Script Effects as the Hidden Drive of the Mind, Cognition, and Culture

This open access volume reveals the hidden power of the script we read in and how it shapes and drives our minds, ways of thinking, and cultures. Expanding on the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis (i.e., the idea that language affects the way we think), this volume proposes the “Script Relativity Hypothesis” (i.e., the idea that the script in which we read affects the way we think) by offering a unique perspective on the effect of script (alphabets, morphosyllabaries, or multi-scripts) on our attention, perception, and problem-solving. Once we become literate, fundamental changes occur in our brain circuitry to accommodate the new demand for resources. The powerful effects of literacy have been demonstrated by research on literate versus illiterate individuals, as well as cross-scriptal transfer, indicating that literate brain networks function differently, depending on the script being read. This book identifies the locus of differences between the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, and between the East and the West, as the neural underpinnings of literacy. To support the “Script Relativity Hypothesis”, it reviews a vast corpus of empirical studies, including anthropological accounts of human civilization, social psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, applied linguistics, second language studies, and cross-cultural communication. It also discusses the impact of reading from screens in the digital age, as well as the impact of bi-script or multi-script use, which is a growing trend around the globe. As a result, our minds, ways of thinking, and cultures are now growing closer together, not farther apart. ; Examines the origin, emergence, and co-evolution of written language, the human mind, and culture within the purview of script effects Investigates how the scripts we read over time shape our cognition, mind, and thought patterns Provides a new outlook on the four representative writing systems of the world Discusses the consequences of literacy for the functioning of the min

Language Teacher Education on Project-Based Learning and Teaching

[EN] This paper calls for language teacher education on project-based learning and teaching (PBLT) to respond to the changing needs of 21st-century language teachers and students. It discusses the rationale by introducing PBLT research and practice with global examples. Sample research findings on the benefits of PBLT are also discussed to illustrate how PBLT can address the more complex challenges of real-world needs. The paper also examines emerging teacher training efforts and presents arguments for scaling up these efforts with a systemic and robust education of teachers on PBLT. Such education should include the philosophical and theoretical foundations, principles, and procedures to better design and adequately implement PBLT, along with an array of curriculum content and professional standards, project modules, and digital tools such as AI, metacognitive strategies, and associated language form-function interface.Beckett, G.; Pae, H. (2024). Language Teacher Education on Project-Based Learning and Teaching. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd24.2024.1718

Script Relativity in Psycholinguistics and Sociolinguistics: Writing Systems as a Catalyst for Cognition and Culture

Script relativity posits that the writing system in which we read affects our thinking, information processing, cognitive mapping, and thought patterns. Given that script effects have been investigated primarily in psycholinguistics, this paper discusses the potential to extend the scope and sequence of research to a broader level of sociolinguistics. As the microscopic psycholinguistic analysis can be complemented by a macroscopic sociolinguistic view, the interplay among cognitive, linguocultural, and sociocultural variables can facilitate our holistic understanding of script effects. To this end, this paper provides an account of writing systems as a catalyst for building cognition and culture. The dynamic interaction between individual language processing (psycholinguistics) and language use in social and cultural contexts (sociolinguistics) is discussed, which has both theoretical and methodological implications for future research, policy, and practice.This article is published as K. Pae, H., & H. Beckett, G. (2024). SCRIPT RELATIVITY IN PSYCHOLINGUISTICS AND SOCIOLINGUISTICS: WRITING SYSTEMS AS A CATALYST FOR COGNITION AND CULTURE: Received: 07th August 2023; Revised: 26th December 2023; Accepted: 29th December 2023. Docens Series in Education, 6, 28–47. Retrieved from https://www.docensjournal.org/index.php/docens/article/view/46. Posted with permission.This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License<br

