language and the law n
another term for forensic linguistics
language anxiety n
subjective feelings of apprehension and fear associated with language learning
and use. Foreign language anxiety may be a situation-specific anxiety,
similar in that respect to public speaking anxiety. Issues in the study of
language anxiety include whether anxiety is a cause or an effect of poor
achievement, anxiety under specific instructional conditions, and the
relationship of general language anxiety to more specific kinds of anxiety
associated with speaking, reading, or examinations.
language aptitude n
the natural ability to learn a language, not including intelligence, motiva-
tion, interest, etc. Language aptitude is thought to be a combination of
various abilities, such as oral mimicry ability(the ability to imitate sounds
not heard before), phonemic coding ability(the ability to identify sound
patterns in a new language), grammatical sensitivity(the ability to recognize
the different grammatical functions of words in sentences, rote-learning
ability, and the ability to infer language rules (see inferencing, deductive
learning). A person with high language aptitude can learn more quickly and
easily than a person with low language aptitude, all other factors being equal.
see also language aptitude test
language aptitude test n
a test that measures a person’s aptitude for second languageor foreign
languagelearning and that can be used to identify those learners who are
most likely to succeed (see language aptitude). Language aptitude tests
usually consist of several different tests that measure such abilities as:
asound coding ability – the ability to identify and remember new sounds
in a foreign or second language
bgrammatical coding ability – the ability to identify the grammatical
functions of different parts of sentences
c inductive learning ability – the ability to work out meanings without
explanation in a new language (see inductive learning)
dmemorization – the ability to remember words, rules, etc., in a new language
Two well-known language aptitude tests are The Modern Language
Aptitude Testand The Pimsleur Language Aptitude Battery.
language arts n
those parts of an educational curriculumwhich involve the development
of skills related to the use of language, such as reading, writing, spelling,
language arts