Journal of Psycholinguistic Research最新文献

Amidst the contemporary diasporic landscape in Sinophone literature, this research critically examines the nexus of language, culture, and identity. The study aims to analyze literary pieces composed in Sinophone languages across diverse diasporic communities and uncover the impact of language and cultural elements on the articulation and comprehension of diasporic identity. This paper used the following. comparative and typological research, an in-depth analysis of three Sinophonic texts, and contextual analysis. The subject of the study was three texts: The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan), Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Dai Sijie), and The Woman Warrior (Maxine Hong Kingston). The results showed that In The Joy Luck Club, language and cultural facets unveil the characters' dual identity struggles due to living abroad, exemplified through code-switching's psychological tension. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress utilizes language and cultural details to underscore the significance of preserving heritage within the diaspora, with literary allusions amplifying this endeavor. In The Woman Warrior, language and cultural elements reflect the heroine's inner conflict as she navigates her dual cultural allegiance. This scholarly revelation deepens comprehension of how these aspects influence identity formation in the diaspora. These findings broaden the understanding of Sinophone diasporic literature, spotlighting shared trends in identity portrayal through language and culture. The research has theoretical value for literary, cultural, and anthropological studies and practical significance, potentially informing educational initiatives on diasporic literature and cultural diversity. This study's outcomes hold relevance for students, researchers, and cultural scholars exploring the role of language and culture in diasporic identity expression.

The aim of this study is to discuss the need for improved intercultural communicative competence (ICC) training for pre-service Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) teachers who travel abroad to teach. Previous studies have shown that pre-service CSL teachers often struggle with intercultural communication, and this study investigates the reasons behind their difficulties and suggests ways to address them. The researchers used the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) and the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES) to measure the ICC of 217 pre-service CSL teachers. The study found that while pre-service CSL teachers have strong intercultural communicative emotional ability, their behavioral ability in intercultural communication is weak. In particular, they lacked skills in interactive control, interactive relaxation, identity management, information skills, and behavioral flexibility. The study proposes several strategies to improve ICC training for pre-service CSL teachers. One potential approach is the use of Computer Assisted Language Learning to provide teacher-trainee students with opportunities to practice intercultural communication skills in simulated contexts, receive personalized feedback, and engage with authentic materials and cultural information relevant to their host country. CALL could also facilitate communication between pre-service CSL teachers and former CSL teachers, providing a platform for information exchange and additional psychological support. The study also suggests that pre-service training should distinguish between foreign language learning and intercultural communication skills training. Specifically, it recommends that foreign language proficiency should be improved, while training should focus on educational culture and work culture in the host country, rather than providing a general introduction to the national conditions of the country. Finally, the study proposes that pre-service training should establish contact between pre-service CSL teachers and former CSL teachers as early as possible so that trainees can learn specific relevant information in advance, which can help them get ready, avoid intercultural communication mistakes, and obtain additional psychological support. By incorporating CALL and addressing the areas of weakness identified in the study, pre-service CSL teachers can be better prepared to navigate the challenges of intercultural communication and provide effective and culturally sensitive instruction abroad.

A group of Persian speakers were asked to talk about the concept of perseverance in semi-structured interviews. Gestures that participants used to talk about this concept were analyzed. The results showed that the concept of perseverance was primarily embodied in upward head gestures, fist-shaped hand gestures, forward hand gestures, and forward leg gestures. In a significant number of cases, these four elements occurred together. This suggests that the embodiment of perseverance can be distributed in several gestures in several body parts. Although these gestures had different directions in various body parts, the pattern of occurrence of these gestures was the same in a significant number of cases. We call this process schematic embodiment. These four elements create a gestural scheme that represents the embodied realization of perseverance. We define gestural scheme as a set of dynamic, sequential, and coordinated gestures that collectively represent a concept or an event.

The study explored the role of verbal fluency in determining reading and comprehension skills in Bengali among 10-year old typically developing Bengali children. Robust correlations were found between semantic fluency and word reading (0.63) as well as semantic fluency and comprehension (0.70). Good correlation was found between letter fluency and comprehension (0.49), and, word reading and comprehension (0.62). The findings suggest that good word storing capacity and executive functions led to enhanced automaticity of retrieval and verbal fluency, which together with improved orthographic and phonological processing led to good word reading scores, contributing to lesser cognitive load thereby easing out the complex text comprehension task. Transcending narrow empirical base of reading theories derived from Western writing typologies delimited to orthographic depth and psycholinguistic grain size, the study contends that verbal fluency is another interesting variable determining the reading and comprehension skills in Bengali along with visuo-spatial complexity and complex phonology-orthography inconsistencies.

