Digital Commons Network^™

Terminological Reflections Of An Enlightened Contextualist, Robert J. Stainton

Philosophy Publications

No abstract provided.

Aboriginal Languages In Canada: Trends And Perspectives On Maintenance And Revitalization, Mary Jane Norris

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Thinking For Speaking About Motion: L1 And L2 Speech And Gesture, Gale Stam

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Cross-Language Approach To Rapid Creation Of New Morpho-Syntactically Annotated Resources, Anna Feldman, Jirka Hana, Chris Brew

Department of Linguistics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We take a novel approach to rapid, low-cost development of morpho-syntactically annotated resources without using parallel corpora or bilingual lexicons. The overall research question is how to exploit language resources and properties to facilitate and automate the creation of morphologically annotated corpora for new languages. This portability issue is especially relevant to minority languages, for which such resources are likely to remain unavailable in the foreseeable future. We compare the performance of our system on languages that belong to different language families (Romance vs. Slavic), as well as different language pairs within the same language family (Portuguese via Spanish vs. …

The Multilingual Mental Lexicon And Lemma Transfer In Third Language Learning, Longxing Wei

Department of Linguistics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

From some psycholinguistic perspectives, this study examines language transfer by exploring the nature of the multilingual mental lexicon in relation to sources of language transfer. It assumes that the multilingual mental lexicon contains not only lexemes but also language-specific lemmas; language-specific lemmas may activate language-specific morphosyntactic procedures in speech production, and third language learners' activation of lemmas for target language items may be influenced by the lemmas already stored in their mental lexicon through their previous language acquisition, especially second language acquisition. The interlanguage data for the study are from adult learners with Chinese as their first language, English as …

Paradigm Regained: Deixis In Northern Wakashan, Emmon Bach

Linguistics Department Faculty Publication Series

No abstract provided.

Self Reports Of First And Second Language Ability By Academically Inclined And Challenged Students, Arshad Abd Samad

Arshad Abd Samad

Becoming proficient in a second language may involve several factors that are different from those involved in the first language. One factor that may influence performance in either language is academic aptitude. In this study, responses to statements regarding language abilities in Bahasa Malaysia and English by academically inclined and challenged students were analysed using the Chi-Square technique. The results indicate that while the academically inclined students do not have major difficulties in performance in either of the two languages, the academically challenged students report problems in basic linguistic abilities in the English language but not in Bahasa Malaysia. Several …

Karaoke For Social And Cultural Change, Payal Arora

Payal Arora

This account demonstrates the key challenges faced in producing engaging educational content for information and communication technologies (ICT) deployed in rural India. The ‘Stills in Sync’ (SIS) project aims to enhance literacy through the revival and proliferation of popular regional folksongs with social awareness themes in rural India. This product entails the use of the Same Language Subtitling (SLS) karaoke feature that won the Worldbank Development Marketplace award in 2002 and the ‘Tech Laureate’ honor from the Technology Museum of Innovation in 2003. This case study highlights the struggles faced in the production process as we sought to negotiate localism …

The Role Of Social Factors In The Dynamics Of Sound Change: A Case Study Of A Russian Dialect, Alexei Kochetov

Alexei Kochetov

This article presents results of a sociolinguistic study of a Northern Russian dialect as spoken in a small rural community of Pokcha in the Western Urals, Russia. Because of a number of social influences, the dialect has been undergoing a rapid shift towards Standard Russian. The study examines two sound changes in progress: (1) a merger of unstressed mid back vowels and (2) a split of a post-alveolar fricative into two phonemes. The focus of the study is on the role of social factors—age, mobility, education, and sex—in determining the dynamics of the two rather different phonological processes.

Testing Licensing By Cue: A Case Of Russian Palatalized Coronals, Alexei Kochetov

Alexei Kochetov

The hypothesis ‘licensing by cue’ by Steriade holds that phonological contrasts are maintained in environments that provide better acoustic cues to the contrasts and are neutralized in environments that provide poorer acoustic cues or no cues. This paper tests the hypothesis by examining the distribution of a phonological contrast – the Russian plain/palatalized coronal stops /t/ and /tj/ in various syllable- final contexts. The results of a series of acoustic and perceptual experiments presented in this paper provide some support for the hypothesis: the relative salience of releases in different word boundary contexts (_#k > _#n, _#s) correlates strongly with the …

Syllable Position Effects And Gestural Organization: Evidence From Russian, Alexei Kochetov

Alexei Kochetov

Previous articulatory studies have shown that English syllable-initial and syllable-final consonants exhibit different patterns of gestural organization. These differences – syllable position effects – are manifested primarily in the relative timing and magnitude of gestures. In general, syllable-initial consonants show more stable patterns of coordination and “tighter” articu-latory constrictions than the same consonants in syllable-final position. This paper addresses the question of whether syllable position effects hold for other languages by examining the articulatory properties of some Rus-sian syllable-initial and syllable final consonants: the palatal glide /j/ and labial stops /pj/ and /p/. In general, the articulometer (EMMA) results con-firm …

Morphology: Optimality Theory, John J. Mccarthy

John J. McCarthy

No abstract provided.

