In this article, we discuss the perceptions of researchers who work on heritage language bilingua... more In this article, we discuss the perceptions of researchers who work on heritage language bilingualism (HLB), educators who teach heritage speakers (HSs), and, crucially, HSs themselves regarding the nature of bilingualism in general as well as HLB specifically. Despite the fact that all groups are invested in HLB and that researchers and educators tend to have a similar basic understanding of HLB development and share common goals regarding heritage language (HL) teaching and learning, there are non-trivial differences and disconnects between them. In our view, beyond the various aspects of the societal milieu that significantly contribute to this state of affairs, we maintain that these differences also reflect unfortunate miscommunication regarding how the object and outcomes of HLB research is packaged, contextualized and communicated to HSs and teachers who have direct influence over their education. Considering this, the main goal and contribution of the present work is to prov...
This chapter aims to underline the importance of bilingualism research from a formal linguistic p... more This chapter aims to underline the importance of bilingualism research from a formal linguistic perspective for second language pedagogy. In doing so, we highlight where the two fields of inquiry overlap with each other and offer insights into how language pedagogy can benefit from information gained by psycholinguistic studies on specific properties of grammar and its development.
This study focuses on how the choices made by language learners might change according to the lin... more This study focuses on how the choices made by language learners might change according to the linguistic environment they experience. The presentation includes: (1) a review of the evidence from previous experiments on structural priming in various forms of language; (2) a description of redundant structures and negotiation for meaning; and (3) a discussion of the consequences of structural priming on the interlanguage development of redundant structures when learners are confronted with a choice between form and meaning. Studies on structural priming show that, when people speak or write, they tend to be influenced by some structures that either they have recently produced themselves or experienced others producing. This study aims to answer the question: Is the effect of structural priming restricted to communicatively important syntactic features or does it extend to redundant linguistic markers? The current experiment was designed to investigate the priming effect of English red...
While the characteristics of an effective teacher vary depending on different views, everybody wo... more While the characteristics of an effective teacher vary depending on different views, everybody would agree that a teacher who ignores the affective domain cannot be considered effective. Previous studies in the area mainly focused on the cognitive side of the learning process. ...
The way we perceive language is the foundation of our social construction and individual or group... more The way we perceive language is the foundation of our social construction and individual or group relationships, and studies in sociolinguistics have tried to explain this relationship between the use of language and the importance of perceptions. A particular discourse, spoken or written, can stem from different sources such as power, cultural or social background, region or social status. This paper aims to discuss the realisation of identity and background by means of language use in a political discourse, which is mainly grounded in Norman Fairclough‟s assumptions in critical discourse analysis. For this aim, the discursive strategies of the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a debate in the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2009 will be examined within the context of his ideological, cultural and language background.
In this article, we discuss the perceptions of researchers who work on heritage language bilingua... more In this article, we discuss the perceptions of researchers who work on heritage language bilingualism (HLB), educators who teach heritage speakers (HSs), and, crucially, HSs themselves regarding the nature of bilingualism in general as well as HLB specifically. Despite the fact that all groups are invested in HLB and that researchers and educators tend to have a similar basic understanding of HLB development and share common goals regarding heritage language (HL) teaching and learning, there are non-trivial differences and disconnects between them. In our view, beyond the various aspects of the societal milieu that significantly contribute to this state of affairs, we maintain that these differences also reflect unfortunate miscommunication regarding how the object and outcomes of HLB research is packaged, contextualized and communicated to HSs and teachers who have direct influence over their education. Considering this, the main goal and contribution of the present work is to prov...
This chapter aims to underline the importance of bilingualism research from a formal linguistic p... more This chapter aims to underline the importance of bilingualism research from a formal linguistic perspective for second language pedagogy. In doing so, we highlight where the two fields of inquiry overlap with each other and offer insights into how language pedagogy can benefit from information gained by psycholinguistic studies on specific properties of grammar and its development.
This study focuses on how the choices made by language learners might change according to the lin... more This study focuses on how the choices made by language learners might change according to the linguistic environment they experience. The presentation includes: (1) a review of the evidence from previous experiments on structural priming in various forms of language; (2) a description of redundant structures and negotiation for meaning; and (3) a discussion of the consequences of structural priming on the interlanguage development of redundant structures when learners are confronted with a choice between form and meaning. Studies on structural priming show that, when people speak or write, they tend to be influenced by some structures that either they have recently produced themselves or experienced others producing. This study aims to answer the question: Is the effect of structural priming restricted to communicatively important syntactic features or does it extend to redundant linguistic markers? The current experiment was designed to investigate the priming effect of English red...
While the characteristics of an effective teacher vary depending on different views, everybody wo... more While the characteristics of an effective teacher vary depending on different views, everybody would agree that a teacher who ignores the affective domain cannot be considered effective. Previous studies in the area mainly focused on the cognitive side of the learning process. ...
