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The introduction of mobile devices such as smartphones provides new opportunities to enhance the teaching–learning process of a foreign language. However, its use can affect not only the students' type and form of writing but also their ability to achieve the academic competencies targeted. Thus, aspects such as the development of linguistic and communicative competencies could be affected. In this paper, a comparative analysis of two different versions (a paper and a digital version) of the same learning task is carried out in order to analyze the impact of each on the development of students' linguistic and communicative competencies. The study is conducted with undergraduate students enrolled in a course called German II. Modern Language I (level A1.2, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). The results obtained illustrate, on the one hand, the advantages of the paper version for developing students' linguistic competence and, on the other hand, that the digital version, despite facilitating students' interaction amongst each other, does not seem to be more suitable for developing students' communicative competence. Future studies will, therefore, focus on identifying those features that might increase the potential of the digital version for fostering the targeted competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embodied theories of cognition consider many aspects of language and other cognitive domains as the result of sensory and motor processes. In this view, the appraisal and the use of concepts are based on mechanisms of simulation grounded on prior sensorimotor experiences. Even though these theories continue receiving attention and support, increasing evidence indicates the need to consider the flexible nature of the simulation process, and to accordingly refine embodied accounts. In this consensus paper, we discuss two potential sources of variability in experimental studies on embodiment of language: individual differences and context. Specifically, we show how factors contributing to individual differences may explain inconsistent findings in embodied language phenomena. These factors include sensorimotor or cultural experiences, imagery, context-related factors, and cognitive strategies. We also analyze the different contextual modulations, from single words to sentences and narratives, as well as the top-down and bottom-up influences. Similarly, we review recent efforts to include cultural and language diversity, aging, neurodegenerative diseases, and brain disorders, as well as bilingual evidence into the embodiment framework. We address the importance of considering individual differences and context in clinical studies to drive translational research more efficiently, and we indicate recommendations on how to correctly address these issues in future research. Systematically investigating individual differences and context may contribute to understanding the dynamic nature of simulation in language processes, refining embodied theories of cognition, and ultimately filling the gap between cognition in artificial experimental settings and cognition in the wild (i.e., in everyday life). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to embodied theories (including embodied, embedded, extended, enacted, situated, and grounded approaches to cognition), language representation is intrinsically linked to our interactions with the world around us, which is reflected in specific brain signatures during language processing and learning. Moving on from the original rivalry of embodied vs. amodal theories, this consensus paper addresses a series of carefully selected questions that aim at determining when and how rather than whether motor and perceptual processes are involved in language processes. We cover a wide range of research areas, from the neurophysiological signatures of embodied semantics, e.g., event-related potentials and fields as well as neural oscillations, to semantic processing and semantic priming effects on concrete and abstract words, to first and second language learning and, finally, the use of virtual reality for examining embodied semantics. Our common aim is to better understand the role of motor and perceptual processes in language representation as indexed by language comprehension and learning. We come to the consensus that, based on seminal research conducted in the field, future directions now call for enhancing the external validity of findings by acknowledging the multimodality, multidimensionality, flexibility and idiosyncrasy of embodied and situated language and semantic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines whether the unique and common content of initial coin offering (ICO) white papers is related to ICO fund raising and post‐ICO trading activities. Based on the signalling theory, we expect that high‐quality ICOs can provide more unique content in their white papers to distinguish themselves from low‐quality ICOs because it may be costly for low‐quality ICOs to provide unique and specific information. Our results show that ICOs that have more unique or less common content in their white papers raise more funds or are subject to more active trading and higher market values in the post‐ICO period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article responds to a conference call for papers that makes universalist assumptions about clause structures, assuming all languages in the world basically follow the same organizing principles in terms of clause structure, argument structure, and alignment. The article presents data from Tagalog to show how different a language can be from the assumed universal organizing principles to make the point that by imposing an Indo-European framework on non-Indo-European languages, we are overlooking the true diversity of language forms found in the world's languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High citations most often characterize quality research that reflects the foci of the discipline. This study aims to spotlight the most recent hot topics and the trends looming