Matching Items (28)
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- All Subjects: Linguistics
- Creators: School of International Letters and Cultures
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Description
This paper investigates the usage of the Japanese sentence-final construction no(da) in 27 postings collected from online question-and-answer forums. This linguistic feature appears frequently in both spoken and written Japanese discourse; however, it continues to pose difficulties to researchers when attempting to identify its meaning and functions. A major issue is that insufficient information regarding discourse context has resulted in ambiguity in many of the functions described in previous studies. Considering these limitations, the present study attempted to specify discourse contexts towards which three proposed functions of no(da) gravitate: 1) giving and asking explanation, 2) evoking politeness, and 3) organizing discourse. The results of this study indicate that two collocations, ~no desu ga and ~no deshou ka, play important roles in serving these functions in the genre of question-and-answer forums.
ContributorsAlvillar, Satomi Noelle (Author) / Tanno, Koji (Thesis director) / Shimomura, Tomoko (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
As my year abroad in France was vastly approaching, it became apparent that the accessibility of certain resources would prove beneficial in the pursuit of my honors thesis in French. Thus, even before my departure it was decided that I would focus on the French texting language. While the specifics were not yet fully developed, it was certain that the subject was relevant as the use of communication technologies were becoming more prevalent amongst younger generations. Upon my arrival in Lyon, the objective of my thesis was realized as I began to slowly understand the descriptive nuances of both spoken French and the ever-changing texting language. As a language student, it felt necessary to understand and analyze both the prescriptive and descriptive facets of the French language, including those of the text shorthand. Therefore, it was my intention to learn the vocabulary and linguistic traits that were most frequented in this distinct jargon, not solely for myself, but also for my fellow students of French. This task was accomplished by reading and recording the text messages from ten native speakers. These texts were then compiled into a proper corpus, which was primarily used as the resource for the further applied projects I wished to create. Given this research, a type of dictionary was organized from the words that I found to be most exemplary of the French texting language. In addition, an analysis was also written concerning the common linguistics traits found in the corpus. It was my intent to provide the students of Arizona State University with relevant resources that could assist in the immersion process during or before their study abroad experience. In pursuit of any language, it seems that it is integral to maintain a sense of understanding of all common elements of a language, as they are constantly evolving. Thus, it was important for me in my attempt to master French that I understood all the nuances of the vernacular that were being used by the native speakers.
ContributorsMarquez, Monique Evangeline (Author) / Bahtchevanova, Mariana (Thesis director) / Danton, Naomi (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
The rise of Italian in Sicily contrasts with a fierce regional pride that makes it difficult to determine the possible fate of Sicilian. This project focuses on a sociolinguistic analysis of the dialect of Sicilian spoken in and around Catania, Sicily. While there are programs in place to protect the language, the institutionalization of Italian in Sicily may be encroaching on Sicilian's use, especially with younger generations. The lure of the more industrialized North creates a culture of immigration in Sicily, which increasingly rewards the use of Italian. Using information from background research, a survey analyzing sociolinguistic factors and the individual's fluency in and use of Sicilian was created. The data from the survey showed that while understanding of Sicilian was fairly universal among participants, an individual's use and proficiency in Sicilian were most influenced by age and current place of residence (inside or outside Sicily). Younger people tended to know and use Sicilian less, and older participants tended to be more confident in their abilities and to use Sicilian more often. This is slightly complicated by an additional trend among participants currently living outside of Sicily towards a lower level of use and knowledge of Sicilian. All participants placed a significant emphasis on maintaining the ability to speak Sicilian, and on Sicilian language as an integral part of Sicilian culture.
