Discourse and Text Linguistics Commons^™

Intercultural Rhetoric In The Written Academic Discourse: The Rhetorical Functions Of Citation In English And Spanish By College Students And Expert Writers, David Sánchez-Jiménez

Publications and Research

This research studies the practice of citation in two cultural communities, the American and the Spanish, in an academic setting. The main objective of this research is to determine what are the rhetorical functions of citations in the master’s thesis of 12 American and 12 Spanish students written in their native language, as well as in scientific articles of 12 American and 12 Spanish professional writers in Applied Linguistics, and to identify the differences found among these groups.

To study this pragmalinguistic phenomenon, I used the computational text analysis of the rhetorical functions of citations via the Antconc 3.2.4w concordance …

A Multimodal Study Of The Legitimization Of Violence In Rumiyah / Nazri Mohd Noor, Mohd Noor Nazri

Student Works (2020-2029)

This study explored the process of legitimization of violence in Rumiyah magazine produced by al-Hayat Media Center (ISIS). It employs a multimodal approach consists of van Leeuwen (2008) legitimization strategies and Kress and van Leeuwen (2006) visual social semiotics to analyse texts and semiotic resources found in the selected articles. The qualitative method used is an inductive thematic analysis which reveals several thematic categorizations, i.e., (1) the impersonalisation of ‘others’, (2) the legitimization of jihad value, and (3) the (de)legitimization of ‘fasiq’ scholars. The analysis conducted highlights the recurring use of legitimation strategies and visual social semiotic metafunctions to justify …

A Genre Analysis Of Iranian Hotel Homepages, Awal Faranak Bastami

Student Works (2020-2029)

The present research is a genre analysis of hotel websites, targeting the main three aspects; the move structure, communicative purposes, and linguistic features on the 23 five-star and four-star hotel homepages in Iran. Bhatia’s (1993) model is used to investigate the communicative purposes of the digital genre, Suen (2013) framework which is a comprehensive model was adapted to examine the rhetorical move structure, and a combination of Bhatia’s (1993) and Cook’s (2001) model was used to analyze the common linguistic features. The findings of this research are going to contribute some knowledge to the production of more effective homepages specifically …

When To Make The Sensory Social: Registering In Face-To-Face Openings, Danielle M. Pillet-Shore

Faculty Publications

This article analyzes naturally occurring video-recorded openings during which participants make the sensory social through the action of registering—calling joint attention to a selected, publicly perceiv- able referent so others shift their sensory attention to it. It examines sequence-initial actions that register referents for which a participant is regarded as responsible. Findings demonstrate a systematic preference organization which observably guides when and how people initiate registering sequences sensitive to ownership of, and displayed stance toward, the target referent. Analysis shows how registering an owned referent achieves intersubjectivity and puts involved participants’ face, affiliation, and social relationship on the line. A …

From The Unspoken To The Verbalized: Different Ways Of Communication And Their Relationship To Culture In A Traditional Lakota Narrative "Ikto Na Wičhá Ha Kiŋ”, Or “Ikto And The Racoon Skin”, Liliana R. Boladz-Nekipelov

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This master’s thesis is a discourse analysis of a traditional Lakota story, " Iktó na wičhá ha kiŋ”, or “Ikto and the Racoon Skin”, one of the 64 stories included in the “Dakota Texts”, which were collected by Ella Deloria at three Lakota reservations in 1930s as a part of Franz Boas’ language documentation project. The thesis is also an attempt to examine different communicative strategies employed within the narrative and their relationship to culture, as well as the relationship between form and the transfer of meaning and culture and meaning. The analysis is conducted using Dell Hymes’ ethnographic approach …

The Objectives Of Public Higher Education In New York City Through The Lens Of Language, John-Nicholas Parker

