English Dialects Research Articles

ИДИОМАТИЧЕСКОЕ ЗНАЧЕНИЕ КАК КОГНИТИВНЫЙ КОМПЛЕКС (НА ПРИМЕРЕ АНГЛИЙСКИХ ИДИОМ)

The idiomatic meaning of phraseological units is a complex informative unity, which causes difficulties in its study. Traditional linguistics considers this meaning to be unmotivated by its structural elements, but the cognitive approach allows us to reveal its cognitive motivation. In cognitive linguistics idiomaticity can be represented as a cognitive complex. It consists of interaction between source-concepts (B) and target-concepts (A), which can be metaphoric (model A IS B) or metonymic (model B FOR A), or even metaphtonymic in cases when it is difficult to distinguish between metaphor or metonymy. The third element of the cognitive complex is our conventional knowledge of the world based on our perception, encyclopaedic knowledge or cultural preferences. It helps to prove the correctness of the analysis and the interpretation of the results. In this article we apply the cognitive analysis to two English idioms with lexemes denoting parts of the body. Such idioms better illustrate the cognitive hypothesis of the embodied mind. The aim of the conducted research is to show the idiomatic meanings of the two idioms as cognitive complexes which consist of metaphor, metonymy and our empirical knowledge. The result of the research is: in the cognitive complex of the first idiom to have a finger in every pie we can single out 5 models of metaphor and 4 models of metonymy as the cognitive interaction between the source-concepts FINGER, PIE, EVERY and the target-concepts INVOLVEMENT, ACTIVITIES. The cognitive complex of the idiom to keep one’s nose clean consists of the interaction between the source-concepts KEEP, NOSE, CLEAN and the target-concepts TO BEHAVE WELL, TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE, which results in 2 models of metaphor and 5 models of metonymy. So, the cognitive analysis gives deep and overall understanding of the complex structure of idiomatic meaning. We use our empirical knowledge to interpret the interaction between concepts.

Understanding EFL Students’ Processing of Idiomatic Expressions Out of Context: Insights Gained From Think-Alouds

The current study examines how EFL students confront the difficulty of comprehending English idioms without supportive context. It aims to study the online processing strategies Saudi EFL learners employ when giving the meaning of English idioms. The Idiom Recognition Test (IRT) and Think-aloud protocol were used to vary and measure the idiom's difficulty and to analyze the processing of the idiom immediately after visual perception. Twenty frequently used idioms representing formal and informal English were selected. They were of three types: English idioms, which have identical forms and meanings of Arabic equivalents; English idioms, which have similar forms and meanings of Arabic equivalents; and English idioms, which differ from Arabic idioms. Results showed that most of the participants had difficulty interpreting the English idioms. Moreover, participants most often drew on the literal meaning, using the compositional parts of the idiom. Referring to an L1 idiom was the second most successful strategy but the fourth most often employed out of the six strategies. The third most effective strategy was background knowledge, yet it was the least used overall. Consequently, the results support all the idiom processing models that emphasize the literal meaning over the figurative one.

African American Preschoolers' Performance on Norm-Referenced Language Assessments: Examining the Effect of Dialect Density and the Use of Scoring Modifications.

We investigated and compared the outcomes from two standardized, norm-referenced screening assessments of language (i.e., Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Preschool-Second Edition [CELFP-2], Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation-Screening Test [DELV-ST]) with African American preschoolers whose spoken dialect differed from that of General American English (GAE). We (a) described preschoolers' performance on the CELFP-2 Core Language Index (CLI) and its subtests with consideration of degree of dialect variation (DVAR) observed, (b) investigated how the application of dialect-sensitive scoring modifications to the expressive morphology and syntax Word Structure (WS) subtest affected CELFP-2 CLI scores, and (c) evaluated the screening classification agreement rates between the DELV-ST and the CELFP-2 CLI. African American preschoolers (N = 284) completed the CELFP-2 CLI subtests (i.e., Sentence Structure, WS, Expressive Vocabulary) and the DELV-ST. Density of spoken dialect use was estimated with the DELV-ST Part I Language Variation Status, and percentage of DVAR was calculated. The CELFP-2 WS subtest was scored with and without dialect-sensitive scoring modifications. Planned comparisons of CELFP-2 CLI performance indicated statistically significant differences in performance based on DELV-ST-determined degree of language variation groupings. Scoring modifications applied to the WS subtest increased subtest scaled scores and CLI composite standard scores. However, preschoolers who demonstrated strong variation from GAE continued to demonstrate significantly lower performance than preschoolers who demonstrated little to no language variation. Affected-status agreement rates between assessments (modified and unmodified CELFP-2 CLI scores and DELV-ST Part II Diagnostic Risk Status) were extremely low. The application of dialect-specific scoring modifications to standardized, norm-referenced assessments of language must be simultaneously viewed through the lenses of equity, practicality, and psychometry. The results of our multistage study reiterate the need for reliable methods of identifying risk for developmental language disorder within children who speak American English dialects other than GAE. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.26017978.

