Prospective English Language Teachers' Perceptions of the Target Language and Culture in Relation to Their Socioeconomic Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arikan, Arda

2011-01-01

Prospective foreign language teachers need to have an accurate knowledge and a positive perception of the target language and target culture so that they can help their students gain further insight on culture by and large. Hence, by means of a questionnaire, prospective English language teachers' (n= 412) perceptions of the target language and…

Prospective English Language Teachers' Perceptions of the Target Language and Culture in Relation to Their Socioeconomic Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arikan, Arda

2011-01-01

Prospective foreign language teachers need to have an accurate knowledge and a positive perception of the target language and target culture so that they can help their students gain further insight on culture by and large. Hence, by means of a questionnaire, prospective English language teachers' (n = 412) perceptions of the target language and…

Restrictions on biological adaptation in language evolution.

PubMed

Chater, Nick; Reali, Florencia; Christiansen, Morten H

2009-01-27

Language acquisition and processing are governed by genetic constraints. A crucial unresolved question is how far these genetic constraints have coevolved with language, perhaps resulting in a highly specialized and species-specific language "module," and how much language acquisition and processing redeploy preexisting cognitive machinery. In the present work, we explored the circumstances under which genes encoding language-specific properties could have coevolved with language itself. We present a theoretical model, implemented in computer simulations, of key aspects of the interaction of genes and language. Our results show that genes for language could have coevolved only with highly stable aspects of the linguistic environment; a rapidly changing linguistic environment does not provide a stable target for natural selection. Thus, a biological endowment could not coevolve with properties of language that began as learned cultural conventions, because cultural conventions change much more rapidly than genes. We argue that this rules out the possibility that arbitrary properties of language, including abstract syntactic principles governing phrase structure, case marking, and agreement, have been built into a "language module" by natural selection. The genetic basis of human language acquisition and processing did not coevolve with language, but primarily predates the emergence of language. As suggested by Darwin, the fit between language and its underlying mechanisms arose because language has evolved to fit the human brain, rather than the reverse.

Student Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs about Using the Target Language in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bateman, Blair E.

2008-01-01

Although the language teaching profession has long emphasized the use of the target language in the classroom, student teachers face various challenges in their efforts to conduct class in their target language. This case study focused on 10 student teachers with respect to (1) their initial attitudes and beliefs about using the target language,…

Second Language Learners' Divergence from Target Language Pragmatic Norms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomez-Laich, Maria Pia

2016-01-01

Pragmatic competence is an indispensable aspect of language ability in order for second and foreign language (L2/FL) learners to understand and be understood in their interactions with both native and nonnative speakers of the target language. Without a proper understanding of the pragmatic rules in the target language, learners may run the risk…

Compiler writing system detail design specification. Volume 1: Language specification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arthur, W. J.

1974-01-01

Construction within the Meta language for both language and target machine specification is reported. The elements of the function language as a meaning and syntax are presented, and the structure of the target language is described which represents the target dependent object text representation of applications programs.

The Process of Auditory Distraction: Disrupted Attention and Impaired Recall in a Simulated Lecture Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeamer, Charlotte; Fox Tree, Jean E.

2013-01-01

Literature on auditory distraction has generally focused on the effects of particular kinds of sounds on attention to target stimuli. In support of extensive previous findings that have demonstrated the special role of language as an auditory distractor, we found that a concurrent speech stream impaired recall of a short lecture, especially for…

Teachers' English Proficiency and Classroom Language Use: A Conversation Analysis Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Canh, Le; Renandya, Willy A.

2017-01-01

How does teachers' target language proficiency correlate with their ability to use the target language effectively in order to provide optimal learning opportunities in the language classroom? Adopting a conversation analysis approach, this study examines the extent to which teachers' use of the target language in the classroom creates learning…

Targeted Help for Spoken Dialogue Systems: Intelligent Feedback Improves Naive Users' Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hockey, Beth Ann; Lemon, Oliver; Campana, Ellen; Hiatt, Laura; Aist, Gregory; Hieronymous, Jim; Gruenstein, Alexander; Dowding, John

2003-01-01

We present experimental evidence that providing naive users of a spoken dialogue system with immediate help messages related to their out-of-coverage utterances improves their success in using the system. A grammar-based recognizer and a Statistical Language Model (SLM) recognizer are run simultaneously. If the grammar-based recognizer suceeds, the less accurate SLM recognizer hypothesis is not used. When the grammar-based recognizer fails and the SLM recognizer produces a recognition hypothesis, this result is used by the Targeted Help agent to give the user feed-back on what was recognized, a diagnosis of what was problematic about the utterance, and a related in-coverage example. The in-coverage example is intended to encourage alignment between user inputs and the language model of the system. We report on controlled experiments on a spoken dialogue system for command and control of a simulated robotic helicopter.

Integrated verification and testing system (IVTS) for HAL/S programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Senn, E. H.; Ames, K. R.; Smith, K. A.

1983-01-01

The IVTS is a large software system designed to support user-controlled verification analysis and testing activities for programs written in the HAL/S language. The system is composed of a user interface and user command language, analysis tools and an organized data base of host system files. The analysis tools are of four major types: (1) static analysis, (2) symbolic execution, (3) dynamic analysis (testing), and (4) documentation enhancement. The IVTS requires a split HAL/S compiler, divided at the natural separation point between the parser/lexical analyzer phase and the target machine code generator phase. The IVTS uses the internal program form (HALMAT) between these two phases as primary input for the analysis tools. The dynamic analysis component requires some way to 'execute' the object HAL/S program. The execution medium may be an interpretive simulation or an actual host or target machine.

A Streaming Language Implementation of the Discontinuous Galerkin Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barth, Timothy; Knight, Timothy

2005-01-01

We present a Brook streaming language implementation of the 3-D discontinuous Galerkin method for compressible fluid flow on tetrahedral meshes. Efficient implementation of the discontinuous Galerkin method using the streaming model of computation introduces several algorithmic design challenges. Using a cycle-accurate simulator, performance characteristics have been obtained for the Stanford Merrimac stream processor. The current Merrimac design achieves 128 Gflops per chip and the desktop board is populated with 16 chips yielding a peak performance of 2 Teraflops. Total parts cost for the desktop board is less than $20K. Current cycle-accurate simulations for discretizations of the 3-D compressible flow equations yield approximately 40-50% of the peak performance of the Merrimac streaming processor chip. Ongoing work includes the assessment of the performance of the same algorithm on the 2 Teraflop desktop board with a target goal of achieving 1 Teraflop performance.

ProjectQ Software Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steiger, Damian S.; Haener, Thomas; Troyer, Matthias

Quantum computers promise to transform our notions of computation by offering a completely new paradigm. A high level quantum programming language and optimizing compilers are essential components to achieve scalable quantum computation. In order to address this, we introduce the ProjectQ software framework - an open source effort to support both theorists and experimentalists by providing intuitive tools to implement and run quantum algorithms. Here, we present our ProjectQ quantum compiler, which compiles a quantum algorithm from our high-level Python-embedded language down to low-level quantum gates available on the target system. We demonstrate how this compiler can be used to control actual hardware and to run high-performance simulations.

Vectorized algorithms for spiking neural network simulation.

PubMed

Brette, Romain; Goodman, Dan F M

2011-06-01

High-level languages (Matlab, Python) are popular in neuroscience because they are flexible and accelerate development. However, for simulating spiking neural networks, the cost of interpretation is a bottleneck. We describe a set of algorithms to simulate large spiking neural networks efficiently with high-level languages using vector-based operations. These algorithms constitute the core of Brian, a spiking neural network simulator written in the Python language. Vectorized simulation makes it possible to combine the flexibility of high-level languages with the computational efficiency usually associated with compiled languages.

On the design of script languages for neural simulation.

PubMed

Brette, Romain

2012-01-01

In neural network simulators, models are specified according to a language, either specific or based on a general programming language (e.g. Python). There are also ongoing efforts to develop standardized languages, for example NeuroML. When designing these languages, efforts are often focused on expressivity, that is, on maximizing the number of model types than can be described and simulated. I argue that a complementary goal should be to minimize the cognitive effort required on the part of the user to use the language. I try to formalize this notion with the concept of "language entropy", and I propose a few practical guidelines to minimize the entropy of languages for neural simulation.

Relationship between Language Learners' Attitudes toward Cultural Instruction and Pragmatic Comprehension and Production

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rafieyan, Vahid

2016-01-01

Development of target language pragmatic competence in language learners requires not only provision of cultural features of target language community in language classes but also language learner's willingness to learn and use those cultural features. To investigate the relationship between language learners' attitudes toward cultural instruction…

Forward and adjoint spectral-element simulations of seismic wave propagation using hardware accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peter, Daniel; Videau, Brice; Pouget, Kevin; Komatitsch, Dimitri

2015-04-01

Improving the resolution of tomographic images is crucial to answer important questions on the nature of Earth's subsurface structure and internal processes. Seismic tomography is the most prominent approach where seismic signals from ground-motion records are used to infer physical properties of internal structures such as compressional- and shear-wave speeds, anisotropy and attenuation. Recent advances in regional- and global-scale seismic inversions move towards full-waveform inversions which require accurate simulations of seismic wave propagation in complex 3D media, providing access to the full 3D seismic wavefields. However, these numerical simulations are computationally very expensive and need high-performance computing (HPC) facilities for further improving the current state of knowledge. During recent years, many-core architectures such as graphics processing units (GPUs) have been added to available large HPC systems. Such GPU-accelerated computing together with advances in multi-core central processing units (CPUs) can greatly accelerate scientific applications. There are mainly two possible choices of language support for GPU cards, the CUDA programming environment and OpenCL language standard. CUDA software development targets NVIDIA graphic cards while OpenCL was adopted mainly by AMD graphic cards. In order to employ such hardware accelerators for seismic wave propagation simulations, we incorporated a code generation tool BOAST into an existing spectral-element code package SPECFEM3D_GLOBE. This allows us to use meta-programming of computational kernels and generate optimized source code for both CUDA and OpenCL languages, running simulations on either CUDA or OpenCL hardware accelerators. We show here applications of forward and adjoint seismic wave propagation on CUDA/OpenCL GPUs, validating results and comparing performances for different simulations and hardware usages.

Equation-oriented specification of neural models for simulations

PubMed Central

Stimberg, Marcel; Goodman, Dan F. M.; Benichoux, Victor; Brette, Romain

2013-01-01

Simulating biological neuronal networks is a core method of research in computational neuroscience. A full specification of such a network model includes a description of the dynamics and state changes of neurons and synapses, as well as the synaptic connectivity patterns and the initial values of all parameters. A standard approach in neuronal modeling software is to build network models based on a library of pre-defined components and mechanisms; if a model component does not yet exist, it has to be defined in a special-purpose or general low-level language and potentially be compiled and linked with the simulator. Here we propose an alternative approach that allows flexible definition of models by writing textual descriptions based on mathematical notation. We demonstrate that this approach allows the definition of a wide range of models with minimal syntax. Furthermore, such explicit model descriptions allow the generation of executable code for various target languages and devices, since the description is not tied to an implementation. Finally, this approach also has advantages for readability and reproducibility, because the model description is fully explicit, and because it can be automatically parsed and transformed into formatted descriptions. The presented approach has been implemented in the Brian2 simulator. PMID:24550820

Study Abroad in Egypt: Identity, Access, and Arabic Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trentman, Emma Gale

2012-01-01

Study abroad is often viewed as an ideal setting to improve target language proficiency due to opportunities for extensive contact with locals in the target language. However, research on study abroad demonstrates that this local contact and target language use can be quite limited, and that there is considerable variation in the linguistic…

Relationship between Attitude toward Target Language Culture Instruction and Pragmatic Comprehension Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rafieyan, Vahid; Majid, Norazman Bin Abdul; Eng, Lin Siew

2013-01-01

Familiarity with the cultural features of the target language society and interest in learning those cultural features are the key factors to determine language learners' level of pragmatic comprehension. To investigate this issue, this study attempted to assess the relationship between attitude toward incorporating target language culture into…

How Much Foreign Language Is There in the Foreign Language Classroom?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duff, Patricia A.; Polio, Charlene G.

1990-01-01

Classroom observation of 13 college language courses and analysis of student questionnaire and teacher interview responses indicated that teachers varied widely in use of target language with a mean of 67.9 percent; language type, departmental policy, lesson content, and teacher training affected target language use; and students were generally…

Implementing a modeling software for animated protein-complex interactions using a physics simulation library.

PubMed

Ueno, Yutaka; Ito, Shuntaro; Konagaya, Akihiko

2014-12-01

To better understand the behaviors and structural dynamics of proteins within a cell, novel software tools are being developed that can create molecular animations based on the findings of structural biology. This study proposes our method developed based on our prototypes to detect collisions and examine the soft-body dynamics of molecular models. The code was implemented with a software development toolkit for rigid-body dynamics simulation and a three-dimensional graphics library. The essential functions of the target software system included the basic molecular modeling environment, collision detection in the molecular models, and physical simulations of the movement of the model. Taking advantage of recent software technologies such as physics simulation modules and interpreted scripting language, the functions required for accurate and meaningful molecular animation were implemented efficiently.

Language Nonselective Lexical Access in Bilingual Toddlers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Von Holzen, Katie; Mani, Nivedita

2012-01-01

We examined how words from bilingual toddlers' second language (L2) primed recognition of related target words in their first language (L1). On critical trials, prime-target word pairs were either (a) phonologically related, with L2 primes overlapped phonologically with L1 target words [e.g., "slide" (L2 prime)-"Kleid" (L1 target, "dress")], or…

When the Test Developer Does Not Speak the Target Language: The Use of Language Informants in the Test Development Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Ève; Brunfaut, Tineke

2016-01-01

It is not unusual for tests in less-commonly taught languages (LCTLs) to be developed by an experienced item writer with no proficiency in the language being tested, in collaboration with a language informant who is a speaker of the target language, but lacks language assessment expertise. How this approach to item writing works in practice, and…

Is a bear white in the woods? Parallel representation of implied object color during language comprehension.

PubMed

Connell, Louise; Lynott, Dermot

2009-06-01

Color is undeniably important to object representations, but so too is the ability of context to alter the color of an object. The present study examined how implied perceptual information about typical and atypical colors is represented during language comprehension. Participants read sentences that implied a (typical or atypical) color for a target object and then performed a modified Stroop task in which they named the ink color of the target word (typical, atypical, or unrelated). Results showed that color naming was facilitated both when ink color was typical for that object (e.g., bear in brown ink) and when it matched the color implied by the previous sentence (e.g., bear in white ink following Joe was excited to see a bear at the North Pole). These findings suggest that unusual contexts cause people to represent in parallel both typical and scenario-specific perceptual information, and these types of information are discussed in relation to the specialization of perceptual simulations.

Le Jeu des Colis--An Exercise in Foreign Language Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Barry

1979-01-01

Teacher prepared taped exchanges of realia between foreign language classes and classes of speakers of the target language provide language lessons through personal contact similar to those gained through a trip to the country of the target language. Sample lessons offer linguistic, cultural, and practical guidelines for implementing such a…

Domain-general neural correlates of dependency formation: Using complex tones to simulate language.

PubMed

Brilmayer, Ingmar; Sassenhagen, Jona; Bornkessel-Schlesewsky, Ina; Schlesewsky, Matthias

2017-08-01

There is an ongoing debate whether the P600 event-related potential component following syntactic anomalies reflects syntactic processes per se, or if it is an instance of the P300, a domain-general ERP component associated with attention and cognitive reorientation. A direct comparison of both components is challenging because of the huge discrepancy in experimental designs and stimulus choice between language and 'classic' P300 experiments. In the present study, we develop a new approach to mimic the interplay of sequential position as well as categorical and relational information in natural language syntax (word category and agreement) in a non-linguistic target detection paradigm using musical instruments. Participants were instructed to (covertly) detect target tones which were defined by instrument change and pitch rise between subsequent tones at the last two positions of four-tone sequences. We analysed the EEG using event-related averaging and time-frequency decomposition. Our results show striking similarities to results obtained from linguistic experiments. We found a P300 that showed sensitivity to sequential position and a late positivity sensitive to stimulus type and position. A time-frequency decomposition revealed significant effects of sequential position on the theta band and a significant influence of stimulus type on the delta band. Our results suggest that the detection of non-linguistic targets defined via complex feature conjunctions in the present study and the detection of syntactic anomalies share the same underlying processes: attentional shift and memory based matching processes that act upon multi-feature conjunctions. We discuss the results as supporting domain-general accounts of the P600 during natural language comprehension. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validation of the AVM Blast Computational Modeling and Simulation Tool Set

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-04

by-construction" methodology is powerful and would not be possible without high -level design languages to support validation and verification. [1,4...to enable the making of informed design decisions.  Enable rapid exploration of the design trade-space for high -fidelity requirements tradeoffs...live-fire tests, the jump height of the target structure is recorded by using either high speed cameras or a string pot. A simple projectile motion

Defining Spatial Information Requirements for Asymmetric Threat Behaviour in Simulation

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-01

research and development initiative to gain a shared understanding and to develop a standardized language . As such, the HF and M&S domains work...call- sign ) to bring their full power to bear on them. When the target is in range all members of the IED cell will prepare for combat, with emphasis...1999). Gorillas in our midst: sustained inattentional blindness for dynamic events. Perception, 28, 1059–1074. Defining Spatial Information

The DYNAMO Simulation Language--An Alternate Approach to Computer Science Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bronson, Richard

1986-01-01

Suggests the use of computer simulation of continuous systems as a problem solving approach to computer languages. Outlines the procedures that the system dynamics approach employs in computer simulations. Explains the advantages of the special purpose language, DYNAMO. (ML)

The proper treatment of language acquisition and change in a population setting.

PubMed

Niyogi, Partha; Berwick, Robert C

2009-06-23

Language acquisition maps linguistic experience, primary linguistic data (PLD), onto linguistic knowledge, a grammar. Classically, computational models of language acquisition assume a single target grammar and one PLD source, the central question being whether the target grammar can be acquired from the PLD. However, real-world learners confront populations with variation, i.e., multiple target grammars and PLDs. Removing this idealization has inspired a new class of population-based language acquisition models. This paper contrasts 2 such models. In the first, iterated learning (IL), each learner receives PLD from one target grammar but different learners can have different targets. In the second, social learning (SL), each learner receives PLD from possibly multiple targets, e.g., from 2 parents. We demonstrate that these 2 models have radically different evolutionary consequences. The IL model is dynamically deficient in 2 key respects. First, the IL model admits only linear dynamics and so cannot describe phase transitions, attested rapid changes in languages over time. Second, the IL model cannot properly describe the stability of languages over time. In contrast, the SL model leads to nonlinear dynamics, bifurcations, and possibly multiple equilibria and so suffices to model both the case of stable language populations, mixtures of more than 1 language, as well as rapid language change. The 2 models also make distinct, empirically testable predictions about language change. Using historical data, we show that the SL model more faithfully replicates the dynamics of the evolution of Middle English.

How Deep Is Your Immersion? Policy and Practice in Welsh-Medium Preschools with Children from Different Language Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hickey, Tina M.; Lewis, Gwyn; Baker, Colin

2014-01-01

A challenge noted in a number of endangered language contexts is the need to mix second-language (L2) learners of the target language with first-language (L1) speakers of that language in a less planned way than is found in the two-way immersion approach. Such mixing of L1 speakers of the target language with L2 learners arises from the difficulty…

Simulation/Gaming and the Acquisition of Communicative Competence in Another Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia-Carbonell, Amparo; Rising, Beverly; Montero, Begona; Watts, Frances

2001-01-01

Discussion of communicative competence in second language acquisition focuses on a theoretical and practical meshing of simulation and gaming methodology with theories of foreign language acquisition, including task-based learning, interaction, and comprehensible input. Describes experiments conducted with computer-assisted simulations in…

The implementation of flipped classroom model in CIE in the environment of non-target language

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Renfei; Mustofa, Ali; Zhang, Fang; Su, Xiaoxue

2018-01-01

This paper sets a theoretical framework that it’s both feasible and indispensable of flipping classroom in Chinese International Education (CIE) in the non-target language environments. There are mainly three sections included: 1) what is flipped classroom and why it becomes inevitable existence; 2) why should we flip the classroom in CIE environments, especially in non-target language environments; 3) take Pusat Bahasa Mandarin Universitas Negeri Surabaya as an instance to discuss the application of flipped classroom in non-target language environments.

Identification of Barriers to Pediatric Care in Limited-Resource Settings: A Simulation Study.

PubMed

Shilkofski, Nicole; Hunt, Elizabeth A

2015-12-01

Eighty percent of the 10 million annual deaths in children aged <5 years in developing countries are estimated to be avoidable, with improvements in education for pediatric emergency management being a key factor. Education must take into account cultural considerations to be effective. Study objectives were: (1) to use simulation to identify factors posing barriers to patient care in limited resource settings (LRS); and (2) to understand how simulations in LRS can affect communication and decision-making processes. A qualitative study was conducted at 17 different sites in 12 developing countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Data from observations of 68 in situ simulated pediatric emergencies were coded for thematic analysis. Sixty-two different "key informants" were interviewed regarding perceived benefit of simulations. Coding of observations and interviews yielded common themes: impact of culture on team hierarchy, impact of communication and language barriers on situational awareness, systematic emergency procedures, role delineation, shared cognition and resource awareness through simulation, logistic barriers to patient care, and use of recognition-primed decision-making by experienced clinicians. Changes in clinical environments were implemented as a result of simulations. Ad hoc teams in LRS face challenges in caring safely for patients; these include language and cultural barriers, as well as environmental and resource constraints. Engaging teams in simulations may promote improved communication, identification of systems issues and latent threats to target for remediation. There may be a role for training novices in use of recognition-primed or algorithmic decision-making strategies to improve rapidity and efficiency of decisions in LRS. Copyright © 2015 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

What Causes Reliance on English? Challenges and Instructional Suggestions in a Drive for Using a Target Language Only

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bae, Gyseon; Kim, Eunju

2008-01-01

Given the raised graduation requirement of the proficiency Enhancement Program (PEP) to attain proficiency levels of "2+," "2+," and "2," the importance of target language use has been highly emphasized across language schools at Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC). This article discusses some of the challenges associated…

Compositional Abstraction and Refinement for Aspects (CARA)

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-03-01

tight. 5 5 The SAL Language Manual by Leonardo de Moura, Sam Owre, and N. Shankar. Avail- able as [9]. The heart of the SAL system is its language , also...called SAL. The SAL language provides an attractive language for writing specifications, and it is also suitable as a target for translating...key part of the SAL framework is a language for describing transition systems. This language serves as a specification language and as the target for

Automated optimization of an aspheric light-emitting diode lens for uniform illumination.

PubMed

Luo, Xiaoxia; Liu, Hua; Lu, Zhenwu; Wang, Yao

2011-07-10

In this paper, an automated optimization method in the sequential mode of ZEMAX is proposed in the design of an aspheric lens with uniform illuminance for an LED source. A feedback modification is introduced in the design for the LED extended source. The user-defined merit function is written out by using ZEMAX programming language macros language and, as an example, optimum parameters of an aspheric lens are obtained via running an optimization. The optical simulation results show that the illumination efficiency and uniformity can reach 83% and 90%, respectively, on a target surface of 40 mm diameter and at 60 mm away for a 1×1 mm LED source. © 2011 Optical Society of America

Improving Domain-specific Machine Translation by Constraining the Language Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

performance. To make up for the lack of parallel training data, one assumption is that more monolingual target language data should be used in building the...target language model. Prior work on domain-specific MT has focused on training target language models with monolingual 2 domain-specific data...showed that the using a large dictionary extracted from medical domain documents in a statistical MT system to generalize the training data significantly

Future Modelling and Simulation Challenges (Defis futurs pour la modelisation et la simulation)

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-11-01

Language School Figure 2: Location of the simulation center within the MEC Military operations research section - simulation lab Military operations... language . This logic can be probabilistic (branching is randomised, which is useful for modelling error), tactical (a branch goes to the task with the... language and a collection of simulation tools that can be used to create human and team behaviour models to meet users’ needs. Hence, different ways of

Simulation of the space station information system in Ada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spiegel, James R.

1986-01-01

The Flexible Ada Simulation Tool (FAST) is a discrete event simulation language which is written in Ada. FAST has been used to simulate a number of options for ground data distribution of Space Station payload data. The fact that Ada language is used for implementation has allowed a number of useful interactive features to be built into FAST and has facilitated quick enhancement of its capabilities to support new modeling requirements. General simulation concepts are discussed, and how these concepts are implemented in FAST. The FAST design is discussed, and it is pointed out how the used of the Ada language enabled the development of some significant advantages over classical FORTRAN based simulation languages. The advantages discussed are in the areas of efficiency, ease of debugging, and ease of integrating user code. The specific Ada language features which enable these advances are discussed.

What's the Target? A Folk Linguistic Study of Young Stockholmers' Constructions of Linguistic Norm and Variation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bijvoet, Ellen; Fraurud, Kari

2016-01-01

To account for the full range of language use in contemporary multilingual urban contexts, the notion of target language (TL) needs to be reconsidered. In studies of second language acquisition and language variation, taking TL for granted implies that people agree on what constitutes "good" language, or the standard norm. The TL of…

First Language and Target Language in the Foreign Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Littlewood, William; Yu, Baohua

2011-01-01

For many decades, foreign language teaching has been dominated by the principle that teachers should use only the target language (TL) and avoid using the mother tongue (L1) except as a last resort. However, reports show that teachers make extensive use of the L1. This paper illustrates this discrepancy and considers some main reasons for it. It…

International Test Comparisons: Reviewing Translation Error in Different Source Language-Target Language Combinations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhao, Xueyu; Solano-Flores, Guillermo; Qian, Ming

2018-01-01

This article addresses test translation review in international test comparisons. We investigated the applicability of the theory of test translation error--a theory of the multidimensionality and inevitability of test translation error--across source language-target language combinations in the translation of PISA (Programme of International…

The Surgical Simulation and Training Markup Language (SSTML): an XML-based language for medical simulation.

PubMed

Bacon, James; Tardella, Neil; Pratt, Janey; Hu, John; English, James

2006-01-01

Under contract with the Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), Energid Technologies is developing a new XML-based language for describing surgical training exercises, the Surgical Simulation and Training Markup Language (SSTML). SSTML must represent everything from organ models (including tissue properties) to surgical procedures. SSTML is an open language (i.e., freely downloadable) that defines surgical training data through an XML schema. This article focuses on the data representation of the surgical procedures and organ modeling, as they highlight the need for a standard language and illustrate the features of SSTML. Integration of SSTML with software is also discussed.

ADA and multi-microprocessor real-time simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feyock, S.; Collins, W. R.

1983-01-01

The selection of a high-order programming language for a real-time distributed network simulation is described. The additional problem of implementing a language on a possibly changing network is addressed. The recently designed language ADA (trademarked by DoD) was chosen since it provides the best model of the underlying application to be simulated.

The Relationship between Anxiety and Attitude of Students Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language and Their Achievement on Target Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gocer, Ali

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to assess the anxiety connected with target language of the high school students learning Turkish as a foreign language. In this study, descriptive relational screening model was used. Two scales were used for collecting data. First scale was FLCAS-Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale; it was developed by Horwitz…

Teachers' Language Use in University Foreign Language Classrooms: A Qualitative Analysis of English and Target Language Alternation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polio, Charlene G.; Duff, Patricia A.

1994-01-01

In a follow-up project, this study examined how and when six university language teachers actually used English and the target language in the classroom. Results suggest that switches to English may be made to help maintain classroom order, to create solidarity or empathy, to cover lack of experience or strategies, or to rephrase or modify their…

The Effect of Simulation on Middle School Students' Perceptions of Classroom Activities and Their Foreign Language Achievement: A Mixed-Methods Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharifi, Akram; Ghanizadeh, Afsaneh; Jahedizadeh, Safoura

2017-01-01

The present study delved into a language learning model in the domain of English as a foreign language (EFL), i.e., simulation. The term simulation is used to describe the activity of producing conditions which are similar to real ones. We hypothesized that simulation plays a role in middle school students' perceptions of classroom activities…

Body-part metaphors: a cross-cultural survey of the perception of translatability among Americans and Japanese.

PubMed

Sakuragi, Toshiyuki; Fuller, Judith W

2003-07-01

What kinds of linguistic resources do people utilize when they try to translate metaphors into a foreign language? This investigation of the perception of translatability of body-part metaphors examined the effects of the following factors: the similarity between the human body part and the metaphorical expression (e.g., "eye" in "electric eye") in appearance and function; the frequency of the use of the metaphor in the native language; and the perceived distance between the first language and the target language. The results of a survey of American (n = 151) and Japanese (n = 116) university students showed that both Similarity in Appearance and Similarity in Function correlated positively with Translatability, while the effect of the former was stronger than the latter. Frequency correlated positively with Translatability for the Americans, although the correlation was weaker when the target language is "distant" (Japanese or Chinese) than when the target language is "close" (Spanish). Among the Japanese, Frequency did not correlate with translatability regardless of the target language.

Applications of formal simulation languages in the control and monitoring subsystems of Space Station Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lacovara, R. C.

1990-01-01

The notions, benefits, and drawbacks of numeric simulation are introduced. Two formal simulation languages, Simpscript and Modsim are introduced. The capabilities of each are discussed briefly, and then the two programs are compared. The use of simulation in the process of design engineering for the Control and Monitoring System (CMS) for Space Station Freedom is discussed. The application of the formal simulation language to the CMS design is presented, and recommendations are made as to their use.

Why are some languages confused for others? Investigating data from the Great Language Game

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

In this paper we explore the results of a large-scale online game called ‘the Great Language Game’, in which people listen to an audio speech sample and make a forced-choice guess about the identity of the language from 2 or more alternatives. The data include 15 million guesses from 400 audio recordings of 78 languages. We investigate which languages are confused for which in the game, and if this correlates with the similarities that linguists identify between languages. This includes shared lexical items, similar sound inventories and established historical relationships. Our findings are, as expected, that players are more likely to confuse two languages that are objectively more similar. We also investigate factors that may affect players’ ability to accurately select the target language, such as how many people speak the language, how often the language is mentioned in written materials and the economic power of the target language community. We see that non-linguistic factors affect players’ ability to accurately identify the target. For example, languages with wider ‘global reach’ are more often identified correctly. This suggests that both linguistic and cultural knowledge influence the perception and recognition of languages and their similarity. PMID:28379970

Why are some languages confused for others? Investigating data from the Great Language Game.

PubMed

Skirgård, Hedvig; Roberts, Seán G; Yencken, Lars

2017-01-01

In this paper we explore the results of a large-scale online game called 'the Great Language Game', in which people listen to an audio speech sample and make a forced-choice guess about the identity of the language from 2 or more alternatives. The data include 15 million guesses from 400 audio recordings of 78 languages. We investigate which languages are confused for which in the game, and if this correlates with the similarities that linguists identify between languages. This includes shared lexical items, similar sound inventories and established historical relationships. Our findings are, as expected, that players are more likely to confuse two languages that are objectively more similar. We also investigate factors that may affect players' ability to accurately select the target language, such as how many people speak the language, how often the language is mentioned in written materials and the economic power of the target language community. We see that non-linguistic factors affect players' ability to accurately identify the target. For example, languages with wider 'global reach' are more often identified correctly. This suggests that both linguistic and cultural knowledge influence the perception and recognition of languages and their similarity.

Using a simulation assistant in modeling manufacturing systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schroer, Bernard J.; Tseng, Fan T.; Zhang, S. X.; Wolfsberger, John W.

1988-01-01

Numerous simulation languages exist for modeling discrete event processes, and are now ported to microcomputers. Graphic and animation capabilities were added to many of these languages to assist the users build models and evaluate the simulation results. With all these languages and added features, the user is still plagued with learning the simulation language. Futhermore, the time to construct and then to validate the simulation model is always greater than originally anticipated. One approach to minimize the time requirement is to use pre-defined macros that describe various common processes or operations in a system. The development of a simulation assistant for modeling discrete event manufacturing processes is presented. A simulation assistant is defined as an interactive intelligent software tool that assists the modeler in writing a simulation program by translating the modeler's symbolic description of the problem and then automatically generating the corresponding simulation code. The simulation assistant is discussed with emphasis on an overview of the simulation assistant, the elements of the assistant, and the five manufacturing simulation generators. A typical manufacturing system will be modeled using the simulation assistant and the advantages and disadvantages discussed.

Exploring How Non-Native Teachers Can Use Commonalities with Students to Teach the Target Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds-Case, Anne

2012-01-01

This article presents a qualitative study demonstrating how teachers who are non-native speakers (NNS) of the target language and who have learned the target language in a similar environment as their students can use their past learning experiences as pedagogical tools in their classes. An analysis of transcripts from classrooms with NNS and…

Students' Views regarding the Use of the First Language: An Exploratory Study in a Tertiary Context Maximizing Target Language Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rolin-Ianziti, Jeanne; Varshney, Rachel

2008-01-01

The present study investigates the functions that language learners attribute to the first language (L1) within a teaching context that maximizes the target language (TL). Beginners of French in an Australian university (N = 52) completed a questionnaire consisting of 21 closed questions on their views on L1/TL use and two open questions on the…

A Howling Success: How To Put Your "Pied Dedans."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smillie, Barrie

1996-01-01

Discusses humorous incidences of translating an idiom from one language literally into another. Notes that words with a similar look or sound in English and the target language, or within the target language, cause confusion. (Author/CK)

A high-order language for a system of closely coupled processing elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feyock, S.; Collins, W. R.

1986-01-01

The research reported in this paper was occasioned by the requirements on part of the Real-Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) project under way at NASA Lewis Research Center. The RTDS simulation scheme employs a network of CPUs running lock-step cycles in the parallel computations of jet airplane simulations. Their need for a high order language (HOL) that would allow non-experts to write simulation applications and that could be implemented on a possibly varying network can best be fulfilled by using the programming language Ada. We describe how the simulation problems can be modeled in Ada, how to map a single, multi-processing Ada program into code for individual processors, regardless of network reconfiguration, and why some Ada language features are particulary well-suited to network simulations.

Teachers' Uses of the Target and First Languages in Second and Foreign Language Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turnball, Miles; Arnett, Katy

2002-01-01

Reviews recent theoretical and empirical literature regarding teachers' uses of the target (TL) and first languages (L1) in second and foreign language classrooms. Explores several issues related to teachers' use of the L1 and the TL in the classroom; exposure to TL input, student motivation, cognitive considerations, code switching, and…

Parallel Processing of the Target Language during Source Language Comprehension in Interpreting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Yanping; Lin, Jiexuan

2013-01-01

Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that the parallel processing of the target language (TL) during source language (SL) comprehension in interpreting may be influenced by two factors: (i) link strength from SL to TL, and (ii) the interpreter's cognitive resources supplement to TL processing during SL comprehension. The…

Virtual Conversation Partner for Adults with Autism

PubMed Central

Trepagnier, Cheryl Y.; Olsen, Dale E.; Bell, Corinne A.

2011-01-01

Abstract Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is notable for severely impaired reciprocal social interaction skills relative to language and intellectual abilities, presenting a major barrier to social integration and vocational success. Evidence-based interventions to address these needs are lacking. We report on the development of a small, prototype conversation simulation to teach conversational skills to adolescents and adults with ASD and average to superior intellectual abilities. We also report on a test of the feasibility and acceptability of the simulation approach with a sample of the target population. The simulation engages the user in a virtual conversation with an on-screen partner whose reactions provide naturalistic feedback geared to the appropriateness of the learner's response choices. The prototype simulation, which provides for up to 12 potentially unique multi-turn conversations, was used over a period of 2 weeks by 16 adolescents and adults who then rated statements about the system on a linear scale of 1 (disagreement) to 5 (high agreement). The participants highly endorsed the majority of positive statements about the quality and credibility of the interaction and the virtual conversation partner. In contrast, agreement with positive statements about instructional features external to the conversation was moderate. Unexpectedly, most participants strongly agreed that using the simulation had been helpful to them. Further development and testing in the context of a controlled study with randomized assignment to control and experimental groups are needed to determine whether this approach is effective in improving real-world pragmatic language behavior of high-functioning adults with ASD. PMID:21329439

A framework for the comparative study of language.

PubMed

Uriagereka, Juan; Reggia, James A; Wilkinson, Gerald S

2013-07-18

Comparative studies of language are difficult because few language precursors are recognized. In this paper we propose a framework for designing experiments that test for structural and semantic patterns indicative of simple or complex grammars as originally described by Chomsky. We argue that a key issue is whether animals can recognize full recursion, which is the hallmark of context-free grammar. We discuss limitations of recent experiments that have attempted to address this issue, and point out that experiments aimed at detecting patterns that follow a Fibonacci series have advantages over other artificial context-free grammars. We also argue that experiments using complex sequences of behaviors could, in principle, provide evidence for fully recursive thought. Some of these ideas could also be approached using artificial life simulations, which have the potential to reveal the types of evolutionary transitions that could occur over time. Because the framework we propose has specific memory and computational requirements, future experiments could target candidate genes with the goal of revealing the genetic underpinnings of complex cognition.

