Critical reflection on the use of English concord by bilingual students
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21757232 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Malephole Philomena Sefotho (0000-0002-9170-5027, North-West University, corresponding author), Mokhoele Aaron Hala-hala (0009-0009-6582-782X, National University of Lesotho) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-18 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1607-3614 • E-ISSN: 1727-9461 |
| Publisher | National Inquiry Services Center (NISC) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2989/16073614.2025.2534395 |
| OpenAlex | W4415571011 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 32 |
English is a global language used for various functions across the world. However, it poses challenges for non-native English learners, particularly with concord. In light of these challenges, this study examined the use of English concord among final-year English Language and Linguistics bilingual students at a higher learning institution in southern Africa. Using written grammaticality judgment tasks for data collection and analysis, we specifically examined grammatical, notional, and proximity concord among Sesotho-English bilingual students. A close analysis of the written tasks revealed systematically salient features of English concord, reflecting the challenges faced by the bilingual students. While these systematic patterns of concord among the participants may shed light on issues faced by English language practitioners and academics, the phenomenon could also help determine the extent to which it aligns with the dependency grammar theory and the empirical literature underpinning this study. Finally, based on the corpus data, we argue that this phenomenon is one of the grammatical aspects that reportedly pose challenges to the grammatical competence of bilinguals. The study recommends targeted interventions in the foreseeable future to address and mitigate these persistent challenges
Critical reflection · Language proficiency · Neuroscience of multilingualism · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Multilingual Education and Policy · Second Language Learning and Teaching
Number
Broken agreement
Meaning, sound and syntax in english number agreement
The Officialisation of South African Sign Language—What Is There to Gain
Homogeneity in subject-verb concord in South African English
British and American Grammatical Differences
Exploring second language learners’ grammaticality judgment performance in relation to task design features
Current Issues in the Teaching of Grammar
Subject-Verb Agreement
Concord in Minimalist Theory
The linguistics and psycholinguistics of agreement
An Explanation for the Morpheme Acquisition Order of Second Language Learners
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |