刊讯｜SSCI期刊 Studies in Second Language Acquisition 2021年第2期

Studies in Second Language Acquisition

Volume 43, Issue 2, May 2021

Studies in Second Language Acquisition 2021年第2期共发文11篇，其中研究性论文9篇，评论文章2篇。研究论文涉及二语习得研究、二语教学研究、二语学习者研究、语言认知等方面。主题包括二语语法发展、声调感知、听力与语音习得、半智能语言学习、学习者心态等。

目录

INTRODUCTION

■ EDITOR’SMESSAGE, by Gass,Susan, Pages 237–238.

RESEARCH ARTICLES

■ INITIAL PROFICIENCY AND L2 GRAMMAR DEVELOPMENT DURING SHORT-TERM IMMERSION ABROAD:CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL INSIGHTS, by Zalbidea,Janire; Issa, Bernard I; Faretta-Stutenberg, Mandy; Sanz, Cristina, Pages 239–267.

■ EVENIN THE BEST-CASE SCENARIO L2 LEARNERS HAVE PERSISTENT DIFFICULTY PERCEIVING ANDUTILIZING TONES IN MANDARIN: FINDINGS FROM BEHAVIORAL AND EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALSEXPERIMENTS, by Eric Pelzl, Ellen F. Lau, Taomei Guo, Robert DeKeyser, Pages 268–296.

■ EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF PHONETIC SYMBOLSAND KEYWORDS AS LABELS FOR PERCEPTUAL TRAINING, by Fouz-González,Jonás; Mompean, Jose A, Pages 297–328.

■ THE EFFECT OF LEARNING CONTEXT ON L2 LISTENING DEVELOPMENT: KNOWLEDGE ANDPROCESSING, by XiaoruYu, Esther Janse, Rob Schoonen, Pages 329–354.

■ LEARNING CONDITION, LINGUISTIC COMPLEXITY,AND FIRST LANGUAGE TRANSFER IN SEMIARTIFICIAL LANGUAGE LEARNING: A CONCEPTUALREPLICATION AND EXTENSION OF TAGARELLI ET AL. (2016), by Gao,Jianwu; Ma, Shuang, Pages 355–378.

■ A CLOSER LOOK AT GRIT AND LANGUAGE MINDSETAS PREDICTORS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACHIEVEMENT, by GholamHassan Khajavy; MacIntyre, Peter D; Hariri, Jamal, Pages 379–402.

■ SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION OF/S/-WEAKENING IN A STUDY ABROAD CONTEXT, by Bret Linford, Alicia Harley, Earl K. Brown, Pages 403–427.

RESEARCH REPORT

■ THE EFFECT OF LEARNER CHOICE ON L2 TASK ENGAGEMENT, by Nakamura,Sachiko; Phung, Linh; Reinders, Hayo, Pages 428–441.

■ A NEW TYPE OF MASKED FORM PRIMING: NATIVE VERSUS NONNATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS, by Marcus Taft, Junmin Li, Pages 442–453.

CRITICAL COMMENTARY

■ A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON THE LIMITATIONSOF SIZE AND LEVELS TESTS OF WRITTEN RECEPTIVE VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE, by Webb,Stuart, Pages 454–461.

■ WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS ABOUT WRITTENRECEPTIVE VOCABULARY TESTING: A REPLY TO WEBB, by Stewart,Jeffrey; Stoeckel, Tim; McLean, Stuart; Nation, Paul; Pinchbeck, Geoffrey G, Pages 462–471.

