Digital Commons Network^™

Bytes, Banter, And The Bible: An Interdisciplinary Account Of Objective Meaning, Cameron Bonin

Senior Honors Theses

The claim that the Bible has objective meaning is contested in a postmodern world. This claim can be more persuasively defended when it is addressed by insights from multiple disciplines. In particular, the field of computer science is apt to illuminate the concept of meaning through its reflection on the nature of languages and its concern with the accurate transmission of information. By synthesizing insights from the field of computer science, such as that of Claude Shannon, with Nicholas Wolterstorff’s use of speech-act theory, the concept of meaning can be understood more clearly. Consequently, this synthesis assists in answering questions …

From Ink To Code, From Binary To Boundless Reality—Until All Returns To Emptiness, Weitong Sun

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the entangled relationship between language, memory, and technology through the lens of immigrant experience. Moving from programming to visual storytelling, I investigate how dyslexia, bilingualism, and cultural displacement have shaped my ways of reading, writing, and coding.

Beginning with personal reflections on switching from computer science to art, I trace how code offered a form of clarity and expression where written language had once failed me. Yet as I ventured into real-time simulation and XR storytelling, I encountered new forms of mistranslation—where narratives dissolved, mutated, or resisted coherence altogether.

Through a series of experiments in code-driven art, …

Assessing The Accuracy Of Emotion Classification Of Whisper V3: Comparing Performance On Speech Emotion Datasets For Both English And Arabic, Oumaima Khalfi

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis investigates the application of Whisper V3 which is a state-of-the-art, multilingual automatic speech recognition model to Arabic Speech Emotion Recognition (SER). Building on the foundational work of Muhammad Firdho, who adapted Whisper architectures for emotion classification tasks, this study extends his approach to the context of Arabic, a language characterized by rich dialectal diversity, complex morphology, and unique prosodic features.Although Whisper V3 was primarily designed for Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), its latent representations appear to capture paralinguistic cues that can be leveraged for emotion classification. Muhammad Firdho laid the basis for this study by showing the ability of …

Exploring The Educational Gap Of Virginia English Language Learners: Challenges And Opportunities For Academic Success, Amanda Purcell, Sochitl Rodriguez Kauffman

UROP Posters

English Language Learners (ELLs) in the state of Virginia have significantly lower scores in the Standards of Learning (SOL) assessment exam than those of their English-speaking peers. The SOL measures students’ mastery of knowledge and skills taught in the classroom, and over the last decade, passing rates of the assessment’s core subjects amongst ELLs have continued to decrease and remain relatively low. In the 2023-2024 academic year, the average passing rate for ELLs who took the Writing SOL was only 26%, with Science being not much higher at 29%, and Reading at 33%. For the non-ELL student body, average rates …

"She's Such A Nice Girl": Exploring The Literacy And Identity Formation Practices Of Black Girls In White, Appalachian Communities, Tamicah Tierra Owens

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examines the experiences and stories of two Black girls in predominantly White Appalachian communities, focusing on the language and literacy practices they employ to navigate and make sense of their Black feminine identities. It focuses on how literacy and language skills acquired from spending quality time with their mothers, engaging in various spaces with friends, and engaging in interest-driven traditional media and/or social media helped them to analyze their communities’ and the larger landscapes’ discourses around race and gender to create and modify their desired identities. This qualitative study employs narrative case study to center the lived experiences …

Assessment Of Multilingual Children By Western Australian Speech-Language Pathologists: A Survey Of Practices, Barriers And Facilitators, Emily Frances Hunt, Charn Nang, Suzanne Jacqueline Meldrum, Elizabeth Armstrong

