Foreword to the Issue

I. Articles

Sara Quintero Ramírez (Guadalajara, Mexico), Andrea Maylette Leyva Moo (Tabasco, Mexico) & Miguel Ángel Fócil Salvador (Tabasco, Mexico):

Structural Configurations of Text Titles Containing Question Words

Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 8 (2017) 2, 137-154 (PDF) 

Abstract (English)

Text titles are short sequences that summarize the content of the text they introduce (Rath 2010: 86), and ideally express its macrostructure (van Dijk 1990: 204). The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the most frequent structural configurations of a corpus constituted by 100 titles of blogs and magazine articles published in English on the Internet. We also have the goal to determine their main textual function. Previous research has focused on text titles formed by noun phrases. In this research, the titles we examined are all constituted by one question word in them. With this paper, we intend to contribute to syntactic studies, more particularly to those that focus on titles as an essential part of many textual genres. In order to analyze the corpus, we classify titles according to three different criteria: a) the question word in them, b) their grammatical form and c) their syntactic configuration. The main results of our analysis are as follows: a) the most frequent question word in the titles of the corpus is how, b) titles are most commonly presented in the affirmative form and c) titles have a strong tendency to be written in the simple present.

Abstract (Español)

Los títulos de textos son secuencias cortas que resumen el contenido del texto que encabezan (Rath 2010: 86), e idealmente expresan su macroestructura (van Dijk 1990: 204). El objetivo de la presente investigación consiste en identificar las configuraciones estructurales más frecuentes de un corpus constituido de 100 títulos de blogs y de artículos de revistas escritos en inglés y publicados en la Web. Asimismo, pretendemos determinar su función textual más importante. Investigaciones previas se han enfocado en estudiar los títulos de textos que están formados por sintagmas nominales. En la presente investigación, examinamos títulos que están conformados por una palabra interrogativa. Mediante este artículo, deseamos contribuir con los estudios sintácticos, en especial, con aquellos que se enfocan en títulos como parte esencial de muchos géneros textuales. A fin de analizar el corpus, clasificamos los títulos de acuerdo con tres criterios: a) la palabra interrogativa, b) su forma gramatical y c) su configuración sintáctica. Los principales resultados de nuestro estudio fueron: a) la palabra interrogativa más recurrente en el corpus es how, b) los títulos se presentan mayormente en forma afirmativa y c) los títulos tienden a ser concebidos en presente de indicativo.

Reyhan Ağçam (Kahramanmaras, Turkey):

Contrastive Discourse Markers in Native and Non-Native English Academic Writing

Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 8 (2017) 2, 155-171 (PDF) 

Abstract

This study is motivated to investigate contrastive discourse markers (CDMs) in doctoral dissertations produced by native and non-native academic authors of English. Three sets of subcorpora were analysed to see whether they significantly differ with respect to the use of these markers. The findings displayed that paratactic discourse markers were used by all groups much more frequently than hypotactic discourse markers in conveying contrastive relations among the statements. Specifically, hypotactic CDMs were slightly overused by the Turkish-speaking group and significantly underused by the Spanish-speaking group in comparison to the native group, and paratactic CDMs were significantly underused by the former and significantly overused by the latter against the native group. Finally, it is seen that certain items in both categories were overwhelmingly employed by the three groups. The study concludes with practical implications to academic writing and suggestions for further directions.

Heather Bliss (Victoria, Canada) / Khia A. Johnson (Vancouver, Canada) / Strang Burton (Vancouver, Canada) / Noriko Yamane (Hiroshima, Japan) / Bryan Gick (Vancouver, Canada):

Using Multimedia Resources to Integrate Ultrasound Visualization for Pronunciation Instruction into Postsecondary Language Classes

Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 8 (2017) 2, 173-188 (PDF) 

Abstract

Ultrasound visualization has been demonstrated to be an effective tool for the teaching and learning of the pronunciation of challenging speech sounds. However, ultrasound can be difficult to implement in a classroom setting, as it is costly and well-suited to single participants or small groups. This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a solution to this problem, which delivers ultrasound overlay videos in an online format to learners of various languages. Ultrasound overlay videos combine a midsagittal view of the tongue during speech with a side profile view of a speaker’s head, allowing learners to see the articulations of speech sounds. Videos have been developed for isolated speech sounds of all the world’s languages, as well as for words in Japanese, Cantonese, and some Salish languages of British Columbia, Canada. They have been incorporated into blended learning paradigms at Canadian and other universities. Testimonials, surveys, and classroom studies all speak to their effectiveness.

Jonathan Sieg (Tianjin, China):

Analysis of the Intonation of Chinese Learners of English for Application in Second Language Teaching

Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 8 (2017) 2, 189-208 (PDF) 

Abstract

In this paper, the intonation of Chinese learners of English is compared with that of native English speakers from the US and the UK for the purpose of applying intonation teaching theory. Pitch range and pitch fluctuation were used to measure each speaker’s intonation, and analysis and comparison were conducted to determine shortcomings in the intonation of Chinese learners of English. The results indicate that, overall, the pitch range of the Chinese learners of English was most similar to that of British English, while the pitch fluctuation was more similar to that of American English. A grammatical function approach is recommended to teach and correct the areas of the English learners’ divergence in intonation, while teaching and providing the English learners with practice in speech rhythm to improve their pitch range, and teaching and providing the English learners with practice in the basic question contour to improve their pitch fluctuation.  These specific strategies can be presented using a five-step process: sensitization, explanation, imitation, practice activities, and communicative activities.

