Rafael Alejo | Universidad de Extremadura (original) (raw)
Papers by Rafael Alejo
Perhaps what characterises bilingual education today more than anything at least in Spain is the ... more Perhaps what characterises bilingual education today more than anything at least in Spain is the existing diversity of CLIL programme formats and practices as CLIL is currently understood and implemented in different ways in praxis, as Cenoz et al. (2014) remind us. Indeed, such diversity of models mainly becomes apparent in the design and implementation of varied classroom practices, as well as in the diverse instructional contexts, as clearly evidenced in this book. This edited volume contains a selection of papers presented at the V International Conference on Bilingual Education in Educational Institutions, which was held on October 19-21, 2018 at the University of Extremadura, Spain. This conference was organised by the University of Extremadura together with the Spanish Association for Bilingual Education. These proceedings include the revised versions of the 18 papers that were selected according to a set of well-established quality criteria. We do hope the readers will find ...
Journal of Pragmatics, Apr 1, 2010
There is a crucial difference in the way economists and linguists approach metaphor in economics,... more There is a crucial difference in the way economists and linguists approach metaphor in economics, the former being mostly interested in the representation of knowledge in the discipline, while the latter more concerned with the discursive and communicative context in which metaphors are used. The present paper attempts to bring together the two perspectives to analyze the CONTAINER metaphor in economics textbooks. Thus, the identification and analysis of highly metaphorical terms of the discipline will serve to determine the conceptual areas in which metaphor plays an important role, whereas a textual analysis will demonstrate how this metaphorical content is laid out for novice readers in the discourse of the introductory textbook. This article suggests that the CONTAINER metaphor is a rhetorical device, like the passive voice or hypotheticality, used to convey the idea of depersonalization and objectification.
Language Culture and Curriculum, Mar 21, 2016
ABSTRACT The present article carries out an in-depth analysis of the differences in motivation, i... more ABSTRACT The present article carries out an in-depth analysis of the differences in motivation, input-related variables and linguistic attainment of the students at two content and language integrated learning (CLIL) schools operating within the same institutional and educational context, the Spanish region of Extremadura, and differing only in terms of the social milieu: rural vs. urban. The results show that the CLIL learners in the urban school (n = 27) had started earlier, had had greater formal support outside school (i.e. private English lessons) and had attained a higher level of English (grammar, passive and active vocabulary) than their rural colleagues (n = 21), while their motivation and extramural exposure (i.e. informal contact with English) were not found to be dissimilar. Of the variables considered, social milieu (urban vs. rural), used here as a proxy of socio-economic status, explained most of the variance in language attainment results.
En este trabajo se presenta un modelo de Plan Docente que ha servido de protocolo para adecuar la... more En este trabajo se presenta un modelo de Plan Docente que ha servido de protocolo para adecuar las programaciones de mas de 600 asignaturas de diversas titulaciones de la Universidad de Extremadura, de acuerdo con las futuras exigencias del EEES. En la primera parte de la comunicacion se analizan los principales criterios de calidad y componentes que deberia contener un Plan docente en coordenadas ECTS. Al final se presenta un ejemplo, a partir de una asignatura de Psicopedagogia impartida por uno de los autores.
Vial-vigo International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2016
espanolDesde su lanzamiento (Meara and Fitzpatrick, 2000), Lex30 ha sido validado como un instrum... more espanolDesde su lanzamiento (Meara and Fitzpatrick, 2000), Lex30 ha sido validado como un instrumento adecuado para medir el vocabulario productivo de aprendices de una segunda lengua, principalmente, en estudios con universitarios (Fitzpatrick and Clenton, 2010); pero, tambien se ha utilizado con alumnos de educacion primaria en contextos de aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras (Jimenez Catalan and Moreno Espinosa, 2005; Moreno Espinosa, 2009; 2010). El estudio que se presenta a continuacion se centra en analizar la validez y fiabilidad de Lex30 para medir el vocabulario productivo de dos grupos de alumnos de ensenanza secundaria (N=48) dentro de un programa AICLE (Aprendizaje Integrado de Contenidos y Lenguas Extranjeras), analizando: 1) su fiabilidad, 2) su correlacion con otras medidas linguisticas, 3) si mide el crecimiento del vocabulario en periodos largos de tiempo y 4) si es sensible al posible efecto del contexto de aprendizaje en el vocabulario productivo del alumno. Los re...
