Linguistic Codes Research Articles

The Roles of Language Aptitude and Online Self-regulated Learning in Foreign Language Achievements

Despite extensive use of online language learning during the pandemic of COVID, there is insufficient research on what factors influence students’ foreign language achievements in online learning conditions. This article investigated the roles of language aptitude and online self-regulated learning in foreign language achievement in mainland China. 76 freshmen from two classes at a university in Jiangxi participated in this study. They were required to complete an aptitude test of MLAT and a questionnaire on online self-regulated learning. The results showed that: (1) The students’ language aptitude is at a relatively low level, and their online self-regulated learning is at an intermediate level; (2) A positive correlation is detected between language aptitude, online self-regulated learning, and their English achievements (r=0.621 & 0.583 respectively); (3) Language aptitude alone (grammatical sensitivity and associative memory ability) accounts for 38.9% variance in English achievement. Language aptitude and online self-regulated learning contributed 52.4% of the variance to their English achievements. Overall, the findings of the study confirm the high predictive power of the MLAT and predictions of the Linguistic Coding Deficit Hypothesis (LCDH) advocated by Sparks and colleagues. Pedagogical implications are also discussed.

Where Does Language Aptitude Come From? Redux

This paper examines evidence for relationships among individual differences (IDs) in L1 achievement, L2 aptitude, and L2 achievement. It begins by providing an overview of my academic journey from L1 educator to L2 researcher and explains the development of the Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH). Next, I review Peter Skehan’s influential research on language aptitude and L1-L2 relationships and summarizes research showing that IDs in L1 achievement (and L1 ability) are universal, can be identified early, and are stable over time. Then, I review research on L1-L2 relationships and IDs in L2 learning, focusing on the longitudinal studies and reporting two new studies that examine the relationship between L1 achievement and L2 aptitude on the MLAT. Overall, I argue that the development of L1 literacy leads to growth in metalinguistic awareness, which enhances L1 literacy skills, and that L1 literacy and metalinguistic awareness provide the foundation for L2 aptitude, the ability to use and understand “decontextualized” material. I conclude the paper by proposing an answer to the title.

La communication interculturelle des représentants de la Francophonie dans l'espace en ligne pendant le processus d'apprentissage de la langue russe

A multilingual and multicultural environment characterizes the modern world. Many of us speak several foreign languages and are interested in learning new ones. Foreign language teaching combines integrated teaching methods and the possibility of learning a discipline remotely from different parts of the world. This form of language learning allows people of different nationalities, ages, religions, mentalities etc., to communicate. This research focuses on the phenomenon of Francophonie as an example of interconfessional and intercultural interaction, as well as the continuity of Russian and French culture and the specifics of teaching Russian as a foreign language to representatives of French-speaking countries in full-time, distance and online space. Intercultural communication via Internet space contributes to more active communication, i.e., rapid learning of Russian as a foreign language, and interreligious interaction of this format effectively promotes the dialogue of cultures. Thanks to the possibilities of distance learning, Francophones of different confessional affiliations can afford to learn Russian in a multicultural environment. This article presents empirical research on Internet communication at the International University (RUDN University) among Francophones from different ethnic and confessional backgrounds who share the common knowledge of French and the process of teaching Russian as a foreign language. The process of teaching Russian as a foreign language not only brings together the Francophones on the level of educational communication but also promotes a productive dialogue between cultures, bringing them together in an entirely new "linguistic community", which, due to the already existing common interaction in French, is joined by communication in Russian, while forming a new linguistic personality with a multicultural linguistic code.

