Fuzziness, as intrinsic property of natural language, appears to be an extremely pervasive phenomenon in language communication with no exception of news reporting. To some extent, the usage of a great number of fuzzy...Fuzziness, as intrinsic property of natural language, appears to be an extremely pervasive phenomenon in language communication with no exception of news reporting. To some extent, the usage of a great number of fuzzy expressions in news reporting reflects the property of reporter as functional entity. On different occasions, reporters, when reporting news, may play such three kinds of roles as the first information source, the second information source or the virtual interpreter. The different roles-playing determines the pragmatic intention of fuzzy language in news reporting.展开更多
Although there are many different types of philosophy, many philosophers agree that the mainstream of Western philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Wittgenstein) developed toward the perfection of S...Although there are many different types of philosophy, many philosophers agree that the mainstream of Western philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Wittgenstein) developed toward the perfection of Socrates’ absolutism. But can the absolutism maintain its central position after analytic philosophy? There are pessimistic views on this problem, such as that of R. Rorty, the standard-bearer of neo-pragmatism. Recently, I proposed quantum language (which is including quantum mechanics, statistics, fuzzy sets, etc.). I think that that this theory is not only one of the most fundamental scientific theories, but also the scientific final destination of Western philosophy. If so, Socrates’ dream has come true. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the above and to inform readers that quantum language has the power to create a paradigm shift from the classical mechanical world view to the quantum mechanical worldview.展开更多
Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that is a common consequence of stroke.The pathogenesis of the disease is not fully understood,and as a result,current treatment options are not satisfactory.Here,we used blood...Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that is a common consequence of stroke.The pathogenesis of the disease is not fully understood,and as a result,current treatment options are not satisfactory.Here,we used blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate the activation of bilateral cortices in patients with Broca＇s aphasia 1 to 3 months after stroke.Our results showed that language expression was associated with multiple brain regions in which the right hemisphere participated in the generation of language.The activation areas in the left hemisphere of aphasia patients were significantly smaller compared with those in healthy adults.The activation frequency,volumes,and intensity in the regions related to language,such as the left inferior frontal gyrus（Broca＇s area）,the left superior temporal gyrus,and the right inferior frontal gyrus（the mirror region of Broca＇s area）,were lower in patients compared with healthy adults.In contrast,activation in the right superior temporal gyrus,the bilateral superior parietal lobule,and the left inferior temporal gyrus was stronger in patients compared with healthy controls.These results suggest that the right inferior frontal gyrus plays a role in the recovery of language function in the subacute stage of stroke-related aphasia by increasing the engagement of related brain areas.展开更多
As one of the most widely used languages in the world,Chinese language is distinct from most western languages in many properties,thus providing a unique opportunity for understanding the brain basis of human language...As one of the most widely used languages in the world,Chinese language is distinct from most western languages in many properties,thus providing a unique opportunity for understanding the brain basis of human language and cognition.In recent years,non-invasive neuroimaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)blaze a new trail to comprehensively study specific neural correlates of Chinese language processing and Chinese speakers.We reviewed the application of functional MRI(fMRI)in such studies and some essential findings on brain systems in processing Chinese.Specifically,for example,the application of task fMRI and resting-state fMRI in observing the process of reading and writing the logographic characters and producing or listening to the tonal speech.Elementary cognitive neuroscience and several potential research directions around brain and Chinese language were discussed,which may be informative for future research.展开更多
Ten Chinese patients with brain tumors involving language regions were selected. Preoperative functional MRI was performed to locate Broca＇s or Wernicke＇s area, and the cortex that was essential for language functio...Ten Chinese patients with brain tumors involving language regions were selected. Preoperative functional MRI was performed to locate Broca＇s or Wernicke＇s area, and the cortex that was essential for language function was determined by electrocortical mapping. A site-by-site comparison between functional MRI and electrocortical mapping was performed with the aid of a neuronavigation device. Results showed that the sensitivity and specificity of preoperative functional MRI were 80.0% and 85.0% in Broca＇s area and 66.6% and 85.2% in Wemicke＇s area, respectively. These experimental findings indicate that functional MRI is an accurate, reliable technique with which to identify the location of Wernicke＇s area or Broca＇s area in patients with brain tumors.展开更多
