Level Language Research Articles

Large Language Model-Based Evaluation of Medical Question Answering Systems: Algorithm Development and Case Study.

Healthcare systems are increasingly resource constrained, leaving less time for important patient-provider interactions. Conversational agents (CAs) could be used to support the provision of information and to answer patients' questions. However, information must be accessible to a variety of patient populations, which requires understanding questions expressed at different language levels. This study describes the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) to evaluate predefined medical content in CAs across patient populations. These simulated populations are characterized by a range of health literacy. The evaluation framework includes both fully automated and semi-automated procedures to assess the performance of a CA. A case study in the domain of mammography shows that LLMs can simulate questions from different patient populations. However, the accuracy of the answers provided varies depending on the level of health literacy. Our scalable evaluation framework enables the simulation of patient populations with different health literacy levels and helps to evaluate domain specific CAs, thus promoting their integration into clinical practice. Future research aims to extend the framework to CAs without predefined content and to apply LLMs to adapt medical information to the specific (health) literacy level of the user.

Transliteration of Arabic Words/Phrase into English: An Exploration of Ambiguity Markers

Transliteration is a useful process when communication involves a language pair out of which each follows a different script, such as Arabic and English. One danger posed by this process is the ambiguity between the source and target of the communication. This study analyzes the intricate process of Arabic to English transliteration and the factor that make it ambiguous. The study aims to identify, categorize, and analyze the ambiguity markers that frequently arise during the transliteration of Arabic script into the Latin alphabet. The study interviewed 6 specialist translators in the Saudi context to identify the source of difficulties they encounter and which may bring ambiguities to the readers at various language levels. Results indicated that non-standardization in translation from Arabic to English was a cause of ambiguity in transliteration. Finally, regional dialects could not be adjusted in the transliteration spectrum in Google Translate. This research contributes to the field of transliteration studies by providing a comprehensive framework for understanding and addressing ambiguity in the transliteration process.

The Development of an Oral Health Nursing Tool for Patients with a Psychotic Disorder: A Human-Centred Design with a Feasibility Test.

Patients with psychotic disorders frequently report oral health problems, while mental health nurses (MHNs) seem not to be fully aware of these problems and the risk factors. Therefore, this study aimed to develop supportive tools for MHNs regarding oral health to increase sensitisation among MHNs and provide MHNs with the knowledge to recognise (potential) oral health problems in patients with a psychotic disorder. We used a human-centred design in which the user, MHNs and experts by experience were placed at the centre of the research process. Problems and needs in MHNs working with patients with a psychotic disorder were addressed. To identify key issues of problems as well as needs in terms of resources, we started with focus groups (n = 9). We analysed the data thematically based on the context of patients and MHNs in practice regarding oral health, preferred oral health tools focused on MHNs, and the intended outcomes of tools. A multi-criteria decision matrix was developed and analysed (n = 9) to identify the most optimal and viable solution based on established criteria and issues that are prevalent in the work of MHNs. The most promising result was the development of a brochure with an awareness screener. The brochure with the awareness screener was developed as a low-fidelity prototype for MHNs regarding oral health in patients with a psychotic disorder based on the latest scientific evidence. After testing it, the feasibility was tested through semi-structured interviews (n = 19). MHNs and experts by experience were satisfied with the tool and provided recommendations for adjustments to the content. Significant augmentations to the brochure included a clinical lesson and a toothbrush with toothpaste for patients. We can conclude that a brochure with an awareness screener is feasible for MHNs. Future steps aiming to further refine and optimise care processes for oral health tools in MHNs should take refining eligibility criteria for psychiatric populations and the language level of the target group of a tool into account.

DERIVATIVE POSSIBILITIES OF YOUTH SLANG (BY THE EXAMPLE OF SCHOOL AND STUDENT AUDIENCES IN BISHKEK)

The object of the study was youth slang among schoolchildren and students of two universities in Bishkek. Youth slang is a layer of lexical units that reflect the specifics of the functioning of one of the levels of the Russian language. The article presents some aspects of the emergence of the concept of slang and changes in its meaning, focusing on the word-formation possibilities of youth slang. The author considers various ways of forming words in Russian youth slang. The paper attempts to identify and reveal the possibilities of slang to reflect and reproduce the patterns of functioning of the native language.