Language, Culture and Curriculum, 2016
The present article carries out an in-depth analysis of the differences in motivation, input-rela... more The present article carries out an in-depth analysis of the differences in motivation, input-related variables and linguistic attainment of the students at two content and language integrated learning (CLIL) schools operating within the same institutional and educational context, the Spanish region of Extremadura, and differing only in terms of the social milieu: rural vs. urban. The results show that the CLIL learners in the urban school (n=27) had started earlier, had had greater formal support outside school (i.e. private English lessons) and had attained a higher level of English (grammar, passive and active vocabulary) than their rural colleagues (n = 21), while their motivation and extramural exposure (i.e. informal contact with English) were not found to be dissimilar. Of the variables considered, social milieu (urban vs. rural), used here as a proxy of socio-economic status, explained most of the variance in language attainment results.
1. The frequency of 'END UP' In a preliminary exploration of the most frequent phrasal ve... more 1. The frequency of 'END UP' In a preliminary exploration of the most frequent phrasal verbs (PVs) used in the MICASE corpus of spoken academic English, we ended up with the following data: Although a more detailed analysis on the PV status of these verbs is needed, the reader is most likely struck by the presence of 'end up' and 'figure out' in the top five. This kibbitzer therefore is an attempt to explore and, if possible, explain the roles of the former phrasal verb in this academic register. We next compare 'end up' in MICASE with other corpora, producing the results in Table 2. As can be seen, 'end up' in MICASE is more than twice as frequent as in any of the other corpora. The table also shows (as ELFA is also a spoken academic corpus of non-native speakers of English) that 'end up' is very much associated with the spoken mode.
In this paper, the acquisition of phrasal verbs (PVs) by L2 learners is explored from the perspec... more In this paper, the acquisition of phrasal verbs (PVs) by L2 learners is explored from the perspective provided by a usage-based approach to language. This involves looking at low scope or item-specific schemas, which in this article are identified as the actual particles, prepositions and PVs used by the learners, together with the more abstract syntactic or semantic schemas that emerge from their use. Given the labour intensive work required by this type of analysis, the focus is placed on the use of verbout constructions made by L2 learners of the PVs as reflected in a corpus of learner language, i.e. the Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Dutch, Russian and Bulgarian subsections of the ICLE (1,287,517 words). More concretely, I analyse L2 use of out-PVs at different grain levels and provide an account of the factors influencing the acquisition of these linguistic units. The results obtained from the analysis show 1) that out is underused by learners, at the lowest level of constituency, the level of the word and its collocates and that this may be due its low cue answer contingency (it is a short form with many meanings); 2) that out-PVs, as other formulaic sequences, shows a pattern of overuse of a small number of frequent verbs and underuse of the rest; 3) that, at a morpho-syntactic level, out-PVs used by L2 learners are typically frozen with little variability in both the tenses and the syntactic patterns chosen; and 4) that at the semantic level, more prototypical and frequent meanings in the text type analysed, not necessarily literal uses, are used with greater frequency by NNS. All in all, the usage-based approach adopted has allowed us to reveal the complexity of factors involved in explaining the difficulty L2 learners have in acquiring phrasal verbs.
The present article carries out an in-depth analysis of the differences in motivation, input-rela... more The present article carries out an in-depth analysis of the differences in motivation, input-related variables and linguistic attainment of the students at two content and language integrated learning (CLIL) schools operating within the same institutional and educational context, the Spanish region of Extremadura, and differing only in terms of the social milieu: rural vs. urban. The results show that the CLIL learners in the urban school (n=27) had started earlier, had had greater formal support outside school (i.e. private English lessons) and had attained a higher level of English (grammar, passive and active vocabulary) than their rural colleagues (n = 21), while their motivation and extramural exposure (i.e. informal contact with English) were not found to be dissimilar. Of the variables considered, social milieu (urban vs. rural), used here as a proxy of socio-economic status, explained most of the variance in language attainment results.
