Search Results (811)

Difficulties in social communication are a core characteristic of autism. Gesture use in children with autism is often delayed or atypical, with reduced frequency, diversity, and spontaneity. Pointing gestures, which typically emerge between 9 and 12 months of age, have been shown repeatedly to predict later language acquisition in both neurotypically developing children and those with autism. Thus, the deficits in proximal and distal pointing gestures observed in children with autism may impede social communication and language learning. Employing a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design, this study examined the efficacy of prompting and reinforcement for teaching proximal pointing to request in 12 children with autism, aged 3 to 11 years. Results showed that 9 of the participants acquired proximal pointing and subsequently emitted distal pointing at distances of 0.61 m, 1.22 m, and 1.83 m (2, 4, and 6 feet) without additional intervention. Proximal and distal pointing was maintained at 4-week follow-up. However, not all participants acquired proximal pointing, highlighting potential variability related to individual characteristics and the need for modified procedures. These findings provide support for the use of prompting and reinforcement to teach socially communicative gestures in children with autism. Full article

Objective: Bacterial vaginosis is a dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiome, typically characterized by a loss of Lactobacillus. Lactobacillus plays a crucial role in vaginal immunity and protection against sexually transmitted infections. Herpes simplex virus 2, the primary cause of genital herpes, impacts 13% of people worldwide. We undertook this systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the risk of herpes simplex virus 2 acquisition in women with bacterial vaginosis. Secondarily, we examined the impact of bacterial vaginosis on herpes simplex virus 2 shedding, reactivation, and symptoms. Data sources: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials.gov for articles published before 1 July 2023 for microbiome and herpes simplex virus type 2. Studies were limited to human subjects and the English language. An updated search was performed in January 2026. This study was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023439139). Methods of study selection: Studies on non-pregnant, reproductive-aged cisgender women that diagnosed bacterial vaginosis by Amsel Criteria, Nugent Scoring or used molecular techniques, and those that detected herpes simplex virus 2 by serological assay or PCR testing were included. Our search identified 863 results with four publications eligible for inclusion. For our secondary outcomes, 40 results were identified regarding herpes simplex virus 2 shedding, with two publications eligible for inclusion, which did not meet our threshold for meta-analysis. There were 21 results identified for herpes simplex virus 2 reaction and 115 results for herpes simplex virus 2 symptoms, with no articles being eligible for inclusion. Tabulation, integration, and results: Quality assessment was performed following data extraction using the quality assessment scales from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Results were extracted, and the pooled hazard ratio was calculated with 95% confidence interval. A total of 1906 women were included in this analysis, and 255 acquired herpes simplex virus 2. The pooled unadjusted hazard ratios produced an effect size of 1.91, (95% confidence interval 1.4649–2.4980), and a p-value of <0.0001, while the pooled adjusted hazard ratios produces an effect size of 1.85, (95% confidence interval of 1.3556–2.5162), and a p-value of 0.0001 indicating that bacterial vaginosis is associated with a increased risk of herpes simplex virus 2 acquisition. Conclusions: This systematic review with meta-analysis indicates that bacterial vaginosis is associated with a significantly increased risk (91% unadjusted, 85% adjusted) of herpes simplex virus 2 acquisition, indicating that bacterial vaginosis treatment may reduce herpes simplex virus 2 acquisition. A notable limitation of these findings is the relatively small number of studies eligible for inclusion in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Full article

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition that affects language acquisition in children. However, standardized diagnostic tools for Tunisian Arabic, a widely spoken yet underrepresented dialect, is still lacking. This study presents a multimodal biomedical informatics framework that integrates clinical assessments, speech recordings, and artificial intelligence (AI) for early DLD detection. Three linguistic tasks (the CLT Task, the Arabic Verb Evaluation Task, and the Nonword Repetition Task) were adapted for Tunisian Arabic, and spontaneous speech samples were collected from children with typical development and those with DLD. Statistical analyses revealed significant deficits in verb production, past-tense morphology, and phonological memory in the DLD group. For automated screening, we developed two systems: a Random Forest classifier based on structured clinical and linguistic features and a multimodal deep learning model using Wav2Vec2 acoustic embeddings. The best model achieved an F1 score of 0.85, demonstrating the feasibility of AI-assisted DLD screening. This work introduces the first standardized dataset and computational baseline for DLD in Tunisian Arabic, providing clinically relevant tools for early identification and supporting research on underrepresented Arabic dialects. This work also highlights future implications, including potential applications in early screening, the integration of acoustic markers, and the development of culturally adapted assessment tools for underrepresented languages. Full article

