Linguistic Contributions Research Articles

Linguistic Contributions of Protestant Missionaries in South China: An Overview of Cantonese Religious and Pedagogical Publications (1828–1939)

Linguistic Contributions of Protestant Missionaries in South China: An Overview of Cantonese Religious and Pedagogical Publications (1828–1939)

The antiquity and ancestral origin of humans in the americas: a five hundred year inquiry from a biological anthropology perspective.

The questions -When did humans arrive in the Americas? Who were they, or from where did they come from? -are enduring and fascinating inquiries that have been approached from different perspectives, thanks to the contributions of archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistics, among other disciplines. As a result, and after several centuries of studies, this body of research inspired several proposed models on the peopling of the Americas. These models are not only equally unique from each other but also distinct from the current themes in recent literature. However, there is a limited and occasionally inaccurate reference to the knowledge produced in the peripheral countries. This may be attributed to differences in language, academic traditions, as well as the consequences of geopolitics and neocolonialism in science. By reviewing both the old and recent literature, my aim is to present a historical account of how biological evidence has contributed to supporting and discussing some of the broad models that were proposed to explain the peopling of the Americas. Instead of providing an exhaustive account on the models, herein I focus on critically linking evidence and discussions ranging from the early skeletal discoveries at Lagoa Santa in Brazil in the 1830s to the current challenges of integrating a large amount of disparate data and collaborating with indigenous communities in the "omics" era. Far from being fully understood, investigations into the antiquity and the ancestral origin of Native Americans are revealing that these complex questions should be addressed by combining diverse data, articulating information at finer and larger grain scales, and adopting a sensitive and respectful approach by engaging with the views of indigenous communities.

Rethinking Plagiarism in the Era of Generative AI

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, has precipitated a paradigm shift in the realms of academic writing, plagiarism, and intellectual property. This article explores the evolving landscape of English composition courses, traditionally designed to develop critical thinking through writing. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into the academic sphere, it necessitates a reevaluation of originality in writing, the purpose of learning research and writing, and the frameworks governing intellectual property (IP) and plagiarism. The paper commences with a statistical analysis contrasting the actual use of LLMs in academic dishonesty with educator perceptions. It then examines the repercussions of AI-enabled content proliferation, referencing the limitation of three books self-published per day in September 2023 by Amazon due to a suspected influx of AI-generated material. The discourse extends to the potential of AI in accelerating research akin to the contributions of digital humanities and computational linguistics, highlighting its accessibility to the general public. The article further delves into the implications of AI on pedagogical approaches to research and writing, contemplating its impact on communication and critical thinking skills, while also considering its role in bridging the digital divide and socio-economic disparities. Finally, it proposes revisions to writing curricula, adapting to the transformative influence of AI in academic contexts.

A Perspective on the Intersection of Social Psychology and Linguistics

Social psychology and linguistics are two scientific disciplines that deal with human as their principle subject matter. Focusing on where these disciplines meet and how they feed each other, this paper aims to investigate the interdisciplinary contribution of social psychology and linguistics to each other. To achieve this, the contrastive analysis (CA) is applied which is composed of three steps as (1) description; (2) juxtaposition; (3) comparison (Krzeszowski, 1990). This comparative revision reveals that social psychology applies and investigates many fundamental areas in linguistics and particularly benefits from the language as data collection tool and method in the investigation to understand human behavior. Specifically, social psychology discusses the language with its communication aspect to examine and to analyze the human behavior. On the other hand, linguistics benefits from social psychology as it provides insights into the social and behavioral factors. There are some research areas and theories that these disciplines contribute to each other such as communication accommodation theory, speech act theory, expectancy theory, prejudice, politeness, patronizing speech, gender. Such a review is expected to benefit researchers by encouraging a wider view of intersection of these two disciplines and interdisciplinary critical thinking.

The Contribution of Linguistics to Translator Education at Iraqi Universities

The Contribution of Linguistics to Translator Education at Iraqi Universities

O contributo dos estudos discursivos na construção de mensagens publicitárias nos meios digitais: análise da comunicação de uma marca de água de mesa

Advertising has found opportunities and challenges in the new digital media. In these ways of communicating, we recognize complexity, variety, increased immediacy, and new dialogisms. Institutions and brands became aware of the impact of these new media and the need for more efficient communication. Discourse studies are an instrument for analysing promotional messages in traditional and digital media, but also contribute to institutions and brands using these media in efficient and ethically responsible ways. Three approaches are revisited to assess its spectrum of analysis: looking at communication as (1) social interaction, revealing power relations, cultural processes, and discursive practices (critical discourse analysis); (2) understanding the rhetorical architecture of the textual fabric, which enables an argumentative, persuasive, and effective discourse (rhetoric and argumentation); (3) examine the contribution of pragmatic linguistics to the understanding of language in the interaction created in new media (principles of conversation and implicature).

