|
Complex Dynamic Systems Theory
Complex Dynamic Systems Theory in the field of linguistics is a perspective and approach to the study of second, third and additional language acquisition. The general term Complex Dynamic Systems Theory was recommended by Kees de Bot to refer to both Complexity theory and Dynamic systems theory. Terminology Numerous labels such as Chaos Theory, Complexity Theory, Chaos/Complexity Theory, Dynamic Systems Theory, Usage-based Theory have been used to the study of second language acquisition from a dynamic approach. However, Kees de Bot recommended the term Complex Dynamic Systems Theory in a chapter in Ortega and Han's edited book entitled 'Complexity Theory and Language Development in celebration of Diane Larsen-Freeman'. Ahmar Mahboob has applied Complexity Theory/Dynamic Systems Theory to a dynamic approach to language assessment. Herdina and Jessner in their Dynamic Model of Multilingualism (DMM) (2002) were the first scholars to use dynamic system, as well as complex system a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguistics is concerned with both the cognitive and social aspects of language. It is considered a scientific field as well as an academic discipline; it has been classified as a social science, natural science, cognitive science,Thagard, PaulCognitive Science, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2008 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.). or part of the humanities. Traditional areas of linguistic analysis correspond to phenomena found in human linguistic systems, such as syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences); semantics (meaning); morphology (structure of words); phonetics (speech sounds and equivalent gestures in sign languages); phonology (the abstract sound system of a particular language); and pragmatics (how social cont ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarah Mercer
Sarah Jane Mercer (born 1974) is a British linguist. She is currently the head of the Department of English Language Teaching at the University of Graz, Austria. Her research focuses on applied linguistics, with a special focus on psycholinguistics from a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory approach. Career Mercer attended the Bolton School, Bolton, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in European Studies (French, German & Politics) at Royal Holloway, University of London. She received a Master of Arts degree in Teaching English as a second or foreign language (TEFL) at the University of Reading and a PhD degree in Applied Linguistics at Lancaster University. Between 1998-2015 Mercer was a Lecturer at the University of Graz. In 2013 she became the co-editor of the journal 'System'. Between 2012-2018 she became the Deputy Head of the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Graz. Between 2015-2017 she was the joint co-ordinator for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zoltán Dörnyei
Zoltán Dörnyei () (11 March 1960 – 10 June 2022) was a Hungarian-born British linguist. He was a professor of psycholinguistics at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. He was known for his work on second language acquisition and the psychology of the language learner, in particular on motivation in second language learning, having published numerous books and papers on these topics.Dörnyei, Z. (2016). From English language teaching to psycholinguistics: A story of three decades. In R. Ellis (Ed.), ''Becoming and being an applied linguist: The life histories of some applied linguists'' (pp. 119-135). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Career Education Dörnyei obtained a combined Master of Arts degree in English language and literature and in art history in 1985 at the School of English and American Studies of the Faculty of Humanities of the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary. His dissertation was entitled ''Art dealing in Hungary before 1945 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Attractor
In the mathematical field of dynamical systems, an attractor is a set of states toward which a system tends to evolve, for a wide variety of starting conditions of the system. System values that get close enough to the attractor values remain close even if slightly disturbed. In finite-dimensional systems, the evolving variable may be represented algebraically as an ''n''-dimensional vector. The attractor is a region in ''n''-dimensional space. In physical systems, the ''n'' dimensions may be, for example, two or three positional coordinates for each of one or more physical entities; in economic systems, they may be separate variables such as the inflation rate and the unemployment rate. If the evolving variable is two- or three-dimensional, the attractor of the dynamic process can be represented geometrically in two or three dimensions, (as for example in the three-dimensional case depicted to the right). An attractor can be a point, a finite set of points, a curve, a man ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luke Harding (linguist)
Luke William Harding (born 11 July 1977) is an Australian linguist. He is currently a professor at the Department of Linguistics and English Language of Lancaster University, United Kingdom. His research focuses on language assessment with a special focus on listening assessment, pronunciation assessment, and diagnostic language assessment. He is the current editor-in-chief of the journal, ''Language Testing''. Career Harding obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics at the University of Melbourne in 2002. Later he got his Master of Arts degree in Applied Linguistics and a PhD degree in Applied Linguistics at the University of Melbourne in 2008. Since 2011 Harding has been a professor at the Department of Linguistics and English Language of Lancaster University, United Kingdom since 2010. On 19 April 2017, Harding along with Charles Alderson and Tineke Brunfaut were selected as the winner of the International Language Testing Association (ILTA) Best Article Award. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Self-regulated Learning
