Spanish Language Research Articles

Enseñanza y aprendizaje del español en las universidades japonesas

Since the Japanese people’s first encounter with the Spanish language in the 16th century, the teaching and learning of Spanish has been evolving in response to the needs of each era. Despite numerous historical challenges, interest in the Spanish language and everything related to it has increased over the years. This article examines the situations of differing historical periods to better understand the objectives for which Spanish has been studied, as well as the numerous types of teachers, students, and commonly used methodologies. To do this, various academic articles and books offering testimonies from people who lived through those periods are examined. The corpus developed by this article’s author, which includes textbooks published since the early 20th century, will also be analyzed in this article. The initial contact with the Spanish language in the 16th century was through missionary work. After a stagnation in language studies due to a period of isolationism, the need to pursue Spanish as a language resumed in the 20th century for the purposes of foreign trade and migration. The idea of learning a foreign language to enrich general culture also became important in the 20th century. The change in the type of students greatly influenced learning objectives and methodologies. We are now in a transitional period with the emergence of new technologies. However, it is important to know our history in order to reflect on the direction which Spanish teaching and learning should take in the future.

Los maestros contra la RAE. Obstáculos y enredos de la oficialización de la gramática escolar académica en España (1875-1900)

This work aims to study the main challenges that academic school grammar faced in Spain for its consolidation in classrooms from the time of the Restoration, when its texts (Compendio and Epítome) became official again for the teaching of the Spanish language in public schools. Our analysis focuses specifically on examining the various news, reviews, and articles found in the Spanish printed press, a representative textual sample, not only of how the issue is experienced in Spanish society, but also of the different attitudes and opinions of intellectuals of the time regarding the matter, especially from the teachers, which maintained strong resistance against the repression actions carried out by the government and the Academy itself for the maintenance (and expansion) of their privileges and the consolidation of their doctrine in the classrooms.

Food insecurity in a diverse community pediatric gastroenterology clinic: Screening strategies and insights.

We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of food insecurity (FI) in the community pediatric gastroenterology(GI) subspecialty clinic at Texas Children's Hospital (TCH) West Campus and to assess the utilization of services through our partnership with a local food bank. From July 1, 2023, to February 29, 2024, all patients seen in the pediatric GI clinic at TCH West Campus were screened for FI using the validated Hunger Vital Sign tool and given the opportunity to consult with a local food bank representative. A retrospective chart review was then performed on patients who completed the implemented FI screening process. 13.4% of the total patients screened positive for FI. Hispanic patients (p < 0.0001), patients with the preferred language of Spanish (p < 0.0001), those enrolled in Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program (p < 0.0001), and patients with obesity (body mass index ≥ 30.0, p = 0.0003) were more likely to screen positive for FI. Poor weight gain/failure to thrive and steatotic liver disease were significantly more common in those with FI (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0003, respectively), while celiac disease, abdominal pain, and blood in stool were more common in those without FI (p = 0.0003, 0.0475, and 0.0404, respectively). As a result of our implemented FI screening process, 68.4% of those screening positive opted for resource referral, with 50.7% successfully receiving assistance in combating FI. Identifying the potential impact of FI in common pediatric GI conditions calls for proactive screening and more holistic, patient-centered approaches in clinical practice.

Detecting and Reducing Gender Bias in Spanish Texts Generated with ChatGPT and Mistral Chatbots: The Lovelace Project

Current Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems can effortlessly and instantaneously generate text, images, songs, and videos. This capability will lead us to a future where a significant portion of available information will be partially or wholly generated by AI. In this context, it is crucial to ensure that AI-generated texts and images do not perpetuate or exacerbate existing gender biases. We examined the behavior of two common AI chatbots, ChatGPT and Mistral, when generating text in Spanish, both in terms of language inclusiveness and perpetuation of traditional male/female roles. Our analysis revealed that both tools demonstrated relatively low gender bias in terms of reinforcing traditional gender roles but exhibited higher gender bias concerning language inclusiveness, at least in the Spanish language. Additionally, although ChatGPT showed lower overall gender bias than Mistral, Mistral provided users with more control to modify its behavior through prompt modifiers. As a final conclusion, while both AIs exhibit some degree of gender bias in their responses, this bias is significantly lower than the gender bias present in their human-authored source materials.