Analysis of Language Structure and Its Implications in Modern Linguistics: A Study of the Understanding and Application of Structural Linguistic Concepts

Structural linguistics is a branch of linguistics which analyzes language from a structural point of view. It focuses on how language is formed and constructed, and how language can be understood structurally. This study analyzes the structure of language and its implications in modern linguistics, examines the understanding and application of structural linguistic concepts, and identifies how these concepts can be used to understand and analyze language. Saussure developed a theory about language as an organized symbolic system. He emphasized that language is a system consisting of components that are interrelated with one another. After Saussure, several other linguists also developed the concept of structural linguistics. Structural Linguistics has developed into one of the most important branches of linguistics. The contributions of Structural Linguistics have had a major impact on various fields. By analyzing the structure of language, linguists can understand how language develops and how language interacts culturally and socially. This has helped teachers, translators and linguists in developing languages and improving the quality of language teaching, translation and analysis. The application of Structural Linguistics has helped linguists a lot in understanding how language develops and changes. This theory has helped linguists to understand how language is influenced by social and cultural contexts, and how language is used to express meaning in different language contexts.
 
 Received: 8 September 2023 / Accepted: 27 December 2023 / Published: 5 January 2024

Relações associativas visuais na criação do título e personagens de uma história inventada ,

Abstract This study aims to discuss associative relations - phonological and visual - and their connection with working memory in creating the title and characters of a story invented by a dyad of newly literate students (6 years old). Using a linguistic-enunciative approach, the unit of analysis was the dialog established during a collaborative writing process. The methodological procedure used, capable of recording textual elaboration in real time and space - respecting the particularities of the classroom environment as much as possible - provided important data for understanding how various factors (cognitive, interactive, pragmatic) can cooperate in generating ideas from novice writers. The analysis shows that the dyad recovers mnemonic content, to be incorporated into the manuscrito escolar in the form of ideas, through different types of associative relations, including visual ones, going beyond the categories described in the linguistic contributions that are limited to the phonological aspects of the associations. The visual associative relations identified during the analysis indicate that, in addition to dialogue, objects from the school environment - posters, books, toys, and so on - can also influence the student’s creative process, giving rise to ideas to be linearized in the text to be handed into the teacher.

Blurred lines or Word crimes? On cognitive linguistic contributions to the study of musical parody by ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic

The paper argues for the multiple advantages of applying cognitive linguistic concepts and frameworks to the study of basic mechanisms and conceptual, pragmatic and social aspects of musical parody a as a polyvalent, flexible, multimodal phenomenon, understood both as a musical genre which revolves around replication or imitation of pre-existing music, and as a comedic statement utilizing the latter technique. Points of convergence, and important differences, between traditional concepts offered by the most influential linguistic theories of humour, viz. Raskin’s (1985) Semantic Script Theory of Humour and Attardo & Raskin’s (1991) General Theory of Verbal Humour, are addressed, with particular emphasis on how the status and treatment of concepts of incongruity and its resolution are accommodated within the interpretative frameworks of frame- shifting (Coulson, 2001) and Blending Theory (Fauconnier & Turner, 2002). Both emerge as useful heuristics offered within the cognitive linguistic paradigm and suggested as applicable to (multimodal) humour research. These are argued to encompass and cater for both the sequential and the (predominately) non-sequential aspects of incongruity resolution (Ritchie, 2009) underlying musical parodies as sources of humorous amusement. Further motivating factors for the development and appreciation of parodies as humorous stimuli, such as the role of (word) play and listener familiarity with the borrowed music are addressed by focusing on the description of the distinctive cognitive-cultural mechanisms and goals underlying the opus of a particular artist, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, by applying the abovementioned concepts and interpretative frameworks to the analysis of the techniques and goals behind his use of comedy music.

