Sample records for basic language concepts

  1. The availability and accessibility of basic concept vocabulary in AAC software: a preliminary study.

    PubMed

    McCarthy, Jillian H; Schwarz, Ilsa; Ashworth, Morgan

    2017-09-01

    Core vocabulary lists obtained through the analyses of children's utterances include a variety of basic concept words. Supporting young children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to develop their understanding and use of basic concepts is an area of practice that has important ramifications for successful communication in a classroom environment. This study examined the availability of basic concept words across eight frequently used, commercially available AAC language systems, iPad© applications, and symbol libraries used to create communication boards. The accessibility of basic concept words was subsequently examined using two AAC language page sets and two iPad applications. Results reveal that the availability of basic concept words represented within the different AAC language programs, iPad applications, and symbol libraries varied but was limited across programs. However, there is no significant difference in the accessibility of basic concept words across the language program page sets or iPad applications, generally because all of them require sophisticated motor and cognitive plans for access. These results suggest that educators who teach or program vocabulary in AAC systems need to be mindful of the importance of basic concept words in classroom settings and, when possible, enhance the availability and accessibility of these words to users of AAC.

  2. Teacher knowledge of basic language concepts and dyslexia.

    PubMed

    Washburn, Erin K; Joshi, R Malatesha; Binks-Cantrell, Emily S

    2011-05-01

    Roughly one-fifth of the US population displays one or more symptoms of dyslexia: a specific learning disability that affects an individual's ability to process written language. Consequently, elementary school teachers are teaching students who struggle with inaccurate or slow reading, poor spelling, poor writing, and other language processing difficulties. Findings from studies have indicated that teachers lack essential knowledge needed to teach struggling readers, particularly children with dyslexia. However, few studies have sought to assess teachers' knowledge and perceptions about dyslexia in conjunction with knowledge of basic language concepts related to reading instruction. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine elementary school teachers' knowledge of basic language concepts and their knowledge and perceptions about dyslexia. Findings from the present study indicated that teachers, on average, were able to display implicit skills related to certain basic language concepts (i.e. syllable counting), but failed to demonstrate explicit knowledge of others (i.e. phonics principles). Also, teachers seemed to hold the common misconception that dyslexia is a visual processing deficit rather than phonological processing deficit. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  3. Analyzing the Relationship between Learning Styles and Basic Concept Knowledge Level of Kindergarten Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Balat, Gülden Uyanik

    2014-01-01

    Most basic concepts are acquired during preschool period. There are studies indicating that the basic concept knowledge of children is related to language development, cognitive development, academic achievement and intelligence. The relationship between learning behaviors (sometime called learning or cognitive styles) and a child academic success…

  4. Mathematical Language Skills of Mathematics Prospective Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gürefe, Nejla

    2018-01-01

    Effective mathematics teaching can be actualized only with correct use of the mathematical content language which comprises mathematical rules, concepts, symbols and terms. In this research, it was aimed to examine the mathematics prospective teachers' content language skills in some basic geometric concepts which are ray, angle, polygon,…

  5. Concepts and Objectives for Learning the Structure of English in Grades 7, 8, and 9. Report from the Project on Individually Guided Instruction in English Language, Composition, and Literature.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pooley, Robert C.; Golub, Lester S.

    Emphasizing the behavioral and social aspects of language as a foundation for instruction, 16 concepts for learning the structure of English in grades 7-9 are outlined in an attempt to set down in logical order the basic concepts involved in the understanding of the English language. The concepts begin with a recognition of the social purposes of…

  6. Language and Its Structure: Some Fundamental Linguistic Concepts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Langacker, Ronald W.

    Intended for people with little or no training in linguistics, this book initially deals with such basic concepts as the definition of linguistics, the nature of language, and the linguistic variations within a society. The discussion then moves to a more detailed, non-historical analysis of language structure, focusing on lexical items,…

  7. Learning Computers, Speaking English: Cooperative Activities for Learning English and Basic Word Processing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Quann, Steve; Satin, Diana

    This textbook leads high-beginning and intermediate English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students through cooperative computer-based activities that combine language learning with training in basic computer skills and word processing. Each unit concentrates on a basic concept of word processing while also focusing on a grammar topic. Skills are…

  8. Why elementary teachers might be inadequately prepared to teach reading.

    PubMed

    Joshi, R Malatesha; Binks, Emily; Hougen, Martha; Dahlgren, Mary E; Ocker-Dean, Emily; Smith, Dennie L

    2009-01-01

    Several national reports have suggested the usefulness of systematic, explicit, synthetic phonics instruction based on English word structure along with wide reading of quality literature for supporting development in early reading instruction. Other studies have indicated, however, that many in-service teachers are not knowledgeable in the basic concepts of the English language. They may be well versed in children's literature but not know how to address the basic building blocks of language and reading. The authors hypothesized that one of the reasons for this situation is that many instructors responsible for training future elementary teachers are not familiar with the concepts of the linguistic features of English language. This hypothesis was tested by administering a survey of language concepts to 78 instructors. The results showed that even though teacher educators were familiar with syllabic knowledge, they performed poorly on concepts relating to morphemes and phonemes. In a second study, 40 instructors were interviewed about best practices in teaching components and subskills of reading. Eighty percent of instructors defined phonological awareness as letter-sound correspondence. They also did not mention synthetic phonics as a desirable method to use for beginning reading instruction, particularly for students at risk for reading difficulties. In conclusion, providing professional development experiences related to language concepts to instructors could provide them the necessary knowledge of language concepts related to early literacy instruction, which they could then integrate into their preservice reading courses.

  9. "Blame" Concept in Phraseology: Cognitive-Semantic Aspect (Based on the French Language)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zalavina, Tatyana Y.; Kisel, Olesya V.

    2016-01-01

    Phraseology is one of the basic and most important objects of study in cognitive linguistics. The article deals with verbal fixed phrases in their correlation with the cognitive structure of knowledge--a concept. The used definitional analysis method to identify the basic notions of the conceptual content of the concept of blame and basic…

  10. Teaching Individuals with Developmental Delays: Basic Intervention Techniques.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lovaas, O. Ivar

    This teaching manual for treatment of children with developmental disabilities is divided into seven sections that address: (1) basic concepts; (2) transition into treatment; (3) early learning concepts; (4) expressive language; (5) strategies for visual learners; (6) programmatic considerations; and (7) organizational and legal issues. Among…

  11. Are preservice teachers prepared to teach struggling readers?

    PubMed

    Washburn, Erin K; Joshi, R Malatesha; Binks Cantrell, Emily

    2011-06-01

    Reading disabilities such as dyslexia, a specific learning disability that affects an individual's ability to process written language, are estimated to affect 15-20% of the general population. Consequently, elementary school teachers encounter students who struggle with inaccurate or slow reading, poor spelling, poor writing, and other language processing difficulties. However, recent evidence may suggest that teacher preparation programs are not providing preservice teachers with information about basic language constructs and other components related to scientifically based reading instruction. As a consequence preservice teachers have not exhibited explicit knowledge of such concepts in previous studies. Few studies have sought to assess preservice teachers' knowledge about dyslexia in conjunction with knowledge of basic language concepts. The purpose of the present study was to examine elementary school preservice teachers' knowledge of basic language constructs and their perceptions and knowledge about dyslexia. Findings from the present study suggest that preservice teachers, on average, are able to display implicit skills related to certain basic language constructs (i.e., syllable counting), but fail to demonstrate explicit knowledge of others (i.e., phonics principles). Also, preservice teachers seem to hold the common misconception that dyslexia is a visual perception deficit rather than a problem with phonological processing. Implications for future research as well as teacher preparation are discussed.

  12. Corpus-Based Approaches to Language Description for Specialized Academic Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flowerdew, John

    2017-01-01

    Language description is a fundamental requirement for second language (L2) syllabus design. The greatest advances in language description in recent decades have been done with the help of electronic corpora. Such language description is the theme of this article. The article first introduces some basic concepts and principles in corpus research.…

  13. Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Language and General Semantics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lapointe, Francois H.

    A survey of Maurice Merleau-Ponty's views on the phenomenology of language yields insight into the basic semiotic nature of language. Merleau-ponty's conceptions stand in opposition to Saussure's linguistic postulations and Korzybski's scientism. That is, if language is studied phenomenologically, the acts of speech and gesture take on greater…

  14. Dynamics of Language Contact in China: Ethnolinguistic Diversity and Variation in Yunnan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gao, Katie B.

    2017-01-01

    The study of language contact epitomizes the dynamics of language as a system of human communication. The competing linguistic forces at work when speakers of different language varieties come into contact can be narrowed down to two basic concepts--convergence and divergence. Looking at linguistic areas using a macro approach, languages in…

  15. A brain-based account of “basic-level” concepts

    PubMed Central

    Bauer, Andrew James; Just, Marcel Adam

    2017-01-01

    This study provides a brain-based account of how object concepts at an intermediate (basic) level of specificity are represented, offering an enriched view of what it means for a concept to be a basic-level concept, a research topic pioneered by Rosch and others (Rosch et al., 1976). Applying machine learning techniques to fMRI data, it was possible to determine the semantic content encoded in the neural representations of object concepts at basic and subordinate levels of abstraction. The representation of basic-level concepts (e.g. bird) was spatially broad, encompassing sensorimotor brain areas that encode concrete object properties, and also language and heteromodal integrative areas that encode abstract semantic content. The representation of subordinate-level concepts (robin) was less widely distributed, concentrated in perceptual areas that underlie concrete content. Furthermore, basic-level concepts were representative of their subordinates in that they were neurally similar to their typical but not atypical subordinates (bird was neurally similar to robin but not woodpecker). The findings provide a brain-based account of the advantages that basic-level concepts enjoy in everyday life over subordinate-level concepts: the basic level is a broad topographical representation that encompasses both concrete and abstract semantic content, reflecting the multifaceted yet intuitive meaning of basic-level concepts. PMID:28826947

  16. A brain-based account of "basic-level" concepts.

    PubMed

    Bauer, Andrew James; Just, Marcel Adam

    2017-11-01

    This study provides a brain-based account of how object concepts at an intermediate (basic) level of specificity are represented, offering an enriched view of what it means for a concept to be a basic-level concept, a research topic pioneered by Rosch and others (Rosch et al., 1976). Applying machine learning techniques to fMRI data, it was possible to determine the semantic content encoded in the neural representations of object concepts at basic and subordinate levels of abstraction. The representation of basic-level concepts (e.g. bird) was spatially broad, encompassing sensorimotor brain areas that encode concrete object properties, and also language and heteromodal integrative areas that encode abstract semantic content. The representation of subordinate-level concepts (robin) was less widely distributed, concentrated in perceptual areas that underlie concrete content. Furthermore, basic-level concepts were representative of their subordinates in that they were neurally similar to their typical but not atypical subordinates (bird was neurally similar to robin but not woodpecker). The findings provide a brain-based account of the advantages that basic-level concepts enjoy in everyday life over subordinate-level concepts: the basic level is a broad topographical representation that encompasses both concrete and abstract semantic content, reflecting the multifaceted yet intuitive meaning of basic-level concepts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Problems and Prospects in Foreign Language Computing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pusack, James P.

    The problems and prospects of the field of foreign language computing are profiled through a survey of typical implementation, development, and research projects that language teachers may undertake. Basic concepts in instructional design, hardware, and software are first clarified. Implementation projects involving courseware evaluation, textbook…

  18. Human attribute concepts: relative ubiquity across twelve mutually isolated languages.

    PubMed

    Saucier, Gerard; Thalmayer, Amber Gayle; Bel-Bahar, Tarik S

    2014-07-01

    It has been unclear which human-attribute concepts are most universal across languages. To identify common-denominator concepts, we used dictionaries for 12 mutually isolated languages-Maasai, Supyire Senoufo, Khoekhoe, Afar, Mara Chin, Hmong, Wik-Mungkan, Enga, Fijian, Inuktitut, Hopi, and Kuna-representing diverse cultural characteristics and language families, from multiple continents. A composite list of every person-descriptive term in each lexicon was closely examined to determine the content (in terms of English translation) most ubiquitous across languages. Study 1 identified 28 single-word concepts used to describe persons in all 12 languages, as well as 41 additional terms found in 11 of 12. Results indicated that attribute concepts related to morality and competence appear to be as cross-culturally ubiquitous as basic-emotion concepts. Formulations of universal-attribute concepts from Osgood and Wierzbicka were well-supported. Study 2 compared lexically based personality models on the relative ubiquity of key associated terms, finding that 1- and 2-dimensional models draw on markedly more ubiquitous terms than do 5- or 6-factor models. We suggest that ubiquitous attributes reflect common cultural as well as common biological processes.

  19. Teacher Knowledge of Basic Language Concepts and Dyslexia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Washburn, Erin K.; Joshi, R. Malatesha; Binks-Cantrell, Emily S.

    2011-01-01

    Roughly one-fifth of the US population displays one or more symptoms of dyslexia: a specific learning disability that affects an individual's ability to process written language. Consequently, elementary school teachers are teaching students who struggle with inaccurate or slow reading, poor spelling, poor writing, and other language processing…

  20. Ciencia en Espanol.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schon, Isabel

    1992-01-01

    A guide for teachers and librarians covering over 50 Spanish-language books that introduce children to various animals; the world around them; colors, shapes, and numbers; the universe; basic science concepts; and the process of conception, pregnancy, and birth. (MDH)

  1. Labov's Concept of the Vernacular Speech: The Site of Language Structure, Acquisition and Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agnihotri, Rama Kant

    2013-01-01

    The basic questions that a scholar interested in the study of language asks are concerned with language structure, acquisition, and change. William Labov is a linguist who has deeply influenced the linguistic scene in the past 60 years. It is to Labov's credit that he showed, backed by solid evidence, that the questions concerning language change,…

  2. Gender Differences in the Relationship between Attention Problems and Expressive Language and Emerging Academic Skills in Preschool-Aged Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zevenbergen, Andrea A.; Ryan, Meghan M.

    2010-01-01

    This study examined the relationship between attention problems and expressive language and academic readiness skills in preschool-aged children from middle-class families. Forty-three children (44% female) were assessed individually for expressive language skills and knowledge of basic academic concepts (e.g. colours, letters and numbers). The…

  3. Zum Ausgleich von generativer und energetischer Sprachbetrachtung (A Comparison of the "Generative" and "Energetic" Views of Language)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weisgerber, Leo

    1972-01-01

    Discussion of two basic conceptions: Wilhelm von Humboldt's idea of language as energeia'' existing within and without man, and Noam Chomsky's idea of language generated by the speaker according to an innate apparatus. Revised version of lectures presented at the University of Bonn, West Germany in August 1971. (RS)

  4. Sociolinguistics and the Counselling Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conville, Richard L.; Ivey, Allen E.

    1975-01-01

    Sociolinguistics is the study of language as part of culture and society. Counselling, basically a linguistic-communicative process, has too often failed to consider systematic knowledge from related fields. This article discusses basic concepts of sociolinguistics and considers their relation to the counselling process. (Author)

  5. Algorithm Building and Learning Programming Languages Using a New Educational Paradigm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jain, Anshul K.; Singhal, Manik; Gupta, Manu Sheel

    2011-08-01

    This research paper presents a new concept of using a single tool to associate syntax of various programming languages, algorithms and basic coding techniques. A simple framework has been programmed in Python that helps students learn skills to develop algorithms, and implement them in various programming languages. The tool provides an innovative and a unified graphical user interface for development of multimedia objects, educational games and applications. It also aids collaborative learning amongst students and teachers through an integrated mechanism based on Remote Procedure Calls. The paper also elucidates an innovative method for code generation to enable students to learn the basics of programming languages using drag-n-drop methods for image objects.

  6. Introduction to the theory of machines and languages

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Weidhaas, P. P.

    1976-04-01

    This text is intended to be an elementary ''guided tour'' through some basic concepts of modern computer science. Various models of computing machines and formal languages are studied in detail. Discussions center around questions such as, ''What is the scope of problems that can or cannot be solved by computers.''

  7. Project Logic Handbook: Computer Literacy through BASIC.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huber, Leonard; And Others

    This handbook for teachers offers guidance on introducing computer literacy into elementary and secondary classrooms. It includes a list of computer concepts exemplified by each step in learning to write programs in BASIC Programming Language and the objectives for the elementary and secondary activities; suggestions for using computers in…

  8. Swahili Learners' Reference Grammar. African Language Learners' Reference Grammar Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Katrina Daly; Schleicher, Antonia Folarin

    This reference grammar is written for speakers of English who are learning Swahili. Because many language learners are not familiar with the grammatical terminology, this book explains the basic terminology and concepts of English grammar that are necessary for understanding the grammar of Swahili. It assumes no formal knowledge of English grammar…

  9. Astra's Magic Math. Teacher's Manual, Manipulatives, and Student Worksheets.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Judith; And Others

    Astra's Magic Math is a beginning multi-sensory program that attempts to teach basic math skills through 22 sequentially developed self-contained units designed to combine manipulation, writing, and language activities. The units are first introduced to the large group to stimulate interest and develop concepts through oral language. Children then…

  10. Language Rights in Historical and Contemporary Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bruthiaux, Paul

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents a reconceptualisation of language rights, drawing on historical sources and contemporary practice. It shows that early advocates of rights saw these as limits on the state's ability to deprive citizens of basic liberties. Only later did the concept come to include the requirement that the state be proactive in providing…

  11. Contact, Attitude and Motivation in the Learning of Catalan at Advanced Levels

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamilton, Colleen; Serrano, Raquel

    2015-01-01

    The theoretical complexity of current understandings of second language (L2) identity has brought the study of language learning motivations from basic concepts of intrinsic, integrative and instrumental motives to a more dynamic construct that interacts with background factors, learning contexts and proficiency levels. This cross-sectional study…

  12. Ethnic Minorities, Language Diversity, and Educational Implications: A Case Study on the Netherlands.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Extra, Guus

    1990-01-01

    A discussion of the Dutch situation looks at how growing immigrant numbers and resulting second language groups have prompted a rethinking of traditional concepts of education. First, ethnic population trends across national boundaries in Western Europe are examined and basic statistics on ethnic minorities in the Netherlands are presented. The…

  13. Language Learning Motivation, Self and Identity: Current Theoretical Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ushioda, Ema

    2011-01-01

    Recently, the impact of globalization and the dominant status of English have provoked critical discussion in the L2 motivation field. Traditional concepts such as integrative motivation lose their explanatory power when English is becoming a "must-have" basic educational skill and when there is no clearly defined target language community. In…

  14. Double Mapping in Metaphorical Expressions of Thought and Communication in Catalan Sign Language (LSC)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jarque, Maria-Josep

    2005-01-01

    This document illustrates that mental functioning and communication in Catalan Sign Language (LSC) are conceptual through metaphorical projection of bodily experiences. The data in this document show how concepts are grasped, put on student's heads, exchanged, manipulated, and so on, constituting instantiations of the basic metaphors: ideas are…

  15. Certain Basic Concepts of Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sen, Ülker

    2016-01-01

    Concept that is defined to be the intangible and general designs emerging in a mind that belongs to an object or thought, has become both subject and object of a very large field ranging from philosophy to linguistics, from social sciences to science. Regardless of which field is in question, the unity of concept is important in order to pave the…

  16. Spatial Reference in Rongga (ISO 639-3: ROR), Balinese (ISO 639-3: BAN), and Indonesia (ISO 639-3: IND)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aryawibawa, I Nyoman

    2010-01-01

    Many scholars have proposed concepts relevant to spatial reference. Herskovits (1982) proposed that the topological concepts support, contiguity and containment are basic in English, while Levinson et al.'s (2003) examination of nine unrelated languages revealed that the concept attachment is primary. Neither of these proposals is confirmed in…

  17. On the universal structure of human lexical semantics

    PubMed Central

    Sutton, Logan; Smith, Eric; Moore, Cristopher; Wilkins, Jon F.; Maddieson, Ian; Croft, William

    2016-01-01

    How universal is human conceptual structure? The way concepts are organized in the human brain may reflect distinct features of cultural, historical, and environmental background in addition to properties universal to human cognition. Semantics, or meaning expressed through language, provides indirect access to the underlying conceptual structure, but meaning is notoriously difficult to measure, let alone parameterize. Here, we provide an empirical measure of semantic proximity between concepts using cross-linguistic dictionaries to translate words to and from languages carefully selected to be representative of worldwide diversity. These translations reveal cases where a particular language uses a single “polysemous” word to express multiple concepts that another language represents using distinct words. We use the frequency of such polysemies linking two concepts as a measure of their semantic proximity and represent the pattern of these linkages by a weighted network. This network is highly structured: Certain concepts are far more prone to polysemy than others, and naturally interpretable clusters of closely related concepts emerge. Statistical analysis of the polysemies observed in a subset of the basic vocabulary shows that these structural properties are consistent across different language groups, and largely independent of geography, environment, and the presence or absence of a literary tradition. The methods developed here can be applied to any semantic domain to reveal the extent to which its conceptual structure is, similarly, a universal attribute of human cognition and language use. PMID:26831113

  18. Educational Audiologists: Their Access, Benefit, and Collaborative Assistance to Speech-Language Pathologists in Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richburg, Cynthia McCormick; Knickelbein, Becky A.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: The main goals of this study were to determine if school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have access to the services of an audiologist and if those SLPs felt they obtained benefit from the audiologist's services. Additional goals included gathering information about SLPs' (a) understanding of basic audiological concepts typical…

  19. Breaking Down Barriers: Certificate in Workplace Language, Literacy and Numeracy Training. Second Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holland, Chris, Ed.; Frank, Fiona, Ed.; Caunt, Jaine Chisholm, Ed.

    This document is the course book of an accredited 3-day professional development course for qualified basic skills tutors in the United Kingdom who are interested in working in workplace settings. The course materials are organized into 17 sections grouped into 4 units as follows: (1) general concepts of workplace language, literacy, and numeracy…

  20. An Introduction to Item Response Theory and Rasch Models for Speech-Language Pathologists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baylor, Carolyn; Hula, William; Donovan, Neila J.; Doyle, Patrick J.; Kendall, Diane; Yorkston, Kathryn

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: To present a primarily conceptual introduction to item response theory (IRT) and Rasch models for speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Method: This tutorial introduces SLPs to basic concepts and terminology related to IRT as well as the most common IRT models. The article then continues with an overview of how instruments are developed…

  1. Guide to the Intergration of Selected Concepts of Economics into the History Curriculum of Fort Worth Country Day School.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dixon, Ford

    This guide will help teachers of grades 6-12 integrate economics concepts into history courses. The developers believe that the language and theories of economics are more understandable, germane, and pertinent in the context of a history curriculum. The seven basic economic concepts taught are: the law of demand, the law of supply, private…

  2. The Concept of English Philologists' Training at Swiss Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zasluzhena, Alla

    2016-01-01

    The issue of plurilingual approach usage to the study of foreign languages has been made actual on case study of Swiss universities. Basic concepts of English philologists' formation at Swiss universities have been determined. These components have been analyzed with relation to their relevance to the prospective philologist in English Linguistics…

  3. Statistics and Data Interpretation for Social Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosenthal, James A.

    2011-01-01

    Written by a social worker for social work students, this is a nuts and bolts guide to statistics that presents complex calculations and concepts in clear, easy-to-understand language. It includes numerous examples, data sets, and issues that students will encounter in social work practice. The first section introduces basic concepts and terms to…

  4. Experimental Evaluation of a Planning Language Suitable for Formal Verification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Butler, Rick W.; Munoz, Cesar A.; Siminiceanu, Radu I.

    2008-01-01

    The marriage of model checking and planning faces two seemingly diverging alternatives: the need for a planning language expressive enough to capture the complexity of real-life applications, as opposed to a language simple, yet robust enough to be amenable to exhaustive verification and validation techniques. In an attempt to reconcile these differences, we have designed an abstract plan description language, ANMLite, inspired from the Action Notation Modeling Language (ANML) [17]. We present the basic concepts of the ANMLite language as well as an automatic translator from ANMLite to the model checker SAL (Symbolic Analysis Laboratory) [7]. We discuss various aspects of specifying a plan in terms of constraints and explore the implications of choosing a robust logic behind the specification of constraints, rather than simply propose a new planning language. Additionally, we provide an initial assessment of the efficiency of model checking to search for solutions of planning problems. To this end, we design a basic test benchmark and study the scalability of the generated SAL models in terms of plan complexity.

  5. On the universal structure of human lexical semantics

    DOE PAGES

    Youn, Hyejin; Sutton, Logan; Smith, Eric; ...

    2016-02-01

    How universal is human conceptual structure? The way concepts are organized in the human brain may reflect distinct features of cultural, historical, and environmental background in addition to properties universal to human cognition. Semantics, or meaning expressed through language, provides indirect access to the underlying conceptual structure, but meaning is notoriously difficult to measure, let alone parameterize. Here, we provide an empirical measure of semantic proximity between concepts using cross-linguistic dictionaries to translate words to and from languages carefully selected to be representative of worldwide diversity. These translations reveal cases where a particular language uses a single “polysemous” word tomore » express multiple concepts that another language represents using distinct words. We use the frequency of such polysemies linking two concepts as a measure of their semantic proximity and represent the pattern of these linkages by a weighted network. This network is highly structured: Certain concepts are far more prone to polysemy than others, and naturally interpretable clusters of closely related concepts emerge. Statistical analysis of the polysemies observed in a subset of the basic vocabulary shows that these structural properties are consistent across different language groups, and largely independent of geography, environment, and the presence or absence of a literary tradition. As a result, the methods developed here can be applied to any semantic domain to reveal the extent to which its conceptual structure is, similarly, a universal attribute of human cognition and language use.« less

  6. On the universal structure of human lexical semantics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Youn, Hyejin; Sutton, Logan; Smith, Eric

    How universal is human conceptual structure? The way concepts are organized in the human brain may reflect distinct features of cultural, historical, and environmental background in addition to properties universal to human cognition. Semantics, or meaning expressed through language, provides indirect access to the underlying conceptual structure, but meaning is notoriously difficult to measure, let alone parameterize. Here, we provide an empirical measure of semantic proximity between concepts using cross-linguistic dictionaries to translate words to and from languages carefully selected to be representative of worldwide diversity. These translations reveal cases where a particular language uses a single “polysemous” word tomore » express multiple concepts that another language represents using distinct words. We use the frequency of such polysemies linking two concepts as a measure of their semantic proximity and represent the pattern of these linkages by a weighted network. This network is highly structured: Certain concepts are far more prone to polysemy than others, and naturally interpretable clusters of closely related concepts emerge. Statistical analysis of the polysemies observed in a subset of the basic vocabulary shows that these structural properties are consistent across different language groups, and largely independent of geography, environment, and the presence or absence of a literary tradition. As a result, the methods developed here can be applied to any semantic domain to reveal the extent to which its conceptual structure is, similarly, a universal attribute of human cognition and language use.« less

  7. Teaching and Learning: A Key to Success. The ACTFL Foreign Language Education Series, Vol. 10.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Westphal, Patricia B.

    The numerous innovations in foreign language teaching during the past ten years indicate that the profession is reaching toward syllabi in which students would learn to master and apply creatively a fairly limited body of material built around basic linguistic and cultural concepts. This theme is apparent in the syllabi, or subject-matter content…

  8. Wittgenstein's philosophy and a dimensional approach to the classification of mental disorders -- a preliminary scheme.

    PubMed

    Mackinejad, Kioumars; Sharifi, Vandad

    2006-01-01

    In this paper the importance of Wittgenstein's philosophical ideas for the justification of a dimensional approach to the classification of mental disorders is discussed. Some of his basic concepts in his Philosophical Investigations, such as 'family resemblances', 'grammar' and 'language-game' and their relations to the concept of mental disorder are explored.

  9. The Impact of Film. How Ideas Are Communicated Through Cinema and Television.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Madsen, Roy Paul

    The forms and concepts of cinema and television are examined in order to shed light upon the techniques of communicating ideas and achieving psychological effects on film. Part I of the book focuses upon basic cinematic and television concepts, including matters such as the language and grammar of cinematography, the syntax of editing, the…

  10. FORTRAN programming - A self-taught course

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blecher, S.; Butler, R. V.; Horton, M.; Norrod, V.

    1971-01-01

    Comprehensive programming course begins with numerical systems and basic concepts, proceeds systematically through FORTRAN language elements, and concludes with discussion of programming techniques. Course is suitable either for individual study or for group study on informal basis.

  11. Being a (Good) Student: Conceptions of Identity of Adult Basic Education Participants Transitioning to College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reddy, Mina

    2012-01-01

    This study examines the perceptions of identity of a category of students that has rarely been studied in the context of higher education. These are adults who have participated in GED preparation or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses in Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs. A college education is increasingly necessary for…

  12. Emergy in 60 Minutes

    EPA Science Inventory

    This web presentation answers basic questions about the relatively new scientific concept, emergy. It dispels some of the confusion surrounding this idea in a PowerPoint presentation. The presentation is written in common language and uses straightforward examples. Emergy indic...

  13. Natural language generation of surgical procedures.

    PubMed

    Wagner, J C; Rogers, J E; Baud, R H; Scherrer, J R

    1999-01-01

    A number of compositional Medical Concept Representation systems are being developed. Although these provide for a detailed conceptual representation of the underlying information, they have to be translated back to natural language for used by end-users and applications. The GALEN programme has been developing one such representation and we report here on a tool developed to generate natural language phrases from the GALEN conceptual representations. This tool can be adapted to different source modelling schemes and to different destination languages or sublanguages of a domain. It is based on a multilingual approach to natural language generation, realised through a clean separation of the domain model from the linguistic model and their link by well defined structures. Specific knowledge structures and operations have been developed for bridging between the modelling 'style' of the conceptual representation and natural language. Using the example of the scheme developed for modelling surgical operative procedures within the GALEN-IN-USE project, we show how the generator is adapted to such a scheme. The basic characteristics of the surgical procedures scheme are presented together with the basic principles of the generation tool. Using worked examples, we discuss the transformation operations which change the initial source representation into a form which can more directly be translated to a given natural language. In particular, the linguistic knowledge which has to be introduced--such as definitions of concepts and relationships is described. We explain the overall generator strategy and how particular transformation operations are triggered by language-dependent and conceptual parameters. Results are shown for generated French phrases corresponding to surgical procedures from the urology domain.

  14. Teach English, Teach about the Environment: A Resource for Teachers of Adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    US Environmental Protection Agency, 2007

    2007-01-01

    This paper was developed to help teachers teach English to adult students while introducing basic concepts about the environment and individual environmental responsibility. These concepts can help the newly-arrived be part of cleaner and healthier communities by understanding and practicing the "3Rs" of solid waste management: reduce, reuse, and…

  15. Teach English, Teach about the Environment: A Resource for Teachers of Adult English for Speakers of Other Languages

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The EPA has developed the Teach English, Teach about the Environment curriculum to help you teach English to adult students while introducing basic concepts about the environment and individual environmental responsibility.

  16. The ANMLite Language and Logic for Specifying Planning Problems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Butler, Ricky W.; Siminiceanu, Radu I.; Munoz, Cesar A.

    2007-01-01

    We present the basic concepts of the ANMLite planning language. We discuss various aspects of specifying a plan in terms of constraints and checking the existence of a solution with the help of a model checker. The constructs of the ANMLite language have been kept as simple as possible in order to reduce complexity and simplify the verification problem. We illustrate the language with a specification of the space shuttle crew activity model that was constructed under the Spacecraft Autonomy for Vehicles and Habitats (SAVH) project. The main purpose of this study was to explore the implications of choosing a robust logic behind the specification of constraints, rather than simply proposing a new planning language.

  17. ProgrammingRationalAgents in GOAL

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hindriks, Koen V.

    The agent programming language GOAL is a high-level programming language to program rational agents that derive their choice of action from their beliefsand goals. The language provides the basic building blocks to design and implementrationalagents by meansofa setofprogramming constructs. These programming constructs allow and facilitate the manipulation of an agent’sbeliefs and goals and to structure its decision-making. GOAL agents are called rational because they satisfy a numberof basic rationality constraints and because they decide to perform actions to further their goals based uponareasoning scheme derived from practical reasoning. The programming concepts of belief and goal incorporated into GOAL provide the basis for this form of reasoning and are similarto their common sense counterparts used everyday to explain the actions that we perform. In addition, GOAL provides the means for agents to focus their attention on specic goals and to communicate at the knowledge level. This provides an intuitive basis for writing high-level agent programs. At the same time these concepts and programming constructs have a well-dened, formal semantics. The formal semantics provides the basis for deninga verication framework for GOAL for verifying and reasoning about GOAL agents whichis similar to some of the wellknownagent logics introduced in the literature.

  18. Structures, Not Strings: Linguistics as Part of the Cognitive Sciences.

    PubMed

    Everaert, Martin B H; Huybregts, Marinus A C; Chomsky, Noam; Berwick, Robert C; Bolhuis, Johan J

    2015-12-01

    There are many questions one can ask about human language: its distinctive properties, neural representation, characteristic uses including use in communicative contexts, variation, growth in the individual, and origin. Every such inquiry is guided by some concept of what 'language' is. Sharpening the core question--what is language?--and paying close attention to the basic property of the language faculty and its biological foundations makes it clear how linguistics is firmly positioned within the cognitive sciences. Here we will show how recent developments in generative grammar, taking language as a computational cognitive mechanism seriously, allow us to address issues left unexplained in the increasingly popular surface-oriented approaches to language. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. A language based on analogy to communicate cultural concepts in SETI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Musso, Paolo

    2011-02-01

    The present paper is a synthesis of three presentation given by myself at the Toulouse IAC 2001 ( Analogy as a tool to communicate abstract concepts in SETI), the Bremen IAC 2003 ( From maths to culture: towards an effective message), and the Vancouver IAC 2004 ( Philosophical and religious implications of extraterrestrial intelligent life). Its aim is to find a way to make our cultural concepts understandable to hypothetical extraterrestrials (ETs) in a SETI communication. First of all, I expose the reasons why I think that analogy could be a good tool for this purpose. Then, I try to show that this is possible only in the context of an integrated language, using both abstract symbols and pictures, also sketching two practical examples about some basic concepts of our moral and religious tradition. Further studies are required to determine whether this method could be extended to the higher-level abstract concepts in the other fields of our culture. Finally, I discuss the possible role of mathematics, logic and natural science in the construction of an analogy-based language for interstellar messages with a cultural content and a possible way of managing this matter from a social point of view.

  20. An introduction to MATLAB.

    PubMed

    Sobie, Eric A

    2011-09-13

    This two-part lecture introduces students to the scientific computing language MATLAB. Prior computer programming experience is not required. The lectures present basic concepts of computer programming logic that tend to cause difficulties for beginners in addition to concepts that relate specifically to the MATLAB language syntax. The lectures begin with a discussion of vectors, matrices, and arrays. Because many types of biological data, such as fluorescence images and DNA microarrays, are stored as two-dimensional objects, processing these data is a form of array manipulation, and MATLAB is especially adept at handling such array objects. The students are introduced to basic commands in MATLAB, as well as built-in functions that provide useful shortcuts. The second lecture focuses on the differences between MATLAB scripts and MATLAB functions and describes when one method of programming organization might be preferable to the other. The principles are illustrated through the analysis of experimental data, specifically measurements of intracellular calcium concentration in live cells obtained using confocal microscopy.

  1. An Introduction to MATLAB

    PubMed Central

    Sobie, Eric A.

    2014-01-01

    This two-part lecture introduces students to the scientific computing language MATLAB. Prior computer programming experience is not required. The lectures present basic concepts of computer programming logic that tend to cause difficulties for beginners in addition to concepts that relate specifically to the MATLAB language syntax. The lectures begin with a discussion of vectors, matrices, and arrays. Because many types of biological data, such as fluorescence images and DNA microarrays, are stored as two-dimensional objects, processing these data is a form of array manipulation, and MATLAB is especially adept at handling such array objects. The students are introduced to basic commands in MATLAB, as well as built-in functions that provide useful shortcuts. The second lecture focuses on the differences between MATLAB scripts and MATLAB functions and describes when one method of programming organization might be preferable to the other. The principles are illustrated through the analysis of experimental data, specifically measurements of intracellular calcium concentration in live cells obtained using confocal microscopy. PMID:21934110

  2. Semantic Feature Distinctiveness and Frequency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lamb, Katherine M.

    2012-01-01

    Lexical access is the process in which basic components of meaning in language, the lexical entries (words) are activated. This activation is based on the organization and representational structure of the lexical entries. Semantic features of words, which are the prominent semantic characteristics of a word concept, provide important information…

  3. A Functional Syntax of German.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fichtner, Edward G.

    Students in intermediate language courses, especially conversational courses, can benefit from a simple set of instructions for combining words and phrases into sentences. A description of the basic concepts determining word order in German--the fundamental sequence of clause elements, the "infrastructure," and the movement rules by which the…

  4. Structured Programming on the 380-Z.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horton, Graeme

    1983-01-01

    With the production of SBAS, a combination of language and machine allowing for a disciplined and error-free approach to teaching programming is available. Instructional strategies for use with SBAS and basic concepts (decisions, repetitions/iterations, actions/processes) are discussed. Sample flow charts and program listings are provided. (JN)

  5. A Pathway to Learner Autonomy: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hu, Pingying; Zhang, Jiaxiu

    2017-01-01

    Concepts of learner autonomy and the self-determination theory provided a theoretical rationale for the action program for learner autonomy. The action program incorporated satisfying learners' basic psychological needs into English Foreign Language (EFL) course education. The action program was implemented for one academic year. Both qualitative…

  6. Teaching about Culture and Communicative Life in India.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jain, Nemi C.

