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Idioms are essential parts of any language learning that indicate second language proficiency of learners in their communication. However, there is no doubt that idioms are more difficult to learn and comprehend than usual words of phrases. The present study investigated the possible effects of providing different task types with involvement loads on Iranian pre-intermediate EFL students' learning of idiom. A total number of 60 EFL students were selected based on their performance on Quick Placement Test and idiom familiarity test. The participants were randomly divided into three groups each containing 20 students. The data gathered through conducting pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest of L2 idioms were analyzed through descriptive statistics and inferential statistics of one way ANOVA and paired samples t test. The findings revealed that tasks with higher involvement load led to better performance of students both in initial learning and the retention of idioms. The findings would hopefully encourage teachers and learners to use tasks and with deeper cognitive processing and higher involvement load to have more effective learning of English idioms.
Phrasal verbs have been the source of frustration for learners of English, and many students talk about the difficulties they have using phrasal verbs. They are widely used by native speakers of English but are difficult for second language learners to master. The present research aimed at investigating the effects different task types, based on the involvement load hypothesis, might have on the Iranian intermediate EFL students' learning of phrasal verbs. In an experimental research study conducted with a total number of 45 EFL students majoring English language literature, the students were randomly divided into three groups with three different task types and loads of involvement. The data were collected through pre-test, immediate post-test, and delayed post-test of phrasal verbs analyzed via descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and paired t test. Based on the results gained, the null hypothesis regarding the effects of the higher involvement load on learning and retention of phrasal verbs was rejected. The results would be practically useful for English language learners and teachers while dealing with phrasal verbs in and out of language classrooms.
Applied Linguistics Research
E-Learning as a Means to Enhance L2 Learners' Lexical Knowledge and Translation Performance2020 •
As vocabulary learning has a key role in L2, investigating innovative techniques to enhance L2 learners’ vocabulary knowledge merits further attention. Thus, this study investigated the effects of e-learning on Iranian intermediate L2 learners’ lexical knowledge and translation performance. Fifty-three intermediate L2 learners at Shahrekord University (Iran), selected via convenience sampling, participated in the study. Participants were assigned into 2 experimental (n = 27) and control (n = 26) groups. In the next step, vocabulary and idiom and translation performance tests were given to the participants prior to the treatment as their pretests. One week after the pretests, the experimental group received 12 treatment sessions through Skype. At the end of the study, the posttests (vocabulary and idiom and translation performance tests) were administered to the participants. Then, 2 independent samples t tests were run to see if the participants’ lexical knowledge and translation performance had improved as a result of the treatment. Results revealed that e-learning had positive effects on the participants’ L2 lexical knowledge and translation performance. In light of the findings of this study, educational policymakers, syllabus designers, and materials developers for lexical knowledge and translation studies are recommended to deem e-learning as an effective element in both academic and upcoming career success.
The phonological-loop model as a significant theoretical description of verbal working memory explains that serial memory span should be inversely related to the articulatory duration and phonological similarity of verbal items in memorized sequences. Regarding this model, the present study was designed to see whether phonological loop has any significant impact on iranian efl learners' vocabulary retention. To do this, 48 intermediate efl learners were selected based on their performance on nelson proficiency test. They were randomly assigned into two equal groups in order to fulfill the purpose of the study. Two lists of words (containing 14 words) were selected that had been matched for their number of letters and frequency in order to test retention ability of learners. The list a included less can recall in five minutes. The same procedure was done for list b. The second group of the study received similar instruction of two wordlists. The results of paired-samples t-tests indicated that both groups of study recalled the second word lists better than the first word lists. Frequency and abstractness of the words positively affected their retention. The results of independent sample t-tests revealed that both groups of study had recalled two sets word lists significantly different from each other. Generally, it was found that working memory can develop the phonological loop for visual modality as well as speech modality.
The present study aimed at investigating interrelationships among EFL learners’ vocabula ry-learning-strategies, autonomy, and reading-comprehension. To this end, 100 Iranian EFL learners, between 16-40 years old, studying at Shokouh Institute at Bandarabas, Iran, were selected. The participants’ reading comprehension level was assessed through Preliminary English Test. Also, students were asked to answer autonomy and vocabulary learning strategy questionnaires. Correlation analysis indicated a statistically significant relationship between learners’ autonomy and choice of vocabulary learning strategies, autonomy and reading comprehension, and finally, choice of vocabulary learning strategies and reading comprehension. Running multiple regressions revealed that vocabulary learning strategies were the best predictor of reading comprehension and predicted 66 percent of scores on the reading comprehension test. On the other hand, autonomy predicted 57 percent of EFL learners’ scores on the vocabulary learning strategies and 55 percent of scores on the Reading Comprehension test. Conclusions and pedagogical implications are further discussed.
