Sociolinguistic research shows that Lithuanians in the diaspora notice changes in their mother tongue, especially vocabulary. Therefore, there is a need to study L1 vocabulary attrition in the ...Lithuanian diaspora. Since one of the main directions of current emigration is Ireland, this article seeks to answer the question of whether the signs of vocabulary attrition can be observed in the language of the first generation of Lithuanian emigrants living in Ireland, and to provide some insight into what factors might influence this trend. This paper describes and analyzes the results of the vocabulary size test of 100 Lithuanians living in Ireland and the answers to the questions of a sociolinguistic survey. The survey involved adults who left Lithuania at the age of 12 or older and consider Lithuanian as their mother tongue. The data of the target group are compared with the data of Lithuanians living in Lithuania (LL) (100 respondents). The results of both groups are compared by applying the T test, and the influence of sociolinguistic factors on vocabulary is estimated by applying regression analysis.The results have revealed that the Irish Lithuanian (IL) vocabulary is smaller than that of Lithuanians living in Lithuania (in average 60,300 and 62,100 words, respectively), and this difference is statistically significant (p = 0.048). The empirical analysis has revealed that education does not affect the size of the IL vocabulary but is significant for the LL vocabulary. The difference in vocabulary size between the IL and LL groups is mainly due to the results of those with higher university education, while the results of those with lower education are very similar in the two groups. However, the IL vocabulary positively correlates with the age of the respondents at the time of the survey (p = 0.01) and the age at the time of emigration (p = 0.006). Thus, it can be assumed that the IL vocabulary continued growing while the respondents were still living in Lithuania, but after emigration their L1 vocabulary stopped increasing. Lack of communication in Lithuanian with people in Lithuania has a negative impact on the respondents’ L1 vocabulary. Considering these results, it can be argued that there are signs of vocabulary attrition in Irish Lithuanian L1.
This paper aims to answer the question about the vocabulary size of an adult native speaker of the Lithuanian language and to check which sociolinguistic factors have a significant impact on the size ...of the vocabulary. The material for this study consists of 132 responses given to a sociolinguistic survey and a vocabulary size test. The data was analysed using the statistical R-Studio program. T-test and regression analysis were also applied in the research. Participants of the study were divided into two age groups (the younger and the older) as the adult age range is very broad. In total, the younger group consisted of 68 participants: 31 females and 37 males. The average age of this group is about 22. The older group consisted of 64 participants: 30 females and 34 males. The average age of this group is about 49.
The study has revealed that the vocabulary of a younger native speaker (about 22 years old) is about 57,490 words and that the vocabulary size varies between 42,021 and 72,703 words. It has been found that the vocabulary of an older native speaker (about 49 years old) is about 60,770 and that the vocabulary size varies between 46,690 and 76,705 words. Regression analysis data shows that such factors as education, knowledge of foreign languages and reading fiction have a significant impact on the size of vocabulary. The study has also revealed that the size of the vocabulary is significantly larger for participants with a Master’s degree. Furthermore, the vocabulary size is larger for those individuals who know several languages which may not necessarily share any vocabulary with the Lithuanian language. Regression analysis data also indicates that reading fiction can significantly influence the size of vocabulary and that the vocabulary is larger for those participants who read sometimes, often or daily. It must be noted that the sample of participants in this study is relatively small, so all the findings and insights need to be verified by expanding the study groups.
The study discusses the perspectives of long-term maintenance of Russian as a heritage language in Germany. Based on data from a longitudinal study (2014-2018) we investigated changes in the ...sociolinguistic situation of 19 adolescent heritage speakers and in their proficiency in Russian. The aim was to investigate whether changes in the participants sociolinguistic situation are reflected in their knowledge of Russian. Data on the sociolinguistic situation were collected via an extensive questionnaire that the participants had to fill out once a year. Language proficiency was measured by experimental tasks targeting different linguistic domains. For the current paper, we used data from the longitudinal measurement of lexical and grammatical proficiency. The results revealed that the participants exposure to Russian input is decreasing in several domains over time, especially concerning media consumption and personal visits to the homeland. Russian is increasingly restricted to interactions with parents, and to educational settings (classes in Russian as a foreign or heritage language). Regarding language attitudes, our participants explicitly consider Russian important primarily for family interactions and cultural factors, but less with regard to career goals. Nevertheless, there was a positive trend in lexical and grammatical proficiency. We interpret these findings as a result of the prolonged exposure to heritage language instruction which leads to a stabilized proficiency in Russian. Given the institutional support and the size of the community, we hypothesize that the perspectives for long-term maintenance of Russian as a heritage language in Germany are better than for Russian heritage speaker communities in other countries.