Metaphor is a common phenomenon in real life.It refers to a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common.As for advertising,foreign studies f...Metaphor is a common phenomenon in real life.It refers to a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common.As for advertising,foreign studies focus on the analysis of ap plication and effects of metaphor.Based on the historical and current studies on metaphor,this paper aims at analyzing metaphor and its functions in advertising from systemic functional grammar perspective.It pointed out that metaphor,a rhetoric method in advertising language,has many functions,namely,politeness,imagination,subjectivity,objectivity,and textual cohesion,etc.Thus,metaphor can be seen as an important sales strategy,helping the advertisers to establish a good interpersonal relationship with the target audience so as to reach their business aims.In addition,it is also of great importance in that it can stimulate our in terest to learn English,and help us to improve English reading,understanding and writing.展开更多
Object: Functional MRI is frequently applied to lateralize language in pre-surgical planning, with potential to localize functionally important cortex too. Here we present BOLD signal activation maps and related funct...Object: Functional MRI is frequently applied to lateralize language in pre-surgical planning, with potential to localize functionally important cortex too. Here we present BOLD signal activation maps and related functional connectivity, in response to three commonly administered fMRI language tasks. Methods: Datasets from 55 pre-surgical fMRI studies were analyzed. Verbal response naming, covert word generation and passive listening tasks were administered in all studies. Single-subject analyses, group analyses and region-of-interest analyses were conducted, and a multi-subject functional connectivity analysis was performed. Results: Single-subject analyses revealed that clinically important language regions were activated in all but three patients using the panel of tasks. Group analyses revealed significant bilateral BOLD signal increases in anterior and posterior language regions in response to verbal response naming and bilateral signal increase in posterior language regions only in response to passive listening. Covert word generation activated anterior language regions bilaterally and posterior language cortex in the dominant hemisphere. Functional connectivity analyses confirmed that activated regions were significantly correlated in all tasks. Conclusion: The findings of single-subject and group analyses add to the evidence supporting the use of a panel of fMRI tasks to map the language network for pre-surgical planning. Our findings support the additional use of functional connectivity analysis in routine language mapping to add to the localization value to fMRI. In addition, the results of our investigation demonstrate these three commonly applied tasks reliably activate unique aspects of the language network, which advocates closer individual inspection, guided by the surgical intervention planned.展开更多
How Halliday's systemic functional grammar was affected by Saussure's theory of language and what the great significance of their philosophical ideas is.The paper explains those two problems from the clue of t...How Halliday's systemic functional grammar was affected by Saussure's theory of language and what the great significance of their philosophical ideas is.The paper explains those two problems from the clue of the philosophical ideas of language.展开更多
According to the development of linguistics and language teaching,it can be inferred that various linguistic theories have played a significance role in language teaching.Considering the demands of society on the lang...According to the development of linguistics and language teaching,it can be inferred that various linguistic theories have played a significance role in language teaching.Considering the demands of society on the language teaching,it seems that Systematic-Functional(SF) Grammar benefits more in today's language teaching.In this paper,the four core ideas of system,multi-levels,functions,and context and their inspirations on language teaching are talked about.展开更多
Systemic-functional linguistics is one of the most influential linguistics schools in the recent 20 years.Though M.A.K.Halliday,the founder of Systemic-functional Linguistics,has not taken up any language teaching res...Systemic-functional linguistics is one of the most influential linguistics schools in the recent 20 years.Though M.A.K.Halliday,the founder of Systemic-functional Linguistics,has not taken up any language teaching research by himself,he has been putting great emphasis on language teaching and language learning.With the increasing influence of Systemic-functional Linguistics,more and more applied linguists and foreign language teachers are trying to use his theories to solve the problems in language teaching and learning,and have achieved a lot.展开更多