from the highly cited papers (HCPs) in Web of Science category of linguistics and language & linguistics with bibliometric analysis. The bibliometric information of the 143 HCPs based on Essential Citation Indicators was retrieved and used to identify and analyze influential contributors at the levels of journals, authors, and countries. The most frequently explored topics were identified by corpus analysis and manual checking. The retrieved topics can be grouped into five general categories: multilingual-related, language teaching, and learning related, psycho/pathological/cognitive linguistics-related, methods and tools-related, and others. Topics such as bi/ multilingual(ism), translanguaging, language/writing development, models, emotions, foreign language enjoyment (FLE), cognition, anxiety are among the most frequently explored. Multilingual and positive trends are discerned from the investigated HCPs. The findings inform linguistic researchers of the publication characteristics of the HCPs in the linguistics field and help them pinpoint the research trends and directions to exert their efforts in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: So far, many studies have investigated the extent and nature of the grammatical deficit in aphasia. However, to the best of our knowledge, this research is the first in the Persian language to inspect the comprehension of patients with Broca’s aphasia on diverse syntactically complex structures. Materials and Methods: To scrutinize the impact of task on aphasics’ performance, four age-, education- and gender-matched Persian-speaking patients with Broca’s aphasia were compared with their healthy matched controls regarding the two different tasks of grammatical judgment and figurine act-out task. The structures used to examine the subjects’ performance included agentive passive, subject cleft, object cleft, object relative clause, and object experiencer psychological verbs. Results: Our results which supported the trade-off hypothesis, showed that our subjects generally performed better in grammatical judgment task than in figurine act-out task (P≤0.05). Particularly in the second task, as our inner task comparison, the patients’ problems were more severe in object cleft, object experiencer, and object relative clauses: all structures whose interpretations need more cognitive load. Conclusion: Our findings put more weight on the interactive or constraint-based model of language processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Expressive vocabulary plays a vital role in child language development, and its assessment can be one of the essential indicators to identify language developmental delay, especially in children with Down syndrome. We developed a list of expressive vocabulary and compared the size and class of expressive vocabularies between typically developing and Down syndrome children. Materials and Methods: Expressive vocabulary of 150 children was examined in this study. A total of 120 typically developing Farsi-speaking children (in four age Groups, with a 6-month interval) and 30 children with Down syndrome (aged 24-48 months) participated in this study. The parents of the children filled out the form that included 636 words from different vocabulary classes. These classes were based on studies that investigated language development in Farsi-speaking children. Results: The expressive vocabulary size in Farsi-speaking children was significantly higher than in Down syndrome children (P≤0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between boys and girls regarding expressive vocabulary size in two Groups of children. The size of nouns in all age Groups is more than other classes, and the size of conjunctions in all age Groups is less than the other ones. A direct correlation was found between age and the size of expressive vocabulary. Conclusion: According to the study findings, the list of expressive vocabulary can detect delays in developing expressive vocabulary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Language, Society & Communication / Llengua, Societat i Comunicació is the property of Llengua, Societat i Comunicacio and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

ChatGPT is a generative language model tool launched by OpenAI on November 30, 2022, enabling the public to converse with a machine on a broad range of topics. In January 2023, ChatGPT reached over 100 million users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application to date. This interview with ChatGPT is part 2 of a larger interview with ChatGPT. It provides a snapshot of the current capabilities of ChatGPT and illustrates the vast potential for medical education, research, and practice but also hints at current problems and limitations. In this conversation with Gunther Eysenbach, the founder and publisher of JMIR Publications, ChatGPT generated some ideas on how to use chatbots in medical education. It also illustrated its capabilities to generate a virtual patient simulation and quizzes for medical students; critiqued a simulated doctor-patient communication and attempts to summarize a research article (which turned out to be fabricated); commented on methods to detect machine-generated text to ensure academic integrity; generated a curriculum for health professionals to learn about artificial intelligence (AI); and helped to draft a call for papers for a new theme issue to be launched in JMIR Medical Education on ChatGPT. The conversation also highlighted the importance of proper "prompting." Although the language generator does make occasional mistakes, it admits these when challenged. The well-known disturbing tendency of large language models to hallucinate became evident when ChatGPT fabricated references. The interview provides a glimpse into the capabilities and limitations of ChatGPT and the future of AI-supported medical education. Due to the impact of this new technology on medical education, JMIR Medical Education is launching a call for papers for a new e-collection and theme issue. The initial draft of the call for papers was entirely machine generated by ChatGPT, but