Category Archives: Communication

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Communication and Deception: towards Forensic Pragmatics

Ioanna Asanakidi

Up to now, a large amount of the literature on forensic linguistics has investigated linguistic cues for identifying deception during testimonies. Such linguistic cues are the propositional forms of implicatures and explicatures. Others have examined the semantic approach in which lying is connected to truth or falsity.
This paper is a preliminary attempt at the detection of deception in criminal discourse from a pragmatic view. I argue that deception derives not only from cognitive, but also from emotional origins. In this sense, the process of lying relies both on language and emotional activity that is reflected in the speaker’s management of behaviour during a testimony. A challenging area in the field of language study is the
so-called “ineffable communicated content” and especially non-verbal communication. I investigate how unintentional non-propositional effects associated with emotional reactions such as anguish, fear, pleasure and contempt may interact with words and could be valuable indicators of truth or falsity to law enforcements, in order to make worthwhile predictions. This paper presents a general framework of unintentional non-propositional effects that trigger emotion and can convey the complicated propositional content of lying. Movements of head, hands and shoulders, blinking, staring, swallowing and higher pitch are some of the paralinguistic features that are examined. The study explores the significance of non-linguistic behaviours to the interpretation of the speaker’s intention to deceive during a testimony and raises questions such as: How do the speaker’s gestures and tone of voice interact with their words? How do these natural behaviours apply to problem solving in criminal cases? The findings will be discussed in light of their implications for future research and potential practice.

Ioanna Asanakidi holds a BA in English and Greek Linguistics and an MA in English Language, Linguistics and Translation from the University of Athens. She is an English Language teacher and Forensics Speech coach in primary and secondary education and a substitute English Professor at the Hellenic Police Academy. Her research interest focuses on forensic linguistics, pragmatics, linguistic behaviour and its underlying neural and cognitive processes.


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Communication in the public sector and linguistic justice: overcoming language barriers in healthcare

Nicole Marinaro

The proposed presentation would outline some preliminary findings of a study focusing on the extent to which language policy in selected European states are effective in reducing language barriers in the public healthcare sector. I do this in the wider framework of an interdisciplinary study aimed at evaluating the management of communication towards autochthonous and allochthonous minority language speakers.

A rich body of literature deals with the problems that can arise due to ineffective communication in healthcare, which, as Mamadouh and el Ayadi (2018, p.92) point out, “can threaten the individuals’ life or basic human rights”. Therefore, the need “to ensure equality of treatment by providing access to the service through the user’s language” seems particularly compelling (Dunbar and McKelvey, 2018, p.95).

The main ways to overcome language barriers in the short term are the provision of interpretation services and translation of documents, and/or reliance on bilingual medical staff, the benefits of these measures having widely been shown (cfr., among others, Flores, 2005 and Karliner et al., 2007). Nonetheless, “the absence of a statutory framework or comprehensive binding policy creates the conditions for inconsistency in provision” (Dunbar and McKelvey, 2018, p.95; see Dunbar, 2006; Phelan, 2012); existing initiatives often “represent ad hoc responses to linguistic realities” relying on the action of single providers.

The methodology employed in the study would draw on the framework of policy evaluation (see, for instance, Grin and Gazzola, 2013). The evaluation of  the effectiveness of language policy in reducing language barriers builds on the concept of “linguistic unease” (Iannàccaro et al., 2018), which has the potential to connect linguistic justice to the sociolinguistic context in which the speaker lives, and allows to shift the focus to the consequences for the actors affected by the policies examined rather than to the formal compliance with abstract rights.


References


Dunbar, R. (2006) Is there a duty to legislate for linguistic minorities? Journal of Law and Society, 33(1), 181–198. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6478.2006.00354.

Dunbar, R. and McKelvey, R. (2018) Must states provide services to migrants in their own languages?. In: Grin et al., ed. The MIME Vademecum: Mobility and Inclusion in Multilingual Europe, Geneva: MIME Project, 94–95.

Flores, G. (2005) The impact of medical interpreter services on the quality of health care: a systematic review. Medical Care Research and Review, 62(3), 255–299. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558705275416.

Grin, F., Conceição, M.C., Kraus, P.A., Marácz, L., Ozolina, Ž, Pokorn, N.K. and Pym, A. (eds.) (2018) The MIME vademecum: Mobility and inclusion in multilingual Europe, Geneva: MIME Project.

Grin, F. and Gazzola, M. (2013) Assessing efficiency and fairness in multilingual communication: theory and application through indicator. In: Berthoud, A.-C., Grin, F. and Lüdi F., eds. Exploring the dynamics of multilingualism. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 365-386.

