Journal Description
Languages
Languages
is an international, multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access journal on interdisciplinary studies of languages published monthly online by MDPI. The European Society for Transcultural and Interdisciplinary Dialogue (ESTIDIA) is affiliated with Languages and its members receive discounts on the article processing charges.
- Open Access— free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
- High Visibility: indexed within Scopus, ESCI (Web of Science), ERIH Plus, and other databases.
- Journal Rank: CiteScore - Q2 (Language and Linguistics)
- Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision is provided to authors approximately 52.7 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 8.6 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the second half of 2023).
- Recognition of Reviewers: reviewers who provide timely, thorough peer-review reports receive vouchers entitling them to a discount on the APC of their next publication in any MDPI journal, in appreciation of the work done.
Impact Factor:
0.9 (2022)
Latest Articles
The Holistic Advantage: Unified Quantitative Modeling for Less-Biased, In-Depth Insights into (Socio)Linguistic Variation
Languages 2024, 9(5), 182; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050182 - 16 May 2024
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What happens when recognized and diverse conditioning factors of linguistic variation are omitted from analysis and/or are not analyzed under a single analytical procedure? This paper explores the consequences of such a choice on data interpretation and, consequently, (socio)linguistic theorization. Utilizing Twitter-style English
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What happens when recognized and diverse conditioning factors of linguistic variation are omitted from analysis and/or are not analyzed under a single analytical procedure? This paper explores the consequences of such a choice on data interpretation and, consequently, (socio)linguistic theorization. Utilizing Twitter-style English in the Philippines (EngPH) as a case study, I employ the Twitter Corpus of Philippine Englishes (TCOPE) primarily to investigate and elucidate variations in three morphosyntactic variables that have been previously examined using a piecemeal approach. I propose a holistic quantitative approach that incorporates documented linguistic, social, diachronic, and stylistic factors in a unified analysis. The paper illustrates the impacts of adopting this holistic approach through two statistical procedures: Bayesian regression modeling and Boruta feature selection with random forest modeling. In contrast to earlier research findings, my overall results reveal biases in non-unified quantitative analyses, where the confidence in the effects of certain factors diminishes in light of others during analysis. The adoption of a unified analysis or modeling also enhances the resolution at which variations have been examined in EngPH. For instance, it highlights that presumed ‘universals’, such as the hierarchy of linguistic > stylistic > diachronic > social factors in explaining variation in some domains, is contingent on the specific variable under examination. Overall, I argue that unified analyses reduce data distortion and introduce more nuanced interpretations and insights that are critical for establishing a well-grounded empirical theory of EngPH variation and language variation as a whole.
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Open AccessArticle
The Contrastive and Referential Function of Specific Classifiers in Xiamen Southern Min—Evidence from a Cognitive Experimental Study
by
Qi Huang and Walter Bisang
Languages 2024, 9(5), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050181 - 15 May 2024
Abstract
Southern Min is generally known for not using classifiers [CL] for expressing definiteness/indefiniteness as it is associated with the bare classifier construction [CL N]. This paper offers evidence from Xiamen Southern Min (XSM) that the use of a specific classifier vs. the general
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Southern Min is generally known for not using classifiers [CL] for expressing definiteness/indefiniteness as it is associated with the bare classifier construction [CL N]. This paper offers evidence from Xiamen Southern Min (XSM) that the use of a specific classifier vs. the general classifier é contributes to referentiality in an alternative way by supporting object identification as it is due to the semantic specificity present in specific classifiers and absent in the general classifier. In a dialogic cognitive experiment adapted from the “Hidden color-chips” task (Enfield and Bohnemeyer 2001), 18 participants had to manipulate their addressees’ attention toward various objects situated in their immediate physical space through language as well as deictic gestures. The objects were associated with different specific classifiers or with the general classifier, and they were arranged according to the factors of (a) distance from speaker, (b) visibility for speaker, and (c) uniqueness (adjacency of similar items). The results show, among other things, that there is a higher tendency to use the specific CL in the [demonstrative CL N] construction if adjacent similar objects [−unique] are too far away from the speaker for clear identification by a demonstrative or a pointing gesture. This is seen as a last-resort strategy for creating contrast. Further corroboration comes from the use of specific classifiers in later mentions after the general CL failed to achieve clear identification. These findings can be situated in the broader context of other languages with classifiers in contrastive function (Thai, Vietnamese, and Ponapean) and they show the relevance of using dialogic texts for modeling classifier selection in contrast to narrative texts. Finally, dialogic contexts may serve as bridging contexts for grammaticalization from numeral classifiers to definiteness markers.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Typology of Chinese Languages: One Name, Many Languages)
