Norms and the meaning of omissive enabling conditions

People often reason about omissions. One line of research shows that people can distinguish between the semantics of omissive causes and omissive enabling conditions: for instance, not flunking out of college enabled you (but didn’t cause you) to graduate. Another line of work shows that people rely on the normative status of omissive events in inferring their causal role: if the outcome came about because the omission violated some norm, reasoners are more likely to select that omission as a cause. We designed a novel paradigm that tests how norms interact with the semantics of omissive enabling conditions. The paradigm concerns the circuitry of a mechanical device that plays music. Two experiments used the paradigm to stipulate norms and present a distinct set of possibilities to participants. Participants chose which causal verb best described the operations of the machine. The studies revealed that participants’ responses are best predicted by their tendency to consider the semantics of omissive relations. In contrast, norms had little to no effect in participants’ responses. We conclude by marshaling the evidence and considering what role norms may play in people’s understanding of omissions

Sindskojezični Hindi u Londonu − očuvanje jezika ill jezični pomak

The linguistic situation of the Sindhi language in London is examined with a view to determining whether the community is maintaining the use of its ethnic language. The Sindhi Hindus of London are a language community, which have never been researched. The language choice of the community in different domains and for a range of language functions is discussed. Both external and internal factors of language shift have weakened the linguistic and communicative competence of Sindhi speakers in the language contact situation of the United Kingdom.Etničke studije pokazuju da neke manjinske zajednice skreću prema jeziku zemlje primitka, ali se sve ne odmiču od svoga etničkog jezika. Londonski sindskojezični Hindi manjinska su jezična zajednica koju se dosad još nije istraživalo. Lingvistička situacija sindskog jezika u Londonu istražuje se s ciljem da se ustanovi je li ta manjinska zajednica sačuvala svoj etnički jezik i koliko se njime služi. Jezični pomak mjeri se usporedbama u izbom jezika triju naraštaja. Metodologija koja se koristila za određivanje dominantnog jezika u privatnom i javnom okruženju sastojala se od anketnih upitnika sa 73 pitanja, intervjua i opažanja anketiranih o opsegu govornih aktivnosti i događanja. Upitnik je dan svakom članu pet sindskih kućanstava na području Ilforda kako bi se dobila sveobuhvatna slika jezičnih izbora različitih članova obitelji, a intervjui sa starijim članovima obitelji trebali su oslikati povijest njihove zajednice. Osim toga, kako bi se odredilo njihovo znanje, postavljenje zadatak u kojem se od triju naraštaja jedne obitelji tražilo da na engleskom jeziku ponove istu šalu. Analizirani su jezični izbori zajednice kod kuće, na poslu i u području religije, kao i u međuetničkome međusobnom djelovanju. Raspravlja se o funkcijama sindskog jezika kada se on upotrebljava u razgovoru s miješanim kodovima. Milroy (1987) tvrdi da zatvorene i guste mreže pridonose održavanju etničkih jezika. Međutim, iako je dokazano da u londonskoj sindskojezičnoj zajednici postoje guste društvene mreže, one ne pomažu očuvanju uporabe sindskog jezika. Štoviše, brakovi sa sindskim ženama iz Indije nemaju nužno za posljedicu očuvanje jezika. Ispitivanje stavova zajednice prema sindskome i engleskome, temeljeno na preferenciji, uporabi jezika i podacima koje je sama zajednica dala o sebi, otkriva pragmatičan stav prema izboru jezika. Engleski se smatra jezikom većeg djelovanja. Kuća (dom) također nije pogodno područje za očuvanje jezika jer se stariji članovi zajednice jezično prilagođavaju mlađima i voljni su prihvatiti nerecipročne jezične odgovore. Međutim, sindski se može dulje održati u sferi posla zbog svoje funkcije privatnoga, ekskluzivnog jezika. I vanjski i unutarnji čimbenici jezičnog pomaka oslabili su jezičnu i komunikativnu kompetenciju govornika sindskoga u jezičnoj situaciji kontakta u Velikoj Britaniji. Izgleda da toj zajednici nije potreban distinktivan jezik za očuvanje osjećaja pripadnosti zajednici.Les études sur les groupes ethniques montrent que certaines communautés minoritaires se tournent vers la langue du pays de