    Basic patterns of culture and communication in India such as world view, reincarnation, concepts of Karma and Dharma, stages of life, the caste system, time orientation, collectivism, hierarchical orientation, language situation, and nonverbal communication norms are an integral part of Hinduism and Indian culture, and have a significant influence…

  7. TLC for Growing Minds. Microcomputer Projects. Elementary Intermediate Microcomputer Projects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buxton, Marilyn

    Designed to improve students' thinking, learning, and creative skills while they learn to program a microcomputer in BASIC programing language, this book for intermediate learners at the elementary school level provides a variety of microcomputer activities designed to extend the concepts learned in accompanying instructional manuals (Volumes 3…

  8. The Energy and Conservation Education Glossary.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dalton, Ed; And Others

    The glossary of approximately 700 energy-related terms provides a useful resource to K-12 classroom teachers and curriculum developers for teaching basic energy concepts and skills. In addition, developers of the glossary suggest that it can help teachers develop supplementary language and word games for students, such as crossword puzzles. The…

  9. Handbook of Communication.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pool, Ithiel de Sola, Ed.; And Others

    Each of the 31 chapters which comprise this volume reviews the state of the art in a specific area of communications research. The chapters are grouped into three sections, the first of which focuses upon the basic communication process. An introduction to the concept of a communication system and to the phenomena of language and nonverbal…

  10. Modelling Parsing Constraints with High-Dimensional Context Space.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burgess, Curt; Lund, Kevin

    1997-01-01

    Presents a model of high-dimensional context space, the Hyperspace Analogue to Language (HAL), with a series of simulations modelling human empirical results. Proposes that HAL's context space can be used to provide a basic categorization of semantic and grammatical concepts; model certain aspects of morphological ambiguity in verbs; and provide…

  11. Life is physics and chemistry and communication.

    PubMed

    Witzany, Guenther

    2015-04-01

    Manfred Eigen extended Erwin Schroedinger's concept of "life is physics and chemistry" through the introduction of information theory and cybernetic systems theory into "life is physics and chemistry and information." Based on this assumption, Eigen developed the concepts of quasispecies and hypercycles, which have been dominant in molecular biology and virology ever since. He insisted that the genetic code is not just used metaphorically: it represents a real natural language. However, the basics of scientific knowledge changed dramatically within the second half of the 20th century. Unfortunately, Eigen ignored the results of the philosophy of science discourse on essential features of natural languages and codes: a natural language or code emerges from populations of living agents that communicate. This contribution will look at some of the highlights of this historical development and the results relevant for biological theories about life. © 2014 New York Academy of Sciences.

  12. Automatic acquisition of domain and procedural knowledge

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ferber, H. J.; Ali, M.

    1988-01-01

    The design concept and performance of AKAS, an automated knowledge-acquisition system for the development of expert systems, are discussed. AKAS was developed using the FLES knowledge base for the electrical system of the B-737 aircraft and employs a 'learn by being told' strategy. The system comprises four basic modules, a system administration module, a natural-language concept-comprehension module, a knowledge-classification/extraction module, and a knowledge-incorporation module; details of the module architectures are explored.

  13. What is a Trophic Cascade?

    PubMed

    Ripple, William J; Estes, James A; Schmitz, Oswald J; Constant, Vanessa; Kaylor, Matthew J; Lenz, Adam; Motley, Jennifer L; Self, Katharine E; Taylor, David S; Wolf, Christopher

    2016-11-01

    Few concepts in ecology have been so influential as that of the trophic cascade. Since the 1980s, the term has been a central or major theme of more than 2000 scientific articles. Despite this importance and widespread usage, basic questions remain about what constitutes a trophic cascade. Inconsistent usage of language impedes scientific progress and the utility of scientific concepts in management and conservation. Herein, we offer a definition of trophic cascade that is designed to be both widely applicable yet explicit enough to exclude extraneous interactions. We discuss our proposed definition and its implications, and define important related terms, thereby providing a common language for scientists, policy makers, conservationists, and other stakeholders with an interest in trophic cascades. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Aspects of fluency in writing.

    PubMed

    Uppstad, Per Henning; Solheim, Oddny Judith

    2007-03-01

    The notion of 'fluency' is most often associated with spoken-language phenomena such as stuttering. The present article investigates the relevance of considering fluency in writing. The basic argument for raising this question is empirical-it follows from a focus on difficulties in written and spoken language as manifestations of different problems which should be investigated separately on the basis of their symptoms. Key-logging instruments provide new possibilities for the study of writing. The obvious use of this new technology is to study writing as it unfolds in real time, instead of focusing only on aspects of the end product. A more sophisticated application is to exploit the key-logging instrument in order to test basic assumptions of contemporary theories of spelling. The present study is a dictation task involving words and non-words, intended to investigate spelling in nine-year-old pupils with regard to their mastery of the doubling of consonants in Norwegian. In this study, we report on differences with regard to temporal measures between a group of strong writers and a group of poor ones. On the basis of these pupils' writing behavior, the relevance of the concept of 'fluency' in writing is highlighted. The interpretation of the results questions basic assumptions of the cognitive hypothesis about spelling; the article concludes by hypothesizing a different conception of spelling.

  15. Requirement for a standard language for test and ground operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Medlock, J. R.

    1971-01-01

    The basic requirements for a standard test and checkout language applicable to all phases of the space shuttle test and ground operations are determined. The general characteristics outlined here represent the integration of selected ideas and concepts from operational elements within Kennedy Space Center (KSC) that represent diverse disciplines associated with space vehicle testing and launching operations. Special reference is made to two studies conducted in this area for KSC as authorized by the Advanced Development Element of the Office of Manned Space Flight (MSF). Information contained in reports from these studies have contributed significantly to the final selection of language features depicted in this technical report.

  16. TLC for Growing Minds. Microcomputer Projects. Advanced Projects for Adults.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taitt, Henry A.

    Designed to improve students' thinking, learning, and creative skills while they learn to program a microcomputer in BASIC programing language, this book for advanced learners at the high school/adult level provides a variety of microcomputer activities designed to extend the concepts learned in the accompanying instructional manuals (volumes 3…

  17. TLC for Growing Minds. Microcomputer Projects. Junior High Projects for Volumes 3 & 4.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taitt, Henry A.

    Designed to improve students' thinking, learning, and creative skills while they learn to program a microcomputer in BASIC programing language, this book for intermediate learners at the junior high level provides a variety of microcomputer activities designed to extend the concepts learned in the accompanying instructional manuals (Volumes 3 and…

  18. Characterizing Reading Comprehension of Mathematical Texts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Osterholm, Magnus

    2006-01-01

    This study compares reading comprehension of three different texts: two mathematical texts and one historical text. The two mathematical texts both present basic concepts of group theory, but one does it using mathematical symbols and the other only uses natural language. A total of 95 upper secondary and university students read one of the…

  19. The Language of Maps. Pathway in Geography Series, Title No. 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gersmehl, Philip J.

    This book of instructional materials is intended to support the teaching and learning of themes, concepts and skills in geography at all levels of instruction. Divided into five parts, part 1 of this Teacher's manual, "Communicating Basic Spatial Ideas," offers the following: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Location"; (3) "Distance"; (4) "Direction"; (5)…

  20. TLC for Growing Minds. Microcomputer Projects. Advanced Projects for Junior High.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taitt, Henry A.

    Designed to improve students' thinking, learning, and creative skills while they learn to program a microcomputer in BASIC programing language, this book for advanced learners at the junior high level provides a variety of microcomputer activities designed to extend the concepts learned in the accompanying instructional manuals (volumes 5 and 6).…

  1. Learning from the Land: Teaching Ecology through Stories and Activities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ellis, Brian Fox

    This book strives to combine creative writing, the whole language approach, thinking skills, and problem-solving strategies with an introduction to ecological concepts. It aims to bring scientific facts to life by creating empathy for wild creatures and teach basic science skills by using creative writing and storytelling. This book contains nine…

  2. TLC for Growing Minds. Microcomputer Projects. Adult Intermediate Microcomputer Projects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taitt, Henry A.

    Designed to improve students' thinking, learning, and creative skills while they learn to program a microcomputer in BASIC programing language, this book for intermediate learners at the high school/adult level provides a variety of microcomputer activities designed to extend the concepts taught in the accompanying instructional manuals (Volumes 3…

  3. Object-Oriented Programming in High Schools the Turing Way.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holt, Richard C.

    This paper proposes an approach to introducing object-oriented concepts to high school computer science students using the Object-Oriented Turing (OOT) language. Students can learn about basic object-oriented (OO) principles such as classes and inheritance by using and expanding a collection of classes that draw pictures like circles and happy…

  4. Java Programming Language

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

    2007-01-01

    The Java seminar covers the fundamentals of Java programming language. No prior programming experience is required for participation in the seminar. The first part of the seminar covers introductory concepts in Java programming including data types (integer, character, ..), operators, functions and constants, casts, input, output, control flow, scope, conditional statements, and arrays. Furthermore, introduction to Object-Oriented programming in Java, relationships between classes, using packages, constructors, private data and methods, final instance fields, static fields and methods, and overloading are explained. The second part of the seminar covers extending classes, inheritance hierarchies, polymorphism, dynamic binding, abstract classes, protected access. The seminar conclude by introducing interfaces, properties of interfaces, interfaces and abstract classes, interfaces and cailbacks, basics of event handling, user interface components with swing, applet basics, converting applications to applets, the applet HTML tags and attributes, exceptions and debugging.

  5. Toward using games to teach fundamental computer science concepts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Edgington, Jeffrey Michael

    Video and computer games have become an important area of study in the field of education. Games have been designed to teach mathematics, physics, raise social awareness, teach history and geography, and train soldiers in the military. Recent work has created computer games for teaching computer programming and understanding basic algorithms. We present an investigation where computer games are used to teach two fundamental computer science concepts: boolean expressions and recursion. The games are intended to teach the concepts and not how to implement them in a programming language. For this investigation, two computer games were created. One is designed to teach basic boolean expressions and operators and the other to teach fundamental concepts of recursion. We describe the design and implementation of both games. We evaluate the effectiveness of these games using before and after surveys. The surveys were designed to ascertain basic understanding, attitudes and beliefs regarding the concepts. The boolean game was evaluated with local high school students and students in a college level introductory computer science course. The recursion game was evaluated with students in a college level introductory computer science course. We present the analysis of the collected survey information for both games. This analysis shows a significant positive change in student attitude towards recursion and modest gains in student learning outcomes for both topics.

  6. Introduction to SQL. Ch. 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McGlynn, T.; Santisteban, M.

    2007-01-01

    This chapter provides a very brief introduction to the Structured Query Language (SQL) for getting information from relational databases. We make no pretense that this is a complete or comprehensive discussion of SQL. There are many aspects of the language the will be completely ignored in the presentation. The goal here is to provide enough background so that users understand the basic concepts involved in building and using relational databases. We also go through the steps involved in building a particular astronomical database used in some of the other presentations in this volume.

  7. From proto-mimesis to language: evidence from primatology and social neuroscience.

    PubMed

    Zlatev, Jordan

    2008-01-01

    How can we reconcile the conception of language as a conventional-normative semiotic system with a perception/action-based account of its structure and meaning? And why should linguistic meaning--as opposed to linguistic expression--be so closely related to motor activity and its neural underpinnings, as suggested by recent findings? A conceptual framework and evolutionary scenario building on the concept of bodily mimesis [Zlatev, J., 2005. What's in a schema? Bodily mimesis and the grounding of language. In: Hampe, B. (Ed.), From Perception to Meaning: Image Schemas in Cognitive Linguistics. Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, pp. 313-343] imply answers to these questions. The article presents evidence for a particular evolutionary stage model by reviewing recent evidence on the capacity of non-human primates for intersubjectivity, imitation and gestural communication, and from neuroscientific studies of these capacities in monkeys and human subjects. It is argued that "mirror neuron" systems can subserve basic motoric and social capacities, but they need to be considerably extended in order to provide an efficient basis for bodily mimesis, and even more so for language. It is argued that while language may be ultimately "grounded" in perception and action, it is essential not to try to reduce it to them.

  8. Designing Open and Individualized Instruction at the Elementary Level: A Guide for the Individual Teacher.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feldhusen, John; And Others

    A description of open and individualized elementary school instruction is provided. The goals of such instruction are to: 1) teach basic skills in language arts, math, science, and social studies; 2) develop higher cognitive abilities, such as problem solving; and 3) develop the child's social competence and self-concept. Open, individualized…

  9. The Meanings Attributed to Writing Skills in English by Turkish Children: A Concept Map Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erginer, Ergin; Yar, Veda

    2013-01-01

    One of the four basic language skills of children, writing, is central to expressing themselves and to developing high level thinking capabilities. Competence in writing is a rather complex learning structure in which cognitive and, especially, psycho-motor learning processes are intensively employed and it further needs to be fed by perceptive…

  10. Pots and Pans Activities for Parent and Child: Activities for Preschool Multiple Handicapped Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Tassel, Jean

    Intended for parents and teachers of multiply handicapped preschool children, the booklet provides lesson plans in three major areas--basic concepts, motor activities, and language activities. Each lesson plan is broken down into four parts: purpose (a descriptive statement of what the lesson hopes to accomplish), materials (list of materials…

  11. An Introduction to Advertising Research; A Report from the Communications Research Center.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haskins, Jack B.

    The purpose of this volume is to present, in nontechnical language, most of the basic concepts of advertising research. Since the volume is intended to be comprehensible to the lay person, discussion does not go too deeply into the technical details of advertising or research methodology. However, used as an introduction and outline to be…

  12. The Daily Curriculum Guide, Year II, Weeks 1-10.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dissemination and Assessment Center for Bilingual Education, Austin, TX.

    Spanning two years, the program set forth in the Daily Curriculum Guide for preschool Spanish-speaking children is essentially a language maintenance model in which Spanish is used as a means to develop basic concepts, skills and attitudes. This guide gives daily lesson plans for the first ten weeks of the second year. Each lesson, written in…

  13. The role of early language abilities on math skills among Chinese children.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Juan; Fan, Xitao; Cheung, Sum Kwing; Meng, Yaxuan; Cai, Zhihui; Hu, Bi Ying

    2017-01-01

    The present study investigated the role of early language abilities in the development of math skills among Chinese K-3 students. About 2000 children in China, who were on average aged 6 years, were assessed for both informal math (e.g., basic number concepts such as counting objects) and formal math (calculations including addition and subtraction) skills, language abilities and nonverbal intelligence. Correlation analysis showed that language abilities were more strongly associated with informal than formal math skills, and regression analyses revealed that children's language abilities could uniquely predict both informal and formal math skills with age, gender, and nonverbal intelligence controlled. Mediation analyses demonstrated that the relationship between children's language abilities and formal math skills was partially mediated by informal math skills. The current findings indicate 1) Children's language abilities are of strong predictive values for both informal and formal math skills; 2) Language abilities impacts formal math skills partially through the mediation of informal math skills.

  14. The role of early language abilities on math skills among Chinese children

    PubMed Central

    Fan, Xitao; Cheung, Sum Kwing; Cai, Zhihui; Hu, Bi Ying

    2017-01-01

    Background The present study investigated the role of early language abilities in the development of math skills among Chinese K-3 students. About 2000 children in China, who were on average aged 6 years, were assessed for both informal math (e.g., basic number concepts such as counting objects) and formal math (calculations including addition and subtraction) skills, language abilities and nonverbal intelligence. Methodology Correlation analysis showed that language abilities were more strongly associated with informal than formal math skills, and regression analyses revealed that children’s language abilities could uniquely predict both informal and formal math skills with age, gender, and nonverbal intelligence controlled. Mediation analyses demonstrated that the relationship between children’s language abilities and formal math skills was partially mediated by informal math skills. Results The current findings indicate 1) Children’s language abilities are of strong predictive values for both informal and formal math skills; 2) Language abilities impacts formal math skills partially through the mediation of informal math skills. PMID:28749950

  15. The Effect of Visual Variability on the Learning of Academic Concepts.

    PubMed

    Bourgoyne, Ashley; Alt, Mary

    2017-06-10

    The purpose of this study was to identify effects of variability of visual input on development of conceptual representations of academic concepts for college-age students with normal language (NL) and those with language-learning disabilities (LLD). Students with NL (n = 11) and LLD (n = 11) participated in a computer-based training for introductory biology course concepts. Participants were trained on half the concepts under a low-variability condition and half under a high-variability condition. Participants completed a posttest in which they were asked to identify and rate the accuracy of novel and trained visual representations of the concepts. We performed separate repeated measures analyses of variance to examine the accuracy of identification and ratings. Participants were equally accurate on trained and novel items in the high-variability condition, but were less accurate on novel items only in the low-variability condition. The LLD group showed the same pattern as the NL group; they were just less accurate. Results indicated that high-variability visual input may facilitate the acquisition of academic concepts in college students with NL and LLD. High-variability visual input may be especially beneficial for generalization to novel representations of concepts. Implicit learning methods may be harnessed by college courses to provide students with basic conceptual knowledge when they are entering courses or beginning new units.

  16. On problems in defining abstract and metaphysical concepts--emergence of a new model.

    PubMed

    Nahod, Bruno; Nahod, Perina Vukša

    2014-12-01

    Basic anthropological terminology is the first project covering terms from the domain of the social sciences under the Croatian Special Field Terminology program (Struna). Problems that have been sporadically noticed or whose existence could have been presumed during the processing of terms mainly from technical fields and sciences have finally emerged in "anthropology". The principles of the General Theory of Terminology (GTT), which are followed in Struna, were put to a truly exacting test, and sometimes stretched beyond their limits when applied to concepts that do not necessarily have references in the physical world; namely, abstract and metaphysical concepts. We are currently developing a new terminographical model based on Idealized Cognitive Models (ICM), which will hopefully ensure a better cross-filed implementation of various types of concepts and their relations. The goal of this paper is to introduce the theoretical bases of our model. Additionally, we will present a pilot study of the series of experiments in which we are trying to investigate the nature of conceptual categorization in special languages and its proposed difference form categorization in general language.

  17. Critical Thinking Handbook: K-3rd Grades. A Guide for Remodelling Lesson Plans in Language Arts, Social Studies & Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paul, Richard; And Others

    This handbook, designed to help teachers of kindergarten through third grade remodel their own lesson plans, has one basic objective: to demonstrate that it is possible and practical to integrate instruction for critical thinking into the teaching of all subjects. The handbook thoroughly discusses the concept of critical thinking and the…

  18. A Taste of English: Nutrition Workbook for Adult ESL Students. Teacher's Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Association of Farmworker Opportunity Program, Arlington, VA.

    This workbook introduces basic concepts of nutrition and health to beginning adult students of English as a Second Language (ESL). The text may also be adapted for use with new readers. It is intended as a supplement to existing instructional materials. An introductory section offers teachers suggestions for use of the text and notes on the design…

  19. European Seminar on Neural Computing

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-08-31

    elements can be fabricated on a single chip . Two specific oriented language (for example, SMALLTALK or cellular arrays, namely, the programmable systolic... chip POOL) the basic concepts are: objects are viewed as (Fisher, 1983) and the connection machine (Treleaven, active, they may contain state, and...flow computer the availability of 1. Programmable Systolic Chip . Programmable Sys- input operands triggers the execution of the instruction tolic Chips

  20. Playing Music, Playing with Music: A Proposal for Music Coding in Primary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baratè, Adriano; Ludovico, Luca Andrea; Mangione, Giuseppina Rita; Rosa, Alessia

    2015-01-01

    In this work we will introduce the concept of "music coding," namely a new discipline that employs basic music activities and simplified languages to teach the computational way of thinking to musically-untrained children who attend the primary school. In this context, music represents both a mean and a goal: in fact, from one side…

  1. Constructing a Graph Database for Semantic Literature-Based Discovery.

    PubMed

    Hristovski, Dimitar; Kastrin, Andrej; Dinevski, Dejan; Rindflesch, Thomas C

    2015-01-01

    Literature-based discovery (LBD) generates discoveries, or hypotheses, by combining what is already known in the literature. Potential discoveries have the form of relations between biomedical concepts; for example, a drug may be determined to treat a disease other than the one for which it was intended. LBD views the knowledge in a domain as a network; a set of concepts along with the relations between them. As a starting point, we used SemMedDB, a database of semantic relations between biomedical concepts extracted with SemRep from Medline. SemMedDB is distributed as a MySQL relational database, which has some problems when dealing with network data. We transformed and uploaded SemMedDB into the Neo4j graph database, and implemented the basic LBD discovery algorithms with the Cypher query language. We conclude that storing the data needed for semantic LBD is more natural in a graph database. Also, implementing LBD discovery algorithms is conceptually simpler with a graph query language when compared with standard SQL.

  2. The Development of Bimodal Bilingualism: Implications for Linguistic Theory.

    PubMed

    Lillo-Martin, Diane; de Quadros, Ronice Müller; Pichler, Deborah Chen

    2016-01-01

    A wide range of linguistic phenomena contribute to our understanding of the architecture of the human linguistic system. In this paper we present a proposal dubbed Language Synthesis to capture bilingual phenomena including code-switching and 'transfer' as automatic consequences of the addition of a second language, using basic concepts of Minimalism and Distributed Morphology. Bimodal bilinguals, who use a sign language and a spoken language, provide a new type of evidence regarding possible bilingual phenomena, namely code-blending, the simultaneous production of (aspects of) a message in both speech and sign. We argue that code-blending also follows naturally once a second articulatory interface is added to the model. Several different types of code-blending are discussed in connection to the predictions of the Synthesis model. Our primary data come from children developing as bimodal bilinguals, but our proposal is intended to capture a wide range of bilingual effects across any language pair.

  3. The Development of Bimodal Bilingualism: Implications for Linguistic Theory

    PubMed Central

    Lillo-Martin, Diane; de Quadros, Ronice Müller; Pichler, Deborah Chen

    2017-01-01

    A wide range of linguistic phenomena contribute to our understanding of the architecture of the human linguistic system. In this paper we present a proposal dubbed Language Synthesis to capture bilingual phenomena including code-switching and ‘transfer’ as automatic consequences of the addition of a second language, using basic concepts of Minimalism and Distributed Morphology. Bimodal bilinguals, who use a sign language and a spoken language, provide a new type of evidence regarding possible bilingual phenomena, namely code-blending, the simultaneous production of (aspects of) a message in both speech and sign. We argue that code-blending also follows naturally once a second articulatory interface is added to the model. Several different types of code-blending are discussed in connection to the predictions of the Synthesis model. Our primary data come from children developing as bimodal bilinguals, but our proposal is intended to capture a wide range of bilingual effects across any language pair. PMID:28603576

  4. Effective approach to spectroscopy and spectral analysis techniques using Matlab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Xiang; Lv, Yong

    2017-08-01

    With the development of electronic information, computer and network, modern education technology has entered new era, which would give a great impact on teaching process. Spectroscopy and spectral analysis is an elective course for Optoelectronic Information Science and engineering. The teaching objective of this course is to master the basic concepts and principles of spectroscopy, spectral analysis and testing of basic technical means. Then, let the students learn the principle and technology of the spectrum to study the structure and state of the material and the developing process of the technology. MATLAB (matrix laboratory) is a multi-paradigm numerical computing environment and fourth-generation programming language. A proprietary programming language developed by MathWorks, MATLAB allows matrix manipulations, plotting of functions and data, Based on the teaching practice, this paper summarizes the new situation of applying Matlab to the teaching of spectroscopy. This would be suitable for most of the current school multimedia assisted teaching

  5. Critical Thinking Handbook: 4th-6th Grades. A Guide for Remodelling Lesson Plans in Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paul, Richard; And Others

    This handbook, designed to help teachers of fourth through sixth grades remodel their own lesson plans, has one basic objective: to demonstrate that it is possible and practical to integrate instruction for critical thinking into the teaching of all subjects. The handbook thoroughly discusses the concept of critical thinking and the principles…

  6. Approaches to Machine Learning.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-02-16

    The field of machine learning strives to develop methods and techniques to automatic the acquisition of new information, new skills, and new ways of organizing existing information. In this article, we review the major approaches to machine learning in symbolic domains, covering the tasks of learning concepts from examples, learning search methods, conceptual clustering, and language acquisition. We illustrate each of the basic approaches with paradigmatic examples. (Author)

  7. Glossary of Software Engineering Laboratory terms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    A glossary of terms used in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is given. The terms are defined within the context of the software development environment for flight dynamics at the Goddard Space Flight Center. A concise reference for clarifying the language employed in SEL documents and data collection forms is given. Basic software engineering concepts are explained and standard definitions for use by SEL personnel are established.

  8. Information Learned from Generic Language Becomes Central to Children's Biological Concepts: Evidence from Their Open-Ended Explanations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cimpian, Andrei; Markman, Ellen M.

    2009-01-01

    Generic sentences (e.g., "Snakes have holes in their teeth") convey that a property (e.g., having holes in one's teeth) is true of a category (e.g., snakes). We test the hypothesis that, in addition to this basic aspect of their meaning, generic sentences also imply that the information they express is more conceptually central than the…

  9. "She Doesn't Have the Basic Understanding of a Language": Using Spelling Research to Challenge Deficit Conceptualizations of Adolescent Bilinguals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brooks, Maneka Deanna

    2017-01-01

    This article examines the alternative English spelling practices of a student who is considered to be a "long-term English learner." It draws on a theoretical framework that integrates a social perspective on spelling with a rejection of idealized conceptions of bilingualism. The analyzed English spellings presented in this article were…

  10. Math Remediation for the College Bound: How Teachers Can Close the Gap, from the Basics through Algebra

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khatri, Daryao

    2011-01-01

    Algebra is the language that must be mastered for any course that uses math because it is the gateway for entry into any science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) discipline. This book fosters mastery of critical math and algebraic concepts and skills essential to all of the STEM disciplines and some of the social sciences. This…

  11. Semantic modeling for theory clarification: The realist vs liberal international relations perspective

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bray, O.H.

    This paper describes a natural language based, semantic information modeling methodology and explores its use and value in clarifying and comparing political science theories and frameworks. As an example, the paper uses this methodology to clarify and compare some of the basic concepts and relationships in the realist (e.g. Waltz) and the liberal (e.g. Rosenau) paradigms for international relations. The methodology can provide three types of benefits: (1) it can clarify and make explicit exactly what is meant by a concept; (2) it can often identify unanticipated implications and consequence of concepts and relationships; and (3) it can help inmore » identifying and operationalizing testable hypotheses.« less

  12. Statistics for nuclear engineers and scientists. Part 1. Basic statistical inference

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Beggs, W.J.

    1981-02-01

    This report is intended for the use of engineers and scientists working in the nuclear industry, especially at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory. It serves as the basis for several Bettis in-house statistics courses. The objectives of the report are to introduce the reader to the language and concepts of statistics and to provide a basic set of techniques to apply to problems of the collection and analysis of data. Part 1 covers subjects of basic inference. The subjects include: descriptive statistics; probability; simple inference for normally distributed populations, and for non-normal populations as well; comparison of two populations; themore » analysis of variance; quality control procedures; and linear regression analysis.« less

  13. Programming an interim report on the SETL project. Part I: generalities. Part II: the SETL language and examples of its use

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schwartz, J T

    1975-06-01

    A summary of work during the past several years on SETL, a new programming language drawing its dictions and basic concepts from the mathematical theory of sets, is presented. The work was started with the idea that a programming language modeled after an appropriate version of the formal language of mathematics might allow a programming style with some of the succinctness of mathematics, and that this might ultimately enable one to express and experiment with more complex algorithms than are now within reach. Part I discusses the general approach followed in the work. Part II focuses directly on the detailsmore » of the SETL language as it is now defined. It describes the facilities of SETL, includes short libraries of miscellaneous and of code optimization algorithms illustrating the use of SETL, and gives a detailed description of the manner in which the set-theoretic primitives provided by SETL are currently implemented. (RWR)« less

  14. Visual Astronomy; A guide to understanding the night sky

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Photinos, Panos

    2015-03-01

    This book introduces the basics of observational astronomy. It explains the essentials of time and coordinate systems, and their use in basic observations of the night sky. The fundamental concepts and terminology are introduced in simple language making very little use of equations and math. Examples illustrate how to select the relevant information from widely accessible resources, and how to use the information to determine what is visible and when it is visible from the reader's particular location. Particular attention is paid to the dependence of the appearance and motion on the observer's location, by extending the discussion to include various latitudes in both North and South hemispheres.

  15. Astronomy: A Self-Teaching Guide, 6th Edition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moché, Dinah L.

    2004-02-01

    "A lively, up-to-date account of the basic principles of astronomy and exciting current field of research."-Science Digest For a quarter of a century, Astronomy: A Self-Teaching Guide has been making students and amateur stargazers alike feel at home among the stars. From stars, planets and galaxies, to black holes, the Big Bang and life in space, this title has been making it easy for beginners to quickly grasp the basic concepts of astronomy for over 25 years. Updated with the latest discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics, this newest edition of Dinah Moché's classic guide now includes many Web site addresses for spectacular images and news. And like all previous editions, it is packed with valuable tables, charts, star and moon maps and features simple activities that reinforce readers' grasp of basic concepts at their own pace, as well as objectives, reviews, and self-tests to monitor their progress. Dinah L. Moché, PhD (Rye, NY), is an award-winning author, educator, and lecturer. Her books have sold over nine million copies in seven languages.

  16. Linguistic complex networks as a young field of quantitative linguistics. Comment on "Approaching human language with complex networks" by J. Cong and H. Liu

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Köhler, Reinhard

    2014-12-01

    We have long been used to the domination of qualitative methods in modern linguistics. Indeed, qualitative methods have advantages such as ease of use and wide applicability to many types of linguistic phenomena. However, this shall not overshadow the fact that a great part of human language is amenable to quantification. Moreover, qualitative methods may lead to over-simplification by employing the rigid yes/no scale. When variability and vagueness of human language must be taken into account, qualitative methods will prove inadequate and give way to quantitative methods [1, p. 11]. In addition to such advantages as exactness and precision, quantitative concepts and methods make it possible to find laws of human language which are just like those in natural sciences. These laws are fundamental elements of linguistic theories in the spirit of the philosophy of science [2,3]. Theorization effort of this type is what quantitative linguistics [1,4,5] is devoted to. The review of Cong and Liu [6] has provided an informative and insightful survey of linguistic complex networks as a young field of quantitative linguistics, including the basic concepts and measures, the major lines of research with linguistic motivation, and suggestions for future research.

  17. Basic Language Skills and Young Children's Understanding of Causal Connections during Storytelling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Danielle D.; Lile, Jacquelyn; Burns, Barbara M.

    2011-01-01

    The current study examined the role of basic language skills for individual differences in preschoolers' understanding of causal connections. Assessments of basic language skills, expressive vocabulary, phonological processing, and receptive language comprehension were examined in relation to the production of causal connections in a storytelling…

  18. The BASIC Instructional Program: Conversion into MAINSAIL Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dageforde, Mary L.

    This report summarizes the rewriting of the BASIC Instructional Program (BIP) (a "hands-on laboratory" that teaches elementary programming in the BASIC language) from SAIL (a programming language available only on PDP-10 computers) into MAINSAIL (a language designed for portability on a broad class of computers). Four sections contain…

  19. [Basic symptoms in schizophrenia, their clinical study and relevance in research].

    PubMed

    Miret, Salvador; Fatjó-Vilas, Mar; Peralta, Víctor; Fañanás, Lourdes

    2016-01-01

    Basic symptoms consist of subtle sub-clinical disturbances subjectively experienced by schizophrenia patients. These are mainly related to drive, affect, thinking and language, perception, memory, motor action, central vegetative functions, control of cognitive processes, and stress tolerance. Initially described by Huber, from a phenomenological approach, basic symptoms are part of the earliest features of schizophrenia, and they can evolve along the course of the disorder. Their assessment during the prodromal phase of the disease (together with ultra-high risk criteria) is one of the 2 main approaches that allow the definition of states of clinical risk for the development of psychosis. The present review provides an updated view of the concept of basic symptoms, highlighting its potential value in establishing neurobiological correlates of interest in aetiopathogenic research. Copyright © 2015 SEP y SEPB. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  20. Relating Images, Concepts, and Words.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-01-01

    ability, and some efficiency arguments for the plausibility of these ideas. Development of perceptual representation schemes My basic developmental notions...H.H. Clark, "Space, Time, Semantics, and the Child," in T.E. Moore (Ed.), Cognitive Development and the Acquisition of Language, New York: Academic...for public rleme; Distibution Unlimited *This work is s or.dby the Office of Naval Research under *, Contract Numbe1 4-612- *< ., 80 5 5 075 Page 2

  1. Software engineering and the role of Ada: Executive seminar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freedman, Glenn B.

    1987-01-01

    The objective was to introduce the basic terminology and concepts of software engineering and Ada. The life cycle model is reviewed. The application of the goals and principles of software engineering is applied. An introductory understanding of the features of the Ada language is gained. Topics addressed include: the software crises; the mandate of the Space Station Program; software life cycle model; software engineering; and Ada under the software engineering umbrella.

  2. Basic Color Terms in Estonian Sign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hollman, Liivi; Sutrop, Urmas

    2011-01-01

    The article is written in the tradition of Brent Berlin and Paul Kay's theory of basic color terms. According to this theory there is a universal inventory of eleven basic color categories from which the basic color terms of any given language are always drawn. The number of basic color terms varies from 2 to 11 and in a language having a fully…

  3. On-line upgrade of program modules using AdaPT

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Waldrop, Raymond S.; Volz, Richard A.; Smith, Gary W.; Goldsack, Stephen J.; Holzbach-Valero, A. A.

    1993-01-01

    One purpose of our research is the investigation of the effectiveness and expressiveness of AdaPT, a set of language extensions to Ada 83, for distributed systems. As a part of that effort, we are now investigating the subject of replacing, e.g. upgrading, software modules while the software system remains in operation. The AdaPT language extensions provide a good basis for this investigation for several reasons: they include the concept of specific, self-contained program modules which can be manipulated; support for program configuration is included in the language; and although the discussion will be in terms of the AdaPT language, the AdaPT to Ada 83 conversion methodology being developed as another part of this project will provide a basis for the application of our findings to Ada 83 and Ada 9X systems. The purpose of this investigation is to explore the basic mechanisms of the replacement process. With this purpose in mind, we will avoid including issues whose presence would obscure these basic mechanisms by introducing additional, unrelated concerns. Thus, while replacement in the presence of real-time deadlines, heterogeneous systems, and unreliable networks is certainly a topic of interest, we will first gain an understanding of the basic processes in the absence of such concerns. The extension of the replacement process to more complex situations can be made later. A previous report established an overview of the module replacement problem, a taxonomy of the various aspects of the replacement process, and a solution to one case in the replacement taxonomy. This report provides solutions to additional cases in the replacement process taxonomy: replacement of partitions with state and replacement of nodes. The solutions presented here establish the basic principles for module replacement. Extension of these solutions to other more complicated cases in the replacement taxonomy is direct, though requiring substantial work beyond the available funding.

  4. Using the Feature Exchange Language in the Next Generation Controller

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-08-01

    IFCTE DEC 28 The Robotics InstituteCarnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 15213 LI 4 August 1990 Copyright 0 1990 Carnegie Mellon University The work...ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER The Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon University CMU-RI-TR-90-19 Pittsburgh, PA...Basic Syntax 3.1.1. The Grammar The design of FEL syntax is based on a few simple concepts: (1) sentences, (2) verbs, (3) attributes with associated

  5. Basic Writing and the Conflict over Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fox, Tom

    2015-01-01

    David Bleich's exploration of language conflicts in the university in "The Materiality of Language: Gender, Politics, and the University" helps explain the ongoing struggle over basic writing as between two radically different understandings of language. Progressive educators and writing teachers see language as rhetorical and…

  6. Types of verbal interaction with instructable robots

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Crangle, C.; Suppes, P.; Michalowski, S.

    1987-01-01

    An instructable robot is one that accepts instruction in some natural language such as English and uses that instruction to extend its basic repertoire of actions. Such robots are quite different in conception from autonomously intelligent robots, which provide the impetus for much of the research on inference and planning in artificial intelligence. Examined here are the significant problem areas in the design of robots that learn from vebal instruction. Examples are drawn primarily from our earlier work on instructable robots and recent work on the Robotic Aid for the physically disabled. Natural-language understanding by machines is discussed as well as in the possibilities and limits of verbal instruction. The core problem of verbal instruction, namely, how to achieve specific concrete action in the robot in response to commands that express general intentions, is considered, as are two major challenges to instructability: achieving appropriate real-time behavior in the robot, and extending the robot's language capabilities.

  7. Contextualizing Competence: Language and LGBT-Based Competency in Health Care.

    PubMed

    Rossi, Alexis L; Lopez, Eliot J

    2017-01-01

    Changes in the language and terminology used to refer to individuals identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT), as well as how best to discuss issues of sexual and gender identity, can prove challenging for health care providers due to (1) lack of training; (2) interdisciplinary issues; and (3) prejudices on personal and institutional levels. Given the importance of language in the relationship between health care provider and patient as well as the myriad ways in which language can reflect knowledge, skills, and attitudes, we contend that language is both a facilitator and inhibitor of competence. In this article, we discuss language as a means of exhibiting cultural competence as well as the barriers to facilitating this degree of competence. Communicative competence, a concept traditionally used in linguistics, is discussed as a framework for contextualizing LGBT-specific cultural competence in health care. Ideally, a professional will be considered competent once they (1) acquire a foundation in issues associated with LGBT individuals, as well as a basic understanding of appropriate vocabulary' (2) reconcile personal beliefs with their professional role; (3) create an inclusive healthcare environment such that the influence of personal biases does not negatively impact care; and (4) use identifiers suggested by the patient.

  8. Visual Basic Applications to Physics Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chitu, Catalin; Inpuscatu, Razvan Constantin; Viziru, Marilena

    2011-01-01

    Derived from basic language, VB (Visual Basic) is a programming language focused on the video interface component. With graphics and functional components implemented, the programmer is able to bring and use their components to achieve the desired application in a relatively short time. Language VB is a useful tool in physics teaching by creating…

  9. Three Fundamental Concepts in Second Language Acquisition and Their Relevance in Multilingual Contexts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kramsch, Claire; Whiteside, Anne

    2007-01-01

    This article considers how 3 fundamental concepts of second language acquisition (SLA), the native speaker, interlanguage, and the language learner have fared since Firth and Wagner (1997). We review the ascendancy of these concepts and their relationship to the traditional dichotomies of language learning versus language use and individual mind…

  10. BEYSIK: Language description and handbook for programmers (system for the collective use of the Institute of Space Research, Academy of Sciences USSR)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Orlov, I. G.

    1979-01-01

    The BASIC algorithmic language is described, and a guide is presented for the programmer using the language interpreter. The high-level algorithm BASIC is a problem-oriented programming language intended for solution of computational and engineering problems.

  11. Aspects of Complexity in Sleep Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leitão, José M. N.; Da Rosa, Agostinho C.

    The paper presents a selection of sleep analysis problems where some aspects and concepts of complexity come about. Emphasis is given to the electroencephalogram (EEG) as the most important sleep related variable. The conception of the EEG as a message to be deciphered stresses the importance of the communication and information theories in this field. An optimal detector of K complexes and vertex sharp waves based on a stochastic model of sleep EEG is considered. Besides detecting, the algorithm is also able to follow the evolution of the basic ongoing activity. It is shown that both the ostructure and microstructure of sleep can be described in terms of symbols and interpreted as sentences of a language. Syntactic models and Markov chain representations play in this context an important role.

  12. A curriculum for real-time computer and control systems engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Halang, Wolfgang A.

