Search Results (57)

Individual differences in second-language (L2) proficiency are expected to influence how listeners parse and represent continuous speech, yet their neural signatures under naturalistic conditions remain unclear. We investigated this question using task-based fMRI during continuous speech listening. A total of 43 healthy participants completed four listening runs synchronized with MRI acquisition via PsychoPy(Peirce 2007), with eyes open throughout scanning. To promote sustained attention and comprehension, participants provided a native-language oral recall after each run. Based on behavioral proficiency scores, participants were grouped into low- (LP, n = 14), moderate- (MP, n = 14), and high-proficiency (HP, n = 15) groups. We evaluated three temporal information-encoding frameworks derived from BOLD dynamics: direct temporal series, functional connectivity (FC), and self-information weighted inter-subject correlation (ISC-W). Using a 10 × 5-fold nested cross-validation scheme, we tested both categorical classification (Support Vector Machines) for discrete proficiency groups (LP, MP, HP) and continuous multivariate regression (Ridge/Lasso) for continuous proficiency scores. Furthermore, we applied ROI-based ANOVA and univariate Neural Correlation Analysis (NCA) to identify key brain regions, evaluating significance via nonparametric permutation testing (1000 permutations) and False Discovery Rate (FDR) correction. Results indicated that while categorical classification yielded numerical trends—with ISC-W performing best—it did not reach statistical significance under stringent permutation testing. However, multivariate continuous regression using ISC-W features successfully predicted continuous proficiency scores with statistical significance (p < 0.05). Exploratory ROI analysis highlighted the bilateral orbital inferior frontal gyrus (IFG_orb_bilat) as a highly sensitive region. These findings suggest that L2 proficiency is best represented as a distributed, continuous neural variable, and that self-information weighting effectively filters background noise to capture cognitive variance. Methodologically, this study provides a reproducible pipeline integrating information-theoretic feature construction with rigorous whole-brain nonparametric inference. 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

English is the first foreign language most Taiwanese have encountered, yet few have achieved proficient speaking skills. This paper presents a generative AI-based English speaking training system designed to enhance oral proficiency through interactive AI agents. The system employs ChatGPT version 5.2 to generate diverse and tailored conversational scenarios, enabling learners to practice in contextually relevant situations. Spoken responses are captured via speech recognition and analyzed by a large language model, which provides intelligent scoring and personalized feedback to guide improvement. Learners can automatically generate scenario-based scripts according to their learning needs. The D-ID AI system then produces a virtual character of the AI agent, whose lip movements are synchronized with the conversation, thereby creating realistic video interactions. Learning with an AI agent, the system maintains controlled emotional expression, reduces communication anxiety, and helps learners adapt to non-native interaction, fostering more natural and confident speech production. Accordingly, the proposed system supports compelling, immersive, and personalized language learning. The experimental results indicate that repeated practice with the proposed system substantially improves English speaking proficiency. Full article

Background: The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy for low-risk, mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) stage IIA colon cancer is uncertain. Surveillance is standard, but some patients relapse. Tegafur-uracil (UFT) is a low-toxicity oral option that may offer benefit; Methods: This retrospective study included patients with resected low-risk, pMMR stage IIA colon cancer (2013–2022). Patients receiving ≥5 postoperative UFT prescriptions were compared with those under surveillance. Propensity score matching (1:1) was applied, and disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier and Cox models with sensitivity analyses.; Results: Among 279 eligible patients, 71 matched pairs were analyzed. UFT reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 57% (DFS HR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.25–0.75, p = 0.002) and mortality by 62% (OS HR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.21–0.68, p < 0.001); Conclusions: UFT improved DFS and OS in low-risk pMMR stage IIA colon cancer, suggesting surveillance alone may undertreat some patients. Prospective trials are warranted. Full article

