Local Dialect Research Articles

«НАПРЯЖЕННОЕ» ЗВУЧАНИЕ В ОБРЯДНОСТИ И МАГИИ (НА МАТЕРИАЛЕ КУЛЬТУРНО-ЯЗЫКОВОЙ ТРАДИЦИИ КОСТРОМСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ)

This article is devoted to studying Russian folk rituals, magic practices and beliefs, in which the sound component (namely “tense” sounds, too loud or, vice versa, too low voice, special intonation or tempo, etc.) plays a significant role; it also identifies vocabulary “serving” for these situations, features of communication acts and “tense” sound functions. Cultural and linguistic traditions of Kostroma region was selected for the research. Field records made in 1975–2003 by the Toponymical expedition of the Ural University were taken as the material for analysis; some other written sources containing local dialects were also involved. The analysis conducted allows concluding that “tense” ritual or magical speech is described mainly using words from the following families of the verbs klikat’ (to shriek), krichat’ (to scream), vopit’ (to yell), revet’ (to cry), vyt’ (to howl), sheptat’ (to whisper). After getting into the ritual field, words with initial “household” semantics obtain special features, which is reflected in their lexical meaning and syntax properties. “Tense” sounds are typical for some family rituals (funeral and prayer for the dead, bachelorette party the day before the wedding, after-wedding viyunishnik (ritual of celebration of a newly wedded couple)) and rituals associated with some calendar dates, such as Egoriev den’ (George’s Day in Spring), Velikiy Chetverg (Holy Thursday), Krestopoklonnaya nedelya (the Adoration of the Holy Cross); it can also be used during verbal magic and sorcery. The identified functions of this sound production method are as follows: emotive, social, apotropeitive, producing, malicious and healing.

Artificial Intelligence: Can It Replace the Magic of Communication in Local Dialect?

Artificial Intelligence: Can It Replace the Magic of Communication in Local Dialect?

Northern Kresy Polish – a Summary of Research

This article presents a concise overview of research on the Northern Kresy variety of the Polish language (polszczyzna północnokresowa). There is extensive literature on the subject, but there is still no comprehensive bibliography which would accurately document the rich legacy of several generations of researchers working in this field of study. Northern Kresy Polish is a variety of the Polish language which formed in the historical Slavic-Baltic borderland, mainly as a result of the processes of Polonisation of the local population. Contacts between various ethnolinguistic communities resulted in significant social and territorial diversity of Northern Kresy Polish in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The differences between its variants consist mainly in the frequency of features and the scale of influence of local languages and dialects on the grammatical system and vocabulary of Polish. Nevertheless, it is possible to identify a set of constitutive features of Northern Kresy Polish which function throughout its entire geographical area. Currently, Northern Kresy Polish is defined as the language of the Polish minority in Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia. It is apparent that the Polish language in all of these countries is in decline.

Word Formation in Brahui Language of Rudbar-Jonub/Rudbari

The present article aims to discuss one of the important grammar topics named “word formation” in the Brahui language of Rudbar-Jonub. Brahui, as a non-Iranian language, has gone through a long distance and settled in Iran, chiefly in Sistan and Balochistan, and Kerman. Based on the oral literature and the words of local informants, a group of Brahui people entered Sistan and Balochistan province in Iran from the borders of Pakistan in the last 400 years and mostly settled in Zahedan, Zabol, Iranshahr, and Khash. About 200 years ago, a group of them entered the south of Kerman province from the common borders of Sistan and Balochistan with Kerman and settled in Rudbar-Jonub county; many of them speak four languages: Balochi, Brahui, Rudbari, and standard Persian (Sheybanifard, 2018). The Brahui language of Rudbar-Jonub, which has less than 1000 speakers, is more vulnerable and in danger of death than other Brahui languages in other parts of the world. Also, the contact of Brahui with other languages such as Persian and Baluchi as well as local dialects such as Rudbari and the increasing use of standard Persian by its speakers, especially in the young generation, has increased the distance of Brahui spoken in Iran from its original region. One of the other most important grammar features in this language which has also affected the word formation is the existence of four diphthongs two of them /ie/ and /ue/ belong to the Rudbari dialect. The data were gathered by direct observation, through interviews with male and female speakers; from different age groups and educational levels, recording of their speeches, and videos. The purpose of this article is to describe “the Word Formation structure” in this language. Words in Brahui of Rudbari, are divided into three groups in terms of derivational construction: 1- simple, 2- derivative (prefix and suffix derivative), and 3- compound (copulative compound and non-copulative compound).

