Age Effects in the Acquisition of English Onset Clusters by Turkish Learners: An Optimality-Theoretic Approach offers a state-of-the-art examination of the acquisition of English onset clusters by Turkish learners, and considers the age effects in second language (L2) phonology. Unlike previous research trends, this research examines the developmental paths of L2 phonology, rather than the ‘end-state’ of acquisition. This in return will yield insightful data which appeals to both L2 theory and phonological theory. The L2 data presented here will be accounted for within a constraint-based framework known as Optimality Theory (OT). The first two chapters provide an overview of first and second language phonology, and are also discussed under OT framework in chapter 3. Chapter 4 serves to highlight the syllable structure of Turkish and English and addresses a number of partially overlapping themes: synchronic and diachronic analysis of English and Turkish consonant inventory, loan phonology, and prosodic development. The remaining chapters provide a detailed presentation of the novel empirical results, along with a discussion of its wider implications in phonological theory and phonological acquisition. Indispensable for students and researchers working in the areas of phonological theory and phonological acquisition, this volume will also appeal to applied linguists and speech language pathologists.

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject Pedagogy - Pedagogic Sociology, grade: 3,0, University of Vechta, course: Spracherwerbs- und Sprachlehrforschung. Learning and Teaching Languages, language: English, abstract: [...] At the beginning of the semester, the students of the course concerned with the topic of “How Languages are Learned” were asked to give an immediate response to several popular opinions. With the benefit of hindsight, one of the most interesting responses was that I ascribed much importance to the following statement: “The earlier a second language is introduced in school programmes, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.”(cf. L&S, p. xvii), and I am sure that many of my fellow students agreed strongly as well. After having studied several theories and research findings concerning this question – the question whether there is the age in which a second language learner should start to get into contact with a foreign language- I could conclude that this question cannot be answered simply by “yes” or “no” since there is a great number of factors influencing success. Learners vary a lot in terms of their brain’s development, their intelligence, their environment in which a second language is spoken, etc. pp. Furthermore, in order to answer the age-question, it is important to be aware of a certain goal of second language acquisition. Is it pronouncing words like a native-speaker? Is it being able to take part in conversations? These factors and questions should thus also be analyzed. Consequently, I would like to present basic theories about this subject as well as research findings and, as explained above, other factors influencing second language acquisition in the following. The results will be supported by my own way of acquiring a second language and will then form the basis for the consequences educators should consider when planning foreign language lessons. Since we used “How Languages are Learned” by Patsy M. Lightbown and Nina Spada as an introduction to this topic, my elementary knowledge is based on this book. [...]

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary English Pronunciation provides a comprehensive survey of this field covering both theoretical and practical perspectives on pronunciation. In 35 chapters contributed by leading scholars from around the world, this Handbook examines: linguistic and historical background of sound systems and theoretical issues linked to sound changes; pronunciation acquisition and factors related to speech production; pronunciation research and applications to second language pronunciation; the link between pronunciation and other language skills including perception and other socio-cultural factors; pronunciation and its relation to World Englishes. The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary English Pronunciation will be essential reading for anyone with an interest in pronunciation.

Ideologies in Educational Administration and Leadership explores ideological dimensions of educational administration in a number of Western and Central European contexts as they influence or shape the understanding, analysis, and practice in the field covering a broad range of topics, such as ethics, governance, diversity, and power. The first section, Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations, includes a range of sociological, political and linguistic approaches to examining ideology in an educational context. The second section, Ideologies of Research and Teaching, includes examinations of neoliberal and technological effects on research and teaching, as well as ideological shifts and challenges, in the West and in Eastern Europe. The last section, Contemporary and International Issues, includes critiques of social media, neoliberal impact on schooling, managerial leadership, university ideologies in Finland, the rationalisation of universities, and the impact of administrative ideologies on school systems. The book will appeal to researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, academics, as well as post-graduates in educational administration theory, and related courses in the ethics and politics of education, educational leadership, and organisational studies.

Faces of English explores the phenomenon of increasing dialects, varieties, and creoles, even as the spread of globalization supports an apparently growing uniformity among nations. The book's chapters supply descriptions of Jamaican English in Toronto, English as an L2 in a South African mining township, Chinese and English contact in Singapore, unexpected, emergent variants in Canadian English, and innovations in the English of West Virginia. Further, the book offers some perspective on internet English as well as on abiding uniformities in the lexicon and grammar of standard varieties. In the analyses of this heterogeneous growth such considerations as speakers' sociolinguistic profiles, phonological, morpho-syntactic, and lexical variables, frequencies, and typological patterns provide ample insight in the current status of English both in oral and electronic communities. The opening chapter presents a theoretical framework that argues for linguistic typology as conceptually resourceful in accommodating techniques of analysis and in distinguishing the wide arrays of English found throughout the globe. One clear function for Faces of English is that of a catalyst: to spur studies of diversities in English (and in other languages), to suggest approaches to adapt, to invite counterargument and developments in analysis.