Language Groups Research Articles

Cross-Linguistic Recognition of Irony Through Visual and Acoustic Cues.

To avoid misunderstandings, ironic speakers may accompany their ironic remarks with a particular intonation and specific facial expressions that signal that the message should not be taken at face value. The acoustic realization of the ironic tone of voice differs from language to language, whereas the ironic face manifests the speaker's negative stance and might thus have a universal basis. We conducted a study on 574 participants speaking 6 different languages (French, German, Dutch, English, Mandarin, and Italian-the control group) to verify whether they could recognize ironic remarks uttered in Italian in three different modalities: watching muted videos, listening to audio tracks, and when both cues were present. We found that speakers of other languages could overall recognize irony uttered in Italian when all the markers were present, and they relied mostly on visual cues: In all these language groups, accuracy in the audio-only modality was always lower than accuracy in the video-only modality, although this trend was significant only for Chinese and Dutch participants. Moreover, the rate of recognition in the audio-visual modality was always significantly higher compared to the audio-only, while the difference between the audio-visual and the video-only modality was significant only for the English group. Overall, these results speak in favor of the hypothesis of a common basis for the visual expression of irony, whereas the acoustic markers alone do not constitute a reliable cue for the cross-linguistic recognition of irony.

Unveiling Community Needs and Aspirations: Card Sorting as a Research Method for Developing Digital Learning Spaces

<p style="text-align:justify">This pilot study is part of a larger “Decolonization of Digital Learning Spaces” project, which aims to develop research tools for communities that are remote and/or excluded geographically, politically, economically, socially, culturally, and linguistically. The project’s ultimate goal is to work alongside these communities to design their own digital learning tools, networks, and online educational environments by accessing and leveraging their knowledge and skills. Testing the single-criterion card sorting method is the first step toward this goal. Card sorting is an easy, enjoyable, and cost-effective method for data collection and analysis, particularly for researchers working in remote areas with limited access to electricity or the Internet. The pilot explored single-criterion card sorting as a method to elicit knowledge from two diverse cultural and linguistic groups engaged in learning activities within their communities. These groups were from a Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) community in Canada (engaged in a bow-making workshop) and a rural Kabyle community in Algeria (engaged in a traditional cooking lesson). Despite low participant numbers, distinct patterns emerged, indicating the method's effectiveness. The results, though anticipated, were non-random, demonstrating the potential of card sorting in producing patterns indicative of how individuals and/or communities categorize their world(s). Kabyle sortings focused on ingredients, highlighting older individuals as teachers passing along knowledge, while the DHH sortings emphasized face-to-face contact and hand movements in communication. The findings, though modest, established relationships, provided insights into the research context and offered logistical understanding, paving the way for further work with DHH and Kabyle communities towards the design of digital learning spaces.</p>

Implementation of Immunization Services Through a Pediatric Urgent Care Clinic.

Pediatric urgent care (PUC) centers may bolster immunization campaigns by offering vaccination during acute care visits, but few such programs have been described. We conducted a quality improvement initiative at an academically affiliated federally qualified health center that provides primary, specialty, and PUC services to children. Our PUC began offering routine immunizations in July 2020. The percentage of visits by eligible patients age ≤21 years during which immunization screening (process) and administration (outcome) occurred was measured from March 1, 2021, to February 19, 2023. Administration rates were measured across age, sex, race, language, and medical home groups. Data were analyzed with statistical process control methods. Grievance and adverse event data were monitored (balancing). We completed 4 plan-do-study-act cycles. Provider-facing bundles that included training, decision support, electronic health record signaling, and financial incentives were not associated with meaningful changes in screening and administration (cycles 1-3). A dedicated nurse vaccinator (DNV) was added on October 31, 2022 (cycle 4). The mean screening rate increased from 44.7% to 67.4% during the DNV period, and the mean administration rate increased from 26.5% to 50.8%. Lower administration rates were observed during visits by Black and English-speaking patients, and by patients empaneled outside our site. Provider-facing interventions alone were not effective at increasing vaccine screening and administration in our PUC, but marked improvement was observed with the addition of a DNV. Future interventions are needed to address disparities. Additional investigation is needed to determine whether our results are reproducible in other PUCs with access to vaccines.

The Pandemic, Mining Violence, and the Case of the Sanöma/Yanomami People.

