Native Users Research Articles

Athanasius Kircher’s Cabala Saracenica: European Reception of the Islamic Science of Letters and Divine Names

Abstract This article introduces a significant case regarding the European reception of ʿilm al-ḥurūf wa-l-asmāʾ (the science of letters and divine names) in the Oedipus Aegyptiacus by the Jesuit polymath Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680). Classis V in Tomus II.1, Caps. I-X, and Classis VII, Cap. VI in Tomus II.2 contain Kircher’s most comprehensive engagement with the science of letters, referred to as the Cabala Saracenica in juxtaposition with the Cabala Hebraica. In addition to identifying crucial sources that influenced Kircher’s understanding of the science of letters, this article demonstrates how “Cabala” serves as a comparative tool in Kircher’s construction of a universal language for the Church. It encapsulates his approach to sacred oriental philology, revealing the Hermetic and Kabbalistic erudition absorbed by their native users. This exposure aims to demonstrate that wisdom ultimately reveals the truth of Christian doctrine.

The use of the semi-lexical word ‘while’ by non-native (Polish) and native users of English based on corpora studies

Abstract The objective of the article is the theoretical and practical analysis of the use of the semi-lexical word1 ‘while’ by Polish (non-native) users of English representing different proficiency groups (B2-C2, in accordance with CEFR, which stands for Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) as well as by native users of English. The practical part of the article will be centred on the demonstration of the use of the afore-mentioned word based on the available corpus of L2 users (PELCRA – PLEC). The first acronym denotes Polish and English Language and Corpora for Research and Applications (PELCRA), which is the result of scientific work of the scholars from the University of Łódź. The other one (PLEC), stands for PELCRA English Learner Corpus (see the References section below). It is commonly known that learners/students find it difficult to use semi-lexical words properly, as they are differently realised in their native language. It is generally assumed that learners/students will demonstrate different strategies in the use of the word in question. The strategies selected by them will revolve around hesitations, overuse, avoidance, lack of decisions in the use of the above word. Hence such idea of the research occurred, the objective of which is to verify and demonstrate learners’/students’ performance with reference to the selected word, which is challenging depending on the available contexts.

Kompetencja leksykalna nastoletnich użytkowników języka polskiego jako odziedziczonego i ojczystego w ujęciu komparatywnym

Lexical competence of teenage heritage and native users of Polish has never been the subject of a comprehensive comparison. The first extensive empirical data were gathered by the Jagiellonian University research team in the project Heritage and native language – a comparison of language competences of teenage Polish and heritage learners. In the first stage of the present study, vocabulary tests of the two groups were analyzed. The results showed few differences in receptive knowledge, but in productive knowledge heritage users lagged behind. Therefore, in the second stage, selected essays were compared in terms of their vocabulary profiles. It was found that native and heritage language users’ lexical profiles differ markedly, to the considerable disadvantage of heritage users. Polish educators responsible for the schooling of migrant children must be aware of this, as too often heritage speakers who enter home schools after (re)immigration are treated as if there were native users. This however, as this research has clearly shown, is by no means the case.

Do we mean the same? Semantic native-likeness in highly proficient second language users

Research question: Native-likeness (similarity between non-native and native users of the same language) depends on second language proficiency (L2p). However, evidence comes mainly from phonological or syntactic tasks, prompting an underexplored question: can higher L2p also entail a more native-like organization of semantic memory? Methodology: We asked high and low proficiency bilinguals to describe concepts in their second (English) and first (Spanish) language. We then compared their responses with semantic structure norms from native speakers of each language, and derived measures of semantic native-likeness through a validated semantic proximity measure. Data and analysis: We examined whether semantic native-likeness scores discriminated between high and low L2p levels at the group level (via inferential statistics) and at the individual level (via machine learning analyses). Findings: We found that semantic associations in English were more native-like in high than in low L2p bilinguals. Machine learning analyses showed that this pattern was highly consistent across individual subjects. Responses in Spanish did not differ between groups. Originality: This is the first study assessing semantic native-likeness through concept-feature associations in high and low L2p bilinguals, both at the group- and the individual-level. Significance: Our findings suggest that increased L2p entails a more native-like organization of semantic memory, informing models of bilingual cognition and its links with experience-related variables.

L’intuition dans l’apprentissage et l’emploi d’une langue étrangère : pourquoi la notion est-elle importante ?

