The global rise of K-pop, particularly the influence of BTS-a South Korean boy band with over 90 million international fans known as ARMY-has shaped youth culture and online communities. Music fandoms are increasingly engaging digital platforms like YouTube not only for entertainment but also as spaces for emotional expression and mutual support. Despite growing interest in the mental health potential of music-based coping strategies, limited research has examined how fandom cultures differentially express emotional needs and supportive interactions online. This study investigates specific mental health language patterns and coping mechanisms expressed by BTS fans in online spaces, examining how different linguistic features (including self-referential language and emotional expression patterns) may reflect psychological states and mental health needs. We utilize YouTube comments of fan-curated "sad" playlists of BTS. We further included YouTube comments from a Taylor Swift "sad" playlist as a reference group. The analysis aims to identify linguistic and emotional expression patterns in BTS fan comments and examine the potential mental health implications of music engagement in digital communities. Using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC), we analyzed a total of 13,224 YouTube comments-11,772 comments on a BTS "sad playlist" video and 1,452 comments on a Taylor Swift equivalent. Statistical comparisons were conducted to evaluate differences in comment length, word count, pronoun use, and emotional valence. Representative comments were examined to contextualize the emotion classification results. BTS comments were significantly longer (M = 253.38 words) and had higher word counts (M = 38.93) compared to Taylor Swift comments (M = 89.84 words, M = 16.08), p < .001. BTS fans used more first-person singular pronouns (10.24% vs. 7.43%) and expressed greater sadness (19.8% vs. 7.0%). In contrast, Taylor Swift fans exhibited higher admiration (8.0% vs. 5.0%). Among reply comments, BTS fans demonstrated more caring (7.5% vs. 2.0%), gratitude (9.1% vs. 4.2%), and optimism (5.0% vs. 1.7%). Linguistic analysis also revealed a broader international user base for BTS, including higher proportions of Spanish (6.11%) and Portuguese (1.89%) comments. Examination of comment content showed that fans used these spaces to disclose personal struggles, express gratitude for the community, and offer peer support, with many describing the fandom as a safe space for emotional expression they could not access elsewhere. The findings underscore the significant role that music and fan communities-particularly BTS fandom-play in fostering emotional expression, mutual care, and informal mental health support online. These results suggest implications for culturally responsive, community-based, and digitally mediated mental health interventions among youth and global populations.

Japanese ideophones (onomatopoeia) constitute a unique lexical system that conveys complex sensations and emotions through embodied sound symbolism. Because adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show weak sensitivity to sound-symbolism, their engagement with ideophones may diverge from that of typically developing (TD) adults. We addressed this possibility in two experiments involving adults with ASD who have normal language abilities and no sensory-processing abnormalities. In Study 1, thirty-one tactile ideophones were rated on five physical and two emotional dimensions using a semantic-differential questionnaire. In Study 2, participants palpated 15 fabrics and selected all ideophones that captured each sensation. In Study 1, mean ratings, representational-similarity matrices, and response variabilities did not differ between groups, indicating that ASD adults share a semantic understanding of ideophones with TD adults. In Study 2, group-level choice distributions and the fabric representational-similarity structure based on those choices again aligned across ASD and TD groups. However, multidimensional scaling of individual choice profiles revealed pronounced dispersion in ASD. Two factors accounted for this variability: ASD participants selected fewer ideophones per fabric, and their ideophone combinations were highly idiosyncratic, whereas ideophone combinations were widely shared among TD individuals. Taken together, the results show that adults with ASD possess intact semantic representations of tactile ideophones yet adopt a more restricted and individualized strategy when translating concrete sensory experiences into linguistic expressions. This localized, less convergent usage may contribute to the qualitative communication difficulties often observed in ASD, despite intact lexical-semantic knowledge and representational similarity structures.

