Languages

21 pages, 3575 KiB

Open AccessArticle

I, as a Fault—Condemnation of Being and Power Dynamics in the Parent-Child Interaction

by Rose Moreau Raguenes

Languages 2025, 10(3), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030054 - 19 Mar 2025

Viewed by 397

This article explores the power dynamics underlying verbal abuse within the parent-child interaction. Through a reception-based approach, it focuses on condemnation acts of being (e.g., you are a good for nothing) directed by abusive parents towards their children and reported by the [...] Read more.

This article explores the power dynamics underlying verbal abuse within the parent-child interaction. Through a reception-based approach, it focuses on condemnation acts of being (e.g., you are a good for nothing) directed by abusive parents towards their children and reported by the latter in anonymous testimonies published on the Francophone Instagram account Parents toxiques; a sample of ten testimonies is examined. The analyses conducted show that (i) the ontological assertion of power over the other is constructed from the predicative level, with processes that concern their being in its entirety and present condemnation as an objective reality. (ii) The condemnation of being draws its pragmatic force from its legitimisation—by relying on norms presented as self-evident and universal and by highlighting the harm caused by the other. (iii) As a speaker, constructing the other’s being as at fault involves, to varying degrees, essentialising and downgrading them as well as conflating their intrinsic worth with one’s beliefs and needs. In conclusion, the notion of condemnation acts of being—along with its descriptors—provides an effective framework that can be applied to reports and direct observations to help various professionals identify and assess transgressions and/or dysfunctions in authority relationships. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Forensic and Legal Linguistics)

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22 pages, 251 KiB

Open AccessArticle

English in a Post-Pandemic Context: The Case of Multilingual Filipino Day Care Children

by Aireen Barrios

Languages 2025, 10(3), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030053 - 18 Mar 2025

Viewed by 578

Abstract

Day care centers in Zamboanga City in western Mindanao, Philippines use the home language as a medium of communication as they carry out daily lessons for young children through songs, stories, games, and various social activities. Workers at the study’s day care site [...] Read more.

Day care centers in Zamboanga City in western Mindanao, Philippines use the home language as a medium of communication as they carry out daily lessons for young children through songs, stories, games, and various social activities. Workers at the study’s day care site disclosed that the pandemic has significantly impacted language use among children in the community in favor of English. Internet connection and access to popular programs, particularly YouTube, have provided very young children easy access to English. As guardians and parents were forced to work from home at the height of the pandemic, the home became an extension of work, with most homes having a space for work using a laptop, a tablet, a cellphone, or other similar gadgets. It is within this set-up that children who were born between 2019 and 2020, who grew up within the lockdown period imposed by the deadly spread of COVID-19, and attended day care for the first time when they were around three to four years of age were observed to speak in English. Data from an experimental task where 3–4-year-old children were asked to describe animals using target language forms in Chabacano reveal that young Zamboangueño children spoke English most of the time. Excerpts from the data demonstrate how children generally spoke in English even while the task was delivered primarily in Chabacano. Demographic data and linguistic background of both the children and adults as provided by the parents or guardians of these children through a questionnaire help explain this phenomenon in greater detail. A closer look at the data reveals translanguaging at work among these multilingual children. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Discourse and Identity in the Diverse and Evolving Varieties of Southeast Asian Englishes)

17 pages, 1825 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Input Consistency on Children’s Cross-Situational Statistical Learning of Words and Morphophonological Rules

by Marica Savarino, Merel van Witteloostuijn, Josje Verhagen, Judith Rispens and Imme Lammertink

Languages 2025, 10(3), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030052 - 14 Mar 2025

Viewed by 448

Abstract

Children learn linguistic structures from the input they receive. Their learning may depend on several factors such as children’s sensitivity to structure in the input, prior language experience, and the consistency of linguistic structures in the input. In this study, we investigated how [...] Read more.

