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Verbal ethnic symbols as an indicator of language perception by bilinguals
16. Толстой Л. Н. Война и мир.//[Электронный ресурс]. - Режим доступа: http://az.lib.ru/t/tolstoj_lew_nikolae-wich/(дата обращения: 03.07.2008).
17. Апресян Ю. Д. Избранные труды В 2 т. - Т. 2. Интегральное описание языка и системная лексикография./Ю. Д. Апресян. - М.: Языки русской культуры, 1995.
18. Шахматов А. А. Синтаксис русского языка. - Л.: Учпедгиз, 1941.
19. Островский А. Н. Сердце не камень.//[Электронный ресурс]. - Режим доступа: http://az.lib.ru/o/ostrowskij а п/(дата обращения - 03.05.2008).
Plakhotnyk Nastasiia, National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, Master in Neurophysiology, Institute of Biology E-mail: nastasiya2006@ukr.net Tukaiev Sergii,
National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, PhD in Biology, Institute of Biology E-mail: tukaev@univ.kiev.ua Zyma Igor,
National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, PhD in Biology, Institute of Biology Bas-Kononenko Oksana, National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, PhD in Linguistics, Institute of Linguistics
Dudnyk Zoia,
National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, PhD in Linguistics, Institute of Linguistics
Verbal ethnic symbols as an indicator of language perception by bilinguals
Abstract: Bilingualism defines as social condition that consists in co-functioning and interaction of two languages within a single language community. Correct switching of native and non-native languages is one of the major stumbling blocks of communication. We are still far from understanding of the language-specific characteristics of electric activity of human brain and how language comprehension is carried out. The aim of this study was to investigate electrophysiological correlates of the perception of ethnic verbal information in bilinguals depending on their native language. Our data provide new insights into the neural bases of the multiple language acquisition. Based on results we assume that the bilinguals who acquired both languages at an early age, regardless of the primacy of one of the languages, use the same brain area for processing of verbal information.
Keywords: bilingual, verbal ethnic symbols, ERP.
In bilingual societies, correct switching of native and non-native languages is one of the major stumbling blocks of communication. Among the less educated strata of society, this problem poses a bigger threat due to a higher chance of confusion ofwords that belong to different languages. For the more educated strata ones, this problem either is less distinct or does not exist at all.
Bilingualism is a special socio-linguistic feature that consists in co-functioning and interaction of two languages within a single language community. One of the most important characteristics ofbilingualism is a level of language fluency. Full and quick switching between different languages is rather rare.
Whiteley and Bell divide the spoken languages into the primary (the main language of communication) and the auxiliary
languages [1; 2]. The level of fluency in different spoken languages can vary quite significantly, which causes such phenomenon as mixed bilingualism. Differences in the perception of information in the primary and auxiliary languages may influence important mechanisms of social interactions.
Bilingualism is closely associated with many cognitive processes, including increased efficiency of attention management, working memory, metalinguistic awareness, abstract and metaphorical cognitive skills. However, the magnitude of the effect of bilingualism depends largely on the research methods and can vary within statistical significance. In bilinguals, providing emotional evaluation might depend on many factors, such as the level of language proficiency, areas of language use, and the age of the first language acquisition [4].
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Section 3. Linguistics
Neurophysiological mechanisms of perception of emotions, which comprise an important component of verbal information, vary depending not only on the information itself, but also on the modality of emotions. The expression, perception and subjective evaluation of emotions are culturally specific and this may imprint on the neuropsychological mechanism of emotions processing. Subjective evaluation may depend on such sound characteristics as pitch or sound frequency, but also on some specific phonemes or language proficiency.
However, no studies to investigate the influence of verbal ethnic symbols in two spoken languages on the perception o information have been conducted yet. Moreover, we are still far from clear understanding whether the languages of the same structure have similar effect on the brain activity.
Bilinguals have always been an interesting subject of study not only for linguists and communication scientists, but also for psychologists and neurobiologists. A fundamental question in the studies of bilingualism is whether the neural substrates are shared or segregated for the both languages. Within this pilot study we used word symbols as a basic material in order to understand the differences in psycho-physiological response of the participants to the words of native and nonnative languages.
