Core Vocabulary Research Articles

Frequency of Hebrew word usage by children with intellectual and developmental disabilities: implications for AAC core vocabulary

Appropriate vocabulary selection for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention is crucial to support communication and language development in children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Core vocabulary lists are commonly used to guide this process, and there is a need for language-specific consideration. This paper aimed to develop a wordlist for selecting the core vocabulary for AAC intervention for young Hebrew-speaking children with IDD. Five children (age 3;5–8;4) were audio-recorded in naturalistic interactions with an interviewer and family members. Using Levy’s clinical corpus in the Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES) and Child Phonology Analyzer (CPA) tools and preestablished codes, wordlists with usage frequencies were extracted and coded for lexeme, lexical categories and functions or content. The percentages of the 20, 50, 100, and 200 most frequent lexemes were calculated for each child and for the five children combined. The top 200 most frequently used lexemes constituted 85% of the composite lexicon. A comparison was made between this study list and a previous list derived from language samples of typically developing (TD). Lexemes representing function words dominated, albeit with a slight preference for content words in children with IDD. Among the content words, children with IDD used more adverbs, while children with TD used more verbs. Implications for AAC core vocabulary are discussed.

Exploring teaching methods for middle school English vocabulary in China: Based on observation of high-quality lessons in people’s education edition

This study investigates the methodologies used in teaching vocabulary in middle school English classrooms, focusing on the interconnections among class types, parts of speech, teaching stages, and methods. By combining offline classroom observations with a review of 99 high-quality online lessons from the People’s Education Edition, the research provides a comprehensive comparison of vocabulary instruction practices. The findings reveal that vocabulary instruction is often embedded within broader lessons on listening and speaking, reading, writing, and grammar rather than being addressed in dedicated sessions, and that there is significant variability among teachers in core vocabulary selection and instructional approaches. The study concludes that there is a lack of consistent and dedicated vocabulary teaching methods across different class types. This research offers valuable insights for educators to develop more targeted and effective vocabulary teaching strategies, aiming to improve vocabulary acquisition among middle school students.

CORE UNITS OF COMPUTER LEXIS

This paper analyzes the core vocabulary of English computer lexis, examining the criteria for identifying central terms and describing their structure and characteristics. The core units represent the most relevant concepts in computer terminology, characterized by high frequency, ambiguity, stylistic neutrality and significant word-formation potential. The study distinguishes “first-level core units” like “user”, “computer” and “internet” that denote the most important notions; “second-level core units” like “smart” and “digital” that originated as synonyms but became independent; and “core elements” like cyber, tele and e- that started as abbreviations. Core units generate numerous morphological and syntactic innovations, often expanding or narrowing in meaning. The core lexeme “electronic” is especially productive, forming phrases representing computer trends and systems. Core elements undergo lexicalization into independent prefixes and word-forming components. While artificial intelligence is currently popular, related linguistic innovation remains limited. The core vocabulary has a complex structure with central concepts spawning many new terms through derivation and compounding. The paper examines the phenomena of synonymous attraction, functional homonymy in core elements, and the dualistic nature of computer lexis development. It provides a systematic analysis of the core English computer terminology and its word-formation capabilities.

Transfer of affective connotations in the basic lexicon of Spanish learners of L2 English

This study addresses emotion in second languages with the aim of understanding how late bilinguals incorporate the affective connotations of core vocabulary into their mental lexicon. Specifically, it examines whether there are emotionality differences between the L2 and the native languages of reference, and whether linguistic competence, contact with the L2 and its culture, and attitudes explain the different tendencies. For this purpose, a group of Spanish learners of L2 English assessed a corpus of 300 words on the affective dimensions of valence and arousal. Different statistical analyses showed that English learners value the lexical repertoire in a very similar way to Spanish speakers, differing markedly from English speakers. It is mainly concluded that the mother tongue exerts a significant influence on this perceptual process and that the emotional connotations of the L2 are incorporated into the mental lexicon through translations from the L1 as a result of an emotional transfer.