    1990-01-01

    An outline of a syllabus for the education of real-time-systems engineers is given. This comprises the treatment of basic concepts, real-time software engineering, and programming in high-level real-time languages, real-time operating systems with special emphasis on such topics as task scheduling, hardware architectures, and especially distributed automation structures, process interfacing, system reliability and fault-tolerance, and integrated project development support systems. Accompanying course material and laboratory work are outlined, and suggestions for establishing a laboratory with advanced, but low-cost, hardware and software are provided. How the curriculum can be extended into a second semester is discussed, and areas for possible graduate research are listed. The suitable selection of a high-level real-time language and supporting operating system for teaching purposes is considered.

  13. Take-home video for adult literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yule, Valerie

    1996-01-01

    In the past, it has not been possible to "teach oneself to read" at home, because learners could not read the books to teach them. Videos and interactive compact discs have changed that situation and challenge current assumptions of the pedagogy of literacy. This article describes an experimental adult literacy project using video technology. The language used is English, but the basic concepts apply to any alphabetic or syllabic writing system. A half-hour cartoon video can help adults and adolescents with learning difficulties. Computer-animated cartoon graphics are attractive to look at, and simplify complex material in a clear, lively way. This video technique is also proving useful for distance learners, children, and learners of English as a second language. Methods and principles are to be extended using interactive compact discs.

  14. Native Language Self-Concept and Reading Self-Concept: Same or Different?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arens, A. Katrin; Yeung, Alexander Seeshing; Hasselhorn, Marcus

    2014-01-01

    In assessing verbal academic self-concept with preadolescents, researchers have used scales for students' self-concepts in reading and in their native language interchangeably. The authors conducted 3 studies with German students to test whether reading and German (i.e., native language) self-concepts can be treated as the same or different…

  15. The influence of intuition and communication language in generating student conceptions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Handhika, J.; Cari, C.; Suparmi, A.; Sunarno, W.

    2017-11-01

    This research aims to describe the influence of intuition and communication language in generating student conceptions. The conception diagnostic test is used to reveal student conception. The diagnostic test results described and communication language profiled by giving instruction to students to make sentences using physics quantities. Sentences expressed by students are reduced and profiled potential effects. Obtained information that (1) Students generalize non-scientific experience (based on feeling) into the physics problem. This process caused misconception. Communication language can make the students difficult to understand the concept because of the difference meaning of communication and physics language.

  16. The RSZ BASIC programming language manual

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stattel, R. J.; Niswander, J. K.; Kochhar, A. K.

    1980-01-01

    The RSZ BASIC interactive language is described. The RSZ BASIC interpreter is resident in the Telemetry Data Processor, a system dedicated to the processing and displaying of PCM telemetry data. A series of working examples teaches the fundamentals of RSZ BASIC and shows how to construct, edit, and manage storage of programs.

  17. Language Management Theory as One Approach in Language Policy and Planning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nekvapil, Jirí

    2016-01-01

    Language Policy and Planning is currently a significantly diversified research area and thus it is not easy to find common denominators that help to define basic approaches within it. Richard B. Baldauf attempted to do so by differentiating between four basic approaches: (1) the classical approach, (2) the language management approach (Language…

  18. BASIC, Logo, and Pilot: A Comparison of Three Computer Languages.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maddux, Cleborne D.; Cummings, Rhoda E.

    1985-01-01

    Following a brief history of Logo, BASIC, and Pilot programing languages, common educational programing tasks (input from keyboard, evaluation of keyboard input, and computation) are presented in each language to illustrate how each can be used to perform the same tasks and to demonstrate each language's strengths and weaknesses. (MBR)

  19. A Comparison of the Language Features of Basic and HyperCard.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henry, M. J.; Southerly, T. W.

    This paper examines the structure of the Applesoft BASIC programming language and the Macintosh authoring language, HyperCard, and scrutinizes the language structures as the building blocks for moving along a chain of cognitive outcomes that culminates in the acquisition of problem solving skills which allow the programmer to learn new formal…

  20. Basic BASIC; An Introduction to Computer Programming in BASIC Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coan, James S.

    With the increasing availability of computer access through remote terminals and time sharing, more and more schools and colleges are able to introduce programing to substantial numbers of students. This book is an attempt to incorporate computer programming, using BASIC language, and the teaching of mathematics. The general approach of the book…

  1. A Linguistic Model in Component Oriented Programming

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crăciunean, Daniel Cristian; Crăciunean, Vasile

    2016-12-01

    It is a fact that the component-oriented programming, well organized, can bring a large increase in efficiency in the development of large software systems. This paper proposes a model for building software systems by assembling components that can operate independently of each other. The model is based on a computing environment that runs parallel and distributed applications. This paper introduces concepts as: abstract aggregation scheme and aggregation application. Basically, an aggregation application is an application that is obtained by combining corresponding components. In our model an aggregation application is a word in a language.

  2. Cognitive Linguistics and Second Language Learning: Theoretical Basics and Experimental Evidence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tyler, Andrea

    2012-01-01

    This book illustrates the ways that cognitive linguistics, a relatively new paradigm in language studies, can illuminate and facilitate language research and teaching. The first part of the book introduces the basics of cognitive linguistic theory in a way that is geared toward second language teachers and researchers. The second part of the book…

  3. Ground Operations Aerospace Language (GOAL) textbook

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dickison, L. R.

    1973-01-01

    The textbook provides a semantical explanation accompanying a complete set of GOAL syntax diagrams, system concepts, language component interaction, and general language concepts necessary for efficient language implementation/execution.

  4. The articulation of integration of clinical and basic sciences in concept maps: differences between experienced and resident groups.

    PubMed

    Vink, Sylvia; van Tartwijk, Jan; Verloop, Nico; Gosselink, Manon; Driessen, Erik; Bolk, Jan

    2016-08-01

    To determine the content of integrated curricula, clinical concepts and the underlying basic science concepts need to be made explicit. Preconstructed concept maps are recommended for this purpose. They are mainly constructed by experts. However, concept maps constructed by residents are hypothesized to be less complex, to reveal more tacit basic science concepts and these basic science concepts are expected to be used for the organization of the maps. These hypotheses are derived from studies about knowledge development of individuals. However, integrated curricula require a high degree of cooperation between clinicians and basic scientists. This study examined whether there are consistent variations regarding the articulation of integration when groups of experienced clinicians and basic scientists and groups of residents and basic scientists-in-training construct concept maps. Seven groups of three clinicians and basic scientists on experienced level and seven such groups on resident level constructed concept maps illuminating clinical problems. They were guided by instructions that focused them on articulation of integration. The concept maps were analysed by features that described integration. Descriptive statistics showed consistent variations between the two expertise levels. The concept maps of the resident groups exceeded those of the experienced groups in articulated integration. First, they used significantly more links between clinical and basic science concepts. Second, these links connected basic science concepts with a greater variety of clinical concepts than the experienced groups. Third, although residents did not use significantly more basic science concepts, they used them significantly more frequent to organize the clinical concepts. The conclusion was drawn that not all hypotheses could be confirmed and that the resident concept maps were more elaborate than expected. This article discusses the implications for the role that residents and basic scientists-in-training might play in the construction of preconstructed concept maps and the development of integrated curricula.

  5. The Minimum Requirements of Language Control: Evidence from Sequential Predictability Effects in Language Switching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Declerck, Mathieu; Koch, Iring; Philipp, Andrea M.

    2015-01-01

    The current study systematically examined the influence of sequential predictability of languages and concepts on language switching. To this end, 2 language switching paradigms were combined. To measure language switching with a random sequence of languages and/or concepts, we used a language switching paradigm that implements visual cues and…

  6. BASIC Instructional Program: System Documentation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dageforde, Mary L.

    This report documents the BASIC Instructional Program (BIP), a "hands-on laboratory" that teaches elementary programming in the BASIC language, as implemented in the MAINSAIL language, a machine-independent revision of SAIL which should facilitate implementation of BIP on other computing systems. Eight instructional modules which make up…

  7. Polish Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Defense Language Inst., Washington, DC.

    These 15 volumes of the Basic Polish Course, prepared for use in the Defense Language Institute's intensive language program, comprise Lessons 1-124. They are disigned to train native English language speakers to Level 3 proficiency in comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing Polish. (Level 5 is native-speaker fluency.) The phonological…

  8. Multilingual natural language generation as part of a medical terminology server.

    PubMed

    Wagner, J C; Solomon, W D; Michel, P A; Juge, C; Baud, R H; Rector, A L; Scherrer, J R

    1995-01-01

    Re-usable and sharable, and therefore language-independent concept models are of increasing importance in the medical domain. The GALEN project (Generalized Architecture for Languages Encyclopedias and Nomenclatures in Medicine) aims at developing language-independent concept representation systems as the foundations for the next generation of multilingual coding systems. For use within clinical applications, the content of the model has to be mapped to natural language. A so-called Multilingual Information Module (MM) establishes the link between the language-independent concept model and different natural languages. This text generation software must be versatile enough to cope at the same time with different languages and with different parts of a compositional model. It has to meet, on the one hand, the properties of the language as used in the medical domain and, on the other hand, the specific characteristics of the underlying model and its representation formalism. We propose a semantic-oriented approach to natural language generation that is based on linguistic annotations to a concept model. This approach is realized as an integral part of a Terminology Server, built around the concept model and offering different terminological services for clinical applications.

  9. Languaging Everyday Life in Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bloome, David; Beauchemin, Faythe

    2016-01-01

    We explore how the languaging of everyday life in classrooms promulgates conceptions of personhood. We use the term "languaging" to argue for a shift from conceptions of language as a noun to languaging as a verb, a view of language as inseparable from and constitutive of the actions and reactions of people in response to each other. It…

  10. Cognitive and Linguistic Predictors of Basic Arithmetic Skills: Evidence from First-Language and Second-Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kleemans, Tijs; Segers, Eliane; Verhoeven, Ludo

    2014-01-01

    The present study investigated the role of both cognitive and linguistic predictors in basic arithmetic skills (i.e., addition and subtraction) in 69 first-language (L1) learners and 60 second-language (L2) learners from the second grade of primary schools in the Netherlands. All children were tested on non-verbal intelligence, working memory,…

  11. A task-dependent causal role for low-level visual processes in spoken word comprehension.

    PubMed

    Ostarek, Markus; Huettig, Falk

    2017-08-01

    It is well established that the comprehension of spoken words referring to object concepts relies on high-level visual areas in the ventral stream that build increasingly abstract representations. It is much less clear whether basic low-level visual representations are also involved. Here we asked in what task situations low-level visual representations contribute functionally to concrete word comprehension using an interference paradigm. We interfered with basic visual processing while participants performed a concreteness task (Experiment 1), a lexical-decision task (Experiment 2), and a word class judgment task (Experiment 3). We found that visual noise interfered more with concrete versus abstract word processing, but only when the task required visual information to be accessed. This suggests that basic visual processes can be causally involved in language comprehension, but that their recruitment is not automatic and rather depends on the type of information that is required in a given task situation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  12. Language Acquisition and Language Learning: A Plea for Syncretism.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Higgs, Theodore V.

    1985-01-01

    Discusses the apparent opposition between the concepts of language learning and language acquisition in the context of adult second-language study. Proposes that these two concepts are mutually supportive, not mutually exclusive. Demonstrates how the implications of learning vs. acquisition can be integrated into a communicative…

  13. Repetition reduction during word and concept overlap in bilinguals

    PubMed Central

    Lam, Tuan Q.; Marian, Viorica

    2015-01-01

    In natural conversation, speakers often mention the same referents multiple times. While referents that have been previously mentioned are produced with less prominence than those that have not been mentioned, it is unclear whether prominence reduction is due to repetition of concepts, words, or a combination of the two. In the current study, we dissociate these sources of repetition by examining bilingual speakers, who have more than one word for the same concept across their two languages. Three groups of Korean-English bilinguals (balanced, English-dominant, and Korean-dominant) performed an event description task involving repetition of referents within a single language (i.e., repetition of word and concept) or across languages (i.e., repetition of concept only). While balanced bilinguals reduced prominence both within and across languages, unbalanced bilinguals only reduced prominence when repetition occurred within a language. These patterns suggest that the degree to which words and concepts are linked within a speaker’s language system determines the source of repetition reduction. PMID:26166943

  14. Human rights and bioethics.

    PubMed

    Barilan, Y M; Brusa, M

    2008-05-01

    In the first part of this article we survey the concept of human rights from a philosophical perspective and especially in relation to the "right to healthcare". It is argued that regardless of meta-ethical debates on the nature of rights, the ethos and language of moral deliberation associated with human rights is indispensable to any ethics that places the victim and the sufferer in its centre. In the second part we discuss the rise of the "right to privacy", particularly in the USA, as an attempt to make the element of personal free will dominate over the element of basic human interest within the structure of rights and when different rights seem to conflict. We conclude by discussing the relationship of human rights with moral values beyond the realm of rights, mainly human dignity, free will, human rationality and response to basic human needs.

  15. OBO to UML: Support for the development of conceptual models in the biomedical domain.

    PubMed

    Waldemarin, Ricardo C; de Farias, Cléver R G

    2018-04-01

    A conceptual model abstractly defines a number of concepts and their relationships for the purposes of understanding and communication. Once a conceptual model is available, it can also be used as a starting point for the development of a software system. The development of conceptual models using the Unified Modeling Language (UML) facilitates the representation of modeled concepts and allows software developers to directly reuse these concepts in the design of a software system. The OBO Foundry represents the most relevant collaborative effort towards the development of ontologies in the biomedical domain. The development of UML conceptual models in the biomedical domain may benefit from the use of domain-specific semantics and notation. Further, the development of these models may also benefit from the reuse of knowledge contained in OBO ontologies. This paper investigates the support for the development of conceptual models in the biomedical domain using UML as a conceptual modeling language and using the support provided by the OBO Foundry for the development of biomedical ontologies, namely entity kind and relationship types definitions provided by the Basic Formal Ontology (BFO) and the OBO Core Relations Ontology (OBO Core), respectively. Further, the paper investigates the support for the reuse of biomedical knowledge currently available in OBOFFF ontologies in the development these conceptual models. The paper describes a UML profile for the OBO Core Relations Ontology, which basically defines a number of stereotypes to represent BFO entity kinds and OBO Core relationship types definitions. The paper also presents a support toolset consisting of a graphical editor named OBO-RO Editor, which directly supports the development of UML models using the extensions defined by our profile, and a command-line tool named OBO2UML, which directly converts an OBOFFF ontology into a UML model. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. The Use of Basic Writing Materials in ESL Writing Classes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    England, Lizabeth

    Similarities between the weaknesses found among English as a first language students and English as a second language (ESL) students suggest the need to use basic writing materials with English as a second language students. Prewriting materials should be chosen in an effort to teach students some criteria for analyzing, evaluating, and…

  17. The conceptual basis of mathematics in cardiology: (II). Calculus and differential equations.

    PubMed

    Bates, Jason H T; Sobel, Burton E

    2003-04-01

    This is the second in a series of four articles developed for the readers of Coronary Artery Disease. Without language ideas cannot be articulated. What may not be so immediately obvious is that they cannot be formulated either. One of the essential languages of cardiology is mathematics. Unfortunately, medical education does not emphasize, and in fact, often neglects empowering physicians to think mathematically. Reference to statistics, conditional probability, multicompartmental modeling, algebra, calculus and transforms is common but often without provision of genuine conceptual understanding. At the University of Vermont College of Medicine, Professor Bates developed a course designed to address these deficiencies. The course covered mathematical principles pertinent to clinical cardiovascular and pulmonary medicine and research. It focused on fundamental concepts to facilitate formulation and grasp of ideas. This series of four articles was developed to make the material available for a wider audience. The articles will be published sequentially in Coronary Artery Disease. Beginning with fundamental axioms and basic algebraic manipulations they address algebra, function and graph theory, real and complex numbers, calculus and differential equations, mathematical modeling, linear system theory and integral transforms and statistical theory. The principles and concepts they address provide the foundation needed for in-depth study of any of these topics. Perhaps of even more importance, they should empower cardiologists and cardiovascular researchers to utilize the language of mathematics in assessing the phenomena of immediate pertinence to diagnosis, pathophysiology and therapeutics. The presentations are interposed with queries (by Coronary Artery Disease abbreviated as CAD) simulating the nature of interactions that occurred during the course itself. Each article concludes with one or more examples illustrating application of the concepts covered to cardiovascular medicine and biology.

  18. The conceptual basis of mathematics in cardiology III: linear systems theory and integral transforms.

    PubMed

    Bates, Jason H T; Sobel, Burton E

    2003-05-01

    This is the third in a series of four articles developed for the readers of Coronary Artery Disease. Without language ideas cannot be articulated. What may not be so immediately obvious is that they cannot be formulated either. One of the essential languages of cardiology is mathematics. Unfortunately, medical education does not emphasize, and in fact, often neglects empowering physicians to think mathematically. Reference to statistics, conditional probability, multicompartmental modeling, algebra, calculus and transforms is common but often without provision of genuine conceptual understanding. At the University of Vermont College of Medicine, Professor Bates developed a course designed to address these deficiencies. The course covered mathematical principles pertinent to clinical cardiovascular and pulmonary medicine and research. It focused on fundamental concepts to facilitate formulation and grasp of ideas.This series of four articles was developed to make the material available for a wider audience. The articles will be published sequentially in Coronary Artery Disease. Beginning with fundamental axioms and basic algebraic manipulations they address algebra, function and graph theory, real and complex numbers, calculus and differential equations, mathematical modeling, linear system theory and integral transforms and statistical theory. The principles and concepts they address provide the foundation needed for in-depth study of any of these topics. Perhaps of even more importance, they should empower cardiologists and cardiovascular researchers to utilize the language of mathematics in assessing the phenomena of immediate pertinence to diagnosis, pathophysiology and therapeutics. The presentations are interposed with queries (by Coronary Artery Disease abbreviated as CAD) simulating the nature of interactions that occurred during the course itself. Each article concludes with one or more examples illustrating application of the concepts covered to cardiovascular medicine and biology.

  19. The conceptual basis of mathematics in cardiology IV: statistics and model fitting.

    PubMed

    Bates, Jason H T; Sobel, Burton E

    2003-06-01

    This is the fourth in a series of four articles developed for the readers of Coronary Artery Disease. Without language ideas cannot be articulated. What may not be so immediately obvious is that they cannot be formulated either. One of the essential languages of cardiology is mathematics. Unfortunately, medical education does not emphasize, and in fact, often neglects empowering physicians to think mathematically. Reference to statistics, conditional probability, multicompartmental modeling, algebra, calculus and transforms is common but often without provision of genuine conceptual understanding. At the University of Vermont College of Medicine, Professor Bates developed a course designed to address these deficiencies. The course covered mathematical principles pertinent to clinical cardiovascular and pulmonary medicine and research. It focused on fundamental concepts to facilitate formulation and grasp of ideas. This series of four articles was developed to make the material available for a wider audience. The articles will be published sequentially in Coronary Artery Disease. Beginning with fundamental axioms and basic algebraic manipulations they address algebra, function and graph theory, real and complex numbers, calculus and differential equations, mathematical modeling, linear system theory and integral transforms and statistical theory. The principles and concepts they address provide the foundation needed for in-depth study of any of these topics. Perhaps of even more importance, they should empower cardiologists and cardiovascular researchers to utilize the language of mathematics in assessing the phenomena of immediate pertinence to diagnosis, pathophysiology and therapeutics. The presentations are interposed with queries (by Coronary Artery Disease abbreviated as CAD) simulating the nature of interactions that occurred during the course itself. Each article concludes with one or more examples illustrating application of the concepts covered to cardiovascular medicine and biology.

  20. The conceptual basis of mathematics in cardiology: (I) algebra, functions and graphs.

    PubMed

    Bates, Jason H T; Sobel, Burton E

    2003-02-01

    This is the first in a series of four articles developed for the readers of. Without language ideas cannot be articulated. What may not be so immediately obvious is that they cannot be formulated either. One of the essential languages of cardiology is mathematics. Unfortunately, medical education does not emphasize, and in fact, often neglects empowering physicians to think mathematically. Reference to statistics, conditional probability, multicompartmental modeling, algebra, calculus and transforms is common but often without provision of genuine conceptual understanding. At the University of Vermont College of Medicine, Professor Bates developed a course designed to address these deficiencies. The course covered mathematical principles pertinent to clinical cardiovascular and pulmonary medicine and research. It focused on fundamental concepts to facilitate formulation and grasp of ideas. This series of four articles was developed to make the material available for a wider audience. The articles will be published sequentially in Coronary Artery Disease. Beginning with fundamental axioms and basic algebraic manipulations they address algebra, function and graph theory, real and complex numbers, calculus and differential equations, mathematical modeling, linear system theory and integral transforms and statistical theory. The principles and concepts they address provide the foundation needed for in-depth study of any of these topics. Perhaps of even more importance, they should empower cardiologists and cardiovascular researchers to utilize the language of mathematics in assessing the phenomena of immediate pertinence to diagnosis, pathophysiology and therapeutics. The presentations are interposed with queries (by Coronary Artery Disease, abbreviated as CAD) simulating the nature of interactions that occurred during the course itself. Each article concludes with one or more examples illustrating application of the concepts covered to cardiovascular medicine and biology.

  1. Exploring the Past. "A Senior Literacy Model." Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greater Erie Community Action Committee, PA.

    A program of basic language/writing skills was designed to enhance the literacy levels of 24 multicultural seniors, aged 65 or older, who were recruited from senior centers throughout Erie County, Pennsylvania. Computer literacy and basic word processing skills were taught along with basic language/writing skills in a nonthreatening learning…

  2. Beyond Languages, beyond Modalities: Transforming the Study of Semiotic Repertoires

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kusters, Annelies; Spotti, Massimiliano; Swanwick, Ruth; Tapio, Elina

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a critical examination of key concepts in the study of (signed and spoken) language and multimodality. It shows how shifts in conceptual understandings of language use, moving from bilingualism to multilingualism and (trans)languaging, have resulted in the revitalisation of the concept of language repertoires. We discuss key…

  3. An Introduction to Programming for Bioscientists: A Python-Based Primer.

    PubMed

    Ekmekci, Berk; McAnany, Charles E; Mura, Cameron

    2016-06-01

    Computing has revolutionized the biological sciences over the past several decades, such that virtually all contemporary research in molecular biology, biochemistry, and other biosciences utilizes computer programs. The computational advances have come on many fronts, spurred by fundamental developments in hardware, software, and algorithms. These advances have influenced, and even engendered, a phenomenal array of bioscience fields, including molecular evolution and bioinformatics; genome-, proteome-, transcriptome- and metabolome-wide experimental studies; structural genomics; and atomistic simulations of cellular-scale molecular assemblies as large as ribosomes and intact viruses. In short, much of post-genomic biology is increasingly becoming a form of computational biology. The ability to design and write computer programs is among the most indispensable skills that a modern researcher can cultivate. Python has become a popular programming language in the biosciences, largely because (i) its straightforward semantics and clean syntax make it a readily accessible first language; (ii) it is expressive and well-suited to object-oriented programming, as well as other modern paradigms; and (iii) the many available libraries and third-party toolkits extend the functionality of the core language into virtually every biological domain (sequence and structure analyses, phylogenomics, workflow management systems, etc.). This primer offers a basic introduction to coding, via Python, and it includes concrete examples and exercises to illustrate the language's usage and capabilities; the main text culminates with a final project in structural bioinformatics. A suite of Supplemental Chapters is also provided. Starting with basic concepts, such as that of a "variable," the Chapters methodically advance the reader to the point of writing a graphical user interface to compute the Hamming distance between two DNA sequences.

  4. Formal ontology for natural language processing and the integration of biomedical databases.

    PubMed

    Simon, Jonathan; Dos Santos, Mariana; Fielding, James; Smith, Barry

    2006-01-01

    The central hypothesis underlying this communication is that the methodology and conceptual rigor of a philosophically inspired formal ontology can bring significant benefits in the development and maintenance of application ontologies [A. Flett, M. Dos Santos, W. Ceusters, Some Ontology Engineering Procedures and their Supporting Technologies, EKAW2002, 2003]. This hypothesis has been tested in the collaboration between Language and Computing (L&C), a company specializing in software for supporting natural language processing especially in the medical field, and the Institute for Formal Ontology and Medical Information Science (IFOMIS), an academic research institution concerned with the theoretical foundations of ontology. In the course of this collaboration L&C's ontology, LinKBase, which is designed to integrate and support reasoning across a plurality of external databases, has been subjected to a thorough auditing on the basis of the principles underlying IFOMIS's Basic Formal Ontology (BFO) [B. Smith, Basic Formal Ontology, 2002. http://ontology.buffalo.edu/bfo]. The goal is to transform a large terminology-based ontology into one with the ability to support reasoning applications. Our general procedure has been the implementation of a meta-ontological definition space in which the definitions of all the concepts and relations in LinKBase are standardized in the framework of first-order logic. In this paper we describe how this principles-based standardization has led to a greater degree of internal coherence of the LinKBase structure, and how it has facilitated the construction of mappings between external databases using LinKBase as translation hub. We argue that the collaboration here described represents a new phase in the quest to solve the so-called "Tower of Babel" problem of ontology integration [F. Montayne, J. Flanagan, Formal Ontology: The Foundation for Natural Language Processing, 2003. http://www.landcglobal.com/].

  5. Computers in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language: Access to the Diversity of Textual Genres and Language Skills

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dos Santos, Roberto-Márcio; Sobrinho, Jerônimo Coura

    In the area of language teaching both language skills and textual genres can be worked with simultaneously (thus responding to the Brazilian Curricular Parameters and to the trends in contemporary education, which emphasize contextualized teaching) by means of computers. Computers can make the teaching process dynamic and rich, since they enable the access to the foreign language through virtual environments, which creates a larger number of learning contexts, with all their specific vocabulary and linguistic features in real communication. This study focuses on possible applications of this kind of approach. The computer online is a resource of diverse textual genres and can be an important tool in the language classroom as well as an access to authentic material produced in contextualized practice close to real-life communication. On the other hand, all these materials must be appropriately used without ever worshipping the technology as if it were a miraculous solution. After all, the professional pedagogic skills of the teacher should never be forgotten or taken for granted. In this study, a series of interviews with teachers was carried out - both with Brazilian teachers of the public sector (basic education) and language institutes (private English courses) as well as teacher trainers (university professors), in order to verify if the teachers were prepared to work with informatics in teaching practices, and check the professionals’ views on the subject. The ideas of Maingueneau and Marcuschi about textual genres are a theoretical base in this work, besides the concept of cognitive economy. The text and its typology are focused here as the basic material for teaching English, through digital technologies and hypermedia. The study is also based on Sharma and Barrett’s notion of blended learning as a balanced combination of technological resources and traditional practices in the classroom. Thus, this is an attempt to investigate the relevance of information and communication technologies in the education and professional practice of English teachers in Brazil in the context of the 21st century.

  6. South Bronx High School. Bilingual Basic Skills Program. O.E.E. Evaluation Report, 1981-1982.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collazo-Levy, Dora; And Others

    To expedite acquisition of English language skills needed for full mainstreaming, the Bilingual Basic Skills Program at South Bronx High School in New York City provided instruction in English as a second language and native language arts, and bilingual mathematics, science, and social studies for 370 Spanish speaking students of limited English…

  7. Early Acquisition of Basic Word Order in Japanese

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sugisaki, Koji

    2008-01-01

    The acquisition of word order has been one of the central issues in the study of child language. One striking finding from the detailed investigation of various child languages is that from the earliest observable stages, children are highly sensitive to the basic word order of their target language. However, the evidence so far comes mainly from…

  8. Nanotechnology and its Application in Dentistry

    PubMed Central

    Abiodun-Solanke, IMF; Ajayi, DM; Arigbede, AO

    2014-01-01

    Nanotechnology influences almost every facet of everyday life from security to medicine. The concept of nanotechnology is that when one goes down to the bottom of things, one can discover unlimited possibilities and potential of the basic particle. In nanotechnology, analysis can be made to the level of manipulating atoms, molecules and chemical bonds between them. The growing interest in the dental applications of nanotechnology is leading to the emergence of a new field called nanodentistry. An electronic database search that included PubMed, MedLine, and Cochrane library was conducted. Key words used in the search are nanotechnology dentistry and applications. Language limitation was set as articles reviewed were only those written and published in English language. We did not search the gray literature. Initially, 52 articles were retrieved from the database, and articles considered were those published from 2008 to 2013. Eight articles that met the selection criteria were eventually selected and reviewed. PMID:25364585

  9. [Kurt Goldstein's understanding of amnesic aphasia and its underlying disorder - an early model of the pensée opératoire of the French psychosomatic school?].

    PubMed

    Danzer, G; Eisenblätter, A; Belz, W; Schulz, A; Klapp, B F

    2002-07-01

    Kurt Goldstein's understanding of amnesic aphasia in some regards anticipated the model of the pensée opératoire, a concept developed during the 60's and 70's by the French psychoanalytical school of psychosomatics. Goldstein interpreted amnesic aphasia within the framework of a "basic disorder". Closely following the philosopher Ernst Cassirer, Goldstein described amnesic aphasia as an expression of a general alteration following localized or generalised brain damage. Due to various historical events (world war, fascism, the holocaust) as well as developments during the 20(th) century (dominance of the English language in many areas of science), these connections were forgotten or were no longer recognised as such. Without wanting to determine the extent to which the concept of pensée opératoire possesses validity, one can interpret Goldstein's reflections on aphasia as a heretofore unreceived preliminary model of the psychosomatic concept of the French School.

  10. CAI-BASIC: A Program to Teach the Programming Language BASIC.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barry, Thomas Anthony

    A computer-assisted instruction (CAI) program was designed which fulfills the objectives of teaching a simple programing language, interpreting student responses, and executing and editing student programs. The CAI-BASIC program is written in FORTRAN IV and executes on IBM-2741 terminals while running under a time-sharing system on an IBM-360-70…

  11. The Role of Perception, Language, and Preference in the Developmental Acquisition of Basic Color Terms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pitchford, N. J.; Mullen, K. T.

    2005-01-01

    When learning basic color vocabulary, young children show a selective delay in the acquisition of brown and gray relative to other basic color terms. In this study, we first establish the robustness of this finding and then investigate the extent to which perception, language, and color preference may influence color conceptualization.…

  12. A survey of functional programming language principles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holloway, C. M.

    1986-01-01

    Research in the area of functional programming languages has intensified in the 8 years since John Backus' Turing Award Lecture on the topic was published. The purpose of this paper is to present a survey of the ideas of functional programming languages. The paper assumes the reader is comfortable with mathematics and has knowledge of the basic principles of traditional programming languages, but does not assume any prior knowledge of the ideas of functional languages. A simple functional language is defined and used to illustrate the basic ideas. Topics discussed include the reasons for developing functional languages, methods of expressing concurrency, the algebra of functional programming languages, program transformation techniques, and implementations of functional languages. Existing functional languages are also mentioned. The paper concludes with the author's opinions as to the future of functional languages. An annotated bibliography on the subject is also included.

  13. BASIC2 INTERPRETER; minimal basic language. [MCS-80,8080-based microcomputers; 8080 Assembly language

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McGoldrick, P.R.; Allison, T.G.

    The BASIC2 INTERPRETER was developed to provide a high-level easy-to-use language for performing both control and computational functions in the MCS-80. The package is supplied as two alternative implementations, hardware and software. The ''software'' implementation provides the following capabilities: entry and editing of BASIC programs, device-independent I/O, special functions to allow access from BASIC to any I/O port, formatted printing, special INPUT/OUTPUT-and-proceed statements to allow I/O without interrupting BASIC program execution, full arithmetic expressions, limited string manipulation (10 or fewer characters), shorthand forms for common BASIC keywords, immediate mode BASIC statement execution, and capability of running a BASIC program thatmore » is stored in PROM. The allowed arithmetic operations are addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and raising a number to a positive integral power. In the second, or ''hardware'', implementation of BASIC2 requiring an Am9511 Arithmetic Processing Unit (APU) interfaced to the 8080 microprocessor, arithmetic operations are performed by the APU. The following additional built-in functions are available in this implementation: square root, sine, cosine, tangent, arcsine, arccosine, arctangent, exponential, logarithm base e, and logarithm base 10. MCS-80,8080-based microcomputers; 8080 Assembly language; Approximately 8K bytes of RAM to store the assembled interpreter, additional user program space, and necessary peripheral devices. The hardware implementation requires an Am9511 Arithmetic Processing Unit and an interface board (reference 2).« less

  14. De-implementation: A concept analysis.

    PubMed

    Upvall, Michele J; Bourgault, Annette M

    2018-04-25

    The purpose of this concept analysis is to explore the meaning of de-implementation and provide a definition that can be used by researchers and clinicians to facilitate evidence-based practice. De-implementation is a relatively unknown process overshadowed by the novelty of introducing new ideas and techniques into practice. Few studies have addressed the challenge of de-implementation and the cognitive processes involved when terminating harmful or unnecessary practices. Also, confusion exists regarding the myriad of terms used to describe de-implementation processes. Walker and Avant's method (2011) for describing concepts was used to clarify de-implementation. A database search limited to academic journals yielded 281 publications representing basic research, study protocols, and editorials/commentaries from implementation science experts. After applying exclusion criterion of English language only and eliminating overlap between databases, 41 articles were selected for review. Literature review and synthesis provided a concept analysis and a distinct definition of de-implementation. De-implementation was defined as the process of identifying and removing harmful, non-cost-effective, or ineffective practices based on tradition and without adequate scientific support. The analysis provided further refinement of de-implementation as a significant concept for ongoing theory development in implementation science and clinical practice. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. The Next Generation of Ground Operations Command and Control; Scripting in C Sharp and Visual Basic

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ritter, George; Pedoto, Ramon

    2010-01-01

    This slide presentation reviews the use of scripting languages in Ground Operations Command and Control. It describes the use of scripting languages in a historical context, the advantages and disadvantages of scripts. It describes the Enhanced and Redesigned Scripting (ERS) language, that was designed to combine the features of a scripting language and the graphical and IDE richness of a programming language with the utility of scripting languages. ERS uses the Microsoft Visual Studio programming environment and offers custom controls that enable an ERS developer to extend the Visual Basic and C sharp language interface with the Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC) telemetry and command system.

  16. Breaking Through: TOSTAN's Non-Formal Basic Education Programme in National Languages in Senegal. Education for All: Making It Work. Innovation Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guttman, Cynthia

    Since 1988, thousands of rural villagers across Senegal have participated in a basic education program called TOSTAN, which means "breakthrough" in Wolof, the majority language. Supported by UNICEF and implemented in the six national languages of Senegal, TOSTAN goes beyond traditional literacy programs to link literacy learning with…

  17. Defense Language Institute French Basic Course. Volume II, Lessons 16-25. Volume III, Lessons 26-35.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Defense Language Inst., Washington, DC.

    The 20 lessons included in these two volumes are intended for the first four weeks of the intermediate phase of a 68-lesson intensive audiolingual basic French course developed recently by the Defense Language Institute to train native speakers of English to a Level 3 second language skill proficiency. Designed primarily to enable students to…

  18. Commonalities and differences in the neural representations of English, Portuguese, and Mandarin sentences: When knowledge of the brain-language mappings for two languages is better than one.

    PubMed

    Yang, Ying; Wang, Jing; Bailer, Cyntia; Cherkassky, Vladimir; Just, Marcel Adam

    2017-12-01

    This study extended cross-language semantic decoding (based on a concept's fMRI signature) to the decoding of sentences across three different languages (English, Portuguese and Mandarin). A classifier was trained on either the mapping between words and activation patterns in one language or the mappings in two languages (using an equivalent amount of training data), and then tested on its ability to decode the semantic content of a third language. The model trained on two languages was reliably more accurate than a classifier trained on one language for all three pairs of languages. This two-language advantage was selective to abstract concept domains such as social interactions and mental activity. Representational Similarity Analyses (RSA) of the inter-sentence neural similarities resulted in similar clustering of sentences in all the three languages, indicating a shared neural concept space among languages. These findings identify semantic domains that are common across these three languages versus those that are more language or culture-specific. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Concept Formation and the Development of Language. Theoretical Paper No. 37.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelson, Gordon K.

    This paper examines possible interchanges between cognitive and language processes with particular attention given to concept formation and semantic language development. Aspects of psychological and contemporary linguistic theories are discussed as a way to interrelate the functions of thought and language. The author concludes that while…

  20. Conceptions of Literacy in Canadian Immigrant Language Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cray, Ellen; Currie, Pat

    2004-01-01

    For immigrants and refugees, access to a national or majority language is an important issue. According to its immigrant language training policy, Canada offers its newcomers language instruction for the purposes of settlement and integration. One important aspect of settlement and integration involves literacy. Our study examined the concept of…

  1. A Concept for Run-Time Support of the Chapel Language

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    James, Mark

    2006-01-01

    A document presents a concept for run-time implementation of other concepts embodied in the Chapel programming language. (Now undergoing development, Chapel is intended to become a standard language for parallel computing that would surpass older such languages in both computational performance in the efficiency with which pre-existing code can be reused and new code written.) The aforementioned other concepts are those of distributions, domains, allocations, and access, as defined in a separate document called "A Semantic Framework for Domains and Distributions in Chapel" and linked to a language specification defined in another separate document called "Chapel Specification 0.3." The concept presented in the instant report is recognition that a data domain that was invented for Chapel offers a novel approach to distributing and processing data in a massively parallel environment. The concept is offered as a starting point for development of working descriptions of functions and data structures that would be necessary to implement interfaces to a compiler for transforming the aforementioned other concepts from their representations in Chapel source code to their run-time implementations.

  2. The role of language in emotion: predictions from psychological constructionism

    PubMed Central

    Lindquist, Kristen A.; MacCormack, Jennifer K.; Shablack, Holly

    2015-01-01

    Common sense suggests that emotions are physical types that have little to do with the words we use to label them. Yet recent psychological constructionist accounts reveal that language is a fundamental element in emotion that is constitutive of both emotion experiences and perceptions. According to the psychological constructionist Conceptual Act Theory (CAT), an instance of emotion occurs when information from one’s body or other people’s bodies is made meaningful in light of the present situation using concept knowledge about emotion. The CAT suggests that language plays a role in emotion because language supports the conceptual knowledge used to make meaning of sensations from the body and world in a given context. In the present paper, we review evidence from developmental and cognitive science to reveal that language scaffolds concept knowledge in humans, helping humans to acquire abstract concepts such as emotion categories across the lifespan. Critically, language later helps individuals use concepts to make meaning of on-going sensory perceptions. Building on this evidence, we outline predictions from a psychological constructionist model of emotion in which language serves as the “glue” for emotion concept knowledge, binding concepts to embodied experiences and in turn shaping the ongoing processing of sensory information from the body and world to create emotional experiences and perceptions. PMID:25926809

  3. Extraction of UMLS® Concepts Using Apache cTAKES™ for German Language.

    PubMed

    Becker, Matthias; Böckmann, Britta

    2016-01-01

    Automatic information extraction of medical concepts and classification with semantic standards from medical reports is useful for standardization and for clinical research. This paper presents an approach for an UMLS concept extraction with a customized natural language processing pipeline for German clinical notes using Apache cTAKES. The objectives are, to test the natural language processing tool for German language if it is suitable to identify UMLS concepts and map these with SNOMED-CT. The German UMLS database and German OpenNLP models extended the natural language processing pipeline, so the pipeline can normalize to domain ontologies such as SNOMED-CT using the German concepts. For testing, the ShARe/CLEF eHealth 2013 training dataset translated into German was used. The implemented algorithms are tested with a set of 199 German reports, obtaining a result of average 0.36 F1 measure without German stemming, pre- and post-processing of the reports.

