Peter Crosthwaite

Cross-linguistic patterns in the acquisition of quantifiers.

Significance Although much research has been devoted to the acquisition of number words, relatively little is known about the acquisition of other expressions of quantity. We propose that the order of acquisition of quantifiers is related to features inherent to the meaning of each term. Four specific dimensions of the meaning and use of quantifiers are found to capture robust similarities in the order of acquisition of quantifiers in similar ways across 31 languages, representing 11 language types. Learners of most languages are faced with the task of acquiring words to talk about number and quantity. Much is known about the order of acquisition of number words as well as the cognitive and perceptual systems and cultural practices that shape it. Substantially less is known about the acquisition of quantifiers. Here, we consider the extent to which systems and practices that support number word acquisition can be applied to quantifier acquisition and conclude that the two domains are largely distinct in this respect. Consequently, we hypothesize that the acquisition of quantifiers is constrained by a set of factors related to each quantifier’s specific meaning. We investigate competence with the expressions for “all,” “none,” “some,” “some…not,” and “most” in 31 languages, representing 11 language types, by testing 768 5-y-old children and 536 adults. We found a cross-linguistically similar order of acquisition of quantifiers, explicable in terms of four factors relating to their meaning and use. In addition, exploratory analyses reveal that language- and learner-specific factors, such as negative concord and gender, are significant predictors of variation.

Profile driven data-dependency analysis for improved high level language hardware synthesis

Existing high-level hardware synthesis tools typically focus on the automated discovery of opportunities for Instruction Level Parallelism (ILP) or alternatively allow designers to explicitly specify instances or opportunities for ILP. We present a novel profiling driven approach to the automated discovery of higher level speculative parallelism opportunities for custom-hardware implementations. The synthesis approach proposed here is to use the customisation capabilities of reconfigurable platforms to implement application specific speculative devices that capitalise on thread and loop level parallelism opportunities that occur with low (or zero) frequency data dependencies. In this paper our program profiling and partitioning techniques are detailed and analysis results are used to generate promising theoretical limits on speedups achievable through thread level parallelism. Such speedups are orthogonal to the gains achievable using existing ILP based optimisations. Our analysis and profiling tools are implemented within the Low Level Virtual Machine (LLVM) compiler infrastructure and results are generated from the SPEC2000INT benchmark suite.

A unified emulation/simulation environment for reconfigurable system-on-chip development

In this paper we present a simulation framework for rapid testing of custom hardware peripherals designed to be incorporated in a System on Chip (SoC) architecture. The QEMU processor emulator is extended to allow attaching a simulation environment to the system bus, such that simulation can perform bus transactions, and interact with the emulated processor. We demonstrate multiple levels of simulation fidelity with custom hardware simulation ranging from fast functionally equivalent C models through to Hardware In The Loop (HIL) co-simulation of production ready HDL code.

Definite discourse-new reference in L1 and L2: The case of L2 Mandarin

Definite discourse-new bridging reference (e.g., a school ... the teacher; Clark, 1975) is a complex syntax-pragmatic component of referential movement, one that is subject to relatively opaque form-function contingency compared with forms used for discourse-old reference, and one that is especially prone to crosslinguistic influence. Research shows Asian second language (L2) learners of English struggle to produce bridging reference appropriately, yet little research has been done on the L2 production of bridging in Asian languages. We collected oral picture sequence narrative data from 80 lower-intermediate L2 Mandarin learners from first language (L1) English (+ article, n = 23) and L1 Korean and Japanese (- article, n = 57) backgrounds, alongside equivalent L1 data. Speakers of article-L1s were more likely than those from article-less L1s to use numeral + classifier noun phrases (NPs) for nonbridging referents and demonstrative + classifier NPs when introducing bridging referents, essentially (and infelicitously) using these constructions as de facto English-like indefinite/definite articles in their L2 Mandarin production. Speakers of article-less languages infelicitously marked bridging relations with nonbridging forms. These findings confirm substantial crosslinguistic difficulties for the L2 marking of this complex syntax-pragmatic phenomenon across relatively underexplored L1/L2 pairs.