Iannàccaro, G., Dell’Aquila, V. and Gobbo, F. (2018), The assessment of sociolinguistic justice: parameters and models of analysis. In: Gazzola M., Wickström, B.-A. and Templin, T., eds. Language Policy and Linguistic Justice: Economic, Philosophical and Sociolinguistic Approaches. Berlin / New York: Springer, 363-391.

Karliner, L. S., Jacobs, E. A., Chen, A. H., and Mutha, S. (2007) Do Professional Interpreters Improve Clinical Care for Patients with Limited English Proficiency? A Systematic Review of the Literature. Health Services Research, 42(2), 727–754. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6773.2006.00629

Mamadouh, V. and el Ayadi, N. (2018) Is English sufficient to reach out to newcomers before they learn the local language(s)?. In: Grin et al., eds. The MIME Vademecum: Mobility and Inclusion in Multilingual Europe, Geneva: MIME Project, 92-93.

Phelan, M. (2012) Medical Interpreting and the Law in the European Union. European Journal of Health Law, 19(4), 333–353. https://doi.org/10.1163/157180912X650681

Keywords: language policy, linguistic justice, healthcare, minorities, translation and interpreting, public sector.

by monzo

Assessing the effect of sentence length and the passive voice in the clarity of Spanish legal texts

Heather Adams y Víctor González Ruiz

In connection with the conference’s topics of linguistic injustice and language usage, this presentation explores the effects some complex traits of legal discourse may have on how lay citizens find legal texts easier or more difficult to understand. Our study is underpinned by two relevant factors: first, the law affects people’s lives in a wide range of ways and, second, any interaction with legal professionals or officials usually involves some degree of power asymmetry. In combination, both factors would mean that the use of abstruse, and sometimes unintelligible, language in the context of the law (as described by CMLJ 2011 or Montolío 2012 for Spanish, and by Mellinkoff 1963 or Wydick 2005 for English) could be considered an act of verbal aggression against the reader or listener. This supposition would also apply to many exchanges between governmental agencies and citizens.

In particular, in this presentation we will focus on two of the linguistic properties which have usually been linked to intricate discourse in legal Spanish: long, convoluted sentences and passive-voice verbs (as found by CMLJ 2011). In order to find out how each of these characteristics, respectively, affects the way in or the extent to which a person understands a legal text, we will carry out an experiment involving a usability testing method (e.g. Schriver 1989,  Dumas & Redish 1999, Jarrett & Redish 2020). In it, a sample of adults with no legal training will assess (by way of a comprehension test) two rewrites of an excerpt from a real Spanish legal text featuring long, elaborate sentences and passive-voice structures. Each of the rewrites will give prominence to only one of the two traits mentioned while neutralising the other one. The findings will allow us to advance hypotheses about which linguistic habits should be avoided to achieve a more effective and less imbalanced communication in the legal field.

REFERENCES

– CMLJ (Comisión de Modernización del Lenguaje Jurídico). 2011. Informe de la Comisión de Modernización del Lenguaje Jurídico. Madrid: Ministerio de Justicia.

– Dumas, Joseph; Redish, Janice. 1999. A practical guide to usability testing. Exeter: Intellect.

– Jarrett, Caroline; Redish, Janice. 2020. “How to test the usability of documents.” <https://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2020/05/how-to-test-the-usability-of-documents.php>.

– Mellinkoff, David. 1963. The language of the law. Boston/toronto: Little, Brown and Company.

– Montolío, Estrella. 2012. “La situación del discurso jurídico escrito español. Estado de la cuestión y algunas propuestas de mejora.” Hacia la modernización del discurso jurídico: contribuciones a la I Jornada sobre la modernización del discurso jurídico español, edited by Estrella Montolío. Barcelona: Publicacions i Edicions Universitat de Barcelona. 65-91.

– Schriver, Karen. 1989. “Evaluating text quality: the continuum from text-focused to reader-focused methods.” IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 32(4). 238-255.

– Wydick, Richard C. 2005. Plain English for lawyers. 5th. ed. Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press.

Keywords: legal language, legal Spanish, clarity, usability testing, legal communication.

by monzo

Derechos lingüísticos de las personas con discapacidad intelectual y del desarrollo: Lectura fácil y sistemas alternativos a la comunicación

