• 영어어문교육
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.253-276
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze the aspects of task-based materials in high school English textbooks for first year students in Korea. Based on the theoretical backgrounds for designing communicative tasks and the basic contents of the 7th national curriculum for English, a total of six different qualitative evaluation categories of task-based materials are constructed. The six categories include input data, settings, activity types, language skills, activity themes, and communicative functions. The results of the data analysis showed that the regulations of the 7th national English curriculum, which were aimed at improving the students' communicative abilities, were properly reflected in the materials of task-based activities of all textbooks. On the other hand, a few problems were found in some textbooks: too many individual tasks; being out of proportion in presenting task types and themes; non-systematic introduction of language skills, etc. To conclude, a few suggestions are made to provide some meaningful considerations for the text material developers in order to produce better textbooks in the future: task goals and rationale that encourage the learner's positive motivation; authenticity of input data based on the real-world context; a collaborative learning environment that enhances communicative interaction; a proportional representation of the various activity types including creative problem-solving procedures; systematic introduction of integrated language skills, etc.

• 영어영문학
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• 제56권5호
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• pp.871-905
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• 2010

This paper is motivated by Watanabe's (2001) observation that English byphrase passives are sometimes translated into Japanese object topicalization constructions. That is, the original English sentence in the passive may be translated into the active voice with the logical object topicalized. A number of scholars, including Chomsky (1981) and Baker (1992), have remarked that languages have various ways to avoid focusing on the logical subject. The aim of the present study is to examine the translation equivalents of the English by-phrase passives in an English-Korean parallel corpus compiled by the author. A small sample of articles from Newsweek magazine and its published Korean translation reveals that there are indeed many ways to translate English by-phrase passives, including object topicalization (12.5%). Among the 64 translated sentences analyzed and classified, 12 (18.8%) examples were problematic in terms of agent defocusing, which is the primary function of passives. Of these 12 instances, five cases were identified where an alternative translation would be more suitable. The results suggest that the functional characteristics of English by-phrase passives should be highlighted in translator training as well as language teaching.

• 말소리와 음성과학
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.81-87
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• 2019

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the realization of speech rhythm in English as spoken by Korean learners of English. The study particularly aims to examine the rhythm metrics of English read speech by learners who speak Busan or the South Kyungsang dialect of Korean. Twenty-four learners whose L1 is Busan Korean and eight native speakers of English read a passage wherein five sentences were segmented and labeled as vocalic and intervocalic intervals. Various rhythm metrics such as %V, Varcos, and Pairwise Variability Indexes (PVIs) were calculated. The results show that Korean learners read English sentences with significantly more vocalic and consonantal intervals at a slower speech rate than native English speakers. The analyses of rhythm metrics revealed that when the speech rate was not normalized, Korean learners' English showed more variability in the length of consonantal and vocalic intervals. However, speech-rate-normalized rhythm metrics for vocalic intervals indicated that Korean learners transferred their L1 rhythmic structures (a syllable-timed language) into their L2 speech (a stress-timed language). Overall, the results suggest that Korean learners' English reflects the rhythmic characteristics of their L1. The effect of the learners' L1 dialect on the realization of L2 speech rhythm is also speculated.

• 말소리와 음성과학
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• 제3권3호
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• pp.77-88
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• 2011

Foreign accent in second language production depends heavily on the transfer of features from the first language. This study examines acoustic variations in segments and suprasegments by native and nonnative speakers of English, searching for patterns of the transfer and plausible indexes of foreign accent in English. The acoustic variations are analyzed with recorded read speech by 20 native English speakers and 50 Korean learners of English, in terms of vowel formants, vowel duration, and syllabic variation induced by stress. The results show that the acoustic measurements of vowel formants and vowel and syllable durations display difference between native speakers and nonnative speakers. The difference is robust in the production of lax vowels, diphthongs, and stressed syllables, namely the English-specific features. L1 transfer on L2 specification is found both at the segmental levels and at the suprasegmental levels. The transfer levels measured as groups and individuals further show a continuum of divergence from the native-like target. Overall, the eldest group, students who are in the graduate schools, shows more native-like patterns, suggesting weaker foreign accent in English, whereas the high school students tend to involve larger deviation from the native speakers' patterns. Individual results show interdependence between segmental transfer and prosodic transfer, and correlation with self-reported proficiency levels. Additionally, experience factors in English such as length of English study and length of residence in English speaking countries are further discussed as factors to explain the acoustic variation.

