scholarly journals The Influence of the Dagbani Imperfective Verb Form on Dagomba‟s Use of the English Tense

Author(s):  
Sheini Memunatu ◽  

This paper analyses the influence of the imperfective verb form of Dagbani a Mabia (Gur) language, spoken in Northern Ghana- on the English tense. Dagbani and English have been in contact for decades; they exhibit differences grammatically and phonologically. Scholars have discussed the grammar of Dagbani. However, no scholar addressed the influence of Dagbani imperfective on the use of English. Considering the fact that there is a strong interplay between English, as the official language of Ghana, and Ghanaian languages in the socio-economic, political and educational sectors of the country, teachers and curriculum developers need to pay attention to how these languages influence each other with specific focus on how to cater for these influences during classroom interactions. This paper, therefore, analyses the influence of the Dagbani imperfective form on English tense, taking into consideration the progressive aspect and the habitual present tense of Dagbani. The study sets to find out if educational levels of people affect the influence of the Dagbani imperfective on English tense. Data for the study were collected through sentence translation and picture description from (89) students in Tamale and Yendi. The data were analysed within the framework of grammatical replication theory by Heine and Kuteva, based on Weinreich languages in contact. The data are analysed based on the respondents’ levels of education (Basic, Secondary, and Tertiary). Findings indicated that the progressive aspect of Dagbani imperfective verb form overshadows the habitual present, as Dagomba(s) speak English. Irrespective of Dagomba’s educational level, they replicate the Dagbani imperfective use in English; however, the influence minimally reduces as speakers climb the academic hierarchy.

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
C K Knudsen ◽  
A M S Christensen ◽  
S Heuckendorff ◽  
K Fonager ◽  
C Overgaard

Abstract Background Inequality in preterm birth is a public health challenge requiring identification of pregnant women at particularly high risk of preterm birth. Therefore, the aim was to estimate the risk of preterm birth in women with different combinations of mental health conditions and socioeconomic position. Methods Based on Danish registries, we conducted a nationwide cohort study including all first-time mothers giving birth to a singleton liveborn infant in Denmark between 2000 through 2016. We examined the risk of preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation) in different combinations of mental health conditions (no, minor, and moderate/severe) and educational level (high, intermediate, and low) in three age strata (<25, 25-30, and >30 years). The relative risk of preterm birth was estimated using Poisson regression with a robust error variance. We measured the attributable proportion to assess additive interaction between the effects of exposures. Results Of the 415,523 included first time mothers, 29,069 (7,0%) gave birth preterm. The risk of preterm birth increased in combinations of higher degree of mental health conditions, lower degree of educational level, and increasing age. Women aged>30 years with moderate/severe mental health conditions and low educational level had the highest risk of preterm birth (13.7%). The analysis of additive interaction revealed only a limited additional effect of being exposed to mental health conditions and lower educational levels in each age strata. However, positive additive interaction was found between age>30 year and combinations of mental health conditions and educational level. Conclusions Substantial inequality in preterm birth remains with increasing risk in women with combinations of higher degree of mental health conditions and lower degree of educational level. In the prevention of inequality in preterm birth special attention on women aged>30 years exposed to mental health conditions and lower educational levels is essential


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 351-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Apolinário de Souza Batista ◽  
Nicholas Henschke ◽  
Vinícius Cunha Oliveira

Abstract Introduction: Non-specific low back pain (LBP) can be understood through the interaction of biopsychosocial factors such as education. Unfortunately, it remains unclear whether education can be considered an important risk and prognostic factor for the occurrence of LBP. Objective: To investigate the association between education and LBP. Methods: The following databases were searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, AMED and PsyINFO. Results: Thirteen studies were included in the review. The Prevalence Critical Appraisal Instrument (PCAI) was used to assess risk of bias. Methodological quality scores ranged from 7 to 10 on a scale of 0-10. There was a 23% (95% CI, 13-37) prevalence of LBP (10,582 out of a total of 99,457 cases) in the general sample at the time of assessment. The meta-analysis of studies on the prevalence of LBP in people with low, medium or high educational level found the following results, respectively: 24% (95% CI, 12-43), 27% (95% CI, 9-56), and 18% (95% CI, 5-50). The meta-regression identified heterogeneity among the studies included in the review. This can be explained by educational differences (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Occurrence of LBP varies according to educational level. Individuals with higher educational levels are less often affected by LBP than individuals with medium or low educational levels.


