Verb Usage Research Articles

Boom or Bust: Unveiling the Media Portrayal of Confucius Institutes in America and Britain

Intercultural communication institutes, such as the Goethe Institut and Confucius Institute, were established to globally promote language and culture. However, the status of Confucius Institutes (CIs), particularly those in the UK and US, has shifted. In light of these evolving perspectives, this research employed Fairclough’s three-dimensional model and Halliday’s systemic functional grammar as theoretical frameworks in examining the diachronic transformations in the portrayal of CIs in American and British media discourse spanning the last decade. By analyzing intertextuality and linguistic elements, such as lexical choices and the usage of modal verbs, this study discerns different images of CI constructed by the media. Before 2020, the media highlighted the cultural elements of CI.

Referential transparency of verbs in child-directed input by Japanese and American caregivers.

Children acquiring Japanese differ from those acquiring English with regard to the rate at which verbs are learned (Fernald & Morikawa, ). One possible explanation is that Japanese caregivers use verbs in referentially transparent contexts, which facilitate the form-meaning link. We examined this hypothesis by assessing differences in verb usage by Japanese and American caregivers during dyadic play with their infants (5-22 months). We annotated verb-containing utterances for elements associated with referential transparency and compared across groups. Contrary to our hypotheses, we found that Japanese caregivers used verbs in fewer referentially transparent contexts than American caregivers, or did not significantly differ from American caregivers, depending on the measure. These findings cast doubt on cross-cultural differences in referential transparency between Japanese and American child-directed input.

Developing advanced citation skills: A mixed-methods approach to corpus technology training for novice researchers

In contrast with most existing corpus technology (CT) studies which focus primarily on general vocabulary and grammar learning, this study investigates the effectiveness of CT in addressing challenges encountered by novice researchers in improving an advanced linguistic skill in EAP writing: using reporting verbs to express rhetorical functions in citations in literature reviews. An eight-week CT training programme featuring a practical framework of the rhetorical functions of citations and utilising the Parallel EAP Corpora was implemented for 50 Chinese postgraduate students who were L2 English users. A mixed-methods approach was adopted. Paired-samples t-tests demonstrated statistically significant improvement with medium effect sizes in the frequency and diversity of reporting verb usage in citations, as well as in the complexity of expressing rhetorical functions of citations. These findings were further corroborated by corpus-aided descriptive statistical and textual analyses. Questionnaire data and interviews further revealed students' positive evaluations towards the training informed by the Parallel EAP Corpora, which facilitated participants' learning in various ways. These findings hold substantial value for EAP pedagogy, indicating that the incorporation of pedagogically sound CT training can significantly improve novice researchers’ development of academic discourse through nuanced citation practices and advanced rhetorical strategies for composing literature reviews.

Are cleft sentence structures more difficult to process?

This study compares the processing of cleft structures against that of monoclausal sentences using event-related potential (ERP). We aim to understand how syntactic complexity is processed by comparing the neural response to cleft and single-clause sentences with identical verb phrases, controlling for verb bias frequency effects. 60 participants were tested, and we presented 100 cleft and 100 monoclausal sentences, balanced for active and passive verb usage. The P600 component, which is associated with syntactic complexity, was examined to assess the processing load of cleft structures. Results showed that cleft structures incur a greater processing load, as indicated by a P600, compared to monoclausal sentences. This indexed the increased difficulty of processing the additional syntactic operation required to parse cleft sentences. These findings echo the results of behavioral studies of sentence comprehension on clinical populations.

Large language models, social demography, and hegemony: comparing authorship in human and synthetic text

Large language models have become popular over a short period of time because they can generate text that resembles human writing across various domains and tasks. The popularity and breadth of use also put this technology in the position to fundamentally reshape how written language is perceived and evaluated. It is also the case that spoken language has long played a role in maintaining power and hegemony in society, especially through ideas of social identity and “correct” forms of language. But as human communication becomes even more reliant on text and writing, it is important to understand how these processes might shift and who is more likely to see their writing styles reflected back at them through modern AI. We therefore ask the following question: who does generative AI write like? To answer this, we compare writing style features in over 150,000 college admissions essays submitted to a large public university system and an engineering program at an elite private university with a corpus of over 25,000 essays generated with GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 to the same writing prompts. We find that human-authored essays exhibit more variability across various individual writing style features (e.g., verb usage) than AI-generated essays. Overall, we find that the AI-generated essays are most similar to essays authored by students who are males with higher levels of social privilege. These findings demonstrate critical misalignments between human and AI authorship characteristics, which may affect the evaluation of writing and calls for research on control strategies to improve alignment.

