Heritage Language Research Articles

Developing Teaching Procedure based on Communicative Language Teaching Principles to Teach Speaking

Developing Teaching Procedure based on Communicative Language Teaching Principles to Teach Speaking

A “positive” turn in heritage language education: Multilingual children's voices on language learner well-being

This paper presents the first empirical attempt to understand language learner well-being in the context of heritage language (HL) learning. Adopting a positive psychology perspective, the research investigates the well-being experiences of Chinese heritage language (CHL) children to explore what flourishing means in HL learning. Data were collected from multimodal focus groups with 40 young CHL learners in the UK, involving a well-being exercise, a drawing activity, and semi-structured discussions. Following an appreciative inquiry approach, the findings indicate that HL learners' well-being revolves around “feeling good,” “doing well,” and “being connected,” including six essential components: positive emotions, affirmative self, perceived competence, active engagement, supportive relations, and diasporic connections. By centring young learners’ perspectives, we propose a multidimensional framework representing different aspects of their flourishing in the journey of HL development, which informs further theorisation of HL learner well-being as multifaceted, interconnected, and contextual. By shifting the emphasis from linguistic achievement to a more holistic approach that prioritises the socio-emotional wellness of HL learners, we also seek to instigate a “positive” turn in HL education which provides an intellectual basis for the design, implementation, and evaluation of future HL interventions with significant policy implications.

Достижение учащимися личностных результатов в ходе освоения программы начального общего образования по предмету «Русский язык»

The article considers the possibility of implementing the educational function of Russian language lessons. The ways of achieving the requirements set forth in the Federal State Educational Standard of Primary General Education of 2021 concerning the initial understanding of the diversity of languages and cultures in the territory of the Russian Federation, of language as one of the main spiritual and moral values of the people are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to students’ awareness of the importance of the Russian language as the state language of the Russian Federation, understanding its role as the language of interethnic communication. The conditions for achieving personal learning outcomes set forth in the Federal Work Program for the Subject “Russian Language” of 2023 are revealed. Various tasks are proposed that allow realizing the subject’s potential for spiritual, moral and civic-patriotic education of primary schoolchildren.

Preserving the Latvian Language Abroad: Personal Narratives and Institutional Support

Despite the widespread distribution of Latvians globally, the importance of heritage language for cultural connectivity remains underexplored. This study explores the preservation of the Latvian language among diaspora communities, employing linguistic autoethnography, participant observation, and communication analysis to examine the interplay between individual experiences and institutional support in maintaining cultural identity. Drawing from the author’s bilingual Latvian–Lithuanian background and based on the example of a mixed Latvian–Lithuanian family living in Finland, the study highlights the role of the family strategy in using languages at home, the role of grandparents, as well as heritage tourism, music, and arts in strengthening cultural ties. Through linguistic autoethnography, the article captures the essence of personal and collective efforts to sustain the Latvian language. Participant observation in diasporan activities and analysis of communicative practices reveal how diasporan Latvians actively engage in preserving their linguistic heritage. The Latvian Language Agency’s initiatives, including supporting language schools abroad, publishing educational resources, and organizing summer camps, are critically examined. The study advocates for a unified approach that combines personal commitment and structured support, emphasizing the crucial role of both in the vibrancy of the Latvian language abroad.

Quantification of Automatic Speech Recognition System Performance on d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Speech.

To evaluate the performance of commercial automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems on d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing (d/Dhh) speech. A corpus containing 850 audio files of d/Dhh and normal hearing (NH) speech from the University of Memphis Speech Perception Assessment Laboratory was tested on four speech-to-text application program interfaces (APIs): Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Chirp, and OpenAI Whisper. We quantified the Word Error Rate (WER) of API transcriptions for 24 d/Dhh and nine NH participants and performed subgroup analysis by speech intelligibility classification (SIC), hearing loss (HL) onset, and primary communication mode. Mean WER averaged across APIs was 10 times higher for the d/Dhh group (52.6%) than the NH group (5.0%). APIs performed significantly worse for "low" and "medium" SIC (85.9% and 46.6% WER, respectively) as compared to "high" SIC group (9.5% WER, comparable to NH group). APIs performed significantly worse for speakers with prelingual HL relative to postlingual HL (80.5% and 37.1% WER, respectively). APIs performed significantly worse for speakers primarily communicating with sign language (70.2% WER) relative to speakers with both oral and sign language communication (51.5%) or oral communication only (19.7%). Commercial ASR systems underperform for d/Dhh individuals, especially those with "low" and "medium" SIC, prelingual onset of HL, and sign language as primary communication mode. This contrasts with Big Tech companies' promises of accessibility, indicating the need for ASR systems ethically trained on heterogeneous d/Dhh speech data. 3 Laryngoscope, 2024.

