Case Report:Pure word deafness associated with extrapontine myelinolysis

Extrapontine myelinolysis and pure word deafness are very uncommon disorders.Here,we report a case of a 19-year-old woman who suffered from osmotic demyelination syndrome with coincidence of typical pure word deafness.As a consequence of rapid correction of hyponatremia,the patient demonstrated an initial onset of cortical deafness,and then progressed to generalized auditory agnosia,which eventually developed into confined verbal auditory agnosia(pure word deafness) .Bilateral extrapontine myelinolysis was confirmed using brain magnetic resonance imaging.This case suggests that verbal and nonverbal stimuli may involve separate thalamocortical pathways.     

The development of spoken language in deaf children: explaining the unexplained variance

Using a large existing data base on children with severe and profound deafness, 10 children were identified whose level of spoken laguage was most above and 10 whose level was most below that expected on the basis of their hearing loss, age, and intelligence. A study of their personal characteristics, family background, and educational history identified factors associated with unusually high performance; these includes earlier use of binaural ear-level aids, more highly educated mothers, auditory/verbal or auditory/oral instruction, reliance on spoken language as a method of communication, individualized instruction, integration, and structured teaching by parents. Parents of high performers also reported being highly commited to and focusing family resouces on developing their child's spoken language.     

Working memory for sign language: a window into the architecture of the working memory system

Traditionally, working memory has been divided into two major domains: verbal and visuo-spatial. The verbal domain of working memory can be characterized either by its relationship to language or by its grounding in auditory processing. Because of this ambiguity, languages that are not auditory and vocal (i.e., signed languages) pose a challenge to this conception of working memory. We describe several experiments with deaf users of American Sign Language (ASL) that explore the extent to which the architecture of working memory is determined by the constraints of auditory and visual processing and the extent to which it is determined by the characteristics of language. Various working memory effects were investigated: phonological similarity, word length, and articulatory suppression. The pattern of evidence strongly supports the existence of a sign-based 'rehearsal loop' mechanism parallel to the speech-based rehearsal loop. However, we also discuss evidence pointing to differences between the speech loop and the sign loop from forward and backward digit span tasks with deaf and hearing subjects. Despite their similarities based on linguistic properties, the speech loop and the sign loop appear to diverge due to the differing processing demands of audition and vision. Overall, the results suggest that the architecture of working memory is shaped both by the properties of language structure and by the constraints imposed by sensorimotor modality.     

Computer‐based cognitive assessment and the development of reading

This paper reports on a longitudinal study using the computer‐based cognitive assessment system CoPS, and considers the applicability of this system in the early identification of cognitive strengths and limitations that affect the development of reading. CoPS comprises eight tests of basic cognitive abilities, including phonological awareness, auditory discrimination, and short‐term visual and auditory‐verbal memory. A total of 421 children participated in the study. Assessment with the CoPS tests was carried out at age 5 years, and follow‐up assessments using conventional tests of reading and general ability were carried out at 6 and 8 years of age. Correlations between the CoPS tests administered at age 5 and reading ability at age 8 were in the region of 0.6 for auditory‐verbal memory and phonological awareness, and in the region of 0.3 for the CoPS measure of auditory discrimination as well as most of the other memory measures. Stepwise linear regression analyses showed that the CoPS tests of auditory‐verbal memory and phonological awareness administered at age 5 together accounted for 50% of the variance in reading ability at age 8, compared with only 29% of the variance being attributable to intelligence. It was concluded that short‐term memory is an important predictor variable for reading, in addition to the more generally acknowledged variable of phonological processing. Discriminant function analysis showed that CoPS tests provide a highly satisfactory prediction of poor reading skills, with very low or zero rates for false positives and false negatives. By contrast, a word recognition test given at age 6 was not found to predict reading at age 8 to the same degree of accuracy, resulting in an unsatisfactory false positive rate of 21%. Measures of verbal and nonverbal ability at age 6 produced unacceptably high false positive rates between 50% and 70%. These findings are discussed in relation to the prediction of children at risk of reading failure. The potential of computer‐based cognitive profiling for facilitating differentiated teaching in early reading is also considered.     

