Free Conversation Research Articles

Influence of Positive/Negative Emotions Towards Autobiographical Memories on Impressions of the Conversation and Conversation Partner During Nostalgic Memory Sharing

ABSTRACTWe investigated the effects of positive/negative emotions towards autobiographical memories on impressions of the conversation and conversation partner during memory sharing in a reminiscence therapy setting. Fifty‐six older (Mage = 69.3) and 60 younger (Mage = 20.7) participants' net emotional tendency (positive/negative) towards autobiographical memories and depressive symptoms were evaluated using validated rating scales. Positive/positive and positive/negative age‐matched random pairs shared a nostalgic memory through free conversation. Participants with a negative emotional tendency towards autobiographical memories in positive/negative pairs tended to feel less “easy” about the conversation. Participants with a positive emotional tendency towards autobiographical memories in positive/negative pairs had a more negative impression of their partners. Our data provide insight into the relationship between net emotional tendency towards autobiographical memories and depression and suggest that an individual's net emotional tendency towards autobiographical memories potentially affects the outcome of group reminiscence therapy.

Inkblots, Psychotherapy and the Tavistock Clinic

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to recount the early history of the Rorschach's inkblots test in Europe and the USA; its subsequent application in highlighting the ill effects on children of bombing during the Second World War; its wartime use in selecting military personnel; its post‐war use in selecting patients for psychotherapy at the Tavistock Clinic in London and subsequent decline in this use of Rorschach's inkblots in favour of focus on the psychotherapy patient's transference experience of the psychotherapist treating them. The article ends with evidence of interest, beyond psychotherapy, in Rorschach's inkblots and with the implications of this for the author's principal conclusion regarding the value of these inkblots in evoking the free association and conversation crucial to psychotherapy.

Schwa realisation in verbal inflection in two dialogue registers of German spontaneous speech

Abstract Word-final schwa in German inflectional suffixes shows varying realisations in spontaneous speech – from full realisations with varying duration to no realisation. While previous research has identified numerous social, distributional, and grammatical factors influencing the variation of phonetic variables in general, it remains unclear how fine-grained functional differences in different registers specifically affect schwa realisation. In this corpus-based study, we compare schwa realisation in two dialogue registers of German spontaneous speech – free conversation and task-based dialogues – which differ only in their communicative goal and therefore have different functional requirements. We find that schwa is rarely realised, though slightly but significantly more often in free conversation than in task-based dialogue. Other factors also promoting schwa realisation across both situations are less frequent verbs and sequences, and IP-final position.

A Study of Some Morphological Problems of Chadian Learners of English

The study of new Englishes has been the focus of many researchers who evaluate the spoken and written quality of non-native English in different parts of the globe. This study investigates morphological errors made by Chadian learners of English in their written and oral production. 250 essays by Première and Terminale learners of Lycée Pascal Yoadimnadji and 300 ones by students of the University of Doba were scrutinised. This was completed with oral presentations and free conversations on topics of general interest by 30 secondary school learners and 50 university students. The paper particularly looked at their production of plural forms, third person singular markers, omission/addition, and the production of the -ed morpheme of the simple past tense and past participle. The results show that irrespective of their levels of education, Chadian learners of English generally omit or mispronounce the inflection morphemes in their various forms. The findings also reveal that some of the errors found are general features of non-native English, while others are specific to Chadian setting where English varieties from Cameroon (CamFE), Nigeria (NigE & Pidgin English), and from Sudan lead to a real mixture in classrooms.

A Study of Some Morphological Problems of Chadian Learners of English

The study of new Englishes has been the focus of many researchers who evaluate the spoken and written quality of non-native English in different parts of the globe. This study investigates morphological errors made by Chadian learners of English in their written and oral production. 250 essays by Première and Terminale learners of Lycée Pascal Yoadimnadji and 300 ones by students of the University of Doba were scrutinised. This was completed with oral presentations and free conversations on topics of general interest by 30 secondary school learners and 50 university students. The paper particularly looked at their production of plural forms, third person singular markers, omission/addition, and the production of the -ed morpheme of the simple past tense and past participle. The results show that irrespective of their levels of education, Chadian learners of English generally omit or mispronounce the inflection morphemes in their various forms. The findings also reveal that some of the errors found are general features of non-native English, while others are specific to Chadian setting where English varieties from Cameroon (CamFE), Nigeria (NigE & Pidgin English), and from Sudan lead to a real mixture in classrooms.