ContributorsScaduto, Leah Christine (Author) / Dal Martello, Chiara (Thesis director) / Adams, Karen (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
With an increasing global interest in Chinese economics and society, more and more native English speakers have started to learn Chinese as a second language (L2). While English and Chinese share a similar word order at the syntactic level, they differ significantly in ways to keep track of reference at the discourse level. There are generally three ways to keep track of reference: repeating the full noun phrase (NP), replacing the full NP with a lexical pronoun, or omitting the NP using zero anaphora. Chinese, a topic-prominent language, allows a wide use of zero anaphora to maintain reference; whereas English, a subject-prominent language, allows only a limited use of zero anaphora. Due to this difference, Chinese as a second language learners whose native language is English (CSL learners), must learn to implement the use of zero anaphora more frequently in their Chinese discourse. The purpose of this study is to investigate how CSL learners keep track of reference using zero anaphora. It is hypothesized that CSL learners at intermediate proficiency level would display a transfer effect from English to Chinese in their Chinese discourse. Specifically, they would produce fewer zero anaphora than native Chinese speakers, and they would also tend to consider discourse with many uses of zero anaphora for reference tracking as less appropriate. To test the hypothesis, a story-retelling task and multiple-choice questions task were adopted. The results of both tasks supported the hypothesis. Meanwhile, it is also evident that the CSL learners have acquired some usage of zero anaphora in their Chinese discourse as the usage of zero anaphora was more frequent when speaking Chinese than English.
ContributorsTang, Tianyu (Co-author) / Abdulla, Farzana (Co-author) / Chien, Jasmine (Co-author) / Zhang, Xia (Thesis director) / Bahtchevanova, Mariana (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
This work aims to give the general public a unique insight into French urban culture through my experience while living and filming a personal documentary in Lyon, France. The goal of the project is to examine and consequently describe what this culture consists of while comparing and contrasting it to our own urban culture. The work depicts the creators and performers of the culture as well as its audience, which differs from our own here in the U.S in part thanks to France's efficient public transportation system, used by people from every social class. Immersing myself in this fascinating world truly helped me get through to the heart of the French people and artists that make up the urban culture in Lyon. Observing performances and daily practices while digging deep into each artist's story allowed me to unravel the identity of this culture one person at a time.
ContributorsGradilla, Cesar Uriel (Author) / Bahtchevanova, Mariana (Thesis director) / Chabaud, Aurélie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
The importance of second language learning in today’s ever-increasing globalized world is becoming ever more paramount. Despite seeming trends which indicate aversion to globalization, the international phenomenon which describes the connection made between peoples and cultures, will only increase its influence in coming years. With the advances globalization has made, it is becoming more important to learn and study foreign languages in order to keep abreast of this trend and not be left behind by globalization. Why electronic translation is not so viable in the long run (at least currently) is that culture and syntax are not things which can be simply ascertained via mediums such as application use. Due to the fact that advanced language proficiency is considered to be an integral piece towards stronger sentiments of “integration” (i.e. Syrian refugees integrating into EU and US) it is of more importance that increasing second language proficiency receives the adequate study and implementation to reflect a more cohesive globalized world. Accompanying this necessity is the simple fact that adult second language learners often struggle to overcome difficulty to the challenging yet rewarding task of learning and eventually mastering a second language.
To truly understand the difficulty some adult second language learners have with learning a second language it can be helpful to compare second language acquisition to how one naturally, and seemingly effortlessly in many cases, acquires their native language. How can a comparative analysis of how native speakers and adult second language learners each learn their first and second language respectively be successfully converted to a specific means of assisting adult second language learners achieve the highest level of possible fluency? In order to more accurately propose a viable solution to the overarching question, the following three questions have been proposed as a means to springboard into better understanding the nature of the main topic.
The points to consider while analyzing the main question throughout this analysis are as follows: How would it be best for an adult second language learner to achieve the same level off proficiency as a native speaker of a given language whom has been exposed to all of its intricacies since birth? At what point exactly is someone considered to have the same level of proficiency which a native speaker of a given language would have and how does that differ from being a heritage speaker? With the final supporting question being: What type of learning would be best suited in helping a heritage speaker (someone who learns a language in the home by virtue of their heritage) or adult second language learner to become highly proficient in a second language?
In order to propose a wide variety of integration between these questions with the conjoined purpose of answering the inquiry of this thesis, many different sources supporting each of the above questions will contain certain overlap, providing a clear basis for constructing a tri-fold argument in answering the thesis question as acutely as possible. In regards to the first question, the question of “proficiency” will be a subsection committed to understanding the nature of how language proficiency works and at what point (if ever) one can ever be considered “highly proficient” in a second language.
All three exploratory questions are compatible with a theory known as Critical Period Theory, a theory in linguistics proposed by Montreal neurologist Wilder Penfield, which states, “There is a critical age, before puberty, that one must learn language. If one has not learned to speak before puberty it is much more difficult, and sometimes impossible, to learn language and speak in a meaningful way.” The overlap which this method binds to Universal Grammar is a rather close-knit relationship. Research composed by certain linguists suggest that “children are born with a certain universal grammar wired into their brains.” This will be compared and cross-examined to a higher degree in a later section of the paper.
