Embedded Aspect in L2 Acquisition: Evidence from L1 Russian Learners of Greek.

This work investigates first language (L1) influence on the second language (L2) acquisition of aspect, comparing participants with homogeneous L1 background (Russian) in Mainland Greece (L2 Standard Modern Greek) and Cyprus (L2 Cypriot Greek), where verb complementation takes a finite form instead of an infinitival as is possible in Russian. Focus of the experimental study lies on embedded environments, which require only perfective aspect in Greek but allow either perfective or imperfective in Russian. The findings support the Full Transfer/Full Access Hypothesis, according to which aspect is part of Universal Grammar and L2 learners can reach native�‑like attainment due to access to it, while at the initial stage of L2 acquisition transfer from L1 into L2 takes place

L2 Acquisition of English present perfect semantic and pragmatic conditions

This study investigates L2 acquisition of English present perfect by Greek Cypriot Greek speakers. One hundred Greek Cypriot university students took part in the study, the first part of which examined the sensitivity to grammatical norms (a passage correction task, based on Odlin et al. 2006), and the other part was focused on the production of English present perfect (elicitation of natural discourse, essays about personal experience). The results showed that L2 learners used more non-target tense forms (present simple and past simple) than the target present perfect in typical contexts, which is due to transfer from L1 Cypriot Greek (CG). The data only partially supports the Inherent Lexical Aspect Hypothesis (Andersen and Shirai 1996; Bardovi-Harlig 1999), as L2 learners used perfective and past tense morphology with both punctual-telic predicates (achievements or accomplishments) and atelic or durative predicates (state or activity), though their production of target present perfect improves with more years of exposure to L2 English and there is a decrease in the use of stative and activity verbs with perfective and past tense marking

Object clitic production by simultaneous Russian-Cypriot Greek bilinguals

This study investigates linguistic development of bilingual children in Cyprus, specifically with respect to object clitic production. Twenty-three Russian–Cypriot Greek (CG) simultaneous bilingual children took part in the study. Greek oral production data, obtained via elicited story-telling (Tsimpli et al. 2007), was recorded, transcribed and analysed in terms of object clitic (non)target production/omission and relevant features such as gender, case, number and person. The analysis of the data showed that the linguistic development of bilingual children is influenced by the quantity and quality of input and their linguistic environment as well as by their mothers’ linguistic profile and background

L2 Acquisition of English Present Perfect Interpretations

The present study investigates the role of first language (L1), in our case Cypriot Greek (CG) or Standard Greek (SG), in the second language (L2) acquisition of English present perfect in terms of form and meaning possibilities. With respect to native speakers of CG in particular, the primary goal is to determine whether transfer from the mother�‑tongue, in which present perfect has only a resultative reading and simple past a resultative, an existential or a definite reading, influences the acquisition of the English present perfect. It is assumed that L2 acquisition involves establishing connections between the semantic properties/overt markers for each reading and the English present perfect. Diagnostic tests proposed by Agouraki (2006) are employed in this study, based on the (in)compatibility of certain types of adverbial markers with the existential reading and the resultative reading, respectively, as well as on the distinct semantic properties of the two readings. Almost 400 participants took part in this research. The results show that there is a certain effect of L1 on the L2 acquisition of English present perfect by CG�‑ and SG�‑speaking pupils, which is argued to be mainly due to the different patterns of meanings and forms in CG, SG and English

From family to university: Best practices for inclusive tertiary education

This article investigates practices and integration strategies implemented by a European network of universities with regard to refugees and international students, in particular, integration practices at two levels: governance and policies, regarding the institutional initiatives used and their relative success; second, the experience of such policies by international students. Our study revealed that in relation to refugee integration there is an overall lack of organisation, with too little, scattered information with respect to a bottom-up policy. In contrast, with regard to international students the system works fairly well, due to the top-down policy promoted by the EU. We propose that the EU put in place a specific program for refugee integration, such as ERASMUS+, focused on strengthening links with refugee families and schools with a high proportion of refugees

Heritage Language Use, Maintenance and Transmission by Second-Generation Immigrants in Cyprus

There are both culturalist and structuralist approaches to the integration of the second-generation immigrants into mainstream society. These approaches focus on cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic assimilation. Successful societal membership is associated with psychosocial adaptation, hybrid identity, selective acculturation or biculturalism, which is an individual’s adjustment to new psychological and social conditions. Individual identity is related to the sense of belonging, integration and engagement in the current space. Self-identity is fluid and flexible; it comprises individual and collective identity, habitus or unconscious identity, agency and reflexivity, which is re-evaluated and adjusted throughout the life trajectory of a migrant and connected to citizenship and solidarity. This study investigated heritage language use, maintenance and transmission, as well as language and cultural identity and social inclusion of second-generation immigrants in Cyprus with various L1 backgrounds. The analysis of the data (e.g. questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, observations) showed that second-generation immigrants have a hybrid language and cultural identity, as well as multifarious perceptions regarding citizenship, inclusion and belonging. These immigrants try to assimilate to the target society, but at the same time they have a strong link with the community of residence, their L1 country and their heritage or home language. The participants also use mixed/multiple languages at home and elsewhere