résidence, mais que toutes ne s\u27éloignent pas de leur langue ethnique. Les Hindous sindis de Londres sont une communauté linguistique minoritaire qui jusqu\u27á present n\u27avait fait l\u27objet d\u27aucune recherche. La situation linguistique de la langue sindi a Londres est ici étudiée afin de détenniner si cette communauté a conserve sa langue ethnique et dans quelle mesure elle l\u27utilise. Le décalage linguistique se mesure par comparaisons au vu des choix de langue effectués par trois generations. Pour déterminer la langue dominante en privé et en public, on a élabore un questionnaire de 73 questions et réuni les interviews et observations des personnes interrogées sur la portée de leurs activités et actes langagiers. Le questionnaire a été soumis à chaque membre de cinq foyers sindis dans le quartier de Ilford, afin d\u27obtenir un tableau assez complet des choix linguistiques de chacun, et les interviews des membres plus âgés des familles devaient brosser l\u27histoire de leur communauté. En outre, afin de déterminer leur compétence linguistique, il a été demandé aux trois générations d\u27une même famille de répéter une même blague en anglais. On a analysé les choix linguistiques de la communauté à la maison, au travail et dans le domaine de la religion, ainsi que dans les activités au sein de l\u27ethnie. L\u27article étudie les fonctions de la langue sindi quand elle est utilisée dans une conversation à codes mixtes. Milroy (1987) affirme que les réseaux fermés et denses contribuent au maintien des langues ethniques. Cependant, bien qu\u27il soit prouvé que la communauté sindi londonienne possède des réseaux sociaux denses, ces derniers ne contribuent pas au maintien de l\u27emploi de la langue sindi. Qui plus est, même dans les couples dont l\u27épouse est une Sindi venue d\u27Inde, la sauvegarde de la langue n\u27est pas nécessairement assurée. L\u27étude des positions de la communauté envers le sin di et l\u27anglais à partir des préférences quant à leur utilisation et des données que la communauté donne sur elle-même, dévoile l\u27attitude pragmatique de ses membres vis-à-vis du choix de la langue. L\u27anglais est considéré comme une langue à plus grande efficacité. Le foyer n\u27offre pas un milieu forcément propice à la sauvegarde de la langue, car les membres plus âgés de la communauté s\u27adaptent linguistiquement aux plus jeunes et acceptent de recevoir des réponses dans l\u27autre langue. Cependant, le sindi peut se maintenir plus longtemps dans la sphère du travail en raison de sa fonction de langue privée, exclusive. Les facteurs externes et intemes de décalage linguistique ont affaibli la compétence linguistique et communicative des locuteurs du sindi dans le contact linguistique avec la Grande-Bretagne. Il semble que cette communauté n\u27a pas besoin d\u27une langue distincte pour maintenir son sentiment d\u27appartenance à son ethnie

CULTURAL CAPSULES AND READING TEXTS: TRIGGERS TO CROSS-CULTURAL LANGUAGE AWARENESS

The use of English in the international setting is based on cultural presuppositions about the kinds of language performance that are appropriate or specific situations. Culture capsules are useful teaching techniques to teach English, as learners would be able to bring in their own cultural insights into learning the pragmatics of English through the various combinations of word choice, prosodic and paralinguistic features. This paper will provide examples of capsules which focus on a range of speech acts (greetings, directives, requests, etc) and demonstrate how they can be used as a stimulus to cross-cultural language awareness

Evaluative feedback can improve deductive reasoning

We examine whether reasoning is improved by evaluative feedback, i.e., the information of whether a reasoner’s answer was correct or incorrect, and report two studies that show that evaluative feedback increases the chances that participants will produce normatively correct responses for deductive reasoning problems. In Experiment 1, participants who were given feedback about their performance did better on problems based on disjunctions that were designed to elicit illusory inferences. In Experiment 2, participants answered difficult syllogisms with more accuracy when they were provided with feedback. We conclude by contrasting the rule-, heuristics-, and model-based accounts of deduction on their ability to explain the effects of evaluative feedback