Investigating the Target Language Usage in and outside Business English Classrooms for Non-English Major Undergraduates at a Chinese University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xie, Qing

2017-01-01

This article reports an investigative study on the target language use in and outside business English classrooms for non-English major undergraduates in a Chinese university context. The aims of the study are to identify the actual situation of target language use in business English teaching and to suggest ways for improvements. The study uses…

The Use of Computer-Based Simulation to Aid Comprehension and Incidental Vocabulary Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohsen, Mohammed Ali

2016-01-01

One of the main issues in language learning is to find ways to enable learners to interact with the language input in an involved task. Given that computer-based simulation allows learners to interact with visual modes, this article examines how the interaction of students with an online video simulation affects their second language video…

Social Distance as a Factor in the Achievement of Pragmatic Competence. CLCS Occasional Paper No. 47.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Barbara Lazenby

Acquisition of pragmatic competence by second language learners in the target language environment is examined, drawing on a study of learners of English as a Second Language in Dublin (Ireland). The hypothesis presented is that learners who perceive social or cultural distance between themselves and the target language culture will have greater…

Dubbing Projects for the Language Learner: A Framework for Integrating Audiovisual Translation into Task-Based Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danan, Martine

2010-01-01

This article describes a series of exploratory L1 to L2 dubbing projects for which students translated and used editing software to dub short American film and TV clips into their target language. Translating and dubbing into the target language involve students in multifaceted, high-level language production tasks that lead to enhanced vocabulary…

Speaking Spontaneously in the Modern Foreign Languages Classroom: Tools for Supporting Successful Target Language Conversation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christie, Colin

2016-01-01

This article reports on the findings of a study into the conditions which promote spontaneous learner talk in the target language in the modern foreign languages (MFL) classroom. A qualitative case study approach was adopted. French lessons, with school students aged 11-16 years old, were observed and analysed with the aim of identifying tools and…

Expectancy effects in tennis: the impact of opponents' pre-match non-verbal behaviour on male tennis players.

PubMed

Buscombe, Richard; Greenlees, Iain; Holder, Tim; Thelwell, Richard; Rimmer, Matt

2006-12-01

In this study, we examined the impact of a male opponent's pre-match body language and clothing (general vs. sports-specific) on how his performances were judged by an observer. Forty male tennis players viewed videos of a male target tennis player warming up and then observed playing footage of the target. Each participant viewed the target player warming up displaying one of four combinations of body language and clothing (positive body language/tennis-specific clothing; positive body language/general sportswear; negative body language/tennis-specific clothing; negative body language/general sportswear). Participants rated the performance of the tennis player and gave their perceptions of the likely outcome of a tennis match with the target player. Analyses of variance indicated that clothing and body language had an interactive effect on both outcome expectations and ratings of performance. The findings support the contention that the initial impressions athletes form of their opponents can influence the way in which they judge the performances of opponents and their perceived likelihood of success against the same opponents.

Implicit co-activation of American Sign Language in deaf readers: An ERP study.

PubMed

Meade, Gabriela; Midgley, Katherine J; Sevcikova Sehyr, Zed; Holcomb, Phillip J; Emmorey, Karen

2017-07-01

In an implicit phonological priming paradigm, deaf bimodal bilinguals made semantic relatedness decisions for pairs of English words. Half of the semantically unrelated pairs had phonologically related translations in American Sign Language (ASL). As in previous studies with unimodal bilinguals, targets in pairs with phonologically related translations elicited smaller negativities than targets in pairs with phonologically unrelated translations within the N400 window. This suggests that the same lexicosemantic mechanism underlies implicit co-activation of a non-target language, irrespective of language modality. In contrast to unimodal bilingual studies that find no behavioral effects, we observed phonological interference, indicating that bimodal bilinguals may not suppress the non-target language as robustly. Further, there was a subset of bilinguals who were aware of the ASL manipulation (determined by debrief), and they exhibited an effect of ASL phonology in a later time window (700-900ms). Overall, these results indicate modality-independent language co-activation that persists longer for bimodal bilinguals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Linguistic contributions to speech-on-speech masking for native and non-native listeners: language familiarity and semantic content.

PubMed

Brouwer, Susanne; Van Engen, Kristin J; Calandruccio, Lauren; Bradlow, Ann R

2012-02-01

This study examined whether speech-on-speech masking is sensitive to variation in the degree of similarity between the target and the masker speech. Three experiments investigated whether speech-in-speech recognition varies across different background speech languages (English vs Dutch) for both English and Dutch targets, as well as across variation in the semantic content of the background speech (meaningful vs semantically anomalous sentences), and across variation in listener status vis-à-vis the target and masker languages (native, non-native, or unfamiliar). The results showed that the more similar the target speech is to the masker speech (e.g., same vs different language, same vs different levels of semantic content), the greater the interference on speech recognition accuracy. Moreover, the listener's knowledge of the target and the background language modulate the size of the release from masking. These factors had an especially strong effect on masking effectiveness in highly unfavorable listening conditions. Overall this research provided evidence that that the degree of target-masker similarity plays a significant role in speech-in-speech recognition. The results also give insight into how listeners assign their resources differently depending on whether they are listening to their first or second language. © 2012 Acoustical Society of America

Linguistic contributions to speech-on-speech masking for native and non-native listeners: Language familiarity and semantic content

PubMed Central

Brouwer, Susanne; Van Engen, Kristin J.; Calandruccio, Lauren; Bradlow, Ann R.

2012-01-01

This study examined whether speech-on-speech masking is sensitive to variation in the degree of similarity between the target and the masker speech. Three experiments investigated whether speech-in-speech recognition varies across different background speech languages (English vs Dutch) for both English and Dutch targets, as well as across variation in the semantic content of the background speech (meaningful vs semantically anomalous sentences), and across variation in listener status vis-à-vis the target and masker languages (native, non-native, or unfamiliar). The results showed that the more similar the target speech is to the masker speech (e.g., same vs different language, same vs different levels of semantic content), the greater the interference on speech recognition accuracy. Moreover, the listener’s knowledge of the target and the background language modulate the size of the release from masking. These factors had an especially strong effect on masking effectiveness in highly unfavorable listening conditions. Overall this research provided evidence that that the degree of target-masker similarity plays a significant role in speech-in-speech recognition. The results also give insight into how listeners assign their resources differently depending on whether they are listening to their first or second language. PMID:22352516

Combat Simulation Using Breach Computer Language

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-09-01

simulation and weapon system analysis computer language Two types of models were constructed: a stochastic duel and a dynamic engagement model The... duel model validates the BREACH approach by comparing results with mathematical solutions. The dynamic model shows the capability of the BREACH...BREACH 2 Background 2 The Language 3 Static Duel 4 Background and Methodology 4 Validation 5 Results 8 Tank Duel Simulation 8 Dynamic Assault Model

Trends in Programming Languages for Neuroscience Simulations

PubMed Central

Davison, Andrew P.; Hines, Michael L.; Muller, Eilif

2009-01-01

Neuroscience simulators allow scientists to express models in terms of biological concepts, without having to concern themselves with low-level computational details of their implementation. The expressiveness, power and ease-of-use of the simulator interface is critical in efficiently and accurately translating ideas into a working simulation. We review long-term trends in the development of programmable simulator interfaces, and examine the benefits of moving from proprietary, domain-specific languages to modern dynamic general-purpose languages, in particular Python, which provide neuroscientists with an interactive and expressive simulation development environment and easy access to state-of-the-art general-purpose tools for scientific computing. PMID:20198154

Trends in programming languages for neuroscience simulations.

PubMed

Davison, Andrew P; Hines, Michael L; Muller, Eilif

2009-01-01

Neuroscience simulators allow scientists to express models in terms of biological concepts, without having to concern themselves with low-level computational details of their implementation. The expressiveness, power and ease-of-use of the simulator interface is critical in efficiently and accurately translating ideas into a working simulation. We review long-term trends in the development of programmable simulator interfaces, and examine the benefits of moving from proprietary, domain-specific languages to modern dynamic general-purpose languages, in particular Python, which provide neuroscientists with an interactive and expressive simulation development environment and easy access to state-of-the-art general-purpose tools for scientific computing.

An automated methodology development. [software design for combat simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hawley, L. R.

1985-01-01

The design methodology employed in testing the applicability of Ada in large-scale combat simulations is described. Ada was considered as a substitute for FORTRAN to lower life cycle costs and ease the program development efforts. An object-oriented approach was taken, which featured definitions of military targets, the capability of manipulating their condition in real-time, and one-to-one correlation between the object states and real world states. The simulation design process was automated by the problem statement language (PSL)/problem statement analyzer (PSA). The PSL/PSA system accessed the problem data base directly to enhance the code efficiency by, e.g., eliminating non-used subroutines, and provided for automated report generation, besides allowing for functional and interface descriptions. The ways in which the methodology satisfied the responsiveness, reliability, transportability, modifiability, timeliness and efficiency goals are discussed.

Subgroups in Language Trajectories from 4 to 11 Years: The Nature and Predictors of Stable, Improving and Decreasing Language Trajectory Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKean, Cristina; Wraith, Darren; Eadie, Patricia; Cook, Fallon; Mensah, Fiona; Reilly, Sheena

2017-01-01

Background: Little is known about the nature, range and prevalence of different subgroups in language trajectories extant in a population from 4 to 11 years. This hinders strategic targeting and design of interventions, particularly targeting those whose difficulties will likely persist. Methods: Children's language abilities from 4 to 11 years…

User interfaces for computational science: A domain specific language for OOMMF embedded in Python

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beg, Marijan; Pepper, Ryan A.; Fangohr, Hans

2017-05-01

Computer simulations are used widely across the engineering and science disciplines, including in the research and development of magnetic devices using computational micromagnetics. In this work, we identify and review different approaches to configuring simulation runs: (i) the re-compilation of source code, (ii) the use of configuration files, (iii) the graphical user interface, and (iv) embedding the simulation specification in an existing programming language to express the computational problem. We identify the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches and discuss their implications on effectiveness and reproducibility of computational studies and results. Following on from this, we design and describe a domain specific language for micromagnetics that is embedded in the Python language, and allows users to define the micromagnetic simulations they want to carry out in a flexible way. We have implemented this micromagnetic simulation description language together with a computational backend that executes the simulation task using the Object Oriented MicroMagnetic Framework (OOMMF). We illustrate the use of this Python interface for OOMMF by solving the micromagnetic standard problem 4. All the code is publicly available and is open source.

Marrying Form and Function: A Place for Grammar and Total Target Language in the Secondary Modern Foreign Languages Classroom. Occasional Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogg, Ivy

This paper examines the possible role of grammar throughout Key Stages 3 and 4 in the modern language curriculum where communication is the central tenet. It also discusses how total or virtually total use of target language (German) in the classroom can help deal with the dichotomy of grammar versus communication and bring about an integrated…

pWeb: A High-Performance, Parallel-Computing Framework for Web-Browser-Based Medical Simulation.

PubMed

Halic, Tansel; Ahn, Woojin; De, Suvranu

2014-01-01

This work presents a pWeb - a new language and compiler for parallelization of client-side compute intensive web applications such as surgical simulations. The recently introduced HTML5 standard has enabled creating unprecedented applications on the web. Low performance of the web browser, however, remains the bottleneck of computationally intensive applications including visualization of complex scenes, real time physical simulations and image processing compared to native ones. The new proposed language is built upon web workers for multithreaded programming in HTML5. The language provides fundamental functionalities of parallel programming languages as well as the fork/join parallel model which is not supported by web workers. The language compiler automatically generates an equivalent parallel script that complies with the HTML5 standard. A case study on realistic rendering for surgical simulations demonstrates enhanced performance with a compact set of instructions.

Multiple levels of bilingual language control: evidence from language intrusions in reading aloud.

PubMed

Gollan, Tamar H; Schotter, Elizabeth R; Gomez, Joanne; Murillo, Mayra; Rayner, Keith

2014-02-01

Bilinguals rarely produce words in an unintended language. However, we induced such intrusion errors (e.g., saying el instead of he) in 32 Spanish-English bilinguals who read aloud single-language (English or Spanish) and mixed-language (haphazard mix of English and Spanish) paragraphs with English or Spanish word order. These bilinguals produced language intrusions almost exclusively in mixed-language paragraphs, and most often when attempting to produce dominant-language targets (accent-only errors also exhibited reversed language-dominance effects). Most intrusion errors occurred for function words, especially when they were not from the language that determined the word order in the paragraph. Eye movements showed that fixating a word in the nontarget language increased intrusion errors only for function words. Together, these results imply multiple mechanisms of language control, including (a) inhibition of the dominant language at both lexical and sublexical processing levels, (b) special retrieval mechanisms for function words in mixed-language utterances, and (c) attentional monitoring of the target word for its match with the intended language.

Listeners Experience Linguistic Masking Release in Noise-Vocoded Speech-in-Speech Recognition.

PubMed

Viswanathan, Navin; Kokkinakis, Kostas; Williams, Brittany T

2018-02-15

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether listeners with normal hearing perceiving noise-vocoded speech-in-speech demonstrate better intelligibility of target speech when the background speech was mismatched in language (linguistic release from masking [LRM]) and/or location (spatial release from masking [SRM]) relative to the target. We also assessed whether the spectral resolution of the noise-vocoded stimuli affected the presence of LRM and SRM under these conditions. In Experiment 1, a mixed factorial design was used to simultaneously manipulate the masker language (within-subject, English vs. Dutch), the simulated masker location (within-subject, right, center, left), and the spectral resolution (between-subjects, 6 vs. 12 channels) of noise-vocoded target-masker combinations presented at +25 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In Experiment 2, the study was repeated using a spectral resolution of 12 channels at +15 dB SNR. In both experiments, listeners' intelligibility of noise-vocoded targets was better when the background masker was Dutch, demonstrating reliable LRM in all conditions. The pattern of results in Experiment 1 was not reliably different across the 6- and 12-channel noise-vocoded speech. Finally, a reliable spatial benefit (SRM) was detected only in the more challenging SNR condition (Experiment 2). The current study is the first to report a clear LRM benefit in noise-vocoded speech-in-speech recognition. Our results indicate that this benefit is available even under spectrally degraded conditions and that it may augment the benefit due to spatial separation of target speech and competing backgrounds.

Strategies, Language Transfer and the Simulation of the Second Language Learner's Mental Operations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Mike Sharwood

1979-01-01

An attempt is made to describe second language behavior and language transfer in cybernetic terms. This should make it possible to translate language into machine language and to clarify psycholinguistic explanations of second language performance. (PMJ)

Using Blogs: Authentic Material and Ranking Quality for SLA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coppens, Xulian; Rico, Mercedes; Agudo, J. Enrique

2013-01-01

Exposure real life language experiences forms an integral part of the acquisition process. Authentic materials--those derived from the culture of the target language rather than specially produced for language learners--increase the relevance of the learning experience by reusing texts taken directly from the target culture. Web 2.0 technologies…

Making Culture Happen in the English Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yakup, Doganay; Ashirimbetova, Madina; Davis, Brent

2013-01-01

The issue of introducing the target culture into language classroom practice has long been an object of debates as well as the opinions of the learners towards it. Eventually, modern practitioners found a way of having the language learners acquainted with the target culture and introducing culture through culture-based textbook activities.…

Understanding L2 French Teaching Strategies in a Non-Target Language Classroom Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Peijian; Yuan, Rui; Teng, Lin

2015-01-01

This research explored the congruence and disparity between teachers' and students' attitudes towards French as a second language (L2) teaching strategies in a non-target language classroom context in the USA. The findings suggest students' and teachers' attitudes towards the direct and indirect teaching strategies were generally consistent, but…

Translating Economics Textbooks: A Case Study of Epistemicide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karnedi

2015-01-01

As part of discourse in the social sciences, economics textbooks written in English in which knowledge has been transferred to other languages through translation have brought a certain impact on both the target language and the target culture. In terms of ideology, this article argues about the hegemonic status of the dominant language or culture…

Content and Language in Targets and Target Related Assessment (TTRA): Implications for Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, John L.; Scarino, Angela

This paper explores the nature of content and language across the curriculum in relation to the Targets and Target-Related Assessment (TTRA) initiative. The TTRA is an assessment initiative designed to improve the quality of individual learning from Primary 1 to Secondary 5 in Chinese, English, and Mathematics in Hong Kong. A picture of content…

Classroom Anxiety and Enjoyment in CLIL and Non-CLIL: Does the Target Language Matter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Smet, Audrey; Mettewie, Laurence; Galand, Benoit; Hiligsmann, Philippe; Van Mensel, Luk

2018-01-01

This study investigates pupils' anxiety and enjoyment in the classroom when learning a second or foreign language. The particularity of this study lies in the comparison of two target languages (English and Dutch) in two educational contexts (CLIL and non-CLIL) at different instruction levels (primary and secondary education). While most research…

Effect of "Focus on Form" versus "Focus on Forms" Pragmatic Instruction on Development of Pragmatic Comprehension and Production

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rafieyan, Vahid

2016-01-01

To develop target language pragmatic competence, language learners' attention must be directed toward not only linguistic but also pragmatic aspect of the target language expressions (Schmidt, 2001). Thus, some sorts of pragmatic awareness-raising instruction, using either explicit "Focus on Forms" or implicit "Focus on Form"…

Gains to Language Learners from Viewing Target Language Closed-Captioned Films

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Melissa A.; Pertusa, Inmaculada

2004-01-01

In an effort to facilitate students' understanding of films in the target language, many instructors turn to films with English subtitles. Viewing films subtitled in English does not encourage learners to use their previously acquired listening skills, but rather allows them to rely on reading English instead of making the extra effort required to…

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…

A time domain simulation of a beam control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, J. R.

1981-02-01

The Airborne Laser Laboratory (ALL) is being developed by the Air Force to investigate the integration and operation of high energy laser components in a dynamic airborne environment and to study the propagation of laser light from an airborne vehicle to an airborne target. The ALL is composed of several systems; among these are the Airborne Pointing and Tracking System (APT) and the Automatic Alignment System (AAS). This report presents the results of performing a time domain dynamic simulation for an integrated beam control system composed of the APT and AAS. The simulation is performed on a digital computer using the MIMIC language. It includes models of the dynamics of the system and of disturbances. Also presented in the report are the rationales and developments of these models. The data from the simulation code is summarized by several plots. In addition results from massaging the data with waveform analysis packages are presented. The results are discussed and conclusions are drawn.

Business Simulations in Language Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westerfield, Kay J.; And Others

This paper describes a pilot project, conducted within the American English Institute at the University of Oregon, on the use of a published business-oriented management simulation in English language training for university-bound international students. The management game simulated competition among a group of manufacturing companies to acquire…

Knowledge Base Editor (SharpKBE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tikidjian, Raffi; James, Mark; Mackey, Ryan

2007-01-01

The SharpKBE software provides a graphical user interface environment for domain experts to build and manage knowledge base systems. Knowledge bases can be exported/translated to various target languages automatically, including customizable target languages.

Emerge - A Python environment for the modeling of subsurface transfers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez, S.; Smai, F.; Sochala, P.

2014-12-01

The simulation of subsurface mass and energy transfers often relies on specific codes that were mainly developed using compiled languages which usually ensure computational efficiency at the expense of relatively long development times and relatively rigid software. Even if a very detailed, possibly graphical, user-interface is developed the core numerical aspects are rarely accessible and the smallest modification will always need a compilation step. Thus, user-defined physical laws or alternative numerical schemes may be relatively difficult to use. Over the last decade, Python has emerged as a popular and widely used language in the scientific community. There already exist several libraries for the pre and post-treatment of input and output files for reservoir simulators (e.g. pytough). Development times in Python are considerably reduced compared to compiled languages, and programs can be easily interfaced with libraries written in compiled languages with several comprehensive numerical libraries that provide sequential and parallel solvers (e.g. PETSc, Trilinos…). The core objective of the Emerge project is to explore the possibility to develop a modeling environment in full Python. Consequently, we are developing an open python package with the classes/objects necessary to express, discretize and solve the physical problems encountered in the modeling of subsurface transfers. We heavily relied on Python to have a convenient and concise way of manipulating potentially complex concepts with a few lines of code and a high level of abstraction. Our result aims to be a friendly numerical environment targeting both numerical engineers and physicist or geoscientists with the possibility to quickly specify and handle geometries, arbitrary meshes, spatially or temporally varying properties, PDE formulations, boundary conditions…

Sensing the Sentence: An Embodied Simulation Approach to Rhetorical Grammar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rule, Hannah J.

2017-01-01

This article applies the neuroscientific concept of embodied simulation--the process of understanding language through visual, motor, and spatial modalities of the body--to rhetorical grammar and sentence-style pedagogies. Embodied simulation invigorates rhetorical grammar instruction by attuning writers to the felt effects of written language,…

Simulations in Foreign Languages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nebraska State Dept. of Education, Lincoln. Div. of Instructional Services.

The purpose of this publication is to define minimal competencies for foreign language classes. The term "simulation" refers to role playing. The simulations are stated in terms of practical communication performance objectives. The intent is to have the student direct his learning in the basic skills toward an immediate objective rather than a…

Simulation Higher Order Language Requirements Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodenough, John B.; Braun, Christine L.

The definitions provided for high order language (HOL) requirements for programming flight training simulators are based on the analysis of programs written for a variety of simulators. Examples drawn from these programs are used to justify the need for certain HOL capabilities. A description of the general structure and organization of the…

Learner Agency and Its Effect on Spoken Interaction Time in the Target Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight, Janine; Barberà, Elena

2017-01-01

This paper presents the results of how four dyads in an online task-based synchronous computer-mediated (TB-SCMC) interaction event use their agency to carry out speaking tasks, and how their choices and actions affect time spent interacting in the target language. A case study approach was employed to analyse the language functions and cognitive…

Do Language Attitudes Determine Accent? A Study of Bilinguals in the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moyer, Alene

2007-01-01

This study presents new data on the degree of "foreign" accent among immigrant learners of English in the USA (total N = 50) as it correlates to learner orientation to the target language and target language culture. Correlation analyses confirm the significance of age of onset and length of immersion, as well as learner attitudes, including: (a)…

Indexical Relations and Sound Motion Pictures in L2 Curricula: The Dynamic Role of the Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Liang; Oller, John W., Jr.

2005-01-01

Well-chosen sound motion pictures (SMPs) can be excellent language teaching tools for presenting facts and providing comprehensible input in the target language. They give access to content and authentic surface forms in the target language as well as to the associations between them. SMPs also allow repeated exposures, but they are rarely…

Systematic individualized narrative language intervention on the personal narratives of children with autism.

PubMed

Petersen, Douglas B; Brown, Catherine L; Ukrainetz, Teresa A; Wise, Christine; Spencer, Trina D; Zebre, Jennifer

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an individualized, systematic language intervention on the personal narratives of children with autism. A single-subject, multiple-baseline design across participants and behaviors was used to examine the effect of the intervention on language features of personal narratives. Three 6- to 8-year-old boys with autism participated in 12 individual intervention sessions that targeted 2-3 story grammar elements (e.g., problem, plan) and 3-4 linguistic complexity elements (e.g., causal subordination, adverbs) selected from each participant's baseline performance. Intervention involved repeated retellings of customized model narratives and the generation of personal narratives with a systematic reduction of visual and verbal scaffolding. Independent personal narratives generated at the end of each baseline, intervention, and maintenance session were analyzed for presence and sophistication of targeted features. Graphical and statistical results showed immediate improvement in targeted language features as a function of intervention. There was mixed evidence of maintenance 2 and 7 weeks after intervention. Children with autism can benefit from an individualized, systematic intervention targeting specific narrative language features. Greater intensity of intervention may be needed to gain enduring effects for some language features.

Language Policing: Micro-Level Language Policy-in-Process in the Foreign Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amir, Alia; Musk, Nigel

2013-01-01

This article examines what we call "micro-level language policy-in-process"--that is, how a target--language-only policy emerges "in situ" in the foreign language classroom. More precisely, we investigate the role of "language policing", the mechanism deployed by the teacher and/or pupils to (re-)establish the…

Responding to the Challenge of Survival: Multidisciplinary Language Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Champagne, Roland A.

1978-01-01

Multidisciplinary language courses offer hope for integrating language courses into a university undergraduate curriculum. Such courses use a target language, such as French, to explore problems in another discipline. (Author)

Strategies for human-driven robot comprehension of spatial descriptions by older adults in a robot fetch task.

PubMed

Carlson, Laura; Skubic, Marjorie; Miller, Jared; Huo, Zhiyu; Alexenko, Tatiana

2014-07-01

This contribution presents a corpus of spatial descriptions and describes the development of a human-driven spatial language robot system for their comprehension. The domain of application is an eldercare setting in which an assistive robot is asked to "fetch" an object for an elderly resident based on a natural language spatial description given by the resident. In Part One, we describe a corpus of naturally occurring descriptions elicited from a group of older adults within a virtual 3D home that simulates the eldercare setting. We contrast descriptions elicited when participants offered descriptions to a human versus robot avatar, and under instructions to tell the addressee how to find the target versus where the target is. We summarize the key features of the spatial descriptions, including their dynamic versus static nature and the perspective adopted by the speaker. In Part Two, we discuss critical cognitive and perceptual processing capabilities necessary for the robot to establish a common ground with the human user and perform the "fetch" task. Based on the collected corpus, we focus here on resolving the perspective ambiguity and recognizing furniture items used as landmarks in the descriptions. Taken together, the work presented here offers the key building blocks of a robust system that takes as input natural spatial language descriptions and produces commands that drive the robot to successfully fetch objects within our eldercare scenario. Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

The role of subjective frequency in language switching: An ERP investigation using masked priming

PubMed Central

Chauncey, Krysta; Grainger, Jonathan; Holcomb, Phillip J.

2012-01-01

Two experiments examined the nature of language-switching effects in a priming paradigm with event-related brain potential (ERP) recordings. primes and targets were always unrelated words but could be either from the same or different languages (Experiment 1) or from the same or a different frequency range (Experiment 2). Effects of switching language across prime and target differed as a function of the direction of the switch and prime duration in Experiment 1. Effects tended to be stronger with 100-ms prime durations than with 50-ms durations, and the expected pattern of greater negativity in the switch condition appeared earlier when primes were in L1 and targets in L2 than vice versa. Experiment 2 examined whether these language-switching effects could be due to differences in the subjective frequency of words in a bilingual’s two languages, by testing a frequency-switching manipulation within the L1. Effects of frequency switching were evident in the ERP waveforms, but the pattern did not resemble the language-switching effects, therefore suggesting that different mechanisms are at play. PMID:21264577

A survey of electric and hybrid vehicle simulation programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bevan, J.; Heimburger, D. A.; Metcalfe, M. A.

1978-01-01

Results of a survey conducted within the United States to determine the extent of development and capabilities of automotive performance simulation programs suitable for electric and hybrid vehicle studies are summarized. Altogether, 111 programs were identified as being in a usable state. The complexity of the existing programs spans a range from a page of simple desktop calculator instructions to 300,000 lines of a high-level programming language. The capability to simulate electric vehicles was most common, heat-engines second, and hybrid vehicles least common. Batch-operated programs are slightly more common than interactive ones, and one-third can be operated in either mode. The most commonly used language was FORTRAN, the language typically used by engineers. The higher-level simulation languages (e.g. SIMSCRIPT, GPSS, SIMULA) used by "model builders" were conspicuously lacking.

Modeling Co-evolution of Speech and Biology.

PubMed

de Boer, Bart

2016-04-01

Two computer simulations are investigated that model interaction of cultural evolution of language and biological evolution of adaptations to language. Both are agent-based models in which a population of agents imitates each other using realistic vowels. The agents evolve under selective pressure for good imitation. In one model, the evolution of the vocal tract is modeled; in the other, a cognitive mechanism for perceiving speech accurately is modeled. In both cases, biological adaptations to using and learning speech evolve, even though the system of speech sounds itself changes at a more rapid time scale than biological evolution. However, the fact that the available acoustic space is used maximally (a self-organized result of cultural evolution) is constant, and therefore biological evolution does have a stable target. This work shows that when cultural and biological traits are continuous, their co-evolution may lead to cognitive adaptations that are strong enough to detect empirically. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Network simulation using the simulation language for alternate modeling (SLAM 2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shen, S.; Morris, D. W.

1983-01-01

The simulation language for alternate modeling (SLAM 2) is a general purpose language that combines network, discrete event, and continuous modeling capabilities in a single language system. The efficacy of the system's network modeling is examined and discussed. Examples are given of the symbolism that is used, and an example problem and model are derived. The results are discussed in terms of the ease of programming, special features, and system limitations. The system offers many features which allow rapid model development and provides an informative standardized output. The system also has limitations which may cause undetected errors and misleading reports unless the user is aware of these programming characteristics.

The paradigm compiler: Mapping a functional language for the connection machine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennis, Jack B.

1989-01-01

The Paradigm Compiler implements a new approach to compiling programs written in high level languages for execution on highly parallel computers. The general approach is to identify the principal data structures constructed by the program and to map these structures onto the processing elements of the target machine. The mapping is chosen to maximize performance as determined through compile time global analysis of the source program. The source language is Sisal, a functional language designed for scientific computations, and the target language is Paris, the published low level interface to the Connection Machine. The data structures considered are multidimensional arrays whose dimensions are known at compile time. Computations that build such arrays usually offer opportunities for highly parallel execution; they are data parallel. The Connection Machine is an attractive target for these computations, and the parallel for construct of the Sisal language is a convenient high level notation for data parallel algorithms. The principles and organization of the Paradigm Compiler are discussed.

Interoperable Open-Source Sensor-Net Frameworks with Sensor-Package Workbench Capabilities: Motivation, Survey of Resources, and Exploratory Results

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

Military Scenario Definition Language (MSDL) for Nontraditional Warfare Scenarios," Paper 09S- SIW -001, Proceedings of the Spring Simulation...Update to the M&S Community," Paper 09S- SIW -002, Proceedings of the Spring Simulation Interoperability Workshop, Simulation Interoperability...Multiple Simulations: An Application of the Military Scenario Definition Language (MSDL)," Paper 09S- SIW -003, Proc. of the Spring Simulation

Rapid Profile: A Second Language Screening Procedure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackey, Alison; And Others

1991-01-01

Rapid Profile, developed by Manfred Pienemann of National Languages Institute of Australia/Language Acquisition Research Centre, is a computer-based procedure for screening speech samples collected from language learners to assess their level of language development as compared to standard patterns in the acquisition of the target language. Rapid…

Prediction in a visual language: real-time sentence processing in American Sign Language across development.

PubMed

Lieberman, Amy M; Borovsky, Arielle; Mayberry, Rachel I

2018-01-01

Prediction during sign language comprehension may enable signers to integrate linguistic and non-linguistic information within the visual modality. In two eyetracking experiments, we investigated American Sign language (ASL) semantic prediction in deaf adults and children (aged 4-8 years). Participants viewed ASL sentences in a visual world paradigm in which the sentence-initial verb was either neutral or constrained relative to the sentence-final target noun. Adults and children made anticipatory looks to the target picture before the onset of the target noun in the constrained condition only, showing evidence for semantic prediction. Crucially, signers alternated gaze between the stimulus sign and the target picture only when the sentential object could be predicted from the verb. Signers therefore engage in prediction by optimizing visual attention between divided linguistic and referential signals. These patterns suggest that prediction is a modality-independent process, and theoretical implications are discussed.

Breaking Frame in a Role-Play Simulation: A Language Socialization Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schick, Laurie

2008-01-01

This article uses key concepts developed in frame analysis and language socialization theories to reconceptualize role-play simulation as socialization practice. The reconceptualization includes (a) an effort to explain an unexpected response to a role-play simulation on the topic of bullying and (b) a discussion regarding how this explanation…

Size Does Matter: Implied Object Size is Mentally Simulated during Language Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Koning, Björn B.; Wassenburg, Stephanie I.; Bos, Lisanne T.; Van der Schoot, Menno

2017-01-01

Embodied theories of language comprehension propose that readers construct a mental simulation of described objects that contains perceptual characteristics of their real-world referents. The present study is the first to investigate directly whether implied object size is mentally simulated during sentence comprehension and to study the potential…

Social Network Development, Language Use, and Language Acquisition during Study Abroad: Arabic Language Learners' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dewey, Dan P.; Belnap, R. Kirk; Hillstrom, Rebecca

2013-01-01

Language learners and educators have subscribed to the belief that those who go abroad will have many opportunities to use the target language and will naturally become proficient. They also assume that language learners will develop relationships with native speakers allowing them to use the language and become more fluent, an assumption…

Perceptual recovery from consonant-cluster simplification in Korean using language-specific phonological knowledge.

PubMed

Cho, Taehong; McQueen, James M

2011-08-01

Two experiments examined whether perceptual recovery from Korean consonant-cluster simplification is based on language-specific phonological knowledge. In tri-consonantal C1C2C3 sequences such as /lkt/ and /lpt/ in Seoul Korean, either C1 or C2 can be completely deleted. Seoul Koreans monitored for C2 targets (/p/ or / k/, deleted or preserved) in the second word of a two-word phrase with an underlying /l/-C2-/t/ sequence. In Experiment 1 the target-bearing words had contextual lexical-semantic support. Listeners recovered deleted targets as fast and as accurately as preserved targets with both Word and Intonational Phrase (IP) boundaries between the two words. In Experiment 2, contexts were low-pass filtered. Listeners were still able to recover deleted targets as well as preserved targets in IP-boundary contexts, but better with physically-present targets than with deleted targets in Word-boundary contexts. This suggests that the benefit of having target acoustic-phonetic information emerges only when higher-order (contextual and phrase-boundary) information is not available. The strikingly efficient recovery of deleted phonemes with neither acoustic-phonetic cues nor contextual support demonstrates that language-specific phonological knowledge, rather than language-universal perceptual processes which rely on fine-grained phonetic details, is employed when the listener perceives the results of a continuous-speech process in which reduction is phonetically complete.

Even Teachers Get the Blues: Recognizing and Alleviating Language Teachers' Feelings of Foreign Language Anxiety.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horwitz, Elaine K.

1996-01-01

Argues that many nonnative foreign-language teachers experience foreign-language anxiety and that this anxiety can have negative consequences for language teaching. The article discusses how anxiety affects teachers' feelings of self-confidence, use of the target language, and instructional choices and offers suggestions for increasing teachers'…

Second Language Anxiety among Latino American Immigrants in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia de Blakeley, Marta; Ford, Ruth; Casey, Leanne

2017-01-01

Research into second language anxiety (SLA) has largely focused on second language learners rather than immigrants. However, living in an environment where the target language (TL) is the language of everyday communication may constitute a significant source of anxiety that generalises beyond the language classroom [Pappamihiel, N. E. 2001.…

Sciencepoetry and Language/Culture Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romano, James V.

1988-01-01

Examines Rafael Catala's notion of sciencepoetry and an application of modern scientific principles to the teaching of language and culture, the "Lange Process." This interactive language/culture learning process relates target and native languages, culture, and perceptions. (Author/LMO)

Flipped Approach to Mobile Assisted Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamamoto, Junko

2013-01-01

There are abundant possibilities for using smart phones and tablet computers for foreign language learning. However, if there is an emphasis on memorization or on technology, language learners may not develop proficiency in their target language. Therefore, language teachers should be familiar with strategies for facilitating creative…

The Weaker Language in Early Child Bilingualism: Acquiring a First Language as a Second Language?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meisel, Jurgen M.

2007-01-01

Past research demonstrates that first language (L1)-like competence in each language can be attained in simultaneous acquisition of bilingualism by mere exposure to the target languages. The question is whether this is also true for the "weaker" language (WL). The WL hypothesis claims that the WL differs fundamentally from monolingual L1 and…

Implications for Language Diversity in Instruction in the Context of Target Language Classrooms: Development of a Preliminary Model of the Effectiveness of Teacher Code-Switching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jang Ho

2012-01-01

This paper concerns the conceptual and pedagogical issues that revolve around target language (TL) only instruction and teacher code-switching in the context of TL classrooms. To this end, I first examine four intertwined ideas (that is, monolingualism, naturalism, native-speakerism, and absolutism) that run through the monolingual approach to TL…

Phonation takes precedence over articulation in development as well as evolution of language.

PubMed

Oller, D Kimbrough

2014-12-01

Early human vocal development is characterized first by emerging control of phonation and later by prosodic and supraglottal articulation. The target article has missed the opportunity to use these facts in the characterization of evolution in language-specific brain mechanisms. Phonation appears to be the initial human-specific brain change for language, and it was presumably a key target of selection in early hominin evolution.

The Effect of Target Language and Code-Switching on the Grammatical Performance and Perceptions of Elementary-Level College French Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viakinnou-Brinson, Lucie; Herron, Carol; Cole, Steven P.; Haight, Carrie

2012-01-01

Grammar instruction is at the center of the target language (TL) and code-switching debate. Discussion revolves around whether grammar should be taught in the TL or using the TL and the native language (L1). This study investigated the effects of French-only grammar instruction and French/English grammar instruction on elementary-level students'…

Prototyping distributed simulation networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doubleday, Dennis L.

1990-01-01

Durra is a declarative language designed to support application-level programming. The use of Durra is illustrated to describe a simple distributed application: a simulation of a collection of networked vehicle simulators. It is shown how the language is used to describe the application, its components and structure, and how the runtime executive provides for the execution of the application.

Can Faces Prime a Language?

