In verbal communication, speakers must encode meanings into signs such as words. Within a given language community, the correspondence between word forms and meanings can become conventionalized. However, speakers from different language communities cannot rely on these shared conventions. Here, we investigate whether purely verbal communication using single words is still possible in such a context, enabled by generalized form-meaning mappings. In a pre-registered experiment, we presented Italian speakers with words and instructed them to come up with corresponding German translations. The resulting German-like pseudowords were then shown to German speakers, who were asked to guess the original words. Supporting our hypotheses, results showed that the German participants' guesses were semantically closer to the original words than to randomly selected control words. These findings highlight the remarkable human ability to spontaneously create and interpret meaningful signals, even across language boundaries and without relying on an established mutually-known lexicon.

A study on the modality of climate news discourse: The case of the New York Times

An exploratory study on the development of pre-service English teachers’ VR-contextualized testing prototype

Hallucinated outputs from large language models (LLMs) pose risks in the medical domain, especially for lay audiences making health-related decisions. Existing automatic factual consistency evaluation methods, such as entailment- and question-answering (QA) -based, struggle with plain language summarization (PLS) due to elaborative explanation phenomenon, which introduces external content (e.g., definitions, background, examples) absent from the scientific abstract to enhance comprehension. To address this, we introduce PlainQAFact, an automatic factual consistency evaluation metric trained on a fine-grained, human-annotated dataset PlainFact, for evaluating factual consistency of both source-simplified and elaborately explained sentences. PlainQAFact first classifies sentence type, then applies a retrieval-augmented QA scoring method. Empirical results show that existing evaluation metrics fail to evaluate the factual consistency in PLS, especially for elaborative explanations, whereas PlainQAFact consistently outperforms them across all evaluation settings. We further analyze PlainQAFact's effectiveness across external knowledge sources, answer extraction strategies, answer overlap measures, and document granularity levels, refining its overall factual consistency assessment. Taken together, our work presents a sentence-aware, retrieval-augmented metric targeted at elaborative explanations in biomedical PLS tasks, providing the community with both a new benchmark and a practical evaluation tool to advance reliable and safe plain language communication in the medical domain. PlainQAFact and PlainFact are available at: https://github.com/zhiwenyou103/PlainQAFact.

ABSTRACT The relationship between language and heritage or ethnic identity has been widely examined in multilingualism research, yet findings remain inconsistent. While some studies report a close alignment between heritage language proficiency and identity affiliation, others point to variability and contestation. Less attention, however, has been paid to learners’ internally complex and shifting ideological orientations towards this relationship. Focusing on Chinese heritage language learners (CHLLs) in Australian higher education, this study examines how learners understand, negotiate, and strategically orient to the language–identity nexus. Drawing on multi-method qualitative data from seventeen CHLLs in an Australian university and informed by language ideology and socially situated perspectives on identity, the analysis reveals a dynamic, non-essentialist language–ethnicity relationship. Participants sometimes associated Chinese with heritage affiliation, yet also resisted treating language as a defining or obligatory marker of Chineseness. Their orientations were often ambivalent and responsive to changing social experiences and learning trajectories. These findings challenge essentialised assumptions about heritage language motivation and highlight heritage language learning as embedded in fluid, agentive identity negotiations. The study contributes to multilingualism and heritage language research by demonstrating that learners’ ideological orientations are internally complex and dynamically negotiated over time.

ABSTRACT This study examines parents’ accounts of children’s agency in family language policy (FLP) in 22 Chinese immigrant families in England with children aged 8–16, based on semi-structured interviews with one parent per family. Using thematic analysis of parents’ accounts, informed by a critical realist perspective and Christodoulou’s Four C’s model, the study identifies four forms of reported child agency: (1) parents described children resisting heritage language (HL) learning and use and redirecting interaction into English; (2) parents reported English-dominant peer and sibling spaces; (3) parents described code-switching as a response to comprehension repair, serious talk, and school-mediated task demands; and (4) parents described children as brokering when parents found English difficult to follow. These patterns were integrated into three higher-order themes showing how reported agency relates to what parents treat as workable heritage language maintenance (HLM). The study suggests, on the basis of parents’ accounts, that FLP is co-produced in everyday interaction, and that efforts to support Chinese HLM need to attend to how children’s language-related moves are understood and responded to across peer networks, school routines, family interaction, and institutional boundaries.

