Linguistics Commons^™

Language Learning And Study Abroad: A Critical Reading Of The Research (Review), Elizabeth M. Kissling

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

Kinginger’s interpretation of the research represents an endorsement of the great potential of study abroad, balanced with several limitations and caveats. Kinginger argues that while study abroad generally results in increased proficiency and oral fluency, slightly superior to gains resulting from at-home formal study, one should note the design flaws of many studies such as lack of a true control group as well as reliance on monologic, situation-less tasks to measure language gains, even in the areas of discursive, pragmatic, and sociocultural competencies. Kinginger also notes that opportunities for learning language and cultural through interactions with native speakers can be …

Evidentiality In Uzbek And Kazakh, Christopher Straughn

Library Faculty Publications

The purpose of this work is to describe and account for the broad range of phenomena referred to as “evidentiality” in two Turkic languages: Uzbek and Kazakh. Much previous work on the Turkic languages treats evidentiality as a distinct verbal category. However, morphemes that express evidential meaning also often express other meanings such as dubitativity and admirativity, or may even express rhetorical questions. This work follows Friedman (1978; 1981; 1988) and others in considering these meanings to be the result of an evidential-like strategy: the expression of non-confirmativity. In Uzbek and Kazakh, as well as in many other Eurasian languages, …

Sign Language Word List Comparisons: Toward A Replicable Coding And Scoring Methodology, Jason Parks

Theses and Dissertations

This study describes and evaluates a methodology for sign language word list comparisons. The purpose of this sociolinguistic research tool is to identify similarity relationships among sign language varieties by assessing similarities of lexical items. Similarities are calculated using the Levenshtein distance metric which measures the number of differences between signs.

In this study, the methodology was refined for optimal efficiency through an analysis of: which parameters of a sign should be compared, which values should be included in each parameter value inventory, and which items should be used in the word list. As a result of the study, I …

New Media, New Communicative Genres And Inclusive Technology-Mediated L2 Pedagogy: A Conversation With Steve Thorne, Victoria Antoniadou, Steven L. Thorne

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

Professor Steve Thorne is well-known for his work on second and foreign language development and Internet-mediated communicative activity. He is identified with the study of language use, communication dynamics and technology-mediated foreign, second and plurilingual language learning, occurring within and outside of formal educational settings. His work draws on sociocultural and cultural-historical approaches to language development and he is particularly interested in multiplayer online gaming environments, the "cultures of use" of Internet communication tools, and intercultural communication. Professor Thorne is currently a faculty member in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Portland State University and at the University …

Revising Our Curriculum/ Empowering Students: Teachers’ Preparation And Perceptions About Bilingual Writing, Maria Luisa Spicer-Ecalante

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

While emphasis on writing instruction has been a main concern in teaching Spanish to bilingual students in the U. S., it is an area in which very few theoretical advances have been made; in Mexico’s case the situation is even more challenging. Therefore, based on classroom observations, and individual interviews with both teachers and students, and on the collection of class syllabi, this paper seeks to describe the current state of affairs regarding Spanish and English writing instruction for bilingual students in both countries. The main objectives are: 1) the analysis and comparison of the diverse teaching methodologies that high …

Reframing Student Accommodation In Education Abroad: Reporting On A Cross-National Study Of Learning Outcomes, Anthony C. Ogden, Dan Dewey, Tomomi Kumai

Faculty Publications

All too often student accommodation is understood as a minor component of an education abroad program with only trivial impact on the overall educational experience. As such, students are frequently permitted to choose housing based on location, cost, convenience and more frequently, on the availability of amenities, such as wireless Internet, cable, and telephone. Unfortunately, the prioritization given to such logistical and practical arrangements tends to overshadow the fundamental learning potential of student accommodation. Through active reflection and experimentation, the learning that takes place in student accommodation can lead to meaningful and transformative learning.

