Digital Commons Network^™

Lexical Development In Adult Beginning Second Language Learners, Angela Chouinard

Honors Theses

This research tests the hypothesis that knowledge of derivational morphology facilitates vocabulary acquisition in beginning adult second language learners. Participants were mono-lingual English-speaking college students aged 18 years and older enrolled inintroductory Spanish courses. Knowledge of Spanish derivational morphology was tested through the use of a forced-choice translation task. Spanish lexical knowledge was measured by a translation task using direct translation (English word) primes and conceptual (picture) primes. A 2x2x2 mixed factor ANOVA examined the relationships between morphological knowledge (strong, moderate), error type (form-based, conceptual), and prime type (direct translation, picture). The results are consistent with the existence of a …

Paradigmatic Peer-Pressure: Word-Medial, Syllable-Initial /S/ Lenition In Dominican Spanish, Earl K. Brown

Faculty Publications

Usage-based phonology (Bybee 2001, 2006, 2010), which is based on exemplar theory (Pierrehumbert 2001, 2003), proposes a memory capacity so expansive that, in theory, all tokens experienced in life could be mapped onto their respective exemplar clouds. However, if a token is similar enough to an existing one, it is simply mapped directly onto that existing token, reinforcing it in memory. This model proposes a very limited need for generative rules to produce the surface form, as the surface forms themselves are stored whole in memory and therefore can be directly accessed during production. It follows that derived words need …

The Gradient Nature Of S-Lenition In Caleño Spanish, Earl K. Brown, Richard J. File-Muriel

Faculty Publications

Whereas previous studies of Spanish s-weakening have relied on impressionistic coding, the present study examines temporal and gradient acoustic details in the production of /s/ by eight females from Cali, Colombia, during sociolinguistic interviews. We propose a metric for quantifying s-realization by employing three scalar-dependent variables: s-duration, centroid, and voicelessness. The results of linear regressions indicate that the dependent variables are significantly conditioned by local speaking rate, word position, following and preceding phonological context, stress, and lexical frequency. This study sheds light on how each independent variable influences s-realization acoustically. For example, as local speaking rate increases, duration, centroid, and …

Resetting Vot In A Bilingual Region, Dan William Morgan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In order to test the claims that English speakers have an advantage over Spanish while learning their L2, a study of comparative and contrastive data from native English L2 Spanish speakers and native Spanish L2 English speakers was initiated. This study attempted to prove if in fact and to what extent such an advantage exists for either group of people.

Teaching Spanish To Beginning Spanish Students, Amy Baldini

World Languages and Cultures

During my time in college and studying abroad, I have developed a passion for languages.  As a result, I plan on teaching Spanish in High School.  Therefore, my senior project will involve tutoring beginning-level Cal Poly students in Spanish and evaluating the difficulties that students encounter while learning a second language.  I will tutor for a minimum of 30 hours and complete a write-up which summarizes my experience.  In this write up, I discuss the tutoring sessions and the different obstacles and successes I encounter.  I will also discuss what tutors must consider when tutoring students.  I will outline my …

A Survey Of Utah Spanish Teachers Regarding The Instruction Of Heritage Language Students Of Spanish, Sara Lynn Wilkinson

Theses and Dissertations

It is imperative that educators understand the current state of heritage language education because many locations have experienced large increases in their heritage language populations in recent years. This study reports on the findings of a statewide survey of secondary Spanish teachers in Utah regarding the instruction of Spanish heritage language students. Their perspectives give insight into Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) education in both traditional Spanish foreign language and heritage language classes. The information gathered describes the availability of specialized courses, the prevalence of SHL students in Spanish classes, and these students' backgrounds. It also describes the characteristics of Spanish …

Visualization To Support The Discovery Of Prosodic Contours Related To Turn-Taking, Nigel Ward, Joshua L. Mccartney

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Some meaningful prosodic patterns can be usefully represented with pitch contours, however the development of such descriptions is a labor-intensive process. To assist in the discovery of contours, visualization tools may be helpful. Edlund et al. (2009) presented the idea of superimposing hundreds of pitch curves from a corpus as a way to see the overall patterns. In this paper we refine and extend this method and illustrate its utility in the discovery of a prosodic cue to back-channels in Chinese. We also discuss issues in relating a contour-based description to one in terms of a conjunction of features, and …

La Traducción Del Software De Mindbody Al Español, Molly Kathryn Mcfarland

World Languages and Cultures

This project entails the translation of the business management software of MINDBODY to Spanish to facilitate international communication and commerce for the company. This translation is meant to better equip MINDBODY with the tools necessary to engage in bilingual international commerce. Translation of this software demo is intended to aid the company’s Spanish speaking clientele and prospective clients by breaking down many of the language barriers they currently face with the software in English, and also to promote the recognition of the growing need for bilingualism in the rapidly changing world, both within and outside the realm of business.

