Complex Phrases Research Articles

A Phonological Sketch of Modo: An Endangered Language in Eastern Indonesia

Modo is an endangered Austronesian language mainly spoken on the islands of Komodo and Rinca in East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia. Despite its status as an endangered language, Modo remains under-documented and understudied. This paper presents a phonological sketch of Modo based on primary data collected from native speakers in our 30-day fieldwork on the two islands. Through careful analysis of recordings from an elicited wordlist and transcription of naturalistic speech, this description covers Modo’s consonant and vowel inventories, syllable structure, stress assignment, and morphophonological analysis. Modo exhibits 31 consonants, including eight prenasalized stops, two implosives /ɓ/ and /ɗ/, the dental plosive /d̪/, the labio-dental approximant /ʋ/, and the loan palatal approximant /j/ and labio-dental fricative /f/. Additionally, Modo has six oral vowels, including the mid-central vowel /ə/, and five nasal vowels. The syllable structure of Modo is predominantly open, though it permits the consonants /h/ and /ʔ/ in word-final positions. Stress in Modo is generally assigned to the penultimate syllable, though shifts can occur in more complex phrases and sentences, indicating a nuanced prosodic system. Modo exhibits limited morphophonological processes, with only deletion and assimilation found in compounding. Furthermore, this study includes a brief discussion on practical orthography to enhance the accessibility of Modo’s unique phonemic units. We suggest the representation of distinctive phonemes, such as the implosives /ɓ/ and /ɗ/, voiced dental /d̪/, labio-dental approximant /ʋ/, and nasal vowels. This phonological sketch not only contributes to the documentation of an endangered language but also clarifies some phonological issues found in previous works and underscores the intricate linguistic features that characterize the Modo language, paving the way for future research and revitalization efforts.

Is home environment predictive of early grammar development?

Research shows that children's home environment (e.g., the composition of their household and the resources available in it) has an impact on children's language development. However, this research has mostly been conducted among English speakers from the minority world and has often only considered vocabulary size. This exploratory study investigated whether home environment factors are predictive of grammar development in Afrikaans-speaking (n = 117) and English-speaking (n = 102) toddlers in South Africa. Moreover, potential differences between these two language groups were explored. Results showed that home environment factors pertaining to family stability predicted two of the three grammar scores, namely total grammar and complex phrases. Cluster analysis showed distinct patterns of home environment factors between Afrikaans and English-speaking households, illustrating the importance of measuring these factors even across samples from the same country. This study shows that children's home environment is an interconnected system and cautions against oversimplified single-factor approaches.

PERCEPTIONS OF SMK PEREMPUAN LIKAS STUDENTS ON THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON LANGUAGE LEARNING

The study investigates the perceptions of SMK Perempuan Likas students on the impact of social media on their language learning and the challenges they encounter when using social media as a tool for language learning. This study employed a mixed-methods approach, where 100 Form 4 students were involved in completing the questionnaires and a total of 5 students participating in focus group discussion. The quantitative data were analysed using SPSS to provide descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. Quantitative results indicated majority of students (56%) have a positive perception of the impact of social media on their English language skills, with another 42% acknowledging some beneficial effects, and only 1% reporting a negative impact. Students reported the most enhanced skills through social media as speaking (25%) and reading (20%), followed by pronunciation and communication (15% each), listening and spelling (9% each), and writing (7%). Qualitative findings reveal several challenges, including difficulties understanding abbreviations, pronunciation, and complex phrases. Participants also highlighted negative aspects of social media such as distractions, exposure to inappropriate content, and the potential for bullying.The findings suggest that educators should develop strategies to leverage social media’s benefits and mitigate its challenges. Policymakers are encouraged to implement digital literacy programs to help students navigate social media effectively. This balanced approach aims to maximise the positive impacts of social media on language learning while minimising its challenges. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on digital learning tools and provides practical recommendations for educators and policymakers.

