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Violent Tenderness, Aimilia Amalia Matthildi Tsopela

Comparative Literature Undergraduate Senior Theses

This thesis concerns itself with a single question: “What is love?” Specifically, it constitutes an account of love as a failed failure. The first chapter proposes a conceptualization of love as a subject-to-subject relation, through sustained engagement with the work of Alain Badiou. Specifically, the nature of the love relation as an intersubjective construction is articulated through a critique and reworking of Badiou’s conceptualization of love as an evental phenomenon. The second chapter explores the failed failure of love in relation to language, wherein the lovers’ discourse is understood to be linguistic play, operating according to the principles of Bataillean …

Interaction Entre Le Langage Et La Narration Dans Les Égarements Du Cœur Et De L’Esprit De Crébillon Fils, Manel Rebhi

Dirassat

The interaction between literature and linguistics must be thought of as permanent round trips: on the one hand linguistics can be useful for the study of literary texts; on the other hand, literature is itself likely to give a subject, a very rich field of investigation to linguistics. We will focus on analyzing some theories of linguistic enunciation applied to the Misguidances of the heart and mind of Crébillonfils, a memoir-novel published in 1736. Our goal was only to highlight the literarity or the poetics of the Crebillonian text through certain constants of the speech act common to the characters …

L’Enseignement Des Langues Dans Une Perspective Interdisciplinaire : Une Approche Réticulaire Pour L’Enseignement Du Fle, Amal Arrame, Fadoua Ibn El Oualid

Dirassat

In this paper, we willexamine the issue of teaching FLE (French Foreign Language) using dynamic methods to design learning sequences. The methodical framework makes it possible to design content capable of meeting the expectations of the target learners and achieving the objectives set by the general learning context. Certainly, there is a great challenge in diversifying methods due to the different variables encountered: learners' levels, their needs, teaching objectives (academic, professional, social, cultural...). Thus, FLE teaching must be open to new paradigms by creating contextual situations that stimulate different disciplines and several fields of knowledge. Interdisciplinarity in the educational sciences …

The Language Of Development: A Case Study Analysis Of Climate Development In Central America, Alexandra Altomare

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to better understand the impact of locally led development activities on local populations. The focus of this thesis is on climate mitigation and adaptation activities in Central America led by international donor organizations such as USAID. The research consists of an in-depth review of existing literature and analysis from the fields of environmental justice, political ecology, postcolonial studies, and Indigenous Studies. This is accompanied by a case study analysis of various development projects in Guatemala and Honduras, as well as auto-ethnographic observations. In addition, this thesis analyzes the power and impact of language and …

Sociology: Culture, Marcia Morrison

Open Educational Resources

This work examine culture. It begins by examining the foundations of culture to include norms, values, language, symbols and knowledge. In looking at each, it breaks down the implication of each to the development of ourselves as well as the person in the environment. It moves on to look at contexts of culture such as dominant cultures juxtapose to competing cultural systems, and how the various elements of culture can serve to either promote or minimize the various cultural constructs within society.

Textus Complexus, Vishakha Ruhela

Masters Theses

textus complexus investigates how language shapes thought by merging scientific rigour and poetic action to challenge reductive narratives. My inquiry stems from a fascination with complexity as an existential condition—one that resists homogenisation, preserves collective memory, and demands inclusive, multidimensional engagement. Hybridity, as a spectrum from complicated to complex, becomes a methodological tool to uncover latent connections that lead to cross-communication, and articulate transitional spaces through recursive processes. By systematising multiplicity via layering, modularisation, and indexing, my work foregrounds expression through form, where structural clarity emerges from cumulative gestures rather than simplification.

The projects in this thesis trace the roots …

Africanism In America: Exploring Hybrid Identities Of African Students In The Us, Ruth A. Yeboah

Masters Theses

This study interrogates the intercultural experiences of African international students (AIS) in a US Midwestern University. With a focus on West African students, the project explores how students confront and overcome linguistic, cultural, and systemic barriers as they create new dynamic spaces which are neither American nor African, but a mixture of both in a predominantly White institution. Drawing on the theoretical constructs of hybridity and language ideology, the findings reveal how AIS actively negotiate identity by using traditional African cultural traits, rooted in Africanism—with new cultural influences, generating unique, fluid and constantly-evolving hybrid identities. I utilized ethnographic observations …

Identity And The Russian-Ukrainian War: Evidence From The American Community Survey, Matthew Holian, Oleh Wolowyna

