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Six Discourse Markers In Tunisian Arabic: A Syntactic And Pragmatic Analysis, Chris Adams

Theses and Dissertations

The following study is a description and analysis of six discourse markers in Tunisian Arabic. In it I will attempt to determine the syntactic and pragmatic roles of each marker, describing its function in discourse. The final analysis will be based on the pragmatic model of relevance theory.

I have based my study on thirty-two (32) texts in Tunisian Arabic, looking at frequently-occurring discourse markers in these texts and analyzing them based on their discourse roles in terms of local cohesion and pragmatic inference.

The conclusions of this study focus on the conceptual and procedural content of each discourse marker. …

The Acoustic Qualities Of Embera Katío Stops, Gisella Teresa Greenfield Vélez

Theses and Dissertations

Embera Katío is a Chocó language of Colombia. This thesis presents the results of an acoustic analysis of the stops as produced by speakers from the departments of Córdoba and Antioquia. The analysis of the stops allows me to establish more conclusively their actual physical correlates and corresponding phonological categories.

Five male adult native speakers of Embera Katío were recorded on location. Each one pronounced sixty-one words in a constant sentential frame, five times each. The utterances were analyzed acoustically, measuring duration, formant onset time, pre-voicing, and burst.

Analysis of the data verifies that Embera Katío has three series of …

The Phonology And Morphology Of Verb Forms In Mubi, Davis Prickett

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an analysis of the verb system of Mubi, an Eastern Chadic language spoken in central Chad. Previous brief analyses of the Mubi verb system have been used to demonstrate and reconstruct the Proto-Chadic verb system. However, these analyses are based on a very limited amount of data and information on the language. This thesis provides more complete data on the verb system of Mubi in order to attain a more comprehensive description and analysis, as well as to evaluate the previous claims that have been made regarding the verb system.

Chapter 1 gives a general introduction to …

Participatory Methods In Sociolinguistic Sign Language Survey: A Case Study In El Salvador, Julia Ciupek-Reed

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes a three-week sociolinguistic survey of El Salvador's Deaf community that was carried out in June and July 2009. The survey utilized various traditional tools that have been used in previous sign language surveys, as well as some new tools derived from participatory research methodology. Results from the various tools were analyzed to form conclusions about the language community and its goals for language development. El Salvador's Deaf community uses Salvadoran Sign Language (LESSA) most commonly, but various subgroups also use American Sign Language (ASL), and Costa Rican Sign Language (LESCO), as well as switching between language varieties …

Summer Commencement: August 3, 2012, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Summer Commencement program from August 3, 2012.

Reference In Udi Narrative Discourse, Catherine Macleod

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines concepts of reference assignment as seen in a written collection of narrative texts from Udi, a Caucasian language from the Lezgian family. This study explores the linguistic factors that affect reference assignment in Udi narrative in terms of participants, props and time and locative phrases.

Reference assignment incorporates reference forms such as nouns, noun phrases, proper names and pronouns. All of these features aid in building the mental representation of the texts in the mind of the reader. Surface-level linguistic factors, such as cohesion, coherence, backgrounding, foregrounding and focus also interact with reference forms.

This paper incorporates …

Volume 49, Number 50: August 01, 2012, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 49, Number 49: July 25, 2012, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 49, Number 48: July 18, 2012, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 49, Number 47: July 11, 2012, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Forecasting The Vitality Of The Fur Language: A Study In Language Use Patterns And Attitudes In Darfur, Kerry Mae Corbett

Theses and Dissertations

The Fur language of Darfur, Sudan has been undergoing a decades-long language shift to the more dominant and prestigious Arabic spoken throughout the country. However, a decade of conflict in Darfur has brought greater awareness of ethnic identity and disrupted the previously-documented language shift. Using questionnaires, this study explores the current language use patterns and attitudes of 286 individuals in two towns and four Internally Displaced People camps in Darfur. It uses interviews to further explore language attitudes. The research shows that demographic variables such as gender, age, and level of education affect language use and attitudes and confirms that …

Volume 49, Number 45: June 27, 2012, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 49, Number 43: June 13, 2012, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Volume 49, Number 42: June 06, 2012, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Spring Commencement: May 12, 2012, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Spring Commencement program from May 12, 2012.

Evidence-Based Interdisciplinary Cultural Competence Training In Public Health, Joni Tweeten

Theses and Dissertations

The United States is quickly becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, and the associated health dispmities are growing at an alarming rate. Culturally competent care and services can help reduce these disparities by enhancing the quality of care for all clients, especially those at risk for dispaiities. A public health workforce that is well-equipped with knowledge of cultural competence and the tools to practice it will be able to better meet the needs of the changing populations with which they work. To effectively improve the cultural competence of interdisciplinary public health teams, evidence-based interdisciplinary training is needed to provide effective …

Visual Supports In The Classroom, Karen C. Prakelt

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Phonological Complexity: The Interaction Of Three-Element Clusters And Word Lexacility On Speech Sound Disorders, Heidi Joann Simon

Theses and Dissertations

Phonological complexity and word lexicality have been shown to induce phonological change in children with speech-sound disorders (SSDs); however, no prior research has used three-element cluster treatment target to directly compare real words (RW) to non-words (NW). Thus, the current research project sets out to answer the question of treatment efficacy in terms of real words and non-words using the complex three-element target, /str-/. Using a repeated measures single-subject research design, five children (5;7 to 7;7) were split into two SSD treatment groups (RW and NW) and directly compared in terms of learning during treatment, generalization from treatment, sound segments …

