List of Titles

"Grammar, I hate" or "I grammar hate"?: L1 and L2 word order differences and bilingual DLD assessment

- Han, Weifeng

Authors: Han, Weifeng
Date: 2024
Type: Text , Book chapter
Relation: Multifaceted multilingualism Chapter 7 p. 184-203
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Description: Cross-module interfaces, such as the syntax-semantics interface, are among the most problematic properties to fully acquire in a second language (L2). First language (L1) monodialectal and bidialectal speakers may show different performances at the interfaces in L2. However, little is known if such a different performance is caused by learners' diverse L1 dialectal backgrounds. The study is motivated by the need to link speech-language pathology and word order typological studies in a bidialectal/bilingual context. The aim is to investigate L1 bidialectism in the L2 syntax-semantics interface acquisition outcome and to separate language difference from language disorder. A sentence-picture matching task on the topic-comment structure was administered among 37 Mandarin monodialectal and 39 Mandarin - Wu bidialectal child speakers. Results of a generalized linear model showed that L1 bidialectals exhibited better syntactic-semantic awareness in L2 than their L1 monodialectal counterparts. The results showed that mono- and bidialectal speakers have different performance patterns at the syntax-semantics interface involving noncanonical word orders for L2. However, the L2 performance was under the impact of language difference between L1 and L2, it does not qualify for Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Finally, the study offers both theoretical and clinical implications for the diagnosis and assessment of bilingual DLD. © 2024 John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Aphasia rehabilitation when speech pathologists and clients do not share the same language: a scoping review

- Larkman, Chelsea, Mellahn, Kathleen, Han, Weifeng, Rose, Miranda

Authors: Larkman, Chelsea , Mellahn, Kathleen , Han, Weifeng , Rose, Miranda
Date: 2023
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Aphasiology Vol. 37, no. 4 (2023), p. 635-657
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Description: Growing cultural and linguistic diversity globally is increasingly requiring speech pathologists to provide effective and equitable aphasia rehabilitation to clients with whom they do not share a language. Little is known about how rehabilitation is being adapted and provided when a language mismatch arises between the therapist and the client. This scoping review aims to systematically map the evidence related to aphasia rehabilitation when the speech pathologist and the client do not share a language. A comprehensive search was conducted in September 2020. Twenty studies comprising surveys and/or interviews and descriptive publications were reviewed. Speech pathologists frequently report a lack of confidence, skill, and preparation to work with culturally and linguistically diverse clients with aphasia. Furthermore, there is a shortage of published evidence, guidelines, resources, and access to interpreters to support their practice. Further research is needed into aphasia rehabilitation when there is no shared language between client and speech pathologist, with particular attention to the therapy approach selected and adaptations required for the target language and culture. Information is needed concerning how the speech pathologist and interpreter work together, as well as the experiences of interpreters and people with aphasia and their families.

Bidialectal CALD learners of English : implications on bilingual language disorders and differential diagnosis1

- Han, Weifeng, Brebner, Chris

Authors: Han, Weifeng , Brebner, Chris
Date: 2023
Type: Text , Book chapter
Relation: Typical and Atypical Language Development in Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Chapter 10 p. 195-210
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Description: Bidialectal learners are found to have better language awareness than monodialectal speakers in their first language (L1). However, few studies have investigated the role of L1 bidialectism in second language (L2) acquisition. Therefore, little is known as to whether error patterns in L2 are caused by learners’ diverse L1 dialectal backgrounds. This study investigates the role of L1 bidialectism on L2, particularly the syntax-semantics interface. Participants were 78 L1-monodialectal (Mandarin) and 79 L1-bidialectal (Mandarin and Wu) English L2 learners. All participants completed a sentence-picture matching task of 40 sentences that were different at the syntax-semantics interface between L1 and L2. The participants performing in the top and bottom 10% were interviewed. The results were both quantitatively and qualitatively analysed. An L1 bidialectal advantage in comprehension at the L2 syntax-semantics interface was found when the interface yields more readings in L2 than in L1. This study provides evidence that L1 bidialectism is an important factor to consider in second language acquisition and speech-language pathology studies. For clinicians, this provides evidence that bidialectism may also impact culturally and linguistically diverse children’s L2 performance and should be considered when making a differential diagnosis between language differences and disorders. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Weifeng Han and Chris Brebner; individual chapters, the contributors.

First language Bidialectism in second language interface acquisition: Difference and disorder

- Han, Weifeng

Authors: Han, Weifeng
Date: 2020
Type: Text , Book
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Description: This book explores the relationship between language difference and disorder, with particular consideration of multidialectal L1 speakers learning English as an L2. It provides the reader with ready-to-use data on child L2 acquisition at the syntax-semantics interface, and offers both empirical and theoretical support for educational and clinical linguists in order to separate language differences from disorders. It provides researchers and students in applied and educational linguistics and speech-language pathology with a comprehensive understanding of L2 development in previously unidentified groups of bilingual-bidialectal children with different performance in the target language. Developmental linguists, applied linguists and speech-language pathologists will find accessible information on the role of L1 bidialectism in L2 acquisition, as well as valuable implications to language teaching and learning practices and speech-language pathology services in multilingual and multicultural contexts. This volume will be key reading for researchers interested in typical and atypical multilingual development and assessment in educational and clinical linguistics, cognitive sciences, and psychology. It will also appeal to both undergraduate and postgraduate students interested in conducting mixed-method research in language education, linguistics and health sciences.

