Digital Commons Network^™

Deafdigest: Blue Edition, September 8, 2013, Barry Strassler

DeafDigest Blue 2013

No abstract provided.

The Progression Of The Field Of Kinesics, Megan Waiflein

Senior Theses - Anthropology

Kinesics, a term coined by anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell, is the study nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication is primarily conducted through the use of gestures, facial expressions, and body language. These sometimes subtle cues are estimated to convey as much as seventy percent of the context of a conversation. In this thesis, I review the origin of the field of kinesics in anthropology, the development of subfields, its introduction into other various fields of study, and its significance today. Using citation analysis, I show the movement kinesics through various disciplines. This significant field of research has progressed from a research topic centered …

Forward Steps And Missteps: What We’Ve Learned Through The Process Of Conducting Cbpr Research In Rural Alaska., Jordan P. Lewis, Keri Boyd

Journal of Indigenous Research

Historically, research in Alaska has disregarded community input, creating mistrust among tribal communities toward researchers, and resulting in communities limiting their involvement in research projects. Over the past few years, tribal communities are becoming more involved in the research process; including developing their own tribal review boards and approval processes. This has resulted in the development of rigorous tribal approval processes that protect both the tribal communities and the researchers and can be time consuming. The communities are also taking a more active role in the research projects. This paper highlights some of the challenges we have faced while conducting …

A Student-Centered Approach To Vocabulary Building Using Popplet, Pages And Puppet Pals, Sarah Hopkyns, Timothy Nicoll

All Works

This article reflects on a tried and tested workflow for vocabulary building using the iPad apps Popplet, Pages and Puppet Pals. It will outline how these apps can be used together to help students brainstorm related lexical items, draw from this vocabulary to create dialogues with guidance from the teacher, and finally to act out these dialogues by choosing characters, props and backdrops, and recording their voices using the unique movie-making app Puppet Pals. This workflow has proven to be successful with female Emirati students completing the Academic Bridge Program at Zayed University, and its student-centered approach to learning is …

2013 Proceedings Of The 20th Annual Summer Research Symposium, College Of The Holy Cross

Summer Research Program

The 2013 Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium, now in its 20th year, is a college-wide event that brings together faculty and students from all disciplines at Holy Cross and provides an opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments over the summer of 2013. This program lists participating students, the faculty with whom they worked and the abstracts of their projects.

Data Collection For The Similar Segments In Social Speech Task, Nigel G. Ward, Steven D. Werner

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Information retrieval systems rely heavily on models of similarity, but for spoken dialog such models currently use mostly standard textual-content similarity. As part of the MediaEval Benchmarking Initiative, we have created a new corpus to support development of similarity models for spoken dialog. This corpus includes 26 casual dialogs among members of two semi-cohesive groups, totaling about 5 hours, with 1889 labeled regions associated into 227 sets which annotators judged to be similar enough to share a tag. This technical report brings together information about this corpus and its intended uses.

A Comparison Of Lexical Borrowings Into Finnish From Swedish And Russian, Esko Timi Petteri Felin, Laura Catharine Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The research for this project was initially conducted under the assumption that Finnish lexical borrowings from Swedish would considerably differ from its Russian counterparts. However, as more data was collected from various semantic fields, it became evident that the borrowings presented general borrowing patterns across the board not only in Swedish and Russian but also in other Germanic and Slavic languages. In the course of data pooling and analysis the conclusion for this research paper was the following: there are only a few if no differences in the manner, in which Finnish borrows words since the predominant patterns suggest that …

Learning To Recognize Vervet Monkey Calls, Jeremiah Mcghee, Dr. Deryle Lonsdale

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The use of computers to perform speech recognition on human speech is becoming commonplace in today’s world. Less well known are attempts to use speech recognition on other animal species. Current projects are researching the possibilities of using speech recognition technologies to give insight to the animal communication of dolphins1, elephants2, birds3 and even crickets4. All of these projects are showing very promising results with recognition results approaching 90%. The goal of this project is to apply speech recognition technology to identify the distinct calls of vervet monkeys.

An Investigation Into The Processing Mechanisms Guiding Phonemic Restoration, Steven J. Pearson, Dr. Wendy Baker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Phonemic restoration (PhR) effects have been well documented since Warren’s 1970 research1 and much work has been done to examine the manners in which properties of a phoneme may be altered without preventing the occurrence of phonemic restoration. However, little work has been done on a broad level to identify the demographic characteristics of participants that may influence PhR, though Warren long ago raised the specific question of the role(s) played by participant’s age.

German Linguistic And Cultural Influence In Southern Brazil, Stephen Smith, Dr. Michelle James

Journal of Undergraduate Research

By way of introduction, I must note that the experience that I had completing this ORCA project was one of the best experiences that I had as an undergraduate. I feel that this whole process stands out in my mind as the type of hands-on experience that every student desires when they step onto the BYU campus.