This study offers an analysis of punctuation stylistics in Russian sentimentalist literature, focusing on the deliberate use of punctuation marks to align with the aesthetic principles of this literary movement. The research material is drawn from the first publication of Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin's novella “ Poor Liza ”, which appeared in his own journal “ Moscow magazine ” in 1792. The relevance of this investigation lies in its application of a specific historical approach that takes into account both the particularities of late eighteenth-century Russian punctuation usage and codification practices as well as broader European sentimental trends. It has been established that the stylistic hallmark of Russian sentimentalism involves the linguistic expression of emotional sensitivity accompanying narrative dynamics, capable of evoking empathy in readers. In objectifying this stylistic focus, special prominence is given to a microsystem consisting of question marks, exclamation points, dashes, and ellipses. The expressive deployment of these four punctuation marks allows for precise graphic representation of emotionally charged speech by narrators and characters alike. Ultimately, it is concluded that the emergence of punctuation stylistics finds its roots specifically within Russian sentimentalism.

Generative AI offers a new approach to the cross-cultural translation of Chinese classical philosophical texts, yet its performance in English translation of aphoristic works integrating Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist connotations with poetic and philosophical features demands targeted examination. Taking The Roots of Wisdom as the research subject, this study constructs a three-dimensional evaluation framework of fidelity, readability and aesthetic quality. With the generative AI Doubao as the core object and the classic English translations by Zhou Wenbiao and Paul White as references, it systematically analyzes Doubao’s C-E translation performance from three dimensions: cultural element transformation and interpretation, linguistic style and expression, and cultural value transmission, with theoretical interpretation based on literary translation’s defamiliarization theory and cultural translation perspective. The findings reveal that Doubao’s translations have good readability with standardized grammar and natural English expression, but they suffer from simplified cultural images and comprehension deviations in translation. Restricted by the algorithm’s routinization logic, it fails to restore the original’s concise classical charm, weakening literariness. Moreover, it cannot deeply convey the core Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist philosophies like human translators, leading to superficial cultural connotation transmission. This study holds that Doubao can act as an efficient auxiliary translation tool for classical philosophical texts, but its translations require targeted human revision in cultural connotation, linguistic style and value transmission for cross-cultural communication. This study further provides case references and optimization ideas for the practical application and quality improvement of generative AI in C-E translation of classical literary texts.

Three-way conflict management model with complex linguistic expressions for multi-attribute group decision-making

The Hallyu highlighted the global rise of Korean culture, particularly K-pop and K-dramas, and served as a crucial soft power for South Korea. Hallyu boosted South Korea's international influence via culture, without coercion. Hallyu significantly influenced CEMDS students' socio-cultural attitudes and lifestyles, enhancing South Korea's soft power and economic image. This study sought to answer the central question: How does the Korean Wave (Hallyu), as a form of South Korea’s soft power, influence the attitudes of undergraduate CEMDS students at Cavite State University - Don Severino Delas Alas Campus toward South Korea. Adopting a descriptive-qualitative research design, this study examined how students at Cavite State University engage with Hallyu content and how these experiences influenced their appreciation of South Korean culture and global image. A total of 64 participants were chosen through maximum variation sampling, and data were gathered via self-constructed interview questionnaires and analyzed using thematic analysis. The research indicated that CEMDS students favored K-pop and K-dramas due to engaging narratives, which served as coping mechanisms. These preferences fostered new attitudes, including nonverbal respect and fashion changes that reflected Korean aesthetics, enhancing self-esteem. It also encouraged cultural integration, with students adopting Korean language and values like tenacity and discipline. Participants appreciated the relevance of this content, noting life lessons and the portrayal of Korean artists. Many recognized Hallyu as a significant soft power that positively influenced South Korea's economy through tourism. The study concluded that Hallyu served as an effective soft power tool, reshaping students' socio-cultural identities and daily habits through engagement with K-pop and K-dramas. It promoted the adoption of Korean social ethics, aesthetic standards, and linguistic expressions. Additionally, Hallyu enhanced South Korea's global image and economic growth while fostering critical awareness among consumers. Ultimately, it strengthened South Korea’s international influence by merging Filipino and Korean identities.

