Hybrid Language Research Articles

“LIKE A STONE SITTING IN HIS MOUTH” Forms of foreignness in Andrea Tompa’s novel

It is no exaggeration to state that Andrea Tompa places the individual and collective experiences of otherness and foreignness at the center of all her novels. The many tensions arising from the coexistence of various ethnic groups, the historical and social situations and processes of minority existence, and the linguistic and cultural diversity are manifested in various structural, narrative, and linguistic forms in her texts. By examining various forms of foreignness and otherness, my study tries to show the common points, clusters of content and thought, questions (partly) better left undisclosed that intertwine her novels, and this can best be approached with the phenomena and set of concepts of transnationalism, multi- and transculturalism, hybrid language and trauma theories, starting from the Cluj – Carpathian Basin – Central Europe route and arriving at current global events.

Games for hybrid logic from semantic games to analytic calculi

Abstract Game semantics and winning strategies offer a potential conceptual bridge between semantics and proof systems of logics. We illustrate this link for hybrid logic—an extension of modal logic that allows for explicit reference to worlds within the language. We lift a Hintikka-style semantic game to a disjunctive game. The disjunctive game adequately models entailment and validity over classes of frames characterizable in the hybrid language. The search for winning strategies in this game can be reformulated as a sequent-style proof system.

More spoken or more translated?

Abstract This article explores the features of simultaneous interpreting (SI) from a multidimensional (MD) analysis perspective (Biber 1988), drawing on a newly built comparable intermodal corpus, the LegCo+ corpus. The corpus incorporates Cantonese speeches that are both interpreted and translated into English, as SI and written translation (WT), respectively. Additionally, a third English corpus consisting of English native speeches (NS), without mediation, serves as a benchmark comparison. We aim to examine the extent of similarities and differences between SI, NS and WT in terms of the linguistic patterns they display. Our findings show that: (1) SI is a hybrid language mode, exhibiting features that lie between those of non-mediated spoken language and mediated written language; (2) in terms of its spoken nature, SI resembles NS in certain dimensions where typical features are associated with orality, suggesting a strong modality effect; and (3) in terms of its mediated status, SI demonstrates similarities with WT, despite their perceptibly distinct modalities, pointing to a potential mediation-specific effect. These empirical findings emphasize the necessity of understanding the multidimensionality inherent in interpreted language.

Host language, guest language or hybrid? Language strategy in destination advertising

ABSTRACT Language constitutes an integral part of destination culture and tourists’ experiences. Although the importance of using host language in destination marketing has been highlighted, the effectiveness of the language strategy in forming potential tourists’ visit intention remains unrevealed. Built on optimal arousal theory, this research examines whether and how the hybrid of host and guest languages (called hybrid language display hereafter) in destination advertising is more useful in attracting tourists. Two experiments were conducted using Xizang and Macau as contexts. Results reveal that the ad featuring hybrid language display works better than monolingual ads (either host or guest language only) in attracting potential tourists. Specifically, hybrid language display in a destination ad increases potential tourists’ visit intention because of higher perceived uniqueness of the destination and then curiosity about it. This language strategy in destination advertising is effective regardless of potential tourists’ self-efficacy though especially useful for increasing visit intention of those who are low in self-efficacy. Accordingly, theoretical and practical implications are offered.

PIDGINISATION AS LINGUOCULTURAL PHENOMENON (on the example of African linguoculture)