The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between EFL learners perceived reading strategies, vocabulary size and reading comprehensions. The participants in the study were 226 first-year university students enrolled in Khorasgan Azad University. Participants completed a reading strategies survey and took a vocabulary size test (Smith, 2000) and a reading comprehension test. Descriptive and Inferential statistics were used to describe the participants’ performance on the two tests and their reported reading strategies use, and to assess the relationship between the study s three main variables. In general, Iranian EFL first- year university students had a low reading ability and an estimated small vocabulary size (500-700 word families), which is far below the threshold level needed for reading un-simplified English texts. Except for a few strategies like critical reading, summarizing, using typographical aids, and noting text characteristics, the participants reported using most of the reading strategies with high and moderate frequencies. They also reported significantly more frequent use of problem-solving strategies. However, extensive reading was found to be an unpopular activity among EFL learners in Iran. A statistically significant relationship was found between the participants’ vocabulary size at the 2000 word level and higher reading proficiency reported using reading strategies more frequently than lower proficiency students. The study concludes with some pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research.
Idioms are much more than 'decorative icing' to the language; they are an integral feature of both written and spoken English. The ability to comprehend and use idiomatic language is one of the distinguishing marks of native-like competence. In this research study, the target population of study were 60 female EFL students at intermediate level of proficiency. All of the participants were native speakers of Persian studying at the Iran Language Institute of Rasht; Iran. After calculating OPT results and validating the idioms test through pilot study, the participants were divided into two groups to receive different treatments: Control Group: received no Etymological knowledge, but they received treatment through a conventional method, (definition of the opaque idioms with examples). Experimental Group: received instruction through etymological elaboration, (Etymological Information with examples). The research question sought to investigate which technique of teaching idioms yields better results in improving learners' opaque idioms knowledge. The results of the opaque idioms posttest indicated that the group instructed through etymological elaboration had better performance; the group receiving explicit instruction of opaque idioms' definitions had lower performance. However, the T-Test procedure revealed that the difference between the performances of the two groups were statistically significant. In other words, etymological information of the opaque idioms had significantly different effect on the learners' knowledge of opaque idioms. Based on the results, it can be concluded that etymological information of idioms has differential effects on the knowledge of opaque idioms of Iranian EFL learners. In addition, etymological information is conducive to Iranian intermediate learners' knowledge of opaque idioms. 1. Background The main goal of learning English language in Iran is just knowing some grammatical rules and communicating just to satisfy our basic needs. Yet nowadays the goals of learning English are very different from those times. In addition to grammatical rules, one must know cultural norms of that language as they are called cultural connotation. Learning the culture of the language needs more attention and it is a complicated matter in our country, Iran. Because, originally we are a traditional country and our focus is more on the grammatical cases of language. The importance of idioms has been emphasized by linguists and language teachers in recent years. Bortfeld (2003) believes that the increasing number of idioms in Dictionary of American Idioms is indicative of the essential role idioms play in daily language use. According to Salehi (2012), in recent years, idioms have received considerable amount of attention in EFL contexts. Linguists have sought ways to promote learning and teaching methods of these prefabricated language chunks. It is now believed that the meaning of all idioms is not arbitrary but somehow 'motivated' by their literal, original usage. This technique is called 'etymological elaboration'. As Boers (2004) argues, Etymological awareness can be built by providing learners with the relevant information about the idiom origin or by asking them to hypothesize about the origin of the phrases before the etymological
THE ROLE OF DISCOURSE AND DISCOURSAL ELEMENTS IN THE FORMATION OF ANY TEXT IS VERY IMPORTANT. MANY SCHOLARS HAVE CARRIED OUT STUDIES RELATED TO THE ISSUE. TRANSFERRING THESE ELEMENTS FROM ONE LANGUAGE TO ANOTHER IS SUCH A GREAT WORK THAT TRANSLATORS FIND IT DIFFICULT TO RENDER AND TRANSFER THE ELEMENTS COMPLETELY. THE LACK OF PERFECT KNOWLEDGE OF THE DISCOURSAL ISSUES AND OTHER CONTEXTUAL ELEMENTS OF A TEXT LEADS TO SOME MISUNDERSTANDINGS AND MISTRANSLATIONS. TRANSLATORS OFTEN RESORT TO ADAPTATION IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH THE SL SITUATIONS THAT DO NOT EXIST IN THE TL BUT IN THIS PROCESS SOME DISCOURSAL AND CONTEXTUAL ELEMENTS OF THE ST COULD NOT BE TRANSFERRED. IT COULD BE CLAIM THAT A NATION’S LITERATURE IS A PART OF ITS DISCOURSE AND CULTURAL ELEMENTS ARE EMBEDDED IN THE LITERATURE. THESE TRANSLATIONAL CONFLICTS ARE MORE OBVIOUS IN CONTEMPORARY PERSIAN LITERATURE. IN THIS STUDY, THE SELECTED PARTS OF “THE GAMBLER” BY “FYODOR MIKHAILOVICH DOSTOEVSKY” WERE COMPARED WITH ITS ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS BY SALEH HOSSEINI TO FIND OUT WHETHER THE DISCOURSE AND OTHER CONTEXTUAL ELEMENTS OF THE SOURCE TEXT HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED IN THE PROCESS OF TRANSLATION.
