A Psychometric Approach to Heritage Language Studies

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-210
Author(s):  
Irina Sekerina
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Standardized Assessment ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
The Core ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Ultimate Attainment ◽  
Effect Of Age

The central goal of the heritage language (HL) curriculum is to facilitate ultimate attainment of the language by advanced speakers. However, the field of HL studies faces a problem in how to accurately and efficiently identify and measure weaknesses and strengths of advanced HL speakers on their way to ultimate attainment. So far, only the age of arrival to the country where the dominant language is spoken has been formally investigated as the most critical factor that influences full professional proficiency and ultimate attainment of the HL. The field of HL studies needs to embrace a formal psychometric approach that will allow us to go beyond the effect of age of arrival to uncover contributions of other naturally occurring factors, i.e., genetic, physiological, cognitive, developmental and environmental. At the core of this approach lies a comprehensive standardized assessment of (a) proficiency in HL and (b) general cognitive abilities.

Restructuring in heritage grammars

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Meir ◽  
Maria Polinsky
Keyword(s):  
Heritage Language ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Age Of Acquisition ◽  
The Other ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Direct Transfer ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Effect Of Age ◽  
Linguistic Phenomenon

This study investigates restructuring in heritage language (HL) grammars with a special focus on the driving forces behind changes in the underlying grammar. We evaluate the effect of Age of Onset of bilingualism (AoO) on possible grammatical restructuring. Relatedly, we assess whether HL grammar divergence from the baseline can be attributed to the Age of Acquisition of a particular linguistic phenomenon and/or to the structural properties of the dominant language, under transfer. With these general questions in mind, we conducted an auditory acceptability judgement task evaluating sensitivity to form (mis)matches in adjective-noun and numeral-noun expressions in adult Russian-Hebrew speakers: HL-speakers with AoO before age 5, HL-speakers with AoO between 5–13, and the Russian-dominant bilinguals. The results demonstrate a robust effect of AoO: HL speakers with earlier AoO are less accurate in detecting ungrammaticalities across the board. We argue that similarities in the structures in the heritage and dominant language allow HL speakers to maintain properties of monolingual grammars; dissimilarities, on the other hand, may lead to reanalysis in the HL grammar. However, the newly-built representations in the HL do not match those of the dominant language, suggesting that changed representations do not result from direct transfer.

Understanding heritage languages

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Polinsky ◽  
Gregory Scontras
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Model ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Current Work ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
Heritage Languages ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Level Of Understanding

AbstractWith a growing interest in heritage languages from researchers of bilingualism and linguistic theory, the field of heritage-language studies has begun to build on its empirical foundations, moving toward a deeper understanding of the nature of language competence under unbalanced bilingualism. In furtherance of this trend, the current work synthesizes pertinent empirical observations and theoretical claims about vulnerable and robust areas of heritage language competence into early steps toward a model of heritage-language grammar. We highlight two key triggers for deviation from the relevant baseline: the quantity and quality of the input from which the heritage grammar is acquired, and the economy of online resources when operating in a less dominant language. In response to these triggers, we identify three outcomes of deviation in the heritage grammar: an avoidance of ambiguity, a resistance to irregularity, and a shrinking of structure. While we are still a ways away from a level of understanding that allows us to predict those aspects of heritage grammar that will be robust and those that will deviate from the relevant baselines, our hope is that the current work will spur the continued development of a predictive model of heritage language competence.

scholarly journals TERMINOLOGY MATTERS ON THEORETICAL GROUNDS TOO!

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatih Bayram ◽  
Tanja Kupisch ◽  
Diego Pascual y Cabo ◽  
Jason Rothman
Keyword(s):  
Heritage Language ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
The Core ◽  
General Thesis ◽  
Ultimate Attainment ◽  
Incomplete Acquisition

AbstractHerein, we provide counterargumentation to some of Domínguez, Hicks, and Slabakova's claims that the termincomplete acquisitionis conceptually necessary on theoretical grounds for describing the outcome grammars of heritage language bilingualism. Specifically, we clarify their claim that previous challenging of the term in our and others’ work is primarily based on a misconceived belief that incompleteness is intended to describe heritage speakers. We contextualize and problematize their appropriation of descriptive constructs in the adjacent fields of child L1, child 2L1, and adult L2 acquisition as a basis for supporting their general thesis. Relatedly, we conclude that a fundamental blurring of development and ultimate attainment issues is at the core of what, in our view, is flawed reasoning. While we empathize with the well-intentioned spirit of Domínguez et al.’s article—to provide a forum for respectful discussion—we invite the field to engage more directly with the inherent quandary of labeling the coherent grammars of heritage bilinguals in their own right as “incomplete” on the basis of differences to standard varieties.