In Brazil, the health emergency unleashed by the Covid-19 pandemic must be understood in the context of the government administration of the former president, Jair Bolsonaro. The new coronavirus was turned into a war machine, something already seen in other moments of the history of indigenous peoples, when epidemics were strategically used to promote indigenous genocide and usurp their territories. The Sanöma, a subgroup of the Yanomami language family, assert that Covid-19 did not leave individualized traces of 'sequelae' but made itself felt in the deaths that could not undergo the traditional funeral rites due to the sanitary measures, generating a cosmological and existential tension for the collective as a whole. It was also felt in the invasion of their lands by thousands of miners who brought violence and malaria to the communities, debilitating their food sovereignty, and in the dismantling of public health services in the indigenous land. Time was suspended, and the infection continued with the accompanying violation of rights, with a divergent understanding of who is recovered or who is healthy. This article is the result of a Covid-19 researchproject conducted in partnership with the Sanöma leaders. Based on reports from the Sanöma themselves, reports about the Yanomami and the government of former President Bolsonaro, interviews with indigenous leaders in newspapers and reports produced by indigenous organizations and their supporters, a set of information about Covid-19 among indigenous peoples and violations of human rights among the Sanöma people were systematized and analyzed and now make up this article.

Narrating ‘Home’ in Early Christian Biography: Athanasius’ Life of Antony and Its Literary Predecessors

In this paper, I provide a close examination of early Christian biographical sources through the heuristic lens of “home studies”, tracing a thread from the New Testament Gospels to martyrdom texts, the apocryphal Acts literature, Eusebius’ biography of Origen in his Church History, and finally, Athanasius’ Life of Antony. I demonstrate that the lens of home allows us to see that in each of these discrete groups of texts, Christ’s call to discipleship is understood to redefine and reconstitute the meaning of home and relatedly, family: to be “home” required a great deal of displacement and mobility as one forsook one’s biological family and household for the sake of obedience to the call of Christ. I argue that three topics, typically examined separately, are fruitfully brought together through the lens of home: (1) the shaping of ancient Christian identity formation, as expressed by the characters’ use of familial language to identify other members of the early Christian movement; (2) the mobile nature of the person who joins the movement, providing insights about the mobility and travel of many of its members; and (3) ancient Christian eschatological thought concerning the final dwelling of Christ-believers in some form of otherworldly home after death.

Abstract 4147618: Modality of Research Engagement Among Postpartum Women with Hypertension and High Health-Related Social Needs

Introduction: People of color and non-English speakers are underrepresented in research and disproportionately affected by health-related social needs (HRSNs). Research engagement can be particularly challenging after pregnancy as postpartum care attendance is low. We describe our experience with remote recruitment modalities in a such a population. Methods: The study population included all patients affected by hypertension during a pregnancy who delivered at a large safety-net hospital 1/2022-6/2023. These patients also engaged in 6 weeks of remote blood pressure monitoring postpartum. Patients were contacted between 6 weeks and 12 months post-delivery to complete an online survey regarding HRSNs and provide consent to link survey data to clinical data. The recruitment protocol included initial outreach via the electronic medical record (EMR) patient portal, if available, or else a hard copy letter via mail, followed by a series of text messages then phone calls. All communication was conducted in the patient’s primary language (English, Spanish, or Haitian Creole). Results: We recruited 148 (9.4%) of 1571 patients contacted. Respondents were 51% Black, 39% Latina, 26% White. Table illustrates the comparable rate of recruitment across languages, dominance of EMR as mode of engagement and an illustration of the high rate of complex HRSN among our participants. The most effective recruitment method was EMR communication (57% of total recruitment) followed by text messages (28%). Our Haitian Creole-speaking respondents had the highest rates of HRSN - possibly representing the Haitian migrant crisis affecting Boston in this time period - as well as the highest rate of engaging via EMR messaging. Other domains of HRSN were high among all language groups including trouble affording medication (11-23%) and heating/electric access (21-34%). Conclusions: A diverse postpartum population with a high prevalence of HRSNs is hard to engage in research. Despite presumed digital barriers, EMR and secure text were effective and secure methods of online survey recruitment. Future studies seeking to understand the intersection of health outcomes and HRSNs should consider adding recruitment with EMR to common texting strategies.

School Readiness and Early Childhood Education and Care Services Among Dual Language Learners.

