Studies in Language, Discourse and Society - Articles

Bloch, G.

Transnational families face complex language dynamics, particularly when adapting to new linguistic environments. This study examines text messaging practices of six bilingual Russian-Hebrew-speaking parents and their multilingual children living in Finland. Through micro-interactional approach, it investigates how digital translingual practices function as a tool in constructing unique familylects. The study categorizes translanguaging practices by form—isolated insertions, sentence-level switches, and complex multilingual constructs—and by function—local/temporal, phatic, and address terms—which serve to enhance the clarity of practical information, reinforce familial bonds, and reflect multicultural identity. This research contributes to the field of multilingual digital communication by illustrating how messaging language choices serve as contextualization cues, enhancing the overall meaning and emotional resonance of conversations. The findings reveal how transnational families adapt their communicative practices to maintain connections and cultural identity, illustrating the role of text messaging as a locus for linguistic and social negotiation.

Ma, W., Li, Y., Xu, X., Huang, Y., Pan, Y., Li, Y.

Introduction The present study investigated the relationship between family background and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ feedback literacy on the critical thinking styles of undergraduates in Chinese universities. Methods We collected data from 1,454 undergraduates using the validated measures of the validated measures of the University of Florida Critical Thinking Inventory (UFCTI) and the EFL Teacher Feedback Literacy Scale. In addition, they reported on family background indicators, including parental education level, family income and family educational capital. We conducted chi-square tests and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses with two types of critical thinking styles as dependent variables. Results The study revealed the following findings: (1) Students from more advantaged families were more likely to be Engagers, whereas students from less advantaged backgrounds were more likely to be Seekers. (2) Higher EFL teacher feedback literacy was associated with a greater likelihood of the Seeker style. (3) There was a significant interaction between family educational capital and EFL teacher feedback literacy; specifically, the effect of EFL teacher feedback literacy on critical thinking styles in students from families with lower educational capital was enhanced. Discussion The results of this study indicate that critical thinking styles are contextually sensitive cognitive approaches, which impacted by both an individual’s family background and the ecology of feedback received in EFL classes. Besides, educators and policymakers should design feedback and support systems that recognize style diversity while mitigating inequalities linked to family background.

Bugos, J., Laubisch, K., Zhu, A., Avendaño, J., Bryant, J.

Introduction Scientific research has demonstrated that musical training and bilingualism contribute to enhanced executive functions (D’Souza et al., 2018). However, it is unknown whether fluency in three or more languages would confer additional cognitive benefits above bilingual and musician status. According to Patel’s OPERA Hypothesis, music shares many similar components of language and also contains a high level of task complexity and temporal elements (Patel, 2012). Previous studies suggest that music and language learning enhance executive functions in cognitive control mechanisms, improving the ability to inhibit irrelevant information, flexibly shift attention, and make quick decisions. This research sought to examine associations between bilingualism and language fluency in musicians as compared to multilingual non-musicians. Also, do adults who are fluent in three languages perform similarly to bilingual musicians? Our research assessed associations between multilingualism, cognitive performance, and musical training. Methods Fifty-five participants (19 bilingual musicians, 18 bilingual non-musicians, 18 multilingual non-musicians) completed measures of visual motor processing and cognitive control in the visual and auditory domains. Results Results of a two-way ANOVA revealed enhanced processing speed and cognitive control in visual and auditory domains for bilingual musicians as compared to bilingual and multilingual non-musicians. Discussion Overall, multilingualism may not enhance executive functions beyond those acquired in music training.

Bugos, J., Laubisch, K., Zhu, A., Avendaño, J., Bryant, J.

Introduction Scientific research has demonstrated that musical training and bilingualism contribute to enhanced executive functions (D’Souza et al., 2018). However, it is unknown whether fluency in three or more languages would confer additional cognitive benefits above bilingual and musician status. According to Patel’s OPERA Hypothesis, music shares many similar components of language and also contains a high level of task complexity and temporal elements (Patel, 2012). Previous studies suggest that music and language learning enhance executive functions in cognitive control mechanisms, improving the ability to inhibit irrelevant information, flexibly shift attention, and make quick decisions. This research sought to examine associations between bilingualism and language fluency in musicians as compared to multilingual non-musicians. Also, do adults who are fluent in three languages perform similarly to bilingual musicians? Our research assessed associations between multilingualism, cognitive performance, and musical training. Methods Fifty-five participants (19 bilingual musicians, 18 bilingual non-musicians, 18 multilingual non-musicians) completed measures of visual motor processing and cognitive control in the visual and auditory domains. Results Results of a two-way ANOVA revealed enhanced processing speed and cognitive control in visual and auditory domains for bilingual musicians as compared to bilingual and multilingual non-musicians. Discussion Overall, multilingualism may not enhance executive functions beyond those acquired in music training.

Aldholmi, Y.

Background/objectives This study examines how human listeners and automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems process speech under varying background noise levels. Methods Three groups of human participants—normal-sighted (NSLs), blind (BLs), and hearing-impaired listeners (HILs)—were compared with two state-of-the-art ASR systems, Whisper and TurboScribe. Forty Arabic sentences (20 imperative, 20 interrogative) were presented at four signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs: +10, +5, −5, −10 dB) using passenger boarding noise to simulate realistic acoustic environments. Results Accuracy declined with increasing noise for all groups, although rates varied substantially. BLs performed best, maintaining 85% accuracy even at −10 dB SNR, whereas HILs showed the steepest decline. The ASR systems achieved near-human performance in moderate noise but degraded sharply under severe masking, mirroring HIL trends. Statistical analysis confirmed significant group differences across SNRs (p < 0.05). A linear mixed-effects analysis further revealed a significant advantage for interrogative over imperative sentences in human listeners (p < 0.05), plausibly attributable to the rich prosodic cues of question intonation, but no comparable benefit was observed for ASR systems (p = 0.30), which appear to weight segmental over prosodic information. Conclusion These findings highlight that, although contemporary ASR models approach human performance in favorable conditions, they lack the adaptive mechanisms that allow humans—especially BLs—to sustain intelligibility in complex acoustic scenes. By situating ASR performance within the spectrum of human auditory variability, this research underscores both the progress and the limitations of machine hearing and points toward neurobiologically inspired strategies for achieving noise-robust speech recognition. Clinically, this framework suggests that benchmarking ASR systems against the full spectrum of human auditory variability—including hearing-impaired and blind listeners—can inform the design of accessibility tools, hearing-aid signal processing, and supplementary diagnostic measures of speech-in-noise perception in audiology practice.