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Thrivers and Survivors during Study Abroad: The Individual Cases of Japanese Learners of English
by
Nicola Halenko and Maria Economidou-Kogetsidis
Languages 2024, 9(5), 180; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050180 - 15 May 2024
Abstract
Whilst study abroad (SA) periods hold much promise for foreign language development, increasing research suggests sojourners’ experiences are unique, and language development does not always follow a linear trajectory. For some learners, SA has little impact on their language performance despite the affordances
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Whilst study abroad (SA) periods hold much promise for foreign language development, increasing research suggests sojourners’ experiences are unique, and language development does not always follow a linear trajectory. For some learners, SA has little impact on their language performance despite the affordances of L2 immersion (the Survivors). Other learners maximise the potential of SA, and this has a positive impact on their language development (the Thrivers). This paper examines the selected cases of four Japanese learners of English and their request language performance during a 10-month SA in the UK. Changes in pragmatic knowledge (based on appropriateness ratings) were documented at three equidistant time points. Language contact profile data also provided quantitative insights into the learners’ extracurricular language use and qualitative personal reflections. The selected cases illustrate two learners surviving the SA experience, showing minimal change in their request performance. The other two learners thrived during SA, showing accelerated performance in terms of lexical variation at the production level. This paper reports on the case histories of these learners to better understand these unique experiences and pragmatic discrepancies. Suggestions for how learners might be more pragmatically successful during SA are also offered.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Individual Differences in Second Language (L2) Pragmatics in Study Abroad Contexts)
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Exploring Semanticity for Content and Function Word Distinction in Catalan
by
Neus Català, Jaume Baixeries and Antoni Hernández-Fernández
Languages 2024, 9(5), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050179 - 14 May 2024
Abstract
In the realm of linguistics, the concept of “semanticity” was recently introduced as a novel measure designed to study linguistic networks. In a given text, semanticity is defined as the ratio of the potential number of meanings associated with a word to the
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In the realm of linguistics, the concept of “semanticity” was recently introduced as a novel measure designed to study linguistic networks. In a given text, semanticity is defined as the ratio of the potential number of meanings associated with a word to the number of different words with which it is linguistically linked. This concept provides a quantitative indicator that reflects a word’s semantic complexity and its role in a language. In this pilot study, we applied the semanticity measure to the Catalan language, aiming to investigate its effectiveness in automatically distinguishing content words from function words. For this purpose, the measure of semanticity has been applied to a large corpus of texts written in Catalan. We show that the semanticity of words allows us to classify the word classes existing in Catalan in a simple way so that both the semantic and syntactic capacity of each word within a language can be integrated under this parameter. By means of this semanticity measure, it has been observed that adverbs behave like function words in Catalan. This approach offers a quantitative and objective tool for researchers and linguists to gain insights into the structure and dynamics of languages, contributing to a deeper understanding of their underlying principles. The application of semanticity to Catalan is a promising pilot study, with potential applications in other languages, which will allow progress to be made in the field of theoretical linguistics and contribute to the development of automated linguistic tools.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Semantics and Meaning Representation)
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Open AccessCommunication
When Your Pronominal Marking Matters during a Pandemic: Shawi Pronominals and COVID-19 Interventions
by
Luis Miguel Rojas-Berscia
Languages 2024, 9(5), 178; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050178 - 14 May 2024
Abstract
In this communication, I focus on Shawi forms of address used in Peruvian State posters during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic took a heavy toll on the Peruvian Indigenous population. A recent study showed that Indigenous people had 3.18 times the risk