A comparison of word humor ratings across speakers of North American, British, and Singapore English.

Large-scale collection of lexical-semantic norms for words in a given language has been instrumental in the progress of psycholinguistic research. However, such norms tend to be collected from speakers of the dominant variant or dialect. This research aims to determine if there may be differences across speakers of various dialects of English in the humor of individual words. Engelthaler and Hills (2018, Behavior Research Methods, 50[3], 1116-1124) observed that their humor ratings were most strongly correlated with inverse word frequency: Less frequent words tended to be rated as more humorous. We hypothesized that words that are less frequently occurring in a given English dialect should be perceived as more humorous by speakers of the same dialect. We selected words of relatively higher and lower frequencies across various corpora of North American, British, or Singapore English, and presented these words to participants who were native English speakers of North American, British, or Singapore English. Study 1 compared humor ratings of North Americans and Singaporeans; Study 2 compared humor ratings of North Americans and the British. Analyses of participants' random slope coefficients of frequency extracted from cumulative link mixed-effects models indicated that humor ratings were more strongly (and inversely) associated with the word's frequency in the corpora that aligned with the rater's English dialect. These results provide evidence that people are sensitive to the statistics of their specific language environment, and importantly suggest that creators of lexical-semantic norm databases should consider how the cultural, historical, or sociopolitical context of raters might influence the nature of their ratings.

Students' Perceptions of the Javanese English Accents through Extensive Listening Video

Students' Perceptions of the Javanese English Accents through Extensive Listening Video

A corpus-based study of translating idioms from English into Arabic using audio-visual translation

PurposeAudio-visual translation (AVT) is recognized as the most vibrant type of translation. While AVT plays a vital function in the field of translation, its significance within cultural studies hasn’t been thoroughly investigated. This research aims to uncover the predominant techniques employed in translating idiomatic expressions found in subtitled movies from English to Arabic.Design/methodology/approachThe corpus utilized in the current study consisted of five movies. The dialog in the chosen English films was examined to identify idiomatic expressions. The occurrence and proportion of each approach employed in translating English idioms into Arabic were calculated.FindingsThe findings of this investigation unveiled that the most common technique employed by translators to render idioms was retaining both similar meaning and similar form. The second approach involved maintaining a similar meaning while altering the form. The third method involved paraphrasing for translation. The fourth strategy was compensation-based translation. When dealing with verb and object idioms as well as similes, the predominant techniques were retaining both similar meaning and similar form, followed by a similar meaning but different form approach. Compound idioms were translated using paraphrasing, similar meaning but different form and similar meaning but different form strategies.Originality/valueThe research was constrained to examining the utilization of subtitles for the translation of five films. The films and corresponding Arabic subtitles were obtained and saved in plain text formats. Solely idiomatic expressions were scrutinized to determine the translation approaches employed through the use of subtitles.

What I say, or how I say it? Ethnic accents and hiring evaluations in the Greater Toronto Area

Abstract: This study investigated accent bias against job applicants with extralocal (non-Canadian) English accents in the Greater Toronto Area. Verbal guises recorded by British, Chinese, German, Indian, Jamaican, and Nigerian women and by Canadian women with at least one parent from these countries were evaluated by forty-eight human resources students, who rated the content of job interview responses and the candidates’ ‘expression’ and ‘employability’, determined what job they should be interviewed for, and provided commentary. Canadian voices were especially privileged in comments on speech. Quantitative analysis of responses reflected bias against extralocal voices. Consequently, we provide recommendations for relevant stakeholders.

MPSA-DenseNet: A novel deep learning model for English accent classification

This paper presents three innovative deep learning models for English accent classification: Multi-task Pyramid Split Attention- Densely Convolutional Networks (MPSA-DenseNet), Pyramid Split Attention- Densely Convolutional Networks (PSA-DenseNet), and Multi-task- Densely Convolutional Networks (Multi-DenseNet), that combine multi-task learning and/or the PSA module attention mechanism with DenseNet. We applied these models to data collected from five dialects of English across native English-speaking regions (England, the United States) and nonnative English-speaking regions (Hong Kong, Germany, India). Our experimental results show a significant improvement in classification accuracy, particularly with MPSA-DenseNet, which outperforms all other models, including Densely Convolutional Networks (DenseNet) and Efficient Pyramid Squeeze Attention (EPSA) models previously used for accent identification. Our findings indicate that MPSA-DenseNet is a highly promising model for accurately identifying English accents.

Hebban olla vogala: An Eleventh-Century Link Between Dutch and English Literary History

The short eleventh-century lyric Hebban olla vogala is considered the earliest literary text in Dutch. Yet it only survives as a badly faded pen trial, written in England by a monk from the Low Countries. As a result, the exact reading of the text and even the language it was written in remain uncertain. Now, multispectral imaging of the manuscript has made it possible to provide an improved reconstruction of the text. An analysis of this new reading suggests that the scribe deliberately used the similarity between dialects of late Old English and Old Dutch to produce a rhyming verse text that was intelligible in both languages. As a multilingual and translingual poem, Hebban olla vogala must therefore be situated in English as well as Dutch literary history. The scribe’s other pen trials in the same manuscript demonstrate an interest in different Latin verse forms, indicating that Hebban olla vogala may also be a literary experiment. In exploiting the mutual intelligibility of Old Dutch and Old English, the poem points to an easily overlooked current of influence on late Old English and early Middle English literature. While this is hard to trace due to the similarities between the two languages, Dutch emerges as another potential influence, alongside Anglo-Norman French, on the development of rhyming verse in English after the Norman Conquest. In this way, Hebban olla vogala can be seen not only as a monument of Dutch literary history, but also as a testament to its interaction with English literature.

Transcription Decisions of Conjoined Independent Clauses Are Equitable Across Dialects but Impact Measurement Outcomes.

Transcription of conjoined independent clauses within language samples varies across professionals. Some transcribe these clauses as two separate utterances, whereas others conjoin them within a single utterance. As an inquiry into equitable practice, we examined rates of conjoined independent clauses produced by children and the impact of separating these clauses within utterances on measures of mean length of utterance (MLU) by a child's English dialect, clinical status, and age. The data were archival and included 246 language samples from children classified by their dialect (African American English or Southern White English) and clinical status (developmental language disorder [DLD] or typically developing [TD]), with those in the TD group further classified by their age (4 years [TD4] or 6 years [TD6]). Rates of conjoined independent clauses and the impact of these clauses on MLU varied by clinical status (DLD < TD) and age (TD4 < TD6), but not by dialect. Correlations between the rate of conjoined clauses, MLU, and language test scores were also similar across the two dialects. Transcription decisions regarding conjoined independent clauses within language samples lead to equitable measurement outcomes across dialects of English. Nevertheless, transcribing conjoined independent clauses as two separate utterances reduces one's ability to detect syntactic differences between children with and without DLD and document syntactic growth as children age. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25822675.

