Sebirwa in Contact with Setswana

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth C. Zsiga ◽  
One Tlale Boyer
Keyword(s):  
Language Loss ◽  
Frequency Effects ◽  
The Asymmetry ◽  
Lexical Items ◽  
Far Eastern ◽  
The Village

Setswana, spoken by about 4.5 million people throughout Botswana, is well-known in the literature for “post-nasal devoicing,” in which /b/ and /l/ become [p]‌ and [t] after nasals, contra the expected, phonetically-grounded pattern of post-nasal voicing. Sebirwa, in contrast, has at most 15,000 speakers concentrated in the far eastern corner of the country. Sebirwa is being overwhelmed by Setswana, and in a process of “massive Tswananization,” has borrowed some aspects of post-nasal devoicing. Our analysis, based on fieldwork in the village of Molalatau, shows that the Sebirwa pattern is doubly unexpected: only /b/ devoices, not /d/ and /g/. We attribute the asymmetry to frequency effects from Setswana, where, due to a skewed voicing inventory, the majority of lexical items that exhibit the alternation have underlying /b/. We discuss the implications of this type of borrowing, both for the typology of alternations, and for patterns of language loss.

Truncation to Subminimal Words in Early French

2003 ◽  
Vol 48 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 211-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Demuth ◽  
Mark Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Probabilistic Approach ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Frequency Effects ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
Early Production ◽  
Lexical Items ◽  
Target Words

AbstractIt has commonly been proposed that there is a stage in development where children’s early productions are binary feet, or minimal words. However, the present study of a French-speaking child (1;1–1;8) finds an extended period where both CVC and disyllabic target words are truncated to CV after initially being produced as reduplicated CiVCiV forms. That is, the child appears to regress, failing to produce disyllabic forms that could be produced earlier. This article proposes an explanation for this apparent regression in terms of segmental-prosodic constraint interaction, where the child’s limited segmental inventory, in conjunction with the high frequency of CV lexical items in everyday French, conspire to yield subminimal truncations as “optimal” at this stage in development. These findings provide support for a growing body of literature showing the importance of both constraint interaction and frequency effects in early production, arguing for a more probabilistic approach to theories of language learning.

Problems of updating the cadaster of stationary anthrax-unfavorable points of the Far Eastern Federal District of the Russian Federation

2021 ◽  
pp. 41-49
Author(s):  
Zorigma Fedorovna Dugarzhapova ◽  
Elena Vladimirovna Kravets ◽  
Mariya Aleksandrovna Ivacheva ◽  
Margarita Valentinovna Chesnokova ◽  
Sergey Vladimirovich Balakhonov
Keyword(s):  
Russian Federation ◽  
Federal District ◽  
Literary Sources ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Far Eastern ◽  
The Village ◽  
The City ◽  
Official Data

The results of updating the Cadastre of stationary anthrax-unfavorable points in the Russian Federation (2005) and the creation of databases for nine out of 11 subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District (in the Magadan Region and the Chukotka Autonomous District, anthrax was not officially registered) are presented, information on 1285 points has been updated, instead of 1089 previously recorded. For the period 1856–2008 according to official data and literary sources, 8346 heads of animals and 253 people fell ill in nine subjects. The largest share of sick animals (72.3 %) falls on the Republic of Buryatia, and people (45.1 %) — in the Zabaikalsky Territory. The years of manifestation of activity of 99.8 % of permanently unfavorable points for anthrax are known. Most of the new points were formed in 1890–1899 and 1930–1939. Anthrax on the territory of the Far Eastern Federal District was annually recorded from 1910 to 1989. The maximum epizootic activity was noted in the city of Blagoveshchensk in the Amur Region and in the village of Kyren in the Republic of Buryatia. Based on updated information on the former and renamed settlements in accordance with the territorial-administrative division of the country; specified locations of settlements, former collective and state farms, liquidated in the 90s of the twentieth century; data on years of activity, species and number of dead animals and sick people; Determination of the geographical coordinates of the SNP created a database of stationary anthrax-unfavorable points in six regions (Zabaikalsky, Kamchatka, Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories, Jewish Autonomous Okrug, Sakhalin and Amur regions.

scholarly journals COLLOQUIAL VOCABULARY OF SOUTHERN BESSARABIA AND MODERN UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE: A COMPARATIVE ASPECT

2021 ◽  
pp. 24-31
Author(s):  
A. P. Romanchenko ◽  
V. А. Kanazirska
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Method ◽  
Field Recordings ◽  
Women's Clothing ◽  
Comparative Aspect ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Lexical Items ◽  
Colloquial Speech ◽  
The Village ◽  
Descriptive Method ◽  
Potential Use