Queering the English Translation of Male Same-Sex Desire in 1990s Chinese-Language Literature

In recent years, we have come to see translation studies as intimately intertwined with queer theory. The interpenetration of the two fields has stimulated significant shifts in how we understand both the nature and the uses of queering social identities and categories. It has also illuminated the complex and nuanced ways in which desire, sexuality, and gender are inscribed in languages and translation. If the word queer is significant both for its “celebration of difference” and in its “reappropriation of the language used by the heterosexist culture,” then the meanings that queer acquires in its translation both to and from non-English linguistic and cultural codes are particularly useful for the study of how queer goes beyond universal notions, fixed identities, or default categories. Translation is “comparably indeterminate and similarly imbricated with issues of gender and sexuality, playfulness, and power.” In this article, I discuss the relationship between queer and translation, and the implications of this relationship for the queering of translation, through textual analysis of the translated, transferred, transmitted representations male same-sex desire and practices, particularly fetishism and sadomasochism, in Taiwanese queer literature from the 1990s. That decade saw an unprecedented flowering of queer literature in Taiwan and, as such, provides a fascinating case study in the historical and social development of the global circulation of queer theory across languages and cultures. I centre my discussion around two seminal texts, Ta-wei Chi’s short story anthology 膜 (The Membranes, 1996) and Chu T’ien-Wen’s novel 荒人手記 (Notes of A Desolate Man, 1994), and draw on William J. Spurlin’s (2017) rethinking of gender and sexual politics in the spaces between languages and cultures, Brian James Baer’s (2020) application of queer theory to translation studies and Douglas Robinson’s (2020) formulation of “equivalencefuck.” I argue that their insights enable an approach to the queering of translation that incorporates queer theory into the theory and practice of translation by understanding translation as essentially a queer praxis that simultaneously fucks with linguistic and cultural binaries on the one hand and with sexual and gender binaries on the other. While fucking binaries plays a vital role in critiquing what is fetishized as source-target equivalence in translation, considering translation as a queer praxis demonstrates that the conjunction of queer and translation offers “new sites of heterogeneity and difference.” Thus, I argue that bringing queer theory to translation and translation studies disrupts some of the foundational assumptions about translation. In turn, this offers new opportunities to queer how we think about sexual and gender difference, cultural dissimilitude, and linguistic diversity in both translation practice and translation studies.

What graffiti arts and tags tell us about urban identity in Nouméa (New Caledonia)

AbstractThis article aims to describe and analyse graffiti arts and tags in the city of Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia, a multicultural and multilingual city which is home to people who have moved from many different areas of New Caledonia and other countries of the South Pacific. I aim to understand how the citizens of Nouméa use graffiti and tags to construct their plural identities and identify themselves as Nouméens, as residents of Nouméan suburbs, and as people from other regions, with continued attachment and identification to these areas (tribal villages, islands, countries) of origin. How do they express these multiple senses of belonging? Which visual symbols, words, linguistic codes and norms do they use? How can this literacy help younger generations simultaneously reclaim their urban spaces (‘I'm from here and elsewhere’, ‘I have my place in this city!’) and assert their Oceanic identities?

How children's media and teachers communicate exclusive and essentialist views of science and scientists.

Language that uses noun labels and generic descriptions to discuss people who do science (e.g., "Let's be scientists! Scientists discover new things") signals to children that "scientists" is a distinctive category. This identity-focused language promotes essentialist beliefs and leads to disengagement from science among young children in experimental contexts. The extent to which these cues shape the development of children's beliefs and behaviors in daily life, however, depends on (a) the availability of identity-focused language in children's environments and (b) the power of these cues to shape beliefs over time, even in the noisier, more variable contexts in which children are exposed to them. Documenting the availability of this language, linguistic coding of children's media (Study 1) and prekindergarten teachers' language from one science lesson (Study 2; n = 103; 98 female, one male, four unknown; 66% White, 8% African American, 6% Asian/Asian American, 3% mixed/biracial; 21% of the sample, of any race, identified as Hispanic/Latinx) confirmed that identity-focused language was the most common form of science language in these two samples. Further, children (Study 3; n = 83; Mage = 4.36 years; 43 female, 40 male; 64% White, 12% Asian/Asian American, 24% mixed/biracial; 36% of the sample, of any race, identified as Hispanic/Latinx) who were exposed to lower proportions of identity-focused language from their teachers developed increasingly inclusive science beliefs and greater science engagement over time. These findings suggest that linguistic input is an important mechanism through which exclusive beliefs about science are conveyed to children in daily life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Sociolinguistic Variation in Mouthings in British Sign Language: A Corpus-Based Study.

