Language Groups Research Articles

Our law is constitutional law, and it has rights

AbstractIndigenous Southern Africans say that their laws are fundamentally grounded in the principle of Ubu‐Ntu (humane‐ness), but their communities are found empirically to often show the opposite of that law. Why is this? What is the law to which they lay claim to having? What are its roots and how can we reliably trace and know them? Reverting to the deep (i.e., unrecorded/unwritten precolonial) history of the Ntu, who make up the largest language group of Indigenous inhabitants of Sub‐Saharan Africa, this article digs into the deep origins of Ntu identity and being. Based on evidence drawing simultaneously from the alter‐Native intellectual roots of the Ntu and ethnographic findings on articulations of vernacular law in Nguni‐speaking society in South Africa today, the article makes the decolonizing case that Indigenous law lays claim to having its own constitutional law (in which its peoples’ social compact is grounded), with its very own conception of rights, that is wholly due (legal) recognition and respect in place of laws born of colonial logics.

Family language policy in Italian transnational families in the UK: Influence of language ideologies on heritage language management

This study investigates how parental language ideologies and attitudes shape Family Language Policy (FLP) in Italian transnational families in the UK. There has been an increasing interest in FLP research in recent years; however, the Italian community in the UK is under-studied. This exploratory study aimed at investigating how language ideologies in Italian transnational families affect language practices and management. The findings suggest that language ideologies such as the ‘bilingual advantage’ have a significant impact on language practices and management in the family domain. However, language ideologies are not always in line with language practices with conflicting language ideologies being more common in mixed marriage families. Additionally, the study offers new insights into the complexities of emotions surrounding FLP and bilingual upbringing as well as how parental future aspirations can shape FLP. Further research is suggested with regards to the role that siblings' dynamics can play on the negotiation of FLP as well as longitudinal research which will offer insights into the constantly evolving linguistic environment of transnational families.

The Influence of Family Language in Childhood on Educational Achievement

The Influence of Family Language in Childhood on Educational Achievement

Bilingual young adults’ perceived influence of parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends on their Spanish and English proficiency: A qualitative analysis

Aims and objectives/purpose: Qualitative studies on bilingual individuals’ perspectives can inform research by identifying community understanding of lived phenomena and aiding in theory building. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived role of external factors in the family, school, and community on the Spanish and English proficiency of a group of Latine Spanish–English bilingual university students. Methodology: A qualitative content analysis was used to compare participants’ perspectives and establish the commonality of their experiences. Researcher triangulation was used to ensure rigor. A consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research was used to ensure that the design, collection, and analysis were consistent with accepted qualitative research standards ( Tong et al., 2007 ). Data and analysis: Twenty-three bilingual university students in Houston, United States, rated their proficiency in Spanish and English using the Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (LEAP-Q; Marian et al., 2007 ) and participated in a structured in-person interview regarding their perceptions of the influence of various external factors on their English and Spanish proficiency. Findings: Factors reported to contribute most to adults’ Spanish proficiency included home interactions with parents, family language policies that encouraged Spanish language use, and the need to communicate with grandparents. The most important factors for English proficiency were friends, siblings, and the school environment. These findings aligned with the self-reported ratings. Originality: This study is one of the few to qualitatively examine bilingual adults’ experiences and report on relevant factors during childhood to early adulthood. Significance: Bilingual experiences in the Houston context are documented here. Findings from this and future studies may be useful to estimate the impact of external factors on proficiency in adulthood, which has implications for conceptual frameworks for bilingual acquisition research.

Unequal Uptake: Insurance-Related Disparities in Prenatal Genetic Counseling and Screening at a Quaternary Medical Center.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between the type of insurance coverage and the uptake of prenatal genetic counseling and aneuploidy screening. This was a retrospective analysis of pregnant people who sought prenatal care at a quaternary medical system from August 1, 2017 to August 29, 2019. The primary exposure was insurance status, while the outcomes of interest were the uptake of genetic counseling and aneuploidy screening. Characteristics of the four insurance coverage groups were compared using simple comparisons and multivariable logistic regression models estimating odds of receiving genetic counseling and screening. A total of 8774 births were included. There were significant differences among insurance groups in race, ethnicity, language, parity, and gestational age at the first visit. Pregnant people differed significantly by payer status with regard to the uptake of both counseling and aneuploidy screening. In adjusted models, those without insurance or who were self-paid were significantly less likely to have genetic counseling and aneuploidy screening as compared to those with public or private insurance. In adjusted models, those who were older, spoke English, and were in their first pregnancy were significantly more likely to receive genetic counseling and aneuploidy screening. This analysis contributes to the understanding of how insurance mechanisms within the United States can contribute to the uptake of prenatal genetic counseling and screening. However, there is a complex interplay between payer status and other patient-level characteristics such as age, language, and timing of initiation of prenatal care. Future studies that assess both system-level and patient-level characteristics are crucial.

