SUBSCRIBE

Listen before Repeating


When someone hears a concept or a person’s name for the first time, the most common way of learning this new word is to repeat it out loud. However, previous studies have found contradictory effects of this almost-simultaneous production on our capacity to learn new words. A new study, carried out by Spain’s Basque Center on Cognition, Brain, and Language (BCBL), found that when learning new vocabulary repeating the words can have negative effects on learning, particularly when the repetition is immediate. Silently listening to the word or pausing between hearing and producing the word can be more effective ways to learn it.

To reach this conclusion, researchers at the BCBL analyzed the cognitive mechanisms involved in language processing in more than 300 volunteers. They focused on how we are able to recognize a recently integrated word in our mental lexicon.

“In this study we examined how immediately repeating a new word out loud or not repeating it can affect learning. In other words, what impact this study method actually has on the integration of a concept that we’ve just heard into our lexical system so that we can recognize it later,” says Efthymia Kapnoula, the BCBL researcher leading the project.

In the first stage of the project, eye-tracking techniques were used to observe in real time whether repeating or not repeating a word at the time of learning it had positive or negative effects on its integration into the mental lexical system. “In this first experiment we saw that repetition had a slight positive effect at the beginning, but its final impact was negative,” Kapnoula adds.

Therefore, in the second stage, longer terms were used in the training phase and some of the sounds were modified afterward, such as changing an s to resemble an f. This allowed researchers to test the extent to which cognitive mechanisms were able not only to integrate the word but also to recalibrate the perception of speech sounds to recognize the correct word. In this second training session, the participants were divided into four different groups: one group learned words just by listening to them, another had to repeat each word immediately after hearing it, another repeated each word two seconds after hearing it, and the final group repeated each word four seconds later.

According to the researchers, the different methods helped determine that the negative effect of repeating the words in the study was due to the overlap in time between encoding the word in the brain and producing it. “When a person repeats a word immediately after hearing it, cognitive resources are dedicated to preparing the production of the word and, as a result, these resources cannot be used to deeply encode that word. In contrast, if production is delayed for a few seconds, this overlap is avoided, allowing deeper learning and encoding to take place,” explains the BCBL researcher. The results, published in the journal Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, not only improve our understanding of the cognitive mechanisms involved in learning new words but could also help to develop more efficient education programs.

“Understanding these cognitive mechanisms can teach us how to use repetition more efficiently in educational contexts. For example, teachers can encourage students to repeat a new word the first time they hear it, but after this first exposure, the learning processes should focus more on listening rather than on production,” Kapnoula concludes.

Cardona Sets Goal of Multilingualism for All Students


At last month’s National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) annual conference in Portland, Oregon, US secretary for education Miguel Cardona laid out plans to boost multilingual education across the country, including the reallocation of funds to bolster dual language programs and the training of dual language educators.

Cardona inspired the crowd of thousands of educators with his rhetoric:

“Why is it that in 2023, in many school systems in our country, we treat our English learners as students with deficits—rather than assets in a globally competitive world? It makes no sense! It defies what other multilingual countries already understand. It defies our historical reality as a nation born of immigrants.

“So today, reconozcamos que: bilingualism and biculturalism is a superpower—and we at the Department of Education will work to help our students become multilingual. Let’s put to bed, once and for all, the notion that multilingualism is just a bonus—or worse, a deficit.

“Let’s build a new era of multilingualism in America—an era where our young people can lead thriving lives and careers with their knowledge of languages from Mandarin to French, Spanish to Japanese. And let’s foster a new multilingual generation of Americans—strengthened in their identities, supported in their education, prepared to lead in our country and around the world.

“To all of our students in America: ¡Ya es tiempo de aprender otro idioma!”

The secretary of education continued by outlining some concrete funding and support for multilingual education:

“The research makes clear: the academic effects of these programs is strong, both for English learners and for native English speakers. A recent study here in Portland shows that students enrolled in a dual language program scored seven months ahead in reading in grade five and nine months ahead in reading in grade eight.

“We just secured $890 million in yearly funding under Title III that can help states support their English learners through their Language Instructional Educational Programs. That’s an increase of $93 million since the beginning of the Biden–Harris Administration. And we’ll be pushing for more funding soon—so stay tuned.

