Significant Linguistic Differences Research Articles

Does the Gender of Doctors Change a Patient’s Perception?

ABSTRACT In the past, researchers have used various data sources like social media, admission applications, or letters of recommendation to identify gender-based differences in linguistic data. One such avenue in healthcare is the online physician reviews website. Such websites, for example, RateMyDoctors.com, ZocDoc, or even Yelp.com have become a go-to place for patients when choosing their physicians. In the current research, we used two different natural language processing (NLP) approaches: semi-supervised and unsupervised topic modeling to analyze the text of the reviews to identify gender-based linguistic differences from patients’ perspectives. We found that female physicians receive more reviews on their personable skills and warmth, aligning with the Stereotype Content Model. We also found other popular topics discussing bedside manners and overall patient experiences, where the reviews suggested that patients were happier with their experience with female physicians and perceived them to have more positive traits than their male counterparts. Although our study did not reflect significant linguistic differences; it highlights the importance for patients and doctors to be more aware of potential gender stereotypes and perceptions.

Gender Differences in Work-Based Assessment Scores and Narrative Comments After Direct Observation.

While some prior studies of work-based assessment (WBA) numeric ratings have not shown gender differences, they have been unable to account for the true performance of the resident or explore narrative differences by gender. To explore gender differences in WBA ratings as well as narrative comments (when scripted performance was known). Secondary analysis of WBAs obtained from a randomized controlled trial of a longitudinal rater training intervention in 2018-2019. Participating faculty (n = 77) observed standardized resident-patient encounters and subsequently completed rater assessment forms (RAFs). Participating faculty in longitudinal rater training. Gender differences in mean entrustment ratings (4-point scale) were assessed with multivariable regression (adjusted for scripted performance, rater and resident demographics, and the interaction between study arm and time period [pre- versus post-intervention]). Using pre-specified natural language processing categories (masculine, feminine, agentic, and communal words), multivariable linear regression was used to determine associations of word use in the narrative comments with resident gender, race, and skill level, faculty demographics, and interaction between the study arm and the time period (pre- versus post-intervention). Across 1527 RAFs, there were significant differences in entrustment ratings between women and men standardized residents (2.29 versus 2.54, respectively, p < 0.001) after correction for resident skill level. As compared to men, feminine terms were more common for comments of what the resident did poorly among women residents (β 0.45, CI 0.12-0.78, p 0.01). This persisted despite adjusting for the faculty's entrustment ratings. There were no other significant linguistic differences by gender. Contrasting prior studies, we found entrustment rating differences in a simulated WBA which persisted after adjusting for the resident's scripted performance. There were also linguistic differences by gender after adjusting for entrustment ratings, with feminine terms being used more frequently in comments about women in some, but not all narrative comments.

Longitudinal Examination of Potential Bilingual Advantage Effects for Selective Attention and Cognitive Functioning in Young Children

ABSTRACT A good deal of research purports that bilingualism has a positive effect on some aspects of cognitive functioning. However, this effect is not consistent, and little research examines trajectories of cognitive skill development in bilingual children. Moreover, it remains unclear whether different types of bilingualism impact how cognitive abilities unfold. The reported study investigates children’s data from three linguistic groups (179 sequential bilingual, 96 simultaneous bilingual and 57 monolingual German-speaking children) and examines differences (1) regarding cognitive outcome measures pertaining to selective attention, visuospatial thinking and abstract thinking and (2) searches for substantial developmental trajectory differences regarding said measures. Children were tested at 3 points in time; at age 4;10, 6;2 and 7;4. Results indicate no significant linguistic group differences in selective attention, visuospatial thinking and abstract thinking when controlling for gender, language comprehension of the child, and families’ socioeconomic status. Moreover, the three linguistic groups did not differ in developmental trajectories. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

An empirical analysis of linguistic styles in new work services: The case of Fiverr.com