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: In the past decade, diagnostic criteria for developmental language disorder, guidelines for assessment of multilingual children, and reviews of the diagnostic utility of dynamic assessment have been published. It is unknown how Australian speech-language pathologists currently assess multilingual children or how local factors influence assessment. Method: A mixed-method anonymous online survey of Western Australian speech-language pathologists explored the frequency and perceived usefulness of assessment practices recommended for multilingual children, elements of dynamic assessment used, and the utility of specific client factors for diagnosis. Confidence ratings and descriptions of barriers and facilitators that affect assessment of multilingual children were also …

Constitutional Comparisons And Language, De Maartje Visser

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Language can be seen as an intuitive challenge for those who embark on comparative constitutional research: its intricate entanglement with law is often overlooked and not engaged with explicitly. This chapter argues that this is a missed opportunity at best, and arguably presents a hazard for the collective quality of the scholarly discourse. It discusses four ways in which language matters when engaging in constitutional comparisons: the problem of literal translation; the problem of legal-conceptual translation; a multilingual discourse that is marked by fragmentation; and expectations in communication with a foreign or international readership. The approach taken is constructive, with …

Translation And/As Research, Harry Aveling

Kritika Kultura

The paper will consider some possible relationships between literary translation and research, the latter briefly defined as “the curiosity-driven production of new knowledge” (Nowotny xix). Two of these relationships are simple: (1) research as a stage in the preparation for the process of translation, and (2) research about the cultural and historical dimensions of already-existing translations. The third is more complex and controversial. The paper further asks: (3) whether the practice of translation is in itself an act of research. The third question raises further considerations about the different types of knowledge to be found in the university, and how …

On The Readership Of Spinoza’S Writing & A Poetics For Thought, Tam Pham

Honors Thesis

This paper invites attention to textual facts and other intricacies in the readership of Spinoza’s writing, which bring to the fore his thinking qua thinking under language, a consideration that seems at least underappreciated, if not misappreciated, by the very readership in question. In so doing, the paper reflects on the possibility—and perhaps necessity—of a poetological purview into a philosophical corpus, in terms of its being written under a sense of Latin as well as of other tongues, generated by and for a thinker to be the linguisticity within which he thinks. To put in differently: if Spinoza were to …

Do Deaf Readers Pre-Activate Phonology During Sentence Comprehension?, Danielle Moraga, Lauren Fillet, Eva Gutierrez-Sigut, Zed Sehyr

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Readers can use linguistic and contextual clues to predict upcoming words in a sentence. This predictive processing allows for more efficient recognition of upcoming words, particularly when the context of a sentence is predictable (Federmeier & Kutas, 1999; Metusalem et al., 2012). Evidence suggests that for hearing readers, preactivation of word semantics and phonology facilitates the recognition of upcoming words in a sentence (Ito et al., 2016). Readers who became deaf/hard-of-hearing before learning a language rely primarily on visual rather than auditory input, and it is unclear if they engage in similar predictive processes. The study aims to investigate the …

Language, Literature, And Culture Newsletter, Third Edition (December 2024), Language, Literature, And Culture Department, Clark University

Language, Literature, and Culture

The third issue of the Language, Literature, and Culture department newsletter, which went out in December 2024. The Language, Literature, and Culture department newsletter aims to "share stories, news, ideas, achievements, and important information about and within our academic department that can be helpful to the campus community at large".

The Land Of Fairies Of J. R. R. Tolkien: Faërie As The “Middle Earth” Between The World Of Senses And The World Of Ideas, Diego Klautau

Journal of Tolkien Research

This article delves into J. R. R. Tolkien's essay "On Fairy-Stories" with the aim of outlining a giving hermeneutics for the metaphor of "Faërie," the Elfland, in dialogue with the philosophical tradition of Ancient Greece – specially with Plato's "Republic" and Aristotle's "De Anima" and "Poetics", and also the medieval reference of Aquinas’ “Summa Theologica”. The historical context of early 20th-century England and J. R. R. Tolkien's biography assure that he belonged to a Catholic religious and philosophical tradition that claimed the so-called realistic philosophy as the foundation for understanding the world. From this theoretical-methodological approach, one finds a dual …

