scholarly journals A Diary-Based Study of Language Use During Cognitive Decline

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 575-575
Author(s):  
Katharina Pabst ◽  
Sali Tagliamonte
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Basic Writing ◽  
Daily Diary ◽  
Writing Style ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Longitudinal Effects ◽  
Systematic Reduction ◽  
Linguistic Phenomenon

Abstract Although the effects of dementia on language have been examined in a variety of ways, there is relatively little data available showing longitudinal effects. In the present study, we examined the effect of cognitive decline on an individual’s language use over time (from age 60-91) by assessing daily diary entries. We focused on a linguistic phenomenon commonly associated with diaries and other informal registers, i.e. subject omission, as in “∅ Made cranberry muffins.” Quantitative analysis revealed a drastic decline in the use of this feature, which is correlated with the stages of the individual’s cognitive decline. We argue that the patterns reflect a systematic reduction in complexity that affects a writing style based on literacy and acquired at a later stage than more basic writing. This corroborates previous findings, showing later-acquired linguistic features are disproportionately affected in cognitive decline and highlights the importance of linguistic analysis in aging research.

scholarly journals Interlocutors’ Age Impacts Teenagers’ Online Writing Style: Accommodation in Intra- and Intergenerational Online Conversations

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Hilte ◽  
Walter Daelemans ◽  
Reinhild Vandekerckhove
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Intergenerational Communication ◽  
Linguistic Variables ◽  
Writing Style ◽  
Poisson Models ◽  
Conversation Partner ◽  
Intragenerational Communication ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Linguistic Phenomenon ◽  
Large Corpus

The present study examines how teenagers adapt their language use to that of their conversation partner (i.e., the linguistic phenomenon of accommodation) in interactions with peers (intragenerational communication) and with older interlocutors (intergenerational communication). We analyze a large corpus of Flemish teenagers’ conversations on Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, which appear to be highly peer-oriented. With Poisson models, we examine whether the teenage participants adjust their writing style to older interlocutors. The same trend emerges for three sets of prototypical markers of the informal online genre: teenagers insert significantly fewer of these markers when interacting with older interlocutors, thus matching their interlocutors’ style and increasing linguistic similarity. Finally, the analyses reveal subtle differences in accommodation patterns for the distinct linguistic variables with respect to the impact of the teenagers’ sociodemographic profiles and their interlocutors’ age.

Investigating Language Use Through Corpusbased Analyses of Association Patterns

1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Biber
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Association Patterns ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Empirical Approaches

The present paper argues that analyses of language use provide an important complementary perspective to traditional linguistic descriptions, and that empirical approaches are required for such investigations. Corpus-based techniques are particularly well suited to these research purposes, enabling investigation of research questions that were previously disregarded. Specifically, the paper discusses the use of corpus-based techniques to identify and analyze complex "association patterns": the systematic ways in which linguistic features are used in association with other linguistic and non-linguistic features. Several illustrative analyses are discussed, investigating the use of lexical features, grammatical features, and the overall patterns of variability among texts and registers.

Assessing the Role of Selective Fossilization Hypothesis in Determining Fossilizable Phonetic Errors in Tunisian EFL Learners’ Oral Output

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Aicha Rahal ◽  
Chokri Smaoui
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
First Language ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Phonetic Errors ◽  
Linguistic Phenomenon

Fossilization is said to be a distinctive characteristic of second language (L2) learning (Selinker, 1972, 1996; Han, 2004). It is the most pervasive among adult L2 learners (Han and Odlin, 2006). This linguistic phenomenon has been characterized by cessation of learning, even though the learner is exposed to frequent input. Based on the findings of the MA dissertation of the first researcher which is about ‘phonetic fossilization’ and where she conducted a longitudinal study, Han’s Selective Fossilization Hypothesis (SFL) is used to analyze the obtained fossilized phonetic errors in relation to L1 markedness and L2 robustness with a particular focus on fossilized vowel sounds. This is an analytical model for identifying both acquisitional and fossilizable linguistic features based on learners’ first language (L1) markedness and second language (L2) robustness. The article first gives an overview of the theory of Interlanguage and the phenomenon of fossilization. Then, it introduces SFL. This is an attempt to study fossilization scientifically. In other words, it tests the predictive power of a developed L1 Markedness and L2 Robustness rating scale based on Han’s (2009) model. The present study has pedagogic implications; it is an opportunity to raise teachers’ awareness on this common linguistic phenomenon.

