Linguistics Commons^™

A Role And Reference Account Of Information Structure In Somali, Jennifer Girard

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a study of focus structure in Somali within the framework of Role and Reference Grammar (RRG). Focus is an important phenomenon in Somali, and this thesis investigates the different types of focus which occur in Somali, the effects of the focus markers on other features in the language, and the interaction between syntax and focus structure. Data on Somali focus structure was collected in consultation with three native speakers of Somali, and also gathered from previous research on the Somali Language. Although word order in Somali is relatively free, focus structure is correspondingly rigid, a finding which …

Two Studies Of Mixtec Languages, Inga Mckendry

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis consists of two independent papers and a text. One paper is centered on Mixtec languages as a whole, the other paper and the text present the variety of Mixtec spoken in the southeastern portion of the district of Nochixtlán, Oaxaca, Mexico.

The first paper builds on work published by Stephen A. Marlett in which it is posited that nasalization is a feature of the morpheme rather than the syllable. Data not included in Marlett's study, which corroborates his findings, are presented. Also in the light of these data, modifications to his analysis are suggested. This paper also presents …

Review Of The Language Of Speech And Writing, Laurel Smith Stvan

Linguistics & TESOL Faculty Publications & Presentations - Archive

No abstract provided.

Word Order And Information Structure In Russian Syntax, Elena V. Rodionova

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis attempts to explain variability of word order in Russian declarative sentences. I argued that Russian word order is not "free" but encodes different types of focus: predicate, sentence, and narrow. Chapter 1 of this thesis critiques several theories of grammar that attribute alternative word orders in Russian primarily to differences in style. Chapter 2 discusses the advantages of Lambrecht's information structure theory and Role and Reference Grammar as a theoretical framework for my research. Chapter 3 presents the empirical core of the paper, a detailed revision of Krylova and Khavronina's (1986) classification of Russian word order types into …

Hindi-Urdu: Stress Accent Or Non-Stress Accent?, Lars O. Dyrud

Theses and Dissertations

The Hindi-Urdu stress system has been a problematic topic for over a century. Hayes (1995) says, '... this topic has its empirically dismaying aspects: the published descriptions almost all disagree with one another, and seldom mention the disagreement.'

The literature today divides languages between 'stress accent' languages and 'non-stress accent' languages. According to Beckman (1986), 'stress accent' languages are those that use phonetic attributes other than pitch to indicate a prominent syllable, while 'non-stress accent' languages are those that use only pitch to mark a prominent syllable.

In the past, several quantitative studies of phonetic correlates of stress in Hindi-Urdu …

A Critique Of Markedness-Based Theories In Phonology, Naomi Gurevich

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The notion of markedness has been prevalent in phonology since its use by one of the founders of the Prague school of phonology, Trubetzkoy (1939). In contemporary writing it is most often used as a measure of the relative naturalness of linguistic elements. In this paper I explore the use of markedness in phonology literature and argue that it is an ill-defined notion that relies on circular reasoning and, quite often, leads to conflicting or vacuous predictions. Specifically, I question the generative theory-internal notion that markedness is encoded in the grammar. I focus on the multi-dimensional aspect of markedness in …

The Influence Of Ramayana On The Vaishnava Hymns, R. Seeta Lechumi Ratha Krishnan

Student Works (2000-2009)

The aim of this study is to identify and assess the influences of the Ramayanas on the hymns of the Tamil Vaishnava saints called alvars. The hymns of each alvar is examined separately and the Ramayana incidents are then collectively scrutinised to assess the treatment of these incidents by the alvars. They are also compared with similar events in the Ramayanas of VaImiki and Kampar. Research for the study is based on the library method and for the collection of relevant material, the documentation method is used. The facts thus collected are analysed according to the synthesis method and then …