EFL Parents' Empowerment: Using Supplementary Videos for Engaging EFL Parents with Their Children in Meaningful Speaking Tasks at Home

The traditional EFL classroom is no longer enough to provide sufficient possibilities for EFL learners' verbal engagement, which has become one of the most challenging for EFL teachers inside classroom settings. This study aims to extend EFL children's oral interactions outside classroom settings by providing their parents with bilingual explainer videos and video materials designed for this purpose. The study uses interviews, pretests, and posttests as tools for data collection, and participants of the control and experimental groups were taught the same content via the traditional method. However, the supplementary videos (explainer videos & video materials) were only used to be shown to the parents of the experimental group's participants. Data analysis revealed that the experimental group’s participants whose parents employed the supplementary videos outperformed much better than the control group's participants whose parents just depended on the students’ books. Hence, bilingual explainer videos and material videos are useful tools for helping EFL parents extend speaking practices with their children at home. The children's spoken performance in several areas of the language has improved dramatically. The participants progress from nodding their heads to delivering two complex phrases. Thus, it suggests designing supplementary videos to serve as a guide for EFL parents to engage in verbal interactive tasks with their children at home.

Test, numerical investigation and design of perforated advanced high-strength steel I-shaped built-up compression members

This study investigates the effects of perforations on the buckling behavior and load-bearing capacity of advanced high-strength steel I-shaped built-up compression members. The built-up section was fabricated by connecting two identical lipped channel sections made of complex phrase steel HC700CP980 using pull rivets. The perforations were classified into two groups: holes in web and holes in both web and flanges. A comprehensive parametric study, combining both experimental results and finite element analysis, demonstrated the decrease in load-bearing capacity caused by the presence of perforations, particularly noticeable in specimens featuring holes in both web and flanges. The extend of the reduction is closely linked to the quantity and dimensions of the holes, with a higher hole-element width ratio resulting in a more substantial loss of load-bearing capacity. Additionally, the obtained test and FE results were used to evaluate the accuracy of direct strength method (DSM) for the examined advanced high-strength steel I-shaped built-up compression members. The evaluation findings highlight the limitations of the DSM in the design predictions for built-up columns featuring multiple web holes and holes on both web and flanges. Therefore, a modified calculation method was proposed, which integrated strength reduction factors to consider the influence of the position of holes relative to the flexural buckling axis of built-up sections. The modified method has shown notably improved design accuracy and consistency for the perforated advanced high-strength steel I-shaped built-up sections.

Bilingualism and ageing independently impact on language processing: evidence from comprehension and production

AbstractTo examine the combined effects of ageing and bilingualism in language processing, we tested young and older mono- and bilingual speakers in L1 comprehension and production. In Experiment 1, bilinguals were slower to detect words than monolinguals in sentences with a low-constraint context, but not when a high-constraint context was provided. Older adults tended to outperform younger adults in high-constraint sentences. In Experiment 2, older speakers were slower than younger speakers to produce small-scope prepositional phrases (e.g., ‘the coneabovethe grape), suggesting more extensive planning. Bilingual disadvantages were observed in larger-scope complex phrases (e.g., ‘the coneandthe pink grape’). Individual differences in language proficiency did not modulate the effects. The results support bilingual disadvantages in syntactic processing and age-preserved syntax, alongside semantic processing unaffected by either bilingualism or age. We found no interactions between age and bilingualism, suggesting that these two factors independently impact language processing.

Translation and psychometric assessment of the mastectomy module of the BREAST-Q questionnaire for use in Nigeria