AbstractCurrent online marketplaces, characterized by a high number of sellers and the velocity of offerings, make service differentiation difficult for sellers. One particularly promising avenue for sellers (in this study: individuals) beyond classical demand‐side approaches (i.e., prices) is to employ linguistic descriptions of their offerings. Yet, it remains mostly unclear what constitutes “successful” linguistic strategies. To elaborate on this, the current paper mines more than 2000 unique service offerings on Fiverr.com, a leading online marketplace for freelance services. By distinguishing between different service categories (i.e., hedonic and utilitarian services) and other characteristics of individual sellers (e.g., the origin of a seller), the paper analyzes the linguistic service descriptions via the Linguistic Inquirer and Word Counts (LIWC) and provides an empirical taxonomy of linguistic styles among individuals. Although the paper is novel and explorative, a few interesting insights can be obtained. First, there are significant linguistic differences in how sellers describe their service offerings depending on the service category (hedonic/utilitarian). Second, linguistic proxies of complexity, namely, words per sentence, six‐letter words, and the overall word count (i.e., increasing informational content) as well as signals of analytical language, appear to be a beneficial strategy for sellers. Third, a linguistic strategy aimed at matching (congruence) of service categories (hedonic/utilitarian) and linguistic styles (analytical/emotional) appears to be beneficial. The results have important implications for creating linguistic strategies in online marketplaces focused on services on the supply side.

Exploring the Perspectives of EFL Instructors toward the Employment of L1 in EFL Reading Classes

In recent years, numerous studies have been concerned with evaluating the effectiveness of using L1 in EFL contexts. Nevertheless, there is no consensus so far on the usefulness of the use of L1 in EFL contexts. More specifically, there is a wide disagreement between scholars and researchers regarding the use of Arabic as an L1 in EFL contexts given the significant linguistic differences between Arabic and English. In light of this argument, this study is concerned with evaluating the effectiveness and usefulness of the use of L1 in EFL classes in the Saudi universities of the instructors’ perspective. Semi- structured interviews were conducted with twelve EFL instructors in four Saudi universities. Results indicated that the majority of the participants indicated that the integration of L1 in EFL classes can be usefully used to achieve a proper classroom discipline and keep the structure of the classroom activities in a way that makes the realization of the target outcomes possible. They also stressed that L1 can be used to help EFL learners develop their English language skills. They also indicated that the use of Arabic in EFL classes helps establish a good relationship with the instructor and reduces students’ stress and anxiety. It can be finally concluded that the use of Arabic serves as a useful teaching and learning tool in EFL contexts.

The role of recontextualization and socialization practices in transferring corporate values from a small Norwegian IT company to an Indian subsidiary

Companies that nurture a shared corporate culture based on specific corporate values can improve their performance. However, when companies expand globally, communicating and transferring these values can be challenging, particularly when there are significant linguistic and cultural differences. This qualitative study examined the case of a small Norwegian IT company that has put its two corporate values at the core of its activity, and how these values were transferred to a subsidiary in India. Drawing on the concept of recontextualization and socialization theory, the study investigates the following: (1) how the corporate values were transferred, recontextualized and renegotiated in the Indian subsidiary; (2) how those values were implemented through a set of socialization mechanisms. Our main findings reveal how the Indian leaders actively recontextualized the values into prevailing cultural practices in India, and how senior employees were engaged in the value transfer process. Moreover, this article outlines how a small company without a formal HR department and with no expatriates to guide the process can use soft control mechanisms related to more formalized and structured HR practices to implement the headquarters’ values. Additionally, the article discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.

Textbook and popular science text reading: boys’ and girls’ comprehension and assimilation of academic language

ABSTRACT Reading can be considered constitutive epistemology for science and a fundamental aspect of scientific literacy. This study attempted to give further insights into the comprehension of different genres of science texts (textbook and popular science) and the assimilation of the academic language by adolescent age students. The writings 14- and 15-year-old students produced after reading one of these two genres were analysed while controlling for their reading skills and gender. The results indicated that popular science text readers achieved better comprehension scores for some of the ideas provided by the texts and that the performance of boys and girls reading the popular science materials tended to converge for most of the text ideas. Furthermore, analysis of some attributes of scientific writing revealed significant linguistic differences in the writings produced by the readers of different text genres. Data interpretation implies that (a) the influence of text genre on reading comprehension can be restrained only to some of the text imparted propositions; (b) certain school science text genres were prone to reverse the well-known girls’ reading superiority over boys; and (c) students can reproduce text characteristics in their writing that is more consistent with academic language. Overall, the findings presented favour a view that science reading is a complex phenomenon that merits more in-depth research.