Information Structure In Acadian French, Emma Pavey

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines aspects of information structure in Acadian French, focusing on the use of detached (also referred to as 'moved' or 'dislocated') syntactic structures in the spoken language. The data is from interviews with Acadian French speakers and is analyzed using Role and Reference Grammar as a theoretical framework. One section of this paper also reviews existing literature on the subject. This study is innovative empirically in that it studies a Canadian variety of French which has not been significantly discussed previously in the literature on information structure nor within the RRG model. The detached clauses are subdivided into …

An Antidote To The Anesthetic: A Diary Study, Carol Rasmussen Schramm

Dissertations and Theses

The teaching experiences of an American ESL teacher, recorded in a critically reflective diary, for the basis for this study. Through analysis of the diary, the culturally formed and framed attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions of the teacher are explored in an attempt to understand the dialectic relationship between the diarist's culture and the cultures of her students. The researcher believes that increases in awareness in these areas can lead to improved teaching practice. Thus, one goal of this study is the professional development of its author.

The literature in the field of TESOL does not adequately address the impact of …

Form Or Function First In Foreign Language Classrooms?, Senta Görtler

Dissertations and Theses

The study was inspired by continuous discussion in the field of second language acquisition and teaching on the role of grammar instruction in successful language learning. Traditionally foreign language and second language classrooms have been taught with a pedagogical focus on language structure. More recently there has been support for second language classrooms focusing on content, function, or communication rather than form. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to compare the effectiveness of an innovative function-based classroom with a traditional form-based classroom.

During a ten-week period, one class of Intermediate German was taught in a form-based classroom while another …

Minimum Mean Square Error Spectral Peak Envelope Estimation For Automatic Vowel Classification, Jaishree Venugopal

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Spectral feature computations continue to be a very difficult problem for accurate machine recognition of speech. In this work, which focuses on vowels, a new spectral peak envelope method for vowel classification is developed, based on a missing frequency components model of speech recognition. According to the missing frequency components model, vowel recognition depends only on the spectral (harmonic) peaks. Smoothing and interpolation of the spectra, performed in the standard cepstral analysis method commonly used in automatic speech recognition, actually loses valuable information and results in reduced recognition accuracy. The new method for feature extraction presented in this thesis is …

Review Of The Phonology Of Portuguese, David J. Silva

Linguistics & TESOL Faculty Publications & Presentations - Archive

As noted by its publisher in LINGUIST 12.390, The Phonology of Portuguese (TPP) provides "an accurate description of the phonological system of Portuguese"-referencing both European and Brazilian varieties, and seeks to explain phonological and morphological phenomena "within the light of current phonological theories." With TPP, authors Mateus and d'Andrade have delivered a concise and comprehensive English-language volume on Portuguese phonology, nicely complementing the pre-generative English language version of J. Mattoso Camara's 1970 work, The Portuguese Language (translated by Anthony Naro).

Review Of Syntactic Transfer, Contact-Induced Change, And The Evolution Of Bilingual Mixed Codes: Focus On Karelian-Russian Language Alternation, By Anneli Sarhimaa, Nancy C. Dorian

German Faculty Research and Scholarship

The data that underlie Anneli Sarhimaa's excellent study were gathered between 1989 and 1992, under restrictive field circumstances. Visits to Karelia required what the author terms “intricate co-operation with academic and public authorities in Russia” (p. 76), and the duration of any stay was limited to a few weeks. From her home base in Finland, she made short visits to three Central Karelian villages in the summers of 1989 and 1991, working with additional Central Karelian speakers resident in the capital city of Karelia in the winters of 1990 and 1991; in 1992, a two-week trip allowed her to work …

A Speech Interface To Genealogical Data, Deryle W. Lonsdale

Faculty Publications

This talk presents an interface that has been developed to enable users to access genealogical information via speech. Whereas the more traditional approaches for accessing data are prevalent in today’s commercial genealogical products (e.g. windows, icons, and point-and-click methods), hands-free access to information is becoming increasingly popular. There would seem to be a potential demand for speech-based access to genealogical information, particularly among enthusiasts who might require mobile access, or those who are uncomfortable with or unable to use manual methods. Yet software to perform this function for genealogical access does not appear to be widely available yet.

