The role of semantic features in word production.

Planning to be incremental: Scene descriptions reveal meaningful clustering in language production.

ABSTRACT Phonewriting involves a unique multitasking demand: writers monitor suggestions above the keyboard while typing and deciding whether to select them. We investigated how word suggestions affect orthographic processing during word production. French young adults wrote dictated words on a smartphone, in conditions with and without suggestions. Keystroke data revealed that word suggestions influenced processing time during movement execution, increasing production time for short words but reducing it for long words. Suggestions slowed down writing due to the concurrent execution of keystrokes and preparation for a potential shift to suggestion selection. The presence of suggestions also decreased the number of errors and corrections, particularly in long words. The participants did not rely on suggestions systematically but followed strategies: they used them more frequently for orthographically inconsistent and long words, often at syllable boundaries. These findings highlight the dual nature of word suggestions—as sources of interference and as external supports that relieve memory load and improve accuracy.

In this article we present an exploratory study on the linguistic taboo, to do this, we focus on three taboo areas: sexuality, physical defects and eschatology, based on two social variables –age and sex– to observe their influence on the production of words and phrases of 18 speakers of 18 to 41 years, nine men and nine women. The analysis shows that there are differences in the knowledge of taboo voices by generation and sex. Likewise, the contributors provided a greater number of words to describe the act of defecating and fewer to describe a deaf person; we proposed two explanations for this; however, we are inclined to believe that the areas with greater variation are not as taboo, unlike those with fewer ways to describe them, which may be seen as more taboo because they are not named.

The Italian MB-CDI 'Words and Gestures' complete and short form: Normative data and validity.

The article is devoted to the study of the problem of reflecting non-specific and specific names of religious semantics in the Russian language picture of the world of the second half of the 18 th - first quarter of the 19 th centuries on the example of one of the main layers of the vocabulary of the Russian language – substances on -ia, -ie, marked as heading lexemes in the works of Russian lexicography of the civil press. During the study, methods of linguotextological, component, historical-etymological, morphemic and word-forming analysis, as well as a statistical method were used. In the work, the nouns of religious semantics on -ia, -ie are analyzed in word-forming, lexical-grammatical, semantic and historical-etymological aspects. The analysis revealed the ability of the analyzed substances on -ia, -ie to be related in word formation to different types of foundations, as well as the productivity and ambiguity of the -ijsuffix for this word production. This formant, as the study showed, could participate in the formation of substances of religious semantics of different lexico-grammatical categories that have a complex thematic organization. Most of these derivatives in the civil dialect of the second half of the 18 th - first quarter of the 19t h centuries. belonged to monosemantic two-root lexemes with Greek equivalents and formed from nominal and verbal stems. As in Old Russian and modern Russian, the bulk of the analyzed substances belong to abstract vocabulary, while the most developed system of names and a large semantic variety are characterized by derivatives with the meaning of action. It has been established that the nouns of religious semantics on -ia, -ie in their entirety form one of the significant layers of vocabulary of the Orthodox doctrine in the Russian language picture of the world in the second half of the 18 th - first quarter of the 19 th centuries.

Competition for selection drives the nature of bilingual language control: Picture naming, but not reading aloud, triggers global inhibition of the dominant language.

This pilot study investigates the relationship between stress situations and speech fluency in virtual reality environments. It aims to analyze how different stress scenarios, classified into low-, medium-, and high-stress environments, can affect speech rate, increase syllable/word repetitions, and lead to hesitations in university students. Previous research has established connections between stress situations and speech fluency, highlighting that stress can negatively influence behavior, cognitive processes, and communicative performance across various contexts, including oral presentations. An experiment was conducted with 30 participants randomly divided into three groups. Each group was exposed to different virtual stress environments (low/medium/high) during simulated oral presentations. A virtual reality platform was created to establish controlled environments and monitor the participants’ fluency in real time. An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test revealed that participants in the low-stress virtual environment performed better, achieving higher word and syllable production. In contrast, the high-stress virtual environment demonstrated an increase in disfluencies and hesitations. Results emphasize the impact of stress situations on oral communication, advocating for the use of virtual reality technology as a means of preparing individuals for challenging speaking scenarios. This approach has the potential to enhance speech fluency as a result of targeted practice in stress-inducing environments; that is to say, alleviating anxiety and improving overall communicative efficacy.

