scholarly journals INTERCOMPREHENSION AND CATALAN: THE EUROCOM PROJECT

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-173
Author(s):  
Esteve Clua
Keyword(s):  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
Communication Problems ◽  
Linguistic Family

This paper presents a method to teach intercomprehension (a strategy for simultaneous learning of receptive capacities in languages that belong to the same linguistic family) as a means for strengthening multilingualism in order to overcome communication problems generated by the growing need for interrelationships, without having to forsake language diversity. The paper introduces EuroCom, an intercomprehension project involving three large European linguistic families (Slavonic, Germanic, and Romance), and describes its methodology and strategies for learning. The article stresses the importance of intercomprehension for languages like Catalan as a strategy to truly promote the respect for linguistic diversity at the European and Spanish levels.

scholarly journals Genetic and linguistic histories in Central Asia inferred using approximate Bayesian computations

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1861) ◽  
pp. 20170706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Thouzeau ◽  
Philippe Mennecier ◽  
Paul Verdu ◽  
Frédéric Austerlitz
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Past History ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
The Past ◽  
Approximate Bayesian ◽  
Future Work

Linguistic and genetic data have been widely compared, but the histories underlying these descriptions are rarely jointly inferred. We developed a unique methodological framework for analysing jointly language diversity and genetic polymorphism data, to infer the past history of separation, exchange and admixture events among human populations. This method relies on approximate Bayesian computations that enable the identification of the most probable historical scenario underlying each type of data, and to infer the parameters of these scenarios. For this purpose, we developed a new computer program PopLingSim that simulates the evolution of linguistic diversity, which we coupled with an existing coalescent-based genetic simulation program, to simulate both linguistic and genetic data within a set of populations. Applying this new program to a wide linguistic and genetic dataset of Central Asia, we found several differences between linguistic and genetic histories. In particular, we showed how genetic and linguistic exchanges differed in the past in this area: some cultural exchanges were maintained without genetic exchanges. The methodological framework and the linguistic simulation tool developed here can be used in future work for disentangling complex linguistic and genetic evolutions underlying human biological and cultural histories.

scholarly journals Larger communities create more systematic languages

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1907) ◽  
pp. 20191262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Limor Raviv ◽  
Antje Meyer ◽  
Shiri Lev-Ari
Keyword(s):  
Small Groups ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Language Evolution ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Community Size ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
Second Languages ◽  
The Social ◽  
Grammatical Structures

Understanding worldwide patterns of language diversity has long been a goal for evolutionary scientists, linguists and philosophers. Research over the past decade has suggested that linguistic diversity may result from differences in the social environments in which languages evolve. Specifically, recent work found that languages spoken in larger communities typically have more systematic grammatical structures. However, in the real world, community size is confounded with other social factors such as network structure and the number of second languages learners in the community, and it is often assumed that linguistic simplification is driven by these factors instead. Here, we show that in contrast to previous assumptions, community size has a unique and important influence on linguistic structure. We experimentally examine the live formation of new languages created in the laboratory by small and larger groups, and find that larger groups of interacting participants develop more systematic languages over time, and do so faster and more consistently than small groups. Small groups also vary more in their linguistic behaviours, suggesting that small communities are more vulnerable to drift. These results show that community size predicts patterns of language diversity, and suggest that an increase in community size might have contributed to language evolution.

scholarly journals The myth of language universals: Language diversity and its importance for cognitive science

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 429-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Evans ◽  
Stephen C. Levinson
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Science ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Structural Diversity ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
Natural Experiments ◽  
Historical Factors ◽  
Human Skills ◽  
New Research ◽  
Recurrent Patterns

AbstractTalk of linguistic universals has given cognitive scientists the impression that languages are all built to a common pattern. In fact, there are vanishingly few universals of language in the direct sense that all languages exhibit them. Instead, diversity can be found at almost every level of linguistic organization. This fundamentally changes the object of enquiry from a cognitive science perspective. This target article summarizes decades of cross-linguistic work by typologists and descriptive linguists, showing just how few and unprofound the universal characteristics of language are, once we honestly confront the diversity offered to us by the world's 6,000 to 8,000 languages. After surveying the various uses of “universal,” we illustrate the ways languages vary radically in sound, meaning, and syntactic organization, and then we examine in more detail the core grammatical machinery of recursion, constituency, and grammatical relations. Although there are significant recurrent patterns in organization, these are better explained as stable engineering solutions satisfying multiple design constraints, reflecting both cultural-historical factors and the constraints of human cognition.Linguistic diversity then becomes the crucial datum for cognitive science: we are the only species with a communication system that is fundamentally variable at all levels. Recognizing the true extent of structural diversity in human language opens up exciting new research directions for cognitive scientists, offering thousands of different natural experiments given by different languages, with new opportunities for dialogue with biological paradigms concerned with change and diversity, and confronting us with the extraordinary plasticity of the highest human skills.

