Hasil untuk "Language. Linguistic theory. Comparative grammar"

Hasan Aydin, Clarisse Halpern, Thithimadee Arphattananon et al.

Therefore, this study aimed to: (1) To explore international students’ cultural and educational experiences in their transition to higher education in the United States and Thailand. (2) To investigate these students’ experiences using AI and their impacts on their academic and social experiences in the United States and Thailand. (3) To compare international students’ experiences in the United States and Thailand, understanding the extent to which the higher education systems and cultural settings in both countries differ in the experiences of these students. A qualitative multiple-case study approach (Yin, 2018) was used to explore and compare the experiences of international students transitioning to higher education and using AI in their academic and social lives in the United States and Thailand. The study examined the whys and hows of real-life, contemporary cases bounded by time and space in Southwest Florida and Thai universities in Spring 2024. The study’s comparative nature enabled researchers to identify both unique and shared experiences (Yin, 2018). “[T]he inclusion of multiple cases is … a common strategy for enhancing the external validity or generalizability of [the] findings” (Merriam and Tisdell, 2016, p. 40). The findings were subdivided into the US and Thai cases. Four themes were developed based on the US case analysis related to participants’ experiences with culture shock, sociolinguistic adaptation challenges, the lack of adequate academic and institutional support, and perceiving AI as an academic and cultural mediator. Also, four themes were developed based on Thai case analysis related to participants’ experiences with geographical and cultural elements, sociocultural adaptation, finding limited support from the university, and using AI for linguistic and research support. These themes indicate both shared pressures (language, belonging, navigation of norms) and context-specific dynamics that shape how and why students turn to AI. After discussing the findings of both cases, the researchers will present the comparative cross-case findings. The findings point to several implications for higher education institutions that host international students. First, universities should strengthen institutional support systems tailored to international students’ needs, including accessible academic advising, clear guidance on expectations, and mental health services that are sensitive to linguistic and cultural factors. Second, faculty and staff would benefit from ongoing development of cultural sensitivity and intercultural competence (Bennett, 2013; Deardorff, 2006; Fantini, 2009). Such efforts can help create classroom and campus climates in which international students feel seen, heard, and able to participate fully in academic and social life. Third, institutions should provide explicit, pedagogically grounded guidance on the use of AI tools in academic work (Khalifa and Albadawy, 2024; Li et al., 2024; Panmei and Shimray, 2025). Training and resources that address both the possibilities and limits of tools such as Grammarly and ChatGPT can help international students use AI to support language development, comprehension, and disciplinary writing while attending to issues of accuracy, ethics, and over-reliance (Kelly et al., 2023; Liu, 2023; Tavares, 2021; Wang et al., 2023). Fourth, universities can reduce isolation and foster a sense of belonging by expanding opportunities for interaction between international and domestic students (Halpern et al., 2024). Structured mentorship programs, collaborative coursework, and cultural and social events can promote meaningful peer connections and reciprocal learning rather than positioning international students solely as recipients of support. In addition, such initiatives signal a more intentional approach to internationalization and intercultural competence across campus (Halpern et al., 2022). Finally, language support services remain central to international students’ academic trajectories. Free or low-cost language courses, writing centers familiar with the particular challenges of studying in an additional language, and embedded language support in content courses can work in tandem with AI tools to enhance students’ academic performance and confidence (Al Khateeb and Hassan, 2023). By integrating these forms of support, institutions can better align their internationalization goals with the everyday realities of international students’ academic and social lives (Halpern et al., 2022). This study had two key limitations. First, the sample size was limited to two universities, which may not fully represent the experiences of all international students in the US and Thailand. Future research should include a larger, more diverse sample to enhance the generalizability of the findings. Second, the findings were shaped by the selected universities’ unique cultural and institutional contexts, potentially limiting their applicability to other settings. Future research should include a more diverse range of institutions across different regions and countries to broaden the understanding of international students’ experiences. This would help identify common challenges and best practices across various educational contexts. Additionally, longitudinal studies could provide deeper insights into the evolving experiences of international students throughout their academic journeys. Such studies would also allow researchers to assess the long-term impact of AI tools and institutional support on students’ academic and social integration. Lastly, future research should examine the ethical considerations and potential drawbacks of AI tools in education, exploring how they can be optimized to support diverse learning needs and preferences. This manuscript is original as it presents the unique comparison of international students in Southwest Florida and Thai universities and how they navigate their experiences in the host countries using AI to adapt to social and academic situations. It intersects the topics of AI usage and international students’ experiences abroad.