내러티브 과제 유형에 따른 초등 학령기 아동의 어휘 사용 특성

Background and Objectives: The vocabulary of an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system should reflect the AAC user’s needs and desires for successful communication. The selection of vocabulary should be based on the vocabulary used by the child’s peers. This study aimed to examine vocabulary usage characteristics of children in lower primary grades according to the type of narrative task and to select core vocabulary for use in an AAC system. Methods: We collected utterances from 20 children in lower elementary school for four narrative tasks (personal experience story, storytelling, explanation, and procedural descriptions). Characteristics of high-frequency vocabulary, core vocabulary, and word class vocabulary by task were examined. Results: Of the total number of words, the total frequency of core words was 77.28% (n = 26,400). The total number of other words was 2,677 (10.98%). The most frequent words in the core vocabulary were ‘-e(-에)’, ‘-ga(-가)’, and ‘-neun(-는)’. Conclusion: The inclusion of high-frequency words and core vocabulary in the narrative task can be used as a basis for vocabulary selection for school-aged children who use AAC systems.

지방자치단체장의 정치성향별 지방자치단체 슬로건 변화에 관한 연구

This study is an analytical study on the changes of slogans of local governments. This study aims to confirm that whether the local slogans advocated by local governments can be influenced by the political inclinations of elected leaders. The scope of the study is local governments where the head of a local government was replaced by a different political party. Core vocabulary was derived from the frequency of words used in slogans and analyzed the values pursued and images emphasized by political orientation. Through comparative research, It was discovered that not only did the content of slogans change depending on the political leanings of the local government head, but also the design form of the slogans also changed. It was found that blue is often used in the slogans of local governments where progressive leaders had been in office, while local governments where conservative heads of organizations are elected often replace slogans using red. On the other hand, through an investigation of the words emphasized in their slogans, it was found that the common goal of local governments, transcending the trends of the times and political stances, is the happiness of local residents. It was confirmed that there is a need to improve the problem of the short life span of local government slogans due to the use of colors and word selection that show similarities with national administration, and to create and manage a viable slogan that can blend harmoniously into the overall city brand and meet the basic goals of regional development and the satisfaction of local residents.

Health literacy and language teaching: data-based host language lexicons

Using a corpus-based approach, this paper presents methods and results for assessing, extracting, and describing the core vocabulary relevant to healthcare access among migrant populations. The aim is to bridge the gap between the basic information conveyed to people arriving in Portugal and the materials as well as other lexicographic resources used in language teaching. The work includes identifying available resources and/or sources for compiling the relevant dataset for healthcare access; selecting available tools for corpus inquiry; testing and comparing results from different functionalities and different lexical statistics measures available in the tools; manual filtering of the data; and analyzing the results and the extracted lexicon. The obtained results reflect the organization of the extracted lexicon in subdomains, the organization of the items within each subdomain, the relationship with common vocabulary, and the extraction of authentic examples from the corpus.

Needs Analysis of English Skills for Logistics Business Among Thai University Students

Logistics plays a vital role in driving the global economy forward. Within this profession, English serves as the primary means of communication. However, not all logistics personnel, especially those for whom English is a second language, find it easy to use. The aim of this research is to conduct a needs analysis for English skills in the logistics industry. A questionnaire was distributed to 156 Thai logistics management students and employed Google Forms together with Microsoft Excel for quantitative analysis. The findings revealed the following: 1) The four core skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and vocabulary were reported extremely important, while grammar was rated as important. 2) The most frequently utilized English skill was reading, the skill most desired to improve was speaking, the skill that lacked the most was grammar, and the skill requiring the greatest development in their future were reading, listening, speaking, and writing, respectively. The implications of this study are significant for the development of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses.

AAC in AACtion: Collaborative Strategies for Special Education Teachers and Speech-Language Pathologists

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) refers to a wide variety of communication devices, systems, tools, and strategies that support or replace spoken language. Augmentative and alternative communication users represent a range of ages, abilities, and communication needs. Support for AAC often begins in the public school setting. Although the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates public schools to provide adequate assistive technology for communication and training to support implementation, researchers estimate that fewer than 40% of students with communication impairments using AAC are proficient communicators. Barriers to implementation include a lack of training opportunities, limited preparation time, unfamiliarity with AAC systems, and difficulty finding evidence-based strategies for AAC. To address these, we present evidence-based strategies that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and special education teachers may use in collaboration to support students using AAC and practical tips for implementation. Strategies described include aided language modeling, core vocabulary, and communication partner support behaviors. Planning considerations for collaboration are discussed.