Investigating conversational dynamics in triads: Effects of noise, hearing impairment, and hearing aids.

Communication is an important part of everyday life and requires a rapid and coordinated interplay between interlocutors to ensure a successful conversation. Here, we investigate whether increased communication difficulty caused by additional background noise, hearing impairment, and not providing adequate hearing-aid (HA) processing affected the dynamics of a group conversation between one hearing-impaired (HI) and two normal-hearing (NH) interlocutors. Free conversations were recorded from 25 triads communicating at low (50 dBC SPL) or high (75 dBC SPL) levels of canteen noise. In conversations at low noise levels, the HI interlocutor was either unaided or aided. In conversations at high noise levels, the HI interlocutor either experienced omnidirectional or directional sound processing. Results showed that HI interlocutors generally spoke more and initiated their turn faster, but with more variability, than the NH interlocutors. Increasing the noise level resulted in generally higher speech levels, but more so for the NH than for the HI interlocutors. Higher background noise also affected the HI interlocutors' ability to speak in longer turns. When the HI interlocutors were unaided at low noise levels, both HI and NH interlocutors spoke louder, while receiving directional sound processing at high levels of noise only reduced the speech level of the HI interlocutor. In conclusion, noise, hearing impairment, and hearing-aid processing mainly affected speech levels, while the remaining measures of conversational dynamics (FTO median, FTO IQR, turn duration, and speaking time) were unaffected. Hence, although experiencing large changes in communication difficulty, the conversational dynamics of the free triadic conversations remain relatively stable.

Experiences from the Free Municipality Experiments. A Free Conversation with Ulf Hjelmar

Experiences from the Free Municipality Experiments. A Free Conversation with Ulf Hjelmar

School Practices in Parental Involvement in Type 1-6 of Epstein Typologies Significantly Predicting the Level of Parents’ Education Knowledge Base in English Curriculum Content in Grade group A, B and C

This descriptive-correlational study examined whether the level of parental involvement in type 1-6 of Epstein typologies influenced the level of parents’ education knowledge base in English curriculum content. Data was collected from selected Seventh - day Adventist primary schools in Central Kenya Conference. Questionnaires were used to collect data from 291 parents. The findings suggested that 19 % of the variance in English curriculum content in grade group A was explained by the learning at home typology, the level of parental involvement in the communications typology, has a statistically significant impact on parent’ education knowledge base in the English curriculum content in grade group B and Communications typology was distinguished as the best predictor of English curriculum content in grade group C. The study recommended that parents, teachers and communities manifest themselves into cultivating communication channels which allow free conversations with the aim of sharing learning initiatives in schools

An Exploration of the Methods of Virtual Reality Technology to Enhance the Tourism Experience of Non-native English Speakers

Abstract This paper combines virtual reality technology with end-to-end speech recognition technology to design a digital tourism system to satisfy non-native English speakers (tourists) with the advantage of interactive projection technology. VRML technology is utilized to accelerate network interaction and piggyback on the construction of the digital tourism system. Particle swarm-based hybrid collision algorithm and end-to-end English speech recognition algorithm are proposed respectively to construct a real and complete tourism environment and convert English speech to meet the tourism needs of non-native English speakers. The performance advantages of the improved AABB-MPSO algorithm are detected by combining the exploration of the influence of the size of the search space on the search success rate and search time. Analyze the relationship between the number of modeling units and the recognition error rate of the end-to-end English recognition model with a joint CTC and attention mechanism, using spoken speech of free conversation in real scenes. The seven digital tourism experience dimensions of scenic integrity, scenic service quality, scenic authenticity, scenic infrastructure, degree of commercialization, English recognition and conversion, and cultural connotation embodiment are delineated to explore the key factors of tourism physical examination. Non-native English speakers’ evaluation of the digital tourism experience is generally high, and the mean value of each dimension is greater than “3”, which means that the digital tourism system designed in this paper can meet the tourism needs of non-native English speakers.

