Christiane Bongartz

Linguistic Development in Social Contexts: A Study of Two Brothers Learning German

This paper explores notions of success in second language acquisition (SLA) in terms of social interaction and linguistic inventory. Two English–speaking boys, ages 5 and 7, acquired German for 1 year in an immersion context. On the social plane, data obtained throughout the year from each child in interaction with friends show that both boys developed the ability to participate successfully in all aspects of social interaction. Dominant venues of interaction were language play and negotiation. On the linguistic plane, differences emerged in terms of production and accuracy. However, both boys developed the full range of syntactic inventory in German. The data reveal that preferred interactional strategies led to differences in linguistic choices, and hence, to differences in opportunities for linguistic practice. In this sense, linguistic development depends on social context. Success in SLA should, therefore, generally be defined under the umbrella of interactional competence, with social interaction and linguistic inventory as separate, but not independent, yardsticks for assessment.

The effects of balanced biliteracy on Greek-German bilingual children’s secondary discourse ability

ABSTRACT Several studies have revealed the cognitive and linguistic benefits of balanced bilingualism, but the research on balanced biliteracy is still in its initial stages (Marinis et al. submitted. “Biliteracy Education Impacts on Cognition Selectively.”). This study investigates the positive effects of balanced biliteracy on the development of secondary discourse ability involved in narrative production. The analysis is based on narratives told by 30 Greek-German bilingual children (9–12 years) in both their languages. The children are divided in three groups, differing in language proficiency in each respective language and features of the educational setting (in terms of balance of teaching hours dedicated to each language). The results reveal that the features of the educational setting are the most reliable predictor of children’s narrative skills. Moreover, balanced biliteracy has the effect of evening out imbalances in language proficiency. The study contributes to identifying the factors that affect secondary discourse ability and motivate variation in the development of literacy skills (Francis 2006. “The Development of Secondary Discourse Ability and Metalinguistic Awareness in Second Language Learners.” International Journal of Applied Linguistics 16 (1): 37–60; Bongartz 2016. “Bilingual and Second Language Development and Literacy – Emerging Perspectives on an Intimate Relationship.” Proceedings of the 21st International Symposium of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics 2013, Thessaloniki, April 5–7, 2013).

Inklusion im Englischunterricht

Ziel dieses Buches ist es, den inklusiven Englischunterricht aus einer multiperspektivischen Sicht zu beschreiben, zu seinem Kern als Prinzip der Öffnung vorzustoßen und dieses fachlich greifbarer zu machen. Die Beiträge wenden sich der Umsetzung und den für die Inklusion bedeutsamen empirischen und didaktischen Gesichtspunkten zu und sind mit den Herausforderungen der verschiedenen Kontexte befasst, in denen die VerfasserInnen wirken. Die eingenommenen Perspektiven umfassen verschiedene Förderschwerpunkte, Mehrsprachigkeit, Migrationshintergrund, schulformspezifische und inklusiv-didaktische Fragen. Es eint sie der realistische Blick auf die Praxis, die Verortung in der empirischen Forschung und evidenzbasierten Schlussfolgerungen und der Versuch, auch grundlegende Fragen zu beantworten.

Lena Kläser & Andreas Rohde - Fremdsprachenunterricht für gehörlose Schülerinnen und Schüler am Beispiel des Unterrichtsfaches Englisch

Due to the number of languages that are involved, second/foreign language teaching presents a particular challenge for deaf children at German special needs schools and in the inclusive second/foreign language classroom. Many deaf children are born to hearing parents and, therefore, have not been exposed to German Sign Language since birth. At school entry, written German is introduced, which can be regarded as a distinct language for the deaf for two reasons. Firstly, it represents spoken German, which can only be partially decoded by the deaf through lip reading. Secondly, the syntax of German Sign Language differs from that of spoken/ written German. In addition, these deaf children are introduced to English in its spoken and written forms and, at least theoretically, to British or American Sign Language if these are available. This paper focuses on the complexity of situations in which further languages and, correspondingly, different modalities, are involved in the second/foreign language classroom.