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In this communication, I focus on Shawi forms of address used in Peruvian State posters during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic took a heavy toll on the Peruvian Indigenous population. A recent study showed that Indigenous people had 3.18 times the risk of infection and 0.4 times the mortality risk of the general population in Peru. The Shawi have not been included among the most heavily affected. A preliminary descriptive and critical account of Peruvian State posters whereby languages such as Shawi and other Peruvian Indigenous languages (Awajun, Ashaninka, different varieties of Quechua, Shipibo, etc.) have been used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is provided. Shawi seems to be the only language of the sample where information has been framed using first-person inclusive forms. This appears to have led to enhanced communal engagement in the suggested health-related practices. Additionally, opinions on the issue from local stakeholders are briefly discussed. While the results are derived solely from preliminary observations, my findings could serve as a basis for enhancing health communication strategies in other Indigenous contexts, utilizing linguistically informed intercultural approaches.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Perception and Processing of Address Terms)
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Open AccessArticle
A Stratal Phonological Analysis of Stem-Level and Word-Level Effects in Old French Compensatory Vowel Lengthening upon Coda /s/ Deletion
by
Francisco Antonio Montaño
Languages 2024, 9(5), 177; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050177 - 13 May 2024
Abstract
The well-known deletion of coda sibilants in Old French (11th–14th centuries) induced a compensatory lengthening effect on the preceding vowel, generally described as applying uniformly where coda /s/ was lost. This study highlights and analyzes phonological contexts where lengthening likely did not occur,
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The well-known deletion of coda sibilants in Old French (11th–14th centuries) induced a compensatory lengthening effect on the preceding vowel, generally described as applying uniformly where coda /s/ was lost. This study highlights and analyzes phonological contexts where lengthening likely did not occur, examining their interaction with stress assignment, vowel quality, schwa adjustment, prothesis, and morphological structure. The Stratal OT analysis formalizes the proposed pattern differentiating the long and short vowel reflexes identified especially for mid vowels: while categorical in tonic syllables and low vowels /a, ɑ/ irrespective of stress, lengthening only prevails in atonic mid vowels when coda /s/ deletion impacts a syllable assigned stress within the specific stratal phonological cycle when /s/ is deleted from input. The resulting length is transmitted and preserved in subsequent stratal cycles regardless of eventual word-level stress reassignment, especially (but not exclusively) because of word-level schwa adjustment, allowing a shift to word-final stress and producing an opacity effect of a long atonic mid vowel inherited from an earlier cycle. The stratal account formalizes observed analogical effects between lexical items and derived forms with respect to vowel quality and length and proposes them to result instead from the interplay of morphology and phonology.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phonetic and Phonological Complexity in Romance Languages)
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Open AccessArticle
Fostes tu?: Analogical Change in European Portuguese and the Case of the Second Person Singular in the Simple Past (Indicative)
by
Ana Guilherme
Languages 2024, 9(5), 176; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050176 - 11 May 2024
Abstract
This paper sets out to study the second person–number marking in the (indicative) simple past in the history of European Portuguese, with a particular focus on morphological innovations such as fostes tu, which are considered deviant. These innovations, according to some brief
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This paper sets out to study the second person–number marking in the (indicative) simple past in the history of European Portuguese, with a particular focus on morphological innovations such as fostes tu, which are considered deviant. These innovations, according to some brief descriptions in the literature (cf. Piel 1989; Williams 1994), are considered a case of morphological change by analogy; however, it remains to be determined whether it is a case of analogical extension or, possibly, leveling that would have resulted in syncretism. Based on data retrieved from private letters from the 16th to the 20th century by almost illiterate authors, we will argue that this innovation results from an analogical extension, motivated by morphological and pragmatic factors.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigating Language Variation and Change in Portuguese)
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A Descriptive and Experimental Investigation of Recursive Compounds in English: Their Semantic, Syntactic, and Phonological Characterization
by
Makiko Mukai
Languages 2024, 9(5), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050175 - 11 May 2024
Abstract
The aim of this study is to experimentally capture the semantic, syntactic, and phonological properties of recursive compounds in English. We asked 22 native speakers of English to judge the semantic, syntactic, and phonological properties of 20 recursive compounds that are inherently ambiguous
