scholarly journals When Peanuts Fall in Love: N400 Evidence for the Power of Discourse

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 1098-1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mante S. Nieuwland ◽  
Jos J. A. Van Berkum
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
N400 Effect ◽  
Discourse Context ◽  
Lexical Semantic ◽  
Interpretation Process ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Context Free

In linguistic theories of how sentences encode meaning, a distinction is often made between the context-free rule-based combination of lexical-semantic features of the words within a sentence (“semantics”), and the contributions made by wider context (“pragmatics”). In psycholinguistics, this distinction has led to the view that listeners initially compute a local, context-independent meaning of a phrase or sentence before relating it to the wider context. An important aspect of such a two-step perspective on interpretation is that local semantics cannot initially be overruled by global contextual factors. In two spoken-language event-related potential experiments, we tested the viability of this claim by examining whether discourse context can overrule the impact of the core lexical-semantic feature animacy, considered to be an innate organizing principle of cognition. Two-step models of interpretation predict that verb-object animacy violations, as in “The girl comforted the clock,” will always perturb the unfolding interpretation process, regardless of wider context. When presented in isolation, such anomalies indeed elicit a clear N400 effect, a sign of interpretive problems. However, when the anomalies were embedded in a supportive context (e.g., a girl talking to a clock about his depression), this N400 effect disappeared completely. Moreover, given a suitable discourse context (e.g., a story about an amorous peanut), animacy-violating predicates (“the peanut was in love”) were actually processed more easily than canonical predicates (“the peanut was salted”). Our findings reveal that discourse context can immediately overrule local lexical-semantic violations, and therefore suggest that language comprehension does not involve an initially context-free semantic analysis.

scholarly journals Lexical-Semantic Analysis of “Allah” Component Expressions In Rashod Nuri Guntekin’s Novels

2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (07) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muazzama Foziliya ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
National Language ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Semantic Classification ◽  
Lexical Semantic ◽  
Fields Of Study ◽  
The Common ◽  
Turkish Language

This article discusses the study of phraseology, one of the most interesting fields of study in world linguistics. Research in Uzbek and Turkish linguistics has been commented on. In Uzbek linguistics, attention is paid to the issue of grouping according to the meaning, lexical, methodological and semantic features of phraseology, and some shortcomings are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the semantic classification of phraseologies, the interpretation of complex phrases. It is explained by the scientific views of Turkish linguists on phraseology, the terms “idiom”, “expression”. It is also argued that the common features of phraseology in all languages of the world are the same, and in the language of writers the use of phraseology to give national identity. Lexical-semantic analysis of phraseologies and phrases refers to the national language, which reflects similarities in the worldview, religion and customs of the speaking population. At the same time, the phraseology used in the Ottoman period in the Turkish language was analyzed lexically and semantically. For this purpose, the author Rashod Nuri Guntekin’s novels “Choliqushi” (“Çalıkuşu”), “The Enemy of a Woman” (“Bir Kadin Düşmanı”) were chosen as a source. In his novels, Rashod Nuri Guntekin notes that the protagonists used a lot of rhetoric to ensure nationalism in their speech, and that no other can be used in their place. Praising the author’s writing skills, the phraseology in his novels is analyzed lexically and semantically based on certain components. Accordingly, the expressions used by the author in the two works are classified according to a certain system. Author Rashod Nuri Guntekin’s novels, on the other hand, contain a variety of components. Turkish writer Rashod Nuri Guntekin’s novels “Cholikushi” and “The Enemy of a Woman” often use the phrase “Allah” and are used by the author to express various meanings.

scholarly journals The Detective and Sensation Fiction of Wilkie Collins: A Computational Lexical-Semantic Analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulfattah Omar
Keyword(s):  
Detective Fiction ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Wilkie Collins ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Sensation Fiction ◽  
Lexical Semantic ◽  
Genre Classification ◽  
Textual Content