Dual language learners (DLL) (ie, children learning 2 or more languages) present lower school readiness than non-DLL children, putting DLL children at risk of later school difficulties and adverse outcomes. However, it is unclear whether participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services may reduce this gap. To assess whether ECEC exposure may reduce the school readiness gap between DLL and non-DLL children in a population-based sample. This census survey study was performed from February to May 2022 in the Canadian province of Quebec using data from the Quebec Survey of Child Development in Kindergarten, which includes all children who attended kindergarten in the 2021 to 2022 school year in public and private schools in Quebec (n = 80 587), except for Cree and Inuit territories. Children's ECEC arrangement before kindergarten was retrieved from register-based data and teachers and arrangements were categorized as exclusive parental care, childcare, pre-kindergarten only, or childcare and pre-kindergarten. Based on their mother tongue and language of instruction, children were classified as French speaking, English speaking, bilingual French-English speaking, or neither French nor English speaking (allophone) children, the last 2 groups of which represented the DLL category. Vulnerability in school readiness was defined as a score below the 10th percentile in any of the 5 domains of the validated Early Development Instrument (EDI): (1) physical health and well-being; (2) social competence; (3) emotional maturity; (4) language and cognitive development; and (5) communication skills and general knowledge. In total, 80 587 children were surveyed, and 71 585 children were included in analyses. Mean (SD) child age was 6.0 (0.3) years, 34 911 children (48.8%) were female, and 18 341 children (25.6%) were DLL. English-speaking, bilingual French-English-speaking, and allophone children were more likely to be vulnerable in the EDI (769 of 2355 children [32.7%], 4814 of 13 981 children [34.4%], and 1622 of 4360 children [37.2%], respectively) than French-speaking children (13 664 of 50 890 children [26.9%]). In logistic regression analyses adjusted for social selection bias in ECEC arrangement, attending ECEC services was associated with a lower risk of being vulnerable among all language groups compared to parental care, with odds ratios ranging from 0.26 (95% CI, 0.25-0.27) to 0.96 (95% CI, 0.80-1.14), except in the emotional maturity domain. ECEC exposure was associated with reduction in vulnerabilities disparities between DLL and non-DLL children after adjusting for confounding factors, including socioeconomic status. ECEC services may foster school readiness for all children, especially DLL, and should be considered to reduce school inequalities.

A randomized controlled trial on the nomenclature of scientific computing

ABSTRACT Background and Context Data science and statistics are used across a broad spectrum of professions, experience levels and programming languages. The popular scientific computing languages, such as Matlab, Python and R, were organized without using empirical methods to show evidence for or against their design choices, resulting in them feeling eclectic or esoteric in their design. Objective To meaningfully organize scientific computing based on evidence gathered through user feedback, build a statistical package based on the findings and provide a replication packet to run similar studies on people with different backgrounds. Method A randomized controlled trial using a weighted, ranked choice survey (n = 118) with between-subjects design having two independent variables: Language Group (Matlab, Python and R) and Method Name options. Our dependent variable was a normalized preference rating. Findings There was a very small interaction between Language Group and Method Name. Language Group did not have a statistically significant effect, but Method Name did (F(4, 27037) = 2211.23, p < .001)( η p 2 = .247). Finally, many names in Matlab, Python and R were ranked so poorly that they were not statistically significantly different from a random word in 63.0%, 62.2% and 30.4% of concepts respectively. Implications We found organized and structured names were ranked by a large margin, suggesting statistical programming today likely needs considerable improvement. Finally, we outline a statistical package built using these principles, provide comparison scripts and describe some of the challenges from going from simple surveys to in-practice libraries.

“We Hold Culture in Our Hearts”: A Phenomenological Study of Hispanic/Latina Homeschool Experiences

ABSTRACT Although one of the fastest-growing homeschool subgroups, there are no empirical studies specifically considering Hispanic/Latino/a/x/e homeschool families. This study asks Hispanic and Latina parents to describe what homeschooling means to them. Using phenomenology, intersectionality, and community cultural wealth, we interviewed 18 mothers across the nation. We find that preservation or reclamation of cultural heritage is the most meaningful result of the decision to homeschool. Specific aspects of culture found are family cohesion, familial language, and living the values of a strong work ethic and the need to be resourceful. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed.

Cancer Clinical Trial Participation Amongst Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Patients in Australia.