PubMed

Woumans, Evy; Martin, Clara D; Vanden Bulcke, Charlotte; Van Assche, Eva; Costa, Albert; Hartsuiker, Robert J; Duyck, Wouter

2015-09-01

Bilinguals have two languages that are activated in parallel. During speech production, one of these languages must be selected on the basis of some cue. The present study investigated whether the face of an interlocutor can serve as such a cue. Spanish-Catalan and Dutch-French bilinguals were first familiarized with certain faces, each of which was associated with only one language, during simulated Skype conversations. Afterward, these participants performed a language production task in which they generated words associated with the words produced by familiar and unfamiliar faces displayed on-screen. When responding to familiar faces, participants produced words faster if the faces were speaking the same language as in the previous Skype simulation than if the same faces were speaking a different language. Furthermore, this language priming effect disappeared when it became clear that the interlocutors were actually bilingual. These findings suggest that faces can prime a language, but their cuing effect disappears when it turns out that they are unreliable as language cues. © The Author(s) 2015.

Dataflow computing approach in high-speed digital simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ercegovac, M. D.; Karplus, W. J.

1984-01-01

New computational tools and methodologies for the digital simulation of continuous systems were explored. Programmability, and cost effective performance in multiprocessor organizations for real time simulation was investigated. Approach is based on functional style languages and data flow computing principles, which allow for the natural representation of parallelism in algorithms and provides a suitable basis for the design of cost effective high performance distributed systems. The objectives of this research are to: (1) perform comparative evaluation of several existing data flow languages and develop an experimental data flow language suitable for real time simulation using multiprocessor systems; (2) investigate the main issues that arise in the architecture and organization of data flow multiprocessors for real time simulation; and (3) develop and apply performance evaluation models in typical applications.

Adaptive Language Games with Robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steels, Luc

2010-11-01

This paper surveys recent research into language evolution using computer simulations and robotic experiments. This field has made tremendous progress in the past decade going from simple simulations of lexicon formation with animallike cybernetic robots to sophisticated grammatical experiments with humanoid robots.

English Teachers' Language Awareness: Away with the Monolingual Bias?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otwinowska, Agnieszka

2017-01-01

The training of language teachers still follows traditional models of teachers' competences and awareness, focusing solely on the target language. Such models are incompatible with multilingual pedagogy, whereby languages are not taught in isolation, and learners' background languages are activated to enhance the process. When teaching…

The 'robustness' of vocabulary intervention in the public schools: targets and techniques employed in speech-language therapy.

PubMed

Justice, Laura M; Schmitt, Mary Beth; Murphy, Kimberly A; Pratt, Amy; Biancone, Tricia

2014-01-01

This study examined vocabulary intervention-in terms of targets and techniques-for children with language impairment receiving speech-language therapy in public schools (i.e., non-fee-paying schools) in the United States. Vocabulary treatments and targets were examined with respect to their alignment with the empirically validated practice of rich vocabulary intervention. Participants were forty-eight 5-7-year-old children participating in kindergarten or the first-grade year of school, all of whom had vocabulary-specific goals on their individualized education programmes. Two therapy sessions per child were coded to determine what vocabulary words were being directly targeted and what techniques were used for each. Study findings showed that the majority of words directly targeted during therapy were lower-level basic vocabulary words (87%) and very few (1%) were academically relevant. On average, three techniques were used per word to promote deep understanding. Interpreting findings against empirical descriptions of rich vocabulary intervention indicates that children were exposed to some but not all aspects of this empirically supported practice. © 2013 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Reproducible computational biology experiments with SED-ML--the Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language.

PubMed

Waltemath, Dagmar; Adams, Richard; Bergmann, Frank T; Hucka, Michael; Kolpakov, Fedor; Miller, Andrew K; Moraru, Ion I; Nickerson, David; Sahle, Sven; Snoep, Jacky L; Le Novère, Nicolas

2011-12-15

The increasing use of computational simulation experiments to inform modern biological research creates new challenges to annotate, archive, share and reproduce such experiments. The recently published Minimum Information About a Simulation Experiment (MIASE) proposes a minimal set of information that should be provided to allow the reproduction of simulation experiments among users and software tools. In this article, we present the Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML). SED-ML encodes in a computer-readable exchange format the information required by MIASE to enable reproduction of simulation experiments. It has been developed as a community project and it is defined in a detailed technical specification and additionally provides an XML schema. The version of SED-ML described in this publication is Level 1 Version 1. It covers the description of the most frequent type of simulation experiments in the area, namely time course simulations. SED-ML documents specify which models to use in an experiment, modifications to apply on the models before using them, which simulation procedures to run on each model, what analysis results to output, and how the results should be presented. These descriptions are independent of the underlying model implementation. SED-ML is a software-independent format for encoding the description of simulation experiments; it is not specific to particular simulation tools. Here, we demonstrate that with the growing software support for SED-ML we can effectively exchange executable simulation descriptions. With SED-ML, software can exchange simulation experiment descriptions, enabling the validation and reuse of simulation experiments in different tools. Authors of papers reporting simulation experiments can make their simulation protocols available for other scientists to reproduce the results. Because SED-ML is agnostic about exact modeling language(s) used, experiments covering models from different fields of research can be accurately described and combined.

Living Language and Culture: Concordia Language Villages--One Example of Learning outside the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillippe, Denise E.

2012-01-01

At Concordia Language Villages, language and culture are inextricably intertwined, as they are in life. Participants "live" and "do" language and culture 16 hours per day. The experiential, residential setting immerses the participants in the culture of the country or countries where the target language is spoken through food,…

A Platform for Simulating Language Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogel, Carl; Woods, Justin

A platform for conducting experiments in the simulation of natural language evolution is presented. The system is paramaterized for independent specification of important features like: number of agents, communication attempt frequency, agent short term memory capacity, communicative urgency, etc. Representative experiments are demonstrated.

Translation of shuttle operations simulation from GPSS 2 to GPSS 1100

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshall, A. J.

1972-01-01

A method has been developed which enables a programmer to convert the General Purpose Systems Simulator (GPSS) 2 simulation language into the GPSS 1100 language. To accomplish the conversion, a translator deck is used in addition to hand changes made by the analyst after translation. The conversion of a particular GPSS 2 program used at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is reported and major changes required for compatibility of the two languages are summerized. Validation of the GPSS 1100 model was completed by comparing the results of the GPSS 2 statistics to the converted 1100 model.

Evaluation of automated decisionmaking methodologies and development of an integrated robotic system simulation. Volume 1: Study results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowrie, J. W.; Fermelia, A. J.; Haley, D. C.; Gremban, K. D.; Vanbaalen, J.; Walsh, R. W.

1982-01-01

A variety of artificial intelligence techniques which could be used with regard to NASA space applications and robotics were evaluated. The techniques studied were decision tree manipulators, problem solvers, rule based systems, logic programming languages, representation language languages, and expert systems. The overall structure of a robotic simulation tool was defined and a framework for that tool developed. Nonlinear and linearized dynamics equations were formulated for n link manipulator configurations. A framework for the robotic simulation was established which uses validated manipulator component models connected according to a user defined configuration.

28 CFR 55.17 - Targeting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (CONTINUED) IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT...). “Targeting” refers to a system in which the minority language materials or assistance required by the Act are... targeting system will normally fulfill the Act's minority language requirements if it is designed and...

28 CFR 55.17 - Targeting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (CONTINUED) IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT...). “Targeting” refers to a system in which the minority language materials or assistance required by the Act are... targeting system will normally fulfill the Act's minority language requirements if it is designed and...

Cross-language phonological activation: evidence from masked onset priming and ERPs.

PubMed

Jouravlev, Olessia; Lupker, Stephen J; Jared, Debra

2014-07-01

The goal of the present research was to provide direct evidence for the cross-language interaction of phonologies at the sub-lexical level by using the masked onset priming paradigm. More specifically, we investigated whether there is a cross-language masked onset priming effect (MOPE) with L2 (English) primes and L1 (Russian) targets and whether it is modulated by the orthographic similarity of primes and targets. Primes and targets had onsets that overlapped either only phonologically, only orthographically, both phonologically and orthographically, or did not have any overlap. Phonological overlap, but not orthographic overlap, between primes and targets led to faster naming latencies. In contrast, the ERP data provided evidence for effects of both phonological and orthographic overlap. Finally, the time-course of phonological and orthographic processing for our bilinguals mirrored the time-course previously reported for monolinguals in the ERP data. These results provide evidence for shared representations at the sub-lexical level for a bilingual's two languages. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Applying Standard Interfaces to a Process-Control Language

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berthold, Richard T.

2005-01-01

A method of applying open-operating-system standard interfaces to the NASA User Interface Language (UIL) has been devised. UIL is a computing language that can be used in monitoring and controlling automated processes: for example, the Timeliner computer program, written in UIL, is a general-purpose software system for monitoring and controlling sequences of automated tasks in a target system. In providing the major elements of connectivity between UIL and the target system, the present method offers advantages over the prior method. Most notably, unlike in the prior method, the software description of the target system can be made independent of the applicable compiler software and need not be linked to the applicable executable compiler image. Also unlike in the prior method, it is not necessary to recompile the source code and relink the source code to a new executable compiler image. Abstraction of the description of the target system to a data file can be defined easily, with intuitive syntax, and knowledge of the source-code language is not needed for the definition.

Hispanic organ donation: impact of a Spanish-language organ donation campaign.

PubMed Central

Alvaro, Eusebio M.; Jones, Sara Pace; Robles, Antonio Santa Maria; Siegel, Jason

2006-01-01

OBJECTIVES: Hispanic Americans have a substantial need for organ transplants and are underrepresented among organ donors, yet very little is known about how to increase available donors in this community. This study assesses the impact of a Spanish-language media campaign targeting organ donation among Hispanic Americans in two urban Arizona counties. METHODS: The study collected data via four surveys conducted before and after implementation of a Spanish-language media campaign targeting organ donation among Spanish-dominant Hispanic Americans in Pima and Maricopa counties in Arizona. The main intervention consisted of four Spanish-language television advertisements and two Spanish-language radio advertisements. RESULTS: The media campaign was successfully implemented and attained substantial exposure among the target audience. Postintervention beliefs were more prodonation, and there was more family discussion postintervention. In both counties, residents exposed to the campaign reported more prodonation beliefs and family discussion. Exposed Maricopa residents were also more likely to be potential donors. CONCLUSIONS: Study data indicate a positive impact of a media campaign targeting organ donation beliefs and behaviors among Spanish-dominant Hispanic Americans in Arizona. It is hoped that these findings will stimulate further research in this important area. PMID:16532975

Classification of health webpages as expert and non expert with a reduced set of cross-language features.

PubMed

Grabar, Natalia; Krivine, Sonia; Jaulent, Marie-Christine

2007-10-11

Making the distinction between expert and non expert health documents can help users to select the information which is more suitable for them, according to whether they are familiar or not with medical terminology. This issue is particularly important for the information retrieval area. In our work we address this purpose through stylistic corpus analysis and the application of machine learning algorithms. Our hypothesis is that this distinction can be performed on the basis of a small number of features and that such features can be language and domain independent. The used features were acquired in source corpus (Russian language, diabetes topic) and then tested on target (French language, pneumology topic) and source corpora. These cross-language features show 90% precision and 93% recall with non expert documents in source language; and 85% precision and 74% recall with expert documents in target language.

Negotiation of Meaning and Language-Related Episodes in Synchronous, Audio-Based Chinese-German eTandem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renner, Julia

2017-01-01

The present paper examines negotiation of meaning and language-related episodes in Chinese-German eTandem interaction, focusing on Chinese as target language. Against the background of the interactionist approach to language learning and drawing upon Swain and Lapkin's (1998, Interaction and second language learning: Two adolescent French…

"To Improve Language, You Have to Mix": Teachers' Perceptions of Language Learning in an Overseas Immersion Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roskvist, Annelies; Harvey, Sharon; Corder, Deborah; Stacey, Karen

2014-01-01

The overseas immersion environment has long been considered a superior context for language learning, supposedly providing unlimited exposure to target language (TL) input and countless opportunities for authentic interaction with expert users. This article focuses on immersion programmes (IPs) for in-service language teachers--a relatively…

A Discussion-Based Online Approach to Fostering Deep Cultural Inquiry in an Introductory Language Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrett-Rucks, Paula

2013-01-01

Fostering and assessing language learners' cultural understanding is a daunting task, particularly at the early stages of language learning with target language instruction. The purpose of this study was to explore the development of beginning French language learners' intercultural understanding in a computer-mediated environment where students…

Creating an Authentic Learning Environment in the Foreign Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikitina, Larisa

2011-01-01

Theatrical activities are widely used by language educators to promote and facilitate language learning. Involving students in production of their own video or a short movie in the target language allows a seamless fusion of language learning, art, and popular culture. The activity is also conducive for creating an authentic learning situation…

An Object Description Language for Distributed Discrete Event Simulations

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-05-24

some tremendous improvements in simulation speed and fidelity. This dissertation describes a new programming language that is useful in creating...104 CHAPTER 8. GLUT- BASED USER INTERFACE....................................il 8. 1. OUTPUT CONCERNS...143 9.3. GLUT BASED DEMONSTRATIONS ......................................................... 145 9.3

A programming language for composable DNA circuits

PubMed Central

Phillips, Andrew; Cardelli, Luca

2009-01-01

Recently, a range of information-processing circuits have been implemented in DNA by using strand displacement as their main computational mechanism. Examples include digital logic circuits and catalytic signal amplification circuits that function as efficient molecular detectors. As new paradigms for DNA computation emerge, the development of corresponding languages and tools for these paradigms will help to facilitate the design of DNA circuits and their automatic compilation to nucleotide sequences. We present a programming language for designing and simulating DNA circuits in which strand displacement is the main computational mechanism. The language includes basic elements of sequence domains, toeholds and branch migration, and assumes that strands do not possess any secondary structure. The language is used to model and simulate a variety of circuits, including an entropy-driven catalytic gate, a simple gate motif for synthesizing large-scale circuits and a scheme for implementing an arbitrary system of chemical reactions. The language is a first step towards the design of modelling and simulation tools for DNA strand displacement, which complements the emergence of novel implementation strategies for DNA computing. PMID:19535415

A programming language for composable DNA circuits.

PubMed

Phillips, Andrew; Cardelli, Luca

2009-08-06

Recently, a range of information-processing circuits have been implemented in DNA by using strand displacement as their main computational mechanism. Examples include digital logic circuits and catalytic signal amplification circuits that function as efficient molecular detectors. As new paradigms for DNA computation emerge, the development of corresponding languages and tools for these paradigms will help to facilitate the design of DNA circuits and their automatic compilation to nucleotide sequences. We present a programming language for designing and simulating DNA circuits in which strand displacement is the main computational mechanism. The language includes basic elements of sequence domains, toeholds and branch migration, and assumes that strands do not possess any secondary structure. The language is used to model and simulate a variety of circuits, including an entropy-driven catalytic gate, a simple gate motif for synthesizing large-scale circuits and a scheme for implementing an arbitrary system of chemical reactions. The language is a first step towards the design of modelling and simulation tools for DNA strand displacement, which complements the emergence of novel implementation strategies for DNA computing.

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

Arion is a library and tool set that enables researchers to holistically define test system models. To define a complex system for testing an algorithm or control requires expertise across multiple domains. Simulating a complex system requires the integration of multiple simulators and test hardware, each with their own specification languages and concepts. This requires extensive set of knowledge and capabilities. Arion was developed to alleviate this challenge. Arion is a library of Java libraries that abstracts the concepts from supported simulators into a cohesive model language that allows someone to build models to their needed level of fidelity andmore » expertise. Arion is also a software tool that translates the users model back into the specification languages of the simulators and test hardware needed for execution.« less

Digital systems design language

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shiva, S. G.

1979-01-01

Digital Systems Design Language (DDL) is implemented on the SEL-32 Computer Systems. The detaileds of the language, the translator, and the simulator, and the smulator programs are given. Several example descriptions and a tutorial on hardware description languages are provided, to guide the user.

Semantic processing in native and second language: evidence from hemispheric differences in fine and coarse semantic coding.

PubMed

Faust, Miriam; Ben-Artzi, Elisheva; Vardi, Nili

2012-12-01

Previous studies suggest that whereas the left hemisphere (LH) is involved in fine semantic processing, the right hemisphere (RH) is uniquely engaged in coarse semantic coding including the comprehension of distinct types of language such as figurative language, lexical ambiguity and verbal humor (e.g., Chiarello, 2003; Faust, 2012). The present study examined the patterns of hemispheric involvement in fine/coarse semantic processing in native and non-native languages using a split visual field priming paradigm. Thirty native Hebrew speaking students made lexical decision judgments of Hebrew and English target words preceded by strongly, weakly, or unrelated primes. Results indicated that whereas for Hebrew pairs, priming effect for the weakly-related word pairs was obtained only for RH presented target words, for English pairs, no priming effect for the weakly-related pairs emerged for either LH or RH presented targets, suggesting that coarse semantic coding is much weaker for a non-native than native language. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Advances in Systems and Technologies Toward Interopoerating Operational Military C2 and Simulation Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

Hieb, and R. Brown, “Standardizing Battle Management Language – A Vital Move Towards the Army Transformation,” paper 01S- SIW -067, IEEE Fall Simulation...Hieb, M., W. Sudnikovich, A. Tolk and J. Pullen, “Developing Battle Management Language into a Web Service,” paper 04S- SIW -113, IEEE Spring Simulation...Mediation and Data Storage,” paper 05S- SIW -019, IEEE Spring Simulation Interoperability Workshop, Orlando, FL, 2005 [6] Multilateral

Identification of the Transcriptional Targets of FOXP2, a Gene Linked to Speech and Language, in Developing Human Brain

PubMed Central

Spiteri, Elizabeth ; Konopka, Genevieve ; Coppola, Giovanni ; Bomar, Jamee ; Oldham, Michael ; Ou, Jing ; Vernes, Sonja C. ; Fisher, Simon E. ; Ren, Bing ; Geschwind, Daniel H. 

2007-01-01

Mutations in FOXP2, a member of the forkhead family of transcription factor genes, are the only known cause of developmental speech and language disorders in humans. To date, there are no known targets of human FOXP2 in the nervous system. The identification of FOXP2 targets in the developing human brain, therefore, provides a unique tool with which to explore the development of human language and speech. Here, we define FOXP2 targets in human basal ganglia (BG) and inferior frontal cortex (IFC) by use of chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by microarray analysis (ChIP-chip) and validate the functional regulation of targets in vitro. ChIP-chip identified 285 FOXP2 targets in fetal human brain; statistically significant overlap of targets in BG and IFC indicates a core set of 34 transcriptional targets of FOXP2. We identified targets specific to IFC or BG that were not observed in lung, suggesting important regional and tissue differences in FOXP2 activity. Many target genes are known to play critical roles in specific aspects of central nervous system patterning or development, such as neurite outgrowth, as well as plasticity. Subsets of the FOXP2 transcriptional targets are either under positive selection in humans or differentially expressed between human and chimpanzee brain. This is the first ChIP-chip study to use human brain tissue, making the FOXP2-target genes identified in these studies important to understanding the pathways regulating speech and language in the developing human brain. These data provide the first insight into the functional network of genes directly regulated by FOXP2 in human brain and by evolutionary comparisons, highlighting genes likely to be involved in the development of human higher-order cognitive processes. PMID:17999357

Computational identification of potential multi-drug combinations for reduction of microglial inflammation in Alzheimer disease

PubMed Central

Anastasio, Thomas J.

2015-01-01

Like other neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer Disease (AD) has a prominent inflammatory component mediated by brain microglia. Reducing microglial inflammation could potentially halt or at least slow the neurodegenerative process. A major challenge in the development of treatments targeting brain inflammation is the sheer complexity of the molecular mechanisms that determine whether microglia become inflammatory or take on a more neuroprotective phenotype. The process is highly multifactorial, raising the possibility that a multi-target/multi-drug strategy could be more effective than conventional monotherapy. This study takes a computational approach in finding combinations of approved drugs that are potentially more effective than single drugs in reducing microglial inflammation in AD. This novel approach exploits the distinct advantages of two different computer programming languages, one imperative and the other declarative. Existing programs written in both languages implement the same model of microglial behavior, and the input/output relationships of both programs agree with each other and with data on microglia over an extensive test battery. Here the imperative program is used efficiently to screen the model for the most efficacious combinations of 10 drugs, while the declarative program is used to analyze in detail the mechanisms of action of the most efficacious combinations. Of the 1024 possible drug combinations, the simulated screen identifies only 7 that are able to move simulated microglia at least 50% of the way from a neurotoxic to a neuroprotective phenotype. Subsequent analysis shows that of the 7 most efficacious combinations, 2 stand out as superior both in strength and reliability. The model offers many experimentally testable and therapeutically relevant predictions concerning effective drug combinations and their mechanisms of action. PMID:26097457

Grammatical Aspect and Mental Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergen, Benjamin; Wheeler, Kathryn

2010-01-01

When processing sentences about perceptible scenes and performable actions, language understanders activate perceptual and motor systems to perform mental simulations of those events. But little is known about exactly what linguistic elements activate modality-specific systems during language processing. While it is known that content words, like…

Equation-based languages – A new paradigm for building energy modeling, simulation and optimization

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

Wetter, Michael; Bonvini, Marco; Nouidui, Thierry S.

Most of the state-of-the-art building simulation programs implement models in imperative programming languages. This complicates modeling and excludes the use of certain efficient methods for simulation and optimization. In contrast, equation-based modeling languages declare relations among variables, thereby allowing the use of computer algebra to enable much simpler schematic modeling and to generate efficient code for simulation and optimization. We contrast the two approaches in this paper. We explain how such manipulations support new use cases. In the first of two examples, we couple models of the electrical grid, multiple buildings, HVAC systems and controllers to test a controller thatmore » adjusts building room temperatures and PV inverter reactive power to maintain power quality. In the second example, we contrast the computing time for solving an optimal control problem for a room-level model predictive controller with and without symbolic manipulations. As a result, exploiting the equation-based language led to 2, 200 times faster solution« less

Making On-line Science Course Materials Easily Translatable and Accessible Worldwide: Challenges and Solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, Wendy K.; Alhadlaq, Hisham; Malley, Christopher V.; Perkins, Katherine K.; Olson, Jonathan; Alshaya, Fahad; Alabdulkareem, Saleh; Wieman, Carl E.

2012-02-01

The PhET Interactive Simulations Project partnered with the Excellence Research Center of Science and Mathematics Education at King Saud University with the joint goal of making simulations useable worldwide. One of the main challenges of this partnership is to make PhET simulations and the website easily translatable into any language. The PhET project team overcame this challenge by creating the Translation Utility. This tool allows a person fluent in both English and another language to easily translate any of the PhET simulations and requires minimal computer expertise. In this paper we discuss the technical issues involved in this software solution, as well as the issues involved in obtaining accurate translations. We share our solutions to many of the unexpected problems we encountered that would apply generally to making on-line scientific course materials available in many different languages, including working with: languages written right-to-left, different character sets, and different conventions for expressing equations, variables, units and scientific notation.

Equation-based languages – A new paradigm for building energy modeling, simulation and optimization

DOE PAGES

Wetter, Michael; Bonvini, Marco; Nouidui, Thierry S.

2016-04-01

Most of the state-of-the-art building simulation programs implement models in imperative programming languages. This complicates modeling and excludes the use of certain efficient methods for simulation and optimization. In contrast, equation-based modeling languages declare relations among variables, thereby allowing the use of computer algebra to enable much simpler schematic modeling and to generate efficient code for simulation and optimization. We contrast the two approaches in this paper. We explain how such manipulations support new use cases. In the first of two examples, we couple models of the electrical grid, multiple buildings, HVAC systems and controllers to test a controller thatmore » adjusts building room temperatures and PV inverter reactive power to maintain power quality. In the second example, we contrast the computing time for solving an optimal control problem for a room-level model predictive controller with and without symbolic manipulations. As a result, exploiting the equation-based language led to 2, 200 times faster solution« less

Digital systems design language. Design synthesis of digital systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shiva, S. G.

1979-01-01

The Digital Systems Design Language (DDL) is implemented on the SEL-32 computer systems. The details of the language, translator and simulator programs are included. Several example descriptions and a tutorial on hardware description languages are provided, to guide the user.

MHDL CAD tool with fault circuit handling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espinosa Flores-Verdad, Guillermo; Altamirano Robles, Leopoldo; Osorio Roque, Leticia

2003-04-01

Behavioral modeling and simulation, with Analog Hardware and Mixed Signal Description High Level Languages (MHDLs), have generated the development of diverse simulation tools that allow handling the requirements of the modern designs. These systems have million of transistors embedded and they are radically diverse between them. This tendency of simulation tools is exemplified by the development of languages for modeling and simulation, whose applications are the re-use of complete systems, construction of virtual prototypes, realization of test and synthesis. This paper presents the general architecture of a Mixed Hardware Description Language, based on the standard 1076.1-1999 IEEE VHDL Analog and Mixed-Signal Extensions known as VHDL-AMS. This architecture is novel by consider the modeling and simulation of faults. The main modules of the CAD tool are briefly described in order to establish the information flow and its transformations, starting from the description of a circuit model, going throw the lexical analysis, mathematical models generation and the simulation core, ending at the collection of the circuit behavior as simulation"s data. In addition, the incorporated mechanisms to the simulation core are explained in order to realize the handling of faults into the circuit models. Currently, the CAD tool works with algebraic and differential descriptions for the circuit models, nevertheless the language design is open to be able to handle different model types: Fuzzy Models, Differentials Equations, Transfer Functions and Tables. This applies for fault models too, in this sense the CAD tool considers the inclusion of mutants and saboteurs. To exemplified the results obtained until now, the simulated behavior of a circuit is shown when it is fault free and when it has been modified by the inclusion of a fault as a mutant or a saboteur. The obtained results allow the realization of a virtual diagnosis for mixed circuits. This language works in a UNIX system; it was developed with an object-oriented methodology and programmed in C++.

Automated Discovery of Machine-Specific Code Improvements

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-01

operation of the source language. Additional analysis may reveal special features of the target architecture that may be exploited to generate efficient...Additional analysis may reveal special features of the target architecture that may be exploited to generate efficient code. Such analysis is optional...incorporate knowledge of the source language, but do not refer to features of the target machine. These early phases are sometimes referred to as the

Promoting a Minority Language to Majority Language Speakers: Television Advertising about the Maori Language Targeting Non-Maori New Zealanders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Bres, Julia

2010-01-01

It has been claimed that the success of minority language policy initiatives may only be achievable if at least some degree of 'tolerability' of these initiatives is secured among majority language speakers. There has, however, been little consideration in the language planning literature of what practical approaches might be used to influence the…

Using Facebook to Promote Korean EFL Learners' Intercultural Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jin, Seunghee

2015-01-01

Foreign language learners often have limited opportunity to interact with people from the target culture and develop their intercultural competence (IC) through those interactions both inside and outside of the classroom. To identify a new opportunity to engage Korean EFL learners in innovative ways to maximize target language interactions and…

The Role of Language Skill in Child Psychopathology: Implications for Intervention in the Early Years.

PubMed

Salmon, Karen; O'Kearney, Richard; Reese, Elaine; Fortune, Clare-Ann

2016-12-01

In this narrative review, we suggest that children's language skill should be targeted in clinical interventions for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties in the preschool years. We propose that language skill predicts childhood emotional and behavioral problems and this relationship may be mediated by children's self-regulation and emotion understanding skills. In the first sections, we review recent high-quality longitudinal studies which together demonstrate that that children's early language skill predicts: (1) emotional and behavioral problems, and this relationship is stronger than the reverse pattern; (2) self-regulation skill; this pattern may be stronger than the reverse pattern but moderated by child age. Findings also suggest that self-regulation skill mediates the relation between early language skill and children's emotional and behavioral problems. There is insufficient evidence regarding the mediating role of emotion understanding. In subsequent sections, we review evidence demonstrating that: (1) particular kinds of developmentally targeted parent-child conversations play a vital role in the development of language skill, and (2) some current clinical interventions, directly or indirectly, have a beneficial impact on children's vocabulary and narrative skills, but most approaches are ad hoc. Targeting language via parent-child conversation has the potential to improve the outcomes of current clinical interventions in the preschool years.

Delayed Anticipatory Spoken Language Processing in Adults with Dyslexia—Evidence from Eye-tracking.

PubMed

Huettig, Falk; Brouwer, Susanne

2015-05-01

It is now well established that anticipation of upcoming input is a key characteristic of spoken language comprehension. It has also frequently been observed that literacy influences spoken language processing. Here, we investigated whether anticipatory spoken language processing is related to individuals' word reading abilities. Dutch adults with dyslexia and a control group participated in two eye-tracking experiments. Experiment 1 was conducted to assess whether adults with dyslexia show the typical language-mediated eye gaze patterns. Eye movements of both adults with and without dyslexia closely replicated earlier research: spoken language is used to direct attention to relevant objects in the environment in a closely time-locked manner. In Experiment 2, participants received instructions (e.g., 'Kijk naar de(COM) afgebeelde piano(COM)', look at the displayed piano) while viewing four objects. Articles (Dutch 'het' or 'de') were gender marked such that the article agreed in gender only with the target, and thus, participants could use gender information from the article to predict the target object. The adults with dyslexia anticipated the target objects but much later than the controls. Moreover, participants' word reading scores correlated positively with their anticipatory eye movements. We conclude by discussing the mechanisms by which reading abilities may influence predictive language processing. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Total Immersion Language Program: A New Approach to Foreign Language Instruction. Technical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morel, Stefano

A three-year experimental program established in 1966 in Spanish language instruction at the secondary level is reported in this study. Students at Commack High School North, New York, participated in a total immersion language program in Spanish, taking two to four classes of instruction in the target language per day. Classes included regular…

The Use of Self-Modeling To Train Expressive Language Skills with Preschool Children with Language Delays.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buggey, Tom

In this investigation, a case study approach was used with two preschool children with language delays to determine whether videotaped self-modeling (VSM) intervention would influence their expressive language development. Language samples of both children were videotaped and then edited to leave only the best examples of the target language…

Qualitative and Quantitative Measures of Second Language Writing: Potential Outcomes of Informal Target Language Learning Abroad

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, N. Anthony; Solovieva, Raissa V.; Eggett, Dennis L.

2011-01-01

This research describes a method applied at a U.S. university in a third-year Russian language course designed to facilitate Advanced and Superior second language writing proficiency through the forum of argumentation and debate. Participants had extensive informal language experience living in a Russian-speaking country but comparatively little…

"So They're Actually Real?" Integrating E-Tandem Learning into the Study of Language for International Business

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruen, Jennifer; Sudhershan, Aleksandra

2015-01-01

Tandem learning involves learners with complementary target and native languages communicating for the purpose of learning each other's languages and cultures. Studies indicate that it can function as a powerful complement to formal language learning classes with regard to the development of both language proficiency and cultural intelligence.…

Input Processing at First Exposure to a Sign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ortega, Gerardo; Morgan, Gary

2015-01-01

There is growing interest in learners' cognitive capacities to process a second language (L2) at first exposure to the target language. Evidence suggests that L2 learners are capable of processing novel words by exploiting phonological information from their first language (L1). Hearing adult learners of a sign language, however, cannot fall back…

Foreign Language Learners' Views on the Importance of Learning the Target Language Pronunciation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çakir, Ismail; Baytar, Birtan

2014-01-01

Pronunciation is one of the controversial topics in the field of English language teaching as a second or foreign language. The aim of this study is to understand the attitudes of prep class students at Kastamonu University (state university) in Turkey towards the importance of pronunciation in language learning. Therefore, a pronunciation…

Review Article: Recent Publications on Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ionin, Tania

2013-01-01

The central goal of the field of second language acquisition (SLA) is to describe and explain how second language learners acquire the target language. In order to achieve this goal, SLA researchers work with second language data, which can take a variety of forms, including (but not limited to) such commonly used methods as naturalistic…

Language Learning Strategies and Styles among Iranian Engineering and Political Science Graduate Students Studying Abroad

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alireza, Shakarami; Abdullah, Mardziha H.

2010-01-01

Language learning strategies are used with the explicit goal of helping learners improve their knowledge and understanding of a target language. They are the conscious thoughts and behaviors used by students to facilitate language learning tasks and to personalize language learning process. Learning styles on the other hand, are "general…

Neural Basis of Action Understanding: Evidence from Sign Language Aphasia.

PubMed

Rogalsky, Corianne; Raphel, Kristin; Tomkovicz, Vivian; O'Grady, Lucinda; Damasio, Hanna; Bellugi, Ursula; Hickok, Gregory

2013-01-01

The neural basis of action understanding is a hotly debated issue. The mirror neuron account holds that motor simulation in fronto-parietal circuits is critical to action understanding including speech comprehension, while others emphasize the ventral stream in the temporal lobe. Evidence from speech strongly supports the ventral stream account, but on the other hand, evidence from manual gesture comprehension (e.g., in limb apraxia) has led to contradictory findings. Here we present a lesion analysis of sign language comprehension. Sign language is an excellent model for studying mirror system function in that it bridges the gap between the visual-manual system in which mirror neurons are best characterized and language systems which have represented a theoretical target of mirror neuron research. Twenty-one life long deaf signers with focal cortical lesions performed two tasks: one involving the comprehension of individual signs and the other involving comprehension of signed sentences (commands). Participants' lesions, as indicated on MRI or CT scans, were mapped onto a template brain to explore the relationship between lesion location and sign comprehension measures. Single sign comprehension was not significantly affected by left hemisphere damage. Sentence sign comprehension impairments were associated with left temporal-parietal damage. We found that damage to mirror system related regions in the left frontal lobe were not associated with deficits on either of these comprehension tasks. We conclude that the mirror system is not critically involved in action understanding.

Bilingualism and Special Education: Program and Pedagogical Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cummins, Jim

1983-01-01

Application of the research-based principle that first and second language cognitive and academic development are interdependent and that language acquisition is largely dependent on students receiving sufficient comprehensible input in the target language is discussed in reference to program planning for academically at risk language minority…

Conversational Simulation in Computer-Assisted Language Learning: Potential and Reality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coleman, D. Wells

1988-01-01

Addresses the potential of conversational simulations for computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and reasons why this potential is largely untapped. Topics discussed include artificial intelligence; microworlds; parsing; realism versus reality in computer software; intelligent tutoring systems; and criteria to clarify what kinds of CALL…

Bimodal Bilinguals Co-activate Both Languages during Spoken Comprehension

PubMed Central

Shook, Anthony; Marian, Viorica

2012-01-01

Bilinguals have been shown to activate their two languages in parallel, and this process can often be attributed to overlap in input between the two languages. The present study examines whether two languages that do not overlap in input structure, and that have distinct phonological systems, such as American Sign Language (ASL) and English, are also activated in parallel. Hearing ASL-English bimodal bilinguals’ and English monolinguals’ eye-movements were recorded during a visual world paradigm, in which participants were instructed, in English, to select objects from a display. In critical trials, the target item appeared with a competing item that overlapped with the target in ASL phonology. Bimodal bilinguals looked more at competing items than at phonologically unrelated items, and looked more at competing items relative to monolinguals, indicating activation of the sign-language during spoken English comprehension. The findings suggest that language co-activation is not modality specific, and provide insight into the mechanisms that may underlie cross-modal language co-activation in bimodal bilinguals, including the role that top-down and lateral connections between levels of processing may play in language comprehension. PMID:22770677

The employment of a spoken language computer applied to an air traffic control task.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laveson, J. I.; Silver, C. A.

1972-01-01

Assessment of the merits of a limited spoken language (56 words) computer in a simulated air traffic control (ATC) task. An airport zone approximately 60 miles in diameter with a traffic flow simulation ranging from single-engine to commercial jet aircraft provided the workload for the controllers. This research determined that, under the circumstances of the experiments carried out, the use of a spoken-language computer would not improve the controller performance.

Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML) Level 1 Version 3 (L1V3).

PubMed

Bergmann, Frank T; Cooper, Jonathan; König, Matthias; Moraru, Ion; Nickerson, David; Le Novère, Nicolas; Olivier, Brett G; Sahle, Sven; Smith, Lucian; Waltemath, Dagmar

2018-03-19

The creation of computational simulation experiments to inform modern biological research poses challenges to reproduce, annotate, archive, and share such experiments. Efforts such as SBML or CellML standardize the formal representation of computational models in various areas of biology. The Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML) describes what procedures the models are subjected to, and the details of those procedures. These standards, together with further COMBINE standards, describe models sufficiently well for the reproduction of simulation studies among users and software tools. The Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML) is an XML-based format that encodes, for a given simulation experiment, (i) which models to use; (ii) which modifications to apply to models before simulation; (iii) which simulation procedures to run on each model; (iv) how to post-process the data; and (v) how these results should be plotted and reported. SED-ML Level 1 Version 1 (L1V1) implemented support for the encoding of basic time course simulations. SED-ML L1V2 added support for more complex types of simulations, specifically repeated tasks and chained simulation procedures. SED-ML L1V3 extends L1V2 by means to describe which datasets and subsets thereof to use within a simulation experiment.

