Linguistic Research Research Articles

Interpersonal Goals and Language Use During the Disclosure of a Concealable Stigmatized Identity: A LIWC Analysis

Previous theorizing suggests that the first stage of self-disclosure is the pursuit of an interpersonal goal. However, among individuals disclosing a concealable stigmatized identity, little is known about how their goals impact downstream processes such as language use and post-disclosure affect. Using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC), we examined the extent to which primed self-image or compassionate goals influence the linguistic content and style of disclosure, as well as dyad members’ affective states. Self-image disclosures were high in negative self-focused attention, whereas compassionate disclosures were more inclusive and positive in valence. Moreover, among disclosers, negative emotion words predicted their own negative affect. Among confidants, first-person singular and second-person pronouns predicted negative affect, however, this outcome was inversely related to disclosers’ use of social words. Compassionate goals that seek mutually beneficial outcomes may help disclosers communicate information about their stigma more effectively, and attenuate dyad members’ feelings of emotional distress.

Emerging Adults With a Suicide Attempt History Text More Emotionally With Peers than Family Members

Emotional communication is central to strong interpersonal relationships and mental health. For emerging adults, much of their interpersonal communication happens via texting, but we know little about how and with whom their emotional texting occurs. Understanding these patterns may be especially critical for emerging adults experiencing mental health crises (e.g., suicidality). This study examined how the emotional tone of texts (sent and received) varies based on texting partner (i.e., peers, which includes friends and significant others, vs. family) and within-person suicide risk. Participants were 27 emerging adults with prior, non-lethal suicide attempt(s). Linguistic Inquiry Word Count was used to label 75,928 texts. While there was variation in the specific interactions, results overall indicated that participants exchanged texts containing all emotion category words at greater rates with peers (vs. family), and this pattern generally held across within-person suicide risk level. Implications for suicide prevention/intervention efforts are discussed.

Readable and neutral? Reliability of crowdsourced misinformation debunking through linguistic and psycholinguistic cues

BackgroundIn the face of the proliferation of misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, crowdsourced debunking has surfaced as a counter-infodemic measure to complement efforts from professionals and regular individuals. In 2021, X (formerly Twitter) initiated its community-driven fact-checking program, named Community Notes (formerly Birdwatch). This program allows users to create contextual and corrective notes for misleading posts and rate the helpfulness of others' contributions. The effectiveness of the platform has been preliminarily verified, but mixed findings on reliability indicate the need for further research.ObjectiveThe study aims to assess the reliability of Community Notes by comparing the readability and language neutrality of helpful and unhelpful notes.MethodsA total of 7,705 helpful notes and 2,091 unhelpful notes spanning from January 20, 2021, to May 30, 2023 were collected. Measures of reading ease, analytical thinking, affect and authenticity were derived by means of Wordless and Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). Subsequently, the non-parametric Mann–Whitney U-test was employed to evaluate the differences between the helpful and unhelpful groups.ResultsBoth groups of notes are easy to read with no notable difference. Helpful notes show significantly greater logical thinking, authenticity, and emotional restraint than unhelpful ones. As such, the reliability of Community Notes is validated in terms of readability and neutrality. Nevertheless, the prevalence of prepared, negative and swear language in unhelpful notes indicates the manipulative and abusive attempts on the platform. The wide value range in the unhelpful group and overall limited consensus on note helpfulness also suggest the complex information ecology within the crowdsourced platform, highlighting the necessity of further guidance and management.ConclusionBased on the statistical analysis of the linguistic and psycholinguistic characteristics, the study validated the reliability of Community Notes and identified room for improvement. Future endeavors could explore the psychological motivations underlying volunteering, gaming, or even manipulative behaviors, enhance the crowdsourced debunking system and integrate it with broader efforts in infodemic management.

Systematic Literature Review of Ecological Discourse Analysis From 2014 to 2023

One of the crucial foci of contemporary linguistics is upon the complex human-nature relationship within the Anthropocene. An essential methodology of eco-linguistics is Ecological Discourse Analysis (EDA), a field which combines linguistics and ecology. The philosophical underpinning of EDA is rooted in an ecological thematic framework, emphasising the significance of biodiversity and sustainability in the natural world. Despite gaining attention over the past decade, EDA still lacks a comprehensive explanation to adequately and accurately explain the fundamental assertion of its philosophical framework: it gives undue prominence to language biodiversity and sustainability. This systematic literature review, conducted using the PRISMA 2020 paradigm, covers studies from 2014 to 2023. It examines 38 works on EDA across several genres. Further clues illustrate the application of EDA to various genres, often informed by theoretical frameworks associated with systemic functional linguistics, cognitive linguistics, and corpus linguistics. EDA research concentrates on ecological discourse and advocating for protection, exposing the lack of nomenclature, analytical framework, application domain, theoretical framework, and objectives. Furthermore, EDA faces challenges in effectively addressing ecological issues within discourse construction because it does not have a sound theoretical paradigm or enough systematicity. Furthermore, the texts analysed using EDA predominantly focus on ecological discourse, with only a few studies incorporating non-ecological literary texts. This underscores the necessity of expanding the scope of ecological linguistic research.