Linguistic Contribution of Games to Terminology Acquisition

Undoubtedly, teaching and learning are two elements of the educational process that require continuous updates to keep alive and encourage students' attention, interest, involvement, and independence. To learn a language, communication is the main means of achieving the goal. In a class there is a wide variety of student typologies, therefore, the task arises to select methodologies and techniques that ensure satisfactory activation of students and achievement of the main objectives of the teaching and learning process.
 Coming up with techniques or activities that ensure inclusiveness is a challenge, but games ca be classified as a common denominator for a large part of students, bearing in mind that the most effective approach, especially in foreign language learning, is the communicative approach.
 In the study undertaken at the Polytechnic University of Tirana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, it was concluded that the games used throughout the semester had a fruitful result in the acquisition of terminology by students. The study is quantitative and qualitative. For data collection, a test and a questionnaire were used. In addition to the effectiveness in achieving the objectives of the learning process, overall students had a very positive approach towards games because according to them they experienced pleasure interacting with each other in a harmonious context, and on the other hand they learned about and from their colleagues whenever activities (games) were implemented in the classroom, they were motivated to express themselves a lot. However, it was noticed that games should not surpass a certain limit. While implementing “Role Play”, students’ interest throughout the semester vanished, which means that the implementation of certain games in the classroom should be balanced. In the main, games’ contribution to terminology learning was not only on the educational, and linguistic aspects but also on the social aspects of students.

Creating specialised dictionaries using LexO

Abstract Although the contribution of linguistics to terminology is widely recognized today, there remains a lack of tools allowing the construction of specialized dictionaries that deal with both the conceptual and the linguistic dimension of the terms. In this paper we present LexO, a collaborative web editor that was built with the aim of filling this gap. The guiding principles of LexO are the following: i) to allow terminologists to define the morphological, syntactic and semantic features of a term, w.r.t. the traditional onomasiological perspective; ii) to adhere to the open science philosophy and to the FAIR principles, so to create specialized dictionaries that can be shared and reused within the scientific community.

Identifying linguistic contributions to variable speech perception in Spanish/English bilingual children and adults using the ascending target-to-masker ratio method

When people encounter variable speech, like an unfamiliar accent, they map new productions to existing word forms. This skill appears to develop through adolescence for monolingual children, with school-age children perceiving unfamiliar accented speech less accurately than adults. For monolingual children, vocabulary size and phonemic awareness predict performance. Less is known about which factors account for individual differences in variable speech perception in multilingual school-age children. The goals of this study were to (a) assess group differences in variable speech perception in Spanish/English bilingual and English monolingual children and adults, (b) validate the ascending target-to-masker (TMR) method for assessing speech reception thresholds (SRTs) for foreign accented speech, and (c) identify linguistic skills that account for individual differences in performance. Participants completed speech perception and language testing. SRTs in speech-shaped noise were measured for Midland-, Spanish-, and Korean-accented English; these accents ranged from familiar to unfamiliar across participants. In each accent condition, one list of Bamford-Kowal-Bench test sentences was presented, with each sentence presented at multiple TMRs. Preliminary data suggest differences in how bilingual and monolingual groups perceive variable speech in noise. While linguistic skills accounted for individual differences in performance, different patterns emerged in children and adults.

From signals to music: a bottom-up approach to the structure of neuronal activity.

The search for the "neural code" has been a fundamental quest in neuroscience, concerned with the way neurons and neuronal systems process and transmit information. However, the term "code" has been mostly used as a metaphor, seldom acknowledging the formal definitions introduced by information theory, and the contributions of linguistics and semiotics not at all. The heuristic potential of the latter was suggested by structuralism, which turned the methods and findings of linguistics to other fields of knowledge. For the study of complex communication systems, such as human language and music, the necessity of an approach that considers multilayered, nested, structured organization of symbols becomes evident. We work under the hypothesis that the neural code might be as complex as these human-made codes. To test this, we propose a bottom-up approach, constructing a symbolic logic in order to translate neuronal signals into music scores. We recorded single cells' activity from the rat's globus pallidus pars interna under conditions of full alertness, blindfoldedness and environmental silence. We analyzed the signals with statistical, spectral, and complex methods, including Fast Fourier Transform, Hurst exponent and recurrence plot analysis. The results indicated complex behavior and recurrence graphs consistent with fractality, and a Hurst exponent >0.5, evidencing temporal persistence. On the whole, these features point toward a complex behavior of the time series analyzed, also present in classical music, which upholds the hypothesis of structural similarities between music and neuronal activity. Furthermore, through our experiment we performed a comparison between music and raw neuronal activity. Our results point to the same conclusion, showing the structures of music and neuronal activity to be homologous. The scores were not only spontaneously tonal, but they exhibited structure and features normally present in human-made musical creations. The hypothesis of a structural homology between the neural code and the code of music holds, suggesting that some of the insights introduced by linguistic and semiotic theory might be a useful methodological resource to go beyond the limits set by metaphoric notions of "code."

