Catégorie d'actualités: Release

How can grammar be explained in sign language?

Following the first volume published in the ‘Langues signées’ series of the ‘Langues et langage’ collection by Presses Universitaires de Provence, Trésor des expressions de la langue des signes française  (Treasure Trove of French Sign Language Expressions), we are pleased to present the second book published by our colleague Mélanie Hamm, LPL-amU lecturer and researcher and sign language specialist, in collaboration with Jean-François Piquet, sign language teacher and actor:

Reference: Mélanie Hamm, Jean-François Piquet. Le signaire de la grammaire. Presses Universitaires de Provence, Langues et langage collection, Langues signées, 2025.

Link to the PUP page: https://presses-universitaires.univ-amu.fr/fr/actualites/signaire-de-grammaire

Video clip (FSL):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob_YdXf3vIo

The discursive and prosodic properties of the French connector ‘mais’ in conversational interaction

The journal Discourse Processes has just published a study in the field of conversational analysis, the result of collaboration between Marie Kolenberg of KU Leuven and our colleagues Cristel Portes, Stéphane Rauzy and Roxane Bertrand of the LPL:

Reference: M. Kolenberg, C. Portes, S. Rauzy, R. Bertrand. An underexplored use of connector “mais” in French conversation: discursive and prosodic correlates of the overbid use. Discourse Processes, 2025.

Abstract on publisher's website: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0163853X.2025.2564615?src=

Full text article: https://hal.science/hal-05326629v1

How can we help pupils better understand stories?

We are pleased to share with you the study published in Literacy Research and Instruction, which is the result of the postdoctoral project ET T’AS COMPRIS conducted by Lisa Sanchez (ADEF) under the supervision of Sandrine Eschenauer (LPL) and Raphaële Tsao (PsyClé):

Reference: Sanchez, L., Eschenauer, S., & Tsao, R. (2025). Dramatised Reading in the Classroom: Effect on Learner Readers' Inferential Comprehension. Literacy Research and Instruction, 1–24.

Abstract on publisher's page: https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2025.2557799

Download the full text (limited to the first 50 impressions of the article)

Does the way we process language change depending on whether we are with others or alone?

In the first article published as part of the ERC LaDy project, researchers Emilia Kerr (LPL), Benjamin Morillon (INS), and Kristof Strijkers (LPL, project leader) show that word processing and meaning prediction are fundamentally different in social interaction compared to individual language use:

Reference: Kerr, E., Morillon, B., & Strijkers, K. (2025). Predicting meaning in the dyad. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Advance online publication, American Psychological Association (APA).

 Full text article: https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001828

Divulgative highlights on Kudos : https://www.growkudos.com/publications/10.1037%252Fxge0001828/reader

The perception of lexical pitch accent in South Kyungsang Korean

We are pleased to share with you the latest work published by our colleague Mariapaola D'Imperio (LPL-amU) and Hyunjung Joo of Rutgers University in Language and Speech:

Reference: Joo, H., & D’Imperio, M. (2025). The Perception of Lexical Pitch Accent in South Kyungsang Korean: The Relevance of Accent Shape. Language and Speech, 0(0).

Abstract: https://doi.org/10.1177/00238309251368294

Full text access through BibCNRS platform: https://bib.cnrs.fr/ (authentification required)

Speech variability: the nuances of phonetic reduction in conversational speech

We are pleased to announce the latest publication by Kübra Bodur (LPL) in Speech Communication, in collaboration with Corinne Fredouille (LIA), Stéphane Rauzy and Christine Meunier (LPL).

Reference: Bodur, K., Fredouille, C., Rauzy, S., & Meunier, C. (2025). Exploring the Nuances of Reduction in Conversational Speech: Lexicalised and Non-Lexicalised Reductions. Speech Communication, 173, 103268.

Full text article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167639325000834

 In addition, on 29 October, Kübra will defend her thesis, which aims to better understand the phenomenon of speech reduction, based on empirical studies in phonetics, prosody and developmental research.