Lexical priming in humorous satirical newspaper headlines

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Skalicky
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
American English ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Lexical Priming ◽  
Corpus Linguistic ◽  
Linguistic Patterns ◽  
Linguistic Methods ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge ◽  
Do So

Abstract Satire is a type of discourse commonly employed to mock or criticize a satirical target, typically resulting in humor. Current understandings of satire place strong emphasis on the role that background and pragmatic knowledge play during satire recognition. However, there may also be specific linguistic cues that signal a satirical intent. Researchers using corpus linguistic methods, specifically Lexical Priming, have demonstrated that other types of creative language use, such as irony, puns, and verbal jokes, purposefully deviate from expected language patterns (e.g. collocations). The purpose of this study is to investigate whether humorous satirical headlines also subvert typical linguistic patterns using the theory of Lexical Priming. In order to do so, a corpus of newspaper headlines taken from the satirical American newspaper The Onion are analyzed and compared to a generalized corpus of American English. Results of this analysis suggest satirical headlines exploit linguistic expectations through the use of low-frequency collocations and semantic preferences, but also contain higher discourse and genre level deviations that cannot be captured in the surface level linguistic features of the headlines.

scholarly journals Development and Preliminary Validation of Standardized Regression-Based Change Scores as Measures of Transitional Cognitive Decline

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1168-1181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M Kiselica ◽  
Alyssa N Kaser ◽  
Troy A Webber ◽  
Brent J Small ◽  
Jared F Benge
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Base Rate ◽  
Neuropsychological Battery ◽  
Clinical Dementia Rating ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Change Scores ◽  
Cognitive Measure ◽  
Preliminary Validation ◽  
User Friendly

Abstract Objective An increasing focus in Alzheimer’s disease and aging research is to identify transitional cognitive decline. One means of indexing change over time in serial cognitive evaluations is to calculate standardized regression-based (SRB) change indices. This paper includes the development and preliminary validation of SRB indices for the Uniform Data Set 3.0 Neuropsychological Battery, as well as base rate data to aid in their interpretation. Method The sample included 1,341 cognitively intact older adults with serial assessments over 0.5–2 years in the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Database. SRB change scores were calculated in half of the sample and then validated in the other half of the sample. Base rates of SRB decline were evaluated at z-score cut-points, corresponding to two-tailed p-values of .20 (z = −1.282), .10 (z = −1.645), and .05 (z = −1.96). We examined convergent associations of SRB indices for each cognitive measure with each other as well as concurrent associations of SRB indices with clinical dementia rating sum of box scores (CDR-SB). Results SRB equations were able to significantly predict the selected cognitive variables. The base rate of at least one significant SRB decline across the entire battery ranged from 26.70% to 58.10%. SRB indices for cognitive measures demonstrated theoretically expected significant positive associations with each other. Additionally, CDR-SB impairment was associated with an increasing number of significantly declined test scores. Conclusions This paper provides preliminary validation of SRB indices in a large sample, and we present a user-friendly tool for calculating SRB values.

scholarly journals Linguistic Markers and Stylistic Attributes of Hedging in English Academic Papers Written by Native and Non-Native Speakers of English

MANUSYA ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Amara Prasithrathsint
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Linguistic Markers ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
English Academic Writing ◽  
The Impact

Hedging means mitigating words so as to lessen the impact of an utterance. It may cause uncertainty in language but is regarded as an important feature in English academic writing. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the style of academic writing in English with particular reference to the significant role of hedging and the linguistic features that mark it. The data was taken from academic articles in the humanities written by native speakers of English, Filipino speakers of English, and Thai speakers of English. It is hypothesized that speakers of English as a foreign language use fewer and different hedging devices than native speakers of English. The result of the analysis shows that the prominent linguistic markers of hedging are the auxiliaries may, might, could, the verbs suggest, appear, seem, and the adverbs perhaps and often. They are divided into three groups according to their stylistic attributes of hedging; namely, probability, indetermination, and approximation. The use of hedging found in the data confirms what Hyman (1994) says; i.e., that hedging allows writers to express their uncertainty about the truth of their statements. It is also found that English native speakers use hedges most frequently. The Filipino speakers of English are the second, and the Thai speakers of English use hedges the least frequency. This implies that hedging is likely to be related to the level of competence in English including knowledge of stylistic variation, and that it needs to be formally taught to those who speak English as a second or foreign language.

