Australian Review of Applied Linguistics - Volume 34, Issue 2, 2011

This study aims to identify the relationship between the developmental hierarchy in the acquisition of Arabic as a second language (Arabic L2) and formal classroom instruction. It provides a general presentation of the current debate on the influence of formal instruction in the acquisition of L2. Special attention is given to the subset of Processability Theory (PT) known as Teachability Theory, and its implications for teaching methods of L2 in general and Arabic L2 in particular. This study also provides descriptive information on teaching objectives and materials used by the participants to study Arabic L2. This information is presented in order to establish an explanation for the connection between the formal teaching of Arabic L2 and the processability hierarchy. Participants were nine students studying Arabic as a second language at the Australian National University (three Beginners, three Intermediates, and three Advanced). Interviews were conducted over a period of two teaching semesters during the year 2005. Both implicational and distributional analyses were conducted. The results of these analyses show that teachers and curriculum developers should consider the PT’s predicted developmental stages for Arabic L2 structures when developing teaching materials and syllabus.

This article presents a cognitively-oriented account of the qualitative differences between ENL (English as a native language) and ELF (English as a lingua franca) users. Based on the declarativeprocedural model of second language acquisition, it examines the linguistic and sociolinguistic implications of ELF users’ dependence on their declarative memory system, with its corresponding explicit knowledge and controlled processes of cognition subserving the production of their output in English. In contrast, it points to ENL speakers’ output being sustained by both their procedural and declarative memory systems, with their corresponding implicit and explicit knowledge types that interact through automatic and controlled processes. Given the differences in the underlying cognitive resources and processes in output production, it concludes that the prevailing practice of assessing ELF users’ output in relation to ENL norms is simply irrelevant.

Motivation to learn a second language (L2) is considered a crucial individual factor in explaining success or lack thereof in second language learning. This study examined learners’ motivation to learn Chinese as a second language (L2). The study was longitudinal and cross-sectional. Interviews were conducted with learners at different year levels over the course of a university semester to analyse motivation to choose a particular L2, how motivation changes over time, and factors contributing to that change. The study found that motivation is diverse, complex, and undergoes many fluctuations. Motivation to begin language study was related to both past L2 learning experiences and personal goals. Once language study began, factors related to the learning environment were the most important factors to impact on motivation, and were also most likely to demotivate learners. However, when learners had a clear future image of themselves as speakers of the L2, they were able to continue motivating themselves, regardless of the demotivation stemming from their learning environment. These findings lend some support for Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009) L2 Motivational Self-System theory, which highlights the importance of the ideal L2 self as a powerful motivator to learn an L2.

The purpose of this study is to compare the vocabulary learning of monolingual learners of English as a second language with bilingual learners of English as a third language. The study is based on data from 52 monolingual Persian-speaking learners of English and 45 bilingual Azeri-Persian-speaking learners of English. All the participants were females studying English as a foreign language at two universities in Iran. The informants were exposed to two incidental and four intentional vocabulary learning exercises. They were then measured at four difficulty levels using the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (Paribakht & Wesche, 1997). Variables such as English language proficiency, intelligence, family educational background, gender, age and type of university were controlled. The third language learners outperformed their second language counterparts at all word difficulty levels. The findings are discussed in relation to bilinguals’ higher level of executive and inhibitory control.

Sociolinguistic research on attitudes towards language has revealed that native speakers of English are drawn towards those who share their native accent and respond cautiously, perhaps negatively, towards those speaking in ‘accented’ English (Lambert, Hodgson, Gardner & Fillenbaum, 1960; Rubin, 1992). These perceptions greatly disadvantage migrants in competitive job and educational markets. This study investigated perceptions held by Australian university students learning foreign languages towards lecturers with non-standard English accents. The investigators used a modified matched-guised technique to test students’ responses to speech samples from six speakers, one Australian born and raised and five foreign born and raised. Results contrasted clearly with those of previous studies; students rated those who they heard as ‘accented’ speakers highly in many personality dimensions, suggesting the students’ greater readiness to accept foreign accents. The results highlight the importance of foreign language learning in fostering acceptance of linguistic and cultural difference and in facilitating mutual understanding among groups, particularly in multicultural societies.