A textual analysis of the US Securities and Exchange Commission's accounting and auditing enforcement releases relating to the Sarbanes–Oxley Act

SummaryWe focus on textual analysis of the US Securities and Exchange Commission's accounting and auditing enforcement releases (AAERs). Our research question is: Did the Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX) 2002 affect the qualitative linguistic content of the AAERs in the post‐SOX period? To answer this question, we test the null hypotheses that there will be no differences in the qualitative verbiage and sentiment of AAERs in the time periods that we study related to the enactment of SOX: pre‐SOX and post‐SOX. To resolve the research question, we applied several text mining methods and classification machine‐learning methods. We first used two basic text‐mining methods, generating a bag of words and topic modeling, for descriptive analysis of the AAER content before the enactment of SOX and after the enforcement of SOX. We then conducted sentiment analysis using four sentiment dictionaries on the content of the two time periods: before SOX and after SOX. Finally, we developed three different classification models based on well‐known supervised learning algorithms and determined that SOX‐related AAERs could be distinguished from non‐SOX‐related AAERs. Based on the results, we conclude that there were significant linguistic differences in the AAER content of the post‐SOX period compared with the pre‐SOX period. In other words, post‐SOX‐related AAERs are qualitatively different in terms of linguistic contents and sentiment values compared with the non‐SOX‐related AAERs.

STYLISTIC PECULIARITIES OF THE TRANSLATION OF SOMATIC PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS

This article covers the issue of clarifying the stylistic peculiarities of the translation of somatic phraseological units in English and Kyrgyz languages, as well as their functions, emotional shades, semantic and thematic content groups. Based on somatic groups, similarities and differences, it is possible to determine the relationship between languages, to investigate the process of formation of secondary meanings of somatisms that may reflect various aspects of human life. Wishing to emphasize that the identification of significant linguistic similarities and differences can be carried out under various conditions of generalization of the material, in particular, comparing the categories of phraseology and entire phraseological systems, along with the general features of comparative analysis, intra-linguistic descriptions, their comparability, identification of interlanguage differences based on identities, two-way direction. Their internal organization (aspect instructive-semantic correlation) so it is in their combined content and functioning (functional and semantic correlation).

The Role of Gender in Neurosurgical Residency Applicants' Letters of Recommendation.

Letters of recommendation (LORs) are one of the most important components of the neurosurgical residency application. Studies in other fields and surgical subspecialties have found gender bias. To determine whether neurosurgical LORs contain significant linguistic gendered differences. We performed a retrospective review and linguistic analysis of all LORs submitted on behalf of applicants offered an interview invitation to a single neurosurgical residency program at an academic medical center between 2015-2016 and 2018-2019. A total of 599 letters from 156 applicants (120 males and 36 females) were included. Background demographics, including United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 score and publications, were not significantly different between applicants. Male faculty authored 93% of all letters. Female faculty were more likely to write letters for female applicants than male applicants (12.1%vs 5.5%, P <.001). Letters for women were significantly longer (334 words vs 277 words, P <.001). Overall, 1754 agentic terms and 854 communal terms were coded. Letters for men contained significantly fewer agentic terms (10.7vs 13.1, per applicant, P <.01) and communal terms (5.2vs 6.4, P <.034). This difference, however, is nonsignificant when word count was used as a covariate. Female applicants were more significantly likely to be labeled "Outstanding" (2.4vs 1.6 mentions per applicant). Overall, there are more similarities than differences between genders in LORs for neurosurgical applicants. This finding is at odds with what has previously been reported in most other surgical specialties.