  4. Concept Formation Skills in Long-Term Cochlear Implant Users

    PubMed Central

    Castellanos, Irina; Kronenberger, William G.; Beer, Jessica; Colson, Bethany G.; Henning, Shirley C.; Ditmars, Allison; Pisoni, David B.

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated if a period of auditory sensory deprivation followed by degraded auditory input and related language delays affects visual concept formation skills in long-term prelingually deaf cochlear implant (CI) users. We also examined if concept formation skills are mediated or moderated by other neurocognitive domains (i.e., language, working memory, and executive control). Relative to normally hearing (NH) peers, CI users displayed significantly poorer performance in several specific areas of concept formation, especially when multiple comparisons and relational concepts were components of the task. Differences in concept formation between CI users and NH peers were fully explained by differences in language and inhibition–concentration skills. Language skills were also found to be more strongly related to concept formation in CI users than in NH peers. The present findings suggest that complex relational concepts may be adversely affected by a period of early prelingual deafness followed by access to underspecified and degraded sound patterns and spoken language transmitted by a CI. Investigating a unique clinical population such as early-implanted prelingually deaf children with CIs can provide new insights into foundational brain–behavior relations and developmental processes. PMID:25583706

  5. Staircase and fractional part functions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Amram, Meirav; Dagan, Miriam; Ioshpe, Michael; Satianov, Pavel

    2016-10-01

    The staircase and fractional part functions are basic examples of real functions. They can be applied in several parts of mathematics, such as analysis, number theory, formulas for primes, and so on; in computer programming, the floor and ceiling functions are provided by a significant number of programming languages - they have some basic uses in various programming tasks. In this paper, we view the staircase and fractional part functions as a classical example of non-continuous real functions. We introduce some of their basic properties, present some interesting constructions concerning them, and explore some intriguing interpretations of such functions. Throughout the paper, we use these functions in order to explain basic concepts in a first calculus course, such as domain of definition, discontinuity, and oddness of functions. We also explain in detail how, after researching the properties of such functions, one can draw their graph; this is a crucial part in the process of understanding their nature. In the paper, we present some subjects that the first-year student in the exact sciences may not encounter. We try to clarify those subjects and show that such ideas are important in the understanding of non-continuous functions, as a part of studying analysis in general.

  6. Destrezas de Lenguaje: Curriculo Basico. Guia para el Maestro (Language Skills: Basic Curriculum. Teacher's Guide).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Puerto Rico State Dept. of Education, Hato Rey. Office of Special Education.

    The basic special education curriculum of the Department of Public Instruction of Puerto Rico is designed so that the skills defined can be used to attend to the needs of children with disabilities. This teacher's guide, in Spanish, presents a basic language curriculum to help the child develop the ability to communicate effectively. It includes…

  7. A Sequence of Assignments for Basic Writing: Teaching To Problems "Beyond the Sentence."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wall, Susan V.

    Students in college basic writing courses need to consider their own written language and to compare it with other students' work before they can develop a sense of the symbolic relationship between language and experience. Because of a lack of previous writing experience, basic writers have no sense that the "facts" about which they write are…

  8. "It's Easy to Learn when You Using Your Home Language but with English You Need to Start Learning Language before You Get to the Concept": Bilingual Concept Development in an English Medium University in South Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paxton, Moragh Isobel Jane

    2009-01-01

    This article describes a multilingual glossary project in the economics department at the University of Cape Town which gave multilingual students learning economics through the medium of English, opportunities to discuss new economic concepts in their home languages in order to broaden and enrich understanding of these new concepts. The findings…

  9. Longitudinal Patterns of Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Difficulties and Self-Concepts in Adolescents with a History of Specific Language Impairment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindsay, Geoff; Dockrell, Julie E.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: This study explored the prevalence and stability of behavioral difficulties and self-concepts between the ages of 8 and 17 years in a sample of children with a history of specific language impairment (SLI). We investigated whether earlier behavioral, emotional, and social difficulties (BESD); self-concepts; and language and literacy…

  10. Why Is It "Una Persona" and Not "Un Persona": Influence of Linguistic and Cultural Variables on Conceptual Learning in Second Language Situations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gonzalez, Virginia; And Others

    A study investigated the interaction of cognitive, cultural, and linguistic factors in second-language concept formation in adults. Specifically, it examined how seven college students in a lower-division intensive Spanish class developed new gender concepts when learning a second language. Course instruction focused on concept construction at…

  11. Greater learnability is not sufficient to produce cultural universals.

    PubMed

    Rafferty, Anna N; Griffiths, Thomas L; Ettlinger, Marc

    2013-10-01

    Looking across human societies reveals regularities in the languages that people speak and the concepts that they use. One explanation that has been proposed for these "cultural universals" is differences in the ease with which people learn particular languages and concepts. A difference in learnability means that languages and concepts possessing a particular property are more likely to be accurately transmitted from one generation of learners to the next. Intuitively, this difference could allow languages and concepts that are more learnable to become more prevalent after multiple generations of cultural transmission. If this is the case, the prevalence of languages and concepts with particular properties can be explained simply by demonstrating empirically that they are more learnable. We evaluate this argument using mathematical analysis and behavioral experiments. Specifically, we provide two counter-examples that show how greater learnability need not result in a property becoming prevalent. First, more learnable languages and concepts can nonetheless be less likely to be produced spontaneously as a result of transmission failures. We simulated cultural transmission in the laboratory to show that this can occur for memory of distinctive items: these items are more likely to be remembered, but not generated spontaneously once they have been forgotten. Second, when there are many languages or concepts that lack the more learnable property, sheer numbers can swamp the benefit produced by greater learnability. We demonstrate this using a second series of experiments involving artificial language learning. Both of these counter-examples show that simply finding a learnability bias experimentally is not sufficient to explain why a particular property is prevalent in the languages or concepts used in human societies: explanations for cultural universals based on cultural transmission need to consider the full set of hypotheses a learner could entertain and all of the kinds of errors that can occur in transmission. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Correlation Study of Adult English as a Second Language (ESL) and Adult Basic Education (ABE) Reading Tests. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garreton, Rodrigo; Terdy, Dennis

    In a study prompted by the need to standardize the reporting of educational progress of adult language minority students in Illinois, a commonly used adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) reading test was compared with two frequently used Adult Basic Education (ABE) reading tests. The testing instruments used were the ELSA (English Language…

  13. Defense Language Institute Russian Basic Course. Volumes XXVIII, Lessons 131-140. Volume XXX, Lessons 151-159.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Defense Language Inst., Washington, DC.

    The 19 lessons in these two volumes are intended for the advanced phase of a 159-lesson intensive audiolingual basic Russian course developed recently by the Defense Language Institute to train native speakers of English to a Level 3 second language proficiency. These third and fifth volumes contain such features as (1) texts on the Russian Civil…

  14. What Is a Language?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Le Page, R. B.

    A discussion on the nature of language argues the following: (1) the concept of a closed and finite rule system is inadequate for the description of natural languages; (2) as a consequence, the writing of variable rules to modify such rule systems so as to accommodate the properties of natural language is inappropriate; (3) the concept of such…

  15. Second Language Reading: Reading, Language, and Metacognition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carrell, Patricia L.

    A study investigated the role of metacognitive skills and the conception of reading in the reading comprehension of adult native speakers of Spanish and English. The study differed from others in its examination of reading conceptions and comprehension in both the first and second languages. Results suggest that both first language reading ability…

  16. Language Arts Concepts for Elementary School Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burns, Paul C., Ed.; And Others

    An anthology of literature on elementary school language arts concepts is presented. Its purpose is to provide specific content that may help prospective and practicing teachers to recognize the role of language content in teaching. The anthology is divided into seven parts. Part One presents a general picture of the language arts curriculum that…

  17. What Is a Programming Language?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wold, Allen

    1983-01-01

    Explains what a computer programing language is in general, the differences between machine language, assembler languages, and high-level languages, and the functions of compilers and interpreters. High-level languages mentioned in the article are: BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL, PILOT, LOGO, LISP, and SMALLTALK. (EAO)

  18. Evolutionary dynamics of language systems

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Chieh-Hsi; Hua, Xia; Dunn, Michael; Levinson, Stephen C.; Gray, Russell D.

    2017-01-01

    Understanding how and why language subsystems differ in their evolutionary dynamics is a fundamental question for historical and comparative linguistics. One key dynamic is the rate of language change. While it is commonly thought that the rapid rate of change hampers the reconstruction of deep language relationships beyond 6,000–10,000 y, there are suggestions that grammatical structures might retain more signal over time than other subsystems, such as basic vocabulary. In this study, we use a Dirichlet process mixture model to infer the rates of change in lexical and grammatical data from 81 Austronesian languages. We show that, on average, most grammatical features actually change faster than items of basic vocabulary. The grammatical data show less schismogenesis, higher rates of homoplasy, and more bursts of contact-induced change than the basic vocabulary data. However, there is a core of grammatical and lexical features that are highly stable. These findings suggest that different subsystems of language have differing dynamics and that careful, nuanced models of language change will be needed to extract deeper signal from the noise of parallel evolution, areal readaptation, and contact. PMID:29073028

  19. Development of a CD-ROM on written language for the continuing education of elementary school teachers.

    PubMed

    Gonçalves, Thaís Dos Santos; Crenitte, Patrícia Abreu Pinheiro

    2011-01-01

    Distance education has emerged to minimize the anxiety of many professionals who need to update their knowledge, but do not have the time and opportunity to travel to educational centers. To describe the development of a CD-ROM to provide distance continuing education to basic school teachers that addresses issues related to written language. Previously, a script was developed with themes related to the acquisition and development of written language. Subsequently, a technical team transformed the texts in multimedia language. The titles of each content area addressed are available on buttons and links. The files can be viewed in a linear sequence, allowing the teacher to start learning at the desired moment and go straight to the file that he or she wants to access. Videos that show practical applications of the concepts available in text are included. Brazil is a developing country. The use of technologies for education reduces cultural isolation among education professionals. It is necessary to focus on making teaching materials for distance education. In order to provide an effective learning environment, the learners reality should be considered. A multidisciplinary team should prepare the materials. The development of educational material for distance education on the acquisition and development of written language seems not only appropriate, but also warranted to provide professional growth opportunity for teachers who need time flexibility and/or live far away from academic centers.

  20. Evaluation of HAL/S language compilability using SAMSO's Compiler Writing System (CWS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Feliciano, M.; Anderson, H. D.; Bond, J. W., III

    1976-01-01

    NASA/Langley is engaged in a program to develop an adaptable guidance and control software concept for spacecraft such as shuttle-launched payloads. It is envisioned that this flight software be written in a higher-order language, such as HAL/S, to facilitate changes or additions. To make this adaptable software transferable to various onboard computers, a compiler writing system capability is necessary. A joint program with the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Organization was initiated to determine if the Compiler Writing System (CWS) owned by the Air Force could be utilized for this purpose. The present study explores the feasibility of including the HAL/S language constructs in CWS and the effort required to implement these constructs. This will determine the compilability of HAL/S using CWS and permit NASA/Langley to identify the HAL/S constructs desired for their applications. The study consisted of comparing the implementation of the Space Programming Language using CWS with the requirements for the implementation of HAL/S. It is the conclusion of the study that CWS already contains many of the language features of HAL/S and that it can be expanded for compiling part or all of HAL/S. It is assumed that persons reading and evaluating this report have a basic familiarity with (1) the principles of compiler construction and operation, and (2) the logical structure and applications characteristics of HAL/S and SPL.

  1. Preservice and inservice teachers' knowledge of language constructs in Finland.

    PubMed

    Aro, Mikko; Björn, Piia Maria

    2016-04-01

    The aim of the study was to explore the Finnish preservice and inservice teachers' knowledge of language constructs relevant for literacy acquisition. A total of 150 preservice teachers and 74 inservice teachers participated in the study by filling out a questionnaire that assessed self-perceived expertise in reading instruction, knowledge of phonology and phonics, and knowledge of morphology. The inservice teachers outperformed the preservice teachers in knowledge of phonology and phonics, as well as morphology. Both groups' knowledge of morphology was markedly lower than their knowledge of phonology and phonics. Because early reading instruction does not focus on the morphological level of language but is phonics-based, this result was expected. However, the findings also revealed a lack of explicit knowledge of basic phonological constructs and less-than-optimal phonemic awareness skills in both groups. Problems in phonemic skills manifested mostly as responding to the phonological tasks based on orthographic knowledge, which reflects an overreliance on the one-to-one correspondence between graphemes and phonemes. The preservice teachers' perceptions of expertise were weakly related to their knowledge and skills. Among the inservice teachers, perceived expertise and knowledge of language constructs were completely unrelated. Although the study was exploratory, these findings suggest that within the Finnish teacher education there is a need to focus more on explicit content studies for language structures and the concepts relevant for literacy instruction, as well as phonological and phonemic skills.

  2. Transition to Community College: The Journey of Adult Basic Education English Learners from Non-Credit to Credit Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Csepelyi, Tunde

    2012-01-01

    This phenomenological study examined the transition of a group of adult English language learners from an Adult Basic Education program to a community college. The purpose of the study was to gain a deeper understanding of the driving forces of Adult Basic Education English language learners who had successfully transitioned from a non-credit…

  3. Observations of Kindergarten and First Grade Children's Development of Oral Language, Concepts about Print, and Reading Readiness.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Day, Kaaren C.; Day, H. D.

    A study originally involving 56 children from four schools was undertaken to observe the development of children's oral language and concepts of print during the kindergarten year using the Record of Oral Language (ROL) and the Concepts about Print (Sand) tests. In addition, the Sand test was administered early in the first grade to the available…

  4. Analysis of Culture-Specific Items and Translation Strategies Applied in Translating Jalal Al-Ahmad's "By the Pen"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daghoughi, Shekoufeh; Hashemian, Mahmood

    2016-01-01

    Due to differences across languages, meanings and concepts vary across different languages, too. The most obvious points of difference between languages appear in their literature and their culture-specific items (CSIs), which lead to complexities when transferring meanings and concepts from one language into another. To overcome the complexities…

  5. Standardized data sharing in a paediatric oncology research network--a proof-of-concept study.

    PubMed

    Hochedlinger, Nina; Nitzlnader, Michael; Falgenhauer, Markus; Welte, Stefan; Hayn, Dieter; Koumakis, Lefteris; Potamias, George; Tsiknakis, Manolis; Saraceno, Davide; Rinaldi, Eugenia; Ladenstein, Ruth; Schreier, Günter

    2015-01-01

    Data that has been collected in the course of clinical trials are potentially valuable for additional scientific research questions in so called secondary use scenarios. This is of particular importance in rare disease areas like paediatric oncology. If data from several research projects need to be connected, so called Core Datasets can be used to define which information needs to be extracted from every involved source system. In this work, the utility of the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) Operational Data Model (ODM) as a format for Core Datasets was evaluated and a web tool was developed which received Source ODM XML files and--via Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT)--generated standardized Core Dataset ODM XML files. Using this tool, data from different source systems were extracted and pooled for joined analysis in a proof-of-concept study, facilitating both, basic syntactic and semantic interoperability.

  6. Validating concepts of mental disorder: precedents from the history of science.

    PubMed

    Miller, Robert

    2014-10-01

    A fundamental issue in any branch of the natural sciences is validating the basic concepts for use in that branch. In psychiatry, this issue has not yet been resolved, and indeed, the proper nature of the problem has scarcely been recognised. As a result, psychiatry (or at least those parts of the discipline which aspire to scientific status) still cannot claim to be a part of scientific medicine, or to be incorporated within the common language of the natural sciences. While this creates difficulties within the discipline, and its standing in relation to other branches of medicine, it makes it an exciting place for "frontiersmen" (and women). This is one of the key growing points in the natural science tradition. In this essay, which moves from the early history of that tradition to today's debates in scientific psychiatry, I give my views about how these fundamental issues can move towards resolution.

  7. A Python Geospatial Language Toolkit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fillmore, D.; Pletzer, A.; Galloy, M.

    2012-12-01

    The volume and scope of geospatial data archives, such as collections of satellite remote sensing or climate model products, has been rapidly increasing and will continue to do so in the near future. The recently launched (October 2011) Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite (NPP) for instance, is the first of a new generation of Earth observation platforms that will monitor the atmosphere, oceans, and ecosystems, and its suite of instruments will generate several terabytes each day in the form of multi-spectral images and derived datasets. Full exploitation of such data for scientific analysis and decision support applications has become a major computational challenge. Geophysical data exploration and knowledge discovery could benefit, in particular, from intelligent mechanisms for extracting and manipulating subsets of data relevant to the problem of interest. Potential developments include enhanced support for natural language queries and directives to geospatial datasets. The translation of natural language (that is, human spoken or written phrases) into complex but unambiguous objects and actions can be based on a context, or knowledge domain, that represents the underlying geospatial concepts. This poster describes a prototype Python module that maps English phrases onto basic geospatial objects and operations. This module, along with the associated computational geometry methods, enables the resolution of natural language directives that include geographic regions of arbitrary shape and complexity.

  8. Spatial Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fu, Zhengling

    2016-01-01

    Spatial language constitutes part of the basic fabric of language. Although languages may have the same number of terms to cover a set of spatial relations, they do not always do so in the same way. Spatial languages differ across languages quite radically, thus providing a real semantic challenge for second language learners. The essay first…

  9. Educational Environment and Cultural Transmission in Foreign Language Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Memis, Muhammet Rasit

    2016-01-01

    Foreign language teaching is not to teach grammar and vocabulary of the target language and to gain basic language skills only. Foreign language teaching is teaching of the language's culture at the same time. Because of language and community develop and shape together, learning, understanding and speaking a foreign language literally requires…

  10. Low self-concept in poor readers: prevalence, heterogeneity, and risk.

    PubMed

    McArthur, Genevieve; Castles, Anne; Kohnen, Saskia; Banales, Erin

    2016-01-01

    There is evidence that poor readers are at increased risk for various types of low self-concept-particularly academic self-concept. However, this evidence ignores the heterogeneous nature of poor readers, and hence the likelihood that not all poor readers have low self-concept. The aim of this study was to better understand which types of poor readers have low self-concept. We tested 77 children with poor reading for their age for four types of self-concept, four types of reading, three types of spoken language, and two types of attention. We found that poor readers with poor attention had low academic self-concept, while poor readers with poor spoken language had low general self-concept in addition to low academic self-concept. In contrast, poor readers with typical spoken language and attention did not have low self-concept of any type. We also discovered that academic self-concept was reliably associated with reading and receptive spoken vocabulary, and that general self-concept was reliably associated with spoken vocabulary. These outcomes suggest that poor readers with multiple impairments in reading, language, and attention are at higher risk for low academic and general self-concept, and hence need to be assessed for self-concept in clinical practice. Our results also highlight the need for further investigation into the heterogeneous nature of self-concept in poor readers.

  11. Badminton--Teaching Concepts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gibbs, Marilyn J.

    1988-01-01

    Teaching four basic badminton concepts along with the usual basic skill shots allows players to develop game strategy awareness as well as mechanical skills. These four basic concepts are: (1) ready position, (2) flight trajectory, (3) early shuttle contact, and (4) camouflage. (IAH)

  12. Language-Mediated Concept Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Follettie, Joseph F.

    The conditions whereby a concept might be learned on the basis of a language mediation process prior to the inductive learning of subordinate concepts are sketched. The view is expressed that grammar treatments which are apt to primary education should be defined on the basis of a pedagogy's needs for linguistic characterizations of concepts to be…

  13. On the Relationship between Self-Concept and Literacy Development in the Spanish Heritage Language Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beaudrie, Sara M.

    2018-01-01

    Researchers have studied academic self-concept and its relationship to academic achievement extensively, but not in the Spanish heritage language context. Using measures of reading, writing, and spelling performance, I investigate the relation between self-concept and performance and whether self-concept can predict performance scores. I obtained…

  14. Aphasia: Current Concepts in Theory and Practice

    PubMed Central

    Tippett, Donna C.; Niparko, John K.; Hillis, Argye E.

    2014-01-01

    Recent advances in neuroimaging contribute to a new insights regarding brain-behavior relationships and expand understanding of the functional neuroanatomy of language. Modern concepts of the functional neuroanatomy of language invoke rich and complex models of language comprehension and expression, such as dual stream networks. Increasingly, aphasia is seen as a disruption of cognitive processes underlying language. Rehabilitation of aphasia incorporates evidence based and person-centered approaches. Novel techniques, such as methods of delivering cortical brain stimulation to modulate cortical excitability, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation, are just beginning to be explored. In this review, we discuss the historical context of the foundations of neuroscientific approaches to language. We sample the emergent theoretical models of the neural substrates of language and cognitive processes underlying aphasia that contribute to more refined and nuanced concepts of language. Current concepts of aphasia rehabilitation are reviewed, including the promising role of cortical stimulation as an adjunct to behavioral therapy and changes in therapeutic approaches based on principles of neuroplasticity and evidence-based/person-centered practice to optimize functional outcomes. PMID:24904925

  15. Low self-concept in poor readers: prevalence, heterogeneity, and risk

    PubMed Central

    Castles, Anne; Kohnen, Saskia; Banales, Erin

    2016-01-01

    There is evidence that poor readers are at increased risk for various types of low self-concept—particularly academic self-concept. However, this evidence ignores the heterogeneous nature of poor readers, and hence the likelihood that not all poor readers have low self-concept. The aim of this study was to better understand which types of poor readers have low self-concept. We tested 77 children with poor reading for their age for four types of self-concept, four types of reading, three types of spoken language, and two types of attention. We found that poor readers with poor attention had low academic self-concept, while poor readers with poor spoken language had low general self-concept in addition to low academic self-concept. In contrast, poor readers with typical spoken language and attention did not have low self-concept of any type. We also discovered that academic self-concept was reliably associated with reading and receptive spoken vocabulary, and that general self-concept was reliably associated with spoken vocabulary. These outcomes suggest that poor readers with multiple impairments in reading, language, and attention are at higher risk for low academic and general self-concept, and hence need to be assessed for self-concept in clinical practice. Our results also highlight the need for further investigation into the heterogeneous nature of self-concept in poor readers. PMID:27867764

  16. Powerful Learning Tools for ELLs: Using Native Language, Familiar Examples, and Concept Mapping to Teach English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dong, Yu Ren

    2013-01-01

    This article highlights how English language learners' (ELLs) prior knowledge can be used to help learn science vocabulary. The article explains that the concept of prior knowledge needs to encompass the ELL student's native language, previous science learning, native literacy skills, and native cultural knowledge and life experiences.…

  17. Turkish Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Defense Language Inst., Washington, DC.

    These 14 volumes of the Defense Language Institute's basic course in Turkish consist of 112 lesson units designed to train native English language speakers to Level 3 proficiency in comprehending, speaking, reading, and writing Turkish. (Native-speaker fluency is Level 5.) An introduction to the sound system, vowel harmony, and syllable division…

  18. Linear separability in superordinate natural language concepts.

    PubMed

    Ruts, Wim; Storms, Gert; Hampton, James

    2004-01-01

    Two experiments are reported in which linear separability was investigated in superordinate natural language concept pairs (e.g., toiletry-sewing gear). Representations of the exemplars of semantically related concept pairs were derived in two to five dimensions using multidimensional scaling (MDS) of similarities based on possession of the concept features. Next, category membership, obtained from an exemplar generation study (in Experiment 1) and from a forced-choice classification task (in Experiment 2) was predicted from the coordinates of the MDS representation using log linear analysis. The results showed that all natural kind concept pairs were perfectly linearly separable, whereas artifact concept pairs showed several violations. Clear linear separability of natural language concept pairs is in line with independent cue models. The violations in the artifact pairs, however, yield clear evidence against the independent cue models.

  19. Organization and integration of biomedical knowledge with concept maps for key peroxisomal pathways.

    PubMed

    Willemsen, A M; Jansen, G A; Komen, J C; van Hooff, S; Waterham, H R; Brites, P M T; Wanders, R J A; van Kampen, A H C

    2008-08-15

    One important area of clinical genomics research involves the elucidation of molecular mechanisms underlying (complex) disorders which eventually may lead to new diagnostic or drug targets. To further advance this area of clinical genomics one of the main challenges is the acquisition and integration of data, information and expert knowledge for specific biomedical domains and diseases. Currently the required information is not very well organized but scattered over biological and biomedical databases, basic text books, scientific literature and experts' minds and may be highly specific, heterogeneous, complex and voluminous. We present a new framework to construct knowledge bases with concept maps for presentation of information and the web ontology language OWL for the representation of information. We demonstrate this framework through the construction of a peroxisomal knowledge base, which focuses on four key peroxisomal pathways and several related genetic disorders. All 155 concept maps in our knowledge base are linked to at least one other concept map, which allows the visualization of one big network of related pieces of information. The peroxisome knowledge base is available from www.bioinformaticslaboratory.nl (Support-->Web applications). Supplementary data is available from www.bioinformaticslaboratory.nl (Research-->Output--> Publications--> KB_SuppInfo)

  20. Enhancing Collaborative and Meaningful Language Learning Through Concept Mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marriott, Rita De Cássia Veiga; Torres, Patrícia Lupion

    This chapter aims to investigate new ways of foreign-language teaching/learning via a study of how concept mapping can help develop a student's reading, writing and oral skills as part of a blended methodology for language teaching known as LAPLI (Laboratorio de Aprendizagem de LInguas: The Language Learning Lab). LAPLI is a student-centred and collaborative methodology which encourages students to challenge their limitations and expand their current knowledge whilst developing their linguistic and interpersonal skills. We explore the theories that underpin LAPLI and detail the 12 activities comprising its programme with specify reference to the use of "concept mapping". An innovative table enabling a formative and summative assessment of the concept maps is formulated. Also presented are some of the qualitative and quantitative results achieved when this methodology was first implemented with a group of pre-service students studying for a degree in English and Portuguese languages at the Catholic University of Parana (PUCPR) in Brazil. The contribution of concept mapping and LAPLI to an under standing of language learning along with a consideration of the difficulties encountered in its implementation with student groups is discussed and suggestions made for future research.

  1. Enhancing Collaborative and Meaningful Language Learning through Concept Mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Cássia Veiga Marriott, Rita; Torres, Patrícia Lupion

    This chapter aims to investigate new ways of foreign-language teaching/learning via a study of how concept mapping can help develop a student's reading, writing and oral skills as part of a blended methodology for language teaching known as LAPLI (Laboratorio de Aprendizagem de LInguas: The Language Learning Lab). LAPLI is a student-centred and collaborative methodology which encourages students to challenge their limitations and expand their current knowledge whilst developing their linguistic and interpersonal skills. We explore the theories that underpin LAPLI and detail the 12 activities comprising its programme with specify reference to the use of “concept mapping”. An innovative table enabling a formative and summative assessment of the concept maps is formulated. Also presented are some of the qualitative and quantitative results achieved when this methodology was first implemented with a group of pre-service students studying for a degree in English and Portuguese languages at the Catholic University of Parana (PUCPR) in Brazil. The contribution of concept mapping and LAPLI to an understanding of language learning along with a consideration of the difficulties encountered in its implementation with student groups is discussed and suggestions made for future research.

  2. Language and the origin of numerical concepts.

    PubMed

    Gelman, Rochel; Gallistel, C R

    2004-10-15

    Reports of research with the Pirahã and Mundurukú Amazonian Indians of Brazil lend themselves to discussions of the role of language in the origin of numerical concepts. The research findings indicate that, whether or not humans have an extensive counting list, they share with nonverbal animals a language-independent representation of number, with limited, scale-invariant precision. What causal role, then, does knowledge of the language of counting serve? We consider the strong Whorfian proposal, that of linguistic determinism; the weak Whorfian hypothesis, that language influences how we think; and that the "language of thought" maps to spoken language or symbol systems.

  3. A Guide to Using Language Experience with Adults.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kennedy, Katherine; Roeder, Stephanie

    Language experience in adult basic education serves a variety of purposes: emphasizing communication, providing an atmosphere of sharing and personal growth, and most importantly, allowing students to confront their own learning blocks rather than ignoring them. Case histories support the fulfillment of those purposes. There are basic methods to…

  4. The Development of Basic Reading Skills in Children: A Cross-Language Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geva, Esther; Wang, Min

    2001-01-01

    Reviews recent research evidence for universal and orthography- or language-specific processes in the development of basic reading skills in school-age children. The review focuses on three different aspects of reading--phonological processing, rapid naming, and morphosyntactic complexity--targeted in recent research on development of word…

  5. Language Arts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arkansas State Dept. of Education, Little Rock.

    The language arts course content guides presented in this manual cover English, oral communications, and journalism in grades 9-12 and provide a framework from which a curriculum can be built. Within each subject area and at each grade level, skills are identified at three instructional levels: basic, developmental, and extension. The basic skills…

  6. Basic Writers as Critical Thinkers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anstendig, Linda; Kimmel, Isabel

    Teachers of a basic writing course broadened their theme approach from growth and change in adolescence to the theme of language and identity, developed sequenced writing assignments, and worked toward the culminating unit--a mini-research project through which all the language and thinking skills developed throughout the semester could be…

  7. Korean Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Defense Language Inst., Washington, DC.

    These 11 volumes of the Korean Basic Course comprise 112 lesson units designed to train native English language speakers to Level 3 proficiency in comprehension and speaking and Level 2 proficiency in reading and writing Korean. (Level 5 on this scale is native-speaker level.) Intended for classroom use in the Defense Language Institute intensive…

  8. Chinese-Cantonese (Toishan) Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Defense Language Inst., Washington, DC.

    This seven-volume series constitutes the Defense Language Institute (Army Language School) 47-week course in the Toishan dialect of Cantonese. Beginning lessons present the tone and sound system in romanized script. Chinese characters are introduced in the fourth lesson. (See related document AL 001 479, "Chinese Cantonese Basic Course,"…

  9. The Interplay between Spoken Language and Informal Definitions of Statistical Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lavy, Ilana; Mashiach-Eizenberg, Michal

    2009-01-01

    Various terms are used to describe mathematical concepts, in general, and statistical concepts, in particular. Regarding statistical concepts in the Hebrew language, some of these terms have the same meaning both in their everyday use and in mathematics, such as Mode; some of them have a different meaning, such as Expected value and Life…

  10. Using Object-Based Activities and an Online Inquiry Platform to Support Learners' Engagement with Their Heritage Language and Culture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Charitonos, Koula; Charalampidi, Marina; Scanlon, Eileen

    2016-01-01

    Heritage language education is distinct from the field of second language acquisition due to having the concept of identity always at its core (Leeman, Rabin, & Roman-Mendoza, 2012). This paper draws on this concept and presents an action research study focusing on the teaching and learning of Greek as a heritage language in the context of…

  11. Examination of the Film "My Father and My Son" According to the Basic Concepts of Multigenerational Family Therapy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Acar, Tulin; Voltan-Acar, Nilufer

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the basic concepts of multigenerational Family Therapy and to evaluate the scenes of the film ''My Father and My Son'' according to these concepts. For these purposes firstly basic concepts of Multigenerational Family Therapy such as differentiation of self, triangles/triangulation, nuclear family emotional…

  12. Using Problem Solving to Teach a Programming Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Milbrandt, George

    1995-01-01

    Computer studies courses should incorporate as many computer concepts and programming language experiences as possible. A gradual increase in problem difficulty will help the student to understand various computer concepts, and the programming language's syntax and structure. A sidebar provides two examples of how to establish a learning…

  13. Anthropomorphizing Science: How Does It Affect the Development of Evolutionary Concepts?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Legare, Cristine H.; Lane, Jonathan D.; Evans, E. Margaret

    2013-01-01

    Despite the ubiquitous use of anthropomorphic language to describe biological change in both educational settings and popular science, little is known about how anthropomorphic language influences children's understanding of evolutionary concepts. In an experimental study, we assessed whether the language used to convey evolutionary concepts…

  14. Introduction to Python for CMF Authority Users

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pritchett-Sheats, Lori A.

    This talk is a very broad over view of Python that highlights key features in the language used in the Common Model Framework (CMF). I assume that the audience has some programming experience in a shell scripting language (C shell, Bash, PERL) or other high level language (C/C++/ Fortran). The talk will cover Python data types, classes (objects) and basic programming constructs. The talk concludes with slides describing how I developed the basic classes for a TITANS homework assignment.

  15. Symbolic play and language development.

    PubMed

    Orr, Edna; Geva, Ronny

    2015-02-01

    Symbolic play and language are known to be highly interrelated, but the developmental process involved in this relationship is not clear. Three hypothetical paths were postulated to explore how play and language drive each other: (1) direct paths, whereby initiation of basic forms in symbolic action or babbling, will be directly related to all later emerging language and motor outputs; (2) an indirect interactive path, whereby basic forms in symbolic action will be associated with more complex forms in symbolic play, as well as with babbling, and babbling mediates the relationship between symbolic play and speech; and (3) a dual path, whereby basic forms in symbolic play will be associated with basic forms of language, and complex forms of symbolic play will be associated with complex forms of language. We micro-coded 288 symbolic vignettes gathered during a yearlong prospective bi-weekly examination (N=14; from 6 to 18 months of age). Results showed that the age of initiation of single-object symbolic play correlates strongly with the age of initiation of later-emerging symbolic and vocal outputs; its frequency at initiation is correlated with frequency at initiation of babbling, later-emerging speech, and multi-object play in initiation. Results support the notion that a single-object play relates to the development of other symbolic forms via a direct relationship and an indirect relationship, rather than a dual-path hypothesis. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Analysis of the English morphology by semantic networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Žáček, Martin; Homola, Dan

    2017-11-01

    The article is devoted to study the morphology of natural language, in this case English language. The research is of the language is from the perspective of knowledge representation, when we look at the word as a concept in the Concept languages. The research is in the relationship of the individual words and their classification in the sentence. For the analysis there are used several methods (syntax, lexical categories, morphology). This article focuses mainly on the word, as the foundation of every natural language (English).

  17. Nurses' policy influence: A concept analysis.

    PubMed

    Arabi, Akram; Rafii, Forough; Cheraghi, Mohammad Ali; Ghiyasvandian, Shahrzad

    2014-05-01

    Nurses' influence on health policy protects the quality of care by access to required recourses and opportunities. This is a new and important concept for nursing; however, research studies on policy influence of nurses in health care sector are lacking a basic conceptual understanding of what this concept represents. The aim of this paper is to clarify the concept of nurses' policy influence and to propose the definition of this concept, considering the context of Iran. The eight stages of Walker and Avant approach was used to guide this concept analysis. Various databases and internet engines were searched to find all related information about the concept. Textbooks were also searched manually. English language literature reports published between 1990 and 2012 were reviewed. Based on the analysis undertaken, nurses' policy influence is nurses' ability in influencing decisions and affairs related to health through political knowledge, effective communication, and collaboration with other members of the health team, which results in the improvement of nurses' job environment and increases patient outcomes. This is a dynamic process situated on a spectrum and is accompanied with nurses' knowledge, competency, power, and advocacy, and also their ability to change. Nurses have individual views on health care issues and influence health care policies in different ways. With a common understanding of nurses' policy influence as a concept, nurses will recognize the importance of policy making in the health sector and their influence on this process and also on patients' outcomes.

  18. [Application of virtual instrumentation technique in toxicological studies].

    PubMed

    Moczko, Jerzy A

    2005-01-01

    Research investigations require frequently direct connection of measuring equipment to the computer. Virtual instrumentation technique considerably facilitates programming of sophisticated acquisition-and-analysis procedures. In standard approach these two steps are performed subsequently with separate software tools. The acquired data are transfered with export / import procedures of particular program to the another one which executes next step of analysis. The described procedure is cumbersome, time consuming and may be potential source of the errors. In 1987 National Instruments Corporation introduced LabVIEW language based on the concept of graphical programming. Contrary to conventional textual languages it allows the researcher to concentrate on the resolved problem and omit all syntactical rules. Programs developed in LabVIEW are called as virtual instruments (VI) and are portable among different computer platforms as PCs, Macintoshes, Sun SPARCstations, Concurrent PowerMAX stations, HP PA/RISK workstations. This flexibility warrants that the programs prepared for one particular platform would be also appropriate to another one. In presented paper basic principles of connection of research equipment to computer systems were described.

  19. Research into language concepts for the mission control center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dellenback, Steven W.; Barton, Timothy J.; Ratner, Jeremiah M.

    1990-01-01

    A final report is given on research into language concepts for the Mission Control Center (MCC). The Specification Driven Language research is described. The state of the image processing field and how image processing techniques could be applied toward automating the generation of the language known as COmputation Development Environment (CODE or Comp Builder) are discussed. Also described is the development of a flight certified compiler for Comps.

  20. Investigation of Pre-Service English Language Teachers' Cognitive Structures about Some Key Concepts in Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching Course through Word Association Test

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ersanli, Ceylan Yangin

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to map the cognitive structure of pre-service English language (EL) teachers about three key concepts related to approaches and methods in language teaching so as to discover their learning process and misconceptions. The study involves both qualitative and quantitative data. The researcher administrated a Word Association Test…

  1. American Sign Language and Deaf Culture Competency of Osteopathic Medical Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lapinsky, Jessica; Colonna, Caitlin; Sexton, Patricia; Richard, Mariah

    2015-01-01

    The study examined the effectiveness of a workshop on Deaf culture and basic medical American Sign Language for increasing osteopathic student physicians' confidence and knowledge when interacting with ASL-using patients. Students completed a pretest in which they provided basic demographic information, rated their confidence levels, took a video…

  2. 38 CFR 21.3344 - Special assistance for the educationally disadvantaged.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... language skills and mathematics skills may be made by: (i) A VA counseling psychologist or vocational...) (f) Basic skills. Basic English language courses or mathematics courses will be authorized when it is..., speaking, or essential mathematics. (Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3533) [61 FR 26112, May 24, 1996, as amended at...