Łukasz Stolarski

This article aims to verify and refine the positions of Polish phonemic vowels in the IPA Vowel Diagram as proposed in phonetic literature. To achieve this, neural network models trained on productions of Cardinal Vowels by a representative group of phoneticians were used. This automated approach eliminates potential confounding effects of individual researchers’ intuitions, and the locations established this way may be more accurate within the Cardinal Vowel System. The results suggest positions similar to those proposed in articulatory descriptions found in the literature. Nonetheless, the placements tend to be more central. These findings are consistent with the observation that the relatively small inventory of Polish vowels does not require tense phonetic productions. All this points to the conclusion that the positions of Polish phonemic vowels should be placed slightly away from the edges of the Vowel Diagram, indicating more lax articulations.

Aida Qoir Setyaning, Phil Maria T Ping, Y. Asih

This study aimed to investigate students’ speaking difficulties and the reasons behind the difficulties. This qualitative case study gathered data through speaking task assessment, questionnaire, and semi-structured interview which analyzed thematically from English Club in SMA Negeri 7 Samarinda in the academic year of 2024 who were selected based on the 3 lowest score of the questionnaire. Additionally, students’ speaking difficulties in speaking were categorized into shyness and inhibition, low participation of individuals, finding things to say, and L1 use, meanwhile the reasons behind students’ speaking difficulties were categorized as psychological factors, linguistic factors, and lack of practice factors based on some theories. The result showed that English Club students experienced some difficulties in speaking, such as overuse of L1, confused in finding things to say, shyness and inhibition, and low participation of individuals. This study also found out that the possible reasons behind the difficulties were from linguistic factors: lack of vocabularies, lack of pronunciation, and lack of grammar. Moreover, psychological factors which related to fear of making mistakes, self- confidence, and language anxiety also contributed to the difficulties with the lack opportunities to practice inside and outside the class. Hence, English Club students were still lack of linguistical features in speaking which also affect their psychological and became hesitate to speak in English Club meetings.

Roberta Martina Zagarella, Marco Annoni

This paper aims to explore how institutions may counteract conspiracy theories using appropriate discursive resources. We use a rhetorical approach to analyze the first European information campaign launched in 2020 to counteract conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines. On this basis, we advance a series of practical recommendations for institutions to counteract conspiracy theories through information campaigns.