Yu, L., Kong, Q.

Research on multilingual semantic representation has largely focused on Indo-European languages, with limited evidence from typologically distant systems. The present study examines Portuguese–English–Chinese trilinguals using a masked translation priming paradigm to investigate whether semantic activation is directionally asymmetrical and how language distance and status influence trilingual processing. Fifty-nine participants completed an animacy judgment task involving 72 non-cognate translation triplets. Reaction times were analyzed with generalized linear mixed-effects models. Results showed significant priming only in the Portuguese → English and English→Chinese directions, while no reliable effects were found in other pairings, including Portuguese ↔ Chinese. These findings suggest that typological distance constrains cross-linguistic activation, whereas L2 can mediate activation toward L3 under conditions of higher proficiency and instructional use. The study highlights typological distance and L2 status as joint determinants of trilingual semantic representation and underscores the need to refine multilingual processing models beyond Indo-European contexts.

Wang, R., Xu, Q.

Introduction Emotional intelligence (EI) has been widely recognized as a key affective factor in second language (L2) learning, yet its underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently explained. Drawing on Control–Value Theory (CVT), this study conceptualizes EI as a distal resource that enhances control–value appraisals, thereby fostering communicative engagement and mitigating negative achievement emotions, which jointly influence performance. Methods A total of 1,158 Chinese undergraduates from seven universities completed validated measures of EI, willingness to communicate (WTC), foreign language learning boredom (FLLB), and submitted EFL test results. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted using parcel-level indicators, and indirect effects were examined via bootstrap estimation (B = 5,000, BCa). Results The hypothesized model demonstrated excellent fit and revealed that EI directly predicted language performance and indirectly influenced outcomes through both WTC and FLLB. Specifically, EI enhanced WTC, which reduced FLLB, and these factors jointly contributed to improved performance. Although the sequential (EI → WTC → FLLB → Performance) path was modest, it supported the theorized chain mediation mechanism consistent with CVT. Discussion The findings provide conceptual evidence that EI promotes language learning success not only by increasing communicative willingness but also by buffering against boredom—a low-control, low-value emotion. This integrative perspective advances a process-oriented account of how affective and motivational systems interact in L2 learning. Practically, it suggests that classroom interventions combining emotional competence training, autonomy-supportive pedagogy, and value-enhancing communicative tasks may strengthen engagement while alleviating boredom.

Ma, W., Li, Y., Xu, X., Huang, Y., Pan, Y., Li, Y.

Introduction The present study investigated the relationship between family background and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ feedback literacy on the critical thinking styles of undergraduates in Chinese universities. Methods We collected data from 1,454 undergraduates using the validated measures of the validated measures of the University of Florida Critical Thinking Inventory (UFCTI) and the EFL Teacher Feedback Literacy Scale. In addition, they reported on family background indicators, including parental education level, family income and family educational capital. We conducted chi-square tests and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses with two types of critical thinking styles as dependent variables. Results The study revealed the following findings: (1) Students from more advantaged families were more likely to be Engagers, whereas students from less advantaged backgrounds were more likely to be Seekers. (2) Higher EFL teacher feedback literacy was associated with a greater likelihood of the Seeker style. (3) There was a significant interaction between family educational capital and EFL teacher feedback literacy; specifically, the effect of EFL teacher feedback literacy on critical thinking styles in students from families with lower educational capital was enhanced. Discussion The results of this study indicate that critical thinking styles are contextually sensitive cognitive approaches, which impacted by both an individual’s family background and the ecology of feedback received in EFL classes. Besides, educators and policymakers should design feedback and support systems that recognize style diversity while mitigating inequalities linked to family background.

van Bree, S., Sohoglu, E., Davis, M., Zoefel, B.

Rhythmic sensory or electrical stimulation will produce rhythmic brain responses. These rhythmic responses are often interpreted as endogenous neural oscillations aligned (or “entrained”) to the stimulus rhythm. However, stimulus-aligned brain responses can also be explained as a sequence of evoked responses, which only appear regular due to the rhythmicity of the stimulus, without necessarily involving underlying neural oscillations. To distinguish evoked responses from true oscillatory activity, we tested whether rhythmic stimulation produces oscillatory responses which continue after the end of the stimulus. Such sustained effects provide evidence for true involvement of neural oscillations. In Experiment 1, we found that rhythmic intelligible, but not unintelligible speech produces oscillatory responses in magnetoencephalography (MEG) which outlast the stimulus at parietal sensors. In Experiment 2, we found that transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) leads to rhythmic fluctuations in speech perception outcomes after the end of electrical stimulation. We further report that the phase relation between electroencephalography (EEG) responses and rhythmic intelligible speech can predict the tACS phase that leads to most accurate speech perception. Together, we provide fundamental results for several lines of research—including neural entrainment and tACS—and reveal endogenous neural oscillations as a key underlying principle for speech perception.

Pellegrini, R.