Enseñanza de lenguas materna y extranjeras a niños con necesidades especiales: caso Síndrome de Down

Durante mucho tiempo se consideró que los niños con Síndrome de Down (SD) debían aprender su lengua materna y hasta pasada la adolescencia podrían seguir con otra lengua. No obstante, los beneficios posibles del aprendizaje precoz de lenguas sobre el desarrollo cognitivo y lingüístico de estos niños han de ser reconsiderados. La exposición de niños con SD asituaciones lingüísticas distintas puede evitar ponerlos a la defensiva, lo cual tiene consecuencias favorables en lo cognitivo. lo motivacional y lo emocional. La metodología de estimulación temprana mediante los idiomas es fundamental.For a long time it was believed that children with Down Syndrome (DS) should learn their native language, and not until after adolescence should they begin to study a second language. However, the potential benefits of early second-language education for cognitive and linguistic developmentshould be reconsidered. Exposure to new linguistic situations helps children with DS to avoid defensiveness, which in turn contributes positively to the child's cognitive, motivational and emotional level. Early stimulation with foreign languages is essential.

Interactive storytelling to improve the listening skill of 8th grade at INAN High School

Este trabajo de investigación se trata de Cuentacuentos de respuesta física total y su influencia en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de Inglés como segunda lengua de los estudiantes del octavo grado de Educación General Básica del Colegio "INTEGRACIÓN ANDINA" en la ciudad de Cuenca en el Año Lectivo 2014 y 2015. Es necesario un nuevo sistema educativo para responder a las necesidades de la sociedad actual para permitir el desarrollo general de la educación, implementando un nuevo programa de enseñanza en el aprendizaje del Inglés a través de la narración. La búsqueda de una mejor manera de aprender y enseñar es responsabilidad ineludible de todos los maestros que deben enfrentar los desafíos con entusiasmo mientras se mira hacia innovaciones futuras permitiendo a los estudiantes mejorar sus habilidades de escucha y demás destrezas. Dado que el 90% de conocimiento de un nuevo idioma se adquiere a través de la lectura; el uso de Cuentacuentos ayuda a los estudiantes a adquirir el conocimiento necesario que será la base para un alto nivel cultural, tanto en el aprendizaje y en el desarrollo de habilidades de lenguaje, la lectura es un medio esencial para el desarrollo cultural en Educación. La falta de preparación en la lectura obstaculiza los esfuerzos del maestro secundario para lograr una formación integral en el alumno. Es necesario implementar estrategias para tratar de superar la falta de lectura, mediante el uso de la narración de cuentos en clase para animar a los estudiantes a leer en casa.

The Advantages of L2 Translation in The Cat in the Hat: A closer Look at Translation Directionality

Es un estudio que plantea un aspecto traductológico específico: la traducción a la segunda lengua de quien traduce. A partir del análisis de una traducción al español de The Cat in Ihe Hat, de Dr. Seuss, obra de literatura infantil, se señalan ciertas ventaj as metodológicas que tienen que ver con la competencia cultural, la comprensión apropiada del texto original y un acercamiento lingüístico más consciente de la lengua terminal.This study focuses on translation directionality; in particular, translating to one's second language. Based on a Spanish translation of the children's book The Cat in in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss, this article discusses certain methodological advantages of translating to one's second language: cultural competency, an appropriate understanding of the source text, and an enhanced linguistic awareness of the target language.

O reordenamento político e cultural do povo kokama : a reconquista da língua e do território além das fronteiras entre o Brasil e o Peru

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Letras, Departamento de Linguística, Português e Línguas Clássicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Linguística, 2016.

Reduced vowel production in American English among Spanish-English bilinguals

Prominent views in second language acquisition suggest that the age of L2 learning is inversely correlated with native-like pronunciation (Scovel, 1988; Birdsong, 1999). The relationship has been defined in terms of the Critical Period Hypothesis, whereby various aspects of neural cognition simultaneously occur near the onset of puberty, thus inhibiting L2 phonological acquisition. The current study tests this claim of a chronological decline in pronunciation aptitude through the examination of a key trait of American English – reduced vowels, or “schwas.” Groups of monolingual, early bilingual, and late bilingual participants were directly compared across a variety of environments phonologically conditioned for vowel reduction. Results indicate that late bilinguals have greater degrees of difficulty in producing schwas, as expected. Results further suggest that the degree of differentiation between schwa is larger than previously identified and that these subtle differences may likely be a contributive factor to the perception of a foreign accent in bilingual speakers.