Horiyeh Kokabi Dana, Ali Saedavi

Keywords: Book of Al-Ayyam, Taha Hossein, Khadiv Jam, Al-Ayyam Translating, Referential Meaning, Slippage in theReferential Meaning.IntroductionWhether we consider the translation unit as a word, a sentence, a text, or even a concept, the quest for finding the appropriate equivalent for vocabulary remains essential and effective. Understanding the meaning of sentences or texts does not occur in isolation; it is inherently connected to the vocabulary used. Therefore, when translating a text from one language to another, the translator’s initial task should be to assess the meaning of individual words.Peter Newmark contends that translators who dismiss the translation of individual words in favor of focusing solely on sentences and messages deceive themselves. After all, every sentence or text comprises words, each of which independently carries a meaning that reflects a tangible or abstract reality from the external world. Consequently, many experts prioritize the referential meaning—the genuine and concrete sense of words—over other potential meanings. As long as a translator can convey a word’s referential meaning accurately in the target language, there is no need to resort to alternative interpretations.Nevertheless, it is observed that translators occasionally falter when translating the referential meaning. In this essay, the authors aim to analyze and evaluate the translation of the second volume of Hossein Khadiojam’s book Al-Ayyam, specifically addressing the factors that led to deviations from the intended referential meaning.Literature ReviewNumerous studies have explored various aspects of meaning and the quest for equivalence in translation. Among these, the following noteworthy works can be highlighted:“Pragmatics of Referential Meanings of Words in the Translation Process of Nahj al-Balaghah” (1396-2016)by Seyyed Mehdi Masbooq: In this article, Masbooq and colleagues meticulously examine one hundred and twelve words from Nahj al-Balaghah across translations by Mr. Jafari, Dashti, Faqihi, and Faiz al-Islam. The study sheds light on challenges faced by translators, including issues related to vocabulary structure, as well as formal and spiritual nuances of the words.“Research on Translation from Arabic to Persian Based on the Process of ‘Spiritual Equivalence’ (Case Study of the Novel Al-Sakriye)” (1393-2013)by Adnan Tahmasabi and Siddiqa Jafari: This article delves into the translation process, exploring lexical equivalence and language structures across different lexical and semantic layers, with a focus on Al-Sukariyyeh’s novel.“Types of Meaning in Translation” (1393-2013)by Alireza Khan Jan: Khan Jan addresses the critical issue of distinguishing between various types of meaning, emphasizing its significance from Halliday’s perspective.“Criticism on the Translation of ‘Al-Ibarat’: A Testimony to the Necessity of Proficiency in Source and Target Languages” (2012)by Shahriar Gitti and colleagues: Through a critical examination of the translation of the textbook Al-Ibrate, the authors discuss common errors and their underlying causes, emphasizing the challenges faced by translators due to insufficient fluency in both the source and target languages.“Etymology of Words in Nahj al-Balagha: An Emphasis on Ibn-Faris’s Method” (1391-2013): Hossein Mu-yadi’s thesis delves into the etymology process of words found in Nahj al-Balagha. By analyzing the semantics and roots of the vocabulary, the study explores Ibn-Faris’s approach and its impact on vocabulary comprehension.“Pragmatics of ‘Translation Equivalence’ for Words in Quran Translation” (2011)by Hamidreza Mirhaji and colleagues: This article emphasizes the necessity of considering different semantic layers to achieve translation equivalence. The authors examine the process of equivalence and equality at the word level, highlighting that translations from the Quran often lack sufficient attention to the principle of “translation equivalence.” Translators tend to focus primarily on transferring the referential meaning, often overlooking other semantic layers.“Text, Metatext, and Analysis of Basic and Relative Meaning: A Comparative Study with Interpretation” (1386-2006)by Dr. Mohammad Baqer Saeedi Roshan: In this article, the author compares the perspectives of Muslim scholars and contemporary semantic approaches regarding situational meaning and pragmatics as the primary meaning of words, both within and outside the context. The study also explores the relative meaning of words, as understood from the context and text.Although referential meaning—one of the types of meaning—has been analyzed and evaluated in various books and research, there appears to be a gap in independent research regarding its importance, impact on understanding other meanings, and the factors contributing to translator errors in handling referential meaning during translation.On the contrary, the focus of this research lies on the referential meaning within the context of equivalence-seeking during the translation of the second volume of Al-Ayam. The authors aim to address the following questions:What factors contributed to Khadiojam’s errors in translating the referential meaning of certain words?Which factor occurred most frequently?To achieve this, the authors have extracted 69 examples from the second volume of Al-Ayam, where they believe Khadiojam deviated from the intended referential meaning. Due to space constraints, the article provides a select few examples for each factor, followed by an evaluation and analysis using a comparative approach.Conclusion

Karla Tatiana Yara Falla, Maria Ximena Collazos Perdomo

This narrative research study allows us to learn about the usefulness of the mandatory institutional English courses at the Universidad Surcolombiana, Neiva branch, for students of other undergraduate programs in English and their academic, professional, and personal impact. It uses the open interview anonymously to collect their experiences and to promote free expression by using questions related to the courses and based on their environment and previous contact with English using Spanish to better understand. Likewise, the English for Specific Purposes model was taken into account and presented as an idea to the students as a strategy to implement it in the different programs. The results indicated that the benefits obtained in these courses were very limited for English learning and improving the level of students, evidencing the need for English according to their program for the adequate professional development of each one.