BackgroundThe majority of non-metastatic breast cancer patients in sub-Saharan Africa are recommended to have mastectomy. The impact of mastectomy on a predominantly young African patient population requires evaluation. The BREAST-Q is a validated patient-reported outcome measure of quality-of-life following breast surgery that has been translated into 30 languages-none in Africa. This study aimed to translate and assess the psychometric properties of the mastectomy module of the BREAST-Q for use in Nigeria.MethodsThe BREAST-Q mastectomy module was translated from English to Yoruba and its psychometric properties assessed using best practice guidelines. Translation was performed in 4 steps: forward translation (x2), back translation, back translation review, and cognitive interviews with post-mastectomy patients. The translated BREAST-Q instrument was administered to post-mastectomy patients (n = 21) alongside the EORTC-QLQ BR23 to evaluate construct validity. Test-retest reliability was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC); surveys were re-administered 4 weeks apart.ResultsThe translation process identified English phrases not amenable to direct translation, including “emotionally healthy” and descriptions of pain (“nagging,” “throbbing,” “sharp”). Translations were amended to reflect local context and question intent. During cognitive interviews, patients provided suggestions to simplify complex phrases, e.g. “discomfort in your breast area.”. Internal consistency within scales was over 0.70 for psychosocial wellbeing (α = 0.84–0.87), sexual wellbeing (α = 0.98–0.99), physical wellbeing in chest (α = 0.84–0.86), and satisfaction with care (α = 0.89–0.93). ICC for test-retest reliability was moderate (0.46–0.63).ConclusionsThe Yoruba version of the BREAST-Q mastectomy module presents a unique opportunity to adequately capture the experiences of Nigerian women post mastectomy. This instrument is being used in a pilot study of Nigerian patients to identify targets for intervention to improve the patient experience and compliance with breast cancer surgery.

Testing, numerical modeling and design of perforated advanced high-strength steel channel section columns

This paper examines the influence of perforations on the buckling instability and load-bearing capacity of advanced high-strength steel channel section (C-section) columns. Experimental tests were first conducted on 19 column specimens made of complex phrase steel HC700CP980 under axial compression, followed by finite element (FE) analysis. Two section types, the flat web C-section and the web-stiffened C-section, were considered, with perforations categorised as web-only or both web and flanges. Material tests and initial imperfection measurements were conducted and reported. Using test results, finite element models were established and parameter analysis was carried out. Analysis of test results and finite element data revealed that perforations had a noticeable impact on the buckling deformation of flat web C-sections but had a minor effect on load-bearing capacity. In contrast, web-stiffened C-sections exhibited intensified deformation post-perforation, significantly reducing their axial stiffness and load-bearing capacity. The Direct Strength Method (DSM) was assessed based on combined test and FE data. It revealed that the DSM resulted in a high level of inaccuracy and scatter in the load-bearing capacity predictions of high-strength steel C-sections after perforation. To address this, a modified method incorporating a perforation strength reduction factor was proposed, offering straightforward and intuitive calculations with improved design accuracy and consistency.

Why Does Speech Sometimes Sound Like Song? Exploring the Role of Music-Related Priors in the “Speech-to-Song Illusion”

The speech-to-song illusion is a perceptual effect emerging at the interplay of two cognitive domains, music and language. It arises upon repetitions of a spoken phrase that shifts to being perceived as song, and varies in the likelihood, ease, and vividness of its occurrence among individuals. A prevailing explanation of the illusion suggests that listeners’ attention shifts to rhythm and melody of the phrase once their involvement with the linguistic meaning subsides. The present study tested this mechanism by manipulating meaning plausibility and structural complexity of French and English phrases and by obtaining measures of attentional and working memory capacity from 80 French and English listeners who were exposed to repetitions of sentences in their native language. The results show that the transformation was facilitated in listeners with fewer cognitive resources and in less plausible, more complex phrases, which is at odds with the previously proposed mechanism underpinning the speech-to-song illusion. The illusion-promoting effect of musical training was visible only in simple but not in complex phrases. We propose a new account of the perceptual transformation from speech to song as a cognitive effect arising from the accumulation of music-related priors in a linguistically ambiguous context of massed repetitions.