Fostering Language Teaching Efficiency through Cognitive Linguistics, 2010
Genre Studies in English for Academic Purposes; …, Jan 1, 1998
An academic directory and search engine.
Genre studies in English for academic …, Jan 1, 1998
CODE-SWITCHING IN SPANISH ECONOMIC DISCOURSE. RHETORICAL STRATEGIES IN RESEARCH ARTICLES RAFAEL A... more CODE-SWITCHING IN SPANISH ECONOMIC DISCOURSE. RHETORICAL STRATEGIES IN RESEARCH ARTICLES RAFAEL ALEJO GONZALEZ Universidad de Extremadura (Spain) ABSTRACT /(is well known that English has become a son of lingua franca in almost every part of the ...
Applied languages: theory and practice in …, Jan 1, 1997
14. TERMINOLOGICAL LOANS AND THE TEACHING/ LEARNING OF TECHNICAL VOCABULARY: THE USE OF ECONOMIC ... more 14. TERMINOLOGICAL LOANS AND THE TEACHING/ LEARNING OF TECHNICAL VOCABULARY: THE USE OF ECONOMIC ANGLICISMS IN THE BUSINESS CLASSROOM Rafael Alejo and Margaret McGinity Universidad de Extremadura " It is generally assumed that ...
The Texture of Internet: …, Jan 1, 2007
As can be seen, 'end up' in MICASE is more than twice as frequent as in any of ... more As can be seen, 'end up' in MICASE is more than twice as frequent as in any of the other corpora. The table also shows (as ELFA is also a spoken academic corpus of non-native speakers of English) that 'end up' is very much associated with the spoken mode. We also note that ...
Journal of Pragmatics, Jan 1, 2010
Servicio de Publicaciones de la UEx, Jan 1, 2006
Corpus-Based Approaches to English Language …, Jan 1, 2010
Chapter 11 L2 Spanish Acquisition of English Phrasal Verbs: A Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of L1... more Chapter 11 L2 Spanish Acquisition of English Phrasal Verbs: A Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of L1 Influence Rafael Alejo González University ofExtremadura 11.1 Introduction Almost any teacher with experience in the area of English as a Second Language (ESL) will point out ...
Perhaps what characterises bilingual education today more than anything at least in Spain is the ... more Perhaps what characterises bilingual education today more than anything at least in Spain is the existing diversity of CLIL programme formats and practices as CLIL is currently understood and implemented in different ways in praxis, as Cenoz et al. (2014) remind us. Indeed, such diversity of models mainly becomes apparent in the design and implementation of varied classroom practices, as well as in the diverse instructional contexts, as clearly evidenced in this book. This edited volume contains a selection of papers presented at the V International Conference on Bilingual Education in Educational Institutions, which was held on October 19-21, 2018 at the University of Extremadura, Spain. This conference was organised by the University of Extremadura together with the Spanish Association for Bilingual Education. These proceedings include the revised versions of the 18 papers that were selected according to a set of well-established quality criteria. We do hope the readers will find ...
Journal of Pragmatics, Apr 1, 2010
There is a crucial difference in the way economists and linguists approach metaphor in economics,... more There is a crucial difference in the way economists and linguists approach metaphor in economics, the former being mostly interested in the representation of knowledge in the discipline, while the latter more concerned with the discursive and communicative context in which metaphors are used. The present paper attempts to bring together the two perspectives to analyze the CONTAINER metaphor in economics textbooks. Thus, the identification and analysis of highly metaphorical terms of the discipline will serve to determine the conceptual areas in which metaphor plays an important role, whereas a textual analysis will demonstrate how this metaphorical content is laid out for novice readers in the discourse of the introductory textbook. This article suggests that the CONTAINER metaphor is a rhetorical device, like the passive voice or hypotheticality, used to convey the idea of depersonalization and objectification.