Pragmatic Language Development in Language Impaired and Typically Developing Children: Incorrect Answers in Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryder, Nuala; Leinonen, Eeva

2014-01-01

This study focused on young children's incorrect answers to pragmatically demanding questions. Children with specific language impairment (SLI), including a subgroup with pragmatic language difficulties (PLD) and typically developing children answered questions targeting implicatures, based on a storybook and short verbal scenarios.…

Form-Focused Discovery Activities in English Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogeyik, Muhlise Cosgun

2011-01-01

Form-focused discovery activities allow language learners to grasp various aspects of a target language by contributing implicit knowledge by using discovered explicit knowledge. Moreover, such activities can assist learners to perceive and discover the features of their language input. In foreign language teaching environments, they can be used…

Metaphorical Competence in ESL Student Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kathpalia, Sujata S.; Carmel, Heah Lee Hah

2011-01-01

In language teaching, emphasis is usually placed on grammatical competence rather than metaphorical competence to improve a learner's proficiency in the target language. Research has shown that figurative language poses a problem for second language learners whether it is in their ability to interpret, process, or produce metaphors. This affects…

Beyond Poverty: Engaging with Input in Generative SLA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rankin, Tom; Unsworth, Sharon

2016-01-01

A generative approach to language acquisition is no different from any other in assuming that target language input is crucial for language acquisition. This discussion note addresses the place of input in generative second language acquisition (SLA) research and the perception in the wider field of SLA research that generative SLA…

Emergent Target Language Identities among Latino English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciriza-Lope, Maria; Shappeck, Marco; Arxer, Steven

2016-01-01

During 2nd language acquisition, a learner's identity is consigned, juxtaposed, coconstructed, and reified through various affective positions and mitigating linguistic behaviors. Our study of adult Latino ESL students in Dallas, Texas, shows how language socialization experiences are shaped by the learners' affective stances toward the project of…

Linguistic Minorities and the Multilingual Turn: Constructing Language Ownership through Affect in Cultural Production

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLaughlin, Mireille

2016-01-01

The "multilingual turn" brings questions of language ownership to the forefront of debates about linguistic minority governance. Acadian minority cultural producers construct language ownership using multiple languages and targeting multilingual publics, but use ideologies of monolingualism to situate Acadian authenticity in place and…

Setting Evidence-Based Language Goals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goertler, Senta; Kraemer, Angelika; Schenker, Theresa

2016-01-01

The purpose of this project was to identify target language benchmarks for the German program at Michigan State University (MSU) based on national and international guidelines and previous research, to assess language skills across course levels and class sections in the entire German program, and to adjust the language benchmarks as needed based…

Commentary: Motivation for Learning Languages Other than English in an English-Dominant World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duff, Patricia A.

2017-01-01

The majority of recent research on language learning motivation has reportedly focused on English as a target language, typically in relatively homogeneous, secondary and postsecondary "foreign language" settings. How applicable, then, are the theories and findings undergirding that research to our understanding of the contemporary…

Fostering Computer-Mediated L2 Interaction beyond the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrs, Keith

2012-01-01

In language learning contexts a primary concern is how to maximise target language interaction both inside and outside of the classroom. With the development of digital technologies, the proliferation of language learning applications, and an increased awareness of how technology can assist in language education, educators are being presented with…

Foreign Language Houses: Identities in Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bown, Jennifer; Dewey, Dan P.; Martinsen, Rob A.; Baker, Wendy

2011-01-01

This study examined the lived experience of students participating in foreign language houses to improve their skills in Russian, French, or Japanese. American students residing in apartments with other language learners and a native-speaking resident facilitator were required to speak with one another exclusively in the target language and…

Bean Soup Translation: Flexible, Linguistically-Motivated Syntax for Machine Translation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mehay, Dennis Nolan

2012-01-01

Machine translation (MT) systems attempt to translate texts from one language into another by translating words from a "source language" and rearranging them into fluent utterances in a "target language." When the two languages organize concepts in very different ways, knowledge of their general sentence structure, or…

Language Control in Bilinguals: Monolingual Tasks and Simultaneous Interpreting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Groot, Annette M. B.; Christoffels, Ingrid K.

2006-01-01

The typical speech of (fluent) bilinguals in monolingual settings contains few switches into the non-target language. Apparently, bilinguals can control what language they output. This article discusses views on how bilinguals exert control over their two languages in monolingual tasks, where participants only have to implicate one of their…

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS IN LOUISIANA DEPOSITORIES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BABINEAUX, AUDREY

THIS MANUAL IS AN ANNOTATED LIST OF 16-MILLIMETER EDUCATIONAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS (BOTH LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL) WHICH WERE PURCHASED WITH STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDS AND PLACED IN LOUISIANA'S NINE FILM LIBRARIES. FILMS ARE ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY BY LANGUAGES. FILMS IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE ARE LISTED SEPARATELY FROM FILMS WITH ENGLISH NARRATION. A…

A Field Guide for Sign Language Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stokoe, William; Kuschel, Rolf

Field researchers of sign language are the target of this methodological guide. The prospective researcher is briefed on the rationale of sign language study as language study and as distinct from the study of kinesics. Subjects covered include problems of translating, use of interpreters, and ethics. Instruments for obtaining social and language…

Spectral-element Seismic Wave Propagation on CUDA/OpenCL Hardware Accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peter, D. B.; Videau, B.; Pouget, K.; Komatitsch, D.

2015-12-01

Seismic wave propagation codes are essential tools to investigate a variety of wave phenomena in the Earth. Furthermore, they can now be used for seismic full-waveform inversions in regional- and global-scale adjoint tomography. Although these seismic wave propagation solvers are crucial ingredients to improve the resolution of tomographic images to answer important questions about the nature of Earth's internal processes and subsurface structure, their practical application is often limited due to high computational costs. They thus need high-performance computing (HPC) facilities to improving the current state of knowledge. At present, numerous large HPC systems embed many-core architectures such as graphics processing units (GPUs) to enhance numerical performance. Such hardware accelerators can be programmed using either the CUDA programming environment or the OpenCL language standard. CUDA software development targets NVIDIA graphic cards while OpenCL was adopted by additional hardware accelerators, like e.g. AMD graphic cards, ARM-based processors as well as Intel Xeon Phi coprocessors. For seismic wave propagation simulations using the open-source spectral-element code package SPECFEM3D_GLOBE, we incorporated an automatic source-to-source code generation tool (BOAST) which allows us to use meta-programming of all computational kernels for forward and adjoint runs. Using our BOAST kernels, we generate optimized source code for both CUDA and OpenCL languages within the source code package. Thus, seismic wave simulations are able now to fully utilize CUDA and OpenCL hardware accelerators. We show benchmarks of forward seismic wave propagation simulations using SPECFEM3D_GLOBE on CUDA/OpenCL GPUs, validating results and comparing performances for different simulations and hardware usages.

An Ada Object Oriented Missile Flight Simulation

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-01

identify by block number) This thesis uses the Ada programming language in the design and development of an air-to-air missile flight simulation with...object oriented techniques and sound software engineering principles. The simulation is designed to be more understandable, modifiable, efficient and...Department of Computer Science ii ABSTRACT This thesis uses the Ada programming language in the design and development of an air-to-air missile flight

A Linguistic Foundation for Communicating Geo-Information in the context of BML and geoBML

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-23

BML Standard. 2009 Spring Simulation Interoperability Workshop (09S- SIW -046). San Diego, CA. Rein, K., Schade, U. & Hieb, M.R. (2009). Battle...Formalizing Battle Management Language: A Grammar for Specifying Orders. 2006 Spring Simulation Interoperability Workshop (06S- SIW - 068). Huntsville...Hieb, M.R. (2007). Battle Management Language: A Grammar for Specifying Reports. 2007 Spring Simulation Interoperability Workshop (07S- SIW -036

The Layer-Oriented Approach to Declarative Languages for Biological Modeling

PubMed Central

Raikov, Ivan; De Schutter, Erik

2012-01-01

We present a new approach to modeling languages for computational biology, which we call the layer-oriented approach. The approach stems from the observation that many diverse biological phenomena are described using a small set of mathematical formalisms (e.g. differential equations), while at the same time different domains and subdomains of computational biology require that models are structured according to the accepted terminology and classification of that domain. Our approach uses distinct semantic layers to represent the domain-specific biological concepts and the underlying mathematical formalisms. Additional functionality can be transparently added to the language by adding more layers. This approach is specifically concerned with declarative languages, and throughout the paper we note some of the limitations inherent to declarative approaches. The layer-oriented approach is a way to specify explicitly how high-level biological modeling concepts are mapped to a computational representation, while abstracting away details of particular programming languages and simulation environments. To illustrate this process, we define an example language for describing models of ionic currents, and use a general mathematical notation for semantic transformations to show how to generate model simulation code for various simulation environments. We use the example language to describe a Purkinje neuron model and demonstrate how the layer-oriented approach can be used for solving several practical issues of computational neuroscience model development. We discuss the advantages and limitations of the approach in comparison with other modeling language efforts in the domain of computational biology and outline some principles for extensible, flexible modeling language design. We conclude by describing in detail the semantic transformations defined for our language. PMID:22615554

The layer-oriented approach to declarative languages for biological modeling.

PubMed

Raikov, Ivan; De Schutter, Erik

2012-01-01

We present a new approach to modeling languages for computational biology, which we call the layer-oriented approach. The approach stems from the observation that many diverse biological phenomena are described using a small set of mathematical formalisms (e.g. differential equations), while at the same time different domains and subdomains of computational biology require that models are structured according to the accepted terminology and classification of that domain. Our approach uses distinct semantic layers to represent the domain-specific biological concepts and the underlying mathematical formalisms. Additional functionality can be transparently added to the language by adding more layers. This approach is specifically concerned with declarative languages, and throughout the paper we note some of the limitations inherent to declarative approaches. The layer-oriented approach is a way to specify explicitly how high-level biological modeling concepts are mapped to a computational representation, while abstracting away details of particular programming languages and simulation environments. To illustrate this process, we define an example language for describing models of ionic currents, and use a general mathematical notation for semantic transformations to show how to generate model simulation code for various simulation environments. We use the example language to describe a Purkinje neuron model and demonstrate how the layer-oriented approach can be used for solving several practical issues of computational neuroscience model development. We discuss the advantages and limitations of the approach in comparison with other modeling language efforts in the domain of computational biology and outline some principles for extensible, flexible modeling language design. We conclude by describing in detail the semantic transformations defined for our language.

A reversed-typicality effect in pictures but not in written words in deaf and hard of hearing adolescents.

PubMed

Li, Degao; Gao, Kejuan; Wu, Xueyun; Xong, Ying; Chen, Xiaojun; He, Weiwei; Li, Ling; Huang, Jingjia

2015-01-01

Two experiments investigated Chinese deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) adolescents' recognition of category names in an innovative task of semantic categorization. In each trial, the category-name target appeared briefly at the screen center followed by two words or two pictures for two basic-level exemplars of high or middle typicality, which appeared briefly approximately where the target had appeared. Participants' reaction times when they were deciding whether the target referred to living or nonliving things consistently revealed the typicality effect for the word, but a reversed-typicality effect for picture-presented exemplars. It was found that in automatically processing a category name, DHH adolescents with natural sign language as their first language evidently activate two sets of exemplar representations: those for middle-typicality exemplars, which they develop in interactions with the physical world and in sign language uses; and those in written-language learning.

Transporting GOLDEN RICE to Malaysian Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naidu, Shashi

2007-01-01

This article evaluates the effectiveness of using a simulation in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) class at a university in the United States and discusses the integration of simulations into the Malaysian curriculum. A new approach is needed in Malaysia wherein language learners are given maximum exposure to the language. The article…

Spoken Language Activation Alters Subsequent Sign Language Activation in L2 Learners of American Sign Language.

PubMed

Williams, Joshua T; Newman, Sharlene D

2017-02-01

A large body of literature has characterized unimodal monolingual and bilingual lexicons and how neighborhood density affects lexical access; however there have been relatively fewer studies that generalize these findings to bimodal (M2) second language (L2) learners of sign languages. The goal of the current study was to investigate parallel language activation in M2L2 learners of sign language and to characterize the influence of spoken language and sign language neighborhood density on the activation of ASL signs. A priming paradigm was used in which the neighbors of the sign target were activated with a spoken English word and compared the activation of the targets in sparse and dense neighborhoods. Neighborhood density effects in auditory primed lexical decision task were then compared to previous reports of native deaf signers who were only processing sign language. Results indicated reversed neighborhood density effects in M2L2 learners relative to those in deaf signers such that there were inhibitory effects of handshape density and facilitatory effects of location density. Additionally, increased inhibition for signs in dense handshape neighborhoods was greater for high proficiency L2 learners. These findings support recent models of the hearing bimodal bilingual lexicon, which posit lateral links between spoken language and sign language lexical representations.

Reproducible computational biology experiments with SED-ML - The Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The increasing use of computational simulation experiments to inform modern biological research creates new challenges to annotate, archive, share and reproduce such experiments. The recently published Minimum Information About a Simulation Experiment (MIASE) proposes a minimal set of information that should be provided to allow the reproduction of simulation experiments among users and software tools. Results In this article, we present the Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML). SED-ML encodes in a computer-readable exchange format the information required by MIASE to enable reproduction of simulation experiments. It has been developed as a community project and it is defined in a detailed technical specification and additionally provides an XML schema. The version of SED-ML described in this publication is Level 1 Version 1. It covers the description of the most frequent type of simulation experiments in the area, namely time course simulations. SED-ML documents specify which models to use in an experiment, modifications to apply on the models before using them, which simulation procedures to run on each model, what analysis results to output, and how the results should be presented. These descriptions are independent of the underlying model implementation. SED-ML is a software-independent format for encoding the description of simulation experiments; it is not specific to particular simulation tools. Here, we demonstrate that with the growing software support for SED-ML we can effectively exchange executable simulation descriptions. Conclusions With SED-ML, software can exchange simulation experiment descriptions, enabling the validation and reuse of simulation experiments in different tools. Authors of papers reporting simulation experiments can make their simulation protocols available for other scientists to reproduce the results. Because SED-ML is agnostic about exact modeling language(s) used, experiments covering models from different fields of research can be accurately described and combined. PMID:22172142

Modeling Coevolution between Language and Memory Capacity during Language Origin

PubMed Central

Gong, Tao; Shuai, Lan

2015-01-01

Memory is essential to many cognitive tasks including language. Apart from empirical studies of memory effects on language acquisition and use, there lack sufficient evolutionary explorations on whether a high level of memory capacity is prerequisite for language and whether language origin could influence memory capacity. In line with evolutionary theories that natural selection refined language-related cognitive abilities, we advocated a coevolution scenario between language and memory capacity, which incorporated the genetic transmission of individual memory capacity, cultural transmission of idiolects, and natural and cultural selections on individual reproduction and language teaching. To illustrate the coevolution dynamics, we adopted a multi-agent computational model simulating the emergence of lexical items and simple syntax through iterated communications. Simulations showed that: along with the origin of a communal language, an initially-low memory capacity for acquired linguistic knowledge was boosted; and such coherent increase in linguistic understandability and memory capacities reflected a language-memory coevolution; and such coevolution stopped till memory capacities became sufficient for language communications. Statistical analyses revealed that the coevolution was realized mainly by natural selection based on individual communicative success in cultural transmissions. This work elaborated the biology-culture parallelism of language evolution, demonstrated the driving force of culturally-constituted factors for natural selection of individual cognitive abilities, and suggested that the degree difference in language-related cognitive abilities between humans and nonhuman animals could result from a coevolution with language. PMID:26544876

Modeling Coevolution between Language and Memory Capacity during Language Origin.

PubMed

Gong, Tao; Shuai, Lan

2015-01-01

Memory is essential to many cognitive tasks including language. Apart from empirical studies of memory effects on language acquisition and use, there lack sufficient evolutionary explorations on whether a high level of memory capacity is prerequisite for language and whether language origin could influence memory capacity. In line with evolutionary theories that natural selection refined language-related cognitive abilities, we advocated a coevolution scenario between language and memory capacity, which incorporated the genetic transmission of individual memory capacity, cultural transmission of idiolects, and natural and cultural selections on individual reproduction and language teaching. To illustrate the coevolution dynamics, we adopted a multi-agent computational model simulating the emergence of lexical items and simple syntax through iterated communications. Simulations showed that: along with the origin of a communal language, an initially-low memory capacity for acquired linguistic knowledge was boosted; and such coherent increase in linguistic understandability and memory capacities reflected a language-memory coevolution; and such coevolution stopped till memory capacities became sufficient for language communications. Statistical analyses revealed that the coevolution was realized mainly by natural selection based on individual communicative success in cultural transmissions. This work elaborated the biology-culture parallelism of language evolution, demonstrated the driving force of culturally-constituted factors for natural selection of individual cognitive abilities, and suggested that the degree difference in language-related cognitive abilities between humans and nonhuman animals could result from a coevolution with language.

"Seamlessly" Learning Chinese: Contextual Meaning Making and Vocabulary Growth in a Seamless Chinese as a Second Language Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Lung-Hsiang; King, Ronnel B.; Chai, Ching Sing; Liu, May

2016-01-01

Second language learners are typically hampered by the lack of a natural environment to use the target language for authentic communication purpose (as a means for "learning by applying"). Thus, we propose MyCLOUD, a mobile-assisted seamless language learning approach that aims to nurture a second language social network that bridges…

The Relevance of Personality and Language Proficiency on the Participation Style of ESL Learners in Face-To-Face and Online Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chew, S. Y.; Ng, L. L.

2016-01-01

Recognising that active involvement with the target language is important in learning a second language, this research compared the participation style of the language learners in different discussion settings; online and face-to-face. The personality (extroversion and introversion) and language proficiency (high-intermediate and low-intermediate)…

Using Short Texts to Teach English as Second Language: An Integrated Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kembo, Jane

2016-01-01

The teacher of English Language is often hard pressed to find interesting and authentic ways to present language to target second language speakers. While language can be taught and learned, part of it must be acquired and short texts provide powerful tools for doing so and reinforcing what has been taught/learned. This paper starts from research,…

English Language Proficiency and Early School Attainment Among Children Learning English as an Additional Language.

PubMed

Whiteside, Katie E; Gooch, Debbie; Norbury, Courtenay F

2017-05-01

Children learning English as an additional language (EAL) often experience lower academic attainment than monolingual peers. In this study, teachers provided ratings of English language proficiency and social, emotional, and behavioral functioning for 782 children with EAL and 6,485 monolingual children in reception year (ages 4-5). Academic attainment was assessed in reception and Year 2 (ages 6-7). Relative to monolingual peers with comparable English language proficiency, children with EAL displayed fewer social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties in reception, were equally likely to meet curriculum targets in reception, and were more likely to meet targets in Year 2. Academic attainment and social, emotional, and behavioral functioning in children with EAL are associated with English language proficiency at school entry. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Research in Child Development.

Bilingual reading of compound words.

PubMed

Ko, In Yeong; Wang, Min; Kim, Say Young

2011-02-01

The present study investigated whether bilingual readers activate constituents of compound words in one language while processing compound words in the other language via decomposition. Two experiments using a lexical decision task were conducted with adult Korean-English bilingual readers. In Experiment 1, the lexical decision of real English compound words was more accurate when the translated compounds (the combination of the translation equivalents of the constituents) in Korean (the nontarget language) were real words than when they were nonwords. In Experiment 2, when the frequency of the second constituents of compound words in English (the target language) was manipulated, the effect of lexical status of the translated compounds was greater on the compounds with high-frequency second constituents than on those with low-frequency second constituents in the target language. Together, these results provided evidence for morphological decomposition and cross-language activation in bilingual reading of compound words.

Character Reading Fluency, Word Segmentation Accuracy, and Reading Comprehension in L2 Chinese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Helen H.; Jiang, Xin

2013-01-01

This study investigated the relationships between lower-level processing and general reading comprehension among adult L2 (second-language) beginning learners of Chinese, in both target and non-target language learning environments. Lower-level processing in Chinese reading includes the factors of character-naming accuracy, character-naming speed,…

Nature and Content of L2 Socialization Patterns and Attainment of a Turkish Accent by Kurds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polat, Nihat

2011-01-01

Studies have shown that learners with high degrees of socialization with the target language community acquire the target language better (Lybeck, 2002; Schumann, 1978). Milroy's (1987) use of social network theory in sociolinguistics indicates that socialization patterns are constituted by structural relationships of different types and…

The solution of target assignment problem in command and control decision-making behaviour simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ni; Huai, Wenqing; Wang, Shaodan

2017-08-01

C2 (command and control) has been understood to be a critical military component to meet an increasing demand for rapid information gathering and real-time decision-making in a dynamically changing battlefield environment. In this article, to improve a C2 behaviour model's reusability and interoperability, a behaviour modelling framework was proposed to specify a C2 model's internal modules and a set of interoperability interfaces based on the C-BML (coalition battle management language). WTA (weapon target assignment) is a typical C2 autonomous decision-making behaviour modelling problem. Different from most WTA problem descriptions, here sensors were considered to be available resources of detection and the relationship constraints between weapons and sensors were also taken into account, which brought it much closer to actual application. A modified differential evolution (MDE) algorithm was developed to solve this high-dimension optimisation problem and obtained an optimal assignment plan with high efficiency. In case study, we built a simulation system to validate the proposed C2 modelling framework and interoperability interface specification. Also, a new optimisation solution was used to solve the WTA problem efficiently and successfully.

A formal language for the specification and verification of synchronous and asynchronous circuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russinoff, David M.

1993-01-01

A formal hardware description language for the intended application of verifiable asynchronous communication is described. The language is developed within the logical framework of the Nqthm system of Boyer and Moore and is based on the event-driven behavioral model of VHDL, including the basic VHDL signal propagation mechanisms, the notion of simulation deltas, and the VHDL simulation cycle. A core subset of the language corresponds closely with a subset of VHDL and is adequate for the realistic gate-level modeling of both combinational and sequential circuits. Various extensions to this subset provide means for convenient expression of behavioral circuit specifications.

Promoting Expressive Language in Young Children with or At-Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Preschool Classroom.

PubMed

Lane, Justin D; Shepley, Collin; Lieberman-Betz, Rebecca

2016-10-01

Young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often demonstrate delays in expressive communication, impacting their ability to independently function in typical environments. Individuals with ASD who develop expressive language during early childhood experience better outcomes later in life; therefore, examination of naturalistic language interventions (NLIs) remain an important area of investigation. The current study used a multiple probe design across participants to examine the effects of a classroom-based NLI on various expressive language targets in three preschool-aged children demonstrating characteristics of ASD. Findings suggest the intervention had positive and maintained effects on trial-based use of language targets, as well as concomitant changes in commenting, requesting, and phrase complexity. Implications regarding implementation of NLIs within typical classroom play activities are discussed.

Vocal Development as a Guide to Modeling the Evolution of Language.

PubMed

Oller, D Kimbrough; Griebel, Ulrike; Warlaumont, Anne S

2016-04-01

Modeling of evolution and development of language has principally utilized mature units of spoken language, phonemes and words, as both targets and inputs. This approach cannot address the earliest phases of development because young infants are unable to produce such language features. We argue that units of early vocal development-protophones and their primitive illocutionary/perlocutionary forces-should be targeted in evolutionary modeling because they suggest likely units of hominin vocalization/communication shortly after the split from the chimpanzee/bonobo lineage, and because early development of spontaneous vocal capability is a logically necessary step toward vocal language, a root capability without which other crucial steps toward vocal language capability are impossible. Modeling of language evolution/development must account for dynamic change in early communicative units of form/function across time. We argue for interactive contributions of sender/infants and receiver/caregivers in a feedback loop involving both development and evolution and propose to begin computational modeling at the hominin break from the primate communicative background. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Electrophysiological correlates of cross-linguistic semantic integration in hearing signers: N400 and LPC.

PubMed

Zachau, Swantje; Korpilahti, Pirjo; Hämäläinen, Jarmo A; Ervast, Leena; Heinänen, Kaisu; Suominen, Kalervo; Lehtihalmes, Matti; Leppänen, Paavo H T

2014-07-01

We explored semantic integration mechanisms in native and non-native hearing users of sign language and non-signing controls. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants performed a semantic decision task for priming lexeme pairs. Pairs were presented either within speech or across speech and sign language. Target-related ERP responses were subjected to principal component analyses (PCA), and neurocognitive basis of semantic integration processes were assessed by analyzing the N400 and the late positive complex (LPC) components in response to spoken (auditory) and signed (visual) antonymic and unrelated targets. Semantically-related effects triggered across modalities would indicate a similar tight interconnection between the signers׳ two languages like that described for spoken language bilinguals. Remarkable structural similarity of the N400 and LPC components with varying group differences between the spoken and signed targets were found. The LPC was the dominant response. The controls׳ LPC differed from the LPC of the two signing groups. It was reduced to the auditory unrelated targets and was less frontal for all the visual targets. The visual LPC was more broadly distributed in native than non-native signers and was left-lateralized for the unrelated targets in the native hearing signers only. Semantic priming effects were found for the auditory N400 in all groups, but only native hearing signers revealed a clear N400 effect to the visual targets. Surprisingly, the non-native signers revealed no semantically-related processing effect to the visual targets reflected in the N400 or the LPC; instead they appeared to rely more on visual post-lexical analyzing stages than native signers. We conclude that native and non-native signers employed different processing strategies to integrate signed and spoken semantic content. It appeared that the signers׳ semantic processing system was affected by group-specific factors like language background and/or usage. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Reactivation of Motion influences Size Categorization in a Visuo-Haptic Illusion.

PubMed

Rey, Amandine E; Dabic, Stephanie; Versace, Remy; Navarro, Jordan

2016-09-01

People simulate themselves moving when they view a picture, read a sentence, or simulate a situation that involves motion. The simulation of motion has often been studied in conceptual tasks such as language comprehension. However, most of these studies investigated the direct influence of motion simulation on tasks inducing motion. This article investigates whether a mo- tion induced by the reactivation of a dynamic picture can influence a task that did not require motion processing. In a first phase, a dynamic picture and a static picture were systematically presented with a vibrotactile stimulus (high or low frequency). The second phase of the experiment used a priming paradigm in which a vibrotactile stimulus was presented alone and followed by pictures of objects. Participants had to categorize objects as large or small relative to their typical size (simulated size). Results showed that when the target object was preceded by the vibrotactile stimulus previously associated with the dynamic picture, participants perceived all the objects as larger and categorized them more quickly when the objects were typically "large" and more slowly when the objects were typically "small." In light of embodied cognition theories, this bias in participants' perception is assumed to be caused by an induced forward motion. generated by the reactivated dynamic picture, which affects simulation of the size of the objects.

Utilizing Proverbs as a Focal Point to Cultural Awareness and Communicative Competence: Illustrations from Africa.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richmond, Edmun B.

1987-01-01

Proposes a model of target- and native-language proverb comparison which can be used to assist proverb analysis in the language curriculum, using examples from Mandinka, a West African language. (Author/CB)

Effect of Cultural Distance on Translation of Culture-Bound Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rafieyan, Vahid

2016-01-01

Sociolinguistic and sociocultural features of the source language can be ideally transferred to the target language when the translator's cultural background knowledge has a high overlap with the source language culture. This signifies the crucial role of national cultural distance from the source language society in the quality of translation of…

The Linguistic Landscape as a Learning Space for Contextual Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aladjem, Ruthi; Jou, Bibiana

2016-01-01

One of the challenges of teaching and learning a foreign language is that students are not being sufficiently exposed to the target language. However, it is quite common to find linguistic and cultural exponents of different foreign languages in authentic contexts (termed the "Linguistic landscape"). Using the Linguistic landscape as a…

Facebook Groups as a Supporting Tool for Language Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ekoc, Arzu

2014-01-01

This paper attempts to present a review of Facebook group pages as an educational tool for language learning. One of the primary needs of foreign language learners is to gain the opportunity to use the target language outside the classroom practice. Social media communication provides occasions for learners to receive input and produce output…

Classification of Word Levels with Usage Frequency, Expert Opinions and Machine Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sohsah, Gihad N.; Ünal, Muhammed Esad; Güzey, Onur

2015-01-01

Educational applications for language teaching can utilize the language levels of words to target proficiency levels of students. This paper and the accompanying data provide a methodology for making educational standard-aligned language-level predictions for all English words. The methodology involves expert opinions on language levels and…

Teaching Culture in the Foreign Language Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Nelson

1965-01-01

An attempt is made to define and describe culture for foreign language teachers, particularly those involved in the earlier phases of instruction. Reasons advanced for the inclusion of culture in language study center around the light it sheds on the real meanings of the target language. Projects, activities, and reports on culture in the language…

Making a Difference: Language Teaching for Intercultural and International Dialogue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byram, Michael; Wagner, Manuela

2018-01-01

Language teaching has long been associated with teaching in a country or countries where a target language is spoken, but this approach is inadequate. In the contemporary world, language teaching has a responsibility to prepare learners for interaction with people of other cultural backgrounds, teaching them skills and attitudes as well as…

Form-focused Communicative Practice via CMC: What Language Learners Say

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meskill, Carla; Anthony, Natasha

2007-01-01

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is being used widely to support and extend foreign language instruction. Language learners are practicing the target language by communicating with their instructors, peers, and native speakers at a distance. This study examines high-beginning and low-intermediate learners of Russian and their uses of, and…

Literate Language Intervention with High-Need Prekindergarten Children: A Randomized Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Beth M.; Tabulda, Galiya; Ingrole, Smriti A.; Webb Burris, Pam; Sedgwick, T. Kayla; Chen, Shiyi

2016-01-01

Purpose: The present article reports on the implementation and results of a randomized intervention trial targeting the literate language skills of prekindergarten children without identified language disorders but with low oral language skills. Method: Children (N = 82; 45 boys and 37 girls) were screened-in and randomized to a business-as-usual…

Migrants and the Language of Instruction: Is the EU Policy Deficit Driving New Innovations in Social Inclusion?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cullen, Joe

2017-01-01

Language learning has long been seen as an important tool for achieving European Union (EU) targets for social inclusion. However, "mainstream" policy instruments like the "Action Plan on Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity" and the "European Charter for Minority Languages" have been undermined in…

The Marketing of the Business Language Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morello, Joseph G.

The University of Rhode Island, through the cooperation of its College of Business Administration and Department of Languages, has undertaken efforts to market its business language program. The target group consists of the incoming freshman class, all of whom must have completed 2 years of high school language study and do some college work in a…

Teaching Foreign Languages with Realia and Other Authentic Materials. ERIC Q&A.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berwald, Jean-Pierre

Realia, authentic documents, and mass media are living daily proof of the value of language. Their authenticity, specialized vocabulary, reinforced grammatical structures, and topics of interest can help encourage interest in the target language and culture. They contain current language on all imaginable topics, and are not artificial or…

Child Modifiability as a Predictor of Language Abilities in Deaf Children Who Use American Sign Language.

PubMed

Mann, Wolfgang; Peña, Elizabeth D; Morgan, Gary

2015-08-01

This research explored the use of dynamic assessment (DA) for language-learning abilities in signing deaf children from deaf and hearing families. Thirty-seven deaf children, aged 6 to 11 years, were identified as either stronger (n = 26) or weaker (n = 11) language learners according to teacher or speech-language pathologist report. All children received 2 scripted, mediated learning experience sessions targeting vocabulary knowledge—specifically, the use of semantic categories that were carried out in American Sign Language. Participant responses to learning were measured in terms of an index of child modifiability. This index was determined separately at the end of the 2 individual sessions. It combined ratings reflecting each child's learning abilities and responses to mediation, including social-emotional behavior, cognitive arousal, and cognitive elaboration. Group results showed that modifiability ratings were significantly better for stronger language learners than for weaker language learners. The strongest predictors of language ability were cognitive arousal and cognitive elaboration. Mediator ratings of child modifiability (i.e., combined score of social-emotional factors and cognitive factors) are highly sensitive to language-learning abilities in deaf children who use sign language as their primary mode of communication. This method can be used to design targeted interventions.

Simulating the Effects of Cross-Generational Cultural Transmission on Language Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Tao; Shuai, Lan

Language evolves in a socio-cultural environment. Apart from biological evolution and individual learning, cultural transmission also casts important influence on many aspects of language evolution. In this paper, based on the lexicon-syntax coevolution model, we extend the acquisition framework in our previous work to examine the roles of three forms of cultural transmission spanning the offspring, parent, and grandparent generations in language change. These transmissions are: those between the parent and offspring generations (PO), those within the offspring generation (OO), and those between the grandparent and offspring generations (GO). The simulation results of the considered model and relevant analyses illustrate not only the necessity of PO and OO transmissions for language change, thus echoing our previous findings, but also the importance of GO transmission, a form of cross-generational cultural transmission, on preserving the mutual understandability of the communal language across generations of individuals.

Formalizing Knowledge in Multi-Scale Agent-Based Simulations

PubMed Central

Somogyi, Endre; Sluka, James P.; Glazier, James A.

2017-01-01

Multi-scale, agent-based simulations of cellular and tissue biology are increasingly common. These simulations combine and integrate a range of components from different domains. Simulations continuously create, destroy and reorganize constituent elements causing their interactions to dynamically change. For example, the multi-cellular tissue development process coordinates molecular, cellular and tissue scale objects with biochemical, biomechanical, spatial and behavioral processes to form a dynamic network. Different domain specific languages can describe these components in isolation, but cannot describe their interactions. No current programming language is designed to represent in human readable and reusable form the domain specific knowledge contained in these components and interactions. We present a new hybrid programming language paradigm that naturally expresses the complex multi-scale objects and dynamic interactions in a unified way and allows domain knowledge to be captured, searched, formalized, extracted and reused. PMID:29338063

Formalizing Knowledge in Multi-Scale Agent-Based Simulations.

PubMed

Somogyi, Endre; Sluka, James P; Glazier, James A

2016-10-01

Multi-scale, agent-based simulations of cellular and tissue biology are increasingly common. These simulations combine and integrate a range of components from different domains. Simulations continuously create, destroy and reorganize constituent elements causing their interactions to dynamically change. For example, the multi-cellular tissue development process coordinates molecular, cellular and tissue scale objects with biochemical, biomechanical, spatial and behavioral processes to form a dynamic network. Different domain specific languages can describe these components in isolation, but cannot describe their interactions. No current programming language is designed to represent in human readable and reusable form the domain specific knowledge contained in these components and interactions. We present a new hybrid programming language paradigm that naturally expresses the complex multi-scale objects and dynamic interactions in a unified way and allows domain knowledge to be captured, searched, formalized, extracted and reused.

Role of Inhibition in Language Switching: Evidence from Event-Related Brain Potentials in Overt Picture Naming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verhoef, Kim; Roelofs, Ardi; Chwilla, Dorothee J.

2009-01-01

How are bilinguals able to switch from one language to another? The prevailing inhibition hypothesis takes larger reaction-time (RT) costs for switching to the first language (L1) than to the second language (L2) as evidence for suppression of the non-target language. Switch cost asymmetries can alternatively be explained by an L1-repeat-benefit,…

The Divisive Gate-Keeping Role of Languages in Jamaica: Establishing Post Primary Schools as Centres for Immersion in the Target Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davids, Melva P.

2013-01-01

This paper seeks to examine the role of the official and "de facto" languages of anglophone Caribbean islands such as Jamaica. In reflecting on their statuses as users of language, tertiary level students registered in a Year One Performing Arts Program provided much insights into the interplay of both languages that coexist in society…

Interpretation and Use of K-12 Language Proficiency Assessment Score Reports: Perspectives of Educators and Parents. WCER Working Paper No. 2016-8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Ahyoung Alicia; Kondo, Akira; Blair, Alissa; Mancilla, Lorena; Chapman, Mark; Wilmes, Carsten

2016-01-01

A number of English language proficiency exams target grades K-12 English language learners (ELLs) because of the rising need to identify their needs and provide appropriate support in language learning. A good example is the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs (hereafter ACCESS), designed to measure the English language proficiency of students identified as…

Learners' Use of First Language (Arabic) in Pair Work in an EFL Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Storch, Neomy; Aldosari, Ali

2010-01-01

One of the concerns foreign language teachers may have about using small group (and pair) work is that students will use their shared first language (L1) instead of the target language. This study investigated the effect of learner proficiency pairing and task type on the amount of L1 used by learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in pair…

Language Simulations: The Blending Space for Writing and Critical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kovalik, Doina L.; Kovalik, Ludovic M.

2007-01-01

This article describes a language simulation involving six distinct phases: an in-class quick response, a card game, individual research, a classroom debate, a debriefing session, and an argumentative essay. An analysis of student artifacts--quick-response writings and final essays, respectively, both addressing the definition of liberty in a…

Simulation, Design Abstraction, and SystemC

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harcourt, Ed

2007-01-01

SystemC is a system-level design and simulation language based on C++. We've been using SystemC for computer organization and design projects for the past several years. Because SystemC is embedded in C++ it contains the powerful abstraction mechanisms of C++ not found in traditional hardware description languages, such as support for…

Hybrid computers and simulation languages in the study of dynamics of continuous systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acaccia, G. M.; Lucifredi, A. L.

1970-01-01

A comparison is presented of the use of hybrid computers and simulation languages as a means of studying the behavior of dynamic systems. Both procedures are defined and their advantages and disadvantages at the present state of the art are discussed. Some comparison and evaluation criteria are presented.

Working towards an inclusive curriculum.

