Thursday, January 30, 2014

Krashen tele-presentation: accent


A Conjecture on Accent in a Second Language
In: Z. Lengyel, J. Navracsics, and O. Simon (Eds.) 1997. Applied Linguistic Studies in Central Europe, vol 1. Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Veszprem, Hungary.  (available at sdkrashen.com)

The hypothesis: We do not use our best accents because we feel silly.
The"output filter": a block that keeps us from doing our best, from "performing our competence."

1. Variability: Our accents in second languages vary, depending on how we feel. We are influenced by the situation, especially whether we feel we are being evaluated.

2. Our ability to imitate other dialects of our first language, as well as foreign accents. Given sufficient input, we can all do these things to at least some extent. But we do not, because we would feel uncomfortable doing so. The output filter holds us back.
We can imitate foreign accents in our first language. Obviously, we do not do this in ordinary conversation. It would, we feel, be perceived as rude.
There are domains in which the use of these accents is permitted, in plays and jokes, for example. Even in these situations, however, their use is sensitive. In plays, dialects must be rendered very accurately, and in jokes their use can be demeaning.
Our ability, yet reluctance to use accents and dialects again shows that we do not perform our competence fully and that there are powerful affective forces holding us back.

3. The alcohol study. Guiora, Beit-Hallahmi, Brannon, Dull, and Scovel (1972): Accent in a foreign language was best after subjects drank 1.5 ounces of bourbon. It was less accurate with both less and more than this amount of alcohol. There was, in other words, an optimal point of inebriation.

4. Stevick’s example. In a Swahili class Stevick he taught at the Foreign Service Institute there were three students. One was at a significantly higher level than the others. When the top student had to drop the class, the number two student suddenly showed a dramatic improvement. My conjecture is that his output filter lowered, freed from the inhibiting influence of the better student.

Discussion

What is language for?
1. Communication
2. Mark you as a member of social group – accent: When we identify with the members of a group, we talk the way they do. Accent tells the hearer who you are, where you are from, in some cases your social class, and in other cases your values.
 (Beebe, 1985): We do not always imitate the speech we hear the most. Children usually talk the way their peers talk, not the way their parents or teachers talk.

Conjecture: Accent is acquired rapidly but is not performed, because we do not feel like members of the group that uses it.

Implications: Accent improvement programs? No evidence they work.
Krashen, S. 2013. The effect of direct instruction on pronunciation: Only evident when conditions for Monitor use are met?   GiST: Education and Learning Research Journal   7: 271-275. (avilable at sdkrashen.com).
Most second language acquirers have acquired a great deal of the phonological system: But we demand perfection.

Beebe, L. 1985. Input: Choosing the right stuff. In Gass, S. and Madden. C. (Eds.) Input in Second Language Acquisition. New York: Newbury House. pp. 404-414.
Guiora, A., Beit-Hallahmi, B., Brannon, R., Dull, C. and Scovel, T. 1972. The effects of experimentally induced changes in ego status on pronunciation ability in a second language. Comprehensive Psychiatry 13: 421-428.
Smith, F. 1988. Joining the Literacy Club. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Stevick, E. 1980. Teaching Languages: A Way and Ways. New York: Newbury House.






Krashen tele-presentation: reading


Some new evidence for an old hypothesis (self-selected pleasure reading is good for you!)
Stephen Krashen   www.sdkrashen.com   twitter: skrashen 

Free voluntary reading  – the source of reading ability, writing style, much of spelling, vocabulary, grammar

The evidence

Sustained Silent Reading
-        
The Fiji Island study (RRQ, 1983): Elley & Mangubhai: gains in RC
Grade
ALM
SSR
Big Books
4
6.5
15
15
5
2.5
9
15
year 2: larger differences, readers better in writing, listening and grammar
Elley – The Singapore Project (Language Learning, 1991).

