Role of Formal Input Exposure and onset Age in Grammaticality Judgement

Vafa Shojamanesh, Tan Kim Hua, Khazriyati Salehuddin

Abstract


This study examines the effects of formal input exposure and the onset age of exposure on the performance of eleven different morphosyntactic structures in a foreign language setting. It studies whether being exposed to longer hours of formal language classes at a younger age is advantageous for Iranian EFL learners. Some studies have claimed that there is no advantage for early starters and in the field of grammatical learning, later starters perform better. Four groups of Iranian learners with different formal learning times participated in this study: Groups A and B were public and private school students, respectively, whereas Groups C and D had extra supplementary classes at language institutes as well. A Grammaticality Judgement Task (GJT) including some grammatical structures which were claimed to be problematic for EFL learners, was used as a tool to determine the possible differences in the performance of grammatical structures of the four groups. A two-way ANCOVA and a one-way ANOVA were used to analyse the data. Results suggest that long hours of formal exposure lead to better grammatical performance and the participants who started learning English at age 9 or below performed better in the GJT.

 

Keywords: input exposure; Critical Period Hypothesis; onset age; grammatical learning; age effect on EFL learning. 


Full Text:

PDF

References


Ahamad, S. M. I. (2003). Language learning in content-based English as a second language (ESL) classrooms. 3L Journal of Language Teaching, Linguistics and Literature, Vol 8, 77-93.

Bakhshi, A. (1995). Teaching and learning English in the pre-university education in Hamedan province: The problems and solutions. MA thesis, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

Bettoni-Techio, M. (2008). State of the art discussion on the influence of age on SLA. TODAS AS LETRAS K, Vol 10(1), 68-73.

Bialystok, E. & Hakuta, K. (1999). Confounded age: Linguistic and cognitive factors in age differences for Second Language Acquisition. Second language acquisition and the critical period hypothesis. B. D. L. E. Associations. New Jersy: publishers Mahwah.

Borovsky, A. (2008). Word learning in context: The role of lifetime language input and sentential context. PhD thesis, University of California, United States.

Brown, H.D. (1994). Principles of language learning and teaching. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall Regents.

Dekeyser, R., Alfi-Shabtay, I. & Ravid, D. (2008). Cross-linguistic evidence for the nature of age effects in Second Language Acquisition. Applied Psycholinguistics, Vol 31, 413-438.

Dimroth, C. (2008). Age effect on the process of L2 acquisition? Evidence from the acquisition of negation and finiteness in L2 German. Language Learning, Vol 58(1), 117-150.

Flege, J.E., Yeni-Komshian G.H. & Liu, S. (1999). Age constraints on Second-Language Acquisition. Journal of Memory and Language, Vol 41, 78-104.

Francis, S. (2003). Input flooding and the acquisition of the Spanish verbs SER and ESTAR for beginning-level adult learners. PhD thesis, Purdue University, United States.

Frediani, V. (2008). Early versus late start in an EFL program: Factors that contribute to performance outcomes. MA thesis, Concordia University, Canada.

Ghasemi, P. (1996). Study the content of English textbooks of junior high school and the educational improvements of students during one year (1995-96) from teacher's point of view in Shiraz city. MA thesis, Tarbyat Mo'alem University, Tehran, Iran.

Heidari-Shahreza, M.A. & Barati, H. (2014). The effect of exposure frequency on incidental vocabulary acquisition. GEMA Online®Journal of Language Studies, Vol 14(1), 43-55.

Howard, M. (2011). Input perspectives on the role of learning context in second language acquisition. An introduction to the special issue. IRAL, Vol 49, 71-82.

Huang, H. (2009). Age related effects on the acquisition of second language phonology and grammar. PhD thesis, University of California, United States.

Huttenlocher, J., Vasilyeca, M., Cymerman, E. & Levine, S. (2002). Language input and child syntax. Cognitive Psychology, Vol 45, 337–374.

Johnson, J.S. & Newport, E.L. (1989). Critical period effects in second language learning: The influence of maturational state on the acquisition of English as a second language. Cognitive Psychology, Vol 21(1), 60-99.

Johnstone, R. (2002). Addressing The Age Factor: Some implications for language policy. University of Stirling, Scotland.

Kharkhurin, A.V. (2008). The effect of linguistic proficiency, age of second language acquisition, and length of exposure to a new cultural environment on bilinguals’ divergent thinking. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, Vol 11(2), 225–243.

Larson-Hall, J. (2008). Weighing the benefits of studying a foreign language at a younger starting age in a minimal input situation. Second language research, Vol 24(1), 35-63.

Long, M.H. (1980). Input, interaction and Second Language Acquisition. Applied linguistics. PhD thesis. University of California, Los Angeles, USA.

Mo'tamed Sharee'ati, J. (1991). Theoretical and field study on factors affecting foreign language teaching specially at ages 7 to 18 years. MA thesis, Ferdowsi University, Mashhad, Iran.

Munoz, C. (2011). Input and long-term effects of starting age in foreign language learning. IRAL, Vol 49, 113-133.

Nikolov, M. & Djigunovic J. M. (2006). Recent research on age,

Second Language Acquisition and early foreign language learning. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, Vol 26, 234-260.

Perani, D., Eraldo Paulesu, E., Sebastian Galles, N., Dupoux, E., Deheaene, S., Bettinardi, V., Cappa, S. F., Fazio, F. & Mehler, J. (1998). The bilingual brain: Proficiency and age of acquisition of the second language. Brain, Vol 121, 1841-1852.

Rezaeeyan, M. (2001). Study the relationship between field dependence or independence of gender and age: Effects on the efficacy of foreign language students. English Language Teaching. MA thesis, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

Sa’adat, M. (1995). Study the problems of teaching and learning English in junior high schools and high schools in Fars province. MA thesis, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

Sebastian-Galles, N., Echeverria, S. & Bosch, L. (2005). The

influence of initial exposure on lexical representation: Comparing early and simultaneous bilinguals. Journal of Memory and Language, Vol 52, 240–255.

Singleton, D. (2001). Age and Second Language Acquisition. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, Vol 21, 77-89.

Slabakova, R. (2006). Is there a Critical Period for semantics? Second Language Research, Vol 22(3), 302-338.

Unsworth, S. (2008). Age and input in the acquisition of grammatical gender in Dutch. Second Language Research, Vol 24(3), 365–395.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


 

 

 

eISSN : 2550-2247

ISSN : 0128-5157