Archivio Italiano di Scienze Mediche Tropicale e di Parassitologia

Title varies: v.1-18, Archivio Italiano di Scienze Mediche Coloniali; v.19-30 Archivio Italiano di Scienze Mediche Coloniali e di Parassitologia

Automaticity in L2 learning: Correlation between vocabulary proficiency and response time in word recognition

Automaticity (in this essay defined as short response time) and fluency in language use are closely connected to each other and some research has been conducted regarding some of the aspects involved. In fact, the notion of automaticity is still debated and many definitions and opinions on what automaticity is have been suggested (Andersson,1987, 1992, 1993, Logan, 1988, Segalowitz, 2010). One aspect that still needs more research is the correlation between vocabulary proficiency (a person’s knowledge about words and ability to use them correctly) and response time in word recognition. Therefore, the aim of this study has been to investigate this correlation using two different tests; one vocabulary size test (Paul Nation) and one lexical decision task (SuperLab) that measures both response time and accuracy. 23 Swedish students partaking in the English 7 course in upper secondary Swedish school were tested. The data were analyzed using a quantitative method where the average values and correlations from the test were used to compare the results. The correlations were calculated using Pearson’s Coefficient Correlations Calculator. The empirical study indicates that vocabulary proficiency is not strongly correlated with shorter response times in word recognition. Rather, the data indicate that L2 learners instead are sensitive to the frequency levels of the vocabulary. The accuracy (number of correct recognized words) and response times correlate with the frequency level of the tested words. This indicates that factors other than vocabulary proficiency are important for the ability to recognize words quickly.

Verso un luppolo italiano: analisi metabolomica e caratterizzazione fitochimica di ecotipi di Humulus lupulus L. del Nord Italia

La presente tesi di dottorato ha riguardato l'indagine fitochimica della biodiversità spontanea di Humulus lupulus L. in Emilia Romagna e la valutazione degli effetti del clima dell'Italia settentrionale sul metabolismo secondario di cultivar di luppolo. In particolare, lo studio ha previsto l'individuazione di ecotipi di luppolo provenienti da zone planiziali e collinari di'Emilia Romagna e Lombardia, la loro messa a dimora in un campo collezione appositamente allestito, e il monitoraggio della resa di campo e della produzione di metaboliti secondari di natura polare (acilfluoroglucinoli, flavonidi isoprenilati) e apolare (terpeni e sequiterpeni). Gli obiettivi primari sono stati la valutazione di entità da portare direttamente in coltivazione o da introdurre in percorsi di breeding del luppolo in Italia, oltre all'ottimizzazione di metodi innovativi per lo screening dell'intero germoplasma italiano. Per definire le caratteristiche fitochimiche dei coni di luppolo sono stati messi a punto metodi cromatografici HPLC-UV, HPLC-MS/MS e GC-MS e metodi spettroscopici 1H-NMR. Nel corso del triennio i metodi sono stati applicati a 10 cultivar e oltre 30 ecotipi , alcuni dei quali hanno fornito dati anche a conclusione dell'intero periodo di acclimatazione. Per tutti si è anche verificata la resilienza alle diverse condizioni climatiche incontrate Le analisi chimiche hanno permesso di individuare una sostanziale differenza tra gli ecotipi e le cultivar, con i primi che si caratterizzano per una produzione modesta di α-acidi e β-acidi e un profilo aromatico ricco di isomeri del selinene. Questo risultato può essere interessante per l’industria della birra nazionale e in particolare per il settore dei microbirrifici artigianali, in quanto i luppoli più pregiati sono proprio quelli con un basso contenuto di acidi amari e ricchi di oli essenziali che possano impartire alle birre prodotte note aromatiche particolari e legate al territorio. L’indagine agronomica monitorata su tre anni di produzione ha anche fatto emergere la resistenza degli ecotipi italiani al clima caldo e siccitoso e ha evidenziato invece come le cultivar estere abbiano limiti fisiologici a queste condizioni. Confrontando il profilo fitochimico delle cultivar coltivate in Italia con i prodotti acquistati nei paesi d’origine è emerso che il metabolismo secondario per alcune cultivar è particolarmente differente, come nel caso della cultivar Marynka, che rispetto agli standard commerciali ha prodotto in Italia coni ricchi di oli essenziali con alte quantità di trans-β-farnesene, cambiandone le caratteristiche da varietà amaricante ad aromatica. I risultati ottenuti dimostrano la fattibilità della coltivazione di Humulus lupulus L. sul territorio nazionale con ottime prospettive di produttività per gli ecotipi italiani. Inoltre da questi primi risultati è ora possibile intraprendere un programma di breeding per la creazione di nuove varietà, più resistenti al caldo e con le caratteristiche desiderate in base all’utilizzo del prodotto, sia per quanto riguarda l’industria della birra, sia la cosmetico-farmaceutica per la produzione di estratti.

