scholarly journals Cultural Integration and Export Variety Overlap across Countries

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter H. Egger ◽  
Andrea Lassmann
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Cultural Integration ◽  
Common Language ◽  
Cultural Proximity ◽  
Export Variety ◽  
The One

This chapter assesses the role of a larger degree of common language use between the populations of two countries on the so-called extensive product margin of trade. We focus on the overlap of products exported or imported between any pair of countries. The results suggest that the effect of varying aspects of sharing a common language on the variety overlap is both positive and important. The effect of sharing a common spoken language exceeds the one of common native language, implying that a larger overlap in language proficiency is quantitatively more important than a higher cultural proximity.

Some observations on the acquisition of evidentiality in bulgarian as a second language by native english speakers

Proglas ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandrina Raykova ◽  
◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Current Analysis

Second language acquisition of grammatical evidentiality in Bulgarian is studied through analyzing the spoken language use of a number of native English speakers. The category is found unstable at the higher levels of language proficiency, which indicates incomplete acquisition. There are cases of probable full acquisition which the current analysis cannot confirm. Suggestions regarding the role of the linguistic worldview are put forward.

scholarly journals Reviving the genitive. Prescription and practice in the Netherlands (1770–1840)

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Krogull ◽  
Gijsbert Rutten
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Extreme Case ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
National Language ◽  
Prepositional Phrases ◽  
Historical Sociolinguistics ◽  
The One ◽  
Genitive Case

AbstractHistorical metalinguistic discourse is known to often prescribe linguistic variants that are not very frequent in actual language use, and to proscribe frequent variants. Infrequent variants that are promoted through prescription can be innovations, but they can also be conservative forms that have already largely vanished from the spoken language and are now also disappearing in writing. An extreme case in point is the genitive case in Dutch. This has been in decline in usage from at least the thirteenth century onwards, gradually giving way to analytical alternatives such as prepositional phrases. In the grammatical tradition, however, a preference for the genitive case was maintained for centuries. When ‘standard’ Dutch is officially codified in 1805 in the context of a national language policy, the genitive case is again strongly preferred, still aiming to ‘revive’ the synthetic forms. The striking discrepancy between metalinguistic discourse on the one hand, and developments in language use on the other, make the genitive case in Dutch an interesting case for historical sociolinguistics. In this paper, we tackle various issues raised by the research literature, such as the importance of genre differences as well as variation within particular genres, through a detailed corpus-based analysis of the influence of prescription on language practices in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Dutch.

scholarly journals How Will the Use of Technology in Translation and Testing Affect Language Learning?

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Michael Bourne
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Human Element ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The One ◽  
Impact Of Technology ◽  
Age Range ◽  
The Impact

Technology has an ever increasing impact on how we work and live. Article adressed the issue of the impact of technology in two key areas of language learning. On the one side learners increasingly used technology to translate. Given this trend, was there any real need to learn a language. On the other side, educational institutions increasingly used technology to rate language proficiency. Given this trend, would the work of the teacher become less and less important. The survey was conducted by using quantitative method. The respondents’ age range was 18-25. There were 53 respondents, 35% were male and 65% were female. The instrument was a questionaire having 9 questions describing the students’ reliance on computer in translation. It can be concluded that learners of English indicate that they accept and welcome the role of technology in language learning, but there is a doubt that the role and participation of humans in the learning process will be completely replaced. The human element remains an important ingredient. (EE)

scholarly journals Características da variante moçambicana da língua portuguesa com base na análise morfossintática dos diálogos presentes nos romances e contos de Mia Couto

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-131
Author(s):  
Sylwia Mikołajczak
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Common Language ◽  
European Standard ◽  
European Model ◽  
The World ◽  
Verbal Arguments ◽  
Selection Of