Trifa Mohammed faraj, Abduljabar Mustafa Maruf, Faridun Abdul Mohammed

This study delves into the case system in Hawrami dialect as a pivotal grammatical phenomenon within the generative grammar framework. This theoretical framework applies universally to all natural languages, as all sentence phrases must adhere to the rules and principles of this theory, however, it is important to note that the specific case markers may differ among languages, as each language handles case marker according to its own unique characteristics. These markers may include elements such as (morphology, inflection, sign-sign movement, or position). With a distinctive focus on the Hawrami dialect, this research offers a fresh perspective by proposing that the dialect employs a principle rooted in position and inflection to delineate sentence phrases. This hypothesis is substantiated through comparative analyses with related dialects, revealing the absence of dialect-specific morphemes dedicated to case marking.  In The research will use analytical description method, the study synthesizes sources that encompass both written materials and firsthand narratives from native speakers, facilitating meticulous verification of research hypotheses. Augmented by comparative instances from languages such as Hungarian, Arabic, English and Germany. The inquiry draws broader linguistic parallels. While predominantly grounded in the generative grammar theory, the study adroitly integrates elements of the minimal program as needed. This strategic adaptation enhances the exposition of the case system's distinct features, particularly its differentiation from other grammatical attributes like the ergative. The culmination of the investigation advances the assertion that, akin to the middle dialect of the Sulaimani variant, the Hawrami dialect adheres to a nominative-accusative case system for marking cases. Notably, this case system is intricately intertwined with syntactic positions, particularly in terms of syntactic inflection within morphosyntactic phrases. This dynamic interplay effectively signals case-receiver phrases or agreement phrases, shedding light on the intricate syntactic mechanisms that underpin case marking within this specific dialect.

S. Issakova, Assylymay Issakova, Khafiza Ordabekova et al.

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the fact that the verb is a part of speech that expresses the grammatical meaning of an action, so there is a sign of a dynamic flow in time. The verb is the only part of speech that has analytical forms. The specificity of a verb is a dependent grammatical meaning that binds verbs concerning an action. They do not contain the semantics of the restriction in the action that they denote, their boundary can be considered as defined from the outside, but not as a result of the verb semantics. The purpose is to consider and compare the system of grammatical categories of the verb in Kazakh, Russian, and English. The following methods were used: linguistic, comparative, and structural. The basic unit of grammar is the grammatical category. It combines grammatical forms with a single grammatical meaning. Whole, homogeneous, and opposite grammatical forms of a particular language are called a paradigm. When analysing categories, it is especially important to consider the unity of semantic and formal plans: if there is no plan, then this phenomenon cannot be classified. Grammatical categories of each language can be a kind of questionnaire for describing objects and situations in that language.

Félix Esteso Moya

La enseñanza de las oraciones impersonales en Secundaria y Bachillerato las presenta como un tipo especial de oraciones que no tienen sujeto. Sin embargo, ello significaría una anomalía en el análisis funcional del concepto de oración. El objetivo de este artículo es mostrar una experiencia de aula en Bachillerato basada en la elaboración de hipótesis y de actividades reflexivas. En primer lugar, se discutirán las nociones de sujeto. Posteriormente, se revisarán los tipos de oraciones impersonales que se suelen estudiar en la enseñanza media. Y, finalmente, a partir de algunas actividades basadas en la tipología de Bosque y Gallego (2016) y Gallego y Gutiérrez (2022) se trabajarán los argumentos que aparecen en los verbos impersonales.

