• 제목/요약/키워드: English Speaking Ability

검색결과 47건 처리시간 0.026초

Annotation of a Non-native English Speech Database by Korean Speakers

  • Kim, Jong-Mi
    • 음성과학
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    • 제9권1호
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    • pp.111-135
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    • 2002
  • An annotation model of a non-native speech database has been devised, wherein English is the target language and Korean is the native language. The proposed annotation model features overt transcription of predictable linguistic information in native speech by the dictionary entry and several predefined types of error specification found in native language transfer. The proposed model is, in that sense, different from other previously explored annotation models in the literature, most of which are based on native speech. The validity of the newly proposed model is revealed in its consistent annotation of 1) salient linguistic features of English, 2) contrastive linguistic features of English and Korean, 3) actual errors reported in the literature, and 4) the newly collected data in this study. The annotation method in this model adopts the widely accepted conventions, Speech Assessment Methods Phonetic Alphabet (SAMPA) and the TOnes and Break Indices (ToBI). In the proposed annotation model, SAMPA is exclusively employed for segmental transcription and ToBI for prosodic transcription. The annotation of non-native speech is used to assess speaking ability for English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners.

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English Anxiety among Thai Nursing Students of Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Nakhon Lampang, Thailand

  • Palaleo, Jona Jean Pinas;Srikrajang, Janthila
    • Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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    • 제5권3호
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    • pp.250-265
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    • 2018
  • Thailand is one of the ASEAN countries and is said to be the most visited country in Southeast Asia. Despite its development, Thailand falls as one of the countries with the lowest rates of English proficiency. This article is written to describe one of the possible factors of Thailand's low English proficiency, which is the foreign language anxiety of students. This article outlines references regarding the English language anxiety of Thai students and uses them as a basis in distinguishing English language anxiety among nursing students in Boromarajonani College of Nursing Nakhon Lampang, Thailand (BCNLP). A survey was conducted using a questionnaire based on the FLCA Scale by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope, (1986) with a focus group consisting of 80 participants randomly selected from $1^{st}$ year to $4^{th}$ year nursing students of BCNLP. As found in the survey there were two sources of English language anxiety among nursing students: 1. Fear of negative evaluation due to unpreparedness, and feeling and thinking that others are better in language learning as the main factors; and 2. Communicating apprehension, where in speaking without preparation, speaking in the foreign language in front of other students, and self-doubt about one's ability to speak in the foreign language are the highest ranked causes of anxiety. The results indicate two main problems: unpreparedness and self-concept. Therefore, it is recommended that English Language classes should be taught with the learner-centered approach and that instructors should put importance in preparing the students during class, and encouraging them to increase a positive self-concept towards English language learning.

Practice through Interaction: Asking Someone to Do Something in English

  • Suh, Jae-Suk
    • 영어어문교육
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    • 제11권4호
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    • pp.49-77
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    • 2005
  • This paper has an aim to examine English native speakers' requests, and offer an instructional technique to develop EFL students' pragmatic ability. For this purpose, English-speaking native speakers' requests were collected in six different face-threatening situations, and analyzed in three ways: directness levels, internal modification and sequence of request. The analysis of requests showed that they were realized mainly through conventionally indirect level in most situations, were internally modified frequently through the use of downgraders, and had a certain sequence of utterances realizing a request. On the basis of these findings, two kinds of interactional activities (Jigsaw and pair work) were provided as sample activities to promote EFL students' pragmatic knowledge about the appropriate ways of making requests given the fact that pragmatic errors can be more serious and more problematic than grammatical errors in social interaction.

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음성 인식 테크놀로지 기반의 외국어 말하기 훈련 시스템 개발 (Development of a Foreign Language Speaking Training System Based on Speech Recognition Technology)

  • 구덕회
    • 정보교육학회논문지
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    • 제23권5호
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    • pp.491-497
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    • 2019
  • 글로벌 사회로 발전함에 따라 외국어를 능숙하게 말하고 싶어하는 사람들이 많아지고 있다. 능숙하게 말하기 위해서는 말하는 훈련을 충분히 가져야 하는데 이때 대화 상대방을 필요로 한다. 최근에는 음성 인식 정보 기술의 발달로 인하여 대화 상대방의 인간이 없어도 외국어 말하기 훈련을 수행하는 시스템 개발이 가능할 것으로 기대되고 있다. 이에 본 연구에서는 외국어 말하기 훈련 교육을 위한 테스트베드 시스템을 개발하고 초등학교 수업에 적용하였다. 초등학생에게 영어 대화 상황을 제시하고 말하기 훈련을 실시하도록 하였다. 그 후, 시스템에 대한 만족도와 지속적인 활용 가능성을 조사하였다. 본 연구에서 개발한 시스템을 이용하면 외국어 말하기 학습 훈련에 도움이 된다는 점을 확인하였다.