This paper is an attempt to analyze vague language from the perspective of pragmatics.It deals with the pragmatic functions of vague language and,because of the limitation of space,will focus on those in daily communi...This paper is an attempt to analyze vague language from the perspective of pragmatics.It deals with the pragmatic functions of vague language and,because of the limitation of space,will focus on those in daily communication.展开更多
Recent studies have made substantial progress in understanding the interactions between cognitive functions, from language to cognitive control, attention, and memory. However, dissociating these functions has been ha...Recent studies have made substantial progress in understanding the interactions between cognitive functions, from language to cognitive control, attention, and memory. However, dissociating these functions has been hampered by the close proximity of regions involved, as in the case in the prefrontal and parietal cortex. In this article, we review a series of studies that investigated the relationship between language and other cognitive functions in an alternative way - by examining their functional （co-）lateralization. We argue that research on the hemispheric lateralization of language and its link with handedness can offer an appropriate starting- point to shed light on the relationships between different functions. Besides functional interactions, anatomical asymmetries in non-human primates and those underlying language in humans can provide unique information about cortical organization. Finally, some open questions and criteria are raised for an ideal theoretical model of the cortex based on hemispheric specialization.展开更多
Language plays an important role in interpersonal communication, among which the importance of formulaic language shall never be under-estimated. Reflected in not only the language of individual language users but als...Language plays an important role in interpersonal communication, among which the importance of formulaic language shall never be under-estimated. Reflected in not only the language of individual language users but also language community, formulaic language could help establish and maintain human relationships. Meanwhile, interpersonal function is the most important one among the three metafunctions of language. The present paper aims to find the interface between functional grammar and the study of formulaic language, and consequently the significance of formulaic language in the realization of interoersonal function.展开更多
BACKGROUND Understanding the impact of early sensory deficits on brain development is essential for understanding developmental processes and developing potential interventions.While previous studies have looked into ...BACKGROUND Understanding the impact of early sensory deficits on brain development is essential for understanding developmental processes and developing potential interventions.While previous studies have looked into the impact of prenatal experiences on language development,there is a lack of research on how these experiences affect early language and brain function development in individuals with sensorineural hearing loss(SNHL).AIM To investigate SNHL effects on early brain development and connectivity in 4-month-olds vs healthy newborns and controls.METHODS The research involved analyzing the functional brain networks of 65 infants,categorized into three groups:28 healthy newborns,224-month-old participants with SNHL,and 15 age-matched healthy participants.The resting-state functional connectivity was measured and compared between the groups using functional near-infrared spectroscopy and graph theory to assess the brain network properties.RESULTS Significant differences were found in resting-state functional connectivity between participants with SNHL and age-matched controls,indicating a developmental lag in brain connectivity for those with SNHL.Surprisingly,SNHL participants showed better connectivity development compared to healthy newborns,with connectivity strengths of 0.13±0.04 for SNHL,0.16±0.08 for controls,and 0.098±0.04 for newborns.Graph theory analysis revealed enhanced global brain network properties for the SNHL group,suggesting higher communication efficiency at 4 months.No significant differences were noted in network properties between 4-month-old SNHL participants and neonates.A unique pattern of central hubs was observed in the SNHL group,with 2 hubs in the left hemisphere compared to 6 in controls.CONCLUSION 4-month-old infants with SNHL have a distinct brain network pattern with efficient long-distance information transmission but less effective local communication compared to age-matched controls.展开更多
The author analyzes the untranslatability of the classical Chinese poetry from the perspective of aesthetic function of language. The untranslatability lies firstly in the heterogeneity, indeterminism and the ambiguit...The author analyzes the untranslatability of the classical Chinese poetry from the perspective of aesthetic function of language. The untranslatability lies firstly in the heterogeneity, indeterminism and the ambiguity of the Chinese language itself. Moreover, the classical Chinese poetry displays its unique features and beauty which can not be rendered into English in terms of aesthetic function of language.展开更多
