Ayse Gurel

Bogazici University, Foreign Language Education, Faculty Member

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Ayşe Gürel holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from McGill University, Canada. She is a full professor at the Department of Foreign Language Education at Boğaziçi University, where she teaches courses on theories of second language acquisition, child and adult bilingualism. Her research interests include first language attrition and second language acquisition of morpho-syntactic features in English and Turkish as well as neuro- and psycho-linguistic aspects of language acquisition and language loss in children and adults. She has publications in international journals and books in her fields of interest and she has been serving in the editorial board of Second Language Research and Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism. Among her current work is an edited volume on Second Language Acquisition of Turkish published by John Benjamins in 2016. Previously, she had a visiting scholar position at the Department of Linguistics, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a DAAD-funded guest professorship position hosted by the Center for Language, Variation and Migration and the Potsdam Research Institute for Multilingualism.

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Joseph Carroll

University of Missouri - St. Louis

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Ankara University

Morten H. Christiansen

Cornell University

Na'ama Pat-El

The University of Texas at Austin

Bert Vaux

University of Cambridge

Sonja Eisenbeiss

University of Cologne

Gerard Steen

University of Amsterdam

Tad Zawidzki

The George Washington University

Stephen Yablo

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Adam M Croom

Case Western Reserve University

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Papers by Ayse Gurel

Restructuring in the L1 Turkish grammar

John Benjamins Publishing Company eBooks, 2013

This paper compares results of two studies examining L2 English and L2 Dutch-induced syntactic ch... more This paper compares results of two studies examining L2 English and L2 Dutch-induced syntactic changes that occur in L1 Turkish grammars of speakers living in North America and in the Netherlands, respectively. We examine potential restructuring in the L1 knowledge of binding properties of overt and null subject pronouns in first and second generation immigrants. The results of the L2 Dutch-speaking groups in the Netherlands are found to be similar to those of the L2 English-speaking group in North America, as reported in Gurel (2002), in the sense that all bilingual groups diverge, to some extent, from monolinguals in their judgments of pronoun binding. In line with our predictions, findings suggest that L2 English and L2 Dutch can influence L1 Turkish syntactic judgments in a similar fashion and that an L2 can induce inter- as well as intra-generational L1 change.

Is every bilingual an L1 attriter?

Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 2018

Does the processing of first language compounds change in late bilinguals?

The Learnability of Complex Constructions, 2020

Processing second language inflectional morphology in Turkish

Is there a paradox in adult L1 grammatical attrition?

Second Language Research, Oct 23, 2019

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First Language Change in Turkish-English Bilinguals

BOĞAZİÇİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ EĞİTİM DERGİSİ, 2014

This paper examines whether the first language (L1) Turkish grammar would be restructured on the ... more This paper examines whether the first language (L1) Turkish grammar would be restructured on the model of second language (L2) English due to prolonged L2 exposure in Turkish-English bilinguals (late L2 learners) living in Turkey and those living in an English-speaking country. The linguistic structure under investigation is wh-scrambling. The results of an acceptability judgment task revealed the same tendencies in the bilingual groups and monolingual controls towards rejection of certain grammatical wh-extractions. Therefore, the observed changes do not qualify to be L2-induced attrition effects. Rather, these findings may imply a language-internal change towards avoidance of wh-scrambling. Key words: First Language Change, Bilingualism, Turkish, Wh-scrambling, Island Constraints

Second language processing of English past tense morphology: The role of working memory

International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, Sep 1, 2020

This study examines, via a masked priming task, the processing of English regular and irregular p... more This study examines, via a masked priming task, the processing of English regular and irregular past tense morphology in proficient second language (L2) learners and native speakers in relation to working memory capacity (WMC), as measured by the Automated Reading Span (ARSPAN) and Operation Span (AOSPAN) tasks. The findings revealed quantitative group differences in the form of slower reaction times (RTs) in the L2-English group. While no correlation was found between the morphological processing patterns and WMC in either group, there was a negative relationship between English and Turkish ARSPAN scores and the speed of word recognition in the L2 group. Overall, comparable decompositional processing patterns found in both groups suggest that, like native speakers, high-proficiency L2 learners are sensitive to the morphological structure of the target language.

Compound processing in second language acquisition of English

Journal of the European Second Language Association, Aug 1, 2017

An unresolved question in second language (L2) acquisition research is whether L2 learners differ... more An unresolved question in second language (L2) acquisition research is whether L2 learners differ from native speakers in their use of morphological information in accessing multimorphemic words. L2 compound studies are of particular importance for this line of research because compounds, as words which are predominantly composed of two free morphemes, enable researchers to investigate how semantic transparency, morphological headedness and frequency influence complex word processing. Studies with native speakers have revealed semantic transparency and headedness as two factors influencing constituent-based decompositional processing; whereas studies with L2 learners have so far revealed inconsistent reliance on these factors. The present study investigates this issue via a masked priming experiment testing English noun-noun compound processing by L1-Turkish-speaking learners of English (advanced and intermediate-level learners) and by native speakers of English. Findings suggest that native-like morphological decomposition is possible with increasing L2 proficiency.