The prevalence of relational basic concepts on core vocabulary lists for AAC: is frequency enough?

The selection of appropriate vocabulary is a crucial and challenging aspect of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention. Core vocabulary lists are frequently used to support vocabulary selection for children who require AAC. A vocabulary domain that has garnered limited attention within the AAC literature is relational basic concepts (RBCs). RBCs describe relationships between objects, persons, or situations, and play a pivotal role in language development, communication, and academic success. For the present study, we created a list of 156 RBCs, drawing primarily from assessments that measure basic concept knowledge in preschool and early elementary school students. We examined the overlap of these words on nine core vocabulary lists. We found that most concepts were not represented on any core lists. Additionally, there was relatively little overlap of RBCs between the core lists. These findings suggest that vocabulary selection resources created using exclusively a core vocabulary approach may have limited utility for identifying many concepts that preschool and early elementary students are expected to know and use. Implications for AAC research and practice are discussed with emphasis on the need for further consideration of RBCs within vocabulary selection practice and the field of AAC at large.

Inconsistent Phonological Disorder: A Case Report

This case report describes a young child with inconsistent phonological disorder (IPD). The child presented with unintelligible speech. She made limited progress on individual speech production goals targeting phonological patterns over 4 years, remaining unintelligible. The child was diagnosed with IPD following an inconsistency assessment and motor speech assessment. She completed 16 weeks of Core Vocabulary intervention to target phonological planning and consistency of word production. The child made significant gains in intelligibility once the Core Vocabulary intervention was initiated. This case report highlights the importance of identifying and providing appropriate intervention for IPD in young children.

Treatment Approaches to Speech Sound Disorders: A Scoping Review

Objective: The objective was to highlight and review different therapeutic approaches to cater to speech sound disorders in Pakistan. Methodology: To find the different therapeutic approaches, a literature search for related articles/ publications was conducted using the Keywords “speech sound disorders, phonological disorders, articulation disorder and a combination of words using search engines like Google & and databases like PubMed and other websites. Around 130 publications, reports, and articles were downloaded, of which 25 were used for literature review. Results: There are many treatments used to cater for speech sound disorders including contextual utilisation, phonological contrast, complexity, core vocabulary, cycles phonological pattern, distinctive feature therapy, metaphor therapy, naturalist speech intelligibility, non-speech oral-motor therapy, speech sound perception training and bilingual or cross-lingual approach. However, novel trends like the use of hybrid treatment, speech motor learning- phonetic placement approach, blocked practice versus serial practice schedule & interventions using biofeedback need to be utilized. Conclusion: Treatment approaches in use include contextual utilisation, phonological contrast, complexity, core vocabulary, cycles phonological pattern, distinctive feature therapy, metaphor therapy, naturalist speech intelligibility, non-speech oral-motor therapy, speech sound perception training and bilingual or cross-lingual approach, however, novel treatments need to be utilised. Keywords: Articulation disorders, Phonological disorders, Phonological Representations

How Toddlers Use Core and Fringe Vocabulary: What's in an Utterance?

Selecting vocabulary for preliterate individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication presents multiple challenges, as the number of symbols provided must be balanced with cognitive, motoric, and other needs. Prioritizing certain types of vocabulary thus becomes a necessity. For example, prioritizing core vocabulary-that is, words that are commonly used across a group of people and contexts-is a common practice that attempts to address some of these issues. However, most core vocabulary research to date has narrowly focused on individual word counts, ignoring other critical aspects of language development such as how vocabulary aligns with typical development and how children use core and fringe vocabulary within their utterances. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze 112 transcripts to describe how typically developing toddlers (aged 2.5 years) use core and fringe vocabulary within their utterances, in reference to a range of commonly used core vocabulary lists. Results indicated that the proportion of the toddlers' utterances that consisted of only core, only fringe, or core + fringe vocabulary varied dramatically depending on the size of the core vocabulary list used, with smaller core lists yielding few "core-only" utterances. Furthermore, utterances containing both core and fringe vocabulary were both grammatically and semantically superior to utterances containing only core or only fringe vocabulary, as evidenced by measures such as mean length of utterance and total number of words. Thus, relying on word frequency counts is an insufficient basis for selecting vocabulary for aided preliterate communicators.

