Early and Late Spanish-English Bilingual Adults' Perception of American English Vowels

Increasing numbers of Hispanic immigrants are entering the US (US Census Bureau, 2011) and are learning American English (AE) as a second language (L2). Many may experience difficulty in understanding AE. Accurate perception of AE vowels is important because vowels carry a large part of the speech signal (Kewley-Port, Burkle, & Lee, 2007). The relationship between native language and L2 vowel inventories causes some vowels to be more difficult to perceive accurately than others (Best & Tyler, 2007). The present study examined the patterns with which early and late Spanish-English bilingual adults assimilate AE vowels to their native vowel inventory and the accuracy with which they discriminate and identify the vowels. Early bilingual listeners demonstrated similar perceptual assimilation patterns to late bilingual listeners, but judged AE vowels as less Spanish sounding than did late learners. Additionally, discrimination and identification accuracy of L2 vowels improved with early age of L2 acquisition. However, early bilingual listeners’ vowel perception was not native-like. Certain AE vowels (/ʌ/, /ɑ/ and /æ/) were difficult to discriminate and identify. Perceptual assimilation patterns predicted categorial discrimination accuracy, an outcome posited by the Perceptual Assimilation Model-L2 (Best & Tyler, 1997)

Derivadas: una propuesta didáctica para Matemáticas I

Este Trabajo Fin de Máster pretende presentar una propuesta didáctica sobre las derivadas, un objeto matemático impartido en el primer curso de Bachillerato dentro de la asignatura Matemáticas I.<br /

Modelos probabilísticos y estadísticos en fiabilidad

La fiabilidad de sistemas es un tema interesante con múltiples aplicaciones tanto en Ingeniería como en Medicina. Después de una introducción al concepto de fiabilidad y sus aplicaciones, se comenzará con el análisis de la fiabilidad de sistemas (función estructural, sistemas en serie, en paralelo...). Después se pasará al estudio de la fiabilidad en función del tiempo, analizando las distintas distribuciones más utilizadas (exponencial, Weibull, geométrica). Se completará el estudio probabilístico con modelos más avanzados, como los riesgos competitivos (competing risks). Posteriormente se abordarán los modelos estadísticos utilizados en fiabilidad. Así, se analizarán la estimación paramétrica en los tiempos de vida (máxima verosimilitud) y una introducción a la estimación no paramétrica (estimador de Kaplan-Meier).<br /

Perception of American–English Vowels by Early and Late Spanish–English Bilinguals

Increasing numbers of Hispanic immigrants are entering the US and learning American–English (AE) as a second language (L2). Previous studies investigating the relationship between AE and Spanish vowels have revealed an advantage for early L2 learners for their accuracy of L2 vowel perception. Replicating and extending such previous research, this study examined the patterns with which early and late Spanish–English bilingual adults assimilated naturally-produced AE vowels to their native vowel inventory and the accuracy with which they discriminated the vowels. Twelve early Spanish–English bilingual, 12 late Spanish–English bilingual, and 10 monolingual listeners performed perceptual-assimilation and categorical-discrimination tasks involving AE /i,ɪ,ɛ,ʌ,æ,ɑ,o/. Early bilinguals demonstrated similar assimilation patterns to late bilinguals. Late bilinguals’ discrimination was less accurate than early bilinguals’ and AE monolinguals’. Certain contrasts, such as /æ-ɑ/, /ʌ-ɑ/, and /ʌ-æ/, were particularly difficult to discriminate for both bilingual groups. Consistent with previous research, findings suggest that early L2 learning heightens Spanish–English bilinguals’ ability to perceive cross-language phonetic differences. However, even early bilinguals’ native-vowel system continues to influence their L2 perception

Interpretare da e verso l’italiano: didattica e innovazione per la formazione dell’interprete

Il volume composto da 28 capitoli raccoglie l’esperienza di ricerca e di didattica dei docenti del Dipartimento di Interpretazione e Traduzione dell’Università di Bologna - Campus di Forlì - istituita nel 1989 e ufficialmente attiva dal 1990, come pure di suoi allievi ora docenti in altri atenei. Offre pertanto una variegata panoramica della riflessione, delle problematiche disciplinari e dell’impostazione pedagogica della “Scuola di Forlì”, arricchita anche dal contributo di “ospiti esterni” nazionali e internazionali che rappresentano indiscusse autorità negli Interpreting Studies sulle tematiche trasversali che qui affrontano. In questo Testo per la formazione dell’interprete emerge l’intento di conciliare tradizione e innovazione in una didattica che rivisita il processo interpretativo. Viene proposto un approccio contrastivo per evidenziare problematiche fonologiche, morfosintattiche, lessicali, semantiche, pragmatiche e culturali che potrebbero inficiare una rapida e corretta trasposizione tra l’italiano e, per la prima volta, in una pluralità di altre lingue. La didattica risulta innovativa anche perché accoglie i nuovi apporti tra cui, corpora di interpretazione, CAI tools, avanzate metodologie per la documentazione e gestione terminologica, didattica multimediale e a distanza, l’uso dell’attività teatrale. Il volume si articola in quattro parti: (1) Aspetti teorici e metodologici; (2) Problemi, strategie ed esercitazioni per coppie di lingue: interpretare COME(BCMS/Cinese/Francese/Inglese/Polacco/Portoghese/Russo/Spagnolo/Tedesco - Italiano; (3) Ambiti professionali: interpretare PER CHI; (4) Aspetti generali.This volume, consisting of 28 chapters, brings together the research and teaching experience of the teachers of the Department of Interpretation and Translation of the University of Bologna - Forlì Campus - established in 1989 and officially active since 1990, as well as of its students now teaching at other universities. It therefore offers a varied overview of the thinking, disciplinary issues and pedagogical approach of the "Forlì School", enriched also by the contribution of national and international "external guests" who are undisputed authorities in Interpreting Studies on the cross-cutting issues addressed here. In this Text for Interpreter Training the intention emerges of reconciling tradition and innovation in a didactic that revisits the interpretative process. A contrastive approach is proposed in order to highlight phonological, morphosyntactic, lexical, semantic, pragmatic and cultural problems that could affect a rapid and correct transposition between Italian and, for the first time, in a plurality of other languages. The didactics is innovative also because it welcomes new features such as interpreting corpora, CAI tools, advanced methodologies for terminology documentation and management, multimedia and distance learning, the use of theatrical activity. The book is divided into four parts: (1) Theoretical and methodological aspects; (2) Problems, strategies and exercises for language pairs: interpreting HOW (BCMS/Chinese/French/English/Polish/Portuguese/Russian/Spanish/German - Italian; (3) Professional fields: interpreting FOR WHOM; (4) General aspects