“I’m announcing today that I have proposed to reorganize the Title III program from the Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education back into the Office of English Language Acquisition. I know this will strengthen the administration, capacity, and technical assistance of the Title III formula, which you and all of our students deserve. We need to push harder to ensure federal dollars are being used for programs that work. Not only must we support good programming, we need to hold states accountable for bad programming.

“Another strategy we will focus on at the US Department of Education includes making sure we have a lot more high-quality bilingual and multilingual educators—educators like you. That starts with quality training, recruiting, and retaining educators—including young people of color. I don’t have to tell you that we are at the doorstep of a teacher-shortage crisis in our country. This is even more palpable in hard-to-fill areas like bilingual education.

“That’s why, last month, we announced our first-ever grants— totaling over $18 million—under the Augustus Hawkins program to increase high-quality teacher-preparation programs for teachers of color and multilingual teachers, who are uniquely situated to reach our diverse student population. And every single one of those grantees incorporated a priority to produce more multilingual and bilingual teachers into their plans for these funds.”

Cardona’s speech, which reiterated some aspects of the department’s recently announced Raise the Bar initiative, was met with a standing ovation, and the secretary followed it up the following week by reading a Spanish-language book to students in a Spanish/English dual language program in Washington, DC, on National Read across America Day.

Navajo University Offers First PhD in Diné

A tribal university on the largest Native American reservation in the US has become the first of more than 30 accredited tribal colleges across the country, to launch its doctoral program. 

The newly announced program at Navajo Technical University, predominantly based in Crownpoint, NM, will be focused on conserving Diné culture and language. Diné—a  Navajo word meaning “the people” is commonly what tribal members call themselves.

Applications for the fall semester 2023 are already being accepted and launch celebrations are in progress at the Crownpoint campus in western New Mexico.

The new milestone for the Navajo Tech, the PhD program will add to a catalogue of over 30 degree and certificate programs in: science, technology, engineering, business and liberal arts—as noted by the college’s President Elmer Guy.

Talking to the Associated Press, Guy said he believes the program will have a profound impact on the future of the tribe’s language and culture – with particular efforts put towards language sustainability, and he is “excited” to see how students conceptualize their dissertations.

From its inception, the course was designed to lead to employment opportunities and positive change for Navajo communities on the reservation—the largest of its kind, stretching across the states of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.

Explaining the course as a step further than calls from tribal leaders for people to protect their language and culture, Guy reflects “I thought it would be important to make that connection,” –  “Individuals will get a degree and they’ll be professionals. You have to make it applicable. By making it more meaningful, people will have an interest in it.”

Wafa Hozien, a course administrator who helped to create the program explained that approximately twenty students have applied so far. Of those, five will be selected for much-coveted spots in the inaugural class. 

The doctoral program was developed with the help of tribal elders, professors, and linguistic experts to ensure the most thorough and diverse syllabus. Additionally, alliances and collaborations have been formed with other community partners and academic institutions. Community-based research and internships will also form part of the curriculum for students to gain practical experience to apply when they graduate. 

Course staff are hopeful that other tribal universities will follow suit.

For Hozien, Navajo Tech’s PhD program represents a paradigm shift whereby learning through a Diné lens—supplemented with culture and language, gives the opportunity to create leaders who can advocate for their people in the judicial system, education, land management, business, technology, and health care.

Bilinguals React More Emotionally to Mother Tongue

A recent study by researchers in Poland has examined differences in how bilingual people respond to emotionally charged words in different languages.

The study, carried out by a team led by Marcin Naranowicz from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland was published in the journal Scientific Reports and found evidence that “emotional words” induce a smaller physiological response in bilinguals’ second language than those in their mother tongue.

The team worked with 47 female participants and analyzed their physiological responses to emotionally charged words. All participants were students from their institution, native Polish speakers and proficient in English as a second language.

The participants were shown film clips in Polish and English that would classically evoke positive and negative moods. Electrodes were placed on the skin to measure conductivity, mapping a level of physiological stimulus in response to thoughts or emotions.

Results suggested that the Polish film clips likely to evoke a negative mood also produced significant increases in ‘skin conductance’ suggesting a more intense level of stimulation. The same clips played in English appeared to not alter skin conductance, which the team deduced may be because foreign language processing in the brain involves a degree of emotional detachment.

Overall, the English film clips did produce a higher average level of skin conductance than those in Polish, regardless of the mood. This finding could reflect a greater general cognitive effort required to process a second language.

Consistent with previous studies, this evidence supports the notion that reading in one’s native language provides a stronger emotional experience than reading in a second or additional language. 