摘要

INITIAL PROFICIENCY AND L2 GRAMMARDEVELOPMENT DURING SHORT-TERM IMMERSION ABROAD: CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICALINSIGHTS

Zalbidea,Janire; Issa, Bernard I; Faretta-Stutenberg, Mandy; Sanz, Cristina

Abstract The first goal of this study was to examinehow individual differences in initial L2 proficiency help explain L2 grammardevelopment in oral production during short-term immersion abroad. The secondgoal of the study was methodological, and evaluated challenges that can resultfrom operationalizing learners’ initial L2 proficiency as pretest performanceon outcome measures (as opposed to independent proficiency measures) inanalyses of L2 change. L2 Spanish learners participating in summer study abroadcompleted an elicited imitation task and two oral production tasks. Productiondata were analyzed for changes in relevant grammatical complexity and accuracydimensions. Results indicate that learners with higher initial L2 proficiencyexperience greater L2 grammar advancement from short-term immersion, and thatpretest performance can be an unreliable operational estimate of initialproficiency when analyzing L2 gains. We discuss findings following cognitiveaccounts of SLA, and highlight methodological implications for further researchin immersion contexts and beyond.

EVEN IN THE BEST-CASE SCENARIO L2 LEARNERS HAVE PERSISTENT DIFFICULTY PERCEIVING ANDUTILIZING TONES IN MANDARIN: FINDINGS FROM BEHAVIORAL AND EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALSEXPERIMENTS

EricPelzl, Ellen F. Lau, Taomei Guo, Robert DeKeyser

Abstract Lexical tones are widely believed to be a formidable learning challenge for adultspeakers of nontonal languages. While difficulties—as well as rapidimprovements—are well documented for beginning second language (L2) learners,research with more advanced learners is needed to understand how toneperception difficulties impact word recognition once learners have asubstantial vocabulary. The present study narrows in on difficulties suggestedin previous work, which found a dissociation in advanced L2 learners betweenhighly accurate tone identification and largely inaccurate lexical decision fortone words. We investigate a “best-case scenario” for advanced L2 tone wordprocessing by testing performance in nearly ideal listening conditions—withwords spoken clearly and in isolation. Under such conditions, do learners stillhave difficulty in lexical decision for tone words? If so, is it driven by thequality of lexical representations or by L2 processing routines? Advanced L2and native Chinese listeners made lexical decisions while anelectroencephalogram was recorded. Nonwords had a first syllable with either avowel or tone that differed from that of a common disyllabic word. As a group,L2 learners performed less accurately when tones were manipulated than whenvowels were manipulated. Subsequent analyses showed that this was the case evenin the subset of items for which learners showed correct and confident toneidentification in an offline written vocabulary test. Event-related potentialresults indicated N400 effects for both nonword conditions in L1, but onlyvowel N400 effects in L2, with tone responses intermediate between those ofreal words and vowel nonwords. These results are evidence of the persistentdifficulty most L2 learners have in using tones for online word recognition,and indicate it is driven by a confluence of factors related to both L2 lexicalrepresentations and processing routines. We suggest that this tone nonworddifficulty has real-world implications for learners: It may result in manytoneless word representations in their mental lexicons, and is likely to affectthe efficiency with which they can learn new tone words.

EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF PHONETIC SYMBOLSAND KEYWORDS AS LABELS FOR PERCEPTUAL TRAINING

Fouz-González,Jonás; Mompean, Jose A

Abstract This study investigated the potential of phonetic symbols and keywords as response labels for perceptual training of L2sounds. Seventy-one Spanish learners of English were assigned to three groups:symbols, keywords, and control. Students in the symbols and keywords groupsfollowed a 4-week High Variability Phonetic Training (HVPT) program based onidentification tasks. The target aspects addressed were eight English vowelsthat tend to be problematic for Spanish EFL learners (/iː ɪ æ ʌ ɜː e ɒ ɔː/).Training stimuli consisted of consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) nonwordsfeaturing these vowels on a range of phonetic contexts. Overall, the resultsrevealed significant differences between the perception gains made by the twoexperimental groups, which performed similarly, and the control group. Bothexperimental groups were able to transfer gains to untrained nonwords, and tountrained voices. Moreover, gains were maintained over time. Improvements werealso made in real words, especially by the symbols group, although nosignificant differences were found between groups. The results suggest thatboth phonetic symbols and keywords are effective labels for perceptual trainingand the creation/consolidation of perceptual sound categories. The study offersfurther evidence of the effectiveness of HVPT for pronunciation training aswell as implications for perceptual training studies and language teaching.