Are there distinct levels of language comprehension in autistic individuals – cluster analysis

AbstractAutism is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by deficits in social communication. We assessed 14-language comprehension abilities in 31,845 autistic individuals 4 to 21 years of age using parent-generated reports. Data-driven cluster analysis identified three distinct levels of language comprehension: (1) individuals in the command-language-phenotype were limited to comprehension of simple commands; (2) individuals in the modifier-language-phenotype showed additional comprehension of color, size, and number modifiers; 3) individuals in the most-advanced syntactic-language-phenotype added comprehension of spatial prepositions, verb tenses, flexible syntax, possessive pronouns, and complex narratives. The observation of three distinct language levels was consistent across different age groups. Autistic individuals’ communication level is currently commonly characterized as nonverbal, minimally-verbal, or verbal. This one-dimensional description is not ideal for characterizing an individual’s communication ability. In fact, a nonverbal individual with syntactic-language-phenotype may have normal ability to communicate albeit nonverbally, while a verbal person with command-language-phenotype does not have a normal ability to communicate by any means. Identification of the three distinct language-comprehension-phenotypes provides an opportunity to enhance characterization of individuals’ communication level. A composite description in terms of both, verbal abilities and a language-comprehension-level, will not only be more precise, but can improve language therapy by focusing it on both aspects of language development.

Language exams as a policy instrument

Utilising language management theory (Jernudd and Neustupný 1987; Nekvapil 2016), this paper explores motivations for the language exam as an instrument of organised management in the form of policy in the Czech context and analyzes its outcomes more than ten years after its initial implementation. First, we provide an overview of research on language testing as a form of organised management, discussing how emphasis has been placed on citizenship, and explain the relevance of researching the use of language exams for permanent residence in the European Union, where an important distinction is made between EU and non-EU citizens. We consider the selection of the appropriate Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) level for the exam and the overall question of exemptions, which may raise doubts about the exam’s overall effectivity as a tool for the linguistic integration of foreigners. We show that there are several tendencies in the understanding of the situation by individuals who have already passed the exam, including the view of it as a mere formality, and, conversely, as a major hurdle. We conclude by exploring potential policy consequences of these outcomes, emphasising the idea that language support from the state and employers needs to be provided intensively and immediately following the individuals’ arrival in the country.

Functional characteristics of distributive repetition verbs in the work “Dark Alleys” by Ivan Bunin

The article describes function specifics of distributive repetition verbs in the work “Dark Alleys” by Ivan Bunin. The author analyzes both the paradigmatic and syntagmatic characteristics of verbs in a certain context, which makes it possible to identify both the vocabulary changes under the influence of context, various kinds of meaning increments and the idiosyncrasies of the writer. The purpose of the work is to investigate the functions of distributive repetition verbs with the prefixes rac/ras-, pere-, s- taking into account both individual characteristics and the specifics of the verb class to establish the specifics of the author’s idiosyncrasy. The article concludes that the semantics of the verbs with the considered prefixes determines their linguistic behavior in a particular text. We have established that the verb word multiplicity is motivated both by the type of the verb and its communicative rank and taxonomic class. The major feature of our research is that we consider distributive repetition verbs in a certain context, revealing their textual characteristics and their role in revealing the author’s intention. We use the descriptive method in our research, focusing on the contextual analysis of distributive repetition verbs. In addition, in the process of our research into the functional-semantic field of distributive repetition, we used the functional-semantic and stylistic methods of analysis, considering the functions of plurality verbs at different language levels.