scholarly journals Language Prognosis and Language Diversity in the Russian Federation: Sociolinguistic Aspect

2019 ◽  
pp. 6-23
Author(s):  
Aysa Bitkeeva ◽  
Monika Wingender ◽  
Vida Mikhalchenko
Keyword(s):  
Russian Federation ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Research Topic ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Combination Of Methods ◽  
New Research

The article considers the methodological basis of sociolinguistic research into language perspectives with a focus on linguistic diversity in the Russian Federation, the study of which is closely connected with such sociolinguistic concepts as language situation, language policy and language planning. Оver the recent decades, sociolinguistics has witnessed a real boom in new research showing a growing variety of methods for studying linguistic diversity. Closer consideration of these papers shows that the authors focus on the search for tools to analyze the prerequisites, history and current situation of linguistic diversity. However, research methods for the future development of linguistic diversity – linguistic forecasting, lack for scientific representation. Analysis of the prospects for the development of languages in present-day conditions is no less relevant research topic. The identification of the laws of language development requires a comprehensive approach from the position of sociolinguistics, which leads to the multifaceted nature of scientific research, the consideration of the object not only from the linguistic point of view, but also from sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic, ethnolinguistic etc. factors. The authors present an overview of sociolinguistic methods. As part of a combination of methods, which is justified by the variety of goals and subjects of linguistic forecasting, the authors analyze some possible methods of sociolinguistic forecasting (parametric, statistical, discursive) and their practical application in the study of linguistic diversity. The article concludes with forecasts for linguistic diversity in the Russian Federation.

scholarly journals L2 Writing and L1 Composition in English: Towards an alignment of effort

2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-155
Author(s):  
Beverly Anne Baker
Keyword(s):  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
American University ◽  
Mainstream Composition ◽  
L1 And L2 Writing ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Diverse Groups

Abstract In North American university contexts, the language diversity found in English mainstream composition (“L1”) classrooms resembles more and more that found in ESL (“L2”) writing classrooms. As these two groups become less differentiated, those specifically trained in L2 writing might well wonder whether the needs of the non-native speakers of English are acknowledged and addressed in the mainstream classrooms. The author examines several different theoretical constructs that have informed and continue to inform the literature on L1 composition pedagogy, demonstrating that some of these allow for the inclusion of linguistically diverse groups better than others. Fortunately, the recent turn to social and critical approaches to teaching composition reflect well the preoccupations of both L1 and L2 writing teachers. More and more attention is being paid to discussions of “linguistic diversity,” a term which now includes non-native speakers. This suggests a future convergence in the activities of instructors of L1 and L2 writing, leading to benefits for linguistically diverse groups.

EDUCATION STUDENTSʼ ATTITUDES TOWARDS LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY FROM A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojca Žefran ◽  
◽  
Anja Pirih ◽  
Silva Bratož Bratož
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Language Attitudes ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Comparative Perspective ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Motivation For Learning

In developing the language education policy, the Council of Europe recognised the promotion of language diversity as one of Europe's key goals and e thus emphasised the teaching and dissemination of the languages of EU Member States. The development of plurilingual and multilingual competences involves, among other things, the forming of positive attitudes towards foreign/second/additional languages. It is assumed that teachers play an important role in developing learnersʼ language attitudes and can have a considerable influence on their beliefs. Therefore, the main aim of the present study is to identify and explore future teachers‟ attitudes towards linguistic diversity from a comparative perspective. A survey conducted among Slovene and German students who are studying to be primary school teachers looks atthe respondents‟general attitudes and beliefs related to language learning and linguistic diversity, their motivation for learning additional languages and their attitudes towards connecting language and culture. Finally, since the two institutions surveyed are both located in bilingual environments, the study investigates the different ways in which environmental factors shape education students‟ views and attitudes towards multilingualism. The results suggest a rather complex picture of attitudes and beliefs as expressed by the population surveyed.