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The aim of this study is to experimentally capture the semantic, syntactic, and phonological properties of recursive compounds in English. We asked 22 native speakers of English to judge the semantic, syntactic, and phonological properties of 20 recursive compounds that are inherently ambiguous in interpretation (e.g., university entrance exam). We found variations among the participants in each of these three basic aspects. For semantic interpretation, there was a tendency among the participants to prefer left-branching interpretation (‘an exam for university entrance’) over right-branching interpretation (‘an entrance exam in a university’). Using a lexical integrity effect for the syntactic tests, it was found that certain recursive compounds allow for coordination inside. Phonologically, speaker variation was observed in whether and how recursive compounds were pronounced, with 16 participants obeying the Lexical Category Prominence Rule.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Word-Formation Processes in English)
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An Ecological Perspective on Agency: L2 Learners’ Sociopragmatic Interpretations and Strategies in a Study Abroad Context
by
Hae Ree Jun and Bing Mu
Languages 2024, 9(5), 174; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050174 - 10 May 2024
Abstract
In applied linguistics, there has been a growing body of L2 pragmatics studies that investigate the intricate relationship between language learners’ subjective pragmatic choices and various contextual factors. The current study contributes to the understanding of language learner agency by illustrating the complex
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In applied linguistics, there has been a growing body of L2 pragmatics studies that investigate the intricate relationship between language learners’ subjective pragmatic choices and various contextual factors. The current study contributes to the understanding of language learner agency by illustrating the complex processes through which language learners enact their agency in response to varying contextual factors when making their sociopragmatic interpretations and strategies. To capture the ecological nature of agency, this study conceptualizes agency as contextually, interpersonally, intrapersonally, spatially, and temporally embedded. Through the in-depth examination of the accounts of three L2 learners of Japanese regarding their interactions with religious group members during their study abroad in Japan, this study demonstrates language learners’ divergent ways of enacting their agency, stemming from their orientations to the unique configurations of various contextual attributes in the L2 interactions. Such differences were rooted in and guided by their past experiences, present environments, and future aspirations that impacted their sociopragmatic perceptions, expectations, and choices. This study provides a complicated picture of language learner agency as a dialogic and reflexive process in which learners interact with contextual factors and adapt their sociopragmatic choices. Thus, it calls for an ecological, processual, and holistic approach to language learner agency through the close examination of the ways in which various contextual factors come together in L2 interactions, the process of how language learners orient to dynamic configurations of contextual factors, and what guides such orientations.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Individual Differences in Second Language (L2) Pragmatics in Study Abroad Contexts)
Open AccessEssay
Predictions of Individual Differences in the Acquisition of Native and Non-Native Languages: An Update of BLC Theory
by
Jan Hulstijn
Languages 2024, 9(5), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050173 - 10 May 2024
Abstract
BLC Theory proposes that individual differences (IDs) in language proficiency (in both native and non-native speakers) can poorly be mapped on a single proficiency scale. Instead, IDs can best be understood and studied in terms of two fundamentally different dimensions: (1) the cognition
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BLC Theory proposes that individual differences (IDs) in language proficiency (in both native and non-native speakers) can poorly be mapped on a single proficiency scale. Instead, IDs can best be understood and studied in terms of two fundamentally different dimensions: (1) the cognition of oral language (receptive and productive speech processing) and (2) the cognition of the written language (reading and writing). This paper presents an update of BLC Theory placed under a non-nativist, usage-based, neural-network metatheory of language as a complex system. The paper includes predictions for the absence or presence of IDs in the oral and written domains, separately for native and non-native speakers. The theory predicts that while cognitive factors such as executive functions, non-verbal memory, and intelligence positively affect the acquisition of reading and writing skills in both native and non-native speakers, they do not play a significant role in the acquisition of speech processing in either native or non-native speakers. Contrary to folk wisdom, one does not need to be particularly intelligent to learn to understand and produce speech in a non-native language. Attention is given to typological differences between children’s home language(s) and the standard language(s) of literacy.
