Linguistics Commons^™

Shiwilu (Jebero), Pilar Valenzuela, Carlos Gussenhoven

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Articles and Research

Shiwilu (a.k.a. Jebero) is a critically endangered language from Peruvian Amazonia and one of the two members of the Kawapanan linguistic family. Most of its nearly 30 remaining fluent speakers live in and around the village of Jeberos (District of Jeberos, Province of Alto Amazonas, Loreto Region), at approximately 5° S, 75° W. The documentation of Shiwilu is scarce and no survey grammar is available. Until very recently, the only trained linguist who had worked on Shiwilu was John Bendor- Samuel, who carried out fieldwork in 1955–1956 and completed a doctoral thesis in 1958 (see Bendor-Samuel 1981 [1958]). An abridged …

Aplicabilidad De La Tipología De Funciones Retóricas De Las Citas Al Género De La Memoria De Máster En Un Contexto Transcultural De Enseñanza Universitaria, David Sánchez-Jiménez

Publications and Research

The aim of this paper is to compare the rhetorical functions gathered from the citations of (14) fourteen master´s theses written by seven Spanish and seven Philippine authors. A typology of nine categories was used in order to identify the cultural rhetorical differences that exist in the use of citation from the contrast between contrasting this element in the Philippine and Spanish cultures. The methodology used is textual analysis of the linguistic context of these citations and its subsequent classification within these nine categories. The results show that there are quantitative and qualitative differences between the cultural conventions of citations …

Grammatical Typology And Frequency Analysis: Number Availability And Number Use, Dunstan Brown, Greville G. Corbett, Sebastian Fedden, Andrew R. Hippisley, Paul Marriott

Linguistics Faculty Publications

The Smith-Stark hierarchy, a version of the Animacy Hierarchy, offers a typology of the cross-linguistic availability of number. The hierarchy predicts that the availability of number is not arbitrary. For any language, if the expression of plural is available to a noun, it is available to any noun of a semantic category further to the left of the hierarchy. In this article we move one step further by showing that the structure of the hierarchy can be observed in a statistical model of number use in Russian. We also investigate three co-variates: plural preference, pluralia tantum and irregularity effects; these …

Paralinguistic Cues And Their Effect On Leader Credibility, Monte Brian Reid

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Paralinguistic cues are powerful non-verbal communication elements that have the ability to make even good news sound horrible or bad news more palatable. Drawing upon the hermeneutical phenomenology communication theory of Dilthey (1961) and Shannon’s (1949) communication channel model, this thesis targeted the six primary paralinguistic cues of fluidity, articulation, sonority, tempo, emotion, and dynamic intensity to discover how these cues interact and affect the credibility and palatability of a leader’s message. To facilitate remembrance of these cues, the acronym F.A.S.T.E.D. was coined and used. Three different groups consisting of managers, non-managers, and media and public relations professionals were surveyed …

Automatic Identification Of Learners’ Language Background Based On Their Writing In Czech, Katsiaryna Aharodnik, Marco Chang, Anna Feldman, Jirka Hana

Department of Computer Science Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The goal of this study is to investigate whether learners’ written data in highly inflectional Czech can suggest a consistent set of clues for automatic identification of the learners’ L1 background. For our experiments, we use texts written by learners of Czech, which have been automatically and manually annotated for errors. We define two classes of learners: speakers of Indo-European languages and speakers of non-Indo-European languages. We use an SVM classifier to perform the binary classification. We show that non-content based features perform well on highly inflectional data. In particular, features reflecting errors in orthography are the most useful, yielding …

Preschool Language And Phonological Proficiencies In Predicting Stuttering Recovery Or Persistence, Caroline E. Spencer