The Effect of Using DeepL on Improving Students' Writing Vocabulary

Abstract: As artificial intelligence technologies increasingly integrate into education, neural translation machines, such as Google Translate and DeepL, are gradually becoming an important tool for enhancing the effectiveness of foreign language learning. These technologies not only improve the efficiency of the learning experience but also address the limitations of traditional vocabulary acquisition methods. While research has examined DeepL's translation quality, there is limited focus on Spanish learners' attitudes and experiences with DeepL during the writing process, particularly regarding its impact on vocabulary enhancement and student feedback. This paper aims to investigate Chinese university students' perceptions of using DeepL to improve their Spanish writing vocabulary. The method used in this research was a descriptive quantitative technique. 60 undergraduate Spanish students completed a questionnaire. The results of this research showed that, Chinese undergraduate Spanish language students believe that the use of DeepL has a good effect on improving their writing vocabulary in general, but there are still some problems of the accuracy. Another conclusion worth emphasizing is that the use of DeepL to enrich the vocabulary of articles does not have a direct and strong connection with the improvement of the user's own vocabulary.

Teachings of the interpretations of Malintzin in today's context

In Tres veces tres. In Malintzin's code: Nine approaches to her figure, Yasnaya revisits one of the characters with whom possibly a large part of Mexicans encounter during their early years of history class in primary school. That female character, proficient in the Spanish language, "facilitated" the interaction between the Spaniards and the inhabitants of Tenochtitlán during the conquest, from which the term "malinchista" or "malinchism" derives, denoting disdain towards things pertaining to Mexico. While the semantic process of words is the result of multiple factors within language and society, Yasnaya proposes a reclamation of the figure and name of the character from which these adjectives arise, Malintzin.

Evaluation of the Arabic version of the Asthma Trigger Inventory among asthmatic pediatric patients in Saudi Arabia

Background Asthma Trigger Inventory (ATI) is available in English, German, and Spanish languages, however, a version in Arabic language specifically tailored for identifying asthma triggers within Saudi Arabia has been missing. Objectives To assess the reliability and validity of the adapted Arabic ATI among parents of asthmatic children in Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-cultural adaptation of the ATI was conducted, adding seven region-specific triggers to reflect cultural and environmental factors. The Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PACQLQ) was used to assess quality of life. Construct validity of the Arabic ATI was evaluated via exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and reliability was measured with Cronbach’s alpha. Results EFA yielded a KMO of 0.634 and a significant Bartlett’s Test (χ2 = 10,005.076, p < 0.001). Six trigger subscales showed high reliability (α > 0.90), though Middle Eastern triggers had lower internal consistency (α = -0.11). Physical and psychological triggers correlated significantly with poorer quality of life (exercise: r = -0.662, p < 0.001; psychological: r = -0.307, p < 0.001). Air pollution and Middle Eastern triggers correlated positively with quality of life (r = 0.222, p < 0.001 and r = 0.245, p < 0.001). Conclusion The Arabic version of the ATI exhibited robust reliability and validity when administered to parents of asthmatic children in Saudi Arabia. Additional research is warranted to further validate its applicability across various Arabic-speaking populations.

Interactive didactics of translation and interpreting: emotive approach applied to migrant care in German, Spanish, Arabic and Russian languages

Interactive didactics of translation and interpreting: emotive approach applied to migrant care in German, Spanish, Arabic and Russian languages

Limited Availability and Readability of Spanish Language Patient Educational Material: A Review of the Nation's Top Children's Hospitals.

Cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) is a common congenital facial pathology that occurs at higher incidences in Hispanic communities. The authors analyzed the availability and readability of Spanish-written patient education materials (PEMs) on CL/P from top-ranking U.S. children's hospitals to determine the presence of health literacy barriers. Availability of PEM was evaluated by 2 methods: (1) Google search and (2) evaluation of the official hospital websites. For each institution, a Google search was conducted using the phrase, "labio leporino y/o paladar hendido (translation: CL/P) + (hospital name)." In addition, each hospital website was assessed for Spanish PEM availability. Spanish PEMs were then categorized by whether they had been generated by an automated translation function or if they were independently written Spanish text. English PEM readability was assessed using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG). Spanish PEM readability was assessed using spanish orthgraphic length (Spanish Orthographic Length), the SMOG converted for the Spanish language. Unpaired 2-tailed t tests were used to compare readability. Of a total of 85 pediatric hospitals, 28 (37.3%) had Spanish PEM. Five (6.7%) hospitals created their own Spanish-language document. The average spanish orthgraphic length reading level was 9.49 compared with an average SMOG of 11.38 (P < 0.001). Institutions that did not provide Spanish PEM in any format had a significantly higher SMOG for English PEM of 12.13 compared with 11.38 of those that had SMOG with English PEM (P = 0.04). Health literacy barriers not only exist for Spanish PEM but also for English PEM, indicating an opportunity to improve communication.

Psychosocial Dimensions of Pain Disparities in Youth Diagnosed with Unspecified Abdominal Pain in an Emergency Department

Diagnosis ambiguity, paired with pain care inequities experienced by marginalized groups may increase risk for ongoing pain and impairment in children diagnosed with unspecified abdominal pain in the pediatric emergency department (PED). This cross-sectional study examined psychological, caregiver, cultural, and socio-ecological factors associated with pain-related impairment in an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse population diagnosed with unspecified abdominal pain in a PED. The sample included 111 children 8-17 years old (59.8% female, 72.7% Latinx) and their caregivers. Exclusion criteria included an Emergency Severity Index <2, psychiatric complaint, or not fluent in English or Spanish. Children completed the PROMIS Pain Interference Scale and reported pain intensity, pain duration, and pain catastrophizing. Caregivers reported language preference, pain catastrophizing, trait anxiety, and child internalizing symptoms. Area Deprivation Index quantified socio-ecological deprivation according to 9-digit zip code. Multivariable logistic regression analyses identified independent associations with likelihood of reporting severe levels of pain-related impairment. Approximately 35.3% of children reported severe levels of pain-related impairment. In logistic regression analysis, an increased likelihood of endorsing severe pain-related impairment was associated with pain for >1 month (OR=9.19, p=.044), higher child pain catastrophizing (OR=1.23, p<.001), caregiver Spanish language (OR=11.11, p=.044), and clinically significant caregiver trait anxiety (OR=58.16, p=.004). Results highlight the incidence of severe pain-related impairment in children diagnosed with unspecified abdominal pain in a PED. Moreover, findings underscore the importance of screening pain-related impairment and caregiver anxiety, and addressing language barriers in this PED population. PerspectiveThis paper highlights the incidence of severe pain-related impairment among pediatric patients diagnosed with unspecified abdominal pain in a pediatric emergency department (PED). Results could inform early assessment and targeted interventions in the PED to prevent outcome disparities.

Locuciones latinas y variación lingüística en el español del siglo XXI

The objective of this article is to analyze the effect of linguistic variation in Latin idioms in Spanish, invariable lexical units, from a normative point of view. To do this, first of all, we define and distinguish Latin idioms within Latinisms in the Spanish language. Afterwards, we present its typology and main structures, according to Sánchez Martínez (1993). Later we discuss the normative treatment of Latin phrases by RAE, not exempt from some contradictions and changes in criteria over time. In the analytical part, we synthesize the meaning and normative use of 32 widely used Latin idioms. Finally, based on the linguistic corpus CORPES XXI, we carry out a quantitative analysis of the linguistic variants of the selected Latin idioms, with an example of each variant.

ABORDAGENS TERAPÊUTICAS DA DOENÇA DO REFLUXO GASTROESOFÁGICO: REVISÃO DA LITERATURA

Objectives: conduct na updated review of Options available in GERD’s treatment, discussing possible problems of chronic use of PPI’s, especially in elderly and identifying correct indications for interventional approaches. Methods: search for scientific publications, from march to october 2024, using health descriptors, in databases PubMed, BVS, Elsevier, LILACS, BIREME, Google Academic and SciELO. Articles with free full texts were selected, in portuguese, english and spanish languages, published between 2010 and 2024. Results: 24 articles found were eligible and became the final sample as they met the proposed objectives. Conclusion: behavioral measures are importante, but there are still obstacles that prevent adherence. PPIs are effective, but can be harmful. PCABs seem to have more benefits. In surgical treatment, fundoplication is preferred over open surgery.