LEXICO-SEMANTIC GROUPS OF WRITTEN MONUMENTS OF THE GOLDEN HORDE ERA

The article presents written monuments of the Golden Horde era of the XIV century, studying the language of the palace safe "Gulistan bit-Turks" and "Khosrow and Shirin", dedicated to several lexical and semantic groups: religious words, kinship, positions and professions held, social and social vocabulary, trade, intellectual, human qualities, fruits, astronomical topics, mood, military names, entertainment, proper names, gems, etc. A statistical study of the collected thematic groups is carried out, their frequency is determined for the first time and the cause is investigated. The peculiarity of the use of synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, polysemous words in the texts is indicated. They were compared with the use of some words in the modern Kazakh language and local colloquial dialects. Passing through the sound, morphological changes of words in the Arabic and Persian languages, the manuscript and modern Kazakh versions are considered in the Middle Ages, when the Kipchak economic discourse was formed and developed with specific examples, which formed the basis for the widespread spread of linguoeconomic discourse with the consolidation of economic terms in the modern Kazakh language. The article defines the semantic field of old words, divided into lexical and semantic groups by methods of comparative historical, semantic analysis, component analysis.

Research on the Words of the Local Mongolian Dialect From a Sociolinguistic Point of View

This paper employs sociolinguistic methodologies to investigate the distinctive lexical elements within the ööld ethnic groups dispersed across Mongolia as well as Inner Mongolia in People’s Republic of China. Specifically, the study focuses on the ööld communities in various regions, including the Erdenebüren soum of Khovd province and the Ölziit and Ögiinuur soums of Arkhangai Province in Mongolia, as well as the Imin, Bayantal, Aguit, and Bilüüt villages of Imin soum in Inner Mongolia's Autonomous Prefecture of Hölunbuir, China, predominantly inhabited by ööld groups. The research findings reveal that the utilization of unique ööld dialectal terms varies significantly based on diverse sociocultural factors. These factors encompass distinct geographical locations, socioeconomic class, societal roles, occupational domains, social standing, age brackets, gender dynamics, and the specific interpersonal context in which communication occurs. This study concludes that the presence and usage of ööld-specific vocabulary are intricately linked to the intricate social fabric and contextual intricacies shaping the linguistic expressions within Ööld ethnic groups across different settings and circumstances. Монгол хэлний нутгийн аялгууны үгсийг нийгэм хэл шинжлэлийн үүднээс судлах нь (Өөлд аман аялгууны жишээгээр) Хураангуй: Монгол Улсад тархан суурьшсан өөлд угсаатнууд дундаас ойрад аялгууныхаа аман ярианы өвөрмөц үгсийг хэвээр хадгалан буй Ховд аймгийн Эрдэнэбүрэн сум, халхуудтай хил залган амьдарч буй Архангай аймгийн Өлзийт, Өгийнуур сумын халхажсан өөлдүүд болон БНХАУ-ын Өвөр Монголын Өөртөө Засах Орны Хөлөнбуйр хотын Эвенк Үндэстний Өөртөө Засах Хошууны Имин сумын Баянтал, Агуйт, Имин, Билүүт гэх дөрвөн гацаанд голлон тархан суурьшсан өөлд угсаатнуудын өвөрмөц онцлогтой үгсийг түүвэрлэн авч нийгэм хэл шинжлэлийн аргаар судлав. Дээр дурдсан өөлдүүд харилцан адилгүй газар оронд амьдарч байгаа, нийгмийн давхарга, аж амьдралын хүрээ цараа, нийгэмд эрхэлж буй ажил, албан тушаал, нас, хүйс, харилцаж байгаа этгээд гэх мэт нийгмийн байдлаас шалтгаалан өвөрмөц онцлогтой үгсийн хэрэглээ өөр хоорондоо адилгүй байна. Түлхүүр үг: Өөлд аман аялгууны үгс, Ойрад аман аялгуу, өвөрмөц онцлогтой үгс

