Linguistic Representation Research Articles

A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Phrase Structure and Subject Island Violations.

In principle, functional neuroimaging provides uniquely informative data in addressing linguistic questions, because it can indicate distinct processes that are not apparent from behavioral data alone. This could involve adjudicating the source of unacceptability via the different patterns of elicited brain responses to different ungrammatical sentence types. However, it is difficult to interpret brain activations to syntactic violations. Such responses could reflect processes that have nothing intrinsically related to linguistic representations, such as domain-general executive function abilities. To facilitate the potential use of functional neuroimaging methods to identify the source of different syntactic violations, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment to identify the brain activation maps associated with two distinct syntactic violation types: phrase structure (created by inverting the order of two adjacent words within a sentence) and subject islands (created by extracting a wh-phrase out of an embedded subject). The comparison of these violations to control sentences surprisingly showed no indication of a generalized violation response, with almost completely divergent activation patterns. Phrase structure violations seemingly activated regions previously implicated in verbal working memory and structural complexity in sentence processing, whereas the subject islands appeared to activate regions previously implicated in conceptual-semantic processing, broadly defined. We review our findings in the context of previous research on syntactic and semantic violations using ERPs. Although our results suggest potentially distinct underlying mechanisms underlying phrase structure and subject island violations, our results are tentative and suggest important methodological considerations for future research in this area.

Order shaped by cognition. Evidence for (and against) the effect of domain-general biases on word and morpheme order

Abstract A foundational goal of linguistics has been to understand why languages look the way they do. A range of possible explanations exist – from domain-specific representations to cognition-external factors like history and grammaticalization – and all of these undoubtedly play some role. But determining exactly how these link with specific features of language remains challenging, and the role of domain-specific mechanisms has been particularly contentious. In this paper, I highlight a growing new approach, which uses artificial language experiments to link individual-level biases to cross-linguistic trends in language structure. Using word and morpheme order as case studies, I will show how a range of different paradigms and learner populations allow us to make progress on this crucial issue in linguistics. I will focus on typological trends in word and morpheme order. For some ordering trends, experimental evidence points to variation across populations, suggesting that the best explanation for these patterns likely has its root in language history and grammaticalization. In other cases, the evidence points to the role of universal but domain-general cognitive biases, like transparency and simplicity. These domain-general biases interact with linguistic representations in important ways. Taken together these studies help adjudicate between alternative explanations for a number of specific ordering patterns and suggest a new sense of domain-specificity in the evolution of language.

Explaining the Dynamics and Stability of Dialects: A Representational Approach

Abstract In this article, the focus is on the pivotal role of speakers in shaping language dynamics and dialectal stability, particularly within the context of dialectal variation. It is evident that language is intricately tied to human experience, serving as a tool for navigation, problem-solving, and social interaction. This article posits that understanding the interplay between language dynamics and stability of dialects requires a nuanced consideration of speakers and their practical relationships with the world as well as their linguistic mental representations. People are not passive recipients of language; rather, they actively engage with it in various contexts, adapting to new situations and influencing linguistic change. Through empirical examples from German dialectology, the article illustrates how speakers’ interactions with their environment shape language evolution. Overall, the article aims to provide insight into the role of speakers in driving linguistic change and maintaining linguistic conventions within dialectal contexts. By examining the practical relationships between speakers and their environment, it contributes to the development of a comprehensive framework for understanding the complexities of language variation and evolution considering linguistic representations.

The evolution and disintegration of innovation narratives during scaling in science‐based ventures

AbstractScience‐based ventures (SBVs) are crucial vehicles that bring new technologies from the lab and to the mainstream market. During this journey, innovation narratives play a crucial role in coordinating innovation. Innovation narratives are linguistic representations that actors use to make sense of innovation activities, events and actions. In other words, they are stories that drive sensemaking, which is a critical element in avoiding conflicts in product innovation process and securing coordinated activities between diverse actors. However, as SBVs shift markets and undergo radical changes, they may have to update narratives to fit these changes. Yet, little is known about how innovation narratives and coordination evolve during this journey. To improve knowledge on this matter, I conducted a 24‐month study of a science‐based venture crossing over to a commercial market. I find that during this transition, innovation narratives shift from being shaped by progressive storytelling, where the benefits of becoming commercial and hiring nonacademics is highlighted, to being shaped by retrogressive storytelling, where incumbents and newcomers use their respective pasts to develop divergent narratives, and finally to appearing as disintegrated storytelling, where narratives compete and hinder coordination in innovation processes. Building on these findings, I construct a process model of how innovation narratives evolve and disintegrate as SBVs scale. This article contributes to knowledge on innovation management by illustrating how innovation narratives affect coordination in innovation processes, as well as how they may evolve during organizational change. Furthermore, this article illuminates the challenges that SBVs face to their innovation processes when scaling.

