Mock questions per esame English linguistics and translation I

An example of morpheme study

An example of morpheme study is the study of the acquisition of negation, that happens through some stages:

• External stage (No play there);
• Internal stage (Juana no/don't play there);
• Stage auxiliary verb+negation (I can't play the guitar, in this stage there is no difference between the use of do/does);
• Analysis of don't (she doesn't live here);

Why are errors 'significant' according to Corder? Give an example.

In linguistics, there is a big difference between mistakes and errors: the first ones are performance errors and even a native speaker can make mistakes and they can be self-corrected. Mistakes can be caused by emotion, particular physical states, and memory lapses, so they don't demonstrate the real knowledge of the learner in the language. They are occasional lapses and they occur because the learner is unable to perform what he knows. Errors, instead, are a noticeable deviation from the adult grammar and they reflect the knowledge of the learner.

Learner in language. Errors are gaps in a learner's competence and they occur because he doesn't know what is correct. According to Corder errors are significant because they can demonstrate to the teacher how far the learner has progressed in the language, they provide information to researchers in order to study and comprehend the second language acquisition progress and they also provide opportunities to the learner to learn and test hypotheses about language. Error analysis is different from the Contrastive analysis because the first one analyses errors that come from all the sources and not only from the negative transfer of L1 in L2. In Corder's opinion, errors are caused by the learner, who didn't put enough effort in the learning process, by the teacher, who didn't put enough effort in the explanation or by the influence of the native language in the target language. Error Analysis can be described through 5 phases: the collection of a sample of learner language,

The identification of errors, the description of errors, the explanation of errors and the evaluation of errors.

17. Discuss the following dialogue (from Corder).

This dialogue is an example of overgeneralization of rules. In fact, when there is an important rule in a language, children usually apply this rule, even when they don't have to. This rule in this case is incorrect and it is seen as a mistake. In this dialogue we can observe that the child understood that past verbs in English finish with -ed and then he applies the morpheme also to irregular verbs.

Overgeneralization of rules is one of the results of hypothesis testing, in fact during the process of language acquisition, children make hypothesis and they test them in reality, that will reveal children whether the hypothesis is correct or not. These errors are also relevant because they show how far the child has progressed in the language and also, they provide the learner opportunities to learn and test hypothesis about language.

718. The utterance in B is an example of child language. What features does it show? What do they suggest? Is all this specific to L1 acquisition?

A: What did you do yesterday?

B: Goed to the sea…

A: Oh

B: … and eated fish sticks

This dialogue is an example of overgeneralization of rules. In fact, when there is an important rule in a language, children usually apply this rule, even when they don’t have to. This rule in this case is incorrect and it is seen as a mistake. In this dialogue we can observe that the child understood that past verbs in English finish with -ed and then he applies the morpheme also to irregular verbs.

Overgeneralization of rules is one of the results of hypothesis testing, in fact during the process of language acquisition, children make hypothesis and they test them in reality, that will reveal children whether the hypothesis is correct or not. These errors are also relevant because they show how far the child has progressed in the language and also,

they provide the learner opportunities to learn and test hypothesis about language. All this is not specific to L1 one acquisition because also in L2, L3 acquisition the learner proceed in the process of language acquisition through trials and error hypothesis testing.

Talk about interlanguage variability. Interlanguage is also variable. Variability refers to the fact that second language users use two or more linguistic variants to express a phenomenon, when in the target language it has only one realization. Language users vary in the use they make of the language. Variability can be systematic or unsystematic.

Variability is systematic when two variant forms are used predictably according to the context and it can be described as variant rules that indicates the likelihood of alternative forms occurring in different contexts. This variability can be split in individual variability and contextual variability. In the first one variability depends on some factors such as the age, the

motivation and the aptitude of the learner, in the second one there are two types of variability which depend on the context and the contexts can be a linguistic context and a situational context. In the linguistic context variability can be ascribed as features that belong to the linguistic context, while in the situational context variability depend on the task that the learner is required to perform. Variability is unsystematic when the learner uses one form in a context and other form in another context. This type of variability can be split in free variability and performance variability. In the first one the learner uses with irregularity a form or the other, when in the second one the learner makes hesitation, repetition because of a determined emotional or physical state. 820. Give a definition of 'input', 'intake', and 'output'. The interactive hypothesis states that conversational interaction facilitates the acquisition of a language because it

Connects input, internal learner capacities and output.