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper displays the objectives of public higher education in New York City and their relation to changes in the city. Public higher education in New York City relies on the support of the public. This paper details adjustments to the lexicon of the school in response to changing demographics and historical events by examining statements provided by the school during different periods. Changes to the lexicon relating to class, gender, race, ethnicity, and military service are examined in relation to their historical context. Sources examined in this paper include commission reports, student newspapers, and mission statements. The paper finds …

A Perceptual Study: Discourse Variation In The Usage Of The Korean Informal Personal And Communal Possessives, Anlu Zhu

Honors Theses

The purpose of the current research was to identify possible variables that could affect native Korean population’s perception and use of the Korean informal personal possessive, 나(의)/내 [na (ui)/nae], and informal communal possessive, 우리(의) [u.ri (ui)]. While 우리(의) [u.ri (ui)] and 나(의)/내 [na (ui)/nae] are translated to English as “our” and “my/mine,” the actual definition of the words are not direct equivalents of those translations. Korean further allows the communal possessive, 우리(의) [u.ri (ui)], to be used in lieu of the personal possessive, 나(의)/내 [na (ui)/nae], depending on certain pragmatic situations. To investigate how native Korean speakers differentiate the usage …

Thanking Strategies In The Filmfare And Academy Award Acceptance Speeches, David Savithiammal

Student Works (2020-2029)

The present research endeavours to shed light on the thanking strategies that are used by the recipients of the Filmfare Awards and the Academy Awards in their acceptance speeches. Award acceptance speeches are direct expressions of gratitude. However, to date no research has been done on it. Therefore it is imperative to investigate the thanking strategies employed in these acceptance speeches in an attempt to close the gap in this field. To understand and define the thanking strategies, various models and theories of thanking are explored, which in turn shed light on several important concepts. The characteristics of the thanking …

The Rhetoric Of “Faith” In The Malaysian Media’S Representation Of Football, Abas Nadhratunnaim

Student Works (2020-2029)

The present study investigates rivalry discourse in football news of the Malaysian media, The Star which has been produced by local news authors who also refer to themselves as the faithful fans of football teams. As they express faith in their team, these news authors tend to compare their team against the others by highlighting their superiority and inferiority. Hence, the study intends to examine the use of “faith” in rhetorically influencing the media representation of football and the social actors involved in the news (the local and international football teams). Corpus-assisted analysis and approaches in Critical Discourse Studies (CDS) …

“This Is A Stunning, Stunning Night”: News Media Constructions Of Emotional Reality, Karrina Janelle Oravetz

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The news media is one of the main influences of people’s perception, especially during elections. It can have an influence on a voter’s perception during and after the results of an election. One of the issues that arises is that news reports are biased, which affects viewers’ perceptions and interpretations of the information reported. This paper presents an analysis of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) in the genre of news media and further shows that prosodic features is another layer of analysis in CDA. I am looking specifically at how news broadcasts construct information after the 2016 election results. News media …

Interactional Relevance Of Linguistic Categories: Epistemic Modals Daroo And Deshoo In Japanese Conversation, Michiko Kaneyasu

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

The present study investigates the locally situated interactional functions of so-called epistemic modals, daroo and deshoo, in Japanese conversation. Although the two forms are generally considered plain and polite variants of the same epistemic modal, both forms frequently appear in the present casual conversational data. A detailed sequential analysis demonstrates that daroo and deshoo are used to perform various social actions rather than simply expressing the speaker’s conjecture. Deshoo has a rather fixed function of soliciting alignment or confirmation from the interlocutor. On the other hand, daroo works as part of larger constructions for various actions, including (i) displaying …

Dimensions Of Recipe Register And Native Speaker Knowledge: Observations From A Writing Experiment, Michiko Kaneyasu, Minako Kuhara

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

This study investigates native Japanese speakers’ context-dependent linguistic knowledge of cooking recipes. Recipes are a typical example of a register, defined as the use of language in a particular social situation for a specific purpose. Thirty participants in the present study were asked to write a recipe for curry rice (a popular dish in Japan) or an unnamed soup (shown in a photo) on a blank piece of paper without access to any resources. Most participants’ texts contained specialized vocabulary and basic procedural organization. On the other hand, few integrated the typical grammatical features of commercial recipes. It suggests that …

