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Study 1 compared vowels in Child Directed Speech (CDS; child ages 25-46 months) to vowels in Adult Directed Speech (ADS) in natural conversation in the Australian Indigenous language Warlpiri, which has three vowels (/i/, /a/, /u). Study 2 compared the vowels of the child interlocutors from Study 1 to caregiver ADS and CDS. Study 1 indicates that Warlpiri CDS vowels are characterised by fronting, /a/-lowering, f o -raising, and increased duration, but not vowel space expansion. Vowels in CDS nouns, however, show increased between-contrast differentiation and reduced within-contrast variation, similar to what has been reported for other languages. We argue that this two-part CDS modification process serves a dual purpose: Vowel space shifting induces IDS/CDS that sounds more child-like, which may enhance child attention to speech, while increased between-contrast differentiation and reduced within-contrast variation in nouns may serve didactic purposes by providing high-quality information about lexical specifications. Study 2 indicates that Warlpiri CDS vowels are more like child vowels, providing indirect evidence that aspects of CDS may serve non-linguistic purposes simultaneously with other aspects serving linguistic-didactic purposes. The studies have novel implications for the way CDS vowel modifications are considered and highlight the necessity of naturalistic data collection, novel analyses, and typological diversity., (© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

In recent years, despite the fact that many researchers have devoted much of their attention to second language attrition, not much focus has been given to first language attrition (FLA) specifically among Iranian immigrants. The present study attempts to describe FLA in the semantic domain of idiomatic expression and effect of length of residence among Persian native speakers who live in Iran as well as those who migrate to English-speaking countries. The present study explores language attrition in three migrant populations (Persians in the United States, Australia, and Canada). The participants were selected through convenience sampling. Furthermore, to find the impact of length of residence, the immigrants were divided into two groups comprising short- and long-term residence groups. The instrument applied by the researchers for data collection included a researcher-devised idiomatic expression test to assess immigrants' level of idiom comprehension and demographic information questionnaire to have a better understanding of immigrants' background characteristics. Results revealed that the immigrants underwent FLA and the rate of attrition was higher in long-term immigrants. The results are in harmony with the Activation Threshold Hypothesis showing the language attrition among fewer L1 users. The finding of this study sheds new light on the understanding of the concept of first language attrition in migration studies.

Aims: The research explores (a) nurses' views of the change to mandatory bedside handovers, and (b) these nurses' perceptions of their skills in managing this new practice in an Australian hospital., Background: In Australia, nursing bedside handovers are now considered essential in many hospitals, although most nurses received minimal training at the time this policy was instituted. This research establishes a unique quantitative tool to investigate nurses' views of, and self-reported actions related to, bedside handovers., Method: Prior to the implementation of mandatory bedside handovers in a hospital in Canberra, Australia, nurses in two wards (n = 66) were recruited to complete the new Bedside Handover Attitudes and Behaviours (BHAB) questionnaire., Results: Most nurses strongly value bedside handovers and have confidence in their ability to lead this clinical practice., Conclusions: Researchers identified a high level of alignment between the nurses' acceptance of bedside handovers and nurses' self-reported actions in conducting this communication process., Implications for Nursing Management: Future research should explore the links between nurses' views of, and skills in, the management of bedside handovers, as well as the effects of professional training for this practice. Furthermore, the BHAB questionnaire may be employed in different nursing contexts in future research., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)