Children develop their language capacities and executive functions (EF) throughout their school-aged years. Research has shown that bilingual children show different patterns of EF performance when ...compared to their monolingual counterparts. However, it is less clear how variations in children's multilingual experiences associate with variation in EF performance. The current study examined the variability of multilingual experience across the contexts of home and school and how it relates to EF. Sixty-seven children and adolescents from a multilingual community completed EF tasks that assessed their attention and monitoring. Given the sociolinguistic landscape of a multilingual community, all participants reported having exposure to at least a second language, and their multilingual experience was examined on a continuum across different contexts. Age was positively associated with both attention and monitoring. In addition, the degree of dynamic multilingual experience contributed to performance on monitoring. Our study shows that in children and adolescents, multilingual experience across the contexts of home and school accounted for additional variation in EF beyond chronological age.
Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions:
This study explores the asymmetric placement of the finite verb in Korean L2 German speakers and examines the effect of sociolinguistic factors on the ...produced verb placement patterns.
Design/methodology/approach:
Fifty-eight participants performed a sentence completion task that elicited the preferred placement of the (finite) verb in matrix and subordinate clauses. In addition, language background interviews were conducted to better understand the sociolinguistic circumstances of the Korean immigrants.
Data and analysis:
The experimental data are analyzed using implicational scaling to identify patterns of verb placement. The effect of sociolinguistic factors was tested fitting an ordinal logistic regression model.
Findings/conclusions:
Contrary to the developmental stages of L2 German syntax found in previous research, the experimental results revealed that target-like subordinate clauses are produced more robustly than verb second (V2) constructions. It is argued that this result is better explained with difficulties producing subject-verb inversion, V2, than with facilitative L1 transfer effects from Korean, producing German subordinate clauses with V-final order. Concerning social factors, the type of occupation (coal miner or nurse) was most significant in predicting the preferred L2 verb placement pattern, followed by L2 education and age of immigration.
Originality:
This article adds to the understanding of L2 German syntax by revisiting previously identified stages of L2 German development with data that target the preferred verb placement in matrix and subordinate clauses from less-researched L1 Korean speakers. The intra-group distinction of Korean immigrants into coal miners and nurses further allows a differentiated look at the role of sociolinguistic factors.
Significance/implications:
This research is significant as it aims to draw a comprehensive picture of L2 German acquisition and usage in the context of labor migration, highlighting a less-studied group of immigrants.
Sociolinguistic research shows that Lithuanians in the diaspora notice changes in their mother tongue, especially vocabulary. Therefore, there is a need to study L1 vocabulary attrition in the ...Lithuanian diaspora. Since one of the main directions of current emigration is Ireland, this article seeks to answer the question of whether the signs of vocabulary attrition can be observed in the language of the first generation of Lithuanian emigrants living in Ireland, and to provide some insight into what factors might influence this trend. This paper describes and analyzes the results of the vocabulary size test of 100 Lithuanians living in Ireland and the answers to the questions of a sociolinguistic survey. The survey involved adults who left Lithuania at the age of 12 or older and consider Lithuanian as their mother tongue. The data of the target group are compared with the data of Lithuanians living in Lithuania (LL) (100 respondents). The results of both groups are compared by applying the T test, and the influence of sociolinguistic factors on vocabulary is estimated by applying regression analysis.The results have revealed that the Irish Lithuanian (IL) vocabulary is smaller than that of Lithuanians living in Lithuania (in average 60,300 and 62,100 words, respectively), and this difference is statistically significant (p = 0.048). The empirical analysis has revealed that education does not affect the size of the IL vocabulary but is significant for the LL vocabulary. The difference in vocabulary size between the IL and LL groups is mainly due to the results of those with higher university education, while the results of those with lower education are very similar in the two groups. However, the IL vocabulary positively correlates with the age of the respondents at the time of the survey (p = 0.01) and the age at the time of emigration (p = 0.006). Thus, it can be assumed that the IL vocabulary continued growing while the respondents were still living in Lithuania, but after emigration their L1 vocabulary stopped increasing. Lack of communication in Lithuanian with people in Lithuania has a negative impact on the respondents’ L1 vocabulary. Considering these results, it can be argued that there are signs of vocabulary attrition in Irish Lithuanian L1.
