Languages, Literatures, & Cultures
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Item DO MEASURES OF INDIVIDUAL WORDS AND FORMULAIC SEQUENCES TAP INTO THE SAME TRAIT: THE PERSPECTIVE OF ASSESSMENT AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PHONOLOGICAL SHORT-TERM MEMORY AND EXPOSURE(2024) Deng, Zhiyuan; Hui, Bronson; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Nativelike language use is characterized by a high level of formulaicity (Pawley & Syder, 1983; Sinclair, 1991), and formulaic sequences are often believed to be building blocks of language acquisition (Christiansen & Arnon, 2017) and crucial to language fluency (Saito, 2020). Although they consist of multiple words and are analyzable, some researchers argued that the knowledge of formulaic sequences is largely lexical in nature, i.e., stored and processed holistically without recourse to analysis (Wray, 2002). Wray (2008) further proposed a heteromorphic view of mental lexicon, pushing the boundary of vocabulary to encompass not only individual words but also larger-than-word units such as formulaic sequences. The main purpose of the present study was to empirically test this proposal from the perspective of assessment, i.e., see if measures of formulaic sequences tap into the same latent construct underlying measures of individual words. In addition, the present study also investigated the contributions of phonological short-term memory (PSTM) and exposure to the knowledge of formulaic sequences and individual words. The study was carried out in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, and 136 Chinese participants of intermediate to advanced proficiency completed a battery of nine linguistic measures assessing their receptive and controlled productive knowledge of collocations, phrasal verbs, and individual words. In addition, their capacity of PSTM was measured by a non-word span test, and their engagement in various types of English-medium activities was measured by an exposure questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis and model comparisons were conducted to examine the factor structure of nine linguistic measures, and a bi-factor solution with a single latent trait factor underlying all nine linguistic measures and a method-specific grouping factor for all six receptive measures was selected as the best-fitting model in terms of fit and parsimony. In addition, structural equation modeling revealed that PSTM, exposure, and length of learning English were all significant predictors for the knowledge of formulaic sequences and the knowledge of individual words. The three predictors combined explained about 33.4% of variance in the knowledge of formulaic sequences and 30.9% of the variance in the knowledge of individual words. However, the contributions of PSTM and exposure to the knowledge of formulaic sequences and to the knowledge of individual words were not significantly different in magnitude. The results provided psychometric evidence supporting the legitimacy of conceptualizing a heteromorphic mental lexicon showing that measures of formulaic sequences and individual words tapped into the same latent trait.Item DOES MODALITY MATTER? AURAL AND WRITTEN VOCABULARY IN SECOND LANGUAGE LISTENING AND READING COMPREHENSION(2024) Iizuka, Takehiro; Hui, Bronson; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examined the significance of the mode of delivery—aural versus written—in second language (L2) vocabulary knowledge and L2 comprehension skills. One of the unique aspects of listening comprehension that sets it apart from reading comprehension is the mode of delivery—language input is delivered not visually but aurally. Somewhat surprisingly, however, this difference has not always been considered, and in fact L2 listening studies are more often accompanied by written tests (of, e.g., vocabulary knowledge) than by aural tests. Few studies have systematically examined the impact of modality on comprehension skills and linguistic variables such as vocabulary either, despite the long-standing view of language skills being multimodal. In this study, therefore, I first examined the degree to which aural and written vocabulary is separate constructs. Then I examined how each of those constructs explains listening and reading comprehension skills differently. By using latent variable modeling, I also addressed limitations in previous studies, including undue influence from measurement error and unique characteristics of particular tests.One hundred eighty-five adult Japanese learners of English took four aural and four written English vocabulary tests, with parallel test formats across the modalities to allow for comparison. The effect of words was averaged out by counterbalancing eight property-matched sets of words. The participants also took listening and reading comprehension tests. The dimensionality of vocabulary knowledge was examined by comparing one-factor and multi-factor models. The unique contribution of aural and written vocabulary knowledge to listening and reading comprehension was evaluated by latent variable path analysis. The difference in the sizes of aural and written vocabulary knowledge was examined by latent means modeling. The results of the study were nuanced. Modality effects were observed in the sense that (1) a two-factor model of vocabulary knowledge with aural and written vocabulary had a significantly better fit to the data than a one-factor model, (2) aural vocabulary knowledge uniquely explained some variance in listening comprehension skills, and (3) the participants’ aural vocabulary size was significantly smaller than their written vocabulary size. However, the effects of modality were limited in the sense that (1) the aural and written vocabulary knowledge factors were very highly correlated and (2) the common part of the two factors—general vocabulary knowledge—explained much more variance in each of listening and reading comprehension skills than modality-specific knowledge. These results suggest that, although aural versus written test modality effects do seem to exist in L2 vocabulary knowledge and comprehension skills, its practical impact is small compared with that of general vocabulary knowledge at least in the context where words are presented in isolation as in the present study.Item THE CROSS-LANGUAGE ACTIVATION OF FIRST LANGUAGE (L1) HOMONYMS TRANSLATIONS IN SECOND LANGUAGE (L2) PROCESSING: AN INVESTIGATION OF WHETHER L1 TRANSLATION ARE ACTIVATED IN L2 SENTENCE CONTEXT(2024) Alsalmi, Mona Othman; Jiang, Nan; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A present study aimed to investigate the role of a first language (L1) translation on a second language (L2) word processing in a sentential context by relatively advanced Arabic learners of English. The focus is on cases where a homonymous word in the L1 is realized by independent words in the L2, (e.g. Arabic قرش realized by English shark and coin). Using the visual-world paradigm, Arabic-English bilinguals and English native participants were auditorily presented with English sentences that are predictive of a target word (e.g., “shark” in Scuba divers saw the sharp teeth of a giant shark yesterday) while looking at a visual screen. The screen contained one of the three critical objects: a target object whose English name corresponded to the target word (shark; Arabic: قرش) in the target condition, an Arabic competitor object whose Arabic name shared the same Arabic translation with the target word (coin; Arabic: قرش) in the Arabic condition, or an object that was unrelated to the target word (drums; Arabic طبل) in the control condition.Compared to native speakers of English, relatively advanced Saudi learners of English made more fixations on the critical objects in the Arabic condition compared to the control condition. This study supports the potential automatic activation of L1 translations when processing sentences in L2, even in relatively proficient learners and suggests evidence for the verification model in L2 word recognition.Item Moderating Effects of Difficulty on Individual Differences' Prediction of Intensive Second Language Proficiency Attainment(2024) Pulupa, Catherine Maria; Hui, Bronson; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The United States government is perennially in need of employees with proficiency in critical foreign languages to communicate with foreign counterparts and maintain relationships worldwide. In order to fulfill this need, the government devotes significant resources training federal employees to advanced levels of language proficiency through intensive courses aimed at developing communicative language skills that reflect the work that employees will perform in their work advancing the interests of the United States abroad. Notable proportions of employees fail to meet proficiency goals at the end of training, and little is known about what learner individual differences drive whether or not employees will meet their proficiency goals in order to perform their work on behalf of the United States. To this aim, the current investigation utilizes multiple analyses to explore and explain the interrelationships between learner individual differences, language difficulty, and proficiency attainment throughout training. The investigation constitutes two related analyses. First, a path-analytic approach examines associations between a cognitive (aptitude) measure and non-cognitive (motivation, familiarity with curricula, previous advanced second language learning) measures with student proficiency achievement throughout training. A second analysis builds on the first: the path-analytic model incorporates a measure of difficulty of the language studied by the students to determine how difficulty influences language learning and ultimate attainment within the context of individual differences in L2 speaking and reading. Results demonstrated consistent influence of language aptitude on proficiency attainment, and notable influences of previous L2 acquisition and the alignment of training to individuals’ language use goals. L2 difficulty moderated the relationships between individual differences and proficiency assessment scores during several points in training. The findings support an understanding of adult L2 acquisition that more fully considers learners’ goals and previous L2 experiences and consideration of the impact that difficulty can have on individual learners’ abilities to achieve target proficiency goals.Item Un asunto minúsculo: Constelaciones contemporáneas en las narrativas de lo cotidiano(2024) hernandez, daniela