Kanji learning strategies and language background of L2 Japanese language learners
Gayathri Haththotuwa Gamage
Abstract Research into language learning strategies (LLS) remains a prominent area within second language acquisition. However, current LLS literature exhibits a significant gap: a lack of focused investigation into the categorization of kanji learning strategies and the influence of orthographic/language background on strategy divergence. This study addresses this urgency by exploring how learners with different first languages (L1s) and orthographic experiences approach kanji acquisition, a critical component of Japanese language learning. Accordingly, this research was guided by the question: “How do pre-intermediate learners of Japanese from different L1 backgrounds and learning contexts categorize and utilize kanji learning strategies?”. A quantitative, questionnaire-based study was conceptualized and administered to pre-intermediate learners of Japanese studying in two distinct contexts: Australia (English L1 learners and Chinese L1 learners) and Sri Lanka (learners with Sinhala L1). The questionnaire, validated through expert review and pilot testing to ensure construct validity and reliability, collected data on the frequency of various kanji learning strategy use. Results from factor analysis revealed three main categories of kanji learning strategies: mnemonic, analytic, and rote learning. A key finding, aligning with the research question, was that Chinese L1 learners studying in the Australian context demonstrated strategy preferences similar to English L1 learners in that same context, a result contrary to expectations based on their prior character exposure. Conversely, learners studying Japanese in Sri Lanka exhibited a different strategy profile, suggesting the learning context may be a more dominant factor than L1 orthography. This study’s cross-cultural comparison of kanji learning among learners from diverse orthographic backgrounds contributes to a deeper understanding of context-dependent LLS use and offers clear implications for optimizing kanji instruction.
Special aspects of education, Language acquisition
Japan as a Civilizational State: Rethinking Abe Shinzo’s Global Vision
G. D. Paksiutov
The article revisits the policies of Abe Shinzo, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, and places them in the context of the current trend of civilizations advancing as a major factor in international affairs. We briefly examine the development of the influential concept of a “civilizational state,” today most often exemplified by China, and suggest that this concept can be used to elucidate Abe’s vision of Japanese polity and its position on the global arena. Based on the review of the relevant scholarly literature, we argue that Japan’s traditional selfidentification as a mediator between Asia and the West also conforms to the idea of a civilizational state.We highlight that the key factor influencing the international situation over Abe’s second administration (2012–2020) was the rise of China in the aftermath of the 2008–2009 financial crisis, which exposed the West’s relative economic decline. In these circumstances, Japan attempted to assume a position of a mediator between the two poles of power, a position that we relate to Abe’s political aspirations such as his quest for Japan’s greater political autonomy and his appeal both to Asian identity and universal values. In certain respects, this tendency continues after Abe’s resignation in 2020 as well, though whether current and future leaders of Japan will continue with his general approach is a complicated question.We conclude by arguing for urgency of the discussion of the political ideas that mediate between the universal and the local values and identities – a task for which Abe’s legacy appears to us to be particularly relevant.
Japanese language and literature
Writing literature reviews with AI: principles, hurdles and some lessons learned
Saadi Lahlou, Annabelle Gouttebroze, Atrina Oraee
et al.
We qualitatively compared literature reviews produced with varying degrees of AI assistance. The same LLM, given the same corpus of 280 papers but different selections, produced dramatically different reviews, from mainstream and politically neutral to critical and post-colonial, though neither orientation was intended. LLM outputs always appear at first glance to be well written, well informed and thought out, but closer reading reveals gaps, biases and lack of depth. Our comparison of six versions shows a series of pitfalls and suggests precautions necessary when using AI assistance to make a literature review. Main issues are: (1) The bias of ignorance (you do not know what you do not get) in the selection of relevant papers. (2) Alignment and digital sycophancy: commercial AI models slavishly take you further in the direction they understand you give them, reinforcing biases. (3) Mainstreaming: because of their statistical nature, LLM productions tend to favor mainstream perspectives and content; in our case there was only 20% overlap between paper selections by humans and the LLM. (4) Limited capacity for creative restructuring, with vague and ambiguous statements. (5) Lack of critical perspective, coming from distant reading and political correctness. Most pitfalls can be addressed by prompting, but only if the user knows the domain well enough to detect them. There is a paradox: producing a good AI-assisted review requires expertise that comes from reading the literature, which is precisely what AI was meant to reduce. Overall, AI can improve the span and quality of the review, but the gain of time is not as massive as one would expect, and a press-button strategy leaving AI to do the work is a recipe for disaster. We conclude with recommendations for those who write, or assess, such LLM-augmented reviews.
