Digital Commons Network^™

Triangular Desire In Sandra Cisneros's “Never Marry A Mexican”, Laura V. Bazaldua

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This thesis focuses on desire in Sandra Cisneros’s short story “Never Marry a Mexican” in her collection Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories. Cisneros alters the typical configuration of triangular desire in Western literature by focusing on two females and one male. This thesis analyzes the protagonist’s mimetic desire, applying the Girardian model of triangular desire, for her lover’s wife and how it illustrates her internalized racist views. This analysis examines the correlation between mimetic desire and the protagonist’s, an individual of color, investment in the illusion of whiteness.

Her desire is fundamentally a drive toward Megan, who represents the …

My Made For Tv Life Or How We Survived My Psycho-Killer Dad, Sarah Beth Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The critical afterword discusses my struggles writing a memoir after a lifetime of primarily fictional influences, the ethics of truth and memory, and my attempts to find a style that would do justice to my mother s struggles. The memoir began its life as a portrayal of my mother's story, but in the end was the story of a girl growing up with the knowledge of her father's attempted murder, and the strength of her mother's guidance. My story.

Looking For Adam: An Analysis Of The Works Of Marilynne Robinson, Kristina Y. Zavala

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Many scholars have analyzed the works of Marilynne Robinson, focusing their work on analyzing her novels separately instead of as a whole according to her views of Calvinism and other faith-related themes. This thesis will take apart all of the essays in The Death of Adam, examining each of them for the most important views and opinions expressed by the author. These issues have served to evolve Robinson‘s opinions in such a way that to analyze her novels according to only her religious views would be an injustice. By examining the use of certain aspects of the novel form, this …

After “Borderlands” The Making Of An Academic Chola: Poems, Veronica Sandoval

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This poetry collection is by a Mexican American spoken word, performance poet, Lady Mariposa, from Sullivan City turned Chican@ feminist after coming to terms with her mestizaje through Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands La Frontera: The New Mestiza. In Lady Mariposa’s journey as an “Academic Chola,” the term “chola” articulates her Chican@ identity and creates a new space in academia by using “chola” as a hybrid of identity and style in the formation of her poetics. Her poetry can also be called pocho, pocha, Tex-Mex and code switches. She is inspired by Chican@ literature and history, lowriders, cholo culture, cholas, jazz, hip …

Hijos Como Mediadores Lingüísticos Entre Padres Y Diferentes Entidades Sociales, Mercedes Huerta

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Este estudio se apoyó fundamentalmente en el análisis de encuestas en las que participaron hijos de familias migrantes. Los encuestados, cuando eran menores de edad, sirvieron como mediadores lingüísticos entre sus padres y diferentes entidades sociales. El objetivo del estudio fue descubrir el impacto emocional, académico, intrafamiliar y social que la experiencia de ser mediadores lingüísticos dejó en la vida de los participantes. Los encuestados, que ahora son mayores de edad, analizaron en retrospectiva las experiencias que vivieron cuando ayudaron a sus padres fungiendo como mediadores lingüísticos. Así mismo, los participantes tuvieron la oportunidad de compartir anécdotas y comentarios con …

“Combustible Sinners” And Other Stories, Myra Ivette Infante

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This is a collection of six short stories with a critical introduction. The characters in the short stories are all connected (sometimes remotely) to a small, Mexican, Pentecostal church in South Texas. The critical introduction explores the religious background and evolution as a Chicana writer of Myra Ivette Infante.

Disciples Of Vu, Leif Carl Behmer

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This project is in the design of high-fantasy sword and sorcery, wherein the concepts of mana and magic are employed as expressions of virtue to highlight contemporary issues of cultural identity and belonging. This project is also an experiment to attract a readership of non-traditional fantasy readers into the genre by creating, rather than assuming, a fantastic world context using immersive rhetorical techniques.