Children learn linguistic structures from the input they receive. Their learning may depend on several factors such as children’s sensitivity to structure in the input, prior language experience, and the consistency of linguistic structures in the input. In this study, we investigated how inconsistent input (i.e., substitution errors) in an artificial language affects 7 to 11-year-old Dutch-speaking children’s learning of words and rules. Using a cross-situational statistical learning task (CSL task), we assessed children’s learning of label–referent pairs (word learning) and their generalization of two morphophonological rules. Eighty-nine children were randomly allocated to three input conditions: a fully consistent input condition (n = 31), a 12.5% inconsistent input condition (n = 32), and a 25% inconsistent input condition (n = 26). In the inconsistent input conditions, children were exposed to substitution errors, respectively, 12.5% and 25% of the time. We found evidence that substitution errors in children’s language input hindered their cross-situational statistical language learning. While we have evidence that children learned the words in our artificial language, we have no evidence that children—regardless of input condition—detected the morphophonological rules. This study eventually may inform us on how differences in the quality of children’s language environments (arising from, e.g., speaker variability and language proficiency) affect their language learning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language Input Effects in Atypical Language Development)

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27 pages, 6535 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Locative Inversion in Vietnamese

by Trần Phan and Chao-Ting Tim Chou

Languages 2025, 10(3), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030050 - 14 Mar 2025

Viewed by 437

Abstract

This paper has four primary objectives. First, we examine two Vietnamese constructions—the locative and existential constructions—in which a locative phrase appears clause-initially, preceding a verb-DP sequence. We demonstrate that, in the locative construction, the locative phrase is an argument of the locative verb, [...] Read more.

This paper has four primary objectives. First, we examine two Vietnamese constructions—the locative and existential constructions—in which a locative phrase appears clause-initially, preceding a verb-DP sequence. We demonstrate that, in the locative construction, the locative phrase is an argument of the locative verb, whereas, in the existential construction, it functions as a locative adjunct. Second, we show that this locative adjunct in the existential construction can undergo optional topicalization to the left periphery. More crucially, we argue that the fronting of the locative argument in the locative construction is neither Ā-topicalization to the left periphery nor A-movement targeting Spec,TP, supporting the featural approach to the A/Ā distinction. Third, by comparing the expletive nó with the fronting locative argument in the locative construction, we contend that both compete for the same specifier position of a hybrid A/Ā projection in the high TP domain. Fourth, to detail the movement of the locative argument in the locative construction, we posit a composite probe [D, δ] on the head of the A/ĀP to selectively move the locative argument to Spec,A/ĀP over the structurally higher theme DP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Issues in Vietnamese Linguistics)

13 pages, 810 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gendering the Jordanian Dinar: A Study of Lexical Variation Among Jordanian University Students According to Gender Performativity Theory

by Abdel Rahman Mitib Altakhaineh, Nour Jamal Aldahshan and Aseel Zibin

Languages 2025, 10(3), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030051 - 13 Mar 2025

Viewed by 932

Abstract

This study examines the impact of gender as a social factor on the lexical variation of the Jordanian currency, dinar, among students at the University of Jordan. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, the study aims to determine whether the role of gender is [...] Read more.

This study examines the impact of gender as a social factor on the lexical variation of the Jordanian currency, dinar, among students at the University of Jordan. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, the study aims to determine whether the role of gender is statistically significant in the choices among different lexical variants of the terms. For quantitative results, the chi-square test of independence, conducted after distributing a questionnaire to 510 participants, revealed that gender significantly influences lexical choices. Furthermore, data obtained from fifty audio-recorded interviews revealed that the majority of participants agreed with the findings from the quantitative analysis. Applying Gender Performativity Theory to analyze these choices socially and the meanings conveyed by their usage reveals that lexical preferences in Jordan are deeply connected with societal expectations regarding gender roles. Full article

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28 pages, 11495 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Water and Sheep: The Pronunciation and Geographical Distribution of Two Germanic Vowels in the Dialects Around the Former Zuiderzee Area

by Floris Nijhuis, John L. A. Huisman and Roeland van Hout

Languages 2025, 10(3), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030049 - 13 Mar 2025

Viewed by 465

Abstract

The Zuiderzee area in the Netherlands is a former inlet sea at the heart of the crossroads of three major regional languages. While these regional languages are largely distinct, previous work by the dialectologist Kloeke indicated similarities due to contact over water, notably [...] Read more.