This article identifies the features of such a linguocultural phenomenon as pidginisation and creolisation on the example of African linguoculture. The scientific problem is caused by the influence of globalisation on the state of languages and cultures within the framework of intercultural and interlanguage interaction, on the one hand, and the need to preserve native languages and cultures, on the other hand. The purpose of the article is to identify the key properties of such hybrid languages as Pidgin English and Creole English which operate in the largest country in West Africa – Nigeria. The research work is based on a combination of linguistic and cultural analysis method, which revealed the peculiarities of language and culture in the process of historical development, and comparative analysis method, which is the key to distinguish similar and distinctive features of Nigerian Pidgin English in relation to British English. The research work systematised the key historical, linguistic and cultural factors that influenced the formation and Pidgin English and Creole English development in Africa, and identified its key characteristics. It was proved that English is a universal means of interethnic communication for all social groups, but Pidgin English has simple structure at all language levels – phonetic, grammatical, lexical ones – and suits for everyday communication perfectly. Adapting to local realities, Nigerian Pidgin English at the phonetic level is the subject to assimilation and dissimilation of consonants, quantitative and qualitative reduction of vowels. The grammatical structure of Nigerian Pidgin English is the subject to maximum simplification, this level is characterised by the omission of articles; the use of abstract nouns in the plural form; the formation of adjectives’ comparison degrees and adverbs on the principle of a monosyllabic adjective; the use of simple tense forms of verb. The lexical structure of Nigerian Pidgin English is characterised by the functioning of high-frequency lexemes of autochthonous languages, which is due to the desire to follow the norms of native culture. All deviations from British English are explained by the need to create an accessible form of communication for all social groups using minimal linguistic means.

OmniMatch: A Large Language Model-Based Data Linkage Tool

Large Language Models, such as OpenAI’s GPT, have demonstrated remarkable success in various applications by generating human-like text. However, a critical question remains: how can we effectively leverage these large language models for data linkage? In response to this challenge, we introduce OmniMatch, a novel data linkage tool designed to address several key issues in data linkage: Cross-Domain Data Linkage: OmniMatch tackles the complexities of linking data across different domains without retraining or update. Cross-Lingual Data Linkage: It extends its capabilities to handle data in multiple languages and hybrid languages. Data Quality Challenges: OmniMatch addresses inconsistent data formats and typical data quality issues, including noise, missing values, typos, and errors. Our approach customizes an open-source large language model called Llama 2 from Meta. By doing so, we achieve outstanding performance in handling the aforementioned challenges. Notably, OmniMatch offers a specific advantage: it can be installed on-premises, ensuring a safe and trustworthy application without the hallucinations and other vulnerabilities associated with foundational large language models. We systematically evaluate OmniMatch using diverse datasets from various domains, including products, scientific publications, music, census data, and cross-lingual data. The experimental results demonstrate that OmniMatch is a universally applicable and trustworthy tool for data linkage.

Madness and Crime: Anguish Zone of Crazy Seven by Roberto Arlt

This analysis focuses on Augusto Remo Erdosain, who is the main character of Crazy Seven and The flamethrowers. The introduction offers an approach to the literary artifice of Roberto Arlt from the zone of anguish. Here, 3 main axes are mentioned to understand the significance of the novel: (a) Urban daily life, where a hybrid language, a bureaucratic shield, a capitalist morality and a peculiar aesthetic are integrated; (b) the petty-bourgeoisie, is identified through cowardice, pathos and hypocrisy; (c) Marginality, all the reflectors point to this narrative niche because that is where the vanguard of the novel lies. The paradox of continuous humiliation refers to the adverse conditions from which the characters intend to emerge victorious, but end up facing circumstances of greater collapse. The second part of the article characterizes crime as a trivialized procedure, since Erdosain concludes: to kill someone, rob a bank or detonate a bomb, it is enough to become a courageous beast. The third phase constitutes the most provocative proposal of Roberto Arlt: madness as a piece of artistic exhibition. Consequently, Roberto Arlt not only transcribed the sensations, emotions and singularities of a gloomy city, his work ended up setting the themes of urban narrative.

