Digital Commons Network^™

November 15, 2012: Sigma Tau Delta To Hold 13th Induction On December 1, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

November 12, 2012: Fall 2012 Gwen Frostic Reading Series: Alumni Reading, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Lexicalization And De-Lexicalization Processes In Sign Languages: Comparing Depicting Constructions And Viewpoint Gestures, Kearsy Cormier, David Quinto-Pozos, Zed Sehyr, Adam Schembri

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

In this paper, we compare so-called “classifier” constructions in signed languages (which we refer to as “depicting constructions”) with comparable iconic gestures produced by non-signers. We show clear correspondences between entity constructions and observer viewpoint gestures on the one hand, and handling constructions and character viewpoint gestures on the other. Such correspondences help account for both lexicalisation and de-lexicalisation processes in signed languages and how these processes are influenced by viewpoint. Understanding these processes is crucial when coding and annotating natural sign language data.

November 10, 2012: Cfp: Memes In Visual Culture (Jan.15, 2013), Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

November 8, 2012: Grace Tiffany To Help Edit Cymbeline, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

November 4, 2012: Gwen Frostic Reading Series: Playwright Julie Jensen, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

November 3, 2012: Grad Student Fellowship Opportunity In 17th/18th Century Studies, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Neural Underpinnings Of Prosody In Autism, Inge-Marie Eigsti, Jillian Schuh, Einar Mencl, Robert T. Schultz, Rhea Paul

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

This study examines the processing of prosodic cues to linguistic structure and to affect, drawing on fMRI and behavioral data from 16 high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and 11 typically developing controls. Stimuli were carefully matched on pitch, intensity, and duration, while varying systematically in conditions of affective prosody (angry versus neutral speech) and grammatical prosody (questions versus statement). To avoid conscious attention to prosody, which normalizes responses in young people with ASD, the implicit comprehension task directed attention to semantic aspects of the stimuli. Results showed that when perceiving prosodic cues, both affective and grammatical, activation of …

Is Spanish-English Bilingualism Truly An Economic Benefit In New York?, Lionel Chan

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This report explores if there is truly a trend in income levels for Latinos who speak both English and Spanish compared to those of Latinos who speak English only in New York City.

Methods: Data on Latinos and other racial/ethnic groups were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa. Cases in the dataset were weighted and analyzed to produce population estimates.

Results: When taking into account language variables to analyze the income levels of Latinos, one notices a minor difference between bilingual Latinos and …

October 30, 2012: Praise For Special Issue Of Comparative Drama, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

October 29, 2012: Special Issue Of Comparative Drama, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

October 12, 2012: Ania Loomba/Comparative Drama Distinguished Lecture/Nov. 1, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

October 6, 2012: Newberry Grad Student Conference Cfp (10/15 Deadline), Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Person, Place, And Pronoun: An Examination Of The Idiosyncratic Pronoun Use And Language Ideologies In Dabhung Thanti, Nepal, Martha Schwarz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Language, the content and form of what people choose to say, has the ability to both describe facts about the world and change aspects of the world. Thus, what people utter is a critical instrument for measuring current social situations as well as social change. The honorific hierarchy of Nepali’s pronouns provides one particularly interesting tool for such measurement. This research examines the use and ideologies about second person pronouns in the village of Dabhung Thanti, Nepal in relation to their prescribed uses and ideologies in Kathmandu. Ultimately, this paper identifies the presence of two styles of Nepali spoken in …

September 30, 2012: Nate Powell, Eisner Award Winner, Gives Talk At Wmu On October 4, 2012, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

The Semiotic Ecology And Linguistic Complexity Of An Online Game World, Steven L. Thorne, Ingrid Fischer, Xiaofei Lu

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

Multiplayer online games form complex semiotic ecologies that include game-generated texts, player-to-player communication and collaboration, and associated websites that support in-game play. This article describes an exploratory study of the massively multiplayer online game (MMO) World of Warcraft (WoW), with specific attention to its qualities as a setting for second language (L2) use and development. This empirical study seeks to answer the following question: What is the nature of the linguistic ecology that WoW players are exposed to? Many studies have described the developmental opportunities presented by commercially available gaming environments (e.g., Gee, 2003, 2007), their value as sites of …

September 25, 2012: Gazette And Mlive Feature Philip Levine Visit, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

September 24, 2012 Eagleton Lecture At Notre Dame (9/28), Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

September 22, 2012: Fall 2012 Gwen Frostic Reading Series, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

September 21, 2012: Grad Student Journal Opportunity, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Breaking Command-Ments And Friend-Ships: Effects Of Relative Frequency And Affix Parsability In Lexical Processing, Jeffrey R. Parker, Michael Phelan, Robert Reynolds, Lauren Ressue

Faculty Publications

• Lexical access as a race (Baayen & Schreuder 1999; Bertram et al. 2000; Burani & Thornton 2003; Schreuder & Baayen 1995; Wurm 1997)
• morpheme-based (parsing) vs. whole-word
• words are accessed by whichever access route is fastest

September 19, 2012: Visiting Writer T. Geronimo Johnson On Wwno, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

September 15, 2012: Fall Keynote Talk Features Perryman-Clark, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

September 11, 2012: Ncte Student Affiliate To Host "Meet, Eat, And Greet", Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

September 6, 2012: Tisha Pankop Named Wmu English Department 2012-2013 Distinguished Alum, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

September 4, 2012: Halperin Talk On New Book (Ann Arbor--9/11), Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of A Genetic Isolate: The Case Of Carloforte (Italy), R. Robledo, L. Corrias, V. Bachis, N. Puddu, A. Mameli, G. Vona, C. M. Calò

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

We reviewed data collected during several studies concerning the genetic isolate of Carloforte (Sardinia, Italy) and analyzed new data on Y-chromosome markers. Carloforte is also a language island, where people still speaks Tabarchino, an archaic form of Ligurian dialect. Demographic data indicate that, in the early years of its history, Carloforte population was characterized by a high degree of endogamy and consanguinity rates that started to decrease around 1850, when marriages with Sardinian people began to occur more frequently. Cultural factors, mainly language, account for the high endogamy. Genetic data from classical markers, mtDNA and Ychromosome markers confirmed the strong …

Front Speed Of Language Replacement, Joaquim Fort, Joaquim Pérez-Losada

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

We use two coupled equations to analyze the space-time dynamics of two interacting languages. Firstly, we introduce a cohabitation model, which is more appropriate for human populations than classical (non-cohabitation) models. Secondly, using numerical simulations we …nd the front speed of a new language spreading into a region where another language was previously used. Thirdly, for a special case we derive an analytical formula that makes it possible to check the validity of our numerical simulations. Finally, as an example, we …nd that the observed front speed for the spread of the English language into Wales in the period 1961-1981 …

The Tense-Op Syntagm: Unity To Nc Word Order, Evidence From Bulom, South Atlantic, George Tucker Childs

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Provides the outline of a paper that examines Proto-Niger-Congo features; the classification of Atlantic languages; The VP in Bulom and Atlantic, TNS-OP; A contact explanation: S-AUX-O-V-X from Mande; Other explanations, internal to Bullom, internal to Atlantic, and elsewhere; and comparison to (speculations as to) reconstructed Niger-Congo.

Digital Games For Language Learning: From Hype To Insight?, Frederik Cornillie, Steven L. Thorne, Piet Desmet

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

Special issue of ReCall topics the concept of ludic engagement as a form of developmentally productive activity specifically digital game-based second or foreign language learning (DGBLL).