With the continuous evolution and expanding applications of Large Language Models (LLMs), there has been a noticeable surge in the size of the emerging models. It is not solely the growth in model size, primarily meas...With the continuous evolution and expanding applications of Large Language Models (LLMs), there has been a noticeable surge in the size of the emerging models. It is not solely the growth in model size, primarily measured by the number of parameters, but also the subsequent escalation in computational demands, hardware and software prerequisites for training, all culminating in a substantial financial investment as well. In this paper, we present novel techniques like supervision, parallelization, and scoring functions to get better results out of chains of smaller language models, rather than relying solely on scaling up model size. Firstly, we propose an approach to quantify the performance of a Smaller Language Models (SLM) by introducing a corresponding supervisor model that incrementally corrects the encountered errors. Secondly, we propose an approach to utilize two smaller language models (in a network) performing the same task and retrieving the best relevant output from the two, ensuring peak performance for a specific task. Experimental evaluations establish the quantitative accuracy improvements on financial reasoning and arithmetic calculation tasks from utilizing techniques like supervisor models (in a network of model scenario), threshold scoring and parallel processing over a baseline study.展开更多
The interpersonal function in Halliday's system-functional grammar can instruct and apply to many-sided language communication.The article is aimed at analyzing language function reflected in the conversations bet...The interpersonal function in Halliday's system-functional grammar can instruct and apply to many-sided language communication.The article is aimed at analyzing language function reflected in the conversations between international students in different cultural background and native speakers,and then getting reflections on classroom teaching language.展开更多
Alport syndrome is an X-linked syndrome that results in nephritis, renal failure, sensorineural hearing loss, and eye deficits. As a result of sensorineural hearing loss, these individuals are likely to experience dif...Alport syndrome is an X-linked syndrome that results in nephritis, renal failure, sensorineural hearing loss, and eye deficits. As a result of sensorineural hearing loss, these individuals are likely to experience difficulties in the area of speech and language. While studies in the past have examined the speech and language characteristics of children with syndromic sensorineural hearing loss, to our knowledge there are no previous studies to have documented the speech and language characteristics of these children on a long-term basis. The current study addresses this limitation by reporting speech, language, hearing, and function of twin brothers with X-linked Alport syndrome across a seven-year period.Information was collected by examining the medical records of the participants as well as through a verbal interview with the participants' guardian. Results revealed that the participants' hearing abilities gradually deteriorated over the seven-year period which affected their speech and language development as well. The kidney function tests revealed significant presence of hematuria(blood in the urine) as well as proteinuria(protein in the urine) suggesting chronic kidney dysfunction. This longitudinal study demonstrates the functional relationship between the kidneys and the cochlea, although they appear to be independent of one another. As individuals with Alport syndrome exhibit systemic complications, interdisciplinary collaboration is essential among health care providers including audiologists, speech-language pathologists,nephrologists, and ophthalmologist to promote evidence-based practice.展开更多
Introduction. Secondary alterations of executive functions occur in brain injuries together with the primary neuropsychological symptoms, irrespective of the location of the damage and the affected neural networks. Su...Introduction. Secondary alterations of executive functions occur in brain injuries together with the primary neuropsychological symptoms, irrespective of the location of the damage and the affected neural networks. Such secondary alterations of executive functions in the presence of language alterations, which is the most frequent primary neuropsychological alteration, in addition to exacerbating the linguistic processing deficit, may be associated to multiple factors inherent to the brain injury or the injured patient. Purpose. To describe the secondary neuropsychological alterations of executive functions in elderly patients with low education levels with acquired language disorders and determine general factors of the injury and of the injured patient (etiology, location, time of recovery from the injury, age, education level), associated to such secondary alterations of the Attentional Control System. Patients and Methods. The study was conducted on 68 elderly patients with a low education level with language acquired disorders, of both sexes, ranging between 60 and 80 years of age. The executive functions explored included cognitive flexibility, impulsivity control and inhibition of irrelevant automatisms, with the Trail Making Test, the Porteus Maze Test and series of loops. Statistical processing involved a Distribution of Frequencies and Multiple Ordinal Regression. Results and Conclusions. The statistical analysis found secondary neuropsychological alterations of the executive functioning in the elderly patients with language disorders of the study that are associated to the location and the time of recovery from the injury and are irrespective of age, education level and etiology of the injury.展开更多