Tarmiškumo matavimas: diskusinis tyrimų modelis

The aim of this article is to propose a model for studying linguistic behavior and dialectality measurement for scientific discussion. To achieve the goal, the following tasks are set: 1) to briefly review and evaluate the previous studies on linguistic attitudes and linguistic behavior, 2) to systematize the methods of data collection and data analysis, 3) to develop a model for studying linguistic behavior and to present dialectality measurement for discussion.
 The proposed model for studying linguistic behavior and dialectality measurement has been partially verified through an exploratory study, but the results of this study will be discussed in another publication. Now the focus is only on methodological questions.
 The research model consists of two parts. The first is data collection the second is data analysis. The data collection part consists of two components: 1) selection of informants and 2) formation of a corpus of empirical material. The empirical material corpus formation component consists of five partly independent, partly interrelated points: 1) A questionnaire at the beginning of data collection, 2) Creative tasks, 3) Free conversation, 4) Detailed interview, 5) A questionnaire at the end of data collection.
 The data analysis part consists of three components: 1) Technical preparation of the recordings (texts) obtained during the creative task, free conversation and detailed interview, 2) Speech analysis, carried out after applying the distribution tables method, and 3) Dialectally measurement and calculating linguistic distance.

Development and evaluation of a software system for medical students to teach and practice anamnestic interviews with virtual patient avatars

Background and ObjectivesTaking a medical history is a core competence of the diagnostic process. At the beginning of their study medical students need to learn and practice the necessary techniques, initially focusing on good structuring and completeness. For this purpose, an interactive software system (ViPATalk) was developed in which the student can train to pose questions to virtual patient avatars in free conversation. At the end, the student receives feedback on the completeness of the questioning and an explanation of the essential items. The use of this software was compared to the traditional format of student role play in a randomized trial. MethodsThe central component of ViPATalk is a chatbot based on the AI language AIML, which generates an appropriate answer based on keywords in the student's question. To enable a realistic use, the student can enter the question via microphone (speech-to-text) and the answer generated by the chatbot is presented as a short video sequence, where the avatar is generated from a real image. Here, the transition between the sequences is seamless, resulting in a continuous movement of the avatar during the conversation. ResultsThe learning success by practicing with ViPATalk was tested in an anamnestic interview with actors as simulated patients. The completeness of the conversation was evaluated with regard to numerous aspects and also certain behaviors during the conversation. These results were compared with those after practicing using peer role play. ConclusionsIt was found that practicing with ViPATalk was mostly equivalent to the students' role play. In the subsequent survey of the students, the wish was expressed that the ViPATalk software should also be used as an online tool for self-study and that there should be more cases for practicing.

Application of ChatGPT for an English Learning Platform

This paper aims to explore the potential of ChatGPT to serve as a comprehensive English learning platform for public school context by analyzing previous literature and current AI-based chatbots. To this end, the study investigated the potential of ChatGPT through four research questions: First, what are the educational possibilities of English learning chatbots?; Second, what are the possibilities and limitations of English learning chatbots when applied in classroom lessons?; Third, how can ChatGPT be utilized in classroom lessons?; Fourth, how can ChatGPT be utilized when applied to an intelligent adaptive learning model? The main conclusions of this discussion are as follows: First, the capabilities of AI-based English learning chatbots rely on natural language processing abilities, conversation modeling, providing dynamic feedback to learners, and offering personalized learning experiences which are lack in existing AI chatbots. Second, conventional English learning chatbots have been utilized in school education as free conversation apps, debate-specific bots, and integrated learning platforms. Third, ChatGPT has the potential to be integrated into a language learning platform and applied in formal learning environments. Finally, this paper proposes a plan to utilize ChatGPT in the context of an intelligent adaptive learning model.