How Speech-Language Pathologists Can Collaborate With A Well-Meaning Judiciary To Improve Jury Instructions, Lillian N. Stiegler, Rebecca L. Parker

Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration

Abstract

Purpose: Many U.S. adults are called upon to fulfill civic responsibilities through jury duty. Jury participation is a responsibility, but it is also a privilege that ensures the balance of power between government and citizens. Problems arise when jury instructions are presented using complex language that challenges the comprehension of laypersons with and without language and literacy differences, negatively influencing the juror’s participation experience and trial outcomes. In spite of plain language mandates and clear findings regarding the average literacy abilities of U.S. adults, much of the legal community persists in the use of difficult jury instructions.

Method: Academic …

Why Share A Language Or Tradition? Gadamer And Davidson In Dispute, Bart Vandenabeele

Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture

That the ideal way to communicate and reach understanding is by speaking the same language, is a widespread view: it is rarely questioned in debates concerning language, (intercultural) communication, and interpretation. I shall argue that Hans-Georg Gadamer, too, suffers from this common language “syndrome.” Donald Davidson is one of the few philosophers who explicitly uttered qualms about the necessity of a common language. Davidson critiques Gadamer’s common language idea, and rightly claims that a common language is not needed for communication and understanding. I show that Davidson has been unable to develop this insight fruitfully and underestimates the importance of …

Spatiotemporal Mapping Of Auditory Onsets During Speech Production, Garret Lynn Kurteff, Alyssa M Field, Saman Asghar, Elizabeth C Tyler-Kabara, Dave Clarke, Howard L Weiner, Anne E Anderson, Andrew J Watrous, Robert J Buchanan, Pradeep N Modur, Liberty S Hamilton

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The human auditory cortex is organized according to the timing and spectral characteristics of speech sounds during speech perception. During listening, the posterior superior temporal gyrus is organized according to onset responses, which segment acoustic boundaries in speech, and sustained responses, which further process phonological content. When we speak, the auditory system is actively processing the sound of our own voice to detect and correct speech errors in real time. This manifests in neural recordings as suppression of auditory responses during speech production compared with perception, but whether this differentially affects the onset and sustained temporal profiles is not known. …

Language, Literature, And Culture Newsletter, Second Edition (November 2024), Language, Literature, And Culture Department, Clark University

Language, Literature, and Culture

The second issue of the Language, Literature, and Culture department newsletter, which went out in November 2024. The Language, Literature, and Culture department newsletter aims to "share stories, news, ideas, achievements, and important information about and within our academic department that can be helpful to the campus community at large".

Enhancing Cultural Competence In Counselor Education Through Sociolinguistic Awareness, Jessica Haas, Diane D. Walsh, Marisa Marroquin

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

Language plays a central role in building a therapeutic working alliance. Language is essential in building trust, conveying empathy, and creating shared meaning between counselors and clients. Nevertheless, language can equally harm the working alliance if used insensitively or without awareness of cultural and social differences. Sociolinguistic awareness emphasizes the interpretational nature of language and how it can unintentionally perpetuate discrimination against marginalized identities. Counselor educators can utilize sociolinguistic principles to model and teach the significance of language in counseling and its relationship to multicultural competency and cultural humility. The article highlights how clients' language may connect to their social …

Enhancing Cultural Competence In Counselor Education Through Sociolinguistic Awareness, Jessica Haas, Diane D. Walsh, Marisa Marroquin

Counseling Faculty Publications

Abstract

Language plays a central role in building a therapeutic working alliance. Language is essential in building trust, conveying empathy, and creating shared meaning between counselors and clients. Nevertheless, language can equally harm the working alliance if used insensitively or without awareness of cultural and social differences. Sociolinguistic awareness emphasizes the interpretational nature of language and how it can unintentionally perpetuate discrimination against marginalized identities. Counselor educators can utilize sociolinguistic principles to model and teach the significance of language in counseling and its relationship to multicultural competency and cultural humility. The article highlights how clients' language may connect to their …

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Iv México Versus U.S. Versions In The Assessment Of Mexican Americans, Gabriela Ontiveros, Philip Gerard Gasquoine

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Objective:

To delineate score differences between the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV) and the WAIS-IV México in the assessment of balanced bilingual Mexican Americans and to determine the efficacy of five hold measures in predicting summary scores in each version.