Bilingual parenting in two Vietnamese families: returning to and leaving Vietnam

ABSTRACT Bilingual parenting has been identified to be under-researched in monolingual contexts like Vietnam despite its important role in bilingual education and its large body of research under the field of family language policy. Adopting a case study design, this study explores how two Vietnamese families implemented bilingual parenting in the family milieu in transnational contexts. These two selected families featured bilingual parenting in two reverse settings, in which one family returned to Vietnam from Australia and the other left Vietnam for England. The findings show how parents’ language beliefs influence their language management and practices in bilingual parenting. Furthermore, they illustrate how bilingual parenting could be successfully implemented in transnational contexts with major changes in language environments. The study thereby emphasises the importance of and implies the need for bilingual parenting in monolingual contexts where bilingualism and multilingualism are deemed essential in today’s globalised world.

Family language policy and the design of homescape in transnational families

Abstract Building upon previous research on family language policy, this study explores the homescape, pertinent to the Chinese home literacy environment within Chinese transnational families. It categorizes various forms of Chinese literacy homescape and examines parental perspectives and agency in the design, creation, and adaptation of the homescape within their households. The study draws on ethnographic data from four Chinese-speaking families residing in France and Germany. Data includes sound recordings of family interactions, photographs, in-depth interviews and field notes from discussions with family members. Adopting the lens of ethnographic Linguistic Landscape, the study categorizes the Chinese literacy homescape into four sensory modalities: highly visible, semi-visible, soundscape, and digital and interactive. Findings reveal that parents employ highly strategic and agentic approaches when designing the Chinese literacy homescape, demonstrating their keen awareness of the unique characteristics of the Chinese writing system and the specific challenges their children face when learning to read Chinese.

Dissecting the genetic admixture and forensic signatures of ethnolinguistically diverse Chinese populations via a 114-plex NGS InDel panel

Comprehensive characterizations of genetic diversity and demographic models of ethnolinguistically diverse Chinese populations are essential for elucidating their forensic characteristics and evolutionary past. We developed a 114-plex NGS InDel panel to genotype 114 genome-wide markers and investigated the genetic structures of Zhuang, Hui, Miao, Li, Tibetan, Yi, and Mongolian populations, encompassing five language families. This panel demonstrated robust performance, with exceptional potential for forensic individual identification and paternity testing, evidenced by the combined power of discrimination for 77 autosomal InDels (ranged from 1-3.6400 × 10–30 to 1-3.5713 × 10–32) and the combined power of exclusion (ranged from 1-2.1863 × 10–6 to 1-2.1261 × 10–7). The cumulative mean exclusion chance for 32 X-chromosomal InDels varied between 0.99996 and 0.99999 for trios and 0.99760 to 0.99898 for duos. We also analyzed genetic similarities and differences between these populations and 27 global populations, revealing distinct clusters among African, South Asian, East Asian, and European groups, with a close genetic affinity to East Asians. Notably, we identified geography-related genetic substructures: Inner Mongolia Mongolians and Gansu Huis formed a northern branch, Tibetans and Yis from Sichuan constituted a highland branch, and Guangxi Zhuangs exhibited close ties with Hainan Lis and Guangxi Miaos in the southern branch. Additionally, many InDels proved to be ancestry-informative markers for biogeographic ancestry inference. Collectively, these findings underscore the utility of the 114-plex NGS InDel panel as a complementary tool for forensic investigations and as a source of insights into the genetic architecture of ethnolinguistically distinct Chinese populations.

Closing the Emergent Bilingual Achievement Gaps: A South Texas Culturally Responsive School Principals’ Data-Driven Decision-Making and Instructional Interventions

This study focuses on the culturally responsive leadership practices of a South Texas school principal. Texas ranks second out of 10 states with the highest emergent bilingual enrollment. Culturally responsive leadership integrates a dynamic view of the socio-political and cultural contexts in a school setting. As the student population becomes increasingly heterogeneous in Texas classrooms, scholars highlight disparities in academic outcomes across various racial, ethnic, and language groups and argue that paradigmatic shifts are needed to effectively serve minoritized students’ unique educational needs. Accordingly, there is an urgency for principals to be culturally responsive instructional leaders who promote and implement the academic mission of the school via the creation of culturally responsive sustainable instructional practices.