Regularity And Variation In Japanese Recipes: A Comparative Analysis Of Cookbook, Online, And User-Generated Sub-Registers, Michiko Kaneyasu, Minako Kuhara

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

This paper investigates the similarities and differences between three sub-registers of Japanese recipe texts: cookbook recipes, online commercial recipes written/edited by professionals, and online usergenerated recipes. Past studies on Japanese recipes do not distinguish different sub-registers, and they tend to focus on a single feature. The present study of the sub-registers examines a group of frequently appearing linguistic features and uncovers functional links between observed features and situational characteristics. The comparative perspective contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the Japanese recipe language as well as universal and language-specific aspects of register variation. Shared traits among the three sub-registers are …

Conceptualizing The Unspeakable: A Conceptual Metaphor Theory Analysis Of Sexual Assault Trauma In Creative Nonfiction, Ariana Ciamaricone

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This paper explores the use of conceptual metaphors (CMs) in two works of creative nonfiction, namely Laurie Halse Anderson’s (2019) Shout and Elissa Washuta’s (2014) My Body is a Book of Rules. Anderson’s (2019) poetic memoir centers on her experiences with sexual assault throughout her childhood and the process of writing her young adult novel Speak (1999). Washuta (2014) writes on her experiences with rape and mental illness via prose. Both memoirs detail their authors’ reckoning with the experience of sexual assault, and this paper investigates how trauma narratives attempt to “resolve what cannot be resolved, to generate meaning, …

The Mothman And Other Strange Tales: Shaping Queer Appalachia Through Folkloric Discourse In Online Social Media Communities, Brenton Watts

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

Little work has been conducted on the intersections of queer and Appalachian identities, in part because these two identities are viewed as incompatible (Mann 2016). This study uses a multimodal critical discourse analytic approach to examine the Instagram posts of the Queer Appalachia Project, which represent a substantial body of discourse created by and for queer Appalachians. Of specific interest to this analysis are those posts which employ folkloric figures, such as West Virginia’s Mothman, to do identity work that is queer, Appalachian, and queer-Appalachian. Often, this act is accomplished through juxtaposition with Appalachian imagery and the reclamation of homophobic …

Discourse Analysis Of Nyt’S Headlines On Terrorism And Climate Change: How Media Reflects Our Conceptualization Of Security, Helena Gabrielle Ong

Pomona Senior Theses

Although climate change and terrorism are both considered national security threats by U.S. military experts, the American public views these threats differ- ently, with climate change at lower risk and priority in comparison to terror- ism. This reflects a difference in how the public conceptualizes security threats. This paper aims to address that gap through media coverage. This study ex- amines the language of newspaper headlines for terrorism and climate change in order to identify the dominant representations of these issues in the media. I analyze the discourse of two security issues—terrorism and climate change– by comparing news headlines from …

Murdoch Murdoch: A Case Study In Threats To Ontological Security In Far-Right Propaganda, Julian Morein

Capstone Showcase

Adapting the Ethnographic Discourse Analysis method developed by Stanton Wortham and Angela Reyes this thesis traces the language employed in the ethno-nationalist web series Murdoch Murdoch. While not as widely known as other examples of the burgeoning landscape of far-right internet content such as news sites like InfoWars or Brietbart, Murdoch Murdoch can still reveal crucial details about how far right propaganda seeks to radicalize its viewers. This thesis argues that Murdoch Murdoch uses its visual and discursive indexicals to present a near absolute dichotomy between a Positive Self that consists of white ethno-nationalism, and a Negative Other that …

Authenticity In Discursive Practices Of The Online Market For Second-Hand Luxury Clothing, Ronan L. Zampier, Rita De Cássia P. Farias, Marcelo R. Pinto