Fern L. Johnson, Speaking culturally: Language diversity in the United States. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2000. Pp. xviii + 365. Hb $59.95, pb $28.95.

2002 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-146
Author(s):  
Karen L. Adams
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Asian American ◽  
The United States ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
Cultural Perspective ◽  
Cultural Discourses ◽  
Communication Problems ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Relationship Of

Speaking culturally is designed as a language-oriented introduction to ethnic and gender issues in the United States, concentrating on what the author perceives to be widely unrecognized intercultural communication problems. The text is divided into three sections, with the first – “Language in demographic and cultural perspective” – providing theoretical background on the relationship of speech to community. The second, “Locating cultural discourses,” provides overviews of language and gender and of three ethnic communities: African American, Hispanic and Asian American. The last section, “Language consequences and controversies,” addresses the consequences of linguistic and cultural diversity and current language policy designed to deal with this diversity.

The Importance of Graduate Student Engagement in a Campus Language Diversity Initiative

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephany Brett Dunstan ◽  
Amanda Eads ◽  
Audrey J. Jaeger ◽  
Walt Wolfram
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Diversity Education ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
State University ◽  
North Carolina State University

In 2012, North Carolina State University launched a campus-wide linguistic diversity program, “Educating the Educated,” with a goal of engaging the campus community about language as a key element of diversity and increasing general knowledge of language and dialect differences. The program has successfully grown over the past several years since its launch, in large part due to the leadership efforts of the program’s student ambassadors. Student ambassadors are involved in peer education on campus, seek out opportunities to engage the campus and local communities, and develop partnerships on campus with existing organizations to enhance diversity education efforts with the inclusion of language diversity. A majority of these student ambassadors are graduate students in the linguistics Masters program. In this paper, we discuss the importance of the student ambassadors to the success of the program in terms of their contributions and advancement of program objectives. We also highlight the importance of graduate students being engaged on their campus, drawing from higher education research literature on graduate student engagement and the critical role it plays in academic and professional development.

scholarly journals The geography and development of language isolates

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Urban
Keyword(s):  
Simple Model ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Alternative View ◽  
Statistical Techniques ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
Language Family ◽  
Qualitative Review ◽  
Historical Dynamics ◽  
Theory Of Language ◽  
Development Of Language

This contribution theorizes the historical dynamics of so-called language isolates, languages which cannot be demonstrated to belong to any known language family. On the basis of a qualitative review of how isolates, language families or their branches lost territory to other languages through time, I develop a simple model for the genesis of isolates as a function of proximity to major geographical barriers, and pit it against an alternative view that sees them as one manifestation of linguistic diversity generally. Using a variety of statistical techniques, I test both accounts quantitatively against a worldwide dataset of language locations and distances to geographical barriers, and find support for the position that views language isolates as one manifestation of linguistic diversity generally. However, I caution that different processes which are not necessarily mutually exclusive may have shaped the present-day distribution of language isolates. These may form elements of a broader theory of language isolates in particular and language diversity in general.

Liora R. Halperin, Babel in Zion: Jews, Nationalism, and Language Diversity in Palestine, 1920–1948. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015. 313 pp.

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Jewish Population ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
New Haven ◽  
Yale University ◽  
Jewish Settlement ◽  
The Social ◽  
Arabic And English

This chapter reviews the book Babel in Zion: Jews, Nationalism, and Language Diversity in Palestine, 1920–1948 (2015), by Liora R. Halperin. In Babel in Zion, Halperin explores the multilingual scene in the Jewish settlement in Palestine (the Yishuv) during the Mandate period. Halperin’s book aims to elucidate “the dynamics of linguistic diversity in a society officially committed to the promotion of a single tongue,” taking into account the fact that Hebrew, despite the proclaimed pro-Hebrew consensus, actually functioned within a complex setting of relationships—not only with a variety of immigrant languages among the Jewish population but also with Arabic and English. Babel in Zion does not assume a dichotomy between ideology and practice, nor does it deal with the attempts to eradicate other languages in order to promote Hebrew. Instead, its focus is on the social reality of multilingualism.

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