Modern Languages Commons^™

The Language Of Value: Lot Note Complexity And Auction Performance In Abstract Expressionism, Artur Sharifullin

MA Theses

This thesis asks a simple question: does the language in lot notes relate to price and to whether a lot beats or misses its estimate? I study eight Abstract Expressionist artists: Ad Reinhardt, Adolph Gottlieb, Barnett Newman, Franz Kline, Joan Mitchell, Lee Krasner, Robert Motherwell, and Sam Francis because their works are less representational and often need supporting text to explain the context. The main sample includes only lots sold for more than $1 million at Christie’s or Sotheby’s in New York or London over the past ten years. I measure a small set of writing features that are easy …

"Art, Esthetics, Ideal": An Ethics For Literary Translators In The Age Of Translating Machines, Gabriel González Núñez

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

The advent of effective machine translation has raised several issues for translators, including the question of how a human translator ought to translate in this age of translating machines. In this context of new ethical questions, the present essay argues that an answer may be found in Pedro Figari’s (1912) philosophical essay on esthetics. Following Figari, the current essay argues that literary translation is art, that as such it can produce an esthetic emotion on readers and that the purpose of such art and esthetics is an ideal in the form of the continuous betterment of the human condition.

An Imperative For Leadership & Institutional Transformation: Going Back To Code, Jonikka Charlton

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Post-Boom(Er) Maximalism In The Americas: Valeria Luiselli's “Lost Children Archive”, Antonio Barrenechea

English & Linguistics Articles

This article poses an alternative non-Anglophone starting point for twenty-first century maximalism through the Latin American Boom and “la novela total” that is its crowning achievement. Among such works are Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) and Carlos Fuentes’s Terra Nostra (1975). The term’s 1960s conception by Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa predates Thomas Pynchon as figurehead for maximalist theorizing within First World academic environments that control the conversation. Furthermore, I examine Mexican author Valeria Luiselli’s Lost Children Archive (2019) as a case of post-Boom(er) maximalism that differs from the big novels of the Latin American luminaries. …

Entre Irse Y Quedarse: Sociolinguistic Effects Of The H-2a Program In The U.S. And Mexico, Hayden D. Holman

Theses and Dissertations--Hispanic Studies

This dissertation examines stabilized circular migration as a distinct sociolinguistic condition through a study of Mexican participants in the U.S. H-2A temporary agricultural worker program. Whereas much migration scholarship presumes linear settlement and cumulative immersion, the H-2A program institutionalizes repeated cycles of departure and return between specific origin and destination communities. This patterned mobility produces recurrent immersion in an English-dominant environment followed by re-centering in a Spanish-dominant community, creating conditions of cyclical activation and recalibration of linguistic repertoires.

The study investigates two interrelated questions: (1) how sustained participation in stabilized circular mobility shapes participants’ spoken repertoires, contact-induced features, and language …

La Importancia De Los Personajes Femeninos En Como Agua Para Chocolate Como Medio Para Entender El Papel De Las Mujeres Mexicanas En Dos Momentos Históricos, Jessica R. Sloan-Cooper

CMC Senior Theses

En la novela, Como agua para chocolate, escrito por Laura Esquivel, el personaje central, Tita, se encuentra a sí misma entre dos mundos completamente diferentes en su hogar; uno es restringido y estricto, y tiene que ver con su madre, Mamá Elena, y el otro es libre e ilimitado, relacionado con su hermana, Gertrudis. Cuando Tita no puede casarse con el hombre que ama, Pedro, se da cuenta que está atrapada en dos realidades en conflicto. ¿Cómo puede ser? Esta novela toma lugar en dos momentos históricos centrales: El Porfiriato y la Revolución mexicana. El Porfiriato es el prolongado régimen …

An Exploration Of The Status And Legacy Of The Latin Language, Jean M. Allison

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Latin language, widely referred to as a "dead language," has historically held a great influence throughout various cultures and dialects, still holding some of this importance in the contemporary world. This project intends to explore these influences, both modern and historical, as well as how the language is now considered dead. A variety of written material spanning several centuries will be utilized to examine these aspects of the project posed within the presented overarching theme. All of the relevant information from these texts will ultimately be summarized and critically detailed within a written report that displays the findings of …

Syllabus Itl 112: Basic Italian I, Chiara Caputi

Open Educational Resources

This is a syllabus for Basic Italian I (ITL 112) taught at the College of Staten Island during the Fall 2026 semester. This course teaches students about reading, writing, speaking and listening in Italian.

‘The Way We Do Our Translation’: A Case Study Of Translation Policy For Spanish Speakers In The Public Parks Of Sonoma County, California, Gabriel González Núñez, Ángel María Casas Grageab, Christina Guerrero Harmon

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

Signs in public spaces can provide essential information. Especially at times of crises, and in places where there are large populations who speak a minoritized language, translation is often employed to create multilingual signage for the benefit of the community. After all, translated signs appear because some authority considers that a certain message is important enough to be visibly communicated to the public, including those who do not speak the State’s preferred language. The decision as to whether to translate or not certain signs may seem arbitrary, but one would hope that it is the result of a guided policy …

Cognitive Validity In Listen-To-Write Summary Tasks: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Notetaking Data, Rebecca Yeager, Gomee Park, Junhee Park