The article discusses properties and the role of intuition in learning and using a foreign language. While intuition plays a crucial role in various cognitive processes, its specific implications in linguistics and foreign language pedagogy remain incompletely understood. The first part presents the main theses and research findings on intuition in linguistics (Chomsky, Guillaume, Benveniste, Langacker) and foreign language didactics (Krashen, Ellis, Oxford, DeKeyser, etc.). The second part outlines an empirical study of linguistic behaviours based on intuition. The study focuses on the evaluative function of intuition linked to the rapid judgment of the grammatical correctness of sentences and the compensation function, which involves the immediate inference of the meaning of unknown lexical units from the context. The study results, conducted with 102 students of French as a foreign language, show that at the level of intuitive behaviours concerning the morphological and syntactic subsystems, their linguistic reactions, fast and unconscious behaviours, are characterised by more significant correction than conscious behaviours. On the other hand, as far as the intuitive behaviour related to the lexical-semantic subsystem is concerned, better results are generated by longer reaction times. The study also demonstrated that intuition supports not only native users, but also foreign langue learners at intermediate level of proficiency.

Quality achhi hai (is good), satisfied! Towards aspect based sentiment analysis in code-mixed language

Social media, e-commerce, and other online platforms have witnessed tremendous growth in multilingual users. This requires addressing the code-mixing phenomenon, i.e. mixing of more than one language for providing a rich native user experience. User reviews and comments may benefit service providers in terms of customer management. Aspect based Sentiment Analysis (ABSA) provides a fine-grained analysis of these reviews by identifying the aspects mentioned and classifies the polarities (i.e., positive, negative, neutral, and conflict). The research in this direction has mainly focused on resource-rich monolingual languages like English, which does not suffice for analyzing multilingual code-mixed reviews. In this paper, we introduce a new task to facilitate the research on code-mixed ABSA. We offer a benchmark setup by creating a code-mixed Hinglish (i.e., mixing of Hindi and English) dataset for ABSA, which is annotated with aspect terms and their sentiment values. To demonstrate the effective usage of the dataset, we develop several deep learning based models for aspect term extraction and sentiment analysis, and establish them as the baselines for further research in this direction. 11Codes and the complete dataset have been made available on https://www.iitp.ac.in/~ai-nlp-ml/resources.html and at Github repository: https://github.com/20118/ABSA-MIX.

Prediction of Next Word in Balochi Language Using N-gram Model

Balochi Language is among the oldest languages, spoken by approximately 10 million people worldwide. The Balochi language has been spoken for a very long period. In comparison to other languages like English, Urdu, French etc. it has a research gap in Natural language processing (NLP). The next word prediction system is one of the techniques of NLP for suggesting standardization and corpus collection. This research aims to provide a next-word prediction system and a corpus with no ambiguity for the Balochi language. N-gram model for the next word prediction has been utilized, i.e. Unigram, Bigram, Trigram, Quad-gram, and so on. A trained model has been embedded in an application after being evaluated extrinsically and intrinsically. It plays a crucial role in typing through a keyboard and helps users to type faster. Additionally, it helps native users to have fewer typing errors in less time. The results of the research show that Five-gram model has the highest performance of 93% while Quad-gram model has 80% and Trigram model has 76% respectively.

Testing the bilingual advantage for executive function: insights from hearing children who are native signers

ABSTRACT Bimodal bilingualism involves the use of a sign language and a spoken language, and offers a unique opportunity to explore the cognitive effects of growing up bilingual. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between bimodal bilingualism and executive function (EF) in hearing children who are native users of a sign language. We studied three groups of children: bimodal bilinguals (users of a sign language and a spoken language), unimodal bilinguals (users of two spoken languages), and monolinguals, performing three cognitive tasks to measure different components of EF: visuospatial working memory (Odd One Out task), cognitive flexibility (Children’s Colored Trails Test) and conflict resolution (Simon task). All groups of children obtained similar scores on the Odd One Out task and the Children’s Colored Trails Test. Bimodal bilinguals displayed distinct patterns of conflict resolution in comparison to monolingual children: bimodal bilinguals had better overall accuracy and slower overall reaction time in the Simon task. The subsequent analysis did not find a straightforward trade-off between speed and accuracy. These results suggest that bimodal language experience and/or visual-spatial language usage may explain the small bimodal bilingual advantage in the Simon task that we observed in hearing children who are native signers.