Challenges of Teaching Chinese as a Subject in an English-dominated Region: Focus on Sindh, Pakistan

Sindh is a multilingual province in Pakistan where politics of language and clash of language ideologies have played a significant role. English is viewed as a language of power, and Urdu is generally considered as a symbol of national cohesion in Pakistan. In Sindh both these languages are used in official and educational domains In Sindh’s language ecology, English occupies an important position. In addition to these two languages, Sindhi is widely spoken and is associated with Sindh’s regional and ethnic consciousness. Pakistan's pivot to China policy is slowly impacting language policy and planning in Sindh. Politicians have started talking about making Chinese a compulsory subject from grade 6 onwards in Sindh’s educational institutions. However, this language policy decision has met resistance from the English-speaking class, and the Urdu, Seraiki, and Sindhi speech communities who look at the imposition of Chinese language with distrust. The aim of this research article is to investigate how language teachers and students in Sindh react to the Chinese language policy and planning.  A survey questionnaire was sent to participants to explore their perceptions of imposing the Chinese language in Sindh. 33 participants aged between 20 to 40 responded to 14 questions included in the survey. Extracts taken from their responses were codified into broader themes and qualitative analysis was carried out using Philipson’s (1992) imperialism concept. The findings showed that the pro-Chinese class is struggling to replace English in an ecology of language where speakers of minor languages are already resisting the hegemony of major languages. Key words:            Chinese; English; Languages; Sindhi; Urd

Osiguravaju li zatvorene i guste mreže očuvanje narodnoga jezika? Primjer teluške zajednice u Kuchingu, u Sarawaku

This paper sets out to examine the issue of language shift among the closely-knit minority Telegu community in Sarawak. According to L. Milroy (1987) a closely-knit social network system is a significant device of language maintenance and can be applied universally. However, local researches on Malaysian Indians such as M. K. David’s (1996) study on the Sindhi community, S. Govindasamy and M. Nambiar’s (2003) study on the Malayalees, and M. K. David and F. Noor’s (1999) study of the Portuguese community in Malacca show that although these minorities have close and dense networks, yet they are moving away from their ethnic languages. This paper investigates whether or not the closely-knit minority Telegu community in Kuching, Sarawak, has also shifted to other languages. Data from conversations in the home domain will determine the dominant language used by members of the community. The attitude of the community towards the use of the heritage language will also be discussed. The information will emerge from unstructured interviews with members of the community. It is found that close and dense networks do not necessarily result in language maintenance.U radu se propituje problem jezičnog pomaka u tijesno povezanoj teluškoj manjinskoj zajednici u Sarawaku. Prema L. Milroyu (1987), čvrsto povezan sustav društvene mreže važno je sredstvo u očuvanju jezika te se može univerzalno primijeniti. Međutim, mjesna istraživanja malezijskih Indijaca, kao što su studija M. K. David (1996) o zajednici Sindha, studija S. Govindasamy i M. Nambiar (2003) o Malajalima te studija M. K. David i F. Noor (1999) o portugalskoj zajednici u Melaki pokazuju da se te zajednice, premda imaju čvrste i guste mreže, ipak udaljavaju od svojih narodnih jezika. Autori istražuju je li se tijesno povezana teluška manjinska zajednica u Kuchingu u Sarawaku također pomaknula prema drugim jezicima. Podaci sakupljeni na temelju razgovora u domaćem okruženju pokazuju koji je dominantan jezik kojim se služe članovi zajednice, a raspravlja se i o stavu zajednice prema uporabi jezika predaka. Te su informacije prikupljene putem nestrukturiranih intervjua s članovima zajednice. Zaključuje se da zatvorene i guste mreže ne osiguravaju očuvanje jezika