THE EFFECT OF LEARNING CONTEXT ON L2 LISTENING DEVELOPMENT: KNOWLEDGE AND PROCESSING

XiaoruYu, Esther Janse, Rob Schoonen

Abstract Little research has been done on the effect of learning context on L2 listening development. Motivated by DeKeyser’s (2015)skill acquisition theory of second language acquisition, this study compares L2 listening development in study abroad (SA) and at home (AH) contexts from both language knowledge and processing perspectives. One hundred forty-nine Chinese postgraduates studying in either China or the United Kingdom participated in a battery of listening tasks at the beginning and at the end of an academic year.These tasks measure auditory vocabulary knowledge and listening processingefficiency (i.e., accuracy, speed, and stability of processing) in wordrecognition, grammatical processing, and semantic analysis. Results show that,provided equal starting levels, the SA learners made more progress than the AHlearners in speed of processing across the language processing tasks, with lessclear results for vocabulary acquisition. Studying abroad may be an effectiveintervention for L2 learning, especially in terms of processing speed.

LEARNING CONDITION, LINGUISTIC COMPLEXITY,AND FIRST LANGUAGE TRANSFER IN SEMIARTIFICIAL LANGUAGE LEARNING: A CONCEPTUALREPLICATION AND EXTENSION OF TAGARELLI ET AL. (2016)

Gao,Jianwu; Ma, Shuang

Abstract This study explored the interaction between learning conditions, linguistic complexity, and first language (L1) syntactictransfer in semiartificial grammar learning by conceptually replicating andextending Tagarelli et al. (2016). We changed the L1 background, elicitedproduction data during debriefing, and added a binary mixed-effects logisticregression analysis to compare variability at learner and item levels with group-levelvariation on exposure condition, linguistic complexity, and their interaction.Our results replicated those of the original study regarding the comparativeefficacy of explicit instruction; however, we also found a condition ×complexity interaction absent in the original study. Debriefingsentence-production data suggest that the changed L1-L2 typological distancemay have leveled off the advantage of explicit instruction in the learning ofthe complex V2-VF structure. Finally, our mixed-effects modeling analysisrevealed that variability at learner and item levels accounted for a largerproportion of the variance of the outcomes than all the predictors combined.

A CLOSER LOOK AT GRIT AND LANGUAGE MINDSETAS PREDICTORS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACHIEVEMENT

Gholam Hassan Khajavy; MacIntyre, Peter D; Hariri, Jamal

AbstractLearninga second/foreign language (L2) is a long process and L2 learners certainly willencounter setbacks and discouragements during this process. However, theirreactions to these failures might be different based on their perceptions of L2learning ability and their subsequent effort put into L2 learning. Based onthis, the present study aimed at exploring two underresearched constructswithin the field of applied linguistics, namely grit (continuous effort andinterest for long-term goals) and language mindset (individuals’ perceptions oftheir language learning ability). We had five main aims: to examine (a) thefactor structure of grit, (b) the factor structure of language mindset, (c)whether there are gender differences in grit or language mindset, (d) therelationships between language mindset and grittiness, and (e) the roles ofgrit and language mindset as predictors of L2 achievement. To address theseaims, a total number of 1,178 university students who were taking generalEnglish courses took part in our study and completed the questionnaires.Results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the two-factor structurefor both grit and language mindset fit the data better than the single-factorstructure. We also tested several structural equation models and found that agrowth language mindset weakly, but positively, predicted one component of grit(perseverance of effort, or POE), but not the other (consistency of interest,or COI). A fixed language mindset did not predict POE, but did negativelypredict COI. Finally, only growth language mindset was a weak, positivepredictor of L2 achievement. At the end, theoretical and pedagogicalimplications regarding the role of grit and language mindset in L2 learning arepresented.

