The article addresses the use of dictionaries among the new millennium generation of English as a foreign language (EFL) undergraduates. Applying the mixed-method approach (a questionnaire and interviews), the study examines the frequency of dictionary use, the types of dictionaries used, activities initiating dictionary consultation, information searched for, and problems faced in using dictionaries. The findings suggest that the participants are most fond of bilingual online dictionaries and use them mostly for looking up the meaning of unknown words. They also show that despite being high consumers of technology, participants do not benefit much from online dictionaries, as they neglect most of the entry information. The qualitative data reveal that the participants perceive various digital tools of questionable quality as online dictionaries. Overall, the study sheds light on the characteristic behavior of the new generation of EFL learners regarding their dictionary use and points to the necessity of developing their digital competence in the realm of dictionary use.
This paper examines the production of verbs with different argument structure (unergative, unaccusative, anti-causative, transitive and ditransitive verbs) at different stages of first language acquisition, with the aim of contributing to the ongoing nature-nurture debate. Twenty verbs were tested (four verbs of each type). A total of eighteen subjects belonging to six age groups (18-21, 23-25, 31-33, 35-38, 39-43 and 48-52 months -three participants each) took part in this pilot research. Visual stimuli were used in a verb elicitation task. Though the sample was small, significant among-group differences were noted. The results show that children at a lower stage of language development have more difficulty producing verbs with a complex argument structure. The acquisition of verbs starts with transitive and unergative verbs, followed by unaccusative verbs. The production of ditransitive and anti-causative verbs is delayed.
Among the factors argued to contribute to a bilingual advantage in executive function (EF), the combination of languages spoken by the bilingual is often overlooked. In this study, we explored the role of language similarity on memory and EF task by comparing performance of three groups of young adults—Hungarian–Serbian and Slovak–Serbian early balanced bilinguals, and Serbian-speaking monolinguals. Slovak is typologically related to Serbian, which are both Slavic, in contrast to Hungarian, which is Finno–Ugric. On the computerized tasks from the CANTAB battery (CANTAB Cognition, 2016, www.cantab.com), differences between monolinguals and bilinguals emerged on the EF tasks: Stockings of Cambridge (SOC) and Attentional Set Shifting (AST), but not the memory tasks: Delayed Matching to Sample (DMS), Paired Associate Learning (PAL), Spatial Working Memory (SWM). Both Hungarian–Serbian and Slovak–Serbian bilinguals outperformed the monolinguals on the more difficult SOC tasks, solved using more than a minimally required number of moves. This is in line with reports that bilinguals perform better under more complex conditions that require more monitoring and switching. However, bilinguals speaking Hungarian and Serbian spent less time preparing to execute the simpler SOC tasks, which can be solved in a minimum of two or three moves; they also exhibited reduced local switching cost and were faster overall on AST than both the Slovak–Serbian bilinguals and Serbian monolinguals. The advantageous performance of speakers of the typologically unrelated languages in our study suggests that these bilinguals may have more efficient attention switching and inhibition systems than bilinguals who speak typologically similar languages.
Abstract. Somatisms are phraseologisms which contain at least one body-part term as a constituent . They make up a considerable part of the phrasemes of any language . In this paper, we focus on the extent to which the equivalent(s) of the term láb occur(s) in Serbian and English somatisms . The research is based on a corpus extracted from both monolingual and bilingual phraseological dictionaries of Hungarian, Serbian, and English . The data are analysed primarily from a cognitive point of view, with the aim of establishing whether the three languages are comparable in terms of the meaning of the idiom as a whole . Degrees of equivalence are established based on whether there is an idiomatic expression in Serbian/English containing the lexeme noga or leg/foot, respectively . Another issue addressed in the paper is the choice of the English term (leg vs foot) in somatisms and the question of whether this choice is arbitrary . Though structure is of secondary importance only, we also take it into account in establishing the degree of equivalence between the items listed in the corpus . Lastly, we stress the similarities and differences noted in the way the body-part terms mentioned are employed in the phraseologisms of the three languages .
This study examines the level of anxiety students experience during ESP university classes in response to three different modalities of digital classroom environments, i.e., virtual classrooms which require participation in varying degrees of engagement -by means of video, audio and text-based interaction. In a cross-sectional survey, a total of 184 ESP students at four different faculties completed a modified version of the Situational Communication Apprehension Measure (SCAM, McCroskey & Richmond, 1985) which aimed to determine the level of anxiety the students report feeling during video, audio and text-based synchronous online ESP classes. The main results indicate that the highest levels of anxiety were found with classroom contexts where students took part in lessons by means of a camera, with somewhat lower levels of anxiety found in contexts where students used the microphone to communicate with the language instructor and the other students. We propose that the main reasons behind these results lie in the overwhelming amount of visual and audio cues students are exposed to during online lessons, in particular the issues regarding gaze, the mirror effect, and dissonance of being physically present in one environment and mentally in another.
The multimodality of the online learning environment allows students’ participation in different modes, relying either on video, audio or text-based communication. The current study explores the level of students’ willingness to communicate in the three modes of interaction in synchronous online English language lessons and compares it with their willingness to communicate in a conventional face-to-face language classroom. To this end, we recruited for this research 281 university students who took a course in English as part of their study programs. Relying on a cross-sectional survey design, we analyzed the data on the response variables by means of descriptive statistical tests and factorial ANOVAs. The results reveal that the students’ willingness to communicate in synchronous online classes decreases whenever they are required to activate more modes of communication. They also show that the highest willingness to communicate is found in conventional, face-to-face classrooms. An implication of the research is that the mode of communication has the potential to encourage or discourage WTC in EFL among students. It is proposed that the factors of responsibility and face-saving affect the students’ participation in online classes, aligning with the idea that WTC is a dynamic, fluid variable which changes depending on the situational context.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.