Language Technology Research Articles

Benefits and development of assistive technologies for Deaf people's communication: A systematic review

The development of technologies has made digital accessibility relevant to many everyday processes. Multiple resources have been designed to meet the special needs of a wide variety of people, such as Deaf sign language users, who require inclusive technologies to facilitate their communication in work, educational, and social environments. The objective of this study is to identify assistive technologies that favor and improve communication between Deaf and hearing people. To this end, a systematic review was carried out following the PRISMA checklist and using the Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases. A total of 492 documents were identified and subjected to inclusion and exclusion criteria, of which 27 were included in the quantitative synthesis. As a result, technologies based on gesture recognition for the translation of sign language into speech and vice versa, technologies for sign language teaching, technologies for automatic caption generation, technologies based on online content, and technologies based on text and illumination networks were found in the studies. The findings suggest that there is a need for further research into the motivations for developing sign language technologies, as a contribution to the inclusion of Deaf communities in society without linguistic impositions.

Code Cloning in Smart Contracts on the Ethereum Platform: An Extended Replication Study

Smart contracts are programs deployed on blockchains that run upon meeting predetermined conditions. Once deployed, smart contracts are immutable, thus, defects in the deployed code cannot be fixed. As a consequence, software engineering anti-patterns, such as code cloning, pose a threat to code quality and security if unnoticed before deployment. In this paper, we report on the cloning practices of the Ethereum blockchain platform by analyzing 33,073 smart contracts amounting to over 4MLOC. Prior work reported an unusually high 79.2% of code clones in Ethereum smart contracts. We replicate this study at the conceptual level, i.e., we answer the same research questions by employing different methods. In particular, we analyze clones at the granularity of functions instead of code files, thereby providing a more fine-grained estimate of the clone ratio. Furthermore, we analyze more complex clone types, allowing for a richer analysis of cloning cases. To achieve this finer granularity of cloning analysis, we rely on the NiCad clone detection tool and extend it with support for Solidity, the programming language of the Ethereum platform. Our analysis shows that most findings of the original study hold at the finer granularity of our study as well; but also sheds light on some differences, and contributes new findings. Most notably, we report a 30.13% overall clone ratio, out of which 27.03% are exact duplicates. Our findings motivate improving the reuse mechanisms of Solidity, and in a broader context, of programming languages used for the development of smart contracts. Tool builders and language engineers can use this paper in the design and development of such reuse mechanisms. Business stakeholders can use this paper to better assess the security risks and technical outlooks of blockchain platforms.

ЗАСТОСУВАННЯ ІКТ У СУЧАСНИХ УМОВАХ НАВЧАННЯ ІНОЗЕМНОЇ МОВИ МАЙБУТНІХ ІНЖЕНЕРІВ

The article justifies the relevance of the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in a foreign language and professional disciplines teaching of future engineers in quarantine conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis of scientific sources in the context of the use of ICT in education was carried out. One of the most difficult and acute pedagogical problems of foreign language training of students of technical universities in general is to ensure individualization of training and stimulation of students' motivation for self- development. According to the authors of the article, a possible effective means of solving these problems in distance learning is the use of educational blogging technology. The purpose of the article is to highlight and analyze the organization of the educational process in modern conditions with the help of educational ICT during a foreign language and professional disciplines teaching of future engineers, in particular, an educational blog and online exercises of the LearningApps service. The article highlights the main issues of organizing online foreign language teaching for technical students. The method of blogging is partially similar to the project method and the “portfolio” methods. On the one hand, an educational blog should be considered as a project: its creation and regular content requires a pragmatic focus on a result that can be comprehended and applied in real-life practice. In blogging, just like in the project method, students are engaged in a cultural dialogue and have the opportunity to receive feedback from professional linguists and native speakers based on the comment function built into the blog platform. On the other hand, an educational blog serves as an electronic "portfolio" - a means of monitoring and evaluating the quality of a student's independent work and his/her progress in developing professional foreign language competence, which are revealed by comparing the first and last blog post. The blog is also a specific student report, which presents the results of the analysis of English-language materials on professional topics. The article presents a survey of future engineers regarding their assessment of the modern teaching of foreign languages and professional disciplines in higher technical educational establishments. The study was conducted at the Faculty of Electronics at the National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute". A distance learning process based on online classes using an educational blog, mind maps and interactive exercises of the LearningApps service was proposed for consideration. In the course of the study, the insufficient level of students’ knowledge and practical skills of a foreign language was determined. The shortcomings of the professional training of future engineers during the study of a foreign language and professional disciplines have been revealed, in particular, the traditional nature of training and the limited use of ICT. It is concluded that the use of ICT in the educational process significantly improves the quality and effectiveness of education, brings students closer to the real conditions of the professional environment, and allows them to qualitatively improve their practical skills. Taking into account the results of the study, it is possible to determine the prospects for further research on the implementation of the above ICT in the study of humanities and science disciplines in the current conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and martial law in Ukraine.