Input is the language data the learner is exposed to, that is reading and listening. Input is important because it determines the rules of the target language and it allows the learner to acquire the language and produce output. Without input there can't be no output because if the learner doesn't see and doesn't listen to the language then he won't be able to produce it. But not all the available input is processed and acquired by the learner because some of it is not understood and some of it is not attended to.

Intake is the part of input that actually is retained, stored and related with previous knowledge by the learner. Intake is the part of input that is processed and "let in". Obviously, there are some elements that are processed before than other and that's because these elements have high salience, the power of their stimuli is stronger.

Output is instead what comes out, that is writing.

and speaking. It’s the product of language knowledge.

21. How is ‘comprehensible input’ operationalized by Krashen?

Krashen was an important figure and his input hypothesis once had great relevance in SLA. Krashen believed that a person learns a second language through comprehensible input. A comprehensible input is operationalized as our current knowledge (i), plus the level immediately higher than “I” (1). In his opinion, SLA takes place when the learners understand an input which contains grammatical forms that are “i+1”. Comprehensible input is an input collocated at a certain level of difficulty: it’s an input slightly more advanced than the level of knowledge of the learner. He suggested also that the right level of input is attained automatically when interlocutors succeed in making themselves understood in communication.

22. What is ‘motherese’? Describe its features.

Interactionist approach stated that the acquisition of language is a

dynamic interplay of external and internal factors, which are the social environment and the genetic predisposition of humans to acquire the language. We can find the proof of this theory in the way in which children acquire the language, in fact the do not jump in the conversation once at all but they follow a process of development, which involve adults and children. Bruner also suggested that there is a language acquisition system support consisting in features that helps a child in the process of language acquisition. When they talk to children, adults point things out, they label things, they also ask them questions and they provide them feedback if the child makes a mistake. This provides a support system called scaffolding that succeeds in helping children to acquire the language in a more complete way. Adults adjust their language in order to help children developing their own language ability and this behavior is called "motherese" or baby talk, which is an aid for

Communication and socialization are the main functions of motherese. The main features of motherese are:

• In the area of phonology, it is pitched higher and has more exaggerated intonations.
• In the area of syntax, it has shorter and simplified utterances: there is just one verb per utterance and fewer coordinative and subordinative clauses, as well as fewer adverbs, adjectives, and pronouns.
• In the semantic domain, talk is anchored in the here and now. Caretakers usually label objects, describe their location and ownership, and also make use of recasts (adjustments), which are expanded and grammatically correct versions of the child's utterance.

Talk about the experiment carried out by Anne Fernald on the connection between message and melody. For the first nine months, for a baby, the melody of the message is the message itself. In the video, Anne Fernald carried out an experiment in which some babies, with an object in front of them, had to listen.

MothereseVideo23.

to the learner through various means such as gestures, facial expressions, or simplified language, it enhances the learner's understanding and promotes language acquisition. Pica et al (1987) conducted a study on the role of interaction in second language acquisition. They found that learners who engaged in interactive activities, such as group discussions or role-plays, showed higher levels of language proficiency compared to those who received only traditional instruction. This suggests that interaction provides learners with opportunities to practice and apply their language skills in a meaningful context. Gass & Varonis (1994) also explored the impact of interaction on SLA, specifically focusing on the role of negotiation of meaning. They found that when learners engage in negotiation of meaning, which involves clarifying and confirming understanding during communication, it leads to increased language development. This highlights the importance of interactive communication in facilitating language learning. Overall, interaction plays a crucial role in SLA as it provides learners with opportunities to receive comprehensible input, practice their language skills, and engage in meaningful communication. It allows learners to actively participate in the learning process and promotes language acquisition.

it’s when SLA takes place. There are also two empirical studies that demonstrate this fact: the st