will be edited by the human guest editors of the theme issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Im ersten Teil des folgenden Aufsatzes wird die Situation des DaF-Unterrichts in Brasilien beschrieben und der Ansatz der critical literacy präsentiert, der den Fremdsprachenunterricht auch als Raum zur Förderung kritischen Denkens versteht und aus der brasilianischen Fremdsprachendidaktik kaum wegzudenken ist. Im zweiten Teil wird eine didaktische Sequenz zur Förderung des kritischen Denkens und des Fremdverstehens vorgestellt, bei der Texte aus Straßenzeitungen, die von obdachlosen Menschen geschrieben wurden, eingesetzt wurden. Außerdem wird die Erstellung von Profilen obdachloser Menschen aus einem der DACHL-Länder sowie der gedankliche Transfer zum Heimatland der Lernenden beschrieben. Die wichtigsten Studienergebnisse werden am Ende präsentiert. In the first part of this article the approach of critical literacy will be presented that plays an important role in Brazilian foreign language discussion and focuses on critical thinking when learning foreign languages. In the second part of the article a five-lesson plan to promote critical thinking in a German language class by using texts written by homeless people will be described. This includes the profile creation of German speaking homeless people and the transfer to the students' country. In the end the most important research results will be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Language interference is one of the most common problems in foreign language teaching. Language learners inevitably apply knowledge of their native language to a second language, which leads to linguistic interference. The more differences there are between the two languages, the more prominent the interference between them will be. This paper examines the key issues faced by Russian students learning English and English-speaking students learning Russian and suggests key areas of teaching needed in both disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of my article is to analyse the language utilized by the media as a representation of the evolution of the rapports existing between social and linguistic changes. Starting from two articles from 1978 and 1996 I would like to reveal the linguistic characteristics of each period. The linguistic material described has hybrid features being situated between institutional political discourse and ordinary discourse practices. Thus, the printed media are the privileged place used to identify lexical habits concerning politics. The main conclusions of this analysis are connected to the dynamics of linguistic modifications. During the 1970's, one could notice the correspondence between political stability and linguistic stagnation while during the 1990's, language (mainly political vocabulary) proved to be unstable and innovative. In this way, these lexical changes are the logical product of a restructuring phase of the partisan offer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I agree wholeheartedly with the authors of "At Least One Black Sheep: Pragmatics and Mathematical Language" on their main thesis that the language of mathematics is permeated by phenomena that belong to pragmatics. I also agree with what they take to be the opposite view, which is presented in Mohan Ganesalingam's monograph The Language of Mathematics (2013). I think that the conflict is to a large extent terminological and has to do with what is meant by pragmatics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This piece briefly introduces this special issue devoted to the investigation of languages of the South Central (Kuki-Chin) subgroup of Tibeto-Burman. The motivations for the special issue and the contents of the papers are reviewed. Terminological, transcription, and interlinear gloss conventions followed in the papers are discussed. The subgrouping schema assumed in a number of the papers is presented in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is expected that English Home Language (Eng HL), as a subject, is more complex than English First Additional Language (Eng FAL). This article aims to uncover the reality of this expectation by comparatively investigating the linguistic complexity of texts used for reading comprehension and summaries in the final school exit examinations. The Coh-Metrix online platform was used to analyse a combined total of 24 Grade 12 final examination texts for Eng HL and Eng FAL ranging from 2008 to 2019. Five main indices relating to the word level, sentence, readability, lexical diversity and referential cohesion linguistic complexity were explored. The findings illustrated that the linguistic complexities of the texts used for reading comprehension and summary writing in the two subjects differ significantly, with Eng HL being more linguistically complex than Eng FAL texts. Furthermore, the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level measure indicates the Eng FAL texts as two grades below the overall grade for Eng HL texts. Nonetheless, the linguistic complexity measures used in this article confirm the expectation that texts used in Eng HL reading comprehension and summary writing are more complex than those used in Eng FAL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawn upon ELF awareness, this paper showcases instructional interventions performed by two practitioners working in two multilingual state schools in Greece. More specifically, guided by the lead author throughout the process, the two practitioners were initially initiated into the principles and processes of ELF awareness and relevant practices for inclusive multilingual classrooms. Subsequently, based on the criteria of authenticity and relevance, and taking into consideration their multilingual learners' background, they designed and conducted two original ELF-aware lessons focusing on the teaching of speaking and listening. The lessons exposed learners to real, spontaneous and authentically produced discourse of non-native English language speakers and engaged them into follow-up tasks and class discussions. These tasks and subsequent