Subverting Patriarchy through Écriture Feminine in Fawzia Afzal-Khan’s Lahore with Love: Growing Up with Girlfriends, Pakistani Style

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirin Zubair ◽  
Rija Ahsan
Keyword(s):  
Research Paper ◽  
Literary Studies ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Writing Style ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Ecriture Feminine ◽  
Code Mixing ◽  
Structural Linguistics ◽  
Research Gap

This research paper explores linguistic techniques employed by Fawzia Afzal-Khan in her memoir Lahore with Love: Growing up with Girlfriends, Pakistani Style (LWL) to challenge patriarchal norms and structures. The theoretical frameworks used for this research are drawn from structural linguistics including the works of Mills (1995), Spender (1980), as well as French Poststructuralists: Cixous (1975) and Irigaray (1985). Through analysis of the linguistic features of her narrative such as tropes, metaphors, imagery, wordplay, polyphony, genre-mixing, and code-mixing, the paper strives to illustrate the alternative writing style of the memoirist.  The objective is to reveal that her linguistic and stylistic methods differ from the dominant structural and patriarchal writing styles, and mark her feminine individuality expressed thematically and stylistically in her memoir. The significance of our approach is that our analysis of her narrative is informed by a combination of the literary insights of the French feminists along with the ideas gained from the discipline of feminist linguistics and feminist stylistics. We hope that this paper goes some way in filling the research gap in the domain of Pakistani women’s memoir-writing: an emerging arena of literary studies which is ignored and dismissed both in its literary merit and political significance. 

scholarly journals P4-360: Longitudinal Effects of Diabetes on Cognitive Decline: Results From the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center's Uniform Data Set (NACC UDS)

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. P1175-P1175
Author(s):  
Carolyn W. Zhu ◽  
Xiaodong Luo ◽  
Corbett Schimming ◽  
Hillel Grossman ◽  
Mary Sano
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Longitudinal Effects

scholarly journals Small but Multi-functional: Response Tokens in Content Language Integrated Learning Interaction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Sabria Salama Jawhar
Keyword(s):  
Conversation Analysis ◽  
Corpus Linguistics ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Classroom Interaction ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Interactional Functions ◽  
The Relationship

This paper is an investigation of language use inside a content language integrated learning (CLIL) classroom at Saudi tertiary level. It examines the difference in language use between teachers and students in four subject-specific classrooms in which English is used as a medium of instruction. The study is informed by corpus linguistics (CL) and uses the principles and theoretical underpinning of conversation analysis (CA). It identifies the most frequent linguistic features of CLIL and examines their diverse interactional functions in this context. Amongst the most frequent linguistic features in CLIL are short response tokens such as “yes” and “no”. Using a micro-analytic approach to conversation analysis, a closer look at the data shows the students’ ability to use small and limited linguistic resources to accomplish multiple interactional functions such as taking the floor, taking turns and, most importantly, displaying orientation to knowledge. The data reflected the relationship between frequency and meaning construction. With regard to the difference in language use between teachers and students with regard to comes to short response tokens, the study shows some common interactional uses of response tokens between teachers and students, such as agreement, acknowledgement, response to confirmation checks and yes/no questions. On the other hand, it shows some exclusive interactional use of the same token by teachers and students. Finally, the paper emphasises the relationship of language, interaction and orientation to content knowledge in CLIL classrooms. Pedagogically, the findings have implications for teachers’ language use and for increased classroom interaction.

scholarly journals A two level learning model for authorship authentication

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0255661
Author(s):  
Ahmed Taha ◽  
Heba M. Khalil ◽  
Tarek El-shishtawy
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Performance ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Statistical Features ◽  
Writing Style ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Part Of Speech ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Learning Technique ◽  
Authorship Authentication

Nowadays, forensic authorship authentication plays a vital role in identifying the number of unknown authors as a result of the world’s rapidly rising internet use. This paper presents two-level learning techniques for authorship authentication. The learning technique is supplied with linguistic knowledge, statistical features, and vocabulary features to enhance its efficiency instead of learning only. The linguistic knowledge is represented through lexical analysis features such as part of speech. In this study, a two-level classifier has been presented to capture the best predictive performance for identifying authorship. The first classifier is based on vocabulary features that detect the frequency with which each author uses certain words. This classifier’s results are fed to the second one which is based on a learning technique. It depends on lexical, statistical and linguistic features. All of the three sets of features describe the author’s writing styles in numerical forms. Through this work, many new features are proposed for identifying the author’s writing style. Although, the proposed new methodology is tested for Arabic writings, it is general and can be applied to any language. According to the used machine learning models, the experiment carried out shows that the trained two-level classifier achieves an accuracy ranging from 94% to 96.16%.

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