교양강의 내 메타버스 공간 활용에 대한 대학생의 경험 분석

Objectives This study investigated university students' experiences with the use of metaverse in humanities lectures, utilizing the Gather town platform.
 Methods 15 university students who had taken humanities courses participated in the in-depth interviews by constructing a semi-structured questionnaire, and the interview data was transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a continuous comparative analysis method.
 Results The analysis resulted in 5 categories, 14 subcategories, and 37 concepts were derived, and the 5 categories were 1)expectations and concerns before metaverse classes, 2)limitations of relaxed communication versus exchange, 3)reflection and application of communication, 4)new identity through avatars, and 5)relationship formation through presence. The subcategories of ‘expectations and concerns before metaverse class’ were the expectation of a new class space and the burden of new attempts. The subcategories of ‘limitations of relaxed communication versus exchange’ were more comfortable than face-to-face meetings, honest conversation, and deep communication limitations due to the absence of non-verbal information. The subcategories of ‘reflection and application of communication’ were self-recognition of communication methods, application of communication skills acquired through experience, and attempts to communicate more actively than usual. The subcategories of the ‘new identity through avatars’ were free conversations that do not reveal themselves, doubts and concerns in relationships, encounters without prejudice.
 Conclusions Through this study, by deeply exploring college students' experiences of using the metaverse space in liberal arts lectures, it provided implications for the development of education and counseling programs using the metaerse space in the future.

Factors Influencing L2 Maintenance in the L1 Environment: A Case Study of an Arab Returnee Child

The purpose of this cross-sectional observational study is to show how the perception of returnees’ L2 can be changed in the digital era and how the massive spread of technology, among other factors, has eased an Arab (Saudi) returnee child’s maintenance of English as an L2. The study discusses how technology allowed the returnee to continue to receive abundant L2 input, use the L2 daily, and interact with native speakers. The child was 9 months old when his family moved to the United States and was 6.2 years old when returned to Saudi Arabia. The study took place 5.4 years after their return when his age was 11.6 years old. A free conversation with the child, observation of online gaming, and an interview with parents were conducted to observe the child’s L2 maintenance. The child demonstrated an intermediate level of fluency and produced non-verbal communication in free conversation and online gaming. The parents held positive attitudes toward bilingualism and English which was believed to have a great influence on the child’s L2 maintenance. The study concludes that technology, parental attitudes, and personality and motivation have all contributed to the child’s successful L2 maintenance.

On the presence and absence of definite articles with anthroponyms in rural varieties of Madeiran Portuguese

European Portuguese (EP) generally manifests a systematic use of the definite article with anthroponyms in communicative immediacy (in the sense of Koch & Oesterreicher, 1986). In Brazilian Portuguese (BP), there is a well-documented variation in the use of determiners in these contexts. A vast body of literature on this phenomenon in BP varieties shows that –among other internal factors– the extralinguistic factor of proximity between speaker and referent crucially affects the usage of the definite article with anthroponyms (cf. Amaral, 2007; Callou & Silva, 1997; Campos Júnior, 2010; de Carvalho, 2017; Lima & Moraes, 2019).This paper analyses the variable use of definite articles preceding anthroponyms in rural varieties of Madeiran Portuguese (MP) in contexts of communicative immediacy. The results of a qualitative and quantitative analysis based on a corpus of semi-directed interviews and free conversations between elderly rural speakers, suggest that in MP rural varieties, anthroponyms may occur without definite articles in communicative immediacy contexts. Furthermore, building on the findings of previous studies regarding the significance of the factor of proximity between speaker and alluded individual, this study proposes a categorization of intersubjective proximity considering different types of kinship and social relations. Thus, the data suggest that along this continuum of proximity, anthroponyms alluding to members of the nuclear family most commonly occur without definite articles in rural MP varieties.  