discussions focused on: a) an appreciation of the newly designed and taught lessons, b) the use of English as the shared of medium communication among speakers of diverse lingua-cultural backgrounds, c) issues of intelligibility and comprehensibility, and d) socio-cultural differences and similarities among different cultural groups. Through these ELF-aware lessons, practitioners aimed at assisting learners to: a) raise their awareness of language and language use, including languaging and translanguaging, and b) to bring their world knowledge and intercultural experiences into the classroom. In this paper, we describe the ELF-aware lessons and report findings which were received through practitioners' interviews and learners' reflective writing. We conclude with pedagogical implications connected with teacher education-programmes and materials development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse the translation performance of German students at the University of Prishtina when translating literary texts from German into Albanian. The paper focuses on the question of whether errors occur during the translation process in the areas of grammar, orthography, semantics, and sentence structure, including possible interference errors between the two languages. These errors may arise due to uncertainties, carelessness, or the influence of other languages. The interference of German manifests itself primarily in the lexical level and sentence structure. If the languages have differences in sentence structure, this interference leads to grammatically incorrect sentences. An interference of Albanian is also noticeable, primarily on a pragmatic level, which is mainly determined by the cultural context. Errors are a characteristic feature of foreign language learners. They are a phenomenon that affects not only foreign language learners but also native speakers. This paper analyses and classifies the errors that German students at the University of Prishtina make when translating by applying the theoretical, analytical, and contrastive methods in the translation of literary texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents linguistic error analysis of articles written by non-native speakers of English which were published in the journal 'Transport' in 2003-2004. The errors were identified, classified and analysed from various perspectives. The main causes of language misuse were also identified and explained within the framework of the theory of linguistic relativity and laws of interference of the native language of the learners. The analysis is aimed at building competence of technical writers in the English language used in scientific papers. The results obtained in the investigation allowed the authors to provide some recommendations to technical writers as to improving the proficiency in scientific English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thee concept of semantic tagging and its potential for semantic enhancements to taxonomic papers is outlined and illustrated by four exemplar papers published in the present issue of ZooKeys. Thee four papers were created in different ways: (i) written in Microsoft Word and submitted as non-tagged manuscript (doi: 10.3897/zookeys.50.504); (ii) generated from Scratchpads and submitted as XML-tagged manuscripts (doi: 10.3897/zookeys.50.505 and doi: 10.3897/zookeys.50.506); (iii) generated from an author's database (doi: 10.3897/zookeys.50.485) and submitted as XML-tagged manuscript. XML tagging and semantic enhancements were implemented during the editorial process of ZooKeys using the Pensoft Mark Up Tool (PMT), specially designed for this purpose. Thee XML schema used was TaxPub, an extension to the Document Type Definitions (DTD) of the US National Library of Medicine Journal Archiving and Interchange Tag Suite (NLM). Thee following innovative methods of tagging, layout, publishing and disseminating the content were tested and implemented within the ZooKeys editorial workflow: (1) highly automated, fine-grained XML tagging based on TaxPub; (2) final XML output of the paper validated against the NLM DTD for archiving in PubMedCentral; (3) bibliographic metadata embedded in the PDF through XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform); (4) PDF uploaded after publication to the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL); (5) taxon treatments supplied through XML to Plazi; (6) semantically enhanced HTML version of the paper encompassing numerous internal and external links and linkouts, such as: (i) vizualisation of main tag elements within the text (e.g., taxon names, taxon treatments, localities, etc.); (ii) internal cross-linking between paper sections, citations, references, tables, and figures; (iii) mapping of localities listed in the whole paper or within separate taxon treatments; (v) taxon names autotagged, dynamically mapped and linked through the Pensoft Taxon Profile (PTP) to large international database services and indexers such as Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Barcode of Life (BOLD), Encyclopedia of Life (EOL), ZooBank, Wikipedia, Wikispecies, Wikimedia, and others; (vi) GenBank accession numbers autotagged and linked to NCBI; (vii) external links of taxon names to references in PubMed, Google Scholar, Biodiversity Heritage Library and other sources. With the launching of the working example, ZooKeys becomes the first taxonomic journal to provide a complete XML-based editorial, publication and dissemination workflow implemented as a routine and cost-efficient practice. It is anticipated that XML-based workflow will also soon be implemented in botany through PhytoKeys, a forthcoming partner journal of ZooKeys. Thee semantic markup and enhancements are expected to greatly extend and accelerate the way taxonomic information is published, disseminated and used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue presents a collection of conversation-analytic and interactional-linguistic studies concerned with the cross-linguistic analysis of requests for confirmation (RfC) and requests for reconfirmation (RfRCs) as two distinct types