Veronika Svindt, Balázs Surányi

BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and social pragmatic communication disorder (SPCD) are two neurodevelopmental disorders with many similarities in affected individuals' impairments in social-communicative and pragmatic development. A central question pertaining to their differentiation concerns whether the distinction is truly qualitative or, instead, quantitative in nature, and indeed, defining the boundary between SPCD and ASD with IQ in the normal range often presents differential-diagnostic difficulties. While deficits in the comprehension of certain linguistically systematic implicit verbal meanings have been targeted by experimental research in ASD, to date they have not been investigated in controlled experiments in SPCD. AIMS The empirical objectives of our study are twofold. First, it is explored whether the comprehension of a set of highly systematic, grammaticalized implicit meanings is impaired in ASD and SPCD children compared to their typically developing (TD) peers, and whether ASD and SPCD children differ from each other in accessing these verbal meanings. Second, it is investigated whether receptive grammatical competence and first-order ToM abilities are associated with children's performance in any way and whether there is a difference in this regard between the ASD and the SPCD group. METHODS & PROCEDURES Our main experiment, using a sentence-picture verification task, tested the comprehension of highly systematic implicit verbal meanings, including grammaticalized implicatures, presuppositions, and entailments. The experiment was complemented with a false-belief (ToM) task and a test of receptive grammar, among other measures. Seventy-one 4-to-9-year-old children participated in the study (ASD: n=19, SPCD: n=13, TD controls: n=39). OUTCOMES & RESULTS While both children with SPCD and children with ASD performed significantly more poorly than the TD group, only the comprehension profile of the SPCD group differed significantly from that of the TD group. Importantly, while ASDs' performance exhibited an association with their ToM results, the performance of SPCDs showed a correlation with their receptive grammar skills. By contrast, the performance of TDs correlated with neither. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS These findings reveal potential divergences in the cognitive developmental mechanisms that underlie the semantic-pragmatic difficulties in the two clinical groups, suggesting that the communicative impairments in ASD and in SPCD differ qualitatively, rather than quantitatively. Specific implications for theories of pragmatic impairments in ASD and in SPCD are discussed. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS What is already known on the subject Linguistically systematic implicit meanings are understudied both in ASD and in SPCD. Within this domain of verbal meaning, the majority of relevant experimental work on ASD, concentrated on generalized (mostly: scalar) implicatures, has yielded somewhat divergent results, while the comprehension difficulties in SPCD have remained barely charted territory. Linguistically more highly conventionalized implicit verbal meanings have not been experimentally investigated in either neurodevelopmental disorder. What this study adds A primary finding of our study is that although both the SPCD and the ASD group show significant deficit in the comprehension of highly conventional, grammaticalized implicit meanings, SPCD children may diverge more in their comprehension profile from their TD peers than ASD children. Another key result is that the comprehension of grammaticalized implicit meanings is linked with different cognitive functions in ASD and in SPCD. While comprehension performance is associated with ToM in ASD but not in SPCD or in TD, it is correlated with receptive grammar skills in SPCD but not in ASD or in TD. Clinical implications of this study These findings provide potential support for the hypothesis that the difference between ASD and SPCD is qualitative rather than quantitative in nature, thereby casting doubt on the conception that pragmatic limitations in SPCD are to be approached as a less severe form of similar deficits in ASD. Uncovering differences in the underlying cognitive sources and in the comprehension deficits of children with ASD and SPCD are critical for the improvement of the accuracy of SPCD children's early diagnosis and timely therapeutic intervention.

Evgenij F. Tarasov

The article questions if human speech communication (SC) involves a transfer of information. The information functioning in speech communication is dwelled upon in the information and systemic activity approaches. The informational approach adequately explains only the direct method of information transfer, while the systemic activity approach is relevant for the sign-mediated speech communication typical for human interaction. The more heuristic thesis is that the perception of the chain of linguistic sign bodies produced in the intersubjective space only starts the construction of the perceived speech message content by the recipient. The completeness of the constructed speech message content depends entirely on the recipient, who has the optimal common consciousness with the speaker. The purpose of speech messages is not the actual construction of the content by the recipient, but the development of the message personal meaning. In human speech communication, the communicants do not transmit information, but use verbal signs bodies to actualize images of consciousness which are developed within a single ethnic culture and therefore are common for them. The incentive for the common consciousness development by the communicants is their participation in joint activities that ensure their earthly existence.