PubMed

Wren, Y; Parkhouse, J

1998-01-01

The move towards an inclusive model of education presents teachers with the difficulty of differentiating the curriculum for children with speech, language and communication impairments. This paper focuses on the 'WiSaLT Curriculum Appendix'-a tool which can be used by teachers and speech and language therapists to help such children access the mainstream curriculum and to promote improvement in their language and communication skills. As well as highlighting potential areas of difficulty within each attainment target for key stage one, the appendix guides users to specific strategies and activities. Thus the speech and language therapist and teacher can identify which attainment targets might prove problematic for any one child and also have access to ideas which can help.

Cross-language parafoveal semantic processing: Evidence from Korean-Chinese bilinguals.

PubMed

Wang, Aiping; Yeon, Junmo; Zhou, Wei; Shu, Hua; Yan, Ming

2016-02-01

In the present study, we aimed at testing cross-language cognate and semantic preview effects. We tested how native Korean readers who learned Chinese as a second language make use of the parafoveal information during the reading of Chinese sentences. There were 3 types of Korean preview words: cognate translations of the Chinese target words, semantically related noncognate words, and unrelated words. Together with a highly significant cognate preview effect, more critically, we also observed reliable facilitation in processing of the target word from the semantically related previews in all fixation measures. Results from the present study provide first evidence for semantic processing from parafoveally presented Korean words and for cross-language parafoveal semantic processing.

Effects of Iconicity and Semantic Relatedness on Lexical Access in American Sign Language

PubMed Central

Bosworth, Rain G.; Emmorey, Karen

2010-01-01

Iconicity is a property that pervades the lexicon of many sign languages, including American Sign Language (ASL). Iconic signs exhibit a motivated, non-arbitrary mapping between the form of the sign and its meaning. We investigated whether iconicity enhances semantic priming effects for ASL and whether iconic signs are recognized more quickly than non-iconic signs (controlling for strength of iconicity, semantic relatedness, familiarity, and imageability). Twenty deaf signers made lexical decisions to the second item of a prime-target pair. Iconic target signs were preceded by prime signs that were a) iconic and semantically related, b) non-iconic and semantically related, or c) semantically unrelated. In addition, a set of non-iconic target signs was preceded by semantically unrelated primes. Significant facilitation was observed for target signs when preceded by semantically related primes. However, iconicity did not increase the priming effect (e.g., the target sign PIANO was primed equally by the iconic sign GUITAR and the non-iconic sign MUSIC). In addition, iconic signs were not recognized faster or more accurately than non-iconic signs. These results confirm the existence of semantic priming for sign language and suggest that iconicity does not play a robust role in on-line lexical processing. PMID:20919784

Business Languages: Teaching Culture through a Regional Focus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Novack, Frances

One method used to examine a target culture is to focus on a single region of a target language country, approaching all the issues normally raised in a culture class through the perspective of that region. The coherence this adds to class activities and overall class structure, the manageability of topics, and the opportunity to work with a range…

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"…

The Effects of Target Word Properties on the Incidental Acquisition of Vocabulary through Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Barry Lee

2016-01-01

The primary aim of this investigation was to determine what combination of target word variables (frequency, patternedness, length, cognateness, lexicalization) could best predict the difficulty of incidentally acquiring vocabulary through reading. A group of adult English First Language (EL1) (n = 20) and adult English as a Foreign Language (EFL)…

Visualization Analytics for Second Language Vocabulary Learning in Virtual Worlds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, Indy Y. T.; Lan, Yu-Ju; Kao, Chia-Ling; Li, Ping

2017-01-01

Language learning occurring in authentic contexts has been shown to be more effective. Virtual worlds provide simulated contexts that have the necessary elements of authentic contexts for language learning, and as a result, many studies have adopted virtual worlds as a useful platform for language learning. However, few studies so far have…

Simulating Cross-Language Priming with a Dynamic Computational Model of the Lexicon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhao, Xiaowei; Li, Ping

2013-01-01

Cross-language priming is a widely used experimental paradigm in psycholinguistics to study how bilinguals' two languages are represented and organized. Researchers have observed a number of interesting patterns from the priming effects of both translation equivalents and semantically related word pairs across languages. In this study, we…

Moving beyond the priming of single-language sentences: A proposal for a comprehensive model to account for linguistic representation in bilinguals.

PubMed

Kootstra, Gerrit Jan; Rossi, Eleonora

2017-01-01

In their target article, Branigan & Pickering (B&P) briefly discuss bilingual language representation, focusing primarily on cross-language priming between single-language sentences. We follow up on this discussion by showing how structural priming drives real-life phenomena of bilingual language use beyond the priming of unilingual sentences and by arguing that B&P's account should be extended with a representation for language membership.

Internet-Based Digital Simulation for Cleft Surgery Education: A 5-Year Assessment of Demographics, Usage, and Global Effect.

PubMed

Kantar, Rami S; Plana, Natalie M; Cutting, Court B; Diaz-Siso, Jesus Rodrigo; Flores, Roberto L

2018-01-29

In October 2012, a freely available, internet-based cleft simulator was created in partnership between academic, nonprofit, and industry sectors. The purpose of this educational resource was to address global disparities in cleft surgery education. This report assesses demographics, usage, and global effect of our simulator, in its fifth year since inception. Evaluate the global effect, usage, and demographics of an internet-based educational digital simulation cleft surgery software. Simulator modules, available in five languages demonstrate surgical anatomy, markings, detailed procedures, and intraoperative footage to supplement digital animation. Available data regarding number of users, sessions, countries reached, and content access were recorded. Surveys evaluating the demographic characteristics of registered users and simulator use were collected by direct e-mail. The total number of simulator new and active users reached 2865 and 4086 in June 2017, respectively. By June 2017, users from 136 countries had accessed the simulator. From 2015 to 2017, the number of sessions was 11,176 with a monthly average of 399.0 ± 190.0. Developing countries accounted for 35% of sessions and the average session duration was 9.0 ± 7.3 minutes. This yields a total simulator screen time of 100,584 minutes (1676 hours). Most survey respondents were surgeons or trainees (87%) specializing in plastic, maxillofacial, or general surgery (89%). Most users found the simulator to be useful (88%), at least equivalent or more useful than other resources (83%), and used it for teaching (58%). Our internet-based interactive cleft surgery platform reaches its intended target audience, is not restricted by socioeconomic barriers to access, and is judged to be useful by surgeons. More than 4000 active users have been reached since inception. The total screen time over approximately 2 years exceeded 1600 hours. This suggests that future surgical simulators of this kind may be sustainable by stakeholders interested in reaching this target audience. Copyright © 2018 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Native Language Influence in the Segmentation of a Novel Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ordin, Mikhail; Nespor, Marina

2016-01-01

A major problem in second language acquisition (SLA) is the segmentation of fluent speech in the target language, i.e., detecting the boundaries of phonological constituents like words and phrases in the speech stream. To this end, among a variety of cues, people extensively use prosody and statistical regularities. We examined the role of pitch,…

Effectiveness of 1:1 Speech and Language Therapy for Older Children with (Developmental) Language Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebbels, Susan H.; Wright, Lisa; Brockbank, Sally; Godfrey, Caroline; Harris, Catherine; Leniston, Hannah; Neary, Kate; Nicoll, Hilary; Nicoll, Lucy; Scott, Jackie; Maric, Nataša

2017-01-01

Background: Evidence of the effectiveness of therapy for older children with (developmental) language disorder (DLD), and particularly those with receptive language impairments, is very limited. The few existing studies have focused on particular target areas, but none has looked at a whole area of a service. Aims: To establish whether for…

Domain-Specific Treatment Effects in Children with Language and/or Working Memory Impairments: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wener, Sarah E; Archibald, Lisa MD

2011-01-01

This pilot study with an n-of-1 design examined whether children with a specific language impairment without working memory impairment (SLI), a specific working memory impairment without language impairment (SWMI), or mixed language and working memory impairments (L&WMI) may respond differently to treatment targeting verbal or visuospatial…

The Effect of Culture Integrated Language Courses on Foreign Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Omer, Kocer; Ali, Dincer

2011-01-01

When examined carefully, it is seen that there is not an available and detailed curriculum designed for the aim of foreign language teaching with integrated cultural items of the target language in the programs of the schools under authority of the Ministry of Education and Turkish higher education institutions. In recent years, the specialists…

Type of Iconicity Matters in the Vocabulary Development of Signing Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ortega, Gerardo; Sümer, Beyza; Özyürek, Asli

2017-01-01

Recent research on signed as well as spoken language shows that the iconic features of the target language might play a role in language development. Here, we ask further whether different types of iconic depictions modulate children's preferences for certain types of sign-referent links during vocabulary development in sign language. Results from…

Mother Tongue in the EFL Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghorbani, Amirabbas

2012-01-01

The use of students' mother tongue (MT/L1) in the second/foreign language classroom has been debated in language teaching theory and practice for many decades. Most language teaching methods advocate the use of the target language (TL) in the classroom. However, recent research has elevated the role of L1 in the classroom. This paper illustrates…

Language Use in the Classroom: Understanding the Relationship between Perceptions, Beliefs, and Verbal Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Gregory L.

2009-01-01

This article addresses the relationship between instructors' and students' perceptions and beliefs about first language (Ll) and target language (TL) use in the Spanish foreign language classroom and actual classroom use. Given the lack of research correlating perceptions and beliefs of both students and their teachers to their classroom language…

Second Language Pragmatic Ability: Individual Differences According to Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyner, Lauren; Cohen, Andrew D.

2015-01-01

The aims of this paper are to review research literature on the role that the second language (L2) and foreign language (FL) environments actually play in the development of learners' target language (TL) pragmatic ability, and also to speculate as to the extent to which individual factors can offset the advantages that learners may have by being…

Nuffield Early Language Intervention: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sibieta, Luke; Kotecha, Mehul; Skipp, Amy

2016-01-01

The Nuffield Early Language Intervention is designed to improve the spoken language ability of children during the transition from nursery to primary school. It is targeted at children with relatively poor spoken language skills. Three sessions per week are delivered to groups of two to four children starting in the final term of nursery and…

Informal Language Learning in Authentic Setting, Using Mobile Devices and SNS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aladjem, Ruthi; Jou, Bibiana

2016-01-01

One of the challenges of teaching a foreign language in non-immersive contexts, is extending the exposure of learners to the target language, beyond school hours. Since it is quite common to find linguistic and cultural exponents of foreign languages, in authentic contexts (i.e., the "Linguistic Landscape"), those exponents may serve as…

Effects of the teach-model-coach-review instructional approach on caregiver use of language support strategies and children's expressive language skills.

PubMed

Roberts, Megan Y; Kaiser, Ann P; Wolfe, Cathy E; Bryant, Julie D; Spidalieri, Alexandria M

2014-10-01

In this study, the authors examined the effects of the Teach-Model-Coach-Review instructional approach on caregivers' use of four enhanced milieu teaching (EMT) language support strategies and on their children's use of expressive language. Four caregiver-child dyads participated in a single-subject, multiple-baseline study. Children were between 24 and 42 months of age and had language impairment. Interventionists used the Teach-Model-Coach-Review instructional approach to teach caregivers to use matched turns, expansions, time delays, and milieu teaching prompts during 24 individualized clinic sessions. Caregiver use of each EMT language support strategy and child use of communication targets were the dependent variables. The caregivers demonstrated increases in their use of each EMT language support strategy after instruction. Generalization and maintenance of strategy use to the home was limited, indicating that teaching across routines is necessary to achieve maximal outcomes. All children demonstrated gains in their use of communication targets and in their performance on norm-referenced measures of language. The results indicate that the Teach-Model-Coach-Review instructional approach resulted in increased use of EMT language support strategies by caregivers. Caregiver use of these strategies was associated with positive changes in child language skills.

Atlanta Public Schools French Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atlanta Public Schools, GA.

This teacher's guide specifies language skills and related areas of knowledge needed for communicating in the target language. Discussion of the philosophy governing the Atlanta language program includes an examination of student eligibility, program articulation, teaching methods, testing, teaching materials, resources, and equipment for use in…

Language Learners' Acculturation Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rafieyan, Vahid; Orang, Maryam; Bijami, Maryam; Nejad, Maryam Sharafi; Eng, Lin Siew

2014-01-01

Learning a language involves knowledge of both linguistic competence and cultural competence. Optimal development of linguistic competence and cultural competence, however, requires a high level of acculturation attitude toward the target language culture. To this end, the present study explored the acculturation attitudes of 70 Iranian…

MaLT - Combined Motor and Language Therapy Tool for Brain Injury Patients Using Kinect.

PubMed

Wairagkar, Maitreyee; McCrindle, Rachel; Robson, Holly; Meteyard, Lotte; Sperrin, Malcom; Smith, Andy; Pugh, Moyra

2017-03-23

The functional connectivity and structural proximity of elements of the language and motor systems result in frequent co-morbidity post brain injury. Although rehabilitation services are becoming increasingly multidisciplinary and "integrated", treatment for language and motor functions often occurs in isolation. Thus, behavioural therapies which promote neural reorganisation do not reflect the high intersystem connectivity of the neurologically intact brain. As such, there is a pressing need for rehabilitation tools which better reflect and target the impaired cognitive networks. The objective of this research is to develop a combined high dosage therapy tool for language and motor rehabilitation. The rehabilitation therapy tool developed, MaLT (Motor and Language Therapy), comprises a suite of computer games targeting both language and motor therapy that use the Kinect sensor as an interaction device. The games developed are intended for use in the home environment over prolonged periods of time. In order to track patients' engagement with the games and their rehabilitation progress, the game records patient performance data for the therapist to interrogate. MaLT incorporates Kinect-based games, a database of objects and language parameters, and a reporting tool for therapists. Games have been developed that target four major language therapy tasks involving single word comprehension, initial phoneme identification, rhyme identification and a naming task. These tasks have 8 levels each increasing in difficulty. A database of 750 objects is used to programmatically generate appropriate questions for the game, providing both targeted therapy and unique gameplay every time. The design of the games has been informed by therapists and by discussions with a Public Patient Involvement (PPI) group. Pilot MaLT trials have been conducted with three stroke survivors for the duration of 6 to 8 weeks. Patients' performance is monitored through MaLT's reporting facility presented as graphs plotted from patient game data. Performance indicators include reaction time, accuracy, number of incorrect responses and hand use. The resultant games have also been tested by the PPI with a positive response and further suggestions for future modifications made. MaLT provides a tool that innovatively combines motor and language therapy for high dosage rehabilitation in the home. It has demonstrated that motion sensor technology can be successfully combined with a language therapy task to target both upper limb and linguistic impairment in patients following brain injury. The initial studies on stroke survivors have demonstrated that the combined therapy approach is viable and the outputs of this study will inform planned larger scale future trials.

Cybermultilingualism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bandyopadhayay, Debaprasad

2000-01-01

The introduction of computational linguistics triggers a new space for communication, an electronic space for a simulated communication network, founded by the post-industrialized society. The language inaugurated by these electronic media is an electric language stripped of its signifier. The new language planning enterprise in cyberspace…

Modeling languages for biochemical network simulation: reaction vs equation based approaches.

PubMed

Wiechert, Wolfgang; Noack, Stephan; Elsheikh, Atya

2010-01-01

Biochemical network modeling and simulation is an essential task in any systems biology project. The systems biology markup language (SBML) was established as a standardized model exchange language for mechanistic models. A specific strength of SBML is that numerous tools for formulating, processing, simulation and analysis of models are freely available. Interestingly, in the field of multidisciplinary simulation, the problem of model exchange between different simulation tools occurred much earlier. Several general modeling languages like Modelica have been developed in the 1990s. Modelica enables an equation based modular specification of arbitrary hierarchical differential algebraic equation models. Moreover, libraries for special application domains can be rapidly developed. This contribution compares the reaction based approach of SBML with the equation based approach of Modelica and explains the specific strengths of both tools. Several biological examples illustrating essential SBML and Modelica concepts are given. The chosen criteria for tool comparison are flexibility for constraint specification, different modeling flavors, hierarchical, modular and multidisciplinary modeling. Additionally, support for spatially distributed systems, event handling and network analysis features is discussed. As a major result it is shown that the choice of the modeling tool has a strong impact on the expressivity of the specified models but also strongly depends on the requirements of the application context.

Comprehending Sentences With the Body: Action Compatibility in British Sign Language?

PubMed

Vinson, David; Perniss, Pamela; Fox, Neil; Vigliocco, Gabriella

2017-05-01

Previous studies show that reading sentences about actions leads to specific motor activity associated with actually performing those actions. We investigate how sign language input may modulate motor activation, using British Sign Language (BSL) sentences, some of which explicitly encode direction of motion, versus written English, where motion is only implied. We find no evidence of action simulation in BSL comprehension (Experiments 1-3), but we find effects of action simulation in comprehension of written English sentences by deaf native BSL signers (Experiment 4). These results provide constraints on the nature of mental simulations involved in comprehending action sentences referring to transfer events, suggesting that the richer contextual information provided by BSL sentences versus written or spoken English may reduce the need for action simulation in comprehension, at least when the event described does not map completely onto the signer's own body. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

DRFM Cordic Processor and Sea Clutter Modeling for Enhancing Structured False Target Synthesis

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-01

was implemented using the Verilog hardware description language. The second investigation concerns generating sea clutter to impose on the false target...to achieve accuracy at 5.625o. The resulting design was implemented using the Verilog hardware description language. The second investigation...33 3. Initialization of the Angle Accumulator ....................................34 4. Design Methodology for I/Q Phase

Performed Culture: An Approach to East Asian Language Pedagogy. Pathways to Advanced Skills Series, Volume 11

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christensen, Matthew; Warnick, Paul

2006-01-01

This book is a general introduction to the performed culture approach, which trains students how to express themselves in a way that native speakers of the target culture feel appropriate in given situations. Target readership includes Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language teachers and graduate students. Chapters of this book include: (1)…

Effects of Targeted Test Preparation on Scores of Two Tests of Oral English as a Second Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farnsworth, Tim

2013-01-01

This study investigated the effect of targeted test preparation, or coaching, on oral English as a second language test scores. The tests in question were the Basic English Skills Test Plus (BEST Plus), a scripted oral interview published by the Center for Applied Linguistics, and the Versant English Test (VET), a computer-administered and…

Theoretical and Methodological Implications of Language Experience and Vocabulary Skill: Priming of Strongly and Weakly Associated Words

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devitto, Zana; Burgess, Curt

2004-01-01

The effect of second language experience and vocabulary ability was investigated in a semantic priming experiment with weakly related English word pairs (e.g., "city"-"grass"). Participants made lexical decisions to targets preceded by unrelated or weakly related primes or to nonword targets preceded by words. Reliable priming was found for…

Strategic L2 Lexical Innovation: Case Study of a University-Level Ab Initio Learner of German.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ridley, Jennifer; Singleton, David

1995-01-01

This article presents a case study of one English-speaking ab initio learner of German. It found that in target language production tasks performed over a two-year period, the subject exhibited a particular tendency toward lexical innovation as a strategy to cope with the lack of target language lexical knowledge. (38 references) (MDM)

Does Web-Based Role-Play Establish a High Quality Learning Environment? Design versus Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ludewig, Alexandra; Ludewig-Rohwer, Iris

2013-01-01

Online role-plays have been celebrated for providing an environment which allows for high quality learning. Innovative approaches have been embraced in foreign language studies, especially in countries where a great distance to the target country needs to be overcome, not only to expose students to the target language but also to provide them with…

Development of Second Language French Oral Skills in an Instructed Setting: A Focus on Speech Ratings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trofimovich, Pavel; Kennedy, Sara; Blanchet, Josée

2017-01-01

This study examined the relationship between targeted pronunciation instruction in French as a second language (L2) and listener-based ratings of accent, comprehensibility, and fluency. The ratings by 20 French listeners evaluating the speech of 30 adult L2 French learners enrolled in a 15-week listening and speaking course targeting segments,…

Tera-Op Reliable Intelligently Adaptive Processing System (TRIPS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-04-01

flop creates a loadable FIFO queue, fifo pload. A prototype of the HML simulator is implemented using a functional language OCaml . The language type...Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 7.1.2 Hardware Meta Language ...operates on the TRIPS Intermediate Language (TIL) produced by the Scale compiler. We also adapted the gnu binary utilities to implement an assembler and

HOW DO WE BREAK THE LOCKSTEP. VARIATIONS IN CLASS SIZE AS APPLIED TO LANGUAGE TEACHING.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VALDMAN, ALBERT

A MULTI-FACETED SCHEME FOR LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION PROPOSES (1) LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS, (2) AUTO-TUTORIAL ACQUISITION OF MOTOR SKILLS, AND (3) TEACHER-GUIDED USE OF LANGUAGE IN A SIMULATED NATURAL CONTEXT. THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN ADJUSTING TO THIS NEW FUNCTION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING WERE STUDIED FOR THREE…

Pragmatics & Language Learning. Volume 12

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kasper, Gabriele, Ed.; Nguyen, Hanh thi, Ed.; Yoshimi, Dina Rudolph, Ed.; Yoshioka, Jim K., Ed.

2010-01-01

This volume examines the organization of second language and multilingual speakers' talk and pragmatic knowledge across a range of naturalistic and experimental activities. Based on data collected on Danish, English, Hawai'i Creole, Indonesian, and Japanese as target languages, the contributions explore the nexus of pragmatic knowledge,…

Achieving Proficiency Goals through Competency Guidelines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartz, Walter H.; Strasheim, Lorraine

The Indiana Foreign Language Generic Competencies for Levels 1-4 define language-learning outcomes in terms of communicative competencies within generic cultural contexts. Nine cultural contexts (travel/transportation, the "world" of the target language, school and education, family and home, leisure time, meeting personal needs, world…

Form-Focused Interaction in Online Tandem Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Rourke, Breffni

2005-01-01

Tandem language learning--a configuration involving pairs of learners with complementary target/native languages--is an underexploited but potentially very powerful use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in second-language pedagogy. Tandem offers the benefits of authentic, culturally grounded interaction, while also promoting a pedagogical…

Listening Skill Development through Massive Comprehensible Input.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalivoda, Theodore B.

Foreign language listening comprehension instruction too often relies on brief selections read aloud or sporadic teacher talk interspersed with native language (NL) utterances, which fail to provide sustained listening practice. NL is overused for grammar-related talk, reducing target language exposure, encouraging translation, and hindering…

Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML) Level 1 Version 2.

PubMed

Bergmann, Frank T; Cooper, Jonathan; Le Novère, Nicolas; Nickerson, David; Waltemath, Dagmar

2015-09-04

The number, size and complexity of computational models of biological systems are growing at an ever increasing pace. It is imperative to build on existing studies by reusing and adapting existing models and parts thereof. The description of the structure of models is not sufficient to enable the reproduction of simulation results. One also needs to describe the procedures the models are subjected to, as recommended by the Minimum Information About a Simulation Experiment (MIASE) guidelines. This document presents Level 1 Version 2 of the Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML), a computer-readable format for encoding simulation and analysis experiments to apply to computational models. SED-ML files are encoded in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and can be used in conjunction with any XML-based model encoding format, such as CellML or SBML. A SED-ML file includes details of which models to use, how to modify them prior to executing a simulation, which simulation and analysis procedures to apply, which results to extract and how to present them. Level 1 Version 2 extends the format by allowing the encoding of repeated and chained procedures.

Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML) Level 1 Version 2.

PubMed

Bergmann, Frank T; Cooper, Jonathan; Le Novère, Nicolas; Nickerson, David; Waltemath, Dagmar

2015-06-01

The number, size and complexity of computational models of biological systems are growing at an ever increasing pace. It is imperative to build on existing studies by reusing and adapting existing models and parts thereof. The description of the structure of models is not sufficient to enable the reproduction of simulation results. One also needs to describe the procedures the models are subjected to, as recommended by the Minimum Information About a Simulation Experiment (MIASE) guidelines. This document presents Level 1 Version 2 of the Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML), a computer-readable format for encoding simulation and analysis experiments to apply to computational models. SED-ML files are encoded in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and can be used in conjunction with any XML-based model encoding format, such as CellML or SBML. A SED-ML file includes details of which models to use, how to modify them prior to executing a simulation, which simulation and analysis procedures to apply, which results to extract and how to present them. Level 1 Version 2 extends the format by allowing the encoding of repeated and chained procedures.

Acquisition of speech rhythm in a second language by learners with rhythmically different native languages.

PubMed

Ordin, Mikhail; Polyanskaya, Leona

2015-08-01

The development of speech rhythm in second language (L2) acquisition was investigated. Speech rhythm was defined as durational variability that can be captured by the interval-based rhythm metrics. These metrics were used to examine the differences in durational variability between proficiency levels in L2 English spoken by French and German learners. The results reveal that durational variability increased as L2 acquisition progressed in both groups of learners. This indicates that speech rhythm in L2 English develops from more syllable-timed toward more stress-timed patterns irrespective of whether the native language of the learner is rhythmically similar to or different from the target language. Although both groups showed similar development of speech rhythm in L2 acquisition, there were also differences: German learners achieved a degree of durational variability typical of the target language, while French learners exhibited lower variability than native British speakers, even at an advanced proficiency level.

A computer program for estimating the power-density spectrum of advanced continuous simulation language generated time histories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunn, H. J.

1981-01-01

A computer program for performing frequency analysis of time history data is presented. The program uses circular convolution and the fast Fourier transform to calculate power density spectrum (PDS) of time history data. The program interfaces with the advanced continuous simulation language (ACSL) so that a frequency analysis may be performed on ACSL generated simulation variables. An example of the calculation of the PDS of a Van de Pol oscillator is presented.

A Formal Modelling Language Extending SysML for Simulation of Continuous and Discrete System

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-11-01

UNCLASSIFIED DSTO-GD-0734 16. A Formal Modelling Language Extending SysML for Simulation of Continuous and Discrete System – Mark Hodson1 and...be conceptual at some level because a one to one mapping with the real system will never exist. SysML is an extension and modification of UML that...simulation, which can provide great insights into the behaviour of complex systems. Although UML and SysML primarily support conceptual modelling they

Learning builds on learning: Infants' use of native language sound patterns to learn words

PubMed Central

Graf Estes, Katharine

2014-01-01

The present research investigated how infants apply prior knowledge of environmental regularities to support new learning. The experiments tested whether infants could exploit experience with native language (English) phonotactic patterns to facilitate associating sounds with meanings during word learning. Fourteen-month-olds heard fluent speech that contained cues for detecting target words; they were embedded in sequences that occur across word boundaries. A separate group heard the target words embedded without word boundary cues. Infants then participated in an object label-learning task. With the opportunity to use native language patterns to segment the target words, infants subsequently learned the labels. Without this experience, infants failed. Novice word learners can take advantage of early learning about sounds scaffold lexical development. PMID:24980741

English as a Medium of Instruction: Evidence for Language and Content Targets in Bilingual Education in Economics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernandez-Nanclares, Nuria; Jimenez-Munoz, Antonio

2017-01-01

This paper contributes towards a framework for analysing the effect of teaching Economics through a foreign language, in order to discover best practices that foster key content and language skills for Higher Education institutions following language bilingual programmes. The first part of the paper deals with the benefits and problems of…

A Methodology for Studying the Relationship between Comprehension and Second Language Development in a Comprehension-Based ESL Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paribakht, T. Sima; Wesche, Marjorie Bingham

A study investigated the role of comprehension of meaningful language input in young adults' second language learning, focusing on: (1) what kinds of measurement instruments and procedures can be used in tracking student gains in specific aspects of target language proficiency; (2) development of a reliable self-report scale capturing different…

Information and Communication Technologies in Learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL): Attitudes of EFL Learners in Vietnam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngo, Hong T. P.

2017-01-01

Given breakthroughs in information and communication technologies (ICTs), language learners are increasingly presented with opportunities to advance their proficiency in a target language (herein English as a foreign language or EFL). The attitudes of learners toward the use of ICTs (ICT attitudes) can be predictive of their adoption of ICTs for…

Living with a Foreign Tongue: An Autobiographical Narrative Inquiry into Identity in a Foreign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Wei

2014-01-01

Learning a second language involves the development of an identity in the target language. This study is an autobiographical narrative inquiry into the issue of identity in a foreign language. Autobiographical accounts of my relationship with, and my feelings about, English at different stages in my learning journey are developed to show how my…

Communicating with the World: Connecting the Language Classroom to a Global Audience Using Web 2.0 Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Ramirez, Lori Langer

2013-01-01

Webtools provide language students a uniquely authentic audience with which to share their creativity and growing proficiency in the target language. Students tend to write/speak more--and better--when using these tools in the language classroom. Webtools form an enjoyable and pedagogically sound way of getting students to create and have fun with…

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…

Language Interference and Language Learning Techniques Transfer in L2 and L3 Immersion Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aronin, Larissa; Toubkin, Lynne

2002-01-01

Examines the relationships between the first (L1), second (L2), and third (L3) language in immersion programs for Russian-speaking students in Israel. Two parallel and similar immersion programs, which were carried out for the same population, but with different target languages (L2 Hebrew and L3 English), are described. Presents tentative…

Women prefer men who use metaphorical language when paying compliments in a romantic context.

PubMed

Gao, Zhao; Gao, Shan; Xu, Lei; Zheng, Xiaoxiao; Ma, Xiaole; Luo, Lizhu; Kendrick, Keith M

2017-02-09

Language plays an important role in romantic attachment. However, it is unclear whether the structure and topic of language use might influence potential mate choice. We investigated 124 female students' preference for compliments paid by males incorporating either literal or metaphoric (conventional/novel) language and targeting their appearance or possessions (house) throughout their menstrual cycle. Male faces paired with novel metaphorical compliments were rated as more attractive by women than those paired with literal ones. Compliments targeting appearance increased male attractiveness more than possessions. Interestingly, compliments on appearance using novel metaphors were preferred by women in a relationship during the fertile phase but by single women during the luteal phase. A similar pattern of altered face attraction ratings was subsequently shown by subjects in the absence of the verbal compliments and even though they were unable to recognize the faces. Thus the maintained attraction bias for faces previously associated with figurative language compliments appears to be unconscious. Overall this study provides the first evidence that women find men who typically use novel metaphorical language to compliment appearance more attractive than those using prosaic language or complimenting possessions. The evolutionary significance for such a language use bias in mate selection is discussed.

Ada Compiler Validation Summary Report: Certificate Number: 880318W1. 09041, International Business Machines Corporation, IBM Development System for the Ada Language, Version 2.1.0, IBM 4381 under VM/HPO, Host and Target

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-03-28

International Business Machines Corporation IBM Development System for the Ada Language, Version 2.1.0 IBM 4381 under VM/HPO, host and target DTIC...necessary and identify by block number) International Business Machines Corporation, IBM Development System for the Ada Language, Version 2.1.0, IBM...in the compiler listed in this declaration. I declare that International Business Machines Corporation is the owner of record of the object code of the

Lingua Franca English, Multilingual Communities, and Language Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canagarajah, Suresh

2007-01-01

Firth and Wagner (1997) questioned the dichotomies nonnative versus native speaker, learner versus user, and interlanguage versus target language, which reflect a bias toward innateness, cognition, and form in language acquisition. Research on lingua franca English (LFE) not only affirms this questioning, but reveals what multilingual communities…

Students' Perceptions of Bilingualism in Spanish and Mandarin Dual Language Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindholm-Leary, Kathryn

2016-01-01

Considerable research documents students' outcomes in dual language (DL) programs, but there is little examination of students' perceptions of bilingualism and its impact on students' cognitive functioning and social relationships, especially with comparative studies across different target languages and student backgrounds. This study, which…

Relationship between Acculturation Attitude and Effectiveness of Pragmatic Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rafieyan, Vahid

2016-01-01

Attitude toward accepting target language culture or maintaining heritage culture referred to as acculturation attitude can determine language learners' pragmatic gains during an educational sojourn. To this end, the current study investigated the relationship between language learners' acculturation attitudes during an educational sojourn and the…

Fossilization and Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sims, William R.

1989-01-01

In interlanguage, the transitional state reaching from one's native language to a given target language, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical, sociocultural, or psycholinguistic errors may be generated and systematized by the process of fossilization. Depending on the amount of time needed for remediation, fossilized features may be…

Teaching Language Through Comprehension.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winitz, Harris; And Others

In the comprehension approach to second language instruction, the major procedure is to provide students with comprehensible input, which it is the students' responsibility to understand. The aim is to encourage nucleation of the target language, that is the crystallization of the rule system. Teaching procedures focus on strategies for implicit…

A System for Natural Language Sentence Generation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levison, Michael; Lessard, Gregory

1992-01-01

Describes the natural language computer program, "Vinci." Explains that using an attribute grammar formalism, Vinci can simulate components of several current linguistic theories. Considers the design of the system and its applications in linguistic modelling and second language acquisition research. Notes Vinci's uses in linguistics…

A MODELING AND SIMULATION LANGUAGE FOR BIOLOGICAL CELLS WITH COUPLED MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL PROCESSES

PubMed Central

Somogyi, Endre; Glazier, James A.

2017-01-01

Biological cells are the prototypical example of active matter. Cells sense and respond to mechanical, chemical and electrical environmental stimuli with a range of behaviors, including dynamic changes in morphology and mechanical properties, chemical uptake and secretion, cell differentiation, proliferation, death, and migration. Modeling and simulation of such dynamic phenomena poses a number of computational challenges. A modeling language describing cellular dynamics must naturally represent complex intra and extra-cellular spatial structures and coupled mechanical, chemical and electrical processes. Domain experts will find a modeling language most useful when it is based on concepts, terms and principles native to the problem domain. A compiler must then be able to generate an executable model from this physically motivated description. Finally, an executable model must efficiently calculate the time evolution of such dynamic and inhomogeneous phenomena. We present a spatial hybrid systems modeling language, compiler and mesh-free Lagrangian based simulation engine which will enable domain experts to define models using natural, biologically motivated constructs and to simulate time evolution of coupled cellular, mechanical and chemical processes acting on a time varying number of cells and their environment. PMID:29303160

A MODELING AND SIMULATION LANGUAGE FOR BIOLOGICAL CELLS WITH COUPLED MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL PROCESSES.

PubMed

Somogyi, Endre; Glazier, James A

2017-04-01

Biological cells are the prototypical example of active matter. Cells sense and respond to mechanical, chemical and electrical environmental stimuli with a range of behaviors, including dynamic changes in morphology and mechanical properties, chemical uptake and secretion, cell differentiation, proliferation, death, and migration. Modeling and simulation of such dynamic phenomena poses a number of computational challenges. A modeling language describing cellular dynamics must naturally represent complex intra and extra-cellular spatial structures and coupled mechanical, chemical and electrical processes. Domain experts will find a modeling language most useful when it is based on concepts, terms and principles native to the problem domain. A compiler must then be able to generate an executable model from this physically motivated description. Finally, an executable model must efficiently calculate the time evolution of such dynamic and inhomogeneous phenomena. We present a spatial hybrid systems modeling language, compiler and mesh-free Lagrangian based simulation engine which will enable domain experts to define models using natural, biologically motivated constructs and to simulate time evolution of coupled cellular, mechanical and chemical processes acting on a time varying number of cells and their environment.

Color naming and the phototoxic effects of sunlight on the eye.

PubMed

Lindsey, Delwin T; Brown, Angela M

2002-11-01

Many languages have no basic color term for "blue." Instead, they call short-wavelength stimuli "green" or "dark". We show that this cultural, linguistic phenomenon could result from accelerated aging of the eye because of high, chronic exposure to ultraviolet-B (UV-B) in sunlight (e.g., phototoxic lens brunescence). Reviewing 203 world languages, we found a significant relationship between UV dosage and color naming: In low-UV localities, languages generally have the word "blue"; in high-UV areas, languages without "blue" prevail. Furthermore, speakers of these non-"blue" languages often show blue-yellow color vision deficiency. We tested our phototoxicity hypothesis in a color-naming experiment, using computerized, colorimetric simulations of Munsell colors as viewed through clear and brunescent lenses. As predicted, our young subjects used "blue" as in English when the simulated lens was clear, but named colors as in tropical languages when the lens was dense. Our within-subjects design precludes a cultural explanation for this result.

Disclaimer | DoDLive

Science.gov Websites

: - Profanity - Sexual content - Overly graphic, disturbing or offensive material - Vulgar or abusive language - Hate speech or offensive language targeting any specific demographic - Personal attacks of any kind

Effects of Ethnic Targeting on the Perceived Effectiveness of Cancer Prevention Messages among Latinas and Non-Hispanic White Women

PubMed Central

Ramírez, A. Susana

2017-01-01

Efforts to target Latinos generally mean Spanish-language messages, yet 75% of U.S. Latinos are bilingual or English-dominant. Acculturation (adapting mainstream traits) is associated with increased lifestyle-related risk behaviors. Latinos maintain cultural traits and ethnic identification even as they appear to acculturate (e.g., through language). This raises questions about how to communicate health information to more-acculturated Latinos who are not reached by traditional Spanish outreach, yet may not identify with general-market messages. This study tested the relative efficacy of English-language messages targeted to Latinas, compared with general-market messages, among highly-acculturated Latinas and Non-Latina White women. In this pair of online experiments, Latinas (N=715) and Non-Latina White women (N=704) rated the perceived effectiveness of general-market versus Latina-targeted Pap smear and mammogram public service announcements. In one of two experiments ethnically-targeted messages were rated relatively more effective for the intended audience and equally effective for the general audience. Implications for how campaigns reach U.S. Latinos across the acculturation spectrum are discussed. PMID:23829690

A method of LED free-form tilted lens rapid modeling based on scheme language

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Yidan

2017-10-01

According to nonimaging optical principle and traditional LED free-form surface lens, a new kind of LED free-form tilted lens was designed. And a method of rapid modeling based on Scheme language was proposed. The mesh division method was applied to obtain the corresponding surface configuration according to the character of the light source and the desired energy distribution on the illumination plane. Then 3D modeling software and the Scheme language programming are used to generate lens model respectively. With the help of optical simulation software, a light source with the size of 1mm*1mm*1mm in volume is used in experiment, and the lateral migration distance of illumination area is 0.5m, in which total one million rays are computed. We could acquire the simulated results of both models. The simulated output result shows that the Scheme language can prevent the model deformation problems caused by the process of the model transfer, and the degree of illumination uniformity is reached to 82%, and the offset angle is 26°. Also, the efficiency of modeling process is greatly increased by using Scheme language.

