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Rhetorical questions (RhQs) are a complex phenomenon at the interface of pragmatics, prosody and syntax, which requires reasoning on intentions and goals, and which involves a mismatch between literal and intended meaning. In Italian, RhQs can be marked by optional particles and verbal morphology. We investigated when children aged 6-9 acquire the relevant patterns of optional modification and exp
In this article we investigate transfer in the ab-initio acquisition of grammatical gender in two groups of multilingual learners. The first group knows two gender languages (German and French), which can potentially act as transfer sources; the second group knows three (German, French and Italian). Both groups had to assign gender to nouns in Franco-Provençal, a Romance language which is new to t
Few studies have examined global foreign accent (GFA) in bilingual children, and little is known about how GFA changes over time and what factors determine change. Here, we examine GFA trajectories in Japanese–English bilingual returnees (Japanese children who returned to Japan after having lived in a majority English environment for several years). In two accent-rating tasks, first language (L1)
Italian dialects, especially in the south of Italy, have been stigmatised for a long time. Despite more recent revalorization, dialect speakers may still have negative attitudes towards their own variety as a result of internalized prejudices. By comparing Sicilian and Venetan, two of the most spoken dialects in Italy, this study aims to investigate what attitudes dialect speakers have towards the
We present a case study of a heritage speaker of German, Luisa, who is growing up in an English-speaking part of Canada, focussing on the acquisition of grammatical gender in German. While German has cues to gender assignment, the acquisition of gender in this setting is compromised by the magnitude of gender cues and form syncretism, and the absence of gender in English. We present longitudinal,
The Sámi people stand out as the only Indigenous minority in an egalitarian European context, namely the Nordic Countries. Therefore, inequalities that they may face are worth closer inspection. Drawing on the distinction between inequalities among individuals (vertical) and between groups (horizontal), we investigate how different types of inequalities affect the Sámi today. We formulate a series
Introduction: Language policies are often aimed at changing language behaviours, yet it is notoriously difficult to assess their effects. This study investigates language use and competence in the Indigenous Sámi populations of Norway and Sweden in light of the national-level policies the two countries have adopted.Methods: We provide a cross-country comparison of relevant educational, linguistic
This study investigates for the first time the comprehension of rhetorical questions (RhQs) in bilingual children. RhQs are non-canonical questions, as they are not used to request information, but to express the speaker’s belief that the answer is already obvious. This special pragmatic meaning often arises by means of specific prosodic and lexical-syntactic cues. Being childhood learners, childr
Aims and objectives:This article investigates naturalistic acquisition of a second dialect (D2), comparing the global accent of speakers of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) exposed to European Portuguese (EP), either as children or as adults (early vs late bilectals). The focus is on the predicted advantage of an early age of onset of the D2, as well as possible crosslinguistic influence from the D2 onto
Background Use of artificial intelligence (AI), or machine learning, to assess dermoscopic images of skin lesions to detect melanoma has, in several retrospective studies, shown high levels of diagnostic accuracy on par with - or even outperforming - experienced dermatologists. However, the enthusiasm around these algorithms has not yet been matched by prospective clinical trials performed in auth
The human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is home to a large community of microorganisms that contribute to human health. Delivering live bacteria to the gut for therapeutic purposes can thus be highly beneficial. However, delivering live biotherapeutic products or probiotic bacteria to the GIT presents challenges because the cells must remain viable during production, storage, and administration. En
PURPOSE: We studied the relative contributions of total peripheral resistance (TPR), stroke volume (SV) and heart rate (HR) to low blood pressure in classical orthostatic hypotension (cOH) on group and individual levels.METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed tilt test records from cOH patients and age/sex-matched controls. We quantified relative effects of HR, SV and TPR on mean arterial pressure (M
This paper outlines the integration of blockchain technology (BCT) into agri-food supply chains (AFSC) and provides a comprehensive framework for organisations interested in adopting Blockchain (BC)-enabled traceability. Collaborating with an agri-food-based use-case organisation and a technology provider, the authors present a use case for the deployment of BCT in honey and coriander powder suppl
Readers of the Journal of Common Market Studies may be surprised and perhaps confused to see references to the speculative fiction (SF) film Arrival and ‘planetary politics’ in this symposium of the premier journal for the study of the European Union (EU). What can we learn from a SF film or the unheard-of politics of the planet in our study of EU politics? might be a good question.This month 80%