This study presents the development and validation of the Record of Decision-Making (RODM), a formative assessment designed to measure beginning readers’ use of phonic elements to decode unknown words while reading. Grounded in overlapping wave theory and theories of early reading development, the RODM captures adaptive strategy use during oral reading, including rereading and subword analysis. Using multifaceted Rasch modeling, the authors demonstrate that RODM scores align with a unidimensional reading proficiency scale and reflect predictable patterns of strategy use across proficiency levels. Findings indicate that as reading proficiency increases, students employ a broader range of phonic elements and shift from basic strategies (e.g., initial letter use) to more sophisticated ones (e.g., medial and final letter use). Additionally, proficient readers exhibit greater self-correction and reduced reliance on rereading. Generalizability analysis yielded strong interrater reliability and accuracy with minimal training, suggesting its practical utility for frequent classroom use. Implications for instruction include the need to teach flexible, efficient decoding strategies that adapt to task difficulty. Future research should explore score consistency with educators in classroom settings and instructional impact. Full article

Background: Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) variants include the non-fluent agrammatic (nfvPPA), logopenic (lvPPA), and semantic (svPPA), which differ in their effects on speech production. However, their impact on modality (oral vs. written) and grammatical word class (nouns vs. verbs) remains controversial. A significant effect of these variables might assist in classification. Materials and Methods: This study used first-visit data from 300 participants with PPA who completed oral and written noun and verb naming (matched in surface word frequency across word class) to test the hypothesis that the three variants show differential impairment on word class or modality. Group differences were evaluated with rank-transformed repeated measures ANOVA. Within individual differences between nouns and verbs and between oral and written modalities were tested with Fisher’s exact tests. Results: A significant modality × variant interaction (p = 0.017) was observed. Participants with lvPPA and nfvPPA demonstrated greater oral than written naming, with nfvPPA also performing better on nouns than verbs. Those with svPPA showed no modality or word class effects but had an overall low accuracy. Three participants with svPPA (but no individuals with the other variants) demonstrated significantly (p = 0.003) more accurate verb than noun naming. Conclusions: Differing modality and word class patterns characterize PPA variants, with nfvPPA more accurate in nouns than verbs on average. Within individuals, only those with svPPA occasionally showed significantly more proficient verb than noun naming. Grammatical word class effects likely arise at distinct levels of cognitive processing underlying naming. Full article

The acquisition of a person’s first language is one of their greatest accomplishments. Nevertheless, being fluent in sign language presents challenges for many deaf students who rely on it for communication. Effective communication is essential for both personal and professional interactions and is critical for community engagement. However, the lack of a mutually understood language can be a significant barrier. Estimates indicate that a large portion of New Zealand’s disability population is deaf, with an educational approach predominantly focused on oralism, emphasizing spoken language. This makes it essential to bridge the communication gap between the general public and individuals with speech difficulties. The aim of this project is to develop an application that systematically cycles through each letter and number in New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), assessing the user’s proficiency. This research investigates various machine learning methods for hand gesture recognition, with a focus on landmark detection. In computer vision, identifying specific points on an object—such as distinct hand landmarks—is a standard approach for feature extraction. Evaluation of this system has been performed using machine learning techniques, including Random Forest (RF) Classifier, k-Nearest Neighbours (KNN), AdaBoost (AB), Naïve Bayes (NB), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Decision Trees (DT), and Logistic Regression (LR). The dataset used for model training and testing consists of approximately 100,000 hand gesture expressions, formatted into a CSV dataset for model training. Full article

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and self-confidence of physicians and dentists in Croatia regarding the relationship between oral and systemic health, focusing on periodontal disease and oral manifestations of systemic diseases. Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted among physicians and dentists in Croatian primary healthcare. The questionnaire addressed six thematic domains, including demographic information, knowledge, self-assessment, and clinical practice. Descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were performed. Results: A total of 529 respondents were included (291 physicians and 238 dentists). The mean knowledge score for the association between periodontitis and systemic diseases was 6.8 ± 3.6 out of 15, indicating limited knowledge. For oral manifestations of systemic diseases, the mean score was 10.0 ± 3.8 out of 16, reflecting moderate proficiency. Dentists scored higher than physicians in both domains, though not significantly (p > 0.05). Routine oral mucosal examinations were reported by 89.5% of dentists and 43.0% of physicians (p ≤ 0.001). Only 21.3% of physicians correctly identified the link between periodontitis and adverse pregnancy outcomes, compared to 58.8% of dentists. The primary barriers to effective clinical management were a lack of experience (52.7%) and inadequate education. While 68.3% of dentists felt adequately educated on oral–systemic links, only 22.7% of physicians reported the same. Conclusions: Significant gaps in knowledge and confidence were observed, particularly among physicians. These findings underscore the need to integrate oral–systemic health topics into medical education and to promote interprofessional collaboration to improve patient outcomes. Full article