This article develops a conceptual framework for analyzing the platform-mediated language practices of Generation Alpha through what is termed memetic linguistics . Drawing on sociolinguistics, meme theory, and platform studies, the paper conceptualizes linguistic expression as viral, iterative, and multimodal, shaped by algorithmic curation and platform affordances rather than by stable lexical innovation alone. The framework proposes five analytical dimensions—form, function, circulation, stance, and genre—and introduces a typology of memetic linguistic genres that captures recurrent patterns of youth expression across short-form video and gaming platforms. Focusing on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Roblox as key linguistic ecologies for early digital socialization, the article argues that Generation Alpha’s language is best understood as platform-native: performative, compressed, and optimized for circulation. While explicitly conceptual in nature and not based on original empirical data, the framework is designed to support future empirical research on multimodal language, algorithmic mediation, and youth discourse in platform environments.

ABSTRACT As the sense of touch plays an increasingly important role in engaging with art, it has been successfully utilized to improve access to museums and galleries for people with visual impairments. Tactile support can significantly help to convey the beauty of an object, influence the aesthetic experience of an artwork and make the art experience more direct, immersive and durable. In some contexts, touch can also be exploited as a habilitative tool. The effectiveness of tactile experiences, however, depends crucially on the type and quality of the directional information provided verbally to the user. This research qualitatively analyzes linguistic expressions used to refer to general and fine-grained hand movements necessary for efficient haptic exploration of artworks, focusing on hand movement verbs and on a selection of linguistic strategies used by professional Italian guides in live touch tours. Their AI(ChatGPT)-generated English translation are evaluated for adequacy and accuracy. As a co-product of this analysis, tentative bilingual recommendations are provided that can be exploited in both live and recorded museum touch tours in Italian and in English.

The article examines the mechanisms of implementing paradoxicality in aphorisms of twentiethcentury American poetry. Paradoxicality holds a prominent place in contemporary studies, as it reflects not only the uniqueness of linguistic expression, but also the complexity of cognitive processes. As a significant object of linguistic analysis, it demonstrates the ability of languages to generate contradictory yet semantically rich statements, which challenge traditional norms and enhance the philosophical and cultural dimensions of poetic discourse.An endeavour is made to scrutinise aphorisms as one of the most effective means of verbalising paradoxicality, given that they are capable of producing new senses through semantic oppositions and the violation of habitual models and norms of lexical compatibility, creating a contrast between the expectedand the unexpected. Despite the fact that aphorisms have long attracted the attention of the scientific community and as a linguistic and cultural phenomenon have been studied by representatives of various scientific schools, a number of issues still require more detailed consideration. Paradoxicality as one of the defining features of aphoristic expressions is among such issues. It is precisely the paradoxical approach to comprehending phenomena and objects of the surrounding world that shapes the distinctiveness of the aphorism as a form of deep philosophical generalisation and verbalisation of human experiences. Due to their original and stunning content, aphorisms often transcend traditional criteria of truth and falsity. The material for the study encompasses the aphorisms selected from the works of twentieth-century American poetry. This literary corpus represents a valuable source of forms in which the authors’ individuality combines with universal cultural codes. Such expressions not only exhibit the intricate existential and philosophical ideas of their era, but also remain relevant in the twenty-first century, shaping our critical engagement with complex and multifaceted issues.

Moderate-severe traumatic brain injury disrupts core mechanisms of online language processing and use.

This study explores the concept of respect in the culture of the amaXhosa people with the use of selected proverbs and idioms. This study introduces a certain gendered interaction in a closed amaXhosa community. Briefly referring to interactional sociolinguistics, this article is concerned with the social and context-sensitive use of language, its involvement in meaning-making, identity construction and power-related activities. The proverbs and idioms chosen were evaluated in terms of linguistic and behavioural meaning to understand how respectfulness has been shaped and used in isiXhosa and its grammar. The examples are oriented towards the euphemistic phrases connected with drunkenness, language that does not judge by corporeal appearance and the changes in language regarding death. The article also examines an idiom related to Matwa, the son of Ngqika (King of the Rharhabe clan), which involves the well-treated consideration of social beings through the recognition of paternalistic standards. In summary, both verbal and behavioural respect are an inner representation of Xhosa culture. The primary aim of this study is to illustrate the basic principles that are transmitted across generations.