The Qualitative Report

Authenticity is a particularly sensitive and salient issue in the online market for second-hand luxury clothing, and it is still little explored in the field of consumption studies. In this study we sought to analyze how authenticity is represented in discursive practices of the Brazilian online market for second-hand luxury clothing. The corpus of the work consisted of data collected through interviews in five stores of the Brazilian online market of luxury second-hand clothing. The data were analyzed using the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), proposed by Fairclough (1992), articulated to the sociocultural perspective of consumption. From the discursive categories Subject, …

Scholarly Communication And Documentary Fragmentations In The Public Space: A Functional Citation Study, Fidelia Ibekwe, Lucie Loubère

Proceedings from the Document Academy

This paper studies how academic content published in Open Edition.org, an online publication platform in the Social Sciences and Humanities is re-appropriated by members of the public. Our research is therefore concerned with the public appropriation of science and Open science. After extracting the contexts of citation of these content and mapping them, we propose a typology of citation functions as well as of citers (their origins and types). Our preliminary results indicated that academic literature is repurposed and cited by members of the public mainly as scientific warrant (support for their argumentation). We also found that academic content is …

A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Corpus Data From Reddit Discussions Of "Gay Voice", Sara Elizabeth Mulliner

Dissertations and Theses

In the last decade, there have been a number of public discussions about "gay voice" and "sounding gay." These two phrases often serve as a shorthand for the belief that a listener can determine the sexuality of a speaker based on phonetic qualities found in a speaker's vocal output. However, these expressions are more accurately described as "catch-all" terms for speech that may contain features associated with non-gender conforming stances and personae. Notions about gender and sexuality could be intertwined in complicated ways in this language ideology. Investigating popular discussions of gay-sounding voices could provide information on what people are …

How Do Welcome Statements Differ From Mission Statements?: The Salience Of Genre, David Ayers, Wanda Brooks

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

In this analysis, we sought to identify key linguistic properties of mission statements and to explain how these properties function toward managerial purposes. Data included a target corpus of 920 community college mission statements (47,943 words), a domain-specific corpus of 632 “welcome statements” published on websites by community college presidents (173,534 words), and a general reference corpus extracted from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (16.53 million words) (Davies, 2017). We used specialized corpus linguistics software to generate standardized word frequencies and to tag each corpus for parts of speech. We then identified the words and parts of speech that …

Reseña De Manual De Escritura Académica_Prat Ferrer Y Peña Delgado, David Sánchez-Jiménez

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

This Is What A Feminist Tweets Like: "Women's Language" And Styling Activist Identities In A #Yesallwomen Twitter Corpus, Eleanor A. Morikawa

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation presents results of a study of linguistic practice in the context of feminist activism on Twitter. Twitter has become a primary medium for social and political activism and a rich venue for study of the relationship between digitally mediated language and identity production. The focus of this study is the viral Twitter hashtag #YesAllWomen, a hashtag that rose in popularity following a misogyny-motivated terrorist attack in the spring of 2014. This dissertation treats the #YesAllWomen hashtag as an imagined space and a Discourse (Gee, 2015) where language serves as a site for the production of gender and feminist …

‘Its Something You Do Bro’: Language And Identity On A Male Erotic Hypnosis Messageboard, Eric Chambers

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Drawing on a seven-year corpus of data (total words N = 86,881) on a publicly-accessible messageboard on which self-identified gay men discuss their experiences undergoing erotic hypnosis, this study applies Critical Discourse Analysis methods to understand how posters understand their sexual identities and those of others. This study identifies the emergence of two main identity-types at-play on OnYourKnees: the jock and the coach. Jocks are generally characterized by a focus on sports and body-consciousness, a disinterest or inability to engage in scholarly/academic pursuits, and a desire to be submissive to others to achieve sexual pleasure. Coaches, on the other hand, …

