Sentence Frames Research Articles

Using Response Prompting, Frames, and Technology to Teach Rural Students With Extensive Support Needs to Write About Stories

We used a single case concurrent multiple probe across participants design to evaluate the effects of a multi-component intervention package on the number of correct sentences used when writing about a story for three rural elementary students with intellectual or developmental disabilities and extensive support needs. The package was comprised of response prompting, sentence frames, and selection-based writing software and produced improved performance across all three participants. Overall, data indicate students improved their writing performance following the introduction of the package. We discuss our findings in relation to future research and implications for practitioners.

Who said what to whom? Memory for sources and destinations in monolinguals and bilinguals.

Two experiments with monolingual and bilingual participants tested memory for sources (speakers) and destinations (listeners) in conversations consisting of self-referential statements. In Experiment 1, participants directly interacted in English conversations with audio-visually recorded confederates. In Experiment 2, participants observed recorded conversations among confederates. In both conversational situations, source memory was more accurate than destination memory, indicating that the attentional resources consumed by self-focus or sentence production/completion do not explain why destinations are less well remembered than sources in direct-interaction conversations. Source and destination memory were positively associated with item memory at the participant level, indicating that stronger item encoding is associated with stronger encoding of contextual information. In the observed conversations, source and destination accuracy were negatively associated at the trial level, indicating that these features of the memory episode are not encoded independently, and there is a tradeoff in the encoding of these contextual features. Item memory did not differ for monolinguals and bilinguals and was positively associated with proficiency only in conversations with direct interaction. In the observational setting (but not the direct-interaction setting), source and destination memory were more accurate for bilinguals than monolinguals. This finding suggests that bilinguals allocate attention more efficiently than monolinguals when the cognitive demands of sentence production are eliminated. Proficiency in English was positively associated with memory for the appropriate conversational partner only when participants had to produce sentence frames and complete them with self-generated information, suggesting that language proficiency is beneficial when cognitive demands are high.

Looking beyond literacy and phonology: word learning and phonological cue use in children with and without dyslexia

IntroductionThis study investigated whether children with and without dyslexia differ in word learning and whether phonological cues to word class play a role. If children with dyslexia have difficulties with implicit learning, they might be less sensitive to such cues.MethodsA group of 89 Dutch primary school children from Grades 3 to 6 participated in a word learning experiment, consisting of children with dyslexia (n = 44) and typically developing children (n = 45). Test items were four monosyllabic ‘verb-like' nonwords (e.g., voek) and four bisyllabic ‘noun-like' nonwords (e.g., banijn). They were presented as novel verbs or nouns in a two word sentence frame (e.g., “I voek” or “a voek”), paired with pictures of unfamiliar actions or objects. Nonwords were either consistent (e.g., “I voek,” “a banijn”) or inconsistent (e.g., “I banijn,” “a voek”) with word class. The word learning experiment consisted of a repetition, identification, and naming phase.ResultsChildren with dyslexia showed lower word learning outcomes in the naming phase. However, phonological cues did not affect word learning in either group. Regression analyses indicated that phoneme awareness, receptive vocabulary, and nonword reading were predictors of word learning for all children.DiscussionThese findings indicate that Dutch children with dyslexia have more difficulty in recalling novel words, fitting in with their phonological difficulties. Phonological cues to word class did not contribute to word learning in either group.

The four frames of leadership and motivating language theory: Version 2.0

Purpose The purpose of this conceptual paper is to increase the clarity and application of the original model and integration table. Specifically, the intent was to increase clarity by highlighting elements left out of the original article (sentence frames), adding additional information on the medium of leadership practice through the addition of Bolman and Deal's leadership lessons, and improving the flow and structure of leader steps as leaders move across the model in the leader sequence of events. Finally, the model was tweaked to adjust the political frame across both direction-giving and empathetic language based on participant feedback and a literature review. Design/methodology/approach The approach of this conceptual paper is to continue the evolution of the integration of the Four-Frames and Motivating Language Theory (MLT) first presented in DLO in 2019 using updated literature from Bolman and Deal (2019, 2021) and feedback from real-world implementation of the contents from the original article. Findings The findings of this conceptual paper are in two forms. First, the Version 2.0 integration model illustrates greater clarity and an improved sequence for implementation by leaders to address the pressing issues they face. Second, the illustration of the sentence frames and their evolution from the original article (2019) to the current paper highlights the power and integration of the Four-Frames and Motivating Language Theory regarding their versatility and utilization as a critical thinking and teaching tool for leaders and organizations. Practical implications For practitioners, this conceptual paper provides additional information on how to implement the Four-Frames as leaders through the power and influence of leadership communication and action. Originality/value The value of the Version 2.0 integrated model continues to leverage the combination of the Four Frames and Motivating Language Theory, which is still unique in the research. This evolution of the integration creates greater clarity in terms of understanding and utilizing leadership, connecting and sequencing the Four-Frames and MLT together, and applying the Four-Frame(s) accurately. This article continues to extend the field of Motivating Language Theory and addresses a gap in the work of the Four Frames – communication.

