Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Antes Muerta Que Sencilla: Language And The Construction Of Feminine Beauty In The Spanish-Speaking World, Eva Michelle Wheeler

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

Much has been written on the topic of feminine beauty, and existing studies suggest that ideas about beauty are a powerful cultural mirror that reveal what we value as a society and how we are valued by society (e.g., Etcoff 1999; Rhodes 2006; Whitefield-Madrano 2016; Wolf 2002). Despite critical advances made in beauty research, few existing studies in this area explicitly examine the lexicon of beauty as a critical site of analysis (e.g., Démuth et al. 2022; Gladkova 2021; Gladkova & Romero-Trillo 2021; Miller & Stevens 2021; Tayebi 2021; Wong & Or 2021). In the context of Spanish, no existing …

Discursive Variation In Texas Spanish: A Dialectometric Approach, James Ramsburg

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

Texas Spanish has been characterized from a variety of perspectives, whether that be descriptively (Cardenas 1970), historically (Lipski 1988), and/or sociolinguistically (Chaston 1996, Martínez 2003, Bayley et al. 2012, Carter and Wolford 2016). However, to date, no study has sought to produce a dialectological account of Spanish discourse in Texas. By combining methods of quantitative and corpus linguistics, the present study seeks to investigate the dynamics of how Spanish discourse features, namely discourse markers and fillers, vary across multiple regions in Texas. To do so, this study utilizes a corpus of contemporary Texas Spanish (Bullock and Toribio 2013) and evaluates …

Language And Capital: Socioeconomic Status And Female Migrants’ Spanish And English Language Use And Attitudes, Patricia Macgregor-Mendoza

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

The use of Spanish and English and the attitudes held toward both languages in migrant communities provide insight into the tension between the new arrivals’ desire to retain cultural and linguistic ties to their homeland and their desire to assimilate to the language and culture of their new home. The immigration stream from Mexico, the origin of the largest number of US migrants, has diversified socioeconomically over the last few decades, however, the sociolinguistic research has not reflected this change. The present study examines the similarities and differences in the language use and attitudes of female migrants from Mexico that …

El Español De Utah: Crecimiento, Motivaciones Y Actitudes Sociolinguisticas, Devin L. Jenkins, Raquel Lindheimer Decker

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

The rapid growth of Hispanic communities in the western United States has prompted multiple recent studies on states whose Hispanic history is relatively recent when compared with the states that border Mexico. One state that has received relatively little attention in this area is Utah, whose Hispanic population has more than quintupled in the past three decades. One in seven Utahns identified as Hispanic or Latino in the 2020 Census, as compared to fewer than one in 20 in 1990. This growth is consistent with that of the Hispanic population in other non-border states in the West. Utah differs from …

Northwestern Amazonian Spanish As A Macro-Region: Current Research And Future Directions, Ileana Margarita Jara Yupanqui

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

The Amazon rainforest, home to many and diverse indigenous language populations, expands over a vast territory in South America, the most extensive river system in the world. In the western area, Spanish coexists with many indigenous languages since colonial times. New varieties of Amazonian Spanish emerged in this context of long-term language contact. These varieties are understudied, although research has increased in the last decade. Recent works show that Spanish linguistic features are shared across political borders and point to a macro-region. This paper discusses the socio-historical and linguistic contexts of the expansion of the Northwestern Amazonian Spanish in Colombia, …

Differences In Code-Switching Between Chinese Heritage And Non-Heritage Learners In Computer-Mediated Communication, Feng Xiao, Cecilia Wade

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

In the fields of bilingualism and second language (L2) acquisition, growing attention has been paid to code-switching in Chinese heritage learners , as they show how early linguistic and cultural influence affects language use. Most existing studies focused on balanced bilinguals but little has been done to understand the differences in code-switching between Chinese heritage and non-heritage learners. Moreover, no studies have focused on L2 code-switching in computer-mediated communication which has become a daily routine of many L2 learners after the COVID pandemic. To fill these gaps, the present study compared differences in code-switching instances between five Chinese heritage and …

