Papers by Rasmus Steinkrauss
De Gruyter eBooks, Mar 6, 2017
International Journal of Multilingualism, Jun 20, 2020
There is quite a bit of evidence showing that the experience of learning an L2 will help in learn... more There is quite a bit of evidence showing that the experience of learning an L2 will help in learning an L3, but as far as we know, very little research has investigated the possible impact of L3 learning on the already existing and still developing L2 system within the learner. According to Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST), language development depends on limited resources. In simultaneous L2 and L3 (L2 + L3) learners, these resources have to be used for learning two languages, reducing the resources available for L2 learning. This might lead, firstly, to a slower L2 development in L2 + L3 learners than in L2 only learners, and secondly, to more variability in the L2 during the learning process. In the current study, we traced the L2 English writing proficiency scores (both in terms of gains and variability) of two groups of L1 Chinese learners within one academic year. One group learnt English only (L2) and the other group learnt English and Russian simultaneously. Results show that the L2 + L3 learners did not develop their L2 to a lesser extent than the L2 learners did, but they showed more variability over time in one sub-area (fluency) of L2 writing proficiency. The implications are discussed.
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, Jan 4, 2020
An increasing number of adults learn more than one foreign language simultaneously. While the cog... more An increasing number of adults learn more than one foreign language simultaneously. While the cognitive benefits of using multiple languages from birth have been studied extensively, little is known about possible cognitive benefits of learning multiple languages simultaneously in adulthood. Among the cognitive abilities which play a role in language learning, language aptitude (LA) and working memory (WM) are argued to be crucial. Traditionally considered relatively stable, recently they are advocated to be changeable. For example, one could imagine that learning new sounds, words, and structures in a language might both enhance the ability to temporarily hold and manage information (WM) and improve the ease with which subsequent languages are learnt (LA). Therefore, this study investigates whether LA and WM change while learning languages, and whether language learning intensity, i.e. learning one versus two foreign languages simultaneously, modulates this effect. Participants consisted of first-year and second-year Chinese university students majoring in English or English & Japanese/Russian. Data were collected twice with an interval of one academic year. The results show that all learners improved in certain aspects of LA and WM, and that among the first-year students, the two-foreign-languages learners outperformed their counterparts in WM improvement. The implications are discussed.
Applied Psycholinguistics, Mar 1, 2020
Instructional strategies and linguistic features of kindergarten teachers' shared book reading: T... more Instructional strategies and linguistic features of kindergarten teachers' shared book reading: The case of Singapore. Applied Psycholinguistics, 41(2), 427-456.
De Gruyter eBooks, Dec 31, 2014
Levende Talen Tijdschrift, 2019
Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing... more Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Sep 6, 2020
The current study investigates the impact of the teachers' societal dominant language use within ... more The current study investigates the impact of the teachers' societal dominant language use within a weak version of translanguaging in early heritage language education. We explored five preschool teachers' use of English, the dominant majority language, in Tamil heritage language classes in Singapore and examined its impact on 33 children's immediate language production in class and in their Tamil language storytelling at the end of the academic year. Our findings demonstrate that while the conventional thinking of protecting the heritage language's pureness is still dominant, the Tamil language teachers did employ English in their Tamil instruction, and their English use had a substantial variation in frequency. The teachers mostly switched to English due to habituation but not with explicit instructional purposes. When English use aided language instruction, it facilitated children's comprehension and elicited more child talk. Results also indicated that children model their teacher's English usage in their immediate responses. When teachers increased their English use in daily practice, children also incorporated increased English use in their Tamil storytelling task at the end of the academic year. Regardless of English use, however, children's output remained predominantly in Tamil. The implication of using translanguaging in early heritage language education is discussed.
Journal of the European Second Language Association, 2022
International Journal of Bilingualism, Jul 27, 2016
Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing... more Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
Language Learning, Oct 6, 2015
There remains considerable disagreement about which factors drive second language (L2) ultimate a... more There remains considerable disagreement about which factors drive second language (L2) ultimate attainment. Age of onset (AO) appears to be a robust factor, lending support to theories of maturational constraints on L2 acquisition. The present study is an investigation of factors which influence grammatical and lexical complexity at the stage of L2 ultimate attainment. Grammatical and lexical complexity were assessed in 102 spontaneous oral interviews. Interviewees' AOs ranged from 7 to 17. Multifactorial analyses yielded consistently significant effects of gender and level of education for grammatical and lexical complexity. Additionally, L1 use at work was found to be a significant variable for lexical complexity, improving the model fit significantly. Conversely, AO did not figure significantly. We conclude that grammatical and lexical complexity at the stage of L2 ultimate attainment are the result of a complex interplay of variables which are more general to language learning and performance, rather than SLA-specific in nature.
Journal of Second Language Writing
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Papers by Rasmus Steinkrauss