Promoting cross-linguistic awareness. English motion events in a multilingual teaching model

Abstract – The younger generations often learn English along with a number of other languages. Research into language learning seems to agree that multiple language acquisition and use is dynamic and concerns the whole mind system, where languages are interwoven (Cook 2016; Jessner 2008). This appears to encourage multilingual didactics, where the learners’ diverse languages are considered and transfer is viewed as an essential aspect of language development (Peukert 2015; Treffers-Daller, Sakel 2012). However, despite the existence of multilingual school programmes in the world, there seems to be a dearth of information on how teachers are prepared for multilingual teaching, a challenge that warrants attention in teacher education. Multilingual practices need to be informed by theoretical and practical knowledge and delivered by confident practitioners, who should have sound cross-linguistic awareness. The present article emphasises the importance of promoting cross-linguistic knowledge among primary teachers in education who will operate in multilingual educational contexts. It describes how Ladin student primary teachers in South Tyrol (Italy) are educated on how to develop and implement multilingual teaching strategies in the quadrilingual schools where they will work. At South Tyrolean Ladin schools, English is taught as a fourth language after Ladin, Italian, and German. More specifically, this article presents a qualitative case study on the teaching of English motion verbs within the multilingual didactic framework Integrated Linguistic Education at primary schools and in teacher education programmes (Cathomas 2015; Le Pape Racine 2007). The topic of motion events provided a good example of how students in education can be exposed to cross-linguistic research and of how theory and practice can be integrated.

Applying typological insights in a minority-language context: Motion event lexicalisations in Ladin, Italian, German and English texts compiled by Ladins

This paper investigates the lexical choices made by speakers of Ladin in describing the opening scene of Mayer’s (1969) Frog, where are you? in Ladin and in the other languages they learnt later in life (Italian, German and English). The focus of the investigation is on motion lexicalisation, which varies across languages in terms of preferred encoding patterns (Talmy 1985, 2000; Wälchli 2001). Relative frequencies are calculated for the variants occurring in the different languages, before turning to a qualitative discourse-analytic approach, which forms the core of the analysis. The results are discussed with reference to the fields of typology and cross-linguistic research. The analysed texts bring to the fore the necessity of distinguishing between national and regional idioms and the potential value of drawing cross-linguistic issues to the explicit attention of learners. Possible implications are considered with reference to the novel framework of Applied Language Typology (Filipović 2018

Cross-linguistic awareness in an English L4 education setting: Discovering language-specific phenomena in unrelated languages

This article shows how deixis and motion events prove to be ideal topics in the stimulation of reflection and enhancement of cross-linguistic awareness among South-Tyrolean speakers of Ladin, who learn English as a fourth language after Italian and German. The initial part of the article illustrates how a translation task that was focused on locative adverbials led students at upper-secondary school to recognise the extreme complexity of their own Ladin L1 adverbial system as compared to the more straightforward binary deictic system of English. The subsequent section shows how secondary-school and university students realised their difficulties in lexicalising motion events in English, arguably due to the different typological tendencies of other languages they learn or have learnt. The video clips that the study participants were asked to describe were subsequently integrated into multilingual and multimodal awareness-raising classes at primary school and in teacher education, where awareness-raising activities are fundamental.This article shows how deixis and motion events prove to be ideal topics in the stimulation of reflection and enhancement of cross-linguistic awareness among South-Tyrolean speakers of Ladin, who learn English as a fourth language after Italian and German. The initial part of the article illustrates how a translation task that was focused on locative adverbials led students at upper-secondary school to recognise the extreme complexity of their own Ladin L1 adverbial system as compared to the more straightforward binary deictic system of English. The subsequent section shows how secondary-school and university students realised their difficulties in lexicalising motion events in English, arguably due to the different typological tendencies of other languages they learn or have learnt. The video clips that the study participants were asked to describe were subsequently integrated into multilingual and multimodal awareness-raising classes at primary school and in teacher education, where awareness-raising activities are fundamental

English and other languages in a plurilingual pedagogical approach: A case study from northern Italy