Open Access Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between expressive and receptive language, phonological, and verbal working memory proficiencies in the preschool years and eventual recovery from or persistence in stuttering. Participants included 40 children who stutter (CWS). At ages 3-5 years, participants were administered the Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language, 3rd edition (TACL-3), the Structured Photographic Expressive Language Test, 3rd edition (SPELT-3), Bankson-Bernthal Test of Phonology--Consonant Inventory subtest (BBTOP--CI), Test of Auditory Perceptual Skills--Revised (TAPS--R) auditory number memory and auditory word memory subtests, and the Dollaghan & Campbell Nonword Repetition Test (NRT). Stuttering behaviors were tracked …

The 'X It Up' Verb Construction: A Syntactic And Sociolinguistic Approach, Ryan Hubble

Open Access Theses

This thesis focuses on a unique and, as of yet, unstudied particle verb construction in English, referred to as the `X it up' construction (e.g. I partied it up last night). Syntactic and sociolinguistic perspectives are taken to explore this phenomenon. In the area of syntax, it is proposed that the `it' in the construction is non-referential and that `it' is an (object) expletive. It is further proposed that the construction is unergative. These hypotheses are confirmed via syntactic tests, and a potential syntactic representation based on Basilico's (2008) particle verb analysis is offered as a structure in which the …

Pragmatic Transfer In Japanese Requests In Emails, Takako Noda

Open Access Theses

The speech act of request is known as a face threatening act (FTA) in the sense of Brown and Levinson (1987) and is considered a speech act that may negatively affect human relationships when it is used against cultural norms and constraints. Requests have been investigated in various languages, including English and Japanese (e.g., Hill et al., 1986; Fukushima, 1996; Gagné, 2010). Studies about interlanguage pragmatics, such as Matsuda et al. (2008) and Wada et al. (2008), showed characteristics of requests made by learners of Japanese. However, these studies all focused on the oral speech act, and there are few …

The Abd Of Orthography Testing: Integrating Formal Or Informal Testing Into The Orthography Development Process, Elke Karan

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

Developing an orthography for a previously unwritten language or reforming an existing writing system is a complex process. It calls for consideration of all the factors that play into the process and sensitivity to stakeholder expectations. The desired outcomes are acceptance of the orthography by intended users, ease of learning, and general efficiency. Integrating evaluation processes and testing events into the orthography development process and making appropriate adjustments based on the findings will maximize chances of attaining those outcomes.

This article provides a rationale for orthography testing and recommendations for what to test and who to test. It includes a …

The Minimal Word In Seri, Stephen A. Marlett

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

Data are presented in support of the claim that the minimal word and minimal root in Seri must be bimoraic. The bimoraicity condition may be met by rhymes that are heavy in more than one way.

Optimal Diphthongs : An Ot Analysis Of The Acquisition Of Spanish Diphthongs, Alice Krause

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation investigates the acquisition of Spanish diphthongs by adult native speakers of English. The following research questions will be addressed:

Mediational Effects Of Desktop-Videoconferencing Telecollaborative Exchanges On The Intercultural Communicative Competence Of Students Of French As A Foreign Language, Veronique Marie Martin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Since the early 2000s, foreign language practitioners and researchers have shown an increasing interest in exploring the affordances of multimodal telecollaborative environments for the linguistic and intercultural development of their students. Due in part to their inherent complexity, one-on-one desktop-videoconferencing contexts have not been widely explored. To this end, this study investigates if and how American students of French engaged in a telecollaborative exchange with a class of French students are able to develop their Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) through online interaction and the completion of a collaborative task. Adopting a case study approach, the video-recorded sessions of three dyads …

The Acquisition Of Sociolinguistic Variation By Study Abroad Students : The Case Of American Students In Madrid, Kathryn Lee Ringer-Hilfinger

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The current investigation seeks to contribute to the emerging body of research on second language variation in Spanish. A range of dialect-specific variables is considered, both morphological and phonological. Learner acquisition of these variables is measured within a study abroad context through oral and written longitudinal data over the course of an 8-month period. Previous studies conducted in this area have considered pronoun use (Geeslin and Gudmestad 2008a; Salgado-Robles 2012) the use of /theta/ (Geeslin and Gudmestad 2008b; Willis et. al. 2009; Ringer-Hilfinger 2012; Knouse 2012), intonation strategies (Henriksen et al. 2010), and perfective past time reference (Geeslin et al. …

