Examining Scientific Writing Styles from the Perspective of Linguistic Complexity

Publishing articles in high-impact English journals is difficult for scholars around the world, especially for non-native English-speaking scholars (NNESs), most of whom struggle with proficiency in English. In order to uncover the differences in English scientific writing between native English-speaking scholars (NESs) and NNESs, we collected a large-scale data set containing more than 150,000 full-text articles published in PLoS between 2006 and 2015. We divided these articles into three groups according to the ethnic backgrounds of the first and corresponding authors, obtained by Ethnea, and examined the scientific writing styles in English from a two-fold perspective of linguistic complexity: (1) syntactic complexity, including measurements of sentence length and sentence complexity; and (2) lexical complexity, including measurements of lexical diversity, lexical density, and lexical sophistication. The observations suggest marginal differences between groups in syntactical and lexical complexity.Comment: 6 figure

Review Essay: A Critique of Flynn's Parameter-Setting Model of Second Language Acquisition

This paper is a critique of the parameter-setting model of second language acquisition proposed by Suzanne Flynn. Flynn has applied the notion of a universal head direction parameter to the prediction of acquisition of English adverbial clause structure and anaphoric relations by L1 Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese learners. In two studies involving elicited imitation and comprehension of target language sentences, Flynn argues that the head direction parameter explains the pattern of results. One proficiency group of Spanish learners revealed a greater ease in production of postposed (forward) pronoun anaphora over prcposcd (backward) anaphora, while Japanese and Chinese learners showed no differences. Flynn claims that the match in head direction between Spanish and English favors this outcome and related results, while Japanese and Chinese learners have difficulty because of the mismatch. This critique raises serious questions as to the adequacy of Flynn's methodology and model to investigate the issue or explain the results

A reading model of young EFL learners regarding attention, cognitive-load and auditory-assistance

Audio-assisted reading (reading-while-listening) was commonly used as a pedagogical method in English (L2) learning. Numerous studies had reported its efficacy in English (L2) reading. Its efficacy in reading comprehension has been inconclusive due to the lack of studies on the relationship among attention, cognitive load and L2 reading comprehension, with the possibility that the synchronous auditory input lessens attention to the visual input. We present a study of 41 Mandarin-speaking 8-year-old children reading English texts in three modes in a between-participants design. Data of cognitive load, comprehension scores and attention were fitted to a formal mathematical model, which confirmed that influences on L2 reading comprehension could be captured by interactions between attention and cognitive load. Based on the findings, three implications regarding how to appropriately apply auditory-assistant tools to L2 reading were generated

(Dis)connections between specific language impairment and dyslexia in Chinese

Poster Session: no. 26P.40Specific language impairment (SLI) and dyslexia describe language-learning impairments that occur in the absence of a sensory, cognitive, or psychosocial impairment. SLI is primarily defined by an impairment in oral language, and dyslexia by a deficit in the reading of written words. SLI and dyslexia co-occur in school-age children learning English, with rates ranging from 17% to 75%. For children learning Chinese, SLI and dyslexia also co-occur. Wong et al. (2010) first reported on the presence of dyslexia in a clinical sample of 6- to 11-year-old school-age children with SLI. The study compared the reading-related cognitive skills of children with SLI and dyslexia (SLI-D) with 2 groups of children …postprin

Uncovering the myth of learning to read Chinese characters: phonetic, semantic, and orthographic strategies used by Chinese as foreign language learners

Oral Session - 6A: Lexical modeling: no. 6A.3Chinese is considered to be one of the most challenging orthographies to be learned by non-native speakers, in particular, the character. Chinese character is the basic reading unit that converges sound, form and meaning. The predominant type of Chinese character is semantic-phonetic compound that is composed of phonetic and semantic radicals, giving the clues of the sound and meaning, respectively. Over the last two decades, psycholinguistic research has made significant progress in specifying the roles of phonetic and semantic radicals in character processing among native Chinese speakers …postprin

An Internationally Adopted Child\u27s Transition: A Family Story

The goal of this study was to contribute to the literature on international adoption by conducting a case study with one adoptive family. Data was collected using a semi-structured, in-depth interview that was audio recorded and transcribed word-for-word. The interview questions asked about family configuration, language background and use, adoptive family decisions about cultural inclusiveness, and the transition from home to school. The analysis was member-checked following coding for the themes that emerged. Results indicated that lingering differences from reduced exposure to language in the first year of life took the form of subtle language differences that continued through the early school years. These were offset through family and community supports that facilitated successful transition to school. The culmination of the study is a family’s story that may help others appreciate the joys and challenges of international adoption

Exploring SL Writing and SL Sensitivity during Writing Tasks : poor and advanced writing in a context of second language other than English

This study integrates a larger research empirical project that examines second language (SL) learners’ profiles and valid procedures to perform complete and diagnostic assessment in schools. 102 learners of Portuguese as a SL aged 7 and 17 years speakers of distinct home languages were assessed in several linguistic tasks. In this article, we focused on writing performance in the specific task of narrative essay composition. The written outputs were measured using the score in six components adapted from an English SL assessment context (Alberta Education): linguistic vocabulary, grammar, syntax, strategy, socio-linguistic, and discourse. The writing processes and strategies in Portuguese language used by different immigrant students were analysed to determine features and diversity of deficits on authentic texts performed by SL writers. Differentiated performance was based on the diversity of the following variables: grades, previous schooling, home language, instruction in first language, and exposure to Portuguese as Second Language. Indo-Aryan languages speakers showed low writing scores compared to their peers and the type of language and respective cognitive mapping (such as Mandarin and Arabic) was the predictor, not linguistic distance. Home language instruction should also be prominently considered in further research to understand specificities of cognitive academic profile in a Romance languages learning context. Additionally, this study also examined the teachers representations that will be here addressed to understand educational implications of second language teaching in psychological distress of different minorities in schools of specific host countries.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rethinking avoidance of English phrasal verbs by Arab learners

2010 Summer.Includes bibliographic references (pages 209-227).Covers not scanned.Print version deaccessioned 2022.There is a long-standing controversy about the causes of underproduction (avoidance) of structures in second language learning/acquisition. A significant field of research has focused on one lexicalized phrase, the English phrasal verb. The present study explores the cultural dimensions of the avoidance of English phrasal verbs among 160 Arab learners of English. It examines the impact of educational background (EFL, ESL), levels of proficiency (advanced, intermediate), and the inherent semantic complexity of phrasal verb (literal, semi-transparent, figurative) on the avoidance of phrasal verbs. It also explores the role the environmental background plays in comprehending phrasal verbs. Although Arab learners in the study tended to under-use English phrasal verbs, there were significant developmental differences ranging from avoidance to nonavoidance based on participants’ educational background and level of proficiency and the semantic properties of phrasal verbs. This study calls into question straightforward interpretation of the avoidance phenomenon. Although these findings support previous studies’ results, they do not support previous studies that show that L1-L2 differences might motivate learners to develop a genuine avoidance; Arab learners in this study did not avoid literal phrasal verbs. The study offers interesting clues to the success of advanced ESL students in learning and mastering phrasal verbs