Alzheimer’s disease is accompanied by progressive aphasia which intensifies the cognitive problems. The quality of the care given to the patient influences, however, the evolution of his language difficulties. The wa...Alzheimer’s disease is accompanied by progressive aphasia which intensifies the cognitive problems. The quality of the care given to the patient influences, however, the evolution of his language difficulties. The way the vulnerable person is aided, and the extent to which his efforts to make himself understood by his human environment are validated, contribute to preventing the development of a feeling of failure, a tendency to give up, and retrogressive tendencies. Repetition of interpersonal disqualifiers, care dispensed neglecting inter subjectivity, to the contrary encourages the patient to limit contact with his environment and so precipitate his language difficulties. Aphasia is thus linked to the insufficiency of human communication. The consequences of this disorder can be limited by taking into account the phatic language function to keep communication channels open. The human relationship is an encounter, an act of mutual identity-giving. Alzheimer-patient identity break-down is linked to cognitive troubles and to the failure of patients’ relationship attempts.展开更多
文摘Fuzziness, as intrinsic property of natural language, appears to be an extremely pervasive phenomenon in language communication with no exception of news reporting. To some extent, the usage of a great number of fuzzy expressions in news reporting reflects the property of reporter as functional entity. On different occasions, reporters, when reporting news, may play such three kinds of roles as the first information source, the second information source or the virtual interpreter. The different roles-playing determines the pragmatic intention of fuzzy language in news reporting.
文摘Although there are many different types of philosophy, many philosophers agree that the mainstream of Western philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Wittgenstein) developed toward the perfection of Socrates’ absolutism. But can the absolutism maintain its central position after analytic philosophy? There are pessimistic views on this problem, such as that of R. Rorty, the standard-bearer of neo-pragmatism. Recently, I proposed quantum language (which is including quantum mechanics, statistics, fuzzy sets, etc.). I think that that this theory is not only one of the most fundamental scientific theories, but also the scientific final destination of Western philosophy. If so, Socrates’ dream has come true. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the above and to inform readers that quantum language has the power to create a paradigm shift from the classical mechanical world view to the quantum mechanical worldview.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province of China,No.2016A030313327the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangzhou City of China,No.201607010185+1 种基金the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province of China,No.2016A020215226the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81401869
文摘Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that is a common consequence of stroke.The pathogenesis of the disease is not fully understood,and as a result,current treatment options are not satisfactory.Here,we used blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate the activation of bilateral cortices in patients with Broca＇s aphasia 1 to 3 months after stroke.Our results showed that language expression was associated with multiple brain regions in which the right hemisphere participated in the generation of language.The activation areas in the left hemisphere of aphasia patients were significantly smaller compared with those in healthy adults.The activation frequency,volumes,and intensity in the regions related to language,such as the left inferior frontal gyrus（Broca＇s area）,the left superior temporal gyrus,and the right inferior frontal gyrus（the mirror region of Broca＇s area）,were lower in patients compared with healthy adults.In contrast,activation in the right superior temporal gyrus,the bilateral superior parietal lobule,and the left inferior temporal gyrus was stronger in patients compared with healthy controls.These results suggest that the right inferior frontal gyrus plays a role in the recovery of language function in the subacute stage of stroke-related aphasia by increasing the engagement of related brain areas.
基金the National Natural Scientific Foundation of China(Grants 81790650,81790651,81727808,81627901,and 31771253)the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission(Grants Z171100000117012 and Z181100001518003)the Collaborative Research Fund of the Chinese Institute for Brain Research,Beijing(No.2020-NKXPT-02).