Anisley Morejón Ramos, Rosabel Sotolongo, Olivia Norton

El desarrollo de comunidades sostenibles parte del rescate de la espiritualidad intrínseca del ser humano con su entorno de vida y depende del estímulo de sus capacidades como sujeto activo para darle respuestas creativas a la actual problemática socio-ambiental, la potenciación de resiliencia. Cuba, en su condición insular, sufre de múltiples los impactos del cambio climático, las acciones de adaptación necesitan del flujo de respuesta a nivel institucional y de la autogestión local. Los proyectos comunitarios en Centro Habana son indispensables para el rescate de los valores socio-ambientales. La sistematización de experiencias concretas de prácticas sostenibles visibiliza las potencialidades de modelos alternativos y permite articular y fortalecer sus propuestas para la construcción de comunidades sostenibles y resilientes.

BERTHA RAMOS HOLGUÍN, Anna Carolina Peñaloza Rallón

The editorial introduces the focus of the journal, the work of the authors, and food for thought for future publications. 

Emmanuel Schang

In this paper, I show that verbal and nominal functional elements of Gwadloupéyen can be described in the Tree-Adjoining Grammar as pertaining to morphological periphrasis. This challenges the claim that Creoles have fully analytical morphology.

Patrícia Rodrigues Costa, Andréia Guerini, Germana Henriques Pereira

K. Emmorey

Linguistic and psycholinguistic evidence is presented to support the use of structure-mapping theory as a framework for understanding effects of iconicity on sign language grammar and processing. The existence of structured mappings between phonological form and semantic mental representations has been shown to explain the nature of metaphor and pronominal anaphora in sign languages. With respect to processing, it is argued that psycholinguistic effects of iconicity may only be observed when the task specifically taps into such structured mappings. In addition, language acquisition effects may only be observed when the relevant cognitive abilities are in place (e.g. the ability to make structural comparisons) and when the relevant conceptual knowledge has been acquired (i.e. information key to processing the iconic mapping). Finally, it is suggested that iconicity is better understood as a structured mapping between two mental representations than as a link between linguistic form and human experience.

D. Napoli

Sign language morphology adds new considerations to well-studied areas, including category identification, inflection vs. derivation, the notions of ideophones, subject, and root, and properties used in lexical classifications. It makes necessary the new notion of reactive effort in understanding how biomechanical factors help shape the lexicon. The prevalence of simultaneity (verticality) over linearity (horizontal temporality) shows that linguistic analysis must include the study of physical properties (visual vs. auditory) if we are to understand language typology. Phonological parameters can have meaning associated with them, either arbitrarily or because they are iconic. This allows for lexical networks that require the mechanism of ion morphs. Certain phenomena are open to analysis as part of a system of visual representation needed in communication; that is, they are gestural and not part of language per se. So the grammar of sign languages covers a more narrow range of phenomena than that of spoken languages.

Magdalena Białek

W artykule podjęta została próba zdefiniowania roli i funkcji sensybilizacji, zwanej również rozgrzewką językową, na lekcji języka obcego. Posługując się argumentacją osadzoną w paradygmacie konstruktywistycznym, wykazano, iż rozgrzewka językowa jest niezbędnym elementem skutecznego procesu dydaktycznego, pełniąc przede wszystkim funkcję motywującą i autonomizującą. W artykule wyeksponowano przede wszystkim rolę, jaką pełni rozgrzewka w aktywizowaniu wiedzy uprzedniej ucznia i zaakcentowano jej znaczenie dla możliwości wsparcia procesów „góra–dół” w przebiegu lekcji. Rozgrzewce przypisano również funkcję uaktywniania idei zakotwiczających, odwołując się do teorii schematów antycypacyjnych Ausubela i jego koncepcji uczenia się ze zrozumieniem. Ponadto opisano, jak interpretowana jest rozgrzewka językowa w programach nauczania języka niemieckiego, oraz przedstawiono krótko punkt widzenia autorki na kwestię sensybilizacji w procesie edukacji obcojęzycznej.

S. Crain, M. Nakayama