The purpose and objectives of the study. The purpose of the study was to analyze the perception of verbal stimuli depending on the native language, to reveal (possible) differences between the both spoken languages. We set the following objective:
• identify the patterns of the event-related potentials for native and non-native words in native Ukrainian and Russian speakers.
Participants and methods
52 healthy volunteers (23 women and 29 men), aged 17 to 32 years, participated in the study. They were divided into two groups according to their mother tongue: 26 volunteers were native Ukrainian speakers and 26 volunteers were native Russian speakers. All of them were fluent in both Ukrainian and Russian. In the beginning of the experiment a participant was given 30 seconds to adapt him/herself to the conditions of the experiment. After that, we recorded a background EEG with closed eyes during 3 minutes and the participant listened to two sets of verbal stimuli (100 Russian and 100 Ukrainian words) with 1.5-minutes pauses between them. During the pauses the participants looked at a dark monitor. The aftereffect recordings of EEG with closed eyes (3 minutes) were performed after the last set of words.
After the EEG part of the experiment, the participants were asked to evaluate the stimuli words as “Pleasant/unpleas-ant" and “Relaxing/activating" on the scale from -5 to 5 based on the subjective personal experience.
Verbal stimuli
We used phonetic and lexical levels of perception. For the phonetic perception, we used the words with the same meaning and similar spelling but different pronunciation, and the words with the same meaning but different spelling
and pronunciation. For the lexical perception, we used the words with different meaning, spelling and pronunciation, and the words that express the values, inherent in Ukrainian and Russian nations.
Event-related potentials method
We used event-related potentials (ERP) to analyze subjective perception of information. This method allows for tracking of information processing of any modality from the first moment of unconscious perception of a sound and its evaluation to the last stage of higher cognitive functions such as awareness, remembering and providing emotional significance. First 100 ms. correspond to the primary recognition and perception of verbal information. Semantic processing occurs during 200 ms. from the onset of the first stimuli, followed by the distribution of attention resources (about 300 ms), analysis of the context (about 400 ms), and memory encoding process (500-600 ms).
Results
Russian words were perceived more favorably by the native Russian speakers in comparison to the native Ukrainian speakers. Ukrainian words were rated as more activating for the native Russian speakers and more relaxing for the native Ukrainian speakers. We found significant intergroup differences in P100 in the right frontal zone in response to the stimuli in Ukrainian. The group of native Russian speakers demonstrated a higher P100 with in comparison with the group of native Ukrainian speakers. The amplitude of P200 was significantly higher in the left anteriofrontal, right frontal and left frontal temporal areas for the native Ukrainian group. The stimuli in Russian language in the group of native Ukrainian speakers have elicited greater amplitude of N200 component in the right visual associative zone and the right angular gyrus, which is responsible for handling the emotional component of speech. In the group of native Russian speakers listening to the stimuli in Russian did not elicit similar changes in N200. We hypothesize that perception of the stimuli in Ukrainian attracted more cognitive resources and attention to this task.
We did not reveal any significant differences in the amplitude of evoked potentials of P300 in bilinguals. This may indicate a higher level of proficiency in both languages. We argue that verbal information bearing the same meaning in both languages elicits the same associations and emotional distress regardless of its grammar, structure and sound. We assume that bilingual who acquired both languages at early age, regardless of the primacy of one of the languages, use the same brain areas for associative perception and understanding of verbal information.
Conclusion
Subjective evaluation and its physiological basis depend on the language of presented stimuli. Subjective evaluation of the native language in Russian-speaking subjects took place at a later, conscious stage, whereas the evaluation of the second language started with the onset of the first sound. It applies mainly to phonetic characteristics of the language but not the associations it caused.
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Die Kennzeichnung der TRG in vorgelesenen Texten mithilfe prosodischer Mittel
The differences in the perception of information by bilinguals, delivered in native and non-native language, can determine important mechanisms of social relations because they define the mechanisms of perception of verbal information. Bilingualism is a fundamental matter, equally important for all countries independently of the number of spoken languages. In the light of social and societal turmoil, experienced by the ma-j ority of European countries during the last years, the question
of bilingualism turns into an issue that affects progressively more families. The current study helps reveal the perception of the socially important information delivered in two different languages the recipients claim to be fluent in. We demonstrate that the language determines the emotional importance, hence the content-related importance of the information, and even trust in it. At that, the bilingual recipients discern the language difference at the earliest stages of word analysis.
