Digital Commons Network^™

A Different Kind Of Bilingüismo, Frank Bramlett

English Faculty Publications

In last month's column, I wrote about the presence of Spanish in Omaha, attested by its occasional appearances in the broader English-speaking market. I also mentioned the phenomenon of people speaking two or more languages, called bilingualism. When a person has command of two languages, then that person is considered bilingual.

Considering that one language (like Swahili) might be called a code, and another language (Arabic) is another code, and a third language (like English) is another code, then conceivably a person who lives in Tanzania might carry on a conversation with another speaker from Tanzania in three different languages …

What Part English, What Part Spanish?, Frank Bramlett

English Faculty Publications

Back in July, I was sitting in my office at school, working on a syllabus for a new sophomore- level class on language and society. I was exploring the U.S. Census Bureau website to get a sense of the most current information we have about language communities in the United States. I had the radio on, too, and while I was browsing census data about Nebraska, I heard an advertisement on one of the FM stations. The ad was primarily an English-language ad, but it also had a few Spanish words. It turned out to be a job advertisement for …

Gutierrez Takes Office In Ecuador, Ladb Staff

NotiSur

No abstract provided.

Sabbatical In Mexico, Robert Frost

Sabbaticals

No abstract provided.

"Some Of Us Are Learning Spanish And Some Of Us Are Learning English": A Comparison Of Second Language Programs In Texas, Lore Carrera-Carrillo

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Dual language education programs are gaining momentum throughout the United States as exemplary means of educating both language minority and language majority students. There is considerable evidence that learning through the native language has many advantages for language minority students. Specifically, it allows them to gain important content knowledge in their native language that will make the English they encounter more comprehensible as they enhance their overall cognitive and social development. Additionally, dual language education facilitates the development of both basic and advanced literacy in two languages for language majority students; Research results demonstrate that dual language education programs can …

Introduction: Selected Proceedings Of The First Workshop On Spanish Sociolinguistics, Lotfi Sayahi

Languages, Literatures and Cultures Faculty Scholarship

This introduction to the Selected Proceedings of the First Workshop on Spanish Sociolinguistics includes the background for the conference, descriptions of the papers chosen for the volume, acknowledgments, and references.

Porto Alegre Hosts Second Wsf, Guest Author

NotiSur

No abstract provided.

Design And Implementation Of A Foreign Language In The Elementary Schools Program, Stephanie M. Pappagianopoulos

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report describes a program that was initiated to promote the sequential study of foreign language beginning in the elementary schools. The program involved 78 third grade students from an urban elementary school. Approximately 10% of the students had some knowledge of the language before the program. The planned strategies included (a) distribution of a survey to parents and teachers within the pilot school; (b) tallying the responses; (c) adopting Spanish as the second language based on parent and teacher responses; (d) hiring an elementary school teacher with Spanish certification; (e) obtaining grant money for professional development . of the …

Muslim Community Thrives In Religiously Diverse, Volatile Region Of Chiapas, Guest Author

SourceMex

No abstract provided.

A Usage-Based Simulation Of Spanish S-Weakening, David Eddington

Faculty Publications

The pronunciation of Spanish /s/ as an aspirate [h] (or its deletion) is studied in a usagebased simulation that assumes that prior linguistic experiences are stored as memory traces, and that these stored experiences, instead of generalizations abstracted from them, are the source of the knowledge speakers have of their language. This exploratory simulation was carried out using the algorithm of Analogical Modeling of Language (Skousen 1989, 1992).

All Children Can Learn: Providing Equal Education Opportunities For Migrant Students, Michelle R. Holleman

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The United States Supreme Court ruled that once a state undertakes to provide children with educational opportunities, such education services must be available to all children on equal terms. However, even though all states must offer a public education system, certain classes of children are not receiving equal educational opportunities. Migrant children are one of the most disadvantaged groups in today’s education system. Some of the unique challenges these children face include interrupted schooling, limited English proficiency, poverty, lack of health and nutrition, pressures from work and family responsibilities, and a lack of parental involvement in their education. These hurdles …

Spanish Epenthesis: Formal And Preformance Perspectives, David Eddington

Faculty Publications

Epenthesis of /e/ before sC- clusters in Spanish is documented word-initially (e.g., eJfera) as well as in word-internal contexts (e.g., subestimar). Cases of alternating epenthesis also exist (e.g., arteriosclerosis I arterioeclerosis). Epe nthesis is examined in the formal frameworks of lexical phonology and optimality theory. Both formal analyses are able to account for the majority of the data presented, however, each requires some arguably ad hoc manipulation in order to do so. From a performance standpoint, it is argued that epenthesis plays no role in the processing of native Spanish words. The appearance of epenthesis in loan words (e.g., stress …