of polar questions. In this paper, we outline a characterisation of the two actions with reference to their epistemic gradient and their sequential design, which does not take specific linguistic resources as its starting point and thus lends itself to comparative analysis. We review previous research on the linguistic design of RfCs and RfRCs and the responses they invite in different languages before we summarise the main findings of the papers in this issue. The final section discusses perspectives for future research on interactional and epistemic styles across languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the deepening of the research on emotional factors, foreign language anxiety (FLA) has become the focus of researchers in the field of foreign language learning (FLL) and teaching. This paper aims to provide an overview of the historical trajectory of FLA research that has been published in System between 2004 and 2023. While examining the retrieved 49 studies, focus has been laid on the methodologies including research instruments, methods, participants, major themes and key findings of FLA research. Although almost all of the studies employed quantitative and mix-methods methodologies, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were the most preferred research methods. FL learners from 21 countries/regions were represented, but a significant number of the studies came from China, Japan and Iran. And an overwhelming majority of the studies focused on FLA among the learners learning English as a foreign language (EFL). The review concluded with some research lacunae and possible directions for future research on FLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore ChatGPT's (generative pre-trained transformers) potential as a tool for retailers to improve customer experience and boost sales. While it provides benefits like personalized recommendations and 24/7 assistance, there are limitations, like difficulty in understanding unconventional language. The paper stresses careful integration to overcome these limitations and create a better customer experience. Additionally, it discusses the potential for further development and integration of ChatGPT in retail, such as generating product descriptions and virtual try-on experiences. Finally, the paper encourages retailers to embrace ChatGPT to meet their customer needs. Design/methodology/approach: Case-based methodology involves using specific cases or examples to explore a broader issue or phenomenon. Researchers have analysed real-world cases to identify patterns, themes and insights that can be applied to other contexts or situations. This was useful for understanding complex and multifaceted issues as it allowed us to delve deeper into specific examples and explore the nuances of the situation. Findings: While ChatGPT is a powerful tool for retailers, limitations such as difficulty in understanding non-standard accents and unconventional language can arise, causing customer frustration. Retail managers must integrate ChatGPT in a way that enhances customer experience. In the future, ChatGPT has the potential to generate product descriptions, provide virtual try-on experiences and integrate with augmented or virtual reality technology to offer more immersive experiences. Careful consideration and integration can help retailers overcome these limitations and offer personalized recommendations, round-the-clock assistance and an engaging customer experience that improves sales. Originality/value: The case topic is very much in a novel stage of research and writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most universities strive to create a favourable educational environment according to modern trends and requirements. The paper analyzes and systematizes the essence of the concepts «educational environment» and «foreign-language environment» based on the research of Ukrainian and foreign scholars. Drawing on the typology of educational environments, the authors of the paper refine the understanding of the concept of a «foreign-language educational environment» based on the literature reviews. Considering the challenges of the present, caused by COVID-19, the post-COVID era, and the war in Ukraine, the factors influencing the transformation of the modern educational environment are presented and discussed. The paper organizes existing research on the explored problem and presents the authors' vision of the contemporary educational environment of a university under modern conditions. It includes the description of technologies used to address various educational needs and to meet the technological requirements. Therefore, the typical features of such an educational environment are personalization, flexibility, engagement, interactivity, availability, and multisensory and multimode experience. The creation of the aforementioned environment is possible due to specific training of the current academic staff and encouragement and professional training of future pedagogues. The experience revealed in the paper is based on the authors' work at the Faculty of Pedagogical Education of Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University, specifically with the students of specialties 012 Preschool Education and 013 Primary Education foreign language training [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces the 2011 Promising Researcher Award Competition which is open to individuals completing dissertations, theses or independent studies between December 1, 2008 and January 31, 2011 with topics relative to English teaching and language arts.

The article reports on the indigenous oral life narratives. It states that a core in collaborative indigenous life writing is how spoken words are written. Equally important are the efforts to present Indigenous narratives in a visual form that will facilitate their re-speaking. According to the author, collaborative life writing, bringing spoken word to written page and setting Indigenous lives and narratives on the line, carries story forward, the same story transformed, yet working, and shaping lives in every new telling.