Sentence comprehension in heritage language: Isomorphism, word order, and language transfer

2021 ◽  
pp. 026765832199790
Author(s):  
Anna Chrabaszcz ◽  
Elena Onischik ◽  
Olga Dragoy
Keyword(s):  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Word Order ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Sentence Comprehension ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
Processing Strategy ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Linguistic Transfer

This study examines the role of cross-linguistic transfer versus general processing strategy in two groups of heritage speakers ( n = 28 per group) with the same heritage language – Russian – and typologically different dominant languages: English and Estonian. A group of homeland Russian speakers ( n = 36) is tested to provide baseline comparison. Within the framework of the Competition model (MacWhinney, 2012), cross-linguistic transfer is defined as reliance on the processing cue prevalent in the heritage speaker’s dominant language (e.g. word order in English) for comprehension of heritage language. In accordance with the Isomorphic Mapping Hypothesis (O’Grady and Lee, 2005), the general processing strategy is defined in terms of isomorphism as a linear alignment between the order of the sentence constituents and the temporal sequence of events. Participants were asked to match pictures on the computer screen with auditorily presented sentences. Sentences included locative or instrumental constructions, in which two cues – word order (basic vs. inverted) and isomorphism mapping (isomorphic vs. nonisomorphic) – were fully crossed. The results revealed that (1) Russian native speakers are sensitive to isomorphism in sentence processing; (2) English-dominant heritage speakers experience dominant language transfer, as evidenced by their reliance primarily on the word order cue; (3) Estonian-dominant heritage speakers do not show significant effects of isomorphism or word order but experience significant processing costs in all conditions.

The Muslim and the Law: A Brunei Experience

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zabaidah Haji Kamaludin
Keyword(s):  
Islamic Law ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Core Element ◽  
The Core ◽  
Ideal System ◽  
The Law ◽  
Islamic Values

An Islamic system of governance is an ideal system, which is a tantalising objective for many Muslims but often times not achieved in practice. Countries may call themselves ‘Islamic’ but the core element of Islamicity, that of values such as compassion, equity and justice may not have breached the consciousness of their leaders and citizens. Sometimes it is individuals who act as the catalyst for sparking action. For a Muslim, it is his īmān that serves to light his conscience, and guiding him the dispensation of his everyday tasks within his organisation. This individualised īmān may at times serve as a small but critical factor tilting the different organisational functions of government towards integrations under an Islamic system of governance. This paper recounts the challenges of a Muslim engaging in legal issues in a non-Islamic context, seeking to help enable his organisation to undertake the role of incorporating non-Islamic law with Islamic values.

scholarly journals Influences on hepatitis B virus replication by a naturally occurring mutation in the core gene

Virology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 365 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaya Sugiyama ◽  
Yasuhito Tanaka ◽  
Fuat Kurbanov ◽  
Nobuaki Nakayama ◽  
Satoshi Mochida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis B Virus ◽  
Hepatitis B ◽  
Virus Replication ◽  
Core Gene ◽  
The Core ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
B Virus

Preposition Stranding in Spanish as a Heritage Language

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Pascual y Cabo
Keyword(s):  
Heritage Language ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Heritage Speaker ◽  
The Core ◽  
Preposition Stranding ◽  
Crosslinguistic Influence ◽  
Spanish Heritage Speakers ◽  
Timing Of Exposure