文摘As one of the most widely used languages in the world,Chinese language is distinct from most western languages in many properties,thus providing a unique opportunity for understanding the brain basis of human language and cognition.In recent years,non-invasive neuroimaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)blaze a new trail to comprehensively study specific neural correlates of Chinese language processing and Chinese speakers.We reviewed the application of functional MRI(fMRI)in such studies and some essential findings on brain systems in processing Chinese.Specifically,for example,the application of task fMRI and resting-state fMRI in observing the process of reading and writing the logographic characters and producing or listening to the tonal speech.Elementary cognitive neuroscience and several potential research directions around brain and Chinese language were discussed,which may be informative for future research.
基金supported by the Key Technologies R&D Program of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in 2008,No.2008-165-17the Key Technologies R&D Program of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in 2011,No. 2011-89
文摘Ten Chinese patients with brain tumors involving language regions were selected. Preoperative functional MRI was performed to locate Broca＇s or Wernicke＇s area, and the cortex that was essential for language function was determined by electrocortical mapping. A site-by-site comparison between functional MRI and electrocortical mapping was performed with the aid of a neuronavigation device. Results showed that the sensitivity and specificity of preoperative functional MRI were 80.0% and 85.0% in Broca＇s area and 66.6% and 85.2% in Wemicke＇s area, respectively. These experimental findings indicate that functional MRI is an accurate, reliable technique with which to identify the location of Wernicke＇s area or Broca＇s area in patients with brain tumors.
文摘Metaphor is a common phenomenon in real life.It refers to a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common.As for advertising,foreign studies focus on the analysis of ap plication and effects of metaphor.Based on the historical and current studies on metaphor,this paper aims at analyzing metaphor and its functions in advertising from systemic functional grammar perspective.It pointed out that metaphor,a rhetoric method in advertising language,has many functions,namely,politeness,imagination,subjectivity,objectivity,and textual cohesion,etc.Thus,metaphor can be seen as an important sales strategy,helping the advertisers to establish a good interpersonal relationship with the target audience so as to reach their business aims.In addition,it is also of great importance in that it can stimulate our in terest to learn English,and help us to improve English reading,understanding and writing.
文摘Object: Functional MRI is frequently applied to lateralize language in pre-surgical planning, with potential to localize functionally important cortex too. Here we present BOLD signal activation maps and related functional connectivity, in response to three commonly administered fMRI language tasks. Methods: Datasets from 55 pre-surgical fMRI studies were analyzed. Verbal response naming, covert word generation and passive listening tasks were administered in all studies. Single-subject analyses, group analyses and region-of-interest analyses were conducted, and a multi-subject functional connectivity analysis was performed. Results: Single-subject analyses revealed that clinically important language regions were activated in all but three patients using the panel of tasks. Group analyses revealed significant bilateral BOLD signal increases in anterior and posterior language regions in response to verbal response naming and bilateral signal increase in posterior language regions only in response to passive listening. Covert word generation activated anterior language regions bilaterally and posterior language cortex in the dominant hemisphere. Functional connectivity analyses confirmed that activated regions were significantly correlated in all tasks. Conclusion: The findings of single-subject and group analyses add to the evidence supporting the use of a panel of fMRI tasks to map the language network for pre-surgical planning. Our findings support the additional use of functional connectivity analysis in routine language mapping to add to the localization value to fMRI. In addition, the results of our investigation demonstrate these three commonly applied tasks reliably activate unique aspects of the language network, which advocates closer individual inspection, guided by the surgical intervention planned.
文摘How Halliday's systemic functional grammar was affected by Saussure's theory of language and what the great significance of their philosophical ideas is.The paper explains those two problems from the clue of the philosophical ideas of language.
文摘According to the development of linguistics and language teaching,it can be inferred that various linguistic theories have played a significance role in language teaching.Considering the demands of society on the language teaching,it seems that Systematic-Functional(SF) Grammar benefits more in today's language teaching.In this paper,the four core ideas of system,multi-levels,functions,and context and their inspirations on language teaching are talked about.