  3. 38 CFR 21.3344 - Special assistance for the educationally disadvantaged.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... language skills and mathematics skills may be made by: (i) A VA counseling psychologist or vocational...) (f) Basic skills. Basic English language courses or mathematics courses will be authorized when it is..., speaking, or essential mathematics. (Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3533) [61 FR 26112, May 24, 1996, as amended at...

  4. 38 CFR 21.3344 - Special assistance for the educationally disadvantaged.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... language skills and mathematics skills may be made by: (i) A VA counseling psychologist or vocational...) (f) Basic skills. Basic English language courses or mathematics courses will be authorized when it is..., speaking, or essential mathematics. (Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3533) [61 FR 26112, May 24, 1996, as amended at...

  5. 38 CFR 21.3344 - Special assistance for the educationally disadvantaged.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... language skills and mathematics skills may be made by: (i) A VA counseling psychologist or vocational...) (f) Basic skills. Basic English language courses or mathematics courses will be authorized when it is..., speaking, or essential mathematics. (Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3533) [61 FR 26112, May 24, 1996, as amended at...

  6. 38 CFR 21.3344 - Special assistance for the educationally disadvantaged.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... language skills and mathematics skills may be made by: (i) A VA counseling psychologist or vocational...) (f) Basic skills. Basic English language courses or mathematics courses will be authorized when it is..., speaking, or essential mathematics. (Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3533) [61 FR 26112, May 24, 1996, as amended at...

  7. Preservice Teacher Knowledge of Basic Language Constructs in Canada, England, New Zealand, and the USA

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Washburn, Erin K.; Binks-Cantrell, Emily S.; Joshi, R. Malatesha; Martin-Chang, Sandra; Arrow, Alison

    2016-01-01

    The present study examined preservice teachers' (PSTs) knowledge of basic language constructs across four different English-speaking teacher preparations programs. A standardized survey was administered to participants from Canada (n = 80), England (n = 55), New Zealand (n = 26), and the USA (n = 118). All participants were enrolled in…

  8. Basic Training and Resource Connections for Novice ESL Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henrichsen, Lynn

    2010-01-01

    A large number of teachers and tutors of English as a Second Language (ESL) lack professional-level preparation. The Basic Training and Resources for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (BTRTESOL) program is being developed to prepare untrained, novice, volunteer ESL teachers to be more successful. In contrast with previous programs…

  9. Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills Activity Book. Revised Edition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carreker, Suzanne; Birsh, Judith R.

    2011-01-01

    With the new edition of this activity book--the companion to Judith Birsh's bestselling text, "Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills"--students and practitioners will get the practice they need to use multisensory teaching effectively with students who have dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Ideal for both pre-service teacher…

  10. Understanding Grammars through Diachronic Change

    PubMed Central

    Madariaga, Nerea

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, I will vindicate the importance of syntactic change for the study of synchronic stages of natural languages, according to the following outline. First, I will analyze the relationship between the diachrony and synchrony of grammars, introducing some basic concepts: the notions of I-language/E-language, the role of Chomsky's (2005) three factors in language change, and some assumptions about language acquisition. I will briefly describe the different approaches to syntactic change adopted in generative accounts, as well as their assumptions and implications (Lightfoot, 1999, 2006; van Gelderen, 2004; Biberauer et al., 2010; Roberts, 2012). Finally, I will illustrate the convenience of introducing the diachronic dimension into the study of at least certain synchronic phenomena with the help of a practical example: variation in object case marking of several verbs in Modern Russian, namely, the verbs denoting avoidance and the verbs slušat'sja “obey” and dožidat'sja “expect,” which show two object case-marking patterns, genitive case in standard varieties and accusative case in colloquial varieties. To do so, I will review previous descriptive and/or functionalist accounts on this or equivalent phenomena (Jakobson, 1984 [1936]; Clancy, 2006; Nesset and Kuznetsova, 2015a,b). Then, I will present a formal—but just synchronic—account, applying Sigurðsson (2011) hypothesis on the expression of morphological case to this phenomenon. Finally, I will show that a formal account including the diachronic dimension is superior (i.e., more explanative) than purely synchronic accounts. PMID:28824474

  11. Development of a CD-ROM on written language for the continuing education of elementary school teachers

    PubMed Central

    GONÇALVES, Thaís dos Santos; CRENITTE, Patrícia Abreu Pinheiro

    2011-01-01

    Distance education has emerged to minimize the anxiety of many professionals who need to update their knowledge, but do not have the time and opportunity to travel to educational centers. Objectives To describe the development of a CD-ROM to provide distance continuing education to basic school teachers that addresses issues related to written language. Material and Methods Previously, a script was developed with themes related to the acquisition and development of written language. Subsequently, a technical team transformed the texts in multimedia language. Results The titles of each content area addressed are available on buttons and links. The files can be viewed in a linear sequence, allowing the teacher to start learning at the desired moment and go straight to the file that he or she wants to access. Videos that show practical applications of the concepts available in text are included. Conclusions Brazil is a developing country. The use of technologies for education reduces cultural isolation among education professionals. It is necessary to focus on making teaching materials for distance education. In order to provide an effective learning environment, the learners reality should be considered. A multidisciplinary team should prepare the materials. The development of educational material for distance education on the acquisition and development of written language seems not only appropriate, but also warranted to provide professional growth opportunity for teachers who need time flexibility and/or live far away from academic centers. PMID:22230988

  12. Culturally sensitive adaptation of the concept of relational communication therapy as a support to language development: An exploratory study in collaboration with a Tanzanian orphanage.

    PubMed

    Schütte, Ulrike

    2016-11-07

    Orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) who grow up in institutional care often show communication and language problems. The caregivers lack training, and there are few language didactics programmes aimed at supporting communication and language development in OVC in institutional care in Tanzania. The purpose of the study was to adapt the German concept of relational communication therapy (RCT) as a support to language development in a Tanzanian early childhood education context in a culturally sensitive way. Following the adaptation of the concept, a training programme for Tanzanian caregiver students was developed to compare their competencies in language didactics before and after training. A convergent mixed methods design was used to examine changes following training in 12 participating caregiver students in a Tanzanian orphanage. The competencies in relational language didactics were assessed by a self-developed test and video recordings before and after intervention. Based on the results, we drew conclusions regarding necessary modifications to the training modules and to the concept of RCT. The relational didactics competencies of the caregiver students improved significantly following their training. A detailed analysis of the four training modules showed that the improvement in relational didactics competencies varied depending on the topic and the teacher. The results provide essential hints for the professionalisation of caregivers and for using the concept of RCT for OVC in institutional care in Tanzania. Training programmes and concepts should not just be transferred across different cultures, disciplines and settings; they must be adapted to the specific cultural setting.

  13. Formation of the Foreign Language Discursive Competence of Pedagogical Faculties Students in the Process of Intercultural Dialogue

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ponomarenko, Larisa N.; Zlobina, Irina S.; Galitskih, Elena O.; Rublyova, Olga S.

    2017-01-01

    The article presents the main ideas of concept of foreign language discursive competence formation among university and secondary school students by means of intercultural dialogue. The concept includes fundamental principles, activity stages of educational process, and criteria of foreign language discursive competence formation. Innovation of…

  14. The "Ubuntu" Paradigm in Curriculum Work, Language of Instruction and Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brock-Utne, Birgit

    2016-01-01

    This article discusses the concept "ubuntu", an African worldview rooted in the communal character of African life. Some of the same thinking can, however, be found in various Eurasian and Latin-American philosophies. The concept "ubuntu" is also used in language planning: here, the question of language of instruction is…

  15. Sociocultural Theory Applied to Second Language Learning: Collaborative Learning with Reference to the Chinese Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dongyu, Zhang; Fanyu, B.; Wanyi, Du

    2013-01-01

    This paper discusses the sociocultural theory (SCT). In particular, three significant concepts of Vyogtsky's theory: self-regulation, the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), and scaffolding all of which have been discussed in numerous second language acquisition (SLA) and second language learning (SLL) research papers. These concepts lay the…

  16. Concept-Based Content of Professional Linguistic Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Makshantseva, Nataliia Veniaminovna; Bankova, Liudmila Lvovna

    2016-01-01

    The article deals with professional education of future linguists built on the basis of conceptual approach. The topic is exemplified by the Russian language and a successful attempt to implement the concept-based approach to forming the content of professional language education. Within the framework of the proposed research, the concept is…

  17. Programming Languages.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tesler, Lawrence G.

    1984-01-01

    Discusses the nature of programing languages, considering the features of BASIC, LOGO, PASCAL, COBOL, FORTH, APL, and LISP. Also discusses machine/assembly codes, the operation of a compiler, and trends in the evolution of programing languages (including interest in notational systems called object-oriented languages). (JN)

  18. Contemporary Accounts of the Cognition/Language Relationship: Implications for Speech-Language Clinicians.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rice, Mabel L.

    1983-01-01

    A review of research on how cognition relates to language in children with language impairments discusses terminology and analyzes the basic mapping problem. Evidence for a variety of hypotheses related to the issue are examined. (CL)

  19. Basic Numeracy Abilities of Xhosa Reception Year Students in South Africa: Language Policy Issues

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feza, Nosisi Nellie

    2016-01-01

    Language in mathematics learning and teaching has a significant role in influencing performance. Literature on language in mathematics learning has evolved from language as a barrier to language as a cultural tool, and recently more research has argued for use of home language as an instructional tool in mathematics classrooms. However, the…

  20. An Introduction to Programming for Bioscientists: A Python-Based Primer

    PubMed Central

    Mura, Cameron

    2016-01-01

    Computing has revolutionized the biological sciences over the past several decades, such that virtually all contemporary research in molecular biology, biochemistry, and other biosciences utilizes computer programs. The computational advances have come on many fronts, spurred by fundamental developments in hardware, software, and algorithms. These advances have influenced, and even engendered, a phenomenal array of bioscience fields, including molecular evolution and bioinformatics; genome-, proteome-, transcriptome- and metabolome-wide experimental studies; structural genomics; and atomistic simulations of cellular-scale molecular assemblies as large as ribosomes and intact viruses. In short, much of post-genomic biology is increasingly becoming a form of computational biology. The ability to design and write computer programs is among the most indispensable skills that a modern researcher can cultivate. Python has become a popular programming language in the biosciences, largely because (i) its straightforward semantics and clean syntax make it a readily accessible first language; (ii) it is expressive and well-suited to object-oriented programming, as well as other modern paradigms; and (iii) the many available libraries and third-party toolkits extend the functionality of the core language into virtually every biological domain (sequence and structure analyses, phylogenomics, workflow management systems, etc.). This primer offers a basic introduction to coding, via Python, and it includes concrete examples and exercises to illustrate the language’s usage and capabilities; the main text culminates with a final project in structural bioinformatics. A suite of Supplemental Chapters is also provided. Starting with basic concepts, such as that of a “variable,” the Chapters methodically advance the reader to the point of writing a graphical user interface to compute the Hamming distance between two DNA sequences. PMID:27271528

  1. Basic principles of a flexible astronomical data processing system in UNIX environment.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Verkhodanov, O. V.; Erukhimov, B. L.; Monosov, M. L.; Chernenkov, V. N.; Shergin, V. S.

    Methods of construction of a flexible system for astronomical data processing (FADPS) are described. An example of construction of such a FADPS for continuum radiometer data of the RATAN-600 is presented. The Job Control Language of this system is the Job Control Language of OS UNIX. It is shown that using basic commands of the data processing system (DPS) a user, knowing basic principles of Job in OS UNIX, can create his own mini-DPS. Examples of such mini-DPSs are presented.

  2. Overcoming Terminology Barrier Using Web Resources for Cross-Language Medical Information Retrieval

    PubMed Central

    Lu, Wen-Hsiang; Lin, Ray Shih-Jui; Chan, Yi-Che; Chen, Kuan-Hsi

    2006-01-01

    A number of authoritative medical websites, such as PubMed and MedlinePlus, provide consumers with the most up-to-date health information. However, non-English speakers often encounter not only language barriers (from other languages to English) but also terminology barriers (from laypersons’ terms to professional medical terms) when retrieving information from these websites. Our previous work addresses language barriers by developing a multilingual medical thesaurus, Chinese-English MeSH, while this study presents an approach to overcome terminology barriers based on Web resources. Two techniques were utilized in our approach: monolingual concept mapping using approximate string matching and crosslingual concept mapping using Web resources. The evaluation shows that our approach can significantly improve the performance on MeSH concept mapping and cross-language medical information retrieval. PMID:17238395

  3. High-speed assembly language (80386/80387) programming for laser spectra scan control and data acquisition providing improved resolution water vapor spectroscopy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, Robert J.

    1988-01-01

    An assembly language program using the Intel 80386 CPU and 80387 math co-processor chips was written to increase the speed of data gathering and processing, and provide control of a scanning CW ring dye laser system. This laser system is used in high resolution (better than 0.001 cm-1) water vapor spectroscopy experiments. Laser beam power is sensed at the input and output of white cells and the output of a Fabry-Perot. The assembly language subroutine is called from Basic, acquires the data and performs various calculations at rates greater than 150 faster than could be performed by the higher level language. The width of output control pulses generated in assembly language are 3 to 4 microsecs as compared to 2 to 3.7 millisecs for those generated in Basic (about 500 to 1000 times faster). Included are a block diagram and brief description of the spectroscopy experiment, a flow diagram of the Basic and assembly language programs, listing of the programs, scope photographs of the computer generated 5-volt pulses used for control and timing analysis, and representative water spectrum curves obtained using these programs.

  4. XML, Ontologies, and Their Clinical Applications.

    PubMed

    Yu, Chunjiang; Shen, Bairong

    2016-01-01

    The development of information technology has resulted in its penetration into every area of clinical research. Various clinical systems have been developed, which produce increasing volumes of clinical data. However, saving, exchanging, querying, and exploiting these data are challenging issues. The development of Extensible Markup Language (XML) has allowed the generation of flexible information formats to facilitate the electronic sharing of structured data via networks, and it has been used widely for clinical data processing. In particular, XML is very useful in the fields of data standardization, data exchange, and data integration. Moreover, ontologies have been attracting increased attention in various clinical fields in recent years. An ontology is the basic level of a knowledge representation scheme, and various ontology repositories have been developed, such as Gene Ontology and BioPortal. The creation of these standardized repositories greatly facilitates clinical research in related fields. In this chapter, we discuss the basic concepts of XML and ontologies, as well as their clinical applications.

  5. Rhetoric, Grammar, and the Conception of Language As a Substantial Medium

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bruns, Gerald L.

    1969-01-01

    Discusses language as being (1) substance, and as such a reflection of the mind, and (2) an activity played out in oratory and the pattern of discourse. Examples from classical, medieval, and contemporary works are cited to illustrate the various concepts of language and to present a historical view of the literary and oral traditions. (DS)

  6. Combining Natural Language Processing and Statistical Text Mining: A Study of Specialized versus Common Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jarman, Jay

    2011-01-01

    This dissertation focuses on developing and evaluating hybrid approaches for analyzing free-form text in the medical domain. This research draws on natural language processing (NLP) techniques that are used to parse and extract concepts based on a controlled vocabulary. Once important concepts are extracted, additional machine learning algorithms,…

  7. Verbalizing in the Second Language Classroom: The Development of the Grammatical Concept of Aspect

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garcia, Prospero N.

    2012-01-01

    Framed within a Sociocultural Theory of Mind (SCT) in the field of Second Language Acquisition (Lantolf & Thorne, 2006), this dissertation explores the role of verbalizing in the internalization of grammatical categories through the use of Concept-based Instruction (henceforth CBI) in the second language (L2) classroom. Using Vygotsky's…

  8. Examining the Concept of Subordination in Spoken L1 and L2 English: The Case of "If"-Clauses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basterrechea, María; Weinert, Regina

    2017-01-01

    This article explores the applications of research on native spoken language into second language learning in the concept of subordination. Second language (L2) learners' ability to integrate subordinate clauses is considered an indication of higher proficiency (e.g., Ellis & Barkhuizen, 2005; Tarone & Swierzbin, 2009). However, the notion…

  9. Concept-Based Teaching and Spanish Modality in Heritage Language Learners: A Vygotskyan Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garcia Frazier, Elena

    2013-01-01

    This study analyzed how six Heritage language learners at the university level gained conscious awareness and control of the concept of modality as revealed in student verbalizations (Vygotsky, 1998) throughout five different written communicative events. This work took place in the only course designed for Heritage language learners at a large…

  10. MORE BASIC COURSE.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    LEHR, MARIANNE; AND OTHERS

    THIS BASIC COURSE IN MORE, AN AFRICAN TONE LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY THE MOSSI PEOPLE OF UPPER VOLTA, IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE THE STUDENT WITH DIALOGS THAT RELATE TO SOME OF THE FIRST SITUATIONS IN WHICH HE IS LIKELY TO USE THE LANGUAGE, AS WELL AS WITH SYSTEMATIC PRACTICE IN ALL MAJOR POINTS OF GRAMMAR. THE COURSE COMPRISES 48 UNITS DIVIDED INTO THREE…

  11. On the Basis of the Basic Variety.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwartz, Bonnie D.

    1997-01-01

    Considers the interplay between source and target language in relation to two points made by Klein and Perdue: (1) the argument that the analysis of the target language should not be used as the model for analyzing interlanguage data; and (2) the theoretical claim that under the technical assumptions of minimalism, the Basic Variety is a "perfect"…

  12. Flushing High School. A Basic Trilingual Program, 1981-1982. O.E.E. Evaluation Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Torres, Judith A.; And Others

    The Basic Trilingual Program at Flushing High School in Queens, New York City, provides instruction in English as a second language, native language arts instruction, and bilingual instruction in different content areas to Spanish speaking and Korean speaking high school students of limited English proficiency. The program is also involved in…

  13. SHONA BASIC COURSE.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    STEVICK, EARL W.

    THIS BASIC COURSE IN SHONA, ONE OF THE TWO PRINCIPAL LANGUAGES OF RHODESIA AND PARTS OF ADJACENT MOZAMBIQUE, IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE THE STUDENT WITH DIALOG THAT RELATE TO SOME OF THE SITUATIONS IN WHICH HE IS LIKELY TO USE THE LANGUAGE, AS WELL AS PROVIDE HIM WITH SYSTEMATIC PRACTICE ON ALL MAJOR POINTS OF GRAMMAR. THE TEXT CONSISTS OF 49 UNITS OF…

  14. De Facto Language Policy in Legislation Defining Adult Basic Education in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vanek, Jenifer

    2016-01-01

    This paper investigates the impact of differing interpretation of federal education policy in three different states. The policy, the Workforce Investment Act Title II, has defined the services provided for adult English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in Adult Basic Education programs in the United States since it was passed in 1998. At the…

  15. Whole Language: Beliefs and Practices, K-8. Aspects of Learning Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manning, Gary, Ed.; Manning, Maryann, Ed.

    This 25-chapter anthology includes the ideas of many of the leading authorities on whole language and contains chapters on the meaning of whole language, the skills movement, reading and writing development, and teacher autonomy. Chapters are: "Whole Language: What's New?" (Bess Altwerger and others); "Language Arts Basics: Advocacy…

  16. Simplification: A Viewpoint in Outline. Appendix.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tickoo, Makhan L.

    This essay examines language simplification for second language learners as a linguistic and a pedagogic phenomenon, posing questions for further study by considering past research. It discusses linguistic simplification (LS) in relation to the development of artificial languages, such as Esperanto, "pidgin" languages, Basic English,…

  17. Moving Language Around: Helping Students Become Aware of Language Structure.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hutson, Barbara A.

    1980-01-01

    Presents a perspective on the system of language levels and logical operations that effective language users employ. Offers a rational for teaching this language system. Suggests activities for "moving language around" to help students develop concepts about language structures. (RL)

  18. Concept-based query language approach to enterprise information systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Niemi, Timo; Junkkari, Marko; Järvelin, Kalervo

    2014-01-01

    In enterprise information systems (EISs) it is necessary to model, integrate and compute very diverse data. In advanced EISs the stored data often are based both on structured (e.g. relational) and semi-structured (e.g. XML) data models. In addition, the ad hoc information needs of end-users may require the manipulation of data-oriented (structural), behavioural and deductive aspects of data. Contemporary languages capable of treating this kind of diversity suit only persons with good programming skills. In this paper we present a concept-oriented query language approach to manipulate this diversity so that the programming skill requirements are considerably reduced. In our query language, the features which need technical knowledge are hidden in application-specific concepts and structures. Therefore, users need not be aware of the underlying technology. Application-specific concepts and structures are represented by the modelling primitives of the extended RDOOM (relational deductive object-oriented modelling) which contains primitives for all crucial real world relationships (is-a relationship, part-of relationship, association), XML documents and views. Our query language also supports intensional and extensional-intensional queries, in addition to conventional extensional queries. In its query formulation, the end-user combines available application-specific concepts and structures through shared variables.

  19. Culturally sensitive adaptation of the concept of relational communication therapy as a support to language development: An exploratory study in collaboration with a Tanzanian orphanage

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Background Orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) who grow up in institutional care often show communication and language problems. The caregivers lack training, and there are few language didactics programmes aimed at supporting communication and language development in OVC in institutional care in Tanzania. Objectives The purpose of the study was to adapt the German concept of relational communication therapy (RCT) as a support to language development in a Tanzanian early childhood education context in a culturally sensitive way. Following the adaptation of the concept, a training programme for Tanzanian caregiver students was developed to compare their competencies in language didactics before and after training. Methods A convergent mixed methods design was used to examine changes following training in 12 participating caregiver students in a Tanzanian orphanage. The competencies in relational language didactics were assessed by a self-developed test and video recordings before and after intervention. Based on the results, we drew conclusions regarding necessary modifications to the training modules and to the concept of RCT. Results The relational didactics competencies of the caregiver students improved significantly following their training. A detailed analysis of the four training modules showed that the improvement in relational didactics competencies varied depending on the topic and the teacher. Conclusion The results provide essential hints for the professionalisation of caregivers and for using the concept of RCT for OVC in institutional care in Tanzania. Training programmes and concepts should not just be transferred across different cultures, disciplines and settings; they must be adapted to the specific cultural setting. PMID:28155305

  20. Sport science integration: An evolutionary synthesis.

    PubMed

    Balagué, N; Torrents, C; Hristovski, R; Kelso, J A S

    2017-02-01

    The aim of the paper is to point out one way of integrating the supposedly incommensurate disciplines investigated in sports science. General, common principles can be found among apparently unrelated disciplines when the focus is put on the dynamics of sports-related phenomena. Dynamical systems approaches that have recently changed research in biological and social sciences among others, offer key concepts to create a common pluricontextual language in sport science. This common language, far from being homogenising, offers key synthesis between diverse fields, respecting and enabling the theoretical and experimental pluralism. It forms a softly integrated sports science characterised by a basic dynamic explanatory backbone as well as context-dependent theoretical flexibility. After defining the dynamic integration in living systems, unable to be captured by structural static approaches, we show the commonalities between the diversity of processes existing on different levels and time scales in biological and social entities. We justify our interpretation by drawing on some recent scientific contributions that use the same general principles and concepts, and diverse methods and techniques of data analysis, to study different types of phenomena in diverse disciplines. We show how the introduction of the dynamic framework in sport science has started to blur the boundaries between physiology, biomechanics, psychology, phenomenology and sociology. The advantages and difficulties of sport science integration and its consequences in research are also discussed.

  1. PASCAL vs BASIC

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mundie, David A.

    1978-01-01

    A comparison between PASCAL and BASIC as general purpose microprocessor languages rates PASCAL above BASIC in such points as program structure, data types, structuring methods, control structures, procedures and functions, and ease in learning. (CMV)

  2. What is Basic Research? Insights from Historical Semantics.

    PubMed

    Schauz, Désirée

    2014-01-01

    For some years now, the concept of basic research has been under attack. Yet although the significance of the concept is in doubt, basic research continues to be used as an analytical category in science studies. But what exactly is basic research? What is the difference between basic and applied research? This article seeks to answer these questions by applying historical semantics. I argue that the concept of basic research did not arise out of the tradition of pure science. On the contrary, this new concept emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time when scientists were being confronted with rising expectations regarding the societal utility of science. Scientists used the concept in order to try to bridge the gap between the promise of utility and the uncertainty of scientific endeavour. Only after 1945, when United States science policy shaped the notion of basic research, did the concept revert to the older ideals of pure science. This revival of the purity discourse was caused by the specific historical situation in the US at that time: the need to reform federal research policy after the Second World War, the new dimension of ethical dilemmas in science and technology during the atomic era, and the tense political climate during the Cold War.

  3. THE LEXICOSTATISTICAL CLASSIFICATION OF THE AUSTRONESIAN LANGUAGES.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DYEN, ISIDORE

    STATISTICAL DATA DEALING WITH BASIC VOCABULARY COMPARISONS AMONG A SIGNIFICANT GROUP OF AUSTRONESIAN LANGUAGES ARE PRESENTED. SOME OF THE LANGUAGES ARE CLASSIFIED INTO SUBGROUPS UNDER GEOGRAPHICAL DIVISIONS, AND OTHERS ARE REGARDED AS SUBGROUPS IN THEMSELVES. THE LANGUAGES COVERED IN THE STUDY STRETCH GEOGRAPHICALLY FROM MADAGASCAR TO EASTER…

  4. Colorado Model Content Standards: Foreign Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver.

    The model course content standards for foreign language instruction in Colorado's public schools, K-12, provide guidelines, not curriculum, for school districts to design language programs. An introductory section presents some basic considerations in program design. The two general standards for foreign language performance are that: (1) students…

  5. User's guide to the LLL BASIC interpreter. [For 8080-based MCS-80 microcomputer system

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Allison, T.; Eckard, R.; Barber, J.

    1977-06-09

    Scientists are finding increased applications for microcomputers as process controllers in their experiments. However, while microcomputers are small and inexpensive, they are difficult to program in machine or assembly language. A high-level language is needed to enable scientists to develop their own microcomputer programs for their experiments on location. Recognizing this need, LLL contracted to have such a language developed. This report describes the result--the LLL BASIC interpreter, which operates with LLL's 8080-based MCS-80 microcomputer system. 4 tables.

  6. Self-Concept and Native Language Background: A Study of Measurement Invariance and Cross-Group Comparisons in Third Grade

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Niehaus, Kate; Adelson, Jill L.

    2013-01-01

    This study examined the measurement and interpretation of self-concept among the growing population of children who are English Language Learners (ELLs). More specifically, a 3-group analysis was conducted comparing native English-speaking children, Spanish-speaking ELLs, and ELLs from Asian language backgrounds. Data were drawn from the Early…

  7. The Meta Language of Accounting: What's the Level of Students' Understanding?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elson, Raymond J.; O'Callaghan, Susanne; Walker, John P.; Williams, Robert

    2013-01-01

    Students rely on rote knowledge to learn accounting concepts. However, this approach does not allow them to understanding the meta language of accounting. Meta language is simply the concepts and terms that are used in a profession and are easily understood by its users. Terms such as equity, assets, and balance sheet are part of the accounting…

  8. [First language acquisition research and theories of language acquisition].

    PubMed

    Miller, S; Jungheim, M; Ptok, M

    2014-04-01

    In principle, a child can seemingly easily acquire any given language. First language acquisition follows a certain pattern which to some extent is found to be language independent. Since time immemorial, it has been of interest why children are able to acquire language so easily. Different disciplinary and methodological orientations addressing this question can be identified. A selective literature search in PubMed and Scopus was carried out and relevant monographies were considered. Different, partially overlapping phases can be distinguished in language acquisition research: whereas in ancient times, deprivation experiments were carried out to discover the "original human language", the era of diary studies began in the mid-19th century. From the mid-1920s onwards, behaviouristic paradigms dominated this field of research; interests were focussed on the determination of normal, average language acquisition. The subsequent linguistic period was strongly influenced by the nativist view of Chomsky and the constructivist concepts of Piaget. Speech comprehension, the role of speech input and the relevance of genetic disposition became the centre of attention. The interactionist concept led to a revival of the convergence theory according to Stern. Each of these four major theories--behaviourism, cognitivism, interactionism and nativism--have given valuable and unique impulses, but no single theory is universally accepted to provide an explanation of all aspects of language acquisition. Moreover, it can be critically questioned whether clinicians consciously refer to one of these theories in daily routine work and whether therapies are then based on this concept. It remains to be seen whether or not new theories of grammar, such as the so-called construction grammar (CxG), will eventually change the general concept of language acquisition.

  9. Language Negotiations Indigenous Students Navigate when Learning Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chigeza, Philemon

    2008-01-01

    This paper reports on implications of a research study with a group of 44 Indigenous middle school students learning the science concepts of energy and force. We found the concepts of energy and force need to be taught in English as we failed to find common comparable abstract concepts in the students' diverse Indigenous languages. Three…

  10. Feasts of Becoming: Imagining a Literacy Classroom Based on Dialogic Beliefs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fecho, Bob; Botzakis, Stergios

    2007-01-01

    Bakhtin's language theories give educators a view into how people develop and communicate with language through dialogue. These conceptions can be applied to teaching in a variety of positive ways. The authors explore how teaching based on Bakhtinian concepts might function in the classroom, paying particular attention to the concepts of dialogue,…

  11. Detecting changes in student teachers' conceptions of teaching science to adolescent English language learners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pomeroy, Jonathon Richard

    2000-10-01

    This research study investigated the changes that occurred in six student teachers' conceptions of teaching science to adolescent English language learners over the duration of their participation in a one-year, graduate level, science teacher education program. Cases were created for each of the student teachers based on their concept maps, writing samples, interviews, lesson plans, informal interviews with cooperating teachers, and observation notes collected on biweekly visitations. The cases were divided into three dyads each consisting of two student teachers with similar preprogram and student teaching experiences. Cross case analysis revealed the existence of seven themes related to teaching science to adolescent English language learners. Further analysis suggested that student teachers that worked with experienced cooperating teachers and who had achieved a sense of autonomy over their student teaching demonstrated broad and sophisticated growth across all seven themes. Student teachers who had not achieved a sense of autonomy, demonstrated growth in two to three themes. Student teachers who demonstrated broad and sophisticated growth were able to clearly articulate their conceptions of teaching science to English language learners where as those who demonstrated limited growth were not. This research establishes the use of concept maps as a tool for detecting changes in student teachers' conceptions of teaching science to adolescent English language learners as well as the sensitivity of concept maps to detect the types of changes historically detected by writing samples and interviews. Recommendations based on the implications from are included.

  12. A Pragmatic Study on the Functions of Vague Language in Commercial Advertising

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wenzhong, Zhu; Jingyi, Li

    2013-01-01

    Vagueness is one of the basic attributes of natural language. This is the same to advertising language. Vague language is a subject of increasing interest, and both foreign and domestic studies have attained success in it. Nevertheless, the study on the application of vague language in the context of English commercial advertising is relatively…

  13. English-as-a-Second-Language Programs in Basic Skills Education Program 1

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-01-01

    languages and English as a second language . These theories and findings have led, in turn, to the development of new methods for teaching languages ...INTRODUCTION TO TEACHING TECHNIQUES FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Introduction ............................. 9 Traditional Methods ...instruments. q8 . _. ,’,..8 4% .’ II. A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO TEACHING TECHNIQUES FOR ENGLISH

  14. Unit 1002: The Modes and Functions of Discourse.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Center for Curriculum Development in English.

    The purpose of this 10th-grade unit on language is to pose, for students, basic and tentative questions about the rhetorical uses of language. Examples are provided which designate the modes of language: Daniel Fogarty's story of rhetoric to show language which informs; materials from Northrop Frye to show language which inquires; a John F.…

  15. Flushing High School, A Basic Trilingual Program. O.E.E. Evaluation Report, 1982-1983.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Inman, Deborah; Schulman, Robert

    In 1982-83, the Basic Trilingual Program at Flushing High School in Queens, New York, provided instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL) in 185 Hispanic and 51 Korean students of limited English proficiency in grades 9-12. The Hispanic students attended native language classes and bilingual courses in social studies, math, science, art,…

  16. Assessment of the Implementation of the Reading Component of the English Language Curriculum for Basic Education in Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yusuf, Hanna Onyi

    2014-01-01

    This study assessed the implementation of the reading component of the Junior Secondary School English Language Curriculum for Basic Education in Nigeria. Ten (10) randomly selected public and private secondary schools from Kaduna metropolis in Kaduna State of Nigeria were used for the study. Among the factors assessed in relation to the…

  17. Improvement of Orthography Test Performance by Relaxation Exercises: Results of a Controlled Field Experiment in Basic Secondary Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krampen, Gunter

    2010-01-01

    The effects of relaxation exercises on orthography performance in language arts education of fifth to seventh graders were experimentally tested. Participants were 399 basic secondary school students and their language arts teachers from the Hauptschule, a German type of secondary education covering grades five to nine that leads to a basic…

  18. Craft-Art as a Basis for Human Activity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karppinen, Seija

    2008-01-01

    This article based on my doctoral thesis examines the Basic Arts Education system in Finland, focusing on Basic Crafts Education and its description through action concepts. The main task of the study was to create a concept model. In the first part of the study a concept map was created from the practice of Basic Crafts Education. The aim of the…

  19. Master Curriculum Guide in Economics for the Nation's Schools. Part I, A Framework for Teaching Economics: Basic Concepts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hansen, W. Lee; And Others

    A concise framework of basic concepts and generalizations for teaching economics for K-12 students is presented. The guide summarizes the basic structure and substance of economics and lists and describes economic concepts. Standard guidelines are provided to help school systems integrate economics into their on-going courses of study. Designed to…

  20. System control of an autonomous planetary mobile spacecraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dias, William C.; Zimmerman, Barbara A.

    1990-01-01

    The goal is to suggest the scheduling and control functions necessary for accomplishing mission objectives of a fairly autonomous interplanetary mobile spacecraft, while maximizing reliability. Goals are to provide an extensible, reliable system conservative in its use of on-board resources, while getting full value from subsystem autonomy, and avoiding the lure of ground micromanagement. A functional layout consisting of four basic elements is proposed: GROUND and SYSTEM EXECUTIVE system functions and RESOURCE CONTROL and ACTIVITY MANAGER subsystem functions. The system executive includes six subfunctions: SYSTEM MANAGER, SYSTEM FAULT PROTECTION, PLANNER, SCHEDULE ADAPTER, EVENT MONITOR and RESOURCE MONITOR. The full configuration is needed for autonomous operation on Moon or Mars, whereas a reduced version without the planning, schedule adaption and event monitoring functions could be appropriate for lower-autonomy use on the Moon. An implementation concept is suggested which is conservative in use of system resources and consists of modules combined with a network communications fabric. A language concept termed a scheduling calculus for rapidly performing essential on-board schedule adaption functions is introduced.

  1. Advancing health equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people through sexual health education and LGBT-affirming health care environments.

    PubMed

    Keuroghlian, Alex S; Ard, Kevin L; Makadon, Harvey J

    2017-02-01

    Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people face pervasive health disparities and barriers to high-quality care. Adequate LGBT sexual health education for emerging health professionals is currently lacking. Clinical training programs and healthcare organisations are well poised to start addressing these disparities and affirming LGBT patients through curricula designed to cultivate core competencies in LBGT health as well as health care environments that welcome, include and protect LGBT patients, students and staff. Health education programs can emphasise mastery of basic LGBT concepts and terminology, as well as openness towards and acceptance of LGBT people. Core concepts, language and positive attitudes can be instilled alongside clinical skill in delivering inclusive sexual health care, through novel educational strategies and paradigms for clinical implementation. Caring for the health needs of LGBT patients also involves the creation of health care settings that affirm LGBT communities in a manner that is responsive to culturally specific needs, sensitivities and challenges that vary across the globe.

  2. Concept Communication and Interpretation of Illness: A Holistic Model of Understanding in Nursing Practice.

    PubMed

    Nordby, Halvor

    To ensure patient communication in nursing, certain conditions must be met that enable successful exchange of beliefs, thoughts, and other mental states. The conditions that have received most attention in the nursing literature are derived from general communication theories, psychology, and ethical frameworks of interpretation. This article focuses on a condition more directly related to an influential coherence model of concept possession from recent philosophy of mind and language. The basic ideas in this model are (i) that the primary source of understanding of illness experiences is communicative acts that express concepts of illness, and (ii) that the key to understanding patients' concepts of illness is to understand how they depend on patients' lifeworlds. The article argues that (i) and (ii) are especially relevant in caring practice since it has been extensively documented that patients' perspectives on disease and illness are shaped by their subjective horizons. According to coherentism, nurses need to focus holistically on patients' horizons in order to understand the meaning of patients' expressions of meaning. Furthermore, the coherence model implies that fundamental aims of understanding can be achieved only if nurses recognize the interdependence of patients' beliefs and experiences of ill health. The article uses case studies to elucidate how the holistic implications of coherentism can be used as conceptual tools in nursing.

  3. Are the Major Agglutinative Languages Genetically Related?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hakola, H. P. A.

    1989-01-01

    Examination of accidental CVC and CV correspondences among languages representing 5 large families of agglutinative languages found that comparison pairs had much more similarity between basic 100-word vocabularies than would have been possible by mere chance, supporting the hypothesis that those 5 language families were mutually related.…

  4. Aptitude and Language Learning of FBI Special Agents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Marijke; And Others

    This study investigated the relationship between aptitude, as measured by Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) scores, and oral proficiency as measured by the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) scores of 72 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents who completed basic foreign language training at the Defense Language Institute (DLI).…

  5. Language and Symbolic Power: Bourdieu and the Legacy of Euro-American Colonialism in an African Society.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goke-Pariola, Abiodun

    1993-01-01

    Examines Pierre Bourdieu's basic theory on language and criticisms of structuralism, transformational grammar, and the speech act theory as they appear in Language and Symbolic Power. Bourdieu's theories are applied to the colonial and postcolonial language situation in Nigeria. (JP)

  6. Advances in Language Planning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fishman, Joshua A.

    This volume is an attempt to provide the sociology of language with the basic teaching-learning tools needed in order to facilitate its academic growth and consolidation. It provides the students and specialist in language planning with a comprehensive anthology of articles dealing with this area of research in the sociology of language. The…

  7. Clinical success, political failure?

    PubMed

    Neilson, Jacqueline

    2004-01-01

    ABSTRACT This paper argues that the dominant language used by the domestic violence movement to conceptualize relationship violence inadequately captures the psychological complexities involved in abusive lesbian relationships. As a corrective, a language based on feminist and psychoanalytic concepts is presented. Against the backdrop of this language, the author reflects on the lived experience of lesbian clients who have come to therapy for relationship violence. It is concluded that a language based on the ethos of postmodern feminism and neo-Kleinian concepts and technique more appropriately addresses the complexities involved in abusive lesbian relationships within a therapeutic context than the polemical language of the domestic violence movement.