POPULARITY OF SHENG TO THE GRAMMATICAL ACCURACY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KENYA

Sheng, a hybrid language combining English, Swahili, and local dialects, is widely used among urban youths, particularly school-going students. This language serves as a means of identification, secrecy, and socialization, influencing the students' English grammar usage. While numerous studies have explored the effect of Sheng on native and official languages as well as societal perceptions, there has been limited research on its influence on the learning of English grammar in public secondary schools. Therefore, this paper focuses on the contributing factors to the widespread use of Sheng and subsequent poor performance of English grammar, in public secondary schools at Roysambu Sub-County in Nairobi County, Kenya. Universal Grammar Theory of Second Language Learning by Chomsky (1985) is used as an analytical tool. The research aims to determine how the popularity of Sheng influences students' grammatical usage in English, examine its effect on grammar performance, and evaluate its contribution to poor grammatical competence among learners in public secondary schools. The findings reveal that school location and student’s social background lead to the spread of sheng in the learning institution. This leads to a negative attitude towards English grammar hence poor performance. The findings hold significance for the Ministry of Education and public secondary principals in identifying causes of the widespread use of Sheng in learning institutions, leading to poor performance in English grammar. Additionally, the findings provide a foundation for future studies and inform curriculum developers in devising strategies to address the prevalent usage of Sheng in learning institutions. KEYWORDS: Sheng, English grammar, secondary school, grammatical competence

VirRep: a hybrid language representation learning framework for identifying viruses from human gut metagenomes

Identifying viruses from metagenomes is a common step to explore the virus composition in the human gut. Here, we introduce VirRep, a hybrid language representation learning framework, for identifying viruses from human gut metagenomes. VirRep combines a context-aware encoder and an evolution-aware encoder to improve sequence representation by incorporating k-mer patterns and sequence homologies. Benchmarking on both simulated and real datasets with varying viral proportions demonstrates that VirRep outperforms state-of-the-art methods. When applied to fecal metagenomes from a colorectal cancer cohort, VirRep identifies 39 high-quality viral species associated with the disease, many of which cannot be detected by existing methods.

Students' Voices: Exploring Perceptions of Hybrid Language Learning

Students' Voices: Exploring Perceptions of Hybrid Language Learning

Code switching patterns in Kazakh-Russian hybrid language practice: An empirical study

The study investigates Kazakh-Russian and Russian-Kazakh code switching in the framework of hybrid language practice to provide insights into the sense-making process among bilinguals. The unique characteristics of the synchronic linguistic situation in Kazakhstan stem from historically rooted ethnic bi- and multilingualism. Language switching has evolved into a tool for addressing communicative partners and sustaining communication in bilingual culture, rather than being viewed as a deviant pattern. It appears to be a dynamic resource for ensuring mutual understanding and harmonised communication. The study aims to reveal the motivations behind individuals’ language switching, how Kazakh and Russian speakers explain hybrid communication, and their sentiments towards it. Data from two surveys conducted in January-February of 2021 and January of 2024 are presented. Each survey involved 50 respondents with higher education, ranging in age from 21 to 40, who have resided in Kazakhstan for an extended period, with many being native-born residents. We argue that switching between the Kazakh and Russian languages serves as a communicative tool utilised by Kazakh and Russian speakers to signify their belonging to a specific sociocultural community. The study posits that hybrid language practice can be viewed from two underlying perspectives: from a ‘deficit’ perspective, signalling limited proficiency in Russian or/and Kazakh, and from a more complex sense-making communicative perspective, assisting interaction. As part of the sense-making process and in sustaining interaction with communication partners, code switching serves an instrumental function. Importantly, hybrid language practice is not portrayed as a sign of cultural decline. There is no strong correlation between the mixing of Russian and Kazakh and social, cultural, and educational barriers. Further implications for research are prompted by the rapidly changing situation. The development of the Kazakh language as a state language is becoming a major goal and central focus in this evolving context, which inevitably raises the issues of linguistic ideology. Distinguishing between ideologically neutral analysis and critical analysis of language use as a tool of symbolic power for specific social groups would provide a more gradient picture of the dynamics in Kazakhstan’s bi- and multilingual situation.