Strong Prediction: Language Model Surprisal Explains Multiple N400 Effects.

Theoretical accounts of the N400 are divided as to whether the amplitude of the N400 response to a stimulus reflects the extent to which the stimulus was predicted, the extent to which the stimulus is semantically similar to its preceding context, or both. We use state-of-the-art machine learning tools to investigate which of these three accounts is best supported by the evidence. GPT-3, a neural language model trained to compute the conditional probability of any word based on the words that precede it, was used to operationalize contextual predictability. In particular, we used an information-theoretic construct known as surprisal (the negative logarithm of the conditional probability). Contextual semantic similarity was operationalized by using two high-quality co-occurrence-derived vector-based meaning representations for words: GloVe and fastText. The cosine between the vector representation of the sentence frame and final word was used to derive contextual cosine similarity estimates. A series of regression models were constructed, where these variables, along with cloze probability and plausibility ratings, were used to predict single trial N400 amplitudes recorded from healthy adults as they read sentences whose final word varied in its predictability, plausibility, and semantic relationship to the likeliest sentence completion. Statistical model comparison indicated GPT-3 surprisal provided the best account of N400 amplitude and suggested that apparently disparate N400 effects of expectancy, plausibility, and contextual semantic similarity can be reduced to variation in the predictability of words. The results are argued to support predictive coding in the human language network.

I know how you'll say it: evidence of speaker-specific speech prediction.

Most models of language comprehension assume that the linguistic system is able to pre-activate phonological information. However, the evidence for phonological prediction is mixed and controversial. In this study, we implement a paradigm that capitalizes on the fact that foreign speakers usually make phonological errors. We investigate whether speaker identity (native vs. foreign) is used to make specific phonological predictions. Fifty-two participants were recruited to read sentence frames followed by a last spoken word which was uttered by either a native or a foreign speaker. They were required to perform a lexical decision on the last spoken word, which could be either semantically predictable or not. Speaker identity (native vs. foreign) may or may not be cued by the face of the speaker. We observed that the face cue is effective in speeding up the lexical decision when the word is predictable, but it is not effective when the word is not predictable. This result shows that speech prediction takes into account the phonological variability between speakers, suggesting that it is possible to pre-activate in a detailed and specific way the phonological representation of a predictable word.

The effects of three-way consonant distinction in Northern Saami

Of the world’s languages, very few have been attested to possess a three-way consonant length distinction, among them Northern Saami (Uralic). However, the effects of this rare contrast on adjacent segments remain unexplored. This study reports on dialectal variation within Northern Saami and sheds light on the relationship between consonant length and the duration of preceding vowels. Three speakers were recorded: one Western Guovdageaidnu speaker and two Eastern Kárášjohka speakers. Target words were bisyllabic of the form CVV(C), with a medial short, long, or extra-long consonant, and were elicited in frame sentences. Results show dialectal differences in the number of consonant length distinctions, as well as the effects on preconsonantal vowels. The Western dialect exhibits three surface consonant lengths, while the Eastern dialect only has the longest and shortest. Interestingly, the Eastern speakers’ extra-long C are systematically longer than their Western counterparts. Preconsonantal vowels vary with consonant length in the Western dialect, while Eastern preconsonantal vowels present a broader range of contrasts. These findings suggest that the Western dialect resembles other Saami languages with three consonant lengths (e.g., McRobbie-Utasi 2007). In comparison, the Eastern dialect may instantiate some of this contrast on the preceding vowel instead.