ABSTRACT Drawing on studies of Family Language Policy (FLP) and homescape, this paper examines how digital homescapes are constructed in transnational Chinese-speaking families in Germany. Based on a qualitative longitudinal ethnographic project involving eight families with children aged 4 to 7, it explores how digital tools are integrated into home environments to support children’s Chinese language and literacy learning. The study combines ethnographic observations, multimedia diaries, semi-structured interviews with parents and children, and visual and multimodal artefacts to investigate the interplay between parental mediation and child agency in shaping digital homescapes. The findings show that parents purposefully curate digital and multimodal resources within the home, while children actively personalise and repurpose them in creative, self-directed ways, including listening to stories, composing multimedia messages, taking online classes, and producing hybrid digital content. These practices foster heritage language (HL) learning, identity, and emotional expression, while also connecting families to translocal communities.

The Comprehensive High-dose Aphasia Treatment (CHAT) programme is an intensive comprehensive aphasia programme, which aims to address evidence-practice gaps in aphasia rehabilitation where there are known barriers to service delivery requiring implementation strategies. The aims of this study are to (1) evaluate the clinical implementation of the CHAT programme, (2) assess the clinical effectiveness of CHAT compared with usual care in rehabilitation services and (3) determine whether the real-world implementation of CHAT compared with usual care is cost-effective. Four participant groups will be recruited across six hospital and health services Australia-wide to participate in a type 3 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study: (1) people with aphasia, (2) support persons, (3) treating clinicians and students and (4) clinical stakeholders (eg, managers). This before-and-after study will include three time periods: (1) 'usual care' where people with aphasia will receive their usual care aphasia therapy, (2) 'implementation transition' where clinicians will be trained to deliver CHAT and (3) 'intervention implementation' where people with aphasia will receive the CHAT programme (ie, 50 hours of evidence-based aphasia therapy over 8 weeks). Evidence-based implementation strategies will be used to facilitate implementation within participating rehabilitation services. The primary outcome is delivery of evidence-based aphasia treatment (ie, CHAT) as measured by a composite score of quality indicators. Clinical effectiveness outcomes, measuring change in language impairment, communication effectiveness, confidence and quality of life, and implementation outcomes will also be examined. We will also conduct an embedded mixed-methods process evaluation and economic evaluation. This study has been approved by the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/2021/QRBW/72154). Outputs will include conference presentations, publications and a training package to optimise implementation of aphasia treatment in rehabilitation service contexts. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) prospective registration ACTRN12621001765819. Trial registered 23 December 2021. https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=381365&isReview=true.

Research examining Deaf older adults' needs or experiences of old age care is scarce. This study aims to describe how Deaf older adults, supported by Swedish old age care, experience interactions and participation in everyday life and in social care situations. This study gives voice to Deaf older adults whose perspectives are rarely represented in research. To minimize misunderstandings, the qualitative individual interviews with Deaf older adults were conducted by Deaf signing research assistants. The results show that Deaf older adults face communication barriers due to a lack of shared language with their old age care staff, which may also pose health risks. Yet, despite the absence of sign language communication, participants described communication with those who help them as sufficient for basic needs, albeit limited. Furthermore, restricted community mobility contributed to sparse social contacts with Deaf peers, leading to social isolation and reduced social well-being.

