1. Do We Learn English Differently
Do We Learn English Differently? A Comparison of Native and Non-Native English Speakers
Rebecca Allinder
Introduction
Over 95 of college graduates have taken 2 years or more of a foreign language, but only about 30 actually feel comfortable using this foreign language (Jahner, 2012). Perhaps, if we tailored language learning more to the learners, instead of expecting them to absorb everything, learning could become more efficient and more permanent.
In order to do this, we must examine differences between learners. Chomsky explains that all humans are built with the innate ability to comprehend language.
Belsky explains that, although language transfer seems to make sense, it is a little more complicated than just transferring one language's rules over to another. Instead, it depends on what is a core rule and what is a periphery rule in the first language, and whether it is obscure or not. We can use this information to see what non-native English speakers struggle with and begin to improve our ESL teaching.
Participants
117 participants were included in this study. 36 participants were English L1 recruited from a general psychology course. 76 participants were English L2 learners recruited through the internet.
Demographics
The average non-native English speaker had been learning English for years (SD=6.04).
Participant ages ranged from 17-61, with an average age of 23 (SD=8.52). The average age for natives was (SD = 2.81) while the average age for nonnatives was (SD=9.54).
66.7% of the total sample was female.
Procedure
All participants were given the same online grammar test through Qualtrics. This test included grammar questions as described below.
Gerunds and Infinitives
Gerunds function similarly to a noun, but are derived from a verb and always end in “–ing”. Infinitives are verbs not bound to a subject or tense. Participants were asked to identify the correct form of a word from a list, such as: “I loved (living) in London.”
Determinants
Determinants express the reference of noun in context, such as “a”, “an”, and “the”. Participants were asked to identify the correct determinant from a list, such as: “One of (the) members succeeded.”
Comparatives
Comparatives are specific adjectives that allow the comparison of two or more nouns. Participants were asked to identify the correct adjective from a list of words to complete a sentence, such as: “It is (better) to be safe than sorry.”
Verbs
Specifically, this focused on verb conjugations and the differing rules for first person and second person. Participants were asked to identify the correct form of the verb from a list to complete the sentence, such as: “He (has) a dog and a cat”.
Word Order
For English, word order is an important marker for understanding, in the following way: subject, verb, direct object. Participants were given a jumble of words, such as: “ want fluently to English speak I”, and asked to drag them into the correct order: “I want to speak English fluently.”
Participants must have put all six words in the correct order to receive any credit in scoring.
Homophones
Homophones sound exactly the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Participants were asked to identify the correct homophone to complete a sentence, such as: “He said (you’re) his best friend.”
Plurals
This section focused on the ability to correctly create the plural form of a noun, especially exceptional nouns, such as: “1 moose, 2 (moose)”. Common errors included mooses, meese, and mice.
Prepositions
Prepositions express a relation between nouns. Participants were asked to identify the sentence that was grammatically correct, such as: “That not looks good” versus “That does not look good”.
Results
EL1 versus EL2
Using several independent samples t tests, it appeared that EL1 participants scored significantly better than EL2 participants, as expected. EL1 participants did not, however, score significantly better in key areas: homophones, word order, and plurals. This finding may be due to the extra effort required to answer word order and plurals, but this does not explain the indifference in homophones and comparatives.
Gender
Using several independent samples t tests, females outperformed males in almost all areas. This significant difference continued when only comparing nonnative males and nonnative females.
Discussion
Natives and non-natives struggled with different grammatical aspects of English for different reasons. Perhaps non-natives have difficulty with verb conjugations because of English rule obscurity. First person and second person differ with the verb have/has, which is rare for most other languages, even ones in the same root family. In the future, this pilot test should be extended to test the ability of participants to produce, and not just recognize, correct answer. With substantial results, we could potentially begin to tailor foreign language learning to the learners instead of assuming that they learn the same way as natives.
Acknowledgements
A special thank you to Dr. Erin Buchanan who assisted in using Qualitrics, analyzing the statistics, and formatting and editing the poster.
Feel free to contact me at for more info.
Abstract
Participants were given a grammar test to determine significant differences in performances on certain grammatical aspects between natives and non-natives, and men and women.
Table 1. Average scores and Independent samples t-tests between native and non-native speakers, regardless of gender.
Natives
Non-Natives t df p
Gerund
97.86
86.11
3.67
105
<.001
Determinants
94.29
88.19
2.14
.04
Comparatives
96.90
93.15
1.31
106
.19
Verbs
95.14
87.97
2.86
107
<.01
Word Order
83.29
84.12
-0.23 99
.82
Homophones
96.00
93.20
1.13
.26
Plurals
89.70
84.40
1.87
.07
Prepositions
98.04
90.28
2.13
104
Table 2. Average scores and Independent samples t-tests between males and females, regardless of native language. .
Males
Females t df p
Gerund
84.68
92.11
-2.16
105
.03
Determinants
87.50
91.33
-1.30
.20
Comparatives
89.06
96.60
-2.64
106
.01
Verbs
89.39
90.66
-0.48
107
.63
Word Order
86.48
82.71
1.00 99
.32
Homophones
91.90
95.00
-1.21
.23
Plurals
81.90
87.90
-2.05
.04
Prepositions
88.54
94.59
-1.62
104
.11