The …

Meaningful Parental Involvement In The Migrant Education Program: A View Through The Lens Of Six Migrant Parents, Mary Ellen Good

Dissertations

Meaningful parental involvement is an important component of the academic success of all children; however, little is known about how this construct plays out in the lives of migrant farm worker families. To gain a deeper understanding of the research problem, a qualitative case study was conducted to address the primary research question: How do migrant parents understand and construct meaning in parental involvement? Grounded in an epistemological foundation built on constructionism, this inquiry was guided by a critical theory framework and was informed by case study and portraiture methodologies.

Participants were 6 migrant parents purposefully selected to include mothers …

Student Achievement Using Web 2.0 Technologies: A Mixed Methods Study, Dallas R. Malhiwsky

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The need for proficient speakers of multiple languages has emerged as a result of political and economic forces in the last decade driving the challenge to find effective and efficient way to teach and learn languages. The past decade has brought numerous innovations and advances in the area of technology, which have changed the role from one of consumer of knowledge to one of producer of knowledge which has revolutionized the delivery of education.

The purpose of this mixed method study was to determine the effect of Web 2.0 technologies on student achievement. The quantitative portion of the study examined …

Promoting Speaking Proficiency Through Motivation And Interaction: The Study Abroad And Classroom Learning Contexts, Todd A. Hernández

Spanish Languages and Literatures Research and Publications

This study investigates how motivation and interaction shape the speaking proficiency of study abroad (SA) and classroom or at home (AH) language learners. The author administered a motivation questionnaire, language contact profile, and pretest and posttest simulated oral proficiency interview. The data reveal that SA and AH students had similar motivational profiles. As expected, SA participants used the target language outside of class more than their AH counterparts. Furthermore, SA students improved their speaking proficiency more than the AH group. Student motivation and interaction were identified as important factors in the development of speaking proficiency in both learning contexts. Results …

Bilingual Performance On Nonword Repetition In Spanish And English, Connie Summers, Thomas M. Bohman, Ronald B. Gillam, Elizabeth D. Pena, Lisa M. Bedore

Faculty Publications

Background: Nonword repetition (NWR) involves the ability to perceive, store, recall and reproduce phonological sequences. These same abilities play a role in word and morpheme learning. Cross-linguistic studies of performance on NWR tasks, word learning, and morpheme learning yield patterns of increased performance on all three tasks as a function of age and language experience. These results are consistent with the idea that there may be universal information-processing mechanisms supporting language learning. Because bilingual children’s language experience is divided across two languages, studying performance in two languages on NWR could inform one’s understanding of the relationship between information processing and …

La Noche Y Sus Silencios: Imágenes Del Tiempo, Ansiedad Y Muerte, Erika Elisa Garza

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Esta tesis intenta representar la voz femenina a través de la escritura creativa de relatos. Este libro se divide en tres partes importantes: “Niñez y adolescencia”, “Insomnios y otras ansiedades” y “Mujer y muerte”. “Niñez y adolescencia” es un compendio de anécdotas y de la creatividad que combinan nostalgia, humor e inmadurez. “Insomnios y otras ansiedades” son relatos autobiográficos que ayudan a mitigar la ansiedad y que muestran a la escritura como una catarsis emocional que purifica. Por último, en el capítulo “Mujer y muerte” los relatos muestran escenarios que van desde los celos más inofensivos hasta al odio o …

Second Language Acquisition Of The Spanish Tap And Trill In A Contact Learning Environment, Andrew M. Weech

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to study whether target-like articulation of the Spanish tap [ɾ] and trill [r] is achieved by second language learners who have lived in a Spanish-speaking environment for an extensive period of time. The subjects of this study were students at Brigham Young University (BYU) who had spent 18 months to two years in a Spanish-speaking country. Most of the subjects had little to no previous Spanish instruction, but rather learned the language primarily through their contact with native speakers while abroad. In addition to whether or not subjects achieved target-like pronunciation of these two …

Spanish-Speaking Parents' Perceptions Of School-Based Crisis Response., Brenda Dean

Theses and Dissertations

American schools are becoming increasingly diverse. With the increasing diversity in school enrollment, professionals are faced with the challenge of providing culturally sensitive services in all areas, including crisis intervention planning. Additionally, language differences also affect help-seeking behaviors and may serve as a strong barrier to effective service delivery. Taking into account individual school and district demographics, schools must consider strategies to best meet the needs of students and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. As a starting point, this thesis provides an overview of the literature on school crisis response. Current demographics in U.S. public schools, the perceptions …

Amazonian Indigenous Protest Peruvian Government Decrees, Ladb Staff

NotiSur

No abstract provided.