This project in of itself is not so much a re-invention of the traditional adventure quest as it is an exploration of its post-Tolkien form (the attraction of mythology and folklore, the narrative use of prophecy), and …

The Role Of Attachment And Language In Analogical Reasoning, Tamra Elizabeth Beckman

Dissertations

The present study examined the relationships between attachment and analogical reasoning within two domains: social reasoning and physical reasoning. Verbal reasoning was assessed as a possible mediator of these relationships. This study was conducted with 67 typically-developed children between the ages of nine to 11 years of age who were recruited from The University of Southern Mississippi's student population and from schools in Hattiesburg, MS and Ocean Springs, MS. Attachment security was assessed using the Kerns Security Scale (Kerns, Klepac, & Cole, 1996), and verbal reasoning was assessed with the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-3rd edition (Weschler, 1991). Analogical reasoning …

Chimpanzee Vocal Signaling Points To A Multimodal Origin Of Human Language, Jared P. Taglialatela, Jamie L. Russell, Jennifer A. Schaeffer, William D. Hopkins

Faculty Articles

The evolutionary origin of human language and its neurobiological foundations has long been the object of intense scientific debate. Although a number of theories have been proposed, one particularly contentious model suggests that human language evolved from a manual gestural communication system in a common ape-human ancestor. Consistent with a gestural origins theory are data indicating that chimpanzees intentionally and referentially communicate via manual gestures, and the production of manual gestures, in conjunction with vocalizations, activates the chimpanzee Broca’s area homologue – a region in the human brain that is critical for the planning and execution of language. However, it …

Signs And Symbols: Art And Language In Art Therapy, Malissa Morrell

Journal of Clinical Art Therapy

This paper is a preliminary attempt at theory building by exploring the use of art and language in art therapy through a theoretical inquiry model. Inductive and deductive processes are used to explore literature from the fields of psychology, art philosophy (particularly aesthetics), and linguistics. Concepts common to each of these disciplines are then further explored through the lens of bilingual therapy. Practical applications are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.

Cognitive Relatives Yet Moral Strangers?, Judith Benz-Scharzberg, Andrew Knight

Animal Welfare Collection

This article provides an empirically based, interdisciplinary approach to the following two questions: Do animals possess behavioral and cognitive characteristics such as culture, language, and a theory of mind? And if so, what are the implications, when long-standing criteria used to justify differences in moral consideration between humans and animals are no longer considered indisputable? One basic implication is that the psychological needs of captive animals should be adequately catered for. However, for species such as great apes and dolphins with whom we share major characteristics of personhood, welfare considerations alone may not suffice, and consideration of basic rights may …

Language Policy And Planning For Education In Cameroon And Nigeria, Ruth Adebile

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The goals and overall philosophy of education in any nation is the pre-requisite to the formation of language policy and planning for education. Language generally is always a crucial phenomenon and it becomes more crucial and controversial when it has to do with formulation of policies in education (Dada, 2005) part of the reason for this is simply because most of the language problems in many African countries are colonial legacies. The language problem is even volatile in some African countries like Cameroon and Nigeria. As it is going to be expanciated in this write-up, both Cameroon and Nigeria are …

Literary Creativity In Second Language English: A Speech Act Study Of Ola Rotimi’S Ovonrawmen Nogbaisi, M.J. Oloko

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Language remains the most formidable tool that writers use for literary creativity. It is the vehicle through which literature delights and instructs. The most important gift God gave human beings over and above other creatures he created is the power of language (Ezeigbo 2008). Language is indispensable to the creative artists, to literary critics, who must have a facility for words. Words are no doubt a powerful tool in the literary arsenal of the writer. In the hands of a writer, words can do a lot of things. Writers are creative people who create with words. It is no longer …

An Educational "Clip": Arab Students' Experiences Of Curriculum In A U.S. University, Daad Adel Rizk

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This is a multicultural study of culture adaptation, language challenge, identity formation, and power struggle -"CLIP"- depicting three Arab students who have attended or are currently attending a University in the rural South East Region of the United States of America (circa 2009-2010) When Arab students go to college in the United States of America, two cultural extremities (East and West) meet and attempt to form relationships; two different languages, Arabic and English, written in opposite directions search for a middle page to help them communicate. Books in the Arab World are read right to left, while pages in the …

Talking Masturbation: Men, Women, And Sexuality Through Playful Discourse, Geoffrey Evans-Grimm