Language Culture and Curriculum, Mar 21, 2016
ABSTRACT The present article carries out an in-depth analysis of the differences in motivation, i... more ABSTRACT The present article carries out an in-depth analysis of the differences in motivation, input-related variables and linguistic attainment of the students at two content and language integrated learning (CLIL) schools operating within the same institutional and educational context, the Spanish region of Extremadura, and differing only in terms of the social milieu: rural vs. urban. The results show that the CLIL learners in the urban school (n = 27) had started earlier, had had greater formal support outside school (i.e. private English lessons) and had attained a higher level of English (grammar, passive and active vocabulary) than their rural colleagues (n = 21), while their motivation and extramural exposure (i.e. informal contact with English) were not found to be dissimilar. Of the variables considered, social milieu (urban vs. rural), used here as a proxy of socio-economic status, explained most of the variance in language attainment results.
En este trabajo se presenta un modelo de Plan Docente que ha servido de protocolo para adecuar la... more En este trabajo se presenta un modelo de Plan Docente que ha servido de protocolo para adecuar las programaciones de mas de 600 asignaturas de diversas titulaciones de la Universidad de Extremadura, de acuerdo con las futuras exigencias del EEES. En la primera parte de la comunicacion se analizan los principales criterios de calidad y componentes que deberia contener un Plan docente en coordenadas ECTS. Al final se presenta un ejemplo, a partir de una asignatura de Psicopedagogia impartida por uno de los autores.
Vial-vigo International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2016
espanolDesde su lanzamiento (Meara and Fitzpatrick, 2000), Lex30 ha sido validado como un instrum... more espanolDesde su lanzamiento (Meara and Fitzpatrick, 2000), Lex30 ha sido validado como un instrumento adecuado para medir el vocabulario productivo de aprendices de una segunda lengua, principalmente, en estudios con universitarios (Fitzpatrick and Clenton, 2010); pero, tambien se ha utilizado con alumnos de educacion primaria en contextos de aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras (Jimenez Catalan and Moreno Espinosa, 2005; Moreno Espinosa, 2009; 2010). El estudio que se presenta a continuacion se centra en analizar la validez y fiabilidad de Lex30 para medir el vocabulario productivo de dos grupos de alumnos de ensenanza secundaria (N=48) dentro de un programa AICLE (Aprendizaje Integrado de Contenidos y Lenguas Extranjeras), analizando: 1) su fiabilidad, 2) su correlacion con otras medidas linguisticas, 3) si mide el crecimiento del vocabulario en periodos largos de tiempo y 4) si es sensible al posible efecto del contexto de aprendizaje en el vocabulario productivo del alumno. Los re...
Language, Culture and Curriculum, 2016
The present article carries out an in-depth analysis of the differences in motivation, input-rela... more The present article carries out an in-depth analysis of the differences in motivation, input-related variables and linguistic attainment of the students at two content and language integrated learning (CLIL) schools operating within the same institutional and educational context, the Spanish region of Extremadura, and differing only in terms of the social milieu: rural vs. urban. The results show that the CLIL learners in the urban school (n=27) had started earlier, had had greater formal support outside school (i.e. private English lessons) and had attained a higher level of English (grammar, passive and active vocabulary) than their rural colleagues (n = 21), while their motivation and extramural exposure (i.e. informal contact with English) were not found to be dissimilar. Of the variables considered, social milieu (urban vs. rural), used here as a proxy of socio-economic status, explained most of the variance in language attainment results.
1. The frequency of 'END UP' In a preliminary exploration of the most frequent phrasal ve... more 1. The frequency of 'END UP' In a preliminary exploration of the most frequent phrasal verbs (PVs) used in the MICASE corpus of spoken academic English, we ended up with the following data: Although a more detailed analysis on the PV status of these verbs is needed, the reader is most likely struck by the presence of 'end up' and 'figure out' in the top five. This kibbitzer therefore is an attempt to explore and, if possible, explain the roles of the former phrasal verb in this academic register. We next compare 'end up' in MICASE with other corpora, producing the results in Table 2. As can be seen, 'end up' in MICASE is more than twice as frequent as in any of the other corpora. The table also shows (as ELFA is also a spoken academic corpus of non-native speakers of English) that 'end up' is very much associated with the spoken mode.