Multi-language naming game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jianfeng; Lou, Yang; Chen, Guanrong; Tang, Wallace K. S.

2018-04-01

Naming game is a simulation-based experiment used to study the evolution of languages. The conventional naming game focuses on a single language. In this paper, a novel naming game model named multi-language naming game (MLNG) is proposed, where the agents are different-language speakers who cannot communicate with each other without a translator (interpreter) in between. The MLNG model is general, capable of managing k different languages with k ≥ 2. For illustration, the paper only discusses the MLNG with two different languages, and studies five representative network topologies, namely random-graph, WS small-world, NW small-world, scale-free, and random-triangle topologies. Simulation and analysis results both show that: 1) using the network features and based on the proportion of translators the probability of establishing a conversation between two or three agents can be theoretically estimated; 2) the relationship between the convergence speed and the proportion of translators has a power-law-like relation; 3) different agents require different memory sizes, thus a local memory allocation rule is recommended for saving memory resources. The new model and new findings should be useful for further studies of naming games and for better understanding of languages evolution from a dynamical network perspective.

The Effects of Targeted English Language Arts Instruction Using Multimedia Applications on Grade Three Students' Reading Comprehension, Attitude toward Computers, and Attitude toward School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swerdloff, Matthew

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the specific effects of targeted English Language Arts (ELA) instruction using multimedia applications. Student reading comprehension, student attitude toward computers, and student attitude toward school were measured in this study. The study also examined the perceptions, of selected students, of the…

Science News for the U.S. Hispanic Audience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

2008-02-01

A science and health news service targeted toward the U.S. Hispanic community was launched on 23 January. ConCiencia, billed as the first Spanish-language science newswire service in the United States, provides free weekly news feeds to media targeting the U.S. Hispanic population. The news feeds, available to Spanish-language newspapers and radio stations, include newspaper features, radio segments, and online news content.

What can the programming language Rust do for astrophysics?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanco-Cuaresma, Sergi; Bolmont, Emeline

2017-06-01

The astrophysics community uses different tools for computational tasks such as complex systems simulations, radiative transfer calculations or big data. Programming languages like Fortran, C or C++ are commonly present in these tools and, generally, the language choice was made based on the need for performance. However, this comes at a cost: safety. For instance, a common source of error is the access to invalid memory regions, which produces random execution behaviors and affects the scientific interpretation of the results. In 2015, Mozilla Research released the first stable version of a new programming language named Rust. Many features make this new language attractive for the scientific community, it is open source and it guarantees memory safety while offering zero-cost abstraction. We explore the advantages and drawbacks of Rust for astrophysics by re-implementing the fundamental parts of Mercury-T, a Fortran code that simulates the dynamical and tidal evolution of multi-planet systems.

Benefits of Using Short Stories in the EFL Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erkaya, Odilea Rocha

2005-01-01

The purpose of this article is to familiarize English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructors with the effectiveness of using literature in language instruction. While some instructors may still believe that teaching EFL encompasses focusing on linguistic benefits only, so eventually their students will communicate in the target language, others…

Wikis for Building Content Knowledge in the Foreign Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pellet, Stephanie H.

2012-01-01

Most pedagogical applications of wikis in foreign language education draw on this collaborative tool to improve (formal) writing skills or to develop target language cultural sensitivity, missing largely on the opportunity to support student-developed L2 content knowledge. Seeking an alternative to traditional teacher-centered approaches, this…

TESOL and Media Education: Navigating Our Screen-Saturated Worlds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chamberlin-Quinlisk, Carla

2012-01-01

Much has changed for today's language learners. The people, artifacts, and popular culture of a target language are often highly accessible to language learners and teachers, despite geographical barriers. This accessibility, of course, is possible through mass media and electronic forms of communication. This is phenomenal. But with this…

Reflections on Clinical Learning in Novice Speech-Language Therapy Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Anne E.; Davidson, Bronwyn J.; Theodoros, Deborah G.

2012-01-01

Background: Reflective practice is reported to enhance clinical reasoning and therefore to maximize client outcomes. The inclusion of targeted reflective practice in academic programmes in speech-language therapy has not been consistent, although providing opportunities for speech-language therapy students to reflect during their clinical practice…

Multilingualism in the English-Language Classroom: Pedagogical Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cummins, Jim

2009-01-01

This article addresses the issue of whether TESOL should clearly articulate a set of pedagogical principles that challenge the assumption that English language teaching (ELT) should be conducted monolingually through English. This "monolingual principle" emphasizes instructional use of the target language (TL) to the exclusion of students' home…

Information Gaps: The Missing Links to Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Carl R.

Communication takes place when a speaker conveys new information to the listener. In second language teaching, information gaps motivate students to use and learn the target language in order to obtain information. The resulting interactive language use may develop affective bonds among the students. A variety of classroom techniques are available…

Reader, Text, Translation, and Interpretive Potentials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dollerup, Cay; And Others

No matter what pains translators take to produce a target-language text "identical" to the source-language text, criticism and/or translation of an original literary work cannot be the same in different language communities. That translation may change potentialities in the textual experience is particularly obvious in literature with a…

Integrating Multimedia into the Curriculum: A Case Study Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felix, Uschi

1997-01-01

Evaluates software developed for advanced learners of a second language. The software uses the target language (German) exclusively, brings together language and literature teaching, and includes a large variety of written exercises with scored feedback. Findings reveal that students are enthusiastic about using this multimedia program and…

Teaching Popular Culture with a Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

del Pozo, Ivania

The foreign language student must experience popular culture to fully comprehend the framework in which the foreign language functions. Traditional language learning, preoccupied with words, syntax, and pronunciation, has ignored this element, leaving students unprepared to interact with individuals in the target culture. Classroom activities to…

Interaction and Uptake in Large Foreign Language Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ekembe, Eric Enongene

2014-01-01

Inteaction determines and affects the conditions of language acquisition especially in contexts where exposure to the target language is limited. This is believed to be successful only within the context of small classes (Chavez, 2009). This paper examines learners' progress resulting from interaction in large classes. Using pre-, post-, and…

Bots as Language Learning Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fryer, Luke; Carpenter, Rollo

2006-01-01

Foreign Language Learning (FLL) students commonly have few opportunities to use their target language. Teachers in FLL situations do their best to create opportunities during classes through pair or group work, but a variety of factors ranging from a lack of time to shyness or limited opportunity for quality feedback hamper this. This paper…

Promoting Social Communication in a Child with Specific Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Handley, Roderick D.; Radley, Keith C.; Lum, John D. K.

2016-01-01

Social difficulties represent a major area of concern in children with specific language impairment (SLI). Social skills interventions targeting communication or language skills of children with SLI have been generally ineffective. The current study tested the efficacy of a social skills intervention consisting of multiple behavioral interventions…

Empowerment of Refugees by Language: Can ESL Learners Affect the Target Culture?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tadayon, Fereshteh; Khodi, Ali

2016-01-01

Numerous studies have investigated the changing patterns of immigration, the growth of multicultural-multilingual societies, and the important role of language in identity construction. Unfortunately, the issue of identity construction is affected by a variety of factors such as language learning and acquisition underlying different contexts and…

L2 Identity, Discourse, and Social Networking in Russian

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klimanova, Liudmila; Dembovskaya, Svetlana

2013-01-01

As the integration of Internet-based social networking tools becomes increasingly popular in foreign language classrooms, the use of modern communication technologies is particularly critical in the context of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs), where student exposure to the target language and its speakers is usually minimal. This paper…

STRUCTURE PLUS MEANING EQUALS LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BELASCO, SIMON

TRUE FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY CAN BE ACHIEVED ONLY BY THE INTERNALIZATION OF THE ENTIRE GRAMMAR OF THE TARGET LANGUAGE PLUS THE DEVELOPMENT OF SKILL IN SEMANTIC INTERPRETATION. ADHERENCE TO EITHER OF THE METHODOLOGICAL ASSUMPTIONS THAT UNDERLIE TODAY'S AUDIOLINGUALLY-ORIENTED PROGRAMS WILL LEAD STUDENTS TO NOTHING MORE THAN A LEARNING PLATEAU.…

A Guide to Involving English Language Learners in School to Career Initiatives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Lili; DiBona, Natanya; Reilly, Michael Chavez

This guidebook provides suggestions and directions for increasing and improving English language learners' involvement in school-to-career initiatives across the country. It describes model career initiatives that either target or include significant numbers of English language learners, and it analyzes some school restructuring issues raised by…

Autonomous Language Learning on Twitter: Performing Affiliation with Target Language Users through #hashtags

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solmaz, Osman

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the potential of social networking sites for autonomous language learners, specifically the role of hashtag literacies in learners' affiliation performances with native speakers. Informed by ecological approach and guided by Zappavigna's (2012) concepts of "searchable talk" and "ambient…

Children's Learning Strategies in Language Immersion Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chamot, Anna Uhl; El-Dinary, Pamela Beard

This paper reports on an investigation of learning strategy applications in elementary foreign language immersion classrooms. The focus of the paper is on identifying strategies more and less effective learners use for classroom reading and writing tasks in the target language. Think-aloud data from third grade and fourth grade students were…

The Source[R] for Bilingual Students with Language Disorders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roseberry-McKibbin, Celeste

This book is designed to help speech-language pathologists develop vocabulary and phonological awareness skills in bilingual students with language-learning disabilities (LLD). The book targets beginning through intermediate bilingual students in grades K-8. Part 1 of the book begins with teaching style strategies for teaching bilingual students…

The Productive Difficulty of Untranslatables in Qualitative Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruitenberg, Claudia W.; Knowlton, Autumn; Li, Gang

2016-01-01

The paper highlights the role of translation in qualitative research that involves multiple languages. Its particular focus is on untranslatables, that is, those words or phrases in a source language that pose challenges to translators because no direct equivalent is available in the target language. "Untranslatables" create moments of…

Tension and Approximation in Poetic Translation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Shabab, Omar A. S.; Baka, Farida H.

2015-01-01

Simple observation reveals that each language and each culture enjoys specific linguistic features and rhetorical traditions. In poetry translation difference and the resultant linguistic tension create a gap between Source Language and Target language, a gap that needs to be bridged by creating an approximation processed through the translator's…

Computer Simulation and ESL Reading.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Mary A.

It is noted that although two approaches to second language instruction--the communicative approach emphasizing genuine language use and computer assisted instruction--have come together in the form of some lower level reading instruction materials for English as a second language (ESL), advanced level ESL reading materials using computer…

Domain specific languages for modeling and simulation: use case OMS3

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A domain-specific language (DSL) is usually a concise, declarative language that strongly emphasizes a particular problem domain. DSL methods and implementations in general are widely prototyped and applied in academia for creating elegant ways to express properties, relationships, and behavior of r...

Compiler writing system detail design specification. Volume 2: Component specification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arthur, W. J.

1974-01-01

The logic modules and data structures composing the Meta-translator module are desribed. This module is responsible for the actual generation of the executable language compiler as a function of the input Meta-language. Machine definitions are also processed and are placed as encoded data on the compiler library data file. The transformation of intermediate language in target language object text is described.

The Impact of Integrating Technology and Social Experience in the College Foreign Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yulin

2013-01-01

Technology has been used widely in the field of education for a long period of time. It is a useful tool which could be a mediation to help language learners to learn the target language. In order to investigate how technology and social experience can be integrated into courses to promote language learners' desire to learn English, the researcher…

The Teaching of Pragmatics by Native and Nonnative Language Teachers: What They Know and What They Report Doing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Andrew D.

2016-01-01

The paper focuses on how nonnative teachers of a target language (NNTs) deal with pragmatics in their classes. It starts with a discussion of what pragmatics entails. Next, issues relating to the teaching of pragmatics are identified, such as the language background of the teacher, comparisons between second- (L2) and foreign-language (FL)…

School Libraries Addressing the Needs of ELL Students: Enhancing Language Acquisition, Confidence, and Cultural Fluency in ELL Students by Developing a Targeted Collection and Enriching Your Makerspace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Peggy Henderson

2018-01-01

English Language Learner (ELL) students are sometimes a small constituency. Many resources already in the library can be used to enhance their language acquisition, confidence, and cultural fluency--resources such as graphic novels, hi-lo books, and makerspace materials. This article discusses enhancing language acquisition, confidence, and…

A Comprehensive Pedagogical Framework to Develop Pragmatics in the Foreign Language Classroom: The 6Rs Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martínez-Flor, Alicia; Usó-Juan, Esther

2006-01-01

To prepare learners for successful communication is nowadays one of the main goals of teaching practices of lecturers of English as a Second (ESL) or Foreign (EFL) language in the University setting. Consequently, language teaching needs to focus not only on linguistic or strategic aspects of the target language, but also on the development of the…

Rhetorical and Lexico-Grammatical Features of Argumentative Writing in Spanish as a Heritage Language and as a Second Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paredes, Sofia M.

2011-01-01

Student academic writing in higher education is a central component of language programs whose purpose is to promote advanced literacy in the target language. At this level, students are required to produce texts that are analytical-argumentative in nature. This type of genre requires writers to formulate an interpretative statement or thesis and…

Impacto de un programa de lectura extensiva en la adquisicion de una segunda lengua (Impact of an Extensive Reading Program on Second Language Acquisition).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coll, Ana; And Others

This study investigates the application of Krashen's Input Hypothesis, studying the relationship between exposure to the target language and language acquisition within the context of the English-as-a-foreign-language secondary classroom in Spain. The project studied the effect of additional reading instruction with emphasis on reading for…

Intercultural Sensitivity Levels of Turkish Pre-Service Foreign Language Teachers: Examples from Education Faculties of Two Universities in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yetis, Veda Aslim; Kurt, Çigdem

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine whether intercultural sensitivity levels vary among foreign language teacher candidates in terms of variables such as target language, year of study (grade), and gender in both intra and inters programs. Research sample consists of 1,049 Turkish freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior foreign language teacher…

In vivo language intervention: unanticipated general effects.

PubMed

Hart, B; Risley, T R

1980-01-01

After observing the lack of generalization of language trained in highly structured training sessions using established behavior modification techniques, "incidental teaching" procedures were developed to change the use of specified language behaviors in the natural environment. This paper reports an analysis of the general changes in the language, other than that specifically targeted by the incidental teaching procedures, used by disadvantaged preschool children. The daily language samples of disadvantaged children involved in a previously reported experiment to increase compound sentence usage were reexamined and compared to comparable records of other disadvantaged children and of middle-class children of college parents in order to assess possible general effects of the intervention program. Whereas the language that both groups of comparison children used changed little across the preschool year, the amount of talking by the children in the experimental program increased markedly. Their use of more elaborate vocabulary and more elaborate sentences also increased in direct proportion to the increases in overall language use, such that both language use and language elaboration in the experimental group of children changed from a pattern simlar to the comparison group of disadvantaged children to a pattern similar to the comparison group of middleclass children. It is argued that some general features of the incidental teaching procedure--differentially attending to child overtures and responding relative to the child's selected topic (reinforcer)--contributed to the increase in overall language use beyond the specific language behavior targeted, and that this increase in the probability of children's talking itself resulted in the substantial increases in elaboration seen in the children's spontaneous language. Because, at least in children with fairly well-developed language repertoires, language use is contextually controlled, talking more involves talking in more varied and complex contexts, which inevitably produces the use of more elaborate language.

In vivo language intervention: unanticipated general effects.

PubMed Central

Hart, B; Risley, T R

1980-01-01

After observing the lack of generalization of language trained in highly structured training sessions using established behavior modification techniques, "incidental teaching" procedures were developed to change the use of specified language behaviors in the natural environment. This paper reports an analysis of the general changes in the language, other than that specifically targeted by the incidental teaching procedures, used by disadvantaged preschool children. The daily language samples of disadvantaged children involved in a previously reported experiment to increase compound sentence usage were reexamined and compared to comparable records of other disadvantaged children and of middle-class children of college parents in order to assess possible general effects of the intervention program. Whereas the language that both groups of comparison children used changed little across the preschool year, the amount of talking by the children in the experimental program increased markedly. Their use of more elaborate vocabulary and more elaborate sentences also increased in direct proportion to the increases in overall language use, such that both language use and language elaboration in the experimental group of children changed from a pattern simlar to the comparison group of disadvantaged children to a pattern similar to the comparison group of middleclass children. It is argued that some general features of the incidental teaching procedure--differentially attending to child overtures and responding relative to the child's selected topic (reinforcer)--contributed to the increase in overall language use beyond the specific language behavior targeted, and that this increase in the probability of children's talking itself resulted in the substantial increases in elaboration seen in the children's spontaneous language. Because, at least in children with fairly well-developed language repertoires, language use is contextually controlled, talking more involves talking in more varied and complex contexts, which inevitably produces the use of more elaborate language. PMID:7430003

Language choice in bimodal bilingual development.

PubMed

Lillo-Martin, Diane; de Quadros, Ronice M; Chen Pichler, Deborah; Fieldsteel, Zoe

2014-01-01

Bilingual children develop sensitivity to the language used by their interlocutors at an early age, reflected in differential use of each language by the child depending on their interlocutor. Factors such as discourse context and relative language dominance in the community may mediate the degree of language differentiation in preschool age children. Bimodal bilingual children, acquiring both a sign language and a spoken language, have an even more complex situation. Their Deaf parents vary considerably in access to the spoken language. Furthermore, in addition to code-mixing and code-switching, they use code-blending-expressions in both speech and sign simultaneously-an option uniquely available to bimodal bilinguals. Code-blending is analogous to code-switching sociolinguistically, but is also a way to communicate without suppressing one language. For adult bimodal bilinguals, complete suppression of the non-selected language is cognitively demanding. We expect that bimodal bilingual children also find suppression difficult, and use blending rather than suppression in some contexts. We also expect relative community language dominance to be a factor in children's language choices. This study analyzes longitudinal spontaneous production data from four bimodal bilingual children and their Deaf and hearing interlocutors. Even at the earliest observations, the children produced more signed utterances with Deaf interlocutors and more speech with hearing interlocutors. However, while three of the four children produced >75% speech alone in speech target sessions, they produced <25% sign alone in sign target sessions. All four produced bimodal utterances in both, but more frequently in the sign sessions, potentially because they find suppression of the dominant language more difficult. Our results indicate that these children are sensitive to the language used by their interlocutors, while showing considerable influence from the dominant community language.

Language choice in bimodal bilingual development

PubMed Central

Lillo-Martin, Diane; de Quadros, Ronice M.; Chen Pichler, Deborah; Fieldsteel, Zoe

2014-01-01

Bilingual children develop sensitivity to the language used by their interlocutors at an early age, reflected in differential use of each language by the child depending on their interlocutor. Factors such as discourse context and relative language dominance in the community may mediate the degree of language differentiation in preschool age children. Bimodal bilingual children, acquiring both a sign language and a spoken language, have an even more complex situation. Their Deaf parents vary considerably in access to the spoken language. Furthermore, in addition to code-mixing and code-switching, they use code-blending—expressions in both speech and sign simultaneously—an option uniquely available to bimodal bilinguals. Code-blending is analogous to code-switching sociolinguistically, but is also a way to communicate without suppressing one language. For adult bimodal bilinguals, complete suppression of the non-selected language is cognitively demanding. We expect that bimodal bilingual children also find suppression difficult, and use blending rather than suppression in some contexts. We also expect relative community language dominance to be a factor in children's language choices. This study analyzes longitudinal spontaneous production data from four bimodal bilingual children and their Deaf and hearing interlocutors. Even at the earliest observations, the children produced more signed utterances with Deaf interlocutors and more speech with hearing interlocutors. However, while three of the four children produced >75% speech alone in speech target sessions, they produced <25% sign alone in sign target sessions. All four produced bimodal utterances in both, but more frequently in the sign sessions, potentially because they find suppression of the dominant language more difficult. Our results indicate that these children are sensitive to the language used by their interlocutors, while showing considerable influence from the dominant community language. PMID:25368591

Economical graphics display system for flight simulation avionics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

During the past academic year the focal point of this project has been to enhance the economical flight simulator system by incorporating it into the aero engineering educational environment. To accomplish this goal it was necessary to develop appropriate software modules that provide a foundation for student interaction with the system. In addition experiments had to be developed and tested to determine if they were appropriate for incorporation into the beginning flight simulation course, AERO-41B. For the most part these goals were accomplished. Experiments were developed and evaluated by graduate students. More work needs to be done in this area. The complexity and length of the experiments must be refined to match the programming experience of the target students. It was determined that few undergraduate students are ready to absorb the full extent and complexity of a real-time flight simulation. For this reason the experiments developed are designed to introduce basic computer architectures suitable for simulation, the programming environment and languages, the concept of math modules, evaluation of acquired data, and an introduction to the meaning of real-time. An overview is included of the system environment as it pertains to the students, an example of a flight simulation experiment performed by the students, and a summary of the executive programming modules created by the students to achieve a user-friendly multi-processor system suitable to an aero engineering educational program.

Tensoral for post-processing users and simulation authors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dresselhaus, Eliot

1993-01-01

The CTR post-processing effort aims to make turbulence simulations and data more readily and usefully available to the research and industrial communities. The Tensoral language, which provides the foundation for this effort, is introduced here in the form of a user's guide. The Tensoral user's guide is presented in two main sections. Section one acts as a general introduction and guides database users who wish to post-process simulation databases. Section two gives a brief description of how database authors and other advanced users can make simulation codes and/or the databases they generate available to the user community via Tensoral database back ends. The two-part structure of this document conforms to the two-level design structure of the Tensoral language. Tensoral has been designed to be a general computer language for performing tensor calculus and statistics on numerical data. Tensoral's generality allows it to be used for stand-alone native coding of high-level post-processing tasks (as described in section one of this guide). At the same time, Tensoral's specialization to a minute task (namely, to numerical tensor calculus and statistics) allows it to be easily embedded into applications written partly in Tensoral and partly in other computer languages (here, C and Vectoral). Embedded Tensoral, aimed at advanced users for more general coding (e.g. of efficient simulations, for interfacing with pre-existing software, for visualization, etc.), is described in section two of this guide.

Recent language experience influences cross-language activation in bilinguals with different scripts

PubMed Central

Li, Chuchu; Wang, Min; Lin, Candise Y

2017-01-01

Purpose This study aimed to examine whether the phonological information in the non-target language is activated and its influence on bilingual processing. Approach Using the Stroop paradigm, Mandarin-English bilinguals named the ink color of Chinese characters in English in Experiment 1 and named the Chinese characters in addition to the color naming in English in Experiment 2. Twenty-four participants were recruited in each experiment. In both experiments, the visual stimuli included color characters (e.g. 红, hong2, red), homophones of the color characters (e.g. 洪, hong2, flood), characters that only shared the same syllable segment with the color characters (S+T−, e.g. 轰, hong1, boom), characters that shared the same tone but differed in segments with the color characters (S−T+, e.g. 瓶, ping2, bottle), and neutral characters (e.g. 牵, qian1, leading through). Data and analysis Planned t-tests were conducted in which participants’ naming accuracy rate and naming latency in each phonological condition were compared with the neutral condition. Findings Experiment 1 only showed the classic Stroop effect in the color character condition. In Experiment 2, in addition to the classic Stroop effect, the congruent homophone condition (e.g. 洪in red) showed a significant Stroop interference effect. These results suggested that for bilingual speakers with different scripts, phonological information in the non-target language may not be automatically activated even though the written words in the non-target language were visually presented. However, if the phonological information of the non-target language is activated in advance, it could lead to competition between the two languages, likely at both the phonological and lemma levels. Originality and significance This study is among the first to investigate whether the translation of a word is phonologically encoded in bilinguals using the Stroop paradigm. The findings improve our understanding of the underlying mechanism of bilingual processing. PMID:29056862

A Simulation Model Articulation of the REA Ontology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laurier, Wim; Poels, Geert

This paper demonstrates how the REA enterprise ontology can be used to construct simulation models for business processes, value chains and collaboration spaces in supply chains. These models support various high-level and operational management simulation applications, e.g. the analysis of enterprise sustainability and day-to-day planning. First, the basic constructs of the REA ontology and the ExSpect modelling language for simulation are introduced. Second, collaboration space, value chain and business process models and their conceptual dependencies are shown, using the ExSpect language. Third, an exhibit demonstrates the use of value chain models in predicting the financial performance of an enterprise.

Shaving Bridges and Tuning Kitaraa: The Effect of Language Switching on Semantic Processing

PubMed Central

Hut, Suzanne C. A.; Leminen, Alina

2017-01-01

Language switching has been repeatedly found to be costly. Yet, there are reasons to believe that switches in language might benefit language comprehension in some groups of people, such as less proficient language learners. This study therefore investigated the interplay between language switching and semantic processing in groups with varying language proficiency. EEG was recorded while L2 learners of English with intermediate and high proficiency levels read semantically congruent or incongruent sentences in L2. Translations of congruent and incongruent target words were additionally presented in L1 to create intrasentential language switches. A control group of English native speakers was tested in order to compare responses to non-switched stimuli with those of L2 learners. An omnibus ANOVA including all groups revealed larger N400 responses for non-switched incongruent stimuli compared to congruent stimuli. Additionally, despite switches to L1 at target word position, semantic N400 responses were still elicited in both L2 learner groups. Further switching effects were reflected by an N400-like effect and a late positivity complex, pointing to possible parsing efforts after language switches. Our results therefore show that although language switches are associated with increased mental effort, switches may not necessarily be costly on the semantic level. This finding contributes to the ongoing discussion on language inhibition processes, and shows that, in these intermediate and high proficient L2 learners, semantic processes look similar to those of native speakers of English. PMID:28900402

Applications of Oral Proficiency Testing to Foreign Language. Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY.

A guide to the adaptation of oral proficiency testing for classroom language instruction contains excerpts of projects by participants in an American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) workshop. The excerpts are examples of proficiency based curricula and materials designed to personalize instruction and simulate real-life…

Visual Programming: A Programming Tool for Increasing Mathematics Achivement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanier, Cheryl A.; Seals, Cheryl D.; Billionniere, Elodie V.

2009-01-01

This paper aims to address the need of increasing student achievement in mathematics using a visual programming language such as Scratch. This visual programming language facilitates creating an environment where students in K-12 education can develop mathematical simulations while learning a visual programming language at the same time.…

Enhanced job control language procedures for the SIMSYS2D two-dimensional water-quality simulation system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karavitis, G.A.

1984-01-01

The SIMSYS2D two-dimensional water-quality simulation system is a large-scale digital modeling software system used to simulate flow and transport of solutes in freshwater and estuarine environments. Due to the size, processing requirements, and complexity of the system, there is a need to easily move the system and its associated files between computer sites when required. A series of job control language (JCL) procedures was written to allow transferability between IBM and IBM-compatible computers. (USGS)

A comparison of hardware description languages. [describing digital systems structure and behavior to a computer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shiva, S. G.

1978-01-01

Several high level languages which evolved over the past few years for describing and simulating the structure and behavior of digital systems, on digital computers are assessed. The characteristics of the four prominent languages (CDL, DDL, AHPL, ISP) are summarized. A criterion for selecting a suitable hardware description language for use in an automatic integrated circuit design environment is provided.

Detecting Over- and Underreporting of Psychopathology with the Spanish-Language Personality Assessment Inventory: Findings from a Simulation Study with Bilingual Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandez, Krissie; Boccaccini, Marcus T.; Noland, Ramona M.

2008-01-01

Existing research on the Spanish-language translation of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; L. C. Morey, 1991) suggests that the validity scales from the English- and Spanish-language versions may not be equivalent measures. In the current study, 72 bilingual participants completed both the English- and Spanish-language versions of the PAI…

The Internet as a Tool to Learn a Second Language in a Technical Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pastor, M. Luisa Carrio

2007-01-01

Second language acquisition is a hard task for teachers, since to achieve the motivation from students to practice a language simulating a real context is very difficult. On the one hand, students are often influenced by their mother tongue and more when they are practising a second language with a partner from the same nationality. On the other,…

Association of affect with vertical position in L1 but not in L2 in unbalanced bilinguals

PubMed Central

Li, Degao; Liu, Haitao; Ma, Bosen

2015-01-01

After judging the valence of the positive (e.g., happy) and the negative words (e.g., sad), the participants' response to the letter (q or p) was faster and slower, respectively, when the letter appeared at the upper end than at the lower end of the screen in Meier and Robinson's (2004) second experiment. To compare this metaphorical association of affect with vertical position in Chinese-English bilinguals' first language (L1) and second language (L2) (language), we conducted four experiments in an affective priming task. The targets were one set of positive or negative words (valence), which were shown vertically above or below the center of the screen (position). The primes, presented at the center of the screen, were affective words that were semantically related to the targets, affective words that were not semantically related to the targets, affective icon-pictures, and neutral strings in Experiment 1–4, respectively. In judging the targets' valence, the participants showed different patterns of interactions between language, valence, and position in reaction times across the experiments. We concluded that metaphorical association between affect and vertical position works in L1 but not in L2 for unbalanced bilinguals. PMID:26074847

Causal Effects of Language on the Exchange of Social Support in an Online Community.

PubMed

Biehl, Sarah A; Kahn, Jeffrey H

2016-07-01

The provision of social support is a common function of many online communities, but a full understanding of the causal effect of emotion language on the provision of support requires experimental study. The frequency of positive- and negative-emotion words in simulated posts requesting emotional support was manipulated and presented to a sample of college students (N = 442) who were randomly assigned to read one of four simulated posts. Participants completed measures of the original poster's (OP's) distress, and they provided a response to the simulated post. These responses were subjected to a computerized text analysis, and their overall effectiveness was rated by two independent judges. Fewer positive-emotion and more negative-emotion words in the simulated post led to perceptions that the OP was distressed and unable to cope. Participant-generated responses to the post were highest in positive-emotion words when the simulated post was high in positive-emotion words, but low in negative-emotion words. Finally, simulated posts that were low in positive-emotion words received responses that were judged to be more effective than did simulated posts that were high in positive-emotion words. These findings have implications for understanding the role of emotion language on the exchange of online social support.

Making it Easy to Construct Accurate Hydrological Models that Exploit High Performance Computers (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kees, C. E.; Farthing, M. W.; Terrel, A.; Certik, O.; Seljebotn, D.

2013-12-01

This presentation will focus on two barriers to progress in the hydrological modeling community, and research and development conducted to lessen or eliminate them. The first is a barrier to sharing hydrological models among specialized scientists that is caused by intertwining the implementation of numerical methods with the implementation of abstract numerical modeling information. In the Proteus toolkit for computational methods and simulation, we have decoupled these two important parts of computational model through separate "physics" and "numerics" interfaces. More recently we have begun developing the Strong Form Language for easy and direct representation of the mathematical model formulation in a domain specific language embedded in Python. The second major barrier is sharing ANY scientific software tools that have complex library or module dependencies, as most parallel, multi-physics hydrological models must have. In this setting, users and developer are dependent on an entire distribution, possibly depending on multiple compilers and special instructions depending on the environment of the target machine. To solve these problem we have developed, hashdist, a stateless package management tool and a resulting portable, open source scientific software distribution.

Using a Peer-Mediated Extinction Procedure to Decrease Obscene Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salend, Spencer J.; Meddaugh, Dona

1985-01-01

A peer extinction procedure in which students refrained from laughing at or attending to a targeted student's inappropriate behavior decreased the adolescent learning disabled student's obscene language. (CL)

Assessing the relationship between computational speed and precision: a case study comparing an interpreted versus compiled programming language using a stochastic simulation model in diabetes care.

PubMed

McEwan, Phil; Bergenheim, Klas; Yuan, Yong; Tetlow, Anthony P; Gordon, Jason P

2010-01-01

Simulation techniques are well suited to modelling diseases yet can be computationally intensive. This study explores the relationship between modelled effect size, statistical precision, and efficiency gains achieved using variance reduction and an executable programming language. A published simulation model designed to model a population with type 2 diabetes mellitus based on the UKPDS 68 outcomes equations was coded in both Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and C++. Efficiency gains due to the programming language were evaluated, as was the impact of antithetic variates to reduce variance, using predicted QALYs over a 40-year time horizon. The use of C++ provided a 75- and 90-fold reduction in simulation run time when using mean and sampled input values, respectively. For a series of 50 one-way sensitivity analyses, this would yield a total run time of 2 minutes when using C++, compared with 155 minutes for VBA when using mean input values. The use of antithetic variates typically resulted in a 53% reduction in the number of simulation replications and run time required. When drawing all input values to the model from distributions, the use of C++ and variance reduction resulted in a 246-fold improvement in computation time compared with VBA - for which the evaluation of 50 scenarios would correspondingly require 3.8 hours (C++) and approximately 14.5 days (VBA). The choice of programming language used in an economic model, as well as the methods for improving precision of model output can have profound effects on computation time. When constructing complex models, more computationally efficient approaches such as C++ and variance reduction should be considered; concerns regarding model transparency using compiled languages are best addressed via thorough documentation and model validation.

The effects of native language on Indian English sounds and timing patterns

PubMed Central

Sirsa, Hema; Redford, Melissa A.

2013-01-01

This study explored whether the sound structure of Indian English (IE) varies with the divergent native languages of its speakers or whether it is similar regardless of speakers' native languages. Native Hindi (Indo-Aryan) and Telugu (Dravidian) speakers produced comparable phrases in IE and in their native languages. Naïve and experienced IE listeners were then asked to judge whether different sentences had been spoken by speakers with the same or different native language backgrounds. The findings were an interaction between listener experience and speaker background such that only experienced listeners appropriately distinguished IE sentences produced by speakers with different native language backgrounds. Naïve listeners were nonetheless very good at distinguishing between Hindi and Telugu phrases. Acoustic measurements on monophthongal vowels, select obstruent consonants, and suprasegmental temporal patterns all differentiated between Hindi and Telugu, but only 3 of the measures distinguished between IE produced by speakers of the different native languages. The overall results are largely consistent with the idea that IE has a target phonology that is distinct from the phonology of native Indian languages. The subtle L1 effects on IE may reflect either the incomplete acquisition of the target phonology or, more plausibly, the influence of sociolinguistic factors on the use and evolution of IE. PMID:24860200

Women prefer men who use metaphorical language when paying compliments in a romantic context

PubMed Central

Gao, Zhao; Gao, Shan; Xu, Lei; Zheng, Xiaoxiao; Ma, Xiaole; Luo, Lizhu; Kendrick, Keith M.

2017-01-01

Language plays an important role in romantic attachment. However, it is unclear whether the structure and topic of language use might influence potential mate choice. We investigated 124 female students’ preference for compliments paid by males incorporating either literal or metaphoric (conventional/novel) language and targeting their appearance or possessions (house) throughout their menstrual cycle. Male faces paired with novel metaphorical compliments were rated as more attractive by women than those paired with literal ones. Compliments targeting appearance increased male attractiveness more than possessions. Interestingly, compliments on appearance using novel metaphors were preferred by women in a relationship during the fertile phase but by single women during the luteal phase. A similar pattern of altered face attraction ratings was subsequently shown by subjects in the absence of the verbal compliments and even though they were unable to recognize the faces. Thus the maintained attraction bias for faces previously associated with figurative language compliments appears to be unconscious. Overall this study provides the first evidence that women find men who typically use novel metaphorical language to compliment appearance more attractive than those using prosaic language or complimenting possessions. The evolutionary significance for such a language use bias in mate selection is discussed. PMID:28181992

Enhancing Student Communication Skills Through Arabic Language Competency and Simulated Patient Assessments.

PubMed

Hasan, Sanah; Tarazi, Hamadeh M Khier; Halim Hilal, Dana Abdel

2017-05-01

Objective. To assess student communication and patient management skill with introduction of Arabic and use of simulated patient assessments to a communication and counseling course. Design. Five, 3-hour tutorials (clinical skill laboratory) were added to the course covering: listening and empathic responding, non-verbal communications, interviewing skills, assertiveness, counseling in special situations: conflict, anger, worry or rushed situations, and professional decision making. Arabic content was introduced to the course to enhance Arabic communications and competence among students. Simulated patient assessment was used to evaluate student skills. Students' feedback about course changes was evaluated. Assessment. The course now covers a wider content and Arabic language. Students' scores were similar in the assessment and other assessments within the course and between Arabic and English groups. Students favorably rated the changes in the course and provided constructive feedback on content usefulness and adequacy. Conclusion. Expanding the course to include Arabic language and content and simulated patient assessments enhanced student communication skills.