Clinical trials play a large role in oncological. Many barriers to participation in cancer clinical trials exist, including a patient's status as "culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD)". Globally, it is thought that CALD patients experience lower rates of trial participation, although very few studies quantify rates of cancer clinical trial participation in this group. Our study therefore aims to characterize CALD participation in cancer clinical trials in an Australian setting. We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from the Cancer Clinical Trials Centre at Austin Health, a large tertiary metropolitan cancer center in Melbourne, Australia. Participation in cancer clinical trials between groups was compared using simple descriptive analysis, Chi-squared analysis, and logistic regression. Of 2568 patients (mean age 57.9 years, 37% female) offered entry into a cancer clinical trial between 2018 and 2023, 26% were from a CALD background (n = 678), and 9% had a preferred language other than English (n = 219). A greater proportion of non-CALD patients participated in a cancer clinical trial compared with CALD patients (37% versus 33% respectively, p =0.04). In logistic regression models, Arabic (OR,0.46; 95% CI,0.21-0.93 [univariate]) and Greek (OR,0.54; 95% CI,0.31-0.91 [multivariate]) language groups, along with overall CALD status (OR,0.81; 95% CI,0.67-0.99 [univariate]) were associated with lower cancer clinical trial participation. We found that CALD patients, those born in non-English speaking countries, and specific language groups, were associated with lower cancer clinical trial participation.

Lived experiences of palliative care physicians on the impacts of language and cultural discordance on end-of-life care across Ontario, Canada: a qualitative study using the intersectionality-based policy framework

BackgroundLanguage and cultural discordance refer to when a physician and patient do not share the same language or culture. This can create barriers to providing high-quality care at the end-of-life (EoL). This study explores the intersections of language, culture, geography, and care model in EoL care from the perspectives of palliative care physicians.MethodsIn this exploratory-descriptive qualitative study, semi-structured interviews (1-h) were conducted virtually between July and November 2023. We interviewed 16 family physicians with experience providing linguistic and/or culturally discordant palliative/EoL care in various urban, suburban, and rural regions of Ontario, who practiced at community and hospital outpatient clinics, home-based care, or long-term care homes. We used reflexive thematic analysis to identify themes across the interviews guided by the intersectionality theoretical framework.ResultsWe identified three themes 1) Visible barriers to care access due to the inability to communicate accurate information and insufficient time spent during appointments with patients; 2) Invisible barriers to care access, shaped by the Eurocentric approach to palliative care and physicians’ lack of awareness on cultural discordance; 3) Workplace supports that currently exist and interventions that physicians would like to see. Community physicians following fee-for-service models were less likely to have access to professional interpreter services. Physicians in long-term care emphasized resource limitations to providing culturally-appropriate care environments.ConclusionCultural discordance required awareness of personal biases, while language discordance hindered basic communication. These findings will be useful in informing clinical practice guidelines and mobilizing policy-level change to improve palliative/EoL care for patients from linguistic and cultural minority groups.

Reflexive-Reciprocal Syncretism in Eastern Bantu Languages of Tanzania: Distribution and Origins

This paper presents an overview of the distribution of reflexive-reciprocal syncretism in Eastern Bantu languages spoken in Tanzania. Most Bantu languages encode reflexive and reciprocal constructions by means of two distinct verbal affixes. However, the Tanzanian Eastern Bantu languages under study have developed reflexive-reciprocal syncretism, in which the originally reflexive prefix has developed into a polyfunctional morpheme coding both reflexive and reciprocal constructions, to the detriment of the original reciprocal suffix. In a sample of 79 languages, reflexive-reciprocal syncretism is attested in 27 neighboring languages, thus constituting a clear areal feature. We propose that reflexive-reciprocal syncretism is not a language-internal innovation but was rather adopted from neighboring non-Bantu languages and subsequently spread out to its current distribution. We locate the heart of this contact-induced spread in the Tanzanian Rift Valley, a convergence zone in north-central Tanzania where languages from multiple African language families are spoken and have been in contact for an extensive period.

Going Paperless: Using Electronic Questionnaires to Improve the Quality of Well-Child Checkups.

At our large, university-affiliated primary care clinic, we aimed to enhance the quality of well-child checkups (WCCs) to align with Bright Futures/American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations. Our primary goal was to increase the rate of complete WCCs from 45.6% to 80% by April 2024. Our secondary aims were to ensure WCC improvement for all language groups and to increase referrals to 2 community partners. A multidisciplinary team initiated a quality improvement project primarily focused on transitioning from paper-based to electronic questionnaires for patient screenings. Clinic processes were developed to assist families in completing questionnaires. The percentage of complete WCCs was the primary outcome measure. We defined complete WCCs as those that included note documentation of all required patient-reported elements. Our primary outcome measure was analyzed by using statistical process control charts to identify special cause variation. We reviewed 51 809 WCCs from July 2022 to April 2024, and the rate of complete WCCs improved from 45.6% to 84.7%. We significantly improved the rates for all measured aspects of WCCs as follows: 7 different common pediatric questionnaires and 7 routine WCC assessments. Referrals to 2 community nutrition and literacy resources increased. Despite large improvements across all language groups, disparities remained for patients who spoke languages other than English. Transitioning to electronic questionnaires and revised clinic procedures led to more comprehensive WCCs and connected more families with community resources. Although progress was made across all language groups, we note ongoing challenges in eliminating disparities.