Language Teacher Education on Project-Based Learning and Teaching

This paper calls for language teacher education on project-based learning and teaching (PBLT) to respond to the changing needs of 21st-century language teachers and students. It discusses the rationale by introducing PBLT research and practice with global examples. Sample research findings on the benefits of PBLT are also discussed to illustrate how PBLT can address the more complex challenges of real-world needs. The paper also examines emerging teacher training efforts and presents arguments for scaling up these efforts with a systemic and robust education of teachers on PBLT. Such education should include the philosophical and theoretical foundations, principles, and procedures to better design and adequately implement PBLT, along with an array of curriculum content and professional standards, project modules, and digital tools such as AI, metacognitive strategies, and associated language form-function interface.This article is published as Beckett, G.; Pae, H. 2024. Language Teacher Education on Project-Based Learning and Teaching. In: 10th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’24). Valencia, 18-21 June 2024. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd24.2024.17188. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Making requests at work: An examination of phrase frames in workplace email communication

As a method of business communication, emails play an essential role in establishing relationships and support systems among colleagues, partners, and sponsors to achieve business goals. Research has suggested that nonnative speakers of English and novice writers face challenges when composing professional email requests for business purposes. Previous studies have underscored the importance of phrase frames (p-frames), which are recurring multi-word sequences with a variable slot, to fulfill rhetorical functions in academic discourse. However, little research has explored how p-frames are used for written communications in business workplace contexts. This study investigated five-word p-frames used for rhetorical moves in business email requests. Using 1,148 authentic request emails extracted from the Avocado Research Email Collection corpus, we analyzed the distribution and linguistic characteristics of p-frames across five rhetorical moves. Results showed that p-frames were unevenly distributed across the rhetorical moves in business request emails. Two moves, making the inquiry and closing, showed the highest degree of formulaicity. P-frames were used in a variety of messages to soften demands and express politeness. This study has pedagogical implications for teaching English for business purposes to both L2 learners and novice writers

The Woodcock Reading Mastery Test: Impact of Normative Changes

This study examined the magnitude of differences in standard scores, convergent validity, and concurrent validity when an individual’s performance was gauged using the revised and the normative update (Woodcock, 1998) editions of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test in which the actual test items remained identical but norms have been updated. From three met- ropolitan areas, 899 first to third grade students referred by their teachers for a reading in- tervention program participated. Results showed the inverse Flynn effect, indicating systematic inflation averaging 5 to 9 standard score points, regardless of gender, IQ, city site, or ethnicity, when calculated using the updated norms. Inflation was greater at lower raw score levels. Implications for using the updated norms for identifying children with reading disabilities and changing norms during an ongoing study are discussed

Script Effects as the Hidden Drive of the Mind, Cognition, and Culture

This open access volume reveals the hidden power of the script we read in and how it shapes and drives our minds, ways of thinking, and cultures. Expanding on the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis (i.e., the idea that language affects the way we think), this volume proposes the “Script Relativity Hypothesis” (i.e., the idea that the script in which we read affects the way we think) by offering a unique perspective on the effect of script (alphabets, morphosyllabaries, or multi-scripts) on our attention, perception, and problem-solving. Once we become literate, fundamental changes occur in our brain circuitry to accommodate the new demand for resources. The powerful effects of literacy have been demonstrated by research on literate versus illiterate individuals, as well as cross-scriptal transfer, indicating that literate brain networks function differently, depending on the script being read. This book identifies the locus of differences between the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, and between the East and the West, as the neural underpinnings of literacy. To support the “Script Relativity Hypothesis”, it reviews a vast corpus of empirical studies, including anthropological accounts of human civilization, social psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, applied linguistics, second language studies, and cross-cultural communication. It also discusses the impact of reading from screens in the digital age, as well as the impact of bi-script or multi-script use, which is a growing trend around the globe. As a result, our minds, ways of thinking, and cultures are now growing closer together, not farther apart. ; Examines the origin, emergence, and co-evolution of written language, the human mind, and culture within the purview of script effects Investigates how the scripts we read over time shape our cognition, mind, and thought patterns Provides a new outlook on the four representative writing systems of the world Discusses the consequences of literacy for the functioning of the min