Evidence from English as a foreign language  (Krashen, 2007, ijflt.com)
Study
n
titles
titles/S
Duration
ES Cloze
ES RC
Yuan & Nash, 1992
37
200
5.4
one year
0.38

Sims, 1996
30
550
18.3
 one year

0.81
Sims, 1996
30
550
18.3
one year

0.65
Mason retakers
30
100
3.3
one sem
0.702

Mason Jr college
31
200
6.4
one year
1.47

Mason university
40
200
5
one year
1.11

Mason: response L1
40
550
13.75
one year
0.24
0.61
Mason: response L2
36
550
15.28
one year
0.63
0.48
Lituanas et al, 2001
30


6 months

1.7
Bell, 2001
14
2000
142.9
one year
1.31
3.14
Sheu, 2003
31
57
1.84


0.71
Sheu, 2003
34
55
1.62


1.04
Lee, 2005a
65
215
3.3
12 weeks
0.24

Hsu & Lee, 2005
47
354
7.5
one year
0.58

K. Smith, 2006
51
500
9.8
one year
0.47
0.39
Lee, 2006
41
1200
29.3
one year
1.02

Hsu & Lee, 2007
47
500
10.6
3 years


K. Smith, 2007
41
500
12.2
one year
0.56

           Liu, 2007
46
450
9.8
one year
1.59









Correlational: The Sullivan and Brown study:
Predictors of scores on vocabulary test given at age 16
Variable
beta
p-value
SES: higher job status
-0.012
0.613
Parent has degree
0.255
0
Higher income family
0.02
0.542
Read to everyday at age 5
0.115
0.01
Reads books often at age 10
0.313
0
Visits library often at age 10
0.009
0.791
Reads newspapers more than once/week at age 16
0.183
0
Reads books more than once/week at age 16
0.353
0
Reading proficiency at age five
0.039
0
Reading proficiency at age 10
0.117
0

Pratheeba & Krashen, 2013, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 117, 2, 1-7
Engineering students in India, demanding vocabulary test, survey of reading habits
Variable
M
SD
Correlation
p (one-tail)
Vocabulary
30.04
7.39


Reading Questionnaire (total)
62.8
7.31
.78
<.001
Book Reading (4 items)
13.00
3.34
.36
.04
Computer Reading (4 items)
15.84
2.25
.20
.22
Book reading: historical novels, political novels, science fiction, biographies and autobiographies
Ccomputer reading: used the internet to read about current affairs, for academic purposes, pleasure, online journals
Only one item dealing with computer reading   only one item of the four computer reading items, pleasure reading on the internet, correlated significantly with vocabulary test results.
Correlation between book reading and computer reading: r = .19

Case histories

The Beniko Mason series
Gains on TOEIC

Mr. Tanaka
Mr. Nakano
Mrs. Fujita
age
42
75
66
duration
12 months
5 months
9 weeks
Pages read
5456
2624
1739
Gain
475-655 = 180
495-580 = 85
680-740 = 60
Points/hr
.56
          .78
.35
Points/page
0.03
0.03
0.03
Hours CI

247
109

72.5

Hours study

70 (vocabulary)

"a few" (TOEIC prep)
94.5 (TOEIC prep)

Traditional instruction = .27


Mason, B. (2011). Impressive gains on the TOEIC after one year of comprehensible input, with no output or grammar study. The International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 7(1).  http://www.tprstories.com/images/ijflt/IJFLTNovember2011.pdf
Mason, B. (2013). Substantial gains in listening and reading ability in English as a second language from voluntary listening and reading in a 75 year old student. The International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 8(1), 25-27.
Mason, B. (in press). The case of Mr. Kashihara: Another case of substantial gains in reading and listening without output or grammar study, Shitennoji University (IBU) Journal.

FVR = the bridge between conversational and "academic" language – the missing link: Another case hsitory  In all cases, reading material is comprehensible, compelling, reading is narrow and self-selected.

Compelling Input

A Fan Ti and Daniel - Lao, C. and Krashen, S. 2008. Heritage language development: Exhortation or good stories? International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching 4 (2): 17-18.
Reaching the highest levels: A  3 stage plan
1.     For children, stories. For L2, good classes (TPRS, Natural Approach)
2.     Extensive narrow self-selected, compelling reading, the bridge
3.     Extensive narrow, self-seleted, compelling reading in your area of interest.
Gaps in the research: Massive extensive free voluntary listening.
1.     pedagogical material
2.     narrow, easy authentic
3.     harder authenttic