文摘Systemic-functional linguistics is one of the most influential linguistics schools in the recent 20 years.Though M.A.K.Halliday,the founder of Systemic-functional Linguistics,has not taken up any language teaching research by himself,he has been putting great emphasis on language teaching and language learning.With the increasing influence of Systemic-functional Linguistics,more and more applied linguists and foreign language teachers are trying to use his theories to solve the problems in language teaching and learning,and have achieved a lot.
文摘This paper is an attempt to analyze vague language from the perspective of pragmatics.It deals with the pragmatic functions of vague language and,because of the limitation of space,will focus on those in daily communication.
文摘Recent studies have made substantial progress in understanding the interactions between cognitive functions, from language to cognitive control, attention, and memory. However, dissociating these functions has been hampered by the close proximity of regions involved, as in the case in the prefrontal and parietal cortex. In this article, we review a series of studies that investigated the relationship between language and other cognitive functions in an alternative way - by examining their functional （co-）lateralization. We argue that research on the hemispheric lateralization of language and its link with handedness can offer an appropriate starting- point to shed light on the relationships between different functions. Besides functional interactions, anatomical asymmetries in non-human primates and those underlying language in humans can provide unique information about cortical organization. Finally, some open questions and criteria are raised for an ideal theoretical model of the cortex based on hemispheric specialization.
文摘Language plays an important role in interpersonal communication, among which the importance of formulaic language shall never be under-estimated. Reflected in not only the language of individual language users but also language community, formulaic language could help establish and maintain human relationships. Meanwhile, interpersonal function is the most important one among the three metafunctions of language. The present paper aims to find the interface between functional grammar and the study of formulaic language, and consequently the significance of formulaic language in the realization of interoersonal function.
基金Supported by the National Social Science Foundation,No.18BY0911.
文摘BACKGROUND Understanding the impact of early sensory deficits on brain development is essential for understanding developmental processes and developing potential interventions.While previous studies have looked into the impact of prenatal experiences on language development,there is a lack of research on how these experiences affect early language and brain function development in individuals with sensorineural hearing loss(SNHL).AIM To investigate SNHL effects on early brain development and connectivity in 4-month-olds vs healthy newborns and controls.METHODS The research involved analyzing the functional brain networks of 65 infants,categorized into three groups:28 healthy newborns,224-month-old participants with SNHL,and 15 age-matched healthy participants.The resting-state functional connectivity was measured and compared between the groups using functional near-infrared spectroscopy and graph theory to assess the brain network properties.RESULTS Significant differences were found in resting-state functional connectivity between participants with SNHL and age-matched controls,indicating a developmental lag in brain connectivity for those with SNHL.Surprisingly,SNHL participants showed better connectivity development compared to healthy newborns,with connectivity strengths of 0.13±0.04 for SNHL,0.16±0.08 for controls,and 0.098±0.04 for newborns.Graph theory analysis revealed enhanced global brain network properties for the SNHL group,suggesting higher communication efficiency at 4 months.No significant differences were noted in network properties between 4-month-old SNHL participants and neonates.A unique pattern of central hubs was observed in the SNHL group,with 2 hubs in the left hemisphere compared to 6 in controls.CONCLUSION 4-month-old infants with SNHL have a distinct brain network pattern with efficient long-distance information transmission but less effective local communication compared to age-matched controls.
文摘The author analyzes the untranslatability of the classical Chinese poetry from the perspective of aesthetic function of language. The untranslatability lies firstly in the heterogeneity, indeterminism and the ambiguity of the Chinese language itself. Moreover, the classical Chinese poetry displays its unique features and beauty which can not be rendered into English in terms of aesthetic function of language.
文摘With the continuous evolution and expanding applications of Large Language Models (LLMs), there has been a noticeable surge in the size of the emerging models. It is not solely the growth in model size, primarily measured by the number of parameters, but also the subsequent escalation in computational demands, hardware and software prerequisites for training, all culminating in a substantial financial investment as well. In this paper, we present novel techniques like supervision, parallelization, and scoring functions to get better results out of chains of smaller language models, rather than relying solely on scaling up model size. Firstly, we propose an approach to quantify the performance of a Smaller Language Models (SLM) by introducing a corresponding supervisor model that incrementally corrects the encountered errors. Secondly, we propose an approach to utilize two smaller language models (in a network) performing the same task and retrieving the best relevant output from the two, ensuring peak performance for a specific task. Experimental evaluations establish the quantitative accuracy improvements on financial reasoning and arithmetic calculation tasks from utilizing techniques like supervisor models (in a network of model scenario), threshold scoring and parallel processing over a baseline study.