Prosodic Morphology, John J. Mccarthy

John J. McCarthy

No abstract provided.

Sluicing Puzzles In Russian, Lydia Grebenyova

Linguistics

The general goal of this paper is to explore the properties of sluicing (IPellipsis) in Russian and to see how the Russian data shed light on the general processes underlying the phenomenon of sluicing. The first issue we will address is what positions wh-remnants occupy in sluicing constructions in Russian, considering the properties of wh-movement in Russian. We will then turn to sluicing with multiple wh-remnants, which I will refer to as multiple sluicing, following Takahashi (1994). Here we will investigate how the interpretative properties of multiple interrogatives in Russian affect the multiple sluicing possibilities in this language. Finally, I …

Natural English In Speaking And Listening Activities, Dermot Campbell, Marty Meinardi, Bunny Richardson, Yi Wang

Conference papers

DIT Speech Research Cluster will present recommendations for materials development based on the technologies and methodologies they are developing in the area of listening skills and the use of natural English in learning situations. The first speaker will address features of native speech flow which cause difficulties for EFL students (Brown, Cauldwell) and establish the need for improvements in the teaching of listening skills. She will give examples of elision, assimilation and weak forms, and how these can be made accessible for study using DIT’s slow-down technology, which gives students more time to study native speech features, without tonal distortion. …

Interactional Competence And The Use Of Modal Expressions In Decision-Making Activities: Ca For Understanding Microgenesis Of Pragmatic Competence, Midori Ishida

Faculty Publications

Interlanguage pragmatics (Kasper & Blum-Kulka, 1993) is a research area that is concerned with what second language (L2) learners do with the target language, and how their competence in using the language develops over time. However, until 1996 when Kasper and Schmidt put out agendas for more developmentally oriented investigations, research on interlanguage pragmatics had been predominated by studies focusing on the former, L2 use at a point in time. This research area has matured more by now in the area of developmental interlanguage pragmatics, as reviewed in Kasper and Rose (2002). Along with an increased attention to longitudinal development …

Future Foreign Language Teachers' Social And Cognitive Collaboration In An Online Environment, Nike Arnold, Lara Ducate

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Discussion boards provide an interactive venue where new and future language teachers can reflect, evaluate, solve problems or simply exchange ideas (e.g., Bonk, Hansen, Grabner-Hagen, Lazar, & Mirabelli, 1996; DeWert, Babinski, & Jones, 2003; Kumari, 2001; Pawan, Paulus, Yalcin, & Chang, 2003). In addition, encouraging future teachers to learn with technology before teaching with it allows them to become comfortable using various computer applications.

This article examines transcripts from a semester-long asynchronous discussion between foreign language methodology classes at two different universities. Social and cognitive presence in the discussions was analyzed using Garrison, Anderson, and Archer's Framework of a Community …

Hidden Sentiments, Unfinished Project: Pirandello’S Film La Nuova Colonia, Stefano Giannini

Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics - All Scholarship

This article investigates the notion of the unfinished work. In Pirandello studies the word unfinished holds particular importance. Luigi Pirandello's last, and one of his major works, I giganti della montagna [The Mountain Giants] was not completed. The many years devoted to its making weaken the assumption that Pirandello was not capable of completing it in favor of his decision not to complete his work. I considered the overlapping of the writing of I giganti della montagna and of the attempts to produce the film La nuova colonia [The New Colony] an important, and insofar unnoticed, key element for understanding …

Certainty Identification In Texts: Categorization Model And Manual Tagging Results, Elizabeth D. Liddy, Victoria L. Rubin, Noriko Kando

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

This chapter presents a theoretical framework and preliminary results for manual categorization of explicit certainty information in 32 English newspaper articles. Our contribution is in a proposed categorization model and analytical framework for certainty identification. Certainty is presented as a type of subjective information available in texts. Statements with explicit certainty markers were identified and categorized according to four hypothesized dimensions – level, perspective, focus, and time of certainty.

The preliminary results reveal an overall promising picture of the presence of certainty information in texts, and establish its susceptibility to manual identification within the proposed four-dimensional certainty categorization analytical framework. …

Morphology: Optimality Theory, John J. Mccarthy

Linguistics Department Faculty Publication Series

No abstract provided.

Prosodic Morphology, John J. Mccarthy

Linguistics Department Faculty Publication Series

No abstract provided.

