index

Dalila Ayoun

Associate Professor of French Linguistics and SLAT
University of Arizona
Director of "Arizona in Paris" 2007, 2008
Co-Editor of the Studies in Bilingualism series (John Benjamins)

Professional Synopsis

Background: B.A. in English at the Université de Nice; Certificate in Translation/ Interpretation (French, English, Spanish); M.A. in International Studies at the University of Nebraska at Kearney; Ph.D in French linguistics specializing in second language acquisition at the University of Florida.
Academic positions: Graduate teaching assistant, University of Florida; Visiting assistant professor of French and Linguistics at the University of Kentucky; Assistant professor of French at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; Currently Associate Professor of French Linguistics and SLAT in the French & Italian department at the University of Arizona in Tucson. I also hold a courtesy appointment in the Linguistics department. You may contact me by email .

Research / Recherches

My research interests lie in the second language acquisition of syntax/morphology, tense/aspect and French linguistics from a generative/minimalist perspective. I am particularly interested in the psycholinguistic processes which underlie the acquisition of languages past the age of puberty, as well as web-based and computerized experimental research.

Books

Ayoun, D. (forthcoming 2008)(Ed.). Studies in French Applied Linguistics. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Studies in French Applied Linguistics invites the reader to adopt a broad perspective on applied linguistics, illustrating the multifaceted work researchers are conducting in so many various, inter-connected subfields. The five chapters of the first part are dedicated to the first and second language acquisition of French in various contexts: first language acquisition by normal children from a generative perspective and by children with Specific Language Impairment; second language acquisition in immersion settings, from a neurological approach to phonology and natural language processing and CALL. The six chapters of the second part explore the contribution of French in various subfields of applied linguistics such as an anthropological approach to literacy issues in Guadeloupean Kreyol, literacy issues in new technologies, phonological and lexical innovations in the banlieues, French in North Africa, language planning and policy in Quebec, as well as the emerging field of forensic linguistics from an historical perspective.

Ayoun, D. (2007)(Ed.). French Applied Linguistics. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

This state-of-the-art volume on French Applied Linguistics includes two introductory chapters, the first summarizes the past, present and future of French in applied linguistics, and the second reviews the history of French from a sociolinguistic perspective. The six chapters of the first part cover the core aspects of the second language acquisition of French: Phonology, semantics/syntax, syntax/morphology, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, and grammatical gender. The seven chapters of the second part explore the contribution of French in various subfields of applied linguistics such as language ideology and foreign language pedagogy, corpus linguistics, and French Sign Language. A chapter studies the role of affective variables on language learning, while another investigates natural language and lexical creativity. The chapters on creole studies and applied linguistics in West Africa address issues in first and second language acquisition in complex sociolinguistic and political contexts. The last chapter serves as an epilogue focusing on Louisiana, a region rich in linguistic history.

Ayoun, D. & Salaberry, R. (2005)(Eds.). Tense and Aspect in Romance Languages: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

This volume presents a state-of-the-art descriptive and explanatory analysis of the second language development of Romance tense-aspect systems. It contains new experimental data from adult French, Catalan, Portuguese learners, and Italian children learners. Standing research questions are addressed and pedagogical implications for foreign language classrooms are proposed arguing that there are possible commonalities in the instructional sequences of tense-aspect development in Romance languages. The first chapter presents an overview of current theoretical approaches and a summary of empirical findings. The following four chapters introduce new empirical data from a variety of theoretical perspectives (e.g., the Aspect Hypothesis, the UG/Minimalist framework). Chapter 5 proposes practical pedagogical approaches for the foreign language classroom based on empirical findings. The last chapter summarizes and discusses these findings in order to start elaborating a more comprehensive model of the development of tense-aspect marking in the Romance languages.

Ayoun, D. (2003). Parameter-setting in Language Acquisition. London: Continuum Press.

This book provides a broad overview of parameter-setting theory in first and second language acquisition and refines the theory by revisiting and challenging the traditional assumptions that underlie it, based on cross-linguistic language data that cover a range of syntactic and phonological phenomena. From an historical perspective on parameter-setting theory to an introduction to its role in computational linguistics, neurolinguistics, and language change, the reader will find a critique of the most commonly made arguments, as well as an index of all the syntactic, phonological, lexical, and morphological parameters presented in the literature to date. A closer look at the theory itself addresses the following questions: What does a parameter-setting approach to language acquisition entail? What are the underpinnings of the theory? What issues and problems remain to be solved? The empirical studies carried out to test the null subject parameter and verb movement parameter are reviewed to re-examine long-standing theoretical assumptions as well as the learnability implications for first and second language acquisition

Selected articles in journals/chapters in books

Ayoun, D. and Salaberry, R. (2008). The expression of temporality in English as a foreign language by French native speakers. Language Learning 58(3): 555-595.