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Restructuring in the L1 Turkish grammar

LIA, Dec 21, 2011

This paper compares results of two studies examining L2 English and L2 Dutch-induced syntactic ch... more This paper compares results of two studies examining L2 English and L2 Dutch-induced syntactic changes that occur in L1 Turkish grammars of speakers living in North America and in the Netherlands, respectively. We examine potential restructuring in the L1 knowledge of binding properties of overt and null subject pronouns in first and second generation immigrants. The results of the L2 Dutch-speaking groups in the Netherlands are found to be similar to those of the L2 English-speaking group in North America, as reported in Gürel (2002), in the sense that all bilingual groups diverge, to some extent, from monolinguals in their judgments of pronoun binding. In line with our predictions, findings suggest that L2 English and L2 Dutch can influence L1 Turkish syntactic judgments in a similar fashion and that an L2 can induce inter- as well as intra-generational L1 change.

Null and Overt Pronouns in Language Attrition

This chapter provides an overview of studies on the use/interpretation of first language (L1) pro... more This chapter provides an overview of studies on the use/interpretation of first language (L1) pronominals by late bilinguals who immigrated as adults to a second language (L2), living there for an extended period speaking the majority L2. It discusses how, among other linguistic properties, vulnerability in the L1 pronominal system has been documented. The chapter discusses why pronominals have become topical in L1 attrition research and reviews relevant research, demonstrating how different linguistic analyses proposed for adult L2 acquisition can also help identify the (un)changing characteristics of mature L1 grammar. The chapter deliberately confines itself to generative linguistics-based L1 attrition studies involving late bilinguals residing in an L2 country as first-generation immigrants, who typically become dominant L2 users after puberty, after which developmental point the L1 grammatical competence is believed to stabilize. Thus, any qualitative changes in L1 grammar of post-puberty bilinguals may have far-reaching implications for the alterability of L1 linguistic competence due to the L2. Studies discussed in this chapter are thus revealing as to the nature of the L1 attrition phenomenon in the pronominal domain.

Processing morphology in L2 Turkish

Language acquisition & language disorders, May 19, 2016

Cross-linguistic research suggests that the processing of multimorphemic words in a language is t... more Cross-linguistic research suggests that the processing of multimorphemic words in a language is tuned by its morphological characteristics. This means the processing pattern of a language either as a first (L1) or a second language (L2) can be influenced by its morphological properties. In L2 acquisition, the question is whether learners demonstrate, like native speakers, a processing pattern that is shaped by the morphological structure of that language or whether they follow an L1-based processing route. The present study explores this via unprimed lexical decision data from L1-English and L1-Russian learners of L2 Turkish. The results revealed decomposition in Russian-speaking participants but not in Turkish speakers or English-speaking participants. This implies L2 proficiency-based differences in the extent of L1 transfer in processing inflection.

(Psycho)linguistic determinants of L1 attrition

John Benjamins Publishing Company eBooks, 2007

This paper addresses the issue of selectivity in first language (L1) attrition of syntax by inves... more This paper addresses the issue of selectivity in first language (L1) attrition of syntax by investigating the effects of L2 Turkish binding properties of reflexives and pronouns in the L1 English grammar. The L2 Turkish-induced L1 English attrition data is discussed in comparison with L2 English-induced L1 Turkish attrition data reported in Gurel (2002). The aim is to explore linguistic and psycholinguistic factors that affect interference-dependent syntactic attrition in the L1. The paper argues that it might be possible to predict L1 syntactic forms that are more vulnerable to restructuring through an attrition model that incorporates learnability-based linguistic factors as well as psycholinguistic factors involved in the retention and forgetting of linguistic forms among bilinguals.

Current issues in the neurolinguistics of bilingualism

ELT Research Journal, 2015

Neurolinguistics is the study of the neural mechanisms in the human brain that control the compre... more Neurolinguistics is the study of the neural mechanisms in the human brain that control the comprehension and production of language. It also deals with neurological correlates of language acquisition and language loss. Neurolinguistic research is traditionally based on data from populations with impaired language in order to identify the nature of human language. To this end, the field of aphasiology has made a major contribution towards attainment of empirical knowledge as it has provided linguistic characterization of various types of aphasic syndromes in monolingual and bilingual individuals. With the advent of neuroimaging techniques, neurolinguists can now obtain language processing data from healthy individuals to answer more advanced questions about language in the brain. The neurolinguistic aspects of second language (L2) acquisition have been examined for decades to identify two central issues: the cerebral representation of language in monolinguals and bilinguals, and neur...