Relating two simultaneous events in discourse: the role of on-goingness devices in L1 Tunisian Arabic, L1 French and L2 French by Tunisian learners

Our PhD study focuses on the role of aspectual marking in expressing simultaneity of events in Tunisian Arabic as a first language, French as a first language, as well as in French as a second language by Tunisian learners at different acquisitional stages. We examine how the explicit markers of on-goingness qa:’id and «en train de» in Tunisian Arabic and in French respectively are used to express this temporal relation, in competition with the simple forms, the prefixed verb form in Tunisian Arabic and the présent de l’indicatif in French. We use a complex verbal task of retelling simultaneous events sharing an interval on the time axis based on eight videos presenting two situations happening in parallel. Two types of simultaneity are exploited: perfect simultaneity (when the two situations are parallel to each other) and inclusion (one situation is framed by the second one). Our informants in French and in Tunisian Arabic have two profiles, highly educated and low educated speakers. We show that the participants’ response to the retelling task varies according to their profiles, and so does their use of the on-goingness devices in the expression of simultaneity. The differences observed between the two profile groups are explained by the degree to which the speakers have developed a habit of responding to tasks. This is a skill typically acquired during schooling. We notice overall that the use of qa:’id as well as of «en train de» is less frequent in the data than the use of the simple forms. However, qa:’id as well as «en train de» are employed to play discursive roles that go beyond the proposition level. We postulate that despite the shared features between Tunisian Arabic and French regarding marking the concept of on-goingness, namely the presence of explicit lexical, not fully grammaticalised markers competing with other non-marked forms, the way they are used in the discourse of simultaneous events shows clear differences. We explain that «en train de» plays a more contrastive role than qa:’id and its use in discourse obeys a stricter rule. In cases of the inclusion type of simultaneity, it is used to construe the ‘framing’ event that encloses the second event. In construing perfectly simultaneneous events, and when both «en train de» and présent de l’indicatif are used, the proposition with «en train de» generally precedes the proposition with présent de l’indicatif, and not the other way around. qa:id obeys, but to a less strict rule as it can be used interchangeably with the simple form regardless of the order of propositions. The contrastive analysis of French L1 and L2 reveals learners’ deviations from natives’ use of on-goingness devices. They generalise the use of «en train de» and apply different rules to the interaction of the different marked and unmarked forms in discourse. Learners do not master its role in discourse even at advanced stages of acquisition despite its possible emergence around the basic and intermediate varieties. We conclude that the native speakers’ use of «en train de» involves mastering its role at the macro-structure level. This feature, not explicitly available to learners in the input, might persistently present a challenge to L2 acquisition of the periphrasis.

Beyond the aspect hypothesis:tense-aspect development in advanced L2 French

The Aspect Hypothesis (AH) claims that the association of any verb category (lexical aspect) with any grammatical aspect (perfective or imperfective) constitutes the endpoint of acquisition. The present book evaluates the explanatory power of the Aspect Hypothesis for the acquisition of French past tenses, which constitutes a serious stumbling block for foreign learners, even at the highest levels of proficiency. The present research applies the Aspect Hypothesis to the production of 61 Anglophone 'advanced learners' in a tutored environment. In so doing, it tests concurrent explanations, including the influence of the input, the influence of chunking, and the hypothesis of cyclic development. It discusses the cotextual and contextual factors that still provoke «non-native glitches» at the final stage of the Aspect Hypothesis. The book shows that the AH fails to account for the complex phenomenon of past tense development, as it adopts a local and linear approach.