THE EFFECT OF LEARNER CHOICE ON L2 TASK ENGAGEMENT

Nakamura,Sachiko; Phung, Linh; Reinders, Hayo

AbstractThis study examined the effect of choice on EFL learners’ task engagement.Twenty-four Thai university students completed two opinion-gap tasks. In one,they discussed and agreed on three items among given options (+constraint). In the other, they discussed and agreed on three items among the options they generated (−constraint). Spoken interaction and questionnaires were analyzed for behavioral (time on task, words produced, turns), cognitive (negotiation of meaning and form, self-repairs), social (overlaps and turn completion,backchannels), and emotional engagement (anxiety, enjoyment), based on Philpand Duchesne’s multifaceted model. The −constraint task had positive effects on all the cognitive engagement measures, but only one of the behavioral measures(turns) and one of the social measures (overlaps). Learners reported higheranxiety and enjoyment in the −constraint task. The findings highlight the interrelated multidimensional nature of learner task engagement while suggesting pedagogical implications and avenues for future research.

A NEW TYPE OF MASKED FORM PRIMING: NATIVE VERSUS NONNATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS

MarcusTaft, Junmin Li

Abstract Monolingual English speakers andChinese–English bilinguals were compared on their lexical decision performancein a masked priming experiment where the prime and target ended in the sameembedded word. All primes were nonwords where the letters in addition to theembedded word did not form a morpheme (e.g., the sab of sabagree or the ple ofplerough). The targets were of two types. In one condition they were prefixedwords (as in sabagree–DISAGREE) and in the other they were nonprefixed words(as in plerough–THOROUGH). With an unrelated prime as the baseline, the nativespeakers showed priming for the prefixed words but not the nonprefixed words,whereas the nonnative speakers showed priming for both types of word. It wasconcluded from these results that nonnative speakers focus more on theindividual letters of a complex word than do native speakers when reading, andthe specific processing mechanisms that might underlie this are discussed.

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION OF/S/-WEAKENING IN A STUDY ABROAD CONTEXT

Bret Linford, Alicia Harley, Earl K. Brown

Abstract Thisstudy examines the second language (L2) development of variable /s/-weakeningin the spontaneous speech of L2 learners of Spanish who studied abroad ineither Dominican Republic, where /s/-weakening is widespread, or central Spain,where /s/-weakening is much less common. Learners’ realizations of /s/ werecoded impressionistically and acoustically by measuring voicing, center ofgravity, and duration. The results show that regardless of the study abroadlocation, students did not change the amount of sibilance they produced overtime. However, they became more nativelike with respect to /s/-voicing andduration. Additionally, whereas some linguistic factors were found tosignificantly constrain /s/-weakening across groups, learners did not gainsensitivity to all factors that constrain native-speaker /s/-weakening.Findings suggest that exposure to /s/-weakening during a semester abroad isinsufficient for learners to adopt this sociolinguistic variable and othersocial and cognitive factors likely mitigate its integration into the L2learners’ phonological systems.

期刊简介

Studies in Second Language Acquisition is a refereed journal of international scope devoted to the scientific discussion of acquisition or use of non-native and heritage languages. Each volume (five issues) contains research articles of either a quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods nature in addition to essays on current theoretical matters. Other rubrics include Replication Studies, Critical Commentaries,State-of-the-Scholarship, Methods Forum, and Research Reports.

《第二语言习得研究》是一本国际性评审的期刊，致力于对非母语和传承语习得或使用进行科学性探讨。每卷（五期）包含定量、定性或混合方法的研究性文章，以及关于当前理论问题的论文。其他包括复制性研究、批评性评论、学术状况、方法论坛和研究报告。

官网地址：

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/studies-in-second-language-acquisition

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