ОСМИСЛЕННЯ КАТЕГОРІЇ «ПРОСТІР» У ГУМАНІТАРИСТИЦІ

The paper analyzes the contribution of many linguists to the study of the concept of "space", its properties, and the words, that denotes it, outlines existing scholarly approaches to the space semantics study. As a result of consideration of the achievements of scientists in the study of spatial semantics, differences in their views on issues of terminological, identification and classification nature were revealed. Also, considering the lack of a single approach to the identification and classification of the space nominations characteristics in modern linguistics, the paper carries out the analysis and develops unique identification and differential loci parameters which underlie the concept of space, i.e. a fundamental division of the lexical units semantics into two major groups “real space” and “virtual space”; principles of loci classification are proposed. Also, the research outlines the loci potential implementation spheres and their reflection in the language, types of space, classification criteria, and a wide range of basic identification and distinctive features, which are further on grouped into blocks: recognition signs (what-system)– organisation signs or space types; location and dynamic signs (where-system). In their turn, the distinctive features enable to single out the nominations in question from the empirical material; applying the developed criteria for differentiating the empirical database, it becomes possible to categorise the loci on the basis of recognition, space organisation, and location (opposition between the real / virtual substance based on the features of objective / subjective, individual / social, natural / sociocultural markers, taking into account the space type within its horizontal and vertical localisation: vertical spatial trichotomy (an overland, extraterrestrial world / real world, terrestrial / underground world); three-dimensional spatial trichotomy (close world / transitional world / distant alien world); universal space dichotomy (internal world / external world), etc.).The main criterion when evaluating whether the lexeme belongs to the loci group nucleus or periphery is the degree of the spatial semantics explicitness in the structure of its lexical meanings.

Which linguistic resources for the teaching / learning of French as a foreign language?

This study is truly intended to be a contribution inscribed in a scrupulously didactic context, hence the idea of teaching – learning French as a foreign language in an Algerian context. Our attention is mainly vocalized on the attitude of the learner and his previous achievements in terms of FLE in the secondary cycle. However, it is therefore appropriate to specify from any language task, i.e. the written expression considered as the outcome of any learning from a didactic point of view, the exploitation of its achievements according to a theme whose concept of instruction is already present in all the linguistic-didactic elements supposed to allow him to reorganize his thought and give him the very meaning of a methodology as a common thread from which he can easily take action, this will doubly reflect his ability to acquisition and understanding of the linguistic concept initially implemented from the textual approach. In this sense, we question the fact of believing that the appropriation of such a linguistic notion can no longer be confined to its classic formulation: linguistics and didactics of languages, in particular FLE in an Algerian context. Questioning the different parameters likely to make access to knowledge in French as a foreign language a plausible case, this amounts to asking ourselves about the basic knowledge of the learner and the methods that will allow him to carry out a task; either a language production for which it is advisable to define the strategy engaged and the linguistic resources acquired as the main lever of a mediation, hence the idea of the contribution of linguistics to the teaching of French as a foreign language and the methodological orientations which under -tend the comprehension of the relational lexicon as proof of a use that one can judge satisfactory of the entity FLE in the school circles.

Demographics in the formation of language communities and in the emergence of languages: The early years of ASL in New England

How may the structure of a new linguistic community shape language emergence and change? The 1817 founding of the US’s first enduring school for the deaf, the American School for the Deaf (ASD) in Hartford, Connecticut, heralded profound changes in the lives of deaf North Americans. We report the demographics of the early signing community at ASD through quantitative analyses of the 1,700 students who attended the school during its first fifty years. The majority were adolescents, with adults also well represented. Prior to 1845, children under age eight were absent. We consider two groups of students who may have made important linguistic contributions to this early signing community: students with deaf relatives and students from Martha’s Vineyard. We conclude that adolescents played a crucial role in forming the New England signing community. Young children may have pushed the emergence of ASL, but likely did so at home in deaf families, not at ASD.*

An exploratory study of lexicography

There are two major types of lexicography: Practical lexicography and Theoretical lexicography. In the past, glossaries were compiled to facilitate the use of religious books. At the beginning, the compilation of glossaries has been done by Christian priests in Europe and by Hindu priests in India. English Dictionaries were introduced in the West as a result of the compilation of Glossaries for religious information sources. Also, Sanskrit Dictionaries were introduced in India as a result of compiling Nighandus (volumes Compiled bySanskrit word lists). It can be seen that lexicography has matured in the face of linguistic needs that have arisen over time. Later dictionaries were developed into various types such as monolingual dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries and multilingual dictionaries.The Dictionary can be identified as a reference source which provides a linguistic contribution for the Users.