Effective communication is a pivotal component in the provision of inclusive digital archive services, particularly for individuals who are Deaf and depend on visual communication and Indonesian Sign Language (Bisindo). The objective of this study is threefold: first, to analyze the communication process in the management of digital archives at PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero); second, to identify communication barriers experienced by Deaf individuals; and third, to formulate strategies for developing inclusive digital archive services. The research employs a descriptive qualitative approach with participatory observation, interviews, and documentation studies at the Section of Asset Ownership Document and Files (USDA) of PT KAI. Participatory observation was conducted to directly observe the steps in using the Rail Document System (RDS), the workflow of digital archive services, and the interactions between Deaf and hearing staff members. Over two months, in-depth data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation involving seven informants, both internal and external. The results indicate that the management of PT KAI's digital archives has been technically well-executed; however, it does not fully accommodate the needs of Deaf users. The study proposes several recommendations, including the integration of Indonesian Sign Language (Bisindo) into the digital archive system, the provision of content or features accompanied by visual guides, the implementation of sign language training for PT KAI employees, and the reinforcement of internal company policies and regulations. These recommendations aim to ensure the provision of equitable and inclusive digital archive services at PT KAI

First-generation scholars are individuals who are the first in their family to attend a four-year college or university. In response to affirmative action bans, admissions committees have begun to use first-generation status as a way to promote a diverse student body, leading to an increase in the number of first generation students. Within the sociology of education, first-generation scholars are typically discussed from a deficit-based perspective that emphasizes their lack of preparation, lower degree completion rates, and enmeshment in reductive discourses such as impostor syndrome. Although we see value in naming and challenging the systemic barriers that encumber first-generation scholars, we propose that the field of linguistics and its allied disciplines are especially well suited to pursue an asset-based perspective of the first-generation experience. First-generation students are disproportionately bilingual, heritage speakers, and/or immigrants, and even monolingual first-generation students without a recent immigration background often have exposure to stigmatized dialects and sociolects. First-generation experiences of transitioning and translating between different language ecologies in home, school, work, and/or activist spaces foster resilience, resourcefulness, and metalinguistic awareness that can be leveraged in the linguistics classroom. We provide a collection of best practices in teaching and course design geared towards undergraduate-level linguistics courses rooted in a philosophy of universal design that demystifies the hidden curriculum and gives greater pride of place to the study of language in sociocultural context. Not only do these interventions increase first-generation belonging and success, but they improve the quality of learning for all students, including continuing-generation students.

Individuals living in rural areas and low-income communities are at an increased risk of nutrient-poor diets and associated metabolic disorders, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to enhance the nutritional education process, identify barriers and facilitators to improving compliance, and develop strategies to address areas of non-compliance for villagers in Gotvand, Iran. In accordance with the JBI Evidence Implementation Framework, this clinical audit study was conducted in 2023 at a health center in Gotvand, Iran. Forty adult villagers referred to the health center took part in a baseline audit to evaluate compliance with recommended practices. After 1 month, a follow-up audit was conducted, during which 20 villagers were randomly selected and their data analyzed. Data collection methods included direct observation and interviews. The baseline results indicated that face-to-face interviews or experiential learning approaches had the highest compliance rate (70%), followed by other strategies in addition to nutrition education (60%). Training aimed to increase nutritional knowledge recorded a compliance rate of 55%, while self-monitoring to facilitate nutrition education by individuals had the lowest rate at 33%. After the 1-month follow-up, compliance rates improved significantly, revealing audit scores of 100% for Criteria 1-3, and 94.4% for Criterion 4. The findings suggest that employing local educators, using educational packages (including illustrated pamphlets), and conducting face-to-face sessions are effective strategies for delivering nutritional education in rural areas, taking into account local community knowledge, language differences, and cultural context. http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A517.