Characteristics of General Language Teaching and Academic Language Teaching as a Foreign Language: Learner’s Views

Foreign language teaching is divided into general and special purpose language teaching. Foreign language education offers general language courses at five levels starting from A1 to C1. In addition to the four core language skills, grammar and vocabulary are also taught. Special-purpose language teaching is divided into two categories: professional and academic language. Academic language courses are also provided within a specific program and duration. This study compares general language teaching and academic language teaching based on learner views. Phenomenology, one of the qualitative research designs, was used in the study. In this context, the study data consists of the opinions of 64 learners in the Academic Turkish class at Sakarya University TÖMER. The learners were asked about the similarities and differences as well as the main features of these courses using a semi-structured interview form. The answers to the questions were analyzed by content analysis. This study identified 8 themes and 106 sub-themes. Although the themes occur at different frequencies in general language and academic language courses, the eight common themes are as follows: quality in teaching, purpose in teaching, subject in teaching, utilization of activities in teaching, language use in teaching, content in teaching, utilization of texts in teaching and process in teaching.

Is there a ‘universal’ core? Using semantic primes to select vocabulary across languages in AAC

Core vocabulary lists and vocabulary inventories vary according to language. Lists from one language cannot and should not be assumed to be translatable, as words represent language-specific concepts and grammar. In this manuscript, we (a) present the results of a vocabulary overlap analysis between different published core vocabulary lists in English, Korean, Spanish, and Sepedi; (b) discuss the concept of universal semantic primes as a set of universal concepts that are posited to be language-independent; and (c) provide a list of common words shared across all four languages as exemplars of their semantic primes. The resulting common core words and their corresponding semantic primes can assist families and professionals in thinking about the initial steps in the development of AAC systems for their bilingual/multilingual clients.

Stakeholder validation of a Sepedi core vocabulary list as a resource for augmentative and alternative communication

Purpose The development of culturally and linguistically appropriate resources to support communication interventions for underserved communities is an urgent necessity. The purpose of the study was to obtain stakeholder feedback on vocabulary items from a Sepedi core vocabulary list developed as a resource for vocabulary selection for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems, and to expand the list based on stakeholders’ vocabulary recommendations. Method A questionnaire was used to obtain the ratings of 57 stakeholders regarding the importance of including 155 Sepedi words from the Sepedi core vocabulary list on an AAC system for a child with receptive language skills at the level of a 4-year-old or higher. Stakeholders also suggested additional words to include on the system. Result All words were rated as important or very important. However, there was a statistically significant inverse relationship between the average frequency of occurrence of words belonging to a specific category and the average importance rating that stakeholders assigned to words in that category. A total of 48 words were additionally suggested by three or more stakeholders. Conclusion Stakeholder ratings validated the list as relevant to consult in vocabulary selection for Sepedi AAC systems for children. Stakeholder-suggested words may be a useful supplement to this list.

Knowledge Base on Species Life Traits: A Spanish/French Plinian Core implementation use case

The French “Traits” working group was created in 2021 to support the development of the national knowledge base on species life traits managed by the PatriNat department*1, to identify and implement a suitable standard for managing and sharing species life traits (including interactions) at the national, then international, level. Its core members are part of several PatriNat teams (Species Knowledge, Dissemination & Mediation, Coordination of Information Systems), as well as other French research units*2 working on the topic of traits and ontologies. The Plinian Core (Plinian Core Task Group 2021) was first discussed in 2004 and its development began in 2005–2006 when the first version was deployed as a collaboration between InBIO*3 (Costa Rica) and GBIF Spain*4. It reuses and extends the Darwin Core vocabulary (Wieczorek et al. 2012, Darwin Core Maintenance Interest Group 2014) to describe different aspects of biological species information, that is, all kinds of properties or traits related to taxa, including biological and non-biological species traits. The Plinian Core was discussed with Dr Pando (convener of the TDWG Plinian Core Task Group*5) during one of the Traits working group meetings, and was found to be relevant to the French species life traits database (currently in development). The Traits working group future works will be following the example of the Plinian Core-based EIDOS database*6 (Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition), which allows for detailed species pages with distinct information sections (e.g., interactions, taxonomy, legal status, conservation). This collaboration resulted in a Capacity Enhancement Support Programme project submission (GBIF 2023) between French and Spanish partners, allowing for the consolidation of both the infrastructure and the sharing process of species life traits for taxa found on all French territories, as well as European Union territories. Additionally, this is an opportunity to provide information to GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) through a new update of the TAXREF (Gargominy 2022) national checklist, one of the core constituents of the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (GBIF 2022). Species life traits and interactions will be added thanks to the new Plinian Core extension implemented on the GBIF Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT),*7 and an Atlas of Living Australia’s architecture BIE (Biodiversity Information Explorer) module*8 developed by Costa Rica in the context of a Capacity Enhancement Support Programme (CESP) project carried out with SIBBR*9 (GBIF Brasil).