Ancient Heritage in the History of the Synod by Paisius Ligarides, Metropolitan of Gaza: Dedication to the Russian Tsar

The History of the Synod, compiled at the beginning of 1667 by Paisius Ligarides, Metropolitan of Gaza († 1678), shortly after the condemnation of Patriarch Nikon († 1681) at the Great Moscow Synod (1666), has long attracted the attention of researchers. However, it is studied without involving the Greek text and its complete translation into Russian. The arrangements made between the middle and second half of the nineteenth century differ from the original in their selectivity and inaccuracy. The anonymous Russian translation, short and unprofessional, resembles a free paraphrase; in comparison with the Russian version, the English one, belonging to the British theologian and historian W. Palmer († 1879), is closer to the original in content. However, it omits complex phrases and designations of culture-specific Russian elements and contains the translator’s comments. The stumbling block for interpreters was Ligarides’ appeal to Antiquity, a literary device that characterises the writer’s style in the Moscow period of his life (since 1662). Appeals to ancient authors and writings and techniques dating back to ancient rhetoric are scattered throughout the History of the Synod, but there are many of them in the dedication to the client, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. This article considers the problem of ancient heritage in the History of the Synod with reference to this introductory section. An analysis of the content of his three themes – the idealisation of Antiquity, the appointment of history and the dignity of the ruler – helps reveal the significance of ancient culture and mythology to the writer. The appeal of the Metropolitan of Gaza to the classical heritage correlates with didactic and educational tasks. Ligarides supported the messianic idea, popular with the Greek clergy, about the significance of Moscow – the heir of Rome and the ruler of Moscow as the liberator of Christian peoples from the Muslim yoke. Approving the Byzantine model in the issue of separation of powers, according to which the secular ruler was an absolute monarch, Ligarides oriented Alexei Mikhailovich to follow the example of the rulers of the ancient era, who had the virtues of the kingcreator, triumpher, and enlightener. Encouraging the Russian elite to become more familiar with the ancient heritage and thus contributing to the Europeanisation of court culture, the Metropolitan brought closer the situation called the antiquity of Russian culture by philologists.

COORDINATE STRUCTURE OF COMPOUND SENTENCES FOUND IN BRITANNICA.COM ABOUT TITANIC

In this study, the types of coordinating conjunctions used in sentences about the Titanic on Britannica.com are analyzed. This study's objective is to identify the different kinds of coordinating conjunctions used in compound phrases. In this study, the data were analyzed using a descriptive qualitative approach based on the theory put forward by Quirk and Greenbaum (1973). The 52 total data were broken down into three categories—syndetic coordination, asyndetic coordination, and syndetic and asyndetic coordination—that describe the three forms of coordinating conjunctions used in compound sentences. This study specifically discovered all three types of coordination in complex phrases. 27 data are coordinated synthetically, 18 data are coordinated asyndetically, and 7 data are coordinated syndetically and asyndetically. In syndetic coordination, there are 21 data using “and”, 5 data using “but”, and 1 data using “so”. While, in asyndetic coordination there are 15 data using “comma” (,), and 3 data using “semicolon” (;). The last 7 data are using both syndetic and asyndetic coordination.

Pausing behavior of late bilingual and monolingual English speakers

This study examined the differences in the pausing behavior between native and non-native English speakers. Specifically, it examined the location and duration of pauses in relation to the syntactic and lexical complexity of the clauses in which these pauses occur and the nature of the prosodic phrasing of the utterances containing pauses. Speech samples from 10 native (L1) English and 10 Mandarin non-native English speakers from the Archive of L1 and L2 Scripted and Spontaneous Transcripts and Recordings (ALLSSTAR) were included in the analysis. The results showed that lower-level prosodic boundaries and syntactically complex phrases were associated with significantly longer pause duration in the L2 speech. Additionally, phrases with less frequent words tended to induce longer pauses. These findings suggest that insufficient knowledge of the L2 syntax, lexicon, and prosody might determine the location and duration of pauses and ultimately affect the speech fluency of L2 speakers.

MeaningBERT: assessing meaning preservation between sentences.