动量词“番”探源

本文考察了中古文献中动量词＂番＂＂反＂＂返＂等的使用情况,发现＂番＂兴起于南北朝,而＂反（返）＂作为动量词在东汉时已非常成熟。其动量词义来自动词义＂往返＂,＂番＂是＂反（返）＂的通假字,专门用来称量对答回合数。隋唐以后,可能由于避讳及追求更准确的语言表达的原因,＂番＂逐渐替代了＂反（返）＂,并发展成为现代汉语中的专用动量词。     

The consistency effect in word problem solving is effectively reduced through verbal instruction

In mathematical word problem solving, a relatively well-established finding is that more errors are made on word problems in which the relational keyword is inconsistent instead of consistent with the required arithmetic operation. This study aimed at reducing this consistency effect. Children solved a set of compare word problems before and after receiving a verbal instruction focusing on the consistency effect (or a control verbal instruction). Additionally, we explored potential transfer of the verbal instruction to word problems containing other relational keywords (e.g., larger/smaller than) than those in the verbal instruction (e.g., more/less than). Results showed a significant pretest-to posttest reduction of the consistency effect (but also an unexpected decrement on marked consistent problems) after the experimental verbal instruction but not after the control verbal instruction. No significant effects were found regarding transfer. It is concluded that our verbal instruction was useful for reducing the consistency effect, but future research should address how this benefit can be maintained without hampering performance on marked consistent problems.     

聋教育语言教学学术思想的历史演变

纵观世界聋教育语言教学的发展史不难看出,语言教学方法的选择在很大程度上由聋教育目的决定,而聋教育目的又是由当时的社会历史条件下人的特定认识水平决定的。本文通过回顾四个多世纪的聋教育语言教学的探索历程,分析每个派别产生的社会历史背景,并对比我国该领域的现有研究,提出自己的一点看法。     

论华兹华斯《丁登寺旁》中的词语重复

诗贵在简洁.然而在诗歌语言中,词语的重复并不少见.词语的每一次重复都会产生新的联想意义.运用词语的重复能够弥补诗歌语言的不充足性,表达言语无法充分表达的强烈情感.华兹华斯在<丁登寺旁>中成功地运用大量的词语重复,把重访怀河的这个重复事件重新体验一次,向读者传达了自然美景时他心灵的巨大影响以及他对大自然的神秘体验和无限热爱.     

Diagnosing word decoding problems: A process-analytic approach

In this article we attempt to demonstrate the theoretical and practical limitations of traditional subgroup classifications of acquired and developmental dyslexia. As an alternative, we suggest a process-analytical approach. A variant of a dual-route model for word processing is presented. The model guided the design of a computerized test battery for assessing strategies in word decoding and processes underlying each strategy. The usefulness of the approach was demonstrated on two cases, which according to traditional criteria, were classified as auditory dyslexics. Although both cases displayed marked deficiencies in the phonological route for word decoding, they differed in terms of underlying processes. In one case the primary problem could be located to phonological synthesis, whereas the other case had poor access of letters (phonological recoding). Such individual processing characteristics are not normally revealed by the traditional subgrouping approach.     

文字云图的英语阅读教学设计与实践——以文字云图工具Wordle为例

文字云图是通过文字云图工具制作而成的反映文字频率的可视图的一种形象比喻,可以作为一种有效的文本分析工具应用在教学中。文章梳理了国内外文字云图应用研究现状,指出国内该领域研究的不足。并以英语阅读教学为切入点,从文字云图的可视化表征、生成线索词、语义和表象的双重表征等优势分析了文字云图应用在英语阅读教学中的可行性,以Wordle为例选择高中英语教材中的一节课"Harry Potter"进行了研究设计与实践,研究结果表明文字云图的使用能够调动学生的兴趣,给学生的英语阅读带来积极的促进作用。     

简论动词性双音化结构的句法语义和语序效应——与英语对比的视角

在学界对汉语双音化研究成果的基础上,系统探讨了双音化的句法语序效应：双音化动词（组）削弱了动性,宾语基本能够提前为话题,增强了汉语话题优先性类型特征;动词性双音化在历时发展中凝固了过程义和结果义,作格性增强,使汉语的词类交叉更为明显;动词性双音化蕴含一定的体意义,使汉语体系统更加完备;动词性双音化加强了汉语基本语言单位的可分析性。     

Case study of language and numerical disability: A sequential processing deficit?

We report a case study of Christine, an intelligent 30-year-old woman with a developmental learning disability. Psychometric evaluation and extensive interviews revealed several findings: most notably, evidence of anomia, auditory processing problems, difficulty acquiring reading and spelling skills, and an extremely poor sense of number. In addition, Christine showed all four of the Gerstmann symptoms (left-right confusion, finger agnosia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia). We suggest that most, if not all, of these impairments may be explained in terms of a sequential processing deficit (e.g., Bakker 1967; Tallal 1980). In Christine’s case, difficulty perceiving serial order appears to have resulted in a major conceptual impairment involving number. HD—To me four is a number that comes after three and before five. It means twice two … C—To me four is a picture. This paper is dedicated to the memory of Professor Victor Lotter.     