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to significant changes in ethnic identity and language preferences among U.S. residents. We observe an 18.9% increase in U.S.-born individuals identifying as ethnic Ukrainian from 2021 to 2022 and a 6.8% decrease for U.S.-born ethnic Russians, which cannot be attributed to prior trends or sampling variation. The changes among Ukrainians were more pronounced among college graduates and those living in Democratic-leaning counties. We document an increase in the use of the Ukrainian language among Ukrainian immigrants, which cannot be explained by prior trends or immigration patterns. We test for labor market discrimination, …

Beyond The Binary: Amazigh Ethnicity And Transformational Resistance, Nour Sidhoum

Journal of Amazigh Studies

This article explores Amazigh activism in Algeria, focusing on the role of language, memory, and political mobilisation in reshaping national identity. It critically examines the reductive Arab/Berber binary, arguing that such oppositions, rooted in French colonial logic, provide the vocabulary through which Amazigh identity claims are confined within minority paradigms. The aim is to reconceptualise Amazigh ethnic identity as a form of transformational resistance that challenges dominant power structures rather than merely seeking accommodation within them. Drawing on a diverse range of primary and secondary sources—including memoirs of key figures in Algerian nationalism such as Hocine Aït Ahmed and Sadek …

Code-Switching: A Study On College Students’ Languaging Practices, Neyda Perez

Honors Theses

My linguistic background is composed of many contrasting elements. I grew up speaking Spanish and English in rural Texas, and I have an accent. Words would have a southern drawl, and when saying words that were similar in English and Spanish, I would pronounce them with a Spanish accent. In contrast, many of my language arts teachers prior to high school put great value on Standard English. My accent was often corrected and dismissed, and while it wouldn’t affect my ability to navigate a classroom, I would hold it back in class nonetheless. Due to all these components, I had …

Language, Literature, And Culture Newsletter, Eighth Edition (May 2025), Language, Literature, And Culture Department, Clark University

Language, Literature, and Culture

The eighth issue of the Language, Literature, and Culture department newsletter, which went out in May 2025. 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".

Shoule Québec Rename Its Language? A Diachronic Analysis Of Québécois French, Tessa C. Fackrell

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Canadian French has evolved away from metropolitan French in vocabulary, accent, slang, and even grammar structures since it was colonized in the 16th century. In analyzing the development of the Québécois language, this thesis aims to provide insights as to whether renaming Canadian French that is spoken in the province of Québec to Québécois would better represent the culture and people who use the language. This thesis includes an analysis of the history of Québec from its colonization by France, the legislation in place to protect the languages of French and Québécois, and an analysis of some of the linguistic …

Reconstructing A Voice In The Diaspora: Language And Hegemony In Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's Dicteé, Ryann Bahnline

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

“Reconstructing a Voice in the Diaspora: Language and Hegemony in Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's Dicteé” is a close reading into the experimental work Dicteé by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha. The text explores the interplay of language, identity, and cultural hegemony and primarily focuses on how Cha deconstructs language and narrative to critique colonialism, patriarchy, and the diasporic identity that generations feel after losing their voice. The fragmentation of the text mirrors the effects of diasporic trauma, specifically with symbolic violence and the fragmentation of the self. Pierre Bourdieu, Antonio Gramsci, and Victor Turner’s theories — symbolic violence, cultural hegemony, and …

Language Development And Stuttering: Are People Who Are Fluent In More Than One Language More Likely To Stutter? Do They Stutter More In Their First Or Second Language?, Stephanie Pedraza Marin

University Honors Program Senior Projects

Research on bilingualism has played a key role in understanding language and cognitive processes. It has sparked ongoing debates about whether speaking more than one language enhances cognitive abilities or potentially limits these capacities. One behavior often examined in this context is stuttering, which has been studied in relation to bilingualism as far back as 1937. While some studies report no difference in stuttering rates between bilinguals and monolinguals, others suggest that bilinguals may be more prone to stuttering. The current study sought to further explore this issue through an online survey examining the experiences of bilingual and monolingual English …

Does An Impaired Sense Of Smell Make It Harder To Think About Things Like Garlic?, Ishrat N. Khan