Enhancing Student Communication Skills Through Arabic Language Competency and Simulated Patient Assessments

PubMed Central

Tarazi, Hamadeh (M. Khier); Halim Hilal, Dana Abdel

2017-01-01

Objective. To assess student communication and patient management skill with introduction of Arabic and use of simulated patient assessments to a communication and counseling course. Design. Five, 3-hour tutorials (clinical skill laboratory) were added to the course covering: listening and empathic responding, non-verbal communications, interviewing skills, assertiveness, counseling in special situations: conflict, anger, worry or rushed situations, and professional decision making. Arabic content was introduced to the course to enhance Arabic communications and competence among students. Simulated patient assessment was used to evaluate student skills. Students’ feedback about course changes was evaluated. Assessment. The course now covers a wider content and Arabic language. Students’ scores were similar in the assessment and other assessments within the course and between Arabic and English groups. Students favorably rated the changes in the course and provided constructive feedback on content usefulness and adequacy. Conclusion. Expanding the course to include Arabic language and content and simulated patient assessments enhanced student communication skills. PMID:28630517

Sentence Reading and Writing for Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pichette, Francois; de Serres, Linda; Lafontaine, Marc

2012-01-01

This study compares the relative effectiveness of reading and writing sentences for the incidental acquisition of new vocabulary in a second language. It also examines if recall varies according to the concreteness of target words. Participants were 203 French-speaking intermediate and advanced English as second language (ESL) learners, tested for…

Multifaceted Dimensions of Telecollaboration through English as a Lingua Franca (ELF): Paris-Valladolid Intercultural Telecollaboration Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castro, Paloma; Derivry-Plard, Martine

2016-01-01

Intercultural telecollaboration allows for a radical change in language education. New technologies enable learners of different languages and cultures to practice their intercultural skills. Teachers no longer need to design "fake" role-plays to develop interaction in the target language. Above all, teachers have the possibility to…

Automatic Item Generation via Frame Semantics: Natural Language Generation of Math Word Problems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deane, Paul; Sheehan, Kathleen

This paper is an exploration of the conceptual issues that have arisen in the course of building a natural language generation (NLG) system for automatic test item generation. While natural language processing techniques are applicable to general verbal items, mathematics word problems are particularly tractable targets for natural language…

Perception of a Regional Spanish Sound: The Case of /s/-Weakening

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

George, Angela

2014-01-01

While taking foreign language classes or interacting in the target language community, language learners will be exposed to dialectal differences. This paper addresses how adult learners of Spanish in beginning, intermediate, and advanced Spanish courses at a large US university perceived a common sociolinguistic feature of Spanish, /s/-weakening,…

Target Language Variation and Second-Language Acquisition: Learning English in New York City.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenstein, Miriam R.

1986-01-01

Investigates the role of dialect variation in the acquisition of American English by adult second language learners. The study revealed that dialect differences present problems for learners and cause variable intelligibility and negative learner attitude toward some varieties of English and its speakers. This attitude could negatively affect a…

Culture in Foreign Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kramsch, Claire

2013-01-01

In foreign language education, the teaching of culture remains a hotly debated issue. What is culture? What is its relation to language? Which and whose culture should be taught? What role should the learners' culture play in the acquisition of knowledge of the target culture? How can we avoid essentializing cultures and teaching stereotypes? And…

Presentation-Practice-Production and Task-Based Learning in the Light of Second Language Learning Theories.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritchie, Graeme

2003-01-01

Features of presentation-practice-production (PPP) and task-based learning (TBL) models for language teaching are discussed with reference to language learning theories. Pre-selection of target structures, use of controlled repetition, and explicit grammar instruction in a PPP lesson are given. Suggests TBL approaches afford greater learning…

A Parent-Directed Language Intervention for Children of Low Socioeconomic Status: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suskind, Dana L.; Leffel, Kristin R.; Graf, Eileen; Hernandez, Marc W.; Gunderson, Elizabeth A.; Sapolich, Shannon G.; Suskind, Elizabeth; Leininger, Lindsey; Goldin-Meadow, Susan; Levine, Susan C.

2016-01-01

We designed a parent-directed home-visiting intervention targeting socioeconomic status (SES) disparities in children's early language environments. A randomized controlled trial was used to evaluate whether the intervention improved parents' knowledge of child language development and increased the amount and diversity of parent talk.…

Promotional Video Production in a Foreign Language Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fukushima, Tatsuya

2002-01-01

Discusses a technology-based project as a requirement for a traditional intermediate Japanese course at the University of Arkansas in which students worked in a small group to produce the university's promotional video in the target language, thus enhancing their Japanese language skills and promoting the program to the public. (Author/VWL)

Exploring the Validity of a Second Language Intercultural Pragmatics Assessment Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Timpe-Laughlin, Veronika; Choi, Ikkyu

2017-01-01

Pragmatics has been a key component of language competence frameworks. While the majority of second/foreign language (L2) pragmatics tests have targeted productive skills, the assessment of receptive pragmatic skills remains a developing field. This study explores validation evidence for a test of receptive L2 pragmatic ability called the American…

Verbal Interaction in "Second Life": Towards a Pedagogic Framework for Task Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jauregi, Kristi; Canto, Silvia; de Graaff, Rick; Koenraad, Ton; Moonen, Machteld

2011-01-01

Within a European project on Networked Interaction in Foreign Language Acquisition and Research (NIFLAR), "Second Life" was used as a 3D virtual world in which language students can communicate synchronously with native speakers in the target language, while undertaking action together. For this context, a set of design principles for…

Adjusting Language Level in Teacher-Talk in ELT Microteachings with Specific Reference to Distance Education Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarigoz, Iskender Hakki

2013-01-01

Foreign language teacher education requires microteaching practices carried out by teacher trainees for learning and assessment purposes. During microteachings, teacher trainees operate many teaching skills concurrently. Interlanguage compatible teacher-talk in the target language is essential for the production of student talk at elementary and…

Cultural Diversity in English Language Teaching: Learners' Voices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chinh, Nguyen Duc

2013-01-01

The focus of culture in English language teaching (ELT) has traditionally been on the target culture of English speaking countries. However, the new status of English as international language (EIL) has led to significant changes in the practice of teaching and learning culture in ELT. Rather than relying on the paradigm of native speaker…

Inservice Leadership Training for Speech-Language and Special Education Personnel. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLean, James E.; And Others

This report describes a project which targeted two-person teams of leadership-level personnel in special education and speech/language pathology for training in child language to serve severely handicapped non-verbal children. A "pyramid" training model was used and these primary trainees conducted additional training with teachers and clinicians…

Perceptions of the IWB for Second Language Teaching and Learning: The iTILT Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whyte, Shona; Beauchamp, Gary; Hillier, Emily

2012-01-01

Recent emphasis on target language interaction in task-based, technologymediated language classrooms makes the interactive whiteboard (IWB) an attractive tool: it constitutes a "digital hub" particularly suited to younger learners who require greater visual support and active learning. However, recent research in UK and French primary…

Are Australian Fans of Anime and Manga Motivated to Learn Japanese Language?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armour, William S.; Iida, Sumiko

2016-01-01

Recent research into Japanese as a foreign language education has strongly emphasized the link between Japanese popular culture and learning Japanese. However, these studies have only targeted Japanese language learners in formal education contexts and have largely ignored those who are not studying Japanese or studying Japanese informally. This…

Literature Review of the Classifications of "Needs" in Needs Analysis Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Juan, L. I.

2014-01-01

Needs analysis makes it possible that the language course can cater to the needs of learners from different countries, different language levels and different targets. A well-established needs analysis may provide references for the policy making, curriculum design of foreign language teaching. This paper reviews the point of view of some…

Evidence and Interpretation in Language Learning Research: Opportunities for Collaboration with Computational Linguistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meurers, Detmar; Dickinson, Markus

2017-01-01

This article discusses two types of opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration between computational linguistics (CL) and language learning research. We target the connection between data and theory in second language (L2) research and highlight opportunities to (a) enrich the options for obtaining data and (b) support the identification…

TANGO, an International Collaborative Bilingual E-Learning Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Álvarez-Mayo, Carmen

2016-01-01

TANGO (Álvarez-Mayo, 2013) uses the cultural aspects of foreign languages to promote oral interaction, enabling students to become self-regulated learners. Through TANGO, foreign language students learn about the cultural intricacies of the Target Language (TL) and use the TL to practise and further develop their oral skills with a partner who is…

Modeling Speaker Proficiency, Comprehensibility, and Perceived Competence in a Language Use Domain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidgall, Jonathan Edgar

2013-01-01

Research suggests that listener perceptions of a speaker's oral language use, or a speaker's "comprehensibility," may be influenced by a variety of speaker-, listener-, and context-related factors. Primary speaker factors include aspects of the speaker's proficiency in the target language such as pronunciation and…

An Open-Sourced and Interactive Ebook Development Program for Minority Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheepy, Emily; Sundberg, Ross; Laurie, Anne

2017-01-01

According to Long (2014), genuine task-based pedagogy is centered around the real-world activities that learners need to complete using the target language. We are developing the OurStories mobile application to support learners and instructors of minority languages in the development of personally relevant, task-based learning resources. The…

Testing the World with Simulations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Nancy

1983-01-01

Discusses steps involved in model building and simulation: understanding a problem, building a model, and simulation. Includes a mathematical model (focusing on a problem dealing with influenza) written in the DYNAMO computer language, developed specifically for writing simulation models. (Author/JN)

Shingle 2.0: generalising self-consistent and automated domain discretisation for multi-scale geophysical models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Candy, Adam S.; Pietrzak, Julie D.

2018-01-01

The approaches taken to describe and develop spatial discretisations of the domains required for geophysical simulation models are commonly ad hoc, model- or application-specific, and under-documented. This is particularly acute for simulation models that are flexible in their use of multi-scale, anisotropic, fully unstructured meshes where a relatively large number of heterogeneous parameters are required to constrain their full description. As a consequence, it can be difficult to reproduce simulations, to ensure a provenance in model data handling and initialisation, and a challenge to conduct model intercomparisons rigorously. This paper takes a novel approach to spatial discretisation, considering it much like a numerical simulation model problem of its own. It introduces a generalised, extensible, self-documenting approach to carefully describe, and necessarily fully, the constraints over the heterogeneous parameter space that determine how a domain is spatially discretised. This additionally provides a method to accurately record these constraints, using high-level natural language based abstractions that enable full accounts of provenance, sharing, and distribution. Together with this description, a generalised consistent approach to unstructured mesh generation for geophysical models is developed that is automated, robust and repeatable, quick-to-draft, rigorously verified, and consistent with the source data throughout. This interprets the description above to execute a self-consistent spatial discretisation process, which is automatically validated to expected discrete characteristics and metrics. Library code, verification tests, and examples available in the repository at https://github.com/shingleproject/Shingle. Further details of the project presented at http://shingleproject.org.

A Statistical-Physics Approach to Language Acquisition and Language Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassandro, Marzio; Collet, Pierre; Galves, Antonio; Galves, Charlotte

1999-02-01

The aim of this paper is to explain why Statistical Physics can help understanding two related linguistic questions. The first question is how to model first language acquisition by a child. The second question is how language change proceeds in time. Our approach is based on a Gibbsian model for the interface between syntax and prosody. We also present a simulated annealing model of language acquisition, which extends the Triggering Learning Algorithm recently introduced in the linguistic literature.

Special Operations Forces Language and Culture Needs Assessment: Language Resources And Self-Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-12

2007; Freitas & Levine, 2004; Tuzun, 2007). SOFLO should analyze and consider the cost-benefit of providing more instructors/tutors. “I would like...instructor is generally considered an effective training solution (Blunt, 2007; Freitas & Levine, 2004; Tuzun, 2007). Additionally, some SOF operators...Simulation and Education Conference: Orlando, Fl. Freitas , S., & Levene, M. (2004). An investigation of the use of simulations and video gaming for

iTesla Power Systems Library (iPSL): A Modelica library for phasor time-domain simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanfretti, L.; Rabuzin, T.; Baudette, M.; Murad, M.

The iTesla Power Systems Library (iPSL) is a Modelica package providing a set of power system components for phasor time-domain modeling and simulation. The Modelica language provides a systematic approach to develop models using a formal mathematical description, that uniquely specifies the physical behavior of a component or the entire system. Furthermore, the standardized specification of the Modelica language (Modelica Association [1]) enables unambiguous model exchange by allowing any Modelica-compliant tool to utilize the models for simulation and their analyses without the need of a specific model transformation tool. As the Modelica language is being developed with open specifications, any tool that implements these requirements can be utilized. This gives users the freedom of choosing an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) of their choice. Furthermore, any integration solver can be implemented within a Modelica tool to simulate Modelica models. Additionally, Modelica is an object-oriented language, enabling code factorization and model re-use to improve the readability of a library by structuring it with object-oriented hierarchy. The developed library is released under an open source license to enable a wider distribution and let the user customize it to their specific needs. This paper describes the iPSL and provides illustrative application examples.

Comparing host and target environments for distributed Ada programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paulk, Mark C.

1986-01-01

The Ada programming language provides a means of specifying logical concurrency by using multitasking. Extending the Ada multitasking concurrency mechanism into a physically concurrent distributed environment which imposes its own requirements can lead to incompatibilities. These problems are discussed. Using distributed Ada for a target system may be appropriate, but when using the Ada language in a host environment, a multiprocessing model may be more suitable than retargeting an Ada compiler for the distributed environment. The tradeoffs between multitasking on distributed targets and multiprocessing on distributed hosts are discussed. Comparisons of the multitasking and multiprocessing models indicate different areas of application.

Conversion of the agent-oriented domain-specific language ALAS into JavaScript

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sredojević, Dejan; Vidaković, Milan; Okanović, Dušan; Mitrović, Dejan; Ivanović, Mirjana

2016-06-01

This paper shows generation of JavaScript code from code written in agent-oriented domain-specific language ALAS. ALAS is an agent-oriented domain-specific language for writing software agents that are executed within XJAF middleware. Since the agents can be executed on various platforms, they must be converted into a language of the target platform. We also try to utilize existing tools and technologies to make the whole conversion process as simple as possible, as well as faster and more efficient. We use the Xtext framework that is compatible with Java to implement ALAS infrastructure - editor and code generator. Since Xtext supports Java, generation of Java code from ALAS code is straightforward. To generate a JavaScript code that will be executed within the target JavaScript XJAF implementation, Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is used.

Grammatical Deviations in the Spoken and Written Language of Hebrew-Speaking Children With Hearing Impairments.

PubMed

Tur-Kaspa, Hana; Dromi, Esther

2001-04-01

The present study reports a detailed analysis of written and spoken language samples of Hebrew-speaking children aged 11-13 years who are deaf. It focuses on the description of various grammatical deviations in the two modalities. Participants were 13 students with hearing impairments (HI) attending special classrooms integrated into two elementary schools in Tel Aviv, Israel, and 9 students with normal hearing (NH) in regular classes in these same schools. Spoken and written language samples were collected from all participants using the same five preplanned elicitation probes. Students with HI were found to display significantly more grammatical deviations than their NH peers in both their spoken and written language samples. Most importantly, between-modality differences were noted. The participants with HI exhibited significantly more grammatical deviations in their written language samples than in their spoken samples. However, the distribution of grammatical deviations across categories was similar in the two modalities. The most common grammatical deviations in order of their frequency were failure to supply obligatory morphological markers, failure to mark grammatical agreement, and the omission of a major syntactic constituent in a sentence. Word order violations were rarely recorded in the Hebrew samples. Performance differences in the two modalities encourage clinicians and teachers to facilitate target linguistic forms in diverse communication contexts. Furthermore, the identification of linguistic targets for intervention must be based on the unique grammatical structure of the target language.

Perspective taking in language: integrating the spatial and action domains.

PubMed

Beveridge, Madeleine E L; Pickering, Martin J

2013-09-17

Language is an inherently social behavior. In this paper, we bring together two research areas that typically occupy distinct sections of the literature: perspective taking in spatial language (whether people represent a scene from their own or a different spatial perspective), and perspective taking in action language (the extent to which they simulate an action as though they were performing that action). First, we note that vocabulary is used inconsistently across the spatial and action domains, and propose a more transparent vocabulary that will allow researchers to integrate action- and spatial-perspective taking. Second, we note that embodied theories of language comprehension often make the narrow assumption that understanding action descriptions involves adopting the perspective of an agent carrying out that action. We argue that comprehenders can adopt embodied action-perspectives other than that of the agent, including those of the patient or an observer. Third, we review evidence showing that perspective taking in spatial language is a flexible process. We argue that the flexibility of spatial-perspective taking provides a means for conversation partners engaged in dialogue to maximize similarity between their situation models. These situation models can then be used as the basis for action language simulations, in which language users adopt a particular action-perspective.

Perspective taking in language: integrating the spatial and action domains

PubMed Central

Beveridge, Madeleine E. L.; Pickering, Martin J.

2013-01-01

Language is an inherently social behavior. In this paper, we bring together two research areas that typically occupy distinct sections of the literature: perspective taking in spatial language (whether people represent a scene from their own or a different spatial perspective), and perspective taking in action language (the extent to which they simulate an action as though they were performing that action). First, we note that vocabulary is used inconsistently across the spatial and action domains, and propose a more transparent vocabulary that will allow researchers to integrate action- and spatial-perspective taking. Second, we note that embodied theories of language comprehension often make the narrow assumption that understanding action descriptions involves adopting the perspective of an agent carrying out that action. We argue that comprehenders can adopt embodied action-perspectives other than that of the agent, including those of the patient or an observer. Third, we review evidence showing that perspective taking in spatial language is a flexible process. We argue that the flexibility of spatial-perspective taking provides a means for conversation partners engaged in dialogue to maximize similarity between their situation models. These situation models can then be used as the basis for action language simulations, in which language users adopt a particular action-perspective. PMID:24062676

When Language Switching has No Apparent Cost: Lexical Access in Sentence Context

PubMed Central

Gullifer, Jason W.; Kroll, Judith F.; Dussias, Paola E.

2013-01-01

We report two experiments that investigate the effects of sentence context on bilingual lexical access in Spanish and English. Highly proficient Spanish-English bilinguals read sentences in Spanish and English that included a marked word to be named. The word was either a cognate with similar orthography and/or phonology in the two languages, or a matched non-cognate control. Sentences appeared in one language alone (i.e., Spanish or English) and target words were not predictable on the basis of the preceding semantic context. In Experiment 1, we mixed the language of the sentence within a block such that sentences appeared in an alternating run in Spanish or in English. These conditions partly resemble normally occurring inter-sentential code-switching. In these mixed-language sequences, cognates were named faster than non-cognates in both languages. There were no effects of switching the language of the sentence. In Experiment 2, with Spanish-English bilinguals matched closely to those who participated in the first experiment, we blocked the language of the sentences to encourage language-specific processes. The results were virtually identical to those of the mixed-language experiment. In both cases, target cognates were named faster than non-cognates, and the magnitude of the effect did not change according to the broader context. Taken together, the results support the predictions of the Bilingual Interactive Activation + Model (Dijkstra and van Heuven, 2002) in demonstrating that bilingual lexical access is language non-selective even under conditions in which language-specific cues should enable selective processing. They also demonstrate that, in contrast to lexical switching from one language to the other, inter-sentential code-switching of the sort in which bilinguals frequently engage, imposes no significant costs to lexical processing. PMID:23750141

Non-invasive brain stimulation to investigate language production in healthy speakers: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Klaus, Jana; Schutter, Dennis J L G

2018-06-01

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has become a common method to study the interrelations between the brain and language functioning. This meta-analysis examined the efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the study of language production in healthy volunteers. Forty-five effect sizes from 30 studies which investigated the effects of NIBS on picture naming or verbal fluency in healthy participants were meta-analysed. Further sub-analyses investigated potential influences of stimulation type, control, target site, task, online vs. offline application, and current density of the target electrode. Random effects modelling showed a small, but reliable effect of NIBS on language production. Subsequent analyses indicated larger weighted mean effect sizes for TMS as compared to tDCS studies. No statistical differences for the other sub-analyses were observed. We conclude that NIBS is a useful method for neuroscientific studies on language production in healthy volunteers. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Individual differences in fifth graders’ reading and language predict their comprehension monitoring development: An eye-movement study

PubMed Central

Connor, Carol McDonald; Radach, Ralph; Vorstius, Christian; Day, Stephanie L.; McLean, Leigh; Morrison, Frederick J.

2015-01-01

In this study, we investigated fifth-graders’ (n=52) fall literacy, academic language, and motivation, and how these skills predicted fall and spring comprehension monitoring on an eye movement task. Comprehension monitoring was defined as the identification and repair of misunderstandings when reading text. In the eye movement task, children read two sentences; the second included either a plausible or implausible word in the context of the first sentence. Stronger readers had shorter reading times overall suggesting faster processing of text. Generally fifth-graders reacted to the implausible word (i.e., longer gaze duration on the implausible v. the plausible word, which reflects lexical access). Students with stronger academic language, compared to those with weaker academic language, generally spent more time re-reading the implausible target compared to the plausible target. This difference increased from fall to spring. Results support the centrality of academic language for meaning integration, setting standards of coherence, and utilizing comprehension repair strategies. PMID:27065721

Conceptual Design of Simulation Models in an Early Development Phase of Lunar Spacecraft Simulator Using SMP2 Standard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hoon Hee; Koo, Cheol Hea; Moon, Sung Tae; Han, Sang Hyuck; Ju, Gwang Hyeok

2013-08-01

The conceptual study for Korean lunar orbiter/lander prototype has been performed in Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). Across diverse space programs around European countries, a variety of simulation application has been developed using SMP2 (Simulation Modelling Platform) standard related to portability and reuse of simulation models by various model users. KARI has not only first-hand experience of a development of SMP compatible simulation environment but also an ongoing study to apply the SMP2 development process of simulation model to a simulator development project for lunar missions. KARI has tried to extend the coverage of the development domain based on SMP2 standard across the whole simulation model life-cycle from software design to its validation through a lunar exploration project. Figure. 1 shows a snapshot from a visualization tool for the simulation of lunar lander motion. In reality, a demonstrator prototype on the right-hand side of image was made and tested in 2012. In an early phase of simulator development prior to a kick-off start in the near future, targeted hardware to be modelled has been investigated and indentified at the end of 2012. The architectural breakdown of the lunar simulator at system level was performed and the architecture with a hierarchical tree of models from the system to parts at lower level has been established. Finally, SMP Documents such as Catalogue, Assembly, Schedule and so on were converted using a XML(eXtensible Mark-up Language) converter. To obtain benefits of the suggested approaches and design mechanisms in SMP2 standard as far as possible, the object-oriented and component-based design concepts were strictly chosen throughout a whole model development process.

Learning to Communicate in a Virtual World: The Case of a JFL Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamazaki, Kasumi

2015-01-01

The proliferation of online simulation games across the globe in many different languages offers Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) researchers an opportunity to examine how language learning occurs in such virtual environments. While there has recently been an increase in the number of exploratory studies involving learning experiences of…

Spatial Language, Visual Attention, and Perceptual Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coventry, Kenny R.; Lynott, Dermot; Cangelosi, Angelo; Monrouxe, Lynn; Joyce, Dan; Richardson, Daniel C.

2010-01-01

Spatial language descriptions, such as "The bottle is over the glass", direct the attention of the hearer to particular aspects of the visual world. This paper asks how they do so, and what brain mechanisms underlie this process. In two experiments employing behavioural and eye tracking methodologies we examined the effects of spatial language on…

Using "Total Physical Response" with Young Learners in Oman

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al Harrasi, Kothar Talib Sulaiman

2014-01-01

Among several approaches to teaching and learning a foreign language, Total Physical Response, or TPR, is one that simulates the way children naturally acquire their mother tongue. Instructors give commands to students in the new language, and students respond through gestures. This article showcases a language learning project that the Ministry…

Neurophysiological mechanisms involved in language learning in adults

PubMed Central

Rodríguez-Fornells, Antoni; Cunillera, Toni; Mestres-Missé, Anna; de Diego-Balaguer, Ruth

2009-01-01

Little is known about the brain mechanisms involved in word learning during infancy and in second language acquisition and about the way these new words become stable representations that sustain language processing. In several studies we have adopted the human simulation perspective, studying the effects of brain-lesions and combining different neuroimaging techniques such as event-related potentials and functional magnetic resonance imaging in order to examine the language learning (LL) process. In the present article, we review this evidence focusing on how different brain signatures relate to (i) the extraction of words from speech, (ii) the discovery of their embedded grammatical structure, and (iii) how meaning derived from verbal contexts can inform us about the cognitive mechanisms underlying the learning process. We compile these findings and frame them into an integrative neurophysiological model that tries to delineate the major neural networks that might be involved in the initial stages of LL. Finally, we propose that LL simulations can help us to understand natural language processing and how the recovery from language disorders in infants and adults can be accomplished. PMID:19933142

Foreign language learning in immersive virtual environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Benjamin; Sheldon, Lee; Si, Mei; Hand, Anton

2012-03-01

Virtual reality has long been used for training simulations in fields from medicine to welding to vehicular operation, but simulations involving more complex cognitive skills present new design challenges. Foreign language learning, for example, is increasingly vital in the global economy, but computer-assisted education is still in its early stages. Immersive virtual reality is a promising avenue for language learning as a way of dynamically creating believable scenes for conversational training and role-play simulation. Visual immersion alone, however, only provides a starting point. We suggest that the addition of social interactions and motivated engagement through narrative gameplay can lead to truly effective language learning in virtual environments. In this paper, we describe the development of a novel application for teaching Mandarin using CAVE-like VR, physical props, human actors and intelligent virtual agents, all within a semester-long multiplayer mystery game. Students travel (virtually) to China on a class field trip, which soon becomes complicated with intrigue and mystery surrounding the lost manuscript of an early Chinese literary classic. Virtual reality environments such as the Forbidden City and a Beijing teahouse provide the setting for learning language, cultural traditions, and social customs, as well as the discovery of clues through conversation in Mandarin with characters in the game.

PHONATION TAKES PRECEDENCE IN DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE

PubMed Central

Oller, D. Kimbrough

2014-01-01

Early development of vocalization in humans is characterized by emerging control of phonation, rather than of prosody or supraglottal articulation. This fact offers an opportunity to the authors of the target article to enrich their characterization of the evolution of differential brain mechanisms in human and non-human primates. Phonation, I suggest, is the initial target of human-specific brain changes in sound-making capability upon which language is founded. PMID:25514957

Programs To Optimize Spacecraft And Aircraft Trajectories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brauer, G. L.; Petersen, F. M.; Cornick, D.E.; Stevenson, R.; Olson, D. W.

1994-01-01

POST/6D POST is set of two computer programs providing ability to target and optimize trajectories of powered or unpowered spacecraft or aircraft operating at or near rotating planet. POST treats point-mass, three-degree-of-freedom case. 6D POST treats more-general rigid-body, six-degree-of-freedom (with point masses) case. Used to solve variety of performance, guidance, and flight-control problems for atmospheric and orbital vehicles. Applications include computation of performance or capability of vehicle in ascent, or orbit, and during entry into atmosphere, simulation and analysis of guidance and flight-control systems, dispersion-type analyses and analyses of loads, general-purpose six-degree-of-freedom simulation of controlled and uncontrolled vehicles, and validation of performance in six degrees of freedom. Written in FORTRAN 77 and C language. Two machine versions available: one for SUN-series computers running SunOS(TM) (LAR-14871) and one for Silicon Graphics IRIS computers running IRIX(TM) operating system (LAR-14869).

Effects of ethnic targeting on the perceived effectiveness of cancer prevention messages among latinas and non-latina white women.

PubMed

Ramírez, A Susana

2013-01-01

In general, efforts to target Latinos are made through Spanish-language messages, yet 75% of U.S. Latinos are bilingual or English dominant. Acculturation (adapting mainstream traits) is associated with increased lifestyle-related risk behaviors. Latinos maintain cultural traits and ethnic identification even as they appear to acculturate (e.g., through language). This raises questions about how to communicate health information to more-acculturated Latinos who are not reached by traditional Spanish outreach yet may not identify with general-market messages. This study tested the relative efficacy of English-language messages targeted to Latinas, compared with general-market messages, among highly acculturated Latina women and non-Latina White women. In this pair of online experiments, Latinas (n = 715) and non-Latina White women (n = 704) rated the perceived effectiveness of general-market versus Latina-targeted Pap smear and mammogram public service announcements. In 1 of 2 experiments ethnically targeted messages were rated relatively more effective for the intended audience and equally effective for the general audience. The author discusses implications for how campaigns reach U.S. Latinos across the acculturation spectrum.

African Studies in French for the Elementary Grades: Phase II of a Twinned Classroom Approach to the Teaching of French in the Elementary Grades. Volume II, Tapescripts and Essays.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jonas, Sister Ruth

This experiment examines a new psychological approach to foreign language study at the elementary school level. A principal objective is to determine the nature and importance of second language learning motivation in monolingual societies devoid of the daily living example of the target language and culture. A five-year French language sequence,…

African Studies in French for the Elementary Grades: Phase II of a Twinned Classroom Approach to the Teaching of French in the Elementary Grades. Volume I, Technical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jonas, Sister Ruth

This experiment examines a new psychological approach to foreign language study at the elementary school level. A principal objective is to determine the nature and importance of second language learning motivation in monolingual societies devoid of the daily living example of the target language and culture. A five-year French language sequence,…

Neural Signatures of Language Co-activation and Control in Bilingual Spoken Word Comprehension

PubMed Central

Chen, Peiyao; Bobb, Susan C.; Hoshino, Noriko; Marian, Viorica

2017-01-01

To examine the neural signatures of language co-activation and control during bilingual spoken word comprehension, Korean-English bilinguals and English monolinguals were asked to make overt or covert semantic relatedness judgments on auditorily-presented English word pairs. In two critical conditions, participants heard word pairs consisting of an English-Korean interlingual homophone (e.g., the sound /mu:n/ means “moon” in English and “door” in Korean) as the prime and an English word as the target. In the homophone-related condition, the target (e.g., “lock”) was related to the homophone’s Korean meaning, but not related to the homophone’s English meaning. In the homophone-unrelated condition, the target was unrelated to either the homophone’s Korean meaning or the homophone’s English meaning. In overtly responded situations, ERP results revealed that the reduced N400 effect in bilinguals for homophone-related word pairs correlated positively with the amount of their daily exposure to Korean. In covertly responded situations, ERP results showed a reduced late positive component for homophone-related word pairs in the right hemisphere, and this late positive effect was related to the neural efficiency of suppressing interference in a non-linguistic task. Together, these findings suggest 1) that the degree of language co-activation in bilingual spoken word comprehension is modulated by the amount of daily exposure to the non-target language; and 2) that bilinguals who are less influenced by cross-language activation may also have greater efficiency in suppressing interference in a non-linguistic task. PMID:28372943

Neural signatures of language co-activation and control in bilingual spoken word comprehension.

PubMed

Chen, Peiyao; Bobb, Susan C; Hoshino, Noriko; Marian, Viorica

2017-06-15

To examine the neural signatures of language co-activation and control during bilingual spoken word comprehension, Korean-English bilinguals and English monolinguals were asked to make overt or covert semantic relatedness judgments on auditorily-presented English word pairs. In two critical conditions, participants heard word pairs consisting of an English-Korean interlingual homophone (e.g., the sound /mu:n/ means "moon" in English and "door" in Korean) as the prime and an English word as the target. In the homophone-related condition, the target (e.g., "lock") was related to the homophone's Korean meaning, but not related to the homophone's English meaning. In the homophone-unrelated condition, the target was unrelated to either the homophone's Korean meaning or the homophone's English meaning. In overtly responded situations, ERP results revealed that the reduced N400 effect in bilinguals for homophone-related word pairs correlated positively with the amount of their daily exposure to Korean. In covertly responded situations, ERP results showed a reduced late positive component for homophone-related word pairs in the right hemisphere, and this late positive effect was related to the neural efficiency of suppressing interference in a non-linguistic task. Together, these findings suggest 1) that the degree of language co-activation in bilingual spoken word comprehension is modulated by the amount of daily exposure to the non-target language; and 2) that bilinguals who are less influenced by cross-language activation may also have greater efficiency in suppressing interference in a non-linguistic task. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Introducing Computer Simulation into the High School: An Applied Mathematics Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Nancy

1981-01-01

A programing language called DYNAMO, developed especially for writing simulation models, is promoted. Details of six, self-teaching curriculum packages recently developed for simulation-oriented instruction are provided. (MP)

Parallel Signal Processing and System Simulation using aCe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorband, John E.; Aburdene, Maurice F.

2003-01-01

Recently, networked and cluster computation have become very popular for both signal processing and system simulation. A new language is ideally suited for parallel signal processing applications and system simulation since it allows the programmer to explicitly express the computations that can be performed concurrently. In addition, the new C based parallel language (ace C) for architecture-adaptive programming allows programmers to implement algorithms and system simulation applications on parallel architectures by providing them with the assurance that future parallel architectures will be able to run their applications with a minimum of modification. In this paper, we will focus on some fundamental features of ace C and present a signal processing application (FFT).

Mobile Language Learning: The Medium Is ^Not The Message

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lotherington, Heather

2018-01-01

This paper repositions McLuhan's (1964/1965) extension theory of technology in the context of "mobile (-assisted) language learning" (MALL), and explores whether and how the medium (i.e., the mobile device) impacts the message (i.e., the target language) and the means by which it is taught in MALL. A survey of recommended commercial MALL…

Attitudes and Attained English Language Proficiency of University Students in Thailand: A Sociolinguistic Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boykin, Arsene; Trungamphai, Arunthadee

English proficiency of Thai university students studying English as a Foreign Language (EFL) was studied in relation to attitudinal scores on social, economic, travel, or prestige scales. Secondarily, the subjects' attitudes toward their native group and toward the target language group, and their motives for learning English were studied in…

Oral Proficiency Standards and Foreign Language Teacher Candidates: Current Findings and Future Research Directions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glisan, Eileen W.; Swender, Elvira; Surface, Eric A.

2013-01-01

The renewed national focus on teacher quality and effectiveness has resulted in more rigorous standards that describe the knowledge and skills required of teacher candidates across all disciplines. In the area of foreign languages, three sets of professional standards address the oral proficiency of teachers in the target languages they teach…

Research and Theory Driven Insights: Ten Suggestions for L2 Reading Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romero-Ghiretti, Gabriela; White, Violaine; Berg, Bartell; Quintana, Rubén Domínguez; Grayson, Brandan L.; Weng, Miaowei

2007-01-01

Research and theory on second language reading has reached heightened dimensions in recent years. It is through reading that learners access much information concerning the target language and culture, and consequently reading is an important part of almost all language programs across stages of acquisition. The purpose of this article is to offer…

Do Questions Written in the Target Language Make Foreign Language Listening Comprehension Tests More Difficult?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Filipi, Anna

2012-01-01

The Assessment of Language Competence (ALC) certificates is an annual, international testing program developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research to test the listening and reading comprehension skills of lower to middle year levels of secondary school. The tests are developed for three levels in French, German, Italian and…

Challenges Face Arab Students in Writing Well-Developed Paragraphs in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rass, Ruwaida Abu

2015-01-01

This study aimed to investigate problems facing Palestinian Arab students from Israel who are majoring in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in developing well-written paragraphs in English. They usually transfer the stylistic features of their first language, Arabic to the target language, English. For example, they tend to write long…

Cross-Language Differences in Informational Masking of Speech by Speech: English versus Mandarin Chinese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Xihong; Yang, Zhigang; Huang, Ying; Chen, Jing; Li, Liang; Daneman, Meredyth; Schneider, Bruce A.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine why perceived spatial separation provides a greater release from informational masking in Chinese than English when target sentences in each of the languages are masked by other talkers speaking the same language. Method: Monolingual speakers of English and Mandarin Chinese listened to…

Linkit: A CALL System for Learning Chinese Characters, Words, and Phrases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shei, Chris; Hsieh, Hsun-Ping

2012-01-01

Teaching Chinese as a foreign language (TCFL) is increasingly becoming a mainstream profession and an independent academic discipline. However, there is little research in CALL targeting the Chinese language to date. This research attempts to show how a CALL system can be constructed following the unique properties of the Chinese language so it…

Effect of Developing Pragmatic Competence through Telecollaboration on Improving English as Foreign Language Learners' Writing Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rafieyan, Vahid; Rafieyan, Ali; Rafieyan, Navid; Rafieyan, Saeid; Rafieyan, Parvaneh; Rafieyan, Mohamad

2015-01-01

The very information structure of written communication depends not just on the writer's meaning and purpose but rather on the extent to which writer and reader share knowledge of pragmatic features of the language. To assess the actual effect of developing target language pragmatic competence through telecollaboration on improving English as…

Understanding the Nature of Performance: The Influence of Learner Background on School-Age Learner Achievement in Chinese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scrimgeour, Andrew

2012-01-01

While Chinese language learning in Australian schools is characterised by predominantly second language programs for learners who have had no prior exposure to the target language, there is increasing participation by Australian-born children who speak Putonghua (Mandarin) or another dialect at home. Curriculum and assessment frameworks and…

Working with Second Language Learners: Answers to Teachers' Top Ten Questions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cary, Stephen

This book aims to provide practical, research-informed answers to the questions most frequently asked by teachers of second language learners. Every question targets one of the key instructional issues teachers must address to ensure success for their second language students. Included among the questions are: How do I assess a student's English?…

The Teaching of Grammar: The Relationship of Structure to Communication. ACTFL Master Lecture Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higgs, Theodore V.