The role of recontextualization and HR practices in transferring corporate values

Companies that nurture a shared corporate culture based upon corporate values can drive companies towards high performance. However, when companies go global and establish subsidiaries in foreign countries, transferring these corporate values may be challenging. This process is particularly challenging when there are significant linguistic and cultural differences between the headquarters and the subsidiary that may lead to a misalignment of values. This study examines the transfer of corporate values and HR practices of a small Norwegian IT company into a subsidiary in India. Our data are based on a four-year field study of a small IT company based in Norway that during this period established a subsidiary in India. We examine how the leaders recontextualize the company's corporate values, how the corporate values were implemented through a set of HR practices in India, and how the local employees perceived the corporate values. Our main findings show how the Indian leaders are active participants in the recontextualization process, translating the meaning of the headquarters corporate values into the specificities of the Indian culture and day-to-day practices. Moreover, we show how a small company without a formal HR department and with no expatriates to guide the process can use activities related to more formalized and structured HR practices to implement the values. We discuss theoretical and practical implications.

Linguistic Differences in Personal Statements of Urology Residency Applicants by Self-Reported Race and Ethnicity

To assess a potential source of bias that could contribute to underrepresentation of minorities in urology, we analyzed differences in linguistic characteristics in personal statements between urology residency applicants of various racial and ethnic groups. Personal statements submitted by urology residency applicants to a urology program were evaluated with Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, a validated text analysis program. Analyzed statements and application characteristics were compared according to self-identified race/ethnicity of the applicant using multivariable analysis and independent sample T-tests. Of 342 submitted personal statements, 181 applicants self-identified as White non-Hispanic, 86 as Asian, and 75 as "underrepresented in medicine" (URM) including Black and Hispanic/Latino applicants. Asian and URM applicants listed more research projects (11.7 and 12.9 vs 8.8, P = .01) and URM applicants had slightly lower USMLE Step 1 scores (238.5 vs 244.6, P = .01) compared to White applicants. When evaluating personal statements, all applicants wrote with the same degree of analytical thinking. Asian applicants scored lower in authenticity (P = .03) and emotional tone (P = .04) while URM applicants scored higher in clout (P = .04) compared to White applicants. In use of pronouns, Asian applicants used 'we/us/our' more often (P < .01), URM applicants used 'you' more often (P = .02), and White applicants used 'I' more often (P = .01). Significant linguistic differences exist among urology personal statements by racial/ethnic groups that may perpetuate stereotypes and bias in the application process. Appreciating these differences may help applicants avoid possibly detrimental linguistics and help residency programs recruit and support urology applicants from underrepresented backgrounds.

Sex-Based Language Differences in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship Recommendation Letters.

Letters of recommendation (LORs) are a significant component of residency and fellowship applications. Applicant sex may play a role in the language used in letters, which could hinder progress in academic fields, particularly for women. Although differences in language based on applicant sex have been identified in other fields, no prior studies have evaluated LORs for female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery (FPMRS) fellowships. Letters of recommendations for applicants to an urban, tertiary care academic medical FPMRS fellowship from 2017 to 2019 were collected. Using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count program, a licensed text analysis software for academic purposes, we analyzed LORs based on 16 categories. The Wilcoxon rank sum test, Fisher exact test, and a generalized linear mixed model were used for statistical analyses. A total of 97 fellowship applications were analyzed, yielding 354 LORs; 32 applicants were male, whereas 65 were female. Letters written for male applicants contained significantly more power words (P = 0.022) and significantly less affiliation words (P = 0.025) compared with female counterparts. Differences were maintained after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, step 1 to step 3 scores, Phi Beta Kappa status, Alpha Omega Alpha status, and writer's sex. Significant linguistic differences based on applicant sex exist in FPMRS fellowship LORs. Differences are consistent with previous analyses within science and medical fields. These findings did not show a significant association with an applicant's ability to match; however, we did not analyze whether the matched institution was the preferred choice for each applicant.

Linguistic Biases in Letters of Recommendation for Radiation Oncology Residency Applicants from 2015 to 2019.