L1 to teach L2:complexities and contradictions

This article uncovers the complexities and contradictions inherent in making decisions about L1 use in the English language classroom. Through an analysis of data from classrooms in a Cypriot context and from interviews with Cypriot teachers, a number of functions for L1 use are identified, as are the teachers' rationales for using L1 for different functions. Teachers' decision making, it emerges, is often complex, based on either what they perceive as their students' affective needs or on their cognitive processes.What ismore, teachers often under-report or differently report their use of L1 in the classroom, contradicting beliefs by their actions. The construct of guilt is offered to explain these complexities and contradictions in the teachers' use of L1 in this study. We conclude by suggesting that teachers should be supported in finding local solutions to local teaching problems, so that they better understand and exploit the resources available to them. © The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved.

Knowledge acquisition from L2 specialist texts

This research aims to investigate knowledge acquisition and concept formation in the domain of economics and business studies through a foreign language, English, from the very initial to the very final stage of development in the context of Higher Education in Turkey. It traces both the processes as well as the product of acquisition in order to provide a detailed picture of how knowledge acquisition occurs. It aims to explore ways in which the acquisition process can be facilitated and promoted while prospective students of the Department of Economics and Business Administration receive a language training programme, following the completion of which they will join their academic community which offers part of its courses through the English language. The study draws upon (some) theories of mental representation of knowledge, such as schema, frame and script. The concept of discourse community with its characteristics is investigated, enculturation of prospective students to acquire knowledge of their domain through L2 is explored, and the crucial role of the constructivist theory in relation to knowledge acquisition is highlighted. The present study was conducted through a process of enculturation taking place partly at the language centre of Çukurova University and partly at the target discourse community. The data utilised for initiating knowledge acquisition was obtained by establishing a corpus of economics and business texts, which the learners are expected to read during their academic courses utilising computerised technology. The method of think aloud protocols was used to analyse processes taking place in knowledge acquisition, while the product of what was acquired was investigated by means of written recall protocols. It has been discovered that knowledge acquisition operates on the basis of analogical and to a certain extent metaphorical reasoning. The evidence obtained from the think aloud protocols showed that neophytes were able to acquire fundamental concepts of their future domain by reaching the level of shared understanding with the members of their target community of the faculty. Diaries and questionnaire analyses demonstrated that enculturation facilitated learners' transition from the language centre into the target community. Analyses of the written recall protocols and examinations from the post-enculturation stage of the research showed that neophytes' academic performances in their target community were much higher than those of their non-enculturated counterparts. Processes learners go through and strategies they spontaneously make use of, especially while acquiring knowledge of a specific domain through L2 have so far remained unexplored research areas. The present research makes a potential contribution to the language and knowledge acquisition theories by examining closely and systematically the language and the strategies they employ in acquiring such knowledge. The research findings offer useful implications to English language teaching at language schools. Language teachers are provided with useful guidelines as to how they can provide prospective students of a particular academic community with an experience of acquiring fundamental concepts of their discipline before they become members of their target community.

The operation of repair in L2 learner conversation, group work and classroom discourse

The present study is an empirical investigation into repair in spoken discourse, specifically focusing on L2 learner conversation, group work and teacher-fronted classroom interaction. The core of the investigation concentrates on identification of the problem type, classification of repair strategies and examination of interaction in the repair process. A comparison between Conversation (CS), Group Work (GW), and Teacher-fronted classroom interaction (CR) suggests that more repair is undertaken in CS. The results of the study suggest that the fundamental differences between CS, GW and CR are of two types: in the frequency of repair and in the nature of the repair itself. It has been found that other-initiation for production problem repair occurs mainly in CR, other-completion is characteristic of GW and self-repair is most frequent in CS. Factors affecting the occurrence of repair in CS, GW and CR are related to content and social and communicative features of context. Importantly, the study shows the frequency of repair in GW falls between that of CS and CR in most of repair strategies. This result lends support to the argument that group work can assist L2 learners to develop their communicative competence. It is suggested that the analysis of the repair process in CS, GW and CR can be useful in throwing light on the intricacies of spoken discourse in general and can be exploited by applied linguists for both theoretical and pedagogical purposes.