On some cognates of Avestan hakat̰

Abstract This article deals with a number of Middle and New Iranian words of doubtful etymology for which a derivation from Ir. *hakat ‘together, at once’ is proposed. Its possible reflexes in Western Iranian witness a development towards a conditional or temporal meaning (Parth. ag ‘if’, NP aknūn ‘now’), but remnants of the old meaning ‘together’ can be identified in MP ag(e)nēn ‘together’ and in the Arm. loanword hakaṙak ‘opposite, against’. In Eastern Iranian it seems to have undergone grammaticalization and developed into a preverb (Khot. gga‑) or a preposition (Sogd. ku ‘towards’, Orm. ku- ‘to, on, etc.’, Ishk. kI ‘to, on, for’, Zeb. ka ‘id.’). Especially in this latter group of languages, Ir. *hakat shows an evolution largely comparable to that of *hačā ‘from’, which, according to most scholars, belongs to the same root.

Language and parental satisfaction during inpatient stay: A pilot survey study in a quaternary pediatric hospital.

Considering the significant volume of non-English speakers seeking medical care in the United States and the challenges they may encounter within the hospital environment, it is necessary to assess the satisfaction of non-English-speaking families during their hospital stays and to determine potential areas of improvement in order to optimize care. We aimed to evaluate and describe the satisfaction of Arabic-, Spanish-, and English-speaking families at a quaternary pediatric hospital. From the measures assessed, we sought to identify perceived strengths and weaknesses of the inpatient experience for families who spoke different languages. In doing so, we aimed to identify ways to improve the hospital experience for patients and their families. We created a 23-item satisfaction questionnaire that was vetted by the hospital's Global Services Department, professionally translated into Arabic and Spanish, and tested by native speakers. The survey contained questions pertaining to parent/guardian demographics, their experience with the hospital environment, and their care team or services. Using the questionnaire, we surveyed Arabic-, Spanish-, and English-speaking parents/guardians of post-procedural patients under 18 years of age in intensive care units (ICUs) and on inpatient floors. A total of 162 surveys were collected with roughly equal distribution across the three language groups (52 Arabic, 53 Spanish, 57 English). We found no statistically significant difference in satisfaction scores across the three language groups, nor across self-reported English-proficient and non-English-proficient Arabic and Spanish respondents. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference in satisfaction between parents/guardians in ICUs and those on inpatient floors. This pilot survey suggests that inclusivity and availability of interpretation resources play a role in successfully creating an environment where both English and non-English speakers are satisfied. Further development and validation of the survey instrument should be performed, along with testing at other institutions.

THE VIEWS OF SCHOLAR MAXIMILIAN LAMBERTZ ON LANGUAGE, FOLKLORE AND LITERATURE

The aim of this work is to present the scientific contribution of the Austrian-German researcher Maximilian Lambertz to the field of Albanology and its culture in general. His scholarly perspectives are broad and multifaceted, highlighting the Albanian language and oral literature as crucial subjects of study, particularly in relation to Balkan cultures and the role of the Albanian language within the larger Indo-European language group. In addition to his studies of the languages and cultures of Europe, Lambertz's research included the study of Albanian culture, language, literature and religious beliefs, which had been relatively unknown to scholars. His sensitive treatment of such creations made them important not only for the field of Albanology but also for broader scientific contexts. Therefore, our paper analyses Lambertz's monographs and other writings dealing specifically with linguistic and literary issues, starting with his well-known monograph "Midis Drinit dhe Vjosë" (Between the Drin and Vjosa) and another equally important study,"Posta e Shypnisë" (The Post of Albania). These works represent the foundations of the cultural internationalization of Albanian language and literature, as many of his articles were published in the prestigious German-language journals of the time. Against this background, it is no coincidence that Lambertz's studies, although his first contact with the Albanian language and oral literature was accidental, are still relevant today among young researchers. This is because no one else, like him, has clarified and scientifically established the meaning of these literary works, making them significant not only within Albanian-speaking cultural circles but also beyond.

