Cross-Cultural and Gender Comparison of Emotional Connotation of Words

So far, scientists have researched to explore the emotional connotation of words in different native languages and genders. This study investigates how connotations of words differ by cultures and genders by inspecting valence values, which indicates how happy people feel about specific words in datasets obtained from USA, Spain, and Portuguese. To fulfill the objective, we categorized people’s feelings evoked by the words based on a criterion created by adding or subtracting standard deviation to or from valence means for the upper and lower bound. Then, words with valence values outside of the upper and lower bounds were categorized as emotional words (positive or negative) and were analyzed. The results show that people of different cultures are more connected regarding the perception of negative connotation of words than positive connotation. Moreover, Portuguese and Spanish are more connected than either of them with the US as they have more emotion words in common. On the gender aspect, we notice that females tend to give more extreme ratings for words than males. Furthermore, the analysis shows that males have a more positive feeling towards sex-related words than females. Overall, this study outlines a way for people interested in anthropology to understand the differences in the emotional connotation of words between males and females and across cultures.

Roadblocks to Bilingualism

Most teacher candidates have little experience with learning other languages. They therefore become cogs in the assimilationist machine that causes immigrants to lose native languages and become monolingual in English (Rumbaut, Massey, & Bean, 2006). In a time of devaluing immigrants (and their languages) and failure on the part of most Americans to learn other languages, educators need to focus on the role of other languages in promoting multicultural understanding and to increase language learning in the US. This chapter examines bilingual teacher candidates' experiences with language learning. For four years, students studying for ESL/bilingual licensure were asked to rate their language abilities, finding that 30% rated themselves as bilingual, with 70.43% of bilinguals describing themselves as heritage speakers. The authors report the overall findings as well as the bilingual heritage speaker candidates' own words on their experiences with language learning and maintaining their bilingualism.

Translanguaging in English Language Teaching

This study explores teachers’ perspectives and practices on translanguaging in English language teaching. Especially, it focuses on how English language teachers perceive and explicate the meaning of translanguaging. The researcher got the primary data from the teachers in different private and public schools in Chitwan. All the respondents were studying in the 4th year of B.Ed major English at Birendra M. Campus Bharatpur; they all were teachers as well. First of all, some survey questions which were related to the study were sent to them via mail and got the written responses by the same means. It happened in such a way because of the lockdown due to the COVID-19. To understand the issue further, I arranged the interview and focus group discussion. I followed the standard process of analysis i.e., coding, categorizing, thematizing, and discussion. Respondents were aware of translanguaging and they took it positively. They agreed that bringing the native languages of every student to classrooms was challenging. They claimed that translanguaging enhances students’ creativity and participation in class.

LANGUAGE ORIENTATIONS OF THE POPULATION OF BASHKORTOSTAN ACCORDING TO ETHNOSOCIOLOGICAL SURVEYS

The problems of language preferences of the population of the multinational Republic of Bashkortostan are considered. Despite the widespread use of the communicative functions of the Russian language, national languages are also used on a fairly large scale in the republic, including in the field of education, mass media and in everyday life. As the data of ethnosociological surveys show, the linguistic guidelines of the population of the republic are aimed at further preservation and multiplication of national languages. It has been established that non-Russian peoples in the republic are interested in teaching and learning their native languages in the schools of the republic. In a market economy, despite financial and economic difficulties, the population writes out and reads periodicals in their native language.

“Teaching the poor of the Irish nation”: The Endeavours of the Protestant “Sons of Erin” to Educate Their Catholic “Brethren” in the Age of Catholic Agitation, 1800–1850

In Ireland, the Protestant missionary impetus of the early 19th century, known as the 'Second Reformation', coincided with Daniel O’Connell’s movement for the emancipation of Catholics and the Repeal of the Union which concurrently met with resounding success. As the Irish nationalist movement was becoming more and more catholicised, The Irish Society for Promoting the Education of the Native Irish through the Medium of Their Own Language promoted access to the Bible in “the pure Gaelic language and the Irish character” for both the spiritual salvation of “the [poorer] sons of Erin” and “the political repose and moral amelioration of Ireland.” Even if the Second Reformation has often been considered as an attempt at anglicising the Irish through conversion, a reassessment of the reciprocal influences of Protestant missions and Irish nationalism is timely. Therefore, this paper, relying on a wide range of archival material, intends to examine how the discourse of this Protestant society disrupted the status quo of Irish and British identities. Was the Society’s redefinition of Irish identity, which combined a shared Irish culture with loyalty to the British state, perceived by O’Connell’s nationalist movement as a threat or an opportunity? This exploration of the relationship between Christianity and nationalism highlights the complex ties that can be found between several layered identities and disrupts the binaries of the vernacular being promoted by the champions of independence and of native languages being erased by the advocates of imperial rule.