Methods:

Hold measures were WAIS-IV Information, Vocabulary, and Matrix Reasoning subtests, picture vocabulary, and the Test of Premorbid Function (English)/Word Accentuation Test (Spanish). Using a repeated measures design, 60 neurologically intact participants were tested in a counterbalanced order, with WAIS-IV version as the repeated measure (mean intertest interval = 5.68 days). To minimize practice effects, the five visual-perceptual subtests, which …

Hell On Earth In Garth Nix’S Old Kingdom: Dark Jouissance And The Dead Mother, John Rosegrant

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

The Old Kingdom’s River of Death is a hell impinging on life: The Dead take hideous Boschian forms, and helped by necromancers wielding “Free Magic” they often emerge from Death. Necromancers, Free Magic, and the Dead are battled by Abhorsens wielding “Charter magic,” Free Magic that has been transformed by symbols. Immersion in the Charter gives a joyous experience of connection to all life. Symbolization must unite with Free Magic to create this experience; symbolization alone is inadequate, as we see in the example of mundanely rational people who dwell in a neighboring land. But the source of joyous access …

The Art Of Linguistic Marketing: Fields And Prospects. Facebook As An Example., Sara Dannawi

Al Jinan الجنان

The study of the electronic market originates from the most renowned concept of buying and selling globally. The onset of the epidemic mandated social distancing and the necessity to remain at home in most situations. Consequently, work transitioned to home environments instead of traditional institutional settings. This shift propelled society towards mastering the art of e-marketing for all types of commodities. People found this method to be the most convenient for accumulating wealth and attracting customers. The Arabic language emerged as a prominent feature of this modern phenomenon among various marketing tools. Enthusiasts and professionals have harnessed social media to …

Classroom Strategies To Increase Language And Communication Of Dual Language Learners, Lori Ruiz

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research was inspired by the researcher’s interest to better understand teaching strategies to help students who are Dual Language Learners (DLLs) improve their English language, communication skills, and classroom engagement. The researcher wanted to know how modeling and visual cues affect the language and communication abilities of preschool DLLs in the classroom. Over four weeks, the researcher observed three four-year-old DLL students in a public, full-day, inclusive preschool setting. To determine the students’ levels on the English Language Acquisitions objectives, the researcher used an embedded mixed-methods design by collecting and interpreting observations before entering them into Teaching Strategies …

Relations Among Degree Of Bilingualism And Bilateral Information Processing In Children And Adults, Francisco J. Sierra, Amy A. Weimer, Yu-Cheng Lin, Jerwen Jou, Nayda Castillo, Cedar Garcia, Michelle Suarez, Flor I. Garcia, Gabriela Aleman, Edson Ortiz, Francheli Romero

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Aims and objectives:

The primary goal of this study was to examine whether degree of bilingualism related to dichotic listening accuracy, a measure of bilateral processing, after controlling for age and income.

Methodology:

Participants included 59 children ages 6–11 years (M = 7.86, SD = 1.81) and 61 adults (18–83 years) (M = 34.02, SD = 15.70). Participants completed demographic surveys, vocabulary assessments in English and Spanish, and a dichotic listening test.

Data and analysis:

Multiple linear regressions examined whether the degree of bilingualism predicted bilateral processing.