Despite the findings leaning strongly towards a clear conclusion, there are certain variables which could alter the results, such as the environment in which the participants learned English. Those who learned in a school environment —typically non-emotional with a rigid framework, might have a less emotional relationship to the language than participants who learned in an immersive or familial setting. 

The decision to use only female participants was based on the team’s earlier findings “pointing to a more robust role of mood in language processing in women than men.” Using male participants could also see different results. 

Despite leaving room for variables, Naranowicz and his colleagues attest that their latest findings could lead to important progress in so-called “bilingual therapy.” Their hypothesis: If processing a foreign language does truly involve some level of emotional detachment, using a patient’s second language during therapy may help them distance themselves from a traumatic event.

Moldovan Parliament rules Romanian as national language

The parliament of Moldova has approved a law on referring to the country’s national language as Romanian rather than Moldovan in the constitution and all legislative texts. 

This move comes  despite strong opposition from a pro-Moscow communist party and was intended to resolve a heated, long standing dispute over whether the national language should be referred to as Romanian or Moldovan.

Currently the constitution of Moldova refers to the national language as Moldovan, as a result of Moldova’s 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union – however it stipulated that Romanian is the official language. 

In line with a constitutional legal ruling in 2013, Moldova’s governing, pro-Western PAS party proposed a draft law for the declaration of independence to take precedence over the constitution, meaning Romanian has a more official standing than Moldovan. More than 80% of Moldovans speak Romanian as their mother tongue.

The ruling has been met with mixed feelings. Some Moldovans view this change as righting a conflict left over from when the Soviet Union sought to impose a Moldovan language written in Cyrillic – a controversial method of reinforcing Moldovan identity. Others have felt a strong alliance with Romanian as a linguistic identity and continue to support the government’s decision. 

Outside parliament, socialist and communist party members protested with the message “The Constitution of Moldova: Moldova, Moldovans, Moldovan language”.

An ongoing pursued membership to the European Union has only further fueled the dispute over language, and relations with Russia have vastly deteriorated following the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022.

During an official visit to Chisinau on Thursday, March 23, Romanian Prime minister Nicolae Ciuca reaffirmed Romania’s support for the Republic of Moldova and outwardly gave his support for the decision “I welcome the adoption by the Parliament of Chisinau of the law by which the Romanian language receives the status of an official language in the Republic of Moldova. Recognizing the historical and scientific truth reconfirms the community of culture and language on the two banks of the Prut.”

Moldovan is recognized as one of the main forms of Romanian, and for centuries, the language names had been interchangeably i, but during the Soviet era, Moldovan, or as it was called at the time, Moldavian, was the only term officially recognized. Soviet policy emphasized distinctions between Moldavians and Romanians based on their allegedly different histories, declaring Moldavian a distinct Romance language from Romanian.

While a majority of Moldovans with higher education,[11] as well as a majority of inhabitants of the capital city of Chișinău,[12] call their language Romanian, most rural residents indicated Moldovan as their native language in the 2004 census.[12] In schools in Moldova, the term “Romanian language” has been used since independence.[13]

A.I. ‘Stars’ at Cádiz Congress of Spanish Language

Last month, the 9th International Congress of the Spanish Language was held in Cádiz, Spain. 

This year’s theme focused around language, multiculturalism and interculturality, running from March 27-30 and was declared a “success” by its organizers. There was a special acknowledgement to the recent mass introduction of AI technology. 

The conference hosted by the Instituto Cervantes in partnership with the Royal Spanish Academy and Association of Academies of the Spanish Language is considered the most important official reflection for the status of the Spanish language. 

1,300 participants from all over the Spanish-speaking world, 57 thematic panels and 78 cultural events brought the conference together, with this year becoming the first where the entire event was broadcast online, live from Cádiz. 

Director of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) and president of the Association of Language Academies (ASALE), Santiago Muñoz Machado spoke confidently about the current status of the Spanish language “We are optimistic regarding the situation of the Spanish language, which is growing and which demands educational resources due to the enormous demand that education in Spanish poses in the world.” He added that the “star” of this event has been Artificial Intelligence—something he believes poses challenges, brings opportunities for the defense and dissemination of the language.

Along with talks, exhibitions, seminars and meetings, the event hosted a wide range of arts workshops and performances in the arts and theater. There was even the opportunity for attendees to learn how to rap in Spanish. Events took place across18 emblematic spaces in Cádiz—offered up by the City Council, the University of Cádiz, or the Provincial Council.