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Open AccessArticle
A Word-Based Approach to the So-Called Category-Changing Usage of the English Derivational Prefix Out-
by
Yuri Togano
Languages 2024, 9(5), 172; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050172 - 9 May 2024
Abstract
One of the traditional observations about English derivational morphology is that prefixes behave differently from suffixes and are rather close to lexemes. A word-based analysis of prefixes based on this observation has been proposed, but it faces a challenge raised by the seemingly
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One of the traditional observations about English derivational morphology is that prefixes behave differently from suffixes and are rather close to lexemes. A word-based analysis of prefixes based on this observation has been proposed, but it faces a challenge raised by the seemingly category-changing property of the comparative verb-forming prefix out-. This study aims to solve this problem in a framework that enriches the traditional generative word-based morphology with the concept of the Abstract Lexical Unit. In analyzing data, I pay attention to the degree semantics of comparative out-prefixed verbs and show that the so-called “denominal or deadjectival” out-verbs are produced as hyponyms of already existing out-verbs with sparse semantics. A pseudonym experiment demonstrates that this type of out-verb has a number/rank/action comparative interpretation, and the nouns or adjectives that occupy the head position further specify the object that is counted. The problematic type is related to its base word via head replacement rather than concatenative affixation. Drawing on these new perspective and observations, this paper shows that the traditional finding about the status of English prefixes can be maintained in a word-based approach.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Word-Formation Processes in English)
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Open AccessArticle
Locative Inversion in Old English Embedded Clauses
by
Sergio López-Martínez
Languages 2024, 9(5), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050171 - 8 May 2024
Abstract
A grammatical construction resembling Present-Day English locative inversion has already been found in Old English, with a fronted prepositional phrase prompting V2 word order, both in main and subordinate clauses. It has been demonstrated that several discourse-related factors influence the positioning of objects,
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A grammatical construction resembling Present-Day English locative inversion has already been found in Old English, with a fronted prepositional phrase prompting V2 word order, both in main and subordinate clauses. It has been demonstrated that several discourse-related factors influence the positioning of objects, fronted locatives, finite verbs and subjects in subordinate clauses. One of the main aims of the present paper is to provide a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the locative inversion construction in Old English subordinate clauses. The Old English data for this study were obtained from the York–Toronto–Helsinki Parsed Corpus of Old English Prose, and they were analysed using Corpus Studio. The results were compared with those for main clauses, and discourse-related factors such as PP anaphoricity or subject type were analysed in order to find the motivation for the existence of this alternation of word orders. PP anaphoricity proved not to be a determining factor in triggering finite verb inversion, while other factors such as subject weight and subject type do seem to motivate finite verb inversion, thus yielding an embedded PP-V-S word order.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Syntax and Discourse at the Crossroads)
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Open AccessArticle
Priming of Possessive Constructions in German: A Matter of Preference Effects?