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Attrition in L1 competence

Studies in Bilingualism, 2004

Spanish, Turkish, Japanese and Chinese L2 Learners' Acquisition of Generic Reference

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Different Perspectives on Critical Factors in Heritage Language Development and Maintenance

Language Learning, Jul 18, 2019

Heritage languages (HLs) are acquired in contexts of unbalanced input, or situations in which chi... more Heritage languages (HLs) are acquired in contexts of unbalanced input, or situations in which children receive primary exposure to the family/HL and experience an abrupt shift after the child begins formal schooling. As a consequence, HL speakers normally become more dominant in the environmental language, while the development of the HL is characterized by variable outputs. This means that HL speakers display more variation in their acquisition process and their "final state" competence compared to speakers of baseline varieties. This observation has raised thought-provoking debates, which challenge long-standing assumptions about language acquisition, development, and maintenance. This introduction provides an in-depth description of the six contributions included in this volume and discusses how they challenge these assumptions. These contributions explore various attributes of HLs from diverse perspectives, using different research methods to advance our understanding of the various factors that facilitate, and in some instances, hinder the developmental trajectory of HLs.

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Towards a comprehensive model of heritage language development

Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 2019

Konuşma Tanıma için İnsan-makine Karşılaştırması

since 1950s. Research that initially adopted dynamic programming methodologies now mostly uses th... more since 1950s. Research that initially adopted dynamic programming methodologies now mostly uses the hidden Markov model as the method for speech recognition. Nevertheless, even the most advanced speech recognition system makes, depending on the context, 2-20 times more errors than humans. Although the basic principles behind human speech recognition have not been completely understood, there are some theories that attempt to explain biological mechanisms for speech recognition. This paper aims to provide a review of these theories as well as a brief history of developments in automatic speech recognition technology. Furthermore, the paper discusses some recent studies on Turkish speech recognition. The paper concludes with a comparison between human and machine speech recognition performance. Key words: Automatic speech recognition, Human speech recognition, Speech perception, auditory cortex, The Hidden Markov Model, Turkish speech recognition Makinelerde ses tanima, uzerinde 1950’l...

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L1 transfer in article selection for generic reference by Spanish, Turkish and Japanese L2 learners

International Journal of English Studies, 2013

This study examines second language (L2) acquisition of English generic noun phrases (NPs) by Spa... more This study examines second language (L2) acquisition of English generic noun phrases (NPs) by Spanish, Turkish and Japanese learners. The aim is to identify the role of the first language (L1) in the L2 acquisition of definite NP-level generics and indefinite sentence-level generics with singular, bare plural, and mass generic nouns. The four languages in this study differ in the way they express generic interpretations: English and Spanish have article systems, Turkish has an indefinite article, but no definite article, and Japanese lacks an article system. Advanced and upper intermediate L2 learners were tested via a forced choice elicitation task. The results reveal different patterns of article selection across the three groups of L2 learners, which correspond with L1 transfer effects. Our findings suggest that L2 article choice is largely determined by the way the L1 realizes generic reference.

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Second Language Acquisition of Turkish

Language Acquisition and Language Disorders, 2016

This book brings together the findings of current studies on the second language (L2) acquisition... more This book brings together the findings of current studies on the second language (L2) acquisition of Turkish, an Altaic language with more than 140 million native speakers around the world. There is now a growing interest in learning and teaching Turkish as an L2, both in and outside Turkey. Coordinated efforts to produce theoretical and empirical work on the acquisition and teaching of L2 Turkish are therefore an urgent need. The compilation in this volume offers eleven L2 studies that explore the representation and/or processing of various linguistic properties in different domains of grammar (phonology, morpho-syntax, pragmatics) and their interfaces. All studies involve adult L2 Turkish learners with various first-language backgrounds at different proficiency levels. With extensive discussions on theoretical and pedagogical issues, this title will appeal to an international readership that includes L2 Turkish researchers, materials designers, and teachers.

Restructuring in the L1 Turkish grammar

John Benjamins Publishing Company eBooks, 2013

Is every bilingual an L1 attriter?

Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 2018

Does the processing of first language compounds change in late bilinguals?

The Learnability of Complex Constructions, 2020

Processing second language inflectional morphology in Turkish

Is there a paradox in adult L1 grammatical attrition?

Second Language Research, Oct 23, 2019

Download

First Language Change in Turkish-English Bilinguals

BOĞAZİÇİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ EĞİTİM DERGİSİ, 2014

Second language processing of English past tense morphology: The role of working memory

International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, Sep 1, 2020

Compound processing in second language acquisition of English

Journal of the European Second Language Association, Aug 1, 2017

Download

Restructuring in the L1 Turkish grammar

LIA, Dec 21, 2011

This paper compares results of two studies examining L2 English and L2 Dutch-induced syntactic ch... more This paper compares results of two studies examining L2 English and L2 Dutch-induced syntactic changes that occur in L1 Turkish grammars of speakers living in North America and in the Netherlands, respectively. We examine potential restructuring in the L1 knowledge of binding properties of overt and null subject pronouns in first and second generation immigrants. The results of the L2 Dutch-speaking groups in the Netherlands are found to be similar to those of the L2 English-speaking group in North America, as reported in Gürel (2002), in the sense that all bilingual groups diverge, to some extent, from monolinguals in their judgments of pronoun binding. In line with our predictions, findings suggest that L2 English and L2 Dutch can influence L1 Turkish syntactic judgments in a similar fashion and that an L2 can induce inter- as well as intra-generational L1 change.

Null and Overt Pronouns in Language Attrition