Colored Water, Trimmed Coffee, and Solid Soup: Etymology of “Edible Traps” in Spanish in Context of Communicative Difficulties

This article explores sources of communicative difficulties such as inter-variant polysemy and inter-variant homonymy, focusing on lexemes from the Spanish thesaurus FOOD that denote liquid food products. The relevance of this study is grounded in the necessity for a comprehensive analysis of alimentary semantics within the national variants of the Spanish language in the context of cultural dialogue. The novelty of the research lies in identifying challenges in intercultural communication through semantic, etymological, and linguocultural analyses of the meanings of the examined lexemes and their stable combinations across different Spanish-speaking countries. Particular attention is given to the influence of extralinguistic factors on communicative difficulties within a multi-national language. The findings suggest that the development of semantics for inter-variant homonyms primarily depends on historical factors, and understanding the differences in meanings of core components within semantic fields related to food in various national variants of Spanish can help alleviate communicative barriers and prevent misunderstandings. Future research perspectives include pragmasemantic structuring of the inter-variant alimentary thesaurus in the target language and applying the results to language teaching.

Resistances to critical language awareness: understanding the role of social class and double consciousness

ABSTRACT Drawing from students’ reflections, classroom observations, and individual interviews, this study examines the case of a Spanish for Heritage speakers class comprised of Heritage Speakers (HS) and international Latin American students in a predominantly white institution (PWI). Focusing on the development of Critical Language Awareness (CLA) , this study shows the various forms of resistance toward these pedagogies (e.g. withdrawal, class divisions, turning to meritocratic answers, among others) across students of different social classes (upper-middle class, working-class, international students from Latin America). This study demonstrates how students resisted structural explanations around Spanish language maintenance, instead resorting to either meritocratic understandings or the family as the primary locus of language maintenance. The epistemological concept of ‘double consciousness frames the experiences of working-class HSs who struggled between feelings of empowerment through CLA and negative perceptions of their own linguistic practices. These feelings were mediated by the challenge of affirming their language identities in the context of a PWI that privileges upper-middle-class cultural values. The study argues that while CLA begins a process of critical consciousness, we need to pay attention to the contextual factors and dynamics that lead to different forms of resistance.

Enhancing Misinformation Detection in Spanish Language with Deep Learning: BERT and RoBERTa Transformer Models

Enhancing Misinformation Detection in Spanish Language with Deep Learning: BERT and RoBERTa Transformer Models

Apples, tomatoes, and health: comparison of structural characteristics of the L1 and L2 mental lexicons

Abstract The present study delves into the structure and lexical organization of L1 and L2 mental lexicons. Indirect access to the mental lexicon is provided by semantic fluency tasks, which inform researchers about how the words are organized in the mental lexicon and retrieved when necessary. Here, two groups of participants were asked to retrieve as many words of the category fruits and vegetables as possible in two minutes. The first group is made up of native speakers of Spanish who responded in Spanish L1, whereas the second group is made up of native speakers of Greek who are learning Spanish foreign language (SFL) who responded first in Spanish FL and later in Greek L1. The three sets of responses were scrutinized and compared for similarities and differences. Results point to a retrieval mechanism based on L1-mediated access for SFL learners and slightly different structures of the mental lexicon. Even in very advanced learners, lexical organization and word retrieval in the FL resembles L1 organization.

The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-4 (ADNI-4) Engagement Core: A culturally informed, community-engaged research (CI-CER) model to advance brain health equity.

The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-4 (ADNI-4) Engagement Core was launched to advance Alzheimer's disease (AD) and AD-related dementia (ADRD) health equity research in underrepresented populations (URPs). We describe our evidence-based, scalable culturally informed, community-engaged research (CI-CER) model and demonstrate its preliminary success in increasing URP enrollment. URPs include ethnoculturally minoritized, lower education (≤ 12 years), and rural populations. The CI-CER model includes: (1) culturally informed methodology (e.g., less restrictive inclusion/exclusion criteria, sociocultural measures, financial compensation, results disclosure, Spanish Language Capacity Workgroup) and (2) inclusive engagement methods (e.g., the Engagement Core team; Hub Sites; Community-Science Partnership Board). As of April 2024, 60% of ADNI-4 new in-clinic enrollees were from ethnoculturally or educationally URPs. This exceeds ADNI-4's≥50% URP representation goal for new enrollees but may not represent final enrollment. Findings show a CI-CER model increases URP enrollment in AD/ADRD clinical research and has important implications for clinical trials to advance health equity. The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-4 (ADNI-4) uses a culturally informed, community-engaged research (CI-CER) approach. The CI-CER approach is scalable and sustainable for broad, multisite implementation. ADNI-4 is currently exceeding its inclusion goals for underrepresented populations.