Theme and genre classifications in the works of Wilkie Collins (1824-89) have been extensively investigated using different literary approaches; these are usually based on textual content and biographical considerations. Different critics place Collins’ works under the two main headings of detective fiction and sensation fiction. Such analyses have been generated by what is referred to as the ‘philological method’; that is, by an individual critic’s reading of the relevant material and their intuitive abstraction of generalizations from that reading. A problem with such an approach is that it is not objective, and it is therefore unreliable. The research question is thus asked in response to the subjectivity of previous genre classifications of the novels of Wilkie Collins and the lack of agreement among literary critics and researchers about such classifications. As such, I ask whether an objective and conceptually useful reading of the themes and subjects of Wilkie Collins’ prose fiction texts can be developed. As thus, computational lexical-semantics is suggested to understand the issues of thematic classification. For this purpose, vector space clustering (VSC) was used for capturing the lexical-semantic features of his novels and linking them explicitly to the relevant themes and genres. It is suggested that through this method, an objective, replicable, and reliable genre classification of Collins’ novels is possible. The results of this study can serve as a basis for future studies and criticisms of Wilkie Collins’ fiction.

Productive Vocabulary Size Predicts Event-related Potential Correlates of Fast Mapping in 20-Month-Olds

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 1266-1282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janne von Koss Torkildsen ◽  
Janne Mari Svangstu ◽  
Hanna Friis Hansen ◽  
Lars Smith ◽  
Hanne Gram Simonsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Word Processing ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Fast Mapping ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
N400 Effect ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Vocabulary Spurt

Although it is well documented that children undergo a productive vocabulary spurt late in the second year, it is unclear whether this development is accompanied by equally significant advances in receptive word processing. In the present study, we tested an electrophysiological procedure for assessing receptive word learning in young children, and the impact of productive vocabulary size for performance in this task. We found that 20-month-olds with high productive vocabularies displayed an N400 incongruity effect to violations of trained associations between novel words and pictures, whereas 20-month-olds with low productive vocabularies did not. However, both high and low producers showed an N400 effect for common real words paired with an incongruous object. These findings indicate that there may be substantial differences in receptive fast mapping efficiency between typically developing children who have reached a productive vocabulary spurt and typically developing children who have not yet reached this productive spurt.

scholarly journals VERBALIZATION OF THE CONCEPT DOUBT BY MEANS OF EPISTEMIC MODALITY

2021 ◽  
pp. 240-252
Author(s):  
Liudmyla Nizhnik
Keyword(s):  
Research Methodology ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Component Analysis ◽  
Epistemic Modality ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Weak Force ◽  
Lexical Semantic ◽  
Pragmatic Analysis ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Dictionary Definitions

The article considers verbalization of the DOUBT concept by means of epistemic modality, namely epistemically marked words and phrases. The relevance of the study is due to the tendency to study epistemic modality (Palmer F., Halliday M.), epistemic words (Biber D., Wierzbicka A.), phrases of harmonious / disharmonious type (Aijmer K., Hoye L.) and intensifier words (Quirk R.). However, the verbalization of the DOUBT concept by these units has not yet been studied. The object of research is the ways of verbalization of the DOUBT concept by means of epistemic modality, and the subject of research is the meaning of epistemic words and phrases Adv + V / V + Adv, Modal V + Adv, Adv + Adj, Adj + N, where the main words are epistemically marked words, and adverbs and adjectives act as modifiers and intensifiers of meaning. Material of the research ‒ dictionary definitions of epistemic words, word combinations of epistemic words with adverbs-intensifiers in the Oxford Collocations Dictionary, modern English fiction from the 90s of the XX century until now. The research methodology consists in using component analysis of epistemic words to determine words with the “uncertain” seme, lexical-semantic analysis to distinguish verbalizing words of the DOUBT concept, in analyzing the compatibility of epistemic words with intensifier words and pragmatic analysis of epistemic words and phrases. The results of the study are the identification of the semantic features that are inherent in the words verbalizing the concept DOUBT and their grouping by semantic features. Studies of harmonic / disharmonious type phrases allow to refer to the phrases-verbalizers of the DOUBT concept those that contain units that express a weak force of modality (e.g. could possibly), and those whose meaning is modified by intensifier words in the direction of intensification of uncertainty (e.g. will possibly). In the phrases Adv + V / V + Adv, Adv + Adj, Adj + N the influence of the adverb of degree on the meaning of the phrase was traced. The compatibility of epistemic words to denote the DOUBT concept and epistemic words of confidence and probability with amplifiers, emphasizers and downtoners (Quirk R. terms) has been studied. It has been found that the use of epistemic words of confidence and probability with downtoners mitigates the confidence of such a phrase and contributes to its attribution (e.g. hardly believe) to the traditional verbalizers of the DOUBT concept.