This theoretical paper examines immigrant women’s entrepreneurship in the post-pandemic Global South. We challenge conventional models that fail to capture economic engagement driven by necessity and survival. Using an intersectional lens, the analysis illuminates how structural vulnerabilities such as—gender, class, income, migratory status, and social hostility—hinder formal market integration. COVID-19 related restrictions exacerbated this precarity, disproportionately affecting informal businesses. We contend that entrepreneurship serves as a pivotal strategy for socio-economic resilience and our findings advocate for holistic public policies that transcend microcredit by integrating psychosocial support, language acquisition, and anti-discrimination measures. Furthermore, we underscore the role of collective strategies and community networks in ensuring business sustainability and shifting the focus toward systemic inclusion. By evidencing how entrepreneurship, when embedded in supportive policies and collective networks, contributes to mental health protection, stress reduction, and psychosocial well-being, this paper highlights immigrant women’s entrepreneurship as a relevant strategy for health promotion and social resilience in the Global South. Full article

This study investigates how second language (L2) learners acquire morphologically complex English words, focusing on affixal neutrality—whether suffixes preserve the phonological form and semantic transparency of the base (e.g., -ness in happiness) or trigger phonological/orthographic changes (e.g., -ity in activity). Drawing on linguistic theories of morphological decomposition and lexical representation, we examine how this property influences different dimensions of derivational knowledge. Fifty-four Mandarin-speaking secondary school EFL learners completed three receptive tasks targeting relational knowledge (morphological relatedness), syntactic knowledge (category awareness), and distributional knowledge (contextual appropriateness). Lexical items varied in affixal neutrality, and participants’ accuracy and response times were analysed across three L2 proficiency levels. Affixal neutrality significantly affected performance in the relational knowledge task, with neutral suffixes facilitating accuracy and faster responses. Effects were attenuated in syntactic and distributional tasks, suggesting domain-specific sensitivity to neutrality. L2 Proficiency was associated with higher accuracy across all three domains but did not substantially affect processing speed. These findings highlight the selective role of a theoretically motivated morphological property in L2 lexical acquisition and show how linguistic concepts such as affixal neutrality can form the basis of targeted hypotheses, bridging theoretical linguistics and empirical research in second language learning. Full article

This narrative review synthesizes 24 empirical studies on the role of four types of pedagogical gestures (beat, durational, pitch, and articulatory) in second language (L2) phonetic training since 2010. We reviewed studies involving training interventions to assess the efficacy, mediating factors, and robustness of multimodal training. The findings confirm that gestural training is a powerful tool, yielding the most robust positive effects for L2 speech production and the acquisition of suprasegmental features. Crucially, the effectiveness is highly dependent on gesture-sound consistency and visual saliency of the target phonetic/prosodic feature. However, results are mixed regarding perceptual learning and the generalization of gains to untrained items or novel contexts. While the literature supports the value of gestural training, there are gaps in determining the optimal training paradigm (observing gestures vs. performing gestures), accounting for individual learner differences, and establishing long-term retention and ecological validity. Future research should incorporate longitudinal designs and neurophysiological methods to fully illuminate the cognitive mechanisms that drive the body–mind link in L2 speech acquisition. Full article

The Continuation Argument, a newly emerging perspective on language acquisition, requires further exploration to deepen our understanding of how continuation-based tasks facilitate foreign language learning. This study examines the use of observable language forms within the integrated pedagogical procedure of the translation continuation task in Chinese as a second language (CSL) learning. Data were collected from 60 learners attending Khmer-Chinese translation classes in Grade 8 at a Chinese school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The findings reveal a consistent pattern of language reuse. (i) Learners demonstrate a significant increase in their reuse of target Chinese language structures (e.g., words, grammar, and discourse knowledge) from the pre-reading materials when completing the translation continuation tasks. (ii) The translation continuation task helps reduce errors and improve the quality of Chinese translations. (iii) Both teachers and students generally recognize the positive impact and pedagogical value of the translation continuation task. The observed “language reuse” is discussed in light of multiple potential mechanisms, such as priming and pedagogically induced imitation. Thus, the translation continuation task proves to be an effective method for guiding learners’ attention to and reuse of target language forms in practical CSL translation teaching. Full article

Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly deployed as information systems that evolve over time, where managing internal knowledge—acquisition, retention, and removal—becomes essential. In practice, these processes are primarily realized through continual learning and machine unlearning mechanisms. Despite this, these two mechanisms are often studied in isolation, limiting both interpretability and controllability. In this work, we present a parameter-efficient knowledge management framework where continual learning and machine unlearning—despite employing distinct task-specific objectives—are integrated through a shared retention-controlled parameter evolution mechanism. We ground these structural constraints in a drift-aware design principle: under a model smoothness assumption, we establish a formal upper bound showing that Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence on retained knowledge is controlled by the magnitude and direction of parameter updates, providing a principled rationale for combining Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) freezing, sparse masking, and orthogonal gradient projection into a unified constraint system. Experiments on the Task of Fictitious Unlearning (TOFU) benchmark and real-world benchmarks demonstrate effective knowledge acquisition, selective removal, and robust retention across sequential tasks with strong overall performance and stability. This work provides a practical parameter-efficient recipe and a drift-aware design principle validated on controlled interleaved benchmarks, offering insights toward reliable knowledge management in evolving deployment scenarios. Full article

Multilingual learners (MLs) in U.S. schools continue to face systemic inequities shaped by monoglossic instructional ideologies and a deficit orientation towards their linguistic and cultural resources. Translanguaging pedagogy has emerged as a promising response, but it remains underexplored in STEM contexts. This study presents a systematic meta-synthesis of 20 U.S.-based empirical studies examining how translanguaging has been conceptualized and enacted in K–12 STEM classrooms with MLs, using an interpretive approach. The review identified four overarching themes. First, research and practice gaps reveal contextual, conceptual, and disciplinary limitations, particularly a lack of translanguaging work in math, early elementary settings, and English-dominant classrooms. Second, translanguaging was conceptualized as a syncretic and disciplinary practice, challenging rigid boundaries between languages, discourses, and modes while positioning MLs’ full repertoires as generative of disciplinary knowledge. Third, students and teachers were positioned as local agents of knowledge and practice. MLs were framed as designers of disciplinary meaning while teachers acted as collaborators and local policymakers. Fourth, the review identified persisting challenges, including language separation ideologies, narrow interpretations of translanguaging, and policy constraints. This synthesis contributes an interdisciplinary, equity-oriented framework bringing second language acquisition and STEM education, centering MLs as legitimate epistemic participants in STEM. Full article

Generative AI offers transformative potential for scalable, personalized, and dynamic language education, particularly in enhancing oral proficiency among young learners. However, effective deployment remains challenging due to limited resources for some languages, the need for age-appropriate content and tools, and the importance of respecting cultural relevance. In this paper, we introduce LEARN (Language Evaluation via question Answer generation from caRtooNs), a culturally grounded multilingual visual dialogue system designed to support oral proficiency in three of Singapore’s official languages: Mandarin, Bahasa Melayu, and Tamil. English, as the lingua franca, is excluded. LEARN integrates a teacher-facing module for curriculum-aligned visual question-answering task creation and a student-facing module for voice-driven adaptive dialogue, optimized for children’s speech. Unlike existing platforms, LEARN prioritizes cultural relevance and low-resource language support, helping address gaps in heritage language preservation. Pilot studies with students demonstrate significant improvements in engagement and vocabulary acquisition. Designed for classroom as well as home use, LEARN presents a scalable AI-driven language tutoring framework. Full article

This study investigates how cross-linguistic differences in spatial cognition affect Chinese learners’ acquisition of French in the conflict domain of page turning, which is encoded in opposite ways by French and Mandarin. Two hundred and sixty-one Chinese university students completed a video-based spatial task in both languages, comprising both comprehension and production components. The results revealed a marked asymmetry in spatial cognition between the first language (L1) and second language (L2): while learners consistently relied on stabilised Mandarin-based construals, their French responses remained strongly shaped by L1 frames of reference. We found no significant association between global French proficiency and success in the French spatial tasks, indicating that higher proficiency does not automatically entail conceptual restructuring in this domain. Meanwhile, a small to moderate negative correlation between French and Mandarin scores indicated a subtle L2-to-L1 influence, whereby adopting French-conventional spatial construals was accompanied by reduced alignment with Mandarin-conventional patterns. These findings contribute to research on bidirectional cross-linguistic influence in spatial cognition by documenting L2-to-L1 effects in late, classroom-based learners. They also point to the need for pedagogical approaches that explicitly target spatial conceptualisation—through contrastive reflection and embodied practice—rather than focusing solely on the formal properties of spatial expressions. Full article