Honors Projects

This study seeks to understand the relationship between talking about masturbation and masturbation as an everyday practice in the United States. This essay is arranged in terms of a number of overlapping sections that converge to offer a clearer interpretive context for a discussion of the results of the questionnaire and interview data. The first part of my essay is an attempt to make sense of the cultural history and to situate conceptions about masturbation and attempts to regulate it up to present day. Then, as a gendered talk, it is necessary to engage in a theoretical discussion of gender …

Articulating Animals: Animals And Implicit Inferences In Brandom’S Work, Joel D. Musser

Between the Species

Brandom denies animals implicit reasoning by emphasizing their inability to make inferences explicit, and in so doing, denigrates animals by likening their behavior to that of machines and artifacts. With disturbing regularity and ease, Brandom equates pigeons and parrots to machines and thermostats in their inability to express implicit/explicit inferences: neither the pigeon nor the machine can “provid[e] reasons for making other moves in the language game.”

I contest, however, that animals are paradigmatically more than any similarity or analogy to mechanical processing, just as humans are paradigmatically more than any reductive analogy to animals. The human/animal distinction need not …

Language And The Law, Yadira Calvo

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Sticky Metaphors And The Persistence Of The Traditional Voluntary Manslaughter Doctrine, Elise J. Percy, Joseph L. Hoffman, Steven J. Sherman

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Article begins with a curious puzzle: Why has the traditional voluntary manslaughter doctrine in criminal law-the so-called "heat of passion" defense to a charge of murder-proven so resistant to change, even in the face of more than a half-century of seemingly compelling empirical and normative arguments in favor of doctrinal reform? What could possibly account for the traditional doctrine's surprising resilience? In this Article, we propose a solution to this puzzle. The Article introduces a new conceptual theory about metaphor-the "sticky metaphor" theory-that highlights an important aspect of metaphorical language and metaphorical thought that has been almost completely overlooked …

On The Need For Embodied And Dis-Embodied Cognition, Guy Dove

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This essay proposes and defends a pluralistic theory of conceptual embodiment. Our concepts are represented in at least two ways: (i) through sensorimotor simulations of our interactions with objects and events and (ii) through sensorimotor simulations of natural language processing. Linguistic representations are “dis-embodied” in the sense that they are dynamic and multimodal but, in contrast to other forms of embodied cognition, do not inherit semantic content from this embodiment. The capacity to store information in the associations and inferential relationships among linguistic representations extends our cognitive reach and provides an explanation of our ability to abstract and generalize. This …

Networks And Language In The 2010 Election, Avishay Livne, Matthew P. Simmons, W. Abraham Gong, Eytan Adar, Lada A. Adamic

2011

The midterm (2010) election in the U.S. presented a unique opportunity to study the online social media strategy of various political groups. Although candidates had previously leveraged social media, the prevalence of use during this election allows us to study a significant percentage of candidates and a novel glimpse into their networks and messaging. In combination, the networks and associated content reflect positioning of candidates both structurally and in framing in relation to other politicians. In our work, we study the use of Twitter by House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates during the midterm elections in the U.S. Our data includes …

Come Si Fa?: Can Virtual Worlds Help Us Promote Intercultural Awareness, Susanna Nocchi

Conference Papers

This paper describes the author’s experience with a pilot course of Italian in SL®2. The course is part of a PhD research on Exploring the potential of virtual worlds to promote Intercultural Awareness in students learning Italian as a Foreign Language. In the paper the author will justify her choice of virtual worlds for the development of language competence and Intercultural Awareness and will present some results of her activity theoretical analysis of the data. Problematic areas and potential moments for the development of Intercultural Awareness were highlighted during the analysis.

Language Acculturation Discrepancy In Latina/O Families And Its Relationship With Emotional And Behavioral Problems, Jonathan P. Muther

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study is an assessment of whether a language acculturation discrepancy (LAD) within families is most predictive of emotional and behavioral problems for Latina/o youth when relevant variables are controlled. A sample of predominantly Mexican American parent-child dyads was recruited to complete a language-based measure of acculturation and parent participants completed an assessment of their child's emotional and behavioral functioning. Results indicated a total difference value between parent-child levels of language acculturation to be most predictive of the outcome. Additionally, the child's level of language acculturation, independent of that of the parent, was also found to account for a …

German Idealism, Analytic Philosophy, And Realism, Patrick J. Reider

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"Can one know mind-independent reality?" There are two fundamental positions concerning this question: either 1) mind-independent existence causes us to know mind-independent existence, or 2) all knowledge is a construct of the human mind, and therefore mind-independent existence is unknowable. This question holds enormous significance as it establishes the source of truth as being either mind-independent or mind-dependent. It thereby sets the stage for the type of epistemic claims that can be properly defended.