Evaluating the machine learning models based on natural language processing tasks

<span lang="EN-US">In the realm of natural language processing (NLP), a diverse array of language models has emerged, catering to a wide spectrum of tasks, ranging from speaker recognition and auto-correction to sentiment analysis and stock prediction. The significance of language models in enabling the execution of these NLP tasks cannot be overstated. This study proposes an approach to enhance accuracy by leveraging a hybrid language model, combining the strengths of long short-term memory (LSTM) and gated recurrent unit (GRU). LSTM excels in preserving long-term dependencies in data, while GRU's simpler gating mechanism expedites the training process. The research endeavors to evaluate four variations of this hybrid model: LSTM, GRU, <a name="_Hlk158992630"></a>bidirectional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM), and a combination of LSTM with GRU. These models are subjected to rigorous testing on two distinct datasets: one focused on IBM stock price prediction, and the other on Jigsaw toxic comment classification (sentiment analysis). This work represents a significant stride towards democratizing NLP capabilities, ensuring that even in resource-constrained settings, NLP models can exhibit improved performance. The anticipated implications of these findings span a wide spectrum of real-world applications and hold the potential to stimulate further research in the field of NLP. </span>

Family Language Policy in the minority and migration contexts of Cyprus

This article investigates the Family Language Policy (FLP) of minority and immigrant families in Cyprus. The participants in our study were 30 immigrant and minority families in Cyprus with various first language (L1) backgrounds, namely, Russian, Georgian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Romanian, English, and Arabic and minority speakers of Armenian, Lebanese, and Pontic Greek. The data were collected via written questionnaires and oral, in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a focus on the FLP, cultural and linguistic identities, heritage language (HL) (incomplete) acquisition, attrition, use maintenance and transmission, linguistic interaction patterns and the material culture at home. The analysis of the data revealed that minority and immigrant speakers in Cyprus had hybrid language and cultural identities, different perceptions regarding citizenship, inclusion, and belonging, as well as the attrition, use, maintenance, and transmission of the HL, which reflected their FLPs, agency, practices, and negotiations. They attempted to assimilate into the target society but also had strong links to the community of residence, to their L1 country, and to their heritage or home language. The participants also employed hybrid language practices, as they used mixed/multiple languages both in the home and outside it. Overall, they had a positive attitude towards multilingualism in Cyprus.

Achieving Joint Attention and Understanding of Task Responsibilities in Synchronous Hybrid L2 Classroom Group Work

Abstract This article addresses the need to better understand interactional asymmetries, challenges, and solutions in implementing synchronous hybrid language teaching. We investigate video-recorded peer interactions in a higher education language teaching context in which a student uses a telepresence robot, a remotely moveable videoconferencing tool, to participate in small-group task work in L2 English together with students who are physically located in the language classroom. Drawing on multimodal conversation analysis, we examine how the geographically dispersed peer group achieves, maintains, and repairs their joint attention on task-relevant learning materials as they are accomplishing a task, and how this kind of referential interactional work enables their co-operation as a group. Based on the analysis, we argue that in synchronous hybrid learning there is a need to reflexively adjust interactional practices to secure an intersubjective understanding of learning tasks and their progressivity. The findings also suggest that sensory and interactional asymmetries should be taken into account when developing and implementing synchronous hybrid learning environments that aim at equality of opportunities regardless of the participation mode.

Video-mediated collaborative lesson planning in virtual exchange among transnational teams of pre-service language teachers

