Languages

Frisian is in a better condition than Low Saxon. Frisians tend to use the language more at home and are better at passing it on than inhabitants of the region where Low Saxon is spoken. In addition, Frisian is less receptive to Dutch influences than Low Saxon.

Thomas Tienkamp and Teja Rebernik explain how fundamental research on articulation could help explain speech disorders and may contribute to the recovery of people with speech disorders in the future.

Defne Abur, assistant professor of Speech and Speech Technology, has joined the Young Academy Groningen (YAG). With a unique interdisciplinary background and a commitment to societal inclusion, she is set to make significant contributions, promoting innovative research and engaging the broader public in the YAG.

Dr Arianna Bisazza is an associate professor in language technology at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Groningen (RUG). She studies why some languages are more difficult for computers to learn than others. In this video, she discusses her research project, drawing inspiration from how a child learns a language to enhance the computer learning process.

In language education, do not limit yourself to just Dutch and English; instead, embrace multilingualism. That is the core message of multilingualism professor of Second Language Acquisition, Prof Marije Michel.

Imagine that you’re struggling to find words all the time. For many people with aphasia – a language disorder caused by brain damage – this is a daily, frustrating reality. Linguist Frank Tsiwah is researching whether he could build a computer model that can help people find the words they want to say.

According to Prof. Mathijs Sanders, Professor of Modern Dutch Literature, the school subject Dutch has wrongfully become the subject that does not receive its deserved attention. ‘Dutch is too often seen as a “service subject” in which skills are taught to serve other subjects. If we want to respect and stimulate the pupils’ creative intelligence, we need to offer teachers career prospects and bring academic research into classrooms.

Do readers enjoy machine-translated stories, or would they rather watch human-made subtitles? Linguist Ana Guerberof Arenas studies the impact of technology on translators and readers.

One quarter of the population speaks a language other than Dutch at home. And yet we do not see this cultural and linguistic variety reflected in our educational institutions. What impact does this have on the multilingual population and on their role in society? And how can we make better use of our country’s linguistic and cultural diversity? The Dutch universities have initiated a project entitled Taal voor de Toekomst (Language for the Future) with the aim of exploring these questions.

Going to a festival this summer? Then why not participate in some academic research in between gigs? Linguists Martijn Wieling and Defne Abur will be conducting linguistic research among festivalgoers together with their team of PhD students.

Linguist Merel Keijzer is studying how learning a new language can help with healthy aging. ‘The link between language and health is much more important than we think.’

Language technology has developed incredibly fast in recent years but users seldom consider the active role they play in the development, according to Prof. Malvina Nissim, Professor of Computational Linguistics and Society.

The most effective way to learn a language is to practice. There is no need to acquire a lot of knowledge beforehand, PhD student Wim Gombert concludes.

Linguist Raoul Buurke researches the influence of standard language on regional dialects. To determine which dialects have been most influenced by Standard Dutch, a reference point is needed. He investigated who the news anchor with the most Standard Dutch-sounding accent is: Astrid Kersseboom.

Young children with a brain tumour may develop a language disorder as a consequence of the tumour or the operation, or if the radiotherapy damages the brain. Vânia de Aguiar, clinical linguist and neurolinguist at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Groningen, is about to start research on the question of whether damage to specific parts of the brain increases the risk of language disorders. This knowledge may help in adapting treatments and possibly relieving disorders.