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing At The Local Level : A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Practices In Louisville, Kentucky., Steven P. Sizemore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research project is an immersion into the beliefs, ideas, meanings, values, and feelings of actors engaged in shaping local housing policies. The dissertation examines how discourse constitutes and shapes the knowledge of policy actors engaged in fair housing policies and practices in Louisville, Kentucky. I argue that policy discourse is the site where social problems become framed, bounded, and transformed into action. Therefore, if the objective of the Fair Housing Act’s mandate for HUD and its recipients is to operate programs in a manner that “affirmatively furthers fair housing” (AFFH), it is essential to understand the discursive acts …

Beneath The Surface Of Talking About Physicians: A Statistical Model Of Language For Patient Experience Comments, Taylor Turpen, Lea Matthews Md, Senem Guney Phd, Cpxp

Patient Experience Journal

This study applies natural language processing (NLP) techniques to patient experience comments. Our goal was to examine the language describing care experiences with two groups of physicians: those with scores in the top 100 and those with scores in the bottom 100 among all physicians (n=498) who received scores from patient satisfaction surveys. Our analysis showed a statistically significant difference in the language used to describe care experiences with these two distinct groups of physicians. This analysis illustrates how to apply NLP techniques in categorizing and building a statistical model for language use in order to identify meaningful language and …

A Jewel Inlaid: Ergativity And Markedness In Nepali, Luke S. Lindemann

Linguistics Graduate Dissertations

Nepali presents with a complex case marking pattern in which ergative case is obligatory in perfective transitive clauses, disallowed in unaccusative intransitive clauses and copular clauses, and varies with the nominative elsewhere. Where ergative marking is variable, its usage correlates with a variety of semantic and pragmatic factors. The purpose of this investigation is to precisely delineate the grammatical domains for which ergative marking is variable and to provide a unified analysis of the semantic and pragmatic factors that correlate with its expression.

The study of pragmatic phenomena requires the implementation of multiple strategies for collecting language data. The data …

Discursive Leadership: Exploring The "Black Box" Challenge In Transcultural Leadership Studies, Christopher Patrick Brown

Dissertations

The increasingly globalized U.S. workforce includes significant numbers of adult immigrants integrating into the North American professional sphere. As such, it is important to have concrete ways to study and interpret different cultures’ thinking about teamwork, and their models of enacting shared leadership and communication in a multicultural context. Since 2006, hundreds of millions in federal grant funding has been invested in university-based language and culture programs focused on training government personnel and heritage populations in the languages and cultures of the Middle East and Central and Southeast Asia. Little is known about the performative strengths and challenges of the …

Code-Switching In Gloria Anzaldúa's Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza And Sandra Cisnero's Caramelo, Julia Jordan

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

This research explores the practice of code-switching by bilingual Latinx writers by looking at the works Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldúa and Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros. In addition to discussing these two primary sources, the paper draws upon scholarly analyses of these works and the practice of code switching at large. This review discusses the growing prevalence of code-switching in Latinx literature, the subversive nature of the practice of code-switching, and the different approaches towards and functions of code-switching in literature. Ultimately, this research demonstrates the ways in which Anzaldúa and Cisneros use code-switching to explore Latinx …

Comparative Analysis Of Chinese And Western Authors’ Use Of Evidentiality, Steven Mccafferty, Tian Dong, Shaoan Zhang, Lu Qiu

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education Faculty Research

Academic writing is the process of authors’ interaction and communication with readers. Based on Yang's classification of evidentiality and self-built corpus, this study examines and compares the characteristics of Chinese and western authors’ use of evidentiality in second language academic writing. The major results include: 1) Evidentials are universal in research papers. Chinese authors’ less use of evidentials indicates their tendency to conceal personal opinions to offer more objective arguments; 2) Both Chinese and western authors prefer reporting and inferring evidentials, owing to the style of natural science and the language practice of the subject; 3) The frequency of English …