Abstract Due to the fact that WWW.Translate.Google.Com is an active translation site, and there may be probable errors in the target text translated by the site, and due to the lack of an appropriate framework for assessing the process of Persian into English texts, It seems Halliday's Systematic Functional Grammar (SFG) provides a suitable framework to assess and predict kinds of errors to be edited here regarding probable errors in the clauses of verbal process. Persian is a non-configurational language and has relatively free word-order structure, but English is more considered as configurational one. Because of these properties along with different constituency parameters of unmarked Persian subject-object-verb and unmarked English subject-verb-object, significant grammatical and semantic errors can be existed there; out of 350 clauses regarding PhD thesis which have been translated by Google Translate, 26 belonged to the verbal process of the experiential metafunctions out of which 16 clauses belonged to transitive (9 unmarked and 7 marked) and 10 to intransitive Persian clauses; here 3 unmarked transitive Persian clauses (SOV), 3 marked transitive Persian clauses (SVO), one pro-drop-marked transitive Persian clause (SOV), and 4 intransitive Persian clauses randomly have been chosen to be studied and edited. These clauses have been classified and edited in constitution classification and edition box, then their probable errors have been evaluated by HAR translation evaluation box designed by the authors in which all its terms are derived from SFG. Google translate had fewer and lighter errors when it translated Persian marked transitive clauses of verbal process with the constituency order of SVO, the same as English unmarked constituency order SVO, and when it translated intransitive Persian clauses of verbal process OV, the same as English intransitive clause constituency order of OV; but it had more and heavier errors when it translated Persian unmarked transitive clauses with the constituency order of SOV, opposite to English SVO.
The Korean Language in America
The interaction of affective factors in L2 acquisition of Korean formulaic language: A critical overview2017 •
Recent corpus approaches to Korean formulaic language reveal its richness as a lexical resource. Although many Korean-as-a-foreign-language (KFL) studies have investigated formulaic language from pedagogical perspectives, most existing research is not theoretically or empirically based, leading to issues with validity and applicability to teaching practices. This study first reviews prior KFL studies that offer inventory lists of formulaic expressions. Such lists tend to be based on commonly recognized factors in second language (L2) acquisition of formulaic language, such as first language (L1) background, L2 frequency, transparency, and culture. These inventory lists are useful resources for developing new KFL teaching materials, but tend to lack systematicity with respect to their methods and categorization. The study suggests that new instructional approaches and teaching materials need to be grounded on empirical research to provide more effective teaching of formulaic language. Therefore, the study also reviews empirical studies that demonstrate variation in the influence of these factors in different learning conditions and across different proficiency levels. The study argues that L2 learners utilize diverse strategies and knowledge sources, and therefore, to develop effective materials it is crucial to empirically investigate how the influence of the various factors changes depending on contexts and proficiency levels.
2nd Conference on New Trends in English Language Teaching and Testing Ardabil, August 28, 2017, At Ardabil, Iran
An investigation into attribution of failure-oriented EFL university students2017 •
2013 •
2018 •
Theory and Practice in …
The Contribution of Movie Clips to Idiom Learning Improvement of Iranian EFL Learners2011 •
2020 •
Studies in Second Language Acquisition
How do Different Forms of Glossing Contribute to L2 Vocabulary Learning from Reading? A Meta-Regression Analysis2019 •
2006 •
Adil Ali Mohamed Ali
The Influence of the Idiomatic Expressions on Enhancing EFL language FluencyJournal of Second Language Studies
The influence of L1 frequency in instructed second language learning of L2 idioms2018 •
Modern Language Journal
Pronunciation Instruction Can Improve L2 Learners’ Bottom-Up Processing for Listening2018 •
The Iranian EFL Journal
The Impact of Professional Competence on Choosing and Using Textbooks at2012 •