Currents And Eddies In The Discourse Of Assessment: A Learning-Focused Interpretation, Pauline Rea-Dickins

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

This article explores processes of classroom assessment, in particular ways in which learners using English as an additional language engage in formative assessment within a primary school setting. Transcript evidence of teacher and learner interactions during activities viewed by teachers as formative or summative assessment opportunities are presented as the basis for an analysis of teacher feedback, learner responses to this feedback, as well as learner-initiated talk. The analyses suggest that there are different teacher orientations within assessment and highlight the potential that assessment dialogues might offer for assessment as a resource for language learning, thus situating this work at …

Bilingual Lexical Activation In Sentence Context, Ana I. Schwartz, Judith F. Kroll

Ana I Schwartz

The present study investigated the cognitive nature of second language (L2) lexical processing in sentence context. We examined bilinguals’ L2 word recognition performance for language-ambiguous words [cognates (e.g., piano); and homographs (e.g., pan)] in two sentence context experiments with highly proficient Spanish-English bilinguals living in a bilingual community (Experiment 1) and with intermediate proficiency Spanish-English bilinguals living in a monolingual community (Experiment 2). To determine the influence of sentence constraint on cross-language activation, the critical words and their matched controls were inserted in low- and high-constraint sentences. In low-constraint sentences significant cognate facilitation was observed, suggesting that both languages were …

Proximity In Context: An Empirically Grounded Computational Model Of Proximity For Processing Topological Spatial Expression., John D. Kelleher, Geert-Jan Kruijff, Fintan Costello

Conference papers

The paper presents a new model for context-dependent interpretation of linguistic expressions about spatial proximity between objects in a natural scene. The paper discusses novel psycholinguistic experimental data that tests and verifies the model. The model has been implemented, and enables a conversational robot to identify objects in a scene through topological spatial relations (e.g. ''X near Y''). The model can help motivate the choice between topological and projective prepositions.

Incremental Generation Of Spatial Referring Expressions In Situated Dialogue, John D. Kelleher, Geert-Jan Kruijff

Conference papers

This paper presents an approach to incrementally generating locative expressions. It addresses the issue of combinatorial explosion inherent in the construction of relational context models by: (a) contextually defining the set of objects in the context that may function as a landmark, and (b) sequencing the order in which spatial relations are considered using a cognitively motivated hierarchy of relations, and visual and discourse salience.

A Computational Model Of The Referential Semantics Of Projective Prepositions, John D. Kelleher, Josef Van Genabith

Conference papers

In this paper we present a framework for interpreting locative expressions containing the prepositions in front of and behind. These prepositions have different semantics in the viewer-centred and intrinsic frames of reference (Vandeloise, 1991). We define a model of their semantics in each frame of reference. The basis of these models is a novel parameterized continuum function that creates a 3-D spatial template. In the intrinsic frame of reference the origin used by the continuum function is assumed to be known a priori and object occlusion does not impact on the applicability rating of a point in the spatial template. …

Na(T)Ive Orthographies And Language Endangerment: Two Case Studies From Siberia, K. David Harrison, G. D. S. Anderson

Linguistics Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Variables In Natural Language, Meredith Landman

Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014

A central goal of generative linguistics is to determine what constitutes a possible grammar of a natural language. This thesis works toward that goal in positing a constraint on the possible semantic types of variables in natural language. Specifically, I argue here that the logical forms (LFs) of natural languages do not contain higher-type variables, i.e., variables of a type higher than that of an individual, type e (see Chierchia (1984) and Baker (2003) for similar proposals). I refer to this constraint as the No Higher-Type Variables constraint (NHTV).

Assuming that the domain of individuals, D, includes at least objects, …

Exploratory Learning: The Digital Recorder Project: An Investigation Into A Student Designed Project For Finding And Addressing Esl Students’ Listening And Speaking Needs, Joel Cooke

MA TESOL Collection

The Digital Recorder Project was designed to present students with an opportunity to design and implement, as a class, a project that would address speaking and listening issues they experience as ESL students. Each student was required to observe their own speaking via a self-created digital recording and in conjunction with the class, design a unique, individualized method to work on issues he or she identified. This document will present the observations and conclusions about the nature of such a project from the teacher’s perspective. In addition, the paper will use transcripts of class recordings as a means of placing …

The Interface Between Self-Efficacy, Life Satisfaction, And Emotional And Informational Support For Korean Learners Acquiring English As A Second Language, Cheryl C.Y. Choe

MA TESOL Collection

The purpose of this study is to examine the interface between self-efficacy, life satisfaction, and emotional and informational support for Korean learners acquiring English as a Second Language. More specifically, the aim of this study is to explore the interface among psychological variables (e.g., speaking, reading, writing, and listening self-efficacy), mediating variables (e.g., emotional and informational support received from parents, teachers, and friends) and behavioral outcomes (e.g., life satisfaction within the family, at school/work, and in personal relationships with friends) by examining the linear structural model developed by Kim and Park (1998) and revised by Choe (2000). Self-efficacy is typically …