Чусовой словарь из архива Г. Ф. Миллера: особенности и его значение для классификации мансийских диалектов

Introduction. The article examines a dictionary of Mansi compiled from lexemes recorded along the Chusovaya River in the early-to-mid eighteenth century. The dictionary was discovered in G. F. Müller’s archives. Other available archives (e.g., those of A. J. Sjögren and P. S. Pallas) contain no mention of the dictionary. So, the only source referring to the latter is a 1958 article by Hungarian linguist J. Gulya that analyzes several Mansi words recorded in the eighteenth century across the Lower Tagil, Lower Tura, and Chusovaya river basins to determine a total of three distinct features inherent to the local Mansi dialects. A comparison of lexemes contained in G. F. Müller’s dictionary of Chusovaya Mansi against the ones published in J. Gulya’s work has yielded a number of discrepancies with the scholar’s conclusions. Goals. So, the paper compares Chusovaya Mansi against other Mansi dialects — Berezovo, Solikamsk, Cherdyn, Kungur, Upper Tura, and Karpinsky ones — recorded during the same period and in the same area. The most extensive description and analysis of the latter sources based on L. Honti’s classification are to be found in J. Normanskaya’s article titled ‘How the Classification of Mansi Dialects Was Changed (On the Material of the First Cyrillic Books and Dictionaries of the 18th and 19th Centuries)’ (2022). Materials and methods. The work employs the comparative and comparative historical methods to examine a variety of Mansi-language archival sources. Results. The paper reconsiders the data contained in J. Normanskaya’s publication for a comparative analysis, and shows that the Chusovaya Mansi dictionary does confirm the Russian researcher’s conclusions: Northern and Western Mansi dialect differences developed by L. Honti were non-existent or had only just appeared in the eighteenth century. However, the proto-Mansi *k>χ transition before back vowels identified by J. Normanskaya as the one and only feature exclusively characteristic of Northern Mansi dialects has not been confirmed in the Chusovaya dialect traditionally clustered within Western Mansi: it happens to contain the traditional Northern transition (chot ‘шесть’, chórom ‘три’).

SOME ASPECTS OF THE TRANSLATION OF MOROCCAN ETHNOGRAPHIC REALITIES FROM FRENCH INTO RUSSIAN

Problem Statement. French is present in a different status in most African states, often serving as an intermediary language between the local culture and the rest of the world and in close linguistic contact with local dialects, their vocabulary and realities. In Morocco it is enriched with neologisms reflecting the country's colorful, diverse and vibrant culture, including cooking traditions. Moroccan cuisine is considered one of the richest and most original in the world. It attracts a huge number of tourists, cooking enthusiasts and professionals. There is a need to consider and analyze the peculiarities of translation from French into Russian of Moroccan culinary content representing cultural and ethnographic realities. Research results. The study showed that when translating reality words, the predominant translation method depends on the format of the content and consideration of the target audience. This approach is relevant for all types of translation, more so for translations of menus or recipes intended for restaurant customers who need to have a choice of dishes. A special approach is required to translate content for novice cooks who must prepare a dish according to a recipe without any problems, with information on weight measures used for dosing ingredients, names of utensils, traditional cooking methods. It is useful to check the composition of the dish and see how it looks and how it is cooked. The difficulty of this type of translation also lies in the understanding that these ethnographic realities are foreign to the Russian and French language. Conclusion. You need to be clear about what the translation is for: a brief menu caption, a detailed recipe, a blog, a cooking show, or it is an ethnographic description or linguistic study. Using different translation strategies and their combinations, original solutions can serve a commercial purpose and will be demanded by the client. Despite the different translation strategies in each case, it is important for a professional translator working with gastronomic content to know the history of the region and the culture, to search specialized websites and cookbooks. The cultural approach to translation is a modern trend, as well as an opportunity to get to know new countries and traditions.

