Assessing Language Proficiency Through Breath Analysis and Machine Learning

Breathe your way to language proficiency: A machine learning approach using exhaled Volatile Organic Compounds and physiological parameters

Objective

• This multidisciplinary proposal presents an exciting new approach to assessing language proficiency with potential to revolutionize the field and proposes the following major objectives: Develop a non-invasive and objective method for detecting language proficiency using exhaled VOCs and physiological parameters in conjunction with machine learning techniques, Assess language proficiency of bilingual/multilingual participants through a variety of language tasks, including reading, speaking, describing pictures, reading-memorizing-writing, and listening comprehension, and collect participants' exhaled VOCs and physiological parameters during each task for analysis, Evaluate the potential implications of the study's results for language assessment in education, healthcare, employment, and immigration services, with the aim of improving access, equity, and success for bilingual individuals in various social and economic activities

Description

• It is hypothesized that an individual possessing outstanding language proficiency in languages may experience lesser cognitive load and energy consumption in the body would be minimum and further resulting in better thermodynamic equilibrium and individual may in turn may tend to be better at engaging in conversation and vice-versa. Herein, the proposal aims to develop a non-invasive and objective method for detecting language proficiency using exhaled VOCs and physiological parameters in conjunction with machine learning technique. The proposed study will involve a sample of bilingual/multilingual participants who will be assessed using a range of language tasks, including reading, speaking, describing a picture-perception-description test, reading-memorizing-writing, and listening comprehension. During each task, participants' exhaled VOCs and physiological parameters will be collected and analysed.

Impact

• The results of this study could have significant implications for language assessment in a range of contexts, including school education for assessing the language skills for early detection of children's language acquisition inability, healthcare, and employment. By providing a more objective and efficient method for assessing language proficiency, this could help improve access and equity for bilingual individuals, supporting their participation and success in a broader range of social and economic activities. It could also be used by immigration services to determine language proficiency levels for language requirements for certain visas and citizenship applications.