We aimed to investigate whether implicit linguistic biases exist in letters of recommendation (LORs) for applicants to radiation oncology (RO) residency. LORs (n = 487) written for applicants (n = 125) invited to interview at a single RO residency program from the 2015 to 2019 application cycles were included for analysis. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software was used to evaluate LORs for length and a dictionary of predetermined themes. Language was evaluated for gender bias using a publicly available gender bias calculator. Non-parametric tests were used to compare linguistic domain scores. The median number of the LORs per applicant was 4 (range 3–5). No significant differences by applicant gender were detected in LIWC score domains or gender bias calculator (P > 0.05). However, LORs for applicants from racial/ethnic backgrounds underrepresented in medicine were less likely to include standout descriptors (P = 0.008). Male writers were less likely to describe applicant characteristics related to patient care (P < 0.0001) and agentic personality (P = 0.006). LORs written by RO were shorter (P < 0.0001) and included fewer standout descriptors (P = 0.014) but were also more likely to include statements regarding applicant desirability (P = 0.045) and research (P = 0.008). While language was globally male-biased, assistant professors were less likely than associate professors (P = 0.0064) and full professors (P = 0.023) to use male-biased language. Significant linguistic differences were observed in RO residency LORs, suggesting that implicit biases related to both applicants and letter writers may exist. Recognition, and ideally eradication, of such biases are crucial for fair and equitable evaluation of a diverse applicant pool of RO residency candidates.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13187-020-01907-x.

Identifying emerging mental illness utilizing search engine activity: A feasibility study.

Mental illness often emerges during the formative years of adolescence and young adult development and interferes with the establishment of healthy educational, vocational, and social foundations. Despite the severity of symptoms and decline in functioning, the time between illness onset and receiving appropriate care can be lengthy. A method by which to objectively identify early signs of emerging psychiatric symptoms could improve early intervention strategies. We analyzed a total of 405,523 search queries from 105 individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD, N = 36), non-psychotic mood disorders (MD, N = 38) and healthy volunteers (HV, N = 31) utilizing one year’s worth of data prior to the first psychiatric hospitalization. Across 52 weeks, we found significant differences in the timing (p<0.05) and frequency (p<0.001) of searches between individuals with SSD and MD compared to HV up to a year in advance of the first psychiatric hospitalization. We additionally identified significant linguistic differences in search content among the three groups including use of words related to sadness and perception, use of first and second person pronouns, and use of punctuation (all p<0.05). In the weeks before hospitalization, both participants with SSD and MD displayed significant shifts in search timing (p<0.05), and participants with SSD displayed significant shifts in search content (p<0.05). Our findings demonstrate promise for utilizing personal patterns of online search activity to inform clinical care.

Observações fonéticas e fonológicas das vogais na língua Wakalitesu

Neste artigo, apresentamos observações preliminares sobre aspectos fonéticos e fonológicos das vogais na língua Wakalitesu, como resultado de estudos linguísticos e atividades de formação de professores, realizados na comunidade Três Jacus, localizada na Terra Indígena Tirecatinga, no município de Sapezal-MT. Os Wakalitesu pertencem à família Nambikwara do ramo Sul. Para Price (1983), os grupos da família Nambikwara, apesar de compartilharem traços culturais, apresentam diferenciações linguísticas bastante significativas. Rodrigues (2002) e Telles (2014) afirmam que há, entre os grupos da família Nambikwara, critérios de inteligibilidade entre as línguas. Assim, além das observações fonéticas e fonológicas, fizemos algumas comparações com os estudos de línguas da família Nambikwara, em especial os de Kroeker (2003) e Souza Netto (2018), ressaltando similaridades e diferenças entre elas. As observações propostas foram baseadas nas perspectivas teóricas e metodológicas de Pike (1976), Kindell (1981), Cagliari (2002), Callou e Leite (2003) e Kibrik (1977).&#x0D;

Spelling Errors and Non-Standard Language in Peer-to-Peer Loan Applications and the Borrower’s Probability of Default

As peer-to-peer (P2P) lenders evaluate the potential risk of each loan application, they may rely on subjective judgement given qualitative information. Academics have found loan approval rates to be associated with the borrower's personality traits, social capital, and appearances. However, the association between a borrower's language and probability of default has yet be considered. In this paper, we show that there are statistically significant linguistic differences in the free-text Lending Club loan descriptions between those that default and those that are fully paid. By newly engineering features on non-standard language and spelling errors, using natural language processing techniques and running multivariate logistic regression analyses, we find that the usage of slang words, short-hand abbreviations, and spelling errors are all associated with a higher likelihood of default when controlling for the borrower's income and loan amount. However, whether the errors were orthographic or phonological and the egregiousness of the error do not affect the probability of default. Finally, we discuss the ethical implications of potential discriminatory bias given the association between poor spelling and disability status (e.g. dyslexia), national origin (i.e. English language familiarity), and personality traits (carelessness), laying the foundation for future work on bias in P2P lending, and other scenarios involving applicant-oriented risk assessments.