Demonstratives in heritage Greek, Russian, and Turkish in Germany and the United States

Aims and Objectives: This study investigates the use of definite noun phrases involving demonstratives in adolescent and adult monolingually raised and heritage speakers of Greek, Russian, and Turkish with the following research questions: (1) Do heritage speakers of Greek, Russian, and Turkish align with monolingually raised speakers regarding the production of demonstratives? and (2) Do mode and register affect the use of demonstratives? Methodology: We conducted a corpus study on production data of heritage speakers of Greek, Russian, and Turkish residing in the United States and Germany and the respective monolingually raised speakers in Greece, Russia, and Turkey. The majority languages of the heritage speakers were German or English, respectively. Data were elicited in two distinct registers (formal vs informal) and in two distinct modes (spoken vs written). Participants were asked to narrate what happened in a short video showing a fictional minor car accident. Analysis: Oral and written narrations were annotated and analyzed using generalized linear mixed-effects regression modeling on the use of demonstratives by heritage and monolingually raised speakers accounting for individual variation, country of elicitation, mode, and register. Findings: The results show that heritage and monolingually raised speakers of Greek, Russian, and Turkish converge in their use of demonstratives. Also, mode and/or register significantly affect the production of definite noun phrases with demonstratives across all speaker groups. Originality: This is the first cross-linguistically comparable large-scale corpus study with ecologically valid production data of definite noun phrases with demonstratives in bilinguals. Significance: The study contributes to understanding the use of demonstratives in heritage and monolingual Greek, Russian, and Turkish. It provides insights into the use of demonstratives in languages with different determiner systems and the impact of mode and/or register, which seems to be pronounced roughly similarly across these languages.

Classroom Structure Schemes of Teachers and Language Communication Difficulties of Students in Public Secondary Schools

Classroom Structure Schemes of Teachers and Language Communication Difficulties of Students in Public Secondary Schools

Learners’ attitudes toward language education based on cultural identities: global citizenship agenda in higher education institutions of Pakistan

PurposeEnglish is the language of global communication, worldwide mobility, job progress, and access to new information and research. Given the numerous roles that English plays in today's society, higher education institutes (HEIs) all over the world are pursuing English-medium education. For Pakistan, however, English-medium education is a colonial legacy rather than a deliberate choice. Research suggests that English-medium education is not devoid of controversy in higher education in Pakistan; nonetheless, students have to seek English-medium education in universities to compete with the world. In fact, being committed to SDG 4.7 Education for sustainable development and global citizenship, Pakistan is supposed to educate its citizens to become global citizens, for which English-medium education is essential. Given the fact that each of the five provinces of Pakistan has a distinct culture and sub-cultures, it is important to see how Pakistani students’ attitudes to English-medium education to become global citizens are different based on their cultural identities. Therefore, the present study aims to analyze undergraduates’ attitudes toward English-medium education based on their cultural identities to become global citizens.Design/methodology/approachUnder the quantitative research paradigm, the present research adopted a comparative design. One hundred and fifty undergraduates participated in the study. The data were collected using a 15-item questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale, and it was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 27.0.FindingsThe results of the study revealed that participants regardless of their cultural identities have positive attitudes towards English-medium education as they believe it to be a source of career development, and improvement of their language, communication, and interpersonal skills. The participants also did not see English-medium education posing any threat to traditional culture and local languages. The findings of the present study also revealed that there is no statistical difference across the different categories of cultural identity.Practical implicationsThe findings of the present study regarding students’ attitudes toward English-medium education will have implications for policymakers and university administration. Since cultural identity does not hinder acceptance of English-medium education, students’ positive attitudes can help policymakers promote multilingualism and English-medium education for career development. However, high-quality English language programs are crucial for maximizing the benefits. Likewise, positive attitudes of students towards English-medium education in Pakistan suggest students’ openness to intercultural dialogue. Therefore, university administration can further enhance student exchange programs for transnational research and development. Likewise, the study implies that cultural identity may not hinder English-medium education implementation in developing countries provided that practical benefits like career advancement and communication skill are emphasized.Originality/valueThe study is unique in the sense that it analyses undergraduates’ attitudes towards English-medium education concerning students’ cultural identities and global citizenship which have not been studied previously.