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L1-L2 congruency as a criterion to identify collocations based on contrastive analysis

- Barghamadi, Maryam, Rogers, James, Arciuli, Joanne, Han, Weifeng, Muller, Amanda

Authors: Barghamadi, Maryam , Rogers, James , Arciuli, Joanne , Han, Weifeng , Muller, Amanda
Date: 2023
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics (Online) Vol. 6, no. 1 (2023), p. 1-14
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Description: In second language learning research, L1-L2 congruency refers to the similarity in form and meaning of the way a word or phrase is said between two languages. If there is low L1-L2 congruency, the learning burden of a word or phrase can be higher, and thus, such items should be focused on more in teaching to help learners avoid errors. For example, an unacceptable structure could be produced when second language learners use direct or literal translation to formulate multiword units (MWUs) in the target language. This study used L1-L2 congruency as a criterion to identify English MWUs with low congruency with their Persian equivalents to create a resource for Persian-speaking English learners. An L1-L2 contrastive analysis was conducted on a list of approximately 11,000 high-frequency MWUs. This list was translated, and the items were given ratings regarding their congruency in Persian. The results revealed that more than 65% of the items examined were incongruent with their word-for-word translations, demonstrating that L1-L2 congruency is a significant factor in selecting MWUs for Persian-speaking English learners. Since focusing on incongruent items may help learners avoid errors, the results of this study can help improve the efficacy of English acquisition by Persian-speaking learners through its identification of particular MWUs that have low congruency between the two languages.

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Mandarin DP1-he-DP2 in the subject position

- Han, Weifeng, Shi, Dingxu

Authors: Han, Weifeng , Shi, Dingxu
Date: 2022
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: SKASE Journal of Theoretical Linguistics Vol. 19, no. 1 (2022), p. 43-62
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Description: Recent studies claim that, syntactically, he in DP1-he-DP2 can only be analyzed as a conjunction or as a preposition, but not both, in the subject position in Mandarin. This paper presents both empirical and theoretical arguments against such singular analyses of he. Drawn upon cross-linguistic evidence, we argue that he is open to both a conjunction and a proposition analyses. Under the Merge theory, it is argued that the prepositional phrase (PP) is derived through only EXTERNAL MERGE (EM), while the conjunction phrase (&P) is yielded through EM and then INTERNAL MERGE (IM). Therefore, PP and &P undergo different processes of labelling. The Phase Impenetrability Condition helps explain the topicalization and focus marking issues by the singular analysis of he as a preposition only. This paper illustrates how the same lexical item of he is used for both the conjunction and the comitative structures in Mandarin, and how both structures differ syntactically under the Merge theory. © 2022 Slovak Association for the Study of English. All rights reserved.

Optimising social conditions to improve autonomy in communication and care for ethnic minority residents in nursing homes: A meta‐synthesis of qualitative research

- Xiao, Lily, Chen, Li, Han, Weifeng, Meyer, Claudia, Müller, Amanda, Low, Lee‐Fay, Brijnath, Bianca, Mohammadi, Leila

Authors: Xiao, Lily , Chen, Li , Han, Weifeng , Meyer, Claudia , Müller, Amanda , Low, Lee‐Fay , Brijnath, Bianca , Mohammadi, Leila
Date: 2022
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Nursing Inquiry Vol. 29, no. 3 (2022), p. e12469-n/a
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Description: A large proportion of nursing home residents in developed countries come from ethnic minority groups. Unmet care needs and poor quality of care for this resident population have been widely reported. This systematic review aimed to explore social conditions affecting ethnic minority residents' ability to exercise their autonomy in communication and care while in nursing homes. In total, 19 studies were included in the review. Findings revealed that ethno‐specific nursing homes create the ideal social condition for residents to express their care needs and preferences in a language of choice. In nonethno‐specific nursing homes, staff cultural competence and nursing home commitment to culturally safe care are crucial social conditions that enable this group of residents to fulfil their autonomy in communicating and in participating in their care. In contrast, social conditions that undermine residents' ability to express their care needs and preferences include low levels of staff cultural awareness and cultural desire, negative attitudes towards residents and limited organisational support for staff to improve culturally responsive and culturally safe care. In conclusion, it is important to optimise the social conditions to support ethnic minority residents to communicate their care needs and preferences.

