B a r b a r a L a f f o r d In this paper, we report the results of a study that compared differences in the linguistic gains made by native English-speaking students from the United States who were studying Spanish in one of two different contexts of learning. One was a regular university classroom situation in Colorado; the other was a study abroad program in Alicante, Spain. We examined the ...

In this article, we report on an investigation that aimed to describe adolescent multilinguals’ use of the different languages they were learning at school when performing a translation task. We wanted to find out whether written translations of a mother tongue text into the learner’s different foreign languages would reflect a multilingual rather than a bilingual mode of language processing an...

To recognize non-native speech, larger acoustic/linguistic distortions must be handled adequately in acoustic modeling, language modeling, lexical modeling, and/or decoding strategy. In this paper, a novel method to enhance MLLR adaptation of acoustic models for non-native speech recognition is proposed. In the case of native speech recognition, MLLR speaker adaptation was successfully introduc...

This study attempted to test the hypothesis that Korean evaluators can score L2 speech appropriately, even when rate features are unavailable. Two perception experiments―preliminary and main―were conducted sequentially. The purpose of preliminary experiment was categorize English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) speakers into two groups―advanced learners lower-level learners―based on proficiency sco...

The dissemination and evaluation of evidence-based behavioral treatments for substance abuse problems rely on the evaluation of counselor interventions. In Motivational Interviewing (MI), a treatment that directs the therapist to utilize a particular linguistic style, proficiency is assessed via behavioral coding-a time consuming, nontechnological approach. Natural language processing technique...

First language (L1) attrition is a socio-linguistic circumstance where second language (L2) learning coincides with changes in exposure and use of the native-L1. Attriters often report experiencing a decline in automaticity or proficiency in their L1 after a prolonged period in the L2 environment, while their L2 proficiency continues to strengthen. Investigating the neurocognitive correlates of...

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...

TESL 505, Second-language Acquisition, 3 Units This course examines the process of acquiring a language, focusing on second-language acquisition. Questions to be explored include: What is the nature of language proficiency? What regular patterns characterize the process of language acquisition? What strategies do successful language learners employ? How do linguistic, affective, cognitive and s...

Understanding language learning in later life can elucidate how linguistic experiences and age-specific cognitive skills can be leveraged for language acquisition, providing insight into how lifelong experiences configure our learning capacity. In this study, we examined to what extent acquisition and maintenance of a non-native language (English) is scaffolded by cognitive skills and previous ...