The Subjectivity of Language Attitudes

From a linguistic point of view, all English dialects are‘equally complex, structured and valid linguistic systems'(Trudgill,1992:26) while non-linguists may find it hard to accept, as they are not holding linguistic attitudes but social language attitudes, which are based on their social and cultural values. The relevant researches on language attitudes show how subjective is language attitudes and the reasons behind that is analysed. The study is significant in that it helps us to understand the factors that influences the language attitudes such identities, personal experience and contexts.

Writing Haiku in a Second Language： Perceptions, Attitudes, and Emotions of Second Language Learners

The aim of the current study is to discuss the value of poetry writing in an L2 （second language） by investigating perceptions, attitudes, and emotions of 20 EFL （English as a Foreign Language） college freshmen regarding writing Japanese poetry, haiku in English. This paper first discussed issues and uses of literature in L2 contexts and addressed the current empirical inquiry into L2 haiku writing as a method for L2 learning. The study was designed as a qualitative research which investigated the participants＇ reflection on writing L2 haikus for six weeks in an EFL college writing course. The data obtained was analyzed by using the coding system and showed that writing haiku in the target language was a challenging but valuable task for L2 learning among the EFL students. Especially haiku composition allowed them to develop their L2 linguistic awareness

World English or Englishes： Which Should We Teach in the Context of China？

English isthe most respectable language and the most universally read and spoken language in the world. However, with the spread of English there are a lot of ＂varieties＂ of English. When English is referred to as a ＂world＂ language, we frequently hear reference to World Englishes. With the internationalization of English, EIL （English as International Language） is being taught today in a wide diversity of contexts; any sound pedagogy must be informed by a theory of language learning and teaching that is sufficiently complex to account for this diversity. The essay is intended to argue for teaching a certain Standard English, British, American or Australian English in the context of China. The overall purpose of the bilingual users of English, is to use English as a language of wider communication in a global and sometimes also in a local sense, as well as to access the vast amount of information currently available in English, and also to contribute to this knowledge basis.

Exploration on Way out of Achieving Chinese-English Bilingualism from Early Childhood in China

Worldwide,there has been a number of researchers studying how children acquire two or more languages since bilingualism or multilingualism were increasingly prevalent.China,a monolingual culture is a late participant engaged in the field of bilingualism studies.Recent years witnessed a growing number of Chinese parents who attempted to raise their children bilingual by speaking English to them at home,however,relevant research on bilingualism acquisition in China lagged behind.This article reviews existing studies on early child bilingualism acquisition and bilingual parenting,displays language context in China,and explores solutions to difficulties Chinese parents face.Different from their counterparts in culturally diverse context,these Chinese parents living in a monolingual environment were confronted with unique and more challenges:the quality of English they speak as a second language to children;the quantity of English input;the monolingual environment in China;and resistance to English by children.Solutions are proposed to tackle these issues respectively.

Recursive functions of context free languages (Ⅱ)——Validity of CFPRF and CFRF definitions

In this paper we proved that the function class CFRF and its proper subclass CFPRF are respectively the partial recursive functions and primitive recursive functions of context free languages (CFLs). Also we discussed the relation between them and recursive functions defined on other domains . It is indicated that the functions of natural numbers and/or symbol strings (words) are functions of CFLs. Several frequently used primitive recursive functions on words were given, including logical connectives, conditional expressions. Also the powerful operators (bounded maximization and minimization operators) for constructing primitive recursive functions were defined. Two important nontrivial algorithms, the characteristic function of arbitrary CFL and the parse function of CFL sentences were constructed. Based on them, the method for extending or restricting function domain was described.