Ayoun, D. (2007). The acquisition of grammatical gender in L2 French. In D. Ayoun (ed.), French Applied Linguistics, pp. 130-170. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Ayoun, D. (2007). The past, present and future of French in applied linguistics. In D. Ayoun (ed.), French Applied Linguistics, pp. 2-20. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Ayoun, D. (2005). Tense and Aspect in L2 French from a Universal Grammar perspective. In D. Ayoun & R. Salaberry (Eds.), Tense and Aspect in Romance languages: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives, pp. 79-127. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Ayoun, D. & Salaberry, R. (2005). Towards a comprehensive model of tense/aspect acquisition. In D. Ayoun & R. Salaberry (Eds.), Tense and Aspect in Romance Languages: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives, pp. 253-281. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Salaberry, R. & Ayoun, D. (2005). The development of L2 tense/aspect. In D. Ayoun & R. Salaberry (Eds.), Tense and Aspect in Romance Languages: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives, pp. 1-33. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Ayoun, D. (2005). Verb movement in the L2 acquisition of English by adult native speakers of French. In S. Foster-Cohen, M. Garcia Mayo & J. Cenoz (eds), EUROSLA Yearkbook. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Ayoun, D. (2005). Verb movement phenomena in Spanish: "Mixed languages" and bilingualism.Proceedings of the 4th International Bilingualism Symposium. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.

Ayoun, D. (2004). The effectiveness of written recasts in the second language acquisition of aspectual distinctions in French: a follow-up study. Modern Language Journal, 88, 31-55.

Ayoun, D. (2001). The role of negative and positive feedback in the second language acquisition of passé composé and imparfait. Modern Language Journal, 85, 226-243.

Ayoun, D. (2000). Web-based elicitation tasks in SLA research, Language Learning &Technology, 3, 78-98.

Ayoun, D. (1999). Verb movement in French L2 acquisition. Bilingualism: Language & Cognition, 2, 103-125

Ayoun, D. (1996). The Subset Principle in second language acquisition, Applied Psycholinguistics, 17, 185-213.

Selected Conferences

• "The (in)stability of grammatical gender assignment and agreement by French native speakers". Linguistics Colloquium Series, University of Arizona, Fall 2007. Invited talk.

• “The L2 acquisition of French grammatical gender by instructed learners: A minimalist approach”. Second Language Studies Colloquium Series, University of Hawai’i, November 30, 2006. Invited talk.

• “The acquisition of future expression by L2 French instructed learners”. Romance Turn Workshop II, University of Utrecht, September 7-9, 2006. Accepted submission.

• “Grammatical gender and agreement in L2 French: A minimalist approach”. PacSLRF, Brisbane, July 6-8, 2006. Accepted submission.

• “The development of future expression in L2 French”. Second Language Research Forum, Teachers College, Columbia University, October 7-9, 2005. Accepted submission.

• “The Acquisition of L2/L3 tense and aspect systems in Romance languages : theoretical and applied perspectives . Colloquium organizer and presenter, Georgetown University Roundtable on Linguistics, Washington D.C., March 10-13, 2005. “The Acquisition of L2 French tense/aspect from a UG/Minimalist Perspective”

• “Ultimate attainment and empirical data: the acquisition of verb movement phenomena in L2 English , EuroSLA, San Sebastian, Spain, September 8-11, 2004. Accepted submission.

• “Minimalist perspective into the L2 French acquisition of past tense and aspect , Romance Turn Workshop, Madrid, Spain, September 16-18, 2004. Accepted submission.

• “A follow-up study in the acquisition of the passé composé and imparfait”. American Association of Applied Linguistics, Portland, Oregon, May 1-4, 2004. Accepted submission.

• “Verb movement phenomena in Spanish: “mixed” languages and bilingualism”, International Bilingualism Symposium, Arizona State University, April 30-May 3, 2003. Accepted submission.

• “Tense-aspect morphology in the English interlanguage of French native speakers”, American Association of Applied Linguistics, Arlington, Virgina, March 22-25, 2003. Accepted submission.

• “Verb movement phenomena in Spanish as a second language: learnability in a mixed language”, AILA (Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée) 13th World Congress, Singapore, December 16-21, 2002. Accepted submission.

• “Verb movement in the acquisition of English by adult native speakers of French”, Second Language Research Forum, Toronto, October 3-6, 2002. Accepted submission.

• “The acquisition of verb movement phenoma in English by French native speakers: clustering at last”. Second Language Studies Colloquium Series, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, September 2002. Invited speaker.

• “The acquisition of French tense and aspect in foreign language learning”. PacSLRF (Second Language Research Forum), University of Hawai’i at Manoa, October 4-7, 2001. Accepted submission.

• “Sonder les connaissances des apprenants en langue seconde”. University of Quebec at Montreal Colloquium Series, March 15, 2001. Invited speaker.