A Systematic Literature Review of the Epidemiology of Complicated Urinary Tract Infection
Edward Broughton, Meryem Bektas, Ann Colosia
et al.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common bacterial infections and present with heterogeneous clinical phenotypes. Whereas many uncomplicated UTIs resolve spontaneously or with antibiotic treatment, a complicated UTI (cUTI) presents with greater morbidity and a higher risk of treatment failures. The goal of this study was to estimate the real-world epidemiology of cUTI, including acute pyelonephritis (AP) and catheter-associated UTIs (CAUTIs), and its associated mortality internationally. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and EconLit databases for relevant articles published between July 2013 and July 2023 covering Europe and the following countries: France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the UK, China, Japan, and the US (US). Search terms relating to cUTI, AP, CAUTI, outcomes of interest (epidemiology), and real-world research designs were used. There were no language limitations (protocol registry: PROSPERO-CRD42023454794). Database searches yielded 1014 unique records, of which 91 met the prespecified inclusion criteria; bibliography and conference abstract searches yielded 27 additional records for a total of 118 records for inclusion. Disease presentation and reported outcomes varied widely across studies, and most studies reporting incidence and prevalence of cUTI were from the US (21 of 29). No studies reporting incidence or prevalence rates of cUTI in China, Germany, or the UK were identified. Overall, high antibiotic resistance rates were reported in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The inpatient cohort mortality rates were highly variable (0–50%) depending on the patient population. While disease presentation and reported outcomes varied widely across studies, cUTIs represent a considerable burden in terms of incidence, prevalence, drug resistance, and mortality, yet vast knowledge gaps remain in the literature. There is a crucial need to address these gaps to effectively evaluate new treatments and improve future analyses of cUTI burden and outcomes.
Blended Teaching Model Development for Japanese Language Education in Chinese Universities
Shuang Cui, S. Teekasap, Nainapas Injoungjirakit
et al.
Background and Aims: This study investigates the development and implementation of a Japanese language blended teaching model specifically designed for Chinese university students, leveraging advanced digital technologies. The integration of online and offline learning modes is vital in language education as the educational landscape evolves. This research aims to address the innovative challenges faced by students and educators in the Japanese language major within Chinese universities. The study proposes a blended teaching model that combines traditional face-to-face instruction with digital learning tools. Methodology: This study used a mixed-method approach, utilizing pre- and post-tests to assess language proficiency, surveys to evaluate student engagement and satisfaction, and learning analytics to track digital platform usage. Expert reviews were also conducted to ensure instructional quality and validate the blended teaching model’s implementation outcomes Results: The results of the study showed that there was a significant increase in student engagement, language proficiency, and overall satisfaction with the learning experience under this blended learning model. The study also highlighted the importance of flexibility, interactivity, and personalized learning pathways in enhancing language acquisition through blended learning. Conclusion: Integrating digital technology and adopting a blended teaching model in Japanese language teaching in Chinese universities meets the language learning needs of students at different levels and improves the effect of language learning. It also cultivates students' digital literacy and learning autonomy and motivation, thus further improving the quality of foreign language learning and teaching. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on blended learning in language education and offers practical insights for educators seeking to innovate their teaching practices. Future research should examine adaptive learning or conduct comparisons with alternative language teaching models.
Hashigo: A Next Generation Sketch Interactive System for Japanese Kanji
Paul Taele, Tracy Hammond
Language students can increase their effectiveness in learning written Japanese by mastering the visual structure and written technique of Japanese kanji. Yet, existing kanji handwriting recognition systems do not assess the written technique sufficiently enough to discourage students from developing bad learning habits. In this paper, we describe our work on Hashigo, a kanji sketch interactive system which achieves human instructor-level critique and feedback on both the visual structure and written technique of students' sketched kanji. This type of automated critique and feedback allows students to target and correct specific deficiencies in their sketches that, if left untreated, are detrimental to effective long-term kanji learning.
Context in object detection: a systematic literature review
Mahtab Jamali, Paul Davidsson, Reza Khoshkangini
et al.