The beneficial effects of concept definition and interactive imagery tasks on associative memory: Evidence from event-related potentials

It is widely accepted that familiarity can support associative memory when the to-be-remember items are unitized into a new representation. However, there has been relatively little attention devoted to investigating the effects of different unitization manipulations on associative memory. The present study aimed to address this gap by examining the effects of varying levels of unitization through three tasks: Concept definition, interactive imagery, and sentence frame tasks. The behavioral results revealed that associative memory was significantly enhanced in the interactive imagery task compared to the sentence frame task. However, no significant differences were found between the sentence frame and concept definition tasks, or between the concept definition and interactive imagery tasks. In terms of the neural correlates, the event-related potential (ERP) results revealed that the sentence frame task only elicited a significant recollection-related LPC old/new effect, while the concept definition task only elicited a significant familiarity-related FN400 old/new effect. However, the interactive representation task elicited both of these distinct effects. These findings suggest that both the concept definition and interactive imagery tasks can enhance familiarity for supporting associative memory, but their beneficial effects on associative memory or LPC old/new effects may be different.

Addressing Multilingual Learners’ Language Needs Through Engaging Inquiry-Based Science

This article presents an overview of a 3-year series of workshops on teaching and providing multilingual learners (MLs) with access to science by utilizing effective language development strategies. The workshops were delivered to primary teachers in California and included three different modules: (a) Think and Question Like a Scientist, (b) Observe and Record Like a Scientist through Science Notebooking, and (c) Argue Like a Scientist. The activities showcase effective, research-based second language acquisition (SLA) strategies, including providing comprehensible input via paraphrasing, using visual and media resources, gestures, and the student’s native language, and modeling tasks. Additionally, scaffolding academic language through personal dictionaries, sentence frames, and native language support constitutes some of the ideas shared. Detailed descriptions highlight the “how” of addressing the needs of MLs at a variety of proficiency levels.

Frequent vs. infrequent words shape toddlers' real-time sentence comprehension.

We examined how noun frequency and the typicality of surrounding linguistic context contribute to children's real-time comprehension. Monolingual English-learning toddlers viewed pairs of pictures while hearing sentences with typical or atypical sentence frames (Look at the… vs. Examine the…), followed by nouns that were higher- or lower-frequency labels for a referent (horse vs. pony). Toddlers showed no significant differences in comprehension of nouns in typical and atypical sentence frames. However, they were less accurate in recognizing lower-frequency nouns, particularly among toddlers with smaller vocabularies. We conclude that toddlers can recognize nouns in diverse sentence contexts, but their representations develop gradually.

Over-framing: interrogating sentence frames as pedagogical support vs. language restriction

ABSTRACT Sentence frames are a frequently used form of pedagogical scaffolding in language education. Yet there is debate around whether sentence frames offer the opportunity for analysis and internalisation of authentic language use, or simply facilitate rote, ‘plug and play’ language use. This paper takes a linguistic ethnography approach informed by case study methodology to explore the use of sentence frames in a dual language bilingual education (DLBE) setting. Data were collected across 78 h of field observations and 15 h of interviews conducted over one school year. Classroom observations and interviews were conducted in both Spanish and English. Findings point to the frequency with which the use of sentence frames can perpetuate a phenomenon we describe as over-framing. Specifically, our findings demonstrate tensions between a teacher’s introduction of sentence frames as a ‘fill in the blank’ format, as opposed to an opportunity to develop language awareness through breaking down and exploring frames with students collaboratively. We provide recommendations for shifting the field’s approach to the use of sentence frames in future research and practice.

Early neuro-electric indication of lexical match in English spoken-word recognition.

We investigated early electrophysiological responses to spoken English words embedded in neutral sentence frames, using a lexical decision paradigm. As words unfold in time, similar-sounding lexical items compete for recognition within 200 milliseconds after word onset. A small number of studies have previously investigated event-related potentials in this time window in English and French, with results differing in direction of effects as well as component scalp distribution. Investigations of spoken-word recognition in Swedish have reported an early left-frontally distributed event-related potential that increases in amplitude as a function of the probability of a successful lexical match as the word unfolds. Results from the present study indicate that the same process may occur in English: we propose that increased certainty of a 'word' response in a lexical decision task is reflected in the amplitude of an early left-anterior brain potential beginning around 150 milliseconds after word onset. This in turn is proposed to be connected to the probabilistically driven activation of possible upcoming word forms.