Особенности наименования косметической продукции в виртуальных немецкоязычных рекламных текстах (на материале сайтов производителей косметики)

Advertising is constantly developing as it attempts to keep pace with the ever-changing reality. German producers of cosmetics advertise their brands in German-language online magazines, and these ads often reflect the current changes at the language level. The authors identified and described the current naming methods and patterns in online advertising of German cosmetic brands. The naming strategies followed the rapid global changes and adapted to the constantly emerging new cosmetic products. The most recent nominations proved to be structurally and semantically diverse. Along with the typical German word-formation, they demonstrated some novel methods, which indicated the most recent transformations in the language. The modern German cosmetic advertising is subject to the process of neologization. While each neoplasm adds to the linguistic expressiveness of the language in general, it increases the reader’s involvement in each particular ad. The neologisms were coined in line with German as well as English patterns while some were combinations of them both.

Analysis of information flow security using software implementing business logic based on stored database program blocks

Objectives. Verification of software security is typically performed using dynamic and static analysis tools. The corresponding types of analysis do not usually consider the business logic of the software and do not rely on data access control policies. A modern approach to resolving this problem is to implement language-based information flow control. Despite a large amount of research, mechanisms for information flow control in software are not widely used in practice. This is because they are complex and impose increased demands on developers. The aim of the work is to transfer information flow control from the language level to the level of formal verification. This will enable the functions of controlling data integrity and confidentiality in software to be isolated into a separate task, which can be resolved by information security analysts.Methods. The research is based on general formal security methods for computer systems and formal verification methods. The algorithm developed by the author for checking security specifications and resolving security violations uses temporal logic of actions.Results. The technology is presented as a step-by-step approach to resolving specific tasks, including the following: designing a database (DB) for storing and processing sensitive information; analyzing dependencies and identifying relevant sets of program blocks in the DB; generating TLA+ specifications for the identified program blocks; labeling specifications according to global security policy rules and additional constraints; applying the specification verification algorithm, and resolving security violations while providing recommendations for software developers. The procedure also involves analyzing labeled data, in order to control the spread of verified program block output values in external software modules.Conclusions. The technology presented herein does not require developers to include redundant annotations describing security policy rules. The function of analyzing information flows with reference to predefined access restrictions is moved to a separate stage of the software development life cycle.

Testing the Continuum/Spectrum Model in Russian-Speaking Children With and Without Developmental Language Disorder.

Previously, Lancaster and Camarata (2019) showed that the continuum/spectrum model of the developmental language disorder (DLD) best explained the high heterogeneity of symptoms in children with DLD. We hypothesize that the continuum/spectrum approach can include not only children with DLD but also typically developing (TD) children with different timelines and patterns of language acquisition. This model can explain individual language profiles and deficits in children. We assessed language abilities in a group of Russian-speaking children with DLD aged 4-7 years (n = 53) and their age- and gender-matched peers without speech and language diagnoses (n = 53, TD). We evaluated the children's performance at four language levels in production and comprehension domains, using 11 subtests of the standardized language assessment for Russian: Russian Child Language Assessment Battery (RuCLAB). Using the k-means cluster method and RuCLAB scores, we obtained two clusters of children and analyzed their language performance in individual subtests. The analysis revealed that the two clusters of children both included DLD and TD participants: Group 1, with higher test scores (TD = 45, DLD = 24 children), and Group 2, with lower scores (TD = 8, DLD = 29). Children from Group 1 mostly had lower scores at one of the language levels, whereas those from Group 2 struggled at several language levels. Furthermore, children with DLD from both groups tended to be more sensitive to linguistic features such as word length, noun case, and sentence reversibility compared to TD children. The presence of two mixed groups shows that children with diagnosed DLD could perform on par with TD children, whereas some younger TD children could perform similarly to children with DLD. Our findings support the continuum/spectrum model: Linguistic skills in preschool children are a continuum, varying from high to poor skills at all language levels in comprehension and production. To describe a child's language profile, the tasks assessing all language levels should be used. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25521400.