Mayor of Cádiz, José María González expressed that the event has been “a fantastic experience for the city” and that Cádiz has never been more capable.  He commented on the charm of its informality “It was an academic meeting, but there were meetings on doorsteps,  presentations in classrooms and talks on street corners.”

Isabel Rodríguez, the Minister for Territorial Policy and spokesperson for the Government of Spain outlined the Government’s upcoming investment in the PERTE (Projects for Economic Recovery and Transformation) for Language. She defined the initiative as “a strategic project for the country that combines public funding of 1,100 million euros ($1.3 million), on top of private investment.”

Rodríguez closed the final ceremony with the statement “Promoting Spanish, together with other official languages, and giving them their value in the world, must be a policy of state. The government of Spain works with this ambition.”

France: Language defenders take legal action over ‘Franglais’

Paris France: le palais de justice is the center of the french legal system

Language defense groups in France are taking legal action over a so-called “excessive” use of English and mixed English and French terms, by public institutions and businesses.

The newest cases considered breaches of the law include an online bank called “Ma French Bank” launched by the French Postal service La Poste, and signage in French and English at the reconstructed site of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. The latter case refers to a law in which signs must be displayed in two or more languages—the purpose of which was to avoid giving precedence to English.

The group known as Défense de la langue française (Defence of the French language) also ​​won a similar case brought against the Eiffel Tower—arguing that the tourist attraction failed to include other foreign languages in its signage, leading to an increasing “global domination of English.”

According to Louis Maisonneuve, a spokesperson for the Défense de la langue française, a legal complaint against Notre Dame was lodged with the Paris court last Monday, which was also international French-speaker day. As a desired outcome, campaigners want offending bodies to be fined for falling foul of the “Toubon” language law of 1994 and continue to chase individual companies and institutions. 

Marceau Déchamps, also of the Défense, said “It doesn’t specify which two languages, but the lawmakers who came up with the legislation didn’t want the English language to overtake French”.

Addressing the conflict within La Poste, Ma French Bank said its brand is working to promote France internationally, and also uses the slogans “made in France” and “le French touch” – a “mix of French and a dash of English while staying accessible.”

The Académie française, a government body dedicated to handling matters pertaining to the French language said last year, “The massive, unstable influx is damaging the identity of our language and in the long term its future.”

UK Amps Funding for Chinese Capabilities

.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced an increase in funding to amplify skills and knowledge on China, for government staff. This includes training on economic and military policy as well as Mandarin language skills.

The ‘China Capabilities Programme’ operating to increase Chinese expertise across the UK government will receive extra financial support across all departments. 

Since 2021 and the last Integrated Review, the UK government have made specific steps towards increasing knowledge of and expertise on China, including extensive provision for the training of over 170 civil servants in Mandarin.

In a statement, the UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, said, “It’s vital that our diplomats and civil servants have the understanding and expertise to engage and adapt to the increasing challenge posed by China, and China’s growing role in world affairs.”—“This extra resource will help boost knowledge and language skills across government, in the face of the systemic challenge that China poses to the UK’s security, prosperity, and values.” 

The Integrated Review Refresh, launched in March, gives precedence to the UK government’s growing concern on the military, diplomatic, and economic activity of the Chinese Communist Party—with particular apprehension over military activity in Taiwan and the sanctioning of British members of Parliament. 

The government website states: “China is becoming more authoritarian at home and more assertive overseas,” expressing that an increase in funding is another example of action taken by the UK to ensure effective engagement with China “while protecting national security.” 

Last year a smaller pilot program was launched with a focus on language skills and cultural knowledge. In total it delivered: the training of 170 civil servants in Mandarin—20 of whom attended a language immersion program in Taiwan, extensive courses on culture, government structures and policymaking, and the establishment of a sector named the “China experts’ advisory group.” Training was extended to hundreds of government staff, addressing a broad range of expertise. 

Investment in Chinese language and culture skills is expected to continue.

Multilingualism Can Slow Down Dementia 

Researchers from the University of Sydney have recently found evidence that culturally diverse people might resist symptoms for frontotemporal dementia, for longer. 

Calling for more in-depth diagnostic criteria in dementia cases, the researchers have found that people born overseas with a different native tongue to English, can tolerate the disease for longer before symptoms begin to take a toll. 