Object Affordances through the window of Verb Usage Patterns and Behavior

Object Affordances through the window of Verb Usage Patterns and Behavior

Japanese Compound Verbs 「〜dasu」「〜deru」「〜komu」: Exploring Meaning and Illustrated Pedagogy for Japanese Learners

Research on the use of compound verbs in learning the Japanese language becomes crucial as previous studies have not fully addressed aspects related to the necessity of categorizing compound verbs clearly and accurately with a simple understanding. Although Satou (2002) divides verbs based on morphophonology, the research remains incomplete without considering morphosemantic aspects. Therefore, doubts arise regarding the result of combining the two verbs, whether the Verbs Group 1 ‘Godan Doushi’ (V1), referred to as the initial verb element 'zenkouyouso', or the Verbs Group 2 ‘Ichidan Doushi’ (V2), referred to as the final verb element 'gokouyouso', still adhere to the status of the final verb as a jidoushi or tadoushi. Kageyama's (1993) study on the meaning and usage of compound verbs [-dasu] is divided into two groups, indicating a change of place 'ichihenka' and aspect 'aspekuto,' observed in Japanese sentences. The concepts of compound verbs developed by Satou (2002) and Kageyama (2016) are combined eclectically in this research, aiming to obtain accurate data. The results of this analysis may not be well understood without additional support. Therefore, the analysis is presented with the illustrations of compound verbs 「〜dasu」「〜deru」「〜komu」, which are drawn based on example sentences. This research aims to categorize the meanings of compound verbs in Japanese and illustrate them in pictures. Thus, Japanese language learners will optimally understand the use of those verbs based on both the inherent meaning of verbs and sentence structure.

Phrasal Verb Usage in Korean EFL Learners’ Speaking and Writing

Phrasal Verb Usage in Korean EFL Learners’ Speaking and Writing

Motion Terminology in Septuagint Gen 12:6

This article1 is devoted to the analysis of movement terminology in LXX-Gen 12:6. The research problem aims to investigate the contextual differences in the usage of the Greek verbs διοδεύω, διαβαίνω and παρέρχομαι, which are the common counterparts of the Hebrew עָבַר in the Greek Bible. In particular, the article seeks to understand the precise meaning of the Greek verb διοδεύω used in LXX-Gen 12:6. It concludes that the choice of the very rare verb διοδεύω in LXX-Gen 12:6 can be well understood in the context of the geography and topography of Canaan and the ethnic ideology of the biblical writers. Namely, the itinerary in LXX-Gen 12:6-9 did not require Abram to overcome any natural obstacles (which would have required the use of διαβαίνω) or pass by somebody or something (best expressed by παρέρχομαι). He did, however, have to travel through a wider space - the country inhabited by a foreign and potentially hostile population.

Expressing smells in (American) English

Abstract The paper reports on a study of the usage of smell verbs over the last 200 years by speakers of American English. The focus is on how the expression of smell changes over time and what this reveals about the way speakers conceptualize and assess smells. The study is based on usage data from the COHA (Corpus of Historical American English). They were quantitatively analysed employing the methods of simple and (multiple) distinctive collexeme analysis. The results of our investigations indicate both a general increase over time in the usage of smell-verb constructions and a noticeable diversification of the smell vocabulary used by American English speakers. Moreover, the results of the collexeme analyses reveal more detailed aspects of the types of smell descriptors people use in smell talk. Reflecting what kinds of smell emitters are most typically and especially closely associated with the individual smell-verb constructions at particular times, they are informative about the sources of smells that are salient enough in our culture and (well-)known enough in the speech community to be used as functional smell descriptors and how these may change over time.