Newsroom, Georgia Southern University

Newsroom (2006-2023)

• Irish Scholar to speak at Georgia Southern
• The Garden of the Coastal Plain to Host Author Janisse Ray

Mismatches Between Humans And Latent Semantic Analysis In Document Similarity Judgments, Kyunghun Jung

Psychology ETDs

Modeling how humans judge the semantic similarity between documents (e.g., abstracts from two different psychology articles) is an interesting and challenging topic in cognitive psychology. It also has practical implications for developing artificial intelligence (AI) systems, especially those designed for retrieving relevant information from a large database in response to a given query (e.g., finding new research articles related to a given abstract). Conversely, AI algorithms can provide a useful tool for testing human cognitive models. They can precisely simulate the consequences of specific assumptions about cognition, and these consequences can then be compared against actual human performance. In the …

English-Mainly Language Policy: Improving Language Proficiency Through Self-Regulated Learning, Kendra Williamson, Norman Evans

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of the English-mainly project is to explore how an English-mainly (EM) language policy, as opposed to an English-only (EO) policy encourages self-regulated learning and fosters improved language proficiency among English as a Second Language students at BYU’s English Language Center (ELC).

Lexterm Lexicography & Terminology Management, Logan Kearsley, Dr. Alan Melby

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Lexicography (the compilation of dictionaries and study of relations between lexical items) and terminology (the study of technical terms used in specific fields or contexts) are conceptually very similar, both being based in the study and categorization of lexical items in human language. Both dictionaries and termbases are essential tools for second-language learners and professional translators and contain much of the same kinds of information on definitions, grammatical characteristics, and usages of words. Till now, however, tools for creating and curating dictionaries and termbases have existed largely in isolation from each other, with no simple way of sharing data between …

El Conflicto Armado A Través De El Tiempo: Análisis De Transitividad En Las Representaciones Discursivas De La Violencia (1998-2008), Félix Manuel Burgos

Spanish and Portuguese ETDs

Esta disertación es un análisis lingüístico que explora el discurso usado por el periódico más influyente de Colombia, El Tiempo, al reportar los eventos del conflicto armado colombiano. El análisis se basa en el estudio de 396 noticias publicadas durante el periodo 1998-2008. En estas noticias se examinan las características semántico-sintácticas de construcciones verbales que dan cuenta de hechos violentos cometidos por los diferentes actores del conflicto armado. Esta caracterización tiene como propósito evidenciar que un discurso, en apariencia neutral, representa de distintas formas las violencias del conflicto armado colombiano. Con ello se demuestra que el diario El Tiempo no …

The Law Of One Price And Virtual Worlds, Michael Morrison

Economics ETDs

Price convergence and purchasing power parity are two important foundations to international trade theory. Yet there is still no consensus on their existence, despite numerous studies. While the debate over price convergence and purchasing power parity continues, the last several years have seen a substantial rise in the use of virtual worlds. Virtual worlds are interactive digital environments where individuals with an internet connection can come together to communicate, cooperate and trade. Virtual worlds create smaller copies of the real world. These copies lack many of the complexities found in the real world. This feature makes virtual worlds a unique …

Study Abroad, Gender, And The Speaking Experience How Gender Mediates Speaking Opportunities For Students Studying Abroad In The Middle East, Andrew Smith, Dr. Jennifer Bown

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The study abroad experience as an opportunity to increase learning about a foreign language and culture is becoming more popular in the United States (Gore, 2005; Kinginger, 2009). As a part of this expansion in education, study abroad to the Middle East is growing year after year. Many of these students are embarking on study abroad to Arabic speaking countries with the purpose of making language gains in Arabic. Enrollments in Arabic classes expanded by 126% between 2002 and 2006 (Furman, Goldberg, & Lusin, 2007).

The Effect Of Choral Music Education On Literacy Achievement, Keith Alan Hearnsberger

Theses and Dissertations

American education was going through dramatic change in the beginning of the 21st century. The way children were educated was constantly evolving. Public schools, private schools, parochial schools, charter schools, and many other types of educational institutions were affected by various federal and state regulations since the 1960's. The students, teachers, and educational leaders in these institutions were consistently affected by regulations, increased academic demands, and an ever-changing educational landscape. The educational administrator and music educators were required to be innovative when seeking change in policy in regards to educational achievement while maintaining a commitment to choral music education. The …

Alum Receives Fulbright To Teach English In Brazil, Unh Communications And Public Affairs

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Diverse College Writers And The Conversation On Error And Standardization Across The Curriculum, Tommy Pierce

English Language and Literature ETDs

Standardization and the treatment of error is a central concern in the increasingly diverse college composition classroom. Writing teachers who wish to prepare students for success in the disciplines, but do not wish to be gatekeepers or guardians of a privileged variety of English, face a dilemma. This dissertation points toward an approach to error and standardization that avoids the prescriptive vs. descriptive dichotomy of whether to treat or not to treat error through. I also advocate bringing a perspective informed by sociolinguistics, second language writing, and discourse studies to the forefront of the WAC conversation on diverse student writers …