Kinship terms variation among speakers of Bahmaie dialect in Khuzestan Province of Iran

Language indicates the social and cultural identity of the nations, and literature is of great value in reflecting ideas, beliefs and visions in language. Considering the fact that the local dialects that lack written literature are more subject to convergence and death, extensive research is required for further documentation and investigating the factors leading to their infrequency of use. Bahmaie, a variant of Luri dialect spoken in the southwest of Iran, is an example in which the stylistic variation of kinship terms represents dialect endangerment and necessitates in-depth analysis of the factors affecting this variation. The present study aims at examining the variation of Bahmaie kinship terms and their Persian equivalents across different contexts, with respect to age, gender, educational level, and third person presence. To this aim, a 32item questionnaire was designed and distributed among 275 Bahmaie speakers divided into four age groups: 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, and 40 - above. The findings of the study indicated that the 15-19 age group speakers favored the Persian terms while those aged 40 - above were more likely to use Bahmaie terms. They also showed the impact of other contextual characteristics on variation of kinship terms (interlocutors’ status, gender, educational level, and third person presence). Results further demonstrated that Bahmaie speakers have a tendency towards being persified, and this trend is more pronounced among young speakers. This tendency is attributed to the dominance of Persian as the only high-status language, language contact, and migration causing a generation gap. The implication of the research is that documenting Bahmaie dialect, encouraging educated speakers to use it and fostering intra-cultural communication, are the strategies that can be helpful in keeping this dialect alive.

Новооткрит възрожденски писмен паметник с гръцко писмо от Централните Родопи

The article deals with the recently discovered Ustovski sbornik, a written monument from the Central Rhodope region. The collection was compiled and owned by Kiryak Byalkovski, a prominent figure in the Central Rhodopes. The texts included in the collection are written in the local Rhodope dialect using the Greek alphabet. In addition, they contain features of South-western Bulgarian dialects, as well as vocabulary distinctive of Church Slavonic. The collection comprises sections of Damaskin sermons and gospel texts, among others. The article presents a set of guidelines for exploring the graphical, grammatical and lexical characteristics of this manuscript as part of the Central Rhodope literary tradition of the Bulgarian National Revival period.

The evaluation of translated neuropsychological assessments tools for the early detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs)

AbstractBackgroundThe incidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), particularly in low and middle‐income countries (LMICs) has been noticeably on the rise. With the high cost of dementia care, the need for tools that aid with the early detection of MCI is becoming of high importance, especially in LMICs. As a part of screening for MCI, many tests have been proposed evaluating for impairments in cognitive, behavioral, and functional domains, which are important for ruling out and evaluating for any reversible causes. While useful, most of these tests were developed in the west, limited works exist reporting the appropriateness and experience of using such tests for patients from LMICs.MethodIn this work, we aim to evaluate the use of translated digital assessment for detecting MCI in an Arabic‐speaking population in Palestine. For this purpose, we developed a digital test covering three cognitive, behavioral, and functional domains, where MMSE and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory ‐ Questionnaire (NPI‐Q) together with two functional assessment questionnaires were translated to Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and presented in a digital interface. Upon the development and translation of the digital tests, field testing was conducted to check for use experience and appropriate patient comprehension of the questions to match their intended use.ResultFollowing the implementation of the digital assessment tools, quantitative and qualitative data was collected summarizing the user experience, where numerous limitations were noted. Despite being asked in their native language, several patients expressed the need for more clarifying questions. While all patients were Arabic speakers, some patients required the use of simpler terminology that matches their local dialects. Other patients reported the lack of relevance of certain questions, regarding the activities of daily living in the functional assessments. Overall, the patient’s experience and comprehension of questions varied with their age and literacy level.ConclusionDespite the high prevalence of dementia in LMICs, there are limited available neuropsychological assessment tools that are fit for the local cultural and linguistic. The findings suggest the need for the development of culturally and linguistically appropriate assessments to ensure appropriate patient comprehension, and avoid misdiagnosis of patients.

