: Desirable trait or acquirable attribute?

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

Metalinguistic Knowledge and Language Ability in University-Level L2 Learners

Existing research indicates that instructed learners' L2 proficiency and their metalinguistic knowledge are moderately correlated. However, the operationalization of the construct of metalinguistic knowledge has varied somewhat across studies. Metalinguistic knowledge has typically been operationalized as learners' ability to correct, describe, and explain L2 errors. More recently, this operationalization has been extended to additionally include learners' L1 language-analytic ability as measured by tests traditionally used to assess components of language learning aptitude. This article reports on a study which employed a narrowly focused measure of L2 proficiency and incorporated L2 language-analytic ability into a measure of metalinguistic knowledge. It was found that the linguistic and metalinguistic knowledge of advanced university-level L1 English learners of L2 German correlated strongly. Moreover, the outcome of a principal components analysis suggests that learners' ability to correct, describe, and explain highlighted L2 errors and their L2 language-analytic ability may constitute components of the same construct. The theoretical implications of these findings for the concept of metalinguistic knowledge in L2 learning are considered. © Oxford University Press 2007

Explicit and implicit aptitude effects on second language speech learning: scrutinizing segmental and suprasegmental sensitivity and performance via behavioural and neurophysiological measures

The current study examines the role of cognitive and perceptual individual differences (i.e., aptitude) in second language (L2) pronunciation learning, when L2 learners’ varied experience background is controlled for. A total of 48 Chinese learners of English in the UK were assessed for their sensitivity to segmental and suprasegmental aspects of speech on explicit and implicit modes via behavioural (language/music aptitude tests) and neurophysiological (electroencephalography) measures. Subsequently, the participants’ aptitude profiles were compared to the segmental and suprasegmental dimensions of their L2 pronunciation proficiency analyzed through rater judgements and acoustic measurements. According to the results, the participants’ segmental attainment was associated not only with explicit aptitude (phonemic coding), but also with implicit aptitude (enhanced neural encoding of spectral peaks). Whereas the participants’ suprasegmental attainment was linked to explicit aptitude (rhythmic imagery) to some degree, it was primarily influenced by the quality and quantity of their most recent L2 learning experience