Truth For The Rest Of Us: Conventional Truth In The Work Of Dharmakīrti, Laura Guerrero

Philosophy ETDs

It is common in Buddhist philosophical literature to differentiate between two different types of truth: ultimate truth and conventional truth. For the philosophers of the Mahāyāna tradition of Buddhism, it is difficult to give an account of conventional truth that is both consistent with their anti-realist metaphysics (their ultimate position) and also robust enough to support truth as a normative concept. This dissertation addresses this problem by offering a deflationary interpretation of truth in Mahāyāna that is supported by a pragmatic account of intentionality and meaning. This account of meaning is developed from the work of the 7th Century Buddhist …

Towards Ending The Struggle: Bilingual Education And Perceptual Implications For Re-Engineering Student Success In New Mexico, Phyllis S. Martinez

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Bilingual education, teaching of academic content in two languages, is the instructional plan intended to help English language learner students develop the academic competence necessary to close the achievement gap that exists between minority students and English dominant students. This qualitative study examined the experiences of immigrant and native New Mexico Hispanic students in bilingual education. It examined participant perspectives about the influence of their own ethnic and national origins on the place of language in their families and lives; the meaning of language in their education, aspirations, and work; their experiences in and interpretations of bilingual education in school; …

Spartan Daily, September 5, 2013, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 141, Issue 4

Re: Health Professions Education In Oman : A Contemporary Perspective, Gillian White

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

The Missouri Miner, September 5, 2013

The Missouri Miner Newspaper

No abstract provided.

The Foreign Ear: Elizabeth Bishop's Proliferal Wit & The Chances Of Change, Kelly Barrett Brown

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Abstract

The Foreign Ear: Elizabeth Bishop's Proliferal Wit & the Chances of Change

Elizabeth Bishop has been widely celebrated as a painterly or photographic poet, a naturalist and geographer, and yet she was a subtly exquisite musician of wordplay attuned to subvocal effects. This dissertation examines a network of Bishop's affinities and aesthetic commitments, including her wish to "say the most difficult things" and "be funny, if possible." One surprising claim regarding the poet's variously called "All Eye," "the famous eye," etc., is that her sense of the spiritual is rather antithetical to an ocular regime: even those extremely fluid, …

The Literacies Of Literary Texts: Rhetorical Bridges Between English Studies Disciplines And First-Year Writers, Genesea Carter

English Language and Literature ETDs

The Literacies of Literary Texts: Rhetorical Bridges Between English Studies Disciplines and First-Year Writers seeks to blend rhetoric, composition, and literary discourses to illustrate how the subfields may engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and conversation. These conversations are important. For English studies to remain relevant in an increasingly business-minded model of higher education, departments must reassess their approaches and methods. As one way to reimagine English studies, I advocate for English studies return to rhetoric. In an increasingly complex world, Departments of English can become indispensible by using rhetoric to prepare their students for to rhetorically adapt to diverse discourse communities. …

'A Moment Of Magic': Coyote, Tricksterism, And The Role Of The Shaman In Rudolfo Anaya's Sonny Baca Novels, Roy Turner

English Language and Literature ETDs

In Rudolfo Anayas Zia Summer, Rio Grande Fall, Shaman Winter, and Jemez Spring, the protagonist—Sonny Baca—undertakes a murder investigation that ultimately leads him to confront Raven, a mysterious figure whose acts of violence threaten the social fabric of Albuquerque, the American Southwest, and the entire world. In battling Raven, Sonny comes to realize that both he and his foe have the ability to access a spiritual power that takes root in the myths and belief systems of various cultures, including Sonny's Chicano community, Native American peoples of the region, and ancient civilizations throughout the world, from which Sonny draws power …

Judging Emotion From Low-Pass Filtered Naturalistic Emotional Speech, John Snel, Charlie Cullen

Conference papers

In speech, low frequency regions play a significant role in paralinguistic communication such as the conveyance of emotion or mood. The extent to which lower frequencies signify or contribute to affective speech is still an area for investigation. To investigate paralinguistic cues, and remove interference from linguistic cues, researchers can low-pass filter the speech signal on the assumption that certain acoustic cues characterizing affect are still discernible. Low-pass filtering is a practical technique to investigate paralinguistic phenomena, and is used here to investigate the inference of naturalistic emotional speech. This paper investigates how listeners perceive the level of Activation, and …

‘What Do You Think The Campus Is Telling You?’ Teaching-Led Research Exploring Campus Design And Perception, Nicole Porter

Learn X Design Conference Series

Learning to ‘read’ places is a fundamental skill for built environment designers. Although we may intuitively respond to different designed environments - the silencing effect of a church interior or the imposing scale of a grand estate, for example – the ability to understand how places are spatially and semiotically constructed (encoded) and interpreted by others (decoded) is an ongoing aspect of design education. In this paper, a teaching-led research project addressing such design literacy is presented. This project simultaneously introduces the concept of design interpretation to students whilst addressing the research question ‘how do different students read their own …