Lexical-semantic Organization Research Articles

Is That You I Hear? Speaker Familiarity Modulates Neural Signatures of Lexical-semantic Activation in 18-month-old Infants.

Developmental language studies have shown that lexical-semantic organization develops between 18 and 24 months of age in monolingual infants. In the present study, we aimed to examine whether voice familiarity facilitates lexical-semantic activation in the infant brain. We recorded the brain activity of 18-month-old, French-learning infants using EEG while they listened to taxonomically related and unrelated spoken word pairs by one voice with which they were familiarized with before the experiment, and one voice with which they were not familiarized. The ERPs were measured in response to related and unrelated target words. Our results showed an N400 effect (greater amplitudes for unrelated as opposed to related target words) over the left hemisphere, only for the familiar voice, suggesting that the voice familiarity facilitated lexical-semantic activation. For unfamiliar voices, we observed an earlier congruence effect (greater amplitudes for related than for unrelated target words). This suggests that although 18-month-olds process lexical-semantic information from unfamiliar speakers, their neural signatures of lexical-semantic processing are less mature. Our results show that even in the absence of personal relation with a speaker, familiarity with a voice augments infant lexical-semantic processing. This supports the idea that extralinguistic information plays a role in infant lexical-semantic activation.

Lexical-semantic activation in French-Spanish or French-English bilingual toddlers: An event-related potential (ERP) investigation

Both behavioral and neurophysiological evidence shows that lexical-semantic organization emerges by two years in monolingual children. Research in bilingual children is more scarce, and there is only a limited amount of neurophysiological evidence of the effect of language dominance on lexical-semantic activation. In the present event-related potential (ERP) study, we investigated whether bilingual French-Spanish and French-English learning 24- to 30-month-olds activate semantic relations between words similarly in their both languages, and whether the priming effects are similar in children learning two different language pairs. Participants were presented with related and unrelated dominant and non-dominant language word pairs in a within-language lexical-semantic priming paradigm. The amplitudes of N400 were modulated by trial type, language dominance and language group. A language-independent priming effect - more pronounced N400 amplitudes for unrelated than for related target words - was found in the group of toddlers learning French and Spanish. In the group of toddlers learning French and English, a priming effect was observed only in their non-dominant language. Our results propose that the language pair may contribute to lexical-semantic facilitation in priming tasks during early childhood.

Key thematic groups of vocabulary in the comedy

INTRODUCTION. A comedy in five acts by the Russian dramatist Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky “The Forest” (1823–1886) is one of the most perfect and complex in terms of plot structure of the Russian playwright. The relevance of this study is determined by the need to study the language of one of the most complex plays by A.N. Ostrovsky, the lexical and phraseological features of which have not received detailed coverage in domestic science. The purpose of the study is to identify the key thematic groups of vocabulary in the comedy of A.N. Ostrovsky “The Fo rest”.MATERIALS AND METHODS. During the analysis of linguistic units, structural-semantic and linguostylistic research methods are used.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Analysis of the lexical-semantic organization of A.N. Ostrovsky’s comedy “The Forest” showed that the words and phraseological units of the key semantic fields “Theater” and “The Forest” reflect the problems and conflict of the play, evaluate the characters of the work, their actions and deeds.CONCLUSION. The identified words and phraseological units, objectified by theatrical vocabulary, vocabulary of flora and fauna, are text-forming in nature and reflect the solutions to the artistic problems of the author, who uses linguistic units in both direct and figurative meanings, which often expands the semantic scope of linguistic signs.

Lexical Semantic Organization in Children and Young Adults: A Comparison

Lexical semantic organization refers to the organization of lexical items in the lexicon. The lexical semantic organization would vary as function of age. Children may show a taxonomic organization while young adults and older adults may show thematic organization. However, there is mixed evidence regarding the same, this fact necessitated the current study. The study was carried with aim of comparing the lexical semantic organization in children and adults. Participants in two age ranges (8-12 years, 18-30 years) were considered and discrete word association task was administered on the participants and the findings showed that there was no significant difference between the responses provided by the participants of the two age groups.

Stable organization of the early lexical-semantic network in 18- and 24-month-old preterm and full-term infants: an eye-tracker study.