Oral reading promotes predictive processing in Chinese sentence reading: eye movement evidence.

Fluent sentence reading is widely acknowledged to depend on top-down contextual prediction, wherein sentential and contextual cues guide the pre-activation of linguistic representations before encountering stimuli, facilitating subsequent comprehension. The Prediction-by-Production hypothesis posits an explanation for predictive processes in language comprehension, suggesting that prediction during comprehension involves processes associated with language production. However, there is a lack of eye movement evidence supporting this hypothesis within sentence reading contexts. Thus, we manipulated reading mode and word predictability to examine the influence of language production on predictive processing. Participants engaged in silent or oral reading of sentences containing either high or low-predictable target words. Eye movements were recorded using the Eyelink1000 eye tracker. The findings revealed a higher skipping rate and shorter fixation times for high-predictable words compared to low-predictable ones, and for silent compared to oral reading. Notably, interactive effects were observed in the time measures (FFD, SFD, GD) during first-pass reading, indicating that word predictability effects were more pronounced during oral reading than silent reading. The observed pattern of results suggests that the activation of the production system enhances predictive processing during the early lexical access, providing empirical support for the Prediction-by-Production hypothesis in eye movement sentence reading situations, extending the current understanding of the timing and nature of predictions in reading comprehension.

Functions and specificity of metaphorical complexes in D. Kehlmann’s novel «Tyll»

The article is devoted to the analysis of the linguistic representation and functional features of the metaphorical complexes death and movement in the German-language novel discourse. The research was based on the novel «Tyll» (2017) written by the modern German writer D. Kehlmann. The novel tells about the character of German medieval legends Till Eulenspiegel portrayed as vagabond and artist, placed in the landscape of the Thirty Years’ War. The relevance of the research is due to the lack of systematic studies of the novel metaphor and its dominant role in the process of meaning generation in literary texts at the «new turn of the century». The author used an integral approach to the problem under study. The initial theoretical premise of the study is the recognition of the serious cognitive potential of metaphor, realized in the process of artistic cognition. As a result of the research, it was found that the metaphorical complex death is embodied by D. Kehlmann in the novel by sequence of figurative rows that create a metaphorical connection between the arrival of the harbinger of death Till Eulenspiegel and the onset of War. The author suggests considering the process of formation of the metaphorical complex movement in a series of text fragments created with the participation of verbs with semantics of movement, spatial prepositions and adverbs of repetition. Attempting to characterize the rhythmic specificity of the novel text under study, the author comes to the conclusion that the main method used by D. Kehlmann is justification of rhythmic expectation. The rhythm of the text is consistent with the conceptual dance of the main character through subjectively ranged gradation rows with an ascending increment of semantic and emotionally expressive significance, which determine the author’s modality. Metaphorical complexes death and movement have prognostic and compositional functions. The results obtained confirm the metaphoricity of the novel under study and the necessity to analyze other metaphorical complexes as part of the central novel metaphor as an important category of modern German literature.

On a new approach to studying lexical metonymy. Review of a monograph: Ilyukhina N.A. Lexical metonymy in linguistic and cognitive comprehension. Samara: OOO «SAMARAMA», 2023, 172 p. ISBN 978-5-6050869-9-4

This review is devoted to the monograph «Lexical metonymy in linguistic and cognitive comprehension» by N.A. Ilyukhina, who examines the problems of using metonymic nomination of objects, processes and persons in various denotative and discursive spheres. The relevance of the issues raised in the monograph is determined by the important role of associative thinking in the process of understanding the reality and complexity of mental connections between referents, which become the objects of metonymic nomination. The review describes the issues that have become the focus of the researcher’s attention, in particular, the typologization of lexical metonymy, substantive and verbal metonymy, metonymic transfer of definitions, metonymy in various denotative and discursive spheres. The problem of the research lies in the complexity of the linguistic representation of the cognitive mechanisms of metonymic transfer, in understanding the mental connections between the part and the whole, due to which their names can replace each other in language and speech. During the research N.A. Ilyukhina used an up-to-date method of linguocognitive analysis. As a result of the conducted fundamental research, N.A. Ilyukhina comes to a number of important conclusions. The most significant and interesting conclusions are about the unified cognitive foundations of the main transfers in the system of language and speech; about the connection of the transfer vector with the structural type of a multi-faceted concept, which contains knowledge about the corresponding referent, nominated or defined by the word; about the most significant role of the cognitive metonymic mechanism in speech activity; about the «ubiquity», universality, versatility and expansion of linguistic metonymy due to its cognitive foundations; about the possibility of using metonymy as a basis for other tropes. The monograph is of considerable interest to researchers dealing with the problems of metonymy, cognitive linguistics, semasiology, and semantics of discourse.