The way we perceive language is the foundation of our social construction and individual or group... more The way we perceive language is the foundation of our social construction and individual or group relationships, and studies in sociolinguistics have tried to explain this relationship between the use of language and the importance of perceptions. A particular discourse, spoken or written, can stem from different sources such as power, cultural or social background, region or social status. This paper aims to discuss the realisation of identity and background by means of language use in a political discourse, which is mainly grounded in Norman Fairclough‟s assumptions in critical discourse analysis. For this aim, the discursive strategies of the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a debate in the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2009 will be examined within the context of his ideological, cultural and language background.
This study focuses on how the choices made by language learners might change according to the lin... more This study focuses on how the choices made by language learners might change according to the linguistic environment they experience. The presentation includes: (1) a review of the evidence from previous experiments on structural priming in various forms of language; (2) a description of redundant structures and negotiation for meaning; and (3) a discussion of the consequences of structural priming on the interlanguage development of redundant structures when learners are confronted with a choice between form and meaning. Studies on structural priming show that, when people speak or write, they tend to be influenced by some structures that either they have recently produced themselves or experienced others producing. This study aims to answer the question: Is the effect of structural priming restricted to communicatively important syntactic features or does it extend to redundant linguistic markers?
The current experiment was designed to investigate the priming effect of English redundant morphological structure 3sg-s (third person singular -s marking) on language learners who were developmentally ready to process it. There were 9 participants, who carried out communicative tasks with a more advanced L2 English interlocutor - the researcher - who provided the priming of developmentally advanced 3sg-s form throughout the treatment tasks. The results indicated that the participants who evidenced high levels of structural priming for 3sg-s were unlikely to advance to a higher stage in the developmental hierarchy of ESL. It is therefore concluded that the communicative value of a structural form, specifically when it is redundant, may obstruct the facilitative effect of structural priming on language development.
This study explores the relationship between core syntax and cognition in bilinguals through an e... more This study explores the relationship between core syntax and cognition in bilinguals through an experiment that tests the effects of word order on perception of images. Taking into account the idea that having acquired a particular language enables individuals to identify the world outside with the concepts in their minds in a specific way (Athanasopoulos et al., 2011; Cook, 2010; Kovelman et al., 2008), it is hypothesised that there will be differences between monolinguals and bilinguals of different languages in the sequence for image reintegration according to the canonical word order of their languages, SVO/SOV/VSO, and according to their level of proficiency in English. Participants were presented with 20 stimuli on a computer screen in the form of a picture split into three elements each representing agent, patient and action, e.g. a man peeling potatoes. The sequence with which they integrate the image will be measured. It is predicted that monolingual speakers of languages with non-SVO order will behave differently from speakers of the same languages who know English to a high level of proficiency. This then shows an effect of learning another word order on the processing of images even when the use of language is not directly involved.
Handbook of Research and Practice in Heritage Language Education
The main goal of this chapter is to provide a link between formal heritage language studies and h... more The main goal of this chapter is to provide a link between formal heritage language studies and heritage language pedagogy, two areas of research that, despite being highly relevant to each other, have traditionally been approached from very different perspectives. To this end, we review the major issues and most significant findings in each subfield. Then, we offer some insights as to how to implement advances in formal linguistic studies into the development of evidence-based pedagogical approaches to heritage speakers in a classroom setting and beyond.
Handbook of Research and Practice in Heritage Language Education
This chapter discusses the case of Turkish as a heritage language in Germany, considering the fac... more This chapter discusses the case of Turkish as a heritage language in Germany, considering the factors affecting heritage language maintenance and education, including parental and institutional perspectives. We contextualise this within a brief review of the history of Turkish migration to Germany, highlighting the relationship between the challenging integration process experienced by many Turkish immigrants to Germany, and the social, educational and linguistic journey of the Turkish language within the Turkish community. Data from a recent research study presents empirical data examining associations between parental perspectives, including maintaining literacy, on Turkish heritage language maintenance in Germany and the linguistic outcomes of heritage language competence within the younger generation, presented here within the formalisms of Processability Theory (Pienemann, 1998, 2005). We finish with a discussion on the lack of a uniform approach from German governments towards accommodating Turkish language within the mainstream education system and how this may affect the future of Turkish as a heritage language in Germany
Uploads
Papers
The current experiment was designed to investigate the priming effect of English redundant morphological structure 3sg-s (third person singular -s marking) on language learners who were developmentally ready to process it. There were 9 participants, who carried out communicative tasks with a more advanced L2 English interlocutor - the researcher - who provided the priming of developmentally advanced 3sg-s form throughout the treatment tasks. The results indicated that the participants who evidenced high levels of structural priming for 3sg-s were unlikely to advance to a higher stage in the developmental hierarchy of ESL. It is therefore concluded that the communicative value of a structural form, specifically when it is redundant, may obstruct the facilitative effect of structural priming on language development.