Una Propuesta De Aicle Para El Trabajo Con Textos En Segundos Idiomas, Francisco Ramos

School of Education Faculty Works

The presence in the classrooms of immigrant students who do not speak the language of the host country is posing new challenges for those teachers who have to teach them in and through the new language. Therefore, the pedagogical preparation of the latter should include courses on second language acquisition theories, methods, and strategies. The present article summarizes the second language teaching methods traditionally used in second language teaching, describes the most significant advances carried out in the area, and presents a model to help teachers of students with limited knowledge of the language prepare well-organized lessons with which to …

Bolivian Voters Approve New Constitution, Ladb Staff

NotiSur

No abstract provided.

Psychometrically Equivalent Trisyllabic Words For Speech Reception Threshold Testing In Spanish, Laurel Anne Keller

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop, digitally record, evaluate, and equate Spanish trisyllabic words which could then be used in the measurement of the speech reception threshold. A selection of 90 frequently utilized trisyllabic words were selected and then digitally recorded by male and female talkers of Spanish and presented to 20 subjects with normal hearing beginning at 6 dB below their pure-tone average (PTA) and ascending in 2 dB increments until one of the following criteria had been met: (a) the participant responded correctly to 100% of the test items, or (b) the presentation level reached 16 …

Sabbatical Leave Proposal And Report, Don Bergfield

Sabbaticals

The primary goal of my sabbatical is to become more proficient in Spanish by cultural immersion. Additionally, I plan to study various forms of agriculture in Central America and possibly South America. The time afforded through this sabbatical will allow me to have an extended stay in Costa Rica to interact with colleagues teaching agriculture at the University of Costa Rica and to immerse myself in the Latino culture.

The Representation Of Multiple Translations In Bilingual Memory : An Examination Of Lexical Organization For Concrete, Abstract, And Emotion Words In Spanish-English Bilinguals, Dana M. Basnight-Brown

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Tokowicz and Kroll (2007) originally reported that the number of translations a word has across languages influences the speed with which bilinguals translate concrete and abstract words from one language to another. The current work examines how the number of translations that characterize a word influences bilingual lexical organization and the processing of concrete, abstract and emotional stimuli. Experiment 1 examined whether the number-of-translations effect reported previously could be obtained in a different task (i.e., lexical decision task) using the same materials presented by Tokowicz and Kroll. Decision latencies revealed no significant differences between concrete and abstract words, which suggested …

The Acquisition Of Pragmatic Competence: Compliment Response Strategies In Learners Of Spanish, James Bryant Smith

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The areas of Pragmatics and Second Language Acquisition have existed separately in the field of Linguistics for some time. Their connection, however, has more recently seen a great deal of study by researchers like Scarcella and Brunak (1981), Rintell (1981), Brown and Levinson (1987), Koike (1992, 1996), Saito, Beecken (1997), Félix-Brasdefer (2003, 2006) and Huth (2006). A common thread in these studies is the effect of language transfer or cross-linguistic influence that the first language has while learners are attempting to acquire the pragmatic and politeness principles that are central to the target language and culture. One speech act that …

The Relative Importance Of Lexical Frequency In Syllable- And Word-Final /S/ Reduction In Cali, Colombia, Earl K. Brown

Faculty Publications

The literature on phonological variation and change abounds with studies about syllable- and word-final /s/ reduction in Spanish. In fact, “the aspiration and deletion of /s/ in dialects of Spanish may be the most extensively treated of all sound changes being investigated from an empirical, variationist perspective” (Ferguson, 1990, p. 64). Many factors have been shown to significantly affect this linguistic phenomenon. Terrell (1979) finds word length to be a significant factor in his Cuban data, with more deletion in polysyllabic words than in monosyllabic ones. Additionally, Terrell shows that redundant plural markers in noun phrases (that is, all but …

