Digital Commons Network^™

Introductory Paper On Defaults In Morphological Theory, Arnold Zwicky

Defaults in Morphological Theory Conference

No abstract provided.

May 16, 2012: William Saroyan International Prize For Writing, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

May 13, 2012: Dailykos Notes Convening Of Medieval Congress, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

May 11, 2012: Gws Event—5/17 In Center For Humanities, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Mothers Do Not Drive The Development Of Adult Homesign Systems: Evidence From Comprehension, Emily Carrigan

Master's Theses

Studying the communication systems that arise in spontaneously occurring cases of degraded linguistic input can help clarify human predispositions for language. Some deaf individuals born into hearing families, who do not receive conventional linguistic input, develop gestures, called “homesign,” to communicate. We examined homesign systems used by four deaf Nicaraguan adults (ages 15-27), and evaluated whether homesigners’ hearing mothers are potential sources for these systems. Study One measured mothers’ comprehension of descriptions of events (e.g., “A man taps a woman”) produced in homesign and spoken Spanish. Mothers comprehended spoken Spanish descriptions (produced by one of their hearing children) better than …

May 1, 2012: Wmu Creative Writing Graduate 2012 Earns Merit Award, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Reviving The Surrealist Revolt: A Retracing Of Surrealism’S History And A Reimagining Of Its Future In Translation, Kyle Young

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Although Surrealist writing has literary merit, Surrealist texts were written as revolutionary tracts meant to undermine the social order. Yet the politically radical aspects of the movement are no longer taken very seriously. At least one contributing factor to the current impotence of Surrealism is the approach taken in the translation of Surrealist texts. Many translators have presented Surrealist texts as they would traditionally present any literary document. However, Walter Benjamin’s writings on translation, in particular his essay “The Task of the Translator,” provide a novel conception of translation, one which can produce linguistically radical texts. I will argue that …

A Phonological Analysis Of Mro Khimi, Christina Scotte Hornéy

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides an overview of the phonology of Mro Khimi, particularly with regard to tone. Mro Khimi is a Southern Chin language, belonging to the Kuki-Chin-Naga branch of the Tibeto-Burman language family (Lewis 2009).

Mro Khimi is distinct from other Chin languages in that it has a voiceless velar fricative and that, like Burmese, it distinguishes between an aspirated and unaspirated voiceless sibilant. Furthermore, the velar nasal /ŋ/ is conspicuously absent, except as a rare variant of /n/.

Mro Khimi also has three front round vowels /y ʏ ø/ that are not found in the vowel inventories of Proto-Chin …

Persuasion And Manipulation: Relevance Across Multiple Audiences, Kevin Sparks

Theses and Dissertations

A speaker who is addressing multiple audiences has split intentions. In order to derive the optimal benefit toward accomplishing her intentions, the speaker crafts her utterance to be relevant to her various audiences in different ways and to differing degrees. Similarly, the hearer will infer meaning based largely on how much he thinks that the speaker intended her utterance to be relevant to him, while also considering how the utterance may have been intended to be relevant to others. The goal of this paper is to describe how the presence of multiple audiences affects both the speaker's formation of an …

Maternal Language During Book-Sharing: Wordless Verses Print, Jessica Nielsen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The importance of adult linguistic responsiveness in facilitating language development in young children is well documented (e.g. Cross & Morris, 1980; Snow, 1994; Tamis-LeMonda, Bornstein, & Baumwell, 2001; Yoder, Warren, McCathern, & Leew, 1998). Research has shown that the use of responsive language by parents in the context of play is associated with greater child language productivity (Girolametto, Hoaken, Weitzman, & van Lieshout, 2000). Rocissano and Yatchmink (1983) found that when mother-child dyads utilized more joint attention, the toddlers demonstrated higher language skills and syntax abilities. Research has also shown that parent-child shared book reading contexts can be very beneficial …

Communicative Language Teaching: The Cornerstone Of Second Language Acquisition, Sierra Fischback