Context is an important factor in computer vision as it offers valuable information to clarify and analyze visual data. Utilizing the contextual information inherent in an image or a video can improve the precision and effectiveness of object detectors. For example, where recognizing an isolated object might be challenging, context information can improve comprehension of the scene. This study explores the impact of various context-based approaches to object detection. Initially, we investigate the role of context in object detection and survey it from several perspectives. We then review and discuss the most recent context-based object detection approaches and compare them. Finally, we conclude by addressing research questions and identifying gaps for further studies. More than 265 publications are included in this survey, covering different aspects of context in different categories of object detection, including general object detection, video object detection, small object detection, camouflaged object detection, zero-shot, one-shot, and few-shot object detection. This literature review presents a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in context-based object detection, providing valuable contributions such as a thorough understanding of contextual information and effective methods for integrating various context types into object detection, thus benefiting researchers.
An investigation into the motivation and attitudes of Japanese students toward learning English: A case of elementary and junior high school students
Robert Kirkpatrick, Junko Kirkpatrick, Ali Derakhshan
Given the importance of academic motivation, numerous inquiries have scrutinized the antecedents of this psycho-emotional variable in various educational environments. Nonetheless, the role of students’ attitudes in their academic motivation has remained elusive. Put simply, it is unclear whether students’ attitudes can make positive changes in their learning motivation. To bridge this gap, the present investigation explored Japanese students’ attitudes towards learning English. The research also examined the interplay between attitudes and academic motivation from Japanese students’ perspectives. In doing so, a closed-ended survey was given to 417 elementary and high school students. Following that, some interview sessions were conducted with a sample of elementary and high school teachers. The study outcomes disclosed that almost all participants had positive attitudes toward learning English. The results also demonstrated that Japanese students perceived personal attitudes to be highly influential in learning motivation. The outcomes of the present research may enrich the existing literature on the association between personal attitudes and learning motivation. The outcomes of this investigation may be beneficial and illuminating for school principals and language teachers. The findings would notably expand their knowledge about the predictors of academic motivation in language education environments.
Communication in Palliative Care and About End of Life: A State-of-the-Art Literature Review of Conversation-Analytic Research in Healthcare
Ruth Parry
ABSTRACT I review conversation analytic research on healthcare interactions in palliative care, and end-of-life preferences and plans conversations in other settings. The review process drew on established systematic review methods. Twenty-two publications were included. Key themes were initiating and managing the topics of dying, of prognosis, and of advance care planning, and interactionally managing emotions. There is substantial, cumulative evidence about patterns and practices for initiating sensitive conversations, managing emotions, and indirectly referring to death. Two of 22 studies examined interactional consequences of companions accompanying patients, and two examined pain assessment. Current evidence is restricted: 21 of 22 studies were in secondary/tertiary care and all were in high-income countries, and most involved specialist physicians. Nevertheless, findings contribute to conversation analytic scholarship on delicacy, emotion in interaction, and indirect reference. Healthcare applications include contributions to training in communicating about sensitive topics and to policy on talking about dying. Data presented are in British English, U.S. English, Canadian English, Swiss-French, and Japanese.
Regulatory framework on governing equity crowdfunding: a systematic literature review and future directions
Prateek Gupta, S. Singh, Renu Ghosh
et al.
Purpose The purpose of this study is to comprehensively analyse and compare equity crowdfunding (ECF) regulations across 26 countries, shedding light on the diverse regulatory frameworks, investor and issuer limits and the evolution of ECF globally. By addressing this research gap and providing consolidated insights, the study aims to inform policymakers, researchers and entrepreneurs about the regulatory landscape of ECF, fostering a deeper understanding of its potential and challenges in various economies. Ultimately, the study contributes to the advancement of ECF as an alternative financing method for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups, empowering them to access much-needed capital for growth. Design/methodology/approach The study used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) model for a systematic literature review on global ECF regulations. Starting with 74 initial articles from Web of Sciences and Scopus databases, duplicates were removed and language criteria applied, leaving 42 articles. After a thorough full-text screening, 20 articles were excluded, resulting in the review of 22 papers from 2016 to 2022. PRISMA’s structured framework enhances the quality of systematic reviews, ensuring transparency and accessibility of findings for various stakeholders, including researchers, practitioners and policymakers, in the field of ECF regulations. Findings This study examines ECF regulations across various countries. Notably, the UK has advanced regulations, while the USA adopted them later through the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act. Canada regulates at the provincial level. Malaysia and China were early adopters in Asia, but Hong Kong, Japan, Israel and India have bans. Turkey introduced regulations in 2019. New Zealand and Australia enacted laws, with Australia referring to it as “crowd-sourced equity funding”. Italy, Austria, France, Germany and Belgium have established regulations in Europe. These regulations vary in investor and issuer limits, disclosure requirements and anti-corruption measures, impacting the growth of ECF markets. Research limitations/implications This study’s findings underscore the diverse regulatory landscape governing ECF worldwide. It reveals that regulatory approaches vary from liberal to protectionist, reflecting each country’s unique economic and political context. The implications of this research highlight the need for cross-country analysis to inform practical implementation and the effectiveness of emerging ECF ecosystems. This knowledge can inspire regulatory adjustments, support startups and foster entrepreneurial growth in emerging economies, ultimately reshaping early-stage funding for new-age startups and SMEs on a global scale. Originality/value This study’s originality lies in its comprehensive analysis of ECF regulations across 26 diverse countries, shedding light on the intricate interplay between regulatory frameworks and a nation’s political-economic landscape. By delving into the nuanced variations in investor limits, investment types and regulatory strategies, it unveils the multifaceted nature of ECF regulation globally. Furthermore, this research adds value by comparing divergent perspectives on investment constraints and offering an understanding of their impact on ECF efficacy. Ultimately, the study’s unique contribution lies in its potential to inform practical implementation, shape legislative frameworks and catalyse entrepreneurial ecosystems in emerging economies, propelling the evolution of early-stage funding practices.