Language teaching constantly needs to be adapted to changing societal realities, such as the spread of English as an international language or the growing linguistic complexity in Europe. A key question is whether and how languages could be treated together in school programmes to cater to a multilingual milieu. This article analyses a plurilingual pedagogical approach that is adopted in a few primary schools in the Italian province of South Tyrol. The research is a qualitative case study and draws on various theoretical perspectives, including the method model developed by Richards and Rodgers (1982, 2001, 2014). The dataset comprises analogue and digital data gathered through participant observation, field notes, personal communications, audio recordings, and school documents. Results show how a multilingual turn has taken root in the context examined, while reinforcing English acquisition

Challenges and Opportunities of Globalised English Language Education

Forcing the transition from traditional face-to-face, classroom-based methods to online teaching and learning, the Covid-19 pandemic has further expanded the challenges of contemporary education in a globalised world, characterised by increasing cultural and linguistic diversity. This paper provides a critical account of the Bolzano Meisei English Programme (BMP), a collaborative project established between the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano and Meisei University of Tokyo during the SARs-Cov-2 crisis in the spring of 2020. By reflecting on this experience, characterised by intrinsic aspects of originality related to the multilingual and multicultural background of the countries involved, the study aims to discuss the challenges and opportunities of online language teaching and learning in the global digital world. The study is framed in the perspective of Globalised Language Education (GLE) and based on ethnographic approaches (Starfield 2010; Carspecken 1996) and reflective analysis (Gibbs 1988). The dataset is comprised of analogue and digital data, collected in the form of field notes, personal communications, video recordings, email exchanges, and student reflections. BMP offered participants an international collaborative learning experience, supporting the idea that English can be a window into a range of cultures that are perhaps geographically distant but accessible through digital technologies. While the programme was successful in many respects and well received by participants and stakeholders, it also faced challenges that may be useful for future projects and the advancement of teacher education

Second asymptomatic carotid surgery trial (ACST-2): a randomised comparison of carotid artery stenting versus carotid endarterectomy

Background: Among asymptomatic patients with severe carotid artery stenosis but no recent stroke or transient cerebral ischaemia, either carotid artery stenting (CAS) or carotid endarterectomy (CEA) can restore patency and reduce long-term stroke risks. However, from recent national registry data, each option causes about 1% procedural risk of disabling stroke or death. Comparison of their long-term protective effects requires large-scale randomised evidence. Methods: ACST-2 is an international multicentre randomised trial of CAS versus CEA among asymptomatic patients with severe stenosis thought to require intervention, interpreted with all other relevant trials. Patients were eligible if they had severe unilateral or bilateral carotid artery stenosis and both doctor and patient agreed that a carotid procedure should be undertaken, but they were substantially uncertain which one to choose. Patients were randomly allocated to CAS or CEA and followed up at 1 month and then annually, for a mean 5 years. Procedural events were those within 30 days of the intervention. Intention-to-treat analyses are provided. Analyses including procedural hazards use tabular methods. Analyses and meta-analyses of non-procedural strokes use Kaplan-Meier and log-rank methods. The trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN21144362. Findings: Between Jan 15, 2008, and Dec 31, 2020, 3625 patients in 130 centres were randomly allocated, 1811 to CAS and 1814 to CEA, with good compliance, good medical therapy and a mean 5 years of follow-up. Overall, 1% had disabling stroke or death procedurally (15 allocated to CAS and 18 to CEA) and 2% had non-disabling procedural stroke (48 allocated to CAS and 29 to CEA). Kaplan-Meier estimates of 5-year non-procedural stroke were 2·5% in each group for fatal or disabling stroke, and 5·3% with CAS versus 4·5% with CEA for any stroke (rate ratio [RR] 1·16, 95% CI 0·86–1·57; p=0·33). Combining RRs for any non-procedural stroke in all CAS versus CEA trials, the RR was similar in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients (overall RR 1·11, 95% CI 0·91–1·32; p=0·21). Interpretation: Serious complications are similarly uncommon after competent CAS and CEA, and the long-term effects of these two carotid artery procedures on fatal or disabling stroke are comparable. Funding: UK Medical Research Council and Health Technology Assessment Programme