Social Capital and Politeness Strategies in Fostering Ethnic Relations in Malaysia and the Philippines

Social capital helps in developing relationships among people in a community or from one community to the other. The concept of social capital focuses on social relationships or individual relationship which is an important tool in building a united and progressive society. Social capital is essential for facilitating peaceful and effective relationships among people in a modern and progressive society

Challenges to Data Collection: Digital Divide Causing Double Marginalization of the Bagri Community in Sindh, Pakistan

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we conducted qualitative research on the Bagri community in Pakistan’s Sindh province. The Bagri community is considered an indigenous community in Pakistan’s Sindh and Punjab provinces. They also live in some states in India. The community has been referred to as ‘scheduled caste’ in Pakistan’s constitution. They speak Bagri language and practice Hinduism. Unfortunately, some Hindus and Muslims discriminate against the Bagri community and give them a wide berth and the community is seen as untouchable (Shah, 2007). Due to lockdowns caused by Covid 19, it has become difficult to access members of the community in order to collect data. Many of the members of the community have no digital literacy and the few who had mobile phones were contacted through mobile phone, but unfortunately voice quality of the interviews was not good and there was either network or noisy interruptions which made it difficult to understand what the interviewee was saying. Given this difficult situation, we used the strategy of using a friend of a friend to conduct the interviews on our behalf. However, even this solution faced challenges as the community was perceived as untouchable. In this way, the Bagri community was not only socially but also digitally marginalized. Therefore, this qualitative research will explore the digital and social challenges coresearchers faced during data collection, and we discuss how these challenges, were to some extent, surmounted

Integrating Soft Skills into Courses in Malaysian Public Universities: (Undergraduates’ Perception)

Malaysian employers demand a high proficiency in soft skills. They are looking beyond academic results when interviewing new staff, hence undergraduates acquiring soft skills is an important issue from different perspectives: the employers, the education system and the students themselves. Despite this emphasis, potential employees, according to employers; lack soft skills. Considering the importance of this issue, this paper’s objective is to comprehend and highlight the perception of undergraduates of the soft skills programs in five research universities in Malaysia. The information presented in this paper is obtained from a survey conducted by distributing 600 questionnaires to undergraduates in Malaysia’s five research universities to determine their understanding of soft skills and how these skills are taught and evaluated in these universities. The initial findings show that there is a strong awareness of the importance of soft skills among undergraduates but the students are not clear about the methods of teaching and evaluating these skills in different courses in different universities. The results illustrate a need for universities in general to develop strategies to enhance soft skills teaching and learning and make undergraduates aware of how these skills are evaluated. The results also suggest that integrating soft skills into university courses does not follow a standard procedure and each university may value and emphasis a different skill. It appears therefore that if universities collaborate their knowledge and experience, they may be able to offer a more practical and beneficial soft skill-training program for undergraduates

Online Education during Covid-19: A Safe and Effective Way of Learning Research Techniques from a Mentor

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed social mechanisms of our world causing many countries to impose either partial or complete lockdowns. Consequently, many people have resorted to online platforms for undertaking their daily business activities and jobs. Similarly, there is also an increasing trend of online education followed by both teachers and students around the world. Therefore, the aim of this research paper is to explore how a mentee learnt research techniques from a mentor through online platforms. Although researchers have studied the challenges and opportunities of online education during the pandemic, this research will explore how the mentee learnt research techniques from the mentor through emails, WhatsApp interaction, and Microsoft Word track changes feature. In this paper, we have used experiential research methodology for carrying out research. Employing qualitative method of data analysis, we have found out that the feedback and suggestions provided by a mentor to a mentee’s research work through the online platforms have been very safe and effective in improving the mentee’s research skills. Moreover, purposively selected chunks from the mentee’s six revised drafts have been discussed to demonstrate how online education facilitates practical learning during the pandemic. Finally, we are of the view that online platforms may be used as effective pedagogical tools because these facilitate learners to read their mentor’s feedback and suggestions as many times as they desire to improve their performance