Mapping study for health emergency and disaster risk management competencies and curricula: literature review and cross-sectional survey
Kevin K. C. Hung, M. MacDermot, T. S. I. Hui
et al.
Background With the increasing threat of hazardous events at local, national, and global levels, an effective workforce for health emergency and disaster risk management (Health EDRM) in local, national, and international communities is urgently needed. However, there are no universally accepted competencies and curricula for Health EDRM. This study aimed to identify Health EDRM competencies and curricula worldwide using literature reviews and a cross-sectional survey. Methods Literature reviews in English and Japanese languages were performed. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL (English), and the ICHUSHI (Japanese) databases for journal articles published between 1990 and 2020. Subsequently, a cross-sectional survey was sent to WHO Health EDRM Research Network members and other recommended experts in October 2021 to identify competency models and curricula not specified in the literature search. Results Nineteen studies from the searches were found to be relevant to Health EDRM competencies and curricula. Most of the competency models and curricula were from the US. The domains included knowledge and skills, emergency response systems (including incident management principles), communications, critical thinking, ethical and legal aspects, and managerial and leadership skills. The cross-sectional survey received 65 responses with an estimated response rate of 25%. Twenty-one competency models and 20 curricula for managers and frontline personnel were analyzed; managers' decision-making and leadership skills were considered essential. Conclusion An increased focus on decision-making and leadership skills should be included in Health EDRM competencies and curricula to strengthen the health workforce.
The Application of Trauma/PTSD Studies to Translation: Take Several Japanese Novels as an Example
Qiushi Gu
This research investigates issues associated with the translation of traumatic literary narratives in different languages. Initially, these narratives are constructed from the traumatic lived experiences of the survivors, serving as a means of recovery and making sense out of their painful experiences. However, in many traumatic literary narratives, when the survivor’s testimonies are represented in different languages and cultures, the foundational social trauma, traumatic aftereffects, and recovery are not adequately conveyed. The absence of a systematic and comprehensive theoretical framework in translation studies may result in translators offering uninformed and insufficient interpretations of traumatic elements in literary works. This issue necessitates a thorough and detailed understanding and perspective to assist translators in recognizing and representing the social trauma within literary works, while also acknowledging their social responsibilities. This study argues that trauma/PTSD studies provides an innovative, most fitting, and practical literary criticism to assist translators in adequately interpreting and appreciating traumatic narratives, as well as other serious literature that has heretofore not been discussed and recognized in psychoanalytical terms, by case studies of the translation examination of five Japanese novels.
Exploration of Honorifics in Japanese-Balinese Intercultural Marriages
A. A. A. D. Andriyani, Ida Ayu Putri Gita Ardiantari, K. Saddhono
In Bali, honorifics serve as interactional tools determined by the situational context of discourse. In this regard, the present research aimed to uncover patterns of honorific usage in intercultural marriages between Japanese and Balinese individuals within the realm of pragmatic studies. The researchers employed observation along with data collection techniques involving listening, note-taking, and interviewing families of Japanese-Balinese intermarriages. Primary data consisted of dialogues among intermarried families in the districts of Badung, Gianyar, and Denpasar City, considering the high frequency of intercultural marriages in these regions in Bali. The findings revealed a dynamic interplay of honorifics within the context of cross-cultural marriages, shedding light on how language interaction reflected and shaped social interaction norms based on the context of cross-cultural marriages. Specifically, honorifics for Balinese women and children followed the social status of the father's family. Naming conventions for women from the Wangsa Jaba caste, including foreign citizens married to men from the Tri Wangsa caste, involved a process termed "perkawinan naik status" (status-elevating marriage), where the woman was given the honorific "jero" followed by her first name. In contrast, those not belonging to the Wangsa Jaba caste were named according to the birth order of the Japanese woman. This condition also applied to children born from intercultural marriages. Considering these results, this research is expected to contribute significantly to the academic literature on cultural anthropology, linguistics, and cross-cultural studies, offering insights into tolerance, appreciation of differences, and the ability to adapt to cross-cultural relationships.
