Transfer effects in English-Welsh bilinguals learning French as a third language.
Lead Research Organisation:
Swansea University
Department Name: College of Arts and Humanities
Abstract
This study examines third language (L3) transfer effects by exploring the role of the first language (L1), language dominance & proficiency, working memory capacity (WM) and language learning aptitude on morpho-syntax. It will investigate whether L3 transfer effects occur in Welsh-English/English-Welsh bilinguals learning French and if so, from which language and/or for which structures, whether language dominance/proficiency in English/Welsh affect transfer into L3 French?, and whether L3 transfer effects influenced by WM or language learning aptitude.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Steven Dyfrig Morris (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Tesni Galvin (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES/P00069X/1 | 01/10/2017 | 30/09/2027 | |||
| 2103882 | Studentship | ES/P00069X/1 | 01/01/2019 | 31/10/2022 | Tesni Galvin |
| Description | In the winter of 2020, we administered the first experiment of two, collecting data from 40 Welsh-English bilingual adult speakers. We administered a battery of tasks online using the software Gorilla, including the Bilingual language profile (background questionnaire & measures dominance), two production measures, comprehension measure, two cloze tests and a cognitive control measure. Initial results indicate that they have good receptive command of grammatical gender, using gender marked forms in distant contexts. However, the production data revealed that participants are better at producing grammatical gender when independent of mutations, rather than encoded through mutations. Additionally, they can accurately produce mutations independently of gender but accuracy decreases when the systems operate together, when gender was encoded through mutations. These results indicate a stronger representation of the gender system when used separately from mutations, suggesting that speakers encounter difficulties when the systems are used in conjunction with one another. It may be possible to account for the results under the MISH (Prévost & White, 2000), arguing that the speakers have underlying syntactic representations of gender but have trouble spelling out gender-marked forms when involved with the intricate mutation system during production. With regards to the individual factors under investigation (dominance, proficiency and cognitive control), the results revealed that only Welsh linguistic proficiency contributes to the accuracy of gender production and comprehension in Welsh. A follow up experiment is currently underway, collecting data from at least 20 participants who participated in experiment one. Battery items include a self-paced reading task to extend the findings from representation to processing. The results will indicate the moment where processing difficulty and/or facilitation arises regarding gender (and mutation) in Welsh, focusing on whether gender is more robust when independent rather than encoded through mutations. We also consider the effects of memory on the processing of gender, namely, working, procedural and declarative memory as measured by the Operation Span task, Tower of Hanoi and Continuous Visual Memory Test. |
| Exploitation Route | Following experiment 1, we have designed and currently administering a second experiment to extend the findings from representation to processing. These two studies extends previous these findings to disambiguate the representation and processing of Welsh grammatical gender, by establishing whether gender is as robust when encoded through or independent of mutations. We hope that our results will be used to inform policy and practice, in terms of the practicalities of teaching the gender and mutation systems in the education system. |
| Sectors | Education |
| Description | Findings from experiment 1 have been used to develop a second experiment, which is looking at the processing of grammatical gender in more depth and detail than the first experiment. I hope to understand how gender is represented and processed, and whether the gender system is more robust when used independently rather than when it is encoded through mutations. If this second interest if found to be the case, it will help shape and understand how Welsh gender how it is acquired and how it should be taught. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Policy & public services |