Honors Scholar Theses

According to sensorimotor-based (also called "embodied" or "grounded") theories of semantic memory, accessing conceptual knowledge about things involves reactivating—or “simulating”—the sensory and motor experiences that we have had with them. For instance, thinking about things for which olfactory experience is dominant (e.g., garlic or a rose) would involve simulating their smell. However, evidence for olfactory simulation when thinking about "smelly” things is sparse and mixed. We tested smell-impaired (“anosmic”) and control participants (N=130 in the anosmic group and N=190 in the control group) on three tasks (1) Picture-Word Verification, (2) Semantic Property Verification, and (3) Free Recall. We predicted that …

Exploring The Perception Of Spanish-Speaking Students On Language And Cultural Identity, Andrea Martinez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This senior capstone research project explores the perceptions of Spanish-speaking students regarding the intersection of language and cultural identity within educational settings in Monterey County, California. Spanish speakers represent a significant portion of the student population, therefore understanding their cultural/language experiences is essential for fostering inclusive and culturally responsive educational environments. Drawing on literature about bilingual education, cultural identity, and educational equity, interviews with teachers and surveys of students, the findings revealed how language and cultural identity shape students’ sense of belonging, self-perception, academic engagement, attitudes toward bilingualism, and their cultural expression. In addition, there are challenges these students face …

Reflections On Teaching Language And Culture In The French Dual Language Immersion Classroom, Aminata Sylla

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This portfolio is representative of the author’s work in the Masters in Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program and classroom experience. The reflection paper explores teaching French in the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) and Bridge secondary education context and evaluates specific examples of innovative teaching. The aims of this reflection are twofold: first, to reflect on how the author improved her teaching effectiveness through this experience and through the USU MSLT program; second, to suggest best practices in the French DLI classroom. Both practical and theoretical, the reflection focuses on the author’s own experiences teaching Bridge program intermediate and advanced-proficiency level …

On The Non-Reductive Analogical Language Of Chemistry: Visualizing Chemistry As An Aesthetic Practice, Demetrio Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis, I will consider in detail the analogical language of chemistry by identifying metaphysical assumptions and interpretations embedded in the thinking and communication of chemistry. I will explain the epistemological function and meaning of chemical symbolism and how its artistic design presents a unique opportunity to reflect about the philosophical aesthetic connections between chemistry and the humanities. I will thus consider the creative aspects of chemistry and suggest that the merging between art and science yields practical wisdom. My goal is to argue in favor of the idea of complementarity which suggests that scientific models best develop from …

The Grammatical Cases Of The Word “Qaleel” In The Noble QurʾĀn, Turki Saleh Al-Ma'badi Al-Harbi

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Arts and Humanities

The words of Allah is considered one of the most important and eloquent sources of Arabic language, it has been a great concern for the scholars throughout the ages and times in terms of its language, its vocabulary, grammar, its issues, and various other areas of language. Thus, came the idea of this research, which studies the word (qaleel) in the Qurʾān and discusses its grammatical aspects, and explains the sayings of the scholars regarding its grammatical analysis, relying on the famous books in this discipline, after realizing the uses of the word in the Qur’an and its various contexts, …

Speech (Building Blocks), Ronald Okolichany, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Nova Southeastern University The building blocks of language begin with the smallest distinguishable unit, the phoneme, and grow in complexity to convey meaning within a specific social context. The study of meaning is known as semantics. According to Kellogg (2003), the goal of semantic theories is to explain how individuals form mental representations of words and thus derive meaning from them. The smallest distinguishable unit of speech is the phoneme. A phoneme is essentially a unique speech sound, or phonological segment, that can alter the meaning of a word. For instance, if you examine the words “pat” and “cat” you …

How Childhood Maltreatment Shapes Brain Regions: Considerations For Speech-Language Pathology, Alexa G. Sees

Honors Thesis

Childhood maltreatment is a pervasive issue that affects millions of children worldwide, leading to alterations in key structures such as the limbic system, basal ganglia, corpus callosum, visual cortex, and language areas. These changes result in significant cognitive, emotional, and neurological consequences, such as learning deficits, emotional regulation issues, memory problems, reduced vocabulary size, speech errors, etc. This thesis explores the neurological effects of childhood maltreatment and their implications for speech-language pathology, highlighting how maltreatment-induced brain changes affect areas within the scope of speech-language pathology, such as social communication, language development, and behavior management. These results underscore the importance of …

Uncovering Language Bias Towards Written Language Use Among Bilinguals And Individuals With Disabilities, Mu'nis Maen Nazzal

Linguistics ETDs

Language is a fundamental tool of social control. Linguistic bias plays a crucial role in social hierarchies and opportunities. While research has extensively documented linguistic bias in spoken language, less attention has been given to bias in written language. This study investigates students' evaluations of three instructors’ writings: a bilingual, an instructor with a disability, and a monolingual. The study employs a matched-guise technique to explore potential biases in students' perceptions of preference, leadership skills, expertise, and professionalism.