Although extensive research has focused on the perceptual abilities of second language (L2) learners, a significant gap persists in understanding how cognitive functions like phonological short-term memory (PSTM) and nonverbal intelligence (IQ) impact L2 speech perception. This study sets out to investigate the discrimination of L2 English monophthongal vowel contrasts and to assess the effect of PSTM and nonverbal IQ on L2 speech perception. The participants consisted of adult monolingually-raised Greek speakers, who completed an AX discrimination test, a digit span test, and a nonverbal intelligence test. A control group of English speakers also completed the AX test. Data were analyzed using Bayesian regression models. The results revealed that Greek speakers exhibited below chance discrimination for the majority of L2 vowel contrasts, consistently underperforming in comparison to the control group. Intriguingly, the study did not provide substantial evidence in favor of more accurate discrimination of L2 contrasts by Greek participants with high PSTM compared to those with low PSTM. However, the study yielded compelling evidence indicating that Greek participants with higher IQ demonstrated superior accuracy in discriminating most L2 contrasts compared to their lower IQ counterparts. The limited influence of PSTM on speech perception suggests the need for further exploration, considering the potential impact of test methodologies and the intricate interplay of other confounding factors. Furthermore, the study uncovers a noteworthy relationship between nonverbal IQ and L2 speech perception, likely linked with the association of high IQ with enhanced attentional capacities, information processing abilities, and learning skills—all of which are pivotal for accurate speech perception.

The present study examined the cross-modal cueing effect of musical rhythmic beats on non-native speech rhythm production. Two groups of Chinese learners of French were cued respectively with rhythmic beats that either matched (matching group) or mismatched (mismatching group) the rhythm patterns of the target French sentences. The participants were asked to produce the target sentences after cueing and their speech production was compared with their baseline condition in which no cueing was used. The results showed that the matching group produced the target French rhythm significantly better after cueing with musical rhythmic beats that matched the French rhythm, in contrast to the mismatching group where no significant improvement was found. Individual differences in auditory short-term memory and rhythmic skills were not related to improvement in producing French rhythm after cueing. The results suggest that musical rhythmic cueing can be used to improve non-native speech rhythm production, further indicating a close link between speech and music in the temporal domain.

Chinese address terms exhibits a high degree of variability. Guided by the extended context of situation framework within the field of systemic functional linguistics, and taking the dialogues of the modern Chinese TV drama In the Name of People as examples, this study investigated how the bystander influences the choice of address terms. It is found that the appearance of the bystander influences the choice of address terms. Yet, it is not a direct process but is mediated by conversational atmosphere. Specifically, the presence of a bystander triggers "situational synergy" or changes interpersonal relationship, and then change the conversational atmosphere, both paths ultimately impact the choice of address terms. The underlying forces that lead to the variability of Chinese address terms are guān běn wèi and miàn zǐ. This study suggests the intricate impact of context on language choice, as well as the interdependency of context variables. In addition, by taking the concept of face beyond its European/North American milieu, and relocating it following the Chinese point of view, group orientation is valued, which contributes to face study.

This study mainly examined the role of the combination of three senses (i.e., auditory, visual, and tactile) and five senses (i.e., auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory) in the correlation between electrophysiological and electrodermal responses underlying second language (L2) sentence comprehension. Forty subjects did two acceptability judgment tasks, encompassing congruent and semantically/pragmatically incongruent sentences. The event-related potential (ERP) and galvanic skin response (GSR) data for both the target and final words of the sentences were collected and analyzed. The results revealed that there is an interaction between cognitive and emotional responses in both semantically and pragmatically incongruent sentences, yet the timing of the interaction is longer in sentences with pragmatic incongruity due to their complexity. Based on the ERP and GSR correlation results, it was further found that the five-sense combination approach improves L2 sentence comprehension and interest in learning materials yet reduces the level of excitement or arousal. While this approach might be beneficial for some learners, it might be detrimental for those in favor of stimulating learning environments.

Linguistic modality is one of the most complex categories, that is why its nature, meanings and ways of expression often become the object of various, at times, controversial theories. The present article described the concept of modality in the context of linguistic research. The purpose of this study was to identify the means of expressing author's modality in Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Russian, determine their relations in intra- and inter-system contexts, and specify the significance of modality for typological studies of these languages. The comparative typological method was mainly used, along with observation, description, transformational analysis, and synthesis of theoretical and practical materials. The results revealed similar and distinctive elements in constructing modal relations in Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Russian. The study suggested various forms of expressing author's modality in a literary text, including explicit means such as modal words, particles, moods and interjections, and implicit means like images, themes, ideas, concepts, symbols, and punctuation. In conclusion, the identification of multi-level means of expressing author's modality in these languages contributed to deepening knowledge on the linguistic category of modality, comparative language study, and translation theory.

The study's relevance lies in the distinction between the cognitive processes of human readers and search robots, particularly the contextual understanding and relevance determination capabilities of modern search engines. This study aims to address contemporary challenges related to online textual content, specifically focusing on texts found on corporate websites and corporate blogs. The study employs a comprehensive approach to analyze the creation of texts, considering both copywriting and rewriting techniques. The analysis includes an examination of textual activity on corporate websites and blogs. The research methodology involves investigating linguistic and psycholinguistic aspects, as well as the principles underlying search engines and their role in organic website promotion. The study also delves into the nature of multimedia articles as a distinct format of online content. The major finding of this research lies in the proposed method for assessing the cognitive effectiveness of copywriting and rewriting. The study sheds light on the intricate interplay between multimedia articles and their textual components, showcasing their potential for impactful audience engagement. The analysis of internet copywriting and rewriting in the realm of marketing discourse reveals their significance for search engine tasks and user engagement. In conclusion, this research underscores the practical importance of understanding the cognitive effectiveness of texts generated through copywriting and rewriting. The findings emphasize the role of multimedia articles and their textual elements in influencing audience engagement online. The study highlights the crucial connection between internet copywriting, rewriting, and successful marketing discourse, optimizing content for search engines and enhancing user experience.