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Cross-linguistic Semantic Transfer in Bilingual Chinese-English Speakers

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Abstract

The semantic structure of animal and emotion terms was here under investigation. In Study one, Chinese-English bilinguals and monolingual English and Chinese speakers provided similarity judgments. Those, once analysed with correspondence analysis, provided a multidimensional representation of the semantic structure of animal terms; with the greatest level of similarity noted between two bilingual structures. In Study two, a within subject design was employed and the participants evaluated levels of similarity between pairs of emotion terms. The greatest level of similarity was recorded between the bilingual judgments provided in English and the monolingual English ones. The aggregated findings have demonstrated that the bilingual semantic structures are dynamic, possibly due to the constant interaction between two languages, which in consequence may lead to creation of semantic interlanguage.

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... The association between word learning and culture context not only influences the formation of mental representation of target words, but also influences the link strengths between word forms and their semantics. For example, it was found that professional terms, such as animal names, share similar semantic structures and link strengths in L1 and L2; however, emotional words, which connect with culture, have different semantic structures and link strengths in L1 and L2 (Tytus and Rundblad 2017); and learning L2 words accompanied with culture-related contexts was found to be useful in helping learners comprehend and retain those words (Dias de Oliveira Santos 2015; Wong and Samudra 2021). Therefore, using music to build an L2 related culture context is supposed to be a useful method in helping learners register unfamiliar language patterns (Ellis 2002(Ellis , 2005. ...
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Interested peers can view the full paper and download it from the following link: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/QG9NH95UJ8BEEGDWJGUF/full?target=10.1080/17501229.2024.2350490 Background: Applying music to learners' language learning/ acquisition has a long research history. However, given that second language (L2) learning/acquisition is a complex process, the studies regarding applying music to L2 learning/acquisition are comparatively fragmented. Objectives: This review work analysed 87 articles that applied music to L2 learning/acquisition, or studied the relationships between music and L2 learning/acquisition. The focus of the research was to determine the correlation between music and L2 learning/acquisition and explore effective ways of applying music to facilitating the process of L2 learning/acquisition. Methods: Literature review. Results and conclusion: For RQ1, most of the studies reported that music is positively correlated with learners' L2 learning/acquisition /development/gains although some of them delivered the conclusion without solid statistical evidence. For RQ2, it can be concluded that the use of music in L2 learning yields benefits in at least 6 facets: (1) Promoting L2 learning via providing extra cognitive value; (2) Enhancing learners' L2 knowledge; (3) Improving learners' language skills; (4) Delivering and strengthening L2 culture; (5) Facilitating L2 teaching via using music as a component of a compound L2 pedagogical method; (6) Altering the plasticity of brain functions and networks responsible for L2 processing. Finally, controversies and implications were also discussed to provide guidance for the effective application of music in L2 learning.
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This article presents a probability table for the evaluation of stress values generated by multidimensional scaling (MDS) procedures employing stress formula 1. This table is based on the probability distribution of stress values from 587,200 random similarity matrices of different sizes processed to yield results for several dimensions.
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Based on a longtime course for master's level students at the London School of Economics and Politics, where the authors are based, this text concentrates on the multivariate methods so useful to social science problems involving correlational rather than causal relationships. Chapters with application examples and further readings cover data preliminaries, cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling, correspondence analysis, principal components analysis, factor analysis, and latent variable methods. While mathematical demands are minimal, these methods require use of a computer software package; an auxiliary website supplies data sets and code for use with SPSS.
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Two views of bilingualism are presented--the monolingual or fractional view which holds that the bilingual is (or should be) two monolinguals in one person, and the bilingual or wholistic view which states that the coexistence of two languages in the bilingual has produced a unique and specific speaker-hearer. These views affect how we compare monolinguals and bilinguals, study language learning and language forgetting, and examine the speech modes--monolingual and bilingual--that characterize the bilingual's everyday interactions. The implications of the wholistic view on the neurolinguistics of bilingualism, and in particular bilingual aphasia, are discussed.
The bilingual mental lexicon: interdisciplinary approaches
  • A. Pavlenko
Pavlenko, A. (2009). The bilingual mental lexicon: interdisciplinary approaches. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Geometric representations of perceptual phenomena: Papers in honor of Tarow Indow's 70th birthday
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  • W. H. Batchelder
  • T. Brazill
Romney, A. K., Batchelder, W. H., & Brazill, T. (1995). Scaling semantic domains. In D. R. Luce, M. D'Zmura, D. Hoffman, G. J. Iverson, & A. K. Romney (Eds.), Geometric representations of perceptual phenomena: Papers in honor of Tarow Indow's 70th birthday (pp. 267–294). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Tutorials in bilingualism: Psycholinguistic perspectives
  • B. MacWhinney
  • Pavlenko
  • Cook
The influence of the mother tongue on second language vocabulary acquisition and use
  • Swan M.
  • Cook V.