Copyright of Acta Universitatis Lodziensis: Kształcenie Polonistyczne Cudzoziemców is the property of Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Lodzkiego and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As globalization accelerates, the linguistic diversity and semantic complexity of in-vehicle communication is increasing. In order to meet the needs of different language speakers, this paper proposes an interactive attention-based contrastive learning framework (IABCL) for the field of in-vehicle dialogue, aiming to effectively enhance cross-lingual natural language understanding (NLU). The proposed framework aims to address the challenges of cross-lingual interaction in in-vehicle dialogue systems and provide an effective solution. IABCL is based on a contrastive learning and attention mechanism. First, contrastive learning is applied in the encoder stage. Positive and negative samples are used to allow the model to learn different linguistic expressions of similar meanings. Its main role is to improve the cross-lingual learning ability of the model. Second, the attention mechanism is applied in the decoder stage. By articulating slots and intents with each other, it allows the model to learn the relationship between the two, thus improving the ability of natural language understanding in languages of the same language family. In addition, this paper constructed a multilingual in-vehicle dialogue (MIvD) dataset for experimental evaluation to demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the IABCL framework in cross-lingual dialogue. With the framework studied in this paper, IABCL improves by 2.42% in intent, 1.43% in slot, and 2.67% in overall when compared with the latest model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reluctance shown by Assamese speakers towards their mother tongue in the present context in the future are honestly pushing the language to the brink of death. Today we live in a society where there is no lacking of parents who are proud to say that their children do not know how to speak their mother tongue. However, there is no shortage of students in the same society who have a keen interest in understanding their mother tongue well. As a result of such mentality, a large number of students have chosen the Assamese subject as their Major paper. This paper attempts on discussing how the presentcurriculum has helped students pursuing Assamese as a Major subject and what additions to the present curriculum would prove to be beneficial. This paper would be carried forward in analytical method and in doing so, the Assamese Language and Literature curriculum of some colleges and universities in Assam has been used in the preparation of the dissertation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Author-supplied citations are a fraction of the related literature for a paper. The "related citations" on PubMed is typically dozens or hundreds of results long, and does not offer hints why these results are related. Using noun phrases derived from the sentences of the paper, we show it is possible to more transparently navigate to PubMed updates through search terms that can associate a paper with its citations. The algorithm to generate these search terms involved automatically extracting noun phrases from the paper using natural language processing tools, and ranking them by the number of occurrences in the paper compared to the number of occurrences on the web. We define search queries having at least one instance of overlap between the author-supplied citations of the paper and the top 20 search results as citation validated (CV). When the overlapping citations were written by same authors as the paper itself, we define it as CV-S and different authors is defined as CV-D. For a systematic sample of 883 papers on PubMed Central, at least one of the search terms for 86% of the papers is CV-D versus 65% for the top 20 PubMed "related citations." We hypothesize these quantities computed for the 20 million papers on PubMed to differ within 5% of these percentages. Averaged across all 883 papers, 5 search terms are CVD, and 10 search terms are CV-S, and 6 unique citations validate these searches. Potentially related literature uncovered by citation-validated searches (either CV-S or CV-D) are on the order of ten per paper - many more if the remaining searches that are not citation-validated are taken into account. The significance and relationship of each search result to the paper can only be vetted and explained by a researcher with knowledge of or interest in that paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titles are a crucial feature of research papers and have become increasingly important with changes in publishing practices and the explosion of published research. As a result, novice writers seeking to get their work noticed in international journals might benefit from a clear understanding of the features of research titles and an awareness of the relationship between language and disciplinary context. In this study, we explore this relationship and the impact of changing contexts on titles across the last 60 years on the length, form and content of 36,000 titles from the 10 leading journals from six disciplines spread along a soft‐hard science continuum. Our results show a considerable increase in the length of titles coupled with more interrogative and compound titles in almost all disciplines. There has also been a growing mention of methods in the titles of hard knowledge papers with more frequent inclusion of results in the softer domains. These diachronic changes can be attributed to different characteristics of the fields and of the changing dynamics of the publishing context. Our findings have important implications for early career academics seeking to publish in English and contribute to studies of diachronic analysis of academic discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the Association for Computational Linguistics' 43rd Annual Meeting in 2005. The acceptance rate is low. It states that when the acceptance rate is low, precision tends to be high. The meeting had great precision. It provides information on the papers presented in the meeting.

The growing popularity of the plain language movement in Poland has resulted in a number of publications devoted to the subject. They approach plain language from different perspectives; they also differ in character. In this paper, I present a list of publications devoted to plain language and a proposal for their classification. I have also applied statistical analysis to this collection. Owing to these procedures, I was able to determine the current research findings, as well as to identify areas that require further exploration. In this paper, I also put forward a proposal for a new layout of the repository of the University of Warsaw Laboratory for Effective Communication, which may become helpful both in research on plain language and in plain language didactics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prospective authors are requested to submit new, unpublished manuscripts for inclusion in the upcoming event described in this call for papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prospective authors are requested to submit new, unpublished manuscripts for inclusion in the upcoming event described in this call for papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Journals are trying to make their papers more accessible by creating a variety of research summaries including graphical abstracts, video abstracts, and plain language summaries. It is unknown if individuals with science, science-related, or non-science careers prefer different summaries, which approach is most effective, or even what criteria should be used for judging which approach is most effective. A survey was created to address this gap in our knowledge. Two papers from Nature on similar research topics were chosen, and different kinds of research summaries were created for each one. Questions to measure comprehension of the research, as well as self-evaluation of enjoyment of the summary, perceived understanding after viewing the summary, and the desire for more updates of that summary type were asked to determine the relative merits of each of the summaries. Results: Participants (n = 538) were randomly assigned to one of the summary types. The response of adults with science, science-related, and non-science careers were slightly different, but they show similar trends. All groups performed well on a post-summary test, but participants reported higher perceived understanding when presented with a video or plain language summary (p<0.0025). All groups enjoyed video abstracts the most followed by plain language summaries, and then graphical abstracts and published abstracts. The reported preference for different summary types was generally not correlated to the comprehension of the summaries. Here we show that original abstracts and graphical abstracts are not as successful as video abstracts and plain language summaries at producing comprehension, a feeling of understanding, and enjoyment. Our results indicate the value of relaxing the word counts in the abstract to allow for more plain language or including a plain language summary section along with the abstract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the author's experience in teaching language study. Comparing articles on the same topic from different newspapers; Introducing the subject to the students; Listing of discrepancies among the articles; Focusing on the power of connotations of words; Advantages of comparing news stories as the basis of language study; Comparing different types of articles on a particular issue.