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

This study examines the cognitive validity of a listen-to-summarize task on a university placement test. Cognitive validity is underinvestigated in listening assessment, especially for higher-order listening processes (Holzknecht et al., 2017; Rukthong, 2021). However, student notes from listening tests can record evidence of these processes (Yeager et al., 2024; Cushing, 1991). This study employed an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design to investigate the higher-order listening processes elicited by an integrated listen-to-summarize task. First, notes from two administrations of the same test form – one with notetaking scaffolding (n = 25) and one without (n = 25) – were analyzed qualitatively. Second, …

Promises Fulfilled: 114-Year-Old Alelia Murphy’S Life Of Faith And Resilience, Jacqueline B. Koonce

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Alelia Murphy was the oldest living person in the United States, turning 114 in July 2019 until her death in November 2019. She and her family credit her longevity to her faith in God. This premise is explored through her words as she stated she had not seen everyone she needed to see and compared that statement to Simeon from the Bible who did not die until he saw the Messiah. Alelia Murphy also had not seen everything. She was seeing the relative success of her much admired, former President Barack Obama, and she had just met me, her great …

Etymolgy And Phallocentrism, Renae Redling

Student Scholar Symposium

Historically, linguists view etymology as a distorted and frivolous practice. In the past, Etymology was used irresponsibly to devalue current usage. Etymology reveals the formation of words over time, providing context for language’s current meaning. The history of words, their etymology, has created the words we use today, curating present usage. Words are not simply signs but formed symbols with significance and history. The association of the English language with structures of power, and its firmly rooted context in a patriarchal culture has resulted in limited access to linguistic study for women. A history of patriarchal influence does not make …

English Loanwords And Their Sociolinguistic Impact On The Japanese Language, Zoe Macgill

Student Scholar Symposium

No abstract provided.

Arabic Video Production Assignment, Bret Windhauser

Open Educational Resources

This provides the instructions and rubric for a group activity for a language class. The idea is to make a video using skills learned in the class.

Pronunciación, Repetición E Identificación De Los Sonidos Del Español Por Aprendices Qataríes De E/Le En Su Primer Semestre, Ramsés Ortín, Javier Sánchez-Mesas

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

Este estudio explora las dificultades en pronunciación y percepción de sonidos del español por un grupo de estudiantes qataríes en su primer semestre. Las participantes completaron tres actividades (lectura, repetición de palabras, identificación de palabras) que requieren diferentes tipos de conocimiento (producción de sonidos con y sin presencia de ortografíae identificación de sonidos) al inicio y final de su primer curso. Los resultados revelan que esta población presenta dificultades con los contrastes de vocales medias y altas, la nasal palatal, las consonantes oclusivas bilabiales y las vibrantes. Estas dificultades no aparecen de igual manera en actividades con y sin presencia …

Autoethnography, Poetic Performance Narratives, And Pláticas As Dialogues Of Radical Love, Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

This piece examines Autoethnography, Poetic Performance Narratives, and Pláticas as decolonial methodologies that challenge the coloniality of knowledge and center voices historically excluded from academic discourse. These approaches honor traditions rooted in community, solidarity, and radical love, presenting lived realities without oversimplification while inviting readers to inhabit contradictions and imagine ethical possibilities for equity. Grounded in Latin American and Chicana/Latina/Indígena feminist scholarship, this work situates these practices within a legacy of decolonial epistemologies that resist dominant Western paradigms and affirm lived experience as a site of theory-making. Through this lens, the piece seeks to: (1) bear witness to shared experiences, …

Dual Language In Higher Education: Assessing Student Success And Student Experiences, Katherine Christoffersen, Ramsés Ortín, Dania López García, Ming-Tsan Lu, Javier Cavazos Vela

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

Although long-standing research has documented the many benefits of dual language (DL) education programs in the K-12 setting, there are few studies on the impact of DL in higher education. This study analyzes DL education at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) where certain classes are taught in Spanish or bilingually across diverse disciplines. In this mixed methods research study, we examine (1) how enrollment in these classes impacts student success through an analysis of cumulative grade point averages, retention, and time to degree and (2) how students perceive these classes through an analysis of course evaluations and surveys responses from current …

Language Proficiency In Translation And Interpreting Programs: Insights From Administrators And Instructors, Julio Ciller, Sonia Colina

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

This article examines the relationship between language proficiency and translation and interpreting (T&I) education in U.S. programs, focusing on language preparedness and development. This mixed-methods study investigates course prerequisites, proficiency requirements, and perceptions of administrators and instructors regarding students’ expected versus observed proficiency levels. Findings reveal a mismatch between expected and average proficiency when entering a program, with both groups acknowledging that T&I courses contribute to students’ language development but noting that current program practices often fail to align students’ actual proficiency with their needs. At the graduate level, instructors criticize proficiency requirements, and some administrators continue to view translator …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Clic Newsletter - Fall 2025, Sofia Samper, Sofia Flores, Tracy Lai, Widad Sofia Coriat, Isabelle Han, Julian Castro, Keke Hirikul

CLIC Newsletter

Page 1: Where are our language partners from?

Page 2: Boston Restuarant Reviews

Page 3: Restaurant Reviews

Page 5: Microstories in Chinese

Page 6: Day in the life with Chris Yan

Page 7: How Netflix Subtitles Shape Language Learning

Page 8: Holiday Celebrations across Cultures

Page 10: Recipe: Arroz con Pollo Panameño

Page 11: Recipe: Sopa de Tortilla

Page 12: Event Recap: International Education Week

Page 14: Story Telling Through Dance & Theater

Page 15: Andrea Velasquez’s Study Abroad Journey in Paris

Page 18: Breakfasts around the World

Page 21: Vicotoria: Study Abroad in Singapore

Page 22: Meet Dr. Heather …