Multilingualism in Estonian Poetry

Apart from Estonian, some other languages – from local dialects to major languages such as German and Russian – have usually also been spoken on the territory of Estonia. As a result, the literary culture of the local (small) language evolved in close contact with some foreign literatures and cultures. However, there is still no thorough analysis of how the historical change in the linguistic situation manifests itself in Estonian literature. Our article aims to draw attention to the multilingual nature of the Estonian literary field by giving a historical survey of the relations, contacts, and intertwining of the languages used in Estonian poetry from the 17th century to the present. To reflect the multiple facets of multilingualism revealed in poetry we mainly use a four-level approach partly based on Jaan Undusk’s typology of Estonian–German cultural contacts, adding the literary field as the level covering whatever is left. Thus, we treat multilingualism as a phenomenon observable within a language, text, author, and literary field. In terms of this study, intralinguistic multilingualism means language mixing in otherwise monolingual poetry, while intratextual multilingualism refers to abrupt transitions from one language to another (code-switching) within a text, and author multilingualism assumes a multilingual poet. Apart from the phenomena just mentioned, multilingualism within literature covers literary subfields in different language variants (for example literature created in South Estonian or Russian, but on Estonian territory). First, we will survey multilingualism in Estonia poetry before the Republic of Estonian was established in 1918, concluding that because German was the major cultural language up to the beginning of the 20th century, all poets, whatever their ethnicity, must have been fluent in two (or more) languages. The second period analysed spans the 20th century. The local Estonian poetry of the Soviet period stands out, with a few exceptions, for consistent use of Estonian, while some expatriate poets would also use English or Swedish. Third, we analyse contemporary poetry, where multilingualism is manifested not only by the use of local minority languages but also through intertwinings with English, Chinese or Japanese, thus giving evidence of an open society. Based on the picture emerging from the article we can say that apart from a historical overview, the multilingualism of Estonian poetry also needs closer poetic analysis.

Realizing the Representative Reach: How Digital is Enabling Engagement of Hispanic Participants from a Semi Rural County in the United States

AbstractBackgroundEarly detection of brain‐related disorders is key to prevention of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and research on Hispanic populations is severely lacking. Obstacles to recruitment include the lack of trust in research and researchers and requirements for English proficiency, which excludes many potential Hispanic participants.MethodsResearchers from El Faro Health and Therapeutics in Starr County, Texas and the Framingham Heart Study are teaming up on a digital phenotyping study and incorporating “trust” as a central theme for recruitment/retention of Hispanic participants. Study materials are in both English and Spanish. The smartphone tasks are presented in two formats: “in‐clinic” using an iPad and “remote” utilizing participants’ smartphones. Activities include voice tasks, gait and balance, and game‐like cognitive tasks. Longitudinal data will be collected every three months for one year.ParticipantsRecruitment is for anyone aged 18+ in Starr County, which is approximately 98% Hispanic. To maximize inclusivity, there are no other inclusion/exclusion criteria. Study procedures are customized to accommodate individuals. Recruitment goal is 500 participants within one year, with planned expansion to 5,000+ over 5 years.ResultsRecruitment approach includes several components: (1) El Faro investigators have been providing clinical services to community members for decades, and are respected and trusted members of the community. (2) All participant‐facing study materials are available in both English and Spanish, with most translated into the specific local dialect. (3) Community fliers include text in both English and Spanish. (4) Social media outreach has sparked a great deal of interest for participating in research, and the team attends community events to further spread the word. (5) Multi‐generational families are encouraged given family decision‐making culture; (6) Word‐of‐mouth within the Starr County community is expected to be an important contributor to recruitment.ConclusionsAlthough data collection will begin in February 2023, already more than 150 participants have expressed interest in being involved. Leveraging resources to enable highly respected and trusted local researchers to conduct the research, and using participant‐centric design approaches will result in greater success in recruitment and retention of this underrepresented population.