• 말소리와 음성과학
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.25-36
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• 2021

This study examined the perception and production of eight English fricatives /f/, /v/, /θ/, /ð/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, and /ʒ/ by thirty Chinese English majors and thirty Chinese middle school students through a fricative identification test, an intelligibility test, and a goodness rating test and focused on error patterns and the perception-production relationship. The results showed that substitution errors occurred frequently in the perception and production of English fricatives by both the English majors and the middle school students. Further, the error patterns were attributed to various influencing factors such as the negative transfer from Chinese consonant inventory, hypercorrection or overcompensation mistakes, deficiency of L2 teaching, and acoustic similarities. Significant overall correlations were found between the fricative perception and production by the two subject groups but were not manifested in all the eight fricatives, indicating that Chinese learners' perceptual competence of target fricatives was not necessarily tied to their productive excellence of those sounds in all cases. Furthermore, precedences of perception over production were incompletely manifested in the eight fricatives, which suggested that perception might not always be a necessary prerequisite for production. Additionally, subject group and vowel context differences were observed. The English majors performed better than the middle school students, both perceptually and productively, and the subjects' performances in perception and production varied when vowel contexts changed.

• 영어어문교육
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.207-221
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• 2012

This study examines the importance of learning language and cultural integration in general English class focused on TOEIC reading comprehension. The understanding of cultural learning and learners' cultural awareness has long been a subject of debate. This study was not only to analyze the improvement of students' interest and reading comprehension ability of TOEIC through cultural learning, but also to ensure students who learn American culture overcome cross-cultural miscommunication and improve their English reading comprehension skills. Pre-post surveys and the pre-post TOEIC tests were used to measure language proficiency and American cultural knowledge to two groups: the experimental and control group. The results from the study were as follows: First, students had better TOEIC scores with improved motivation after understanding American culture relevant to the lessons. Second, reading comprehension skills with regards to TOEIC also improved, compared with the students who were not exposed to American culture due to lack of opportunity.

• 영어어문교육
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.101-117
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• 2010

This study examines whether English users at a U.S. university apply avoidance strategy in using English articles. All participants had learned English for at least 10 years and had used English for at least 15 years at the time of the data collection, so they made an ideal sample to examine the differences between native speakers of English and non-native speakers of English, in terms of avoidance strategy usage of English articles. To examine whether non-native speakers avoid using a certain feature when unsure of the correct usage, the mean differences of each article usage between NS and NNS groups were calculated and compared. On the basis of results showing that there are no statistically significant differences in terms of article usage between the groups, it is concluded that the highly advanced level participants did not use avoidance strategy in English articles, and that the type of English article and the task type did not affect learners' avoidance strategy usage. This research is expected to provide teachers and researchers with information about highly advanced level L2 language speakers' usage patterns with regards to avoidance strategy.

• 한국영어학회지:영어학
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• 제3권2호
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• pp.211-231
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• 2003

The study of English words in terms of etymology has a long history, going back over 110 years since Murray et al. (1884). Scholars have therefore had lots of time to gather all kind of information on the origin of English words. In fact, Modern English is the product of a long and complex process of historical developments from a great diversity of sources. The origins and development of English words meaning ‘a vessel for washing, a bath or a toilet’ are traced from Old English to the twentieth century in this paper in terms of the semantic and/or conceptual categories of the words with their particular senses. We conclude this paper with a brief discussion of how the teaching of English words can give some feedback to both teachers and students under the circumstances of English education in Korea and/or how we come to a better understanding of this charming field of English etymology in its own right.

• 한국치위생학회지
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.631-639
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• 2014

Objectives : The purpose of the study is to investigate the influencing factors on English interest and anxiety in dental hygiene students. Methods : A self-reported questionnaire was filled out by 1,040 dental hygiene students in six universities in Busan and Gyeongnam from April 1 to 30, 2013. The questionnaire consisted of general characteristics, foreign language performance anxiety scale, and English interest. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regressions. Results : Those who travelled abroad tended to have a liking for English. English credits significantly influenced on English interest. and employment. The period of English study was proportional to interest and grade of English. Conclusions : The interest and anxiety for English was the major factor to improve the mastery of English. The dental hygienists must try to improve the mastery of language proficiency.

• 영어어문교육
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• 제6호
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• pp.49-73
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• 2000