Особливості інтеграції геопросторових даних автомобільних доріг із застосуванням операції з’єднання (JOIN)

The purpose of the article is to research the integration of attributes of the set of geospatial data “Roads”, which was created on the basis of the topographic database of the Main State Topographic Map, and the geoinformation system of roads of the State Agency of Roads of Ukraine (hereinafter – Ukravtodor) for the creation and maintenance of core reference data of roads of the national spatial data infrastructure (hereinafter – NSDI) using an operation Theta-JOIN in object-relational database management systems (hereinafter referred to as DBMS). Method. The basis of the research is the analysis of the possibilities of applying the theory of spatial databases and knowledge bases, international and national harmonized standards in the field of Geographic Information/Geomatics to solve the issue of integration of spatial data using the Theta-JOIN operation in object-relational database management systems. The results. The article analyzes the geo-information model of the road, based on the data of which it is possible to make management decisions during planning, design, operation, management, organization of road safety, etc. The requirements for the presentation of this model are defined in the GDF 5.1 standard, which is used for modeling road infrastructure in a geographic information environment using the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and Model Management Architecture (MDA) technologies. This allows for data interoperability at different levels, for example, national and pan-European. The geoinformation model of a public road of state importance in the topographic database is a continuous feature that is an aggregation of the features of the road and transport network through which this model passes. Also, on the basis of regulatory and technical support, the geographic identifier of the highway was established – the road index, the structure and principles of which are defined in the draft of the national standard DSTU xxx:20xx “Geoinformation system of public highways. Part 1. Composition, content and requirements for the database”. Two sets of spatial data TDB of the Main state topographic map and GIS roads of Ukravtodor were combined using the theta-JOIN operation in the PostgreSQL/PostGIS. The scientific novelty and practical significance is in the fact that the integration of sets of core reference and thematic spatial data of roads was investigated using the theta-join operation of relational algebra, which is implemented in modern GIS and DBMS for the development of the national spatial data infrastructure. This will make it possible to expand the attributes of road features contained in TDB, due to the official data of Ukravtodor, joining these sets with a geographic identifier, road index.

ANALYSIS OF STOCK MARKET DYNAMICS

The article analyzes the application of information technologies to the analysis of the stock market, namely to the study of the dynamics of the Ukrainian currency exchange rate, which will allow us to draw a conclusion about the market as a whole. Exploratory data analysis was used to review and analyze financial data. It is an approach to summarizing, visualizing, and gaining insight into the important characteristics of a data set. When analyzing and predicting the dynamics of complex financial systems, one cannot do without such a powerful tool as the Python programming language and neural network technologies. Neural networks find new successful applications in the practice of management and decision-making, including in the financial and trade spheres, i.e. wherever it is necessary to find a certain hidden regularity and make a forecast of stock market tools aimed at achieving macroeconomic stabilization and dynamic development of the financial market. Forecasting of the dynamics of stock market instruments is carried out, which allows for analysis and precautionary conclusions and proposals to minimize risks related to the pricing of derivatives that arise on the stock market. Neural networks are used for forecasting the exchange rate, which allows to minimize speculative changes in pricing, to analyze the progress of processes on the stock market and to take specific steps to improve the situation regarding the optimization of financial strategies. As a result of the analysis, it can be noted that information technologies are widely used in the financial sphere of activity. The effectiveness of the use of information technologies for data analysis and the ability of neural networks to one of the most sought-after tasks of financial activity – forecasting the future value of various instruments – have been proven. It can be argued that the best result is given by the combination of information technologies with expert systems, it allows to calculate the value of derivatives prices with great accuracy and to monitor changes in the speed of financial flows. The used technique allows to increase the accuracy of the forecast and to make informed management strategic decisions by the participants of the stock market.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MEMRISE IN IMPROVING ENGLISH VOCABULARY MASTERY