AbstractVirtual exchange (VE) projects in pre-service language teacher education are increasingly being recognized as an innovative practice due to their affordances for providing teacher learning opportunities in technology-rich environments. This study aims to report these opportunities based on results from a VE project consisting of diverse teacher education activities, including lectures, webinars, asynchronous tasks, and synchronous video-mediated interactions. This project provides a medium for pre-service teachers to collaboratively design a lesson to be implemented in hybrid language learning environments. We specifically deal with the video-mediated interactions of the transnational groups of pre-service language teachers using multimodal conversation analysis (CA) as the research methodology and investigate VE phases to explore how their interactions become consequential for the final pedagogical design. The findings show that the pre-service teachers retrospectively orient to shared practices in the earlier phases of the VE project, and the deployment of retrospective orientation as an interactional resource creates interactional space for collaborative decision-making related to their pedagogical designs. We argue that tracking the video-mediated pedagogical interactions of the pre-service teachers using CA is a methodological innovation that allows researchers to collect interactional evidence for the emergent teacher learning opportunities. The findings bring new insights to the role of the technology-mediated settings (e.g. VEs and telecollaboration) in language learning, teaching, and teacher education and in bridging different cultures, curricula, and physical spaces.

Intertextuality of Brazilian comics: new meanings in literary adaptations

The dialogical principle of communicational objects draws our attention to intertextuality: the dialogue between texts. In comics, intertextuality is combined with the resources of a hybrid language: the verbal discourse, the technique or tool used, the imagery style and the page layout contribute to expanding the meanings of the adapted text. Given the possibilities of the language of comics, questions arise: which are the intertexts of the source works and how do adaptations use the language of comics to show them and include others, as every adaptation is a new work? For this investigation, we propose the analysis of two Brazilian comics: Auto da Barca do Inferno (2011) and Luzia (2021). In our theoretical-methodological journey, we work with notions of dialogism, intertextuality, and adaptation. We also consider the particular parameters of comics. From the analysis, we intend to understand how intertextuality is used in these adaptations.

Is the Tamil language Conjugation or Grafting

Language is the main tool that helps people to communicate their thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes to others. Research about the origin of the language are often biased. Hence the origin of the language cannot be determined. In order to understand the language, linguists classify it in various ways based on its nature, character, usage, number of users etc. Among these, the languages of the world are divided into independent, conjunctive, and so on. Although many languages have appeared in the world, only a few languages have survived. Among the languages that have survived, some have lost its value as spoken language and living only as literary languages. Among the languages that appear, grow and disappear, Tamil is the most important language that appeared in ancient times and has grown with influence and is still alive today. This Tamil language, which has an ancient grammatical and literary richness and the unique feature of adapting itself according to the times, has two different linguistic elements in itself, grafting and conjugation. Pointing to the interdisciplinary nature of Tamil, which is often labeled as a hybrid language, this article is to analyse whether Tamil is a conjugation or grafting.

The Mutual Influence between Chinese and Indonesian Language Users in Sunlie Thomas Alexander’s Short Story “My Mother is a Mong Kap San Woman”

This article examines how the characters as language users influence one another and what factors enabling or motivating them to do so in Sunlie Thomas Alexander's short story "My Mother is a Mong Kap San Woman". This research uses qualitative approach with discourse analysis method. The narrator and his family members are Chinese Indonesians who speak Hakka language. Their neighbors are Malay people who speak Indonesian language. The narrator, his family, and his neighbors live in Bangka Island, Indonesia. They influence one another using their own certain vocabulary, spelling and articulation while communicating. The findings of this research are education and political repression are the reason for a certain ethnic group not to understand Indonesian language. Nevertheless, this research concludes, the interaction between the two different ethnic groups has created a hybrid language.

ЭВОЛЮЦИЯ ЯЗЫКОВ ПРОГРАММИРОВАНИЯ ОТ ПРОЦЕДУРНЫХ К ФУНКЦИОНАЛЬНЫМ ЛОГИЧЕСКИМ ПАРАДИГМАМ

The article considers the evolution of programming languages from procedural to functional and logical paradigms. Particular attention is paid to key stages in the development of programming languages, such as the transition from procedural methods to object-oriented, functional and logical approaches. The article provides a comparative analysis of various paradigms, their advantages and disadvantages, and discusses modern trends and hybrid languages that combine elements of several paradigms. The impact of these changes on software development is considered and further directions of development of programming languages are predicted.

The Hybrid Languages of Love and Comics

The Hybrid Languages of Love and Comics