Analysing Afrikaans-English bilingual children's conversational code switching

It has been observed that children mix languages more often if they have been exposed to mixed speech, especially if they are in bilingual company. Very little research, however, exists on the code switching (CS) of children brought up in multilingual contexts. The study discussed in this paper investigates the grammatical and socio-pragmatic characteristics of the conversational CS of three Afrikaans-English bilingual children and aims to contribute towards a better understanding of child CS. The study was conducted through the analysis of spontaneous conversational CS elicited during multiple play sessions. Data were analysed within the frameworks of the Matrix Language Frame (MLF) model and Conversation Analysis (CA). The study accounts for the different types of CS that occur, and examines which grammatical and/or socio-pragmatic difficulties may drive children to use specific types of CS, while also considering whether the context of an utterance has an influence on how and why CS takes place.Keywords: code switching; child bilingual; Matrix Language Frame model; Conversation Analysi

Towards a pragmatics of non-fictional narrative truth: Gricean and relevance-theoretic perspectives

From a linguistic perspective, ‘truth’ is undoubtedly a pragmatic notion, as the truth of an utterance is not determined solely by its linguistic meaning, but is dependent upon the context in which it is uttered. Although pragmaticists have devoted some theoretical attention to factual truth, truth that is not established through comparison with an observable external reality remains comparatively under-theorised. This paper focuses on a particular kind of truth that falls within this category, namely non-fictional narrative truth. “Narrative truth” is defined as a judgement of verisimilitude accorded to the meaning of a narrative as a whole. This narrative meaning is neither rationally nor empirically verifiable, but rather arrived at by a hermeneutic process. The paper argues that certain criteria previously identified as influencing hearers’ perceptions of testimony also contribute to the creation of an impression of narrative truth. It then examines the position of these criteria within Gricean and relevance-theoretic pragmatic accounts of interpretation. Using as an illustrative example a transcription of a testimony presented to South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the paper considers whether behaviour deemed ‘cooperative’ in typical conversational interaction is sufficient to yield an impression of a narrative’s truth in this particular domain. A principal finding is that adherence to the standard Gricean ‘recipe’ for cooperative conversational behaviour, with its prioritisation of truthfulness, fails to yield an impression of narrative truth. Relevance theory, on the other hand, which places equal emphasis on the form and content of utterances, more easily explains why the truth of certain kinds of narratives may be questioned. However, the criterion of relevance is also found to raise some complications, as what counts as ‘relevant’ differs across speakers and cultures. The paper concludes with a contemplation of the ethical issues raised when certain kinds of narrative are deemed ‘untruthful’ and remain figuratively unheard.Keywords: narrative, truth, Grice, relevance theory, TR

Identification and treatment of tobacco dependence among young people in residential homes during the statutory annual health assessment: a retrospective case-note review

Background Rates of tobacco smoking are substantially higher among young people accommodated in residential homes than in the general youth population. Public health guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that all smokers should be identified, advised to quit, and offered treatment for tobacco dependence during health-care consultations. Opportunities to address tobacco dependence are available for young people in residential care through the annual statutory health review assessment (HRA). However, little is known about the extent to which HRA is used to address tobacco dependence among this population. We aimed to assess smoking-related recording and clinical practice during the HRA. Methods A retrospective review of the statutory health assessment forms of all young people accommodated in residential homes by an English local authority in the East Midlands between June 1, 2013, and May 31, 2014, was conducted. Practice was assessed with standards developed from statutory and NICE guidance relating the recording of smoking-related information during annual health assessments. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the characteristics of the young people and the level of smoking-related recording. Associations between categorical variables were analysed with χ2 tests, and one-way ANOVA was used to assess continuous data. Ethics approval was provided by the Families, Young People & Children Clinical Audit, Standards, Effectiveness and Research Group of Leicestershire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and data were accessed under Section 251 of the NHS Act. Findings 31 young people were included in the review, of whom 30 (97%) had completed a statutory HRA. Inquiries about smoking were made in 23 (77%) instances. 12 (52%) of those who had participated in the HRA and who were asked about smoking were identified as smokers. Nine (75%) of these smokers engaged in discussions about their smoking and were offered treatment for tobacco dependence: two (22%) accepted a referral for treatment. The reasons for declining support for smoking cessation were documented in two (17%) cases. Interpretation Opportunities to address tobacco dependence among young people in residential homes are being missed during the HRA. Further research should explore clinician practice and attitudes to addressing tobacco dependence during the HRA and the perceptions of these young people in relation to receiving smoking cessation advice and the treatment offered. Funding This study was funded by a UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies PhD studentship

