The identification of the cognitive, affective, social and even physiological factors affecting second or foreign language learning routes and rate has for long been a challenging aspiration for second language researchers. However, a recent preoccupation of the researchers in this area has been the study of the combinatorial impacts of such factors on second or foreign language learning proces...

This paper discusses problems in developing L2 lexical competence in an input-poor environment, and suggests what we can do so as to minimize the negative effects of those problems on L2 lexical learning. As an unavoidable problem, we discussed a learner strategy unequivocally used by Japanese students when learning the meaning of a new word. To enhance L2 lexical learning, we suggested that le...

Second language (L2) learning is widely studied in adult learners. This study was conducted in order to see how auditory training affects elderly learners’ L2 speech production and whether linguistically oriented seniors can benefit more from training compared to seniors not showing special interest in foreign languages. Hence, we studied seniors recruited from language courses and seniors with...

The usual practice of learning L2 English prosody is a bottom up process, from initializing a word stress model followed by layering over effects from semantic and syntactic specifications, and finally paragraph association. The present study derives normalized 3-way stress models of F0 and duration from speech data with the above specifications of both L1 and L2 English to see where the differ...

The paper presents a novel learning algorithm for the class of L2 Support Vector Machines classifiers dubbed Direct L2 SVM. The proposed algorithm avoids solving the quadratic programming problem and yet, it produces both the same exact results as the classic quadratic programming based solution in a significantly shorter CPU time. The connections between various L2 SVM algorithms will be highl...

Although cross-sectional research designs have been widely used in the evaluation of L2 phonetic learning, longitudinal studies of L2 speech production are rare. As a result, it is difficult to draw strong conclusions about the effects of language experience on L2 phonetic acquisition. This investigation of adult Slavic (Russian and Ukrainian) and Mandarin speakers tracks their English high vow...

Acoustic measurements were made of the voice onset time (VaT) and vowel formants (F,-F)) in French and English words spoken by native French subjects who were highly experienced in English. and by three groups of native English subjects differing according to French-language experience. The speech of monolingual subjects was also examined to estimate the phonetic norms of French and English. It...

The degree of similarity between L1 and L2 sounds is said to be crucial for L1/L2 sound distinction. Similar L1 and L2 sounds, according to the Speech Learning Model (SLM), tend to be undistinguished. Yet, much has been left undetermined of what counts as “similar”. In this study, the relation between phonetic similarity and L1/L2 sound distinction is explored by examining whether different aco...

Learning a second language (L2) proceeds with individual approaches to proficiency in the language. Individual differences including sex, as well as working memory (WM) function appear to have strong effects on behavioral performance and cortical responses in L2 processing. Thus, by considering sex and WM capacity, we examined neural responses during L2 sentence processing as a function of L2 p...

Working memory (WM) plays a crucial role in learning a second language (L2). The ability to repeat words in an unknown language has been observed to predict success in learning that language. Conversely, decreased digit span and inability to repeat pseudowords have been related with failure in L2 acquisition. Not only digit span, but also "word span" and "semantic span" should be considered in ...