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 …

Volume 49, Number 36: April 25, 2012, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Intercultural Communication Competence Among Long-Duration Spaceflight Crew: Implications For Moon, Mars And Beyond, Pratibha Kumar

Theses and Dissertations

Intercultural studies have established that communication misunderstandings and breakdowns are inevitable when people from different cultures interact in a multicultural environment. This dissertation study examined intercultural issues among long-duration spaceflight (LDSF) crew interactions, by using the theoretical framework of intercultural communication competence (ICC) theory. Specifically, it analyzed 71 oral histories from the Shuttle-Mir project, live interviews of American astronauts, and 71 journals written by astronauts on the International Space Station. The study employed a deductive qualitative content analysis method, supported by descriptive statistics. It posed three research questions: RQ 1: What are the documented instances of intercultural communication competence in …

White Kids: Language, Race, And Styles Of Youth Identity, Marcia Mikulak

Anthropology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Intonation Perception In Elderly And Young Adult Subjects, Afua Mmra Blay

Theses and Dissertations

Various studies have reported that elderly individuals have difficulty perceiving intonation, especially in emotional context. However, the nature and the extent to which this problem affects the communication ability of these individuals are poorly understood. Most studies use isolated sentences which unlike natural discourse indicate no contextual information. Consequently, it is unclear whether the intonation processing problems for the elderly are manifested across the board regardless of availability of contextual information. To understand this issue, the present study sought to compare the performance of elderly adults on perception of intonation in stimuli presented with and without contextual information. Participants were …

Literacy Coaching In The United States: Implications For Taiwan, Mei-Lan Lo

Theses and Dissertations

Literacy coaching has become a popular professional development approach in the United States over the last decade. To date, there has been little research on the different lived experiences and challenges of literacy coaches working in different contexts. Furthermore, research findings regarding the effectiveness of literacy coaching are inconclusive. To fill the gaps in the literature, this study was designed to explore the nature of literacy coaching in the United States and examine the relationship between literacy coaching and student literacy achievement, both from the perspective of literacy coaches and that of classroom teachers. An embedded mixed methods research design, …

The Golden Country, Jennifer Robinette

Theses and Dissertations

This novel, The Golden Country, owes its structure primarily to the tradition of female quest narrative. Set in April of 2003, an outward journey provides the framework for an exploration of a young woman's evolving consciousness and developing identity. Ava, the twenty-four-year-old protagonist who narrates the action, joins her mother and another character on a journey across Pennsylvania to locate her missing brother. While the main action of the novel is presented chronologically and occurs over a brief span of time (several days), the characters' motivations and family dynamic are heavily informed by back story. Absolutely crucial to both plot …

A Relevance-Based Analysis Of Two Multifunctional Discourse Particles: Indus Kohistani Hum And –Ãĩ, Beate Lubberger

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

Relevance theory claims that words encode different types of meaning: concepts or procedures. Within this framework, discourse connectors are understood as encoding procedural instructions for the inferential part of utterance comprehension. This analysis allows for a unitary account of particles with seemingly diverse functions. Following Blass (1990) in her study of Sissala ma, English also and German auch, I examine the two discourse particles hum and –ãĩ of Indus Kohistani, a language spoken in Northern Pakistan. Both of them encode procedural meaning in that they exclude backwards contradiction as a possible way of utterance interpretation, but allow backwards confirmation and …

Educating And Communicating Through Sociolinguistic Registers: Adolescent Client, Chanaé Jones, Brittany Mayer

Occupational Therapy Capstones

PROBLEM: Currently tests such as the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) and ACT (American College Testing), as well as employment use what is identified as formal sociolinguistic register (Joos, 1967 & Payne, 2005). Payne (2005) built upon Joos’ (1967) definition and presented five registers: frozen, formal, consultative, casual, and intimates. Formal register is defined as; one-way participation, no interruption such as is seen with introductions between stangers. Technical vocabulary; “fuzzy semantics" or exact definitions are important. Montano-Harmon (1991) found that many minority and poor students do not have access to formal register at home but rather tend to rely primarily in …

"There I, Paul Dolnstein, Saw Action." The Sketchbook Of A Warrior Artisan In The German Renaissance, Danielle Mead Skjelver

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides analysis, transcription, and translation of Paul Dolnstein's early sixteenth century annotated sketchbook. The study offers insight into one `type' of German Renaissance mercenary, the sedentary type. Known as Landsknechts, German Renaissance mercenaries were prized for their discipline on the field and for their commanders' ability to provide well equipped and well trained armies for the battlefields of Europe. As opposed to roving Landsknechts who followed the drums of war year in and year out, the sedentary Landsknecht retained his roots and returned to civilian work in his town of origin between campaigns. He might serve in only …

Narrowing The Achievement Gap: A Case Study On How St. Cloud School District 742 Improved Academic Growth For Black Students In Three Years, George Earl Nolan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to identify gradual growth and improvement in test scores of black students compared to white students for St. Cloud School District 742 as showed in NWEA and MCA testing. The achievement gap in the state of Minnesota has been a pervasive issue that has long been discussed and analyzed. School districts the size of St. Cloud have seen dramatic shifts in demographics that have caused administrators and teachers to change their instructional approaches.

This study looked at specific programs, practices, and instructional strategies that recognized growth and improvement in state testing and assessment …