The Verbal Usage of עבד in the Book of Psalms: Exploring its Contextual Meaning and Theological Implications

Abstract This article delves into the multifaceted meaning of the Hebrew word עבד, commonly translated as “serve,” holds significant theological implications in the Book of Psalms, particularly concerning worship of God. This article addresses a notable gap in scholarship by examining the contextual meanings of עבד in its verbal form across the Psalms and exploring its theological implications. Contrary to previous limited interpretations, this research reveals a broader semantic spectrum including total submission, gratitude expression, offering gifts, trust in God, and proclamation of His name. Furthermore, this study explores the theological implications derived from the contextual analysis עבד in Psalms. It highlights the significance of divine kingship in messianic Psalms where עבד appears frequently. The importance of knowledge is emphasized as essential for genuine worship, providing a basis to understand God’s nature and actions. Additionally, the study reveals the interconnectedness of submission, trust, and praise, forming a holistic framework for faithful service to God.

ResumeCraft: A Machine Learning-powered Web Platform for Resume Building

Abstract: The competitive job market necessitates well-crafted resumes that resonate with both human recruiters and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). This paper introduces ResumeCraft, a web-based platform empowering users to build strong resumes and optimize them for ATS compatibility. ResumeCraft leverages Machine Learning (ML) for data analysis and user guidance, while the user interface is built with Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and JavaScript for a user-friendly experience. The system allows users to input their personal and professional details through a series of form fields, and provides a real-time preview of the resume design as the user inputs their data. The resume generator uses JavaScript to dynamically populate the preview with the user's input, and allows users to select from a range of pre-designed templates and color schemes to customize the look and feel of their resume. It processes the user input and generates a downloadable Portable Document Format (PDF) of the final resume. The platform analyzes user-provided information through ML models, offering suggestions on skill extraction, keyword matching, and action verb usage. This combination empowers users to create impactful resumes that are more likely to pass through ATS filters and reach human reviewers.

Japanese EFL undergraduate students’ use of the epistemic modal verbs may, might, and could in academic writing

Abstract Modifying and hedging one’s claims appropriately is an important characteristic of academic writing. This study focuses on the three main English modal verbs used to express “epistemic possibility” to avoid making strong statements, viz., may, might, and could. The purpose of this corpus-based study is to explore modal verb usage by Japanese EFL undergraduate students and consider pedagogical implications of our findings. Our analysis suggests that the Japanese students’ use of these modal verbs, especially could, has a tendency to be informal and insufficiently academic. While the Japanese students use could very frequently, they do not use it sufficiently in the sense of “epistemic possibility”, and some of their use is inappropriate not just in academic English but in English more generally. The observed high frequency of could may be related to topics and may also be due to the influence of L1. We discuss different factors that may explain the findings, based mainly on the overview of factors impacting on EFL learners’ use of academic English offered by Gilquin and Paquot (2008). Too chatty: Learner academic writing and register variation. English Text Construction 1(1). 41–61), suggest several additions to this overview, and discuss implications for the instruction of these modal verbs in academic writing and in order to improve relevant teaching materials.

A Contrastive Analysis of Reporting Verb Usage in English and Okpameri

Reporting verbs are used to report the expression of a language user. Usage of reporting verbs in utterances varies in languages. These variations sometimes pose problem to ESL learners. Predicating this study on Contrastive Analysis, the study generated Okpameri data from text instrument administered to SS 3 students in Okpameri linguistic environment. Participatory observation is also adopted for data collection. English data were got from the English grammar texts. From the findings, the two languages are grammatically marked for reporting verbs. However, the usage of these reporting verbs differs. While reporting verbs in English have unlimited vocabulary choices, reporting verbs in Okpameri have limited vocabulary choices. Also, English reporting verbs are morphologically realized for tense and number, but this is not so in Okpameri as Okpameri reporting verbs are not morphologically inflected. The use of English reporting verbs are context-based. This is not so in Okpameribecausethereportingverb‘ai’inOkpameriforinstance,is used to suggest that the speaker has given information, whereas in the real sense of it, the speaker intends to give an order or issue a query. This study, therefore, suggests that English language experts, should adopt systematic approach to the teaching of reporting verbs as this will broaden the knowledge of Okpameri ESL learners.

Alignment between Course Learning Outcomes and Assessments: An Analysis within Linguistic Programs at a University in Vietnam

Internationally, the trend of student-centered learning in higher education has emphasized the importance of aligning student learning outcomes with corresponding assessment methods. This study is conducted at a university in Vietnam by investigating 32 sets of syllabi and test specifications varied from English Language programs to English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) courses. The findings reveal that a lack of precision in verb usage within learning outcomes can introduce ambiguity, potentially hindering the effectiveness of both teaching and assessment. The study also highlights the significance of balancing the quantities of requirements within a single learning outcome to foster a positive and manageable learning experience. As a result, it is believed that a careful selection of verbs in writing learning outcomes, coupled with a balanced approach to requirements, can contribute to a more coherent and effective curriculum within linguistic programs.