Of all the myriad formulations of idealism, Analytic Philosophers have consistently singled out German Idealism to either reject or misappropriate for its own ends. The most …

An Examination Of Multiple Predictors Of Orthographic Functioning., Glenn R Mesman, Michelle Y. Kibby

Publications

The purpose of this study was to compare three variables in terms of how well they predict orthographic functioning. To this end, the authors examined the relative contributions of rapid automatic naming, exposure to print, and visual processing to a composite measure of orthographic functioning in a heterogeneous group of 8- to 12-year-old children. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that rapid naming, exposure to print, and visual processing were each predictive of orthographic functioning when controlling for the other variables as well as vocabulary knowledge and phonological awareness. Thus, it appears that both linguistic and visual abilities are related to orthographic …

The Self, Language Objects, And Psychedelic Perspectives, David Krane

Theses & ETDs

There is a stark contrast to be made between Daniel Dennett's conception of a self as a center of narrative gravity and a conception of a self that emerges from linguistic structures more deeply embedded in immediate experience. Daniel Dennett's model stands on a foundation of thought about stances of prediction toward various kinds of systems and carries assumptions laden in that thought too far into the most complex, mysterious and personal systems for their contradictions with direct experience to remain excused. After explaining Dennett's model, I will elaborate on specific problems with identifying as a center of narrative gravity, …

Language, Geography, Globalization: Susana Chavez-Silverman’S Rejection Of Translation In Killer Crónicas: Bilingual Memories, Ania Spyra

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

The ephemerality of Susana Chavez-Silverman's desires for a very specific scent, remembered well although smelt only once on a stranger in passing, meets the disappointment of the un-searched for, the inauthentic, the reality of cheap cologne. Maybe precisely for its lack of fulfillment the search remains a quest, and the latter term does not seem too exaggerated for as frivolous a search as this one, because it functions as a metaphor for many other searches.

Resolutions And Their Incongruities: Further Thoughts On Logical Mechanism, Christian F. Hempelmann, Salvatore Attardo

Faculty Publications

This paper is a contribution to the study of the resolution of incongruities in humor. We reject some criticisms of logical mechanisms and analyze three different types of incongruities in humorous texts: completely backgrounded, backgrounded, and foregrounded. Only the latter are addressed by logical mechanisms. We identify a mechanism of “incongruity shifting” which may be a candidate for “deep” logical mechanism (along the lines of “parallelism” in Attardo et al. HUMOR: International Journal of Humor Research 15: 1–44, 2002). We finally discuss the similarities between Oring's (Engaging humor, University of Illinois Press, 2003) “appropriate incongruity” theory and our approach, which …

Timing In The Performance Of Jokes, Salvatore Attardo, Lucy Pickering

Faculty Publications

The notion of timing in humor is often mentioned as a very significant issue, and yet very little has been written about it. The paper reviews the scant literature on the subject and narrows down the definition of timing as comprising pauses and speech rate. The discussions of timing in the literature see it either as a speeding up or slowing down of speech rate. Using data collected from twenty joke performances, we show that speakers do not significantly raise or lower their speech rate at and around the punch line. The other common assumption is that punch lines are …

Utilizing Music In Speech And Language Therapy For Preschool Children And Children With Autism: A Systematic Review, Joelle Kay Johanson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This thesis was conducted as a systematic review. A systematic review is an assessment and evaluation of current research that attempts to answer a clinical question. The purpose of this systematic review was to attempt to answer the following clinical question: Are there high-quality studies that document the effectiveness of using music in speech and language therapy with preschool aged children and children with autism? This review also attempted to identify future research implications and needs. Nine studies were reviewed and critiqued; six preschool based studies and three autism based studies. Results indicated a general positive change in speech and …

Healing The Cartesian Split: Understanding And Renewing Pathos In Academic Writing, Travis Washburn

Library Research Grants

No abstract provided.