Vitality, Language Use, and Life Satisfaction : A Study of Bilingual Hungarian Adolescents Living in Romania

This study examined the relationship between objective and subjective vitality, in-group language use, and life satisfaction among two groups of bilingual Hungarians adolescents living in Romania: a low objective vitality group from Cluj-Napoca/Kolozsvar, where Hungarians are the demographic minority, and a high objective vitality group from Sfantu Gheorghe/Sepsiszentgyorgy, where Hungarians are the demographic majority. Consistent with predictions, the high objective vitality group reported higher subjective Hungarian vitality, lower subjective Romanian vitality, more frequent use of the Hungarian language, and higher life satisfaction, compared with the low objective vitality group. The effects of objective vitality on language use were partially mediated by subjective Romanian (but not Hungarian) vitality. Conversely, the effects of objective vitality on life satisfaction were fully mediated by subjective Hungarian (but not Romanian) vitality.Peer reviewe

Accommodating New Vistas

In this special issue, we aim to provide a diverse sample of current research that uses and/or extends Communication Accommodation Theory in innovative ways. With this prologue, we provide a general overview of the tenets and recent developments of theory, discussing how each of the seven original research articles included herein fits in the theory’s ever-evolving framework and body of research

We feel stupid and we shouldn't : towards developing a communication support system for Cuban-trained medical students

This article presents a case study of a small group of South African medical students who have returned to South Africa after six years of medical education in Cuba, where they were trained in a different language (Spanish) and medical system (Cuban) from what they will ultimately practice in as South African doctors. This study sought to better understand the linguistic, cultural, and communicative challenges that this group faced upon returning to South Africa, with the ultimate goal of creating materials to support the students’ language learning in the clinical domain. The researchers found that students reported considerable difficulties with (re-)integrating into South African culture and clinical contexts; specific issues included encountering different types of medical issues in South Africa compared to Cuba and difficulty in understanding and using medical terminology in English and Afrikaans. This case study concludes with specific recommendations for developing learning materials that address these students’ unique linguistic and communicative needs

‘We feel stupid and we shouldn’t.’ Towards developing a communication support system for Cuban-trained medical students

This article presents a case study of a small group of South African medical students who have returned to South Africa after six years of medical education in Cuba, where they were trained in a different language (Spanish) and medical system (Cuban) from what they will ultimately practice in as South African doctors. This study sought to better understand the linguistic, cultural, and communicative challenges that this group faced upon returning to South Africa, with the ultimate goal of creating materials to support the students’ language learning in the clinical domain. The researchers found that students reported considerable difficulties with (re-)integrating into South African culture and clinical contexts; specific issues included encountering different types of medical issues in South Africa compared to Cuba and difficulty in understanding and using medical terminology in English and Afrikaans. This case study concludes with specific recommendations for developing learning materials that address these students’ unique linguistic and communicative needs

Academic acculturation : the case of writing in an EFL teaching and learning environment

The transition from secondary to tertiary education is not just a change of physical environment, but it is also a change of culture. It has been shown that first year students' academic performance and their motivation to stay in school partly depend on how well they integrate into the university environment. In other words, students have to interact with their community through the reigning academic discourse, i.e., they must learn this community's communicative currency: the norms, standards, procedures and linguistic forms that constitute academic discourse. This article eclectically summarizes five studies which try to contribute to a better understanding of academic acculturation by first year students of English language and literature studying English as a foreign language. We hope to contribute to the discussion of well-being and well-feeling of freshmen in their process of acculturation on the basis of their own introspections.http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jlt.v46i2.4http://reference.sabinet.co.za/webx/access/electronic_journals/langt/langt_v46_n2_a5.pd