Exploring Indonesian Learners’ Attitudes and Beliefs toward English Accents: A Case Study in an Indonesian University

<em>This study reported the attitudes of 67 Indonesian English language learners toward British, American, and their own English accents and explored the underlying reasons motivating these attitudes. The participants’ English proficiency ranged from intermediate to advanced proficiency and confirmed either or both direct and indirect exposures to intercultural communication with speakers of English of other nationalities. The participants were required to listen to three audio samples, Received Pronunciation (RP), General American (GA), and Indonesian accented English (IAE), and to rate the accents on ‘standard’, ‘intelligent’, ‘polite’, and ‘pleasant’ traits. To seek the significant overall mean scores and the meaningful scores across the groups, ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey test were used. The results of the interview, additionally, were analyzed using content analysis techniques to find meaningful categories to clarify such emerging perceptions. The results show an overall positive attitude toward all three accents with the Indonesian accent perceived significantly more positively compared to the other two on the ‘intelligent’, ‘polite’, and ‘pleasant’ traits. The more positive evaluation of their own accent was driven by the realization that mutual intelligibility is more important than prestige, and there is a need for cultural value projections, that is, to use their own accent to channel politeness. These results call for the reinforcement of mutual intelligibility as the core of assessment and acceptance of local accents in classrooms. This can be channeled through the active promotion of audio samples demonstrating different varieties of English in the class instead of focusing exclusively on RP and GA; and through teachers’ acceptance of students’ intelligible local accents.</em>

A Study on Communication Behaviour of Wheat Growers in Reasi Distt. of Jammu & Kashmir, India

Introduction of latest interactive communication technology among the rural population has opened a new vista of researchers to find out viability, acquaintance, accessibility, satisfaction, constraints and many more issues of the launched electronic communication technology and systems. There exists a gap between the information available and its dissemination. There is a need to find out better and faster means of communication which will bridge the gap between the researches and their applicability. The information technology revolution has provided huge opportunities to make easy access to information with interactive distance learning. The mechanism of internet and T.V. aided information technology help to reach the unreach.
 Wheat is an important crop grown in hilly Distt. Reasi of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir where different varieties of wheat are grown. Keeping in mind the importance of communication behaviour in the transfer of wheat production technology, a study on “Communication Behaviour of Wheat Growers in Reasidistt. Reasi of Jammu &Kashmir, India” was conducted in hilly District Reasi of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir which was selected purposively. Out of 12 C.D. Blocks 4C.D.Blocks namely Reasi, Pouni, Katra and Thuroo were selected randomly. A sample of 20 per cent villages was selected randomly from selected Gram Panchayats. A sample of 20 per cent Gram Panchayats from each selected block was selected randomly. A sample of 20 per cent villages from the selected Gram Panchayats was selected randomly. A sample of 20 per cent (150) wheat growers was selected randomly from selected villages. Hence, a total of 150 respondents were finally selected for recording their responses for study purpose. Communication behaviour of wheat growers has been operationalised as information input, information processing and information output behaviour of the respondents. An index was prepared for studying the communication behaviour of wheat growers, wherein information input was studied in terms of sources of information, processing of information was studied in terms of evaluation, storage and transfer of information and information output was studied in terms of dissemination of information.
 It was found that the majority of respondents were using Extension Personnel of KVK, Extension Personnel of Departments of Agriculture, progressive farmers, television, relatives and friends and radio as arranged rank wise 1, 2, 3,4, 5 and 6respectively as the main sources of information on wheat production technologies referred as the information input behaviour of the vegetables growers.
 A large number of farmers used to evaluate (processing) the information by discussing with the elder family members, progressive farmers, neighbourers and local leaders/key communicators as arranged rankwise 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Majority of wheat growers stored the information by memorization and writing in general notebooks as arranged rankwise 1 and 2 respectively. A large number of wheat growers transformed the information by rearranging the important information as per their needs and rearranging the information in local dialect. Majority of wheat growers disseminated the information (information output) to their family members, neighbourers and those who cultivate in their lands as arranged rank wise 1, 2 and 3 respectively. It was found that majority of wheat growers had medium communication behaviour towards different wheat production information sources.