ABSTRACT In recent decades, metacognitive instruction (MI) has shown promise in enhancing listening interaction across diverse learner profiles. However, as a key component of communication in a second language (L2), learners’ willingness to listen is underexplored. This study investigated the impact of metacognitive instruction (MI) on listening comprehension and metacognitive awareness among willing-to-listen L2 learners. A total of 100 intermediate Iranian learners (24 males and 76 females), aged 18 to 24, were identified as willing-to-listen and randomly assigned to two groups. The treatment group (n = 50) received 10 sessions of MI, while the control group (n = 50) followed a conventional approach. Participants in both groups completed the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) listening tests and the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ) before and after the metacognitive instruction. Subsequently, 20 participants from the treatment group were randomly interviewed to explore their attitudes toward MI. Results revealed significant gains in both listening comprehension and metacognitive awareness in the treatment group. Additionally, qualitative data reinforced these findings, highlighting improved listening comprehension, increased metacognitive awareness, higher self-confidence, and reduced anxiety. This study further offered pedagogical implications for using metacognitive instruction to support listening comprehension and metacognitive awareness among willing-to-listen L2 learners.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to examine the language and communication difficulties experienced by a non-Turkish-speaking Syrian refugee child in a preschool setting. The participant was a 66-month-old girl from a non-Turkish-speaking family enrolled in an independent kindergarten. A holistic single-case design within a qualitative research approach was used. Data were collected through observations and anecdotal records over a six-week period. In the first week, preliminary observations were conducted, followed by 60 structured activities implemented in the child's natural educational environment over four weeks. No direct intervention was applied during observations; instead, covert supports were integrated into daily classroom routines. The study focused on the child's Turkish language development and communication skills, including initiating interaction, peer engagement and play preferences. Findings indicated that adaptations in daily routines, end-of-day reflections, inclusive storybook reading and participation in group activities contributed positively to the child's language acquisition and communication development in a natural setting.

This study aims to analyze the feasibility of anecdotal text material in Indonesian language textbooks for grade 10. The focus of the study is directed at the suitability of the content to the curriculum, language suitability, presentation techniques, and graphic aspects. The analysis was conducted by utilizing findings from various previous studies that highlight the quality of local wisdom-based teaching materials, the development of narrative modules, the use of digital media such as Powtoon, the use of image media, and syntactic evaluation in the Independent Curriculum. The results of the study indicate that the anecdotal text material in grade 10 textbooks generally meets the feasibility standards, both in terms of content and communicative language. However, limitations are still found in the variety of presentations, consistency of structure, and the use of supporting media relevant to the learning context. This study emphasizes the importance of developing teaching materials that are more contextual, innovative, and appropriate to the characteristics of students so that Indonesian language learning can take place more effectively. Thus, this study provides recommendations for teachers and textbook compilers to continuously update anecdotal text material according to curriculum demands and student needs.

Throughout the English-speaking world, there are numerous Greek-speaking diaspora communities whose language is simultaneously influenced by English and local varieties of Greek. This study builds on the body of knowledge in cross-cultural and interlanguage pragmatics to explore a case of pragmatic acquisition in a study abroad context by one member of such a community. Data were collected from a third-generation young adult Greek Australian student prior to commencement of a 6-week Greek language programme in Athens, and on three other occasions. She described her experiences and responded to a set of scenarios involving Greek requests, refusals and apologies. The responses were analysed using established frameworks and subjectively evaluated for appropriateness by a matched Greek native speaker. The student showed evidence of a shift towards documented Standard Modern Greek pragmatic norms in some but not all speech acts, and change appeared to be loosely linked to opportunities for use. There was also some evidence of reversion to diaspora variants after her return. This study contributes to our understanding of the interaction between learning outcomes, individual learner variables, prior exposure, the nature of communicative events and levels of pragmatic awareness. It is argued that Greek and diaspora contexts involve subtly distinct pragmatic varieties of Greek and that learners can benefit from explicit awareness-raising regarding the nature of these differences.