Mouth activity forms a key component of all sign languages. This can be divided into mouthings, which originate from words in the ambient spoken language, and mouth gestures, which do not. This study examines the relationship between the distribution of mouthings co-occurring with verb signs in British Sign Language (BSL) and various linguistic and social factors, using the BSL Corpus. We find considerable variation between participants and a lack of homogeneity in mouth actions with particular signs. This accords with previous theories that mouthings constitute code-blending between spoken and signed languages-similar to code-switching or code-mixing in spoken languages-rather than being a phonologically or lexically compulsory part of the sign. We also find a strong association between production of plain verbs (which are body-anchored and cannot be modified spatially) and increased mouthing. In addition, we observe significant effects of region (signers from the south of the United Kingdom mouth more than those from the north), gender (women mouth more than men), and age (signers aged 16-35 years produce fewer mouthings than older participants). We find no significant effect of language background (deaf vs. hearing family). Based on these findings, we argue that the multimodal, multilingual, and simultaneous nature of code-blending in sign languages fits well within the paradigm of translanguaging. We discuss implications of this for concepts of translanguaging, code-switching, code-mixing, and related phenomena, highlighting the need to consider not just modality and linguistic codes but also sequential versus simultaneous patterning.

MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES OF MIGRANT DOMESTIC WORKERS IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: THE CASE OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

This paper offers insight into the mental health challenges encountered by migrant domestic workers (MDWs) during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brunei Darussalam. Data collected in one-to-one interviews evaluate their oral stories using various mental health linguistic codes. A preliminary study addresses initial signs of anxiety and other mental health issues that a segment of the migrant worker community has confronted due to employment conditions, structural restrictions, and a lack of access to mental health resources. A pilot study focuses on three narratives that pave the way for further studies into the causes, structures, and solutions around the lived experiences of crisis and control in a global pandemic.

Phraséotraduction: problèmes, méthodes, conceptions

Phraseotranslation: Problems, Methods, Concepts The aim of the article is to signal the difficulties and problems that appear when phraseology is translated. The author presents the process of phraseotranslation and selected methods and concepts that are used in translating various polylexical phraseological structures. Furthermore, she analyses the very idea of phraseotranslation as a scholarly term and in relation to the interdisciplinary field of research. An effective translation implies equivalent messages in two different linguistic codes, which becomes extremely difficult in case of phraseology. The multiple-word structures entrenched in natural languages are therefore a major challenge in the process of translation and can be a prominent difficulty even for professional translators.

O terremoto de 1755: Rumores em prosa e verso

The article resumes and analyzes some figurations of the 1755 earthquake, paying attention to conventions related to the locus horrendus or horrendous place. Furthermore, it seeks to demonstrate that the dramatic effects of narratives must be apprehended from the linguistic codes and theological-political topics mobilized by the scholars of the 18th and 19th centuries, and not from aestheticizing, psychological or idealistic categories that assume the centrality of the taste as a paradigm of the arts.

Study on the Linguistic Situation of Paraguay: Focused on the Jopara

The objective of this work is twofold: on the one hand, to analyze the linguistic situation in Paraguay and, on the other hand, to understand what the unique variety of the country, called jopara, consists of. To do this, we have observed the distribution of the use of languages in Paraguay, the problems related to linguistic use and the official languages of the country. In addition, we have reflected on the concept of the jopara and we have carried out a linguistic analysis on this variety. From this study, we have been able to summarize the linguistic situation of Paraguay as follows: on the one hand, the country is in a situation of social bilingualism since the National Constitution specifies that the two official languages are Spanish and Guarani and, actually these languages are being used in the majority population of Paraguay; on the other hand, it is in the situation of diglossia since there is a distribution of functions between the two languages. Regarding jopara, it is a linguistic code most used in Paraguay and refers to a mix between both Spanish and Guaraniete.