Verbal fluency is commonly used to differentiate patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from healthy controls (HC). MCI patients generally are less proficient and produce fewer words within a semantic category than HC. However, this approach may be unreliable when HC and MCI exhibit similar word production efficiency. Therefore, in this study, we investigate whether distribution analysis of lexical properties in individual words and within word lists could be useful in detecting MCI with high verbal fluency. For a verbal fluency task, eighty native Chinese speakers (40 HCs and 40 patients with MCI) were asked to generate words in the Animal category within one minute. For each participant group, we further divided the participants into two subgroups based on word generation proficiency (i.e., number of words), resulting in four groups: high-proficiency controls (HC), low-proficiency controls (LC), high-proficiency patients (HP) and low-proficiency patients (LP). We then conducted distribution analysis to investigate word properties, including word frequency, contextual diversity, semantic diversity, surprisal, and frequency variation in the word lists. The distribution analyses (Figure 1) demonstrated significant differences between the control and patient groups (ps<0.05). However, the difference was primarily driven by the LP group, with only a subtle difference between the LC and HP groups. Figure 2 showed frequency variation of the first 15 words in the word list. Critically, there was a clear difference between the control and patient groups. Specifically, the LC group tended to begin the word list with high-frequency words, with a subsequent decrease in frequency. In contrast, the HP group tended to produce words in a similar frequency band at both the beginning and end of their lists. The distribution analysis of word properties on individual words could only distinguish the LP group from the others. Differentiation between the LC and HP groups was possible only when frequency variation in the word lists was considered. These observations suggest that MCI patients may exhibit differences in how they structure their semantic memory. However, a larger sample size is needed to further assess the effectiveness and generalisation of this positional word frequency approach.

Exploring whether and when acquisition order interacts with exposure frequency during lexical learning: Evidence from behavioral and electrophysiological findings.

BackgroundPrimary progressive apraxia of speech (PPAOS) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting speech motor planning/programming. Current interventions for PPAOS are limited and often adapted from treatments for nondegenerative AOS, which rely on intensive practice to maintain speech accuracy for practiced items. Systematic interventions for PPAOS are scarce, and no studies have explored differential effects across AOS subtypes. PPAOS subtypes include those with predominant phonetic (articulatory distortions and substitutions) or prosodic (slow speech rate, segmentation) speech changes. These subtypes likely differ in their neural underpinnings and may respond variably to intervention. Delayed auditory feedback (DAF), which introduces a slight delay in hearing one's speech, has shown promise in altering speech rate and fluency for stuttering and hypokinetic dysarthria, though its effects on stroke‐related AOS have been mixed. Recent studies suggest DAF can increase speech rate in patients with AOS in the context of nonfluent/agrammatic primary progressive aphasia. We hypothesized DAF would improve speech clarity and fluency in PPAOS, with subtype‐specific effects: phonetic PPAOS may see slower, more accurate speech, while prosodic PPAOS may produce faster, less segmented speech.MethodFour PPAOS patients (3 prosodic, 1 phonetic) completed a web‐based speech battery with and without DAF. Feedback delay was calibrated individually using the DAF Pro app. Speech metrics were analyzed acoustically, and blinded perceptual ratings of deviant speech features were conducted.ResultsKey data are summarized in Table 1. Three out of four patients found the DAF helpful and two re‐recorded with DAF to allow for quantitative analysis. Patient 1 produced words faster with DAF but had slower total sentence production times; he did not find it helpful. Patient 2 spoke slower with DAF. Both patients produced AMRs faster with DAF, while SMRs were faster for Patient 1 and slower for Patient 2. Blinded perceptual judgments of speech clarity and prosody revealed mixed effects of DAF across participants.ConclusionsPreliminary results suggest DAF may differentially benefit phonetic and prosodic PPAOS, particularly in sentences compared to word production. Further research is needed to assess clinical significance, refine DAF calibration, and explore patient‐perceived improvements with guided practice in a larger, more diverse sample.