Published in the Journal of Neurology and led by Ms Amira Skeggs, a clinical researcher at the School of Psychology, the study focuses on one of three types of the dementia known as behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). BvFTD is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects areas in the brain responsible for behaviour, personality, language and emotions. 

In this case, the study was carried out in Australia with English as a geographical example and despite results suggesting clear outcomes in this case, it has been acknowledged that this study focuses on Western samples.

“Currently, all the diagnostic criteria are based off Western samples, which means that it can be difficult to diagnose the diseases in non-Western people because they may not have the same symptoms,” Ms Skeggs said. 

In February, actor Bruce Willis announced he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia – raising awareness on the disease. 

Ms Skeggs further explained “Frontotemporal dementia refers to a set of younger-onset dementia syndromes, which are typically diagnosed before the age of 65. Our findings suggest that current diagnostic methods might be less accurate at identifying symptoms in Australians from culturally diverse backgrounds.” 

She added, “When it comes to neurodegenerative syndromes like bvFTD, culturally diverse people can have a later onset of the disease compared to monolingual Australians because they have other factors which could increase their resilience or cognitive reserve.”

The term ‘cognitive reserve’ refers to a kind of fortification that helps the brain navigate and resist the progression of neurodegeneration, before more classic symptoms of mental decline emerge. According to the University of Sydney’s School of Psychology, this reserve is “built up over an active lifetime and is influenced by a range of factors.”

In Australia, it has been noted that culturally diverse patients, including those who have moved to Australia, tend to have higher levels of cognitive reserve.

In this study, researchers compared clinical symptoms of people with bvFTD based on culture and language for the first time.107 participants were separated into three groups: monolingual Australians who speak only English, and a further two groups of culturally diverse people: one with English as their first language and another with a different mother tongue and English as a second or additional language.

Findings revealed that the group who spoke a non-English first language performed worse than the other groups on verbal tests but better on non-verbal tests, something researchers attest to potential clinical biases within current healthcare frameworks.

“The poor verbal performance in the non-English speaking group is probably influenced by cultural biases within current clinical tests, so the reason they are showing decline may not actually be because they are declining,” added Skeggs. 

An unexpected finding also emerged, whereby bilingual patients with a good-fluent proficiency in English had lost their second language abilities with the onset of dementia. 

In conclusion, researchers agreed that clinics should actively collect information about a patient’s cultural background, bilingualism, and education – offering alternatives during diagnosis such as a translator or image-based testing.

Guam Celebrates Mes CHamoru by learning the language

On this year’s Mes CHamoru, or ‘Chamorro Heritage Day’ native Guam islanders asked people to celebrate by learning the CHamoru language.

Despite changing over time, the CHamoru language links today’s islanders with the Chamorro people who settled on Guam thousands of years ago and is considered endangered as of 2023. 

An overwhelming majority of the CHamoru people are not able to speak their native language, largely due to CHamoru language oppression in the 20th century, perpetuated by the Navy and sectors of the government of Guam.  The use of  the CHamoru language was banned in many public spaces for several decades and as recently as the 1970s, it was still a punishable offence to speak CHamoru in Guam’s schools. The introduction of baseball to Guam also led to a ban on CHamoru language on baseball fields.

Finally in1974 the Guam Legislature made CHamoru an official language of the island  alongside English, ensuring the rights of native speakers and dissolving punishment related to the language. It is still considered a powerful and historically radical decision. 

Many CHamoru people advocate for acknowledging and recording problematic and colonial history, but choosing not to feel bound by it when moving forward.

However recognition of the language alone has not managed to pull CHamoru out of its endangered status and the number of speakers continues to decline. Young speakers of the language appreciate their ancestors’ experience of oppression, but admit it may be hard to teach and revitalize a language that was banned for so long.

Author Michael Lujan Bevacqua wrote in the Guam Pacific Daily News “Although there are no longer any formal punishments for speaking one’s native language, CHamorus in increasing numbers following World War II just stopped using the language with those younger than them.” The platform Learning CHamoru is dedicated to supporting native speakers and CHamoru language learners. The growing community has free resources and multimedia learning tools, created in conjunction with the University of Guam and the Commission on Chamoru Language.

1...343536...332Page 35 of 332

Subscribe for exclusive content

Language Magazine is a monthly print and online publication that provides cutting-edge information for language learners, educators, and professionals around the world.

Subscribe

LanguageMagazine 2023

Language Magazine