The Zuiderzee area in the Netherlands is a former inlet sea at the heart of the crossroads of three major regional languages. While these regional languages are largely distinct, previous work by the dialectologist Kloeke indicated similarities due to contact over water, notably the realisation of the Proto-West Germanic vowels *ā and *a. Using various dialectometric methods, we analysed the distribution of these vowels for 121 localities in this region. Specifically, we tried to determine the dialectal landscape more thoroughly, find instances that illustrate cultural diffusion and migration, and evaluate the overall relationship between distance over water and vowel variations. Using a Bayesian population genetic method, admixture, we distinguished nine linguistically explainable clusters, demonstrating its potential. Moreover, we found evidence of cultural diffusion conforming to the overall presence of three different regional languages. Additionally, we employed the so-called matrix method in linear-mixed effects regression to demonstrate that the geographic distance helped to explain the geographic patterns of vowel variation. The distance over water was as effective a measure as the distance over land. We expect this to be common in areas with a history of intensive and sustained shipping traffic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dialectal Dynamics)

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25 pages, 4295 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sound Change and Consonant Devoicing in Word-Final Sibilants: A Study of Brazilian Portuguese Plural Forms

by Wellington Mendes, Jr.

Languages 2025, 10(3), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030048 - 7 Mar 2025

Viewed by 559

Abstract

This study investigates consonant devoicing in Brazilian Portuguese (BP), in order to assess whether an ongoing sound change is taking place. We examine plural forms consisting of a stop consonant followed by a word-final sibilant, such as in redes [hedz] ~ [heds] ~ [...] Read more.

This study investigates consonant devoicing in Brazilian Portuguese (BP), in order to assess whether an ongoing sound change is taking place. We examine plural forms consisting of a stop consonant followed by a word-final sibilant, such as in redes [hedz] ~ [heds] ~ [hets] and sedes [sɛdz] ~ [sɛds] ~ [sɛts], focusing on the emergence of voiceless sibilants before word-initial vowels (e.g., redes amarelas, ‘yellow hammocks’). If sibilants remain voiceless despite a following vowel, this challenges the expected regressive voicing assimilation in BP and raises the question of the conditions under which this devoicing occurs. Data were collected through recordings of oral production from twenty Brazilian speakers, using reading and picture naming tasks. Sibilant voicing was quantified using harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR). A linear mixed-effects model—including random intercepts and slopes for both speakers and words—reveals that sibilants are significantly more voiced before a vowel than before a pause, but this voicing is substantially reduced when the sibilant is preceded by voiceless consonants. These findings indicate an ongoing devoicing process at pre-vocalic word boundaries in BP, affecting clusters [pz, tz, kz] and [bz, dz, gz] alike. Spectrographic analyses indicate that not only the sibilants but also their preceding stop may exhibit devoicing. Moreover, minimal-pair considerations suggest that speakers potentially maintain sibilant voicing in certain lexical items to preserve intelligibility (e.g., gra[dz] ‘grades’ and se[dz] ‘headquarters’ vs. grá[ts] ‘free’ and se[ts] ‘sets’). Drawing on Exemplar Theory, we propose a competition between the influence of the phonological environment and word-final devoicing: sibilants are sometimes voiced due to a following vowel (e.g., botes argentinos [bɔtz ah.ʒẽ.’tʃi.nus] ‘Argentine boats’), but they often emerge as voiceless due to consonantal devoicing (e.g., [bɔts ah.ʒẽ.’tʃi.nus]), resulting in both expected and unexpected forms. We suggest that fine phonetic detail, whether associated with allophonic or emergent sound patterns, contributes to the construction of phonological representations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phonetics and Phonology of Ibero-Romance Languages)

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28 pages, 2814 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mapping the Left Periphery of Similative Constructions: Dutch Dialects as a Case Study

by Marta Massaia

Languages 2025, 10(3), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030047 - 28 Feb 2025

Viewed by 445

Abstract

The left periphery of non-standard Dutch similative clauses hosts a variety of different elements (such as gelijk “like”, zo “so”, als “as”, and hoe “how”) that can sometimes co-occur following a strict hierarchy that seems to hold in other (non-standard) Germanic varieties as [...] Read more.