Listening to background music while engaging in mental tasks is a popular habit. Despite the diverse playlists conceived for this purpose, the optimal sonic energy (calming vs. arousing) of a musical excerpt that may benefit cognitive performances remains poorly understood, particularly in relation to the specific demands of the task. To clarify this issue, we asked participants to perform an Attention Network Test and a phonemic Verbal Fluency Task, in silence and while listening to low- and high-arousing unfamiliar musical excerpts. Excerpts sonic energy was determined by musical features analysis, followed by a subjective evaluation of the excerpts' arousal potential. Behavioral, physiological and subjective measures were collected. Results showed that the presence of both the low- and high-arousing music increased physiological activation and enhanced the pleasure experienced during task execution. Behavioral findings revealed beneficial effects of background music on executive control-related attentional abilities and word production fluidity across time. Finally, participants experienced more cognitive effort during the attentional task with the high-arousing excerpt, while no differences were observed in the Verbal Fluency Task. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring background music sonic energy to the demands of the task in order to mobilize resources and enhance enjoyment without disrupting cognitive performances.

An increasing number of studies aim to directly compare aspects of linguistic processing in word production and comprehension using controlled experiments with shared stimuli across modalities. However, the available resources allowing for such investigations are scarce, particularly for languages other than English. To address this gap, we present an open-source database of 151 German words and related picture stimuli. The items are drawn from two well-investigated semantic categories – animals and tools – and differ phonologically by either starting with a labial or a coronal speech sound. The database includes human ratings for depictive accuracy, familiarity, action relatedness, valence, arousal of the pictures, and familiarity, action relatedness, valence, arousal, and imageability of the words. In a set of analyses, we show that the ratings we collected have good reliability and external validity, and align well with previously obtained data from lexical and pictorial databases. The database is complemented with comprehensive information about phonetic/phonological, lexical, morphological, and semantic properties of the words, as well as about luminosity and visual complexity of the corresponding pictures. We finally present a matched stimulus set obtained from the database, as a ready-to-use resource for psycho- and neurolinguistic studies examining semantic and phonological processing along with their interaction in language production and comprehension. The word-picture database, together with the matched stimulus set, are freely available at https://osf.io/k64nh/.

Narrative speech production (NSP), i.e., the conceptualization, linguistic formulation, and articulation of a story, is a multifaceted process underpinned by cognitive functions and mentalization ability, often impaired in individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study examines differences in linguistic formulation between individuals with BPD and healthy controls (HCs), and explores how task type influences linguistic formulation, as well as how linguistic formulation relates to temporal parameters of speech uniquely in BPD. Speech of 33 BPD and 31 HC individuals was recorded in three task types: telling their previous day, retelling a story, and picture sequences. Features of linguistic formulation were extracted with natural language processing methods, while temporal parameters were extracted using automatic speech recognition. Hypothesis-driven generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMMs) were applied to test predefined group differences in four linguistic features (content words, first- and third-person singular verbs, and syntactic complexity). Additional exploratory GLMMs examined other linguistic features and task effects. Within-group Spearman correlations assessed associations between linguistic and temporal measures, controlling for task. Hypothesis testing showed that the NSP in BPD is characterized by fewer content words, more first-person singular verbs, and lower syntactic complexity than that of HCs. Exploratory analyses revealed that individuals with BPD used pronouns more frequently than HCs, particularly demonstrative pronouns (e.g., this) and first-person singular pronouns (e.g., I). In BPD, higher first-person singular reference (pronouns and verbs) correlated with fewer silent pauses, while greater syntactic complexity correlated with more filled pauses. Task modulated verbosity and the use of other pronoun types. Findings suggest that NSP in BPD is characterized by dominant self-referential thought content, reflected in elevated first-person singular reference, and by qualitatively impoverished language use, marked by reduced content word production, increased pronoun use, and lower syntactic complexity. Heightened self-focus may hinder the efficient allocation of cognitive resources required for cohesive, listener-oriented NSP.

IntroductionThe coordination and expression of cultural specific affective cues during speech production in a second language (L2) reflects pragmatic adaptation, which is a critical step toward learning and achieving broader pragmatic competence. Embodied cognition provides a framework for understanding how cognitive and emotional processes shape L2 expression.ObjectiveThis study examined how immersive language experience influences pragmatic adaptation through the vocal expression of affect and physiological arousal in Chinese ESL learners.MethodsAcoustic analysis and electrodermal activity (EDA) measurements were used to assess affectively valenced word production in speakers with varying levels of immersive English experience.ResultsHigh-immersion speakers exhibited greater pitch, intensity, and duration variation, enhancing emotional expressivity. Low-immersion speakers showed constrained vocal patterns and significantly higher physiological arousal, likely due to increased cognitive demands and anxiety.DiscussionThese findings highlight the impact of L2 proficiency on affective language embodiment and the cognitive challenges faced by L2 learners. This study offers novel insights by considering a pictorial character-based language, broadening our understanding of emotion-language interaction. Findings have implications for second-language education, cross-cultural communication, and bilingual speech therapy.