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Sarah Schimke and Sandra Pappert
Languages 2024, 9(5), 170; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050170 - 8 May 2024
Abstract
We investigated structural priming in adult native speakers, focusing on possessive constructions in German, where the two alternative structures involved differ in frequency. According to error-based learning approaches to priming, the less frequent structure should lead to a larger prediction error and larger
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We investigated structural priming in adult native speakers, focusing on possessive constructions in German, where the two alternative structures involved differ in frequency. According to error-based learning approaches to priming, the less frequent structure should lead to a larger prediction error and larger priming effects than the more frequent structure. In a comparison of preferences during a pretest and preferences during priming, we did not find evidence of such an inverse preference effect. Moreover, during priming, we observed increasing production rates of the preferred structure, hence, a cumulative priming effect. In line with hybrid models of priming, we propose that two mechanisms, namely, a mechanism learning from input as well as a mechanism accumulating activation during comprehension and production, are involved in the temporal development of priming effects. Moreover, we suggest that the interaction of the two mechanisms may depend on prior experience with the alternative structures.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Syntactic Adaptation)
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Open AccessArticle
Denominal -ed Adjectives and Their Adjectival Status in English Morphology
by
Takashi Ishida
Languages 2024, 9(5), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050169 - 7 May 2024
Abstract
In the study of English denominal adjectives, scholarly attention has predominantly centred on those with Latinate suffixes (e.g., -al, -ary, and -ic/-ical), which are well-known as relational adjectives (RAdjs) and are extensively scrutinised in the
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In the study of English denominal adjectives, scholarly attention has predominantly centred on those with Latinate suffixes (e.g., -al, -ary, and -ic/-ical), which are well-known as relational adjectives (RAdjs) and are extensively scrutinised in the existing literature. Conversely, those with English native suffixes (e.g., -en, -ern, -y, and -ed) have not undergone thorough examination to date. In the present study, I delve specifically into denominal adjectives with the suffix -ed (-ed Adjs), such as bearded, long-tailed, and shirt-sleeved. I present a novel basic picture of these adjectives, setting forth the following two central propositions: (i) -ed Adjs are a type of RAdj and (ii) undergo conversion to qualitative adjectives (QAdjs) (e.g., bearded man vs. bearded rock) akin to the better-known Latinate RAdjs (e.g., grammatical error vs. grammatical sentence). The analysis is conducted by examining suffixal etymology (i.e., Latinate or Germanic), suffixal properties (i.e., all-purpose or dedicated), and the driving factor for QAdj-forming conversion (i.e., the modal attribute true). These propositions and analyses collectively enrich our comprehensive understanding of the semantic and morphosyntactic properties of -ed Adjs within the realm of English morphology.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Word-Formation Processes in English)
Open AccessArticle
Styling Authenticity in Country Music
by
Valentin Werner and Anna Ledermann
Languages 2024, 9(5), 168; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050168 - 6 May 2024
Abstract
Country music has become commercially successful both in the US and worldwide. It is perceived as a genre that values authenticity, which may be reflected in the choice of linguistic features, with (White) Southern American English (SAE) serving as the “default” variety. Given
