PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Language change: From London's 'EastEnders' to Glasgow

2013-09-10
(Press-News.org) (Washington, DC) – A recent study provides the first empirical evidence to show that active and engaged television viewing can help to accelerate language change. The study, "Television can also be a factor in language change: Evidence from an urban dialect," to be published in the September 2013 issue of the scholarly journal Language, is authored by Jane Stuart-Smith, English Language/Glasgow University Laboratory of Phonetics, Glasgow University; Claire Timmins, Speech & Language Therapy, Strathclyde University; Gwilym Pryce, Urban Studies, Glasgow University, and Barrie Gunter, Department of Media and Communication, Leicester University. A preprint version is available online at: http://www.linguisticsociety.org/document/stuart_smith_Lg_89_3.

This Language study investigated the role of viewing the televised soap opera "EastEnders" in the rapid spread of two features of pronunciation typically associated with London English to the dialect of Scotland's largest city, Glasgow. The features are using [f] for /th/ in e.g. think, tooth, and a vowel like that in "good" in place of /l/ in words like milk, and people. The results show significant correlations between using these features of pronunciation and strong emotional and psychological engagement by the viewers of this TV program. "Mere exposure to TV or even this drama is not linked with language change – watching and engaging with the show and its characters is important, not just having the set on, or seeing the show in passing." The authors caution that television and other forms of popular media constitute only one of many factors that help accelerate language change. "Our study shows that the media can be involved in helping to accelerate changes in relatively subtle aspects of language, which are also well below the level of conscious awareness."

The authors recommend further study of the role of social interaction as one of many potential factors influencing language change: "Our results show that Glaswegians' actual experience of producing and perceiving speech in their daily interaction fundamentally constrains any possible influence of [popular] media. We don't properly understand the mechanisms behind these changes, but we do see that the impact of the media is weaker than that of our informants' actual social interaction. We need many more studies of this kind in order to appreciate properly the influence of [television and other popular] media on language change."

### The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) publishes the peer-reviewed journal, Language, four times per year. The LSA is the largest national professional society representing the field of linguistics. Its mission is to advance the scientific study of language.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Rim Fire update Sept. 10, 2013

2013-09-10
Hot and extremely dry conditions combined with shifting winds and low humidity continue to plague firefighter efforts at the Rim Fire in California. To date over 254,000 acres have been burned. Pockets of unburned vegetation around Thompson Peak and at the South edge of the fire's perimeter continue to burn. Fire crews successfully contained 15 spot fires along the Tioga Road today and the plan is to set a fire in a three quarter mile section of land within the park to contain an additional spot fire. Firefighters often have to set controlled burns in areas of dry tinder ...

Statins being overprescribed for growing number of kidney disease patients

2013-09-10
PORTLAND, Ore. – A new analysis concludes that large numbers of patients in advanced stages of kidney disease are inappropriately being prescribed statins to lower their cholesterol – drugs that offer them no benefit and may increase other health risks such as diabetes, dementia or muscle pain. The findings, which were published in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs as a review of multiple studies, raise serious questions about the value of cholesterol-lowering therapies in kidney disease. The issue is important, the researchers say, because the incidence ...

New report reviews science and engineering quality at national security laboratories

2013-09-10
WASHINGTON — The science and engineering capabilities that underpin the nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship and nonproliferation missions at the nation's three national security laboratories are "healthy and vibrant," says a new report from the National Research Council. The committee that wrote the report found no problems with the quality of science and engineering that would prevent certification of the stockpile. However, the report identifies several issues that, if not addressed, have the potential to erode the ability to perform high-quality work at the laboratories. ...

US faces crisis in cancer care, says new IOM report

2013-09-10
WASHINGTON -- Delivery of cancer care in the U.S. is facing a crisis stemming from a combination of factors -- a growing demand for such care, a shrinking oncology work force, rising costs of cancer care, and the complexity of the disease and its treatment, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. The report recommends ways to respond to these challenges and improve cancer care delivery, including by strengthening clinicians' core competencies in caring for patients with cancer, shifting to team-based models of care, and communicating more effectively with patients. ...

Teens interested in healthy minds -- and ripped bodies

2013-09-10
This news release is available in French. Montreal, September 10, 2013 — Dreams of washboard abs and toned arms may seem to be the main motivation for the average teen to lace up their running shoes. But over 1,000 Montreal high school students disagree. Teens, it seems, are smarter than their parents when it comes to approaching exercise as something that affects one's whole body. In a recent study on adolescent perceptions surrounding physical activity, James Gavin, professor in Concordia University's Department of Applied Human Sciences, found that teens are just ...