The study of the dialectal vocabulary of the southern regions of the Dniester and the Danube is still relevant for modern dialectology. This territory is an area of late formation with complex multidirectional and different-time interdialectal and interlingual interactions. The purpose of this article is to compare the names of clothes in the dialect of the village Plakhtiivka (Odessa region) and the nationwide Ukrainian language. The object of research is dialectal names of clothes, and the subject is phonetic and semantic aspects of the specified vocabulary. A descriptive method (to characterize the names of clothes), component analysis (to establish the semantics of the studied vocabulary) and comparative method (to identify common and different in dialect and modern Ukrainian language) were used in the process of studying colloquial vocabulary. The source base of the study contains field recordings of colloquial speech, made on a special questionnaire. The theoretical value of the obtained results lies in the systematization of common and different in phonetic and semantic aspects, and the practical value - in the potential use of the results in classes on dialectology and lexicology and in lexicographic practice. The study describes lexical items of four lexical and semantic groups: "Names of men's clothing", "Names of women's clothing", "Names of men's accessories" and "Names of women's accessories". In a comparative aspect 18 lexical items are considered. At the phonetic and lexical levels a significant number of lexical items different from the modern Ukrainian language have been found. Most of the meanings of the analyzed lexical items coincide with those recorded in the nationwide language. However, there are some differences that constitute the specifics of the dialect. The considered colloquial vocabulary is valuable for enriching the empirical base of Ukrainian dialectology and preserving dialect names in the annals of the Ukrainian language.

scholarly journals Jewish national units among the troops of Ataman G.M. Semyonov in the Transbaikal, 1919-1920

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 531-542
Author(s):  
Denis R. Kasatochkin
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Jewish Population ◽  
Full Strength ◽  
Russian State ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Far Eastern ◽  
The Village

This article is based on a wide range of sources, including documents of the Russian State Military Archive. It tells about a little-known national white counterrevolution formation created by Ataman G.M. Semyonov in early 1919 and recruited from the Jewish population of Transbaikalia. The uniqueness of this separate Jewish company lies in the fact that it was the only regular armed formation consisting of Jews and participating in combat action on the side of the White movement. In this way, at the very beginning of 1919, a detachment that included a Jewish company fought against the Red partisans and internationalists in the Yakut taiga on the Magyar rift. In addition, the Jewish divisions carried out garrison service in different settlements of the Semyonovskii kingdom. During the summer of 1919, underground Bolshevik cells began to form, which in the spring of 1920 led to a revolt in the white Jewish units. An insurrection in the village of Aleksandrovka was suppressed by Semyononvs forces. On 23 April 1920 a separate Jewish company in full strength successfully went over to the side of the Reds in the village of Nerchensky Zavod. In response, the Red command decided to create the 4th Rifle Partisan Regiment from among the Jewish partisans who had gone over to the Bolshevik side. Thereafter, this regiment was transformed into the 15th Infantry Regiment of the People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic. In the fall of 1920, it took part in heavy battles for Borzya and Dauria. All this is disclosed in more detail in this article. The Jewish national divisions were only one of the ethno-confessional units of the troops of ataman G.M. Semenov, next to Chinese, Serbian, Buryat, Mongolian, Caucasian and Tatar formations. Their activities in 1919 were mostly garrison work in nature, but they also had to fight against the partisans in extremely difficult conditions. The transition of these ethnic groups to the Reds was not surprising, at a time when the White movement in Transbaikalia was already in agony. The article also pays attention to the position of Jews in Transbaikalia during the Civil War and the attitude of Ataman G.M. Semenov to the Jewish matter.

Coding efficiency in nominal inflection: expectedness and type frequency effects

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (s3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matías Guzmán Naranjo ◽  
Laura Becker
Keyword(s):  
Human Behavior ◽  
Frequency Effects ◽  
Coding Efficiency ◽  
Consulting Psychology ◽  
Type Frequency ◽  
Nominal Inflection ◽  
Lexical Items ◽  
Correspondence Hypothesis

Abstract Since (Zipf, George Kingsley. 1935. The psychobiology of language: An introduction to dynamic philology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press; Zipf, George Kingsley. 1949. Human behavior and the principle of least effort. Journal of Consulting Psychology 13(3)), it has been known that more frequent lexical items tend to be shorter than less frequent ones, and this association between the length of an expression and its frequency has been applied to various grammatical patterns (syntactic, morphological, and phonological) and related to predictability or expectedness in the typological literature. However, the exact interactions of frequency and expectedness, their effect on shortening, and the mechanisms involved, are still not well understood. This paper proposes the Form-Expectedness Correspondence Hypothesis (fech), taking into account not only the frequency of expressions but their overall structure and distribution, and explores the fech in the domain of nominal inflection from a quantitative perspective.