Community Engagement in Climate Change and Adaptation in Kenya: A Socio-Anthropological and Linguistic Perspective

Community engagement and participatory approaches are essential for effective climate adaptation in Kenya, particularly when integrating local communities into resilience-focused efforts that consider cultural and linguistic diversity. This review employs a desktop methodology, guided by a theoretical framework rooted in participatory action research, cultural anthropology, and the CSAM (Cultural-Sustainable Agroforestry Model (CSAM)), to synthesize key studies on climate adaptation in Kenya. It examines how local stakeholders are integrated into planning and resilience programming, with a focus on the importance of indigenous knowledge and cultural contexts in shaping effective adaptation strategies. The review highlights the crucial role of communication strategies in disseminating climate information and fostering community engagement, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches that resonate with diverse linguistic and cultural groups. Practical insights show that participatory, culturally informed strategies are central to building community resilience and promoting sustainable development in the face of climate challenges. The review concludes that effective climate adaptation requires a multifaceted approach that prioritizes community engagement, culturally appropriate methods, and robust communication to ensure locally relevant and sustainable adaptation measures. Furthermore, the adoption of the CSAM model is essential for integrating indigenous knowledge, cultural practices, and modern scientific approaches, ensuring that local contexts are central to the adaptation process. Recommendations include enhancing participatory planning, incorporating indigenous knowledge systems, strengthening communication channels, addressing vulnerability hotspots, and integrating adaptation into broader development planning. The review calls for further research that employs mixed-methods approaches to assess the long-term impacts of climate adaptation, evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies, document indigenous knowledge, and explore cross-regional comparisons to support climate adaptation efforts in Kenya

Language-specific hotspots of interest in IUCN Red Listed terrestrial mammals

ABSTRACT Biodiversity conservation continues to be a global priority and insights into societal interest and support for targeted species conservation actions are essential for their success. Taking advantage of emerging culturomics methods, here we propose a new methodology for mapping societal interest towards terrestrial mammals by combining the IUCN Red List range maps with indicators of societal interest towards species derived from Wikipedia pageviews data for different languages. We show that societal interest towards terrestrial mammals varies between different language groups and is not necessarily concentrated in areas of high biodiversity. We propose that our mapping method can help to identify hot- and cold-spots of societal interest towards biodiversity for different taxonomic and language groups, and we discuss potential conservation applications of the proposed mapping method.

Like mother like child: Differential impact of mothers' and fathers' individual language use on bilingual language exposure.

Language exposure is an important determiner of language outcomes in bilingual children. Family language strategies (FLS, e.g., one-parent-one-language) were contrasted with parents' individual language use to predict language exposure in 4-31-month-old children (50% female) living in Montreal, Quebec. Two-hundred twenty one children (primarily European (48%) and mixed ethnicity (29%)) were learning two community languages (French and English) and 60 (primarily mixed ethnicity (39%) and European (16%)) were learning one community and one heritage language. Parents' individual language use better predicted exposure than FLS (explaining ~50% vs. ~6% of variance). Mothers' language use was twice as influential on children's exposure as fathers', likely due to gendered caregiving roles. In a subset of families followed longitudinally, ~25% showed changes in FLS and individual language use over time. Caregivers, especially mothers, individually shape bilingual children's language exposure.

Language Death Perspectivation of Planned or Unplanned Language Death

The present paper is a conceptual paper which explores the innate nature of languages exploring how they are in constant flux. From their sociological birth to them being politically accepted, languages go through a plethora of changes. This paper explores concepts like high and low varieties of language e.g. Hindi in playgrounds and Hindi used to teach; the concept of prestige associated with a language, as well as concepts like elaborate and restricted code by Basil Bernstein. It explores the creole continuum and how they are connected to language death. Diglossic conditions may also lead to languages being used over another leading to language disuse. Certain linguistic groups, despite having a working language, assimilate themselves with a larger language due to many possible reasons (economic, political, geographical or anything else). This paper will take the discussion forward with how policy decisions can also lead to systematic extinction of certain languages due to the farsightedness of language planning. Paulo Friere (Friere, 1985) spoke about how local languages can be the backbones of language education. This paper explores the inability of state level language planning policies at incorporating local languages into the curriculum leading to eventual endangerment of the language over generations. This paper will also look at languages with shared script and how it might be the result of language imperialism over centuries. The content and opinions expressed are that of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by/do not necessarily reflect the views of Azim Premji University.

