Using contextual information in learners’ spoken language communication: an eye-tracking study

The efficiency of oral communication can vary depending on how quickly language users process not only language but also non-language information and on how that information is used. Various psycholinguistic experiments have shown that first language (L1) users incrementally form a representation by...

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Main Authors: Duck, Geun Yoo, Lee, Junkyu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit UKM 2013
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/6322/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/6322/1/3304-7234-1-SM.pdf
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author Duck, Geun Yoo
Lee, Junkyu
author_facet Duck, Geun Yoo
Lee, Junkyu
author_sort Duck, Geun Yoo
building UKM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The efficiency of oral communication can vary depending on how quickly language users process not only language but also non-language information and on how that information is used. Various psycholinguistic experiments have shown that first language (L1) users incrementally form a representation by utilizing context information, and furthermore, can predict the forthcoming information. Since this topic has not been sufficiently studied using second language (L2) learners, theory and application of L2 processing are thus insufficient. This study aims to investigate, using an eye-tracking experiment, whether EFL learners can utilize visually presented contextual information during spoken language comprehension. Specifically, it eye tracked the comprehension processes of EFL learners when auditory inputs with four two-dimensional figures (e.g. Where is the large red circle?)were presented. Twenty-four learners with advanced English proficiency were asked to eye-spot figures corresponding to auditory inputs. Two conditions were manipulated in terms of figure size, color, and shape: (1) one pair of contrasting objects and; (2) two pairs of contrasting objects. It was revealed that the eye often moved to the target object before the noun (e.g. circle) was heard, adjectival information (e.g. large, red) being sufficient to restrict the domain of reference to one object in the visual display. Eye movements were thus quicker in the first condition that requires relatively little context information to distinguish the target than in the second condition that does not. The findings suggest that the subjects utilized real-time contextual information and top-down processing strategy of linguistic information in terms of Paul Grice‘s maxim of quantity.
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spelling oai:generic.eprints.org:63222016-12-14T06:40:51Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/6322/ Using contextual information in learners’ spoken language communication: an eye-tracking study Duck, Geun Yoo Lee, Junkyu The efficiency of oral communication can vary depending on how quickly language users process not only language but also non-language information and on how that information is used. Various psycholinguistic experiments have shown that first language (L1) users incrementally form a representation by utilizing context information, and furthermore, can predict the forthcoming information. Since this topic has not been sufficiently studied using second language (L2) learners, theory and application of L2 processing are thus insufficient. This study aims to investigate, using an eye-tracking experiment, whether EFL learners can utilize visually presented contextual information during spoken language comprehension. Specifically, it eye tracked the comprehension processes of EFL learners when auditory inputs with four two-dimensional figures (e.g. Where is the large red circle?)were presented. Twenty-four learners with advanced English proficiency were asked to eye-spot figures corresponding to auditory inputs. Two conditions were manipulated in terms of figure size, color, and shape: (1) one pair of contrasting objects and; (2) two pairs of contrasting objects. It was revealed that the eye often moved to the target object before the noun (e.g. circle) was heard, adjectival information (e.g. large, red) being sufficient to restrict the domain of reference to one object in the visual display. Eye movements were thus quicker in the first condition that requires relatively little context information to distinguish the target than in the second condition that does not. The findings suggest that the subjects utilized real-time contextual information and top-down processing strategy of linguistic information in terms of Paul Grice‘s maxim of quantity. Penerbit UKM 2013-05 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/6322/1/3304-7234-1-SM.pdf Duck, Geun Yoo and Lee, Junkyu (2013) Using contextual information in learners’ spoken language communication: an eye-tracking study. GEMA: Online Journal of Language Studies, 13 (2). pp. 5-20. ISSN 1675-8021 http://www.ukm.my/ppbl/Gema/gemahome.html
spellingShingle Duck, Geun Yoo
Lee, Junkyu
Using contextual information in learners’ spoken language communication: an eye-tracking study
title Using contextual information in learners’ spoken language communication: an eye-tracking study
title_full Using contextual information in learners’ spoken language communication: an eye-tracking study
title_fullStr Using contextual information in learners’ spoken language communication: an eye-tracking study
title_full_unstemmed Using contextual information in learners’ spoken language communication: an eye-tracking study
title_short Using contextual information in learners’ spoken language communication: an eye-tracking study
title_sort using contextual information in learners’ spoken language communication: an eye-tracking study
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/6322/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/6322/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/6322/1/3304-7234-1-SM.pdf