Catalogue Search | MBRL
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
{{itemTitle}}
2,076
result(s) for
"Native language Social aspects."
Sort by:
Imagining an English reading public, 1150-1400
\"This original study explores the importance of the concept of habitus - that is, the set of acquired patterns of thought, behaviour and taste that result from internalising culture or objective social structures - in the medieval imagination. Beginning by examining medieval theories of habitus in a general sense, Katharine Breen goes on to investigate the relationships between habitus, language, and Christian virtue. While most medieval pedagogical theorists regarded the habitus of Latin grammar as the gateway to a generalized habitus of virtue, reformers increasingly experimented with vernacular languages that could fulfill the same function. These new vernacular habits, Breen argues, laid the conceptual foundations for an English reading public. Ranging across texts in Latin and several vernaculars, and including a case study of Piers Plowman, this interdisciplinary study will appeal to readers interested in medieval literature, religion and art history, in addition to those interested in the sociological concept of habitus\"--Provided by publisher.
Book
Health effects of Indigenous language use and revitalization: a realist review
Background
Indigenous populations across the world are more likely to suffer from poor health outcomes when compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Although these disparities have many sources, one protective factor that has become increasingly apparent is the continued use and/or revitalization of traditional Indigenous lifeways: Indigenous language in particular. This realist review is aimed at bringing together the literature that addresses effects of language use and revitalization on mental and physical health.
Methods
Purposive bibliographic searches on Scopus were conducted to identify relevant publications, further augmented by forward citation chaining. Included publications (qualitative and quantitative) described health outcomes for groups of Indigenous people who either did or did not learn and/or use their ancestral language. The geographical area studied was restricted to the Americas, Australia or New Zealand. Publications that were not written in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or German were excluded. A realist approach was followed to identify positive, neutral or negative effects of language use and/or acquisition on health, with both qualitative and quantitative measures considered.
Results
The bibliographic search yielded a total of 3508 possible publications of which 130 publications were included in the realist analysis. The largest proportion of the outcomes addressed in the studies (62.1%) reported positive effects. Neutral outcomes accounted for 16.6% of the reported effects. Negative effects (21.4%) were often qualified by such issues as possible cultural use of tobacco, testing educational outcomes in a student’s second language, and correlation with socioeconomic status (SES), health access, or social determinants of health; it is of note that the positive correlations with language use just as frequently occurred with these issues as the negative correlations did.
Conclusions
Language use and revitalization emerge as protective factors in the health of Indigenous populations. Benefits of language programs in tribal and other settings should be considered a cost-effective way of improving outcomes in multiple domains.
Journal Article
Mapping the Early Language Environment Using All-Day Recordings and Automated Analysis
This research provided a first-generation standardization of automated language environment estimates, validated these estimates against standard language assessments, and extended on previous research reporting language behavior differences across socioeconomic groups.
Typically developing children between 2 to 48 months of age completed monthly, daylong recordings in their natural language environments over a span of approximately 6-38 months. The resulting data set contained 3,213 12-hr recordings automatically analyzed by using the Language Environment Analysis (LENA) System to generate estimates of (a) the number of adult words in the child's environment, (b) the amount of caregiver-child interaction, and (c) the frequency of child vocal output.
Child vocalization frequency and turn-taking increased with age, whereas adult word counts were age independent after early infancy. Child vocalization and conversational turn estimates predicted 7%-16% of the variance observed in child language assessment scores. Lower socioeconomic status (SES) children produced fewer vocalizations, engaged in fewer adult-child interactions, and were exposed to fewer daily adult words compared with their higher socioeconomic status peers, but within-group variability was high.
The results offer new insight into the landscape of the early language environment, with clinical implications for identification of children at-risk for impoverished language environments.
Journal Article
Language Preferences in the Dutch Autism Community: A Social Psychological Approach
This research examined the preference for identity-first language (IFL) versus person-first language (PFL) among 215 respondents (
M
age
= 30.24 years,
SD
= 9.92) from the Dutch autism community. We found that a stronger identification with the autism community and a later age of diagnosis predicted a stronger IFL preference and a weaker PFL preference. Both effects were mediated by the perceived consequences (justice to identity, prejudice reduction) of PFL. Participants’ own explanations were in line with these statistical analyses but also provided nuance to the IFL-PFL debate. Our results are consistent with the Social Identity Approach (Reicher et al.,
2010
) and Identity Uncertainty Theory (Hogg,
2007
) and demonstrate the value of a social psychological approach to study disability language preferences.
Journal Article
Adults with Autism Prefer Person-First Language in Dutch: A Cross-Country Study
The correct language to refer to someone with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder has received a lot of attention in recent years. Studies in English-speaking countries found a main identity-first language (IFL) preference (e.g. autistic person) opposed to a person-first language preference (PFL) (e.g. person with autism) among adults with autism. However, a recent study conducted in a Dutch-speaking country (the Netherlands) reported a PFL preference (Buijsman et al.,
2023
). The goal of the current study was to gain insights into language preferences in two Dutch-speaking countries and, in contrast to previous studies, give participants the option to indicate not having a specific language preference. In the current study, we asked 414 Dutch-speaking adults with autism, living either in Belgium or the Netherlands, to fill in an online questionnaire about their language preference. We found that over half of the participants had a PFL preference (54%), followed by having no preference (27%). Only 14% of them had an IFL preference, and 5% proposed another term. Having more years of education was identified as a predictor for having an IFL preference when compared to a PFL preference, while being older predicted having no preference compared to a PFL preference. The majority of Dutch-speaking adults with autism showed a PFL preference, which is in contrast to findings from English-speaking countries, but in accord with a recent study conducted in the Netherlands (Buijsman et al.,
2023
). Implications of this finding for language use are discussed.
