Less is more: possibility and necessity as centres of gravity in a usage-based classification of core modals in Polish

In this paper we present the results of an empirical study into the cognitive reality of existing classifications of modality using Polish data. We analyzed random samples of 250 independent observations for the 7 most frequent modal words (móc, można, musieć, należy, powinien, trzeba, wolno), extracted from the Polish national corpus. Observations were annotated for modal type according to a number of classifications, including van der Auwera and Plungian (1998), as well as for morphological, syntactic and semantic properties using the Behavioral Profiling approach (Divjak and Gries 2006). Multiple correspondence analysis and (polytomous) regression models were used to determine how well modal type and usage align. These corpus-based findings were validated experimentally. In a forced choice task, naive native speakers were exposed to definitions and prototypical examples of modal types or functions, then labeled a number of authentic corpus sentences accordingly. In the sorting task, naive native speakers sorted authentic corpus sentences into semantically coherent groups. We discuss the results of our empirical study as well as the issues involved in building usage-based accounts on traditional linguistic classifications

Do users’ reading skills and difficulty ratings for texts affect choices and evaluations?

In our contribution, we consider how corpus data can be used as a proxy for the written language environment around us in constructing offline studies of native-speaker intuition and usage. We assume a broadly emergent perspective on language: in other words, the linguistic competence of individuals is not identical or hardwired but forms gradually through exposure and coalescence of patterns of production and reaction. We hypothesize that while users presumably all in theory have access to the same linguistic material, their actual exposure to it and their ability to interpret it may differ, which will result in differing judgments and choices. Our study looks at the interaction between corpus frequency and two possible indicators of individual difference: attitude towards reading tasks and performance on reading tasks. We find a small but consistent effect of task performance on respondents’ judgments but do not confirm any effects on respondents’ production tasks

Spatial Segregation of Roma Settlements Within Serbian Cities. Examples from Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Kruševac

This chapter focuses on the spatial segregation of Roma settlements within Serbian cities, shaped by the long-standing ethnic distance and social exclusion. In order to understand the broader context, the historical background against which Roma settlements emerged in Serbia, as well as their current demographic, legislative, and urban characteristics, are briefly presented. Several forms of segregation of Roma settlements are analysed, including segregation as a consequence of racist hostility, institutional discrimination by city administration, and development-based conflicts. Examples of setting up a wall enclosing a Roma settlement in Kruševac, racist pressures that prevent the construction of housing for Roma in Belgrade and the reluctance to improve and legalise Roma settlements in Novi Sad, illustrate the various manifestations of segregation and division of urban space in Serbia.The Urban Book Serie

Children's sequential information search is sensitive to environmental probabilities

AbstractWe investigated 4th-grade children’s search strategies on sequential search tasks in which the goal is to identify an unknown target object by asking yes–no questions about its features. We used exhaustive search to identify the most efficient question strategies and evaluated the usefulness of children’s questions accordingly. Results show that children have good intuitions regarding questions’ usefulness and search adaptively, relative to the statistical structure of the task environment. Search was especially efficient in a task environment that was representative of real-world experiences. This suggests that children may use their knowledge of real-world environmental statistics to guide their search behavior. We also compared different related search tasks. We found positive transfer effects from first doing a number search task on a later person search task

Prioritization of e-learning forms: a multicriteria methodology

E-learning, Mathematical modelling, Group decision making, AHP,