Research on the Application of Intelligent Evaluation and Teacher-student Cooperation Assessment System in Teaching English Writing

Low efficiency in teaching and time-consuming in writing evaluation are two big problems for college English teachers. Therefore, it is necessary to create a new teaching model to solve these problems existing in traditional classroom-based teaching. This research adopts the research methods of test comparison before and after the students’ composition experiment, questionnaire and semi-open interviews. Empirical research on a new teaching model that integrates the intelligent composition review and reform system represented by Piangai.com and the collaborative evaluation of teachers and students is conducted. The research results show that the new writing teaching model improves the quality of students’ writing, promotes students’ learning initiative, and enhances students’ writing self-efficacy. This writing teaching model provides ideas for solving the problem of time-consuming and inefficient English writing teaching in large classes

The effect of study abroad experience and working memory on Chinese-English consecutive interpreting performance

This thesis investigates how study abroad experience (SAE) and working memory (WM) influence interpreting performance. Using a second language (L2) is cognitively demanding because it involves activation of a new language and the inhibition of the first language (L1). This is a general issue with all bilinguals, who have to suppress or control whichever language is currently not in use. As a special group of bilinguals, interpreters are expected to efficiently switch between the two languages by analysing input sound signals, extracting meaning, transforming, storing and retrieving the message in the input language, and then retrieving the lexicon in the target language that will be appropriate for expressing that message, (re)formulating it and finally conveying it in the target language. Moreover, some or all of these operations take place in parallel, and this multi-tasking heavily taxes interpreters’ WM. The quality of interpreting performance is known to correlate with several variables, such as language proficiency, duration of training, and interpreting experience. One factor that has received little research attention is the effect of overseas experience: Does studying in a target-language environment benefit interpreting performance? Language learners, including interpreting students, are often advised to study abroad, but the benefits of this experience, especially for interpreters, is not well understood. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the present thesis examines the relationship between SAE, WM and interpreting performance. The main research questions examine whether students with SAE outperform those without such an experience in consecutive interpreting (CI), and how WM may be involved. The results show that students with SAE surpassed their non-SAE counterparts in word translation efficiency, L2 fluency and L2 grammatical accuracy. A similar trend was observed in study abroad participants’ overall CI performance from L2 to L1. It is worth noting that the tendency was independent of participants’ WM. Concerning WM, the results indicate that it was strongly correlated with interpreters’ bidirectional CI performance. That is, a larger WM could help achieve a better CI output in both language directions. Taken together, these findings suggest that two factors turn out to significantly influence CI performance, namely, prolonged and effective overseas study, and larger available WM resources. This research illustrates the importance of SAE and WM in interpreting, and sheds light on the relationships between language context, cognitive resources and interpreting performance. A better understanding of these relationships may have implications for future interpreting training and practice

Rapid neural processing of grammatical tone in second language learners

The present dissertation investigates how beginner learners process grammatical tone in a second language and whether their processing is influenced by phonological transfer. Paper I focuses on the acquisition of Swedish grammatical tone by beginner learners from a non-tonal language, German. Results show that non-tonal beginner learners do not process the grammatical regularities of the tones but rather treat them akin to piano tones. A rightwards-going spread of activity in response to pitch difference in Swedish tones possibly indicates a process of tone sensitisation. Papers II to IV investigate how artificial grammatical tone, taught in a word-picture association paradigm, is acquired by German and Swedish learners. The results of paper II show that interspersed mismatches between grammatical tone and picture referents evoke an N400 only for the Swedish learners. Both learner groups produce N400 responses to picture mismatches related to grammatically meaningful vowel changes. While mismatch detection quickly reaches high accuracy rates, tone mismatches are least accurately and most slowly detected in both learner groups. For processing of the grammatical L2 words outside of mismatch contexts, the results of paper III reveal early, preconscious and late, conscious processing in the Swedish learner group within 20 minutes of acquisition (word recognition component, ELAN, LAN, P600). German learners only produce late responses: a P600 within 20 minutes and a LAN after sleep consolidation. The surprisingly rapid emergence of early grammatical ERP components (ELAN, LAN) is attributed to less resource-heavy processing outside of violation contexts. Results of paper IV, finally, indicate that memory trace formation, as visible in the word recognition component at ~50 ms, is only possible at the highest level of formal and functional similarity, that is, for words with falling tone in Swedish participants. Together, the findings emphasise the importance of phonological transfer in the initial stages of second language acquisition and suggest that the earlier the processing, the more important the impact of phonological transfer

The Effect of Using Authentic Videos on English Major Students' Prosodic Competence

This study aims to investigate the effect of using authentic videos on the prosodic competence of foreign language learners. It is hypothesized worldwide that authentic videos have a positive effect on the EFL learners' supra segmental competence. The population of the study included 32 students majoring in English Language at Taibah University in KSA during the academic year 2011/2012. The sample consisted of two sections, a control group and an experimental one. A pretest was administered to both groups to ensure that they were homogeneous. The control group was taught supra segmental aspects of language using a traditional approach while the experimental group was taught authentic videos. About four months later, a posttest was administered. The results of the study showed that there was much progress in the experimental group which significantly outperformed the control group in the different aspects of prosody. These findings confirm the hypothesis which read videos can have a positive effect on the EFL learners' supra segmental competence.  Keywords :Supra segmental competence, authentic videos ,Saudi English major students as  EFL learners, Intonation, Pronunciation, Stress, Pause , Juncture , Rhyme ,  and Prosodic aspects of language

Combining translation into the second language and second language learning : an integrated computational approach