In the field of automatic text simplification, assessing whether or not the meaning of the original text has been preserved during simplification is of paramount importance. Metrics relying on n-gram overlap assessment may struggle to deal with simplifications which replace complex phrases with their simpler paraphrases. Current evaluation metrics for meaning preservation based on large language models (LLMs), such as BertScore in machine translation or QuestEval in summarization, have been proposed. However, none has a strong correlation with human judgment of meaning preservation. Moreover, such metrics have not been assessed in the context of text simplification research. In this study, we present a meta-evaluation of several metrics we apply to measure content similarity in text simplification. We also show that the metrics are unable to pass two trivial, inexpensive content preservation tests. Another contribution of this study is MeaningBERT (https://github.com/GRAAL-Research/MeaningBERT), a new trainable metric designed to assess meaning preservation between two sentences in text simplification, showing how it correlates with human judgment. To demonstrate its quality and versatility, we will also present a compilation of datasets used to assess meaning preservation and benchmark our study against a large selection of popular metrics.

Investigating EFL Students' Writing Skills Through Artificial Intelligence: Wordtune Application as a Tool

Artificial intelligence (AI) powered writing technologies such as Wordtune and Grammarly are increasingly penetrating the L2 writing domain. Despite the growing significance of such digital tools, few studies have explored how AI-driven applications impact Saudi English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing. The current study aimed to fill this gap by investigating whether and to what extent Wordtune facilitates Saudi students' writing. The participants were divided into two male and two female groups using a mixed-method design. For both male and female samples, one group was identified as the control group, whereas the other one was identified as the experimental group. Quantitative data were collected using pretests and post-tests and analyzed using SPSS. Qualitative data were derived from students' writing samples and assessed by two human raters. The results showed that using Wordtune, students in the experimental group surpassed those in the control group. Quantitative findings demonstrated that using Wordtune, the experimental group upgraded their writing and outperformed the control group in the final writing exam. Qualitative findings indicate that using Wordtune, the experimental group made modest writing gains at the lexical and syntactic levels. While lexical gains included more concrete nouns, vivid adjectives, and precise verbs, sentence-structure gains included the increasing presence of complex phrases and complex and compound sentences. Finally, the impact of Wordtune on writing quality was the same for both male and female participants.

Abstract 89: Translation and Linguistic Validation of the Mastectomy Module of the BREAST-Q Questionnaire for Use in Nigeria

Abstract Purpose: The majority of breast cancer patients in sub-Saharan Africa are recommended to have mastectomy; The impact of mastectomy on a predominantly young African patient population requires evaluation. The BREAST-Q is a validated patient-reported outcome measure of quality-of-life following breast surgery that has been translated into 30 languages-none in Africa. This study aimed to translate and validate the mastectomy module of the BREAST-Q for use in Nigeria. Methods: The BREAST-Q mastectomy module was translated from English to Yoruba (a major Nigerian language) and linguistically validated using best practice guidelines. Translation was performed in 4 steps: forward translation (x 2), back translation, back translation review, and cognitive interviews with post-mastectomy patients. The translated BREAST-Q instrument was administered to post-mastectomy patients (n=21) alongside the EORTC-QLQ BR23 to evaluate construct validity. Results: The translation process identified phrases not amenable to direct translation, including “emotionally healthy” and descriptions of pain (“nagging,” “throbbing,” “sharp”). Translations were amended to reflect local context and question intent. Patients provided suggestions to simplify complex phrases, such as “discomfort in your breast area.”during cognitive interviews. Internal consistency within scales was over the 0.70 threshold for psychosocial wellbeing (α=0.84-0.87), sexual wellbeing (α =0.98-0.99), physical wellbeing in chest (α =0.84-0.86), and satisfaction with care (α =0.89-0.93). ICC for test-retest reliability was moderate (0.46-0.63). Conclusion: The Yoruba version of the BREAST-Q mastectomy module in Yoruba presents a conceptually equivalent version in a language that is easy to understand.. We will use this validated instrument in a pilot study of Nigerian patients to identify targets for intervention to improve the patient experience and compliance with breast cancer surgery. Citation Format: Olalekan Olasehinde, Anya Romanoff. Translation and Linguistic Validation of the Mastectomy Module of the BREAST-Q Questionnaire for Use in Nigeria [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Closing the Research-to-Implementation Gap; 2023 Apr 4-6. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 89.