American Income: Analyzing Workplace And Domestic Biases, Lindsey Shrodek

The Downtown Review

This research paper aims to use several forms of regression analysis and neural networks to examine disparities in American income based on demographic groups. We present three models: a linear regression, a logistic regression, and a neural network to determine significant predictive factors in determining income. Exploring concepts presented by past literature in the field of economics, our research aims to pinpoint disparities and provide explanations for why they may be present in American income patterns. Our research confirms that being a female and being black has a negative relationship with income. Based on literary analysis, these findings can be …

Op-Ed: It’S Time To Renew The Fight Against Housing Voucher Discrimination, Nicole Roberts

The Downtown Review

The Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP), known as Section 8, is the most recognizable public housing program in the U.S. Through empowering households to use their voucher to rent units in high-opportunity neighborhoods, this program can liberate and transform the outcomes of families experiencing poverty. However, in many Cleveland neighborhoods landlords still exclude Section 8 tenants by simply refusing to accept housing choice vouchers as payment. This explicit refusal leaves low-income households with limited options and traps participants into high-poverty neighborhoods.

A New World Order?: Considering Slaughter’S Notion Of The Disaggregated And Networked State, Darlene N. Moorman

The Downtown Review

This paper briefly explains Slaughter's (2004) argument for the emergence of a new world order defined by a disaggregated and networked state where the relevance of soft power has become all the more critical in conversations of politics and corresponding theory. This transformation (arising in the face of the so-called 'globalization paradox') is considered, exploring (a) what this means for the world system and (b) what concerns it may consequently bring.

Recognizing Paralanguage In Teaching, Allison Delmonico

The Downtown Review

Paralanguage is used every day to communicate and is related to one’s culture. It is often unconscious, however, when teaching a conscious effort should be made so one understands how they are perceived by others and what signals they give off. Teachers must take into consideration their own culture, the culture of the community they teach in, and the culture of students and their families. Teachers use paralanguage when communicating with their colleagues and need to understand how best to collaborate with each other. When communicating with parents, teachers need to make sure they feel welcome in the classroom and …

Editorial Note, Antonio Medina-Rivera

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

Editorial note for Volume 42, No 1, 2023

Contents

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

Table of Contents for Volume 42, Number 1, 2023

Editorial Advisors

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

During the preparation of this volume, the International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest have benefited from the counsel of the following group of language scholars who have served as blind reviewers, and proof-readers. Each has been an indispensable element in the editorial program providing advice to the executive editor and helpful critique to contributors. The journal is indebted to these professionals for their generous contribution of time and expertise.

Unwilling Gamblers And Loaded Dice: Considering Recession And Crisis As A Natural Effect Of Financial Capitalism, Darlene N. Moorman

The Downtown Review

Under financial capitalism, ordinary people are increasingly becoming 'unwilling gamblers' of a risky and unstable system. This paper explores the social and institutional change behind the neoliberal movement and considers how the politics and policies of neoliberalism have contributed to a certain environment of financial instability. Looking at the changing nature of the economy, the rapid expansion of the financial sector, and the persisting issue of moral hazard underlying risky and speculative behaviors among other items, reveals a financial system in which recessions and crises can be considered a natural, although not inevitable, effect.

Intertextual Discourse Research On Ip Film Language From The Perspective Of Chinese Teaching, Xiao Jiang

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

Based on the theory of intertextual discourse, this paper makes a comparative analysis of the IP source texts, Chinese subtitles and English subtitles of IP films from the perspective of Chinese teaching. The research found that Chinese subtitles of IP films which compared with the source texts reconstructed the descending language of the characters, implanted popular contemporary language and culture, strengthened the language escalation of dramatic conflicts, and increased the sense of humor and entertainment of characters' language, so as to be suitable for Chinese teaching and cultural communication. The English subtitles of IP films deleted the cultural elements of …

A (Partial And Principled) Defense Of Sentences Of Life Imprisonment, Mirko Bagaric, Jennifer Svilar