Redefining 'Chinese' L1 in SLP: Considerations for the assessment of Chinese bilingual/bidialectal language skills

- Han, Weifeng, Brebner, Chris, McAllister, Sue

Authors: Han, Weifeng , Brebner, Chris , McAllister, Sue
Date: 2016
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology Vol. 18, no. 2 (2016), p. 135-146
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Description: Purpose: Language assessment of bilingual/bidialectal children can be complex. This is particularly true for speakers from China, who are likely to be bilingual and bidialectal at the same time. There has been, however, a lack of understanding of the diversity of Chinese languages as well as data on bidialectal children's L1 syntactic development and the development of L1 bidialectal children's L2 acquisition. Method: This paper provides information on the complexity of the language system for people from China. It will present illustrative examples of the expressive language outputs of bilingual and bidialectal children from the perspective of bilingual, bidialectal linguists and speech-language pathologists. Then it will outline why appropriate assessment tools and practices for identification of language impairment in bilingual Chinese children need to be developed. Result: Considerations include that Chinese bilingual children may differ in L2 performance because of lack of exposure in the target language or because of their varied L1 dialectal backgrounds, but not necessarily because of language impairment. Conclusion: When evaluating morphosyntactic performance of bilingual children, a series of reliable threshold indicators for possible language impairment is urgently needed for SLPs to facilitate accurate diagnosis of language impairment.

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Source text pre-editing versus target text post-editing in using Google Translate to provide health services to culturally and linguistically diverse clients

- Liang, Yingping, Han, Weifeng

Authors: Liang, Yingping , Han, Weifeng
Date: 2022
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Science, Engineering and Health Studies Vol. 16, no. (2022), p.
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Description: The study reports early-stage research on the efficacy of using the source text pre-editing (STPE) method to improve translation accuracy and cost-efficiency in conjunction with Google Translate as compared to the traditional target text post-editing (TTPE) method. Based on fluency, accuracy, cultural appropriateness and error severity, preliminary results show that STPE significantly increased the meaning adequacy and accuracy in translation as compared to TTPE. STPE also saved significant time, and, therefore, was more cost-efficient, as compared to TTPE. The results suggested a fundamentally new and more efficient method to the better employment of machine translation that differed from existing approaches. Governments and health providers may use the STPE plus Google Translate method more widely to reduce translation inaccuracy as well as to increase cost-efficiency, and provide more accessible information to culturally and linguistically diverse clients. © 2022 Silpakorn University. All Rights Reserved.

Syntactic hierarchy of the typical comparative construction in shanghainese

- Han, Weifeng, Shi, Dingxu

Authors: Han, Weifeng , Shi, Dingxu
Date: 2021
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Foreign Languages Vol. 44, no. 3 (2021), p.
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Description: The paper proposes a Degree Phrase (DegP) and a Focus Phrase (FocP) before the comparative adjective in the typical comparative construction in Shanghainese, in which FocP is always base-generated higher than DegP, and thus form the pattern of FocP>DegP.It is further pointed out that the comparative subject can always be topicalized.Therefore, the typical comparative construction in Shanghainese is a topic structure in nature.The comparative standard can also be topicalized, providing that there is a DegP, or a FocP highlighting the comparative adjective as the new information in the comment.

Topic marking in a Shanghainese corpus: from observation to prediction

- Han, Weifeng, Arppe, Antti, Newman, John

Authors: Han, Weifeng , Arppe, Antti , Newman, John
Date: 2017
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Corpus linguistics and linguistic theory Vol. 13, no. 2 (2017), p. 1-29
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Description: Shanghainese is an extremely topic-prominent language with many topic markers in competition with one another, often without any obvious basis for the selection of one topic marker over another. We explore the influence of five variables on the five most frequent topic markers in a corpus of (spoken) Shanghainese: topic length, syntactic category of the topic, function of the topic, comment type, and genre. We carry out a multivariate statistical analysis of the data, relying on a polytomous logistic regression model. Our approach leads to a satisfying quantification of the role of each factor, as well as an estimate of the probabilities of combinations of factors, in influencing the choice of topic marker. This study serves simultaneously as an introduction to the package (Arppe 2013) in the statistical software package R.

Universal grammar and the initial state of second language learning : Evidence of chinese multidialectal children's acquisition of english at the syntax-semantics interface

- Han, Weifeng

Authors: Han, Weifeng
Date: 2020
Type: Text , Book
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Description: Under the Universal Grammar (UG) framework, this book discusses the latest research on the role of L1 bidialectism in L2 acquisition, with a particular focus on early Chinese(L1)-English(L2) learners. Responding to the long-standing concern of whether L2 learners have access to UG in the target language, it provides evidence of the positive role of L1 multidialectism in L2 learning and confirms the role of UG in L2 acquisition. This book is essential reading for postgraduates and researchers in language education, linguistics, applied linguistics, speech-language pathology and psychology. The clarification of Chinese as L1 is also of interest to language educators in multilingual contexts.

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