This “theory to practice” pilot study …

Theme: Mobile Language Learning, Glenn Stockwell, Susana Sotillo

Department of Linguistics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

There has been increased interest in portable technologies which allow learners to access tools for learning languages in virtually any time or place that suits them. The quickly developing functionalities of mobile phones, MP3 players, laptop and tablet computers, and other hand-held devices with touch screen technology mean that the range of possibilities for language learning has greatly diversified. GodwinJones (2011), for example, points out that iPhone and Android phones have ushered in a phenomenal expansion in the development of Apps for just about every topic under the sun, and educators have been exploring the value of Apps for learning …

Playing The Blame Game: English Education In Omani Government Schools, Valentine Sergon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Given that the Omani government has undertaken in recent decades a massive education reform to improve, among other things, the English level of Omani students, it is now time to evaluate how the system is faring, where it is failing and why. Under the new Education system enacted in 1998, Omani students begin learning English from grade one with the aim that, by grade twelve, students know enough English to be able to study at a university level in English. Unfortunately, a vast majority of students who enter university in Oman are forced to enroll in one to three semesters …

Age-Related Differences In Idiom Production In Adulthood, Peggy S. Conner, Jungmoon Hyun, Barbara O'Connor-Wells, Inge Anema, Mira Goral, Marie-Michelle Monereau-Merry, Daniel Rubino, Raija Kuckuk, Loraine Obler

Publications and Research

To investigate whether idiom production was vulnerable to age-related difficulties, we asked 40 younger (ages 18–30) and 40 older healthy adults (ages 60–85) to produce idiomatic expressions in a story-completion task. Younger adults produced significantly more correct idiom responses (73%) than did older adults (60%). When older adults generated partially correct responses, they were less likely than younger participants to eventually produce the complete target idiom (old: 32%; young: 70%); first-word cues after initial failure to retrieve an idiom resulted in more correct idioms for older (24%) than younger (15%) participants. Correlations between age and idiom correctness were positive for …

Current Perspectives On Tunisian Sociolinguistics, Lotfi Sayahi

Languages, Literatures and Cultures Faculty Scholarship

Despite its small size (63,170 sq miles) and a rather small population with a stable growth rate,2 Tunisia represents a rich sociolinguistic laboratory with a long history of bilingualism and language contact. The delicate position of Berber, the diglossic situation of Arabic and the increasing efforts for Arabization, the regional and social variation in Tunisian Arabic, the presence of French, and the gradual spread of English, among other closely-related topics, constitute the core themes of research within Tunisian sociolinguistics. Since the publication of R. M. Payne’s Language in Tunisia in 1983, no attempt has been made to reassess the situation …

Metaphors: Universal, Specific, And Public, Deli Nirmala

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

Metaphors in written discourse, such as letters using bahasa Indonesia, can be derived from the metaphorical expressions used by writers to editors, showing conceptualization based on what they experience, feel, and think in their lives. This paper aims to find out the universality of the concepts shown by the metaphors and the users employing them. Using nonparticipant observation with a note-taking technique, the data are collected and selected purposively. Through distributional, referential, reflective introspective, and abductive inferential methods, the data are analyzed. The results indicate that metaphors can be grouped into universal, specific, and public types based on the universality …

Domestikasi Ideologi Dalam Penerjemahan Injil: Inggris-Bali, Frans I Made Brata

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

The Bible’s translator expects his translation to be not only accurate, but also acceptable in accordance with the norms and cultural values of its readers. This study aims to describe the domesticating ideology in translation. Tu–Vous Theory combined with Attitude, as part of Appraisal Theory in Systemic Functional Linguistics, is used to investigate how words should be used. Dynamic Equivalence Theory is utilized to describe word usage in society. A descriptive qualitative approach in determining two principal orientations of translation techniques, methods, and ideologies was applied in analyzing the data. Questionnaires containing sentences with English terms of address in Luke’s …

Konsep Skopos Dan Aspek Fungsionalnya Dalam Penerjemahan, Masduki Masduki

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

It is often said that Skopos theory has abolished the position of the source text. Nevertheless, translators still have to translate source texts, and to do this, they must identify translation units and decide what to do with them in the translation process. The same applies to translation description and criticism or even quality assessment. In order to compare source and target texts and achieve a fair judgment of a translation, translators need the communicative function of the translation unit. This article deals with the basic concept of Skopos and the functional aspects that come into play both in translation …

Ethnographic Approach To Efl/Esl Research, Nikolaus Pasassung

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

This article shows that ethnography, as an approach, is a very useful tool to be applied in research attempting a good understanding of EFL/ESL classrooms. With reference to work done by anthropologists and classroom researchers, the present article argues that education, including EFL/ESL classrooms, can be well understood by using ethnographic approaches. This is done by elaborating the relevance of ethnography and the classroom context in the sense that ethnographic principles are applicable in describing and understanding the culture of a classroom, and EFL/ESL teaching in particular.