Figure 1

Abstract:
Phonetic reduction, understood as the set of segmental modifications that result in a weakened, shortened, or simplified realization of an expected form, is a central phenomenon of spontaneous speech. This study aims to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of phonetic reduction, whose influence may vary depending on the characteristics of linguistic units.
We propose to distinguish two types of reductions: lexicalized forms, which have become more or less stabilized in the language (such as chépa for je ne sais pas (Figure 1)), and non-lexicalized forms, which are more contextual and vary depending on speech rate or speaker style.
To test whether these two types of reduction are influenced by the same factors or not, we combined an analysis of frequent and perceptible sequences with an automatic corpus-based detection, focusing on temporally reduced sequences.
The results show that lexicalized reductions are mainly related to speech duration, while non-lexicalized reductions are more strongly influenced by articulation rate and by certain prosodic or morphosyntactic constraints. We also observe that some segments (Figure 2) and certain expressions, such as tu sais, are more often reduced depending on their discourse function.
This study thus reveals that reduction in speech is not a single phenomenon, but rather a set of distinct processes shaped by different factors. It opens the way to a better understanding of speech variability and its relation to the structure of language.

Issue No. 39 of TIPA: From the action-oriented approach to the performance-oriented approach

We are delighted to announce the official publication of the last issue of TIPA: ‘From the action-oriented approach to the performative approach: what epistemologies and methodologies in modern language teaching research?’

Edited by Sandrine Eschenauer (LPL-amU) and Birgit Schädlich (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen), this rich and multilingual volume follows on from the seminar dedicated to exploring research methodologies in modern foreign language teaching, which was held in Aix-en-Provence on 23 and 24 March 2023. It is available for free on the Open Edition Journals platform.

Abstract:
This special issue of TIPA explores the links between action-oriented and performance-oriented approaches in modern language teaching and learning. While the action-oriented perspective anchors the learner in the task and in language use, performative approaches, by broadening the frameworks of experience and expression, invite us to reconsider the physical, emotional and (inter)subjective engagement of learners. Through the contributions gathered from work carried out in France and Germany, this issue examines the epistemologies and methodologies that can account for complex cognitive processes, which are often situated, sensitive and emerging. It thus highlights the role that performative school and extracurricular activities can play in promoting creativity and supporting the dynamics of modern language learning.

Enjoy reading, and feel free to share widely within your networks!

The editors of issue no. 39 & the editorial team of the TIPA journal
https://journals.openedition.org/tipa/

Linguistic diversity and language contact: new large-scale comparative study

We are pleased to announce the latest article published by our colleague Francesca Di Garbo (LPL-amU) in collaboration with Panagiotis Kapellis from the University of Helsinki:

Reference: Francesca Di Garbo, Panagiotis Kapellis. Contact effects in nominal number systems. Studies in Language, 2025

Abstract & full text article: https://hal.science/hal-05212430v1
Publisher's website: https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.24019.dig

 

Figure 2 : Factor map showing the contribution of each variable to Principal Component 1 and 2

Learning to read: marked inequalities in overseas France

We are delighted to announce the latest article published today by Stéphanie Ducrot in collaboration with Laurie Persia-Leibnitz, Marie Vernet, Bruce Brossette, Chloé Prugnières and Jonathan Grainger in the International Journal of Educational Development.

This study reveals that “nearly half of the children in Martinique are at risk of reading delay, with errors three times more frequent than those of their peers in France.”

 The CNRS wanted to highlight these societal issues, and sent out a press alert to journalists in its network (in French): https://www.cnrs.fr/fr/presse/apprentissage-de-la-lecture-des-inegalites-marquees-en-outre-mer

Article reference: Stéphanie Ducrot, Laurie Persia-Leibnitz, Marie Vernet, Brice Brossette, Chloé Prugnières, Jonathan Grainger. Children in French overseas departments are at a 3-fold increased risk of developing reading problems. International Journal of Educational Development, 2025, 115, pp.103277. ⟨hal-05043884v1⟩

Full-text article:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738059325000756

Credits: L. Persia-Leibnitz

Learning to read starts early: The benefits of premature exposure to the written word

We are pleased to share with you the latest article published by Stéphanie Ducrot (LPL) in collaboration with Jonathan Grainger (CRPN) in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology:

Reference: Stéphanie Ducrot, Jonathan Grainger. The development of letter representations in preschool children is affected by visuomotor integration skills and visual field asymmetries. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2025, 257, pp.106277. ⟨hal-05042015⟩

Abstract & full-text article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2025.106277

Credits: The authors