The left periphery of non-standard Dutch similative clauses hosts a variety of different elements (such as gelijk “like”, zo “so”, als “as”, and hoe “how”) that can sometimes co-occur following a strict hierarchy that seems to hold in other (non-standard) Germanic varieties as well. The present contribution aims to show that the fixed ordering of these elements as well as their function in the structure can be accounted for if similative clauses are taken to be prepositional relative clauses with a complex complementizer domain involving at least three CP-projections. Specifically, I show that these elements lexicalize different parts of the relative construction, including the head complex raising to the edge of the similative in line with a head-raising analysis. To support this idea, I will mostly provide data from Dutch and Dutch dialects, although the analysis can (and should) be extended to other Germanic varieties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mind Your Manner Adverbials!)

22 pages, 1450 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Delivering an ESP Pedagogic Word List: Integrating Corpus Analysis, Materials Design, and Software Development

by Simon Fraser, Marshall Kiyoshi Higa and Walter Davies

Languages 2025, 10(3), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030046 - 28 Feb 2025

Viewed by 664

Abstract

With vocabulary playing an essential role in the learning of English for Specific Purposes, teachers face the challenge of organising and teaching lexis in a way that maximises opportunities for acquisition. Specialised word lists offer a solution, but a major obstacle is how [...] Read more.

With vocabulary playing an essential role in the learning of English for Specific Purposes, teachers face the challenge of organising and teaching lexis in a way that maximises opportunities for acquisition. Specialised word lists offer a solution, but a major obstacle is how to integrate these lists into learning materials containing items used in actual discourse. In this paper, we report on research involving the creation of a medical English word list (MEWL), integrated into a set of specially designed materials for students at a national university in Japan. These materials, developed through needs analysis at the university’s medical school, are primarily organised around body systems, with an additional focus on doctor–patient communication. The MEWL is complemented by a list of word parts, aiming to sensitise students to complex medical terms. We describe the delivery of the list, first through the courses and materials, and then via the development of a vocabulary learning tool, Hi-Lex, which analyses texts against any word lists it contains. Hi-Lex allows learners to create personalised word lists and understand word usage in context. The findings of a small trial study of Hi-Lex (N = 31) illustrate how the software provides insight into students’ selections of words in specialised texts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vocabulary Studies in L1 and L2 Development: The Interface between Theory and Practice)

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6 pages, 189 KiB

Open AccessCommentary

Usage-Based Models Around and Inside BLC Theory: Commentary on Hulstijn (2024)

by Hans-Jörg Schmid

Languages 2025, 10(3), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030045 - 28 Feb 2025

Viewed by 355

Abstract

In his essay entitled “Predictions of Individual Differences in the Acquisition of Native and Non-Native Languages: An Update of BLC Theory”, Jan Hulstijn updates his theory of Basic Language Cognition (Hulstijn 2011, 2015). His central claim is that there is a fundamental difference [...] Read more.