Finisterra ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (79) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucília Caetano

Although the educational level of the population has improved considerably over the last decades, Portugal still lags far behind the other European countries. Premature school drop-out, along with high retention rates, appear to be the main reasons for this. Consequently, Portugal is the EU country with the largest percentage of workers with low educational levels, and the Central Region of Portugal is the one with the least favourable record. Indeed, in spite of the positive evolution egistered among the youngest, it is still disturbing to find that only 27.1% (61.8% in the EU) of the economically active young peoplebetween the ages of 15 and 24 finished their secondary education or pursued vocational training and that 3% did not even finish the first cycle of basic education. This situation inevitably hinders the formation of human capital, prevents the expansion of productivity and curbs the competitiveness of the productive fabric,as well as economic growth.


1998 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Chmura Kraemer ◽  
Deborah J. Moritz ◽  
Jerome Yesavage

The question of whether Mini-Mental State Examination scores should be adjusted for age and educational levels to screen for dementia in clinical populations is reexamined in the results of a recent study supporting adjustment. If the criterion is to identify the most accurate screening procedure for each sociodemographic subgroup, the evidence indicates that the unadjusted scores are preferable. Other criteria might lead to different conclusions. The validities of some of these criteria are questionable because they have the flaw that they are easily satisfied by using random decision procedures.


Vascular ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 604-608
Author(s):  
Atıf Yolgösteren

Objectives Vascular access is a lifeline for the patients who are in need of long-term hemodialysis. Native arteriovenous fistula is the most intensively preferred vascular access method owing to its longevity and convenience of use. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to determine whether there might be a relationship between hemodialysis patients’ educational levels and arteriovenous fistula patency. Methods A total of 349 patients who were attending in a chronic hemodialysis program between June 2018 and September 2018 at Bursa Uludağ University, Faculty of Medicine Dialysis Unit and in a private dialysis center in İstanbul were included in this study. The patients were grouped into two: those who have had arteriovenous fistula primary failure at least once and those who have never had arteriovenous fistula primary failure. Educational levels of the patients were classified according to Turkish National Education system (illiterate, primary school graduate, secondary school graduate, high school graduate, and university graduate). Mann–Whitney U and Chi-square tests were performed for statistical analyses. Risk factors were determined by applying backward binary logistic regression analysis. Results A total of 349 patients, 161 (46.1%) females and 188 (53.9%) males, were examined retrospectively. The median age of the patients was 64 years (range: 18–90 years). Educational level comparison revealed statistically significant difference in terms of fistula patency ( p = 0.016). In particular, fistula patency was significantly lower in illiterate, primary, secondary, and high school graduates in comparison with university graduates ( p = 0.001, p = 0.015, p = 0.003, and p = 0.018, respectively). When each group of educational level was analyzed separately in terms of fistula patency, it was observed that the higher the educational level was, the lower arteriovenous fistula primary failure rates were. Conclusions In this study, we observed a lower rate of fistula patency in patients with a low level of education. Hence, we are of the opinion that the trainings delivered on arteriovenous fistula care in dialysis centers are required to be shaped in accordance with educational levels of patients.


2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
BEATRICE BENELLI ◽  
CARMEN BELACCHI ◽  
GIANLUCA GINI ◽  
DANIELA LUCANGELI

Some authors have suggested that definitional skills include metalinguistic components (Watson, 1985; Snow, 1990; McGhee-Bidlack, 1991). The present study therefore empirically investigated relations between the ability to define words and level of metalinguistic awareness in 280 Italian children (with ages ranging from 5 to 11 years) and in two groups of 40 adults each (with low and high educational levels, respectively). We used a definitional task presenting 24 terms (nouns, verbs, and adjectives, which were either concrete or abstract) and a task examining 6 different aspects of metalinguistic awareness. Our aim was to demonstrate that metalinguistic skills can positively predict the formal quality of definitions and to identify various aspects of metalinguistic skills that might be directly related to definitional skills. Results showed better performance on both tasks as a function of age and educational level; they also confirmed the important roles of metalinguistic ability and educational level in producing well-structured formal definitions.