Finding an Effectiveness of Teaching Methodology of Arabic Language Communication in Sultan Sherif Ali Islamic University (UNISSA): A Case Study of the Faculty of Usuluddinn UNISSA

This research aims to introducing the effectiveness of methodology of teaching Arabic language communication in the Faculty of Usuluddin, university of Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), Brunei Sultanate, Darussalam. The researchers have distributed the questionnaires to the students of Level one in the same faculty, the same university, who attended Arabic Language Communication class, 2024 session. They were 12 students among overall number of 30 students, (which sampled 40%). After these students arrived at the required data, they carried out quantitative and evaluative analysis to arrive at the required results. This research finds that the positive aspects of methods of teaching Arabic Language Communication in Sultan Sheriff Ali Islamic University is that teacher communicates in Arabic Language when he teaches Arabic Language communication in the University of Sultan Sheriff Ali with the percentage of (93.3%); that the teacher requires students to communicate within themselves with Arabic language on topics relating to daily conversation under (90%); that he records their voices during this exercise in the class; that he makes verbal corrections in the case of mistakes committed by students by listening to this voice record (86.7%); that he requires students to make written conversation within themselves(81.7%); that he presents the students’ written conversation on the screen in the class 88.3%; that he makes correction of errors committed by students on the screen through the use of projector in the class (80%); that he provides enough chance for students, for listening to Arabic voices on topics related to daily conversation(86.7%); that he provides chance for oral conversation within themselves (81.7%); that he uses attractive method in Arabic language communication course (88.3); that he drills the students on four language acquisition skills (86.7). on the negative part, it shows that the teacher does not speak Arabic language when he teaches Arabic Language Communication in the UNISSA (6.7%); that he does not require students to converse orally in Arabic language between themselves (10%); that he does not record the students’ voices during their oral conversation (25%); that he does not make correction on the oral mistakes committed by students (13.3 %); that he does not require students to make written conversation with Arabic language between themselves (18.3%); that he does not presenting students’ conversation on the screen in the class (11.7%); that he does not correct written mistakes of the students on the projector (20%); that he does not provide enough time to students for listening to Arabic voices relating to the topic on daily interaction (13.3%); that he does not give enough time to students for oral conversation relating to the topic on oral conversation between themselves (15%); that he does not provide enough time to students for writing the conversation relating to daily interaction (18.3%); that he does not use the attractive method in the Arabic language communication course (8.3%); that he does not use different types of teaching methodology in Arabic language communication course (11.7%); that he does not drill students on four language acquisition skills (13.3%).

Guardians of the Circassian Heritage Language: Exploring a Teacher’s Agency in the Endeavour of Endangered Language Maintenance

The Circassian language is the heritage language (HL) of a small minority group in Israel. Since its classification as an endangered language around the globe, the focus has been put on effective maintenance programs. Changes in education methods within Circassian communities were inevitable. In Israel, the Circassian Maintenance Program is crucial in primary schools, where formal literacy instruction in the Circassian language begins in fifth grade. This study examined the agentic role of the Circassian literacy teacher in engaging students in learning their heritage language and its maintenance, as expressed in her attitudes, beliefs and knowledge and her classroom strategies. This three-month-long ethnographic data collection was conducted at the teacher’s study centre “Nal” (i.e., a treasure in Circassian). Data was gathered through classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with a Circassian HL teacher to understand her attitudes, beliefs and knowledge and to identify strategies to encourage student engagement in HL learning. In general, the teacher showed expertise in the HL and authentic use of it, as well as cultural and religious competence, adaptability, and flexibility. In addition, she encouraged children’s agency and autonomy and provided individualised support, integration of technology and reflective practice. The results indicated that a sense of identity, unity and belonging to the community are all held together by the pillar of HL knowledge. By engaging her students in translanguaging practices, the teacher promoted their awareness of language patterns, vocabulary and grammar in both Circassian and other languages of their wide linguistic repertoire (Hebrew, Arabic and English).