Portuguese is a native language of only a handful of people in Mozambique. However, it successfully plays the role of a common language of communication in the field of politics and economics. At the same time, it is a determinant of social status and, in the world of literature, it gives one the opportunity to break through to the readers around the Globe. Portuguese in Mozambique presents many differences from the European standard, and the specific characteristics of this variant can be found in the texts of Mia Couto. The purpose of this article is to present the differences between the variant of Mozambique and the European model of Portuguese, mainly in the field of morphosyntax, observed in the texts of Mia Couto. The marked differences can be seen, among others, in the use of prepositions, order of pronominal elements, in the structure of periphrastic and passive constructions, and the selection of verbal arguments. The features are highly repetitive, but at the same time, they occur quite irregularly, together with the structures accepted by the standard. It is, therefore, difficult to speak of a systematic language variant, but surely it is on its way to be established.

scholarly journals Discourse Marker Dico in the 16th Century Italian Language

2019 ◽  
pp. 159-169
Author(s):  
Lyubov Zholudeva
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Discourse Marker ◽  
Italian Language ◽  
Verbal Form ◽  
Successful Communication ◽  
Formal Level ◽  
Syntactic Function ◽  
The One

The article is devoted to the functional and semantic analysis of the form dico in the 16 th-century Italian language, the main aim being to show how it gradually begins to function as a discourse marker. The study is performed on the basis of texts belonging to different genres (mainly comedies and treatises in the dialogue form) where certain peculiarities of spoken language are imitated. We come to the conclusion that the invariant pragmatic meaning of this unit is "second attempt to establish successful communication". We also claim that the promotion of dico to the role of a discourse marker is the result of the secondary metaphorization of dire. We point out to the parallelism between the metaphoric uses of dire, namely, the epistemic one ("to say" = "to claim, to consider") and the volitional one ("to say" = "to order, to command"), on the one hand, and the use of dico in its two main functions, on the other hand. The functions in question are a) adducing a comment to the previous statement, and b) urging the addressee to act in a certain way. In both cases one can speak of a partial desemantization of dico and its metaphorization that allows it to function as a pragmatic signal rather than a regular verbal form. On the formal level it is manifested by the absence of complements, syntactic freedom of dico and its tendency to occupy a certain position within a sentence depending exclusively on its pragmatic (and not grammatical-syntactic) function.

scholarly journals Bilingual Language Experience Shapes Resting-State Brain Rhythms

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 288-318
Author(s):  
Kinsey Bice ◽  
Brianna L. Yamasaki ◽  
Chantel S. Prat
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Native Language Proficiency

An increasing body of research has investigated how bilingual language experience changes brain structure and function, including changes to task-free, or “resting-state” brain connectivity. Such findings provide important evidence about how the brain continues to be shaped by different language experiences throughout the lifespan. The neural effects of bilingual language experience can provide evidence about the additional processing demands placed on the linguistic and/or executive systems by dual-language use. While considerable research has used MRI to examine where these changes occur, such methods cannot reveal the temporal dynamics of functioning brain networks at rest. The current study used data from task-free EEGS to disentangle how the linguistic and cognitive demands of bilingual language use impact brain functioning. Data analyzed from 106 bilinguals and 91 monolinguals revealed that bilinguals had greater alpha power, and significantly greater and broader coherence in the alpha and beta frequency ranges than monolinguals. Follow-up analyses showed that higher alpha was related to language control: more second-language use, higher native-language proficiency, and earlier age of second-language acquisition. Bilateral beta power was related to native-language proficiency, whereas theta was related to native-language proficiency only in left-hemisphere electrodes. The results contribute to our understanding of how the linguistic and cognitive requirements of dual-language use shape intrinsic brain activity, and what the broader implications for information processing may be.

scholarly journals Usefulness of Digital Language Resources in Improving Native Language among Adults

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 733
Author(s):  
Suzana Žilič Fišer ◽  
Jani Pavlič ◽  
Ines Kožuh
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Language Training ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Language Resources ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Digital Language

Important keys to effective communication are language competences, which can be supported by using digital language resources. These usually assist the acquisition of a second language, despite their potential for improving one’s native language. Our study was, thus, aimed at raising awareness about the possibilities of improving the native language of an adult population by using digital language resources for the Slovenian language. We conducted workshops, a survey and, partly, semi-structured interviews with 124 participants. We examined whether the perceived usefulness and ease of using digital language resources depends on age, education, self-assessed language proficiency, and experience with language training. The analysis revealed that self-initiative use of analogue language resources is related positively to using digital ones for seeking information, improving language use, as well as for study or work. Moreover, self-assessed proficiency in language was found to affect the perceived ease of using digital language resources. These findings may help language professionals support developing language skills by using digital language resources and preserving language in an adult population.

