Animal linguistics: a primer
Posted inAnimals Research

Animal linguistics: a primer

The evolution of language has been investigated by several research communities, including biologists and linguists, striving to highlight similar linguistic capacities across species. To date, however, no consensus exists on the linguistic capacities of non-human species. Major controversies remain on the use of linguistic terminology, analysis methods and behavioural data collection.
The social structure of signing communities and lexical variation: A cross-linguistic comparison of three unrelated sign languages
Posted inResearch Sign

The social structure of signing communities and lexical variation: A cross-linguistic comparison of three unrelated sign languages

Claims have been made about the relationship between the degree of lexical variation and the social structure of a sign language community (e.g., population size), but to date there exist no large-scale cross-linguistic comparisons to address these claims. In this study, we present a cross-linguistic analysis of lexical variation in three signing communities: Kata Kolok, Israeli Sign Language (ISL) and British Sign Language (BSL).
Empowering Literacy: AI-Enabled Decodable Story Generator Supported by IMSE Revolutionizes Learning
Posted inCognition English Language learning Literature News Technology

Empowering Literacy: AI-Enabled Decodable Story Generator Supported by IMSE Revolutionizes Learning

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., May 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- IMSE, the leading provider of structured literacy professional development, today announced a partnership with Project Read AI to provide educators with a tool to fight the literacy crisis - a Decodable Story Generator that uses artificial intelligence to create decodable stories that are aligned to IMSE's evidence-based literacy scope and sequence.
Contextual and combinatorial structure in sperm whale vocalisations
Posted inAnimals Research

Contextual and combinatorial structure in sperm whale vocalisations

Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are highly social mammals that communicate using sequences of clicks called codas. While a subset of codas have been shown to encode information about caller identity, almost everything else about the sperm whale communication system, including its structure and information-carrying capacity, remains unknown. We show that codas exhibit contextual and combinatorial structure.
Lingualyzer: A computational linguistic tool for multilingual and multidimensional text analysis
Posted inForensic linguistics Stylistics Technology

Lingualyzer: A computational linguistic tool for multilingual and multidimensional text analysis

Most natural language models and tools are restricted to one language, typically English. For researchers in the behavioral sciences investigating languages other than English, and for those researchers who would like to make cross-linguistic comparisons, hardly any computational linguistic tools exist, particularly none for those researchers who lack deep computational linguistic knowledge or programming skills. Yet, for interdisciplinary researchers in a variety of fields, ranging from psycholinguistics, social psychology, cognitive psychology, education, to literary studies, there certainly is a need for such a cross-linguistic tool.
The study of acoustic signals and the supposed spoken language of the dolphins
Posted inAnimals Research

The study of acoustic signals and the supposed spoken language of the dolphins

This paper continues studies in the problem of animal language by registering acoustic signals from two quasi-stationary Black Sea bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) using a two-channel system in the frequency band up to 220 kHz with a dynamic range of 81 dB. The packs of mutually noncoherent pulses (NP) generated by the dolphins were matched to the animals. The waveforms and the spectra of these pulses changed from one pulse to another in each pack.
Comparative Study of Emotional Metaphor in Persian and English as a Human Conceptual Framework in Cultural Anthropology
Posted inEnglish Metaphor Persian Research

Comparative Study of Emotional Metaphor in Persian and English as a Human Conceptual Framework in Cultural Anthropology

Language is a manifestation of the imaginary system of the mind and the metaphors used in the language reflect our intellectual infrastructure. Under-standing the metaphor and its cultural and sensory status is very useful in rec-ognizing and understanding language and communication. One of the important roles of language is to convey each person’s emotions to other people. Emotions are abstract concepts that can be objectified through metaphors.
Cross-linguistic influence meets diminished input: A comparative study of heritage Russian in contact with Hebrew and English
Posted inEnglish Hebrew Research Russian

Cross-linguistic influence meets diminished input: A comparative study of heritage Russian in contact with Hebrew and English

While it is known that heritage speakers diverge from the homeland baseline, there is still no consensus on the mechanisms triggering this divergence. We investigate the impact of two potential factors shaping adult heritage language (HL) grammars: (1) cross-linguistic influence (CLI), originally proposed for second language acquisition (SLA), and (2) background factors associated with input.
Holland America Line Teams Up with Audible to Offer a Virtual Book Club Allowing Guests to Stay Connected to the Brand On Board and Ashore
Posted inLanguage learning Literature News Technology

Holland America Line Teams Up with Audible to Offer a Virtual Book Club Allowing Guests to Stay Connected to the Brand On Board and Ashore

SEATTLE, April 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland America Line is working with Audible, a leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, as the first cruise line to offer a co-branded book club with celebrated authors across different genres. The alliance also includes curated destination-focused collections—accessed via an extended Audible free trial—as well as free in-stateroom Audible content available to all guests. From travel and well-being titles to language lessons and more, the collaboration offers a robust selection of options for wanderlusters both on board while cruising and ashore from the personal device of any Audible member.