Use of neuraxial analgesia requires communication between the parturient and her caretakers. In this retrospective study, the use of labor analgesia is compared between parturients whose primary language is other than Finnish or Swedish and who don't communicate in these languages or English without an interpreter (Category I), who communicate in Finnish, Swedish, or English (Category II), and primary Finnish or Swedish speakers (Category III). The primary outcome of this study is the association of communication language categories with neuraxial analgesia use. The secondary outcome is the incidence of vaginal delivery without pharmacological pain relief. The parturient and labor parameters (age, body mass index (BMI), primiparity, gestational age, prior consultations for fear-of-childbirth (FOC), induction of labor, use of oxytocin, labor analgesia interventions, outcome of the attempted labor) were recorded from the electronic patient database for all 13,707 parturients that attempted vaginal delivery in the Helsinki region delivery hospitals during 2022. The distribution of parturients was 15.3%, 10.3%, and 74.4% in the language categories I, II, and III, respectively. The use rate of neuraxial analgesia was 60.8%, 65.8%, and 75.3% in the categories I, II, and III respectively. After adjustment for primiparity, maternal BMI, gestational age, FOC diagnosis, induction of labor, oxytocin use, episiotomy, and outcome of labor, the adjusted OR (aOR) for neuraxial analgesia use was (1.283 [1.093-1.506]) among parturients in Cat II compared to Cat I. Correspondingly, the ability to communicate directly (Cat II) was associated with lower use of only non-neuraxial pharmacological analgesia (aOR 0.789 [0.654-0.951]) compared to those incapable of direct communication (Cat I). No association was seen with language capability (Cat II vs. Cat I) and delivery without pharmacological pain relief (any delivery type: aOR 0.815 [0.652-1.019]; vaginal delivery: aOR 0.825 [0.645-1.055]). Ability to communicate directly with the staff is associated with shifting from non-neuraxial techniques to neuraxial analgesia but not an increase in general labor analgesia use. Cultural trends may be associated with labor analgesia choices more than language capabilities. Promotion of labor analgesia use should go beyond translation services and requires antenatal education of the available options. EDITORIAL COMMENT: This study demonstrates that language ability alone does not determine labor analgesia use but instead shapes the selection of analgesia methods. Cultural context and antenatal knowledge appear to play a central role in analgesia decision-making. Efforts to promote equitable maternity care should therefore extend beyond translation services to include culturally responsive education and communication strategies that support informed maternal choice.

ABSTRACT This study explores how Yi undergraduates in a trilingual Yi-English-Chinese programme in Southwestern China perceive and experience heritage language and culture within a Han-dominated university context. Drawing on ethnolinguistic vitality and constrained multilingualism, it investigates students' perceptions of linguistic value, recognition, and constraint, and how these shape identity and everyday meaning-making. Employing questionnaires, focus groups, and interviews, the study shows that the programme creates spaces where students mobilise multilingual repertoires to negotiate opportunity and exclusion. The findings suggest that minority language vitality is negotiated and reconstructed through practice, as students transform constraints into resources for identity, visibility, and intercultural engagement.

Communication in a family's primary language can support safe care. Vital steps within the care delivery process are contingent on successful communication, including reporting symptoms, clinical decision-making, informed consent, discharge communication and follow-up coordination. The importance of effective information exchange is particularly pronounced in paediatric emergency care, and complex interactions may arise as parents or carers advocate on behalf of children. This scoping review aimed to identify and map existing research indicating where along the care journey communication-related risks for safety lie during paediatric emergency care and what strategies exist to mitigate them. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library for studies which examined the influence of language barriers on patient safety in paediatric emergency care as well as studies that evaluated interventions. Bibliographic database searches were executed on 18 December 2024; retrieved records were independently screened by two authors at title and abstract level followed by full text level. Data on study objectives, population characteristics, study design and their key findings were extracted. 1578 articles were identified, of which 33 were included and mapped according to (i) studies reporting safety risks linked to language barriers in paediatric emergency care (n=24) and (ii) existing interventions designed to mitigate these risks (n=9). Studies highlighted that language barriers can influence safety at multiple stages of the emergency care pathway, with discharge most frequently reported as a point of risk for paediatric patient safety. Interventions focused primarily on usage, uptake and documentation of professional interpreter services. Addressing misunderstandings around follow-up and home-care advice during medical safety netting are priority areas for intervention. Future research should involve carer and clinical perspectives in exploring whether technology-enabled tools, including artificial intelligence, can safely mitigate language barriers in these situations.

This paper explores the effectiveness of grammar-based teaching (GBT) and communicative language teaching (CLT) in second language acquisition. Grammar-based teaching focuses on explicit grammar instruction and structured practice, while communicative language teaching emphasizes interaction and real-life communication to develop language skills. A comparative analysis of existing studies reveals that GBT aids in building a solid grammatical foundation and accuracy, particularly in controlled environments. However, CLT is more effective in fostering fluency, pragmatic competence, and learner engagement through meaningful language use. The research concludes that a balanced approach, integrating elements from both methods, may offer the most effective pathway for language learners, depending on their specific learning goals and contexts.