The present study analyzes individual differences in the facilitative processing of grammatical gender by heritage speakers of Spanish, asking whether these differences correlate with lexical proficiency. Results from an eye-tracking study in the Visual World Paradigm replicate prior findings that, as a group, heritage speakers of Spanish show facilitative processing of gender. Importantly, in a follow-up within-group analysis, we test whether three measures of lexical proficiency—oral picture-naming, verbal fluency, and LexTALE—predict individual performance. We find that lexical proficiency, as measured by LexTALE, predicts overall word recognition; however, we observe no effects of the other measures and no evidence that lexical proficiency modulates the strength of the facilitative effect. Our results highlight the importance of carefully selecting tools for proficiency assessment in experimental studies involving heritage speakers, underscoring that the absence of evidence for an effect of proficiency based on a single measure should not be taken as evidence of absence. Full article

The rapid development of science and technology enables technological innovations to change the way of English oral learning. Based on the use of a large language model (LLM), we developed a novel dynamic evaluation system for oral English, LLM-DAELSL, which combines daily oral habits and a textbook outline. The model integrates commonly used vocabulary from everyday social speech and authoritative prior knowledge, such as oral language textbooks. It also combines traditional large-scale semantic models with probabilistic algorithms to serve as an oral assessment tool for undergraduate students majoring in English-related fields in universities. The model provides corrective feedback to effectively enhance the proficiency of English learners through guided training at any time and place. The technological principle of the model involves inputting prior template knowledge into the language model for reverse guidance and utilizing the textbooks provided by China’s Ministry of Education. The model facilitates the practice and evaluation of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and fluency. The six-month tracking results showed that the oral proficiency of the system learners was significantly improved in the four aspects, which provides a reference for other language learning method developments. Full article

Acquiring prosodic focus marking in a second language (L2) is difficult for learners whose native language utilizes strategies that differ from those of the target language. German typically uses pitch accents (L+H*/H*) to mark focus, while (Modern Standard) Arabic preferably employs a syntactic strategy (word order) or lexical means. In Syrian Arabic, a variety which is predominantly oral, pitch accents are used to mark focus, but the distribution and types are different from German. The present study investigates how Syrian Arabic learners of German prosodically mark focus in L2 German. A question–answer paradigm was used to elicit German subject-verb-object (SVO)-sentences with broad, narrow, or contrastive focus. Productions of advanced (C1, N = 17) and intermediate (B1/B2, N = 8) Syrian Arabic learners were compared to those of German controls (N = 12). Like the controls, both learner groups successfully placed pitch accents on focused constituents. However, learners, especially those with lower proficiency, used more pitch accents in non-focal regions than the controls, revealing challenges in de-accentuation. These may result from the larger number of phrase boundaries in learners’ productions, which in turn might be explained by transfer from the L1 or aspects of general fluency. Learners also differed from the controls with respect to accent type. They predominantly used H* for narrow or contrastive focus (instead of L+H*); proficiency effects played only a minor role here. Our study hence reveals an intricate interplay between cross-linguistic influence and proficiency in the L2 acquisition of prosodic focus marking, targeting a language pair so far underrepresented in the literature (German vs. Syrian Arabic). Full article