The development of desire language: A corpus study of ‘want’

Children’s usage of mental state verbs can reveal evidence of their theory of mind and general cognitive development. Children produce a certain class of mental state verbs, namely desire verbs such as want, like, and love, early in development. Among these desire verbs, they produce want the most frequently. We report on a corpus study of 450 + instances of want as gathered from children’s dialogues with caretakers in the CHILDES database. We developed a novel coding scheme to measure children’s use and understanding of want utterances: i.e., we analyzed the kinds of things that children described wanting for themselves or others, as well as the agents to whom they ascribed desires. We report on the frequencies of these features across the ages of 24 to 59 months (2–4 years of age), and highlight noteworthy trends in the way children used want. Children appear to talk about their own desires most often; they primarily use questions to talk about second person desires; and they describe more complex desires as they mature. We describe how these patterns of linguistic competency may serve as an index for the development of mechanisms that underlie mental state reasoning.

A Bayesian probabilistic analysis of the use of English modal verbs in L2 writing: Focusing on L1 influence and topic effects

Modal verbs, with their multifaceted semantic nuances and varied grammatical configurations, present notable challenges for L2 learners and regularly intrigue L2 researchers. This study attempts to investigate and compare how English modal verbs are used by L2 learners from different L1 backgrounds. By exploring the Turkish and Chinese learners’ subcorpora of the International Corpus of Learner English (ICLE), this work scrutizes the overall frequencies of nine core English modal verbs as grouped into three major semantic classes along with the influential lexico-syntatic variables that are semantic classes of collocated verbs, grammatical patterns and subject pronominality. The results of a Bayesian probabilistic analysis show that both the Turkish and Chinese learners primed similar modal verbs and constructional preferences without topic as the normalizing factor. While the broader analysis reveals no statistically significant divergences between these two learner groups in English modal verb preferences, a pronounced contextual influence is evident when the dataset narrows to essays on a unified theme. This nuanced shift underscores the intricate relationship between essay topics and linguistic structures, thus emphasizing the pivotal role of context in modal verb usage.

Teaching Phrasal Verbs in EFL Classes with HIIT Method

This article explores the effectiveness of integrating the High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) method into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes for teaching phrasal verbs. The study investigates the impact of the HIIT approach on students' acquisition and usage of phrasal verbs, employing a mixedmethods research design. The findings indicate that the HIIT method enhances phrasal verb learning, leading to improved understanding, retention, and application of these challenging language components. The article concludes with implications for EFL educators seeking innovative approaches to enhance phrasal verb instruction.

The use of differing verb types in the oral narratives of school-age children

ABSTRACT The aim of this project was to examine age-related use of action, metacognitive, and metalinguistic verbs because factors related to verb transparency are thought to impact word learning. Performance on fictional, oral narratives elicited using a single-episode picture was evaluated for 84 children with typical language (TL) and 38 age-matched children with a Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) ranging in age from 5;1 to 14;4 years of age. Narrative samples were transcribed and coded for occurrences of action verbs (AV), metacognitive verbs (MCV), and metalinguistic verbs (MLV). The total number of verbs used and the number of different verbs produced in each category were examined across ages, as was the difference in verb usage patterns across language ability groups. A statistically significant increase in the overall use of action, MCV, and MLV with age was observed. TL children used a wider variety of each verb type as compared to those with DLD. Age-related progression for verb use was observed in the fictional narrative generation task by both groups of children. However, despite similar rates of total verb use, children with DLD produced fewer different verbs in the three categories. These findings indicate the total number of verbs used is similar in children with TL and DLD, but there is a difference in the number of different verbs used in functional tasks such as narratives for children with DLD. These results also indicate a need for ongoing examination of the factors not only impacting verb acquisition but also use in communication tasks.

Usage of Causative Verbs in Different Contexts

Causative verbs are an essential part of the English language, allowing speakers to describe the act of causing something to happen. This paper provides an overview of causative verbs in English, their various forms and uses, and some common misconceptions about their usage. The paper also explores how causative verbs can be used in different tenses and how they interact with modal verbs. Finally, the paper examines the use of causative verbs in passive voice constructions