Male song of the Aquatic Warbler, a promiscuous bird without paternal care, is more complex than previously thought

The Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola is one of the rarest European passerines and is characterised by promiscuity, lack of pair-bonds and female-only parental care. This makes the species an important model for studying the function of avian courtship song. The song of the Aquatic Warbler consists of whistle and rattle phrases produced as discontinuous A-, B- and C-songs, which are built by a single rattle, a rattle and a whistle, and more than two phrases of both kinds, respectively. The A- and B-songs are thought to be aggressive signals in male-male interactions, while C-songs are thought to be important for female choice. Here, we analysed recordings of 40 individually marked males, and determined the phrase repertoire. The enumerated repertoire (males recorded for ≥ 10 min) ranged from 16 to 158 (mean 99), however, it did not capture the complete phrase repertoires. We then used models from species diversity ecology to estimate the actual phrase repertoire size, which ranged between 18 and 300 phrases (mean 155). The estimated repertoire was predicted by the number of C-songs. The rattle repertoire was larger than the whistle repertoire, and both positively correlated with the number of C-songs. Our study indicates that male Aquatic Warblers have highly complex phrase repertoires that vary widely in size. Their courtship song is flexible and efficient, enabling relative song complexity to be demonstrated in a short sample, thus facilitating both female attraction through the quick presentation of large phrase repertoires and rival deterrence through the production of many short and simple A- and B-songs.

THE WAYS OF ORGANIZING OF LOGONEUROSIS TREATMENT: THE ASPECT OF PHYSICAL REHABILITATION

The purpose of our research is to show the main ways of organizing of logoneurosis treatment, to determine the aspects of physical rehabilitation. Research methods. The research methods were the method of observation and the empirical study of patients. The place of organizing the empirical stage of our research was the psychiatric hospital No. 1 in Kyiv, December 2022 – February 2023. With the help of clinical, pathopsychological and anamnestic methods were diagnosed 86 children in the age 3–12 years old (the average age is 8 ± 0,5 years old) with logoneurosis in anamnesis. The results of the research. Spontaneous speech (involuntary, independent) is the most difficult for those who stutter, because it assumes a natural and quite active process of communication of the child with others: questions, requests, appeals, messages, exchange of ideas, expressions of wishes, etc. Thus, the process of free independent speech in children who stutter is brought up in language classes in the following sequence: joint-reflective speech; respectively – interrogative form of speech; retelling or story; spontaneous speech. Conclusions. Taking into account all the listed forms of speech, speech exercises are built by a Speech Therapist in the following sequence: memorized text; the text that the patient worked out aloud; a thought-out text; unfamiliar text, impromptu. Therefore, the difficulties in the speech of those ones who stutter increase depending on whether the child pronounces individual sounds, words or phrases. In the latter case, stumbling blocks are most common. Moreover, there are too many of them in a complex phrase than in a simple one, and in sentences, which are connected by meaning (retelling, story), and they there are more than in separate ones.

AN ERROR ANALYSIS IN GENERATING COMPOUND COMPLEX SENTENCE ON STUDENTS’ WRITING

Since compound-complex sentences combine two distinct sentences, many students face difficulties to generate the type of sentence. This research aims to analyze the students’ errors in writing compound-complex sentences. The research applied the descriptive qualitative research design. The participants of the research are English education department students taking basic writing course. The data was taken from student’s writing task and analyzed classifying them into different types of sentence errors based on Hacker and Sommers (2011). The result shows that the error made by students are fused sentence 35.6 %, missing verb 28%, missing subject 20%, comma splices 13,3% and missing subject and verb 2,2%. It is advised that the lecturers in writing classes provide more tasks in addition to demonstrating more frequent errors and examples of compound-compound complex phrases taken from real-world texts.

Informative Causality Extraction from Medical Literature via Dependency-Tree-Based Patterns.