This paper aims at documenting and reconstructing the linguistic processes generating and substantiating the use of number systems, numbers in general, elementary arithmetic, and the related concepts and notions among the Kula people from Alor Island, Southeastern Indonesia. The Kula is a Papuan population from the Alor–Pantar Archipelago (Timor area). The name of their language, Kula (or Kola), corresponds to the ethnonym. The language is, currently, endangered and not completely documented. At the level of linguistic features, numeral systems and the terms for numerals from Eastern Alor exhibit, to some extent, unique characteristics, if compared to other languages spoken in other sectors of the island. Therefore, the Kula numbering system is not only significant at the lexicological and lexicographic level, but also represents the essential role of cognitive strategies (e.g., the choice of the base for the numbering systems and the visual representation of counting with the aid of actual 'objects', like hands and fingers) in the coinage of numerical terms among the local speakers. Indeed, the development of numeral systems reflects the evolution of human language and the ability of humans to construct abstract numerical concepts. The way numerals are encoded and expressed in a language can impact the patterns according to which numerical notions are conceptualized and understood. Different numeral systems can indicate variations in cognitive processes involving notions of quantities and measurements. Therefore, the structure and characteristics of a numeral system may affect how numeral concepts are mentally represented and developed. This paper focuses on the number system of the Kula people and the lexical units used by the local speakers to indicate (and to explain) the numbers, with the related concepts, notions, and symbolism. The investigation delves into the degrees of abstraction of the Kula numeral system and tries to ascertain its origins and reconstruct it. Moreover, the article applies to the analysis a comparative approach, which takes into account several Papuan and Austronesian languages from Alor Island and Eastern Timor, with the dual aim of investigating, at a preliminary level, a possible common evolution and/or divergent naming processes in local numbering systems and their historical–linguistic and etymological origins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Philologia is the property of Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Estonian & Finno-Ugric Linguistics / Eesti ja Soome-ugri Keeleteaduse Ajakiri is the property of University of Tartu Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The current paper describes atemporal complement clauses in Assamese, an IA language spoken in Assam (India). Cognitive Linguistics views grammar as motivated by embodied meaning. Thus, atemporal complementation reflects a conceptual shift from a temporal process to an atemporal thing because of which the verb in such a clause appears non-finite, and the situation is conceptualized through ‘summary scanning.’ Atemporal complementation may also involve the ‘Figure and Ground’ principle. The paper identifies five atemporal complementizers in Assamese, each with distinct grammatical and semantic properties, highlighting the link between grammar and the way speakers construe situations. The study further shows that atemporal complement clauses might retain some sequential scanning, defending the view that the distinction between summary and sequential scanning are not mutually exclusive as is claimed in Langacker (2008). The data for this paper has mainly come from the authors themselves who happen to be native speakers of Assamese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a formal model for syntactic and semantic analysis for the Hindi language using context-free grammar. In this paper, we developed a syntactic parser that generates syntactic trees for Hindi sentences based on rules of propositional logic, and gender conventions. The context-free rules we have written follow a top-down approach with a sentence that goes on self-arrangement. A set of experiments were run based on the corpus we have created, and significant results are presented in this paper. In addition to the above, the model characterizes lexical items in terms of individuals and sets for the syntactic distribution for well-formed formulas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asemic writing is a wordless form of textual communication, with semantically open content left to the reader's interpretation By contrast, graphic designers are taught to conceiv e of text as image in order to compound meaning through graphic representation and typographic nuance Graphic designers consider the linguistic container beyond its semantic substance, in effect, and attempt to expand the sematic load of language with visual modulation. Analogously, in Empire of Signs. Roland Bartlies contemplates Japanese culture as a series of signs that exist in relative ataraxia with their signifying instance, where the alliance of sign and signification mingle as meditative components in a relative yin-yang balance as exemplified by the society within which they exit as philosophical constants. For Barthes, this notion confronts a Western temperament wherein a Platonic ideal seems to foment a continual search for the existence of pre-eminent signs that function as pinnacles of signification However, when signs arc devoid of intentional meaning, what can we glean from the mechanics of sign operations that attempt to establish and create, especially with regards to visual narrative and the hctcrotopic and temporal devices used by writers, artists and designers, a sense of "otherness?" This paper examines the