Speech Task Force and Quality of Life after Surgery in Children with Cleft Lip and Palate: Limitation of Professionals

Abstract Background Shortage of speech and language therapists results in lack of speech services. The aims of this study were to find the effectiveness of a combination speech therapy model at Level IV: General speech and language pathologist (GSLP) and Level V: Specific speech and language pathologist (SSLP) in reduction of the number of articulation errors and promotion the quality of life (QoL) for children with cleft palate with or without cleft lip (CP ± L). Methods Fifteen children with CP ± L, aged 4 years 1 month to 10 years 9 months (median = 76 months; minimum:maximum = 49:129 months) were enrolled in this study. Pre- and post-assessment included oral peripheral examination; articulation tests via Articulation Screening Test, Thai Universal Parameters of Speech Outcomes for People with Cleft Palate, Hearing Evaluation, The World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief_Thai (WHOQOL-BRIEF-THAI) version questionnaire for QoL were performed. Speech therapy included a 3-day intensive speech camp by SSLP, five 30-minute speech therapy sessions by a GSLP, and five 1-day follow-up speech camps by SSLP that provided four 45-minute speech therapy sessions for each child. Results Post-articulation revealed statistically significant reduction of the numbers of articulation errors at word, sentence, and screening levels (median difference [MD] = 3, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2–5; MD = 6, 95% CI = 4.5–8; MD = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.5–3, respectively) and improvement of QoL. Conclusion A speech task force consisting of a combination of Level IV: GSLP and Level V: SSLP could significantly reduce the number of articulation errors and promote QoL.

Clinical correlates of diagnostic certainty in children and youths with Autistic Disorder

BackgroundClinicians diagnosing autism rely on diagnostic criteria and instruments in combination with an implicit knowledge based on clinical expertise of the specific signs and presentations associated with the condition. This implicit knowledge influences how diagnostic criteria are interpreted, but it cannot be directly observed. Instead, insight into clinicians’ understanding of autism can be gained by investigating their diagnostic certainty. Modest correlations between the certainty of an autism diagnosis and symptom load have been previously reported. Here, we investigated the associations of diagnostic certainty with specific items of the ADOS as well as other clinical features including head circumference.MethodsPhenotypic data from the Simons Simplex Collection was used to investigate clinical correlates of diagnostic certainty in individuals diagnosed with Autistic Disorder (n = 1511, age 4 to 18 years). Participants were stratified by the ADOS module used to evaluate them. We investigated how diagnostic certainty was associated with total ADOS scores, age, and ADOS module. We calculated the odds-ratios of being diagnosed with the highest possible certainty given the presence or absence of different signs during the ADOS evaluation. Associations between diagnostic certainty and other cognitive and clinical variables were also assessed.ResultsIn each ADOS module, some items showed a larger association with diagnostic certainty than others. Head circumference was significantly higher for individuals with the highest certainty rating across all three ADOS modules. In turn, head circumference was positively correlated with some of the ADOS items that were associated with diagnostic certainty, and was negatively correlated with verbal/nonverbal IQ ratio among those assessed with ADOS module 2.LimitationsThe investigated cohort was heterogeneous, e.g. in terms of age, IQ, language level, and total ADOS score, which could impede the identification of associations that only exist in a subgroup of the population. The variability of the certainty ratings in the sample was low, limiting the power to identify potential associations with other variables. Additionally, the scoring of diagnostic certainty may vary between clinicians.ConclusionSome ADOS items may better capture the signs that are most associated with clinicians’ implicit knowledge of Autistic Disorder. If replicated in future studies, new diagnostic instruments with differentiated weighting of signs may be needed to better reflect this, possibly resulting in better specificity in standardized assessments.