Cleveland State Law Review

There has been more than a five-fold increase in the number of life sentences in the United States over the past four decades. One in seven prisoners in the United States is serving a life (or virtual) life sentence. This amounts to over 200,000 prisoners. The increase has occurred against the backdrop of near universal condemnation by scholars and public policy advocates – many of whom are now advocating for the abolition of life sentences. Arguments that life sentences are not an effective deterrent or means of protecting the community have some merit. Yet, we argue that in a limited …

Reproductive Freedom For All: A Policy Brief, Noa J. Cook

The Downtown Review

Reproductive freedom in the United States has been a source of controversy throughout history and current legislation places these rights under attack. Divided into three parts, this policy brief seeks to address the lack of accessible reproductive healthcare for women, with special attention to economic, racial, and ethnic disparities. Part 1 includes a historical overview of abortion access and significant legislation in the U.S., describes the present status of the problem, and the populations affected. In Part 2, the pros and cons of current policies such as the federal contraceptive guarantee of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Hyde Amendment, and …

Constructing The Panama Canal: A Brief History, Ian E. Phillips

The Downtown Review

Seeking to commemorate the construction of the Panama Canal, an engineering marvel widely considered a contender for the eighth wonder of the world, this article attempts to retell the story of the Canal's construction by synthesizing a narrative centered on the Canal under French and American leadership, worker segregation, and labor conditions at the Isthmus.

Big Five Personality Traits And Political Orientation: An Inquiry Into Political Beliefs, Ian E. Phillips

The Downtown Review

Personality research centered on the Big Five personality traits has heavily impacted our understanding in regards to what forces orient a person on a political spectrum. Examining how personality differences interact with political orientation, this research seeks to provide information on what makes someone either more or less likely to be liberal or conservative based on their temperament. In this paper, previous personality research is synthesized into one discussion, centered on what the effects of each trait are and how they impact political orientation, the heritability of personality, and what implications there are for such research in the realm of …

Pharyngeal Constriction As A Cause For Late Acquisition And Speech Sound Disorders Of Rhotic Sounds In English, Spanish, And French, Connor Mahon

The Downtown Review

This paper attempts to explain why rhotic sounds are cross-linguistically late developing among the sound inventory of children. Included is a summary of the current literature regarding classification of rhotic sounds, an examination of the articulatory movement of the tongue root, and an overview of the clinical implications on the field of speech-language pathology. The evidence presented supports the hypothesis that pharyngeal constriction is characteristic of rhotic sounds in many languages, and that it is related to the relative late acquisition and higher rate of speech sound disorders, as seen in English, Spanish, and French.

A Look Into Wrongful Conviction Within The U.S. Justice System, Isabella T. Likos

The Downtown Review

The United States justice system has principles in place in order to prevent wrongful convictions such as the presumption of innocence and having to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. However, even with these principles in places there are times that people are wrongfully convicted. There are multiple reasons why wrongful conviction occur, including false confessions and erroneous eyewitness testimony. Wrongful conviction impacts not only the wrongfully convicted, but their family, friends, and the victims. While wrongful convictions do happen, there are steps that can be taken going forward that can help prevent them and exonerate the wrongfully convicted.

The Pre-Fab Fab Four, Thyra L. Chaney

The Downtown Review

This paper describes the formation of The Monkees as a manufactured boy band and pop culture phenomenon, and the social and cultural context that led to the group's dissolution and lasting legacy in the history of television and popular culture.

Gravely Disabled: The Vestigial Prong Of 5150 Designations, Diane Y. Byun

Journal of Law and Health

Effective July 1, 1972, California’s Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (“LPS Act”) set the precedent for modern mental health commitment procedures in the U.S. named after its authors, State Assemblyman Frank Lanterman and State Senators Nicholas C. Petris and Alan Short, the LPS Act sought to “end the inappropriate, indefinite, and involuntary commitment of persons with mental health disorder”; to “provide prompt evaluation and treatment of persons with mental health disorders or impaired by chronic alcoholism”; and to “guarantee and protect public safety.” Despite citing to these articles of intent, the LPS Act violates its own legislative intent through its inclusion of “gravely …

