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Articles 1 - 9 of 9
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Developing Thinking In L2 Speaking: Evidence From Spatial-Temporal System In Chinese And English Learners, Pei-Ni Causarano
Developing Thinking In L2 Speaking: Evidence From Spatial-Temporal System In Chinese And English Learners, Pei-Ni Causarano
Linguistics ETDs
Spatial and temporal expressions cross-linguistically are metaphorical can present a difficult challenge during second language acquisition. This dissertation expands on Slobins (1996) study of 'first-language thinking in second-language speaking,' and applies linguistic relativity theory and Vygotsky's theory on thought and language to investigate how L1 thinking influences L2 speaking in Chinese native speakers learning English and English native speakers learning Chinese. It examines (a) habitual language use of spatial and temporal referents cross-linguistically and (b) dynamic changes of spatial and spatial-temporal expressions in L2 learners across proficiency levels. Some 41 CLLs and ELLs at four proficiency levels participated in this …
Analyzing Navajo Discourse: Investigating Form And Function Of Intonational Units In Referential Discourse, Michele Kiser
Analyzing Navajo Discourse: Investigating Form And Function Of Intonational Units In Referential Discourse, Michele Kiser
Linguistics ETDs
Extensive research has been conducted on the Navajo verb complex (prefix morphology) and specific constructions (i.e. relative clause structure, subject-object-inversion), but to date the proposed establishment of a method to analyze actual discourse from a functional or usage based approach has not occurred. The goal of this study is twofold. The first is to establish a method to analyze spoken Navajo using the Intonation Units (IU) as a measure as it occurs in natural, uninterrupted speech, according to the parameters outlined by Chafe (1994), and show the influence of the morphological complexity of Navajo on the size of the IU. …
The Development Of Czech Aspectual Prefixes Through Grammaticalization And Lexicalization Processes, Pavlina Peskova
The Development Of Czech Aspectual Prefixes Through Grammaticalization And Lexicalization Processes, Pavlina Peskova
Linguistics ETDs
This masters thesis investigates the development of aspectual prefixes in Czech. The analysis in this work incorporates diachronic and synchronic perspectives and presents a theory about the path of development of aspectual prefixes in the framework of construction grammar. It draws from a central notion that grammar emerges from discourse and argues that the development of aspectual prefixes in Czech was fundamentally based in language use and processing. The synchronic layering of prefixed predicates in Czech provides evidence that the development of aspectual prefixes progressed gradually and suggests that grammaticalization and lexicalization processes took place. The analysis in this study …
The Role Of Ses And Asl For Literacy Success In Asl-English Bilinguals, Paul Twitchell
The Role Of Ses And Asl For Literacy Success In Asl-English Bilinguals, Paul Twitchell
Linguistics ETDs
Research on spoken language bilinguals has shown that there is a significant relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and literacy outcomes. The mechanism of SES as a predictor of literacy success has two competing explanations. One assumes a direct impact of SES on literacy through expanded opportunities to read and better maternal mediation of literacy activities; the other assumes an indirect relationship because SES has been shown to influence first language (L1) and second language (L2) spoken language proficiency which impacts literacy development. American Sign Language-English deaf bilingual children exhibit a unique profile because L2 literacy is achieved without prior development …
Kiowa-Tanoan: A Synchronic And Diachronic Study, Logan Sutton
Kiowa-Tanoan: A Synchronic And Diachronic Study, Logan Sutton
Linguistics ETDs
This dissertation provides a comparative-historical analysis and reconstruction of the phonological system and of the pronominal system of Proto-Kiowa-Tanoan, the theoretized ancestor of a family of seven languages located in the Pueblo Southwest and Great Plains. The modern constituent members of the family are Kiowa, Rio Grande Tewa, Arizona Tewa, Picuris Northern Tiwa, Taos Northern Tiwa, Southern Tiwa, and Towa. The dissertation is divided into three parts, plus a concluding discussion. Part I is a thorough overview of the of the background of Kiowa-Tanoan language study. This includes a comprehensive review of the literature, published and unpublished, which describes the …
A Thematic Analysis Of Experiences Of Non-Native English Speaking International Graduate Students With The Internet-Based Test Of English As A Foreign Language, Annaliese Mayette
A Thematic Analysis Of Experiences Of Non-Native English Speaking International Graduate Students With The Internet-Based Test Of English As A Foreign Language, Annaliese Mayette
Linguistics ETDs
First-person reports of perceptions and experiences of test takers is lacking in the literature. All stakeholders add to the understanding of the test. However, the test takers are the only stakeholders who have the experience of preparing for the test, taking the test, and living with the consequences of the test. This interview study reported on the experiences and perceptions of graduate students at one public university in the U.S. who have successfully taken the internet-based TOEFL. This research suggests that direct methods of eliciting opinions and experiences may be essential as participants described experiencing problems which they do not …
Language Attitudes Of First And Second Generation Afghan-Americans And Iranian-Americans Toward Dari And Persian, Afsoon Hansia
Language Attitudes Of First And Second Generation Afghan-Americans And Iranian-Americans Toward Dari And Persian, Afsoon Hansia
Linguistics ETDs
The goal of this study is to investigate the current language attitudes of first and second generation Afghan and Iranian-Americans toward the two varieties Dari and Persian of the Indo-Iranian language Farsi. Research on this subject can facilitate future endeavors toward heritage language maintenance efforts in order to preserve a linguistically diverse America and address an unprecedented need for government professionals who are skilled in languages that are currently in demand such as Dari. Based on the sociopolitical context of both immigrant groups, the hypothesis is that Afghan and Iranian-Americans consider Persian more overtly prestigious and that each ethnic group …
Two Different Speech Communities In Puerto Rico: A Qualitative Study About Social Class And Children Learning English In Public And Private Schools Of The Island, Jannette Hermina
Two Different Speech Communities In Puerto Rico: A Qualitative Study About Social Class And Children Learning English In Public And Private Schools Of The Island, Jannette Hermina
Linguistics ETDs
This dissertation describes a qualitative study related to the learning of English in a public school and a private school in two small towns on the northern coast of Puerto Rico. The families and the children in this study are referred to as two speech communities. The research examines the social interaction of elementary school students in the English classroom of the two schools, as well as, during different extracurricular activities, educational and social resources that families use to increase the learning of English by their children. This study aims to illustrate that the access to and successful management of …
"Hey, Y'Guys!": A Diachronic Usage-Based Approach To Changes In American English Address, Ben Sienicki
"Hey, Y'Guys!": A Diachronic Usage-Based Approach To Changes In American English Address, Ben Sienicki
Linguistics ETDs
This dissertation adopts a functional, usage-based perspective on language to highlight key changes in American English address over the past century, especially the development of 'you guys' and its expansion across second-person plural contexts. Based on data from the Corpus of Historical American English and the Corpus of Contemporary American English (among other corpora), the study tracks the increasing usage, gradual restructuring, semantic generalization, and shifting registers of 'you guys', including the interactions of those changes as the form has grammaticalized. This work offers an explanation, therefore, as to why 'you guys' has been uniquely reshaped into a pronominal unit …