Webb
1. The author is working within the Processing approach of cognitive linguistics. I know this because he is interested in the limits of human vocabulary, and wants to know what the human mind, independent of social circumstances, is capable of.
2. This article investigates transition theory, as the author often contrasts L1 learners to L2 learners and is interested in SLA.
3. This article pretty much confirmed something I already knew. There are passive bilinguals whose entire L2 vocabularies are receptive and non-productive. Of course learners can understand more than they can speak: almost every L2 learner knows the feeling of tip-of-the-tongue. I suppose it’s interesting that Webb spent so much time confirming an aspect of SLA that I had always simply assumed was true.
Showing posts with label cognitive linguistics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cognitive linguistics. Show all posts
Monday, March 29, 2010
L2 Vocabulary Learning From Context: Strategies, Knowledge Sources, and Their Relationship With Success in L2 Lexical Inferencing
Nassaji
1. Because the author uses the think-aloud technique and appears to consider the research subjects as individual processing machines unconnected to their surroundings, I believe this article fits within the cognitive approach.
2. The author addresses transition theory by studying how second language readers guess at the meanings of unknown words.
3. I found it very interesting that Nassaji did not advocate any one strategy, but recognized that no one strategy was successful. Nassaji goes on to recognize that the strategy of using contextual clues has been overused in ESL classrooms. I too am guilty of overteaching using context. I believe any teaching strategy can be overemphasized, and none is the correct answer. I liked how Nassaji did not call for a radical anti-context overhaul, but suggested that less emphasis be placed on using contextual clues. This moderation reflects well on the field; more researchers should exercise this much restraint when criticizing a teaching method.
1. Because the author uses the think-aloud technique and appears to consider the research subjects as individual processing machines unconnected to their surroundings, I believe this article fits within the cognitive approach.
2. The author addresses transition theory by studying how second language readers guess at the meanings of unknown words.
3. I found it very interesting that Nassaji did not advocate any one strategy, but recognized that no one strategy was successful. Nassaji goes on to recognize that the strategy of using contextual clues has been overused in ESL classrooms. I too am guilty of overteaching using context. I believe any teaching strategy can be overemphasized, and none is the correct answer. I liked how Nassaji did not call for a radical anti-context overhaul, but suggested that less emphasis be placed on using contextual clues. This moderation reflects well on the field; more researchers should exercise this much restraint when criticizing a teaching method.
Rate of Acquiring and Processing L2 Color Words in Relation to L1 Phonological Awareness
Hu
1. This article falls within processing theory (and, more specifically, as described in our book, into the Lexical/Functional Grammar), as the authors attempt to account for both ELLs’ grammar and the cognitive processing speed and accuracy of their grammars. The authors also discuss saliency, and therefore also write within the Teachability Hypothesis.
2. This article addresses Transition theory, as it concentrates on language learners’ processing models.
3. I think this study lends support to the Hierarchical nature of language, in that people who have trouble with lower strata of language, like phonology, will also have trouble with higher levels of the hierarchy, like vocabulary. I would not be surprised if the author found that students who have poor phonological awareness have trouble at all levels of the grammar.
1. This article falls within processing theory (and, more specifically, as described in our book, into the Lexical/Functional Grammar), as the authors attempt to account for both ELLs’ grammar and the cognitive processing speed and accuracy of their grammars. The authors also discuss saliency, and therefore also write within the Teachability Hypothesis.
2. This article addresses Transition theory, as it concentrates on language learners’ processing models.
3. I think this study lends support to the Hierarchical nature of language, in that people who have trouble with lower strata of language, like phonology, will also have trouble with higher levels of the hierarchy, like vocabulary. I would not be surprised if the author found that students who have poor phonological awareness have trouble at all levels of the grammar.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Figurative language in anger expressions in tunisian arabic: an extended view of embodiment
zouhair maalej
"...anger in tunisian arabic (TA) shows many more dimensions of embodiemnt than physiological embodiment. Anger in TA comes as physiological embodient, culturally specific embodiment, and culturally tainted embodiment."
"when the conceptualization of an emotion does not come as a rsult of a physical cause-effect relation, the conceptualization and the emotion are not physically close, which gives room for other kinds of embodiemnt."
"American make use of a folk model for the expression of anger governed by the container metaphor."
Kovecses (1995) explained that the model describes 3 submetaphors: "THE BODY IS A CONTAINER FOR THE EMOTIONS"..."ANGER IS HEAT"...and "EMOTIONS ARE FLUIDS"..."
"Lakoff (1987) argued that the scenario view of anger in American English must have "made sense to hundreds of millions of English speakers over a period of roughly a thousand years" (p. 407), strongly suggesting a universal status for physiology in emotion concepts. Furthermore, Lakoff and Kovecses (1987) claimed that "if we look at the metaphors and metonymics for anger in the lanaguges of the world, we will not find any that contradict the physiological results that they [the Ekman group] found" (p.220 that amounts to a claim for the universality of an anger scenario based on the nervous system and physiology."