In his essay entitled “Predictions of Individual Differences in the Acquisition of Native and Non-Native Languages: An Update of BLC Theory”, Jan Hulstijn updates his theory of Basic Language Cognition (Hulstijn 2011, 2015). His central claim is that there is a fundamental difference between the Basic Language Cognition that is sufficient for dealing with oral language and the Extended Language Cognition required for handling reading and writing. In my invited commentary, I argue that used-based models of language provide a wider theoretical background that helps to ground Hulstijn’s theory. I illustrate what this means with reference to the Entrenchment-and-Conventionalization Model (Schmid 2020). Based on this model I discuss Hulstijn’s predictions regarding the extent of interindividual differences to be expected among L1-speakers and L-2 speakers. Full article

16 pages, 1449 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reflexivization and Mình-Exceptional Local Binding by a Monomorphemic Anaphor?

by Andrew Simpson and Linh Pham

Languages 2025, 10(3), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030044 - 27 Feb 2025

Viewed by 353

Abstract

This paper considers the distribution of the anaphor mình in Vietnamese and whether mình can be locally bound in the absence of the reflexivizing element tự. The patterning of Vietnamese mình poses a potential challenge to theories of binding based on claims [...] Read more.

This paper considers the distribution of the anaphor mình in Vietnamese and whether mình can be locally bound in the absence of the reflexivizing element tự. The patterning of Vietnamese mình poses a potential challenge to theories of binding based on claims that anaphors that are monomorphemic reject local binding and are unable to reflexivize a predicate. The paper reports on an experiment designed to probe judgements of mình in local reflexive interpretations and concludes that, for many speakers from different regions of Vietnam, mình in object position may be interpreted reflexively with the subject of the same clause, without the need for tự. On the basis of patterns involving ellipsis and quantificational subjects, it is further shown that this is a genuine binding relation and not simple co-reference. Such conclusions are noted to have significant consequences for certain approaches to binding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Issues in Vietnamese Linguistics)

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17 pages, 337 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Welsh Verbal Noun

by Sabine Asmus

Languages 2025, 10(3), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030043 - 27 Feb 2025

Viewed by 443

Abstract

The verbal noun in the modern, currently spoken p-Celtic language Welsh is of a different nature than any other word class known in Standard Average European Languages (SAEs), to which the Insular Celtic tongues do not belong. This subject has occasionally attracted attention. [...] Read more.

The verbal noun in the modern, currently spoken p-Celtic language Welsh is of a different nature than any other word class known in Standard Average European Languages (SAEs), to which the Insular Celtic tongues do not belong. This subject has occasionally attracted attention. Welsh language grammars clearly identify a berfenw ‘verb noun’, which Thomas (1996, p. 28) calls a citation form with no specific person or time allocation. However, non-Welsh descriptions of the verbal noun tend to trigger confusion by allocating varied SAE terms to it, like ‘verb noun infinitives’ (Myhill, 1985), ‘verbal noun infinitives’ (Carnie & Guilfoyle, 2000, p. 10), ‘infinitives’ (Borsley et al., 2007, p. 70), and ‘non-finite verb(al) forms’ (Sackmann, 2022, p. 2), most of them belittling the prominent nominal functions of this word class. Coming from a historical perspective, Scherschel et al. (2018) call the Welsh verbal noun an ‘event noun’, which seems more appropriate, as is shown in this paper, in which a detailed analysis of the major features of this Welsh word class is carried out. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Aspectual Architecture of the Slavic Verb: Analogies in Different Languages and Other Grammatical Domains)

19 pages, 308 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Teachers’ Perspectives on the Instruction and Acquisition of Dialectal Second-Person Pronouns and Conjugations in the U.S. L2 Spanish Classroom

by Yoko Hama and James Ramsburg

Languages 2025, 10(3), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030042 - 26 Feb 2025

Viewed by 380

Abstract

Despite the fact that more than 65 million Spanish speakers across Latin America use vos as the informal second-person singular pronoun instead of tú, vos remains underrepresented in U.S. Spanish curricula. Meanwhile, vosotrxs, the informal second-person plural pronoun used exclusively in [...] Read more.