Study: Redefining the criteria for ALK positive lung cancer

2013-09-10
A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published today in the journal Cancer shows that the current criteria used to match lung cancers with the drug crizotinib may miss some patients who could benefit from the drug. The findings suggest that doctors should look closer at borderline or atypical ALK-negative cases, and could widen the population of lung cancer patients offered treatment with crizotinib or other ALK-inhibitor drugs. ALK stands for anaplastic lymphoma kinase, a gene that is turned off in most adult tissues in the body, but which can be re-activated ...

Study suggests possibility of selectively erasing unwanted memories

2013-09-10
JUPITER, FL, September 10, 2013 – The human brain is exquisitely adept at linking seemingly random details into a cohesive memory that can trigger myriad associations—some good, some not so good. For recovering addicts and individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), unwanted memories can be devastating. Former meth addicts, for instance, report intense drug cravings triggered by associations with cigarettes, money, even gum (used to relieve dry mouth), pushing them back into the addiction they so desperately want to leave. Now, for the first time, ...

The chemistry behind the character of bourbon, scotch and rye

2013-09-10
Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 317-262-5907 (Indianapolis Press Center, Sept. 6-11) 202-872-6042 Michael Woods m_woods@acs.org 317-262-5907 (Indianapolis Press Center, Sept. 6-11) 202-872-6293 American Chemical Society The chemistry behind the character of bourbon, scotch and rye INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 9, 2013 — Whiskeys have long captivated the senses of connoisseurs, whether with smokiness and a whiff of vanilla or a spicy character with hints of caramel, and now, the emerging chemistry of "brown spirits" is proving that they have ...

September/October 2013 Annals of Family Medicine Tip Sheet

2013-09-10
One-third of Walgreens Vaccinations Are Administered During Off-Clinic Hours, Implications for Improving Vaccination Access and Convenience With adult and adolescent vaccination rates below national goals, this study of more than six million vaccinations administered in more than 7,500 Walgreens pharmacies across the United States identifies a potentially important public health impact pharmacies can make by providing vaccines during convenient times that expand access to particular groups of people. Analyzing data on 6,250,402 vaccines administered at the pharmacy chain ...

Chemists develop new approaches to understanding disturbing trends near Earth's surface

2013-09-10
Contact: Rachael Bishop r_bishop@acs.org 434-996-6246 (Indianapolis Press Center, Sept. 7-11) 202-872-4445 Michael Woods m_woods@acs.org 317-262-5907 (Indianapolis Press Center, Sept. 6-11) 202-872-6293 American Chemical Society Chemists develop new approaches to understanding disturbing trends near Earth's surface INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 9, 2013 — Chemists who are members of the American Chemical Society (ACS), collaborating with scientists from other fields through the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Center for Aerosol Impacts on Climate and the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Post-LLM era: New horizons for AI with knowledge, collaboration, and co-evolution

“Sloshing” from celestial collisions solves mystery of how galactic clusters stay hot

Children poisoned by the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, has risen in the U.S. – eight years of national data shows

USC researchers observe mice may have a form of first aid

VUMC to develop AI technology for therapeutic antibody discovery

Unlocking the hidden proteome: The role of coding circular RNA in cancer

Advancing lung cancer treatment: Understanding the differences between LUAD and LUSC

Study reveals widening heart disease disparities in the US

The role of ubiquitination in cancer stem cell regulation

New insights into LSD1: a key regulator in disease pathogenesis

Vanderbilt lung transplant establishes new record

Revolutionizing cancer treatment: targeting EZH2 for a new era of precision medicine

Metasurface technology offers a compact way to generate multiphoton entanglement

Effort seeks to increase cancer-gene testing in primary care

Acoustofluidics-based method facilitates intracellular nanoparticle delivery

Sulfur bacteria team up to break down organic substances in the seabed

Stretching spider silk makes it stronger

Earth's orbital rhythms link timing of giant eruptions and climate change

Ammonia build-up kills liver cells but can be prevented using existing drug

New technical guidelines pave the way for widespread adoption of methane-reducing feed additives in dairy and livestock

Eradivir announces Phase 2 human challenge study of EV25 in healthy adults infected with influenza

New study finds that tooth size in Otaria byronia reflects historical shifts in population abundance

nTIDE March 2025 Jobs Report: Employment rate for people with disabilities holds steady at new plateau, despite February dip

Breakthrough cardiac regeneration research offers hope for the treatment of ischemic heart failure

Fluoride in drinking water is associated with impaired childhood cognition

New composite structure boosts polypropylene’s low-temperature toughness

While most Americans strongly support civics education in schools, partisan divide on DEI policies and free speech on college campuses remains

Revolutionizing surface science: Visualization of local dielectric properties of surfaces

LearningEMS: A new framework for electric vehicle energy management

Nearly half of popular tropical plant group related to birds-of-paradise and bananas are threatened with extinction

[Press-News.org] Language change: From London's 'EastEnders' to Glasgow