In this paper, the acquisition of phrasal verbs (PVs) by L2 learners is explored from the perspec... more In this paper, the acquisition of phrasal verbs (PVs) by L2 learners is explored from the perspective provided by a usage-based approach to language. This involves looking at low scope or item-specific schemas, which in this article are identified as the actual particles, prepositions and PVs used by the learners, together with the more abstract syntactic or semantic schemas that emerge from their use. Given the labour intensive work required by this type of analysis, the focus is placed on the use of verbout constructions made by L2 learners of the PVs as reflected in a corpus of learner language, i.e. the Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Dutch, Russian and Bulgarian subsections of the ICLE (1,287,517 words). More concretely, I analyse L2 use of out-PVs at different grain levels and provide an account of the factors influencing the acquisition of these linguistic units. The results obtained from the analysis show 1) that out is underused by learners, at the lowest level of constituency, the level of the word and its collocates and that this may be due its low cue answer contingency (it is a short form with many meanings); 2) that out-PVs, as other formulaic sequences, shows a pattern of overuse of a small number of frequent verbs and underuse of the rest; 3) that, at a morpho-syntactic level, out-PVs used by L2 learners are typically frozen with little variability in both the tenses and the syntactic patterns chosen; and 4) that at the semantic level, more prototypical and frequent meanings in the text type analysed, not necessarily literal uses, are used with greater frequency by NNS. All in all, the usage-based approach adopted has allowed us to reveal the complexity of factors involved in explaining the difficulty L2 learners have in acquiring phrasal verbs.
The present article carries out an in-depth analysis of the differences in motivation, input-rela... more The present article carries out an in-depth analysis of the differences in motivation, input-related variables and linguistic attainment of the students at two content and language integrated learning (CLIL) schools operating within the same institutional and educational context, the Spanish region of Extremadura, and differing only in terms of the social milieu: rural vs. urban. The results show that the CLIL learners in the urban school (n=27) had started earlier, had had greater formal support outside school (i.e. private English lessons) and had attained a higher level of English (grammar, passive and active vocabulary) than their rural colleagues (n = 21), while their motivation and extramural exposure (i.e. informal contact with English) were not found to be dissimilar. Of the variables considered, social milieu (urban vs. rural), used here as a proxy of socio-economic status, explained most of the variance in language attainment results.
Fostering Language Teaching Efficiency through Cognitive Linguistics, 2010
Genre Studies in English for Academic Purposes; …, Jan 1, 1998
An academic directory and search engine.
Genre studies in English for academic …, Jan 1, 1998
CODE-SWITCHING IN SPANISH ECONOMIC DISCOURSE. RHETORICAL STRATEGIES IN RESEARCH ARTICLES RAFAEL A... more CODE-SWITCHING IN SPANISH ECONOMIC DISCOURSE. RHETORICAL STRATEGIES IN RESEARCH ARTICLES RAFAEL ALEJO GONZALEZ Universidad de Extremadura (Spain) ABSTRACT /(is well known that English has become a son of lingua franca in almost every part of the ...
Applied languages: theory and practice in …, Jan 1, 1997
14. TERMINOLOGICAL LOANS AND THE TEACHING/ LEARNING OF TECHNICAL VOCABULARY: THE USE OF ECONOMIC ... more 14. TERMINOLOGICAL LOANS AND THE TEACHING/ LEARNING OF TECHNICAL VOCABULARY: THE USE OF ECONOMIC ANGLICISMS IN THE BUSINESS CLASSROOM Rafael Alejo and Margaret McGinity Universidad de Extremadura " It is generally assumed that ...
The Texture of Internet: …, Jan 1, 2007
As can be seen, 'end up' in MICASE is more than twice as frequent as in any of ... more As can be seen, 'end up' in MICASE is more than twice as frequent as in any of the other corpora. The table also shows (as ELFA is also a spoken academic corpus of non-native speakers of English) that 'end up' is very much associated with the spoken mode. We also note that ...
Journal of Pragmatics, Jan 1, 2010
Servicio de Publicaciones de la UEx, Jan 1, 2006
Corpus-Based Approaches to English Language …, Jan 1, 2010
Chapter 11 L2 Spanish Acquisition of English Phrasal Verbs: A Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of L1... more Chapter 11 L2 Spanish Acquisition of English Phrasal Verbs: A Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of L1 Influence Rafael Alejo González University ofExtremadura 11.1 Introduction Almost any teacher with experience in the area of English as a Second Language (ESL) will point out ...