Ethical practice in participant-centred linguistic research

Abstract This article outlines ethical principles for ‘participant-centred linguistic research’ (PCLR), a term we coin to incorporate a range of linguistic research approaches that place importance on the involvement of participants. Linguistics, as a field, has strengthened its focus on participant-centred and socially situated research, recognising the value of better understanding our participants’ practices and linguistic knowledge. However, this also brings ethical challenges for our research practice. Drawing on three differing UK-based case studies from the authors’ own work, the article explores complex issues that can arise during PCLR and establishes four key principles that cut across our varied experiences. Firstly, we address participant consent and confidentiality, establishing the principles: 1. Informed consent and ethics protocols are dialogic processes and 2. Expectations around confidentiality and anonymity can shift during a project. Secondly, we address our research relationships with participants, our key principles being: 3. The researcher-participant relationship is complex and variable and 4. Close attention must be paid to power dynamics within the research setting. Ultimately, we argue that the human interactions and relationships involved in PCLR mean research may inevitably be somewhat unpredictable; researchers therefore need an understanding of the ethical parameters of their practice to navigate these complexities.

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Linguistics Research, Vol. 7, No. 2

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Linguistics Research, Vol. 7, No. 2

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Linguistics Research, Vol. 6, No. 2

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Linguistics Research, Vol. 6, No. 2

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Linguistics Research, Vol. 6, No. 3

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Linguistics Research, Vol. 6, No. 3

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Linguistics Research, Vol. 7, No. 1

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Linguistics Research, Vol. 7, No. 1

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Linguistics Research, Vol. 6, No. 1

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Linguistics Research, Vol. 6, No. 1

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Linguistics Research, Vol. 7, No. 1

International Linguistics Research wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Their help and contributions in maintaining the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated. International Linguistics Research is recruiting reviewers for the journal. If you are interested in becoming a reviewer, we welcome you to join us. Please find the application form and details at http://home.ideasspread.org/for-reviewers/ and e-mail the completed application form to ilr@ideasspread.org Reviewers for Volume 7, Number 1 Anastasia Parianou, Ionian University, Greece Bahman Solati, University of California, United States Bassil Mashaqba, The Hashemite University, Jordan Cândido Samuel Fonseca de Oliveira, Federal Center for Technological Education of Minas Gerais, Brazil Cheng-hua Hsiao, National Ilan University, Taiwan, Republic of China Elena Ogneva, Belgorod National Research University, Russia Farzaneh Shakki, Islamic Azad University, Iran Gareth Morgan, Oxford University, England Hamad H. Alsowat, Taif University, Saudi Arabia Hassan Banaru'ee, Chabahar Maritime University, Iran Hassan Moradi, Ministry of Education, Iran Irina Kuprieva, Russian University of Cooperation, Russia Laura V. Fielden Burns, University of Extremadura, English Philology Dept, Spain Mahmoud Mobaraki, University of Jahrom, Iran Mateus Cruz Maciel de Carvalho, James Cook University – Cairns, Australia Mohammad Hussein Hamdan, Al-Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud University, Saudi Arabia Mostafa Morady Moghaddam, Shahrood University of Technology, Iran Natalia Iuzefovich, Pacific National University, Russia Shadi S. Neimneh, The Hashemite University, Jordan Shinji Okumura, Mukogaw Women’s University, Japan Vera Nikolayevna Golodnaya, Nevinnomyssk Institute, Russian Federation Viktoriya N. Karpukhina, Altai State University, Russia Yasir Bdaiwi, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Iraq Yousef Awad, The University of Jordan, Jordan

Study of U.S. Democratic and Republican Senators' Political Framing Strategies on Abortion Rights Based on Social Identity Theory and Framing Effect

Political framing significantly shapes public opinions and legislative outcomes in the United States, making the understanding of Democratic and Republican senators' strategies concerning abortion rights necessary. This study employs Social Identity Theory and Framing Effect to analyze cognitive and affective language patterns, as well as frequent references to specific word count in senators' speeches, using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) program. The findings reveal distinct partisan differences: Democrats frequently emphasize women's rights and personal freedoms, while Republicans focus on morality and the sanctity of unborn life. These divergent framing strategies highlight how party affiliation influences the discourse on this contentious issue. The research, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, underscores the complexity of political communication and the need for nuanced studies to explore how language reflects and shapes political identities and ideologies.