  8. Let There Be Languages!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gunnarsson, Petur

    1992-01-01

    Examines the resilience of small languages in the face of larger ones. Highlights include the concept of one dominant language, such as Esperanto; the threat of television to small visual-language societies; the power of visual media; man's relationship to language; and the resilience of language. (LRW)

  9. Boehm Test of Basic Concepts-Revised. Review.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Padula, Janice

    1988-01-01

    The manual for the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts-Revised (1986) is reviewed. The test measures a child's knowledge of relational concepts. The revised version, eliminating some imperfections of the original, will continue to be a useful test of verbal concept acquisition. Cautions necessary while using the test are discussed. (SLD)

  10. Chinese EFL teachers' knowledge of basic language constructs and their self-perceived teaching abilities.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jing; Joshi, R Malatesha; Dixon, L Quentin; Huang, Liyan

    2016-04-01

    The present study examined the knowledge and skills of basic language constructs among elementary school teachers who were teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in China. Six hundred and thirty in-service teachers completed the adapted Reading Teacher Knowledge Survey. Survey results showed that English teachers' self-perceived ability to teach vocabulary was the highest and self-perceived ability to teach reading to struggling readers was the lowest. Morphological knowledge was positively correlated with teachers' self-perceived teaching abilities, and it contributed unique variance even after controlling for the effects of ultimate educational attainment and years of teaching. Findings suggest that elementary school EFL teachers in China, on average, were able to display implicit skills related to certain basic language constructs, but less able to demonstrate explicit knowledge of other skills, especially sub-lexical units (e.g., phonemic awareness and morphemes). The high self-perceived ability of teaching vocabulary and high scores on syllable counting reflected the focus on larger units in the English reading curriculum.

  11. Conceptions over time: Are language and the here-and-now up to the task?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hewson, Peter W.

    2008-07-01

    Is it possible to explain students' conceptions of natural phenomena purely in terms of the interactions between two people and the language they use during an interview? I argue that this hypothesis cannot be accepted on several grounds. First, contextual factors prior to the interview influence the course of its events, and that these in turn influence future events. Second, people have agency over their interactions and the ability to use language creatively in ways that a strong version of language preordination inherent in this hypothesis would not permit. Third, people bring language fluency and ideas to an interview that allow them to grapple with phenomena and issues they might not have previously considered, and formulate conceptions that they can and do use in future interactions. In addition, I argue that the field of science education is able to consider curricular and instructional issues relating to students' conceptions without resorting to the extremes of cultural relativism or intellectual imperialism, and that conceptual change theory addresses both the processes and outcomes of students' interactions.

  12. Health Recommender Systems: Concepts, Requirements, Technical Basics and Challenges

    PubMed Central

    Wiesner, Martin; Pfeifer, Daniel

    2014-01-01

    During the last decades huge amounts of data have been collected in clinical databases representing patients' health states (e.g., as laboratory results, treatment plans, medical reports). Hence, digital information available for patient-oriented decision making has increased drastically but is often scattered across different sites. As as solution, personal health record systems (PHRS) are meant to centralize an individual's health data and to allow access for the owner as well as for authorized health professionals. Yet, expert-oriented language, complex interrelations of medical facts and information overload in general pose major obstacles for patients to understand their own record and to draw adequate conclusions. In this context, recommender systems may supply patients with additional laymen-friendly information helping to better comprehend their health status as represented by their record. However, such systems must be adapted to cope with the specific requirements in the health domain in order to deliver highly relevant information for patients. They are referred to as health recommender systems (HRS). In this article we give an introduction to health recommender systems and explain why they are a useful enhancement to PHR solutions. Basic concepts and scenarios are discussed and a first implementation is presented. In addition, we outline an evaluation approach for such a system, which is supported by medical experts. The construction of a test collection for case-related recommendations is described. Finally, challenges and open issues are discussed. PMID:24595212

  13. Effects of Sexist Language on the Status and Self-Concept of Women.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tarnove, Elizabeth J.

    The effects of sexist language on the status and self-concept of women is investigated in this paper, with particular emphasis on media sexism. The paper first examines the origin and effects of some of the most common ways in which language is used to reinforce existing sex stereotypes. The paper then discusses: (1) ways to weed out of daily…

  14. The body and the fading away of abstract concepts and words: a sign language analysis

    PubMed Central

    Borghi, Anna M.; Capirci, Olga; Gianfreda, Gabriele; Volterra, Virginia

    2014-01-01

    One of the most important challenges for embodied and grounded theories of cognition concerns the representation of abstract concepts, such as “freedom.” Many embodied theories of abstract concepts have been proposed. Some proposals stress the similarities between concrete and abstract concepts showing that they are both grounded in perception and action system while other emphasize their difference favoring a multiple representation view. An influential view proposes that abstract concepts are mapped to concrete ones through metaphors. Furthermore, some theories underline the fact that abstract concepts are grounded in specific contents, as situations, introspective states, emotions. These approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive, since it is possible that they can account for different subsets of abstract concepts and words. One novel and fruitful way to understand the way in which abstract concepts are represented is to analyze how sign languages encode concepts into signs. In the present paper we will discuss these theoretical issues mostly relying on examples taken from Italian Sign Language (LIS, Lingua dei Segni Italiana), the visual-gestural language used within the Italian Deaf community. We will verify whether and to what extent LIS signs provide evidence favoring the different theories of abstract concepts. In analyzing signs we will distinguish between direct forms of involvement of the body and forms in which concepts are grounded differently, for example relying on linguistic experience. In dealing with the LIS evidence, we will consider the possibility that different abstract concepts are represented using different levels of embodiment. The collected evidence will help us to discuss whether a unitary embodied theory of abstract concepts is possible or whether the different theoretical proposals can account for different aspects of their representation. PMID:25120515

  15. Concept Map Technique as a New Method for Whole Text Translation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krishan, Tamara Mohd Altabieri

    2017-01-01

    This study discusses the use of concept map tool as a new method for teaching translation (from English language to Arabic language). This study comprised 80 students divided into two groups. The first group was taught the new vocabulary by using the concept tool method, whereas the second group was taught the new vocabulary by the traditional…

  16. Attainment of students’ conception in magnetic fields by using of direct observation and symbolic language ability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Desy Fatmaryanti, Siska; Suparmi; Sarwanto; Ashadi

    2017-11-01

    This study focuses on description attainment of students’ conception in the magnetic field. The conception was based by using of direct observation and symbolic language ability. The method used is descriptive quantitative research. The subject of study was about 86 students from 3 senior high school at Purworejo. The learning process was done by guided inquiry model. During the learning, students were required to actively investigate the concept of a magnetic field around a straight wire electrical current Data retrieval was performed using an instrument in the form of a multiple choice test reasoned and observation during the learning process. There was four indicator of direct observation ability and four indicators of symbolic language ability to grouping category of students conception. The results of average score showed that students conception about the magnitude more better than the direction of magnetic fields in view of symbolic language. From the observation, we found that students could draw the magnetic fields line not from a text book but their direct observation results. They used various way to get a good accuracy of observation results. Explicit recommendations are presented in the discussion section at the end of this paper.

  17. Interactive natural language acquisition in a multi-modal recurrent neural architecture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heinrich, Stefan; Wermter, Stefan

    2018-01-01

    For the complex human brain that enables us to communicate in natural language, we gathered good understandings of principles underlying language acquisition and processing, knowledge about sociocultural conditions, and insights into activity patterns in the brain. However, we were not yet able to understand the behavioural and mechanistic characteristics for natural language and how mechanisms in the brain allow to acquire and process language. In bridging the insights from behavioural psychology and neuroscience, the goal of this paper is to contribute a computational understanding of appropriate characteristics that favour language acquisition. Accordingly, we provide concepts and refinements in cognitive modelling regarding principles and mechanisms in the brain and propose a neurocognitively plausible model for embodied language acquisition from real-world interaction of a humanoid robot with its environment. In particular, the architecture consists of a continuous time recurrent neural network, where parts have different leakage characteristics and thus operate on multiple timescales for every modality and the association of the higher level nodes of all modalities into cell assemblies. The model is capable of learning language production grounded in both, temporal dynamic somatosensation and vision, and features hierarchical concept abstraction, concept decomposition, multi-modal integration, and self-organisation of latent representations.

  18. Language of Physics, Language of Math: Disciplinary Culture and Dynamic Epistemology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Redish, Edward F.; Kuo, Eric

    2015-07-01

    Mathematics is a critical part of much scientific research. Physics in particular weaves math extensively into its instruction beginning in high school. Despite much research on the learning of both physics and math, the problem of how to effectively include math in physics in a way that reaches most students remains unsolved. In this paper, we suggest that a fundamental issue has received insufficient exploration: the fact that in science, we don't just use math, we make meaning with it in a different way than mathematicians do. In this reflective essay, we explore math as a language and consider the language of math in physics through the lens of cognitive linguistics. We begin by offering a number of examples that show how the use of math in physics differs from the use of math as typically found in math classes. We then explore basic concepts in cognitive semantics to show how humans make meaning with language in general. The critical elements are the roles of embodied cognition and interpretation in context. Then, we show how a theoretical framework commonly used in physics education research, resources, is coherent with and extends the ideas of cognitive semantics by connecting embodiment to phenomenological primitives and contextual interpretation to the dynamics of meaning-making with conceptual resources, epistemological resources, and affect. We present these ideas with illustrative case studies of students working on physics problems with math and demonstrate the dynamical nature of student reasoning with math in physics. We conclude with some thoughts about the implications for instruction.

  19. Aural mapping of STEM concepts using literature mining

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bharadwaj, Venkatesh

    Recent technological applications have made the life of people too much dependent on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and its applications. Understanding basic level science is a must in order to use and contribute to this technological revolution. Science education in middle and high school levels however depends heavily on visual representations such as models, diagrams, figures, animations and presentations etc. This leaves visually impaired students with very few options to learn science and secure a career in STEM related areas. Recent experiments have shown that small aural clues called Audemes are helpful in understanding and memorization of science concepts among visually impaired students. Audemes are non-verbal sound translations of a science concept. In order to facilitate science concepts as Audemes, for visually impaired students, this thesis presents an automatic system for audeme generation from STEM textbooks. This thesis describes the systematic application of multiple Natural Language Processing tools and techniques, such as dependency parser, POS tagger, Information Retrieval algorithm, Semantic mapping of aural words, machine learning etc., to transform the science concept into a combination of atomic-sounds, thus forming an audeme. We present a rule based classification method for all STEM related concepts. This work also presents a novel way of mapping and extracting most related sounds for the words being used in textbook. Additionally, machine learning methods are used in the system to guarantee the customization of output according to a user's perception. The system being presented is robust, scalable, fully automatic and dynamically adaptable for audeme generation.

  20. Mental map and spatial thinking

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vanzella Castellar, Sonia Maria; Cristiane Strina Juliasz, Paula

    2018-05-01

    The spatial thinking is a central concept in our researches at the Faculty of Education of University of São Paulo (FE-USP). The cartography is fundamental to this kind of thinking, because it contributes to the development of the representation of space. The spatial representations are the drawings - mental maps - maps, chart, aerial photos, satellite images, graphics and diagrams. To think spatially - including the contents and concepts geographical and their representations - also corresponds to reason, defined by the skills the individual develops to understand the structure, function of a space, and describe your organization and relation to other spaces. The aim of this paper is to analyze the role of mental maps in the development of concepts of city and landscape - structuring concepts for school geography. The purpose is to analyze how students in Geography and Pedagogy - future teachers - and young children in Early Childhood Education think, feel, and appropriate these concepts. The analys is indicates the importance of developing mental map in activities with pedagogy and geography graduate student to know that students at school can be producers of maps. Cartography is a language and allows the student to develop the spatial and temporal relationships and notions such as orientation, distance and location, learning the concepts of geographical science. Mental maps present the basic features of the location such as the conditions - the features verified in one place - and the connections that is to understand how this place connects to other places.

  1. The Need for and Uses of Foreign Languages in a Business Career.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Piper, Esther F.

    The overall goal of the 3M company in terms of the language training of its employees is to prepare individuals to be able to carry on everyday business on an international level and to develop employees who have both language skills and awareness of other cultures. The 3M Language Society consists basically of conversational language courses for…

  2. Developmental Diversity in the Academic Language-Learning Experiences of Adult English as a Second or Other Language Learners: A Constructive-Developmental Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ouellette-Schramm, Jennifer R.

    2016-01-01

    Academic language is a challenging yet increasingly important skill for Adult Basic Education/English as a Second or Other Language learners. Related to academic language learning is an adult's developmental perspective. Developmental perspectives have been shown to vary in adulthood and shape qualitatively distinct ways of reasoning and learning…

  3. The Articulation of Integration of Clinical and Basic Sciences in Concept Maps: Differences between Experienced and Resident Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vink, Sylvia; van Tartwijk, Jan; Verloop, Nico; Gosselink, Manon; Driessen, Erik; Bolk, Jan

    2016-01-01

    To determine the content of integrated curricula, clinical concepts and the underlying basic science concepts need to be made explicit. Preconstructed concept maps are recommended for this purpose. They are mainly constructed by experts. However, concept maps constructed by residents are hypothesized to be less complex, to reveal more tacit basic…

  4. The Analysis of the Understanding Levels of Teacher Candidates in Different Departments about Basic Astronomy Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Durukan, Ümmü Gülsüm; Saglam-Arslan, Aysegül

    2015-01-01

    Learners face a variety of concepts during the instructional process they experience. These concepts are mostly introduced by teachers; thus, the competences of teachers in terms of teaching concepts are vitally important. The aim of this study is to detect the understanding levels of teacher candidates about basic astronomy concepts. The method…

  5. Educational audiologists: their access, benefit, and collaborative assistance to speech-language pathologists in schools.

    PubMed

    Richburg, Cynthia McCormick; Knickelbein, Becky A

    2011-10-01

    The main goals of this study were to determine if school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have access to the services of an audiologist and if those SLPs felt they obtained benefit from the audiologist's services. Additional goals included gathering information about SLPs' (a) understanding of basic audiological concepts typical for a school setting, (b) added job responsibilities brought about by lack of access to an audiologist, and (c) collaboration with audiologists. A 36-item survey was e-mailed to 1,000 SLPs listed with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association as being employed in schools. Two-hundred and nine respondents from 42 states returned the survey. Seventy-six percent of the responding SLPs had access at some time to an audiologist, with 88% of them believing they received benefit from the services provided by that audiologist, primarily in the areas of hearing screenings and in-services. Thirty-eight SLPs (58%) who did not have access to an audiologist reported having additional job responsibilities. Many school-based SLPs believed they received benefit from an audiologist when they had access to one. Collaboration between these professionals was strong, yet findings indicate that audiologists could improve their collaborative efforts with SLPs and assist them in working within their scope of practice and maintaining their ethical standards.

  6. Language and the psychoanalytic process: psychoanalysis and Vygotskian psychology. II.

    PubMed

    Wilson, A; Weinstein, L

    1992-01-01

    This paper follows our previous one, where we described a psychoanalytic conception of language, thought, and internalization that is informed by the thinking of Lev Vygotsky. Here, several aspects of the analytic process which allow for the understanding of ineffable experiences in the analysand's history and the analytic situation are investigated: specifically, primal repression, metaphor, and the role of speech in free association. It is suggested that Freud's notion of primal repression be revived and redefined as one aspect of the descriptive unconscious. Some implications of primal repression for transference and resistance are explored. The metaphoric in its broad sense is examined as one example of how early dynamic experiences embedded in the process of language acquisition can be reached within the clinical situation. It is proposed that an understanding of free association is enhanced by awareness of distinctions between inner, egocentric, and social speech. The basic rule can be interpreted as an invitation for the analysand to use inner speech in collaboration with the analyst as best he or she can. Further, the aliveness and degree of superficiality of the analysis can be seen as a function of the analyst's ability to appreciate the properties of inner speech and foster the conditions in the analysis that allow for its unfolding.

  7. Literacy at Work: The Workplace Basic Education Project Model of Delivery. EAE646 Language and Literacies: Contexts and Challenges in the Workplace.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newcombe, Jude

    This publication is part of the study materials for the distance education course, Language and Literacies: Contexts and Challenges in the Workplace, in the Open Campus Program at Deakin University. The document traces the historical development of Australia's Workplace Basic Education Project (WBEP) model for taking literacy provision into the…

  8. Degree of Availability of Good Teacher Characteristics among the English Language (EL) Teachers of Basic Stage Schools from Their Principals' Views in Tafila Governorate

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alroud, Attalla; Qomoul, Mohammad

    2017-01-01

    The study aimed to investigate the Degree of Availability of Good Teacher Characteristics Among English Language (EL) Teachers of Basic Stage Schools from Their Principals' views in Tafila Governorate. This could be achieved through answering the following questions: 1-What is the degree of availability of good teacher characteristics among…

  9. John Bowne High School Basic Bilingual Program. E.S.E.A. Title VII. Final Evaluation Report, 1980-1981.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY. Office of Educational Evaluation.

    Presented in this report are a program description and the results of evaluation of the Basic Bilingual Program implemented at John Bowne High School in New York City during 1980-81. The program provided instruction in English as a Second Language, instruction in Spanish language skills, and bilingual instruction to high school students of limited…

  10. Development of the Field-Induced Electron Injection and Impact Ionization (F4I) Technique for Radiation Hardness Testing of MOS (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) Gate Insulators.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-03-01

    Applesoft language, a variant of floating-point BASIC that is supplied with the computer. As an intepreted language, Apple- soft BASIC executes fairly...fit with (VI , II ) array. I 8400 Sound bell and display warning when current limit exceeded. 8500-8510 Output HV pulse, read and display amplitude

  11. Perceptions of Arabic Language Teachers toward Their Use of Technology at the Omani Basic Education Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al Musawi, Ali; Al Hashmi, Abdullah; Kazem, Ali Mahdi; Al Busaidi, Fatima; Al Khaifi, Salim

    2016-01-01

    This study is part of a 3-year strategic research project to measure the effectiveness of the design and use of new software for learning Arabic. However, this paper's particular objective is to evaluate the use of technology in the Omani basic education schools as it is perceived by the Arabic language teachers. The study follows the descriptive…

  12. The Historical Development of Basic Color Terms in Old Norse-Icelandic

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crawford, Jackson

    2014-01-01

    This dissertation discusses the color terms of the Old Norse-Icelandic (or Old West Norse) language and seeks to establish which color terms in that language are basic (i.e., not further reducible, as English scarlet is to red), and what the fields of reference of these color terms are. By establishing how the color spectrum is divided in Old West…

  13. On the Language Specificity of Basic Number Processing: Transcoding in a Language with Inversion and Its Relation to Working Memory Capacity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zuber, Julia; Pixner, Silvia; Moeller, Korbinian; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph

    2009-01-01

    Transcoding Arabic numbers from and into verbal number words is one of the most basic number processing tasks commonly used to index the verbal representation of numbers. The inversion property, which is an important feature of some number word systems (e.g., German "einundzwanzig" [one and twenty]), might represent a major difficulty in…

  14. Their Words and Worlds: English as a Second Language Students in Adult Basic Education Literacy Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Csepelyi, Tünde

    2010-01-01

    The focus of this article is on adult literacy in adult basic education (ABE) programs with special emphasis on English as a Second Language (ESL) students. The article intends to highlight several relevant points in ABE ESL literacy instruction. It focuses on (a) the nature of adult learning, (b) the structure of ABE programs, (c) who the…

  15. Mixing Languages during Learning? Testing the One Subject-One Language Rule.

    PubMed

    Antón, Eneko; Thierry, Guillaume; Duñabeitia, Jon Andoni

    2015-01-01

    In bilingual communities, mixing languages is avoided in formal schooling: even if two languages are used on a daily basis for teaching, only one language is used to teach each given academic subject. This tenet known as the one subject-one language rule avoids mixing languages in formal schooling because it may hinder learning. The aim of this study was to test the scientific ground of this assumption by investigating the consequences of acquiring new concepts using a method in which two languages are mixed as compared to a purely monolingual method. Native balanced bilingual speakers of Basque and Spanish-adults (Experiment 1) and children (Experiment 2)-learnt new concepts by associating two different features to novel objects. Half of the participants completed the learning process in a multilingual context (one feature was described in Basque and the other one in Spanish); while the other half completed the learning phase in a purely monolingual context (both features were described in Spanish). Different measures of learning were taken, as well as direct and indirect indicators of concept consolidation. We found no evidence in favor of the non-mixing method when comparing the results of two groups in either experiment, and thus failed to give scientific support for the educational premise of the one subject-one language rule.

  16. Mixing Languages during Learning? Testing the One Subject—One Language Rule

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    In bilingual communities, mixing languages is avoided in formal schooling: even if two languages are used on a daily basis for teaching, only one language is used to teach each given academic subject. This tenet known as the one subject-one language rule avoids mixing languages in formal schooling because it may hinder learning. The aim of this study was to test the scientific ground of this assumption by investigating the consequences of acquiring new concepts using a method in which two languages are mixed as compared to a purely monolingual method. Native balanced bilingual speakers of Basque and Spanish—adults (Experiment 1) and children (Experiment 2)—learnt new concepts by associating two different features to novel objects. Half of the participants completed the learning process in a multilingual context (one feature was described in Basque and the other one in Spanish); while the other half completed the learning phase in a purely monolingual context (both features were described in Spanish). Different measures of learning were taken, as well as direct and indirect indicators of concept consolidation. We found no evidence in favor of the non-mixing method when comparing the results of two groups in either experiment, and thus failed to give scientific support for the educational premise of the one subject—one language rule. PMID:26107624

  17. Absorption of language concepts in the machine mind

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kollár, Ján

    2016-06-01

    In our approach, the machine mind is the applicative dynamic system represented by its algorithmically evolvable internal language. By other words, the mind and the language of mind are synonyms. Coming out from Shaumyan's semiotic theory of languages, we present the representation of language concepts in the machine mind as a result of our experiment, to show non-redundancy of the language of mind. To provide useful restriction for further research, we also introduce the hypothesis of semantic saturation in Computer-Computer communication, which indicates that a set of machines is not self-evolvable. The goal of our research is to increase the abstraction of Human-Computer and Computer-Computer communication. If we want humans and machines comunicate as a parent with the child, using different symbols and media, we must find the language of mind commonly usable by both machines and humans. In our opinion, there exist a kind of calm language of thinking, which we try to propose for machines in this paper. We separate the layers of a machine mind, we present the structure of the evolved mind and we discuss the selected properties. We are concentrating on the representation of symbolized concepts in the mind, that are languages, not just grammars, since they have meaning.

  18. A Cognitive Approach to the Development of Early Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rose, Susan A.; Feldman, Judith F.; Jankowski, Jeffery J.

    2009-01-01

    A controversial issue in the field of language development is whether language emergence and growth is dependent solely on processes specifically tied to language or could also depend on basic cognitive processes that affect all aspects of cognitive competence (domain-general processes). The present article examines this issue using a large…

  19. Oracle Bones and Mandarin Tones: Demystifying the Chinese Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor. Project on East Asian Studies in Education.

    This publication will provide secondary level students with a basic understanding of the development and structure of Chinese (guo yu) language characters. The authors believe that demystifying the language helps break many cultural barriers. The written language is a good place to begin because its pictographic nature is appealing and inspires…

  20. Improving English Listening Proficiency: The Application of ARCS Learning-Motivational Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Jianfeng

    2015-01-01

    Language learning motivation is one of vital factors which strongly correlates to the success in second language acquisition. Listening proficiency, as one of the basic language abilities, is paid much attention in English instruction, but presently the college English listening teaching is a weak link in English language teaching in China, which…

  1. Computer Languages: A Practical Guide to the Chief Programming Languages.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanderson, Peter C.

    All the most commonly-used high-level computer languages are discussed in this book. An introductory discussion provides an overview of the basic components of a digital computer, the general planning of a computer programing problem, and the various types of computer languages. Each chapter is self-contained, emphasizes those features of a…

  2. Creativity in the Language Classroom: Towards a "Vichian" Approach in Second Language Teaching.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Danesi, Marcel; D'Alfonso, Aldo

    1989-01-01

    Describes a "Vichian" approach (involving linguistic imagination and creativity) to the exploration of basic pedagogical matters in classroom language teaching. The approach is based on principles involving: (1) concrete language knowledge; (2) development from the concrete to the abstract; (3) the role of metaphor in verbal creativity;…

  3. Ethnic Minority Languages versus Frisian in Dutch Primary Schools: A Comparative Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Extra, Guus

    1989-01-01

    Compares the position of ethnic minority languages versus Frisian in Dutch primary schools, and considers the roles of legislation, educational models, minority language usage, language attitudes, pressure groups, teacher quality, instructional materials, and the serious lack of basic research data on the acquisition, use, shift, and loss of…

  4. All Children in the Nordic Countries Should Be Bilingual--Why Aren't They?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Skutnabb-Kangas, Tove

    Little data are available concerning the native languages of Scandinavian residents, other than the official languages, despite the linguistic diversity of the region. Foreign language teaching starts early in schooling, but there has been little study of actual language needs. Three basic program designs are available for teaching foreign…

  5. What conceptual spaces can do for Carnap's late inductive logic.

    PubMed

    Sznajder, Marta

    2016-04-01

    In the last published account of his late inductive logic, the Basic System of Inductive Logic, Rudolf Carnap introduced a new element to the systems of inductive logic, namely the so-called attribute spaces. These geometrical structures model the meanings of the predicates of the object language and have a similar structure as the conceptual spaces employed by cognitive scientists like Peter Gärdenfors. I show how the development of the theory of conceptual spaces helps us to see the addition of attribute spaces as a step forward in explicating the concept of confirmation. I discuss the differences and similarities of the two theories and investigate the possibilities for developing further connections. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. A multitasking finite state architecture for computer control of an electric powertrain

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Burba, J.C.

    1984-01-01

    Finite state techniques provide a common design language between the control engineer and the computer engineer for event driven computer control systems. They simplify communication and provide a highly maintainable control system understandable by both. This paper describes the development of a control system for an electric vehicle powertrain utilizing finite state concepts. The basics of finite state automata are provided as a framework to discuss a unique multitasking software architecture developed for this application. The architecture employs conventional time-sliced techniques with task scheduling controlled by a finite state machine representation of the control strategy of the powertrain. The complexitiesmore » of excitation variable sampling in this environment are also considered.« less

  7. Engineering data compendium. Human perception and performance, volume 3

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boff, Kenneth R. (Editor); Lincoln, Janet E. (Editor)

    1988-01-01

    The concept underlying the Engineering Data Compendium was the product of a research and development program (Integrated Perceptual Information for Designers project) aimed at facilitating the application of basic research findings in human performance to the design of military crew systems. The principal objective was to develop a workable strategy for: (1) identifying and distilling information of potential value to system design from existing research literature, and (2) presenting this technical information in a way that would aid its accessibility, interpretability, and applicability by system designers. The present four volumes of the Engineering Data Compendium represent the first implementation of this strategy. This is Volume 3, containing sections on Human Language Processing, Operator Motion Control, Effects of Environmental Stressors, Display Interfaces, and Control Interfaces (Real/Virtual).

  8. A Comparative Study : Microprogrammed Vs Risc Architectures For Symbolic Processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heudin, J. C.; Metivier, C.; Demigny, D.; Maurin, T.; Zavidovique, B.; Devos, F.

    1987-05-01

    It is oftenclaimed that conventional computers are not well suited for human-like tasks : Vision (Image Processing), Intelligence (Symbolic Processing) ... In the particular case of Artificial Intelligence, dynamic type-checking is one example of basic task that must be improved. The solution implemented in most Lisp work-stations consists in a microprogrammed architecture with a tagged memory. Another way to gain efficiency is to design a well suited instruction set for symbolic processing, which reduces the semantic gap between the high level language and the machine code. In this framework, the RISC concept provides a convenient approach to study new architectures for symbolic processing. This paper compares both approaches and describes our projectof designing a compact symbolic processor for Artificial Intelligence applications.

  9. An Efficient Universal Trajectory Language

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hagen, George E.; Guerreiro, Nelson M.; Maddalon, Jeffrey M.; Butler, Ricky W.

    2017-01-01

    The Efficient Universal Trajectory Language (EUTL) is a language for specifying and representing trajectories for Air Traffic Management (ATM) concepts such as Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO). In these concepts, the communication of a trajectory between an aircraft and ground automation is fundamental. Historically, this trajectory exchange has not been done, leading to trajectory definitions that have been centered around particular application domains and, therefore, are not well suited for TBO applications. The EUTL trajectory language has been defined in the Prototype Verification System (PVS) formal specification language, which provides an operational semantics for the EUTL language. The hope is that EUTL will provide a foundation for mathematically verified algorithms that manipulate trajectories. Additionally, the EUTL language provides well-defined methods to unambiguously determine position and velocity information between the reported trajectory points. In this paper, we present the EUTL trajectory language in mathematical detail.

  10. A grammar-based semantic similarity algorithm for natural language sentences.

    PubMed

    Lee, Ming Che; Chang, Jia Wei; Hsieh, Tung Cheng

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a grammar and semantic corpus based similarity algorithm for natural language sentences. Natural language, in opposition to "artificial language", such as computer programming languages, is the language used by the general public for daily communication. Traditional information retrieval approaches, such as vector models, LSA, HAL, or even the ontology-based approaches that extend to include concept similarity comparison instead of cooccurrence terms/words, may not always determine the perfect matching while there is no obvious relation or concept overlap between two natural language sentences. This paper proposes a sentence similarity algorithm that takes advantage of corpus-based ontology and grammatical rules to overcome the addressed problems. Experiments on two famous benchmarks demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has a significant performance improvement in sentences/short-texts with arbitrary syntax and structure.

  11. Using Quality Management Systems to Improve Test Development and Standards and to Promote Good Practice: A Case Study of Testing Italian as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grego Bolli, Giuliana

    2014-01-01

    This article discusses the problem of quality in the production of language tests in the context of Italian language examinations. The concept of quality is closely related to the application of stated standards and related procedures. These standards, developed over the last thirty years, are mainly related to the concepts of the accountability…

  12. Evaluation of the Effects of Head Start Experience in the Area of Self-Concept, Social Skills, and Language Skills. Pre-Publication Draft.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McNamara, J. Regis; And Others

    About 180 Negro Head Start children in Dade County, Florida, were tested (1) to discover if the county's program contributed significantly to language skills, social skills, and self-concept development and (2) to determine if an efficient instrument could be developed to measure self-concept in the disadvantaged child. Pretests and posttests used…

  13. Similarities and Differences in Teachers' and Researchers' Conceptions of Communicative Language Teaching: Does the Use of an Educational Model Cast a Better Light?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mangubhai, Francis; Marland, Perc; Dashwood, Ann; Son, Jeong-Bae

    2005-01-01

    This study seeks to document teachers' conceptions of communicative language teaching (CLT) and to compare their conceptions with a composite view of CLT assembled, in part, from researchers' accounts of the distinctive features of CLT. The research was prompted by a review of the relevant research literature showing that, though previous studies…

  14. Adult Basic Education 1985-1986 End-of-Year Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mei, Dolores M.; And Others

    The Adult Basic Education/High School Equivalency (ABE/HSE) Services Program provides basic educational services for out-of-school youth and adults in New York City. The program offers classes in basic literacy (BL), basic education (BE), high school equivalency (HSE), and English as a second language (ESL). The program's budget is $11 million.…

  15. Back-to-the-Basics in English Teaching.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donelson, Ken, Ed.

    1976-01-01

    In this issue, the writers focus on the "basics" in English teaching, some offering suggestions on ways of altering present conditions, some commenting generally (in assessments, defenses, or attacks) cn the basics, and some presenting specific discussions of basics in teaching the various language arts components. A few of the articales and…

  16. The Teaching of Literature.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O Cuilleanain, Cormac

    Literature is authentic language, written with unusual care, skill, and language awareness. It is useful for teaching culture and civilization, but equally useful for teaching basic elements of language: grammar, vocabulary, rhythms, and registers. Literary skills are also widely used in everyday situations, with sophisticated literary techniques…

  17. A Bag of Concepts Approach for Biomedical Document Classification Using Wikipedia Knowledge*. Spanish-English Cross-language Case Study.

    PubMed

    Mouriño-García, Marcos A; Pérez-Rodríguez, Roberto; Anido-Rifón, Luis E

    2017-10-26

    The ability to efficiently review the existing literature is essential for the rapid progress of research. This paper describes a classifier of text documents, represented as vectors in spaces of Wikipedia concepts, and analyses its suitability for classification of Spanish biomedical documents when only English documents are available for training. We propose the cross-language concept matching (CLCM) technique, which relies on Wikipedia interlanguage links to convert concept vectors from the Spanish to the English space. The performance of the classifier is compared to several baselines: a classifier based on machine translation, a classifier that represents documents after performing Explicit Semantic Analysis (ESA), and a classifier that uses a domain-specific semantic annotator (MetaMap). The corpus used for the experiments (Cross-Language UVigoMED) was purpose-built for this study, and it is composed of 12,832 English and 2,184 Spanish MEDLINE abstracts. The performance of our approach is superior to any other state-of-the art classifier in the benchmark, with performance increases up to: 124% over classical machine translation, 332% over MetaMap, and 60 times over the classifier based on ESA. The results have statistical significance, showing p-values < 0.0001. Using knowledge mined from Wikipedia to represent documents as vectors in a space of Wikipedia concepts and translating vectors between language-specific concept spaces, a cross-language classifier can be built, and it performs better than several state-of-the-art classifiers.

  18. With the future behind them: convergent evidence from aymara language and gesture in the crosslinguistic comparison of spatial construals of time.

    PubMed

    Núñez, Rafael E; Sweetser, Eve

    2006-05-06

    Cognitive research on metaphoric concepts of time has focused on differences between moving Ego and moving time models, but even more basic is the contrast between Ego- and temporal-reference-point models. Dynamic models appear to be quasi-universal cross-culturally, as does the generalization that in Ego-reference-point models, FUTURE IS IN FRONT OF EGO and PAST IS IN BACK OF EGO. The Aymara language instead has a major static model of time wherein FUTURE IS BEHIND EGO and PAST IS IN FRONT OF EGO; linguistic and gestural data give strong confirmation of this unusual culture-specific cognitive pattern. Gestural data provide crucial information unavailable to purely linguistic analysis, suggesting that when investigating conceptual systems both forms of expression should be analyzed complementarily. Important issues in embodied cognition are raised: how fully shared are bodily grounded motivations for universal cognitive patterns, what makes a rare pattern emerge, and what are the cultural entailments of such patterns? 2006 Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

  19. Using Parallel Processing for Problem Solving.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-12-01

    are the basic parallel proces- sing primitive . Different goals of the system can be pursued in parallel by placing them in separate activities...Language primitives are provided for manipulating running activities. Viewpoints are a generalization of context FOM -(over "*’ DD I FON 1473 ’EDITION OF I...arc the basic parallel processing primitive . Different goals of the system can be pursued in parallel by placing them in separate activities. Language

  20. Basic Reading Skills in Swedish Children with Late Developing Language and with or without Autism Spectrum Disorder or ADHD

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miniscalco, Carmela; Sandberg, Annika Dahlgren

    2010-01-01

    Reading skills at age 7-8 years were examined in a community-representative sample of 21 screened and clinically examined children with language delay (LD) followed prospectively from 2.5 years of age. The present study aimed to (1) determine whether these children with a history of LD had deficits in basic reading skills, i.e. decoding and…

  1. Meeting the Objectives of the Curriculum at the First Stage of Basic School by the Child Having Left the Language Immersion Kindergarten

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kukk, Airi; Õun, Tiia

    2014-01-01

    Year after year, the interest in early learning of the state language by non-Estonian children has increased. In Estonia, the course has been directed that non-Estonian learners have to reach functional bilingualism by the time they leave basic school and thus to become competitive in labour and education markets in Estonia. The objective of the…

  2. Teaching Basic Skills in Life Skills Contexts: An Inservice Training Module for LVA-CT English as a Second Language Tutors.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Literacy Volunteers of America--Connecticut, Hartford.

    The set of instructional materials is designed as a training module for volunteer tutors in English as a Second Language (ESL) for adults. It presents the content of a workshop, about 2.5 hours long, with three main objectives: to (1) help tutors understand the distinction between basic skills and life skills in ESL; (2) develop skills in two…

  3. Integrating Reading and the English-Language Arts in the Geography Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rushdoony, Haig A.

    Suggested activities for integrating language concepts and comprehension skills into elementary school geography instruction are presented. The activities focus on concept formation through semantic mapping and making analogies, and on comprehension through recalling, generalizing, interpreting, and making inferences. Semantic maps indicate spoke…

  4. Brain and Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Damasio, Antonio R., Damasio, Hanna

    1992-01-01

    Discusses the advances made in understanding the brain structures responsible for language. Presents findings made using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomographic (PET) scans to study brain activity. These findings map the structures in the brain that manipulate concepts and those that turn concepts into words. (MCO)

  5. The Effective Concepts on Students' Understanding of Chemical Reactions and Energy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ayyildiz, Yildizay; Tarhan, Leman

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the basic concepts related to the unit of "Chemical Reactions and Energy" and the sub-concepts underlying for meaningful learning of the unit and to investigate the effectiveness of them on students' learning achievements. For this purpose, the basic concepts of the unit…

  6. "Neural overlap of L1 and L2 semantic representations across visual and auditory modalities: a decoding approach".

    PubMed

    Van de Putte, Eowyn; De Baene, Wouter; Price, Cathy J; Duyck, Wouter

    2018-05-01

    This study investigated whether brain activity in Dutch-French bilinguals during semantic access to concepts from one language could be used to predict neural activation during access to the same concepts from another language, in different language modalities/tasks. This was tested using multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA), within and across language comprehension (word listening and word reading) and production (picture naming). It was possible to identify the picture or word named, read or heard in one language (e.g. maan, meaning moon) based on the brain activity in a distributed bilateral brain network while, respectively, naming, reading or listening to the picture or word in the other language (e.g. lune). The brain regions identified differed across tasks. During picture naming, brain activation in the occipital and temporal regions allowed concepts to be predicted across languages. During word listening and word reading, across-language predictions were observed in the rolandic operculum and several motor-related areas (pre- and postcentral, the cerebellum). In addition, across-language predictions during reading were identified in regions typically associated with semantic processing (left inferior frontal, middle temporal cortex, right cerebellum and precuneus) and visual processing (inferior and middle occipital regions and calcarine sulcus). Furthermore, across modalities and languages, the left lingual gyrus showed semantic overlap across production and word reading. These findings support the idea of at least partially language- and modality-independent semantic neural representations. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  7. Why is number word learning hard? Evidence from bilingual learners.