This article argues that learning a foreign language cannot be understood solely as the acquisition of internal grammatical or lexical rules, but rather as a form of action situated and corporeally embodied in a social, material, and cultural environment from which new linguistic skills emerge. Hence, we propose to describe foreign language learning under an ecological–enactive approach to cognition, that is, a coordination of two simultaneous multilevel processes: (i) at the subpersonal level, as the coordination of sensorimotor loops that adjust phonation, prosody, and auditory discrimination, and (ii) at the personal level, as the organism–environment coupling led by sociomaterial affordances that guide linguistic exploration. We conclude that active and immersive methodologies are more effective because they synchronize sensorimotor plasticity with the detection of affordances, enabling linguistic competence to emerge as a progressive self-organization of the agent–world system. Full article

This quasi-experimental study employed Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) to examine the longitudinal changes in intergroup perceptions following a targeted Hebrew language intervention on intergroup perceptions among 119 Arab citizens of Israel, segmented into high school students (HSS; adolescents) and pre-service Teachers (PSTs; young adults). Focusing on instrumental language acquisition as a form of positive intergroup contact, the research measured changes in self-efficacy in Hebrew, endorsement of democratic influence strategies, hope for peace, and common ancestry categorization (Semitic/Abrahamic) across two time points (pre/post intervention). Results indicated a robust positive association between the time of intervention and four of the five tested outcome variables, supporting the instrumental pathway hypothesis. Complex interactions revealed that participants identifying as Palestinian, who exhibited lower baseline hopes and categorization scores, demonstrated the sharpest increase in both hope for peace and Abrahamic categorization. Conversely, sensitivity to inequality diverged by group, dropping significantly among PSTs but increasing among HSSs. These findings highlight that while language intervention bridges ideological divides, its impact is shaped by the professional socialization inherent in teacher training. For PSTs, the combination of linguistic proficiency and emerging professional identity appears to mitigate feelings of marginalization, offering a constructive pathway for negotiating identity, status, and belonging. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming language education. However, its pedagogical and sociocultural impacts on Japanese business writing remain underexplored. This study aims to examine how ChatGPT4o-based automated feedback functions within Japanese business writing education for adult learners in online higher education, with particular attention to both its instructional impact and learners’ sociocultural awareness. Situated in a cyber university context where the proportion of adult learners is increasing, the study explores the potential of AI-mediated feedback to address learners’ diverse educational and cultural needs. It employed a mixed-methods design, combining a survey of 27 participants and in-depth interviews with 11 participants. The interviews were transcribed and thematically coded to gain deeper insights into learners’ perceptions. The findings indicate that ChatGPT feedback contributed to learners’ planning of study strategies, the provision of immediate and personalized corrections, the reinforcement of error awareness, and the acquisition of honorific and polite expressions. On the one hand, learners reported that they could quickly understand regional language practices and communication conventions in business contexts, thereby deepening their cultural sensitivity. On the other hand, some learners expressed concern that increased reliance on AI could weaken exploratory and critical learning. These results suggest that ChatGPT can serve not merely as a correction tool but also as an educational resource that simultaneously fosters self-directed learning and sociocultural competence. However, to ensure reliability and cultural appropriateness, hybrid feedback incorporating instructor guidance is necessary. This study has academic significance in demonstrating the potential of extending AI-based feedback to Japanese business communication education, thereby constructing an integrated language and culture learning environment. Full article

This study investigates whether and, if so, how cognates facilitate lexical–semantic processing during early bilingual development. Additionally, we examine the interaction between the cognate facilitation effect (CFE) and bilingual experience factors, such as language proficiency, exposure, and age. We investigated language backgrounds and recorded event-related potentials during a semantic priming task in Dutch–German bilingual children. Most participants were Dutch-dominant, characterized by higher exposure and proficiency in Dutch. We compared the N400 response to target words preceded by semantically related cognate versus non-cognate primes. We found a reduced N400 effect (indexing cognate facilitation) only in the non-dominant language (nDL; German). Individual difference analyses further revealed that higher proficiency of nDL and increasing age attenuated the CFE. In contrast, higher cumulative exposure was associated with an amplified CFE. These findings suggest that cross-linguistic activation in lexical–semantic processing may benefit younger children with either lower proficiency or higher exposure to their non-dominant language during language processing. Together, the study offers direct neural evidence for bilingual cognate facilitation effects and highlights the importance of investigating interactions with external factors in early bilingualism. Future longitudinal research should examine whether cognate reliance serves as a temporary scaffolding mechanism for the acquisition of the non-dominant language. Full article