Development of a standardized test of the sentence comprehension ability in Slovenian-speaking adults (J6-1805)
Adults who speak a natural human language such as Slovene can express themselves in that language while also understanding themselves and others who use that language. Although we process linguistic utterances quickly, easily, and automatically, we understand them only if we have a developed and functioning language faculty and a range of other cognitive resources, including working memory. Thus, monitoring linguistic performance in sentence comprehension is crucial for studying how linguistic resources are organised in the brain and linked to other cognitive resources – and at the same time, such measurements allow us to compare the linguistic performance of different groups of speakers.
JERA is the result of the project "Development of a standardized test of the sentence comprehension ability in Slovenian-speaking adults". It is an original, reliable and valid test standardised on 506 adult neurotypical L1 speakers of Slovenian. Based on a thorough and comprehensive analysis of existing theoretical and psycholinguistic research, and with special attention to the peculiarities of Slovenian, we selected for the test 10 different sentence structures: from affirmative/negative transitive sentences with (un)marked word order to subject/object center-embedded relative clauses. The test therefore allows to distinguish between language deficits and can be used to assess language deviations in individuals and groups of
(non-)typical language users, such as adult L1 speakers of Slovenian; children just acquiring Slovenian as L1; multilingual speakers who have acquired Slovenian as L1 or are learning it as L2; children and (older) adult speakers with impairments in language function and/or working memory.
The sound theoretical basis of the test is complemented by a user-friendly design. The test consists of sentence-picture matching tasks and guides participants through the tasks with the help of attractive, newly designed illustrations. The participant's task is to listen to a recording of a sentence and match it to one of the four given pictures. In this way, the test administrator can check whether the participant has understood the sentence. The entire test consists of 100 items, but the test administrator can select only those items that are important for the particular participant. The test is digital, meaning it is available as a computer application with pre-recorded linguistic stimuli. Responses and response times are recorded and
analysed, and results are automatically scored and printed. Jera can be used by linguists, speech and language therapists, psychologists and neurologists, who need to specialise in the cognitive science of language.
The accompanying scientific monograph introduces the user to the scientific basis, design, construction, use, and practical guidelines for using Jera. The clear presentation of the theoretical foundations of syntax and language processing is accessible to non-linguists without sacrificing professionalism.
Projektna skupina:
Arthur Stepanov (vodja) – Univerza v Novi Gorici (sicris)
Penka Stateva – Univerza v Novi Gorici (sicris)
Nika Pušenjak Dornik – Univerza v Novi Gorici (sicris)
Franc Marušič – Univerza v Novi Gorici (sicris)
Rok Žaucer – Univerza v Novi Gorici (sicris)
Trajanje, tip, obseg, financiranje projekta:
Trajanje projekta: 1.7.2019–30.6.2022
Tip projekta: temeljni projekt – manjši; kategorija C
Obseg financiranja: 2465 ur letno
Financer: Javna agencija za raziskovalno dejavnost Republike Slovenije.
Projekt v bazi Sicris: Povezava
Zaključno poročilo: ARRS_J6-1805_Stepanov_zakljucno-porocilo
Bibliografske reference:
STEPANOV, Arthur, PAVLIČ, Matic, PUŠENJAK, Nika, STATEVA, Penka. Jezikovno razumevanje : test sposobnosti razumevanja stavkov v slovenskem jeziku. Nova Gorica: Založba Univerze, 2023. 1 spletni vir (1 datoteka PDF (IX, 202 str.)), ilustr. ISBN 978-961-7025-31-6. https://www.ung.si/sl/zalozba/42/jera-jezikovno-razumevanje-test-sposobnosti-razumevanja-stavkov-v-slovenskem-jeziku/. [COBISS.SI-ID 150862595]
STEPANOV, Arthur, PAVLIČ, Matic, PUŠENJAK, Nika, STATEVA, Penka. JERA : test sposobnosti razumevanja stavkov v slovenskem jeziku. Nova Gorica: Univerza, 2023. 1 spletni vir. https://jera.ung.si/. [COBISS.SI-ID 150819843]
PAVLIČ, Matic, STEPANOV, Artur. V tisku. Number mismatch effect and processing cataphora in a pro-drop language: The case of Slovenian. V: Advances in Formal Slavic Linguistics 2021, ed. by Iuliia Shcherbina. Berlin: Language Science Press.
STEPANOV, Arthur, PAVLIČ, Matic, PUŠENJAK, Nika, STATEVA, Penka. Assessing sentence comprehension in Slovenian: linguistic background and standardization of a new test "Jera" : lecture at 10th International Conference: Research in Education and Rehabilitation Sciences-ERFCON, Zagreb 5.-7. 5. 2023. [COBISS.SI-ID 151220739]
STEPANOV, Arthur, PAVLIČ, Matic, PUŠENJAK, Nika, STATEVA, Penka. Razumevanje stavkov v slovenščini : jezikoslovno ozadje in standardizacija novega testa “JERA” = Assessing sentence comprehension in Slovenian : linguistic background and standardisation of a new test “JERA”. V: KOCJANČIČ ANTOLÍK, Tanja (ur.). VI. kongres logopedov Slovenije : Logopedija na prelomu. : zbornik prispevkov = Conference proceedings of the VIth Congress of Slovenian Speech and Language Therapists : Moravske Toplice, 19.-21. oktober 2022. Moravske Toplice [i. e. Maribor]: Društvo logopedov Slovenije, 2022. Str. 240-248, ilustr., tabela. ISBN 978-961-95982-0-7. http://dlogs.si/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ZBORNIK-PRISPEVKOV-VI.kongresa.pdf. [COBISS.SI-ID 132480771]
STEPANOV, Arthur, PAVLIČ, Matic. The time course of processing cataphora in a pro-drop language : the case of Slovenian. V: Conference on Formal Description of Slavic Languages 14 [also] FDSL-14. Leipzig: Universität Leipzig, Philologische Fakultät, Institut für Slavistik, 2021. Str. 1-2, ilustr. https://conference.uni-leipzig.de/fdsl14/pdfsAbstracts/FDSL-14_paper_21.pdf. [COBISS.SI-ID 68602371]
STEPANOV, Arthur. Experimental syntax and Slavic languages. V: GOODALL, Grant (ur.). The Cambridge handbook of experimental syntax. Cambridge [etc.]: Cambridge University Press, 2021. Str. 534–560, ilustr. Cambridge handbooks in language and linguistics. ISBN 978-1-108-47480-1, ISBN 978-1-108-46549-6. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108569620.021, DOI: 10.1017/9781108569620.021. [COBISS.SI-ID 90123267]
PAVLIČ, Matic, STEPANOV, Arthur. How good a cue is a resumptive pronoun? : processing relative clauses in Slovenian. V: AMLaP 2020 Programme. [S. l.: s. n.]. 2020, 3 str., ilustr. https://amlap2020.github.io/a/83.pdf. [COBISS.SI-ID 26978563]
PAVLIČ, Matic, STEPANOV, Arthur. Psiholingvistični vidiki procesiranja oziralnih odvisnikov v slovenščini. Slavistična revija : časopis za jezikoslovje in literarne vede. [Tiskana izd.]. okt.-dec. 2020, letn. 68, št. 4, str. 543-562, ilustr. ISSN 0350-6894. https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?id=124737, http://www.dlib.si/details/URN:NBN:SI:doc-36LERTGO. [COBISS.SI-ID 51052291], [SNIP]