Despite the fact that more than 65 million Spanish speakers across Latin America use vos as the informal second-person singular pronoun instead of tú, vos remains underrepresented in U.S. Spanish curricula. Meanwhile, vosotrxs, the informal second-person plural pronoun used exclusively in Spain, is regularly included in textbooks. This study qualitatively examines how postsecondary Spanish instructors navigate these pronouns and their conjugations, particularly in relation to their perceptions of students’ learning outcomes and future communication needs. Through a comparative analysis of interview data from 32 participants, we find that instructors are more likely to address vosotrxs than vos. Even those who personally use vos outside the classroom avoid it in their teaching, citing concerns about potential confusion and a perceived lack of relevance for students’ future communication. This study highlights a persistent gap between instructors’ stated commitment to regional linguistic diversity and the reality of Spanish language instruction: while instructors affirm that incorporating dialectal variation would enhance students’ linguistic and cultural competence, minoritized features like vos remain largely absent from the curriculum. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Second Language Acquisition and Sociolinguistic Studies)

28 pages, 1130 KiB

Open AccessArticle

“He Speaks Two Languages at the Same Time … So, Why Should It Be Sad?”—Dutch Multilingual Children’s Beliefs About Language Use and Language Mixing In- and Outside the Home

by Eva Knopp, Sterre Turling, Chantal van Dijk and Claire Goriot

Languages 2025, 10(3), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030041 - 26 Feb 2025

Viewed by 679

Abstract

This study investigates the beliefs about multilingualism and the multilingual language use of multilingual children living in the Netherlands, a highly diverse and multilingual society. We interviewed 26 8- to 12-year-old primary school children with different home languages (i.e., English, German, Polish or [...] Read more.

This study investigates the beliefs about multilingualism and the multilingual language use of multilingual children living in the Netherlands, a highly diverse and multilingual society. We interviewed 26 8- to 12-year-old primary school children with different home languages (i.e., English, German, Polish or Turkish). Children indicated how a multilingual alter-ego felt about multilingual language use scenarios and why. The scenarios comprised situations using their different languages with parents, friends or teachers in monolingual and multilingual modes. Children overwhelmingly associated neutral or positive feelings with using the societal and home language. These feelings were not consistently affected by the societal prestige of their home language (measured by English and German vs. Polish and Turkish as their home language). The content analysis indicated that, besides competence, accommodating the interlocutor, personal preference and normality were the most frequent explanations children provided for their emotional reactions. Our findings indicate that the participating children experience being multilingual as normal and are not (yet) negatively affected in their attitudes despite their experience with a monolingual bias at school. Although no effects of home language prestige emerged, differences between children from specific home language communities suggest that myths about multilingual competence and code-mixing persist. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language Use, Processing and Acquisition in Multilingual Contexts)

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18 pages, 356 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aspectual Restriction on Sorting in Czech and Slovak

by Mojmír Dočekal, Michaela Hulmanová and Aviv Schoenfeld

Languages 2025, 10(3), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030040 - 26 Feb 2025

Viewed by 308

Abstract

This article is about the cross-linguistic universality of the so-called Universal Sorter, where a noun N means ‘kind of N’. We discuss two restrictions in two Slavic languages which are absent from English, pertaining to perfective verbs and numerically modified count nouns. We [...] Read more.

This article is about the cross-linguistic universality of the so-called Universal Sorter, where a noun N means ‘kind of N’. We discuss two restrictions in two Slavic languages which are absent from English, pertaining to perfective verbs and numerically modified count nouns. We establish, first with introspective judgments (for Czech) and then experimentally (for Slovak), that both restrictions are present in a way which supports our analysis of the first restriction as stemming from Slavic, unlike English, having perfective verbs which force a completive reading of an incremental theme. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Aspectual Architecture of the Slavic Verb: Analogies in Different Languages and Other Grammatical Domains)

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20 pages, 1023 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Affordances and Constraints of Supporting Father-Child Shared Reading in the Multilingual Emirates

by Kay Gallagher, Anna Marie Dillon, Claudine Habak, Sumaya Saqr and Yahia AlRamamneh

Languages 2025, 10(3), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030039 - 26 Feb 2025

Viewed by 417

Abstract

This paper reports on the affordances and constraints encountered in the case of an innovative project designed to support early literacy development in Arabic and English while enhancing father-child wellbeing in Abu Dhabi. The project sought to encourage Emirati fathers to engage in [...] Read more.