Vocabulary has a big role in learning English, because the understanding of English vocabulary affects to the other skills. unfortunately, the lack of English vocabulary is often founded in Indonesian students, and it is a serious problem. The researcher found the problems in an Islamic Senior High School in Majalengka west Java. The first problem is most of students were lack of vocabulary, and the second problem is the limited of technology in learning English language. Research methodology in this research was qualitative method with Classroom Action Research as data collection. The instruments of the research were test, observation sheet, and questionnaire. The research questions were; How does the teacher implement MEMRISE in teaching vocabulary? What is the students’ perception of their experiences before using MEMRISE and after using MEMRISE, and what is the result of teaching English vocabulary after using MEMRISE? The aims of The Study were to Investigate the teacher in the implementation of MEMRISE in teaching English vocabulary, to investigate the students' improvement of English vocabulary after using MEMRISE in cycle I, to investigate the students' improvement of English vocabulary after using MEMRISE in cycle II, to investigate the students’ perception of their experiences before and after using MEMRISE. This research used qualitative method through Classroom Action Research as data collection. In this research the researcher used purposive sampling, and the sample is a class of x IPS 2 that consists of 18 students. In this research the researcher as a teacher. The result show in the pre-test the mean score is 54,06, in the post-test 1 the mean score is 72,06, in the post-test 2 the mean score of pre-test is 52,048, the mean score of post-test 1 was 69,43, and the mean score of post-test 2 was 80,86. The conclusion was there was improvement of students’ vocabulary score through MEMRISE application.

Core Code Optimization for Efficiency Improvement of College Teaching Management Information System Based on Distributed CUDA Architecture

This paper proposes an intelligent attendance design scheme based on a distributed three-tier architecture. This scheme uses the TCP/IP network to build the communication link of the attendance terminal, the control host and the server, and realizes the induction and identification of the attendance identity by running the intelligent attendance software. The technical scheme proposes the top-level design of the educational administration system of vocational colleges in the context of the digital campus. Based on the J2EE platform, the main code is developed using the Java programming language and server-side Java technologies (such as EJBs, Servlet, JSP, JNDI, JDBC, and RMI, etc.).

Examining Strategies for Overcoming Language Barriers in International Business Communication

In today’s interconnected global economy, effective communication is critical for successful international business ventures. However, language barriers pose significant challenges to effective international business communication. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature, this study explores various approaches, technologies, and techniques that organisations can employ to enhance communicative effectiveness and foster successful business relationships in a multilingual environment. The study examines various literature sources, explores real-life case studies, and presents recommendations for organisations to enhance their intercultural communication practices. This study also investigates various strategies utilised by organisations and professionals to address language-related challenges, highlighting their efficacy, limitations, and implications for effective cross-cultural communication. The findings provide practical insights for businesses seeking to enhance their intercultural communication and succeed in the global marketplace. This research study can significantly contribute to the development of effective communication strategies in international business settings. It also highlights the importance of language proficiency, cultural understanding, technology, translation, and intercultural communication skills in addressing language barriers and promoting successful international business communication.

A personal retrospective on language workbenches

Model-driven software engineering and specifically domain-specific languages have contributed to improve the quality of software and the efficiency in the development of software. However, the design and implementation of domain-specific languages requires still an enormous investment. Language workbenches are the most important tools in the field of software language engineering. The introduction of language workbenches has alleviated partly the development effort, but there are still a few major challenges that need to be tackled. This paper presents a personal perspective on the development of tools for language engineering and language workbenches in particular and future challenges to be tackled.

Guest editorial for the theme section on modeling language engineering

Guest editorial for the theme section on modeling language engineering

Modeling Languages for Internet of Things (IoT) Applications: A Comparative Analysis Study

Modeling languages have gained ever-increasing importance for the Internet of Things (IoT) domain for improving the productivity and quality of IoT developments. In this study, we analyzed 32 different modeling languages that have been designed for IoT software development in terms of a set of requirements that were categorized into three groups: language definition, language features, and tool support. Some key findings are as follows: (1) performance is the most supported quality property (28%); (2) most languages offer a visual notation set only, while 6% provide both textual and visual notation sets; (3) most languages (88%) lack formally precise semantic definitions; (4) most languages (94%) support the physical, deployment, and logical modeling viewpoints, while the behavior, logical, and information viewpoints are rarely supported; (5) almost none of the languages enable extensibility; (6) Java (34%) and C (21%) are the most preferred programming languages for model transformation; (7) consistency (77%) and completeness (64%) are the most supported properties for the automated checking of models; and (8) most languages (81%) are not supported with any websites for sharing case studies, source code, tools, tutorials, etc. The analysis results can be useful for language engineers, practitioners, and tool vendors for better understanding the existing languages for IoT, their weak and strong points, and IoT industries’ needs in future language and modeling toolset developments.