Problematising L2 listening pedagogy:the potential of process-based listening strategy instruction in the L2 classroom

Listening is typically the first language skill to develop in first language (L1) users and has been recognized as a basic and fundamental tool for communication. Despite the importance of listening, aural abilities are often taken for granted, and many people overlook their dependency on listening and the complexities that combine to enable this multi-faceted skill. When second language (L2) students are learning their new language, listening is crucial, as it provides access to oral input and facilitates social interaction. Yet L2 students find listening challenging, and L2 teachers often lack sufficient pedagogy to help learners develop listening abilities that they can use in and beyond the classroom. In an effort to provide a pedagogic alternative to more traditional and limited L2 listening instruction, this thesis investigated the viability of listening strategy instruction (LSI) over three semesters at a private university in Japan through a qualitative action research (AR) intervention. An LSI program was planned and implemented with six classes over the course of three AR phases. Two teachers used the LSI with 121 learners throughout the project. Following each AR phase, student and teacher perceptions of the methodology were investigated via questionnaires and interviews, which were primary data collection methods. Secondary research methods (class observations, pre/post-semester test scores, and a research journal) supplemented the primary methods. Data were analyzed and triangulated for emerging themes related to participants’ perceptions of LSI and the viability thereof. These data showed consistent positive perceptions of LSI on the parts of both learners and teachers, although some aspects of LSI required additional refinement. This project provided insights on LSI specific to the university context in Japan and also produced principles for LSI program planning and implementation that can inform the broader L2 education community.

A Note on the L2-norm of the Second Fundamental Form of Algebraic Manifolds

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 53C42, 53C55.

Thoughts on L2 listening pedagogy

In this paper, I discuss some of the ideas raised by Renandya and Farrell (ELT Journal 65/1) related to extensive listening (EL) and the teaching of listening strategies. Function of extensive listening :The concept of EL emanated from extensive reading, an approach that aims to improve a variety of reading skills through exposure to materials that approximately match proficiency level. According to Renandya and Farrell (2011: 56), ‘like reading, listening is best learnt through listening’. These authors support EL as the answer to the issue of how to teach listening in L2 classrooms. Complementary role : EL can play a supportive role in L2 listening pedagogy. Through exposure to extensive and various listening texts, learners gain opportunities to practise and refine their listening processes, recognize linguistic and lexical features, and increase cultural knowledge related to the target language. The value of EL in this practice-oriented capacity cannot be overstated. It is difficult, however, to accept EL as the main component of L2 listening pedagogy, as Renandya and Farrell suggest. With listening materials readily available online (see Renandya and Farrell’s useful list of websites, p. 58) and on CDs, there is no shortage of practice material. EL provides the practice, but a question we should ask is: ‘What exactly are learners practising?’ Extensive listening dilemmas: For EL to be the predominant element in L2 listening pedagogy, several matters may need to be resolved.

