Tag «linguistics»

As a student, Stepan Mikhailov took part in an expedition to the Urals and became so deeply engaged that he eventually wrote his dissertation on a related topic—possessive constructions in the Khanty language. In this interview for the HSE Young Scientists project, he talks about bridging syntax and semantics, the importance of making time to cook and eat breakfast in the morning, and his favourite place in the village of Kazym.

Researchers at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have developed a tool for assessing text complexity in low-resource languages. The first version supports several of Russia’s minority languages, including Adyghe, Bashkir, Buryat, Tatar, Ossetian, and Udmurt. This is the first tool of its kind designed specifically for these languages, taking into account their unique morphological and lexical features.

A team of researchers from Russia and the United Kingdom has, for the first time, provided a detailed account of the emergence and evolution of the Russian Sign Language (RSL) interpreter training system. This large-scale study spans from the 19^th century to the present day, revealing both the achievements and challenges faced by the professional community. Results have been published in The Routledge Handbook of Sign Language Translation and Interpreting.

It is commonly believed that the Lezgic languages spoken in Dagestan and Azerbaijan originally used a vigesimal numeral system, with the decimal system emerging later. However, a recent analysis of numerals in various dialects, conducted by linguist Maksim Melenchenko from HSE University, suggests that the opposite may be true: the decimal system was used originally, with the vigesimal system developing later. The study has been published in Folia Linguistica.

How can one master kanji, even with the help of sports, and why is Japanese Studies considered the pinnacle of Asian Studies? In this interview dedicated to the Japanese language, Vasilii Shchepkin and Olga Klimova discuss specific features of the language, the reasons for and experiences of learning it, as well as translation practices.

HSE University partnered with the First Eurasian Congress of Linguists dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). The congress served as a platform for discussing relevant issues in linguistics related to all language groups of Eurasia and other regions worldwide. Approximately 200 researchers from 46 foreign countries and 300 Russian linguists from 50 regions of Russia participated in the event. 

Polina Makarova initially planned to pursue a career in programming but soon shifted her focus to theoretical linguistics. In this interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, she discusses her research on grammatical agreement in the names of professions, the importance of emotional intelligence, and the benefits of keeping an eublepharid, or leopard gecko, as a pet.

The most likely place to find Anton Buzanov is at the HSE building on Staraya Basmannaya Ulitsa, where the researcher spends nearly all his time. In his interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, he recounts his experience of leading a field expedition to Sami communities, shares his affection for teenage television shows, and observes that engaging solely in activities that bring joy can prevent burnout.