Vowel learning in diglossic settings: Evidence from Arabic-Greek learners

Aim and questions: Second language learners are often acquiring a second language (L2) in multilingual and bidialectal sociolinguistic environments. The competing pronunciations can be challenging to language learners. This study aims to determine the effects of language variety—standard variety versus local variety—on L2 vowel learning. Methodology: Vowel productions from 55 speakers were analyzed in the study; 10 speakers of Egyptian Arabic were recorded in a reading task producing Greek vowels and their vowel productions were compared to L1 vowel productions produced by 20 Standard Modern Greek and 25 Cypriot Greek speakers from a study by Themistocleous. Data and analysis: We conducted linear mixed effects models and tested the effects of language variety, vowel, and stress on the first and second formant frequency and on vowel duration. Findings: Egyptian Arabic speakers merge the middle Greek vowels /e/ and /o/ and the high /i/ and /u/ vowels. Also, they did not differentiate phonetically between L2 stressed and unstressed vowels. These findings are arguably an effect of the L1 vowel structure on L2 vowels. The two varieties exercised competing effects on learners’ vowel productions, which suggests that both varieties are influencing vowel learning. Originality: There has been substantial research on L2 vowel learning in monolingual environments but not in diglossic environments; this study fills this gap by offering evidence about vowel learning in diglossic environments. Implications: In modern societies, communication takes place in multilingual environments. The findings highlight the impact of diglossia on L2 vowel learning and, ultimately, they demonstrate the importance of sociolinguistic factors on L2 learning.

Spatial Variety versus Centralization

This chapter talks about how in the long buildup to the 1780s, the economy had been growing, along with the population, literacy rates, and inequality. At the same time, the volume of private lending had soared, particularly in cities, and more so in Paris than anywhere else. But lending in 1780 was not simply a city affair, for loans were made throughout France. In fact, in 1780, eighty percent of borrowers still got their loans in communities of fewer than five thousand inhabitants. The volume of new debt was centralized in cities, even though loans themselves were still dispersed across small towns and villages. In short, the credit market was diverse, and it was changing, in ways that affected the types of loan contracts that lenders and borrowers chose and the services that notaries provided.

Congruence of stage-of-change for fruit, vegetables and take-out foods with consumption

Purpose Young adults frequently engage in sub-optimal dietary behaviours, such as inadequate intakes of fruits and vegetables and excessive consumption of take-out meals. Theory-based interventions are suggested to promote dietary change. The transtheoretical model is an example that stages an individual’s readiness to change behaviours as precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance, and includes a series of processes that help people move between stages. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether self-reported usual dietary intakes of fruits and vegetables and take-out foods differ by reported stage-of-change. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional data from 250 overweight young adults, aged 18-35 years, who enrolled in a lifestyle intervention to prevent weight gain are analysed. Participant’s stage-of-change for increasing fruit and vegetable intakes and reducing take-out foods is determined using staging algorithms. This is compared with self-reported dietary intakes over the past month using a food frequency questionnaire. Differences in intakes and variety by stage-of-change are compared for fruits, vegetables and take-out foods. Findings Take-out foods differed between stages (p < 0.0001), with lower weekly intakes in action (309 g) and maintenance (316 g) compared with preparation (573 g). Daily fruit intakes and variety scores varied by stage-of-change (p < 0.0001), being highest for action and maintenance (261 g and 263 g, respectively, and variety scores of 1 and 2) compared with precontemplation, contemplation and preparation (all = 100 g and 0 for variety). Daily vegetable consumption and variety scores differed by stage (p = 0.009 and p = 0.025, respectively) being highest for action/maintenance (204 g and 2 for variety) versus precontemplation and preparation (<110 g daily and Variety 1). Practical implications The finding of no differences in intakes between precontemplation, contemplation or preparation stages implies that the adoption of the dietary behaviours is not a continuum but a move from pre-action to actioning the target intakes. This means that for planning health promotion and dietary counselling, assigning people to the three different pre-action stages may be unnecessary. Originality/value This study is the first to examine the congruence of self-reported readiness to change behaviour with dietary intakes of take-out foods as well as variety of fruit and vegetables in overweight young adults.

Assessing the relationship between height growth and molecular genetic variation in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) provenances

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is a conifer tree native to western North America. In central Europe, it shows superior growth performance and is considered a suitable substitute for tree species impaired in vitality due to climate change. Maintenance and improvement of growth performance in a changing environment is a main challenge for forest tree breeders. In this context, genetic variation as a factor underlying phenotypic variation, but also as the basis for future adaptation, is of particular interest. The aims of this study were to analyse (i) genetic diversity of selected Douglas-fir provenances, (ii) variation in height growth among provenances, and (iii) to assess the link between genetic and phenotypic variation height growth. Genotyping was done on microsatellite loci. Effects of provenance, genotype, and site on height growth were assessed by fitting mixed linear models. The most significant genetic differentiation was observed between provenances of the coastal variety, versus a provenance of the interior variety originating from British Columbia. Although genetic differentiation among provenances of the coastal variety was lower, genetic structures within this variety were identified. Moreover, genetic diversity showed a latitudinal gradient with the southernmost provenances being more diverse, probably reflecting the species' evolutionary history. The modelling approach revealed that height growth differed significantly by provenance, site, and the interaction between site and provenance, demonstrating that height growth is under strong genetic control. Additionally, this analysis showed that genetic variation captured by the genotyped microsatellite loci was significantly related to variation in height growth, providing statistical evidence for a genetic component in the observed phenotypic variation.