La traduzione di poesia: una sfida in fieri. Studio di caso: In morte del fratello Giovanni, una proposta di traduzione in spagnolo

The Translation of Poetry: A Challenge in Progress. Case Study: In the Death of His Brother Giovanni (In morte del fratello Giovanni). A Proposal for Translation into Spanish Speaking and writing about translation appears to be a fashionable topic not only because of the heated debates it generates, but also because of its origins. However, talking about the translation of poetry becomes almost a quixotic task. What apparently appears to be a simple change of linguistic code entails, in reality, a transposition that brings together the Weltaschauung that underlies the text. We have chosen for our case study one of the best known and studied sonnets by the Italian poet Ugo Foscolo: In morte del fratello Giovanni. In the philological analysis and the translatological results we have laid the foundations for a modern Spanish translation that tries to preserve the form and rhyme of the original text.

La traducción de De rerum natura, de T. Lucrecio Caro: aspectos teóricos y prácticos

This article brings up to discussion the idea of translation as a cognitive work which creates transitivity relations among linguistic codes. This phenomenon will be analyzed from a double perspective: the act of translating and the transmission by Lucretius of Epicureanism in Latin. So several aspects of theory of translation will be presented which have been used by the authors of this paper in their new Spanish translation of De rerum natura (2020). Moreover, it will be demonstrated how Lucretius developed meaningful semiotic chains in the Epicurean tradition and a linguistic theory in which words build a structure according to Nature’s order.

Pratiche di stesura della tesi di laurea in italiano LS

In the Italian academic discourse research, Master’s degree theses used to be studied mainly from the perspective of linguistic competencies of their authors. However, strictly linguistic skills are not the only challenge for undergraduate, who must also convey intellectual content in appropriate discursive and rhetorical forms. The paper explores the patterns of a peculiar form of “collaborative writing”, i.e. the cooperation between the thesis supervisor and the student. Using the example of Master’s theses in lin- guistics, written in Italian as a foreign language, three basic didactic approaches are discussed in the paper. In the didactics of content the supervisors emphasize knowledge, i.e. linguistic concepts expected to be applied in a Master’s thesis. In the didactics of forms, the supervisors focus on the linguistic code, that is, on grammatical and lexical correctness of the Master’s thesis. In the didactics of forms of content the supervisors use regularities observed in academic discourse, such as genre and rhetorical structures, as valuable teaching resources likely to help students develop metacommunicative awareness.

Pushed out of arm's reach: Pronouns and spatial anaphora in Hungarian

Abstract This paper investigates hitherto unnoticed variation in the linguistic coding of spatial anaphora in locative PPs in Hungarian. While Hungarian primarily employs reflexives in these configurations, it is well-known that pronouns are the default strategy in English, and the reflexive anaphor is allowed in locative PPs only in the presence of certain licensing factors. One such factor is the availability of body-oriented readings (Rooryck & Vanden Wyngaerd 2007, 2011), and we argue here that this plays an important role in Hungarian, too. The paper reports the findings of a corpus study and an online questionnaire study and shows that pronouns are not only acceptable in Hungarian spatial anaphora, but either outperform or form a viable alternative to reflexives when the location denoted by the PP is not close to the referent of the antecedent. A secondary effect of structure building is also observable in two configurations of the extended PP. We argue that the employment of a possessive structure in certain PPs, and moving a P-element to a CPPP cap may also contribute to saving pronouns in contexts of spatial anaphora.

Recuperación fraseológica en los diccionarios onomasiológicos del español

The purpose of this paper is to study the treatment of phraseological units in general ideological dictionaries of Spanish. The final aim is to verify if the lexicographic conception of this practice, based on the total and global integration of the lexicon, really offers advantages for lexicon retrieval and storage, in a holistic and useful way for linguistic coding and decoding. Methodologically, we will take on microstructure issues: lematization, semantic value of hyperonymic label and morphological typology of phraseological units.