Summary Objective Several studies have identified the widespread use of vocal fry among American women. Popular explanations for this phenomenon appeal to sociolinguistic purposes that likely take ...significant time for second language users to learn. The objective of this study was to determine if mere exposure to this vocal register, as opposed to nuanced sociolinguistic motivations, might explain its widespread use. Study Design This study used multigroup within- and between-subjects design. Methods Fifty-eight women from one of three language background groups (functionally monolingual in English, functionally monolingual in Spanish, and Spanish-English bilinguals) living in El Paso, Texas, repeated a list of nonwords conforming to the sound rules of English and another list of nonwords conforming to the sound rules of Spanish. Perceptual analysis identified each episode of vocal fry. Results There were no statistically significant differences between groups in their frequency of vocal fry use despite large differences in their amount of English-language exposure. All groups produced more vocal fry when repeating English than when repeating Spanish nonwords. Conclusions Because the human perceptual system encodes for vocal qualities even after minimal language experience, the widespread use of vocal fry among female residents in the United States likely is owing to mere exposure to English rather than nuanced sociolinguistic motivations.
Summary The purpose of this study was to assess possible gender differences in the prevalence of vocal fry in the voices of young male college students. Results were compared with previously ...published findings derived from a matched sample of female speakers. Thirty-four male college students, native American English speakers, produced speech samples in two speaking conditions: (1) sustained isolated vowel /a/ and (2) reading task. Data analyses included perceptual evaluations by two licensed speech-language pathologists. Results showed that vocal fry was perceived significantly more frequently in sentences than in isolated vowel productions. When vocal fry occurred in sentences, it was detected significantly more often in sentence-final position than in initial- and/or mid-sentence position. Furthermore, the prevalence of vocal fry in sentences was significantly lower for male speakers than has previously been reported for female speakers. Possible physiological and sociolinguistic explanations are discussed.
This paper aims to answer the question about the vocabulary size of an adult native speaker of the Lithuanian language and to check which sociolinguistic factors have a significant impact on the size ...of the vocabulary. The material for this study consists of 132 responses given to a sociolinguistic survey and a vocabulary size test. The data was analysed using the statistical RStudio program. T-test and regression analysis were also applied in the research. Participants of the study were divided into two age groups (the younger and the older) as the adult age range is very broad. In total, the younger group consisted of 68 participants: 31 females and 37 males.The average age of this group is about 22. The older group consisted of 64 participants: 30 females and 34 males. The average age of this group is about 49.The study has revealed that the vocabulary of a younger native speaker (about 22 years old) is about 57,490 words and that the vocabulary size varies between 42,021 and 72,703 words. It has been found that the vocabulary of an older native speaker (about 49 years old) is about 60,770 and that the vocabulary size varies between 46,690 and 76,705 words. Regression analysis data shows that such factors as education, knowledge of foreign languages and reading fiction have a significant impact on the size of vocabulary. The study has also revealed that the size of the vocabulary is significantly larger for participants with a Master’s degree. Furthermore, the vocabulary size is larger for those individuals who know several languages which may not necessarily share any vocabulary with the Lithuanian language. Regression analysis data also indicates that reading fiction can significantly influence the size of vocabulary and that the vocabulary is larger for those participants who read sometimes, often or daily. It must be noted that the sample of participants in this study is relatively small, so all the findings and insights need to be verified by expanding the study groups.
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