Who gets to be an ELT course book author? Native speakerism in English for specific purposes and business English course books

IntroductionNative speakerism has a profound influence on many aspects of ELT, for example negatively affecting job opportunities of those perceived as ‘non-native speakers’. Nevertheless, little is known about the effect of native speakerism on the recruitment of course book authors (CBAs).MethodsTherefore, this study analysed the linguistic and ethnic representation of 161 CBAs of 77 business English business English and English for specific purposes English for Specific Purposes course books (CBs) published globally by Pearson, OUP, CUP, Macmillan and NGL.ResultsThe data clearly show that publishers tend to hire white ‘native speakers’ from the UK as CBAs. More specifically, 90% of all CBA slots were taken by ‘native speakers’, 95% by white CBAs, and 78% by CBAs from the UK.DiscussionThis indicates a profound native speakerist bias among publishers against not only ‘non-native speakers’, but also those ‘native speakers’ who are not white or do not come from the UK. It is thus suggested that business English and English for Specific Purposes publishers pay greater attention to the diversity of the author teams they hire.

An fMRI study of phrase structure and subject island violations.

In principle, functional neuroimaging provides uniquely informative data in addressing linguistic questions, because it can indicate distinct processes that are not apparent from behavioral data alone. This could involve adjudicating the source of unacceptability via the different patterns of elicited brain responses to different ungrammatical sentence types. However, it is difficult to interpret brain activations to syntactic violations. Such responses could reflect processes that have nothing intrinsically related to linguistic representations, such as domain-general executive function abilities. In order to facilitate the potential use of functional neuroimaging methods to identify the source of different syntactic violations, we conducted an fMRI experiment to identify the brain activation maps associated with two distinct syntactic violation types: phrase structure (created by inverting the order of two adjacent words within a sentence) and subject islands (created by extracting a wh-phrase out of an embedded subject). The comparison of these violations to control sentences surprisingly showed no indication of a generalized violation response, with almost completely divergent activation patterns. Phrase structure violations seemingly activated regions previously implicated in verbal working memory and structural complexity in sentence processing, whereas the subject islands appeared to activate regions previously implicated in conceptual-semantic processing, broadly defined. We review our findings in the context of previous research on syntactic and semantic violations using event-related potentials. Although our results suggest potentially distinct underlying mechanisms underlying phrase structure and subject island violations, our results are tentative and suggest important methodological considerations for future research in this area.

ONTODIC

Abstract After analyzing other linguistic ontologies and lexical models with a variety of perspectives, objectives and results, it was found that they were unsuitable for building dictionaries. To help overcome these issues, a model of linguistic knowledge representation was designed. The ONTODIC model presents two major differences with respect to other ontologies. On the one hand, the aim of ONTODIC has been to model language from the premises of linguistics. This means studying the linguistic elements in their natural contexts, that is, the texts. On the other hand, the design of ONTODIC is based on the principles of description logic.

Hippocampus supports long-term maintenance of language representations: Evidence of impaired collocation knowledge in amnesia

Traditional systems consolidation theories of memory suggest that the role of the hippocampus in maintaining memory representations diminishes over time, with learned information eventually becoming fully independent of the hippocampus. Knowledge of collocations in one’s native (L1) language are acquired during development and are solidly acquired by adulthood. Remote semantic knowledge of collocations might therefore be expected to be resistant to hippocampal pathology. Patients with hippocampal damage and severe anterograde amnesia completed two tasks testing English collocation knowledge originally designed for use with English language learners. Patients with hippocampal damage demonstrated impairments in recognition of common English collocations, despite a lifetime of language experience (including postsecondary education) prior to sustaining this damage. These results suggest the hippocampus contributes to the long-term maintenance of linguistic representations and provides a challenge to traditional consolidation views of memory and an extension of newer theories to include a role for the hippocampus in maintaining semantic memory.