scholarly journals LINGUISTIC-SEMANTIC FEATURES OF THE COMMUNICATIVE MODEL OF ONLINE COMMUNICATION DURING THE VACCINATION PERIOD

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (11(79)) ◽  
pp. 21-24
Author(s):  
Solomiia Albota
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Behavioral Model ◽  
Semantic Interpretation ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Behavioral Models ◽  
Linguistic Markers ◽  
Social Communicative ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact

The paper focuses on the concept of cognitive-perceptual and behavioral model of communication. For semantic analysis, the news feeds of the online communication platform Reddit regarding the outcome of the pandemic – vaccination of the population – have been singled out as a linguistic material. Each post of news items has been previously thoroughly interpreted and analyzed. Such singling out of language material has been carried out with the help of linguistically obvious (explicit) and hidden (implicit) linguistic markers to denote certain semantic groups based on linguistic-semantic interpretation and analysis of the Reddit vaccination posts. As a result of the analysis, two communicative cognitive-perceptual and behavioral models of online communication within Reddit during the period of vaccination of the population have been studied. The first cognitive-perceptual and behavioral model – the general attitude towards vaccination, as well as the second one – the impact of vaccination on the population – have been considered. These models will further serve as a research basis of the pattern for social communicative approach concerning online Reddit discussions as both of them are based on the cognitive conceptualization notion referring to communication perception and behavior in certain communicative situations. To confirm the results of linguistic-semantic analysis, automatic software for counting words and providing concise linguistic information has been applied.

scholarly journals Prototype Semantic Analysis of Abstract and Concrete Concepts Among Jordanian and American Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Mohammad Al-Ajaleen ◽  
Rajai Al-Khanji
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Cultural Difference ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
American Students ◽  
To Come ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Concrete Concept

The aim of the present study was to investigate the extent to which culture may play a role in constructing the prototypical structure of every daily life concepts. Two concepts were investigated in this study: an abstract concept (freedom) and a concrete concept (drinks). The sample of the study comprised two distinct cultures, Jordanians and Americans, who are undergraduate students. To come up with the findings, the researchers carried out two experiments. The first experiment aimed at examining the impact of culture on generating semantic features and examples of the target concepts. The second one investigated the effect of culture on rating the prototypicality of the generated features and examples. To answer the first research question, the researcher calculated the frequency and the percentage of each response. The researcher used the SPSS to answer the second research question. The researcher used the t-test for independent samples (Jordanians and Americans) to calculate the means and the standard deviations in order to examine any possible significant differences that may result from cultural difference. Briefly, the findings showed that culture affected, to a considerable extent, the processes of generating and prototypicality rating of the examples and features of the target concepts.

scholarly journals Lexical-Semantic Analysis of Various Component Phraseology in Rashod Nuri Guntekin’s Novels

2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (07) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muazzama Foziliya ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
National Language ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Semantic Classification ◽  
Lexical Semantic ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
The Common ◽  
Turkish Language

This article discusses one of the most interesting scientific disciplines in world linguistics, the study of phraseology. Research in Uzbek and Turkish linguistics has been commented on. In Uzbek linguistics, attention is paid to the issue of grouping according to the meaning, lexical, methodological and semantic features of phraseology, and some shortcomings are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the semantic classification of phraseologies, the interpretation of complex phrases. It is explained by the scientific views of Turkish linguists on phraseology, the terms “idiom”, “expression”. It is also argued that the common features of phraseology in all languages of the world are the same, and in the language of writers the use of phraseology to give national identity. Lexical-semantic analysis of phraseologies and phrases refers to the national language, which reflects similarities in the worldview, religion and customs of the speaking population. At the same time, the phraseology used in the Ottoman period in the Turkish language was analyzed lexically and semantically. For this purpose, the author Rashod Nuri Guntekin’s novels “Çalıkuşu” (Cholikushi), “Bir Kadin Düşmanı” (An Enemy of a Woman) were chosen as a source. In his novels, Rashod Nuri Guntekin notes that the protagonists used a lot of rhetoric to ensure nationalism in their speech, and that no other can be used in their place. Praising the author’s writing skills, the phraseology in his novels is analyzed lexically and semantically based on certain components. Accordingly, the expressions used by the author in the two works are classified according to a certain system. Author Rashod Nuri Guntekin’s novels, on the other hand, contain a variety of components. Turkish writer Rashod Nuri Guntekin’s novels “Cholikushi” and “An Enemy of a Woman” contain various component expressions and the author uses them to express different meanings.

