ICLSL 2016

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The Acquisition of Modal Verbs "Hui", "Neng" and "Keyi" by the Sri Lankan Students: An Error Analysis
(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Piyumali, D.M.R.
Using modal verbs correctly is a problematic area for the Sri Lankan students in learning Chinese, especially for the students in the primary level. One of the reasons for this is the number of Chinese modal verbs that are complex in their usage. Modal verbs are limited in number and they have characteristics different from the general syntax. "Hui", "neng" and "keyi" in Chinese represent the possibility of the auxiliary verb. Though their usage is similar, they can not be adjudged identical. Many Sri Lankan students use them in a bias prone manner. This paper analyses the semantic and grammatical features of "hui", "neng" and "keyi", studies the errors related to them and recommends suggestions to avoid them. The main method of investigation has been a questionnaire provided to the students learning Chinese. Data were collected from eighty students reading Chinese at Sri Lanka Sabaragamuwa University and the University of Kelaniya. On the basis of the analysis of errors, the author discusses the causes for errors and points out the main reasons for the negative transfer of mother tongue such as learning strategies, teachers and teaching materials, the difficulty of the target language itself...etc. According to the above analysis, some suggestions are put forward from different perspectives, hoping to improve the effectivity of teaching and the learning efficiency of the Sri Lanka students learning Chinese.
A Study on the Effectiveness of Using Multimedia to Teach English as a Second Language
(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Peiris, A.E.
With the development of the Science and Technology, new teaching methods were explored by second language facilitators using access to computers, internet, electronic mail, audio cassettes, power point, videos and even social networks. While teaching English as a second language, the researcher herself uses technology to improve English proficiency of the students. She makes use of multimedia: audio, video, animation and images, as an aid to facilitate learning English. In this context, this study aims at examining the effectiveness of using multimedia as a method of teaching grammar in ESL classroom. Research shows that the use of computer based grammar instruction can complement individualised structural syllabi in communicative classrooms and more effectively enable students to use the newly acquired structures to negotiate meaning. Thus this study aims at analysing the effectiveness of using multimedia to teach grammar for undergraduates. To collect data, 100 undergraduates from Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology will be selected. The target groups will be from the same proficiency in terms of their L2 which will be determined from a pre-test. This sample will be divided into two groups as group A and group B. Grammar lessons will be selected carefully to be taught with and without multimedia. First a grammar lesson will be taught using multimedia to group A. The same lesson will be taught to group B without multimedia. The next lesson will be taught vice versa. At the end of each lesson a test will be given to evaluate the effect of multimedia as a method to teach grammar. A questionnaire will determine the response of the undergraduates towards the effectiveness of using multimedia to teach grammar. The results of the study are expected to help develop more effective teaching methods by considering the role played by multimedia in an ESL classroom.
Colour me…orange? : Incorporating Aspects of the Colourful Semantics Approach into English as a Second Language Lessons at Preschool
(Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Hettiarachchi, S.; Walisundara, D.; Ranaweera, M.
Among the challenges faced by Sri Lankan children learning English as an additional or second language is the accuracy of word order and vocabulary knowledge. The Colourful Semantics approach (Bryan, 2008) has been used successfully in the UK and in Australia with children experiencing language-learning difficulties (Bennington, 2011; Chiat, Law, Marshall & Bryan, 1997), with many programmes devised by Speech and Language Therapists (Morrissy, 2010; Wade, 2009). It uses thematic roles and a colour-coding system to support the development of syntax through a semantic route. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of using aspects of Colourful Semantics to develop vocabulary knowledge and the use of Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structures in young learners of English. Twenty preschool children in ESL classrooms were included in the study. Key aspects of Colourful Semantics were introduced as a whole-class approach using children‟s storybooks, colour-coding and signing with lessons offered once a week for 12 weeks together with supplementary activities. Pre- and post-intervention measures were undertaken on five receptive and expressive language and literacy measures of vocabulary and syntax. In this presentation we will discuss the programme offered, the pre- and post-intervention assessment scores and statistical results on vocabulary and discuss the benefits of incorporating aspects of the Colourful Semantics approach into the English language teaching classroom.

ICLSL 2016

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