Icelandic on Facebook: Linguistic practices in an informal communication space

Abstract This article is based on a PhD project that addressed the multilingual digital practices of native Icelandic speakers in so-called “computer-mediated communication” (CMC) and more specifically on Facebook. The research draws on new literacy studies as well as linguistic research on multilingualism in the context of digital environments to investigate the digital practices of Icelandic Facebook users. By applying both quantitative and qualitative research methods, the article argues for a mixed-method approach that allows for a more holistic analysis of digital discourse data. It is especially interested in the formal characteristics of Icelandic digital writing and tries to explore what linguistic resources users draw upon and how different communicative functions and contextual factors influence the users’ digital practices. Icelandic forms an interesting test case for the study of digital practices as Facebook constitutes an important communication space for Icelanders. However, the digital practices that can be observed on this social network site are characterised by informality and linguistic forms that may contrast with language regard and language ideology in Iceland.

Language learners, chess champions, and piano prodigies – insights from research on language contact and expert behavior

Abstract One of the central assumptions in Cognitive Linguistics is that the cognitive mechanisms underlying our language use are domain-general and thus apply to human behavior beyond language. Examples of such cognitive mechanisms are, among others, our ability to focus attention, to memorize and categorize, as well as processes related to chunking, generalization, and inhibitory control. Testing this core assumption, however, is often difficult, as it requires us to move beyond linguistic research and to actively look for links between our language use and other areas of human cognition. This paper is an illustration of what such links could look like, particularly focusing on links between research on (Dutch-German) language contact and expert behavior. In doing so, it shows (a) that there are many shared links, for example, regarding the cognitive mechanisms of entrenchment and chunking, and (b) that these shared links (as well as potential differences across the fields) can be used to improve our linguistic theorizing. In particular, I argue that linguistic research can benefit from the insights from research on expert behavior, especially from its more advanced insights modelling individual variation, and that the shared links can help us to test the core assumption that the cognitive mechanisms underlying our language use are indeed domain-general.

Integrating approaches to the role of metaphor in the evolutionary dynamics of language

Abstract Metaphor occupies a central role not only in language use, but also in language change and evolution. Specifically, semantic extension motivated by metaphor plays an important role in extending the lexicon of languages. It is this process that enables the emergence of one of the key properties of modern languages, namely that they are open-ended, systematic, polysemous, structured semiotic systems. Here, we review results from three approaches whose integration presents an important cornerstone for an interdisciplinary account of the role of metaphor in the evolutionary dynamics of language: (1) Historical linguistics and diachronic semantics (2) Computational approaches and natural language processing, and (3) Experimental semiotics. Research in historical linguistics has shown that metaphor is a major mechanism of semantic change. Diachronic semantic analyses have not only mapped detailed historical trajectories of semantic extension motivated by metaphor, but also identified common metaphoric pathways of change as well as shared cognitive principles underlying them. Computational approaches and natural language processing have used findings and data from historical linguistics in attempts to automate the detection of metaphoric semantic change and to build data-driven models models of the principles underlying it. Experimental semiotics is a paradigm in which participants have to create novel communication systems in the absence of language. It represents an experimental design that can investigate cultural linguistic evolution and the emergence of metaphors and metaphorical extensions under controlled laboratory settings to shed light on the interactional and cognitive principles involved in it. Combining results from these approaches represents an important first step towards an interdisciplinary, integrative account of the role of metaphor, and processes of polysemous meaning extension more generally, in the evolutionary dynamics of language.

Analysing loneliness forum posts, the comments they elicit, and the responses to these comments