A Polite And Respectful Acceptance —— Implicit Function Of Refusal In Chinese From Pedagogical Perspective, Yawei Li

Chinese Language Teaching Methodology and Technology

This paper discusses the implicit function of refusal expressions that has been used by Chinese native speakers when responding to people’s offerings. By analyzing three conversations regarding how Chinese people have accepted people’s offerings during different time periods (1960’s, 1980’s, and 2000’s), the author argues that the verbal refusal in reacting to people’s offerings (especially gifts) does not literally mean “No, I don’t want it.” Instead, it is a way to show humility, politeness, and respect to the gift giver, and it functions as an implicit form of acceptance. By referring to three excerpts chosen from The Book of Rites …

The Yakuza: Organized Crime In Japan, Darlene N. Moorman

The Downtown Review

Examining organized crime groups should not be purely economic; in other words, the culture, social structure, political contexts, and so on, are also critical in an insightful analysis of any organized crime group. For this paper, the Japanese yakuza are considered both in an economic viewpoint, such as how they make money, but also in other areas, such as its syndicates' notable cultural contributions and specific social characteristics. Moreover, this paper explores the dynamic changing of the organization overtime, especially in regards to its shifting relationship with the Japanese government.

Homeless And Helpless: How The United States Has Failed Those With Severe And Persistent Mental Illness, Ashley Gorfido

Journal of Law and Health

The United States has failed its citizens who suffer from severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI). Homelessness is one of the most obvious manifestations of this failure. The combination of a lack of effective treatment, inadequate entitlement programs such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and subpar housing options form systemic barriers that prevent people suffering from mental illness from being able to obtain adequate housing. Cultural beliefs within the United States regarding who is homeless and what homelessness means also play a significant role in the development of positively impactful social welfare programs.

Part II of this Note reviews …

Table Of Contents, Antonio Medina-Rivera, Lee F. Wilberschied Ph.D.

Cultural Encounters, Conflicts, and Resolutions

No abstract provided.

Opportunity In Ohio: Rethinking Northeast Ohio's Opportunity Zones With Local Legislation, Patrick J. Lipaj

Cleveland State Law Review

Welcome to Census Tract 1186.02! Here, in a small sliver of Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood, tucked between Superior and Hough Avenues, you will uncover a lot. You will discover a rich history of the city’s ethnic and cultural roots. You will also find gang violence, underperforming schools, a median household income of $9,526, and a poverty rate of 66.5 percent. Something you will not find in 1186.02 is investment. Private or public, money is not flowing in to 1186.02 and it has not for a long time. The substantial toll of continuous underinvestment on the residents of this neighborhood, one of …

Argumentative Synthesis Essay On Enhanced Interrogation Techniques, Gwendolyn D. Wheatley

The Downtown Review

This essay discusses enhanced interrogation techniques. For reference, enhanced interrogation techniques are interrogation techniques that involve “physically coercive interventions” (Duke & Puyvelde, 2017). The U.S. government supported these techniques after the attacks on September 11, 2001. This essay argues that enhanced interrogation techniques should not be used in interrogations because they are unethical, ineffective, and negatively impact the mental health of the interrogators using these techniques. Additionally, the essay references articles on the varied viewpoints as well as explains information on these interrogation techniques. Also, the essay argues that enhanced interrogation techniques encourage people to be cruel and inhumane. Moreover, …

A Posthumanist Pragmatism: Rereading Tomboys, Aaron Martin, Spurthi Gubbala, Marissa J. Huth, Sarah M. Johnson, Amanda Romaya

Cultural Encounters, Conflicts, and Resolutions

Gender has often dictated the roles and responsibilities that individuals are expected to fulfill. Societies in general still adhere to a strict gender binary system, and have largely been either intolerant of or, at minimum, uncomfortable with those who break from such a system. The tomboy figure has been the recipient of societal judgement for what has been interpreted to be a subversion of and deviance from traditional gender norms, and this has played out in a variety of ways. For instance, literary depictions of the tomboy—as the manifestations of the dominant cultural attitude—have captured both the aversion to as …