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.
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.
Fighting the Fake: A Forensic Linguistic Analysis to Fake News Detection
Posted inEnglish Forensic linguistics Portuguese Research

Fighting the Fake: A Forensic Linguistic Analysis to Fake News Detection

The article explores the challenges of detecting fake news and highlights the linguistic features used in fake news pieces. Despite technological efforts, detecting fake news remains difficult due to its basis in partisanship and identity politics. The study emphasizes the potential of forensic linguistic analysis in combating fake news and aiding criminal investigations.
Contact between Old Persian and Hebrew? A Rejoinder to A. Wilson-Wright
Posted inHebrew History Persian Religion Research

Contact between Old Persian and Hebrew? A Rejoinder to A. Wilson-Wright

A recent article in Vetus Testamentum by Aren Wilson-Wright reconsiders the Persian influence on Biblical Hebrew. The author challenges existing proposals and expands the dataset for analysis. By blending philology and sociolinguistics, the study reveals a complex, multifaceted linguistic interaction between Old Persian and Hebrew, shedding light on previously unknown aspects of this historical period.
A Cross-Cultural Account of the Metaphor Conceptualizations of Thought as Food in Persian
Posted inCognition Culture English Food Metaphor Ontology Persian Research

A Cross-Cultural Account of the Metaphor Conceptualizations of Thought as Food in Persian

This article explores the connection between food-related metaphors and Persian cultural beliefs. The researchers investigate how these concepts influence the beliefs and ideas of Persian speakers. They also compare the ontological metaphor conceptualizations of thought as food in English and Persian, highlighting the influence of embodied experiences and socio-cultural factors.
Neural evidence for referential understanding of object words in dogs
Posted inAnimals ERP Neuroscience Research

Neural evidence for referential understanding of object words in dogs

The study by Marianna Boros and team used EEG to probe dogs' understanding of object words, finding a human-like neural response to semantic mismatches. This suggests dogs form mental representations of object words, similar to humans. The results challenge the belief that only humans possess this ability. The study implies dogs' referential understanding of words referring to objects in their environment. The findings offer the first neural evidence for non-human animals' knowledge of object words.