A case for systematic sound symbolism in pragmatics:The role of the first phoneme in question prediction in context

Turn-taking in conversation is a cognitively demanding process that proceeds rapidly due to interlocutors utilizing a range of cues to aid prediction. In the present study we set out to test recent claims that content question words (also called wh-words) sound similar within languages as an adaptation to help listeners predict that a question is about to be asked. We test whether upcoming questions can be predicted based on the first phoneme of a turn and the prior context. We analyze the Switchboard corpus of English by means of a decision tree to test whether /w/ and /h/ are good statistical cues of upcoming questions in conversation. Based on the results, we perform a controlled experiment to test whether people really use these cues to recognize questions. In both studies we show that both the initial phoneme and the sequential context help predict questions. This contributes converging evidence that elements of languages adapt to pragmatic pressures applied during conversation

Ostensive signals: markers of communicative relevance of gesture during demonstration to adults and children

Speakers adapt their speech and gestures in various ways for their audience. We investigated further whether they use ostensive signals (eye gaze, ostensive speech (e.g. like this, this) or a combination of both) in relation to their gestures when talking to different addressees, i.e., to another adult or a child in a multimodal demonstration task. While adults used more eye gaze towards their gestures with other adults than with children, they were more likely to use combined ostensive signals for children than for adults. Thus speakers mark the communicative relevance of their gestures with different types of ostensive signals and by taking different types of addressees into account

Simultaneity as an emergent property of efficient communication in language: A comparison of silent gesture and sign language

Sign languages use multiple articulators and iconicity in the visual modality which allow linguistic units to be organized not only linearly but also simultaneously. Recent research has shown that users of an established sign language such as LIS (Italian Sign Language) use simultaneous and iconic constructions as a modality-specific resource to achieve communicative efficiency when they are required to encode informationally rich events. However, it remains to be explored whether the use of such simultaneous and iconic constructions recruited for communicative efficiency can be employed even without a linguistic system (i.e., in silent gesture) or whether they are specific to linguistic patterning (i.e., in LIS). In the present study, we conducted the same experiment as in Slonimska et al. with 23 Italian speakers using silent gesture and compared the results of the two studies. The findings showed that while simultaneity was afforded by the visual modality to some extent, its use in silent gesture was nevertheless less frequent and qualitatively different than when used within a linguistic system. Thus, the use of simultaneous and iconic constructions for communicative efficiency constitutes an emergent property of sign languages. The present study highlights the importance of studying modality-specific resources and their use for linguistic expression in order to promote a more thorough understanding of the language faculty and its modality-specific adaptive capabilities

Transformation of university publishing activity based on business processes reengineering

The paper reveals the role of business processes reengineering (BPR) in key organization business processes transformation. Some methods for evaluating business processes effectiveness and BRP tools are reviewed. The main directions of the transformation of business processes in the publishing activities of Polotsk State University are proposed

Transformation of university publishing activity based on business processes reengineering

The paper reveals the role of business processes reengineering (BPR) in key organization business processes transformation. Some methods for evaluating business processes effectiveness and BRP tools are reviewed. The main directions of the transformation of business processes in the publishing activities of Polotsk State University are proposed

Ostensive signals. Markers of communicative relevance of gesture during demonstration to adults and children

Contains fulltext : 151133.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)The4th GESPIN - Gesture & Speech in Interaction Conference, 02 september 201