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Current Trends In Method And Theory Of Ethnoarchaeological Research In Africa, E. Kofi Agorsah

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the Social Sciences there is the need to imitate approaches that are based on properly organized theoretical and methodological frameworks. This also applies to ethnoarchaeology. It is from this perspective that this paper views current trends in the ethnoarchaeological enterprise as one that needs to be reviewed in order to give it a scientific touch that will carry it beyond the boundaries of mere accumulation of ethnographic data or the making of half-baked generalizations. Beyond such boundaries and with emphasis on explanation rather than description, the ethnoarchaeological enterprise can be considered systematic.

A Contextualized Grammar Proficiency Test Using Informal Spoken English, Sally Wellenbrock Hinrich

Dissertations and Theses

Intensive college-level ESL programs typically focus on building students' academic skills in English. Yet many ESL students leave the intensive programs only to find that they cannot sufficiently comprehend conversations with native English-speaking classmates or understand freshman-level lectures. While the students frequently perceive the problem as relating to the rapid speech tempo used by native speakers, an integral part of the comprehension problem is the pervasive use of modified forms of English, commonly called reductions, contractions, and assimilations.

The present research investigates whether comprehension of certain modified forms of spoken informal English can be used to measure students' level of …

Syntactic Complexity, Error And The Holistic Evaluation Of Esl Student Essays, John S. Sparks

Dissertations and Theses

This study was designed to test five hypotheses in order to answer the following general research questions: 1) Are measures of syntactic complexity valid indices of ESL writing quality as measured by the holistic rating of student essays? 2) Would a measure of frequency and seriousness of error reflect evaluators' perceptions of ESL writing quality?

An Analysis Of Kindergarten Children's Use Of A Word Processor In Their Print Literacy Development, Paul Steger

Dissertations and Theses

Many young children appear to take delight in manipulating common elements of their environment, e.g., sticks, stones, and mud. Our ancestors also used these and other elements in order to play, explore,, and eventually create written language. In a print-laden society, young children are budding literates. Within a few years their abilities and skills evolve to the level it has taken the human species thousands of years to reach. Associated with the evolution of written language is related technology. Humans have evolved from cave art and literacy to computer art and literacy. Again, what has taken thousands of years to …

A Critical Study Of Communications In Land Use Hearings, Douglas J. Warren

Dissertations and Theses

This study addresses a major theoretical issue posed in the literature: can alienation in modern urban society be conceptualized in terms of the communicative competence of speakers taking part in social interaction. Specifically, this study explores the relationship between communicative competence and two observable indications of success in land use hearings: 1) ability to influence the final decision of the Variance Committee and 2) expression of feelings of dissatisfaction with the hearings process, as expressed by the participants. On a broader scale, the study tests Jurgen Habermas's classification of speech acts and the notion that public hearings are a free …

Script Effects And Reading Strategies : Ideographic Language Readers Vs. Alphabetic Language Readers In Esl, Minglang Zhou

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine script effects of the Chinese Language on Chinese ESL/EFL students· reading strategies, in comparison to those employed by ESL students from alphabetic orthographic backgrounds.

The Phonology Of Kisi Ideophones, George Tucker Childs

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The category of words which I consider in this paper performs a function often neglected in linguistic analyses, namely, the expressive function: the expression of one's own personal feelings towards the message, Besides expressing the personal feelings or attitudes of the Speaker, ideophones serve the poetic function as well. They add an extra dimension of artistry or play. Expressiveness typically occurs only in special types of discourse, such as in Nootka songs, and possesses a systematicity of its own (Sapir 1915 [1949-188]). Because of the special pragmatics of expressive language, it has often been neglected in more restricted analyses. This …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet January 1988, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The January 1988 Monthly packet includes the January agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held December 1987.

The Expression Of Politeness In Japan: Intercultural Implications For Americans, Emiko Tajikara Nelson

Dissertations and Theses

This descriptive study focuses on expressions of politeness in the Japanese language and their relevance to social structure and intercultural communication. The study is designed to help students of the Japanese language learn rules of politeness which fall outside the domain of grammatical rules.

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet December 1987, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The December 1987 Monthly packet includes the December agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held November 1987.

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet November 1987, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The November 1987 Monthly packet includes the November agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held October 1987.

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet January 1987, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The January 1987 Monthly packet includes the January agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held December 1986.

Time In The African Tradition, E. Kofi Agorsah

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article describes the African concept of time. The African concept of time is one that has never been properly understood by non-Africans. The reason probably lies in the fact that in Africa time becomes tied-in to activities of the season, day or night rather than in terms of a large solar clock or calendar. The African seasons are not thought of as stretching evenly, but rather are considered as periods in a chain of events one gradually culminating into another.

Equality Of Educational Opportunity For Language Minority Students In Oregon: A Survey Of Esl/Bilingual Education Policy In Local School Districts, Mary Eileen Smith

Dissertations and Theses

Currently there is a national policy debate on the issue of appropriate educational programs for language minority students. This study addresses the issue at the state level, asking: Are ESL/bilingual education policies in Oregon school districts providing equal educational opportunity for language minority students? The purpose of the study is to document ESL/bilingual policies in Oregon school districts, and to analyze them in terms of their contribution to equality of educational opportunity. Policy analysis serves as the theoretical framework for the study because of its potential as a synthesizing paradigm for studies in educational administration. The Policy Process Model (Heflin, …

Normative Study Of Phonological Process Patterns Of Preschool Children As Measured By The Assessment Of Phonological Processes, Revised, Lori Jean Griffith

Dissertations and Theses

The questions this study sought to answer were: Do normally developing children exhibit phonological process deviations; what is the frequency of occurrence of each phonological process deviation by age group; and does the number of phonological process deviations and the average total frequency of occurrence of phonological process deviations decrease as age increases?