Previous research examining heritage speaker bilingualism has suggested that interfaceconditioned properties are likely to be affected by crosslinguistic influence (e.g., Montrul & Polinsky, 2011; White, 2011). It is not clear, however, whether the core syntax can also be affected to the same degree (e.g., Cuza, 2013; Depiante & Thompson, 2013). Departing from Cuza’s (2013) and Depiante and Thompson’s (2013) research, the present study seeks to determine the extent to which this is possible in the case of Spanish as a heritage language. With this goal in mind, a total of thirty-three Spanish heritage speakers (divided into sequential and simultaneous bilinguals) and a comparison group of eleven late Spanish-English bilinguals completed a battery of off-line tasks that examined knowledge and use of preposition stranding (i.e., a syntactic construction whereby the object of the preposition is fronted while the preposition itself is left stranded), an understudied core syntactic phenomenon that is licit in English but precluded in Spanish. Overall findings reveal that the sequential heritage speakers pattern with participants from the control group. The simultaneous heritage speakers, on the other hand, seem to have a grammar that is not so restricting as they accept and produce ungrammatical cases of preposition stranding. Herein, we argue that these results do not obtain the way they do due to incomplete acquisition or L1 attrition but crucially because of the timing of exposure to the societal language. We propose that this property was completely acquired, although differently acquired due to the structural overlap observed between the two languages involved (e.g., Müller & Hulk, 2001), and most importantly, to the timing of acquisition of English (e.g., Putnam & Sánchez, 2013).

scholarly journals Are global and specific interindividual differences in cortical thickness associated with facets of cognitive abilities, including face cognition?

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 180857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Meyer ◽  
Benjamín Garzón ◽  
Martin Lövdén ◽  
Andrea Hildebrandt
Keyword(s):  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Morphological Properties ◽  
Interindividual Differences ◽  
Measurement Models ◽  
The Core ◽  
Human Connectome Project ◽  
Small Effect Size

Face cognition (FC) is a specific ability that cannot be fully explained by general cognitive functions. Cortical thickness (CT) is a neural correlate of performance and learning. In this registered report, we used data from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) to investigate the relationship between CT in the core brain network of FC and performance on a psychometric task battery, including tasks with facial content. Using structural equation modelling (SEM), we tested the existence of face-specific interindividual differences at behavioural and neural levels. The measurement models include general and face-specific factors of performance and CT. There was no face-specificity in CT in functionally localized areas. In post hoc analyses, we compared the preregistered, small regions of interest (ROIs) to larger, non-individualized ROIs and identified a face-specific CT factor when large ROIs were considered. We show that this was probably due to low reliability of CT in the functional localization (intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) between 0.72 and 0.85). Furthermore, general cognitive ability, but not face-specific performance, could be predicted by latent factors of CT with a small effect size. In conclusion, for the core brain network of FC, we provide exploratory evidence (in need of cross-validation) that areas of the cortex sharing a functional purpose did also share morphological properties as measured by CT.

scholarly journals The Intonation of Polar Questions in North American (“Heritage”) Icelandic

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Dehé
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
American English ◽  
Considerable Extent ◽  
Dominant Language ◽  
American Heritage

Using map task data, this paper investigates the intonation of polar questions in North American (heritage) Icelandic, and compares it to the intonation of polar questions in Icelandic as spoken in Iceland and in North American English as spoken in Manitoba, Canada. The results show that intonational features typical of Icelandic polar questions are present to a considerable extent in heritage Icelandic. Furthermore, intonational features typical of North American English polar questions can frequently be observed in heritage Icelandic, too. In addition, there is a tendency for intonational features typical of Icelandic polar questions to show up in North American English polar questions produced by speakers of heritage Icelandic more often than in North American English polar questions produced by speakers without Icelandic heritage. Focusing on intonation, the present study adds to the evidence for (bidirectional) prosodic interference between a heritage language (here moribund Icelandic) and the dominant language (here North American English).*

The synthesis of β-mannopyranosides by intramolecular aglycon delivery: scope and limitations of the existing methodology

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 1447-1465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Barresi ◽  
Ole Hindsgaul
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Products ◽  
The Core ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Reaction Proceeds ◽  
Synthesis Approach

The synthesis of β-mannopyranosides by intramolecular aglycon delivery is shown to proceed with complete stereoselectivity in six separate cases. This strategy has been successfully applied to the synthesis of several disaccharides, including octyl 3,6-di-O-benzyl-4-O-(3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-β-D-mannopyranosyl)-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-β-D-glucopyranoside, a precursor of the naturally occurring β-D-Man-(1→4)-β-D-GlcNAc linkage, present in all N-linked glycoproteins. Exclusive formation of the β-mannosidic linkage has been confirmed in all six cases, since independently synthesized α-linked mannopyranoside standards were shown to be absent from the reaction products. The intramolecular stereocontrolled reaction proceeds even in the presence of competing methanol. The extension of this strategy to the synthesis of the core pentasaccharide of N-linked glycoproteins has revealed limitations to the methodology, especially when a block synthesis approach is investigated.

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