This thesis explores the area where translation and language learning intersects. However, this intersection is not one in the traditional sense of second language teaching: where translation is used as a means for learning a foreign language. This thesis treats translating into the foreign language as a separate entity, one that is as important as learning the foreign language itself. Thus the discussion in this thesis is especially relevant to an academic institution which contemplates training foreign language learners who can perform translation into the foreign language at a professional level. The thesis concentrates on developing a pedagogical model which can achieve the goal of fostering linguistic competence and translation competence at the same time. It argues that constructing such a model under a computerised framework is a viable approach, since the task of translation nowadays relies heavily on all kinds o

The Acquisition of Implicit Knowledge by Chinese & Spanish EFL Learners: Experimental Studies on Grammatical Errors in Egnlish questions and Pedagogical Implications

La tesi se centra en si els estudiants avançats d'ALE poden adquirir coneixement implícit, si les diferents primeres llengües (L1) dels estudiants d'ALE influeixen en l'adquisició de L2, i si la competència de producció lingüística dels estudiants d'ALE es desenvolupa simultàniament a la seva adquisició de coneixement gramatical. Mitjançant la realització d'experiments, incloses proves escrites, proves de seguiment de paraules i prova d'imitació oral provocada, la tesi investiga el coneixement implícit de les preguntes en anglès adquirit pels aprenents avançats xinesos i espanyols d’ALE. La tesi demostra que els trets morfosintàctics relacionats amb l'elecció de l'auxiliar i el temps de l'auxiliar constitueixen els reptes més freqüents per als estudiants d'ALE en l'adquisició de les preguntes en anglès. La influència interlingüística de la L1, resultant de la incongruència morfosintàctica L1-L2, és un dels principals factors que afecten els estudiants en l'adquisició d'ALE. La troballa experimental que mostra que la competència de producció dels estudiants avançats d'ALE no es desenvolupa simultàniament amb el seu coneixement gramatical proporciona proves addicionals que reforcen la conclusió que els estudiants avançats d'ALE no adquireixen un coneixement implícit de les preguntes en anglès equivalent al d'un parlant natiu. A partir d'aquests resultats, es proposen una sèrie d'implicacions pedagògiques relacionades amb la conscienciació, l'enfocament orientat a la producció i les activitats interactives per a millorar l'adquisició de les preguntes en anglès en estudiants d'ALE.La tesis se centra en si los estudiantes avanzados de ILE pueden adquirir conocimiento implícito, si las diferentes primeras lenguas (L1) de los estudiantes de ILE influyen en la adquisición de L2, y si la competencia de producción lingüística de los estudiantes de ILE se desarrolla simultáneamente a su adquisición de conocimiento gramatical. Mediante la realización de experimentos, que incluyen pruebas escritas, prueba de seguimiento de palabras y prueba de imitación oral provocada, la tesis investiga el conocimiento implícito de preguntas en inglés adquirido por estudiantes avanzados de inglés chinos y españoles como lengua extranjera. La tesis demuestra que los rasgos morfosintácticos relacionados con la elección del auxiliar y el tiempo del auxiliar constituyen los retos más frecuentes para los estudiantes de ILE en la adquisición de las preguntas en inglés. La influencia interlingüística de la L1, resultante de la incongruencia morfosintáctica L1-L2, es uno de los principales factores que afectan a los estudiantes en la adquisición de ILE. El hallazgo experimental que muestra que la competencia de producción de los estudiantes avanzados de ILE no se desarrolla simultáneamente con su conocimiento gramatical proporciona pruebas adicionales que refuerzan la conclusión de que los estudiantes avanzados de ILE no adquieren un conocimiento implícito de las preguntas en inglés equivalente al de un hablante nativo. A partir de estos resultados, se proponen una serie de implicaciones pedagógicas relacionadas con la concienciación, el enfoque orientado a la producción y las actividades interactivas para mejorar la adquisición de las preguntas en inglés en estudiantes de ILE.The thesis focuses on issues of whether advanced EFL learners can acquire implicit knowledge, whether EFL learners’ different first language (L1) backgrounds influence their acquisition, and whether EFL learners’ language production competence develops simultaneously with their acquisition of grammatical knowledge. By conducting experiments, including written tests, word monitoring test, and elicited oral imitation test, the thesis investigated the implicit knowledge of English questions acquired by Chinese and Spanish advanced EFL learners. The dissertation demonstrates that morphosyntactic features related to the choice of auxiliary and tense of auxiliary constitute the most prevalent challenges for EFL learners to acquire English questions. Cross-linguistic L1 influence, resulting from the L1-L2 morphosyntactic incongruency, is one major factor that affects EFL learners’ acquisition. The experimental finding showing that advanced EFL learners’ production competence does not develop simultaneously with their grammatical knowledge provides further evidence to reinforce the conclusion that advanced EFL learners do not acquire native-equivalent implicit knowledge of English questions. Based on these findings, pedagogical implications related to consciousness-raising, production-oriented approach, and interactive activities are proposed for improving EFL learners’ acquisition of English questions

On the Similarities Between Native, Non-native and Translated Texts

We present a computational analysis of three language varieties: native, advanced non-native, and translation. Our goal is to investigate the similarities and differences between non-native language productions and translations, contrasting both with native language. Using a collection of computational methods we establish three main results: (1) the three types of texts are easily distinguishable; (2) non-native language and translations are closer to each other than each of them is to native language; and (3) some of these characteristics depend on the source or native language, while others do not, reflecting, perhaps, unified principles that similarly affect translations and non-native language.Comment: ACL2016, 12 page