This paper reports on the affordances and constraints encountered in the case of an innovative project designed to support early literacy development in Arabic and English while enhancing father-child wellbeing in Abu Dhabi. The project sought to encourage Emirati fathers to engage in interactive shared book reading at home with their young children. In a context where adult–child home reading is not a traditional practice and where children’s reading proficiency in public schools is often below international standards, the project sought to support families with their children’s early literacy development and to develop positive dispositions towards reading. Fathers (N = 80) of kindergarten children (4–5 years) in state schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were invited to participate in interactive workshops about shared parent–child reading. Fathers were provided with selected, high-quality books in both Arabic and English to read aloud with their children at home and were given guidance on ways to read interactively. In this paper, which draws upon survey results, focus group recordings, and researcher field notes from the workshop sites, the affordances and constraints encountered in supporting early home reading and parent–child wellbeing are explored. Recommendations are made for similar reading and wellbeing programs in multilingual contexts. These include providing accessible information to both fathers and mothers on the importance of reading with their children at home, sharing tips and modelling parent–child interactive reading, and the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate books for families. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language Policy and Practice in Multilingual Families)

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20 pages, 4600 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Acoustic Approach to Backed /r/ Realizations in Puerto Rican Spanish

by Alba Arias Alvarez

Languages 2025, 10(3), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030038 - 26 Feb 2025

Viewed by 430

Abstract

Trill realizations present a wide range of cross-dialectal variation in Spanish, especially in Puerto Rican Spanish (PRS). The backed /r/ in, e.g., [ká.xo] for carro, is not an exception. Since analysis with continuous variables has advanced the research on fricative variation among [...] Read more.

Trill realizations present a wide range of cross-dialectal variation in Spanish, especially in Puerto Rican Spanish (PRS). The backed /r/ in, e.g., [ká.xo] for carro, is not an exception. Since analysis with continuous variables has advanced the research on fricative variation among other Spanish varieties, the present study considers center of gravity values to provide an acoustic analysis of the backed /r/ realizations in Puerto Rican Spanish, both on the island of Puerto Rico and within the Puerto Rican diasporic community in Holyoke, Massachusetts (United States). The following three experimental production tasks were designed and employed: a picture description task, a map task, and a reading task. Furthermore, 45 participants performed the experimental tasks, i.e., 21 were recorded on the island and 24 in Holyoke. Findings show that the distribution of center of gravity values falls on a continuum, which can be affected by linguistic and sociolinguistic variables, in line with previous research on fricatives. Full article

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20 pages, 318 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preschool Teachers for Multilingual Families

by Ekaterina Protassova and Sergei Silkin

Languages 2025, 10(3), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030037 - 25 Feb 2025

Viewed by 554

Abstract

Successful interaction between family and preschool is crucial in the early stages of bilingual development. Traditionally, a Finnish–Russian preschool brings together children from Finnish-speaking, Russian-speaking, and bilingual families. Educators communicate with children and parents in different languages, using specific translanguaging strategies to develop [...] Read more.

Successful interaction between family and preschool is crucial in the early stages of bilingual development. Traditionally, a Finnish–Russian preschool brings together children from Finnish-speaking, Russian-speaking, and bilingual families. Educators communicate with children and parents in different languages, using specific translanguaging strategies to develop both languages. The study explores how educators interact with parents and how children interact with each other without a common language. Reflective interviews with teachers explore various aspects of their professional activities, emphasizing the expert use of different languages to expand children’s language skills and foster appreciation. Teachers’ attitudes can shift upon reflection, underscoring the need for partnerships with parents. Additionally, the study analyzes educators’ opinions about play without a common language among children with diverse languages. The longitudinal case study within a bilingual Finnish–Russian preschool thematically groups answers from 18 interviews, focusing on the dynamic relationship between teachers and parents, crucial for creating a supportive learning environment for children’s holistic development. The results show that educators, when reflecting on their role in bilingual education, emphasize a wide range of positive examples of interactions with parents, from constructive professional relationships to long-lasting friendships. They believe that while they cannot replace family interactions, they can develop the child’s abilities within their group of peers. Specifically, play without a common language allows children to communicate with peers in different languages. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language Policy and Practice in Multilingual Families)