Bilingual store names: A contact-linguistic landscape spectacle in Denpasar

Drawing upon data from first-hand fieldwork, this study explores the mixing of two different codes that have been recently found to be used as store names in Denpasar, the capital city of the Bali Province, Indonesia. It is aimed at describing the contact-linguistic landscape phenomenon and revealing how local store owners address multilingualism as a response to the increasingly heterogeneous and linguistically hybrid society. The research reviewed related theoretical literatures, applied observation, did some interviews with note takings, from which the data suggest the reason or motivation behind the case. In the study the spotted signages combining Balinese and English words are theoretically resemble intra-lexical code-mixing. The bilingual construction took place because each language is believed to have its own important role: the use of the local tongue reflects motivation to maintain and promote the Balinese cultural and linguistic identity, whereas, the use of English suggests expectation of projecting image of “world class” business therefore has been believed to be a tool of attracting shoppers. Despite the gradual decreasing of its native users over the generation, the option to combining Balinese and English as a business identity in public place mirrors the rising language loyalty among some of the locals that may echo the resistance towards its fatal linguistic loss in the short future.

Measurement and Structural Modelling on Factors of Islamic Payment Gateway System Among Millennial Generation in Malaysia

Purpose: This study aims to develop a conceptual model and validate the model using a unified theory of acceptance and use of technology to determine the Determinants of Intention to Use the Islamic Payment Gateway System among the Millennial Generation in Malaysia via a Structural Model. Based on past research, the UTAUT hypothesises four variable constructs: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social Influence, and facilitating factors. These characteristics are predictive of behavioural intent. In terms of the study, the author added a religiosity variable instead of the four recommended moderators.
 Design/methodology/approach: A total of 303 field tests have been obtained from Malaysian millennial citizens using Islamic Fintech. Before the data is analysed into exploratory factor analysis, preliminary analysis such as normality and multicollinearity test has been conducted.
 Findings: All constructs, which are performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social Influence, facilitating condition, and behavioural intention with religiosity as the moderating, have no factor reduction, but all constructs identified two components under exploratory factor analysis. Moreover, all construct KMO tests more than 0.50. All constructs met unidimensionality, validity, reliability, and model fitness in CFA. All the requirements for model fit in this study have been achieved.
 Research limitations/implications: This study has significant consequences, particularly for the existing payment gateway system, which is already entering every area of human lifestyle with the millennial generation being targeted as the native user.
 Originality/value: This study fills the apparent gap in the existing payment gateway system literature by assessing religiosity as moderating through exploratory factor analysis.

Lexical Calque as a Secondary Term-formation Method Framing Cognition in the Target Language

Translating texts from one language into another involves the use of different translation techniques. One particularly interesting technique is ‘lexical calque’ which consists in the creation in the target language of a new expression based on a literal translation of a source language expression to introduce a new concept into the target language. This process involves secondary term-formation which entails cognitive, lexical, and cultural implications for the target language and its users. Therefore, calques frame the way target language users conceptualize the concepts they denote. This study explores the nature of lexical calques resulting from English-Arabic translation with the aim of (a) identifying the lexical, cultural and cognitive implications of English-based lexical calques for Modern Standard Arabic and its users and (b) identifying the views of native users of Arabic over the cognitive impact of lexical calques as loan translations in modern Arabic. The study is based on two types of primary data: (a) data collected from authentic journalistic texts representing different domains, contexts and text types and (b) data collected from native users of Arabic in the form of feedback over their reactions towards calques in Arabic. The study findings indicate that lexical calque is a productive method of word-creation, but has a strong power for framing the cognition of target language users.

THAI STUDENTS’ AWARENESS ATTITUDES OF GLOBAL ENGLISHES PEDAGOGY AND TARGET INTERLOCUTOR

The widespread use of English as a world language has caused changes in the sociolinguistic reality of English speakers, English use, and English-speaking societies. No paradigm has been able to completely capture and account for such changes in the English language given the current changes. In order to reflect the sociolinguistic realities of today, researchers have advocated for a paradigm shift from traditional pedagogy to a new pedagogy that can prepare students to use English in intercultural communication and incorporate multiple varieties of English and cultures. The attitudes of 20 Thai English major students who successfully completed a one-semester Global English language teaching course were investigated using questionnaire and interview data. The analysis included both quantitative and qualitative methods using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis, respectively. The results demonstrated that the 15-week GE-informed pedagogy significantly improved student views toward GE awareness. The students further reported that English should be viewed as a language serving varied communicative needs among different multilingual users and not just native users as target interlocutors. These results call for more GE-awareness pedagogical activities for a better understanding of the practical uses of English and in compliance with global linguistic diversifications.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0003/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Looking for Indian Variety of English in Indian Writing in English