Recursive functions of context free languages (Ⅰ)——The definitions of CFPRF and CFRF

It is intended to establish the recursive function theory on context free languages (CFLs). In this paper, the function class CFRF and its proper subclass CFPRF were defined on CFLs; it is quite straightforward to use them for describing non-numerical algorithms. In fact, they are respectively the partial recursive functions and primitive recursive functions of context free languages. The structure induction method for proving CFPRF function properties was presented. A method for CFL sentence enumeration was given, the minimization operator was defined. Based on CFL sentence enumeration, the minimization operator evaluation method was given. Finally, the design and implementation principles of executable specification languages with the CFRF as theoretical basis were discussed.

Factors in International Student Identity Formation： Processes and Challenges

International students choosing to study abroad face a change in self-identity, which in many cases takes them by surprise and which is affected by a multiplicity of factors. Within the framework of Tajfel＇s Social Identity Theory, we examine the nature of identity and the many contexts in which it is shaped, mainly in reference to the ESL （English as a Second Language） classroom, but with broader implications for the students＇ experiences in Western classroom as a whole. We discuss the challenges facing not only students, but also faculty who wish to assist students in the formation of their new identities

Familiarity in Chinese and English Idiom Comprehension: An Event Related Potential Study from Chinese English Learners

Idioms have attracted great attention over recent decades. Nevertheless, controversies still remain in regard of the most plausible cognition mechanism for idiom comprehension, especially concerning non-Indo-European languages and second/foreign language users. Event Related Potential （ERP） experiments on proficient English learners whose native language was Mandarin Chinese were conducted to test the influences of idioms＇ familiarity on both Chinese and English （as foreign language） idiom comprehension. Data including accuracy rates, reaction time, and latency and peak amplitudes of N400 were recorded and analyzed, indicating that familiarity might play a significant role in idiom comprehension in both native and foreign languages. Further, idioms, should they have similar familiarity levels, may be easier to process in the native language （Chinese） than in the foreign language （English）.

Appraisal of the Production-Oriented Approach： An Introduction

The production-oriented approach （POA） has been developed over a decade. It is driven by the need to improve English classroom instruction for university students in China （Wen, 2016）. It is also motivated by the aspiration to enhance the quality of foreign language education in other similar pedagogical contexts outside China. A volume of research has been done by Wen Qiufang and her research team, to formulate the theory of POA and to test its effectiveness in classroom pedagogy （e.g. Wen, 2016, 2015; Yang, 2015; Zhang, 2015）. At the moment, the POA is still at an early stage of theory building and almost all empirical research is done in the Chinese context. In order to improve the quality of this theory and to make it intelligible to the international academic community, a one-day symposium was held in Beijing Foreign Studies University on May 15, 2017. The symposium was entitled ＇The first international forum on innovative foreign language education in China： Appraisal of the POA＇. In the forum, leading experts in applied linguistics were invited to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the POA and the directions for its future development. The symposium was the first attempt for the POA research team to discuss its latest work with international scholars. This Viewpoint section collects the responses of four experts who participated in the symposium, listed in alphabetical order. The collection of articles covers three topics related to the POA： its pedagogical application, its use for teacher training, and its research. Alister Cumming is Professor Emeritus and the former Head of the Centre for Educational Research on Languages and Literacies, University of Toronto, Canada. His article focuses primarily on POA research as an exemplary case of design-based research. Rod Ellis is Research Professor in the School of Education at Curtin University, Australia. He discusses POA in terms of pedagogy, teacher training and research, with both critiques and constructive suggestions. Paul Kei Matsuda is Professor of English and Director of Second Language Writing at Arizona State University, the writed states. He responds to POA from the perspective of an expert researcher and teacher of L2 writing. Charlene Polio is Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Linguistics ＆ Germanic, Slavic, Asian ＆ African Languages atMichigan State University, the writed states. She conceptualises POA as a useful method to address some issues in pre-service teacher development. Overall, the articles in this section are insightful and reader-friendly. They are not only useful for the development of POA in particular, but may also be valuable to a broad range of researchers as they touch upon pertaining issues, as well as emerging topics, in the field of applied linguistics. We therefore find it necessary to make them accessible to a wide readership.