How can syntactic and learnability analyses inform each other, and thus deepen our understanding of syntax and its acquisition? This dissertation illuminates this question through three case studies in Korean syntax. I examine cases in which two structures that display distinct syntactic properties share extremely similar surface forms, thus…

Learning a second language is a complex task. Adopting the innovative use of a multimodal literacies approach provides young second language (L2) learners with expanded opportunities to immerse themselves in the target language. This study explored how participants utilized their multimodal literacies along with the level of investment…

The field of Linguistics has long been interested in the verb meanings of intransitive verbs and their argument structure, specifically the breakdown of intransitive verbs into unaccusative and unergative verb types. Despite extensive research, a universally applicable explanation for this breakdown remains elusive due in part to the variability…

While most animals have communication systems, few exhibit such high-level of complexity as human languages. One central question of linguistics and cognitive science is to explore what human cognitive underpinnings and learning mechanisms are necessary to master such a complex system. One influential approach is Chomskyan generativism which…

This mixed-methods explanatory sequential study aimed to identify the most commonly used World Language curriculum models in New Jersey high schools, assess the level of curriculum coherence in Spanish programs, and examine their impact on student learning. Surveys and interviews with high school Spanish teachers revealed that, while theoretical…

Second language learning success relies on instructional methodologies that foster guidance, engagement, motivation, creativity, and active learning in an inclusive environment. As language educators, it is important to establish instructional modes to entice positive behavior and stimulate the senses. The problem to be addressed by the study is…

Construction Grammar has been a prominent framework in linguistic research for nearly three decades, attracting scholars from various disciplines, including language acquisition, corpus linguistics, and psycholinguistics. While considerable progress has been made in understanding the first language (L1) construction learning of various languages,…

Touted as the future of language teaching, task-based pedagogy is grounded in current Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theories, and is in line with the trend of learner-centeredness in general education. However, the method has yet to be fully embraced by the language teaching community due to the lack of 1) clear delineation of pedagogical…

While universities' interest in community engagement has grown over time in the United States, the public pedagogies set forth by them do not always reflect a commitment to sustaining community-engaged learning. Additionally, commitments sometimes demonstrate mindsets and the language of "helping" the community or "fixing" a…

International schools, which are often rich with linguistic diversity, typically promote that proficiency in an accepted standard variety of English is the desired and favored outcome for students (Hayden & Thompson, 2016; Spiers, 2016). These schools, in part due to the teachers they employ, could be characterized as systems that promote…

Learning an L2 is often said to transform an individual into a new (and improved) version of the self. This mixed-method study investigated (1) whether, and if so, in what way such a transformation occurs within the L2 learner self; and (2) whether current theories of self and motivation in the fields of SLA and psychology adequately address L2…

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of foreign language anxiety or xenoglossophobia, for college students enrolled in foreign language courses at The Southern University. The topic was guided by Krashen's theory of second language acquisition, as it relates to many aspects of the actual…

The current study investigates the use of alternative assessments in English as a foreign language (EFL) classes in Saudi Arabia. While alternative assessments have been recently recognized as a prospective approach to assessing EFL learning, little research has examined how language learners perceive this approach to assessment in an EFL context,…

The present dissertation reports two experiments that examine implicit and explicit language learning methods and their impacts on early vocabulary, grammar, and phonological acquisition, in addition to working memory, proactive/reactive control, and fluid intelligence, as well as learner motivation. Experiment 1 investigated adult L2 acquisition…

Research on language learners' attention suggests that manipulating attention is beneficial in the language learning process as it facilitates the "noticing" of specific linguistic aspects. The current study investigated the effects of directing learners' attention to segments and prosody in English phonetic training. Korean learners of…