Investigating Miami English-Spanish Bilinguals' Treatment of English Deictic Verbs of Motion

This investigation focused on the treatment of English deictic verbs of motion by Spanish-English bilinguals in Miami. Although English and Spanish share significant overlap of the spatial deixis system, they diverge in important aspects. It is not known how these verbs are processed by bilinguals. Thus, this study examined Spanish-English bilinguals’ interpretation of the verbs come, go, bring, and take in English. Forty-five monolingual English speakers and Spanish-English bilinguals participated. Participants were asked to watch video clips depicting motion events and to judge the acceptability of accompanying narrations spoken by the actors in the videos. Analyses showed that, in general, monolinguals and bilinguals patterned similarly across the deictic verbs come, bring, go and take. However, they did differ in relation to acceptability of word order for verbal objects. Also, bring was highly accepted by all language groups across all goal paths, possibly suggesting an innovation in its use.

Preposition Stranding in Heritage Speakers of Brazilian Portuguese

Influential bodies of work in language acquisition studies single out heritage bilingualism as a discrete acquisition process within the bilingualism continuum. In regards to the acquisition of WH-/QU- interrogatives containing prepositional phrases (PP), the present study examined whether heritage speakers (HS) of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) produce preposition stranding (P-stranding) constructions in their heritage language, in contrast to monolingual and adult speakers of BP, where prepositions are pied-piped to form the interrogative. Participants were HS of BP born in the USA and in Brazil, monolinguals, and late bilingual adults. The experiment consisted of an elicited production task and a grammaticality judgment task, both carried out in BP and then in English. Results showed that HS born in the USA use P-stranding in QU- interrogatives productively and systematically, in contrast to the other three groups. Moreover, no evidence of protracted acquisition was found in this group. No signs of attrition were detected among bilinguals.

When do dialects become languages? A cognitive perspective

Several definitions exist that offer to identify the boundaries between languages and dialects, yet these distinctions are inconsistent and are often as political as they are linguistic (Chambers & Trudgill, 1998). A different perspective is offered in this thesis, by investigating how closely related linguistic varieties are represented in the brain and whether they engender similar cognitive effects as is often reported for bilingual speakers of recognised independent languages, based on the principles of Green’s (1998) model of bilingual language control. Study 1 investigated whether bidialectal speakers exhibit similar benefits in non-linguistic inhibitory control as a result of the maintenance and use of two dialects, as has been proposed for bilinguals who regularly employ inhibitory control mechanisms, in order to suppress one language while speaking the other. The results revealed virtually identical performance across all monolingual, bidialectal and bilingual participant groups, thereby not just failing to find a cognitive control advantage in bidialectal speakers over monodialectals/monolinguals, but also in bilinguals; adding to a growing body of evidence which challenges this bilingual advantage in non-linguistic inhibitory control. Study 2 investigated the cognitive representation of dialects using an adaptation of a Language Switching Paradigm to determine if the effort required to switch between dialects is similar to the effort required to switch between languages. The results closely replicated what is typically shown for bilinguals: Bidialectal speakers exhibited a symmetrical switch cost like balanced bilinguals while monodialectal speakers, who were taught to use the dialect words before the experiment, showed the asymmetrical switch cost typically displayed by second language learners. These findings augment Green’s (1998) model by suggesting that words from different dialects are also tagged in the mental lexicon, just like words from different languages, and as a consequence, it takes cognitive effort to switch between these mental settings. Study 3 explored an additional explanation for language switching costs by investigating whether changes in articulatory settings when switching between different linguistic varieties could - at least in part – be responsible for these previously reported switching costs. Using a paradigm which required participants to switch between using different articulatory settings, e.g. glottal stops/aspirated /t/ and whispers/normal phonation, the results also demonstrated the presence of switch costs, suggesting that switching between linguistic varieties has a motor task-switching component which is independent of representations in the mental lexicon. Finally, Study 4 investigated how much exposure is needed to be able to distinguish between different varieties using two novel language categorisation tasks which compared German vs Russian cognates, and Standard Scottish English vs Dundonian Scots cognates. The results showed that even a small amount of exposure (i.e. a couple of days’ worth) is required to enable listeners to distinguish between different languages, dialects or accents based on general phonetic and phonological characteristics, suggesting that the general sound template of a language variety can be represented before exact lexical representations have been formed. Overall, these results show that bidialectal use of typologically closely related linguistic varieties employs similar cognitive mechanisms as bilingual language use. This thesis is the first to explore the cognitive representations and mechanisms that underpin the use of typologically closely related varieties. It offers a few novel insights and serves as the starting point for a research agenda that can yield a more fine-grained understanding of the cognitive mechanisms that may operate when speakers use closely related varieties. In doing so, it urges caution when making assumptions about differences in the mechanisms used by individuals commonly categorised as monolinguals, to avoid potentially confounding any comparisons made with bilinguals.