A Study of Interactive Alignment in EFL Reading-to-Writing Continuation Tasks

The reading-to-writing continuation task has been used in the Chinese national matriculation English test due to its apparent interactive alignment effect. But empirical studies of the alignment effect and how it happens are limited. Herein, this paper reports on a study following Wang’s (2015) research to investigate whether this interactive alignment effect actually occurs in EFL learning and how it functions in continuation tasks with the think-aloud method to collect qualitative data from two participants. The participants’ continuation works were analyzed and interviews were carried out to obtain information about their thinking process. The results show that there are strong connections between what students read and their continuation writing. The results confirm that there is an alignment effect at both the content and language levels in continuation tasks. Readers consciously tend to align the content of their writing with that of the original text across five dimensions: entity (person and object), time, space, causation/causality, and motivation/intentionality. Meanwhile, language alignment is highly related to the act of rereading, which enables the would-be writer to look for the certain vocabulary, learn the grammatical structures, and check for the unknown words. The continuation task facilitates various interactions among the text, the reader, and their resulting writing work. Furthermore, learners use strategies like rereading and “mining” that enable them to engage in creative expression in the writing tasks. This study theoretically highlights the importance of alignment effect in language learning and has practical implications for using CT in reading-to-writing task design and writing pedagogy in EFL classrooms. Teachers can design and use continuation tasks to promote students’ reading ability and overall language development.

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN THE REPRESENTATION OF BASIC CONCEPTS IN RUSSIAN AND KOREN LINGUISTIC CULTURES (BASED ON THE EXAMPLE OF ANTONYMOUS AND VALUE CONCEPTS)

The article presents the similarities and differences in the representation of the concepts “light-darkness” and “family” that are fundamentally different, but equally significant for linguistic culture. The main attention is paid to the representation of concepts in Russian and Korean linguistic cultures, based on the analysis of folklore texts (fairy tales). The relevance of studying concepts is not lost, despite the great attention paid to them by researchers. In recent years, the comparison of Russian and Korean linguistic cultures has mainly focused on the subjective idea of the concept (using data from associative experiments). The findings presented in this article are part of a larger study of linguocultural concepts, within which equal attention is paid to research at different levels of language - from word to text. Through the study of folklore, it was possible to identify the peculiarities of the worldview of representatives of the Korean and Russian linguistic cultures, as well as to see the peculiarities of the perception of the surrounding world and to highlight the value components. The study used a descriptive method, as well as synchronic-diachronic, conceptual analysis, discourse analysis and comparative analysis.

Narrative Skills in Mandarin–English Dual Language Immersion Learners

Abstract This article investigated the development of narrative production skills among Mandarin-English dual language immersion (DLI) students. A total of 60 children in first (N = 20), third (N = 21), and fifth-sixth (N = 19) grades generated oral narratives from wordless picture books in Mandarin and English. We examined variability in children’s macrostructure and microstructure production by language and grade level. We also examined within-language associations and cross-language transfer in narrative skills. Children in higher grades incorporated more macrostructure and microstructure elements in their narratives than children in lower grades. Within each language, microstructure skills were correlated with macrostructure skills. Evidence for development of shared skills across languages and language-specific patterns of narrative skills were also identified. Results contribute to the growing body of evidence for facilitative transfer in immersion contexts and highlight the importance of measuring outcomes in both the societal and the partner language.

An Analysis of Figurative Language in Taufiq Rafat’s Poem “The Time to Love”

Figurative language reveals meanings and analyses. Therefore, the researcher focuses on this analysis in Taufiq Rafat's poem “The Time to Love." This research analyses language features and establishes meaning. There are three research problems: What are the kinds of figures of speech used in Taufiq Rafat's poem? What are the lexical categories indicated in Taufiq Rafat's poem? What are the content meanings of figurative language revealed in Taufiq Rafat's poem entitled “The Time to Love"? The study explores answers using a multilevel approach to the first and second research problems. Both are analyzed and based on two language levels: figures of speech and lexical categories. The third problem was answered by connecting the language features to reveal meanings in the poem.The findings are the answers to the research problem. The figures of speech used by the poet include alliterations, assonances, consonances, metaphors, personifications, and symbols. The lexical categories consist of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions. The third research problem is to link each other to deliver the meaning that love, nature, and human life experience in the poem. From the two analysis levels, figurative language contributes the most to constructing the meaning.