Phrasal Prominence Location is Influenced by IP Boundary Location in the Absence of Stress Clash

Several factors can influence early prominence in double-stressed words (e.g., Maltese), namely the presence of foot-level stress clash with a following word, and their adjacency to domain-initial boundaries. We test whether initial accent can occur in such words even when the words are spoken in isolation. Fourteen targets and 26 tri-syllabic filler-items were produced in isolation and in a frame sentence, e.g., [Say Maltese again], by 12 English speakers. In isolation, ‘Early’ prominence on, e.g., Mal- is more likely because the target is utterance- and phrase-initial. In the Embedded condition, phrasal prominence should be less likely on the initial syllable because there is a weaker boundary preceding the target. Three linguists coded prominence location. Early prominence rates, and Early scores (sum of ‘Early’ judgements/token) were calculated. While 96% of the Embedded tokens were perceived with ‘Late’ prominence, this pattern appeared in only 48% of the Isolated targets. The Early scores were also significantly higher in the Isolated condition. Overall, results suggest that doubly-stressed words show stress shifting to demarcate the left IP-edge. Because this study uses contexts free of stress clash with a following word, its results provide evidence that other factors, namely domain-onset-marking, can influence prominence location.

Beyond sentence frames: Scaffolding emergent multilingual students' participation in science discourse

AbstractThe discipline of science provides rich opportunities for language development as students engage collaboratively to investigate and make sense of compelling phenomena. Drawing from a design research study conducted in fifth grade classrooms, we describe how teachers can support emergent multilingual students' participation in science discourse. Attempts to support emergent multilingual students in content‐area discussions often emphasize the use of sentence stems and frames. However, we illustrate how an emphasis on sentence frames can interrupt students' collaborative sense‐making when students and teachers focus on language forms and correct written products rather than on the process of dialogic sense‐making. To move beyond sentence frames, we use transcripts to illustrate other more generative forms of scaffolding that support emergent multilingual students' participation in science discourse and disciplinary practices. We describe how teachers can ground discussion in hands‐on investigations, leverage multiple modalities for meaning making, and engage students in moving bidirectionally between writing and talk. These forms of scaffolding center emergent multilingual students in curricular design, rather than conceptualizing scaffolds as ancillary supports provided to certain students.

Experimental evidence of the production of inflected infinitives by Brazilian Portuguese speakers

The Minimalist Program launched by N. Chomsky (1995) inspired reductionist accounts of Control phenomena, which tried to eliminate ‘PRO’ from the theory of grammar, treating it as a trace (copy) of movement (Martin 1996; O’Neil 1997; Hornstein 1999 et seq.). Such movement theories of Control are directly challenged by the use of inflected infinitives in Brazilian Portuguese (BP), as shown in Modesto (2010). Many supporters of the movement theory, however, have denied the empirical argument, making the claim that inflected infinitives “are not natural in BP” (Rodrigues & Hornstein 2013: 307), not belonging to BP’s “core grammar”. This study, then, presents two experiments in which production of nonfinite inflection is implicitly elicited in a pseudoword oral completion task. Participants from different linguistic geographic varieties (the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo) heard the pseudoverb in its gerundive form and were then prompted to insert the pseudoverb in a sentence frame that would be compatible with both uninflected and inflected infinitive forms. Our results show 73.3% of participants inflected the infinitive to some degree when indirectly primed to do so, and that 40.9% did so, even when not primed. Results also show that while linearly distant plural markings (on the subject) did not influence behavior, adjacent morphosyntactic plural markings (on secondary predicates, for instance) did slightly increase the probability of inflection. Both priming effects and sensitivity to morphosyntactic context seem to indicate that nonfinite inflection is a productive, albeit variable, feature of BP speakers’ I-grammar.