Structural invariance in the associations of naming speed,phonological awareness,and verbal reasoning in good and poor readers: A test of the double deficit hypothesis

The associations of multiple measures of speeded naming, phonological awareness, and verbal intelligence with word reading were examined in 51 poor readers and 74 good readers in third and fourth grade. Structural equation modeling was used to determine the extent to which these two groups exhibited structurally invariant patterns of associations among the constructs. Results revealed that for poor readers, both speeded naming and phonological awarencess were significantly associated with word reading, but verbal intelligence had no association with it. In contrast, for good readers, phonological awareness and verbal intelligence were significantly associated with word reading, but naming speed was not. Findings are discussed in light of the double deficit hypothesis.     

Auditory processing,linguistic prosody awareness,and word reading in Mandarin-speaking children learning English

This study examined language-specific links among auditory processing, linguistic prosody awareness, and Mandarin (L1) and English (L2) word reading in 61 Mandarin-speaking, English-learning children. Three auditory discrimination abilities were measured: pitch contour, pitch interval, and rise time (rate of intensity change at tone onset). Linguistic prosody awareness was measured three ways: Mandarin tone perception, English stress perception, and English stress production. A Chinese character recognition task was the Mandarin L1 reading metric. English L2 word reading was assessed by English real word reading and nonword decoding tasks. The importance of the auditory processing measures to reading was different in the two languages. Pitch contour discrimination predicted Mandarin L1 word reading and rise time discrimination predicted English L2 word reading, after controlling for age and nonverbal IQ. For the prosodic and phonological measures, Mandarin tone perception, but not rhyme awareness, predicted Chinese character recognition after controlling for age and nonverbal IQ. In contrast, English rhyme awareness predicted more unique variance in English real word reading and nonword decoding than did English stress perception and production. Linguistic prosody awareness appears to play a more important role in L1 word reading than phonological awareness; while the reverse seems true for English L2 word reading in Mandarin-speaking children. Taken together, auditory processing, language-specific linguistic prosody awareness, and phonological awareness play different roles in L1/L2 reading, reflecting different prosodic and segmental structures between Mandarin and English.     

The role of the working memory and language skills in the prediction of word problem solving in 4- to 7-year-old children

The aim of this study was to analyse the role of verbal and visuo-spatial working memory (WM) and language skills (vocabulary, listening comprehension) in predicting preschool and kindergarten-aged children’s ability to solve mathematical word problems presented orally. The participants were 116 Finnish-speaking children aged 4–7?years. The results showed that verbal WM (VWM) did not have a direct effect on word problems in young children but was indirectly related to word problems through vocabulary and listening comprehension. These results suggest that in young children, VWM resources support language skills which, furthermore, contribute to variation in solving orally presented word problems. The results also showed that visuo-spatial WM had a direct effect on performance in word problems, suggesting that it plays an important role in word problem solving among this age group.     

General auditory processing,speech perception and phonological awareness skills in Chinese–English biliteracy

This study focused on the associations of general auditory processing, speech perception, phonological awareness and word reading in Cantonese‐speaking children from Hong Kong learning to read both Chinese (first language [L1]) and English (second language [L2]). Children in Grades 2–4 (N=133) participated and were administered measures of IQ, word reading, phonological awareness, speech perception and auditory processing in both L1 and L2. Auditory processing uniquely explained both L1 and L2 word reading. While L1 speech perception accounted for unique variance in L1 word reading, L2 phonological awareness explained unique variance in L2 word reading. In cross‐language comparisons, L1 phonological awareness and speech perception were uniquely associated with L2 word reading, suggesting cross‐language transfer from L1 to L2 only. Results underscore the importance of auditory processing for reading across variable learning contexts.     

类型学视野下的多语言动量词句法特征分析

通过对现代汉语及多语言动量词的句法特征考察及细化描写发现,动量短语的语序和名量短语的语序及所属语言的语序类型有关。另外对动量词及动量短语的重叠问题也进行了对比分析,找出了多语言之间的共性和差异,尤其是现代汉语和其它有量词语言之间的异同。     

Language Does Matter: But There is More to Language Than Vocabulary and Directed Speech

In response to Golinkoff, Hoff, Rowe, Tamis-LeMonda, and Hirsh-Pasek's (2018) commentary, we clarify our goals, outline points of agreement and disagreement between our respective positions, and address the inadvertently harmful consequences of the word gap claim. We maintain that our study constitutes a serious empirical challenge to the word gap. Our findings do not support Hart and Risley's claim under their definition of the verbal environment; when more expansive definitions were applied, the word gap disappeared. The word gap argument focuses attention on supposed deficiencies of low-income and minority families, risks defining their children out of the educational game at the very outset of their schooling, and compromises efforts to restructure curricula that recognize the verbal strengths of all learners.