A Systematic and Quality Review of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Interventions that use Core Vocabulary

AbstractCore vocabulary is defined as “lexical items that are accepted as being central and indispensable to language use” (Bell, 2012, p. 1). Use of core vocabulary is common amongst professionals who teach augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to individuals with disabilities. Although the use of AAC is often classified as an evidence-based practice (EBP) (Steinbrenner et al., 2020; Wong et al., Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(7), 1951–1966, 2015) an analysis of the relevant intervention procedures as well as the vocabulary used is often missing from syntheses of the literature. Therefore, a systematic review was conducted to determine the quality and strength of the evidence for AAC interventions that use core vocabulary. A systematic database search and a subsequent screening process resulted in a total of 10 peer-reviewed studies that involved an AAC intervention that used core vocabulary. Each study’s outcomes were then categorized as positive, mixed, or negative and a quality review was performed using the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) standards for evidence-based practices (Cook et al., Teaching Exceptional Children, 46(6), 206-212, 2015a; Remedial and Special Education, 36, 220-234, 2015b). Overall, the results suggest a lack of strong evidence in favor of AAC interventions that use core vocabulary. The results are discussed in the context of general suggestions for vocabulary selection and teaching practices for AAC systems.

Language trees with sampled ancestors support a hybrid model for the origin of Indo-European languages.

The origins of the Indo-European language family are hotly disputed.Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of corevocabulary haveproducedconflicting results,with some supporting a farmingexpansion out of Anatolia ~9000years before present (yr B.P.),while others support a spread withhorse-based pastoralism out of the Pontic-Caspian Steppe ~6000yr B.P.Here we present an extensive database of Indo-European core vocabulary that eliminates past inconsistencies in cognate coding. Ancestry-enabled phylogenetic analysis of this dataset indicates that few ancient languages are direct ancestors of modern clades and produces a root age of ~8120 yr B.P. for the family. Although this date is not consistent with the Steppe hypothesis, it does not rule out an initial homeland south of the Caucasus, with a subsequent branch northward onto the steppe and then across Europe. We reconcile this hybrid hypothesis with recently published ancientDNAevidence from the steppe and the northern Fertile Crescent.

Limitations of LGBTQ+ Symbol Inclusion and Iconicity in "Functional" AAC

Carson Chodos offers commentary on the inherent limitations of reformist cis imagination and resulting education policy and linguistic failures. Specifically within a project to create LGBTQ+ inclusive symbol iconicity for students with disabilities that primarily utilize AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) systems. Carson Chodos, a public school teacher (a cisgender lesbian), reflects on (mis)applications of limited functional communication systems on her students. Directly participating in the positioning of students as both innocent victims and responsible neoliberal subjects for the tolerant liberal state, she initiated a special project through the Division of Specialized Education and Student Support to create inclusive symbolic vocabulary reflective of the realities of the students with disabilities she worked with. Until 2019 there was an incredible absence of all symbols within the core vocabulary packages that excluded LGBTQ+ identities, families, relationships, or gender expressions.  Since her initial project, there are now a few ad hoc library banks of LGBTQ+ icons across proprietary AAC software programs. This is not a success but, instead, a call for decentralized, evolving vocabulary to reflect the queer relational understandings of disability and participatory languaging.