New graphical and text-based notations for representing task decomposition hierarchies: towards improving the usability of an Ergonomics method

The representation of task decompositions, in the form of sub-goal hierarchies and their related sequencing triggering and exit conditions, lies at the heart of hierarchical task analysis (HTA) and related techniques. Analysis of the conventional graphical and text-based notations for these representations, using the principles of cognitive load theory, identifies a number of features that may give rise to difficulties when reading and constructing HTA representations. A revised graphical notation is presented, derived from similar notations that are used in the software engineering and human factors domains. An equivalent text-based notation is also presented to facilitate the representation of the task decomposition tabular format, where additional details of the task can be captured. It is suggested that the use of these revised notations could improve usability when constructing and interpreting graphical and tabular representations of hierarchical task decompositions

Preparing for completely smoke-free mental health settings: findings on patient smoking, resources spent facilitating smoking breaks, and the role of smoking in reported incidents from a large mental health trust in England

Introduction: Despite high smoking prevalence and excessive smoking-related morbidity and mortality among people with mental disorder compared to the general population, smoking treatment is often neglected in mental health settings. The UK National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recently issued public health guidance stipulating completely smoke-free mental health settings. This project evaluated existing smoking-related practices in preparation for guidance implementation. The objectives were to: audit the recording of smoking-related information and treatment provision; explore current arrangements relating to the facilitation of patient smoking; measure staff time spent and identify costs of facilitating smoking; and explore the role of smoking in smoking-related incidents. Methods: A mixed-methods study was conducted across four acute adult mental health wards, accommodating 16 patients each, over six months. It included a case-note audit, on-site observations, and a qualitative content analysis of incident reports. Results: Smoking status was recorded for less than half of the 290 patients admitted (138, 48%). Of those, 98 (71%) were recorded as current smokers, of whom 72 (74%) had received brief smoking cessation advice. Staff spent 6028 h facilitating smoking, representing an annual cost of £131,040 across four wards. Incident reports demonstrated that smoking facilitation was often central to the cause of incidences, triggered frustration in patients, and strained staff resources. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance and potential of implementing completely smoke-free policies using comprehensive pathways

The Application of Frequency Analysis Based Performance Measures as an Adjunct to Flight Path Derived Measures of Pilot Performance

Measures such as the arithmetic mean error and standard deviation of error are commonly used to assess the magnitude of errors between the tracked parameter and a target value when evaluating pilot performance. Although these measures have strong validity when associated with a well-prescribed flight task that demands a high level of performance, there can be a certain dissociation between the control input behavior of the pilot and the flight path response of the aircraft, particularly in large transport types with relatively high inertia and stability. This study uses frequency-based metrics based on pilot control inputs as an adjunct to these commonly used measures to evaluate performance. Using both types of measures, findings demonstrate how the performance of 12 cadet pilots changed while undertaking a 40-hour jet orientation course on a flight training device. The results show that variation in the flight path is reduced as the cadet pilots progress through the course. At the later stages of the course, the control strategy used is characterized by more frequent but smaller amplitude control inputs. These findings suggest that frequency-based measures can provide a sensitive measure of pilot performance when directly applied to control input data, and can be a useful adjunct to more traditional measures

Smoking and looked-after children: a mixed-methods study of policy, practice, and perceptions relating to tobacco use in residential units

Despite the implementation of smoke-free policies by local authorities and a statutory requirement to promote the health and well-being of looked-after children and young people in England, rates of tobacco use by this population are substantially higher than in the general youth population. A mixed-methods study, comprising a survey of residential care officers in 15 local authority-operated residential units and semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with residential carers in three local authority-operated residential units, was conducted in the East Midlands. Survey data were descriptively analysed; and interview data were transcribed and analysed using thematic framework analysis. Forty-two care officers (18% response rate) completed the survey, and 14 participated in the interviews. Despite reporting substantial awareness of smoke-free policies, a lack of adherence and enforcement became apparent, and levels of reported training in relation to smoking and smoking cessation were low (21%). Potential problems relating to wider tobacco-related harms, such as exploitative relationships; a reliance on tacit knowledge; and pessimistic attitudes towards LAC quitting smoking, were indicated. The findings highlight the need for the development of comprehensive strategies to promote adherence to and enforcement of local smoke-free policy within residential units for looked-after children and young people, and to ensure appropriate support pathways are in place for this population