Comprehensive Analysis Using Probabilistic Linguistic Group Decision-Making and MEREC Technique With Sustainable Development Evaluation in Higher Education

University administrators should organize and coordinate various affairs, scientifically utilize resources such as budget, teaching equipment, and faculty, continuously improve teaching quality, and ensure the sustainable development of educational management. The sustainable development evaluation in higher education management is a multiple-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problem. Recently, the Exponential TODIM (ExpTODIM) and PROMETHEE technique was employed to put forward the MAGDM issues. The probabilistic linguistic term sets (PLTSs) are employed as a technique for characterizing uncertain information during the sustainable development evaluation in higher education management. In this paper, the probabilistic linguistic ExpTODIM-MABAC (PL-ExpTODIM-MABAC) technique is constructed to put forward the MAGDM under PLTSs. The MEREC technique is employed to obtain the weight values under PLTSs. Finally, a numerical example for sustainable development evaluation in higher education management is put forward to validate the ExpTODIM-MABAC technique.

A corpus-assisted discourse study of parental concerns regarding multilingual child-rearing

ABSTRACT Many parents have concerns about raising their children with multiple languages. However, there is a paucity of previous research regarding parental concerns about multilingual child-rearing, particularly in multilingual societies. We address this gap with a corpus-assisted discourse study of parental concerns regarding multilingual child-rearing in Quebec, Canada. We created two corpora comprising 641 parents’ responses to an open-ended survey question regarding their main concerns about raising multilingual infants/toddlers (English corpus: 12,502 words, French corpus: 9,360 words). We examined frequencies, collocations, concordance lines, and longer segments to investigate the nature and strength of different concerns. Our results revealed that two previously-attested concern types – cognition concerns and exposure-fluency concerns – were most prominent. The results also provided more nuanced insights into the nature of these concerns. Moreover, the results revealed two additional concern types: concerns regarding trilingual/heritage language transmission and concerns about the effect of multilingualism on children’s identity and social/emotional well-being. These had not previously been attested. Our research makes a theoretical contribution by advancing knowledge about parental concerns and how they can contribute to the study of family language policies. Additionally, our findings may serve as the basis for improving support for multilingual families.

The perception of emotional prosody in Mandarin Chinese words and sentences

Emotional prosody refers to the ways in which the tone of voice can be modulated to convey emotions, feelings, and attitudes. Previous studies have explored the perception of emotional prosody and whether native speakers (L1) have an in-group advantage in recognizing the emotional prosody of their own cultural groups over non-native speakers. However, little is known about whether these findings in non-tonal languages can be generalized to tonal languages. Mandarin Chinese uses the tone of voice to encode word meanings in addition to emotional prosody. This study investigates the perception of emotional prosody in Mandarin Chinese using an emotion judgment task, focusing on the effects of emotion type (e.g., neutral, joy, anger, sadness) and syllable length (e.g., monosyllable, disyllable, trisyllable, and sentence). Three groups were included, consisting of 20 native Chinese speakers (native group), 20 L1-English L2-Chinese learners (second language group), and 20 native English speakers without Chinese learning experience (non-native group). The results revealed that all three groups can identify emotional prosody well above the chance level in Mandarin Chinese words and sentences. Moreover, the native group and the second language (L2) group showed an in-group advantage in recognizing emotional prosody compared to the non-native group, highlighting the impact of linguistic experience in addition to cultural backgrounds on the perception of emotional prosody. Notably, the effects of emotion type and syllable length differed across the three groups in terms of their perception of emotional prosody. The native group had difficulty identifying positive emotional prosody, whereas both the L2 group and the non-native group showed a pattern of improved accuracy as syllable length increased, with an interaction effect with emotion type.

Gender Bias in Linguistic Structures: A Comparative Study of French

Language is a form of power that can shape the cognitive thinking of its users and even serve as a tool of domination for those in authority. Historically, language has been an instrument of patriarchy, with its use under patriarchal systems that often serving to suppress women. However, in the modern era, with the rise of feminism, there has been increasing attention to issues of gender inequality. Many linguists have begun to question whether gendered languages exacerbate existing gender biases. Yet, few have undertaken comparative analyses across different language families. Considering grammatical structures and language origins, this paper will examine French from the Romance language family and German from the Germanic language family—both of them are gendered languages. This study will conduct a comparative analysis to identify the gender biases present in these languages and to explain the cognitive and linguistic causes underlying these biases. By highlighting these issues, the research aims to raise readers’ awareness of gender bias in linguistic structures.