AURAL AND VISUAL RECOGNITION OF COGNATES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TEACHING OF COGNATE LANGUAGES.

摘要

Problem. This study was undertaken to (1) identify the factors affecting aural and visual recognition of cross-language cognates by foreign-language learners and to (2) determine the implications of the findings for the teaching of cognate languages. Data on French-English cognates were collected from students of French to investigate the effects of four types of factors: learner-specific factors, cognate-specific factors, context, and mode of presentation.;Procedures. In November, 1981, 132 students, comprising eight intact elementary French classes at Harvard university, participated in the experiment. To measure the impact of word-specific factors, context, and mode of presentation on cognate recognition, a list of 32 French-English cognates were presented four ways: orally and in isolation, orally and in a carrier phrase, written and in isolation, and written and in a carrier phrase. To determine the background factors contributing to a language-learner's ability to recognize cognates, a questionnaire was attached to each answer sheet. The data were analyzed utilizing correlation and regression analysis, and the factors isolated through statistical analysis were incorporated into a model of cognate recognition.;Findings. The data supported the following conclusions. SAT verbal scores, students' native language, preparation in French and other Romance languages, context, and mode of presentation were found to be significant predictors of student performance in cognate recognition. In addition, location of sound differences between French items and the English correspondents, the ratio of the number of these differences to word length, frequency of occurrence of the English correspondent, word length, context, and the likelihood of confusion between test items and other phonetically similar words were discovered to be significant predictors of the accessibility of a cognate to aural recognition.;Implications. From the results of this study, the researcher concludes that (1) similarities between languages must be made explicit to students, (2) a cognate approach to language learning is most useful to high-school or older students, (3) cognates are more useful in reading than in listening comprehension, (4) oral and written conversion rules must be taught separately, and that (5) students should be taught to rely on contextual clues in reading and listening comprehension. Further research should focus on developing a cognate teaching unit based on the findings of this investigation.