The Friedman Test revealed that while participants showed a preference for the instructor with a disability over the bilingual instructor and the …

The Art Of Teaching Tongues, Deborah Idowu

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

The poem describes the multifaceted role and experience of a language teacher through metaphors and imagery. The poem presents language instruction as both an art and a sacred duty, employing metaphors of a keeper of keys, shepherd, and smith to illustrate the teacher's diverse responsibilities. Through four-line stanzas with consistent rhyme schemes, the work progresses from describing the technical aspects of language instruction to revealing its deeper purpose of fostering cross-cultural understanding. An instructor's personal investment in teaching is portrayed through intimate first-person narration, while imagery of growth, construction, and transformation underscores the developmental nature of language acquisition. The poem …

Iconicity As An Organizing Principle Of The Lexicon, Erin E. Campbell, Zed Sevcikova Sehyr, Elana Pontecorvo, Ariel Cohen-Goldberg, Karen Emmorey, Naomi Caselli

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

The view that words are arbitrary is a foundational assumption about language, used to set human languages apart from nonhuman communication. We present here a study of the alignment between the semantic and phonological structure (systematicity) of American Sign Language (ASL), and for comparison, two spoken languages—English and Spanish. Across all three languages, words that are semantically related are more likely to be phonologically related, highlighting systematic alignment between word form and word meaning. Critically, there is a significant effect of iconicity (a perceived physical resemblance between word form and word meaning) on this alignment: words are most likely to …

Spécificités Du Discours De L’Enseignant : Entre Gestes D’Institutionnalisation Et De Reformulation, Malika Kaheraoui, Stéphanie Volteau

Dirassat

Our study attempts to demonstrate the value of exploring teacher discourse, particularly two gestures that we describe as linguistic and didactic gestures. This analysis is intended as a way to describe some of the processes inherent in teacher discourse, especially when the appropriation of knowledge is central to teaching action (Bucheton and Soulé 2009) and this action can only be understood through the paradigm of co-activity, in which language appears as "a window onto teaching activity" (Bucheton and Dezutter, 2008: 13). The work of the teacher in the school context is essentially linguistic; it is a spoken profession. But this …

Muzibogun Research Symposium Poster, Serena Parra, Maurissio Gonzalez, Renee Alonzo, Cj Spears

Team - Muzibogun - Documents

This is the research poster which we presented at the 2025 Research Symposium

Vital Language Practices And Attitudes Among The Lumbee, Deven A. Hull

Senior Theses

The longstanding interest among linguists and linguistic anthropologists in Indigenous languages has increasingly adopted a Critical Indigenous framework, which has been promoted by Indigenous scholars and community leaders as a means of decolonizing “salvage” collection of Indigenous language materials. An important aspect of Critical Indigenous theory is the framework of vitality—that is, an emphasis in literature and community practice on the everyday living and lived elements of culture. One means of promoting Indigenous language within this Critical framework of vitality that is community-centered is centering vital language practices in community-based archives, which seek not to document the language as it …

Language, Literature, And Culture Newsletter, Seventh Edition (April 2025), Language, Literature, And Culture Department, Clark University

Language, Literature, and Culture

The seventh issue of the Language, Literature, and Culture department newsletter, which went out in April 2025. 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".

Language Deficit In Non-Dominant Hemisphere Stroke Patients, Huda Almashhadani, Akram Al-Mahdawi

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

Background: Despite the long history of research favoring the left hemisphere is dominant for language processing in most right-handed subjects. There is accumulating evidence that the right hemisphere contributes to language.Aim: evaluate language deficits in right hemisphere stroke survivors so they will have the opportunity to be tested for deficits and offered compensatory strategies.Patient and methods: comparative cross-sectional design, right-handed patients from 3 hospitals and a physiotherapy Centre in Iraq, aged (38-75 years), each had either right or left hemispheric stroke, patients with bilateral hemispheric stroke and who are not sufficiently clinically stable to be approached were excluded, and control …

Muzibogun Semantics, Serena Parra, Maurissio Gonzalez, Renee Alonzo, Cj Spears

Team - Muzibogun - Documents

This shows the different fields of words and valued concepts in our language that give it meaning.