IT Applications for the Tuvan Language: Regional Practices and Future Plans

In the era of digitalization and globalization, the likelihood of the disappearance of small languages, including the Tuvan language is very high. One of the reliable and promising solutions for preserving a language is its inclusion in the digital space as a language of accumulation, processing and transmission of information, a language of communication on the Internet. Currently, a number of tasks aimed at preserving and popularizing the Tuvan language are being car­ried out within the framework of the state program to support the development of the Tuvan language in the Republic of Tuva. Various government agencies of the Republic of Tuva and interested IT specialists are working on the digitalization of the Tuvan language. Tuvan State University (TuvSU) also makes a significant contribution to the development and popularization of the Tuvan language. Teachers of the Department of Informatics of TuvSU together with scientists from the Faculty of Philology and the "Turkology" scientific and educational centerwork in the following areas: development of software products for teaching the Tuvan language, creation of software tools for text processing in the Tuvan language, creation of linguistic information resources. Along with TuvSU teachers, students from the faculties of physics, mathematics and philology also take part in this research work. The topics of students' coursework and final qualification papers are related to IT developments. This article presents the experience of research and development of teachers of the Department of Computer Science in the field of preservation, study and development of the Tuvan language using information and communication technologies in these three areas. In the first direction, electronic textbooks, interactive simulators, and mobile applications for teaching the Tuvan language are being developed. The second direction is focused on the creation of software products for processing texts in the Tuvan language — a morphological analyzer of the Tuvan language, program for checking Tuvan texts for plagiarism. The last direction is related to the creation of electronic dictionaries and translators for the Tuvan language, which can be used in all spheres of life.

Sound Borrow-Checking for Rust via Symbolic Semantics

The Rust programming language continues to rise in popularity, and as such, warrants the close attention of the programming languages community. In this work, we present a new foundational contribution towards the theoretical understanding of Rust’s semantics. We prove that LLBC, a high-level, borrow-centric model previously proposed for Rust’s semantics and execution, is sound with regards to a low-level pointer-based language à la CompCert. Specifically, we prove the following: that LLBC is a correct view over a traditional model of execution; that LLBC’s symbolic semantics are a correct abstraction of LLBC programs; and that LLBC’s symbolic semantics act as a borrow-checker for LLBC, i.e. that symbolically-checked LLBC programs do not get stuck when executed on a heap-and-addresses model of execution. To prove these results, we introduce a new proof style that considerably simplifies our proofs of simulation, which relies on a notion of hybrid states. Equipped with this reasoning framework, we show that a new addition to LLBC’s symbolic semantics, namely a join operation, preserves the abstraction and borrow-checking properties. This in turn allows us to add support for loops to the Aeneas framework; we show, using a series of examples and case studies, that this unlocks new expressive power for Aeneas.

Research on the Clustering of Emotional Elements in Art and Design Based on Visual Language Communication

Since many different emotional expressions can be found in artistic and design compositions, it can be challenging to effectively extract and analyze emotional information from such a wide range of artworks. This study uses deep learning approaches to extract and cluster emotional aspects from art and design works to address this problem. The suggested method uses DBSCAN (Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise) for clustering and combines the VGG-16 and Bi-LSTM models for feature extraction from images. The suggested approach works better than existing models in extracting emotional information pieces, according to experimental results. With a Macro-F1 assessment score of 0.9241, the suggested technique can efficiently examine emotional inclinations in artistic and design works in practical applications. In conclusion, this study discusses the potential applications of the suggested emotion element extraction and clustering method in the field of emotional analysis in art and design, offering fresh approaches to issues in this area.

Differences in Language Communication Between Chinese and American Cultures

With globalization advancing, intercultural communication has become frequent, making language crucial for cultural exchange. As influential countries, China and the United States exhibit significant cultural differences in their communication styles. Chinese culture values politeness and subtlety, often favoring indirect expression, while American culture emphasizes direct and clear communication. These differences extend to non-verbal communication as well. Understanding and respecting these differences is essential for enhancing cooperation in politics, economy, and education. This paper explores the main differences in language communication between Chinese and American cultures, analyzes the misunderstandings and conflicts these differences cause, and proposes improvement strategies. The goal is to provide insights for intercultural communication, education, and training to cultivate global talents and foster a harmonious international environment. The paper is divided into five parts: the first introduces the relationship between language and culture and the cultural backgrounds of China and the United States; the second analyzes cultural differences in language communication; the third explores misunderstandings and conflicts; the fourth proposes strategies for improving intercultural communication; and the fifth summarizes the findings and suggests future research directions.

