Linguistic/cultural differences of learners’ native language with English as a foreign language, gender and English proficiency level are among those numerous variables which affect English learning and its quality in Iranian context. The present study was an attempt to illuminate the effects of these variables on performing integrative approach of general English tests (cloze test and recall t...

One of the key issues in bilingual lexical representation is whether L1 processing is facilitated by L2 words. In this study, we conducted two experiments using the masked priming paradigm to examine how L2-L1 translation priming effects emerge when unbalanced, low proficiency, Korean-English bilinguals performed a lexical decision task. In Experiment 1, we used a 150 ms SOA (50 ms prime durati...

<p>In this paper, the English speaking proficiency level of non-native speakers<br />was automatically estimated as high, medium, or low performance. For purpose, speech 142 speakers was recorded and electroencephalography (EEG) signals 58 them were while in English. Two systems proposed for estimating speaker; one used 72 audio features, extracted from signals, other 112 features E...

in this study two modes ofreading (car and traditional print mode) were compared in regards to their effectiveness for l2 reading comprehension. a group of 120 english major students were divided into three classes: car, traditional, and control. based on the english proficiency scores each class was divided into two groups (high and low levels of proficiency). three classes were taught by the ...

It remains to be elucidated how cortical activations are modulated by factors of age, proficiency, and language task demands when mastering first language (L1) and a second language (L2). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we tested subjects aged 13 (the age 13 group) and 19 (the age 19 group), thereby comparing the cortical activations involved in past-tense verb identification with ...

Between 1990 and 2000, the Latino population in the United States increased by 61 percent, becoming the largest minority group. Language differences contribute to patient safety and access to healthcare concerns for limited English proficiency (LEP) Latinos. The objectives of this research were to determine the techniques rural hospitals use to accommodate Spanish-speaking LEP patients, to iden...

In this fMRI study we contrasted emotional responses to literary reading in late bilinguals' first or second language. German participants with adequate English proficiency in their second language (L2) English read short text passages from Harry Potter books characterized by a "negative" or "positive" versus "neutral" emotional valence manipulation. Previous studies have suggested that given s...

Humans show variable degrees of success in acquiring a second language (L2). In many cases, morphological and syntactic knowledge remain deficient, although some learners succeed in reaching nativelike levels, even if they begin acquiring their L2 relatively late. In this study, we use psycholinguistic, online language proficiency tests and a neurophysiological index of syntactic processing, th...

This paper describes a corpus of conversations recorded using an extension of the DiapixUK task: the Diapix Foreign Language corpus (DIAPIX-FL) . English and Spanish native talkers were recorded speaking both English and Spanish. The bidirectionality of the corpus makes it possible to separate language (English or Spanish) from speaking in a first language (L1) or second language (L2). An acous...

That English is the lingua franca of today's science is an indisputable fact. Publication in English in international journals is a pre-requisite for a research paper to gain visibility in academia. However, English proficiency appears to be taken for granted in the scientific community, though this language can be a hurdle for a number of authors, particularly from non-native English-speaking ...