Chunking in the Second Language: Implications for Language Learning and Teaching

Among the various challenges that adult and other late language learners face on their journey to achieving nativelike proficiency, chunking has been identified as one of the most difficult tasks to master. Language users are able to derive and utilize chunks during language processing—both in the first (L1) and the second language (L2)—yet the extent to which the L2 learners utilize and benefit from chunking is not on a par with L1 speakers. L2 learners are generally less sensitive to the statistical regularities in the linguistic input and possess a smaller repertoire of multiword expressions, leaving them susceptible to slower real-time language processing, hampered comprehension during conversation, and distinct production errors. Drawing on insights from Brian MacWhinney's Unified Competition Model of L1 and L2 acquisition, this review examines these unique challenges in L2 chunking as a function of differences between L1 and L2 learning. According to the Unified Competition Model, the existence of deeply entrenched L1 linguistic representations may hinder effective L2 chunking by encouraging over-segmentation in favor of L1 transference at the lexical level and diverting the necessary attention away from the grammatical elements in prefabricated multiword units. Based on these observations, we offer practical suggestions for educators to facilitate chunking in L2 learners and bring them closer to nativelike fluency.

문화적 기억으로서의 충북지역 전설 연구

From the perspective of legends as linguistic and literary representations of the cultural memory of specific transmission groups, this study examines how the legends of the Chungbuk region shape the identity and norms of these groups. The legends of Chungbuk have been transmitted beyond the administrative boundaries of Chungcheongbuk-do, manifesting as a cultural sphere based on literary identity. By exploring the legends of Sokrisan, Empress Myeongseong(Minbi), and Song Si-yeol, this paper investigates the literary identity of Chungcheongbuk-do, which can be divided into northern and southern cultural zones. The Sokrisan legends have been transmitted in the regions of Boeun and Okcheon, showcasing the formation of cultural communities between these areas. In Boeun, the legends center on the sacred and miraculous attributes of Sokrisan, while in Okcheon, its peripheral status diminishes the sense of sanctity, emphasizing realism. The legends concerning Empress Myeongseong(Minbi) are transmitted in Chungju and Goesan, both sharing the historical event of her flight during the Imo Incident. The legends in Chungju unfold around her escape, reflecting a negative perspective on Empress Myeongseong(Minbi) in both regions. However, in Goesan, the shaman Jinryeong-gun replaces her, obscuring the historical events related to her. The legends of Song Si-yeol are widespread throughout Chungbuk, but regional differences are notable. Okcheon has many stories about his birth and upbringing, while Goesan emphasizes his academic achievements. Additionally, through the legends of Cheongju, this paper explores the moral values that have been normalized as cultural memory. By transmitting fundamental moral values through legends, it examines how these values reinforce practical will.

An Extension of the ELECTRE III Method based on the 2-tuple Linguistic Representation Model for Dealing with Heterogeneous Information

An Extension of the ELECTRE III Method based on the 2-tuple Linguistic Representation Model for Dealing with Heterogeneous Information

Exploring the Semantic Significance ‘Camel’ and Cultural Representation in the Kazakh Ethnic Worldview as Reflected in the National Corpus

The article examines the study of the concept of “cultural worldview” in linguistics, including methods for studying the linguistic expression of the ethnic perspective. It argues that the formation of information about this concept, organized in the mind of a nation before it is expressed through language, is composed of various worldviews. Human knowledge is intrinsically linked to the environment, nation, state, surrounding nature, religion, national values, and cultural traditions. It is impossible to conceive of this knowledge independently from its context or create a discrete worldview. Therefore, the article explains, using examples, that in the environment where the collective image common to an ethnos is formed, the ethnic image is also formed. The linguistic representation of the Kazakh ethnic worldview is explained step-by-step. The study finds that the presence of ethno-marked units in the language system is a key feature in the formation of ethno-cultural knowledge. Additionally, the effectiveness of using socio-philosophical, cultural, symbolic, and semantic research methods to determine the verbalization of the ethnic worldview is demonstrated. Ethnomarking of material cultural names, precedent names, mythological names and concepts, and zoomorphic and phytonymic names are among the elements that constitute the Kazakh ethnic worldview.