Hambatan Penerjemahan Teks Bahasa Arab Ke Dalam Bahasa Indonesia: Pengalaman Mahasiswa Sastra Arab Universitas Negeri Malang, Irhamni Irhamni

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

This paper is intended to describe the results of a study focusing on students’ translation problems in translating Arabic texts into Indonesian. The problems result from students’ understanding and retelling (re-expressing) the results of that understanding during the translation process. In this study, the researcher applies a descriptive qualitative method. The results show that students’ problems in translation are closely related to (1) their understanding of linguistic and non-linguistic structures, and (2) their difficulties in retelling (re-expressing) the results of their reading regarding linguistic and non-linguistic issues.

Barack Obama’S Iowa Caucuses Rhetoric, Samuel Gunawan

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

This paper is to explore the depth of Barac Obama’s rhetoric in his Iowa Caucuses Speech: “Our Time for Change has Come”. Obama displayed his outstanding rhetorical craftsmanship to drive irresistibly his power of persuasion in the earliest Democratic Caucuses in the whitest state of Iowa that gave him a victory; thus the speech underscored the ground-breaking messages to the rest of the nation that America was ripe for an African-American President.

Karakteristik Tulisan Narasi Fiksi Berbahasa Arab Mahasiswa Penutur Asli Bahasa Indonesia, Nurhidayati Nurhidayati

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

This study is carried out to answer the research question: what are the characteristics of intrinsic elements, including plot, character, and setting, in Arabic fictitious narrative writing by Indonesian native-language students? This study is qualitative in nature. The approach used is socio-psycho-structural. The data are verbal and consist of: (1) fictitious narrative writing, (2) interview transcripts, and (3) field notes. The data on fictitious narrative writing were taken from the students’ portfolio of narrative fiction final tasks in the Writing Lecture 1 course. Interview transcripts and field notes from the teaching process were used to clarify and complete the data …

Language Typology And Sentence Frame Effects On Motion Verb Interpretation In Grade Schoolers, Emma C. Kelty

Master's Theses

Most English descriptions of motion events express manner in the main verb and path in a prepositional phrase, as in “She skips out of the house”. However, the same event can be described differently if a different syntactic frame is used: “She exits the house”. While young children have been found to interpret novel motion verbs according to the syntactic frame information, adults have been found to rely somewhat more on the overall language pattern, or typology (Hohenstein et al., 2004; Naigles & Terrazas, 1998). Grade schoolers have not been examined in this paradigm, and their linguistic abilities suggest that …

The Development Of Two Units For Basic Training And Resources For Teaching English To Speakers Of Other Languages: "Using Songs To Increase Participation, Recall, And Enjoyment" And "Using Games For English Language Teaching", Jung-Eun Chung

Theses and Dissertations

As English continues to become the universal language in commercial, educational and social settings worldwide, there is an increasing demand for English language teachers (ELT). While many teachers are native English speakers, many of them lack formal training in pedagogy and content knowledge. One challenge of novice teachers is how to create a learning experience that is both engaging and enjoyable for English language learners. Basic Training and Resources for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (BTRTESOL) created by Dr. Lynn Henrichsen, is a basic but comprehensive program to provide skills and resources to teachers with limited formal training, …

Code-Switching And Language Change In Tunisia, Lotfi Sayahi

Languages, Literatures and Cultures Faculty Scholarship

This article quantitatively studies the patterns of Tunisian Arabic/French code-switching and the possible implications for contact-induced change in the Tunisian dialect. The purpose is to account for the extent of the occurrence of code-switching across gender lines and levels of education and assess its role in the interference from French into Arabic, both at the lexical and structural levels. Recorded semi-directed sociolinguistic interviews with twelve speakers are examined for type and frequency of code-switching and use of French borrowings.

Results show that education plays a role in distinguishing the group with a higher education from the group with only a …