Writing impact case studies: a comparative study of high-scoring and low-scoring case studies from REF2014

This paper reports on two studies that used qualitative thematic and quantitative linguistic analysis, respectively, to assess the content and language of the largest ever sample of graded research impact case studies, from the UK Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF). The paper provides the first empirical evidence across disciplinary main panels of statistically significant linguistic differences between high- versus low-scoring case studies, suggesting that implicit rules linked to written style may have contributed to scores alongside the published criteria on the significance, reach and attribution of impact. High-scoring case studies were more likely to provide specific and high-magnitude articulations of significance and reach than low-scoring cases. High-scoring case studies contained attributional phrases which were more likely to attribute research and/or pathways to impact, and they were written more coherently (containing more explicit causal connections between ideas and more logical connectives) than low-scoring cases. High-scoring case studies appear to have conformed to a distinctive new genre of writing, which was clear and direct, and often simplified in its representation of causality between research and impact, and less likely to contain expressions of uncertainty than typically associated with academic writing. High-scoring case studies in two Main Panels were significantly easier to read than low-scoring cases on the Flesch Reading Ease measure, although both high-scoring and low-scoring cases tended to be of “graduate” reading difficulty. The findings of our work enable impact case study authors to better understand the genre and make content and language choices that communicate their impact as effectively as possible. While directly relevant to the assessment of impact in the UK’s Research Excellence Framework, the work also provides insights of relevance to institutions internationally who are designing evaluation frameworks for research impact.

Emergent Stories Written by Children while Coding: How do these Emerge and Are they Valid Compositions?

This paper extends our research into a novel Story-Writing-Coding engine, where Primary School children produce animated stories through writing computer code. We first discuss the theoretical basis of our engine design, drawing on Systemic Functional Grammar, embodied cognition and perceived animacy. This design aims to help children draw on the appearances of characters, props and scenery to evoke linguistic constructs leading to the emergence of stories. The second part of this paper reports on an empirical study where we aim to answer two research questions. First can compositions so produced be seen as valid compositions? To answer this question we conducted a linguistic analysis of coded stories and those written in an English classroom, and also using teacher ratings of these stories. Results indicate that while there are no significant linguistic differences between coded and English stories, coded stories are impoverished and should be seen as a first-draft to be revised in the English classroom. The second question was to probe our observation that while coding, children spontaneously told stories. Here we draw upon theories of embodied cognition and of perceived animacy. Our analysis suggests that these theories, taken together, help to explain the spontaneous emergence of stories.

Automated Verbal and Non-verbal Speech Analysis of Interviews of Individuals with Schizophrenia and Depression.

Schizophrenia and depression are the two most common mental disorders associated with negative symptoms that contribute to poor functioning and quality of life for millions of patients globally. This study is part of a larger research project. The overall aim of the project is to develop an automated objective pipeline that aids clinical diagnosis and provides more insights into symptoms of mental illnesses. In our previous work, we have analyzed non-verbal cues and linguistic cues of individuals with schizophrenia. In this study, we extend our work to include participants with depression. Powered by natural language processing techniques, we extract verbal features, both dictionary-based and vector-based, from participants' interviews that were automatically transcribed. We also extracted conversational, phonatory, articulatory and prosodic features from the interviews to understand the conversational and acoustic characteristics of schizophrenia and depression. Combining these features, we applied ensemble learning with leave-one-out cross-validation to classify healthy controls, schizophrenic and depressive patients, achieving an accuracy of 69%-75% in paired classification. From those same features, we also predict the subjective Negative Symptoms Assessment 16 scores of patients with schizophrenia or depression, yielding an accuracy of 90.5% for NSA2 but lower accuracy for other NSA indices. Our analysis also revealed significant linguistic and non-verbal differences that are potentially symptomatic of schizophrenia and depression respectively.