hctcrotopic relationship of ascmic writing as a mediated agent of narrative in our post-literate society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODCTION: Immersive teaching and learning methods based on virtual reality-integrated remote platforms not only allow foreign language learners to learn in a vivid and intuitive learning environment, but also provide good conditions for multi-channel perceptual experiences of foreign language learners in terms of sight, sound and touch. OBJECTIVES: To address the problems of insufficiently systematic analysis and quantification, poor robustness and low accuracy of analysis methods in current effect analysis methods. METHODS: This paper proposes an effect analysis method of virtual reality fusion remote platform based on crawfish optimization algorithm to improve echo state network. First, the effect analysis system is constructed by analyzing the process of virtual reality fusion remote platform and extracting the effect analysis influencing elements; then, the echo state network is improved by the crayfish optimization algorithm and the effect analysis model is constructed; finally, the high accuracy of the proposed method is verified by the analysis of simulation experiments. RESLUTS: The proposed method improves the accuracy of the virtual reality fusion remote platform effect analysis model, the analysis time is 0.002s, which meets the real-time requirements, and the number of optimization convergence iterations is 16, which is better than other algorithms. CONCLUSION: The problems of insufficiently systematic analytical quantification of effect analysis methods, poor robustness of analytical methods, and low accuracy have been solved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst study abroad (SA) periods hold much promise for foreign language development, increasing research suggests sojourners' experiences are unique, and language development does not always follow a linear trajectory. For some learners, SA has little impact on their language performance despite the affordances of L2 immersion (the Survivors). Other learners maximise the potential of SA, and this has a positive impact on their language development (the Thrivers). This paper examines the selected cases of four Japanese learners of English and their request language performance during a 10-month SA in the UK. Changes in pragmatic knowledge (based on appropriateness ratings) were documented at three equidistant time points. Language contact profile data also provided quantitative insights into the learners' extracurricular language use and qualitative personal reflections. The selected cases illustrate two learners surviving the SA experience, showing minimal change in their request performance. The other two learners thrived during SA, showing accelerated performance in terms of lexical variation at the production level. This paper reports on the case histories of these learners to better understand these unique experiences and pragmatic discrepancies. Suggestions for how learners might be more pragmatically successful during SA are also offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, self-report measures are the primary assessment tool for anxiety disorders. Since they have some limitations, alternative measurements, such as language-based measures, are worth investigating. This paper explores which language markers signal anxiety in fictitious stories written in response to four Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) cards. Participants (n = 492) from a non-probabilistic convenience sample were asked to write a short story next to each TAT card after completing the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. We used RoLIWC2015 to conduct the text analysis and applied the LASSO method to identify which language markers predict anxiety. The results showed that the respondents scoring high on anxiety also tend to use more words expressing negative emotions, and fewer words expressing positive emotions. Moreover, their language contained a higher frequency of words that implied semantic differentiation (i.e., but, else) and a lower frequency of words indicating leisure. In conclusion, this paper aims to shed new light on the multimethod assessment of anxiety, mainly focused on specific language signatures as reliable predictors of anxiety symptoms. Further research using more extensive text data is recommended to discover more linguistic markers and improve prediction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a notable surge in the studies on humour in the language classroom in the past two or even three decades. This burgeoning literature seems to have already entered the threshold of a field of study. In this article, humour-integrated language learning (HILL) is put forth as an umbrella term for diverse attempts to employ pedagogical humour in language education. HILL principally refers to a diverse suite of methods, tools and techniques where humour serves as a means (and/or an end) in language learning. It is envisaged that this paper can a) open a window on (L2) pedagogical humour in its diverse manifestations, b) underscore the potentiality latent in L2 humour to inform and influence language learning, c) present a more insightful, coherent picture of the attempts to use humour in language learning, and d) outline further developments and future directions in humour-informed research and practice within language education. This article also aims to broaden the borders of HILL by making connections between pedagogical (L2) humour and other relevant notions and approaches such as playful learning, creative pedagogy, critical pedagogy, technology-enhanced language learning (TELL), etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]