Abstract Solving practical selection problems frequently involves analyzing imprecise and uncertain input. In the absence of unequivocal measures for ranking options, the decision maker needs to resort to pairwise comparisons and capture preferences using comparative linguistic expressions. If multiple decision-makers are involved, the complexity of analysis grows and consistency of results may become questionable. This paper proposes a group decision-making method that draws from the fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and utilizes the type-2 fuzzy envelope of an extended hesitant fuzzy linguistic term set (EHFLTS) to aggregate the preferences of multiple decision-makers. This approach avoids the need for normalization or transformation of the input, thereby reducing information loss. The method’s performance is demonstrated using a notional example of a contractor selection problem. The result (the final ranking of options) is then compared with results generated by means of methods presented in the literature. The proposed approach is a flexible and effective group decision support method that addresses key gaps observed in the existing methods.

Abstract This study examines how scholars narrate agency and luck in scientific careers, focusing on geographic space and gender as structuring dimensions. Drawing on interviews with forest governance researchers, we analyze how they discursively construct professional trajectories. European scholars often frame their academic trajectories as outcomes of epistemic interests and agentic choices, while African scholars tend to narrate their careers through the lens of luck and external circumstances. Gender differences are less marked in linguistic expressions of agency but appear in the attribution of luck, with women—from both Africa and Europe—emphasizing private life conditions, particularly partnership and family situations. We argue that these discursive patterns reflect and reproduce social stratifications in global science. Our findings highlight the importance of integrating spatial and gendered contexts into studies of scientific careers and the need for science policies that foster epistemic autonomy and gender-inclusive career conditions across diverse academic landscapes.

Abstract Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is rapidly reshaping writing education, yet discussions of AI literacy often foreground tool knowledge and strategic use without adequately theorizing how power operates in AI-mediated literacy practices. This article conceptualizes Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacy (CAIL) in writing education by integrating power dynamics into existing accounts of digital, critical, and AI literacies. Drawing on a qualitative case study of five Chinese English as an Additional Language (EAL) students, the study analyzes screen recordings, written drafts, and semi-structured interviews to examine how students negotiate AI across algorithmic outputs, linguistic expression, cultural reference, and learner agency. Findings show that AI’s authoritative-sounding language and uneven reliability position students as vigilant evaluators who corroborate information, manage citation risk, and recalibrate trust. Students also navigate tensions between AI-driven standardization and personal voice, and between homogenized cultural framings and situated cultural meaning-making. Across these negotiations, writing emerges as a posthuman, distributed activity in which agency is co-produced within human–AI assemblages, making empowerment contingent on learners’ capacity to critically attribute, contest, and strategically incorporate AI contributions. The article argues that CAIL should be conceptualized as the development of AI-related knowledge and strategies together with reflective understanding of the power dynamics shaping AI-mediated writing.

This paper examines insubordinate que-clauses in European Portuguese (EP) and Peninsular Spanish (PS), focusing on their syntactic and discursive properties. The study presents novel data from EP, a language less studied in this context, and contributes to the Syntax/Discourse interface approach. The authors investigate various aspects of insubordination, including contexts of use, pragmatic values, and types of linguistic expressions associated with these structures. The research reveals that EP insubordinate que-clauses demonstrate less independence than their PS counterparts, maintaining a strong connection with the standard embedding que complementizer. Their discursive value is primarily inferred from situational or pragmatic contexts, often relying on anchors such as juxtaposed preceding sentences or initial interjections. The findings of this work contribute to challenge the strict distinction between syntactic and discourse relations in natural language.