paz; Demaría, Laura; Spanish Language and Literature; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Este trabajo explora cómo lo cotidiano, conceptualizado como 'minúsculo', es representado en las obras de cinco autores contemporáneos latinoamericanos: Teoría de la gravedad, de Leila Guerriero; Leer y dormir, de Gonzalo Maier; Ómnibus, de Elvio Gandolfo; Los llanos, de Federico Falco y Ella estuvo entre nosotros, de Belén Fernández Llanos. Estas narrativas varían en contenido y estilo, pero hablan de rutinas, detalles y asuntos pequeños, como lavar platos, viajar al trabajo u ordenar la casa. El objetivo principal de este análisis es ilustrar cómo estos aspectos aparentemente irrelevantes, mundanos o imperceptibles de lo cotidiano arrojan luz sobre la complejidad del presente y sus discursos de subjetividad. Para comprender el valor de lo cotidiano se estudia, primero, la capacidad de estas escrituras para construir materialidades autónomas y vibrantes; segundo, cómo estos pequeños asuntos minúsculos ayudan a distinguir lo familiar y crear en él un espacio de experimentación para el sujeto; y tercero, cómo producen una temporalidad única e íntima que se lee como una alternativa al tiempo uniforme e industrializado. Estos tres puntos se analizan utilizando herramientas de la teoría de los afectos, nuevos materialismos y los estudios culturales de lo cotidiano. El valor de esta investigación radica en su capacidad para ofrecer un punto de vista único, que va más allá de los límites de lo literario para abarcar una reflexión más amplia sobre el presente. En una era inundada de información y perpetuamente bajo el influjo de lo nuevo, este estudio fomenta la contemplación y la reflexión, ofreciendo una pausa, un contrapunto, al ritmo frenético de la vida moderna. Este trabajo sostiene que estas narrativas crean espacios para un compromiso más deliberado e introspectivo con la realidad y promueven un cambio sutil pero transformador, lo que representa en sí mismo un acto revolucionario.Item Her Gaze, Their Voice: an analysis of three documentaries by Yamina Benguigui, Alice Diop and Agnès Varda(2024) Adle, Richard James; Eades, Caroline; French Language and Literature; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A stylistic analysis of three documentaries by Yamina Benguigui, Agnès Varda and Alice Diop: Mémoires d’immigrés : l’héritage maghrébin (Benguigui, 1997), Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse (Varda, 2000), and Nous (Diop, 2021).Item What's Playing? Immediacy, Authenticity, and Playfulness in the Work of Christophe Honoré, Ahmed Madani, and Faustine Noguès(2024) Muravchik, Madeline; Eades, Caroline; French Language and Literature; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Christophe Honoré’s Le Ciel de Nantes (2021), Ahmed Madani’s Incandescences (2021), and Faustine Noguès’ Surprise parti (2019) represent a new wave of French playwrights who have rejected postmodern aesthetics and have intentionally returned to traditional classic French theater techniques - immediacy, authenticity, and playfulness - in order to create compelling theater for contemporary French audiences despite being confronted with the development of film and social media. These works rely specifically on the synchronous co-presence of performer and spectator. They create intimate portraits of different aspects of French life, drawing on material from both auto/biography and fiction. At their core, these elements are used to explore liveness, whether thematically by looking at an array of human connections (self to family, self to community, self to society), or artistically by exploring the nature of representation and play on stage.Item TOWARD A THEORY-BASED ACCOUNT OF THE L2 VOCABULARY PROCESSING AND LEARNING BENEFITS OF READING WHILE LISTENING(2024) Malone, Jonathan; Gor, Kira; Hui, Bronson; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The tantalizing prospects of learning benefits from multimodal conditions on second language (L2) learning in general, and L2 vocabulary development in particular, have important implications. Indeed, opening a language learning app on any device provides the immediate experience of simultaneous input modalities, and a wide range of input types. But how helpful is multimodality to vocabulary learning, especially when the focus of the learner is on the meaning of a text? Researchers have manipulated input to compare a variety of learning conditions and examined vocabulary learning gains. However, relatively few within second language acquisition (SLA) have utilized real-time monitoring of learner behavior to examine how learners encounter new words over multiple exposures during a reading task, and how the quality of these encounters may or may not influence explicit learning outcomes. Even fewer have mapped differences in the developmental trajectory of form-form and form-meaning mapping for new words at the group level, comparing reading only (RO) with reading while listening (RWL). Crucially, to my knowledge, none have made or tested predictions within RWL on possible psycholinguistic source(s) of reported benefits. Our understanding of outcome benefits, along with implications for optimizing input in classroom or individual instructed contexts, is thereby quite limited. My dissertation study was designed to address each of these issues. 