The Boundaries of the Southern Aukštaitian Dialect: the Change in the Pronunciation of Diphthongs in the Subdialect of Šalčininkai Area

In this article, from a synchronic point of view, the particularities of the change in the pronunciation of the diphthongs ie and uo are analyzed in the dialect of Šalčininkai area, which is located on the border of the Southern Aukštaitians dialect. The audio recordings of the second half of the 20th century have been analysed. They are consistent Lithuanian texts recorded by the last representatives of this dialect. The research aims to reveal the possible reasons for the change in the pronunciation of the diphthongs ie and uo, considering the fact that the Lithuanian language was and still is not the only language in this region.The research considers the sociolinguistic situation in the region, which influenced the development and change of language functioning in the analysed area. The surroundings of the entire Šalčininkai district were enslaved at different rates. In the surroundings of Butrimonys, Gudeliai, Eišiškės, Kalesninkai, and Turgeliai, the Lithuanian language remained less compact and began to disintegrate faster, so the results of the diversification of ie and uo dialects are not the same. Instead of diphthongs, the frequent pronunciation of long vowels is fixed here – accented and unaccented ie, uo is pronounced as i, u. In Vėžionis, Didžiosios Sėlos the situation is different, so here both vowels are pronounced in these diphthongs.The research revealed that the pronunciation of diphthongs ie, uo in Šalčininkai dialect varies in various positions: from ie, uo or ie, uo to completely long i, u. The tendency of representatives of the Lithuanian dialect to unify these diphthongs is observed in Lithuanian dialects that are in contact with East Slavic languages. In the case under consideration – with Polish and local Belarusian dialects. Due to the population’s longterm bilingualism and the internal development of the language, the long vowels in the Lithuanian language have become shorter, and their quality has changed. The dephonologisation of accusatives recorded in the dialect also accelerated the process of monophtogization of diphthongs. In the studied dialect of Šalčininkai, the unison of diphthongs becomes universal. Most native speakers almost systematically monophthongize stressed and unstressed ie, uo. In rare cases, both vowels in the diphthongs were pronounced only by the oldest representatives of the language.

Patients, Parents and Providers Perspectives Toward Treatment Options for Sickle Cell Disease