2007 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
MONIKA KRZYŻANOWSKA

Summary.This study investigates the association between body height and inter-generational social advancement through education. Questionnaire data were collected from 2800 students (1023 men and 1777 women) from the universities of Wrocław, Poland. The questions referred to three generations: the students and their parents and grandparents. Information was collected on the age, body height and weight of the students and their parents, and on the parents’ and grandparents’ education. The lowest body heights were typically found for individuals from families with the lowest educational levels, whereas the greatest body heights were found for those brought up in families with a high educational status or in families who had upgraded their status. The size of the change in the educational level of parents is only associated with fathers’ and female students’ body height. Individuals who had advanced from a middle educational level or who came from families with this type of advancement were found to be significantly taller, on average, than those upgrading their educational level from the lowest position. The results show that, for men, educational advancement during the course of their lives or in the earlier generation is more favourable to achieving higher stature, whereas for women, the multi-generational tradition of a high educational status is of greater significance.


2002 ◽  
pp. 77-96
Author(s):  
E. Kunst Anton ◽  
M. A. Joung Inez ◽  
J. Nusselder Wilma ◽  
W. N. Looman Caspar ◽  
P. Mackenbach Johan

Objective: This paper assesses whether the future rise in educational levels of theelderly may not only increase life expectancy (LE) but also at the same timecontribute to a reduction in life expectancy with disability (LED).Methods: For each educational level, LE and LED were estimated from multi-statelife tables with a disabled and non-disabled state. Basic transition rates wereestimated from regression analysis of data of a Dutch longitudinal study. The resultsper educational level were aggregated to the total population for the years 1995,2005 and 2015.Results: In 1995, men in the highest educational level had a 0.9 years longerLE and a 5.4 years shorter LED than men in the lowest level. Differences amongwomen were larger (2.0 and 8.3 years). Due to rising educational levels between1995 and 2015, LE for the total male population would increase by 0.2 years whileLED would decrease by 0.5 years. A larger effect was observed for women(0.2 and 1.5 years).Conclusion: Rising educational levels of the elderly are likely to contribute to acompression of morbidity over the next decades, especially among women.


2017 ◽  
pp. 71-96
Author(s):  
Beata Osiewalska

Education is one of the most important determinants of fertility. The vast majority of previous research on the effect of educational level on reproductive behavior concerns women, while a couple perspective on fertility, although seems natural, is often omitted. Couples’ fertility might be influenced by individual (absolute) characteristics of both partners as well as by their joint (relative) characteristics. The aim of this study is to analyse childlessness and fertility by couples’ educational profile which is a combination of both partners’ educational levels. Different levels of educational exogamy are considered. Based on the two waves of Polish Generations and Gender Survey (GGS-PL) couples who completed their reproduction as well as those who are still in their reproductive ages are analysed. Among homogamous profiles the level of education negatively influences couples fertility, which means that highly educated have the lowest number of children. However, the level of (definite) childlessness is one of the highest among those who are low educated. Family size of heterogamous unions are similar among older generations, but for younger couples hypogamy limits the number of children as compared to hypergamy. This finding suggest that young couples in which women are more educated than their partners encounter more difficulties in combing work and family than unions in which a man is more educated than a woman.


Author(s):  
Lila Adana Díaz ◽  
Andrea Arango ◽  
César Parra ◽  
Alberto Rodríguez-Lorenzana ◽  
Tarquino Yacelga-Ponce

<b><i>Background:</i></b> One of the most marked problems in the use of screening instruments for the diagnosis of dementia or cognitive impairment in the elderly is the influence of educational level on the results of psychometric tests. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) questionnaire is one of the most widely used dementia screening instruments internationally and with greater proven validity. There is a version of this instrument called MoCA “Basic” which was developed to reduce education bias. The aim of the study was to compare the psychometric characteristics of the MoCA, full versus basic, versions in older adults. <b><i>Method:</i></b> Participants (<i>N</i> = 214) completed both versions of the MoCA, and screening measures to corroborate their health status. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Internal consistency was satisfactory in both versions: MoCA full (0.79) and MoCA basic (0.76). The overall correlation between both tests was high (0.73). There was no relationship between the dimensions included in each version. Educational level and age explained 33.8% of the total variance in MoCA Full and 31.8% in MoCA Basic. Among educational levels, there are statistically significant differences in participants with &#x3c;6 years of education. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The results confirm that both versions are reliable instruments and also show that in both versions the educational level of &#x3c;6 years of education continues to have an impact on performance. Therefore, it can be considered that the MoCA Basic version for the Ecuadorian population with &#x3c;6 years of education continues to imply literacy competencies.


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