On The Assignment Of Gender To Chicano Anglicisms: Processes And Results, Robert N. Smead

Faculty Publications

The creation of neologisms through linguistic borrowing is a complex process. For donor language models to be transformed into host language replicas, phonological and morphological adaptation must take place. Part and parcel of that adaptation is the assignment of gender to loanwords in a host language like Spanish. The present article examines gender assignment in two corpora of loanwords (New Mexican and Southern Colorado Spanish: N=212 and General Chicano Spanish: N=595). Through the application of variable rule methodology (GoldVarb 2), five factors are posited as significant. Two of these categorically determine gender assignment when present: (1) the biological sex of …

Evaluating Intermediate Spanish Students' Speaking Skills Through A Taped Test: A Pilot Study, Lina Lee

Languages, Literatures & Cultures

A pilot study used the Spanish Oral Proficiency Test (SOPT)-a taped oral test to evaluate oral proficiency level of students of Intermediate Spanish. Based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (1986), the Intermediate-Mid was the appropriate level of oral proficiency for students at the end of two years of college- level language study. The study also examined what variables might affect the development of students' oral skills. The results showed that foreign language learning experience in academic settings or outside of class, such as study abroad and travel abroad, might affect students' overall speaking proficiency. In addition, lin- guistic inaccuracy from …

Promoting Reading Literacy In The Home Of Spanish Speaking Students, Erica G. Rodgriguez

All Graduate Projects

Research related to the bilingual and bicultural issues of emergent literacy, family literacy, and intergenerational literacy, factors that promote literacy, parent involvement, and family literacy programs was read, evaluated, and summarized. From this literature review it became evident that when children develop literacy skills in their native language and/or English and learn to interact with literacy, learning to read and write becomes easier. A handbook, written in English and Spanish, was designed and printed providing reading strategies and activities for parents to promote reading literacy in the home.

Juegos De Educatión: Collection Of Student-Centered Spanish Language Activities In A Web Based Format, Geoff W. Bullis, Jenny R. Smith

All Graduate Projects

This project incorporates the use of games and activities as supplemental resources with today's technology enhanced environment. It was designed to create an easily accessible resource for teachers of Spanish language instruction. Our project focused on creating a Web site on the Internet which included several student-centered activities. The development of the project included research of similar Web sites, literature regarding best teaching practices and methods, Gardner's multiple intelligences, specifically bodily/kinesthetic intelligence, and a teacher questionnaire focusing on the need for the project. Through the research and questionnaire it was determined that a dearth of Web-based resources are available to …

The American Tradition Of Language Rights, ¡Que Viva Texas!: The Forgotten Right To Government In A "Known Tongue", Jose Roberto Juarez

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming

Economy Takes Center Stage At Rio Group Summit In Panama, Ladb Staff

NotiSur

No abstract provided.

Legacy - July 1998, South Carolina Institute Of Archaeology And Anthropology--University Of South Carolina

SCIAA Magazine - Legacy & PastWatch

Contents:

A Free Black Landmark in Columbia: Testing at the Mann-Simons Cottage.....p. 1
Director’s Notes.....p. 2
"Coastal Connections" Event.....p. 3
Santa Elena Forts.....p. 4
Lisa Hudgens Departs.....p. 5
Don Patton Memorial Fund.....p. 6
Santa Elena Volunteers.....p. 7
Paleoindian Excavation.....p. 8
Florence Stockade.....p. 14
Gronauer Lock.....p. 16
Late Archaic Chronology.....p. 17
Mounds in Lancaster County.....p. 21
ART Donors.....p. 22
Fort Frederick Barrel Well.....p. 24
H.L. Hunley Update.....p. 26
Cooper River Heritage Trail.....p. 27
SCIAA Receives Maritime Remote Sensing Equipment.....p. 28
New Maritime Web Page.....p. 28
Ken Sassaman Leaves.....p. 29
Notable Publication Recognized.....p. 29
Greenwood Museum Exhibit.....p. 29
William L. Koob Memorial …

Teaching English/Spanish Cognates To Increase Reading Comprehension, Stacey A. Suhm

All Graduate Projects

A curriculum has been developed for middle school English as a Second Language (ESL) students to improve their reading comprehension. A review of the literature found that vocabulary is an essential part of reading comprehension and becoming aware of English/Spanish cognates can increase the students' English vocabulary. The curriculum includes a survey to assess a student's knowledge and use of cognates, lesson plans to introduce the concept of cognates, to practice recognizing English/Spanish cognates, and learn the correlation of suffixes between English and Spanish. The curriculum also includes lists of English/Spanish cognates divided by subjects.