Survey Research On Communication And Language For English Language Learners And Native English Speakers Enrolled In A College Course On Statistical Literacy, Maria Guadalupe Valenzuela

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine in what ways language is a factor that affects the learning process of students in an introductory statistics class. This research used a questionnaire survey instrument called: CLASS, Communication, Language And Statistics Survey that was applied to a total of 137 college students from a large southwestern public university, 83 of these students were self-identified as native English speakers (NOELL) and 53 were self-identified as English learner speakers (ELL) and one was dropped. This research found that in statistical instruction, there are some particular differences in behavior and learning process in the …

Twenty-One Countries, Millions Of Native Speakers, And One Semester To Teach It All: Linguistic Variation In Entry Level College Textbooks For Spanish, Nicole Joanne Gilmore

Master's Theses

There is a great deal of linguistic variety in the Spanish that is spoken throughout the world. Differences such as the use of vosotros, voseo, and seseo, are steadily employed in some areas, while other people groups express themselves in a totally different manner. Because such a wide range of linguistic nuances exist, textbook authors are faced with the difficult task of choosing which elements to include and which to exclude from their writings. In this study, I have examined 17 different beginning level textbooks for college students of Spanish with a particular focus on the teaching of the following …

The Academic Needs Of The Native Spanish-Speaking English Language Learner Under The No Child Left Behind Act (Nclb), Amy J. Whicker

Senior Honors Theses

The instructional demands and pressures placed on today’s educators are constantly increasing, influenced by national and state learning standards, assessments, and changing student demographics. More specifically, the standards of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) set by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) require academic gains to be made yearly by all students, including those with significant learning hurdles, such as the language acquisition difficulties faced by English Language Learners (ELLs). While the future of the NCLB Act is debatable, the necessity of effective classroom arrangements and instructional methods is indubitable. In addition, because the majority of this ELL population is …

Relationships Among Language Use, Phonological Skill, And Vocabulary In English Language Learning Preschoolers, Timothy D. Hill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study present study explored the relationships among language use, phonological skill, and vocabulary development for 36 Cuban and Puerto Rican ELL preschoolers. Family-level variables included mother's education level and mother's language ability. Three-way ANOVAs were used to investigate the relationships among child- and family-level variables and children's performance on articulation (completeness of phonetic inventory (CPI) and proportion of whole-word proximity (PWP)) and language measures (Picture Vocabulary (PV) and Memory for Sentences (MS) subtests of the WLPB-R) in English and Spanish. Regression and correlational analyses were conducted to describe relationships between variables.

Findings indicated that children in all language …

Idiom Comprehension In Bilingual And Monolingual Adolescents, Belinda Fusté-Herrmann

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A majority of Latino adolescents are reading below a proficient level, according to federal data, and there is a significant gap between overall reading proficiency of Latino and non-Latino, Caucasian adolescents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the linguistic underpinnings of Latino students' text comprehension. A positive relationship appears to exist between idiom comprehension and academic achievement, as well as idiom comprehension and reading comprehension, in typically developing, monolingual adolescents. Since reading comprehension and idiom comprehension share many of the same linguistic processes, idiom comprehension may provide a unique perspective for investigating Latino adolescents' reading comprehension.

Using the …

Negotiating Home Language: Spanish Maintenance And Loss In Latino Families, Amy Lutz

Sociology - All Scholarship

Based on in-depth interviews and fieldwork in and around Dallas, Texas, this paper explores the ways in which Latino parents and their children negotiate home language and offers a theoretical framework for understanding language maintenance and loss in the home. The parents in this study overwhelmingly view bilingualism as the ideal, yet many parents, especially those who are English-dominant or bilingual, find it difficult to maintain Spanish at home because of outside pressures that prioritize English and concerns about their children's English-language acquisition. The family, as the environment in which children first begin to learn language, and family dynamics regarding …

Sabbatical Leave Proposal And Report, Renato Rodríguez

Sabbaticals

Through my academic preparation, I have developed a very solid background in Spanish Applied Linguistics, Second Language Acquisition, Teacher Education, ESL/TEFL, and Spanish Language and Literature. In my 13 years at Parkland College I have applied all of my areas of expertise to develop our Spanish Program as well as to address our students' needs. I have worked tirelessly and I feel that the time for me to re-evaluate, recharge my energy, and to relax in a productive manner has come.

Besides my interest and desire to recharge my impetus to continue teaching the best I can, I want to …