Escrita colaborativa com google docs: flash fiction, noticing e aprendizagem de inglês como L2

Google Docs (GD) is an online word processor with which multiple authors can work on the same document, in a synchronous or asynchronous manner, which can help develop the ability of writing in English (WEISSHEIMER; SOARES, 2012). As they write collaboratively, learners find more opportunities to notice the gaps in their written production, since they are exposed to more input from the fellow co-authors (WEISSHEIMER; BERGSLEITHNER; LEANDRO, 2012) and prioritize the process of text (re)construction instead of the concern with the final product, i.e., the final version of the text (LEANDRO; WEISSHEIMER; COOPER, 2013). Moreover, when it comes to second language (L2) learning, producing language enables the consolidation of existing knowledge as well as the internalization of new knowledge (SWAIN, 1985; 1993). Taking this into consideration, this mixed-method (DÖRNYEI, 2007) quasi-experimental (NUNAN, 1999) study aims at investigating the impact of collaborative writing through GD on the development of the writing skill in English and on the noticing of syntactic structures (SCHMIDT, 1990). Thirtyfour university students of English integrated the cohort of the study: twenty-five were assigned to the experimental group and nine were assigned to the control group. All learners went through a pre-test and a post-test so that we could measure their noticing of syntactic structures. Learners in the experimental group were exposed to a blended learning experience, in which they took reading and writing classes at the university and collaboratively wrote three pieces of flash fiction (a complete story told in a hundred words), outside the classroom, online through GD, during eleven weeks. Learners in the control group took reading and writing classes at the university but did not practice collaborative writing. The first and last stories produced by the learners in the experimental group were analysed in terms of grammatical accuracy, operationalized as the number of grammar errors per hundred words (SOUSA, 2014), and lexical density, which refers to the relationship between the number of words produced with lexical properties and the number of words produced with grammatical properties (WEISSHEIMER, 2007; MEHNERT, 1998). Additionally, learners in the experimental group answered an online questionnaire on the blended learning experience they were exposed to. The quantitative results showed that the collaborative task led to the production of more lexically dense texts over the 11 weeks. The noticing and grammatical accuracy results were different from what we expected; however, they provide us with insights on measurement issues, in the case of noticing, and on the participants‟ positive attitude towards collaborative writing with flash fiction. The qualitative results also shed light on the usefulness of computer-mediated collaborative writing in L2 learning.

Parla come mangi! Il burocratese nella classe di italiano LS

In questo TFM affronteremo un argomento di grande attualità le cui radici risalgono, però, a un passato ben più remoto: la questione del burocratese, termine con accezione negativa coniato in tempi relativamente recenti per descrivere lo stile comunicativo della pubblica amministrazione che, lungi dal restare confinato in un ambito specialistico della comunicazione, pervade ormai ogni sfera della vita quotidiana, rendendola sempre più complessa in un momento storico delicato dove l’equivoco è dietro l’angolo e spesso cela non pochi pericoli. Il presente lavoro si divide sostanzialmente in due parti. Nella prima, tracceremo una premessa teorica toccando le seguenti tematiche: il ruolo del/la docente di italiano LS (con particolare attenzione all’insegnamento agli adulti), le motivazioni scientifiche e personali che stanno alla base della scelta di questo argomento per un TFM, un breve ripasso delle principali tappe che hanno definito il dibattito sulla questione linguistica in Italia, le caratteristiche linguistiche e testuali del linguaggio burocratico amministrativo e un breve excursus sulle direttive e suggerimenti per la sua semplificazione. Nella seconda parte del lavoro (dal capitolo 3) sarà presentata in dettaglio l’unità didattica dal titolo Parla come mangi!, messa in pratica con un gruppo di studenti e studentesse di italiano di nivel avanzado 1 (B2 del QCER) della Escuela Oficial de Idiomas di Alcorcón, nell’ambito del tirocinio propedeutico all’ottenimento del titolo di Máster en formación del Profesorado de ESO, Bachillerato, FP y enseñanzas de idiomas. L’obiettivo finale delle attività proposte è stato quello di permettere alla classe di familiarizzare con le strutture lessicali, morfosintattiche e testuali del burocratese. Attraverso attività disegnate per il coinvolgimento delle quattro abilità fondamentali e suddivise in tre grandi categorie (pubblica amministrazione, trasporti e comunicazione formale scritta), gli alunni e le alunne hanno messo alla prova e migliorato la propria competenza sociolinguistica in contesti dove l’eccessiva formalità spesso mette in difficoltà gli/le stessi/e nativi/e.