An organized mental lexicon determines new information acquisition by orienting attention during language processing. Adult-like lexical-semantic knowledge organization has already been demonstrated in 24-month-olds. However, the outcomes of earlier studies have been contradictory in terms of the organizational capacities of 18-month-olds, thus our aim was to examine lexical-semantic organization in this younger age group. In prematurely born infants, audiovisual integration deficits have been found alongside disruptions in language perception. By including late preterm infants with corrected ages in our study, we aimed to test whether maturational differences influence lexical-semantic organization when vocabulary is growing rapidly. We tested 47 late preterm and full-term 18- and 24-month-old infants by means of an infant-adapted target-absent task using a slightly modified version of the original visual world paradigm for eye tracker. We found a longer fixation duration for the lexical and semantic distractors compared to the neutral pictures. Neither language proficiency nor age affected the looking time results. We found a dissociation by age between taxonomic and associative semantic relations. Maturational differences were detectable in the initial processing of taxonomic relations, as processing in the preterm group was slightly delayed and qualitatively different in the first half of the looking time. The size and composition of the expressive vocabulary differed only by age. In general, our study demonstrated a stable lexical-semantic organization between 18 and 24 months of age, regardless of maturational differences.

Lexical-Semantic Organization as Measured by Repeated Word Association in Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing Who Use Spoken Language.

This study compares responses of children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) who use spoken language with responses of children who have typical hearing on a repeated word association task to evaluate lexical-semantic organization. This study included 109 participants in early kindergarten or who had completed first grade. The younger group included 30 children with typical hearing, 22 with hearing aids, and 21 with cochlear implants. The older group included 16 children with typical hearing, nine with hearing aids, and 11 with cochlear implants. Children were asked to give a word associated with 24 stimuli words. Responses were coded according to their relation to the target. An analysis of variance revealed that older children, regardless of hearing status, produced more semantically related responses to prompts than younger children. Children in the younger DHH group differed from children with typical hearing in their production of non-semantically related responses: They produced errored responses at higher rates. This preliminary data may indicate an early deficit in recognition of semantic relations between words for children who are DHH and provides a basis for continued longitudinal study of changes in lexical-semantic organization.

Функційне навантаження порівняльних конструкцій у структурі складного синтаксичного цілого

Introduction. Comparison belongs to the universal categories that are the basis of a person's knowledge of the world around him/her. It is studied in three aspects: epistemological, logical and linguistic. Comparison as a linguistic category is objectified in a material substance - a comparative construction that functions as part of various syntactic constructions, among them a simple sentence, a complex sentence, and a complex syntactic integer are distinguished. Comparative constructions in the system of simple and complex sentences have repeatedly been the object of study in Ukrainian linguistics. Our scientific research is conditioned by the need to reveal the peculiarities of semantics and stylistic functions of comparative constructions within the complex syntactic integer. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to clarify the semantic and functional features of comparative constructions in the system of a complex syntactic integer. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were solved: the specificity of comparative constructions as one of the defining means of image formation was revealed; their lexical-semantic organization was analysed; the role of comparison in the organization of the text structure was defined. Research methods. The methods of linguistic observation and linguistic analysis were used to determine the semantic-functional features of comparative constructs. Results. Comparative constructions appear as a result of the generalization of a specific area of objective reality, a fragment of linguistic reality, in which the comparative processes of juxtaposition (comparison) of objects, phenomena, actions, signs are reproduced on the basis of their associative connections. Linguistic representation of multifaceted associative comparisons serves as a marker of national, social, educational, individual authorial visions, which, in turn, determines the decoding and deciphering of figurative meanings. An expression with a comparative construction present in it appears as a specific model of thought, the factor of which is the presence of associative relations. Such relations are inseparable from thinking, they do not exist in nature, they exist only in the mind of the author and in language. The juxtaposition of objects and phenomena of the surrounding reality that are distant in terms of linguistic and cognitive features leads to the unevenness of the interpretation of such a comparison, which depends on a number of factors, among them - the peculiarities of perception, imagination, worldview, etc. The subject of artistic knowledge within a complex syntactic integer is quite often a person with his/her experience, feelings. The completeness of the verbal and artistic description is ensured by the use of a number of detailed comparisons that arose as a result of various associations related to the object of comparison. Conclusion. Comparison is one of the universal categories, an integral parameter of which is the comparison of two or more names of objects, phenomena, actions, properties based on their associative connections. Comparison in the structure of a complex syntactic integer is quite often based on the convergence of unusual objects, the semantic connection between which can be more or less hidden, which, in turn, determines the variability and multifaceted nature of their interpretation.