Artificial and Post-Artificial Texts

In contrast to the times of Höllerer and Zemanek, we are now truly on the threshold of being surrounded by texts that are entirely artificial—while at the same time we continue to merge with our language technologies in our own writing, so that our text production is increasingly supported, extended, and partially taken over by assistance systems. Therefore, I want to discuss—quite speculatively, but always with an eye on the state of the art—two questions: first, what happens when we are confronted with artificial texts in addition to natural ones? How do we read a text that we can no longer be sure was not written by an AI? And second, what direction might this development take if, at some point, the distinction between natural and artificial itself becomes obsolete, so that we no longer even ask about it and instead read post-artificial texts?

Database in the Study of the History of Estates in the Moscow Region: Filling, Enrichment and Analytics

This article deals with the problem of accumulation and systematization of information in studies devoted to 3D reconstructions of objects of historical and cultural heritage. In the presence of a large number of heterogeneous sources, the researcher may get confused in the accumulated data, which significantly complicates his work. Since in research, the results of which are virtual reconstructions, text sources are used together with graphic, scientific and technical documentation, as well as physical objects undergoing preliminary digitization, the accounting and cataloging of sources cannot be neglected. The solution to this problem allows the most complete and efficient use of all the materials available in the study, which ultimately affects the quality of the reconstruction result obtained. In this article, using the example of a project for the reconstruction of estate complexes in the Moscow region, the author demonstrates the developed system of accumulation and enrichment of source information using modern database management systems and software tools for working with data. The information aggregated and described in the MySQL database is supplemented with information from open sources using web scraping technology in the Python programming language, acquires end-to-end identification and acquires usability in various studies. Standardized information allows you to quickly find the right source from the very top level, and its enrichment provides additional opportunities for analysis and synthesis of all aggregated material.

FEATURES OF WORD FORMATION MODELS OF ARABIC AND MAMLUK-KIPCHAK WORDS FORMATION OF (ON THE EXAMPLE OF ‘KITAB BULGAT AL-MUSHTAK’)

Waves of conquests, sweeping across Eurasia and devastating it, destroyed cultural wealth, including manuscripts, the surviving part of which was lost by time, and the other part is stored in different parts of the world. During the period of Soviet power, despite the development of science and technology in general, the history, culture, religion, and language of individual Soviet republics underwent strong fundamental changes. Nomadic culture was considered outside the written cultural heritage, sources in the original language, created by our compatriots in the Middle Ages, were not studied in the original, as a result, voids or incorrect information appeared on all the humanities of Kazakhstan. A huge part of the well-known Kipchak written monuments, made by medieval scientists in the Mamluk state in Egypt, dating back to the 13th-15th centuries, is still in the manuscript depositories of the Netherlands, Italy, France and Turkey. This is a complex of lexicographic and grammatical works, representing the primary source in the study of the history of modern Turkic languages, in particular Kazakh, the reconstruction of its phonetic, morphological and lexical systems. In this research, dedicated to the medieval manuscript of the 14th century “Kitab bulgat al-Mushtaq”, a comprehensive study is planned, consisting of the acquisition of the manuscript or the production of a copy, transfer to the archive and library fund of the Republic of Kazakhstan, translation and careful study of the lexical composition of the entire work. With an extended lexical analysis of the monument, where the vocabulary of the language will be formed, consisting of key words and terms, phrases and term combinations, stylistically colored words, words in a figurative sense, phraseological units, dialectisms, synonyms, homonyms, particles linking sentences, paragraphs, etc. The word-formation analysis will help to demonstrate the potential of the language, the possibilities of word formation, the most productive and active word-formation models of the Arabic and Mamluk-Kipchak languages. Keywords: Arabic, Mamluk-Kipchak, word formation, Ishtikak, medieval manuscript

Students’ Perspectives on the Usefulness of ICT -Based Learning by Using Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

Abstract. In this new era, teaching and learning activities have been associated with the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). In the context of English language learning, ICT is a resource and tool for supporting students in their learning process. With the use of different English learning activities, ICT offers students a range of sources to obtain authentic content and improve their language abilities. This research aims to analyze the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ perspectives on the use of ICT-based learning in their learning activities and the contribution of ICT-based learning to the learning activities. This is a quantitative descriptive study. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), developed by Davis (1985) and improved version used in ELT classroom activities by Castro (2019) were incorporated in this study. 31 students from the English language Department of University Mataram were the sample of the study. The data were gathered using three instruments which are online questionnaire, interview, and documentation. The instruments used in this study to examine the perspectives of EFL students on ICT-based learning. The findings are analyzed using SPSS, and Spearman's Rho test. This is to determine how closely the two variables (ICT and Learning English} are related. The findings showed that the majority of the students have positive perspectives on ICT-based learning because it is relatively easy to use, and learning activities is significantly correlated with its usefulness. Given that the two variables in the data have a linear relationship and a positive correlation coefficient (0.665). Thus, it can be concluded that the better ICT quality improves, the better the quality of students' English learning.Keywords: English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Students Perspectives, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

Reaching Out to Members in the Middle East and India [President’s Message

As I am writing this article, I am wrapping up a trip as IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS) president to Doha, Qatar (9–11 January), to speak at the 2022 IEEE Spoken Language Technology (SLT) Workshop, and India (12–16 January), for technical talks and meetings with local signal processing researchers and SPS local Chapter chairs.