The present paper explores how the Indian writing in English has gone through various phases to be what it is today. It was difficult for the non-native writers to present the Indian culture and context into a language which was not their own. In this process, there emerged various expressions which were linguistically awkward from the point of the native users Standard English. Nevertheless, the Indian writers over the years achieved a level where their language began to be not only accepted but also admired even by the native users of English. One can feel the Indian Variety of English in these texts, yet in the absence of any norms or a regulatory body, it cannot be officially declared the Standard Indian Variety of English.

How Well are Young Deaf Children in Early Intervention Doing on their Language Acquisition? An Assessment View

Little is known about the earliest language acquisition of deaf children who have a variety of different experiences. Cochlear implants tend to be implanted between six months to 12 months and often become active around 18 months. In addition, Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) tend to evaluate articulation rather than language acquisition. In terms of evaluating sign language, there are few normed assessments developed explicitly for this modality. Therefore, a joint research project was established with an early intervention program and Lamar University's Deaf Studies and Deaf Education department to evaluate the earliest language milestones acquired by deaf children between birth and five years of age. The project used language assessments developed for parents and teachers in both American Sign Language (ASL) and English, with norms derived from native users of each language. All languages reported as used by the family were assessed. Results found that most families selected spoken language and those results varied across participants. It was found that younger children using spoken language were more likely to demonstrate age-typical language acquisition when compared to older children. As more linguistic complexity developed, older children using spoken language tended to show delays. Future research suggests investigating bidirectional interactions between children, their families, and the broader systems with which the deaf child interacts. Doing so would create a further understanding of the child’s language acquisition and help families understand how to determine if their child’s language acquisition is progressing in a typical manner.

Reading comprehension strategies used by Chilean deaf adults. A think-aloud study

ABSTRACT This qualitative study aimed to identify and analyse reading comprehension strategies used by five deaf adults, 22–47 years old, who were close to complete or had already completed their studies at a higher education institution. The method chosen was a partial replication of the one used by Banner and Wang (2011) in their think-aloud study to describe cognitive and metacognitive reading comprehension strategies use among deaf students and adults. The present study included similar interview questions and think-aloud procedures, which were conducted by a deaf teacher, native user of Chilean Sign Language (LSCh). Participants read informational texts and were interrupted three times during the reading task to answer questions about their cognitive and metacognitive processes. Results showed that these deaf adults can use strategies from all the categories identified by Pressley and Afflerbach (1995): constructing meaning, monitoring and improving comprehension, and evaluating comprehension. Some strategies described in the study from Banner and Wang were observed only in individual cases, and some of them were not used at all. The deaf participants of this study also used some strategies that were not included in some previous studies. Since very few deaf adults in Chile have completed higher education, the information provided by this study could be useful in guiding interventions aimed to improve reading comprehension in elementary, high school, and college DHH students. The relevance of early experiences with reading, and motivational factors associated to reading achievement are discussed.

Interkomprehensja – interferencja – integracja. Polszczyzna w perspektywie nauczania użytkowników języków wschodniosłowiańskich

The paper is an introduction to teaching the Polish language and culture to native users of closely related languages. The presented synthesis is intended for teachers interested in improving their competence in teaching Polish to East Slavs and those who have just started their adventure in Slavic glottodidactics. The paper grew out of a desire to make teaching Polish to East Slavs (mainly Ukrainans) as effective as possible due to the rapidly increasing need because of a large number of war refugees from Ukraine. Based on their experience in teaching Polish to native users of East Slavic languages, the authors pay particular attention to the Slavic intercomprehension phenomenon and its influence on the glottodidactic process. They also address the problem of the key grammatical mismatches and introduce several good practices.