119 advanced English learners read or read while listening to a 7,400-word short story under incidental conditions (time pressure, focus on comprehension, and unannounced posttest outcomes). The text was embedded with 25 target pseudoword items 10 times each, with target items replacing real nouns in object positions. Measures of real-time form learning were defined as faster reading times and fewer total visits to the new words across encounters (Godfroid, 2020b), and there were three post-exposure measures of explicit word knowledge (form recognition, meaning recognition, meaning recall). New to this area of vocabulary research, outcome items were presented in randomized item modality (visual or auditory), to ensure congruence between treatment and test items and reducing modality-specific testing bias (Jelani & Boers, 2018). Group-level comparisons examined differences in (1) developmental trajectory of form familiarity and meaning integration for RO and RWL groups, (2) learning outcomes, and (3) effects of multi-componential L2 proficiency and phonological short-term memory (PSTM) skills on processing and learning outcomes. Within-RWL analyses operationalized a theoretical source of benefit (reading slightly ahead of the audio) and its impact on reading time and posttest learning gains. Findings indicated differences between RO and RWL across three measures of eye movements: (1) gaze duration (GD), a measure of form familiarity with new words; (2) total reading time (TRT), a measure of meaning integration; and (3) visit count, or the total number of encounters looking at the words. The overall pattern for RWL indicated longer initial reading times for new words, fewer re-readings, and steadier decrease in GD and TRT across encounters. Additionally, differences in learning outcomes were most clearly revealed through auditory test items, with RWL superior to RO across all three posttest outcome measures, and a group by item modality interaction. In other words, RWL indicated superior overall effects compared with RO across all items in form recognition and meaning recall, across all three posttests in auditory items, and better scores on visual than auditory items in RO (but equal across test item modality in RWL). Within-RWL analyses revealed that reading ahead of the audio was a positive predictor of TRT, as well as the most difficult of the three outcome measures (meaning recall). While PSTM predicted processing of new words, it did not predict outcomes for any of the three measures of vocabulary learning gains for advanced-level L2 readers. In sum, this study provides convergent evidence that process (form-form / form-meaning acquisition) and product (learning gains) are both positively impacted for new words under multimodal incidental conditions for advanced L2 learners, along with an initial indication that audiovisual asynchrony may play a role in RWL benefits in learning new words above and beyond L2 proficiency or memory skills.Item Vegetal agency: the sap controversy in early eighteenth-century France treatises on plants and gardening(Royal Society, 2024-01) Benharrech, SarahThis article examines how the apologetics of the abbé Noël-Antoine Pluche (1688–1761) impacted his presentation of botanical knowledge in the ten dialogues published in the first and second volumes of his natural history book Le Spectacle de la nature (1732–1750). Pluche popularized a conception of the physical world where plants are reducible to inert mechanisms, devoid of life and agency. First, I examine the various intertwinements of science and theology in his depiction of plant anatomy, by investigating his use of mechanical analogies, his adoption of the sap circulation hypothesis, and his application of the pre-existence theory to account for both generation and vegetative multiplication. I then compare Pluche's understanding of plant growth with those offered by contemporaneous gardening treatises, demonstrating that part of Pluche's project included opposing the materialist and animist undertones found in these gardening treatises that emphasized vegetal life, self-organization, and sap agency.Item Gynocolonial Legacies: Lasting Influences of the French Founding Mothers in North America(2023) Robinson, Elizabeth W; Baillargeon, Mercédès; French Language and Literature; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Within the annals of history, women have begun to emerge as silent architects and resilient figures who have navigated the labyrinthine constructs of patriarchal systems. Their stories are finding their way to the light of day and taking up more space than they have previously. Such is the case with the historical figures of les filles du roi in New France, and the Casket Girls in Louisiana. In this dissertation, I embark on a comprehensive analysis of literary works from Quebec and Louisiana and the representation of these historical figures within them. Through the stories about the women transported to the French colonies in the late 17th century and early 18th century to serve the patriarchy as wives and mothers, this study extends beyond mere literary and historical analysis and explores the influence of these women in shaping cultural identity reinforced by patriarchal norms.