Rebekah Rast

Rebekah Rast published a chapter entitled “Input Processing Principles: A Contribution from First-Exposure Data” in Implicit and Explicit Language Learning: Conditions, Processes and Knowledge in SLA and Bilingualism, C. Sanz and R. Loew (Eds.), Georgetown University Press. Professor Rast also gave a talk at the 22nd annual European Second Language Association Conference in Stockholm, Sweden. Her talk, co-authored with colleague Marzena Watorek of the Université Paris 8, was entitled “Instructional treatment types and their effect on the processing of nominal morphology by beginning learners of Polish.”

Rebekah Rast received her doctorate from the Université Paris VIII in Linguistics, with a specialization in adult second language acquisition. Her research focuses on the role that a learner's linguistic environment (foreign language input) plays in the acquisition process. She works in collaboration with an interdisciplinary research team Langage, Cognition et Développement comprised of university faculty and CNRS researchers. Rebekah has taught English and Linguistics at the American University of Paris since 1992. Courses include teacher training courses (Pedagogical Grammar and TESOL Methodologies), English courses (all levels of writing and English Grammar Review), and Linguistics courses (Language Acquisition and Social Policy and Psycholinguistics). Rebekah’s current research interests include second and third language acquisition, in particular the earliest stages, and the interface between language acquisition and teaching.

“First exposure: Converting target language input to intake”. In M. Pütz and L. Sicola (Eds.), Inside the Learner’s Mind: Cognitive Processing and Second Language Acquisition. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, forthcoming.

Foreign Language Input: Initial Processing. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 2008

Acquisition et Interaction en Langue Étrangère : Savoirs et savoir-faire dans l’apprentissage et l’enseignement d’une langue étrangère, 27, with E. Taïeb (Eds.). Association Aile-Encrages, Université Paris 8, Saint-Denis, 2008.

Acquisition et Interaction en Langue Étrangère : L’Acquisition d’une Langue 3, 24, with P. Trévisiol (Eds.) Association Aile-Encrages, Université Paris 8, 2006.

“Le premier contact avec une nouvelle langue étrangère : comment s’acquitter d’une tâche de compréhension ?” Acquisition et Interaction en Langue Etrangère 24, 119-147, 2006.

8 jours pour réussir le TOEFL, with L. Martz, Collection Optimum, F. Fichaux (Ed.). Paris, Ellipses, 2006.

TOEFL: Epreuves d’entraînement, with L. Martz and F. Fichaux, Collection Optimum, F. Fichaux (Ed.). Paris, Ellipses Edition, 2004.

Réussir le TOEFL, with L. Martz and F. Fichaux, Collection Optimum, F. Fichaux (Ed.). Paris, Ellipses Edition, 2004.

"Towards a characterisation of saliency on first exposure to a second language", with J.-Y. Dommergues. European Second Language Association Yearbook, 3, 131-156, 2003.

Professional Presentations

“The emergence of grammar in French L1 and L2: The case of the noun phrase”, with M. Watorek, D. Bassano and P. Trévisiol. The European Second Language Association Conference 19, University College Cork, Ireland, 4 September 2009.

“Initial representations at first exposure to a target language”, for the panel "First exposure studies: new methods, new results". The International Symposium on Bilingualism 7, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, 9 July 2009.

“Initial processing of target language input”, for the panel “Learner spontaneous processing of input”. Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics, Washington, D.C., 13 March 2009.

“The use of prior linguistic knowledge in the early stages of L2+ acquisition”, The role of the background languages in Third Language Acquisition: Romance languages as L1, L2 or L3. Stockholm University, Sweden, 5 February 2009.

“The multilingual’s ability to discriminate accent in a non-native language”,
International Conference on Multilingualism: Cross-cultural communication
and language acquisition, Universitat Jaume 1, Castelló, Spain, 17 December 2008.

“The effects of linguistic experience on the perception of English accent
variation by non-native speakers”, with J.-Y. Dommergues, Annual European Second Language Acquisition Conference 18: Second Language Acquisition Research in Context, Université de Provence, Aix-en-Provence, 11 September 2008.

“Characterizing the Multilingual’s Linguistic Profile”, Sociolinguistics Symposium 17, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, 4 April 2008.

“Learners ‘taking in’ target language input”, 33rd LAUD Linguistic Agency Symposium: Cognitive Approaches to Second/Foreign Language Processing, Theory and Pedagogy, Landau, Germany, 11 March 2008.

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