In May 2023, the United States surgeon general put out an advisory suggesting that loneliness and social isolation should be tackled and prioritized like health conditions such as substance abuse. Online loneliness forums provide a platform for users experiencing loneliness to engage with, share experiences/concerns, and seek support from others. On these forums, users (posters) publish support seeking posts and other users respond by either reacting to these posts and/or writing comments in which they provide support. In some cases, the posters respond to and engage with the comments that their posts elicit; understanding these interactions between posters and the comments their posts elicit can inform helpful communication strategies on online loneliness forums and online health forums, in general. Prior work on analyzing data from online loneliness forums did not study the interactions between posters and the comments their posts elicit. To address this, we present a dataset of posts and comments published in a 4 year time period i.e. from January 1 2019 to December 31 2022 on an online loneliness forum on Reddit. This dataset consists of (a) posts, (b) all the comments associated with these posts, (c) the comments that elicited responses from the posters, and (d) the responses of the posters to these comments. With this dataset, we conduct analysis using a topic modeling algorithm called BERTopic and a psycholinguistic dictionary called Linguistic Inquiry and word count (LIWC) to gain insights and elucidate the language markers associated with comments (to posts) that elicit responses from the posters. We find that as it relates to comments that received responses from posters, the following topic themes were associated with these comments i.e. relationships, empathy, and mental health concerns and the LIWC categories on second person pronoun, social processes, and present focus, were associated with these comments. We also find that the topic themes on appreciation was associated with the responses by posters to comments their posts received. We discuss these findings in the discussion section.

Corpora and corpus-based studies of the languages of the Russian Federation

The article describes corpus resources for the languages of Russia and their use in linguistic research. The linguistic diversity of the country is quite substantial: currently 155 languages are identified as languages of Russia. Many of them are under threat of extinction, which makes the task of creating corpora particularly relevant as a tool for language preservation. In this study we conducted a survey among the staff of the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and other colleagues, which helped us collect the data about 73 corpus resources representing various languages and dialects of Russia. The sample covers both major languages and languages with relatively few speakers, including unwritten languages. The article examines various parameters by which corpora may differ, and offers examples of research based on materials from the corpora. The final part of the article discusses the organizational aspects of creating and maintaining corpus resources. The results of the study suggest that corpus resources not only play an important role in preserving the linguistic diversity of Russia but also represent a valuable tool for various research tasks, as well as for creating other language resources.

The Subjective Tendency of Separable Phenomenon of the Separable Words

The separation structure of separable words is a construction that functionally expresses the speaker’s subjective tendency, which is the inherent law governing the phenomenon of separation of separable words. With the deepening of linguistic research, people have also begun to recognize the importance of linguistics in communication. Language is not just about expressing propositions and narrating events, it has a deeper meaning: it can serve as the speaker’s emotions or attitude, and so on. The subjective characteristics of language are also becoming the most important aspect of verbal communication.

Usage in Second Language Acquisition: Critical Reflections and Future Directions (Book Review)

In Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research, the term usage refers generally to a learner’s exposure to language, their production of it, and how they apply it in social interactions and deliberate practice. Though important in SLA research, usage does not have a standardized definition, with usage-based approaches defining it in various ways, and many focusing on a single aspect of language use. As a result, conducting comparisons across studies is challenging, and usage-based pedagogical practices could be misinformed. With a misrepresented concept of usage, second language (L2) educators employing usage-based teaching in the classroom may fail to prepare students for actual situations of L2 use. Usage in Second Language Acquisition: Critical Reflections and Future Directions (2024) aims to address this challenge by bringing together existing definitions and theorizations to provide a transparent description of usage and how it relates to L2 development. The editor’s goal is to understand the extent of agreement and disagreement of key theoretical constructs among approaches, to clarify how they are represented differently in literature, and to provide recommendations for future research in linguistics and pedagogy. [First Paragraph of Review]

MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF COMPOUNDING IN THE NOVEL THE BURNING MAZE: THE TRIALS OF APOLLO BY RICK RIORDAN

This research concerned a morphological analysis of compounding within The Burning Maze: The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan. This study morphologically described the importance of language in conveying deep emotion and thematic richness. This descriptive qualitative linguistic research employed the observation and auto-expert judgment methods for the data collection and morphological note-taking techniques for the data analysis. The results revealed patterns of word combinations that contributed to the linguistic richness and depth of the themes. The discussion interpreted these findings in the context of the novel’s storytelling, providing further understanding of the role of morphology in character development and plot complexity. The results showed that compounding in The Burning Maze: The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan had a combination of elements with the form of the Noun (N) + Verb (V); Noun (N) + Noun (N); Verb (V) + Verb (V); Adjective (Adj) + Noun (N); Verb (V) + Noun (N); Adverb (Adv) + Noun (N); Noun (N) + Adverb (Adv); Adjective (Adj) + Verb (V); Adjective (Adj) + Adjective (Adj); Adverb (Adv) + Adjective (Adj); Verb (V) + Adverb (Adv); Noun (N) + Adjective(Adj); Verb (V) + Adjective (Adj). Besides revealing linguistic nuances in literary works, this research has strived to deepen our understanding of the intricate layers within literature, showcasing how the careful selection of words enhanced the reader’s immersive journey into the literary landscape.