전략적 방법을 활용한 역할극 연구: 언어습득시기의 의사소통능력 향상을 중심으로 (On the study of role play using the strategic methodology: With respect to the communicative competence improvement in language acquisition period)

  • 최숙희;김성헌
    • 영어어문교육
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    • 제11권1호
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    • pp.203-224
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    • 2005
  • The purpose of this study is to justify the effects of role play with respect to speaking and listening functions and to provide the strategic methodology for improving English communicative competence of fifth grade primary school students. We can expand role play as a strategic teaching method to develop English learning models, so that English can be more easily acquired to the students who are in the critical language acquisition period. Strategic role play reflects the events and experiences of many kinds of people in everyday life. It is suggested that one of the best methods to improve English communicative competence in the primary classroom is through role play. Students can develop meaning for language patterns by portraying situations in which these instances in language would be used. This study proposes to facilitate English communicative ability using various student-centered role play strategies. It is concluded that the student-centered activities using strategic role play help the students to improve their English communicative competence. This is done by deriving their own creative dialogues and presenting the role play with their interests in learning English and with subsequently positive learning effects.

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한국인 학습자의 영어 접속사 발화에 나타난 가장자리성조 패턴 (Korean Speaker's Edge Tone Patterns of English Conjunctive Utterances)

  • 이주경
    • 음성과학
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    • 제12권4호
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    • pp.141-152
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    • 2005
  • This paper shows the tonal patterns of English conjunctive utterances produced by Korean speakers of English, presenting that Korean speakers realize either the H - phrase tone or the H% boundary tone at the phrase-final part of the conjunctive utterances. Based on Pierrehumbert & Hirschberg's (1990) claim that either H- or H% tone indicates that a phrase is related to the following one, Korean speakers seem to produce the satisfactory patterns of edge tones in conjunctive sentences. In the experiment, we made up conjunctive sentences including both coordinate conjunctions such as and, but, or, and so and subordinate conjunctions like if, when and though. We varied the stimuli according to the existence of a comma and the lengths of connecting words and phrases. We also divided the subjects into two levels of English proficiency based on their English written test scores to see if Korean speakers' performance ability of edge tones is related with their general competence of English. Results show that Korean speakers produced 84% of the H- phrase tone in intermediate phrases and H-L% and L-H% boundary tones in intonational phrases. Also, coordinate and subordinate conjunctions show little difference in their tonal contours, and the existence of a comma or the lengths of connecting words and phrases do not affect Korean speakers' production of the H- phrasal tone and the H% boundary tone. This may suggest that pitch accents, rather than edge tones, should be put more focus on in teaching English intonation in Korea as much work has already shown that Korean speakers have serious problem with producing pitch accents in speaking English.

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중급 하 수준을 위한 영어말하기 능력향상 토론수업모형 (A Discussion Class Model to Improve English Oral Proficiency for Intermediate Low Learners)

  • 고미숙
    • 한국산학기술학회논문지
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    • 제17권3호
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    • pp.537-543
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    • 2016
  • 본 연구는 중급 하 수준의 성인 영어 학습자의 말하기능력향상을 위한 토론수업모형을 제시하고 있다. 수업모형은 읽기, 쓰기, 듣기, 말하기의 네 가지 기술을 모두 사용하여 학습자의 스키마(schema)지식을 높이고 토론전략을 연습하는 단계로 구성한다. 토론주제는 학습자들의 인지능력에 적합하고 언어학습의 동기를 높이기 위해 학습자를 대상으로 설문을 통하여 10가지 주제를 선정한다. 토론식 수업모형의 교육적 효과를 살펴보기 위해 서울소재 영어과 2학년 26명을 대상으로 파일럿 실험을 한다. 공인영어말하기시험인 OPIc(Oral Proficiency Interview in computer)을 사용하여 사전, 사후시험을 실시하고 두 시험의 결과를 분석한다. 실험결과 참가자 대부분(82%)을 차지한 중급 하 수준이하의 학습자들은 실험 후 47%로 감소하였고, 실험 전 18%(5명)의 중급 중이상의 언어숙련도 분포는 실험 후 53%(14명)로 증가하였다. 전체적으로 한 단계 수준상승이 있었다. 토론식 수업모형은 학습자들의 언어숙련도 수준에 관계없이 토론수업을 할 수 있다는 가능성을 보여준다. 대학교 수준이상의 영어학습자들은 자신의 인지능력에 적합한 다양하고 창의적인 생각들을 좀 더 형식을 갖춘 지적인 언어로 표현할 필요가 있다. 토론식 수업모형은 종전의 대화식 영어회화와는 다른 새롭고 효과적인 교수법의 대안이 될 수 있다는 긍정적 평가가 기대된다.