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet December 1986, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The December 1986 Monthly packet includes the December agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held November 1986.

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet November 1986, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The November 1986 Monthly packet includes the November agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held October 1986.

A Comparative Study Of Three Language Sampling Methods Using Developmental Sentence Scoring, Cheryl Diane Dong

Dissertations and Theses

The present study sought to determine the effect different stimulus material has on the language elicited from children. Its purpose was to determine whether a significant difference existed among language samples elicited three different ways when analyzed using DSS. Eighteen children between the ages of 3.6 and 5.6 years were chosen to participate in the study. All of the children had normal bearing. normal receptive vocabulary skills and no demonstrated or suspected physical or social delays. Three language samples. each elicited by either toys. pictures. or stories. were obtained from each child. For each sample. a corpus of 50 utterances …

The Effects Of Two Management Techniques On The Generalization Of A Syntax Structure, Karin Jeanne Goodling

Dissertations and Theses

The effectiveness of any language training program is determined by generalization of the clinically trained behaviors to spontaneous speech. Traditional language programs which employ operant procedures to establish the behavior in the clinic and reinforcement from family, teachers and peers in a variety of settings to obtain generalization, have been successful in establishing the use of grammatical rules in the clinic setting, but reportedly have failed to promote generalization. Recent literature in the areas of semantics and pragmatics has produced a trend toward teaching language in natural contexts. The purpose of this study was to investigate: 1) whether a group …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet April 1986, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The April 1986 Monthly packet includes the April agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held March 1986.

Portland State Perspective; Fall 1986, Portland State University

Portland State Perspective

A quarterly alumni newsletter. In this issue: reflecting on the '70s & '80s; a feature on Ann Childer's, owner of Animal School, inc.; and homecoming

House Forms In Northern Volta Basin, Ghana: Evolution, Internal Spatial Organisation And The Social Relationships Depicted, E. Kofi Agorsah

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The ability to explain the structural and processual consequences of human activities in terrestrial space has now become an absolutely necessary condition for archaeological reconstruction and generalisations. It is vital not only for speculating about the past but also for discussing and planning mankind's current and future welfare. Although some elements of human behaviour can be attributed t.o unique factors, recent studies confirm the conviction that principles which govern human spatial behaviour are generally, applicable. Spatial archaeology has been one of the main aspects o( such recent studies (Plog 1971, Hillier et al 1972, Hodder & Orton 1976, Clarke 1977, …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet December 1985, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The December 1985 Monthly packet includes the December agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held November 1985.

Concrete Poetry: The Influence Of Design And Marketing On Aesthetics, Tineke Bierma

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores the past and present of concrete poetry with the purpose of finding out whether concrete poetry is still being produced in its original form, or whether it has changed.

Concrete poets were not the first ones to create picture poems and similar texts. In chapter I an overview of earlier picture poetry is given. It and other precursors of concrete poetry are discussed and their possible contributions evaluated.

Chapters II and III deal with the definition of concrete poetry of the mid-fifties and sixties (pure, classic c.p.). They focus primarily on German, Austrian and Swiss poets. Manifestos …

A Comparative Study Of The Northwestern Syntax Screening Test Data, Sharon Ann Moore

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare NSST data (Lee, 1969, 1971) with data obtained in Portland, Oregon for children 4.0-4.11 years of age. The questions this study sought to answer were: 1) Is there a significant difference between the expressive and receptive scores obtained by Lee, (1969, 1971) and the scores obtained in Portland, Oregon? 2) What are the means, standard deviations and percentiles of the NSST scores of a select group of four-year-old children in Portland, Oregon?

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet November 1985, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The November 1985 Monthly packet includes the November agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held October 1985.

An Assessment Of The Incorporation Of Established Guidelines And Intercultural Communication Concepts Into U.S. College-Sponsored Study Abroad Programs, Thomas Thaxter Bacheller Iv

Dissertations and Theses

This research project had the following goals:

1) To locate, describe, and synthesize recognized authoritative standards of performance and guiding principles of effective good practice for study abroad programs that have been established, endorsed, and supported by professionals and national organizations in the study abroad field.

2) To review selected literature on intercultural communication that has been published in the last fifteen years and examine intercultural communication theories and strategies applicable to the study abroad field to identify aspects which can most clearly benefit the study abroad experience of a sojourner through improved communication competence.

3) To assess the extent …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet April 1985, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The April 1985 Monthly packet includes the April agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held March 1985.

A Comparison Of Motoric And Linguistic Features In Graphic Samples Of Fluent And Nonfluent Aphasic Persons Over Three Time Intervals, Babette Fisher

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the graphic production of fluent and non-fluent aphasic groups in terms of motoric and linguistic characteristics at three intervals of recovery, and to analyze change over time after combining the fluent and non-fluent aphasic groups.

Survey Of Oregon's Public School Hearing Conservation Programs, Jill M. Jordan-Trestik

Dissertations and Theses

A survey instrument was designed to yield information regarding hearing conservation activities. This instrument was then distributed to those individuals identified as the coordinators for the various district programs.