    PubMed

    Wagner, Katie; Kimura, Katherine; Cheung, Pierina; Barner, David

    2015-12-01

    Young children typically take between 18 months and 2 years to learn the meanings of number words. In the present study, we investigated this developmental trajectory in bilingual preschoolers to examine the relative contributions of two factors in number word learning: (1) the construction of numerical concepts, and (2) the mapping of language specific words onto these concepts. We found that children learn the meanings of small number words (i.e., one, two, and three) independently in each language, indicating that observed delays in learning these words are attributable to difficulties in mapping words to concepts. In contrast, children generally learned to accurately count larger sets (i.e., five or greater) simultaneously in their two languages, suggesting that the difficulty in learning to count is not tied to a specific language. We also replicated previous studies that found that children learn the counting procedure before they learn its logic - i.e., that for any natural number, n, the successor of n in the count list denotes the cardinality n+1. Consistent with past studies, we found that children's knowledge of successors is first acquired incrementally. In bilinguals, we found that this knowledge exhibits item-specific transfer between languages, suggesting that the logic of the positive integers may not be stored in a language-specific format. We conclude that delays in learning the meanings of small number words are mainly due to language-specific processes of mapping words to concepts, whereas the logic and procedures of counting appear to be learned in a format that is independent of a particular language and thus transfers rapidly from one language to the other in development. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  8. Mobile-Assisted Second Language Learning: Developing a Learner-Centered Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leow, Choy Khim; Yahaya, Wan Ahmad Jaafar Wan; Samsudin, Zarina

    2014-01-01

    The Mobile Assisted Language Learning concept has offered infinite language learning opportunities since its inception 20 years ago. Second Language Acquisition however embraces a considerably different body of knowledge from first language learning. While technological advances have optimized the psycholinguistic environment for language…

  9. Fish. A Language Development Unit for Science. Life and the Environment: Populations. Grade Three.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gilmour, Margy; McGregor, Cathy, Ed.

    One of the basic principles of the Language Development Approach is that students must learn the language necessary to understand, talk, and write about all subject areas in order to succeed in school. This book contains information about teaching primary school science in the Northwest Territories with lessons that emphasize language. The goals…

  10. Popcorn. A Language Development Unit for Science. Matter and Energy. Grade One.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gilmour, Margy; McGregor, Cathy, Ed.

    One of the basic principles of the Language Development Approach is that students must learn the language necessary to understand, talk, and write about all subject areas in order to succeed in school. This book contains information about teaching primary school science in the Northwest Territories with lessons that emphasize language. The goals…

  11. First Steps to Endangered Language Documentation: The Kalasha Language, a Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mela-Athanasopoulou, Elizabeth

    2011-01-01

    The present paper based on extensive fieldwork D conducted on Kalasha, an endangered language spoken in the three small valleys in Chitral District of Northwestern Pakistan, exposes a spontaneous dialogue-based elicitation of linguistic material used for the description and documentation of the language. After a brief display of the basic typology…

  12. Basic Helps for Teaching English as a Second Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frey, Betty J.

    This book is designed for teachers of children whose first language is other than English, in particular, teachers who have had little or no formal training in the teaching of English as a second language (ESL). Although the emphasis is on the Spanish-speaking student, the same techniques and tools apply to speakers of other languages. The first…

  13. Tools for the Classroom. Gruezi Miteinand! A Focus on Swiss-German Culture and Language Online.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moehle-Vieregge, Linda

    1999-01-01

    Swiss-German language and culture rarely form the core focus in basic German language instruction. This article examines Swiss-German culture, focusing on geography and history, language, sports, world organizations, legendary figures, literature, music, art, holidays, and food. It points out online resources that touch upon aspects of Swiss…

  14. Exploring Languages and Cultures--An Exploratory Foreign Language Course. A Guide for Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Milwaukee Public Schools, WI. Div. of Curriculum and Instruction.

    A working guide for teachers in planning and teaching an exploratory course in foreign language and culture presents the basic course structure for nine weeks. Instructional materials are not provided. Course objectives include: (1) exploration of foreign languages and cultures; (2) sensitization to value systems and customs of one's own and other…

  15. Is it time to Leave Behind the Revised Hierarchical Model of Bilingual Language Processing after Fifteen Years of Service?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brysbaert, Marc; Duyck, Wouter

    2010-01-01

    The Revised Hierarchical Model (RHM) of bilingual language processing dominates current thinking on bilingual language processing. Recently, basic tenets of the model have been called into question. First, there is little evidence for separate lexicons. Second, there is little evidence for language selective access. Third, the inclusion of…

  16. The Dual Language Program Planner: A Guide for Designing and Implementing Dual Language Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howard, Elizabeth R.; Olague, Natalie; Rogers, David

    This guide offers a framework to facilitate the planning process for dual language programs, assuming at least a basic working knowledge of the central characteristics and essential features of dual language models. It provides an overview of the various models that serve linguistically diverse student populations, defining the term dual language…

  17. Errors and Intelligence in Computer-Assisted Language Learning: Parsers and Pedagogues. Routledge Studies in Computer Assisted Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heift, Trude; Schulze, Mathias

    2012-01-01

    This book provides the first comprehensive overview of theoretical issues, historical developments and current trends in ICALL (Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning). It assumes a basic familiarity with Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theory and teaching, CALL and linguistics. It is of interest to upper undergraduate and/or graduate…

  18. Variation of Zipf's exponent in one hundred live languages: A study of the Holy Bible translations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mehri, Ali; Jamaati, Maryam

    2017-08-01

    Zipf's law, as a power-law regularity, confirms long-range correlations between the elements in natural and artificial systems. In this article, this law is evaluated for one hundred live languages. We calculate Zipf's exponent for translations of the holy Bible to several languages, for this purpose. The results show that, the average of Zipf's exponent in studied texts is slightly above unity. All studied languages in some families have Zipf's exponent lower/higher than unity. It seems that geographical distribution impresses the communication between speakers of different languages in a language family, and affect similarity between their Zipf's exponent. The Bible has unique concept regardless of its language, but the discrepancy in grammatical rules and syntactic regularities in applying stop words to make sentences and imply a certain concept, lead to difference in Zipf's exponent for various languages.

  19. Language matters in demonstrations of understanding in early years mathematics assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mushin, Ilana; Gardner, Rod; Munro, Jennifer M.

    2013-09-01

    In classrooms tests, students are regularly required to demonstrate their understanding of mathematical concepts. When children encounter problems in demonstrating such understanding, it is often not clear whether this is because of the language of the teachers' questions and instructions or a genuine non-understanding of the concept itself. This paper uses Conversation Analysis to investigate the role that language plays in Year 1 oral maths assessment in an Australian Indigenous community school. This approach allows us to monitor the very subtle communicative gestures, verbal and non-verbal, that contribute to the trajectory of a particular test task. Here we are able to bring to light a range of ways in which language may interfere with demonstrations of understanding of mathematical concepts. These include particular mathematical words (e.g., size, shape, same), as well as problems with what is being asked in an instruction. We argue that while all children must learn new mathematical language in their early years of schooling, the challenge for the students we have recorded may be compounded by the language differences between the Indigenous variety of language they speak in the community, and the Standard Australian English of the classroom and teachers.

  20. SWAHILI LANGUAGE HANDBOOK.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    POLOME, EDGAR C.

    THIS INTRODUCTION TO THE STRUCTURE AND BACKGROUND OF THE SWAHILI LANGUAGE WAS WRITTEN FOR THE NON-SPECIALIST. ALTHOUGH THE LINGUISTIC TERMINOLOGY USED IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THE LANGUAGE ASSUMES THE READER HAS HAD SOME TRAINING IN LINGUISTICS, THIS HANDBOOK PROVIDES BASIC LINGUISTIC AND SOCIOLINGUISTIC INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS OF AFRICAN CULTURE…

  1. Measuring Language Dominance and Bilingual Proficiency Development of Tarahumara Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paciotto, Carla

    This paper examines the language dominance and oral bilingual proficiency of Tarahumara-Spanish speaking students from Chihuahua, Mexico, within the framework of Cummins' model of bilingual proficiency development. Cummins' model distinguishes between basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS) and cognitive academic language proficiency…

  2. Unders and Overs: Using a Dice Game to Illustrate Basic Probability Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McPherson, Sandra Hanson

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, the dice game "Unders and Overs" is described and presented as an active learning exercise to introduce basic probability concepts. The implementation of the exercise is outlined and the resulting presentation of various probability concepts are described.

  3. Towards a Warfighter’s Associate: Eliminating the Operator Control Unit

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-10-01

    ABSTRACT This paper introduces the long-term concept of a supervised autonomous Warfighter’s Associate, which uses a natural-language interface for...paper introduces the long-term concept of a supervised autonomous Warfighter’s Associate, which employs a natural-language interface for communication...results to date. The primary application discussed is military, but the concept also applies to law enforcement, space exploration, and search-and

  4. Internalism, Externalism and Coding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carr, Philip

    2007-01-01

    I examine some of the issues connected with the internalist/externalist distinction in work on the ontology of language. I note that Chomskyan radical internalism necessarily leads to a passive conception of child language acquisition. I reject that passive conception, and support current versions of constructivism [Tomasello, M., 2001. "The…

  5. On Explaining Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lenneberg, Eric H.

    1969-01-01

    The author's purpose in this article is to discuss the aspects of language (especially the development of language in children) to which biological concepts are most appropriately applied. While results of past studies would seem to show that language development is contingent on specific language training, it is important to distinguish between…

  6. Radiological Dispersion Devices and Basic Radiation Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bevelacqua, Joseph John

    2010-01-01

    Introductory physics courses present the basic concepts of radioactivity and an overview of nuclear physics that emphasizes the basic decay relationship and the various types of emitted radiation. Although this presentation provides insight into radiological science, it often fails to interest students to explore these concepts in a more rigorous…

  7. Teaching Future Teachers Basic Astronomy Concepts--Sun-Earth-Moon Relative Movements--at a Time of Reform in Science Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trumper, Ricardo

    2006-01-01

    In view of students' alternative conceptions about basic concepts in astronomy, we conducted a series of constructivist activities with future elementary and junior high school teachers aimed at changing their conceptions about the cause of seasonal changes, and of several characteristics of the Sun-Earth-Moon relative movements like Moon phases,…

  8. The Effect of Using an Educational Website in Achievement of Bachelor Students in the Course of Basic Concepts in Mathematics at Al al-Bayt University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Qudah, Ahmad Hassan

    2016-01-01

    The study aimed to detect the effect of using an educational site on the Internet in the collection of bachelor's students in the course of basic concepts in mathematics at Al al-Bayt University, and the study sample consisted of all students in the course basic concepts in mathematics in the first semester of the academic year 2014/2015 and the…

  9. Concepts and implementations of natural language query systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Liu, I-Hsiung

    1984-01-01

    The currently developed user language interfaces of information systems are generally intended for serious users. These interfaces commonly ignore potentially the largest user group, i.e., casual users. This project discusses the concepts and implementations of a natural query language system which satisfy the nature and information needs of casual users by allowing them to communicate with the system in the form of their native (natural) language. In addition, a framework for the development of such an interface is also introduced for the MADAM (Multics Approach to Data Access and Management) system at the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

  10. Meaning and object in Freud's theory of language.

    PubMed

    Simanke, Richard Theisen

    2017-12-01

    This article sets out to challenge the interpretation of Freud's views on the origins of the meaning of language according to which meaning always originates from an act of naming. In Freud's terms, word-presentations would originally denote object- or thing-presentations and gain meaning through this reference. This interpretation claims that this view was already expressed in Freud's On Aphasia (1891) and influenced all his later theory of language. To oppose this claim, three conceptions proposed by Freud are discussed that strongly suggest the participation of language in the construction of the field of objects: a metapsychological hypothesis (the concepts of word-, thing-, and object-presentation), the explanation of a psychopathological phenomenon (the genesis of a fetishistic object-choice), and a concept concerning the foundations of the psychoanalytic method of dream interpretation (secondary elaboration). As a conclusion, it is argued that Freud's early views in On Aphasia (1891) can be alternatively understood such as to allow for a different view of language and its relationship with objects. Copyright © 2017 Institute of Psychoanalysis.

  11. Serious Use of a Serious Game for Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, W. Lewis

    2010-01-01

    The Tactical Language and Culture Training System (TLCTS) helps learners acquire basic communicative skills in foreign languages and cultures. Learners acquire communication skills through a combination of interactive lessons and serious games. Artificial intelligence plays multiple roles in this learning environment: to process the learner's…

  12. Language in America.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Postman, Neil, Ed.; And Others

    The essays published in this collection were written in response to the basic question, "To what extent is the language of politics/advertising/psychotherapy/education/bureaucracy/etc. facilitating or impeding our chances of survival?" The general topic here is the contemporary use of language and the semantic environment in America, especially in…

  13. SOME CURRENT PROBLEMS IN SECOND-LANGUAGE TEACHING.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    WARDHAUGH, RONALD

    ALTHOUGH THE LINGUISTS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND TEACHERS WHO HAVE STRESSED THE HABITUAL ASPECTS OF LANGUAGE HAVE MADE MANY USEFUL CONTRIBUTIONS TO LINGUISTIC RESEARCH AND LANGUAGE TEACHING, THERE STILL REMAIN SOME BASIC PROBLEMS. WITH THE PSYCHOLOGIST, PEDAGOGUE, SOCIOLOGIST, AND ANTHROPOLOGIST, THE LINGUIST MUST ATTACK THE GROUP OF PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED…

  14. Defining the Language Arts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barth, Patte, Ed.

    1994-01-01

    This issue of "Basic Education" presents articles that discuss, respectively, defining the language arts, an agenda for English, the benefits of two languages, a new teacher (presently teaching English in a foreign country) looking ahead, and the Shaker Fellowships awarded by the school district in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Articles in the…

  15. Entrepreneurial Literacy and the Second Language Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rauch, Karen L.; Slack, Dawn

    2016-01-01

    In this article, we outline ways that language pedagogy intersects with best practices in entrepreneurial education. By highlighting two courses, one in translation studies for a polyglot audience and another in entrepreneurship for Spanish-speaking students, we show how to infuse basic business principles into language curricula. Course…

  16. The possibility of coexistence and co-development in language competition: ecology-society computational model and simulation.

    PubMed

    Yun, Jian; Shang, Song-Chao; Wei, Xiao-Dan; Liu, Shuang; Li, Zhi-Jie

    2016-01-01

    Language is characterized by both ecological properties and social properties, and competition is the basic form of language evolution. The rise and decline of one language is a result of competition between languages. Moreover, this rise and decline directly influences the diversity of human culture. Mathematics and computer modeling for language competition has been a popular topic in the fields of linguistics, mathematics, computer science, ecology, and other disciplines. Currently, there are several problems in the research on language competition modeling. First, comprehensive mathematical analysis is absent in most studies of language competition models. Next, most language competition models are based on the assumption that one language in the model is stronger than the other. These studies tend to ignore cases where there is a balance of power in the competition. The competition between two well-matched languages is more practical, because it can facilitate the co-development of two languages. A third issue with current studies is that many studies have an evolution result where the weaker language inevitably goes extinct. From the integrated point of view of ecology and sociology, this paper improves the Lotka-Volterra model and basic reaction-diffusion model to propose an "ecology-society" computational model for describing language competition. Furthermore, a strict and comprehensive mathematical analysis was made for the stability of the equilibria. Two languages in competition may be either well-matched or greatly different in strength, which was reflected in the experimental design. The results revealed that language coexistence, and even co-development, are likely to occur during language competition.

  17. LLL 8080 BASIC-II interpreter user's manual

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McGoldrick, P.R.; Dickinson, J.; Allison, T.G.

    1978-04-03

    Scientists are finding increased applications for microprocessors as process controllers in their experiments. However, while microprocessors are small and inexpensive, they are difficult to program in machine or assembly language. A high-level language is needed to enable scientists to develop their own microcomputer programs for their experiments on location. Recognizing this need, LLL contracted to have such a language developed. This report describes the resulting LLL BASIC interpreter, which opeates with LLL's 8080-based MCS-8 microcomputer system. All numerical operations are done using Advanced Micro Device's Am9511 arithmetic processor chip or optionally by using a software simulation of that chip. 1more » figure.« less

  18. The Metapedagogic Function of Language: Language for Language Teaching (Cases from the Nepalese Context)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Poudel, Kamal Kumar

    2017-01-01

    The metalingual (also called "metalinguistic") function of language is a well-discussed concept in the literature of functional linguistics. It is often conceived as a purpose in which language is used to define or talk about language itself. Similarly, the purpose in which language is used for teaching in general is explained as the…

  19. Some Core Contested Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chomsky, Noam

    2015-01-01

    Core concepts of language are highly contested. In some cases this is legitimate: real empirical and conceptual issues arise. In other cases, it seems that controversies are based on misunderstanding. A number of crucial cases are reviewed, and an approach to language is outlined that appears to have strong conceptual and empirical motivation, and…

  20. Ideologies "of" English Language Teaching in Iranian Academic Research: Mainstream, Alternative, and Beyond

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mirhosseini, Seyyed-Abdolhamid; Ghafar Samar, Reza

    2015-01-01

    Mainstream trends of English language teaching (ELT) are predominantly constructed within the epistemological boundaries shaped by the traditional conceptions of linguistics, learning, and teaching as well as positivist research methodology. What tends to be overshadowed by such conceptions is the underlying foundational belief structure of ELT…

  1. Revisiting the Concepts "Approach", "Design" and "Procedure" According to the Richards and Rodgers (2011) Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cumming, Brett

    2012-01-01

    The three concepts Approach, Design and Procedure as proposed in Rodgers' Framework are considered particularly effective as a framework in second language teaching with the specific aim of developing communication as well as for better understanding methodology in the use of communicative language use.

  2. Software Reviews: Programs Worth a Second Look.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Classroom Computer Learning, 1989

    1989-01-01

    Reviewed are three computer software programs: (1) "World GeoGraph"--geography, discovery tool, grades 6-12, Apple IIGS; (2) "Grammatik III"--language arts, grade 7-adult, IBM, PS/2, Tandy 1000; (3) "Words & Concepts I, II, III"--language and concept training for special education, age 3-9, Apple II with speech…

  3. The Conceptualization of Language Legitimacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reagan, Timothy

    2016-01-01

    The concept "language legitimacy", which entails issues of social class, ethnicity and culture as well as those of dominance and power, is a very important one with implications for both educational policy and practice. This article begins with a brief discussion of the two major ways in which the concept of "language…

  4. A New Spanish-Language Questionnaire for Musical Self-Concept

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zubeldia, Miren; Goñi, Eider; Díaz, Maravillas; Goñi, Alfredo

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study is to analyze the psychometric properties of the Musical Self-Concept Questionnaire (CAMU), an abbreviated and culturally adapted Spanish language version of the Music Self-Perception Inventory (MUSPI) developed by Vispoel. Participants comprised 1,126 students from professional and advanced conservatories located in…

  5. Students' Affordance of Teleologic Explanations and Anthropomorphic Language in Eliciting Concepts in Physics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bautista, Romiro G.

    2015-01-01

    This study ascertains that the students' affordance of teleologic explanations and anthropomorphic language in eliciting concepts in Physics is influenced by their age and learning exposure and experience. Using Explicative-Reductive Method of Descriptive Research, this study focused on the determinants of students' affordance of…

  6. Health Literacy and the Role of the Speech-Language Pathologist

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hester, Eva Jackson; Stevens-Ratchford, Regena

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: This article reviews concepts of health literacy and discusses the role of speech-language pathologists in improving the health literacy of individuals with and without communication disorders. Method: A literature review was completed of health literacy definitions, concepts, and health literacy assessment and intervention studies with…

  7. Using Theater Concepts in the TESOL Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Badie, Gina Tiffany

    2014-01-01

    This article discusses practical ways to incorporate theater concepts into the ESL classroom. The notion of a theater ensemble lends itself well to group work in language learning. I have used my experience auditioning, participating in theater games, and improv techniques to encourage second language learning through public speaking, group…

  8. Teaching Language Concepts to Multihandicapped Deaf Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brasch, Marilyn; Boespflug, Pam

    This brief paper offers suggestions for parents and teachers working together to develop meaningful communication skills in deaf multihandicapped children. An intervention program developed by Jan VanDijk is described. This program involves the use of environmental engineering to teach language concepts with materials such as a calendar box with…

  9. Concept Selection and Developmental Effects in Bilingual Speech Production

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwieter, John; Sunderman, Gretchen

    2009-01-01

    The present study investigates the locus of language selection in less and more proficient language learners, specifically testing differential predictions of La Heij's (2005) concept selection model (CSM) and Kroll and Stewart's (1994) revised hierarchical model (RHM). Less and more proficient English dominant learners of Spanish participated in…

  10. Foreign and Second Language Anxiety

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horwitz, Elaine K.

    2010-01-01

    The possibility that anxiety interferes with language learning has long interested scholars, language teachers, and language learners themselves. It is intuitive that anxiety would inhibit the learning and/or production of a second language (L2). The important term in the last sentence is "anxiety". The concept of anxiety is itself multi-faceted,…

  11. Principles of Course Design for Language Teaching. New Directions in Language Teaching.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yalden, Janice

    An introduction to contemporary views of second/foreign language course design is intended for even relatively inexperienced teachers wishing to meet the somewhat sophisticated current expectations for language training. First, it provides theoretical background concerning the concepts of communicative competence and second language proficiency,…

  12. A multilingual gold-standard corpus for biomedical concept recognition: the Mantra GSC

    PubMed Central

    Clematide, Simon; Akhondi, Saber A; van Mulligen, Erik M; Rebholz-Schuhmann, Dietrich

    2015-01-01

    Objective To create a multilingual gold-standard corpus for biomedical concept recognition. Materials and methods We selected text units from different parallel corpora (Medline abstract titles, drug labels, biomedical patent claims) in English, French, German, Spanish, and Dutch. Three annotators per language independently annotated the biomedical concepts, based on a subset of the Unified Medical Language System and covering a wide range of semantic groups. To reduce the annotation workload, automatically generated preannotations were provided. Individual annotations were automatically harmonized and then adjudicated, and cross-language consistency checks were carried out to arrive at the final annotations. Results The number of final annotations was 5530. Inter-annotator agreement scores indicate good agreement (median F-score 0.79), and are similar to those between individual annotators and the gold standard. The automatically generated harmonized annotation set for each language performed equally well as the best annotator for that language. Discussion The use of automatic preannotations, harmonized annotations, and parallel corpora helped to keep the manual annotation efforts manageable. The inter-annotator agreement scores provide a reference standard for gauging the performance of automatic annotation techniques. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first gold-standard corpus for biomedical concept recognition in languages other than English. Other distinguishing features are the wide variety of semantic groups that are being covered, and the diversity of text genres that were annotated. PMID:25948699

  13. Establishing a Framework for the Study of English.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woolf, Leonard; Velder, Milton

    1970-01-01

    This 2-week unit uses visuals of a recent space walk as the basis for an introductory study of the nature of language. The aims of the unit are (1) to show pupils how language operates, (2) to stimulate awareness of the importance of basic language skills, (3) to develop an increased desire in using language effectively, and (4) to acquaint…

  14. A View into Successful Teaching Techniques: Teaching Malay Language as a Foreign Language in Malaysia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baharudin, Mazlina; Sadik, Azlina Md

    2016-01-01

    This paper will highlight successful teaching techniques used in class in teaching the Malay Language 1 course in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). The course is to equip foreign students for their studies and also as means of basic communication with the locals in Malaysia. In Malaysia, the emphasis in Malay language teaching are focused to…

  15. Plants. A Language Development Unit for Science. Life and the Environment. Grades One, Two and Three.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gilmour, Margy; McGregor, Cathy, Ed.

    One of the basic principles of the Language Development Approach is that students must learn the language necessary to understand, talk, and write about all subject areas in order to succeed in school. This book contains information about teaching primary school science in the Northwest Territories with lessons that emphasize language. The goals…

  16. Language Proficiency in Native and Nonnative Speakers: An Agenda for Research and Suggestions for Second-Language Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hulstijn, Jan H.

    2011-01-01

    This article addresses the question of what language proficiency (LP) is, both theoretically and empirically. It does so by making a distinction, on one hand, between "basic" and "higher language cognition" and, on the other hand, between "core" and "peripheral components" of LP. The article furthermore critically examines the notion of "level" in…

  17. The Interesting Teaching and Learning of Malay Language to Foreign Speakers: Language through Cultures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baharudin, Mazlina; Ikhsan, Siti Ajar

    2016-01-01

    The interesting teaching and learning of Malay languages is a challenging effort and need a relevant plan to the students' needs especially for the foreign students who already have the basic Indonesian Malay language variation that they have learned for four semesters in their own country, Germany. Therefore, the variety of teaching and learning…

  18. Analyzing the Types of Discrimination in Turkish for Foreigners Books

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agcihan, Ezgi; Gokce, Asiye Toker

    2018-01-01

    Textbooks might be one of the main resources of teachers even today however there have been many changes in education media and Technologies. Especially language course books used in foreign language teaching can be the basic source of learning when the target language is not spoken in the country where the language is thought. Thus, it can be…

  19. The Language Laboratory.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hughes, John P.

    Concepts pertaining to the language laboratory are clarified for the layman unfamiliar with recent educational developments in foreign language instruction. These include discussion of: (1) language laboratory components and functions, (2) techniques used in the laboratory, (3) new linguistic methods, (4) laboratory exercises, (5) traditional…

  20. Development of a Multi-experience Approach in Introductory Soil and Vegetation Geography Courses.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Limbird, Arthur

    1982-01-01

    Describes an introductory college level course in soil and vegetation which uses lecture, audiovisual tutorial, individualized instruction, field trips, films, and games. The course consists of three segments: basic concepts of soils, basic concepts of plants, and soil and vegetation concepts in a spatial context. (KC)

  1. The origins of duality of patterning in artificial whistled languages

    PubMed Central

    Verhoef, Tessa

    2012-01-01

    In human speech, a finite set of basic sounds is combined into a (potentially) unlimited set of well-formed morphemes. Hockett (1960) placed this phenomenon under the term ‘duality of patterning’ and included it as one of the basic design features of human language. Of the thirteen basic design features Hockett proposed, duality of patterning is the least studied and it is still unclear how it evolved in language. Recent work shedding light on this is summarized in this paper and experimental data is presented. This data shows that combinatorial structure can emerge in an artificial whistled language through cultural transmission as an adaptation to human cognitive biases and learning. In this work the method of experimental iterated learning (Kirby et al. 2008) is used, in which a participant is trained on the reproductions of the utterances the previous participant learned. Participants learn and recall a system of sounds that are produced with a slide whistle. Transmission from participant to participant causes the whistle systems to change and become more learnable and more structured. These findings follow from qualitative observations, quantitative measures and a follow-up experiment that tests how well participants can learn the emerged whistled languages by generalizing from a few examples. PMID:23637710

  2. Investigating Reciprocal Meaning-Making as an Element of Intercultural Language Learning in the Languages Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Skene, Catherine

    2013-01-01

    The "Australian Curriculum: Languages" is based on an intercultural orientation to the teaching and learning of languages. Reciprocal meaning-making, or interpreting self in relation to others as language users, is a key element in an intercultural orientation. The concept of reciprocating is embedded in the language-specific curricula…

  3. THE LANGUAGE LABORATORY. A HANDBOOK FOR TEACHERS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    New Orleans Public Schools, LA.

    THE PURPOSE OF THE LABORATORIES IS TO DEVELOP FOUR BASIC SKILLS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY--AURAL UNDERSTANDING, SPEAKING, READING, WRITING, AND TO SUPPORT AN UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF THE CULTURE OF THE COUNTRY STUDIED. THE LABORATORY PROVIDES INDIVIDUAL SEMI-SOUNDPROOF BOOTHS EQUIPPED WITH HEADPHONES, MICROPHONES AND TAPE RECORDING…

  4. Some Learning Problems Concerning the Use of Symbolic Language in Physics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    De Lozano, Silvia Ragout; Cardenas, Marta

    2002-01-01

    Draws the attention of teachers of basic university physics courses to student problems concerning the interpretation of the symbolic language used in physics. Reports specific difficulties found in the first physics course related to different kinds of statements expressed in the mathematical language. (Contains 15 references.) (Author/YDS)

  5. Creating Inclusive Classrooms through the Arts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henderson, C. Miki; Lasley, Elizabeth

    2014-01-01

    Art, drama, music, dance and literature activities are part of the basic components of an early childhood curriculum. They do not rely heavily on oral language or English proficiency, and this makes them accessible to all children regardless of language differences or language abilities. Teachers can use creative expression and art to practice…

  6. Bulgarski ezik za dobrovoltsi ot Korpusa na mira (Bulgarian Language for Peace Corps Volunteers. Bulgaria).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dimitrova, Aneta; Tomova, Christina; Tasseva, Mila

    This workbook and class guide for basic-to-intermediate Bulgarian provides a communicative orientation to the language. With its emphasis on social situations and everyday language, the book includes vocabulary, dialogs, discussion topics, and cultural-historical background information about Bulgaria. (CNP)

  7. Contested Spaces in Policy Enactment: A Bourdieusian Analysis of Language Policy in Singapore

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bokhorst-Heng, Wendy D.; Silver, Rita Elaine

    2017-01-01

    The basic structure and rhetoric of national language policy in multilingual Singapore has remained essentially unchanged since independence with four official languages positioned within the national quadrilingual framework and used in all public spheres, and individual bilingualism encouraged in the private sphere. However, also since…

  8. Developing a Multimedia, Computer-Based Spanish Placement Test

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zabaleta, Francisco

    2007-01-01

    Placing students of a foreign language within a basic language program constitutes an ongoing problem, particularly for large university departments when they have many incoming freshmen and transfer students. This article outlines the author's experience designing and piloting a language placement test for a university level Spanish program. The…

  9. Susu Language Manual: Sierra Leone.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peace Corps, Freetown (Sierra Leone).

    A teacher's guide for Susu is designed for Peace Corps volunteer language instruction and geared to the daily language needs of volunteers in Sierra Leone. It contains a section on Susu phonology and 28 lessons on these topics: situation-specific greetings, basic greetings, introducing a friend, the market, travel and getting directions, visiting…

  10. Improving Memory Span in Children with Down Syndrome

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conners, F. A.; Rosenquist, C. J.; Arnett, L.; Moore, M. S.; Hume, L. E.

    2008-01-01

    Background: Down syndrome (DS) is characterized by impaired memory span, particularly auditory verbal memory span. Memory span is linked developmentally to several language capabilities, and may be a basic capacity that enables language learning. If children with DS had better memory span, they might benefit more from language intervention. The…

  11. HOW TO LEARN AN UNWRITTEN LANGUAGE.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    GUDSCHINSKY, SARAH C.

    A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR THE ANTHROPOLOGY STUDENT CONFRONTED WITH LEARNING A LANGUAGE IN THE FIELD, THIS BOOK FOCUSES ON ACQUIRING EVERYDAY CONVERSATION RATHER THAN DIFFICULT LINGUISTIC PROBLEMS. THE FORM AND CONTENT ARE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING BASIC PREMISES--(1) LEARNING A LANGUAGE CONSISTS OF DISCOVERING AND CONTROLLING AS AUTOMATIC HABITS THE…

  12. Sign Language and the Brain: A Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Ruth; MacSweeney, Mairead; Waters, Dafydd

    2008-01-01

    How are signed languages processed by the brain? This review briefly outlines some basic principles of brain structure and function and the methodological principles and techniques that have been used to investigate this question. We then summarize a number of different studies exploring brain activity associated with sign language processing…

  13. Linking language and categorization in infancy.

    PubMed

    Ferguson, Brock; Waxman, Sandra

    2017-05-01

    Language exerts a powerful influence on our concepts. We review evidence documenting the developmental origins of a precocious link between language and object categories in very young infants. This collection of studies documents a cascading process in which early links between language and cognition provide the foundation for later, more precise ones. We propose that, early in life, language promotes categorization at least in part through its status as a social, communicative signal. But over the first year, infants home in on the referential power of language and, by their second year, begin teasing apart distinct kinds of names (e.g. nouns, adjectives) and their relation to distinct kinds of concepts (e.g. object categories, properties). To complement this proposal, we also relate this evidence to several alternative accounts of language's effect on categorization, appealing to similarity ('labels-as-features'), familiarity ('auditory overshadowing'), and communicative biases ('natural pedagogy').

  14. Language shift, bilingualism and the future of Britain's Celtic languages.

    PubMed

    Kandler, Anne; Unger, Roman; Steele, James

    2010-12-12

    'Language shift' is the process whereby members of a community in which more than one language is spoken abandon their original vernacular language in favour of another. The historical shifts to English by Celtic language speakers of Britain and Ireland are particularly well-studied examples for which good census data exist for the most recent 100-120 years in many areas where Celtic languages were once the prevailing vernaculars. We model the dynamics of language shift as a competition process in which the numbers of speakers of each language (both monolingual and bilingual) vary as a function both of internal recruitment (as the net outcome of birth, death, immigration and emigration rates of native speakers), and of gains and losses owing to language shift. We examine two models: a basic model in which bilingualism is simply the transitional state for households moving between alternative monolingual states, and a diglossia model in which there is an additional demand for the endangered language as the preferred medium of communication in some restricted sociolinguistic domain, superimposed on the basic shift dynamics. Fitting our models to census data, we successfully reproduce the demographic trajectories of both languages over the past century. We estimate the rates of recruitment of new Scottish Gaelic speakers that would be required each year (for instance, through school education) to counteract the 'natural wastage' as households with one or more Gaelic speakers fail to transmit the language to the next generation informally, for different rates of loss during informal intergenerational transmission.

  15. Computer Literacy Project. A General Orientation in Basic Computer Concepts and Applications.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murray, David R.

    This paper proposes a two-part, basic computer literacy program for university faculty, staff, and students with no prior exposure to computers. The program described would introduce basic computer concepts and computing center service programs and resources; provide fundamental preparation for other computer courses; and orient faculty towards…

  16. Learning Genetics with Paper Pets

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Finnerty, Valerie Raunig

    2006-01-01

    By the end of the eighth grade, students are expected to have a basic understanding of the mechanism of basic genetic inheritance. However, these concepts can be difficult to teach. In this article, the author introduces a new learning tool that will help facilitate student learning and enthusiasm to the basic concepts of genetic inheritance. This…

  17. Categorical Perception Beyond the Basic Level: The Case of Warm and Cool Colors.

    PubMed

    Holmes, Kevin J; Regier, Terry

    2017-05-01

    Categories can affect our perception of the world, rendering between-category differences more salient than within-category ones. Across many studies, such categorical perception (CP) has been observed for the basic-level categories of one's native language. Other research points to categorical distinctions beyond the basic level, but it does not demonstrate CP for such distinctions. Here we provide such a demonstration. Specifically, we show CP in English speakers for the non-basic distinction between "warm" and "cool" colors, claimed to represent the earliest stage of color lexicon evolution. Notably, the advantage for discriminating colors that straddle the warm-cool boundary was restricted to the right visual field-the same behavioral signature previously observed for basic-level categories. This pattern held in a replication experiment with increased power. Our findings show that categorical distinctions beyond the basic-level repertoire of one's native language are psychologically salient and may be spontaneously accessed during normal perceptual processing. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  18. Web-Writing in One Minute--and Beyond.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hughes, Kenneth

    This paper describes how librarians can teach patrons the basics of hypertext markup language (HTML) so that patrons can publish their own homepages on the World Wide Web. With proper use of handouts and practice time afterwards, the three basics of HTML can be conveyed in only 60 seconds. The three basics are: the basic template of Web tags, used…

  19. Naming a Lego world. The role of language in the acquisition of abstract concepts.

    PubMed

    Granito, Carmen; Scorolli, Claudia; Borghi, Anna Maria

    2015-01-01

    While embodied approaches of cognition have proved to be successful in explaining concrete concepts and words, they have more difficulties in accounting for abstract concepts and words, and several proposals have been put forward. This work aims to test the Words As Tools proposal, according to which both abstract and concrete concepts are grounded in perception, action and emotional systems, but linguistic information is more important for abstract than for concrete concept representation, due to the different ways they are acquired: while for the acquisition of the latter linguistic information might play a role, for the acquisition of the former it is instead crucial. We investigated the acquisition of concrete and abstract concepts and words, and verified its impact on conceptual representation. In Experiment 1, participants explored and categorized novel concrete and abstract entities, and were taught a novel label for each category. Later they performed a categorical recognition task and an image-word matching task to verify a) whether and how the introduction of language changed the previously formed categories, b) whether language had a major weight for abstract than for concrete words representation, and c) whether this difference had consequences on bodily responses. The results confirm that, even though both concrete and abstract concepts are grounded, language facilitates the acquisition of the latter and plays a major role in their representation, resulting in faster responses with the mouth, typically associated with language production. Experiment 2 was a rating test aiming to verify whether the findings of Experiment 1 were simply due to heterogeneity, i.e. to the fact that the members of abstract categories were more heterogeneous than those of concrete categories. The results confirmed the effectiveness of our operationalization, showing that abstract concepts are more associated with the mouth and concrete ones with the hand, independently from heterogeneity.

  20. Naming a Lego World. The Role of Language in the Acquisition of Abstract Concepts

    PubMed Central

    Granito, Carmen; Scorolli, Claudia; Borghi, Anna Maria

    2015-01-01

    While embodied approaches of cognition have proved to be successful in explaining concrete concepts and words, they have more difficulties in accounting for abstract concepts and words, and several proposals have been put forward. This work aims to test the Words As Tools proposal, according to which both abstract and concrete concepts are grounded in perception, action and emotional systems, but linguistic information is more important for abstract than for concrete concept representation, due to the different ways they are acquired: while for the acquisition of the latter linguistic information might play a role, for the acquisition of the former it is instead crucial. We investigated the acquisition of concrete and abstract concepts and words, and verified its impact on conceptual representation. In Experiment 1, participants explored and categorized novel concrete and abstract entities, and were taught a novel label for each category. Later they performed a categorical recognition task and an image-word matching task to verify a) whether and how the introduction of language changed the previously formed categories, b) whether language had a major weight for abstract than for concrete words representation, and c) whether this difference had consequences on bodily responses. The results confirm that, even though both concrete and abstract concepts are grounded, language facilitates the acquisition of the latter and plays a major role in their representation, resulting in faster responses with the mouth, typically associated with language production. Experiment 2 was a rating test aiming to verify whether the findings of Experiment 1 were simply due to heterogeneity, i.e. to the fact that the members of abstract categories were more heterogeneous than those of concrete categories. The results confirmed the effectiveness of our operationalization, showing that abstract concepts are more associated with the mouth and concrete ones with the hand, independently from heterogeneity. PMID:25629816

  1. JASMINE Simulator - construction of framework

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yamada, Yoshiyuki; Ueda, Seiji; Kuwabara, Takashi; Yano, Taihei; Gouda, Naoteru

    2004-10-01

    JASMINE is an abbreviation of Japan Astrometry Satellite Mission for INfrared Exploration currently planned at National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. JASMINE stands at a stage where its basic design will be determined in a few years. Then it is very important for JASMINE to simulate the data stream generated by the astrometric fields in order to support investigations of accuracy, sampling strategy, data compression, data analysis, scientific performances, etc. It is found that the new software technologies of Object Oriented methodologies with Unified Modeling Language are ideal for the simulation system of JASMINE (JASMINE Simualtor). In this paper, we briefly introduce some concepts of such technologies and explain the framework of the JASMINE Simulator which is constructed by new technologies. We believe that these technologies are useful also for other future big projects of astronomcial research.