• “L'acquisition des distinctions aspectuelles en français langue étrangère: reformulation implicite ou explicite?”. Laval University, March 14, 2001. Invited speaker.

• “L’acquisition d’une langue seconde dans la théorie des principes-et-paramètres: passons de l’interrupteur à la balance”. Laval University, March 13, 2001. Invited speaker.

• “Empirical evidence in second language acquisition research: first you see it, then you don’t. SLAT Colloquium Series, University of Arizona, October 27, 2000. Invited speaker.

• “Web-based elicitation tasks: a better window into the competence of L2 French and L2 Spanish learners? - Second Language Research Forum, Wisconsin-Madison, 2000. Invited participant for the colloquium entitled “Technology in Second Language Acquisition”, organized by Dr. Sally Magnan-Sieloff.

• “The aspectual distinctions between passé composé and imparfait in French L2 acquisition”. American Association of Applied Linguistics, Vancouver, 2000. Accepted submission. (Approximately 40% of nearly 750 submissions were accepted).

Teaching /Enseignement

I teach a variety of courses from French language & linguistics to theoretical and applied linguistics courses. J'enseigne une variété de cours de langue française, linguistique théorique et appliquée.

Photography/Photographie

          Travel/Voyage
          Sport

(Last revised on 8/27/08 - Dernière mise à jour le 27/8/08)

Tracker

	Ayoun, D. (forthcoming 2008)(Ed.). Studies in French Applied Linguistics. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Studies in French Applied Linguistics invites the reader to adopt a broad perspective on applied linguistics, illustrating the multifaceted work researchers are conducting in so many various, inter-connected subfields. The five chapters of the first part are dedicated to the first and second language acquisition of French in various contexts: first language acquisition by normal children from a generative perspective and by children with Specific Language Impairment; second language acquisition in immersion settings, from a neurological approach to phonology and natural language processing and CALL. The six chapters of the second part explore the contribution of French in various subfields of applied linguistics such as an anthropological approach to literacy issues in Guadeloupean Kreyol, literacy issues in new technologies, phonological and lexical innovations in the banlieues, French in North Africa, language planning and policy in Quebec, as well as the emerging field of forensic linguistics from an historical perspective.
	Ayoun, D. (2007)(Ed.). French Applied Linguistics. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. This state-of-the-art volume on French Applied Linguistics includes two introductory chapters, the first summarizes the past, present and future of French in applied linguistics, and the second reviews the history of French from a sociolinguistic perspective. The six chapters of the first part cover the core aspects of the second language acquisition of French: Phonology, semantics/syntax, syntax/morphology, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, and grammatical gender. The seven chapters of the second part explore the contribution of French in various subfields of applied linguistics such as language ideology and foreign language pedagogy, corpus linguistics, and French Sign Language. A chapter studies the role of affective variables on language learning, while another investigates natural language and lexical creativity. The chapters on creole studies and applied linguistics in West Africa address issues in first and second language acquisition in complex sociolinguistic and political contexts. The last chapter serves as an epilogue focusing on Louisiana, a region rich in linguistic history.
	Ayoun, D. & Salaberry, R. (2005)(Eds.). Tense and Aspect in Romance Languages: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. This volume presents a state-of-the-art descriptive and explanatory analysis of the second language development of Romance tense-aspect systems. It contains new experimental data from adult French, Catalan, Portuguese learners, and Italian children learners. Standing research questions are addressed and pedagogical implications for foreign language classrooms are proposed arguing that there are possible commonalities in the instructional sequences of tense-aspect development in Romance languages. The first chapter presents an overview of current theoretical approaches and a summary of empirical findings. The following four chapters introduce new empirical data from a variety of theoretical perspectives (e.g., the Aspect Hypothesis, the UG/Minimalist framework). Chapter 5 proposes practical pedagogical approaches for the foreign language classroom based on empirical findings. The last chapter summarizes and discusses these findings in order to start elaborating a more comprehensive model of the development of tense-aspect marking in the Romance languages.
	Ayoun, D. (2003). Parameter-setting in Language Acquisition. London: Continuum Press. This book provides a broad overview of parameter-setting theory in first and second language acquisition and refines the theory by revisiting and challenging the traditional assumptions that underlie it, based on cross-linguistic language data that cover a range of syntactic and phonological phenomena. From an historical perspective on parameter-setting theory to an introduction to its role in computational linguistics, neurolinguistics, and language change, the reader will find a critique of the most commonly made arguments, as well as an index of all the syntactic, phonological, lexical, and morphological parameters presented in the literature to date. A closer look at the theory itself addresses the following questions: What does a parameter-setting approach to language acquisition entail? What are the underpinnings of the theory? What issues and problems remain to be solved? The empirical studies carried out to test the null subject parameter and verb movement parameter are reviewed to re-examine long-standing theoretical assumptions as well as the learnability implications for first and second language acquisition