This article investigates the experience of young black and/ or peripheral with the word-poetry, analyzing their possibilities as an instrument of reexistence in a historical context of erasure and invisibilization. The text is the result of a master’s research carried out in 2023 whose initial objectives sought to understand about the involvement of these youth with poetry at the interface with the manifestation of the word in school life. Its character is qualitative and it was held in a sarau of marginal poetry that takes place in a public high school. Used as methodologies: participant observation, discussion group and individual narrative interviews. The interlocutors of the research were 5 high school students who are also poets. The results indicate that the word-poetry is experienced symbolically by young people as a “weapon” to face social problems such as racism, inequality and erasure. The production of words-poetry, in this sense materialize as a possibility of life production, in contrast with the production of death imposed by society to several socially vulnerable groups from a dispute of narratives and power. It is concluded that the marginal poetry, sung by black and peripheral youth, is a practice that points to possibilities of existence in hostile environments. She produces “reexistence literacies” (Souza, 2009), confronting stigmas and reaffirming authentic discourses. The production of the poetic word is configured as a social practice that allows the registration of these young people in society, affirming their identities and resisting hegemonic discursive logics.

Neural substrates for the encoding of the contextual tonal alternation: An fNIRS study of Mandarin third-tone sandhi in word production.

This article is dedicated to examining the peculiarities of the functioning of English borrowings in the veterinary terminology of contemporary German language. The author aims to analyze English-language borrowings in German veterinary terminology in terms of their share in lexicographic sources and the methods of their penetration into the veterinary sublanguage. The subject of our research consists of English borrowings used in the German language in the field of veterinary medicine. The focus of the study is the specificity of the functioning of English borrowings in German veterinary discourse. A brief overview of the scientific discourse on this topic is provided. The author places particular emphasis on elucidating the concept of “borrowing” and studying the discourse on the influence of the English language on modern German. During the analysis of the linguistic material, it has been revealed that the German veterinary terminology includes borrowings of purely English origin, as well as, in most cases, hybrid forms involving Greco-Latin heritage that came through the French language into English and then into German. To address the set task, the study employs the following methods of linguistic analysis: method of continuous sampling, method of structural analysis of factual material, method of linguistic observation and description, as well as some techniques of linguostatistics. The novelty of the research lies in the comprehensive analysis of the pathways of penetration and types of English borrowings that enrich the veterinary terminology in contemporary German. The main conclusions of the conducted research indicate that the enrichment of veterinary terminology in the German language with anglicisms occurs through syntactic methods of word formation, morphological-syntactic methods (abbreviation and compounding), as well as morphological methods (suffixal and suffixal-prefixal). The author has established that structurally, the German veterinary terminology predominantly features English terminological phrases, English abbreviations, and anglicism composites. Among the terminological phrases, two-component ones are the most productive group, constructed in the NN (noun-noun) and AN (noun-adjective) types. The most frequent group among abbreviations consists of three-letter initial abbreviations. Structural analysis of English composites has revealed the highest productivity of compound words consisting of two simple components. It is concluded that anglicisms enrich German veterinary terminology, becoming an integral part of it. The process of borrowing continues, reflecting the dynamics of the development of veterinary science and practice.

Are the ventral anterior temporal lobes involved in accessing conceptual knowledge during spoken word production? fMRI evidence from auditory naming.

It is well-known that children have a delay between their first production of color words and acquisition of adult-like understanding. A previous study showed that this delay could be attributed to a process of gradually converging on language-specific color word boundaries. In this study, we tested this account in a second language, Japanese. We presented 12 color samples to children and then conducted production and comprehension tasks to check whether children have adult-like understanding of color words. Our results were consistent with previous findings showing that children before acquiring adult-like understanding tend to use color words systematically as overextensions of adult meanings. These results indicate that the delay between production and adult-like understanding of color words reflects a gradual process of learning language-specific color boundaries, potentially shared across languages.