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is comprised of a compilation of papers written by the author while completing the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. The focus of the portfolio is a teaching philosophy outlining the author’s beliefs on how to foster effective language teaching in the university foreign language classroom. Included as well are artifacts addressing coping with culture shock, effective forms of language learning, and reading in foreign language literature courses. These artifacts were chosen to reflect important areas of language teaching that have affected the author’s teaching philosophy. Finally, the author has incorporated an annotated …

April 28, 2012: Beth Amidon Retirement Party, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Filling The Halls With English: Creating Self-Regulated Learners Through Co-Curricular Activities, Sharon Lynn Tavares

Theses and Dissertations

This project investigates the benefits and practicality of applying Zimmerman's (1994) dimensions of self-regulated learning to co-curricular activities so as to increase students' willingness and opportunities to communicate in English in the hallways of intensive English programs. Three of these dimensions (social environment, motivation, and physical environment) work together to create a semi-structured liaison between in and out of class communicative environments and give students an occasion, location, and motivation to speak English with one another. To evaluate the effectiveness of such activities and conceptualize a means in which to assist intensive English programs effectively incorporate co-curricular activities in their …

Cochlear Implants And The Right To Language: Ethical Considerations, The Ideal Situation, And Practical Measures Toward Reaching The Ideal, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann, S. Smith

Linguistics Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

April 26, 2012: Eclectic Mix Of Kalamazooans Noted By British Celebrity, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

April 25, 2012: Utz Prefaces Neomedievalism In The Media, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

April 23, 2012: Congratulations Adam Pasen !!, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

April 22, 2012: Journal Edited By Ellis, Klekar, And Salisbury Discussed In Nyrb, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

The Hegemony Of English In South African Education, Kelsey E. Figone

Scripps Senior Theses

The South African Constitution recognizes 11 official languages and protects an individual’s right to use their mother-tongue freely. Despite this recognition, the majority of South African schools use English as the language of learning and teaching (LOLT). Learning in English is a struggle for many students who speak indigenous African languages, rather than English, as a mother-tongue, and the educational system is failing its students. This perpetuates inequality between different South African communities in a way that has roots in the divisions of South Africa’s past. An examination of the power of language and South Africa’s experience with colonialism and …

La Sociolinguistique Postcoloniale En Amérique Hispanophone Et En Afrique Francophone : Un Drame Linguistique En Deux Actes, Eva Valenti

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis analyzes the sociolinguistic situations in postcolonial Latin America and francophone North Africa (the Maghreb) through a comparative lens. Specifically, it examines the ways in which Spain and France’s differing colonial agendas and language ideologies affected the relationships between colonizer and colonized, and, by extension, the role that Spanish and French play(ed) in these regions after decolonization. Finally, it explores how Spain and France’s contemporary discourses frame colonial participation in the two languages’ development, and the psychological effects these ideologies have had on the formerly colonized.

April 19, 2012: News From Ph.D. Candidate Dustin Hoffman., Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

April 17, 2012: Ma Capstone Presentations, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

April 16, 2012: Third Coast Fall Issue Reviewed At Newpages.Com, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

April 15, 2012: Playwright Sean Clark Presents His Work: Spring 2012 Gwen Frostic Reading Series, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

April 12, 2012: Arnie Johnston In Concert With Guest D. N. Bremer, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

April 10, 2012: Nagle & Wennerstrom ~ Gws Talk On Poly Legacies (Thurs., 4/12), Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

April 9, 2012: Wmu Creative Writing Program's Mfa/Phd Festival Reading, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

The History Of Foreign Language Pedagogy: From Methodology To Psychology, Alyssa Pilli '12

Honor Scholar Theses

This thesis investigates the history of studies performed regarding foreign language pedagogy in an attempt to investigate how well the information gained from these studies influences the teaching practices that are in use. The first half looks at earlier studies which focused on the specific teaching methods employed in the language classroom. While the Immersion method is the only method displaying significant benefits in comparison to the others, this method is rarely used in the public school domain for political reasons such as funding and alternate agendas. With inconclusive evidence favoring any other method, research switched focus to the individual …

April 6, 2012: Mckittrick Wins Research Fellowship, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

April 3, 2012: Congratulations Katherine Zlabek !, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.