Reconciling the cognitive and social approaches to describing teacher talk in second language classrooms: The contribution of systemic functional linguistics

Teacher talk plays an important role in second-language classroom interaction. Studies are informed by multiple theories and yet could be classified under two general approaches, i.e., cognitive and social. The two approaches provide different but complementary perspectives on the role of teacher talk in interaction, with a focus on either learners' cognitive change or their social participation. A conversation between them is called for in the academic field to understand their interdependent relationship as well as the loss and gain in the respective approach. However, the conversation is difficult to launch because the cognitive and social approaches have developed distinct perspectives on what constitutes language and how learning evolves, leading to seemingly incompatible descriptive paradigms. With reference to systemic functional linguistics (SFL), this article argues for reconciling the two approaches in the following aspects. First, the meaning-oriented view of language in SFL expands the learning scope beyond language forms and offers both approaches an angle to reconsider the focus of the interaction. Second, the semiotic view of learning in SFL blurs the boundary of cognition and language use and provides a perspective for understanding the mediated role of language in the cognitive and social processes of learning. Finally, the functions of scaffolding in teacher talk revealed by SFL based on a linguistic analysis may not only enrich the description of each approach but also enable findings across the two approaches to be comparable. It is anticipated that SFL would create new spaces for the conversation between the two approaches.

Textual Orientation to Cculture-Sansitive Proverbs Meanings in Selected Ahmed Yerima’s Yoruba Culture-Based Plays

Proverbs have attracted a lot of attention in linguistic scholarship. Specifically, scholars have addressed the thematic and figurative features of proverbs in the espousal of ethnic experiences of different communities from sociolinguistic, stylistic, semantic and pragmatic perspectives. Observation has shown that Pragmatic efforts have however ignored emphasis on the impact of textual parts, especially, common grounds in character’s interactions through shared situational knowledge (SSK) and shared cultural knowledge (SCK) of interlocutors in proverbial interpretations. With the application of Kecskes (2014) socio-cognitive principle of common grounds, this study examines purposively selected Yoruba proverbs in Ahmed Yerima's Yoruba-culture based plays Mojagbe and Ajagunmale with a view to determining their meanings relative to Yerima's pragmatic intentions. The study reveals that proverbs which mainly have linguistic roots in metaphor are interpretively aided by common ground items of shared situational knowledge (SSK) and shared cultural knowledge (SCK) in characters' utterances to pragmatically serve to warn/caution, emphasize, lament, accuse, and explain in the plays. This linguistic contribution to existing literature on Ahmed Yerima’s plays is significant for aiding the understanding of form-function nexus in context-sensitive proverbial interpretation in fictional discourse in linguistic scholarship in Nigeria.

Linguistic Contribution to Nation Building and Development in Cameroon, 1916-2016

This study examines the contribution of English language (a colonial cultural heritage) to nation building and development in Cameroon. After the defeat of the Germans in 1916, the British and the French established a condominium over the territory which eventually led to its partition. The British and French transported their political, social, cultural and linguistic potentials to the different parts of Cameroon under their rule. This formed the foundation of the English and French languages in the territory. Since then, English has served as a vector of cultural identity in Cameroon. It has also been an obstacle to the consolidation of the nation’s national unity and integration given that the stigmatisation, discrimination and injustice meted on those who practice the language do not speak well of the nation. These vices have not helped to consolidate nation building nor enhance its socio-cultural and political development. Local governance is impeded on the grounds that understanding the functionality of such structures is based on the cultural traits of communication that permits the people to understand the political system put in place. Through books, memoirs, thesis and interviews, we concluded that the English language and culture is a useful and inevitable bazooka for the socio-cultural, political and economic development of Cameroon. It is a symbol and source of strength for national unity and integration. It incarnates a people and a culture in Cameroon. It is also the first amongst a multilingual and cultural polity expected to harness its diversities and ethnic endowments to construct and enhance development in the nation. English is a potential cord capable of pulling other ethnic identities and affiliations into a single political think tank for a better Cameroon.