영어능력 개발을 위한 문학텍스트 활용방안 (The effective use of literary text in English education)

  • 한상택
    • 영어어문교육
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    • 제7권1호
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    • pp.179-208
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    • 2001
  • Using literary materials as resources for English learning rather than an object of literary study can be a genuine tool for the students to learn English in the form of oral and written communication. This case study treated the applications of a whole text to the overall course divided into pre-reading activities, while-reading activities, and post-reading activities and the applications of some partial passages extracted from various texts to teaching objectives with many levels of difficulty. This study found that literary texts could be good materials to teach the target language in EFL setting. The English-speaking students with little linguistic competence as a foreign language may be limited in learning English at first, but soon they can accelerate their linguistic competence by reinforcing the literary competence through the literary texts. To achieve effectively a desired goal through the use of literary texts as resources for language development several concrete techniques should be introduced: teacher-guided question strategies laying a central emphasis on the text itself, a problem-solving ability through student-centered activities, process-based and open-ended activities should be presented in a variety of ways using many appropriate activities according to teaching procedure with a careful selection of the texts.

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Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

  • Koroloff, Carolyn
    • 영어어문교육
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    • 제5호
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    • pp.49-62
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    • 1999
  • Education systems throughout the world encourage their students to learn languages other than their native one. In Australia, our Education Boards provide students with the opportunity to learn European and Asian languages. French, German, Chinese and Japanese are the most popular languages studied in elementary and high schools. This choice is a reflection of Australias European heritage and its geographical position near Asia. In most non-English speaking countries, English is the foreign language most readily available to students. In Korea, the English language is actively promoted by the Education Department and, in less official ways, by companies and the public. It is impossible to be anywhere in Korea without seeing the English language alongside or intermingled with Korean. When I ask students why they are learning English, I receive answers that include the word globalization and the importance of English throughout the world. When I press further and ask why they personally are learning English, the students mention passing exams, usually high school tests or TOEIC, and the necessity of passing the latter to obtain a good job. Seldom do I ever hear anything about communication: about the desire to talk with other people in English, to read novels or poetry in English, to understand movies or pop-songs in English, to chat on the Internet in English, to search for information on the Internet in English, or to email pen-pals in English. Yet isnt communication the only valid reason for learning a language? We learn our native language to communicate with those around us. Shouldnt we set the same goal for learning a foreign language? In my opinion communication, whether it is reading and writing or speaking and listening, must be central to language learning. Learning a language to pass examinations is meaningless unless those examinations are a reliable indicator of the ability of the student to communicate. In previous eras, most communication in a foreign language was through reading novels or formal letters. This required a thorough knowledge of grammar and a large vocabulary. Todays communication is much less formal. Telephone conversations, tele-conferences, faxes and emails allow people to communicate regularly and informally. Reading materials are also less formal as popular novels and newspapers are available world-wide. Movies and popular songs have added to the range of informal communication available. Finally travel has ensured that people from different cultures will meet easily and regularly. This informal communication requires less emphasis on grammar and vocabulary and more emphasis on comprehension and confidence to speak. Placing communication central to language learning has important implications for the Education system and for teachers.

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Development of Theory of Mind in Preschoolers Who Grow up in Two Conflicting and Unbalanced Cultures

  • Qu, Li;Shen, Pinxiu
    • Child Studies in Asia-Pacific Contexts
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    • 제3권2호
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    • pp.123-137
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    • 2013
  • Individuals rely on Theory of Mind (ToM) to represent themselves, others, and socio-cultural norms. Distinctive Western and Eastern developmental patterns of ToM have been reported in monocultural children. Relatively little is known about bicultural children, especially those children who grow up in two conflicting and unbalanced cultures. We hypothesized that the development of ToM in these bicultural preschoolers would follow the pattern of the dominant culture. To examine this hypothesis, we recruited English-speaking Chinese Singaporean preschoolers. In Study 1, we tested 3- to 5-year-olds (N = 120) with 5 ToM tasks, including diverse desires, diverse beliefs, knowledge access, and false belief, as well as a vocabulary task. In Study 2, we tested 5-year-olds (N = 30) with a picture-choice version of these ToM tasks. Both studies supported our hypothesis by revealing that the development of ToM in these bicultural children followed the pattern of the dominant culture. Additionally, we found that 5-year-old bicultural children are still developing false belief, and their verbal ability correlated with their ToM.