Teaching expository writing to Arabic-speaking students with intellectual disability in inclusive classrooms: effect of four-square method and sentence frames

Expository writing (EW) is crucial for the literacy development of students with intellectual disabilities (ID) in inclusive classrooms. Students with ID, however, struggle with EW due to problems with generating, organizing, and producing text. Similarly, teachers of students with ID face challenges with employing the appropriate instructional method to teach EW to students with ID. The current study, therefore, investigated the effectiveness of combining two instructional methods, namely the Four-Square Writing Method and Sentence Frames, in teaching EW skills to students with ID. Using a single group pretest posttest quasi experimental design, 8 students with mild ID who received their education in inclusive classroom in one of the suburban schools in Egypt participated in the study. Participants were aged between 11 and 12 and were enrolled in grades 5 and 6. An intervention instructional program was implemented to teach EW to participants. Prior to and following the intervention participants’ EW was evaluated with regard to paragraph length, structure and coherence. Results showed that the use of both strategies had a positive effect on students’ EW. Additionally, students retained their intervention gains after a follow up duration of eight weeks. Implications are discussed in relation to the context of teaching literacy skills to students with ID in Egypt.

A Preliminary Analysis on the Correlates of Stress and Tones in Mizo

Stress is the property of a language to exhibit prominence or distinction in one or more syllables in a given domain. The existence of word stress has not been suitably explored in previous acoustic studies of the Mizo language, which is a tonal language of the Kuki-Chin sub-category in Tibeto-Burman language families. In this study, we attempt to analyze word stress on disyllabic target words, specifically in three lexical categories— adjectives, nouns, and verbs . Utterances of the target words are recorded in isolated setting (out of focus) and in sentence frames (in focus). First, averages of features, namely— duration, intensity, F0, formants , and spectral tilt , are extracted and investigated for identification of stressed and unstressed syllables on a total of 2,880 samples. Next, the interaction of word stress on the four tones of Mizo is investigated. While it is found that H-tone is generally stressed, inferences are made that stressed syllables are not unique to a specific tone. Third, significance of the selected features are validated using a two-tailed paired sample t -test. Our analysis indicates that the mean differences in duration, intensity, and F0 of the stressed and unstressed syllables are significant across the lexical categories at p < 0.05. Next, validations on the significance of the mean differences are carried out using Cohen’s d effect size and Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient ( r ). Finally, three machine learning models—Support Vector Machines (SVM), Naive Baye’s, and Ensemble learning methods (AdaBoost and Boosted Aggregation), are used to identify stressed and unstressed syllables associated with tones in Mizo. Discriminating differences, especially in disyllabic verbs , are observed between stressed vs. unstressed syllables. Conclusions are drawn that duration is a strong and robust cue for acoustic correlates of stress, while intensity is a medium cue for stress and F0 a weak cue for stress.

APPLICATION OF NEXT WORD PREDICTION

Next Word Prediction is additionally called Language Modeling. It is the undertaking of predicting what word comes straightaway. Attempting to make model utilizing nietzsche default text record which will foresee clients sentence after the clients composed 40 letters, the model will comprehend 40 letters and anticipate impending top 10 words utilizing RNN neural organization which will be executed utilizing Tensorflow. Our Aim of creating this model to predict 10 or more then 10 words as fast as possible utilizing minimum time. As RNN is Long Short Time memory it will understand past text and predict the words which may be helpful for the user to frame sentences and this technique uses letter to letter prediction means it predicts letter after letter to create a word.

“You don't actually experience it until you're actually in it”: A translanguaging simulation for preservice teachers

“You don't actually experience it until you're actually in it”: A translanguaging simulation for preservice teachers

The role of internal constraints and stylistic congruence on a variant's social impact

AbstractIn natural conversation, multiple factors likely impact the social force of a sociolinguistic variant, yet researchers have tended to examine individual factors in isolation. This paper considers two underexamined factors together—the role of a variable's internal constraints and the role of stylistically congruent surrounding speech—to understand their combined influence on how a single variable's realization is socially interpreted. Focusing on English variable (ING), two accent rating experiments used stimuli varying the grammatical category of (ING) words and varying the stylistic congruence (natural sentences versus spliced stimuli) between (ING) realization and sentence frames. Results indicate that listeners showed sensitivity to (ING)'s internal constraints but only when the congruence between (ING)'s realization and other cues was not disrupted by using spliced stimuli. These findings suggest that internal constraints and stylistic congruence play a role in social signaling, and have methodological implications for the use of splicing.