Introduction Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common hemoglobinopathies in the world. It is more prevalent in malaria endemic areas where most low-and-middle-income countries (LMIC) are found. Because of challenges in accessing care, persons with SCD (PWSCD) in these settings have a poor outcome and up to 50% die before the age of five years in some places. Those who survive early childhood develop complications at a young age causing their families significant emotional and socioeconomic distress. Effort in LMIC is being directed toward screening for SCD and early initiation of treatment which has improved overall survival and quality of life of PWSCD. However, there are concerns about adherence to treatment due to pill fatigue, persistent SCD symptoms, end organ damage despite available treatment, and side effects of medications. With improved care, SCD is evolving into a chronic illness even in LMIC and PWSCD are surviving into adulthood. These countries will soon face the challenge of handling lifestyle and health demands of an emerging adult and aging PWSCD. There have been significant advances in disease modifying (DM) and curative treatment for SCD in high-income-countries (HIC) and the two promising treatment modalities for cure are bone marrow transplant and gene therapy which can be life changing for PWSCD and their families despite treatment related adverse events. Curing SCD may help prevent long-term complications. It is therefore important to explore the perspectives of PWSCD, their parents and SCD providers toward traditional and novel therapies for SCD as the initial step in planning for improved access to SCD treatment in LMIC. Objective To explore the attitudes of PWSCD, Parents (caregivers) of PWSCD and SCD care providers toward traditional and novel therapies for SCD in a LMIC setting. Methodology This was a mixed methods study conducted at a referral facility for PWSCD in western Kenya. It included 5 focused group discussions (FGD) of 6 - 7 consented participants; 2 with patients, 2 with parents and 2 with SCD providers. FGDs were conducted by trained clinicians and lasted 2 hours. A discussion guide which included information on novel therapies was applied to direct the audio-recorded sessions conducted in local dialect. FGD and analysis were iterative with each thematic content analyzed independent of the others and key concepts arising from these sessions explored. Necessary adjustments were made to the discussion guide for subsequent sessions based on emerging themes. The recorded material was then transcribed in verbatim and translated for analysis using a qualitative analysis tool. Results and Discussion This study enrolled 13 PWSCD, 13 parents of PWSCD and 6 SCD providers (n=32). Participants had similar attitudes towards SCD barriers and novel treatments. 96.9% of participants reported using hydroxyurea and folic acid for themselves, their loved one, or their PWSCD. Over the past year, 83.1% of PWSCD reported painful crisis while 33.% had been hospitalized despite adherence to treatment (table 1). Most participants (65.4%) would consider using novel SCD treatments with hesitations being cost, treatment adverse effect, and distance to treatment location. After the educational intervention, participants were more likely to opt for gene therapy (65.4%) than stem cell transplant (19.2%) or remaining on their current regimen (15.6%) (Table 2). Only one SCD providers' FGD was conducted due to their limited availability from competing clinical duties. Some patients who reported being on recommended treatment continued to have health events and complications that made them, their parents or providers want an alternative treatment. Most participants preferred a curative treatment option for their disease despite the challenges mentioned, which highlighted their willingness to participate in clinical trials. While there are infrastructural challenges in LMIC, they have the highest number of PWSCD that would benefit from new DM and curative treatment for SCD despite being underrepresented in clinical trials. They are the most impacted by complications associated with SCD due to sub-optimal care thus need for action to reverse this. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of involving population in LMIC in efforts to find better treatment for PWSCD. There is a need to conduct a similar study involving a larger cohort in future to further explore more perspectives.

The North Ukrainian Dialect of Vyšneve in the East Slavic Context: Towards a Final Description (part 2)

Abstract This paper continues an article devoted to the linguistic description of the local dialect of Vyšneve, cf. DiG 30 (2022), 23–49. The present study, as previously mentioned, completes a piece of a more comprehensive dialectal and sociolinguistic research on the dialects spoken along the Ukrainian-Belarusian and, to a minor extent, Russian borders. This is a territorial segment located in the eastern Polissian macro region and, more precisely, in the north-western part of the Region of Černihiv (Ukraine). In this continuation, the analysed material describes basic verbal morphology, the ways of expressing modality, the most evident syntactic and lexical features of this local dialect.

The local dialect of the village of Jelšane

The article presents the local dialect of Jelšane. Classified as an Inner Carniolan (Notranjska) dialect belonging to the Littoral (Primorska) dialect group, it evolved from the Lower Carniolan (Dolenjska) dialect, taking on more recent Littoral features. The contribution provides a detailed presentation of the dialect in terms of its phonology as well as morphological peculiarities and vocabulary, typical of this border area.

BRITISH ENGLISH VERSUS AMERICAN ENGLISH PREFERENCE BY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS OF EFL

For decades English has been considered a global language used as not only a native language, but as an official language, a second language in many countries and taught as a foreign language worldwide. Herein, English includes numerous varieties, regional and local dialects, professional speech, slangs, jargons etc. The variety of English is an important feature for learners of EFL, especially for future teachers of English. The constant exposure to different types of English through television, movies, online content etc. might hinder the fluency of EFL learners. Therefore, EFL teachers need to help their students and prevent any ambiguities due to the differences between American and British English. In this research, we have analysed the preference of students between British English and American English vocabulary. The analysis includes 60 first year students of English language and literature from the University “Goce Delcev” in North Macedonia and the South-West University in the Republic of Bulgaria. The results provide an insight on both the knowledge and linguistic preference of students between the two standardized English varieties and enable teachers, university professors and English coursebooks authors to determine their approach in class and help students master fluency.