L’interaction comme méthode d’apprentissage du Français langue étrangère (FLE) en Suède

Mon travail s’inspire de l’idée de la Direction nationale de l’enseignement scolaire suédoise (Skolverket, 2011) qui suggère que « les élèves doivent avoir la possibilité de développer une capacité de communication et de compréhension de la langue ». Mon mémoire commence par une introduction générale, continue avec une analyse des manuels utilisés dans l’apprentissage du FLE et des activités favorisant l’interaction - échange réciproque verbale ou non verbale, pour terminer par une conclusion générale. Comme il n’existe pas d’enseignement sans méthodes appropriées, il existe des manuels qu’on peut utiliser afin de faciliter l’apprentissage par l’interaction de la langue cible. Les activités de communication orale et écrite d’ordre pédagogique sont indispensables. Tout comme l’écrit Revue française de pédagogie (1994 :133) « La classe est un système social complexe dont les parties sont en interaction dynamique, acteurs (enseignant et élève[s]), situation, matière selon des statuts sociaux. ». Pour effectuer mes recherches, j’ai porté mon attention sur l’analyse des manuels scolaires qu’il m’a été permis de consulter. Il s’agit des manuels d’entraide comme : Mais oui 3 et Escalade littéraire. Concernant l’analyse du matériel didactique favorisant l’interaction, ces deux manuels proposent des exercices de réflexion selon le niveau de l’apprenant. Dans mon travail, je m’intéresse à l’aspect didactique et linguistique de ces deux manuels scolaires.

Les Turcs turcophones de France : langues, identités et enjeux culturels

Dans le cadre du projet «Représentations des langues et des identités en Méditerranée en contexte plurilingue» (EA 739 Dipralang), nous avons interrogé les représentations sociolinguistiques de la communauté turque du sud de la France (travailleurs et étudiants), communauté qui continue de pratiquer sa langue maternelle en contexte migratoire. Nous avons plus particulièrement cherché à cerner le rapport à la langue maternelle minorée (le turc) et celui à la langue dominante du pays d’accueil (le français) pour mettre en lumière les liens entre l’attachement à la langue/aux langues et le sentiment d’appartenance au(x) groupe(s). Afin de mieux comprendre la construction des altérités culturelles, nous avons également tenté d’identifier les implications que les représentations sociolinguistiques peuvent avoir sur les plans linguistique et identitaire.

Aprendizaje de la escritura en lengua no materna: Casos de niños tarahumaras

Recibido 01 de diciembre de 2010 • Aceptado 09 de marzo de 2011 • Corregido 19 de abril de 2011   Resumen. Esta investigación analiza el desarrollo de la escritura en español de niños indígenas tarahumaras bilingües (del Estado de Chihuahua, México), desde varias perspectivas: la psicogenética, relacionada con el avance en el proceso de construcción del sistema de escritura de los niños investigados; la social, mediante al análisis del contexto familiar, cultural y el entorno del asentamiento de convivencia de los mismos; y la pedagógica, aunque más breve, a través del ambiente áulico dentro de dos escuelas muy diferentes: una regular y otra indígena. El planteamiento central de la investigación giró en torno a la percepción de los múltiples factores que se relacionan con el aprendizaje de la escritura, en un intento de escudriñar analíticamente los elementos posibles de afectación en el proceso referido. La metodología cualitativa utilizada posibilitó, mediante el estudio de casos, la observación, la entrevista, la videograbación y el análisis de los cuadernos de los niños, percibir situaciones y rescatar evidencias que, mediante el estudio transversal de eventos, personas y contextos, dieron como resultado interpretaciones sobre los factores sociales, culturales, cognitivos y pedagógicos que se percibieron asociados al aprendizaje de la escritura de una lengua que no es la materna, en niños indígenas migrantes establecidos en un medio distinto al de sus ancestros. Se atiende principalmente a la hipótesis de que, en las circunstancias de los casos estudiados, es más conveniente que aprendan a escribir primero en su segunda lengua y, posteriormente, en la materna, si así lo requieren.