文摘The interpersonal function in Halliday's system-functional grammar can instruct and apply to many-sided language communication.The article is aimed at analyzing language function reflected in the conversations between international students in different cultural background and native speakers,and then getting reflections on classroom teaching language.
文摘Alport syndrome is an X-linked syndrome that results in nephritis, renal failure, sensorineural hearing loss, and eye deficits. As a result of sensorineural hearing loss, these individuals are likely to experience difficulties in the area of speech and language. While studies in the past have examined the speech and language characteristics of children with syndromic sensorineural hearing loss, to our knowledge there are no previous studies to have documented the speech and language characteristics of these children on a long-term basis. The current study addresses this limitation by reporting speech, language, hearing, and function of twin brothers with X-linked Alport syndrome across a seven-year period.Information was collected by examining the medical records of the participants as well as through a verbal interview with the participants' guardian. Results revealed that the participants' hearing abilities gradually deteriorated over the seven-year period which affected their speech and language development as well. The kidney function tests revealed significant presence of hematuria(blood in the urine) as well as proteinuria(protein in the urine) suggesting chronic kidney dysfunction. This longitudinal study demonstrates the functional relationship between the kidneys and the cochlea, although they appear to be independent of one another. As individuals with Alport syndrome exhibit systemic complications, interdisciplinary collaboration is essential among health care providers including audiologists, speech-language pathologists,nephrologists, and ophthalmologist to promote evidence-based practice.
文摘Introduction. Secondary alterations of executive functions occur in brain injuries together with the primary neuropsychological symptoms, irrespective of the location of the damage and the affected neural networks. Such secondary alterations of executive functions in the presence of language alterations, which is the most frequent primary neuropsychological alteration, in addition to exacerbating the linguistic processing deficit, may be associated to multiple factors inherent to the brain injury or the injured patient. Purpose. To describe the secondary neuropsychological alterations of executive functions in elderly patients with low education levels with acquired language disorders and determine general factors of the injury and of the injured patient (etiology, location, time of recovery from the injury, age, education level), associated to such secondary alterations of the Attentional Control System. Patients and Methods. The study was conducted on 68 elderly patients with a low education level with language acquired disorders, of both sexes, ranging between 60 and 80 years of age. The executive functions explored included cognitive flexibility, impulsivity control and inhibition of irrelevant automatisms, with the Trail Making Test, the Porteus Maze Test and series of loops. Statistical processing involved a Distribution of Frequencies and Multiple Ordinal Regression. Results and Conclusions. The statistical analysis found secondary neuropsychological alterations of the executive functioning in the elderly patients with language disorders of the study that are associated to the location and the time of recovery from the injury and are irrespective of age, education level and etiology of the injury.
文摘Alzheimer’s disease is accompanied by progressive aphasia which intensifies the cognitive problems. The quality of the care given to the patient influences, however, the evolution of his language difficulties. The way the vulnerable person is aided, and the extent to which his efforts to make himself understood by his human environment are validated, contribute to preventing the development of a feeling of failure, a tendency to give up, and retrogressive tendencies. Repetition of interpersonal disqualifiers, care dispensed neglecting inter subjectivity, to the contrary encourages the patient to limit contact with his environment and so precipitate his language difficulties. Aphasia is thus linked to the insufficiency of human communication. The consequences of this disorder can be limited by taking into account the phatic language function to keep communication channels open. The human relationship is an encounter, an act of mutual identity-giving. Alzheimer-patient identity break-down is linked to cognitive troubles and to the failure of patients’ relationship attempts.
