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Ping Li

Psychologist to speak on how the brain learns languages

1/18/18

Ping Li, Penn State professor of psychology, linguistics, and information sciences and technology, will speak on “Understanding the Language-Learning Brain through Cyber-Enabled and Computational Methods.” The event will be held in 233A HUB-Robeson Center from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. on Feb. 7.

New study may lead to changes in treatment of ALS patients

12/18/17

A Penn State study brings researchers one step closer to better understanding and treating dysarthria, a type of motor speech disorder, in people with ALS. Dysarthria can cause slurred speech, slowed speech, abnormal pitch and rhythm, changes in voice quality and limited tongue, lip or jaw movement, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

I resent I re-sent

Sad! Drifting word meanings may be creating two different political languages

7/31/17

Penn State psychologists say that presidential candidates can use the same words, but can mean something completely different. They say the gap between words and meaning has never been this big — and that this gap is growing. They used computer algorithms to examine how presidential candidates' used words together — word association — in speeches and debates since 1999 to help determine the meaning of those words in the minds of the candidates. The researchers were also able to use algorithms to predict a person's political leanings and party affiliation based on their word associations.

Aerial photo of Lake Urmia in 1998 and 2011

When using the phrase ‘human rights’ hinders human-rights initiatives

4/18/17

Penn State geography doctoral student A. Marie Ranjbar's research explores the language of human justice in Iran: how certain phrases have become politicized and in some ways dangerous to use, and how some residents deal with this conundrum as they seek ways to speak up for themselves.

Aging Lecture November 2015

Language, communication topics of November Healthy Aging lecture

10/26/15

The Penn State Center for Healthy Aging will host “Wisdom in Words: Aging and Language” as part of its Healthy Aging Community Lecture Series, at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 5 at Foxdale Village in State College. There is no cost to attend but reservations are required.

Probing Question: How is the English language changing?

4/17/12

The number of first-generation immigrants in the U.S. has quadrupled since 1970. According to Suresh Canagarajah, this suggests that more Americans than ever speak multiple languages, and that "as diverse communities take over English and use it according to their values, English itself is also getting diversified.

Researcher offers brief essay on bilingualism's benefits to the brain

6/2/11

Judith Kroll, distinguished professor of psychology, linguistics and women's studies and director of Penn State's Center for Language Science (CLS), has published numerous articles on the cognitive processes that underlie language, communication and bilingualism. Today in a syndicated public radio series called "Academic Minute," she explains some highlights of CLS research on the mental exercise that bilingual speakers perform that benefits their brains -- and that can benefit new language learners as well.

Web sites help improve language, literacy for special-needs children

1/21/10

Two Web sites launched by members of the Penn State faculty aim to support the development of language and communication skills in children with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and other disabilities. The focus of each site is on children with complex communication challenges who would benefit from augmentative and alternative communication, which is the term for the various tools and approaches used to enhance communication.

Clinic accepting enrollment for preschool language enrichment group

5/21/09

The Penn State Speech, Language, and Hearing Clinic is now accepting enrollment for its preschool language enrichment group. This program meets from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and provides intensive language exposure and experience, ideal for preschoolers learning English as a foreign language or children with language delays or disorders. Applications are being accepted for the fall 2009 session.

For more information, please contact Eileen Kowalski at (814) 865-5414 emk15@psu.edu.

Probing Question: What do children need to be successful readers?

3/23/09

"In the great green room, there was a telephone, and a red balloon, and a picture of... "

Can you recite the words that come next? Chances are you were read the children's classic Good Night Moon or have read it to your own kids. You may remember a magical moment when the child on your lap suddenly pointed to the letters M... O... O... N... and proudly sounded out "moon"—and just like that, a reader was born!

Probing Question: What is lost when a language dies?

2/11/08

Oy vey! Although English dictionaries list "Oh dear!" as a rough equivalent of this Yiddish expression, Yiddishists will tell you how short that falls in conveying the phrase's varied, flexible, and nuanced meanings, ranging from sadness and worry to aggravation, anger, and tiredness.

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