Ana Medina Reguera

El Congreso de los Diputados aprobó el 21/11/2021 la reforma de la Ley General sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad (PCD) para incorporar explícitamente la accesibilidad cognitiva, cuya definición está directamente relacionada con los procesos de comprensión y de comunicación, y, concretamente, con los productos de apoyo que los facilitan: documentos en lectura fácil, accesibilidad de webs y aplicaciones o señalización pictográfica de entornos, entre otros. Por otro lado, el 3/9/2021 entró en vigor la Ley 8/2021, de 2 de junio, por la que se reforma la legislación civil y procesal para el apoyo de las PCD en el ejercicio de su capacidad jurídica. La modificación, que afecta a nueve leyes (Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil, Código Civil, Ley de la Jurisdicción Voluntaria, Ley del Notariado, Código de Comercio, Ley Hipotecaria, Ley del Registro Civil, Código Penal y Ley 41/2003, de 18 de noviembre, de protección patrimonial de las PCD), se basa en que los derechos, la voluntad y preferencias de las PCD deben respetarse, eliminándose la incapacitación judicial en favor de la provisión de apoyos. Por último, en cuanto a los sistemas aumentativos y alternativos de comunicación para personas sin lenguaje oral, el nuevo catálogo del Sistema Nacional de Salud (Orden SCB/480/2019, de 26 de abril), se incluyen los lectores oculares u otros sistemas de comunicación similares en PCD con enfermedades neuromotoras, como ELA, parálisis cerebral y afines. Pese a los avances en la normativa, el derecho a la comunicación de las PCD intelectual y del desarrollo es muy desconocido, frente a las modalidades accesibles para PCD sensorial, como la audiodescripción o el subtitulado, o la LSE. En nuestra ponencia abordaremos cuál es la situación actual (precaria y de incumplimiento para esta población), así como daremos ejemplos concretos para visibilizar el impacto que estas modalidades comunicativas tienen en estas personas.

Bibliografía:

AlfaSAAC (2021). Comunicación Aumentativa y Alternativa. https://alfasaac.com/comunicacion-aumentativa-y-alternativa/

Brady, N. C., Bruce, S., Goldman, A., Erickson, K., Mineo, B., Ogletree, B. T., Paul, D., Romski, M., Sevcik, R., Siegel, E., Schoonover, J., Snell, M., Sylvester, L., & Wilkinson, K. (2016). Communication services and supports for individuals with severe disabilities: Guidance for assessment and intervention. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 121(2), 121–138.

Delgado Santos, C.I y Blanco Díaz, M. Á. (2021): El reconocimiento de la comunicación aumentativa-alternativa en las leyes procesales como garantía de acceso a la justicia de las personas con parálisis cerebral. Anales de Derecho y Discapacidad, Nº 6, págs. 131-153

García León, S. (2021). La lectura fácil en Derecho. Un paso más hacia la plena inclusión. En M. D. Madrid Cruz (dir.), El jurista y el reto de un Derecho comprensible para todos, págs. 113-132). Reus.

Medina Reguera, A., y Balaguer Girón, P. (2021). Textos cognitivamente accesibles: Lectura fácil y Leichte Sprache en contraste. Magazin, (29). doi:10.12795/mAGAzin.2021.i29.05.

UNE 153101 EX. 2018. Lectura Fácil. Pautas y recomendaciones para la elaboración de documentos. Madrid: AENOR.

Palabras clave: derecho a la comunicación, personas con discapacidad intelectual, lectura fácil, SAAC, sistemas aumentativos y alternativos, accesibilidad lingüística, accesibilidad cognitiva.

by monzo

Action research into developing language solutions to improve multilingual communication during the registration of persons seeking international protection in Belgium

Kerremans, Koen; Cox, Antoon; De Wilde, July; El Hahaoui, Karima; Guaus, Aline; Maryns, Katrijn

When persons seeking international protection arrive in Belgium, they need to register their application at the Arrival Centre of  Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers in Brussels. The registration process involves, amongst others, a medical screening and social intake. This registration is a challenge in a context where multilingualism, intercultural diversity, and time pressure are the rule rather than the exception. For instance, applicants sometimes receive a vaccine without being properly informed and have to undress (for the chest scan) without knowing what is going to happen. This is a violation of the Belgian patient rights.

This paper discusses the results and experiences of the AMICA project on multilingual needs and practices in the context of the Belgian reception of applicants. Particular attention is paid to the linguistic and communicative needs of people with vulnerable linguistic profiles (i.e. low literate people as well as people only speaking languages for which it is difficult to find language support in the Belgian context, such as Somali or Pashto).

In the scope of this paper, our focus will be on the setting of the Arrival Centre. We present a research-action framework aimed at developing language solutions to better inform applicants during the intake flow. These solutions involve a series of multilingual information videos pertaining to different steps in the intake flow as well as a web application, featuring audio-recorded questions and answers in several languages, to assist service providers during social intakes. Both types of language solutions (available in more than 10 languages) have been developed based on ethnographic observations and interviews with stakeholders.

The project allows us to study how applicants and service providers experience the intake flow. It also allows us to involve the (busy) staff of the centre, who saw the language solutions as relevant to their work.

Keywords: language solutions, linguistic rights, language app, multilingual information videos, Belgian asylum reception.