'I Hope You Can Rise Again': Linguistic Variation in Online Condolences.

In the wake of tragic events such as the 'Paris Attacks of 2015', the expression of condolences through e-messages has become a common way for individuals to offer support and sympathy to those affected. However, limited research has been conducted on the linguistic aspects of condolence e-messages and how they reflect the speech act of condolence. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the syntactic and pragmatic elements present in these messages. The aim is to understand how the syntactic and pragmatic elements of these messages contribute to the expression of the communicative speech act of condolence. Condolence e-messages were identified and analyzed using an adapted version of Elwood's (2004) coding scheme. The analysis focused on common themes in the condolence sentences, revealing that some linguistic functions were overtly used to express grief. Additionally, specific words such as 'pray', 'love', and 'condolence' were frequently used in conjunction with the expressions of condolence. The findings highlight the influence of sociocultural factors in shaping the norms and variations in the production of speech acts across different cultures. Understanding these linguistic variations can contribute to effective communication and cultural sensitivity in expressing condolences.

Child-directed speech: An examination of frequency and reliability in spontaneous language samples.

Little research exists regarding language reliability, meaning that it is unknown to what degree language samples represent an individual's typical linguistic production. While few studies exist regarding child language reliability, fewer exist for adults. This study uses a test-retest procedure to examine frequency and reliability of morphosyntactic production in the language of 17 mothers interacting with their children. To examine reliability of different sample lengths, counts and reliability are calculated at 50, 100, 150 and 200 utterances. Results are compared to those of children (2;6-3;6) involved in a larger study and reported in previous work. Results show that (1) frequency counts were higher for adults than children, (2) reliability of most elements was markedly lower in adult language, and (3) relative frequency of items in the child language samples mirrored those in adult samples.

Deductive Versus Probabilistic Reasoning in Healthy Adults: An EEG Analysis of Neural Differences.

This study examined the electrophysiological signatures of deductive and probabilistic reasoning. Deduction is defined as the case in which a conclusion can be found to be true or false due to validity of argument. In probabilistic reasoning, however, conclusions can be considered to be likely or unlikely, but not with certainty due to the lack of validity in the form of the argument. 16 participants were presented with both types of arguments while response times and ERPs were carried out. Participants had to decide with the presentation of each argument, what type of reasoning was appropriate and which of four responses (certainly yes, probably yes, probably no and certainly no) was the most appropriate. Response times indicated faster processing of deductive arguments. N2 amplitude distinguished between positive and negative responses in the deductive condition, but not in the probabilistic one, suggesting partial differentiation between the cognitive processes required for the two types of reasoning.

F-LARSP 1.0: an adaptation of the LARSP language profile for French.

The Language Assessment, Remediation and Screening Procedure (Crystal, Fletcher and Garman, 1976; The grammatical analysis of language disability. London: Edward Arnold) is a linguistic profile commonly used by researchers and clinicians to carry out detailed analyses of the grammar and morphology of children's spontaneous language samples. This article discusses the methods used to adapt the profile from English to French using a large corpus of child language in order to accurately assign morphosyntactic structures to age-based stages.

Difficulty in SLI diagnosis: a case study of identical twins.

This paper examines identical 12-year-old twins with language difficulties, one of whom falls into the diagnostic remit of SLI while the others does not due to IQ differences. Further diagnostic testing was carried out and their language was analysed to determine whether their diagnosis were reflected by different linguistic abilities. Results show a strong similarity in linguistic profiles, leading to a questioning of IQ use in SLI diagnosis.