Pain is a prevalent clinical complaint that often defies explanation within conventional biomedical frameworks, particularly in chronic and idiopathic conditions, frequently leading to patient invalidation and inadequate care.We evaluate the potential of philosophy to expand the understanding of pain beyond biological reductionism by conceptualizing pain as a lived experience.This narrative review aims to integrate key philosophical perspectives with contemporary pain medicine and to examine their relevance for clinical practice. A narrative review of philosophical and medical literature was conducted, focusing on phenomenology, existential philosophy, philosophy of language, biopolitics, and neurophilosophy. These frameworks conceptualize pain as a disruption of embodied existence, a challenge to identity and autonomy, a phenomenon that resists full linguistic expression, a condition shaped by institutional and sociopolitical structures, and an inferential process influenced by prior experience and context. Together, these perspectives suggest that effective pain management requires more than symptom reduction and objective measurement. Attending to patients' lived experiences may strengthen therapeutic alliances, enhance clinical communication, and support more ethical, person-centered, and clinically meaningful approaches to pain care.

ABSTRACT This qualitative study reports how Latine/x sibling children supported each other’s transformative learning and well-being within a dual language bilingual (DLBE) program. Findings demonstrated how Latine/x siblings engaged in interdependent, knowledge generation, reciprocal carework, and heterogeneic, affective forms of linguistic expression across less-supervised, often overlooked, DLBE spaces (hallway, nurse’s office, cafeteria). As part of these efforts, they negotiated vectors of oppression that place borders around their knowledge traditions, identities, languaging, and relations. Findings from this study urge bilingual educational leaders and scholars to enact programming, leadership structures, and pedagogical approaches that elevate children’s carework, understandings, and identities as family members, as levers for multigenerational, emancipatory education and mobilization.

This article provides an overview of variability in natural language by looking at the limits of intraindividual, interindividual, and cross-linguistic variability at all levels of grammar. We review evidence for the hypothesis that variability forms an integral part of natural language and often provides valuable insights into speakers’ linguistic competence. We discuss in turn ( a ) different subtypes of variability; ( b ) the difference between systematic linguistic variability, as driven by grammar or processing-related factors, and random noise, including performance errors; ( c ) the phenomenon of hidden variability, where linguistic expressions can differ in their underlying structure despite parallel surface strings; ( d ) the extent to which variability is accounted for in existing grammatical theories; ( e ) variability in experimental quantitative data as a window into the underlying grammatical systems and processing mechanisms; and ( f ) variability in language as an important trigger for diachronic change and language acquisition.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by persistent difficulties in communication, language, and social interaction, which requires innovative strategies and resources that promote educational inclusion and personal autonomy. In this context, digital technologies have established themselves as support tools with significant potential for the communicative and linguistic development of people with ASD. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of recent scientific literature on the use of digital applications aimed at developing communication and language in people with ASD. The search was carried out in the Scopus, Google Scholar, and Mendeley databases, covering the period from 2019 to 2024. The methodological criteria of the PRISMA statement were applied, resulting in a total of 61 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The results show that digital applications implemented in educational, family, and community contexts promote linguistic comprehension and expression, increase motivation and active participation, and enhance the functional autonomy of people with ASD. However, limitations were identified related to technological accessibility, specific training for teaching and therapeutic staff, and the scarcity of longitudinal studies assessing the sustained impact of these interventions. In conclusion, this review offers an up-to-date and rigorous synthesis that can guide teachers, therapists, families, and researchers in the selection and use of digital applications as inclusive resources, contributing to the strengthening of communication, social participation, and quality of life for people with ASD.

Online multiplayer games such as Super Sus have become new linguistic environments where persuasion, deception, and identity are enacted through digital communication. This study investigates the pragmatic use of pointing (deixis) and referring (reference) expressions by Impostor players in Super Sus. By applying Levinson’s (1983) deixis theory and Yule’s (1996) reference framework, the study examines how linguistic expressions function as strategic tools for manipulating attention and constructing credibility. Data were collected qualitatively from in-game text and voice interactions between June and August 2025. Findings indicate that Impostors use four main pragmatic strategies: (1) vague deixis to diffuse suspicion, (2) specific reference to target others, (3) spatial–temporal deixis to fabricate alibis, and (4) person deixis to align or disalign with player groups. These findings demonstrate that in Super Sus, language functions not merely as communication but as a weapon, an instrument of survival and deception in digital interaction.