Teaching grammar for its own sake is largely counterproductive when the goal of instruction is to have students communicate spontaneously, fluently, and accurately in the target language. The ideal foreign language program is one providing the best possible environment for language acquisition to take place. Explicit teaching about the language…

Schooling Transnational Speakers of the Societal Language: Language Variation Policy-Making in Madrid and Toronto

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schecter, Sandra R.; García Parejo, Isabel; Ambadiang, Théophile; James, Carl E.

2014-01-01

A cross-national comparative study in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Madrid, Spain examines educational policies and practices that target immigrant students for whom the language variety normally spoken in the host country represents a second dialect. Policy contexts and schooling environments of the two urban centres were analyzed to gain deeper…

English Learning Websites and Digital Resources from the Perspective of Chinese University EFL Practitioners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Huizhong; Yuan, Yifeng; Ewing, Robyn

2015-01-01

English language learning (ELL) websites and digital resources have been recognized as an important source of linguistic and cultural knowledge for English as a foreign language (EFL) learners to explore. The up-to-date information carried by authentic materials is invaluable for learners to develop an understanding of the target language/culture.…

Evaluation of Computerised Reading-Assistance Systems for Reading Japanese Texts--From a Linguistic Point of View

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toyoda, Etsuko

2016-01-01

For second-language learners to effectively and efficiently gather information from online texts in their target language, a well-designed computerised system to assist their reading is essential. While many articles and websites which introduce electronic second-language learning tools exist, evaluation of their functions in relation to the…

Improving Language Skills To Incorporate Detail in Student's Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAvinney, Angie

This report describes a program for enriching language use in writing. The targeted population consisted of one classroom of fourth grade students in a public elementary school. This school is in the small rural community near a large city in the Midwest. The problem of lack of language skills in writing was documented with teacher and student…

Factors Influencing the Use of Captions by Foreign Language Learners: An Eye-Tracking Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winke, Paula; Gass, Susan; Sydorenko, Tetyana

2013-01-01

This study investigates caption-reading behavior by foreign language (L2) learners and, through eye-tracking methodology, explores the extent to which the relationship between the native and target language affects that behavior. Second-year (4th semester) English-speaking learners of Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish watched 2 videos…

Second-Language Learners' Identification of Target-Language Phonemes: A Short-Term Phonetic Training Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cebrian, Juli; Carlet, Angelica

2014-01-01

This study examined the effect of short-term high-variability phonetic training on the perception of English /b/, /v/, /d/, /ð/, /ae/, /? /, /i/, and /i/ by Catalan/Spanish bilinguals learning English as a foreign language. Sixteen English-major undergraduates were tested before and after undergoing a four-session perceptual training program…

The Case for Problem Solving in Second Language Learning. CLCS Occasional Paper No. 33.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourke, James Mannes

A study undertaken in Ireland investigated the effectiveness of a second language teaching strategy that focused on grammatical problem-solving. In this approach, the problems are located within the target language system, and the problem-solving involves induction of grammatical rules and use of those rules. Learners are confronted with instances…

Using Nasreddin Hodja Stories in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yaman, Ismail

2017-01-01

Culture is an indispensable dimension of human life and also foreign language teaching and learning process; and as a part of the current trend, diverse cultural elements are covered in recently published English as a foreign language (EFL) coursebooks. These cultural elements are not limited to the target culture but they cover local and…

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…

Online Asynchronous Discussions in a Blended English Writing Course in a Japanese University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miyagi, Harunori

2012-01-01

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology has implemented reforms in Japan to promote language education through technology. Blended language learning is a way to fulfill the mandate set in these reforms. Combining the benefits of online and face-to-face learning leads to increased engagement in the target language.…

Contrastive Analysis Revisited: Obligatory, Systematic, and Incidental Differences Between Languages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berman, Ruth Aronson

1978-01-01

Contrastive analysis is suggested as a tool in language teaching for such areas as: (1) deciding how much to focus on different aspects of the target language; (2) making generalizations about its structure; and (3) explaining texts or constructions which might otherwise be incomprehensible. The claim is made that such procedures need to be based…

Applications of NLP Techniques to Computer-Assisted Authoring of Test Items for Elementary Chinese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Chao-Lin; Lin, Jen-Hsiang; Wang, Yu-Chun

2010-01-01

The authors report an implemented environment for computer-assisted authoring of test items and provide a brief discussion about the applications of NLP techniques for computer assisted language learning. Test items can serve as a tool for language learners to examine their competence in the target language. The authors apply techniques for…

The Pragmatics of Making Requests in the L2 Workplace: A Case Study of Language Socialization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Duanduan

2000-01-01

An ethnographic case study focuses on the pragmatics of higher-stakes social communications. Illustrates how, through exposure to social interactions and assistance from more competent peers, an immigrant woman came to internalize target language and cultural norms and develop communicative competence in English as a Second Language in the…

Web 2.0 and Authentic Foreign Language Learning at Higher Education Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martins, Maria de Lurdes Correia; Moreira, Gillian; Moreira, António

2012-01-01

Web 2.0 has afforded a number of opportunities for foreign language learning due to its open, participatory and social nature. A crucial aspect is authenticity--both situational and interactional--since students become involved in meaningful tasks, interacting in the target language with an authentic audience. In this paper we will reflect upon…

Examining the Potential of Fansubbing as a Language Learning Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakarnchua, Onuma

2017-01-01

The learning of English can help learners to not only understand and enjoy cultural products of the target language community, but also allows them to share what they enjoy in their own language community, or other communities to which English grants them access, with the world. Fansubbing, or the amateur production of multilingual subtitles for…

The Roles of Semantic Sense and Form-Meaning Connection in Translation Priming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luo, Xueying; Cheung, Him; Bel, David; Li, Li; Chen, Lin; Mo, Lei

2013-01-01

This study examines semantic sense and form-meaning connection across the bilingual's languages as factors behind translation priming asymmetry, which refers to semantic priming between translation equivalents with L1 (first language) primes and L2 (second language) targets, but the lack of it in the reverse direction. In Experiment 1, many-sense…

Priming production: Neural evidence for enhanced automatic semantic activity preceding language production in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Kuperberg, Gina R; Delaney-Busch, Nathaniel; Fanucci, Kristina; Blackford, Trevor

2018-01-01

Lexico-semantic disturbances are considered central to schizophrenia. Clinically, their clearest manifestation is in language production. However, most studies probing their underlying mechanisms have used comprehension or categorization tasks. Here, we probed automatic semantic activity prior to language production in schizophrenia using event-related potentials (ERPs). 19 people with schizophrenia and 16 demographically-matched healthy controls named target pictures that were very quickly preceded by masked prime words. To probe automatic semantic activity prior to production, we measured the N400 ERP component evoked by these targets. To determine the origin of any automatic semantic abnormalities, we manipulated the type of relationship between prime and target such that they overlapped in (a) their semantic features (semantically related, e.g. "cake" preceding a < picture of a pie >, (b) their initial phonemes (phonemically related, e.g. "stomach" preceding a < picture of a starfish >), or (c) both their semantic features and their orthographic/phonological word form (identity related, e.g. "socks" preceding a < picture of socks >). For each of these three types of relationship, the same targets were paired with unrelated prime words (counterbalanced across lists). We contrasted ERPs and naming times to each type of related target with its corresponding unrelated target. People with schizophrenia showed abnormal N400 modulation prior to naming identity related (versus unrelated) targets: whereas healthy control participants produced a smaller amplitude N400 to identity related than unrelated targets, patients showed the opposite pattern, producing a larger N400 to identity related than unrelated targets. This abnormality was specific to the identity related targets. Just like healthy control participants, people with schizophrenia produced a smaller N400 to semantically related than to unrelated targets, and showed no difference in the N400 evoked by phonemically related and unrelated targets. There were no differences between the two groups in the pattern of naming times across conditions. People with schizophrenia can show abnormal neural activity associated with automatic semantic processing prior to language production. The specificity of this abnormality to the identity related targets suggests that that, rather than arising from abnormalities of either semantic features or lexical form alone, it may stem from disruptions of mappings (connections) between the meaning of words and their form.

Component Technology for High-Performance Scientific Simulation Software

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

Epperly, T; Kohn, S; Kumfert, G

2000-11-09

We are developing scientific software component technology to manage the complexity of modem, parallel simulation software and increase the interoperability and re-use of scientific software packages. In this paper, we describe a language interoperability tool named Babel that enables the creation and distribution of language-independent software libraries using interface definition language (IDL) techniques. We have created a scientific IDL that focuses on the unique interface description needs of scientific codes, such as complex numbers, dense multidimensional arrays, complicated data types, and parallelism. Preliminary results indicate that in addition to language interoperability, this approach provides useful tools for thinking about themore » design of modem object-oriented scientific software libraries. Finally, we also describe a web-based component repository called Alexandria that facilitates the distribution, documentation, and re-use of scientific components and libraries.« less

Grounding language in action and perception: From cognitive agents to humanoid robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cangelosi, Angelo

2010-06-01

In this review we concentrate on a grounded approach to the modeling of cognition through the methodologies of cognitive agents and developmental robotics. This work will focus on the modeling of the evolutionary and developmental acquisition of linguistic capabilities based on the principles of symbol grounding. We review cognitive agent and developmental robotics models of the grounding of language to demonstrate their consistency with the empirical and theoretical evidence on language grounding and embodiment, and to reveal the benefits of such an approach in the design of linguistic capabilities in cognitive robotic agents. In particular, three different models will be discussed, where the complexity of the agent's sensorimotor and cognitive system gradually increases: from a multi-agent simulation of language evolution, to a simulated robotic agent model for symbol grounding transfer, to a model of language comprehension in the humanoid robot iCub. The review also discusses the benefits of the use of humanoid robotic platform, and specifically of the open source iCub platform, for the study of embodied cognition.

Internet-based system for simulation-based medical planning for cardiovascular disease.

PubMed

Steele, Brooke N; Draney, Mary T; Ku, Joy P; Taylor, Charles A

2003-06-01

Current practice in vascular surgery utilizes only diagnostic and empirical data to plan treatments, which does not enable quantitative a priori prediction of the outcomes of interventions. We have previously described simulation-based medical planning methods to model blood flow in arteries and plan medical treatments based on physiologic models. An important consideration for the design of these patient-specific modeling systems is the accessibility to physicians with modest computational resources. We describe a simulation-based medical planning environment developed for the World Wide Web (WWW) using the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) and the Java programming language.

A Java-Enabled Interactive Graphical Gas Turbine Propulsion System Simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reed, John A.; Afjeh, Abdollah A.

1997-01-01

This paper describes a gas turbine simulation system which utilizes the newly developed Java language environment software system. The system provides an interactive graphical environment which allows the quick and efficient construction and analysis of arbitrary gas turbine propulsion systems. The simulation system couples a graphical user interface, developed using the Java Abstract Window Toolkit, and a transient, space- averaged, aero-thermodynamic gas turbine analysis method, both entirely coded in the Java language. The combined package provides analytical, graphical and data management tools which allow the user to construct and control engine simulations by manipulating graphical objects on the computer display screen. Distributed simulations, including parallel processing and distributed database access across the Internet and World-Wide Web (WWW), are made possible through services provided by the Java environment.

Human task animation from performance models and natural language input

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Esakov, Jeffrey; Badler, Norman I.; Jung, Moon

1989-01-01

Graphical manipulation of human figures is essential for certain types of human factors analyses such as reach, clearance, fit, and view. In many situations, however, the animation of simulated people performing various tasks may be based on more complicated functions involving multiple simultaneous reaches, critical timing, resource availability, and human performance capabilities. One rather effective means for creating such a simulation is through a natural language description of the tasks to be carried out. Given an anthropometrically-sized figure and a geometric workplace environment, various simple actions such as reach, turn, and view can be effectively controlled from language commands or standard NASA checklist procedures. The commands may also be generated by external simulation tools. Task timing is determined from actual performance models, if available, such as strength models or Fitts' Law. The resulting action specification are animated on a Silicon Graphics Iris workstation in real-time.

A direct-execution parallel architecture for the Advanced Continuous Simulation Language (ACSL)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carroll, Chester C.; Owen, Jeffrey E.

1988-01-01

A direct-execution parallel architecture for the Advanced Continuous Simulation Language (ACSL) is presented which overcomes the traditional disadvantages of simulations executed on a digital computer. The incorporation of parallel processing allows the mapping of simulations into a digital computer to be done in the same inherently parallel manner as they are currently mapped onto an analog computer. The direct-execution format maximizes the efficiency of the executed code since the need for a high level language compiler is eliminated. Resolution is greatly increased over that which is available with an analog computer without the sacrifice in execution speed normally expected with digitial computer simulations. Although this report covers all aspects of the new architecture, key emphasis is placed on the processing element configuration and the microprogramming of the ACLS constructs. The execution times for all ACLS constructs are computed using a model of a processing element based on the AMD 29000 CPU and the AMD 29027 FPU. The increase in execution speed provided by parallel processing is exemplified by comparing the derived execution times of two ACSL programs with the execution times for the same programs executed on a similar sequential architecture.

iBIOMES Lite: Summarizing Biomolecular Simulation Data in Limited Settings

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

As the amount of data generated by biomolecular simulations dramatically increases, new tools need to be developed to help manage this data at the individual investigator or small research group level. In this paper, we introduce iBIOMES Lite, a lightweight tool for biomolecular simulation data indexing and summarization. The main goal of iBIOMES Lite is to provide a simple interface to summarize computational experiments in a setting where the user might have limited privileges and limited access to IT resources. A command-line interface allows the user to summarize, publish, and search local simulation data sets. Published data sets are accessible via static hypertext markup language (HTML) pages that summarize the simulation protocols and also display data analysis graphically. The publication process is customized via extensible markup language (XML) descriptors while the HTML summary template is customized through extensible stylesheet language (XSL). iBIOMES Lite was tested on different platforms and at several national computing centers using various data sets generated through classical and quantum molecular dynamics, quantum chemistry, and QM/MM. The associated parsers currently support AMBER, GROMACS, Gaussian, and NWChem data set publication. The code is available at https://github.com/jcvthibault/ibiomes. PMID:24830957

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

Mizell, D.; Carter, S.

In 1987, ISI's parallel distributed computing research group implemented a prototype sequential simulation system, designed for high-level simulation of candidate (Strategic Defense Initiative) architectures. A main design goal was to produce a simulation system that could incorporate non-trivial, executable representations of battle-management computations on each platform that were capable of controlling the actions of that platform throughout the simulation. The term BMA (battle manager abstraction) was used to refer to these simulated battle-management computations. In the authors first version of the simulator, the BMAs were C++ programs that we wrote and manually inserted into the system. Since then, they havemore » designed and implemented KMAC, a high-level language for writing BMA's. The KMAC preprocessor, built using the Unix tools lex 2 and YACC 3, translates KMAC source programs into C++ programs and passes them on to the C++ compiler. The KMAC preprocessor was incorporated into and operates under the control of the simulator's interactive user interface. After the KMAC preprocessor has translated a program into C++, the user interface system invokes the C++ compiler, and incorporates the resulting object code into the simulator load module for execution as part of a simulation run. This report describes the KMAC language and its preprocessor. Section 2 provides background material on the design of the simulation system that is necessary for understanding some of the parts of KMAC and some of the reasons it is structured the way it is. Section 3 describes the syntax and semantics of the language, and Section 4 discusses design of the preprocessor.« less

Noise reduction improves memory for target language speech in competing native but not foreign language speech.

PubMed

Ng, Elaine Hoi Ning; Rudner, Mary; Lunner, Thomas; Rönnberg, Jerker

2015-01-01

A hearing aid noise reduction (NR) algorithm reduces the adverse effect of competing speech on memory for target speech for individuals with hearing impairment with high working memory capacity. In the present study, we investigated whether the positive effect of NR could be extended to individuals with low working memory capacity, as well as how NR influences recall performance for target native speech when the masker language is non-native. A sentence-final word identification and recall (SWIR) test was administered to 26 experienced hearing aid users. In this test, target spoken native language (Swedish) sentence lists were presented in competing native (Swedish) or foreign (Cantonese) speech with or without binary masking NR algorithm. After each sentence list, free recall of sentence final words was prompted. Working memory capacity was measured using a reading span (RS) test. Recall performance was associated with RS. However, the benefit obtained from NR was not associated with RS. Recall performance was more disrupted by native than foreign speech babble and NR improved recall performance in native but not foreign competing speech. Noise reduction improved memory for speech heard in competing speech for hearing aid users. Memory for native speech was more disrupted by native babble than foreign babble, but the disruptive effect of native speech babble was reduced to that of foreign babble when there was NR.

The Effect of Collocation on Meaning Representation of Adjectives Such as Big and Large in Translation from Two Languages Used in the Article to English Language Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minaabad, Malahat Shabani

2011-01-01

Translation is the process to transfer written or spoken source language (SL) texts to equivalent written or spoken target language (TL) texts. Translation studies (TS) relies so heavily on a concept of meaning, that one may claim that there is no TS without any reference to meanings. People's understanding of the meaning of sentences is far more…

Software for Engineering Simulations of a Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shireman, Kirk; McSwain, Gene; McCormick, Bernell; Fardelos, Panayiotis

2005-01-01

Spacecraft Engineering Simulation II (SES II) is a C-language computer program for simulating diverse aspects of operation of a spacecraft characterized by either three or six degrees of freedom. A functional model in SES can include a trajectory flight plan; a submodel of a flight computer running navigational and flight-control software; and submodels of the environment, the dynamics of the spacecraft, and sensor inputs and outputs. SES II features a modular, object-oriented programming style. SES II supports event-based simulations, which, in turn, create an easily adaptable simulation environment in which many different types of trajectories can be simulated by use of the same software. The simulation output consists largely of flight data. SES II can be used to perform optimization and Monte Carlo dispersion simulations. It can also be used to perform simulations for multiple spacecraft. In addition to its generic simulation capabilities, SES offers special capabilities for space-shuttle simulations: for this purpose, it incorporates submodels of the space-shuttle dynamics and a C-language version of the guidance, navigation, and control components of the space-shuttle flight software.

Sleep-Based Memory Processing Facilitates Grammatical Generalization: Evidence from Targeted Memory Reactivation

PubMed Central

Batterink, Laura J.; Paller, Ken A.

2015-01-01

Generalization — the ability to abstract regularities from specific examples and apply them to novel instances — is an essential component of language acquisition. Generalization not only depends on exposure to input during wake, but may also improve offline during sleep. Here we examined whether targeted memory reactivation during sleep can influence grammatical generalization. Participants gradually acquired the grammatical rules of an artificial language through an interactive learning procedure. Then, phrases from the language (experimental group) or stimuli from an unrelated task (control group) were covertly presented during an afternoon nap. Compared to control participants, participants re-exposed to the language during sleep showed larger gains in grammatical generalization. Sleep cues produced a bias, not necessarily a pure gain, suggesting that the capacity for memory replay during sleep is limited. We conclude that grammatical generalization was biased by auditory cueing during sleep, and by extension, that sleep likely influences grammatical generalization in general. PMID:26443322

Language Preferences on Websites and in Google Searches for Human Health and Food Information

PubMed Central

Singh, Punam Mony; Wight, Carly A; Sercinoglu, Olcan; Wilson, David C; Boytsov, Artem

2007-01-01

Background While it is known that the majority of pages on the World Wide Web are in English, little is known about the preferred language of users searching for health information online. Objectives (1) To help global and domestic publishers, for example health and food agencies, to determine the need for translation of online information from English into local languages. (2) To help these agencies determine which language(s) they should select when publishing information online in target nations and for target subpopulations within nations. Methods To estimate the percentage of Web publishers that translate their health and food websites, we measured the frequency at which domain names retrieved by Google overlap for language translations of the same health-related search term. To quantify language choice of searchers from different countries, Google provided estimates of the rate at which its search engine was queried in six languages relative to English for the terms “avian flu,” “tuberculosis,” “schizophrenia,” and “maize” (corn) from January 2004 to April 2006. The estimate was based on a 20% sample of all Google queries from 227 nations. Results We estimate that 80%-90% of health- and food-related institutions do not translate their websites into multiple languages, even when the information concerns pandemic disease such as avian influenza. Although Internet users are often well-educated, there was a strong preference for searching for health and food information in the local language, rather than English. For “avian flu,” we found that only 1% of searches in non-English-speaking nations were in English, whereas for “tuberculosis” or “schizophrenia,” about 4%-40% of searches in non-English countries employed English. A subset of searches for health information presumably originating from immigrants occurred in their native tongue, not the language of the adopted country. However, Spanish-language online searches for “avian flu,” “schizophrenia,” and “maize/corn” in the United States occurred at only <1% of the English search rate, although the US online Hispanic population constitutes 12% of the total US online population. Sub-Saharan Africa and Bangladesh searches for health information occurred in unexpected languages, perhaps reflecting the presence of aid workers and the global migration of Internet users, respectively. In Latin America, indigenous-language search terms were often used rather than Spanish. Conclusions (1) Based on the strong preference for searching the Internet for health information in the local language, indigenous language, or immigrant language of origin, global and domestic health and food agencies should continue their efforts to translate their institutional websites into more languages. (2) We have provided linguistic online search pattern data to help health and food agencies better select languages for targeted website publishing. PMID:17613488

ExoData: A Python package to handle large exoplanet catalogue data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varley, Ryan

2016-10-01

Exoplanet science often involves using the system parameters of real exoplanets for tasks such as simulations, fitting routines, and target selection for proposals. Several exoplanet catalogues are already well established but often lack a version history and code friendly interfaces. Software that bridges the barrier between the catalogues and code enables users to improve the specific repeatability of results by facilitating the retrieval of exact system parameters used in articles results along with unifying the equations and software used. As exoplanet science moves towards large data, gone are the days where researchers can recall the current population from memory. An interface able to query the population now becomes invaluable for target selection and population analysis. ExoData is a Python interface and exploratory analysis tool for the Open Exoplanet Catalogue. It allows the loading of exoplanet systems into Python as objects (Planet, Star, Binary, etc.) from which common orbital and system equations can be calculated and measured parameters retrieved. This allows researchers to use tested code of the common equations they require (with units) and provides a large science input catalogue of planets for easy plotting and use in research. Advanced querying of targets is possible using the database and Python programming language. ExoData is also able to parse spectral types and fill in missing parameters according to programmable specifications and equations. Examples of use cases are integration of equations into data reduction pipelines, selecting planets for observing proposals and as an input catalogue to large scale simulation and analysis of planets. ExoData is a Python package available freely on GitHub.

Dr.LiTHO: a development and research lithography simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fühner, Tim; Schnattinger, Thomas; Ardelean, Gheorghe; Erdmann, Andreas

2007-03-01

This paper introduces Dr.LiTHO, a research and development oriented lithography simulation environment developed at Fraunhofer IISB to flexibly integrate our simulation models into one coherent platform. We propose a light-weight approach to a lithography simulation environment: The use of a scripting (batch) language as an integration platform. Out of the great variety of different scripting languages, Python proved superior in many ways: It exhibits a good-natured learning-curve, it is efficient, available on virtually any platform, and provides sophisticated integration mechanisms for existing programs. In this paper, we will describe the steps, required to provide Python bindings for existing programs and to finally generate an integrated simulation environment. In addition, we will give a short introduction into selected software design demands associated with the development of such a framework. We will especially focus on testing and (both technical and user-oriented) documentation issues. Dr.LiTHO Python files contain not only all simulation parameter settings but also the simulation flow, providing maximum flexibility. In addition to relatively simple batch jobs, repetitive tasks can be pooled in libraries. And as Python is a full-blown programming language, users can add virtually any functionality, which is especially useful in the scope of simulation studies or optimization tasks, that often require masses of evaluations. Furthermore, we will give a short overview of the numerous existing Python packages. Several examples demonstrate the feasibility and productiveness of integrating Python packages into custom Dr.LiTHO scripts.

Computational studies of steering nanoparticles with magnetic gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aylak, Sultan Suleyman

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) guided nanorobotic systems that could perform diagnostic, curative, and reconstructive treatments in the human body at the cellular and subcellular level in a controllable manner have recently been proposed. The concept of a MRI-guided nanorobotic system is based on the use of a MRI scanner to induce the required external driving forces to guide magnetic nanocapsules to a specific target. However, the maximum magnetic gradient specifications of existing clinical MRI systems are not capable of driving magnetic nanocapsules against the blood flow. This thesis presents the visualization of nanoparticles inside blood vessel, Graphical User Interface (GUI) for updating file including initial parameters and demonstrating the simulation of particles and C++ code for computing magnetic forces and fluidic forces. The visualization and GUI were designed using Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), MATLAB and C#. The addition of software for MRI-guided nanorobotic system provides simulation results. Preliminary simulation results demonstrate that external magnetic field causes aggregation of nanoparticles while they flow in the vessel. This is a promising result --in accordance with similar experimental results- and encourages further investigation on the nanoparticle-based self-assembly structures for use in nanorobotic drug delivery.

Targeting Complex Sentences in Older School Children with Specific Language Impairment: Results from an Early-Phase Treatment Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balthazar, Catherine H.; Scott, Cheryl M.

2018-01-01

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of a complex sentence treatment at 2 dosage levels on language performance of 30 school-age children ages 10-14 years with specific language impairment. Method: Three types of complex sentences (adverbial, object complement, relative) were taught in sequence in once or twice weekly dosage conditions.…

The Crucial Point in Time Where Thai Students Are Introduced English Language Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dueraman, Bayatee

2015-01-01

There have been interests in finding appropriate ways in which students learn to write in English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL). Educators should be aware that ESL/EFL learners are less privileged in terms of exposure to the target language when compared to their English native speaker counterparts. Ironically, writing instructions to…

Challenges of Employing E-Learning for Teaching Language: A Case of Teaching English in Iran

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alizadeh, Iman

2012-01-01

The whole thrust of this study was to delve into some of the pedagogical and practical challenges intimately related to employing e-learning for teaching language. To this aim, 30 language learners targeted as the subjects of the study were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups after administering a pretest. One the one hand, the…

L1 Use in the L2 Classroom: One Teacher's Self-Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edstrom, Anne

2006-01-01

Predominant, if not exclusive, use of the target language has long been considered an important principle of second language (L2) instruction. Previous research has attempted to quantify the amount of the first language (L1) used in the classroom and has explored the purposes or functions of teachers' "lapses" into their students' L1. The present…

Common Ground between Form and Content: The Pragmatic Solution to the Bootstrapping Problem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oller, John W.

2005-01-01

The frame of reference for this article is second or foreign language (L2 or FL) acquisition, but the pragmatic bootstrapping hypothesis applies to language processing and acquisition in any context or modality. It is relevant to teaching children to read. It shows how connections between target language surface forms and their content can be made…

A Case Study on Mobile-Blended Collaborative Learning in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avci, Hulya; Adiguzel, Tufan

2017-01-01

As learning a foreign language poses a number of challenges for the students, it has become indispensable to search for "optimal" conditions to enhance opportunities of engaging in the target language. Within this context, the Mobile-Blended Collaborative Learning model has been integrated in and out of the classroom learning in order to…

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Electronic Discussion and Foreign Language Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanna, Barbara; de Nooy, Juliana

2003-01-01

Examines participation of language students in on-line discussion groups with native speakers of the target language. Examines the threads started by four anglophone students of French when they post messages to a forum on the Web site of the French newspaper "Le Monde." Investigation of these examples points to the ways in which electronic…

Language Non-Selective Activation of Orthography during Spoken Word Processing in Hindi-English Sequential Bilinguals: An Eye Tracking Visual World Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mishra, Ramesh Kumar; Singh, Niharika

2014-01-01

Previous psycholinguistic studies have shown that bilinguals activate lexical items of both the languages during auditory and visual word processing. In this study we examined if Hindi-English bilinguals activate the orthographic forms of phonological neighbors of translation equivalents of the non target language while listening to words either…

Multi-User Domain Object Oriented (MOO) as a High School Procedure for Foreign Language Acquisition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Backer, James A.

Foreign language students experience added difficulty when they are isolated from native speakers and from the culture of the target language. It has been posited that MOO (Multi-User Domain Object Oriented) may help overcome the geographical isolation of these students. MOOs are Internet-based virtual worlds in which people from all over the real…

Effectiveness of Intervention for Grammar in School-Aged Children with Primary Language Impairments: A Review of the Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebbels, Susan

2014-01-01

This article summarizes the evidence as regards the effectiveness of therapy for grammar for school-aged children with language impairments. I first review studies focusing on specific areas of grammar (both expressive and receptive targets) and then studies aiming to improve language more generally, several of which focus more on the…

An Investigation into Chinese College English Teachers' Beliefs of Students' Web-Based Informal Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiang, Jiahong

2016-01-01

With the rapid development of information and technology, language learners have more ways to acquire the target language. Recently, WILL has gained popularity, for informal web-based learning of English has been depicted as a process driven by the purpose of communication. Thus, teachers have many challenges when teaching learners who have…

Dissociating Linguistic and Non-Linguistic Gesture Processing: Electrophysiological Evidence from American Sign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grosvald, Michael; Gutierrez, Eva; Hafer, Sarah; Corina, David

2012-01-01

A fundamental advance in our understanding of human language would come from a detailed account of how non-linguistic and linguistic manual actions are differentiated in real time by language users. To explore this issue, we targeted the N400, an ERP component known to be sensitive to semantic context. Deaf signers saw 120 American Sign Language…

Equality in Language Learning. Proceedings of the Nordic Conference of Applied Linguistics, (5th, Jyvaskyla, Finland, June 4-7, 1987). AFinLA Series No. 45.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sajavaara, Kari, Ed.

Papers presented at the conference on applied linguistics include the following: "Speaking of Grammars: Is Big Beautiful?" (Jan Svartvik); "A Sociosemiotic View of the Grasp of Language at Reality: The Lexical Field 'Aesthetic Judgment'" (Wolfgang Kuhlwein); "Language as a Target and Instrument of the Educational Process…

Sociability and synapse subtype-specific defects in mice lacking SRPX2, a language-associated gene

PubMed Central

Cong, Qifei; Palmer, Christian R.

2018-01-01

The FoxP2 transcription factor and its target genes have been implicated in developmental brain diseases with a prominent language component, such as developmental verbal dyspraxia and specific language impairment. How FoxP2 affects neural circuitry development remains poorly understood. The sushi domain protein SRPX2 is a target of FoxP2, and mutations in SRPX2 are associated with language defects in humans. We have previously shown that SRPX2 is a synaptogenic protein that increases excitatory synapse density. Here we provide the first characterization of mice lacking the SRPX2 gene, and show that these mice exhibit defects in both neural circuitry and communication and social behaviors. Specifically, we show that mice lacking SRPX2 show a specific reduction in excitatory VGlut2 synapses in the cerebral cortex, while VGlut1 and inhibitory synapses were largely unaffected. SRPX2 KO mice also exhibit an abnormal ultrasonic vocalization ontogenetic profile in neonatal pups, and reduced preference for social novelty. These data demonstrate a functional role for SRPX2 during brain development, and further implicate FoxP2 and its targets in regulating the development of vocalization and social circuits. PMID:29920554

Sentence durations and accentedness judgments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bond, Z. S.; Stockmal, Verna; Markus, Dace

2003-04-01

Talkers in a second language can frequently be identified as speaking with a foreign accent. It is not clear to what degree a foreign accent represents specific deviations from a target language versus more general characteristics. We examined the identifications of native and non-native talkers by listeners with various amount of knowledge of the target language. Native and non-native speakers of Latvian provided materials. All the non-native talkers spoke Russian as their first language and were long-term residents of Latvia. A listening test, containing sentences excerpted from a short recorded passage, was presented to three groups of listeners: native speakers of Latvian, Russians for whom Latvian was a second language, and Americans with no knowledge of either of the two languages. The listeners were asked to judge whether each utterance was produced by a native or non-native talker. The Latvians identified the non-native talkers very accurately, 88%. The Russians were somewhat less accurate, 83%. The American listeners were least accurate, but still identified the non-native talkers at above chance levels, 62%. Sentence durations correlated with the judgments provided by the American listeners but not with the judgments provided by native or L2 listeners.

Development of the Tensoral Computer Language

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferziger, Joel; Dresselhaus, Eliot

1996-01-01

The research scientist or engineer wishing to perform large scale simulations or to extract useful information from existing databases is required to have expertise in the details of the particular database, the numerical methods and the computer architecture to be used. This poses a significant practical barrier to the use of simulation data. The goal of this research was to develop a high-level computer language called Tensoral, designed to remove this barrier. The Tensoral language provides a framework in which efficient generic data manipulations can be easily coded and implemented. First of all, Tensoral is general. The fundamental objects in Tensoral represent tensor fields and the operators that act on them. The numerical implementation of these tensors and operators is completely and flexibly programmable. New mathematical constructs and operators can be easily added to the Tensoral system. Tensoral is compatible with existing languages. Tensoral tensor operations co-exist in a natural way with a host language, which may be any sufficiently powerful computer language such as Fortran, C, or Vectoral. Tensoral is very-high-level. Tensor operations in Tensoral typically act on entire databases (i.e., arrays) at one time and may, therefore, correspond to many lines of code in a conventional language. Tensoral is efficient. Tensoral is a compiled language. Database manipulations are simplified optimized and scheduled by the compiler eventually resulting in efficient machine code to implement them.

Hardware description languages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tucker, Jerry H.

1994-01-01

Hardware description languages are special purpose programming languages. They are primarily used to specify the behavior of digital systems and are rapidly replacing traditional digital system design techniques. This is because they allow the designer to concentrate on how the system should operate rather than on implementation details. Hardware description languages allow a digital system to be described with a wide range of abstraction, and they support top down design techniques. A key feature of any hardware description language environment is its ability to simulate the modeled system. The two most important hardware description languages are Verilog and VHDL. Verilog has been the dominant language for the design of application specific integrated circuits (ASIC's). However, VHDL is rapidly gaining in popularity.

Language for Winning Hearts and Minds: Verb Aspect in U.S. Presidential Campaign Speeches for Engaging Emotion.

PubMed

Havas, David A; Chapp, Christopher B

2016-01-01

How does language influence the emotions and actions of large audiences? Functionally, emotions help address environmental uncertainty by constraining the body to support adaptive responses and social coordination. We propose emotions provide a similar function in language processing by constraining the mental simulation of language content to facilitate comprehension, and to foster alignment of mental states in message recipients. Consequently, we predicted that emotion-inducing language should be found in speeches specifically designed to create audience alignment - stump speeches of United States presidential candidates. We focused on phrases in the past imperfective verb aspect ("a bad economy was burdening us") that leave a mental simulation of the language content open-ended, and thus unconstrained, relative to past perfective sentences ("we were burdened by a bad economy"). As predicted, imperfective phrases appeared more frequently in stump versus comparison speeches, relative to perfective phrases. In a subsequent experiment, participants rated phrases from presidential speeches as more emotionally intense when written in the imperfective aspect compared to the same phrases written in the perfective aspect, particularly for sentences perceived as negative in valence. These findings are consistent with the notion that emotions have a role in constraining the comprehension of language, a role that may be used in communication with large audiences.

Language translation challenges with Arabic speakers participating in qualitative research studies.

PubMed

Al-Amer, Rasmieh; Ramjan, Lucie; Glew, Paul; Darwish, Maram; Salamonson, Yenna

2016-02-01

This paper discusses how a research team negotiated the challenges of language differences in a qualitative study that involved two languages. The lead researcher shared the participants' language and culture, and the interviews were conducted using the Arabic language as a source language, which was then translated and disseminated in the English language (target language). The challenges in relation to translation in cross-cultural research were highlighted from a perspective of establishing meaning as a vital issue in qualitative research. The paper draws on insights gained from a study undertaken among Arabic-speaking participants involving the use of in-depth semi-structured interviews. The study was undertaken using a purposive sample of 15 participants with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and co-existing depression and explored their perception of self-care management behaviours. Data analysis was performed in two phases. The first phase entailed translation and transcription of the data, and the second phase entailed thematic analysis of the data to develop categories and themes. In this paper there is discussion on the translation process and its inherent challenges. As translation is an interpretive process and not merely a direct message transfer from a source language to a target language, translators need to systematically and accurately capture the full meaning of the spoken language. This discussion paper highlights difficulties in the translation process, specifically in managing data in relation to metaphors, medical terminology and connotation of the text, and importantly, preserving the meaning between the original and translated data. Recommendations for future qualitative studies involving interviews with non-English speaking participants are outlined, which may assist researchers maintain the integrity of the data throughout the translation process. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teaching Sentential Intonation through Proverbs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yurtbasi, Metin

2012-01-01

Suprasegmental elements such as "stress," "pitch," "juncture" and "linkers" are language universals that are uttered naturally in the mother tongue without prior training but need to be learned systematically in the target language. Among other techniques of "sentential pronunciation teaching" to…