An Integrated System For Processing Information From Genealogical Text, Deryle W. Lonsdale, Merrill Hutchison, Tim Richards, William Taysom

Faculty Publications

This presentation introduces an integrated software system that has been designed and implemented to allow processing of difficult text. The genealogical text subdomain often exhibits characteristics that do not occur in more general written language. The system we describe has been developed specifically to address the extraction and analysis of information from such specialized text.

A Synopsis Of Bora Tone, David J. Weber, Wesley Thiesen

Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session

The tonal system of Bora, a Witotoan language of Colombia and Peru, has high and low tones. Most tonal phenomena refer to low—not high—tone. For example, virtually all lexically marked tones are low. Further, many suffixes assign low tones to preceding syllables, but never creating a sequence of adjacent low tones. This is modeled with the cyclical addition of suffixes where adjacent low tones are avoided by either blocking the placement of the suffix's low tone or by delinking a previously assigned low tone. Finally, low tone plays a role in various syntactic constructions.

Natural Language Processing, Elizabeth D. Liddy

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is the computerized approach to analyzing text that is based on both a set of theories and a set of technologies. And, being a very active area of research and development, there is not a single agreed-upon definition that would satisfy everyone, but there are some aspects, which would be part of any knowledgeable person’s definition.

Foreign Languages And Learning Disabled Students: Research And Potential Solutions, Todd Christopher Wheelden

MA TESOL Collection

This paper reviews the latest research on the struggles learning disabled (LD) students have in the foreign language (FL) classroom. Over the last ten years, there have been significant advancements in recognizing the fact that LD students do in fact face greater obstacles when acquiring a FL than their peers do. Over the past five years, advances have been made taking the information garnered from these discoveries and developing appropriate solutions. The paper attempts to summarize the most significant comprehension, reference, and implementation.

The paper begins with an overview of second language acquisition learning disabilities and how they may surface …

Teaching Issues And Insights In Japanese High School, Robert H. Taferner

MA TESOL Collection

This paper has emerged from a review of reflective teaching journals I kept during the interim year component of my Master of Arts in Teaching program. Through this review of my journals I identified five recurrent teaching issues that played a central role in my teaching over this year. In the paper I examine the areas of team teaching, feedback, student needs, discipline, and classroom management for insights and solutions that served me during the interim year and will be useful to me when I encounter similar situations in the future.

Introduction To Bridge Procedure Guide (A Course Development In Maritime English), Olena Svitlychna

MA TESOL Collection

The paper presents a course development in maritime English and provides justification of the main pedagogical bases and principles of the materials. Introduction to Bridge Procedure Guide is designed to enable trainees with lower intermediate and intermediate level of English to discuss bridge procedures as well as to improve their general productive and receptive skills. The paper includes Introduction setting for the main teaching methods and techniques, Table of Contents, Introduction to Bridge Procedure Guide with Jigsaw Activities, the Key to the exercises, and English-Russian Vocabulary, Bibliography. The course materials have been field tested and will be used in Odessa …

A Two-Week Intensive Teacher Training Course For European Teachers, Olga Shepel

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is a teacher-training course designed for the Eastern European context. The aim of this course is to introduce trainees to different ways of teaching the language, to give them a chance to analyze their actions and to share their knowledge with their colleagues during the course. It covers most of the teaching aspects, such as presenting new materials, classroom management, problem solving and many others. This paper can be used as a manual for teacher trainers.

A Certificate Program In Teaching English To Brazilian-Portuguese Speakers, Sonia Regina Moussalli

MA TESOL Collection

This paper intends to present and describe a project of a teacher certificate program for Brazilian EFL teachers. First, I will introduce relevant information on the context and background where this project will take place including the reasoning behind this program, and an investigation of the prospective participants’ needs. Second, I will explore a study of some educational assumptions including teaching effectiveness, efficiency, competence, performance and some principles for the preparation of effective EFL teachers. Third, I will provide the readers a description of the goals and objectives of the program, along with, a detailed description of the courses. Finally, …

Publication Projects With Esl/Efl Students:A Handbook For Teachers, April A. Minerich

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is based on my experience teaching courses in which students created publications. I frequently teach both newsletter classes and memory book classes to students of other languages who are studying English in an intensive program. I have also taught classes in which ESL students produced student directories. I have participated in developing cookbooks. I also publish student work in certain classes that I teach.