scholarly journals Парные глаголы с каузативным значением: семантические особенности (на материале бурятского языка)

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 590-599
Author(s):  
Elena A. Dadueva ◽  
◽  
Darima Sh. Kharanutova
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Primary Methods ◽  
General Semantics ◽  
Semantic Component ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Special Case ◽  
Causative Verbs

Introduction. The article discusses the semantics of paired causative verbs in the Buryat language, which has not been the subject of a special study yet. The aim was to study the semantic features of Buryat paired causative verbs by way of identifying: 1) the types of paired causative verbs, 2) the contribution of each semantic component of a verbt of its general semantics and their correlation, and 3) paired causative verbs as a special case in expressing causative semantics. Materials and methods. The data was collected from works of fiction in the Electronic Corpus of the Buryat language; contextual and distributive analysis were used as the primary methods of research. Results. Semantic analysis of paired causative verbs, illustrative of causative relationships in the linguistic picture of the Buryat world, indicated that in pairs of non-causative + causative verb the latter is a leading component, which demonstrates the power of causative semantics; the verbs of this type most often express various emotions associated with impact and subjective assessment. The other type are represented by pairs of synonymous causative verb + causative verb that are effective in expressing the intensity of the impact; with the semes of the synonymous verbs combined, the meaning of causation in such pairs is enhanced, and their expressiveness and emotionale valuation aspects come to the fore.

scholarly journals Para uma análise semântica de para locativo em construções estativas

2021 ◽  
pp. 259-279
Author(s):  
Fátima Oliveira ◽  
Luís Filipe Cunha ◽  
António Leal ◽  
Purificação Silvano ◽  
Fátima Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Prepositional Phrases ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Lexical Semantic ◽  
The Subject

In this paper, we put forward a semantic analysis of constructions of prepositional phrases introduced by the preposition para with a locative meaning combined with the verbs ser, estar and ficar. In this proposal, we characterise these constructions regarding the properties individual-level/ stage-level, modal reading, and vagueness of the location, as well as restrictions imposed on the subject related to some lexical semantic features, in particular [movable] and [animated] features. Additionally, we contrast these constructions to the ones introduced by the preposition em (typically locative), revealing to what extent they differ from each other.

Feel Thine Own Self – Mood Congruency Evaluation of Emotional State Adjectives

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Szczepan J. Grzybowski ◽  
Miroslaw Wyczesany ◽  
Jan Kaiser
Keyword(s):  
Mood Induction ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Emotional State ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Negativity Bias ◽  
Positive Potential ◽  
Semantic Access ◽  
Current Mood ◽  
Component Time

Abstract. The goal of the study was to explore event-related potential (ERP) differences during the processing of emotional adjectives that were evaluated as congruent or incongruent with the current mood. We hypothesized that the first effects of congruence evaluation would be evidenced during the earliest stages of semantic analysis. Sixty mood adjectives were presented separately for 1,000 ms each during two sessions of mood induction. After each presentation, participants evaluated to what extent the word described their mood. The results pointed to incongruence marking of adjective’s meaning with current mood during early attention orientation and semantic access stages (the P150 component time window). This was followed by enhanced processing of congruent words at later stages. As a secondary goal the study also explored word valence effects and their relation to congruence evaluation. In this regard, no significant effects were observed on the ERPs; however, a negativity bias (enhanced responses to negative adjectives) was noted on the behavioral data (RTs), which could correspond to the small differences traced on the late positive potential.

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