Findings:

Degree of bilingualism predicted bilateral processing in the whole sample …

Lcd 106: Introduction To Communication Sciences And Disorders, Yael Neumann

Open Educational Resources

This course will provide an introduction to the development and disorders of speech, language, and communication in children and adults. Disorders such as autism, aphasia, stuttering, and learning disabilities will be discussed. Differences noted in culturally and linguistically diverse communities will also be addressed. The course activities will give students an experiential appreciation of the experience of communication challenges and supporting people with those challenges. Information about the professions of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP), Audiology, and Speech and Hearing Science will be reviewed as potential career paths.

Effect Of Covid-19 On Access To Language Services Among Pediatric Hospital Providers In The United States: A Cross-Sectional Survey, Sheela Gavvala, Jessica Gonzalez, Kaleigh Riggs, Raymond Parlar-Chun

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Objectives: To survey pediatric hospitalists about their perceptions on 1) access to interpreter services, 2) how the COVID-19 pandemic affected access to interpreter services, and 3) methods and barriers to providing discharge instructions for families who prefer languages other than English (LOE).

Methods:

A cross sectional, observational study was conducted utilizing an online survey via REDCap that was distributed on the Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) LISTSERV® from February 23 to March 23, 2022. Inclusion criteria included faculty and advanced practice providers who practice medicine in a hospital setting greater than 50% of their clinical time as well as medical students, …

Undergraduate Students’ Experiences And Perceptions Of Foreign Language Education, Miho Hamamoto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, the enrollments of undergraduate and graduate students in language courses other than English have been continuously decreasing in recent years. Previous research proves that there are diverse benefits that learning a language offers, and it is evident that language education is crucial in this globalized world. However, many universities and colleges in the United States are eliminating foreign language programs, which can deprive students of a crucial opportunity to engage in language learning. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore undergraduate students’ experiences and perceptions of foreign language education, and the study was guided …

The Effect Of Augmentative And Alternative Communication Devices On Preschool-Aged Children With Disabilities, Jocelyn N. Fox

Masters Projects

Speech and language needs are not being met effectively in preschool-aged children. These skills are incredibly important, as speech and language skills affect all other areas of development (Greenwood et al., 2013). To help solve this problem, professionals who work with this population of students need to have effective practices in place to address the needs of these students. This project aims to provide preschool-aged children who have speech and language needs the access to communication they deserve. Through Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, many speech and language needs can be addressed. This project will provide training on AAC …

Antiracism In Higher Education: An Integrated Psychological Perspective, Rhea E. Nesbitt

Dissertations, 2020-current

Antiracism is a complicated and important term with prominent, influential voices claiming that systemic equity and the reconfiguration of white identity are the central solutions to eradicating American racism. Within the profound sociocultural effects of the existing antiracist rhetoric, there is vagueness, conflict, and incoherence. Language serves as a fundamental aspect of human experience, facilitating individual meaning-making and comprehension. Effective communication hinges on the ability to articulate subjective experiences and justifications clearly, a challenge evident in discussions surrounding antiracism. Despite advocating for antiracism as crucial and unending work, scholars recognize significant hurdles, including unclear responsibilities for implementation and entrenched structures …

First Diffusion Course: "The Structure Of Language As A Connection Between Artificial Intelligence, Information And Ethics", Dioneia Monte-Serrat

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

From August 22nd to November 21st, the first Diffusion Course on “The structure of language as a connection between artificial intelligence, information and ethics” will take place on a Thursday of each month, in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. You are cordially invited to sign up for in-person classes and join other researchers and students on this course.

Law, Language, And Authority: The Algorithmic Turn, Amanda Turnbull

PhD Dissertations

Law is formed by language and law utilizes language. Law is also like language in that it consists of social rules that aid in the structuring of society. From the time that we first put language into writing, we have been invested in the technologizing of language. There is a clear trajectory of our interest in having machines do things with language that we would otherwise do ourselves. This dissertation investigates how law’s relationship with language changes with the use of algorithmically driven technologies, and correspondingly, the consequences for the changing nature of authority since the use of language in …