It describes the process I use to do publication projects. I include theory to support the soundness of this idea in ESL/EFL instruction. The strategy for implementing the class is described. It then moves …

Promoting Active Use Of Lexical Items, Lina Marciulionyte

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines ways to enhance learners’ ability to communicate in their new language. It begins by questioning the traditionally accepted view of language teaching which views language as “lexicalized grammar”. It also argues that teaching vocabulary has focused mostly on techniques of explaining words and storing them, while the importance of strategies to activate the learners’ storage by retrieving lexical items from memory had clearly been underestimated. The paper analyzes the strategies for integrating a lexical item into the learners’ linguistic resources for immediate access and suggests a variety of exercises and activities that promote active use of vocabulary …

Community Building Through The Production Of A School Newspaper, David James Mcleish

MA TESOL Collection

The focus of this paper is the teaching of writing skills for ESL or EFL students within the context of a learning community. References are cited from the literature on team building within business contexts and from the literature on a process approach to the teaching of writing. This literature as well as the author’s beliefs and commitment to experimental education led to the development of a course in writing that used the production of a student newspaper as an organizing principle for the course. The author presents multiple levels of input into the course design and classroom management for …

Suggestions And Activities To Increase Oral Production Of Students In The Fl/Sl Classroom, Violeta Mack-Donovan

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

How Can I See That My Students Are Learning? Explorations And Observations In An Advanced-Level English Class, Wilma Lynn Luth

MA TESOL Collection

The purpose of this project was to explore ways to answer the question, “What did the students learned and how do I know?” in and advanced-level English class. Counseling-Learning/ Community Language Learning’s SARD paradigm (Security, Attention, Assertion, Retention, Reflection, and Discrimination) was used as the framework for lesson planning and reflection after each lesson.

Data was collected in a teaching journal using the standard action research methods of lesson planning, teaching the lesson, reflecting on it, and making a new plan based on the reflections.

It was found that using the SARD paradigm was and effective way to observe that …

Using Children’S Books In The Adult English As A Second Language Classroom, Patricia Connors Little

MA TESOL Collection

This paper reports my personal story of using children’s books in the adult English as a Second Language classroom. The introduction explains how and why I came to the decision to use the books. Chapters One through Four are an overview of the books I used in my classroom and explain our collective classroom experience using them. Additionally the paper contains my classroom observations and reflections which helped guide me in selecting stories and lesson planning. The document highlights some of the advantages of using children’s books as well as some suggestions for ESL teachers who are interested in exploring …

A Journey To The Edge: Autobiographical Writing In The Esl Classroom, Deborah Lafferty

MA TESOL Collection

I teach ESL at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. One class project was the creating and publishing of a collection of the students’ autobiographical writings. This paper documents the process that my students and I engaged in. We used the process approach to writing and peer response. This paper discusses the theory behind this approach and its practical application in the classroom, the questions, concerns and dilemmas that I encountered and my responses to them. I also include the changes I would implement in a future project of this kind. The final product, The Golden Gate of Hope, …

Movement, Rhythms, And Music: Active Curriculums For Teaching Foreign Languages To Beginning Learners, Patricia Guillemin Gregory

MA TESOL Collection

Our task as educators is to fit our teaching methods to our learners. Middle school students have specific characteristics that can seem to interfere with learning. Among these characteristics are a bounty of energy and restlessness. The key for the teacher is to channel this energy into learning activities.

To understand a class and develop a teaching strategy for that class, the teacher should analyze the learning styles of the students. From the results of this analysis, the teacher can build effective lesson plans which match the trends that appear in the class.

With this data in hand, the teacher …