The Effect Of Direct And Indirect Corrective Feedback Taking A Sociocultural Approach, Brenda Aromu Wawire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Debate on the effectiveness and usefulness of written corrective feedback has centered on Truscott's 1996 article that placed a strong case against grammar correction as ineffective and harmful and therefore should be abandoned. A growing body of research has proved the value of judicious and purposeful error correction and has also put forward guidelines to guide such pedagogy. The second language acquisition process is deemed to be a very complex and slow process. Therefore it is paramount that corrective feedback be structured according to an individual learner's linguistic ability. Contributing to this research base, this study investigated whether there is …

The Relationship Between Student Self-Efficacy And English Proficiency In A University Intensive English Program, Vanessa Carrie Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between learner self-efficacy and English-language proficiency in a native English environment involving participants from various non-native English backgrounds. Participants were 43 English language learners in a university-level Intensive English Program in the Southeast United States. Previous studies, including those by Idrus and Sivapalan (2010); Nasseri and Zaferanieh (2012); Rahimi and Abedini (2009); Teng (2005); Tifarlioglu and Cinkara (2009); Wong (2005); and Hsieh and Kang (2010), have examined self-efficacy and learning outcomes for students who shared a comlanguage and were studying English in the students' native language environments. Findings in these …

The Right To Language, T. Humphries, R. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann, S. Smith

Linguistics Faculty Works

We argue for the existence of a state constitutional legal right to language. Our purpose here is to develop a legal framework for protecting the civil rights of the deaf child, with the ultimate goal of calling for legislation that requires all levels of government to fund programs for deaf children and their families to learn a fully accessible language: a sign language.

A Sociolinguistic Study Of Narcotrafficker Speech In Caqueta, Colombia (Estudio Sociolinguistico Del Lenguaje Del Narcotrafico En La Region De Caqueta, Colombia), Eva NúÑEz-MéNdez

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research comprehends a sociolinguistic analysis of Colombian Spanish which needs to be framed under the circumstances of the drug trafficking as a current practice in the region of Caqueta. The linguistic variety and lexicon in this area can only be studied according to this peculiar socioeconomic context of illegal drug trade in the rural and agricultural south of Colombia Due to this factor, numerous new words and expressions have been added to the general lexicon related to the cultivation, manufacturing, distribution and sale of drugs, especially cocaine. This new vocabulary is current in both the media and colloquial Spanish. …

Issues And Methods In Researching Social Networks: Tools, Trends, And Applications To Language Learning Research, Dan Dewey, Jennifer Brown, Shayla Johnson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Knowledge, Experience, Skills, And Characteristics Tesol Employers Seek In Job Candidates, Caprice L. Bailey, Mark W. Tanner, Lynn E. Henrichsen, Dan Dewey

Faculty Publications

In a competitive marketplace, job candidates need to know what TESOL employers are seeking in new hires. A 12-month study of TESOL job announcements examined the types of work offered and the candidate knowledge, experience, skills, and personal characteristics TESOL employers were seeking in fulltime hires. An analysis of 169 job advertisements indicates that employers prefer applicants with knowledge and experience not only in teaching but also in curriculum development, teacher education, and program administration. Regarding candidates’ personal characteristics, employers seek individuals who have strong interpersonal and teamwork skills, as well as effective oral and written communication skills and computer …

The Systematic Stretching And Adjusting Of Ideophonic Phonology In Pastaza Quichua, Joseph A. Stanley

Faculty Publications

The goal of this paper is to clarify the relationship between ideophonic phonology and prosaic phonology in a dialect of Quichua (aka Kichwa). Our data are derived primarily from field studies within the Pastaza Province of Amazonian Ecuador, with speakers originating from the Montalvo area and the adjacent community of Puka Yaku. Altogether, we have amassed over 2,300 tokens of ideophonic use drawn from casual conversational exchanges, historical legends, folktales and myths.