Yi-Ling Lillian Tinnefeld-Yeh (Saarbrücken, Germany):

A Corpus-Driven Investigation into Monosyllabic and Disyllabic Tone Errors by German Learners of Chinese

Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 8 (2017) 2, 209-232 (PDF) 

Abstract (English)

Adopting a corpus-driven approach, the present study investigates German students’ production of monosyllabic and disyllabic tones in a beginner’s class. The study demonstrates how texts from target resources can be processed to document errors as well as how tables of monosyllabic and disyllabic tones with example entries can be compiled for methodological use in a classroom setting. Common tone errors made by German students are identified and presented in their occurring contexts, using the corpus analysis tool AntConc. The statistical results of the study show that the falling tone (Tone 4), as a monosyllabic tone and particularly as the second syllable in disyllabic tones, presents the most challenging one for students. Tone 3 (i.e. the falling-rising tone), is the most problematic one when residing in the first syllable of disyllabic tones, particularly in the combination of Tone 3 and Tone 4.

Abstract (Deutsch)

In dem vorliegenden Artikel wird im Rahmen eines korpusgeleiteten Ansatzes die Realisierung der Töne in monosyllabischer und bisyllabischer Ebene durch deutsche Studierende in einem Chinesisch-Anfängerkurs untersucht. Es wird aufgezeigt, in welcher Weise Texte des zielsprachlichen Korpus für die Dokumentation von Fehlern verarbeitet und wie Tonkombinationstabellen mitsamt von Beispieleinträgen für didaktische Zwecke zusammengestellt und genutzt werden können. Häufig auftretende Tonfehler deutscher Studierender werden unter Berücksichtigung des Korpusanalyseinstruments AntConc identifiziert und in ihrer jeweiligen Umgebung beschrieben. Die statistischen Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der vierte (fallende) Ton in monosyllabischer Verwendung und in der zweiten Silbe bisyllabischer Verwendung für deutsche Studierende am problematischsten ist. Der dritte (fallend-steigende) Ton ist in der ersten Silbe bisyllabischer Wörter – besonders in Kombination von drittem und viertem Ton – der am schwierigsten zu realisierende.

Günter Schmale (Lyon, France):

Analyse du traitement interactif d’unités de constructions préformées en contexte conversationnel – Méthode outillée ou approche « manuelle » ?

Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 8 (2017) 2, 233-249 (PDF) 

Abstract (Français)

Suite à une présentation de phénomènes interactifs spécifiques relatifs à l’emploi d’expressions préformées dans des conversations allemandes, l’article tente de répondre à la question de savoir si les nouvelles méthodes d’analyses automatisées de grands corpus, produisant des résultats quantitatifs, peuvent faciliter ou même faire avancer l’étude de la préformation langagière dans une perspective interactionniste. A partir d’une longue séquence d’une conversation téléphonique française, l’article compare la forme transcrite avec la version océrisée afin d’examiner si la méthode outillée est à même d’élucider des phénomènes interactifs afférents au traitement conversationnel d’expressions préformées. Il s’avère qu’une approche automatisée fondée sur des corpus océrisés se limite pour des raisons techniques au seul niveau segmental, devant faire abstraction notamment de la séquentialité de l’interaction verbale.

Abstract (English)

Following the presentation of specific interactive phenomena appertaining to the use of formulaic expressions in German conversations from a conversation analytic perspective, the author discusses the question of whether recent quantitative methods of automatic corpus analysis are able to facilitate or even foster the study of formulaic language in large conversational corpora. Based on the comparison of an ocerized transcription sequence of a French telephone conversation and the original transcription, the article examines whether automatic corpus analysis allows to elucidate interactional phenomena of formulaic language use. It emerges that automatic methods are limited to the analysis of purely segmental factors; interactive - especially sequential - elements cannot be accounted for.

Abstract (Deutsch)

Im Anschluss an eine Darstellung spezifischer interaktiver Phänomene bei der Verwendung vorgeformter Ausdrücke in deutschen Gesprächen aus konversationsanalytischer Perspektive wird die Frage diskutiert, ob neuere quantitative Methoden der automatischen Korpusauswertung die Analyse großer konversationeller Korpora bei der Untersuchung vorgeformter Sprache vereinfachen bzw. sogar entscheidend voranbringen können. Auf der Grundlage einer längeren OCRisierten Sequenz eines französischen Telefongesprächs, die mit der Transkription verglichen wird, untersucht der Artikel, ob relevante interaktive Phänomene der konversationellen Behandlung vorgeformter Ausdrücke mit Programmen automatisierter Korpusanalyse erhoben werden können. Dabei stellt sich heraus, dass maschinelle Verfahren sich ausschließlich auf segmentale Phänomene beschränken; eine Berücksichtigung insbesondere der Sequentialität verbaler Interaktion wird nicht geleistet.

II. Book Reviews

Thomas Tinnefeld (Saarbrücken, Germany):

Hossein Nassaji: The Interactional Feedback Dimension in Instructed Second Language Learning. Linking Theory, Research, and Practise. London, New Delhi, New York, Sydney: Bloomsbury 2015. 

Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 8 (2017) 2, 253-257 (PDF) 

Thomas Tinnefeld (Saarbrücken, Germany):

David Evans: Language and Identity. Discourse in the World. London, New Delhi, New York, Sydney: Bloomsbury 2015.

Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 8 (2017) 2, 259-262 (PDF)