Self-regulated learning (SRL) is one of the domains of self-regulation, and is aligned most closely with educational aims. Broadly speaking, it refers to learning that is guided by ''metacognition'' (thinking about one's thinking), ''strategic action'' (planning, monitoring, and evaluating personal progress against a standard), and ''motivation to learn''. A self-regulated learner "monitors, directs, and regulates actions toward goals of information acquisition, expanding expertise, and self-improvement”. In particular, self-regulated learners are cognizant of their academic strengths and weaknesses, and they have a repertoire of strategies they appropriately apply to tackle the day-to-day challenges of academic tasks. These learners hold incremental beliefs about intelligence (as opposed to entity, or fixed views of intelligence) and attribute their successes or failures to factors (e.g., effort expended on a task, effective use of strategies) within their control. Finally, s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Logistic Equation
A logistic function or logistic curve is a common S-shaped curve (sigmoid curve) with equation f(x) = \frac, where For values of x in the domain of real numbers from -\infty to +\infty, the S-curve shown on the right is obtained, with the graph of f approaching L as x approaches +\infty and approaching zero as x approaches -\infty. The logistic function finds applications in a range of fields, including biology (especially ecology), biomathematics, chemistry, demography, economics, geoscience, mathematical psychology, probability, sociology, political science, linguistics, statistics, and artificial neural networks. A generalization of the logistic function is the hyperbolastic function of type I. The standard logistic function, where L=1,k=1,x_0=0, is sometimes simply called ''the sigmoid''. It is also sometimes called the ''expit'', being the inverse of the logit. History The logistic function was introduced in a series of three papers by Pierre François Verhu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Language Aptitude
Language learning aptitude refers to the "prediction of how well, relative to other individuals, an individual can learn a foreign language in a given amount of time and under given conditions". Foreign language aptitude itself has been defined as a set of cognitive abilities which predicts L2 learning rate, or how fast learners can increase their proficiency in a second or foreign language, and L2 ultimate attainment, or how close learners will get to being able to communicate like a native in a second or foreign language, both in classroom and real-world situations. Understanding aptitude is crucial for a complete picture of the process of second language acquisition. Knowledge about language aptitude has profound impacts in the field of Applied Linguistics, particularly in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theory and in the practice of teaching and learning languages. As a concept with historical origins in education and psychology, its application in applied linguistics will con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Motivation In Second-language Learning
The desire to learn is often related to the concept of ‘motivation’. Motivation is the most used concept for explaining the failure or success of a language learner. Second language (L2) refers to a language an individual learns that is not his/her mother tongue, but is of use in the area of the individual. It is not the same as a foreign language, which is a language learned that is not generally spoken in the individual's area. In research on motivation, it is considered to be an internal process that gives behavior energy, direction and persistence in research (in other words, it gives behavior strength, purpose, and sustainability). Learning a new language takes time and dedication. Once you do, being fluent in a second language offers numerous benefits and opportunities. Learning a second language is exciting and beneficial at all ages. It offers practical, intellectual and many aspirational benefits. In learning a language, there can be one or more goals – such as mastery ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emergence
In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence occurs when an entity is observed to have properties its parts do not have on their own, properties or behaviors that emerge only when the parts interact in a wider whole. Emergence plays a central role in theories of integrative levels and of complex systems. For instance, the phenomenon of life as studied in biology is an emergent property of chemistry. In philosophy, theories that emphasize emergent properties have been called emergentism. In philosophy Philosophers often understand emergence as a claim about the etiology of a system's properties. An emergent property of a system, in this context, is one that is not a property of any component of that system, but is still a feature of the system as a whole. Nicolai Hartmann (1882–1950), one of the first modern philosophers to write on emergence, termed this a ''categorial novum'' (new category). Definitions This concept of emergence dates from at least the ti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