Status of the mother tongues in the 2021 census of Nepal

Mother tongues belonging to different genealogy present an appalling view in terms of vitality and levels of language use. The 2021 census has identified 124 mother tongues belonging broadly to four major language families, viz., Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan, Austro-Asiatic and Dravidian including one language isolate. There are 47 Indo-European mother tongues. They are spoken by 83.07% of the total population. The numbers of Sino- Tibetan and Austro-Asiatic mother tongues amount to 72 and three, respectively. They are spoken by 16.59% and 0.19% of the total population, respectively. Dravidian and language isolate each counts single language spoken by less than one percent. The mother tongues broadly belonging to major language families further belong to different sub-groups. Only16.9% of the total mother tongues are destined to have speakers more than 1,00,000. Of such mother tongues, 13 belong to Indo-European and 8 belong to Sino-Tibetan. Only 47.6% mother tongues are safe. Around 30.6% are vulnerable and8.9% are shifting. Around 52.4% mother tongues are facing different labels of endangerment. Around 43.46% mother tongues have sustainable levels of language use. The existing anomalies appeared in the counting of the mother tongues may be mitigated by conducting a separate language census and framing a formal language policy.

Basque and Occitan in New Aquitaine schools: Philosophical arguments underlying linguistic diversity

This article focuses on Basque and Occitan in schools in New Aquitaine, France, and analyses the philosophical arguments underlying its constitution. The school model in New Aquitaine depends on the central education system, which protects and promotes French as the majority language, although there are some schools in which the minority languages Basque and Occitan are taught. The article describes the situation of Basque and Occitan in New Aquitaine and seeks to understand, from a philosophical perspective, the ideologies and arguments underlying their linguistic and educational situation. Thus, arguments in favour of both monolingualism and linguistic diversity, as well as the relationships between identity, diversity and linguistic rights are presented. The article concludes with some implications for New Aquitaine’s Basque and Occitan speakers, who lack real opportunities to build a strong linguistic group through the educational system and are therefore disadvantaged in comparison with monolingual speakers of the majority language.

Cross-Linguistic Recognition of Irony Through Visual and Acoustic Cues.

To avoid misunderstandings, ironic speakers may accompany their ironic remarks with a particular intonation and specific facial expressions that signal that the message should not be taken at face value. The acoustic realization of the ironic tone of voice differs from language to language, whereas the ironic face manifests the speaker's negative stance and might thus have a universal basis. We conducted a study on 574 participants speaking 6 different languages (French, German, Dutch, English, Mandarin, and Italian-the control group) to verify whether they could recognize ironic remarks uttered in Italian in three different modalities: watching muted videos, listening to audio tracks, and when both cues were present. We found that speakers of other languages could overall recognize irony uttered in Italian when all the markers were present, and they relied mostly on visual cues: In all these language groups, accuracy in the audio-only modality was always lower than accuracy in the video-only modality, although this trend was significant only for Chinese and Dutch participants. Moreover, the rate of recognition in the audio-visual modality was always significantly higher compared to the audio-only, while the difference between the audio-visual and the video-only modality was significant only for the English group. Overall, these results speak in favor of the hypothesis of a common basis for the visual expression of irony, whereas the acoustic markers alone do not constitute a reliable cue for the cross-linguistic recognition of irony.

Unveiling Community Needs and Aspirations: Card Sorting as a Research Method for Developing Digital Learning Spaces

<p style="text-align:justify">This pilot study is part of a larger “Decolonization of Digital Learning Spaces” project, which aims to develop research tools for communities that are remote and/or excluded geographically, politically, economically, socially, culturally, and linguistically. The project’s ultimate goal is to work alongside these communities to design their own digital learning tools, networks, and online educational environments by accessing and leveraging their knowledge and skills. Testing the single-criterion card sorting method is the first step toward this goal. Card sorting is an easy, enjoyable, and cost-effective method for data collection and analysis, particularly for researchers working in remote areas with limited access to electricity or the Internet. The pilot explored single-criterion card sorting as a method to elicit knowledge from two diverse cultural and linguistic groups engaged in learning activities within their communities. These groups were from a Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) community in Canada (engaged in a bow-making workshop) and a rural Kabyle community in Algeria (engaged in a traditional cooking lesson). Despite low participant numbers, distinct patterns emerged, indicating the method's effectiveness. The results, though anticipated, were non-random, demonstrating the potential of card sorting in producing patterns indicative of how individuals and/or communities categorize their world(s). Kabyle sortings focused on ingredients, highlighting older individuals as teachers passing along knowledge, while the DHH sortings emphasized face-to-face contact and hand movements in communication. The findings, though modest, established relationships, provided insights into the research context and offered logistical understanding, paving the way for further work with DHH and Kabyle communities towards the design of digital learning spaces.</p>

Implementation of Immunization Services Through a Pediatric Urgent Care Clinic.