The narrative of the «Northern Territories» in the socio-political discourse of contemporary Japan
D. V. Streltsov
The article analyzes the Japanese official narrative about the “Northern Territories,” which is widespread in Japanese society and serves as a key factor in the formation of a bad image of Russia in Japan. Of particular importance from the point of view of the emotional effect on public consciousness are the theses that the Southern Kurils are the “ancestral territory of Japan,” that the USSR committed aggressive and unfair actions against Japan during World War II, and modern Russia did not correct them, and that the Japanese natives of the Southern Kurils experience enormous moral suffering, not having the opportunity to freely visit the graves of their ancestors. The article examines the organizational structure of state, public, and socio- political organizations designed to ensure public policy to popularize this narrative and shows the features of its reflection in school textbooks, museums, and memorial complexes. With the support of the authorities, the Movement for the Return of the “Northern Territories” has been launched, manifesting itself in mass rallies, demonstrations, propaganda caravans, lectures, and exhibitions, which are organized throughout the country. The author focuses special attention on such events as the “Northern Territories Day” held annually on February 7, as well as the collection of signatures calling for the return of the “Northern Territories,” which has been held since the early 1980s.
Japanese media coverage of the situation in Ukraine has significantly added negativity to the already rather gloomy image of Russia in Japan. In many reports, as well as in the reaction of the political authorities, one can sense a desire to link Russian actions in Ukraine with Russia’s policy regarding the border issue with Japan.
In conclusion, the author notes that, despite all the efforts of the government, Japanese public opinion turns out to be relatively poorly informed about the problem of the “Northern Territories.” At the same time, as the generations change, the interest towards this problem is gradually decreasing, especially among young people. Besides, there is a process of realizing the futility of maintaining a hard line in the government’s approach to solving it. The humanitarian aspect of the problem, related to visits to graves by former islanders and members of their families, causes the greatest public outcry, but even this aspect, as the results of public opinion polls show, has a limited effect.
Japanese language and literature
Navigating the third culture: Comparative case studies of Japanese expatriate students in Singapore and factors influencing English language development
Qizhong Chang, S. Lim
This study utilises comparative case studies of three Japanese third-culture kids (TCKs) living in Singapore aged 16, each from a different school type (international school, Japanese school, and local Singapore school). It explores if the home language, language used in school, language used in social circles, and language of media consumed of Japanese TCKs in Singapore are enabling or mitigating factors of their development of English language. This study builds on the framework of TCKs established by Useem et al. (1963) and redefined by Pollock and Van Reken (2001), Dewaele et al.’s (2003) definition of bilingualism, and Tokuhama-Espinosa’s (2000) ten factors of success in raising multilingual children. Language used in school, language used in social circles, language of media consumed, and individual motivation were found to be enabling factors whereas home language was found to be neither an enabling nor mitigating factor. Differing pedagogies were found between different school types. Most of the findings are in line with the literature reviewed.
3D-LEX v1.0: 3D Lexicons for American Sign Language and Sign Language of the Netherlands
Oline Ranum, Gomer Otterspeer, Jari I. Andersen
et al.
In this work, we present an efficient approach for capturing sign language in 3D, introduce the 3D-LEX v1.0 dataset, and detail a method for semi-automatic annotation of phonetic properties. Our procedure integrates three motion capture techniques encompassing high-resolution 3D poses, 3D handshapes, and depth-aware facial features, and attains an average sampling rate of one sign every 10 seconds. This includes the time for presenting a sign example, performing and recording the sign, and archiving the capture. The 3D-LEX dataset includes 1,000 signs from American Sign Language and an additional 1,000 signs from the Sign Language of the Netherlands. We showcase the dataset utility by presenting a simple method for generating handshape annotations directly from 3D-LEX. We produce handshape labels for 1,000 signs from American Sign Language and evaluate the labels in a sign recognition task. The labels enhance gloss recognition accuracy by 5% over using no handshape annotations, and by 1% over expert annotations. Our motion capture data supports in-depth analysis of sign features and facilitates the generation of 2D projections from any viewpoint. The 3D-LEX collection has been aligned with existing sign language benchmarks and linguistic resources, to support studies in 3D-aware sign language processing.