This study explores the effects of interacting with AI vs. human interlocutors on English language learners’ speaking performance in a game-based learning context. We developed Taboo Talks, a word-guessing game in which learners alternated between giving and guessing clues with either an AI or a human partner. To evaluate the impact of interaction mode on oral proficiency, participants completed a story retelling task, assessed using complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) metrics. Each participant engaged in both partner conditions, with group order counterbalanced. The results from the retelling task indicated modest improvements in fluency and complexity, particularly following interaction with the AI partner. Accuracy scores remained largely stable across conditions. Post-task reflections revealed that learners perceived AI partners as less intimidating, facilitating more relaxed language production, though concerns were noted regarding limited responsiveness. Qualitative analysis of the gameplay transcripts further revealed contrasting interactional patterns: AI partners elicited more structured interactions whereas human partners prompted more spontaneous and variable interactions. These findings suggest that AI-mediated gameplay can enhance specific dimensions of spoken language development and may serve as a complementary resource alongside human interaction. Full article

This commentary critically engages with Hulstijn’s revised Basic Language Cognition (BLC) Theory, which aims to enhance explanatory power and falsifiability regarding individual differences (IDs) in language proficiency across native and non-native speakers. While commending BLC Theory’s emphasis on separating oral and written language cognition, we raise two key concerns. First, we question the theory’s exclusive alignment with usage-based approaches, arguing that its core constructs are, in principle, compatible with multiple meta-theoretical frameworks, including generative ones. As such, BLC Theory should remain neutral to maximize its cross-paradigmatic utility. Second, we address the theory’s treatment of heritage speaker bilinguals (HSs), particularly the implication that they may not typically acquire BLC. We contend that this position overlooks robust empirical evidence demonstrating that HSs develop systematic, rule-governed grammars influenced by their individual input and usage conditions. Moreover, we highlight how IDs among HSs can provide a valuable testing ground for BLC Theory, particularly regarding the role of input and literacy. We conclude that embracing theory neutrality and integrating diverse speaker data—especially from heritage bilinguals—can enhance BLC Theory’s generalizability, empirical relevance, and theoretical utility across language acquisition research. Full article

Background: According to Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, private speech functions both as a tool for thought regulation and as a transitional form between outer and inner speech. However, its role in adult second language (L2) learning—and the neural mechanisms supporting it—remains insufficiently understood. This study thus examined whether private speech facilitates L2 oral production and investigated its underlying neural mechanisms, including the extent to which private speech resembles inner speech in its regulatory function and the transitional nature of private speech. Methods: In Experiment 1, to identify natural users of private speech, 64 Chinese-speaking L2 English learners with varying proficiency levels were invited to complete a picture-description task. In Experiment 2, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to examine the neural mechanisms of private speech in 32 private speech users identified in Experiment 1. Results: Experiment 1 showed that private speech facilitates L2 oral production. Experiment 2 revealed that private and inner speech elicited highly similar patterns of functional connectivity. Among high-proficiency learners, private speech exhibited enhanced connectivity between the language network and the thought-regulation network, indicating involvement of higher-order cognitive processes. In contrast, among low-proficiency learners, connectivity was primarily restricted to language-related regions, suggesting that private speech supports basic linguistic processing at early stages. Furthermore, both private and outer speech showed stronger connectivity in speech-related brain regions. Conclusions: This is the first study to examine the neural mechanisms of private speech in L2 learners by using fNIRS. The findings provide novel neural evidence that private speech serves as both a regulatory scaffold and a transitional form bridging outer and inner speech. Its cognitive function appears to evolve with increasing L2 proficiency. Full article

Background/Objectives: Specific tests for the assessment of language development and language skills in deaf children are scarce. For this reason, parent inventories and/or standardized tests that are reliable and valid in the hearing population are used. The main aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals 5 (CELF5) in determining the language skills of hearing-impaired children in a comprehensive way in comparison to their hearing peers. Methods: The sample consisted of 70 deaf and 73 hearing children aged 5–11 years. Although the results show statistically significant differences in language skills between deaf and hearing children, deaf children scored around average on 8 of the 12 subtests of the CELF5. Results: Children using total communication modality had the highest scores, followed by those using oral language and sign language. The CELF5 subtests showed high internal consistency in the deaf group. A percentile scale was also developed for this population group. Conclusions: The CELF5 showed to be a reliable test for the assessment of receptive and expressive language in children with deafness who are competent in oral language. However, further research is needed to develop language assessment tests adapted to the deaf population that are sensitive to different communication modalities. Full article