Journal Article
Autism and Bilingualism: A Qualitative Interview Study of Parents' Perspectives and Experiences
Purpose: Research into how bilingual parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make choices about their children's language environment is scarce. This study aimed to explore this issue, focusing on understanding how bilingual parents of children with ASD may make different language exposure choices compared with bilingual parents of children without ASD. Method: Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 bilingual parents with a child with ASD and 18 bilingual parents with a typically developing (TD) child. Results: Thematic analysis revealed that, in contrast to parents of TD children, parents with a child with ASD expressed concerns that a bilingual environment would cause confusion for their child and exacerbate language delays. This was particularly common for parents of children with lower verbal ability. Parents also identified potential benefits of bilingualism, particularly in terms of maintaining a close and affectionate bond with their child. Conclusions: Parents of children with ASD have concerns about bilingualism not present for parents of TD children, and these concerns are greater for parents of children with lower verbal ability. Future research in this area should take into account factors such as parent-child bonds as well as communication and language development.
Journal Article
Decolonizing medical education: a systematic review of educational language barriers in countries using foreign languages for instruction
Background
Language barriers in medical education, particularly in countries where foreign languages are used as the medium of instruction, pose significant challenges for domestic medical students. These barriers hinder academic performance, comprehension, and communication with patients, ultimately impacting the quality of healthcare delivery. Despite the prevalence of this issue, a comprehensive understanding of its effects remains underexplored. This systematic review aims to synthesize evidence on language barriers in medical education and propose strategies to address them.
Methods
Following PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a systematic review of studies published up to March 21, 2024, using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Eligible studies focused on language barriers faced by medical, pharmacy, nursing, dental, or veterinary students in countries relying on foreign-language-based medical education. Data extraction included study characteristics, reported language barriers, and their impact on education and patient communication. Quality assessment was performed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.
Results
From 5,410 citations, 49 studies involving over 14,500 students met the inclusion criteria. Most studies (
n
= 32) were conducted in Arab countries, with 15 in Saudi Arabia. Two key themes emerged: (1) Education and Academic Performance: Students frequently reported difficulties comprehending foreign-language textbooks, lectures, and assessments, leading to poor academic outcomes, increased stress, and higher dropout rates. (2) Communication Skills with Patients: Studying and training in a foreign language hindered students’ ability to communicate effectively with patients in their native language, impacting empathy, medical history collection, and overall patient care. Many studies highlighted students felt more confident and effective when using their native language during clinical interactions.
Conclusion
Language barriers in foreign-language-based medical education significantly impede students’ academic performance and patient communication skills. Addressing these challenges through reforms, such as integrating native language instruction and supplemental language training, is crucial to enhancing medical education quality and ensuring effective healthcare delivery. Future research should explore innovative solutions, including bilingual education and AI-driven translation tools, to bridge these gaps.
Journal Article
Brief Report: Unexpected Bilingualism: A Case of a Russian Child With ASD
Some children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) demonstrate unusual islets of abilities or “splinter skills” that represent relative strengths in their development. In this paper we present a clinical case of an 11-year-old Russian boy with ASD who spontaneously acquired the English language. While the child demonstrated language deficits in both English and Russian, the discrepancy between the languages was paradoxical given the lack of exposure to English language. This case study brings into question the importance of a language environment for children with ASD. Alternative pathway to language acquisition is discussed. We hypothesize that that incidental second language acquisition in children with ASD resulting from media exposure could become more frequent with the availability of the Internet.
Journal Article
What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You: The Risk of Language Deprivation by Impairing Sign Language Development in Deaf Children
A long-standing belief is that sign language interferes with spoken language development in deaf children, despite a chronic lack of evidence supporting this belief. This deserves discussion as poor life outcomes continue to be seen in the deaf population. This commentary synthesizes research outcomes with signing and non-signing children and highlights fully accessible language as a protective factor for healthy development. Brain changes associated with language deprivation may be misrepresented as sign language interfering with spoken language outcomes of cochlear implants. This may lead to professionals and organizations advocating for preventing sign language exposure before implantation and spreading misinformation. The existence of one—time-sensitive—language acquisition window means a strong possibility of permanent brain changes when spoken language is not fully accessible to the deaf child and sign language exposure is delayed, as is often standard practice. There is no empirical evidence for the harm of sign language exposure but there is some evidence for its benefits, and there is growing evidence that lack of language access has negative implications. This includes cognitive delays, mental health difficulties, lower quality of life, higher trauma, and limited health literacy. Claims of cochlear implant- and spoken language-only approaches being more effective than sign language-inclusive approaches are not empirically supported. Cochlear implants are an unreliable standalone first-language intervention for deaf children. Priorities of deaf child development should focus on healthy growth of all developmental domains through a fully-accessible first language foundation such as sign language, rather than auditory deprivation and speech skills.
Journal Article
Metaphor Comprehension in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Core Language Skills Matter
Poor metaphor comprehension was considered a hallmark of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but recent research has questioned the extent and the sources of these difficulties. In this cross-sectional study, we compared metaphor comprehension in individuals with ASD (N = 29) and individuals with typical development (TD; N = 31), and investigated the relationship between core language and metaphor comprehension. Individuals with ASD showed more difficulty but also a more variable performance in both metaphor and literal items of the task used than individuals with TD did. This indicates that core language ability accounts for metaphor comprehension and should be considered in future research and interventions aiming to improve metaphor comprehension in individuals with ASD.
Journal Article