Strategi Kesantunan Berbahasa dalam Film Gara-Gara Warisan

A movie, as a literary work in the form of an audio-visual medium, is a dialogue-driven depiction of everyday life. In a movie, dialogue consists of utterances with a function, allowing characters to express themselves and convey a message. The purpose of the politeness strategy in the language is to facilitate the delivery of messages without harming the speaking partner's face. Therefore, the objective of this study is to discover and describe language politeness strategies in the Gara-Gara Warisan movie. This study employs a descriptive-qualitative methodology. While the approach in this study is the listening method and the advanced techniques, namely The Free Conversation Listening Technique (SBLC). Furthermore, the techniques used are transcript techniques and note-taking techniques. This study indicated that the most prevalent politeness approach is a positive politeness strategy and without utilizing any strategy (bald-on-record strategy), as opposed to a negative politeness strategy and an off-record politeness strategy.

Effects of noise presence and noise position on interpersonal distance in a triadic conversation.

People usually move in different ways during conversations but little is known whether movement behavior reflects difficulties that some people experience in communication in terms of listening and speaking. Here, we investigate movement behavior of standing participants in triadic conversations in noise with different spatial properties. In the initial analysis, we test how presence and position of noise affects interpersonal distance. The task of the interlocutors was to hold a free conversation in controlled acoustic conditions with realistic reverberation and visual scene of an underground station that was rendered in real-time in the Simulated Open Field Environment while the participants were monitored with motion tracking equipment and their voices were recorded. Two groups of people took part in the study. Different noise conditions involved presence of stationary speech-shaped noise at 70 dB SPL presented from one of four possible directions (Front, Right, Rear, Left), or from all directions simultaneously (F+R+R+L), or there was no noise (Quiet). The results show that interpersonal distance decreased when the noise was present, which confirmed previous results. Further, the preliminary analysis shows a relatively small effect of noise position on the interpersonal distance.

Non-manual Focus Markers in Turkish Sign Language

Sign languages use syntactic (fronting, doubling, clefting), manual manipulations (variation in size, length, speed, repetition), and nonmanual markers (head and eyebrow movements) to mark focus. Due to their simultaneous nature, they are well-known for using these strategies together. In this study, we examined how the focus is marked in Turkish Sign Language (TİD) in free conversations and elicited data. Both studies’ most observed nonmanual markers are head nod and eyebrow raise. We propose that these nonmanual markers are not pure focus markers since they can cooccur with focus and topic in the structures. Yet, due to information structure, they are the marker of the phonological or intonational phrases. Furthermore, the duration of focal signs could be the marker of focus, which needs further investigation.

Quantität des Inputs – eine ausschlaggebende Voraussetzung im Spracherwerb?

Access to language is a crucial factor in language acquisition, as the learner requires the necessary input to learn a new language. However, there is a question about whether the quantity of exposure to the target language is the key factor for a successful language acquisition. This study examines 80 students, with 10 students from each year from 5th to 12th grade, at a German high school in Romania. The students start learning the German language in kindergarten, meaning that they have their first contact with the language at the age of three, which could correspond to a gradual first language acquisition. They continue their language learning intensively in school, being exposed to at least five hours of German language every day. However, even after twelve years, their level of language proficiency does not reach the expected level of a near-native speaker. They conspicuously search for words and use an unusual sentence structure when they need to engage in free conversation. This study aims to answer the question of why, even after so many years of daily exposure to the German language, the students are not able to approach a near-native level, when according to the Goethe Institute, only 600 class hours of 60 minutes each would be necessary to reach the C1 level.

The effects of listening with “time-sharing” on psychological safety and social anxiety: the moderating role of narcissism and depression

ABSTRACT Listeners who interrupt speakers upset the speakers and prevent the benefits of good listening. Interruptions can be avoided with “time-sharing,” where each partner listens (silently) for an equal amount of time. Yet, is time-sharing good for all? In an experiment with 50 pairs (95 participants with useable data), participants conversed freely for one minute and were then assigned either to a time-sharing (of three minutes each) or a free conversation condition. Consistent with our hypotheses, speakers in the time-sharing condition showed reduced social anxiety if they were high on narcissism but elevated social anxiety if high on depression, explaining past inconsistent effects of time-sharing.