Utilizing interactive learning to teach communicative language teaching to Japanese EFL preservice teachers

Utilizing interactive learning to teach communicative language teaching to Japanese <scp>EFL</scp> preservice teachers

Writing globally: South Korean adolescents' digital multimodal composing practices in a global online community

AbstractThis design‐based study explored the digital and linguistic practices of South Korean adolescents from a rural area within the Write4Change global online community, emphasizing their use of image‐driven tools. Framed within the cosmopolitan literacies perspective, these adolescents adeptly merge local and global dimensions, integrating their multilingual identities, and compelling visual narratives into their work. They navigate English, the dominant language of the online community, while incorporating multilingual elements to enrich community dialogues. These practices reflect their linguistic adaptability and digital literacies and underscore the significant role of cosmopolitan literacies in transforming literacy studies. The study highlights the impactful digital practices of South Korean adolescents, contributing to a broader understanding of inclusivity and diversity in global literacies.

HL Mandarin Speakers Toss the Same Way as Fluent Mandarin Speakers

Abstract Heritage language (HL) speakers often show weaker semantics in HL words than speakers who continue to learn and use the language. In this study, we tested whether HL Mandarin speakers simplified near-synonyms of throw verbs by diminishing the difference between the near-synonyms and/or by diminishing the difference between the generic throw verb and other near-synonyms. Two participant groups, HL Mandarin speakers and English second-language learners, acted out six Mandarin near-synonyms of throw verbs and the English verb throw. The results showed more similarities than differences between the two groups in the core features of throw verb semantics (force, speed, and direction). We observed few signs of simplification. One interpretation of these results is that early and/or naturalistic exposure to Mandarin was an important predictor of speakers’ knowledge of conceptual features. These results add to the literature showing that there can be factors beyond proficiency that contribute to speakers’ lexical semantics.

The Effect of Healthcare Chatbots’ Information Presentation Styles on User Acceptance in a Knowledge Seeking Task

The rise of large language models offers new opportunities for disseminating more effective and equitable healthcare information. While past research has extensively investigated users’ perceptions of chatbots, few have examined the design strategies for chatbot information presentation. The objective of this research aims to explore how communication style (conversational or informative) and language style (technical or non-technical) affect user acceptance and ability performing a knowledge seeking task with a healthcare chatbot in a 2 × 2 between-subjects design. Following this, participants engaged in semi-structured interviews, where we analyzed participants’ experiences through inductive thematic analysis. Our findings indicate users generally found conversational chatbots to be more understandable with greater perceived interaction freedom than informative chatbots. These insights highlight the importance of aligning chatbot communication with users’ expectations. Future research should validate these findings with larger and more diverse populations, considering the impact of various chatbot interaction styles on user experience and long-term effectiveness.

PERANAN PEMERINTAH DESA DALAM PEMBANGUNAN DESA RANTAU ASEM KECAMATAN KATINGAN KABUPATEN KATINGAN

This study aims to evaluate the role of the Rantau Asem Village Government in village development. A qualitative descriptive method was employed using observation, in-depth interviews, and literature review as data collection techniques. The study was grounded in role theory and the concept of village development. The Rantau Asem Village Government has fulfilled its role as an innovator by creating village development programs in an easily understandable language and encouraging community participation. exclamation As a motivator, the village government has fostered and maintained development dynamics by designing programs aligned with community aspirations. As a facilitator, the village government has facilitated the implementation of development projects and bridged various community interests. Nevertheless, there are still areas for improvement, such as enhancing human resource capabilities and skills. Additionally, the village government needs to adopt an appropriate approach to address community aspirations to boost community participation in village development.

Power failure; an uncomfortable teaching initiative?

ABSTRACT Background Introducing medical students to the concept of Cultural Humility, we devised a teaching initiative for students to consider how power manifests through the use of language in clinical communication, with a focus on General Practice. Cultural Humility is a pedagogical framework, introduced by Tervalon and Murray-Garcia, to address what they consider as the limitations of the Cultural Competence model. Approach Our teaching initiative specifically focused on power in clinical communication, both oral consultations and written notes. The session was delivered to third-year medical students during their first ‘clinical’ year, where they regularly witness and are involved in clinical communication across primary and secondary care placements. Ethical approval was in place to analyse students’ reflections on the session. Evaluation Students who attended engaged well. They evaluated the session positively as increasing their awareness of the power of clinical language in negatively stereotyping and dehumanising patients. They demonstrated Cultural Humility in their reflections of the unintentional harm of clinical language commonly used for the doctor–patient relationship. However, most striking for us, and where our learning as educators lies, was the low attendance at the session, despite our attempts to underline clinical relevance and importance for development as future doctors. Implications This article offers a framework for educators interested in Cultural Humility. The implications of this initiative are how (or how not) to develop and deliver training in this space. More consideration is required as educators, including around our own language, as to how to engage students to think around the complex topic of power.