Investigating Critical Thinking in ELT Textbooks: A Systematic Literature Review of Textbook Evaluation Studies

The pivotal role of critical thinking and its integration in English language education are synthesised through systematic literature reviews and meta-analysis studies in the areas of pedagogical interventions, teaching methods, and assessment methods. However, there is little evidence of systematic literature review on the integration of critical thinking into English language teaching materials such as textbooks. In this study, 41 empirical textbook evaluation studies published between 2010 and 2021 were reviewed from critical thinking perspective. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of English textbook evaluations on critical thinking integration, to identify critical thinking frameworks applied, and to look for possible research gaps among the studies. An extensive literature search was conducted by applying Xiao and Watson’s (2017) eight-step systematic literature review method. From a collection of 41 empirical studies, this review focuses on such four aspects as applied critical thinking frameworks, findings, recommendations, and the language levels and content areas of the textbooks studied. The results revealed that (1) Bloom’s Taxonomy and Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy were most frequently applied critical thinking frameworks, (2) integration of higher-order thinking skills in textbooks was less common than lower-order thinking skills, (3) textbook assessment occurred primarily at the middle and high school levels more than at other levels, and (4) methodological considerations regarding the reliability and validity of the coding process in textbook content analysis received little attention. This study contributes a synthesised literature background of English textbook evaluation with recommendations for methodological improvements in future studies.

Motivation Research among Chinese Language Learners in the Chinese Department at Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary

By investigating the motivation to learn Chinese among BA and MA students in the Chinese Department of Eötvös Loránd University, this study explores the main characteristics of learners at the language level, learner level, and learning context level, as well as the similarities and differences in learning motivation among learners of different Chinese proficiency levels. Moreover, this study discusses how to stimulate and maintain learners’ motivations to learn in order to ensure the sustainable and vigorous development of Chinese teaching in Hungary.

Teaching Mathematics to Students with Hearing Loss Using Instructional Materials

Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously except in Teaching mathematics to students with hearing loss requires special attention and care. Using materials in mathematics education is crucial in helping students concretize abstract concepts and relationships, create schemas related to the taught subject, understand the content, apply it, and develop mathematical thinking in a broader context. In mathematics classes for students with hearing loss, teachers often struggle to find ready-made materials suitable for the instructional content and the language, cognitive, and readiness levels of students with hearing loss. Teachers themselves need to prepare instructional materials for students with hearing loss. This study aims to identify and explain the types and characteristics of materials prepared and used by teachers in mathematics classes for 6th-grade students with hearing loss, and to highlight the contributions of these materials to the mathematics teaching process. Research data were collected through materials used in mathematics instruction, lesson plans and evaluations, the researcher's diary, and video recordings of lessons. The collected data were analyzed by using the content analysis method. As a result of the research, support and resources have been provided to teachers and instructional programs to create and use mathematics lesson materials suitable for students with hearing loss.

An Exploration of Bachelor Level Learners' Experiences in Writing Paragraphs

An exploration of Bachelor's level learners' experiences in writing paragraphs aims to investigate how the learners are learning to write paragraphs from their school to university level in the English language. As a university teacher, the author observed his learners often writing less organized paragraphs, and preferred points rather than paragraphs in their assignments and other writing products as well. To explore the curiosity about how the learners are experiencing writing paragraphs, a narrative inquiry was conducted from five purposively selected Bachelor level participants from Surkhet Multiple Campus. Being a teacher, at one level, he informally gathered information on how they experienced writing paragraphs. By taking their oral consent from the informal talk, he managed to take a formal focused interview with the use of guidelines. During the interview, the audio recording was done which was then transcribed. After that, the codes were developed and followed by the categories. Lastly, three main themes were developed as the form of result: the learners felt the input that they got was more focused on writing points rather than a paragraph which encouraged them to write more in points than a paragraph. They also experienced a lack of sufficient input and feedback from teachers during their school as well as college-level learning classes. Similarly, unfamiliarity and overgeneralization were the other forms of experiences in their writing tasks. The article concludes that it needs to provide explicit input not only at the school level but also at university level learners for an organized paragraph to be formed.