El idioma inglés en el currículo universitario: importancia, retos y alcances

Recibido 07 de agosto de 2009 • Aceptado 14 de setiembre de 2009 • Corregido 23 de julio de 2010 La importancia de la inclusión del idioma inglés en el currículo universitario está basada en las exigencias de la globalización e intercambios de mercado, por lo que se cree necesaria la formación del idioma inglés en los estudiantes como futuros profesionales que contribuirán al desarrollo integral de la nación.

Being / becoming bilingual: the role of family and school in maintaining/ developing children’s bilingualism

 This paper aims at reviewing literature regarding bilingualism, presenting some definitions in the field, specially highlighting the idea that this definition is linked to the question “In what degree is the individual bilingual?”. It will evidence the different ways of acquisition and the role family and school play in developing/ maintaining the children’s bilingualism. Therefore, attention will be given to the bilingual individual’s languages and their classification in relation to the concepts of mother language and second language. Finally, the role of education and the need to develop linguistic consciousness in the students will be discussed highlighting the importance of turning learners into individuals without linguistic prejudice and critic in relation to the role of languages in the society.

Efeitos de Priming Sintático Intra e Translinguístico no Processamento De Francês Como L2

No presente estudo investigamos o fenômeno de priming sintático – ou seja, a facilitação do processamento linguístico de uma estrutura sintática pela exposição prévia à estrutura semelhante – nos níveis intra e translinguístico, em bilíngues de português brasileiro (PB)-francês, durante a  compreensão de sentenças. Participaram do estudo 15 adultos, falantes nativos do português brasileiro que tinham francês como segunda língua em nível intermediário. Os efeitos de priming sintático foram obtidos através de um experimento comportamental que consistiu em uma tarefa de leitura auto-monitorada. Os resultados apontaram para o aparecimento de efeitos de priming sintático no nível intralinguístico (em francês como L2), mas não no translinguístico. Tais efeitos se mostraram dependentes da repetição do verbo principal da sentença. Esses resultados foram interpretados como evidência de que os efeitos de priming sintático no nível intralinguístico em L2 são lexicalmente dependentes, dando suporte à visão de abordagens lexicalistas, em que a informação necessária para o processamento sintático está localizada nos frames sintáticos armazenados no léxico mental. Quanto ao nível translinguístico, nossos resultados sugerem a separação dos sistemas sintáticos das duas línguas. 

Mapeando Atitudes, (Des) Motivação e Orientação para Aprender Inglês

O presente artigo versa sobre as atitudes de quarenta e dois alunos em relação à aprendizagem da língua inglesa. Para tanto, são delineados fatores que estão intimamente relacionados às atitudes, tais como orientação, motivação, desmotivação, ideologia e resistência. Este trabalho, desenvolvido à luz da linguística aplicada, tem caráter interdisciplinar, e por isso está ancorado nas concepções sobre o tema, encontradas na psicologia social. Os dados apresentados aqui foram obtidos através de uma pesquisa etnográfica sobre atitudes, desenvolvida em duas escolas públicas, na região do Recôncavo Baiano por Anjos (2013). Foram utilizados três instrumentos de geração de dados: um questionário, uma entrevista e observação de aulas. Os resultados apontaram alto grau de atitudes positivas para aprender inglês e de orientação instrumental. Entretanto, alguns estudantes pesquisados sinalizaram atitudes negativas. Os resultados são discutidos na parte final do artigo com a apresentação de dados qualitativos e quantitativos.