EPISTOLARY HERITAGE OF N.I. ILMINSKY AS A SOURCE ON THE HISTORY OF EDUCATING NON-RUSSIAN PEOPLES OF EASTERN RUSSIA (in the last third of the XIX century)

The article is devoted to the analysis of epistolary sources on the history of educating non-Russian peoples of eastern Russia. The correspondence gives an opportunity to present the work of N.I. Ilminsky on education, methods of his activity, difficulties encountered along the way. The correspondence focuses on the development of Orthodox education among non-Russian peoples. The specific composition of letters is diverse. By correspondents, the sources are divided into the following groups: letters to senior statesmen, to figures of the Russian Orthodox Church, to local education figures. By the content, the correspondence is divided into groups of materials: about translation and publishing activities, about organizing the network of non-Russian schools, about training and appointment of teachers and priests, about introducing church worship in native languages. The letters significantly complement our understanding of N.I. Ilminsky’s personality and his educational activities. Currently, many scientists believe that it is necessary to conduct a deeper study and interpretation of historical events concerning educating the population of the country, including non-Russian peoples of the eastern part of Russia, taking into account their diversity. Epistolary sources provide rich material for historical reconstruction, their information potential is rich and diverse. The research methodology is based on historical methods: historical-genetic and historical-comparative. The historical-genetic method enables to trace the course of events in their chronological sequence, the dynamics of processes related to the history of educating non-Russian peoples of eastern Russia. The comparative historical method, which puts the fait accompli as the basis of all arguments and conclusions, was an important method in the historical reconstruction of educational process of the non-Russian peoples of the region under study on the basis of Orthodox education. A variety of epistolary sources made it possible to conduct a holistic historical reconstruction of the period under study in the history of education and to formulate analytical conclusions on the research problem. The author managed to analyze the collected material. The analysis performed gives the opportunity to make a conclusion about the diverse activities of N.I. Ilminsky on education.

ETHNOCULTURAL NEEDS, NATIVE LANGUAGES OF THE STUDENT YOUTH IN CHUVASHIA

The article presents the results of a sociological survey conducted in October 2018 which involved 300 students of three higher educational institutions of Chuvashia. The main attention was paid to the projective opportunities for using various subjects in studies that are directly related to the ethnocultural differences of the peoples of Russia. The theme of the history and culture of the native land became the undisputed leader in this choice, followed by themes related to folk cuisines, national traditions and folk holidays. A significant interest of students in the opportunity to make such a choice is noted: on average, each respondent chose about 5 out of 13 proposed options. Comparing the responses given by the Russians and the Chuvash in terms of frequency of choice and preferences shows that Chuvash students are more interested in national traditions: in 7 out of 13 cases their answers surpassed the answers of students belonging to the Russian nationality in terms of frequency of choosing certain cultural characteristics. The students expressed their viewpoint about possible using the acquired knowledge about folk traditions and culture in their future professions. The answer to the question about native languages confirmed the already existing observations that not one, but two languages act as the native language for one fifth of respondents. For Chuvashia, in the absolute majority of cases, this option means that the Russian and the Chuvash languages are recognized as native languages.

EXPERT COMMUNITY’S OPINION ON SOME PROBLEMS OF NATIONAL POLICY IN CHUVASHIA

The article presents the views of 30 experts on a number of national policy problems in the Chuvash Republic. According to experts, friendly, conflict-free interethnic and interconfessional relations prevail in Chuvashia, rare cases of negative interethnic contacts are characteristic of everyday situations, most often related to the use of native languages. The possibility of interethnic conflicts is considered as unlikely. They may be associated with potentially ill-conceived actions in the sphere of linguistic and other ethno-cultural interests of representatives of individual peoples. According to experts, preservation and improvement of good-neighborly relations between representatives of certain ethnic groups are greatly influenced by the verified national policy and successful economic development of the republic. Some experts support the opinion which prevails among the republic population on the negative impact of labor migrants on the labor market opportunities for the old-age population, although statistics data do not confirm such attitudes. From experts’ viewpoint, successful implementation of national policy in the republic could be facilitated by organization of a special state management structure (ministry, committee), active involvement of enthusiasts in national cultural associations in various management issues, regular ethnological monitoring, dissemination of positive practices in the field of interethnic relations, etc. In general, experts believe that there is no noticeable influence of the ethnic factor on real politics in Chuvashia.

ETHNOCULTURAL AND LANGUAGE POLICY IN CHUVASHIA: EXPERT OPINION

The article analyzes the opinion of the expert community on a number of problems concerning the ethnocultural development and language policy in Chuvashia. The survey was conducted in 15 regions of the country using the tools developed at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology under the Russian Academy of Sciences. In autumn 2020, 30 experts expressed their opinion, they represented equally the sphere of state and municipal administration, science, higher education, the media, as well as national cultural associations and other public organizations. Much attention of the experts was directed to the ways and methods of implementing the amendments to the Constitution of Russia in Chuvashia adopted in 2020, including by expanding the opportunities of regional legislation in the field of ethno-cultural development. Different points of view are expressed on such subjects as the legislative strengthening of the Chuvash language in the public space, the decision to switch to voluntary study of native languages in educational institutions, the possibility of state and public support for native languages of various peoples, etc. The attitude to such innovations was determined during the All-Russian Population Census as the ability of citizens to name themselves as representatives of more than one nationality and to name not one native language but more, to determine the extent of using other languages in everyday life other than Russian. The opinion of experts on the place and role of national cultural associations in the work on the ethno-cultural direction was studied. On a number of issues, experts expressed an integrated opinion, including supporting the cultural needs of the old-time and newly arriving population, on the need to consider native languages as belonging to traditional family values, on the possibility of identifying the level of language use in everyday life during the population census, etc. At the same time, quite opposite opinions were expressed on a number of issues. For example, this is in reference to the possibility to consider oneself a person belonging not to one, but, for example, to two ethnic identities during the population census, about the activity of national and cultural associations when discussing the amendments to the Constitution of Russia, etc.