A Historical Perspective On The Development Of An Ethnic Minority Consciousness In The Spanish-Language Press Of The Southwest, Nicolás Kanellos

Ethnic Studies Review

Various scholars have treated ethnic newspapers in the United States as if they all have evolved from an immigrant press.(i) While one may accept their analysis of the functions of the ethnic press, there is a substantial and qualitative difference between newspapers that were built on an immigration base and those that developed from the experience of colonialism and racial oppression. Hispanics were subjected to "racialization"(ii) for more than a century through such doctrines as the Spanish Black Legend and Manifest Destiny during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. They were conquered and incorporated into the United States and then …

First-Ever Indigenous Rights Conference Celebrated In Central America, Ladb Staff

NotiCen

No abstract provided.

Indigenous People In Peru Demand Respect For Land, Guest Author

NotiSur

No abstract provided.

Hispanic Immigration And Spanish Maintenance As Indirect Measures Of Ethnicity: Reality And Perceptions, Shaw N. Gynan

Ethnic Studies Review

Many supporters of official English have accused U.S. Hispanics of refusing to learn English and rejecting the traditional assimilationist model by clinging to their ethnolinguistic identity. An analysis of U.S. Census data from the last thirty years refutes these claims. The picture of U.S. Hispanic maintenance of ethnolinguistic identity has evolved. Here we show that while adult Spanish loyalty has decreased, youth Spanish loyalty has increased; however, Spanish maintenance does not occur at the expense of English proficiency. Once recent immigrants are subtracted from the Hispanic population, U.S. Census figures show clearly that long-term limited English proficiency has decreased substantially. …

English And Spanish Take-Home Reading Packets To Enhance Early Literacy And Parent Involvement, Catherine Mary Warren

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to influence student reading comprehension by involving parents in the literacy learning of their children. Researchers of language learning suggest that if children learn skills and content in their first language, they will later transfer that knowledge to their second language. To accomplish that end, literature packets that contain a book in Spanish or English with corresponding activities were created. The packets will be taken home by students to use with their parents to enhance reading skills and parent involvement.

Diphthongization In Spanish Derivational Morphology: An Empirical Investigation, David Eddington

Faculty Publications

The alternation between the mid-vowels / e/, /o/ and the diphthongs /je/ and /we/ is widespread in Spanish, and several rule-based analyses claim to account for it. However, they are founded on a small body of evidence. These analyses are evaluated against data from a large corpus, and cannot account for the non-discrete nature of diphthongization as evidenced in the corpus. The corpus data suggest that diphthongization has a gradient relationship to the derivational suffixes. · A nonderivational account, based on Bybee's model (1985, 1988, 1991), better embodies the scalar relationship between diphthongization and the suffixes. This relationship was tested …

Document: Summit Of The Americas, Plan Of Action, Ladb Staff

NotiSur

No abstract provided.

A New Perspective On Afro-Dominican Spanish: The Haitian Contribution, John M. Lipski

Research Papers

The present study represents a first attempt at reassessing the status of Afro-Dominican language. It will be proposed that the presence of African bozales (slaves born in Africa and speaking Spanish as a weak second language) diminished earlier in Spanish Santo Domingo than in other Caribbean areas which form the centerpiece for Afro-Hispanic linguistic theories. The 19th century sugar plantation boom which resulted in massive importation of African slaves into Cuba and Brazil barely touched the Dominican Republic, thus precluding the formation of a new bozal Spanish, as happened in Cuba. By far the greatest extra-Hispanic linguistic influence in the …

L2 Writing: Using Pictures As A Guided Writing Environment, Lina Lee

Languages, Literatures & Cultures

This article addresses the learning of second language (L2) writing skills to show how pictures can be used as an effective guided writing tool to facilitate students' writing process and to improve their writing proficiency. A study was conducted with 53 university students who had a prior knowledge of Spanish in secondary school. All students were enrolled in an intensive review course. Writing ability questionnaires were administered before and after the writing instruction, in addition to a final review of the writing tasks involved. Writing assignments were both topic-selected and picture-guided; students found the activities valuable, absorbing, and helpful. Results …

Emotionality In Free Recall: Language Specificity In Bilingual Memory, L. J. Anooshian, Paula T. Hertel

Psychology Faculty Research

Bilingual subjects (Spanish English) who had acquired fluency in their second language after 8 years of age rated 18 emotional and 18 neutral words for ease of pronunciation, implied activity, or emotionality; half of each type was presented in Spanish and half in English. During a subsequent, unexpected test of free recall subjects recalled more emotional than neutral words, but only for words that had been presented in the native language. This finding applied across native-language groups and suggests that emotion provides a basis for language specificity in bilingual memory.