Automated Cross-Language Integration Based on Formal Model of Components

Distributions of cognates in Europe as based on Levenshtein distance

Bilingualism Language and Cognition ◽

10.1017/s1366728910000623 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 157-166 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

JOB SCHEPENS ◽

TON DIJKSTRA ◽

FRANC GROOTJEN

Keyword(s):

Distance Function ◽

Formal Model ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Levenshtein Distance ◽

Semantic Equivalence ◽

European Languages ◽

Orthographic Similarity ◽

Similarity Ratings ◽

Cross Language ◽

Stimulus Materials

Researchers on bilingual processing can benefit from computational tools developed in artificial intelligence. We show that a normalized Levenshtein distance function can efficiently and reliably simulate bilingual orthographic similarity ratings. Orthographic similarity distributions of cognates and non-cognates were identified across pairs of six European languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch. Semantic equivalence was determined using the conceptual structure of a translation database. By using a similarity threshold, large numbers of cognates could be selected that nearly completely included the stimulus materials of experimental studies. The identified numbers of form-similar and identical cognates correlated highly with branch lengths of phylogenetic language family trees, supporting the usefulness of the new measure for cross-language comparison. The normalized Levenshtein distance function can be considered as a new formal model of cross-language orthographic similarity.

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Proofs from Formal Model in Chapter 4

Delegating Powers ◽

10.1017/cbo9780511609312.012 ◽

1999 ◽

pp. 245-256

Keyword(s):

Formal Model

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Psychometric Parameters of the Spanish Version of the Kuwait University Anxiety Scale (S-KUAS)1

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759.20.4.349 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 349-357 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Ahmed M. Abdel-Khalek ◽

Joaquin Tomás-Sabádo ◽

Juana Gómez-Benito

Keyword(s):

Reliability And Validity ◽

Anxiety Scale ◽

Spanish Version ◽

Good Reliability ◽

Kuwait University ◽

Males And Females ◽

Anxiety Levels ◽

Arabic And English ◽

Cross Language ◽

Language Equivalence

Summary: To construct a Spanish version of the Kuwait University Anxiety Scale (S-KUAS), the Arabic and English versions of the KUAS have been separately translated into Spanish. To check the comparability in terms of meaning, the two Spanish preliminary translations were thoroughly scrutinized vis-à-vis both the Arabic and English forms by several experts. Bilingual subjects served to explore the cross-language equivalence of the English and Spanish versions of the KUAS. The correlation between the total scores on both versions was .93, and the t value was .30 (n.s.), denoting good similarity. The Alphas and 4-week test-retest reliabilities were greater than .84, while the criterion-related validity was .70 against scores on the trait subscale of the STAI. These findings denote good reliability and validity of the S-KUAS. Factor analysis yielded three high-loaded factors of Behavioral/Subjective, Cognitive/Affective, and Somatic Anxiety, equivalent to the original Arabic version. Female (n = 210) undergraduates attained significantly higher mean scores than their male (n = 102) counterparts. For the combined group of males and females, the correlation between the total score on the S-KUAS and age was -.17 (p < .01). By and large, the findings of the present study provide evidence of the utility of the S-KUAS in assessing trait anxiety levels in the Spanish undergraduate context.

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