Extracting cause-effect entities from medical literature is an important task in medical information retrieval. A solution for solving this task can be used for compilation of various causality relations, such as causality between disease and symptoms, between medications and side effects, and between genes and diseases. Existing solutions for extracting cause-effect entities work well for sentences where the cause and the effect phrases are name entities, single-word nouns, or noun phrases consisting of two to three words. Unfortunately, in medical literature, cause and effect phrases in a sentence are not simply nouns or noun phrases, rather they are complex phrases consisting of several words, and existing methods fail to correctly extract the cause and effect entities in such sentences. Partial extraction of cause and effect entities conveys poor quality, non-informative, and often, contradictory facts, comparing to the one intended in the given sentence. In this work, we solve this problem by designing an unsupervised method for cause and effect phrase extraction, PatternCausality, which is specifically suitable for the medical literature. Our proposed approach first uses a collection of cause-effect dependency patterns as template to extract head words of cause and effect phrases and then it uses a novel phrase extraction method to obtain complete and meaningful cause and effect phrases from a sentence. Experiments on a cause-effect dataset built from sentences from PubMed articles show that for extracting cause and effect entities, PatternCausality is substantially better than the existing methods—with an order of magnitude improvement in the F-score metric over the best of the existing methods. We also build different variants of PatternCausality, which use different phrase extraction methods; all variants are better than the existing methods. PatternCausality and its variants also show modest performance improvement over the existing methods for extracting cause and effect entities in a domain-neutral benchmark dataset, in which cause and effect entities are nouns or noun phrases consisting of one to two words.

A review of Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) and pilot of Dynamic Adaptive Speech Reconstruction (DASR) imaging

IntroductionMaking mistakes is at the heart of learning. This principle is central to “re‐learning” how to speak and, when applied with music, can elicit a robust brain activation. As simple as a search for the right note provokes a plastic process in normal language development since it activates the right hemisphere homolog of Broca’s area, which “takes over” language functions. This review and pilot experiment examines language neuroplasticity by observing how Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT), a treatment modality that combines elements of speech, rhythm, and melody, plays a role in language re‐learning and how its limitations can be overcome with a new tool our lab is developing ‐ Dynamic Adaptive Speech Reconstruction (DASR). MIT’s design in combining task modalities of speaking, singing, and tapping to activate Broca’s area is limited by its well‐intentioned, yet subjective interpretation by speech‐language pathologists. DASR, when fully developed, overcomes subjectivity by using an AI algorithm that incorporates MIT data in real‐time in combination with functional Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to observe areas of the brain that are actively recruited when a patient attempts to form phrases. The DASR algorithm objectively analyzes patients’ responses, deconstructs the response, associates it with the fNIRS brain activation, measured as the Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) response, and suggests the next request the therapist should ask of the patient. We tested two aspects of DASR in recruiting the right hemisphere homologue of Broca’s area.MethodsUsing fNIRS in two age‐matched, middle‐aged subjects, we measured activation of Broca’s area in response to a set of randomized repeated phrases. Participants were fitted with an electrode skull cap that measures the BOLD response to the cerebral cortex. Each participant performed a series of 21 tasks (20 seconds each) per trial (420 seconds). Each of the 21 tasks consisted of a recited prompt, which the subject was to repeat as precisely as possible. Subjects were asked to speak, sing, intone with an augmented 4th note (added per DASR protocol), and tap a specific rhythm to “happy birthday to you” and to subsequently more difficult analogs of the phrase: “Hippo birdseed two ewes,” then “Ep say feef now jam bob,” and finally “happy birthday to you.” The set of 21 tasks were repeated in a pseudo‐random order for each subject five times. Block design statistical parametric mapping was used to visualize activation.ResultsBroca’s area showed the greatest activation when task modalities were combined, in particular when singing augmented 4th phrases. It is notable that when tapping is added to singing the augmented 4th, Broca’s area activation appears to decrease, but activation of the right lateral frontal lobe increases with each successive trial. Subjects repeating the phrase, “happy birthday to you”, after going through a series of increasingly complex phrases showed recruitment of the right inferior frontal lobe after the subject completes just one series of trials.DiscussionThis review and pilot study demonstrates that fNIRS can be used to visual brain activation of Broca’s area, particularly in conditions of increasing linguistic complexity, and shows immediate recruitment of the right hemisphere homologue of Broca’s area.