Translanguaging Practices in Composition Scholarship and Pedagogy: Issues, Evidence, and Controversies

The notion of translanguaging has hitherto gained prominence in composition scholarship and pedagogy. Scholars have specifically pointed out that translanguaging pedagogy is particularly germane if it is implemented in the teaching and learning of writing in a multilingual setting. Drawing upon the plethora of published studies, these scholars have argued that translanguaging strategies can help maximize students’ linguistic resources and communicative potentials. This conceptual article looks at intellectual endeavors which try to challenge the monolingual ideology and its biases, and to justify the legitimacy of mixing different linguistic codes for achieving desired communicative goals in written communication. Contemporary issues of composition scholarship and pedagogy under translanguaging vantage point of view will be addressed, and evidence of code-meshing from multilingual writers showcasing the acts of translanguaging in academic writing presented. Finally, the article discusses the controversies over the application of the notion of translanguaging in writing research and pedagogy.

Lexico-Grammatical Analysis of Three Extracts Selected from Tony Onamade Jejuri’s Bed at a Crossroads (2009): Focus on Textual Meaning

Drawing its theoretical underpinnings from Systemic Functional Linguistics, this study analyzes theme patterns in Tony Onamade Jejuri’s Bed at a Crossroad. Using sampling method, three extracts have been selected from the novel. The focus on textual meaning aims at unveiling the hidden linguistic resources or codes incorporated in this novel. It also aims at bringing out how Tony Onamade Jejuri organized and established themes to construct clauses in order to convey his message. Using mixed research method (quantitative and qualitative research methods), the findings reveal different linguistic features pertaining to the characteristics of the discourse. It is then realized the overtopicalizing of the three selected extracts.

Qualitative analysis of hotspots and intrusive memories after viewing an aversive film highlights their sensory and spatial features

Intrusive memories of trauma are recurrent distressing sensory-perceptual impressions of the traumatic event that enter consciousness spontaneously and unwanted. They often contain the worst moment/s (‘hotspots’) of the trauma memory and have primarily been studied in clinical populations after real trauma. Intrusive memories can also be studied using analogue trauma as an ‘experimental psychology model’. Little is known about the features of analogue trauma hotspots. Here we report an ancillary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial. Seventy non-clinical participants viewed a trauma film containing COVID-19 related footage. Features of hotspots/intrusive memories of the film were explored using linguistic analysis and qualitative content coding. Participants reported on average five hotspots (M = 9.5 words/hotspot). Akin to hotspots soon after real trauma, analogue hotspots/intrusions primarily contained words related to space. Most contained sensory features, yet few cognitions and emotions. Results indicate that features of analogue trauma hotspots mirror those of hotspots soon after real trauma, speaking to the clinical validity of this ‘experimental psychology model’.ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04608097, registered on 29/10/2020.

Language in a pandemic: A multimodal analysis of social media representation of COVID-19

Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020, it has become a source of worry across countries within the global space. It has posed not only a health challenge but also an economic and a linguistic burden. Linguistic burden because many efforts are being made by stakeholders to appropriately represent or codify the manifestations of the disease in unambiguous and understandable terms. Hence, one of the major platforms where COVID-19 has been variously represented is the social media. This study, therefore, focuses on a multimodal analysis of the representation of the COVID-19 pandemic on two social media platforms: Facebook and WhatsApp. The study adopts Kress’s social semiotic model as theoretical framework. This model explains the meaning affordances of verbal and non-verbal semiotic resources. It examines communicators’ intentions and makes meanings through multiple semiotic modes. This model is adopted because it offers a sociological perspective to the interpretation of visual texts. Twenty-five semiotic resources comprising memes and flash headlines, which were purposively sourced from Facebook and WhatsApp over a period of twelve weeks between April and July 2020, were analysed in the study. The data were subjected to both pictorial and simple descriptive linguistic analysis. The study reveals that COVID-19 memes extend economic and social concerns in Nigeria. The semiotic resources expose social problems such as poverty, insecurity and inequality in the Nigerian society which pose a threat to strict adherence to safety measures; and establish the manifestation of religion and gender issues in COVID-19 debates. Furthermore, it provides informative-cum-instructional functions in the fight against COVID-19. The study suggests that the deployment of appropriate linguistic and extralinguistic codes could guarantee effective and targeted public health enlightenment on COVID-19.