Patterns of persistence and diffusibility in the European lexicon

AbstractThis article investigates to what extent the semantics and the phonological forms of lexical items are genealogically inherited or acquired through language contact. We focus on patterns of colexification (the encoding of two concepts with the same word) as an aspect of lexical-semantic organization. We test two pairs of hypotheses. The first pair concerns the genealogical stability (persistence) and susceptibility to contact-induced change (diffusibility) of colexification patterns and phonological matter in the 40 most genealogically stable elements of the 100-items Swadesh list, which we call “nuclear vocabulary”. We hypothesize that colexification patterns are (a) less persistent, and (b) more diffusible, than the phonological form of nuclear vocabulary. The second pair of hypotheses concerns degrees of diffusibility in two different sections of the lexicon – “core vocabulary” (all 100 elements of the Swadesh list) and its complement (“non-core/peripheral vocabulary”). We hypothesize that the colexification patterns associated with core vocabulary are (a) more persistent, and (b) less diffusible, than colexification patterns associated with peripheral vocabulary. The four hypotheses are tested using the lexical-semantic data from the CLICS database and independently determined phonological dissimilarity measures. The hypothesis that colexification patterns are less persistent than the phonological matter of nuclear vocabulary receives clear support. The hypothesis that colexification patterns are more diffusible than phonological matter receives some support, but a significant difference can only be observed for unrelated languages. The hypothesis that colexification patterns involving core vocabulary are more genealogically stable than colexification patterns at the periphery of the lexicon cannot be confirmed, but the data seem to indicate a higher degree of diffusibility for colexification patterns at the periphery of the lexicon. While we regard the results of our study as valid, we emphasize the tentativeness of our conclusions and point out some limitations as well as desiderata for future research to enable a better understanding of the genealogical versus areal distribution of linguistic features.

Age-Specific Effects of Lexical-Semantic Networks on Word Production.

The lexical–semantic organization of the mental lexicon is bound to change across the lifespan. Nevertheless, the effects of lexical–semantic factors on word processing are usually based on studies enrolling young adult cohorts. The current study aims to investigate to what extent age‐specific semantic organization predicts performance in referential word production over the lifespan, from school‐age children to older adults. In Study 1, we conducted a free semantic association task with participants from six age‐groups (ranging from 10 to 80 years old) to compute measures that capture age‐specific properties of the mental lexicon across the lifespan. These measures relate to lifespan changes in the Available Richness of the mental lexicon and in the lexical–semantic Network Prototypicality of concrete words. In Study 2, we used the collected data to predict performance in a picture‐naming task on a new group of participants within the same age‐groups as for Study 1. The results show that age‐specific semantic Available Richness and Network Prototypicality affect word production speed while the semantic variables collected only in young adults do not. A richer and more prototypical semantic network across subjects from a given age‐group is associated with faster word production speed. The current results indicate that age‐specific semantic organization is crucial to predict lexical–semantic behaviors across the lifespan. Similarly, these results also provide cues to the understanding of the lexical–semantic properties of the mental lexicon and to lexical selection in referential tasks.

Characteristics of Lexical-Semantic Organization in Preschoolers with Multicultural Background

Characteristics of Lexical-Semantic Organization in Preschoolers with Multicultural Background

Similar and distinct neural mechanisms underlying semantic priming in the languages of the French–Spanish bilingual children

Recent evidence demonstrates that lexical-semantic connections emerge over the second year of life for monolingual children. Yet, little is known about the developing lexical-semantic organization of children acquiring two languages simultaneously. Two- to 4 year-old French–Spanish bilingual children completed a within-language auditory semantic priming task in both of their languages, while event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The results revealed that bilingual children exhibited sensitivity to taxonomic relationships between words in each of their languages, but the pattern of brain activity varied across the dominant (DL) and the non-dominant (NDL) languages. While the N2 occurred for both languages, the N400 appeared for target words in the DL only and the late anterior negativity for target words in the NDL only. These findings indicate that words are organized taxonomically in the bilinguals’ lexicons. However, the patterns of brain activity suggest that common and distinct neural resources underlie lexical-semantic processing in each language.