Pediatric urgent care (PUC) centers may bolster immunization campaigns by offering vaccination during acute care visits, but few such programs have been described. We conducted a quality improvement initiative at an academically affiliated federally qualified health center that provides primary, specialty, and PUC services to children. Our PUC began offering routine immunizations in July 2020. The percentage of visits by eligible patients age ≤21 years during which immunization screening (process) and administration (outcome) occurred was measured from March 1, 2021, to February 19, 2023. Administration rates were measured across age, sex, race, language, and medical home groups. Data were analyzed with statistical process control methods. Grievance and adverse event data were monitored (balancing). We completed 4 plan-do-study-act cycles. Provider-facing bundles that included training, decision support, electronic health record signaling, and financial incentives were not associated with meaningful changes in screening and administration (cycles 1-3). A dedicated nurse vaccinator (DNV) was added on October 31, 2022 (cycle 4). The mean screening rate increased from 44.7% to 67.4% during the DNV period, and the mean administration rate increased from 26.5% to 50.8%. Lower administration rates were observed during visits by Black and English-speaking patients, and by patients empaneled outside our site. Provider-facing interventions alone were not effective at increasing vaccine screening and administration in our PUC, but marked improvement was observed with the addition of a DNV. Future interventions are needed to address disparities. Additional investigation is needed to determine whether our results are reproducible in other PUCs with access to vaccines.

The Pandemic, Mining Violence, and the Case of the Sanöma/Yanomami People.

In Brazil, the health emergency unleashed by the Covid-19 pandemic must be understood in the context of the government administration of the former president, Jair Bolsonaro. The new coronavirus was turned into a war machine, something already seen in other moments of the history of indigenous peoples, when epidemics were strategically used to promote indigenous genocide and usurp their territories. The Sanöma, a subgroup of the Yanomami language family, assert that Covid-19 did not leave individualized traces of 'sequelae' but made itself felt in the deaths that could not undergo the traditional funeral rites due to the sanitary measures, generating a cosmological and existential tension for the collective as a whole. It was also felt in the invasion of their lands by thousands of miners who brought violence and malaria to the communities, debilitating their food sovereignty, and in the dismantling of public health services in the indigenous land. Time was suspended, and the infection continued with the accompanying violation of rights, with a divergent understanding of who is recovered or who is healthy. This article is the result of a Covid-19 researchproject conducted in partnership with the Sanöma leaders. Based on reports from the Sanöma themselves, reports about the Yanomami and the government of former President Bolsonaro, interviews with indigenous leaders in newspapers and reports produced by indigenous organizations and their supporters, a set of information about Covid-19 among indigenous peoples and violations of human rights among the Sanöma people were systematized and analyzed and now make up this article.

Narrating ‘Home’ in Early Christian Biography: Athanasius’ Life of Antony and Its Literary Predecessors

In this paper, I provide a close examination of early Christian biographical sources through the heuristic lens of “home studies”, tracing a thread from the New Testament Gospels to martyrdom texts, the apocryphal Acts literature, Eusebius’ biography of Origen in his Church History, and finally, Athanasius’ Life of Antony. I demonstrate that the lens of home allows us to see that in each of these discrete groups of texts, Christ’s call to discipleship is understood to redefine and reconstitute the meaning of home and relatedly, family: to be “home” required a great deal of displacement and mobility as one forsook one’s biological family and household for the sake of obedience to the call of Christ. I argue that three topics, typically examined separately, are fruitfully brought together through the lens of home: (1) the shaping of ancient Christian identity formation, as expressed by the characters’ use of familial language to identify other members of the early Christian movement; (2) the mobile nature of the person who joins the movement, providing insights about the mobility and travel of many of its members; and (3) ancient Christian eschatological thought concerning the final dwelling of Christ-believers in some form of otherworldly home after death.