BEYOND LITERAL INTERPRETATIONS: EXPLORING THE CULTURAL AND COGNITIVE DIMENSIONS OF ENGLISH BODY PARTS IDIOMS

The present study aims at unraveling the deep cultural and cognitive dimensions embedded within English idioms that relate to body parts. Through a systematic analysis of a comprehensive corpus compiled from diverse sources such as dictionaries and websites, it scrutinizes not only the literal interpretations of these idioms but also their socio-cultural significance and cognitive underpinnings. The findings highlighted the solid interplay between language, culture, and cognition, shedding light on how these body parts idiomatic expressions reflect and shape socio-cultural norms and cognitive processes. These idioms are revealed to be more than mere linguistic quirks; they serve as conduits for conveying shared experiences and cultural heritage. The findings of the present study not only enrich our understanding of language and culture but also offer practical implications for English as a foreign language education and cross-cultural communication. The insights gained from this investigation contribute to various fields, such as linguistics, cultural studies, cognitive science, and language education.

The Effective British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) Optimal Pronunciation Vocational School's (OPVS) Podcast

The objective of this initiative is to improve pronunciation fluency in vocational schools by including a British accent. This study utilized the Wilcoxon signed-rank test as a component to collect both quantitative and qualitative data on product moment SPSS. The data was acquired by pronunciation evaluation test and analysis questions. The data employed in this study was gathered from a vocational school consisting of thirty students enrolled in a hospitality industry and cooking programme. The mean test score is 8.00, and the total amount of ranks is 120.00. According to the statistical test output provided, it is referred to as Asymp. The p-value (two-tailed) is 0.001. Based on the test statistics output above, it is known that Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) has a value of 0.001, because the value of 0.001 is smaller than 0.05, it can be concluded there is a difference between learning outcomes using text transcripts and shadowing BBC Podcasts and those that do not use text transcripts and shadowing BBC Podcasts. The podcast produced by the BBC can enhance language acquisition by improving pronunciation skills, stimulating students' motivation to achieve English competence, and assisting listeners in developing a predominantly British accent

Evaluating the International and Intercultural Orientation of an ELT Textbook in Cambodia through the Lens of Global Englishes Language Teaching

AbstractThe plurality of the use, users, and forms of English has prompted Global Englishes scholars to advocate the need for English language curricula to more accurately reflect the current sociolinguistic landscape of English and the intercultural nature of contemporary communicative exchanges. However, the scarcity of teaching materials has been identified as one of the key barriers to achieving meaningful change, leading to observations that the impact of Global Englishes on English language teaching (ELT) textbook design has been minimal. This paper challenges this perception via presentation of preliminary findings of a qualitative research project investigating a Cambodian secondary school ELT textbook. Analyses of textbook features reveal concrete instances of efforts undertaken by the textbook editors to steer the book away from privileging native speakers' lingua‐cultural norms. Findings reveal a non‐deficit portrayal of a diverse range of English speakers, exposure to more than a single variety of the English accent, minimal involvement of inner circle English speakers in the interactions between textbook characters, and a reduced reliance on Anglo‐centric cultural references. The voices of the editors are amplified in this study to further help justify the rationale behind the inclusions as well as exclusions, which are often missing in ELT textbook research.

Americans’ attitudes toward British accents: the role of social categorisation, perceived group prototypicality, and processing fluency

ABSTRACT The present research examined whether American listeners express different attitudes toward different British accents (i.e. RP, Northern, Scottish, and Welsh) and, if so, which cognitive mechanisms underlie that attitudinal variation. Across two studies, we found that Americans’ attitudes toward British accents were differentiated. RP-accented speakers were consistently rated more favourably than speakers of regional British accents, with some regional accents (e.g. Northern) denigrated more than others (e.g. Scottish). This attitudinal variation was associated with variation in how speakers of different accents were categorised (Study 1), how prototypical of their respective groups they were perceived to be (Study 2), and how much difficulty listeners experienced processing their speech (Studies 1 and 2). These findings contribute to our understanding of language attitudes processes and have methodological implications for the elicitation of language attitudes using audio stimuli.