Evaluational Reactions to Speech: The Role of Ethnic-Linguistic Status

1989 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 307-317
Author(s):  
Stan Dornic ◽  
Lars Nystedt ◽  
Tarja Laaksonen ◽  
Lenore Arnberg
Keyword(s):  
Short Stories ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Spoken Language

Two groups of native Swedes listened to short stories, related in Swedish by Greek and American immigrants in Sweden, and rated the speakers on 15 personality traits as well as on five aspects of language proficiency. American speakers were rated more favorably than Greek speakers on two traits, namely, educated and capable. On language proficiency, Greeks and Americans were rated similarly except for the “grammar” aspect on which the latter obtained higher ratings. Speakers' time of residence in Sweden was strongly underestimated by raters, more for Americans than for Greeks. Correlations between ratings of personality and ratings of language proficiency were positive and significant on both affective and competence-related traits for the Greek speakers, while there were no significant correlations for the American speakers. The results are seen as giving support to the assumption that in judging personality from spoken language, attitudinal rather than linguistic factors play a major role, particularly if the speakers' ethnic-linguistic status is high.

Defining the cultural content of language in the work of L. Weisgerber “Native language and spirit formation”

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
O. V. Rtischeva ◽  
◽  
O. Yu. Astakhov ◽  
G. N. Minenco
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Mental Activity ◽  
Cultural Domain ◽  
Cultural Content ◽  
German Researcher ◽  
The One ◽  
Level Of Understanding ◽  
Cultural Reality ◽  
The Relationship

The article examines the relationship between linguistic and cultural reality within developing neo-Humboldtianism ideas, in particular, the authors analyze the work of L. Weisgerber “Native language and spirit formation” (1929). Speaking as a follower of the ideas of W. von Humboldt, the German researcher discusses the relationship between culture and language, which is realized through implementation of mental activity. In this regard, L. Weisgerber considers language thinking as a living language-making organism. Weisgerber L. notes that obvious (conceptual) and intuitive levels of birth meanings are implemented in language organism; in this way, establishing the connection between conscious and unconscious exercise of mental activity becomes possible. A higher level of understanding the reality associated with the discovery of cultural content is implemented in this synthesis. No one can speak a language just because of their own language personality, the researcher notes; on the contrary, this language proficiency grows on the basis of belonging to a language community, which forms the cultural content of language. Considering language as a cultural domain, L. Weisgerber evaluates its understanding as the development of internal content of culture, which leads to a homogeneous cognition using homogeneous forms, and thus – to agreement in thinking, which is most clearly expressed in the possibility of mutual understanding. However, L. Weisgerber thinks, that coordination between subjective activity and community should be carried out in two ways, taking into account the static and dynamic characteristics of language: on the one hand, this requires considering language within evaluating it as a sustainable form, and on the other hand, as an organismic form capable for development and constant updating. Native language for the researcher becomes an understanding of the “objective idea”, in relation to which the spiritual content of human existence environment is built.

scholarly journals Thinking More or Feeling Less? Explaining the Foreign-Language Effect on Moral Judgment

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 1387-1397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayuri Hayakawa ◽  
David Tannenbaum ◽  
Albert Costa ◽  
Joanna D. Corey ◽  
Boaz Keysar
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Moral Judgment ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Process Dissociation ◽  
Moral Choice ◽  
The One

Would you kill one person to save five? People are more willing to accept such utilitarian action when using a foreign language than when using their native language. In six experiments, we investigated why foreign-language use affects moral choice in this way. On the one hand, the difficulty of using a foreign language might slow people down and increase deliberation, amplifying utilitarian considerations of maximizing welfare. On the other hand, use of a foreign language might stunt emotional processing, attenuating considerations of deontological rules, such as the prohibition against killing. Using a process-dissociation technique, we found that foreign-language use decreases deontological responding but does not increase utilitarian responding. This suggests that using a foreign language affects moral choice not through increased deliberation but by blunting emotional reactions associated with the violation of deontological rules.

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