7 pages, 211 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Introduction to the Special Issue Syntax and Discourse at the Crossroads

by Ana Ojea

Languages 2025, 10(3), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030036 - 25 Feb 2025

Viewed by 385

Abstract

This Issue features eleven papers that explore significant aspects of the syntax–discourse interface using empirical data from different languages (English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian) and their variants [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Syntax and Discourse at the Crossroads)

24 pages, 344 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Manner Affixes and Event Decomposition

by Victor Bogren Svensson

Languages 2025, 10(3), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030035 - 21 Feb 2025

Viewed by 390

Abstract

This paper investigates how verbal affixes that encode manner information (manner affixes) interact with verbs of different lexical aspect classes and transitivity values in West Greenlandic (Inuit–Yupik–Unangan: Greenland). Manner affixes remain an understudied and poorly understood grammatical category. The data presented and discussed [...] Read more.

This paper investigates how verbal affixes that encode manner information (manner affixes) interact with verbs of different lexical aspect classes and transitivity values in West Greenlandic (Inuit–Yupik–Unangan: Greenland). Manner affixes remain an understudied and poorly understood grammatical category. The data presented and discussed here is primarily based on original fieldwork conducted in Copenhagen (Denmark) and Nuuk (Greenland). The findings show that manner affixes are interspersed among syntactic projections encoding event and argument structure, with a high degree of flexibility in terms of linear and hierarchical ordering, which correlate with differences in scope interpretation. However, this flexibility is limited by the productivity of the affixes involved, and manner affixes cannot intervene between the syntactic projections that encode the event core (the big VP in traditional generative terminology). Furthermore, manner affixes interact with verbs of different lexical aspect classes in ways similar to manner adverbs, highlighting the similarities between the two categories and the similarities between morphological structures (manner affixes) and syntactic structures (manner adverbs). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mind Your Manner Adverbials!)

21 pages, 4669 KiB

Open AccessArticle

English as Symbolic Capital: Globalization and the Linguistic Landscape of Armenia, Quindío (Colombia)

by Daniel Guarín and Diego Arias-Cortés

Languages 2025, 10(3), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages10030034 - 21 Feb 2025

Viewed by 693

Abstract

This research investigates linguistic hybridization in a commercial corridor of Armenia, Colombia, focusing on the usage of Spanish and English in public signage, particularly business names. Utilizing a quantitative methodology, we conducted a statistical analysis employing Chi-square tests to explore the relationship between [...] Read more.

This research investigates linguistic hybridization in a commercial corridor of Armenia, Colombia, focusing on the usage of Spanish and English in public signage, particularly business names. Utilizing a quantitative methodology, we conducted a statistical analysis employing Chi-square tests to explore the relationship between symbolic language choice and variables such as location and type of establishment. The results demonstrated a significant association between location and language choice (Χ² = 39.353, p < .001), revealing that commercial zones with high tourist traffic exhibited a pronounced preference for English (46.55%), reflecting branding strategies aimed at attracting a younger, cosmopolitan audience. Conversely, traditional sectors such as health services (74.24% in Spanish) and religious institutions (80% in Spanish) predominantly utilized Spanish, emphasizing the community’s need for accessible communication. Additionally, establishments in the most commercial area highlighted the presence of hybrid names, indicating a blending of languages. Our findings suggest that the hybridization of English and Spanish serves as both a reflection and reinforcement of cultural identity and social hierarchies, emphasizing the role of linguistic capital in shaping social dynamics within the urban landscape of Armenia, Colombia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sociolinguistic Variation and Change: Focus on English as a Second and Foreign Language)

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Languages, Volume 10, Issue 3 (March 2025) – 21 articles

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