Physical Exercise and Mental Health in Adolescents: Scoping Review

Objective. To identify the most implemented exercises and their prescription, in addition to the effects of exercise on mental health in adolescents. Methods. A scoping review was performed from search of electronic databases: PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Springer, Google Scholar, from 23/08/2023 to 01/01/2024 in English, Spanish, and Portuguese language, including randomized clinical trial and cohort type studies. Results. A total of 7 articles were included: 57.14% controlled clinical trials, 100% in English. The number of participants was 85,637 aged 12 to 16 years. Intervention time ranged from 8 to 43 weeks, 2 to 5 times per week, 1 session per day, duration per session 10 to 120 minutes. The most used type of training was Programmed Physical Education followed by High Intensity Interval Training. Conclusions. Exercises such as Programmed Physical Education, High Intensity Interval Training, Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity are included, which show positive effects on the increase in psychological well-being, quality of life and a significant decrease in anxiety and stress symptoms.

SWL-LSE: A Dataset of Health-Related Signs in Spanish Sign Language with an ISLR Baseline Method

Progress in automatic sign language recognition and translation has been hindered by the scarcity of datasets available for the training of machine learning algorithms, a challenge that is even more acute for languages with smaller signing communities, such as Spanish. In this paper, we introduce a dataset of 300 isolated signs in Spanish Sign Language, collected online via a web application with contributions from 124 participants, resulting in a total of 8000 instances. This dataset, which is openly available, includes keypoints extracted using MediaPipe Holistic. The goal of this paper is to describe the construction and characteristics of the dataset and to provide a baseline classification method using a spatial–temporal graph convolutional network (ST-GCN) model, encouraging the scientific community to improve upon it. The experimental section offers a comparative analysis of the method’s performance on the new dataset, as well as on two other well-known datasets. The dataset, code, and web app used for data collection are freely available, and the web app can also be used to test classifier performance on-line in real-time.

Associations Between Patients' Primary Language and Outcomes and Patient Engagement Process Metrics for Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Previous research has indicated language-based disparities in outcomes after total hip and knee arthroplasty. In this study, we examined the relationship between primary spoken language and outcomes and patient engagement process metrics in a multihospital academic health system. This retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent elective primary total hip or knee arthroplasty in 2018 to 2022. Primary language was categorized as English, Spanish, and Other. Associations were examined between language and perioperative outcomes (same-day discharge, extended hospital length of stay, nonhome discharge, 30-day hospital returns, 90-day readmissions, and 90-day combined complications), and engagement-related metrics (preoperative joint class attendance and patient-reported outcome measure [PROM] completion). We report adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Among 8,220 patients (7.9% Spanish and 5.1% Other non-English), we found no notable associations between language and same-day discharge, nonhome discharge, 30-day hospital returns, 90-day readmissions, or 90-day complications. Other (versus English) language was significantly associated with decreased odds of extended length of stay (OR 0.49, 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.76, P = 0.001). In patient engagement, Other (versus English) language was associated with significantly decreased odds of preoperative class attendance (OR 0.72, 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.95, P = 0.02). Spanish (versus English) primary language was significantly associated with decreased odds of preoperative and 1-year PROM completion (OR 0.34 to 0.75, P ≤ 0.001), and Other (versus English) primary language was significantly associated with decreased odds of preoperative PROM completion (OR 0.59, 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.73, P < 0.001). Our findings highlight language-based disparities in patient engagement metrics but comparable outcomes. Differences in findings compared with past literature may be related to institution-specific language-related support systems. There is a need for additional resources to support patients' active participation in their care, regardless of their primary spoken language.