  2. Continuation of research into language concepts for the mission support environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    A concept for a more intuitive and graphically based Computation (Comp) Builder was developed. The Graphical Comp Builder Prototype was developed, which is an X Window based graphical tool that allows the user to build Comps using graphical symbols. Investigation was conducted to determine the availability and suitability of the Ada programming language for the development of future control center type software. The Space Station Freedom Project identified Ada as the desirable programming language for the development of Space Station Control Center software systems.

  3. Design of Style-V -- A Translator to Convert Standard VHDL into a Stylized Form for Automated Microcode Generation

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-12-01

    effort (Krieg-Brckner, 1984:299). Given two languages Alang and Blang, if the language concepts of the sublanguages, Asublang (the sublanguage for a...language Alang ) and Bsublang (the sublanguage for a lan- guage Blang), correspond in a one-to-one manner, then Asub- lang and Bsublang are said to be...then Aotherlang is said to be indirectly compati- ble with Bsublang. If Asublang is complete in the sense that all concepts of Alang can be mapped into

  4. From computing with numbers to computing with words. From manipulation of measurements to manipulation of perceptions.

    PubMed

    Zadeh, L A

    2001-04-01

    Interest in issues relating to consciousness has grown markedly during the last several years. And yet, nobody can claim that consciousness is a well-understood concept that lends itself to precise analysis. It may be argued that, as a concept, consciousness is much too complex to fit into the conceptual structure of existing theories based on Aristotelian logic and probability theory. An approach suggested in this paper links consciousness to perceptions and perceptions to their descriptors in a natural language. In this way, those aspects of consciousness which relate to reasoning and concept formation are linked to what is referred to as the methodology of computing with words (CW). Computing, in its usual sense, is centered on manipulation of numbers and symbols. In contrast, computing with words, or CW for short, is a methodology in which the objects of computation are words and propositions drawn from a natural language (e.g., small, large, far, heavy, not very likely, the price of gas is low and declining, Berkeley is near San Francisco, it is very unlikely that there will be a significant increase in the price of oil in the near future, etc.). Computing with words is inspired by the remarkable human capability to perform a wide variety of physical and mental tasks without any measurements and any computations. Familiar examples of such tasks are parking a car, driving in heavy traffic, playing golf, riding a bicycle, understanding speech, and summarizing a story. Underlying this remarkable capability is the brain's crucial ability to manipulate perceptions--perceptions of distance, size, weight, color, speed, time, direction, force, number, truth, likelihood, and other characteristics of physical and mental objects. Manipulation of perceptions plays a key role in human recognition, decision and execution processes. As a methodology, computing with words provides a foundation for a computational theory of perceptions: a theory which may have an important bearing on how humans make--and machines might make--perception-based rational decisions in an environment of imprecision, uncertainty, and partial truth. A basic difference between perceptions and measurements is that, in general, measurements are crisp, whereas perceptions are fuzzy. One of the fundamental aims of science has been and continues to be that of progressing from perceptions to measurements. Pursuit of this aim has led to brilliant successes. We have sent men to the moon; we can build computers that are capable of performing billions of computations per second; we have constructed telescopes that can explore the far reaches of the universe; and we can date the age of rocks that are millions of years old. But alongside the brilliant successes stand conspicuous underachievements and outright failures. We cannot build robots that can move with the agility of animals or humans; we cannot automate driving in heavy traffic; we cannot translate from one language to another at the level of a human interpreter; we cannot create programs that can summarize non-trivial stories; our ability to model the behavior of economic systems leaves much to be desired; and we cannot build machines that can compete with children in the performance of a wide variety of physical and cognitive tasks. It may be argued that underlying the underachievements and failures is the unavailability of a methodology for reasoning and computing with perceptions rather than measurements. An outline of such a methodology--referred to as a computational theory of perceptions--is presented in this paper. The computational theory of perceptions (CTP) is based on the methodology of CW. In CTP, words play the role of labels of perceptions, and, more generally, perceptions are expressed as propositions in a natural language. CW-based techniques are employed to translate propositions expressed in a natural language into what is called the Generalized Constraint Language (GCL). In this language, the meaning of a proposition is expressed as a generalized constraint, X isr R, where X is the constrained variable, R is the constraining relation, and isr is a variable copula in which r is an indexing variable whose value defines the way in which R constrains X. Among the basic types of constraints are possibilistic, veristic, probabilistic, random set, Pawlak set, fuzzy graph, and usuality. The wide variety of constraints in GCL makes GCL a much more expressive language than the language of predicate logic. In CW, the initial and terminal data sets, IDS and TDS, are assumed to consist of propositions expressed in a natural language. These propositions are translated, respectively, into antecedent and consequent constraints. Consequent constraints are derived from antecedent constraints through the use of rules of constraint propagation. The principal constraint propagation rule is the generalized extension principle. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

  5. Advances to the development of a basic Mexican sign-to-speech and text language translator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garcia-Bautista, G.; Trujillo-Romero, F.; Diaz-Gonzalez, G.

    2016-09-01

    Sign Language (SL) is the basic alternative communication method between deaf people. However, most of the hearing people have trouble understanding the SL, making communication with deaf people almost impossible and taking them apart from daily activities. In this work we present an automatic basic real-time sign language translator capable of recognize a basic list of Mexican Sign Language (MSL) signs of 10 meaningful words, letters (A-Z) and numbers (1-10) and translate them into speech and text. The signs were collected from a group of 35 MSL signers executed in front of a Microsoft Kinect™ Sensor. The hand gesture recognition system use the RGB-D camera to build and storage data point clouds, color and skeleton tracking information. In this work we propose a method to obtain the representative hand trajectory pattern information. We use Euclidean Segmentation method to obtain the hand shape and Hierarchical Centroid as feature extraction method for images of numbers and letters. A pattern recognition method based on a Back Propagation Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is used to interpret the hand gestures. Finally, we use K-Fold Cross Validation method for training and testing stages. Our results achieve an accuracy of 95.71% on words, 98.57% on numbers and 79.71% on letters. In addition, an interactive user interface was designed to present the results in voice and text format.

  6. Enterprise Pattern: integrating the business process into a unified enterprise model of modern service company

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Ying; Luo, Zhiling; Yin, Jianwei; Xu, Lida; Yin, Yuyu; Wu, Zhaohui

    2017-01-01

    Modern service company (MSC), the enterprise involving special domains, such as the financial industry, information service industry and technology development industry, depends heavily on information technology. Modelling of such enterprise has attracted much research attention because it promises to help enterprise managers to analyse basic business strategies (e.g. the pricing strategy) and even optimise the business process (BP) to gain benefits. While the existing models proposed by economists cover the economic elements, they fail to address the basic BP and its relationship with the economic characteristics. Those proposed in computer science regardless of achieving great success in BP modelling perform poorly in supporting the economic analysis. Therefore, the existing approaches fail to satisfy the requirement of enterprise modelling for MSC, which demands simultaneous consideration of both economic analysing and business processing. In this article, we provide a unified enterprise modelling approach named Enterprise Pattern (EP) which bridges the gap between the BP model and the enterprise economic model of MSC. Proposing a language named Enterprise Pattern Description Language (EPDL) covering all the basic language elements of EP, we formulate the language syntaxes and two basic extraction rules assisting economic analysis. Furthermore, we extend Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) to support EPDL, named BPMN for Enterprise Pattern (BPMN4EP). The example of mobile application platform is studied in detail for a better understanding of EPDL.

  7. NEVESIM: event-driven neural simulation framework with a Python interface.

    PubMed

    Pecevski, Dejan; Kappel, David; Jonke, Zeno

    2014-01-01

    NEVESIM is a software package for event-driven simulation of networks of spiking neurons with a fast simulation core in C++, and a scripting user interface in the Python programming language. It supports simulation of heterogeneous networks with different types of neurons and synapses, and can be easily extended by the user with new neuron and synapse types. To enable heterogeneous networks and extensibility, NEVESIM is designed to decouple the simulation logic of communicating events (spikes) between the neurons at a network level from the implementation of the internal dynamics of individual neurons. In this paper we will present the simulation framework of NEVESIM, its concepts and features, as well as some aspects of the object-oriented design approaches and simulation strategies that were utilized to efficiently implement the concepts and functionalities of the framework. We will also give an overview of the Python user interface, its basic commands and constructs, and also discuss the benefits of integrating NEVESIM with Python. One of the valuable capabilities of the simulator is to simulate exactly and efficiently networks of stochastic spiking neurons from the recently developed theoretical framework of neural sampling. This functionality was implemented as an extension on top of the basic NEVESIM framework. Altogether, the intended purpose of the NEVESIM framework is to provide a basis for further extensions that support simulation of various neural network models incorporating different neuron and synapse types that can potentially also use different simulation strategies.

  8. NEVESIM: event-driven neural simulation framework with a Python interface

    PubMed Central

    Pecevski, Dejan; Kappel, David; Jonke, Zeno

    2014-01-01

    NEVESIM is a software package for event-driven simulation of networks of spiking neurons with a fast simulation core in C++, and a scripting user interface in the Python programming language. It supports simulation of heterogeneous networks with different types of neurons and synapses, and can be easily extended by the user with new neuron and synapse types. To enable heterogeneous networks and extensibility, NEVESIM is designed to decouple the simulation logic of communicating events (spikes) between the neurons at a network level from the implementation of the internal dynamics of individual neurons. In this paper we will present the simulation framework of NEVESIM, its concepts and features, as well as some aspects of the object-oriented design approaches and simulation strategies that were utilized to efficiently implement the concepts and functionalities of the framework. We will also give an overview of the Python user interface, its basic commands and constructs, and also discuss the benefits of integrating NEVESIM with Python. One of the valuable capabilities of the simulator is to simulate exactly and efficiently networks of stochastic spiking neurons from the recently developed theoretical framework of neural sampling. This functionality was implemented as an extension on top of the basic NEVESIM framework. Altogether, the intended purpose of the NEVESIM framework is to provide a basis for further extensions that support simulation of various neural network models incorporating different neuron and synapse types that can potentially also use different simulation strategies. PMID:25177291

  9. [Biometric bases: basic concepts of probability calculation].

    PubMed

    Dinya, E

    1998-04-26

    The author gives or outline of the basic concepts of probability theory. The bases of the event algebra, definition of the probability, the classical probability model and the random variable are presented.

  10. When a Bilingual Child Describes Living Things: An Analysis of Conceptual Understandings from a Language Perspective

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salleh, Romaizah; Venville, Grady J.; Treagust, David F.

    2007-07-01

    With increasing numbers of students learning science through a second language in many school contexts, there is a need for research to focus on the impact language has on students’ understanding of science concepts. Like other countries, Brunei has adopted a bilingual system of education that incorporates two languages in imparting its curriculum. For the first three years of school, Brunei children are taught in Malay and then for the remainder of their education, instruction is in English. This research is concerned with the influence that this bilingual education system has on children’s learning of science. The purpose was to document the patterns of Brunei students’ developing understandings of the concepts of living and non-living things and examine the impact in the change in language as the medium of instruction. A cross-sectional case study design was used in one primary school. Data collection included an interview ( n = 75), which consisted of forced-response and semi-structured interview questions, a categorisation task and classroom observation. Data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results indicate that the transition from Malay to English as the language of instruction from Primary 4 onwards restricted the students’ ability to express their understandings about living things, to discuss related scientific concepts and to interpret and analyse scientific questions. From a social constructivist perspective these language factors will potentially impact on the students’ cognitive development by limiting the expected growth of the students’ understandings of the concepts of living and non-living things.

  11. Territoriality and Freedom of Language: The Case of Belgium

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van der Jeught, Stefaan

    2017-01-01

    Language law in Belgium is based on two concepts. The territoriality principle entails that official language use varies from one linguistic region to another. The constitutional freedom of language is an essential complement to territoriality and grants residents the right to use the language of their choice. In the monolingual regions of the…

  12. Development of Vocabulary in Spanish-Speaking and Cantonese-Speaking English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Uchikoshi, Yuuko

    2014-01-01

    This study examines vocabulary growth rates in first and second languages for Spanish-speaking and Cantonese-speaking English language learners from kindergarten through second grade. Growth-modeling results show a within-language effect of concepts about print on vocabulary. Language exposure also had an effect on English vocabulary: earlier…

  13. Constructing a Voice in English as a Foreign Language: Identity and Engagement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nasrollahi Shahri, Mohammad Naseh

    2018-01-01

    Situated in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context, this study navigates the intersection of language learner identity and foreign language engagement. Specifically, drawing on the concept of voice (Canagarajah, 2013; Johnstone, 1996; Kramsch, 2003), Bakhtin's (1981) theory of language, and the notion of investment (Darvin & Norton,…

  14. Language Learning in Wittgenstein and Davidson

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kotzee, Ben

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, I discuss language learning in Wittgenstein and Davidson. Starting from a remark by Bakhurst, I hold that both Wittgenstein and Davidson's philosophies of language contain responses to the problem of language learning, albeit of a different form. Following Williams, I hold that the concept of language learning can explain…

  15. The Utterance as Speech Genre in Mikhail Bakhtin's Philosophy of Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCord, Michael A.

    This paper focuses on one of the central concepts of Mikhail Bakhtin's philosophy of language: his theory of the utterance as speech genre. Before exploring speech genres, the paper discusses Bakhtin's ideas concerning language--both language as a general system, and the use of language as particular speech communication. The paper considers…

  16. Talk Like a Scientist! Simple "Frames" to Scaffold the Language of Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoffman, Lisa

    2013-01-01

    This article shares a teaching strategy for science teachers to use when supporting language development among English language learners. Students from other language backgrounds who are learning English need to learn both grade-level academic content and the language necessary to express scientific concepts. However, most science teachers are not…

  17. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Applied Linguistics: A Handbook for Language Teaching.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Keith, Ed.; Johnson, Helen, Ed.

    This volume provides an up-to-date and comprehensive reference guide to the key concepts, ideas, movements, and trends of applied linguistics for language teaching. With over 300 entries of varying length, the volume includes essential coverage of language, language learning, and language teaching. Written in an accessible style, the entries draw…

  18. The Language of Language: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Language Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mann, Jesse Thomas

    1993-01-01

    The study of language in general and the study of foreign languages in particular have attracted new interest in academic circles during the past decade. The concepts of the "global village" and "cultural diversity" have become commonplace in the jargon of the 1990s. The development of two new courses at Westminster College…

  19. Pre-Service Teachers' Knowledge of Language Concepts: Relationships to Field Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tetley, Deborah; Jones, Caroline

    2014-01-01

    Acquisition of language concepts by pre-service teachers (PSTs) is likely influenced by university coursework and field experiences, but little research has examined how. Knowledge of phonics and phonological awareness and confidence to teach reading were surveyed among primary PSTs at one New South Wales university, most in second year following…

  20. An Analysis of Prospective Science Teachers' Understanding of the Nature of Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ogunniyi, M. B.

    1982-01-01

    An instrument was developed to measure conceptions of the language of science held by prospective Nigerian science teachers (N=106) relative to conceptions held by seven selected science philosophers (Carnap, Frank, Hempel, Kemeny, Nagel, Nash, and Popper). Subjects did not endorse the language of science associated with a particular philosopher.…

  1. Transnationalism and Literacy: Investigating the Mobility of People, Languages, Texts, and Practices in Contexts of Migration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lam, Wan Shun Eva; Warriner, Doris S.

    2012-01-01

    This review of research offers a synthesis and analysis of research studies that address issues of language and literacy practices and learning in transnational contexts of migration. We consider how theoretical concepts from transnational migration studies, including particular Boudieusian-inspired concepts such as transnational social field,…

  2. Strategies for Teaching Object-Oriented Concepts with Java

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sicilia, Miguel-Angel

    2006-01-01

    A considerable amount of experiences in teaching object-oriented concepts using the Java language have been reported to date, some of which describe language pitfalls and concrete learning difficulties. In this paper, a number of additional issues that have been experienced as difficult for students to master, along with approaches intended to…

  3. Constructing the ScratchJr Programming Language in the Early Childhood Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Portelance, Dylan J.; Strawhacker, Amanda L.; Bers, Marina Umaschi

    2016-01-01

    This paper seeks to contribute to the growing literature on children and computer programming by focusing on a programming language for children in Kindergarten through second grade. Sixty-two students were exposed to a 6-week curriculum using ScartchJr. They learned foundational programming concepts and applied those concepts to create personally…

  4. Applying the Concept of Working Memory to Foreign Language Listening Comprehension.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Service, Elisabet

    Memory research has recently moved from looking at performance in highly artificial laboratory tasks to examination of tasks in everyday life. One consequence is the development of the concept of "working memory." For the learner, foreign language comprehension makes great demands on working memory capacity. Comprehension of a message requires…

  5. Ability and Disability in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review Employing the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth Version.

    PubMed

    de Schipper, Elles; Lundequist, Aiko; Coghill, David; de Vries, Petrus J; Granlund, Mats; Holtmann, Martin; Jonsson, Ulf; Karande, Sunil; Robison, John E; Shulman, Cory; Singhal, Nidhi; Tonge, Bruce; Wong, Virginia C N; Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie; Bölte, Sven

    2015-12-01

    This study is the first in a series of four empirical investigations to develop International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The objective was to use a systematic review approach to identify, number, and link functional ability and disability concepts used in the scientific ASD literature to the nomenclature of the ICF-CY (Children and Youth version of the ICF, covering the life span). Systematic searches on outcome studies of ASD were carried out in Medline/PubMed, PsycINFO, ERIC and Cinahl, and relevant functional ability and disability concepts extracted from the included studies. These concepts were then linked to the ICF-CY by two independent researchers using a standardized linking procedure. New concepts were extracted from the studies until saturation of identified ICF-CY categories was reached. Seventy-one studies were included in the final analysis and 2475 meaningful concepts contained in these studies were linked to 146 ICF-CY categories. Of these, 99 categories were considered most relevant to ASD (i.e., identified in at least 5% of the studies), of which 63 were related to Activities and Participation, 28 were related to Body functions, and 8 were related to Environmental factors. The five most frequently identified categories were basic interpersonal interactions (51%), emotional functions (49%), complex interpersonal interactions (48%), attention functions (44%), and mental functions of language (44%). The broad variety of ICF-CY categories identified in this study reflects the heterogeneity of functional differences found in ASD--both with respect to disability and exceptionality--and underlines the potential value of the ICF-CY as a framework to capture an individual's functioning in all dimensions of life. The current results in combination with three additional preparatory studies (expert survey, focus groups, and clinical study) will provide the scientific basis for defining the ICF Core Sets for ASD for multipurpose use in basic and applied research and every day clinical practice of ASD. © 2015 The Authors Autism Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Autism Research.

  6. Identifying Students' Conceptions of Basic Principles in Sequence Stratigraphy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herrera, Juan S.; Riggs, Eric M.

    2013-01-01

    Sequence stratigraphy is a major research subject in the geosciences academia and the oil industry. However, the geoscience education literature addressing students' understanding of the basic concepts of sequence stratigraphy is relatively thin, and the topic has not been well explored. We conducted an assessment of 27 students' conceptions of…

  7. Students' Conceptions of Function Transformation in a Dynamic Mathematical Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daher, Wajeeh; Anabousy, Ahlam

    2015-01-01

    The study of function transformations helps students understand the function concept which is a basic and main concept in mathematics, but this study is problematic to school students as well as college students, especially when transformations are performed on non-basic functions. The current research tried to facilitate grade 9 students'…

  8. Outline of Basic Concepts in Anthropology. Publication No. 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Georgia Univ., Athens. Anthropology Curriculum Project.

    This teaching aid outlines basic anthropological concepts described in the various units of the Anthropology Curriculum Project. The outline of important concepts to be learned is intended to be used by the teacher in conjunction with the other instructional materials in each unit. The introduction defines anthropology, its branches and purposes.…

  9. A Concept Transformation Learning Model for Architectural Design Learning Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wu, Yun-Wu; Weng, Kuo-Hua; Young, Li-Ming

    2016-01-01

    Generally, in the foundation course of architectural design, much emphasis is placed on teaching of the basic design skills without focusing on teaching students to apply the basic design concepts in their architectural designs or promoting students' own creativity. Therefore, this study aims to propose a concept transformation learning model to…

  10. Examination of Sign Language Education According to the Opinions of Members from a Basic Sign Language Certification Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akmese, Pelin Pistav

    2016-01-01

    Being hearing impaired limits one's ability to communicate in that it affects all areas of development, particularly speech. One of the methods the hearing impaired use to communicate is sign language. This study, a descriptive study, intends to examine the opinions of individuals who had enrolled in a sign language certification program by using…

  11. The Use of English as Medium of Instruction at the Upper Basic Level (Primary Four to Junior High School) in Ghana: From Theory to Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Owu-Ewie, Charles; Eshun, Emma Sarah

    2015-01-01

    The language of education is crucial to learners' academic success. As a result, nations whose native languages are not the languages of education have promulgated language policies to solve communication problems in their school systems. Most multilingual nations have adopted bilingual education systems that recognize the child's native language…

  12. Languages of Sub-Saharan Africa. A Survey of Materials for the Study of the Uncommonly Taught Languages.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Dora E.; And Others

    This is an annotated bibliography of basic tools of access for the study of the uncommonly taught languages of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of eight fascicles which constitute a revision of "A Provisional Survey of Materials for the Study of the Neglected Languages" (CAL 1969). The emphasis is on materials for the adult learner whose…

  13. Origine et developpement des industries de la langue (Origin and Development of Language Utilities). Publication K-8.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    L'Homme, Marie-Claude

    The evolution of "language utilities," a concept confined largely to the francophone world and relating to the uses of language in computer science and the use of computer science for languages, is chronicled. The language utilities are of three types: (1) tools for language development, primarily dictionary databases and related tools;…

  14. Language Management Theory as a Basis for the Dynamic Concept of EU Language Law

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dovalil, Vít

    2015-01-01

    Language law is a tool used to manage problems of linguistic diversity in the EU. The paper analyzes the processes in which language law is found in the discursive practice of agents addressing the Court of Justice of the European Union with their language problems. The theoretical-methodological basis for the research is Language Management…

  15. Language Hotspots: What (Applied) Linguistics and Education Should Do about Language Endangerment in the Twenty-First Century

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Gregory D. S.

    2011-01-01

    I outline the concept of "Language Hotspots", seeking to direct public and professional awareness of the global language extinction crisis. The loss of a single language leaves the science of linguistics impoverished and yet even few linguists realize that the vast majority of "language families" will likely be lost by the end…

  16. Oral and Written Language and the Cognitive Processes of Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olson, David R.

    1977-01-01

    Looks at the structures of childrens' oral language or "mother tongue" and the structures of adult literate prose and emphasizes the alternate conceptions of reality that those languages sustain. (MH)

  17. Teaching Science Through the Language of Students in Technology-Enhanced Instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ryoo, Kihyun

    2015-02-01

    This study examines whether and how tapping into students' everyday language in a web-based learning environment can improve all students' science learning in linguistically heterogeneous classrooms. A total of 220 fifth-grade English Language Learners (ELLs) and their non-ELL peers were assigned to either an everyday English approach condition or a textbook approach condition, and completed technology-enhanced instruction focusing on respiration and photosynthesis. Students in the everyday English approach condition were taught the concepts in everyday, conversational English before content-specific scientific terms were introduced, while students in the textbook approach condition were taught the same concepts and vocabulary simultaneously. The results show that the everyday English approach was significantly more effective in helping both ELLs and non-ELL students develop a coherent understanding of abstract concepts related to photosynthesis and respiration. Students in the everyday English approach condition were also better able to link content-specific terms to their understanding of the concepts. These findings show the potential advantage of using students' everyday English as a resource to make science more accessible to linguistically diverse students in mainstream classrooms. By integrating students' everyday language in science instruction, it is possible for all students including ELLs to acquire both the content and language of science.

  18. A Grammar-Based Semantic Similarity Algorithm for Natural Language Sentences

    PubMed Central

    Chang, Jia Wei; Hsieh, Tung Cheng

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a grammar and semantic corpus based similarity algorithm for natural language sentences. Natural language, in opposition to “artificial language”, such as computer programming languages, is the language used by the general public for daily communication. Traditional information retrieval approaches, such as vector models, LSA, HAL, or even the ontology-based approaches that extend to include concept similarity comparison instead of cooccurrence terms/words, may not always determine the perfect matching while there is no obvious relation or concept overlap between two natural language sentences. This paper proposes a sentence similarity algorithm that takes advantage of corpus-based ontology and grammatical rules to overcome the addressed problems. Experiments on two famous benchmarks demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has a significant performance improvement in sentences/short-texts with arbitrary syntax and structure. PMID:24982952

  19. Brain-Based Research & Language Teaching.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christison, MaryAnn

    2002-01-01

    Introduces brain-based teaching and learning. Reviews basic biological facts about the human brain and discusses seven principles based on recent research that have practical benefits for English-as-a-Foreign-Language teachers. (Author/VWL)

  20. Language Training: A Program for Retarded Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stremel, Kathleen

    1972-01-01

    Three moderately to severely retarded children who demonstrated a limited expressive noun vocabulary were placed in a language program to be trained to produce the basic grammatical relations (subject-verb-object responses). (Author)

  1. Heroin - Multiple Languages

    MedlinePlus

    ... Spanish) PDF The basics - Opioids, part 1 - English MP3 The basics - Opioids, part 1 - español (Spanish) MP3 The basics - Opioids, part 1 - English MP4 The ... Spanish) PDF Heroin - Opioid addiction, part 7 - English MP3 Heroin - Opioid addiction, part 7 - español (Spanish) MP3 ...

  2. Do written mandatory accreditation standards for residential care positively model learning organizations? Textual and critical discourse analysis.

    PubMed

    Bell, Erica; Robinson, Andrew; See, Catherine

    2013-11-01

    Unprecedented global population ageing accompanied by increasing complexity of aged care present major challenges of quality in aged care. In the business literature, Senge's theory of adaptive learning organisations offers a model of organisational quality. However, while accreditation of national standards is an increasing mechanism for achieving quality in aged care, there are anecdotal concerns it creates a 'minimum standards compliance mentality' and no evidence about whether it reinforces learning organisations. The research question was 'Do mandatory national accreditation standards for residential aged care, as they are written, positively model learning organisations?'. Automatic text analysis was combined with critical discourse analysis to analyse the presence of learning concepts from Senge's learning organisation theory in an exhaustive sample of national accreditation standards from 7 countries. The two stages of analysis were: (1) quantitative mapping of the presence of learning organisation concepts in standards using Bayesian-based textual analytics software and (2) qualitative critical discourse analysis to further examine how the language of standards so identified may be modelling learning organisation concepts. The learning concepts 'training', 'development', 'knowledge', and 'systems' are present with relative frequencies of 19%, 11%, 10%, and 10% respectively in the 1944 instances, in paragraph-sized text blocks, considered. Concepts such as 'team', 'integration', 'learning', 'change' and 'innovation' occur with 7%, 6%, 5%, 5%, and 1% relative frequencies respectively. Learning concepts tend to co-occur with negative rather than positive sentiment language in the 3176 instances in text blocks containing sentiment language. Critical discourse analysis suggested that standards generally use the language of organisational change and learning in limited ways that appear to model 'learning averse' communities of practice and organisational cultures. The aged care quality challenge and the role of standards need rethinking. All standards implicitly or explicitly model an organisation of some type. If standards can model a limited and negative learning organisation language, they could model a well-developed and positive learning organisation language. In the context of the global aged care crisis, the modelling of learning organisations is probably critical for minimal competence in residential aged care and certainly achievable in the language of standards. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Alternate Realities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, Robert

    2010-02-01

    Two identical learners, observing different example input, or the same examples, but in different order, can form different categories and so judge newer/later input differently. (Machine Learning, T. Mitchell, McGraw Hill, 1997 and Asa H., R. Jones, Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., vol 109, # 3/4, pg 159, 2006) It seems certain that each of us experiences a somewhat different reality, the question is just how widely these realities can vary one from another. Perhaps 4% of people exhibit synesthesia, perceiving letters or numbers as colored, numbers and dates as having personalities or occupying locations in space. (Synesthesia, R. Cytowic, MIT Press, 2002) The Sapir- Whorf hypothesis claims that a speakers language influences his category structure and the way he thinks. (Language, thought, and reality, B. Whorf, MIT Press, 1956) Those who are skillful at mathematics may know an additional language and be able to think thoughts that the layman can not. The philosophers Plato and Descartes claimed to have had, at certain moments in their lives, a new view of the world, its basic constituents, and its rules which were totally different from our conventional view of reality. (Reflections on Kurt Godel, H. Wang, MIT Press, 1987, pg. 46) Fairly large scale differences are experienced by those who believe in (make use of) concepts like spirit(s), soul(s), god(s), life after death, platonism or Everett's many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics (The Physics of Immortality, F. Tipler, Doubleday, 1994, pg. 176) )

  4. Quantum Sets and Clifford Algebras

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Finkelstein, David

    1982-06-01

    The mathematical language presently used for quantum physics is a high-level language. As a lowest-level or basic language I construct a quantum set theory in three stages: (1) Classical set theory, formulated as a Clifford algebra of “ S numbers” generated by a single monadic operation, “bracing,” Br = {…}. (2) Indefinite set theory, a modification of set theory dealing with the modal logical concept of possibility. (3) Quantum set theory. The quantum set is constructed from the null set by the familiar quantum techniques of tensor product and antisymmetrization. There are both a Clifford and a Grassmann algebra with sets as basis elements. Rank and cardinality operators are analogous to Schroedinger coordinates of the theory, in that they are multiplication or “ Q-type” operators. “ P-type” operators analogous to Schroedinger momenta, in that they transform the Q-type quantities, are bracing (Br), Clifford multiplication by a set X, and the creator of X, represented by Grassmann multiplication c( X) by the set X. Br and its adjoint Br* form a Bose-Einstein canonical pair, and c( X) and its adjoint c( X)* form a Fermi-Dirac or anticanonical pair. Many coefficient number systems can be employed in this quantization. I use the integers for a discrete quantum theory, with the usual complex quantum theory as limit. Quantum set theory may be applied to a quantum time space and a quantum automaton.

  5. Tone Language Speakers and Musicians Share Enhanced Perceptual and Cognitive Abilities for Musical Pitch: Evidence for Bidirectionality between the Domains of Language and Music

    PubMed Central

    Bidelman, Gavin M.; Hutka, Stefanie; Moreno, Sylvain

    2013-01-01

    Psychophysiological evidence suggests that music and language are intimately coupled such that experience/training in one domain can influence processing required in the other domain. While the influence of music on language processing is now well-documented, evidence of language-to-music effects have yet to be firmly established. Here, using a cross-sectional design, we compared the performance of musicians to that of tone-language (Cantonese) speakers on tasks of auditory pitch acuity, music perception, and general cognitive ability (e.g., fluid intelligence, working memory). While musicians demonstrated superior performance on all auditory measures, comparable perceptual enhancements were observed for Cantonese participants, relative to English-speaking nonmusicians. These results provide evidence that tone-language background is associated with higher auditory perceptual performance for music listening. Musicians and Cantonese speakers also showed superior working memory capacity relative to nonmusician controls, suggesting that in addition to basic perceptual enhancements, tone-language background and music training might also be associated with enhanced general cognitive abilities. Our findings support the notion that tone language speakers and musically trained individuals have higher performance than English-speaking listeners for the perceptual-cognitive processing necessary for basic auditory as well as complex music perception. These results illustrate bidirectional influences between the domains of music and language. PMID:23565267

  6. Basic Measurement and Related Careers: Level C.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ohio State Univ., Columbus. Center for Vocational and Technical Education.

    The teaching guide, part of a series of four, consists of learning experiences for use at the levels of grades 3 and 4 in mathematics. It focuses on the basic concepts of measurement and developing measurement skills in the early grades. It progresses to the concept of measurement by comparison and to developing basic volume measurement skills.…

  7. The Effect of Home Related Science Activities on Students' Performance in Basic Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Obomanu, B. J.; Akporehwe, J. N.

    2012-01-01

    Our study investigated the effect of utilizing home related science activities on student's performance in some basic science concepts. The concepts considered were heart energy, ecology and mixtures. The sample consisted of two hundred and forty (240) basic junior secondary two (BJSS11) students drawn from a population of five thousand and…

  8. Using a Thyroid Case Study and Error Plausibility to Introduce Basic Lab Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Browning, Samantha; Urschler, Margaret; Meidl, Katherine; Peculis, Brenda; Milanick, Mark

    2017-01-01

    We describe a 3-hour session that provides students with the opportunity to review basic lab concepts and important techniques using real life scenarios. We began with two separate student-engaged discussions to remind/reinforce some basic concepts in physiology and review calculations with respect to chemical compounds. This was followed by…

  9. Supporting Children with Communication Difficulties in Inclusive Settings: School-Based Language Intervention.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCormick, Linda; And Others

    Preparing language interventionists and special education teachers to work with colleagues and families on collaborative teams in public school settings, this book provides basic procedures for intervention for all children with language and communication difficulties, with hands-on activities to give students practice in applying the procedures.…

  10. Cestina pro Pokrocile (Intermediate Czech).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kabat, Grazyna; And Others

    The textbook in intermediate Czech is designed for second-year students of the language and those who already have a basic knowledge of Czech grammar and vocabulary. It is appropriate for use in a traditional college language classroom, the business community, or a government language school. It can be covered in a year-long conventional…

  11. A Growth Curve Analysis of Literacy Performance among Second-Grade, Spanish-Speaking, English-Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gutiierrez, Gabriel; Vanderwood, Mike L.

    2013-01-01

    The literacy growth of 260 second-grade English learners (ELs) with varying degrees of English language proficiency (e.g., Beginning, Early Intermediate, Intermediate, Early Advanced and Advanced English language proficiency) was assessed with English literacy skill assessments. Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills measures were…

  12. Some Aspects of Developing Background Knowledge in Second Language Acquisition Revisited

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zashchitina, Galina; Moysyak, Natalia

    2017-01-01

    The article focuses on defining how background knowledge impacts on second-language acquisition by giving a brief overview of schema theory, the interaction of the basic modes of information processing. A challenge of dealing with culturally specific texts in second language acquisition is also touched upon. Different research-supported views on…

  13. Forming Well Organized Writing Activities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tosuncuoglu, Irfan

    2018-01-01

    English has been widely spoken in the world and seen as the language of education, communication, economics and etc., for a long time and it can be accepted as lingua franca. Knowledge of a language includes four basic language skills, these are listening, reading, speaking, and writing. In this study writing was investigated in detail and it was…

  14. Bridging Authentic Experiences and Literacy Skills through the Language Experience Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Jiuhan

    2013-01-01

    Although the research base is small on adult English language learners (ELLs) who are learning English while also acquiring basic literacy, this research can still guide instructional practices. The essential components of reading skills suggests that the Language Experience Approach has the potential to integrate relevant meaning-focused reading…

  15. Lexical Properties of Slovene Sign Language: A Corpus-Based Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vintar, Špela

    2015-01-01

    Slovene Sign Language (SZJ) has as yet received little attention from linguists. This article presents some basic facts about SZJ, its history, current status, and a description of the Slovene Sign Language Corpus and Pilot Grammar (SIGNOR) project, which compiled and annotated a representative corpus of SZJ. Finally, selected quantitative data…

  16. Syntactic Complexity and Ambiguity Resolution in a Free Word Order Language: Behavioral and Electrophysiological Evidences from Basque

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erdocia, Kepa; Laka, Itziar; Mestres-Misse, Anna; Rodriguez-Fornells, Antoni

    2009-01-01

    In natural languages some syntactic structures are simpler than others. Syntactically complex structures require further computation that is not required by syntactically simple structures. In particular, canonical, basic word order represents the simplest sentence-structure. Natural languages have different canonical word orders, and they vary in…

  17. THE MORPHO-SYNTACTIC TYPOLOGY OF THE SLAVIC LANGUAGES.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    BIDWELL, CHARLES E.

    THIS PAPER STATES THE COMMON GRAMMATICAL FEATURES OF SLAVIC LANGUAGES AND MENTIONS MINOR VARIATIONS FROM THE PATTERN, AS THEY EXIST IN THE SEPARATE LANGUAGES AND DIALECTS. THE AUTHOR DESCRIBES BOTH COMPONENTS OF SENTENCES AND THE ORDERING OF THESE COMPONENTS. THE BASIC KERNEL SENTENCES ARE LISTED WITH THE TYPES OF CONSTITUENTS OCCURRING IN THEM,…

  18. Selection and Use of General-Purpose Programming Languages--Overview. Volume 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cugini, John V.

    This study presents a review of selection factors for the seven major general-purpose programming languages: Ada, BASIC, C, COBOL, FORTRAN, PASCAL, and PL/I. The factors covered include not only the logical operations within each language, but also the advantages and disadvantages stemming from the current computing environment, e.g., software…

  19. Speech-Language Pathologists' Knowledge and Skills Regarding Hearing Aids.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woodford, Charles M.

    1987-01-01

    Speech-language pathologists (n=49) and speech-language pathology graduate students (n=53) were administered a written examination on hearing aids and a practical examination concerning the functioning of two types of hearing aids. The majority lacked basic knowledge and skills necessary to assist hearing-impaired students with their hearing aids.…

  20. English as a Second Language for the Asian Languages and Cultures.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Los Angeles City Schools, CA.

    This guide is designed for classroom teachers who work with non English dominant Asian students from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Historic information, English as a Second Language contrasts, and cultural information are included. The three basic components of the guide are the phonological, the syntactical, and the cultural.…

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