References:
1. Whiteley W. H. Language Use and Social Change. Problems of Multilingualism with Special Reference to Eastern Africa. -OUP, London, 1971.
2. Bell A. The guidebook to sociolinguistics. - John Wiley & Sons, 2013.
3. Bandura A. Social learning theory. Pearson, 1977.
4. Caldwell-Harris C. L. Emotionality differences between a native and foreign language: theoretical implications. Frontiers in psychology, 5. - 2014.
Shvab Liudmyla, Kiev National Linguistic University, Postgraduate student, the Faculty of German Philology E-mail: schwab.mila@gmail.com
Die Kennzeichnung der TRG in vorgelesenen Texten mithilfe prosodischer Mittel
Abstract: The article reveals the peculiarities of actual division into theme and rheme of sounded literary and scientific texts. The possibilities to mark a realization of topic-comment structure via intonation means are presented. Keywords: phonostyle, theme, rheme, intonation, accent, pause, tempo.
Der akzent-melodische Teil des Satzes oder der ganze Satz, der den wichtigsten Moment der berichteten Informationen ausdrückt, heißt das Rhema. Diese Informationen können nicht nur bestimmte Angaben oder Daten für Zuhörer erhalten, sondern auch modal oder emotional markiert sein. Obwohl das Rhema etwas Neues informiert, beschränkt es sich aber darauf nicht. Das Rhema kann die Stellung des Sprechers zu der Wirklichkeit, dem Inhalt des Ausdrucks, der kommunikativen Situation, dem Gesprächspartner, seinem Geisteszustand wiedergeben, es kann den Kontrast äußern, quantitative oder qualitative Seite des Gegenstandes unterstreichen sowie den Wert von Gedanken und Gefühlen verdeutlichen [1, 6].
Als Hauptmittel der Thema-Rhema-Gliederung (TRG) treten Wortstellung, prosodische Merkmalen des Textes, manche Adverbien, Artikel sowie der Kontext auf [5, 21].
Sprachwissenschaftler haben die einstimmige Meinung über die Möglichkeit der Kennzeichnung der TRG mithilfe prosodischer Mittel. Unbestreitbar bleibt die Tatsache, dass zwei Sätze mit demselben Wortschatz und grammatischen Strukturen dank der Intonation den verschiedenen Kommunikationsstatus erhalten, der durch Kommunikationsaufgabe und -situation verursacht ist. Als Beispiele von solchen Aussagen dienen folgende Ausdrücke:
1. /Sie hat es mir nicht gesagt.
2. Sie hat es mir/nicht gesagt.
3. Dieser Mann/sagt er/wird bald Präsident.
4. Dieser Mann sagt/er wird bald Präsident.
Mithilfe der Phrasenprosodie vollzieht sich die kommunikative Objektivierung der Absicht des Sprechers, wird die Abteilung der Grundinformation in der Aussage gemacht. Grammatische und lexikalische Mittel können, wenn auch nicht immer, als Marker für das Rhema verwendet werden. Allerdings wird die Rolle der Intonation als Hauptmarker von der pragmatischen Anreicherung der Aussage von Linguisten nicht bestritten.
Die wichtige Rolle spielt die Betonung, weil der Grad der Hervorhebung eines der Elemente vom Bedarf der Kommunikation verursacht wird. Die Betonung weist daraufhin, dass ein bestimmtes Wort von größerer oder kleinerer Bedeutung für die erfolgreiche Kommunikationsrealisierung ist [3, 309].
Jede Phrase enthält ein betontes Element, das im letzten Teil liegt und positionell den Kern vom Rhema darstellt. Es entsteht eine Unstimmigkeit zwischen dem intonatorisch markierten und verbalen Umfang von Rhema, weil das Rhema aus mehreren Wörtern bestehen kann, und die Phrasenbetonung das automatisierte Intonationszentrum ausmacht [4, 36-38].
Zu den suprasegmentalen Mitteln der TRG eines Ausdrucks (einer Aussage) gehören traditionell der Melodieverlauf (Zunahme oder Abnahme der Frequenz des Grundtons), verschiedene Arten vom Phrasenakzent (logischer,
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