scholarly journals Patterns of sound change in Deori and Dimasa

2019 ◽  
pp. 26-35
Author(s):  
Monali Longmailai ◽  
Jonali Saikia
Keyword(s):  
Sound Change ◽  
Morphological Features ◽  
Language Loss ◽  
Counting System ◽  
Lexical Items

This paper compares the two cognate Tibeto- Burman languages, Deori and Dimasa, in terms of sound change patterns in certain class of lexical items. In this regard, it discusses the noun categorization devices besides the counting system, some morphological features and the use of borrowing present in these languages. The paper, thereby, studies briefly their sociolinguistic context of language loss and retention.

Lexical Comprehension in Young Children With Developmental Delays

1994 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa A. Kouri
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Developmental Delays ◽  
Normal Development ◽  
Clinical Applications ◽  
Group Status ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Comprehension Skills ◽  
Lexical Items ◽  
Lexical Concepts

Lexical comprehension skills were examined in 20 young children (aged 28–45 months) with developmental delays (DD) and 20 children (aged 19–34 months) with normal development (ND). Each was assigned to either a story-like script condition or a simple ostensive labeling condition in which the names of three novel object and action items were presented over two experimental sessions. During the experimental sessions, receptive knowledge of the lexical items was assessed through a series of target and generalization probes. Results indicated that all children, irrespective of group status, acquired more lexical concepts in the ostensive labeling condition than in the story narrative condition. Overall, both groups acquired more object than action words, although subjects with ND comprehended more action words than subjects with DD. More target than generalization items were also comprehended by both groups. It is concluded that young children’s comprehension of new lexical concepts is facilitated more by a context in which simple ostensive labels accompany the presentation of specific objects and actions than one in which objects and actions are surrounded by thematic and event-related information. Various clinical applications focusing on the lexical training of young children with DD are discussed.

Real Ear Sound Pressure Levels Developed by Three Portable Stereo System Earphones

1992 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 52-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail L. MacLean ◽  
Andrew Stuart ◽  
Robert Stenstrom
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Test System ◽  
Output Frequency ◽  
Frequency Effects ◽  
Adult Men ◽  
Frequency Responses ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Sound Pressure Levels

Differences in real ear sound pressure levels (SPLs) with three portable stereo system (PSS) earphones (supraaural [Sony Model MDR-44], semiaural [Sony Model MDR-A15L], and insert [Sony Model MDR-E225]) were investigated. Twelve adult men served as subjects. Frequency response, high frequency average (HFA) output, peak output, peak output frequency, and overall RMS output for each PSS earphone were obtained with a probe tube microphone system (Fonix 6500 Hearing Aid Test System). Results indicated a significant difference in mean RMS outputs with nonsignificant differences in mean HFA outputs, peak outputs, and peak output frequencies among PSS earphones. Differences in mean overall RMS outputs were attributed to differences in low-frequency effects that were observed among the frequency responses of the three PSS earphones. It is suggested that one cannot assume equivalent real ear SPLs, with equivalent inputs, among different styles of PSS earphones.

Experience Matters

2020 ◽  
Vol 228 (4) ◽  
pp. 254-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro S. Mendes ◽  
Karlos Luna ◽  
Pedro B. Albuquerque
Keyword(s):  
Word Frequency ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Recall Test ◽  
Judgments Of Learning ◽  
Direct Experience ◽  
Frequency Effects ◽  
Actual Frequency ◽  
Actual Word ◽  
High Frequency Words

Abstract. The present study tested if word frequency effects on judgments of learning (JOLs) are exclusively due to beliefs or if the direct experience with the items also plays a role. Across four experiments, participants read prompts about the frequency of the words (high/low), which could be congruent/incongruent with the words’ actual frequency. They made pre-study JOLs (except Experiment 1b), immediate JOLs, and completed a recall test. If experience drives the effect, JOLs should be based on actual word frequency rather than the prompts. Results showed higher pre-study JOLs for prompts of high frequency, but higher immediate JOLs for high-frequency words regardless of the prompt, suggesting an effect of direct experience with the words. In Experiments 2 and 3, we manipulated participants’ beliefs, finding a small effect of beliefs on JOLs. We conclude that, regarding word frequency, direct experience with the items seems more relevant than beliefs when making immediate JOLs.

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