Exploring stance in the manifestos of 3 candidates for the Hong Kong Chief Executive election 2017: Combining CDA and corpus-like insights

While much work has been done on the textual analysis of political discourses in Western countries, relatively little has focused on electoral manifestos in the East. Manifestos are open extensive declarations of individual ideologies for campaigns, comprising small texts in terms of word count but with massive implications for voters’ perception of the candidates’ political leanings. Focusing on the manifestos produced by the three candidates for the Hong Kong Chief Executive Election 2017, this article compares the linguistic features of the written political evaluative stances of the candidates. Combining critical discourse analysis using the APPRAISAL model, with analyses traditionally associated with corpus linguistics including log-likelihood keyword analysis and statistically driven visualisations, we find clear differences between the candidates in terms of the allocation of evaluative resources in their manifestos, representative of the perceived evaluative stance of candidate. Our findings justify the use of corpus linguistic techniques as a complement to critical discourse analysis, even in data with small word counts (<5000), in situations where nuanced, micro-managed selection of language resources is crucial to the perception of stance in very high-stakes contexts.

Does EAP writing instruction reduce L2 errors? Evidence from a longitudinal corpus of L2 EAP essays and reports

Abstract Despite the efforts exerted on error correction by teachers and students during English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses, the literature is split about whether such instruction succeeds in reducing grammatical and lexical errors in student writing. In this study, a longitudinal corpus of essays and reports collected at three key data points along a tertiary EAP course (pre-course, immediate post-course and final assessment) totalling 205,682 words was annotated for 12,996 errors across 10 grammatical and lexical error types. The results, including a mixed-effects linear model, showed a general significant decline in the number of errors produced over the duration of the course. However, closer examination revealed that the frequencies of the majority of individual lexical and grammatical error categories remained unchanged over time, despite specific out-of-class instruction on these errors as well as numerous occasions where teachers provided written corrective feedback. The overall usefulness of the error correction feedback and instruction resulting from the EAP course in question therefore remains inconclusive, although students and other stakeholders may still call for the inclusion of such feedback and instruction on EAP curricula.

Retesting the limits of data-driven learning: feedback and error correction

ABSTRACT An increasing number of studies have looked at the value of corpus-based data-driven learning (DDL) for second language (L2) written error correction, with generally positive results. However, a potential conundrum for language teachers involved in the process is how to provide feedback on students’ written production for DDL. The study looks at DDL-mediated error correction across 61 written samples submitted by 32 tertiary students during a series of short DDL courses. Teachers provided feedback on errors present in the samples, and students highlighted corrections made with or without the corpus. The results suggest that students used corpora to correct errors of word choice, word form, collocations and phrasing, but were less likely to use corpora to correct errors of deletion or morphosyntax. When the corpus was used, students were likely to successfully correct errors of collocation but were less successful for errors of morphosyntax. Post-course questionnaires suggested that perception of the usefulness of DDL for grammar learning was less than that for vocabulary and the learning of phrases, and that time and effort spent on analyzing concordance data and understanding the teachers feedback on their writing were perceived as difficulties. To explore these findings further, a qualitative analysis of the feedback teachers provided suggests significant difficulties devising appropriate feedback that promotes autonomous, inductive language acquisition for all error types on the one hand, and at the same time does not eliminate the need for corpus consultation nor is too vague for students to formulate appropriate corpus queries. This study is therefore an initial yet important step in identifying the type of errors that teachers can address in a timely manner with focused feedback leading to corpus consultation, and how such feedback affects the success of this consultation.

‘Almost people’: A learner corpus account of L2 use and misuse of non-numerical quantification

Abstract We present an Integrated Contrastive Model of non-numerical quantificational NPs (NNQs, i.e. ‘some people’) produced by L1 English speakers and Mandarin and Korean L2 English learners. Learner corpus data was sourced from the ICNALE (Ishikawa, 2011, 2013) across four L2 proficiency levels. An average 10% of L2 NNQs were specific to L2 varieties, including noun number mismatches (*‘many child’), omitting obligatory quantifiers after adverbs (*‘almost people’), adding unnecessary particles (*‘all of people’) and non-L1 English-like quantifier/noun agreement (*‘many water’). Significantly fewer ‘openclass’ NNQs (e.g a number of people) are produced by L2 learners, preferring ‘closed-class’ single lexical quantifiers (following L1-like use). While such production is predictable via L1 transfer, Korean L2 English learners produced significantly more L2-like NNQs at each proficiency level, which was not entirely predictable under a transfer account. We thus consider whether positive transfer of other linguistic forms (i.e. definiteness marking) aids the learnability of other L2 forms (i.e. expression of quantification).