The Interrelationship of Family Language Policies, Emotions, Socialisation Practices and Language Management Strategies

Multilingual families in immigrant/minority language contact settings face various challenges that are related to their affective and emotional domains, as well as to their well-being. This study investigated the interrelationship of the family language policies (FLPs), emotions, socialisation practices and language management strategies of immigrant Russian and mixed-marriage families in Cyprus. The participants were eighty multilingual families from low-middle-high socio-economic backgrounds, including two- and one-parent families who resided in rural or in urban areas. Forty were mixed-marriage (Russian wife and Greek Cypriot husband) families and 40 were Russian-speaking (both spouses Russian) immigrant families who resided in Cyprus. Data sources included a questionnaire about the families’ general backgrounds, the parents’ socio-economic status, their linguistic behaviour and their children’s language proficiency, and semi-structured interviews with the mothers focused on their FLP, home language development and socio-emotional well-being. An analysis of the diverse family types revealed both differences and similarities amongst Russian speakers in Cyprus and their FLPs. Russian speakers incorporated a wide range of language repertoires in their everyday lives. Multilingualism and the maintenance of the Russian language and culture were usually encouraged, as was the development of the children’s Russian-language literacy, and the parents often used the one-parent-one-language (OPOL) approach at home. In many cases, FLPs were characterised by translanguaging to enhance dynamic multilingualism and emotional well-being at home. However, not all of the efforts resulted in successful language transmission, which may have been due to individual and/or societal differences and family configurations

Language Ecology in Cyprus, Sweden and Estonia: Bilingual Russian-Speaking Families in Multicultural Settings

We investigated language transmission in Russian-speaking families in multilingual settings in Cyprus, Estonia and Sweden. What they have in common is their Russian-language background and the minority status of their native language. In Cyprus and Sweden, participants mainly come from immigrant and mixed-marriage communities, while in Estonia they live in a bilingual society, where Estonian is a prestigious language and Russian has low status. To investigate the complex contexts of the informants’ language choices, the language ecology theory was chosen as a theoretical framework. Particular attention was paid to similarities and differences in the three country groups under investigation. Written questionnaires and oral sociolinguistic interviews were used for data collection among Russian-speaking informants in the three countries. We asked whether Russian as the first language was (not) transmitted to the second generation and why. The attitudes towards bilingualism and Russian language transmission (including the change of these attitudes over time) – depending on the parents’ success in bringing up children bilingually – seemed to matter. Parental language choice is definitely one of the main factors contributing to successful transmission. A lot depend on whether there was a desire for integration with the dominant language community, for staying isolated and only preserving the home language or for having a balanced bilingual/multilingual approach and positive attitude towards both majority and minority languages. The socio-economic status, level of education and mother’s employment status played crucial roles in language transmission and attitudes. The linguistic repertoire of the father (minority, majority or mixed) also had an effect

Acoustic-orthographic interface in L2 phonology by L1 Cypriot-Greek speakers

The present study investigated the acoustic-orthographic interface in the phonology of L2 English by L1 Cypriot-Greek (CG) speakers. Seventy L1 CG undergraduate students completed a written dictation task, which examined how contrastive English vowels and consonants on word-level are perceived by CG and how the use of L2 affects these perceptions based on the different phoneme inventories and orthographies of CG and English. The findings suggest that there is an effect of L1 CG phonological and orthographic systems on L2 English vowel and consonant sound perception and written production

Смешение языков в семейном общении (на примере Кипра, Швеции и Эстонии)

The aim of this paper is to highlight translanguaging practices in the home among bilingual/multilingual Russian-speaking children and their parents in Cyprus, Sweden and Estonia. Multilingual families are the focus of our research: 50 in Cyprus, 20 in Estonia and 50 in Sweden. Using parental written question-naires with the focus on general background, socio-economic status and language proficiency, as well as oral semi-structured interviews and ethnographic participant observation, our study attempts to describe how family language policy is managed through translanguaging and literacy activities in multilingual Russian-speaking families in three different cultural and linguistic environments. Our results show both differences and similarities among Russian-speakers in the three countries, not only in their family language practices, but also in their attitudes towards the fluidity of language, language repertoires, translanguaging and Russian-language literacy. Russian-speakers incorporate a wide range of language repertoires in their everyday lives. Sometimes, such language contacts generate power struggles and the language ideological dimension becomes a key terrain to explore how speakers feel about the need to effectively attain a degree of multilingualism. Multilingualism and the maintenance of the Russian language and culture are usually encouraged, and parents often choose the one-parent-one-language approach at home. However, not all families make conscious choices regarding specific language management and may have “laissez-faire” attitudes to the use of languages in the family. We show how family language use and child-directed translanguaging can support, expand and enhance dynamic bilingualism/multilingualism, and reinforce and integrate minority language in a wider context: societal and educational