Conversational AI: Dialogue Systems, Conversational Agents, and Chatbots by Michael McTear

Conversational AI: Dialogue Systems, Conversational Agents, and Chatbots by Michael McTear

Meaning change

AbstractThe linguistic meaning of a word in a language is what fully competent speakers of the language have a grasp of merely in virtue of their semantic competence. The meanings of words sometimes change over time. ‘Meat’ used to mean ‘solid food’, but now means ‘animal flesh eaten as food’. This type of meaning change comes with change of topic, what we are talking about. Many people interested in conceptual engineering have claimed that there is also meaning change where topic is retained. For example, they claim that the meanings of ‘fish’ and ‘pasta’ have undergone such change, and that the meaning of ‘marriage’ would change this way after gay marriages become legal and widely accepted. In this paper, I relate two sets of relatively independent literatures: mainstream philosophy of language and conceptual engineering to argue that on a plausible and widely accepted Minimalist view of meaning that is part and parcel of anti‐descriptivism, none of the above sorts of cases involve meaning change with topic retention. I do this by showing how to distinguish minimalism about meaning from the related theses of externalism and anti‐individualism about intension and how to separate meaning from intension in a way that allows meaning and topic to remain the same despite changes in intension. The larger lesson is that much like we should not disregard the boundary between the narrowly meaning‐related (‘semantics’) and the more broadly communication‐related (‘pragmatics’), and we should not disregard the boundary between the former and the more broadly thought‐related, conceptual or cognitive (‘cognition’).

O‘ZBEK TILINI XORIJIY TIL SIFATIDA O‘QITISHDA LOYIHA TEXNOLOGIYASI

In teaching the Uzbek language as a foreign language, organizing lessons based on project technology increases the responsibility of the teacher and the student. The main goal of the Uzbek language classes or-ganized on the basis of project technology is the result and effectiveness of the lesson. The basis of this is to increase the students’ vocabulary, to make them speak independently using grammatical means, to be able to exchange and express opinions independently, to perceive the heard mate-rial, as well as to receive information, to express their reaction to events. is to acquire the skill of communication.This article discusses the theoretical and practical foundations of the methodology for using project technology in teaching Uzbek as a foreign language, the use of project activities when students study Uzbek as a foreign language, and the project in teaching Uzbek as a foreign language. Practical aspects of using the technology of the Uzbek language as a foreign language, lexical or grammatical material, recommendations for teaching oral speech based on project-based learning technology are described.

Could Tierless Languages Reduce IoT Development Grief?

Internet of Things (IoT) software is notoriously complex, conventionally comprising multiple tiers. Traditionally an IoT developer must use multiple programming languages and ensure that the components interoperate correctly. A novel alternative is to use a single tierless language with a compiler that generates the code for each component and ensures their correct interoperation. We report a systematic comparative evaluation of two tierless language technologies for IoT stacks: one for resource-rich sensor nodes (Clean with iTask) and one for resource-constrained sensor nodes (Clean with iTask and mTask). The evaluation is based on four implementations of a typical smart campus application: two tierless and two Python-based tiered. (1) We show that tierless languages have the potential to significantly reduce the development effort for IoT systems, requiring 70% less code than the tiered implementations. Careful analysis attributes this code reduction to reduced interoperation (e.g., two embedded domain-specific languages and one paradigm versus seven languages and two paradigms), automatically generated distributed communication, and powerful IoT programming abstractions. (2) We show that tierless languages have the potential to significantly improve the reliability of IoT systems, describing how Clean iTask/mTask maintains type safety, provides higher-order failure management, and simplifies maintainability. (3) We report the first comparison of a tierless IoT codebase for resource-rich sensor nodes with one for resource-constrained sensor nodes. The comparison shows that they have similar code size (within 7%), and functional structure. (4) We present the first comparison of two tierless IoT languages, one for resource-rich sensor nodes and the other for resource-constrained sensor nodes.