Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Learning So Difficult?
Natasha Tokowicz
Difficulties in Adult Second
Language Learning
• A lot of information to learn
• Embarrassment at speaking language
Differences between the new language and
your native language
(e.g., The Competition Model, MacWhinney & Bates, 1989)
So, Why Learn Another
Language?
So, Why Learn Another
Language?
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
So, Why Learn Another
Language?
• Communicate with people of different
language backgrounds
– Especially an important message!
High Low
conceptual conceptual
salience salience
Distributed Feature Model
De Groot (1992)
Concrete Words lexical
L1 L2
Cognate Translations (word)
level
conceptual
(meaning)
level
lexical
L1 Abstract Words L2 (word)
Noncognate Translations level
conceptual
(meaning)
level
L1: First Language
L2: Second Language
Why Else Meanings May Differ
• Different lexical concepts
– “sibling” in Dutch = broers en zussen
(brothers and sisters)
• Culturally-specific concepts
– “gezellig” in Dutch = ???
• Culturally-distinct meanings
– “sombrero”, “iglesia”
Broadness of application of terms in the two
languages--semantic boundaries
Prepositions (Ijaz, 1986)
Semantic boundaries differ across languages
– German learners of English under-emphasize
contact and over-emphasize movement for “on”
• close translation equivalent of “on” in German is
“auf”, which can denote a motional meaning like the
English word “up”
“achterbak” or “kofferbak”
“romp”
“stam” or “boomstronk”
“slurf”
Experiment 1
1100
effect
• Cost for multiple
1000 forms similar for
high and low CS
900
words
• Cost for multiple
meanings only for
high CS words
800
Low High
Conceptual Salience
Accuracy Data: Experiment 1
100
• Unambiguous
90
One Meaning, One Form for Meaning Selected
Two Meanings, One Form for Meaning Selected words show CS
effect
One Meaning, Two Forms for Meaning Selected
80
• High CS words
70
60
10
0
Low High
Conceptual Salience
Tokowicz & Kroll
Model of Language Production
• Adapted from Poulisse & Bongaerts (1994)
• Sources of competition
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Meaning
Level
Word
door strawberry raspberry deur aardbei framboos Level
strawberry “aardbei”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Meaning
Level
Word
door strawberry raspberry deur aardbei framboos Level
strawberry “aardbei”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Meaning
Level
Word
door strawberry raspberry deur aardbei framboos Level
strawberry “aardbei”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Meaning
Level
Word
door strawberry raspberry deur aardbei framboos Level
strawberry “aardbei”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Meaning
Level
Word
door strawberry raspberry deur aardbei framboos Level
strawberry “aardbei”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Meaning
Level
Word
door strawberry raspberry deur aardbei framboos Level
strawberry “aardbei”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Multiple Forms
Meaning
Level
Word
door throat mouth deur strot keel Level
throat “strot”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Multiple Forms
Meaning
Level
Word
door throat mouth deur strot keel Level
throat “strot”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Multiple Forms
Meaning
Level
Word
door throat mouth deur strot keel Level
throat “strot”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Multiple Forms
Meaning
Level
Word
door throat mouth deur strot keel Level
throat “strot”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Multiple Forms
Meaning
Level
competition
Word
door throat mouth deur strot keel Level
throat “strot”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Multiple Forms
Meaning
Level
Word
door throat mouth deur strot keel Level
throat “strot”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Multiple Meanings
Meaning
Level
Word
door calf thigh calf cow deur dij kuit koe Level
calf “kuit”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Multiple Meanings
Meaning
Level
Word
door calf thigh calf cow deur dij kuit koe Level
calf “kuit”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Multiple Meanings
Meaning
Level
Word
door calf thigh calf cow deur dij kuit koe Level
calf “kuit”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Multiple Meanings
Meaning
Level
competition
Word
door calf thigh calf cow deur dij kuit koe Level
calf “kuit”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Multiple Meanings
Meaning
Level
Word
door calf thigh calf cow deur dij kuit koe Level
calf “kuit”
Tokowicz & Kroll Model
Multiple Meanings
Meaning
Level
Word
door calf thigh calf cow deur dij kuit koe Level
calf “kuit”
Interim Summary
• Multiple forms create competition
• No difference between
Spanish and Both
Accuracy Data-Experiment 2
• Accuracy corrected for
length
• More accurate at
rejecting English
sentences
• False alarms in
Neither condition
Conclusions
• Stimuli in “both” condition less familiar?, or
Strategic effects?
Event-Related Brain Potentials
• Temporally sensitive measure of on-line
processing
• Derived from the electroencephalographic
(EEG) record
• Reflect synchronous depolarization of
populations of neurons
ERP Setup
• Electrodes are placed
painlessly on the surface
of the scalp
P600
Acceptable
Unacceptable
N400
P600?
Acceptable
Unacceptable
N400