"Cognitive linguistics is one of the very few current theories of linguistics to have given a place to the body in the mind, thought, meaning, and reason. This conceptualization of embodiment is inherent in the fact that we have a body."
"However, TA (together with other languages), for instance, includes emotion expressions where the basic-level category capitalized on is a body part that is not actually involved in any physiological change to the body. This kind of embodiment will be labeled culturally specific embodiment...the basic-level category is culture-specific, thus tainting the emotion with a cultural flavor."
TA: "He made my blood half-boil like a half cooked egg."
English: "He made my blood simmer."
TA: He lifted blood up to my head."
Eng: "I was flushed with anger."
TA: "He made my blood steam."
Eng: "I was fuming."
TA: "He half-boiled my brain to me like a half cooked egg."
"the heart is a container for anger."
"My heart is sloshing [with anger[".
"My heart was full of him."
TA: "X is a well without a bottom."
"X is a secretive and uncomplaining person."
"because the allowable amount of anger in the heart is definately smaller than the amount that the body can accomodate. As noted earlier in connection with anger and the heart, people who are said to have big hearts are likely to take in more anger than those who have a small one."
TA: "He swelled my nerves for me." "He made me have nerves." "My nerves escaped form me."
"He left me about to explode." "He exploded my bile to me."
"I found him dancing with two scarves." = "He went into a trance form anger." Rehab said it actually connotes great joy.
"He inflated my testicles." John said it is exactly the same as French.
Maalej ties the broken bones metaphor to cultural experience: the father buys a sheep, children play with it for a few days or even weeks, then it is slaughtered for a religious meal. This causes physical traums for the Tunisian children. Rehab and Asher disagreed that this causes trauma.
"...anger in tunisian arabic (TA) shows many more dimensions of embodiemnt than physiological embodiment. Anger in TA comes as physiological embodient, culturally specific embodiment, and culturally tainted embodiment."
"when the conceptualization of an emotion does not come as a rsult of a physical cause-effect relation, the conceptualization and the emotion are not physically close, which gives room for other kinds of embodiemnt."
"American make use of a folk model for the expression of anger governed by the container metaphor."
Kovecses (1995) explained that the model describes 3 submetaphors: "THE BODY IS A CONTAINER FOR THE EMOTIONS"..."ANGER IS HEAT"...and "EMOTIONS ARE FLUIDS"..."
"Lakoff (1987) argued that the scenario view of anger in American English must have "made sense to hundreds of millions of English speakers over a period of roughly a thousand years" (p. 407), strongly suggesting a universal status for physiology in emotion concepts. Furthermore, Lakoff and Kovecses (1987) claimed that "if we look at the metaphors and metonymics for anger in the lanaguges of the world, we will not find any that contradict the physiological results that they [the Ekman group] found" (p.220 that amounts to a claim for the universality of an anger scenario based on the nervous system and physiology."
"Cognitive linguistics is one of the very few current theories of linguistics to have given a place to the body in the mind, thought, meaning, and reason. This conceptualization of embodiment is inherent in the fact that we have a body."
"However, TA (together with other languages), for instance, includes emotion expressions where the basic-level category capitalized on is a body part that is not actually involved in any physiological change to the body. This kind of embodiment will be labeled culturally specific embodiment...the basic-level category is culture-specific, thus tainting the emotion with a cultural flavor."
TA: "He made my blood half-boil like a half cooked egg."
English: "He made my blood simmer."
TA: He lifted blood up to my head."
Eng: "I was flushed with anger."
TA: "He made my blood steam."
Eng: "I was fuming."
TA: "He half-boiled my brain to me like a half cooked egg."
"the heart is a container for anger."
"My heart is sloshing [with anger[".
"My heart was full of him."
TA: "X is a well without a bottom."
"X is a secretive and uncomplaining person."
"because the allowable amount of anger in the heart is definately smaller than the amount that the body can accomodate. As noted earlier in connection with anger and the heart, people who are said to have big hearts are likely to take in more anger than those who have a small one."
TA: "He swelled my nerves for me." "He made me have nerves." "My nerves escaped form me."
"He left me about to explode." "He exploded my bile to me."
"I found him dancing with two scarves." = "He went into a trance form anger." Rehab said it actually connotes great joy.
"He inflated my testicles." John said it is exactly the same as French.
Maalej ties the broken bones metaphor to cultural experience: the father buys a sheep, children play with it for a few days or even weeks, then it is slaughtered for a religious meal. This causes physical traums for the Tunisian children. Rehab and Asher disagreed that this causes trauma.
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