Evolving Representations of Childhood: A Diachronic Analysis of the Lexeme Child in British Newspapers from the 18th To 21st Centuries

This article investigates the semantic evolution of the lexeme CHILD in British newspaper discourse from the 18th to the 21st centuries, employing a diachronic approach and cognitive semantics framework. The study utilizes lexical analysis and frame modelling methodologies to trace changes in the lexical meaning of the lexeme CHILD during the mentioned period, drawing on dictionaries and newspaper archives. Findings reveal a dynamic semantic structure characterized by the emergence of new meanings and the persistence of core components like 'person' and 'juvenile'. The analysis identifies shifts influenced by societal, cultural, and ideological factors, reflecting changes in societal perceptions and linguistic representations over time. This research contributes to understanding how a language mirrors and shapes societal attitudes towards childhood across centuries, emphasizing the role of newspaper discourse in framing cultural norms and perceptions.

Leveraging online reviews and expert opinions for electric vehicle type prioritization

The rapid expansion of the electric vehicle (EV) market in recent years has presented manufacturers with the challenge of strategically prioritizing the types of EVs in which to invest under uncertain conditions. This study proposes an enhanced multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) framework to address this issue by leveraging online reviews and expert opinions. The proposed framework combines a novel linguistic representation, called calibrated basic uncertain linguistic information (CBULI), to capture uncertainty, a value function from cumulative prospect theory (CPT) with double reference points to model the manufacturers’ psychological preferences, and the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment of Evaluations II (PROMETHEE II) for prioritizing EVs for investment. It extracts demand attributes from online reviews, applies CBULI to represent uncertain evaluations, and incorporates CPT to capture risk preferences. A case study of an EV manufacturing enterprise in Sichuan, China, was conducted to validate our framework, and the results demonstrated its effectiveness and practicability in identifying the most promising types of EVs for investment. The results of sensitivity and comparative analyses further confirmed the robustness and superiority of the model in comparison with prevalent methods. The work here contributes to methodological advancements in research on the choice of types of EVs in which to invest, and provides valuable insights for EV enterprises to make informed investment-related decisions that are aligned with user demands and enterprise development. The proposed MADM framework supports the strategic development of the EV industry by enabling manufacturers to prioritize investment in the appropriate types of EVs under uncertainty.

Conflictogenic Linguistic Markers in Communication with a Patient

The study of verbal means of conflict communication is necessary for understanding the mechanisms of preventing misunderstandings in the communication pairs "patient - doctor" and "patient - medical institution". The selection and analysis of lexical and grammatical markers that actualize the semantics of the conflict, and the definition of typical linguistic representations of the conflict in patients' appeals can become the basis for educational communication trainings.

Teaching children to discriminate?

Rosina Lippi-Green’s (1997, 2012) classic quantitative study of linguistic representation in animated Disney films of the 20th century found these films to be discriminatory. Her main and most publicized finding was that characters who spoke varieties of American English tended to be morally good, while characters with a foreign accent were often evil and untrustworthy. Following a methodological discussion of Lippi-Green’s approach as it relates to our own, we investigate the degree to which her results also describe 273 characters from Disney’s successful “Revival Era,” starting with The Princess and the Frog (2009) and ending with Encanto (2021). We find, among other significant developments, that the foreign-accented characters in these more recent films are distinctively good. Also examined are other relationships between characters’ language, moral standing, gender, and age. Notably, female and younger characters tend to speak Standard American English, and they tend to be more moral than male and older characters. We end by discussing some possible causes of the main developments.

Transplantologia a ontologia – Intruz Jeana-Luka Nancy’ego

This article presents an analysis of Jean-Luc Nancy’s essay L’Intrus (2002), a personal reflection on illness and the experience of heart transplantation. The analysis combines two approaches (though the first of them is given more prominence). Firstly, L’Intrus is treated as philosophical-literary pathography, where the reader’s attention is engrossed by the lived experience of illness and its linguistic representation – a sophisticated, elliptical, metaphorical style which exposes the altering intrusiveness of both the med-ical condition and the treatment (implanting an ‘alien’ organ). Secondly, L’Intrus is read in the context of Jean-Luc Nancy’s philosophical reflection proper. The essay’s linguistic manipulation of singular and plural are interpreted as an echo of his philosophical position put forth in Être singulier pluriel. The totally individual experience of illness and suffering exposes the underlying ontological validity of ‘being-with’ others. The in-sight that there is no being (Dasein) without ‘being-with’ (Mitsein) leads in effect to a revision of a number of key philosophical concepts like the Self / the Other, the subject, identity, nature and technology (ecotechnology).