The influence of accent and device usage on perceived credibility during interactions with voice-AI assistants

Voice-AI assistants offer innovative ways for people to interact with technology, such as delivering search results through human-sounding voices. Unlike printed text, however, voices are associated with particular characteristics, such as accents, which have the potential to influence perceived credibility. Voice-AI assistants are also a relatively new phenomenon, and while people who use them frequently may be inclined to trust them, other people may not be. The current study investigated how voice accent and frequency-of-use affected users’ credibility assessments of search results delivered by voice-AI assistants. Participants, who were native speakers of American English and self-classified themselves according to how frequently they used voice-AI assistants, listened to statements produced by neural text-to-speech in either an American English or British English accent. They then rated the credibility of both the information content and the voice itself, along several dimensions. Results showed that in multiple conditions, participants perceived information delivered by British-accented voices as more credible than that delivered by American English-accented voices. Furthermore, frequency-of-use exerted a significant effect on perceived trustworthiness of a voice. These findings have implications for the ethical design of voice-AI systems, and for human-computer interaction more generally.

Assessing Saudi EFL Learners’ Use and Understanding of English Idioms: Perceptions, Problems, and Patterns of Learning

This study aims to investigate Saudi EFL learners’ perceptions of English idioms, their problems, and the patterns of their learning and understanding of English idioms. 458 students (around 10%) were selected through a random sampling method from the undergraduate learners in different levels of programs at the College of Business Administration and the College of Science &amp; Humanities, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, KSA. As the study looked at how certain independent variables (gender, level/year of study, and parents’ profession) shaped dependent variables (perceptions/attitudes), a questionnaire was self-developed which includes modified items from existing research. A quantitative approach (descriptive statistics) was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that Saudi EFL learners’ perceptions were very positive about English idioms and their impact on enhancing their English proficiency. It was found that lack of background information, unfamiliarity, variation in literal interpretation, lack of Arabic parallels, and insufficient EFL classroom training made learning English idioms challenging for respondents. It was also revealed that Saudi EFL learners acquired and comprehended English idioms via using them in sentences, consulting a dictionary, guessing from contexts, group discussions, and breaking them down into their constituent parts. One-way ANOVA analysis found no statistically significant difference among the respondents based on their demographic differences. The study holds implications for both teachers and students as it will help them teach and learn English idioms effectively. The most common method is translating English idioms into their language.

What I say, or how I say it? Ethnic accents and hiring evaluations in the Greater Toronto Area

This study investigated accent bias against job applicants with extralocal (non-Canadian) English accents in the Greater Toronto Area. Verbal guises recorded by British, Chinese, German, Indian, Jamaican, and Nigerian women and by Canadian women with at least one parent from these countries were evaluated by forty-eight human resources students, who rated the content of job interview responses and the candidates’ ‘expression’ and ‘employability’, determined what job they should be interviewed for, and provided commentary. Canadian voices were especially privileged in comments on speech. Quantitative analysis of responses reflected bias against extralocal voices. Consequently, we provide recommendations for relevant stakeholders.

EFL Learners' Comprehension of English Idioms at The University Level

EFL Learners' Comprehension of English Idioms at The University Level

Linguocultural Features of "Good" and "Bad" Concepts in English Idioms

Linguocultural Features of "Good" and "Bad" Concepts in English Idioms

An Instructional Model Based on Mobile Microlearning for Teaching English Idioms Through Songs to EFL Learners

This study investigates the effectiveness of adopting the ADDIE model in teaching idioms by utilising idioms in songs through using a mobile microlearning strategy in the classroom. It is impossible to infer an idiomatic expression's meaning from the words themselves. Therefore, both understanding and using them pose difficulties for EFL students. But using them effectively in conversation is a good indicator of a high level of English proficiency. The sample consisted of 15 students in one of the Jordanian high schools. The researcher carefully selected these idioms in songs to ensure they did not already know them. Another crucial factor while choosing these songs was the ability to guess either the idioms' literal translation or the symbolic meaning. After the experiment, the researcher administered one post-test to measure how idioms in songs affect the retention rate of these idioms. The experiment results show that using idioms in songs through a mobile microlearning strategy had a better short- and long-term retention rate. Therefore, the results of this study indicate that using idioms in songs with a mobile microlearning strategy while teaching idioms should have much attention from teachers because idioms are potent tools to enhance students' retention of remembering and using these idioms. Also, teachers must give more opportunities for students to interact using these idiomatic expressions to improve their speaking skills.