단어연상과제를 통한 단순언어장애아동과 일반아동의 의미구조 특성 비교

단어연상과제를 통한 단순언어장애아동과 일반아동의 의미구조 특성 비교

Exploring the use of dynamic language assessment with deaf children, who use American Sign Language: Two case studies

We describe a model for assessment of lexical-semantic organization skills in American Sign Language (ASL) within the framework of dynamic vocabulary assessment and discuss the applicability and validity of the use of mediated learning experiences (MLE) with deaf signing children. Two elementary students (ages 7;6 and 8;4) completed a set of four vocabulary tasks and received two 30-minute mediations in ASL. Each session consisted of several scripted activities focusing on the use of categorization. Both had experienced difficulties in providing categorically related responses in one of the vocabulary tasks used previously. Results showed that the two students exhibited notable differences with regards to their learning pace, information uptake, and effort required by the mediator. Furthermore, we observed signs of a shift in strategic behavior by the lower performing student during the second mediation. Results suggest that the use of dynamic assessment procedures in a vocabulary context was helpful in understanding children's strategies as related to learning potential. These results are discussed in terms of deaf children's cognitive modifiability with implications for planning instruction and how MLE can be used with a population that uses ASL.Learning outcomes: The reader will (1) recognize the challenges in appropriate language assessment of deaf signing children; (2) recall the three areas explored to investigate whether a dynamic assessment approach is sensitive to differences in deaf signing children's language learning profiles (3) discuss how dynamic assessment procedures can make deaf signing children's individual language learning differences visible.

Lexical-semantic organization in children with specific language impairment.

To determine whether children with specific language impairment (SLI) show deficits in lexical-semantic organization and, if so, whether these deficits are commensurate with their delay in vocabulary size and whether the deficits affect all children with SLI. Fourteen children with SLI, 14 age matches (AM), and 14 expressive vocabulary matches (VM) generated 3 associations to each of 48 words. Associations were coded as semantic (e.g., dog-pet), clang (e.g., cow-how), or erroneous (e.g., spoon-Disney). Relative to the AM children, children with SLI produced fewer semantic responses, more clangs, and more errors. Relative to the VM children, fewer semantic responses and more errors in the children with SLI were found in by-item analyses. Across elicitation trials, semantic responses decreased in the AM and VM children but remained stable in the SLI children. Examination of individual performance in the SLI group revealed that poor semantic performance was associated with a deficit in expressive vocabulary and a gap between receptive and expressive vocabularies. Significant variability in lexical-semantic organization skills exists among children with SLI. Deficits in lexical-semantic organization were demonstrated by a subgroup of children with SLI who likely had concomitant word-finding difficulties.

Lexical–Semantic Organization in Bilingual Children: Evidence From a Repeated Word Association Task

This study examined lexical-semantic organization of bilingual children in their 2 languages and in relation to monolingual age-mates. Twelve Mandarin-English bilingual and 12 English monolingual children generated 3 associations to each of 36 words. Responses were coded as paradigmatic (dog-cat) or syntagmatic (dog-bark). Within the bilingual group, word association performance was comparable and correlated between 1st and 2nd languages. Bilingual and monolingual children demonstrated similar patterns of responses, but subtle group differences were also revealed. When between-group comparisons were made on English measures, there was a bilingual advantage in paradigmatic responding during the 1st elicitation and for verbs. Results support previous studies in finding parallel development in bilinguals' 1st- and 2nd-language lexical-semantic skills and provide preliminary evidence that bilingualism may enhance paradigmatic organization of the semantic lexicon.

Lexical production in children with Williams syndrome: spontaneous use of gesture in a naming task

This study investigates lexical organization and lexical retrieval in children with Williams syndrome (WS), by examining both naming accuracy and accompanying use of gestures in a picture-naming task. Ten children with the genetic disorder of Williams syndrome (age range: 9.5–12.9) were compared with 20 typically developing children, 10 matched for chronological age (CA) and 10 for mental-age (MA). Lexical production was measured by administering the Boston Naming test (BNT). Older typically developing children performed significantly better than the other two groups. No differences in accuracy were found between the children with WS and the typically developing children matched for mental-age. The overall distribution of error types displayed by children with WS indicate that the lexical-semantic organization is similar to that of typically developing children. However, compared to controls, the WS group produced more iconic gestures during the task, in patterns that suggest the existence of specific word-finding difficulties in these children. Results are discussed within the framework of recent theories on the role of gesture in speech production.

Semantic disorders of auditory language comprehension in right brain-damaged patients

A test of auditory language comprehension was given to 110 right brain-damaged patients and to 94 normal controls in order to check if patients with lesions of the right (nondominant) hemisphere make a significantly higher number of semantic errors than normals. Confirmation of the hypothesis was obtained, but the relationship between semantic errors and lesion of the right hemisphere did not seem a simple and direct one. In fact, most of the lexical-semantic errors were due to associated variables (such as unilateral spatial agnosia and general mental deterioration) and not to the lesion of the right hemisphere per se. These data do not suggest a specific semantic capacity of the nondominant hemisphere but rather stress the fragility of the lexical-semantic organization at the cortical level.