Can adult learners sense L2 emotional words automatically? The role of L2 use on the emotional Stroop effect

The present study investigated whether adult learners of second language (L2) can automatically activate emotional connotation during emotional word recognition as compared native (L1) users and whether L2 use plays a significant role in it. The automaticity of activation was measured through the emotional Stroop task. In this task, emotional words and neutral words were displayed in two different colors, and the participants were asked to indicate the color by button press. Results showed a delay in L2 learners’ response to emotional words (the emotional Stroop effect) without significant differences from L1 users’ response, indicating comparable automaticity in activating emotional connotation in performing the task. Further analyses on the effect of L2 use revealed its significant role in increasing the emotional Stroop effect. Specifically, L2 learners with higher amount of L2 use in daily life produced a significant emotion Stroop effect comparable to L1 users, while L2 learners with lower L2 use did not. We discuss the importance of L2 use in actual context in automatic processing of L2 emotional words, especially among adult learners who began L2 learning in adulthood in a case of underrepresented languages as L2.

Generational differences in handling technology interruptions: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT Digital native and digital immigrant user types characterise the differences between those who grew up in a world of ubiquitous information systems and those who pre-date it. The rise in computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies such as emails, text messages, and social media creates more opportunities for interruptions. Researchers have explored the impact of growing up in a world of technology. However, little research has explored the potential differences between digital natives and digital immigrants handling technology interruptions. This paper uses a qualitative approach to examine the extent to which individuals handle CMC interruptions differently based on the role of technology and its level of pervasiveness in the environment in which they grew up. Thirty-three interviews were conducted with individuals from different population groups based on age and gender to understand how technology interruptions are handled in work and social life. The findings support existing pre- and post-technology interruption frameworks and explain how and why generational differences exist in the process of CMC interruption handling. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Migrant’s library services: a theoretical and empirical study in Spain with guidelines for their creation

PurposeThe purpose of this research study was to seek new forms of public libraries helping with the integration of migrants. It comprises a comprehensive and up-to-date bibliographic review and an empirical study involving the librarians and native and migrant users of public libraries in Spain leading to the design of guidelines for library services targeted at migrant users that can help foster the integration of this group of the population.Design/methodology/approachThe bibliographic review analyses studies of whether migrant users see the public library as a place of meeting and interchange as well as a fundamental institution providing them with services, meeting their information requirements and offering them challenges and projects. The empirical investigation contrasts this theoretical information by administering three questionnaires (one for librarians, one for native users and one for migrant users, with a total of 45 items) focused on the relationship between public libraries and migration. A total of 20 public libraries over the territory of Spain were selected in accordance with diverse criteria, and a total of 233 completed questionnaires were collected.FindingsThe main results of the empirical research indicate that the greatest proportion of migrant users go to Spain’s public libraries on the recommendation of friends and/or relatives. They use them mainly as a place of study, visiting them at least twice a week, even though the representation of collections and specific services for this group is very sparse (only 5% of the collection of the libraries analysed are in a foreign language). On the other hand, the satisfaction expressed towards both the general services of the libraries and the help provided by their librarians is scored highly, getting mean scores of 4.45 and 4.40 out of 5, respectively.Originality/valueThis work not only includes an exhaustive bibliographic review of the relationship between public libraries and migrant users and an empirical investigation carried out in Spain with librarians, native users and migrant users, but also presents a decalogue of guidelines for the design of a range of services focused on the specific needs of the migrant population, thus favouring their integration in the host country.

Adulteration of the Igbo Language Through Multilingualism in South-Eastern Nigeria

The study seeks to find out the linguistic adulteration of the Igbo language through a sociolinguistic process known as multilingualism. Many scholars are lamenting that the Igbo language is going into extinction just because it is losing its original linguistic structures via multilingualism. Such alteration brings to the limelight of the study in order to address these issues on Nigerian indigenous languages in general and the Igbo language in particular. A descriptive approach is used to harvest some of these language contact issues among the Igbo populace and language. A random sampling is used to ascertain the population of the five Igbo states: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States on how communication and written aspects of the language have been dealt with negatively. Participant observation and students’ essay writing in the Igbo language are used to collate these sub-standard Igbo grammar structures. The study expounds at a length the intricacy of the proper Igbo written forms and as well as pulling the Igbo language away from the effects of multilingualism. The findings of the study prove that the different types of multilingualism abound among the Igbo language native users. They also exemplify some linguistic related issues on the bold face of multilingualism among the Igbo interlocutors and how they vary among the Igbo speech communities in Nigeria. The study also finds out the effects of multilingualism on the standard Igbo teaching. The study goes further in suggesting some quintessential solutions to recuperate the status quo of the Igbo language.