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Country music has become commercially successful both in the US and worldwide. It is perceived as a genre that values authenticity, which may be reflected in the choice of linguistic features, with (White) Southern American English (SAE) serving as the “default” variety. Given the recent diversification of the genre, the question arises whether the use of SAE features is still considered obligatory as a kind of “supralocal norm”. This study compared the lyrics of 600 highly successful songs by male and female artists from White Southern, Black Southern, and White non-Southern backgrounds. The aim was to test (i) whether morphosyntactic SAE features are used to index authenticity in the sense of having become enregistered for this music genre and (ii) whether non-Southerners engage in the styling of relevant markers. It emerged that non-Southerners use more of these features than their Southern counterparts, providing preliminary evidence for “genre fitting” as a means of indexing authenticity. However, there is only one marker that qualifies as a core Country feature used across all artist groups, namely negative concord. As this item arguably is better categorized as vernacular universal, SAE morphosyntax appears to have largely lost its indexical function in Country, while accent features are still vital to establishing cultural authenticity.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interface between Sociolinguistics and Music)
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Open AccessArticle
‘Refuse Dump, Hurry Up!’: A Cognitive Onomastic and Cultural Metaphor Perspective of Nzema Death-Prevention Names
by
Mohammed Yakub
Languages 2024, 9(5), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050167 - 6 May 2024
Abstract
African personal names have communicative contents that reflect the experiences and expectations of the name-giver as well as the bearer. Death-prevention names, for instance, provide some assurance and security that are vital for a child’s survival, given the implicit assumption that certain spiritual
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African personal names have communicative contents that reflect the experiences and expectations of the name-giver as well as the bearer. Death-prevention names, for instance, provide some assurance and security that are vital for a child’s survival, given the implicit assumption that certain spiritual forces are at work. The bestowal of despicable and ‘ugly’ names on children whose preceding siblings died shortly after birth is also a common practice among the Nzema, aiming at preventing succeeding children from death. This study examines cultural conceptions and metaphorical correlations in Nzema death-prevention names. Using 42 death-prevention names obtained through interviews, the study discusses the implications of the names and their metaphoric connections with the objects used to identify this category of people. The study reveals that features of entities such as ɛkpɔtɛ ‘vulture’, nrɛzenra ‘housefly’, kɛndɛne ‘basket’, and fovolɛ ‘refuse dump’ are attributed to these children to make them seem ‘unpleasant’ to the ancestral spirits who are believed to have been snatching them after birth. Other ‘long-lasting’ entities like nyevile ‘sea’, bolɛ ‘rock’, and kpɔma ‘walking stick’ are used metaphorically to refer to a child with the belief that they would survive right from birth and live long on the earth.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Personal Names and Naming in Africa)
Open AccessArticle
A Feature Alignment Approach to Plural Realization in Eastern Andalusian Spanish
by
Stuart Davis and Matthew Pollock
Languages 2024, 9(5), 166; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050166 - 2 May 2024
Abstract
Using an optimality theoretic analysis, this study offers a conception of the problem of plural realization in Eastern Andalusian Spanish (EAS) where plural suffix /s/ was deleted diachronically that differs from other accounts that assign the EAS plural an underlying suffixal /s/ synchronically.
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Using an optimality theoretic analysis, this study offers a conception of the problem of plural realization in Eastern Andalusian Spanish (EAS) where plural suffix /s/ was deleted diachronically that differs from other accounts that assign the EAS plural an underlying suffixal /s/ synchronically. Using alignment constraints, we argue that plural /s/ does not appear in the underlying form synchronically in EAS, but that instead the plural morpheme is represented by a floating [–ATR]PL feature that aligns to the right edge of the word and spreads left. The [–ATR] feature, represented phonetically as a laxing or opening of vowels, applies to all mid vowels, low vowels in word final position, and combines with vowel epenthesis to explain Eastern Andalusian pluralization tendencies in words with final consonants. We discuss the behavior of high vowels, which can be transparent to harmony, and focus in particular on the plural of words that end in a final stressed vowel that have been rarely discussed in the EAS literature. We develop an optimality-theoretic analysis on the Granada variety and extend that analysis to other varieties with somewhat different patterns.
Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phonetics and Phonology of Ibero-Romance Languages)
Open AccessArticle
Is the Suppliance of L2 Inflectional Morphology Subject to Covert Contrasts? An Analysis of the Production of L2 English Third Person Singular Agreement by L1 Bengali Speakers
by
Jacqueline Ingham
Languages 2024, 9(5), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050165 - 1 May 2024
Abstract
The cause(s) of missing inflectional morphology in obligatory contexts by adult speakers of second language (L2) English is subject to ongoing discussion. Whatever the specific theory, however, the apparent asymmetrical production of the morpheme ‘-s’ in the marking of number on plural nouns
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The cause(s) of missing inflectional morphology in obligatory contexts by adult speakers of second language (L2) English is subject to ongoing discussion. Whatever the specific theory, however, the apparent asymmetrical production of the morpheme ‘-s’ in the marking of number on plural nouns versus that on third person singular agreement has to be accounted for. This study adopts the theoretical approach put forward by the Prosodic Transfer Hypothesis, whereby the prosodic representation of inflectional morphology in the first language (L1) can, to some extent, account for differences in the suppliance of inflectional morphology in L2 English within and across L1s. It is in this context that the production of third person singular agreement, and, for contrastive purposes, number on plural nouns, by L1 Bengali speakers of L2 English, is considered in relation to available prosodic representation in the L1, as well as against phonological processes attested in L1 acquisition. More specifically, covert contrasts. An inspection of spectrograms from instances of the omission of inflection by L1 Bengali speakers of L2 English at Beginner to Intermediate proficiency levels does not, however, indicate that learners are covertly supplying agreement on the third person singular (or plural number on nouns). This finding does not necessarily rule out the occurrence of covert contrasts in L2 production of inflectional morphology; alternative techniques may detect a systematic difference between bare verbs and non-audible (to the listener) inflection.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigating L2 Phonological Acquisition from Different Perspectives)
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Open AccessArticle
Nonverbal Communication in Classroom Interaction and Its Role in Italian Foreign Language Teaching and Learning
by
Pierangela Diadori
Languages 2024, 9(5), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050164 - 1 May 2024
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to present the state of the art of recent research on nonverbal communication in L2 classroom interaction, in particular on teachers’ and students’ gestures, and then focus on a case of gestures in an L2 Italian classroom.
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The purpose of this study is to present the state of the art of recent research on nonverbal communication in L2 classroom interaction, in particular on teachers’ and students’ gestures, and then focus on a case of gestures in an L2 Italian classroom. A corpus of video-recorded interactions (CLODIS) were analyzed to answer the following research question: How do L2 Italian native teachers behave when addressing international students? Are there differences with what has been observed in other foreign language (L2) teaching contexts? Both previous data-based research on multimodality in L2 classes and the analysis on CLODIS show that teachers select and coordinate multiple semiotic modes as interactional resources to complete various teaching tasks. Furthermore, Italian native teachers use not only the typical pedagogical gestures (both iconic and metaphorical), but also culturally specific emblems that may cause misunderstandings or inappropriate mirroring effects. For these reasons, it is important that L2 teachers develop a good multimodal awareness, especially if they teach their mother tongue to foreign students and if they belong to a “contact culture”, as is the case observed in L2 Italian classes.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Non-Verbal Communication in the 21st Century)
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Open AccessArticle
Metaphorical Personal Names in Mabia Languages of West Africa
by
Hasiyatu Abubakari and Samuel Alhassan Issah
Languages 2024, 9(5), 163; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9050163 - 1 May 2024
Abstract
Cultural philosophies, belief systems and experiences serve as superordinate cultural concepts that are reconceptualised and expressed using metaphorical personal names in Mabia languages. Metaphorical personal names are ‘vehicles’ that transport the worldviews of speakers of Mabia languages to the target audiences. Every metaphorical
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Cultural philosophies, belief systems and experiences serve as superordinate cultural concepts that are reconceptualised and expressed using metaphorical personal names in Mabia languages. Metaphorical personal names are ‘vehicles’ that transport the worldviews of speakers of Mabia languages to the target audiences. Every metaphorical personal name shares properties of a superordinate umbrella concept such that even newly created metaphorical names fall within an already existing cultural philosophy. This study argues that there is a corresponding relationship between a metaphorical personal name, the source domain, and its superordinate umbrella philosophical concept, the target domain. The study uses data from four Mabia ‘sister’ languages of West Africa: Dagbani, Kusaal, Likpakpaln, and Sisaali. The findings show that the source domains of these names include the name-bearer and the personal name itself, and the name-giver, whilst the target domains include flora and fauna terms, belief systems, innuendos and proverbs, experiences of name-givers, ‘death prevention’ labels, among others. The article also establishes that both sociocultural and ethnolinguistic factors influence the use of metaphorical personal names in the cultures under study. The Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) is employed for the analysis of data in this research. The work uses the qualitative method and data are sourced from semi-structured interviews, from school registers and other previous studies on personal names in the selected languages.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Personal Names and Naming in Africa)
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