SPRING Lab IITM's submission to Low Resource Indic Language Translation Shared Task
Hamees Sayed, Advait Joglekar, Srinivasan Umesh
We develop a robust translation model for four low-resource Indic languages: Khasi, Mizo, Manipuri, and Assamese. Our approach includes a comprehensive pipeline from data collection and preprocessing to training and evaluation, leveraging data from WMT task datasets, BPCC, PMIndia, and OpenLanguageData. To address the scarcity of bilingual data, we use back-translation techniques on monolingual datasets for Mizo and Khasi, significantly expanding our training corpus. We fine-tune the pre-trained NLLB 3.3B model for Assamese, Mizo, and Manipuri, achieving improved performance over the baseline. For Khasi, which is not supported by the NLLB model, we introduce special tokens and train the model on our Khasi corpus. Our training involves masked language modelling, followed by fine-tuning for English-to-Indic and Indic-to-English translations.
Towards unearthing neglected climate innovations from scientific literature using Large Language Models
César Quilodrán-Casas, Christopher Waite, Nicole Alhadeff
et al.
Climate change poses an urgent global threat, needing the rapid identification and deployment of innovative solutions. We hypothesise that many of these solutions already exist within scientific literature but remain underutilised. To address this gap, this study employs a curated dataset sourced from OpenAlex, a comprehensive repository of scientific papers. Utilising Large Language Models (LLMs), such as GPT4-o from OpenAI, we evaluate title-abstract pairs from scientific papers on seven dimensions, covering climate change mitigation potential, stage of technological development, and readiness for deployment. The outputs of the language models are then compared with human evaluations to assess their effectiveness in identifying promising yet overlooked climate innovations. Our findings suggest that these LLM-based models can effectively augment human expertise, uncovering climate solutions that are potentially impactful but with far greater speed, throughput and consistency. Here, we focused on UK-based solutions, but the workflow is region-agnostic. This work contributes to the discovery of neglected innovations in scientific literature and demonstrates the potential of AI in enhancing climate action strategies.
XferBench: a Data-Driven Benchmark for Emergent Language
Brendon Boldt, David Mortensen
In this paper, we introduce a benchmark for evaluating the overall quality of emergent languages using data-driven methods. Specifically, we interpret the notion of the "quality" of an emergent language as its similarity to human language within a deep learning framework. We measure this by using the emergent language as pretraining data for a downstream NLP tasks in human language -- the better the downstream performance, the better the emergent language. We implement this benchmark as an easy-to-use Python package that only requires a text file of utterances from the emergent language to be evaluated. Finally, we empirically test the benchmark's validity using human, synthetic, and emergent language baselines.
Bibliometric analysis of Asian ‘language and linguistics’ research: A case of 13 countries
Danielle H. Lee
The foci of voluminous bibliometric studies on ‘language and linguistics’ research are limited to specific sub-topics with little regional context. Given the paucity of relevant literature, we are relatively uninformed about the regional trends of ‘language and linguistics’ research. This paper aims to analyze research developments in the field of ‘language and linguistics’ in 13 Asian countries: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey. This study probed 30,515 articles published between 2000 and 2021, assessing each within four major bibliometric perspectives: (1) productivity, (2) authorship and collaborations, (3) top keywords, and (4) research impact. The results show that, in Asian ‘language and linguistics’ research, the relative contributions made by the 13 countries comprised 85% of the total number of articles produced in Asia. The other 28 Asian countries’ output, for the past two decades, never surpassed that of the individual 13 countries. Among the 13 countries, the most prolific were China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan; they especially published most articles in international core journals. In contrast, Indonesia, Iran, and Malaysia published more in regional journals. Traditionally, research on each country’s national language(s) and dialects were chiefly conducted throughout a period of 22 years. In addition, coping with internationalization worldwide, from 2010 onward, topics related to ‘English’ were of burgeoning interest among Asian researchers. Asian countries often collaborated with each other, and they also exerted a high degree of research influence on each other. The present study was designed to contribute to the literature on the comprehensive bibliometric analyses of Asian ‘language and linguistics’ research.