The importance of Universal Grammar in relation to Critical Period Theory cannot be overstated. Universal Grammar in relation to the second language Critical Period Theory will help explain at which point, someone is considered to be a “native speaker” of a given language. The third question posed of how would it be best for heritage and second language learners to increase their proficiency in a second language really touches on both of these theories in regards to at which age someone is exposed to a specific language in addition to how Universal Grammar affects the development of second language acquisition. In the realm of perpetually working towards mitigating an answer to this analysis’s thesis, the connecting thread or “roter Faden”, as it is said in German, will be the integrative domain the above questions will have on arriving to a clearer understanding of the nature of how a comparative analysis of second language learners and mother-tongue speakers can expedite the language learning process of second language learners, using techniques of native speakers which they inherently pick-up.
To truly understand the difficulty some adult second language learners have with learning a second language it can be helpful to compare second language acquisition to how one naturally, and seemingly effortlessly in many cases, acquires their native language. How can a comparative analysis of how native speakers and adult second language learners each learn their first and second language respectively be successfully converted to a specific means of assisting adult second language learners achieve the highest level of possible fluency? In order to more accurately propose a viable solution to the overarching question, the following three questions have been proposed as a means to springboard into better understanding the nature of the main topic.
The points to consider while analyzing the main question throughout this analysis are as follows: How would it be best for an adult second language learner to achieve the same level off proficiency as a native speaker of a given language whom has been exposed to all of its intricacies since birth? At what point exactly is someone considered to have the same level of proficiency which a native speaker of a given language would have and how does that differ from being a heritage speaker? With the final supporting question being: What type of learning would be best suited in helping a heritage speaker (someone who learns a language in the home by virtue of their heritage) or adult second language learner to become highly proficient in a second language?
In order to propose a wide variety of integration between these questions with the conjoined purpose of answering the inquiry of this thesis, many different sources supporting each of the above questions will contain certain overlap, providing a clear basis for constructing a tri-fold argument in answering the thesis question as acutely as possible. In regards to the first question, the question of “proficiency” will be a subsection committed to understanding the nature of how language proficiency works and at what point (if ever) one can ever be considered “highly proficient” in a second language.
All three exploratory questions are compatible with a theory known as Critical Period Theory, a theory in linguistics proposed by Montreal neurologist Wilder Penfield, which states, “There is a critical age, before puberty, that one must learn language. If one has not learned to speak before puberty it is much more difficult, and sometimes impossible, to learn language and speak in a meaningful way.” The overlap which this method binds to Universal Grammar is a rather close-knit relationship. Research composed by certain linguists suggest that “children are born with a certain universal grammar wired into their brains.” This will be compared and cross-examined to a higher degree in a later section of the paper.
The importance of Universal Grammar in relation to Critical Period Theory cannot be overstated. Universal Grammar in relation to the second language Critical Period Theory will help explain at which point, someone is considered to be a “native speaker” of a given language. The third question posed of how would it be best for heritage and second language learners to increase their proficiency in a second language really touches on both of these theories in regards to at which age someone is exposed to a specific language in addition to how Universal Grammar affects the development of second language acquisition. In the realm of perpetually working towards mitigating an answer to this analysis’s thesis, the connecting thread or “roter Faden”, as it is said in German, will be the integrative domain the above questions will have on arriving to a clearer understanding of the nature of how a comparative analysis of second language learners and mother-tongue speakers can expedite the language learning process of second language learners, using techniques of native speakers which they inherently pick-up.
ContributorsRoselius, Thomas Jacob (Author) / Lee, Sara (Thesis director) / Reves, Christiane (Committee member) / College of Public Service and Community Solutions (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
DescriptionThis project explored the creation of a video game to be used as a tool to enhance the process of French language learning. The work on the project was divided into three different phases that were tackled individually: a research phase, a development phase, and a content-creation phase.
ContributorsDebeurre, Nicholas Harrison (Co-author) / Dommata, Samhith (Co-author) / James, Jovin (Co-author) / Khan, Faiz (Co-author) / Bahtchevanova, Mariana (Thesis director) / Winter, Marie (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Rabaul Creole German is a language that developed in the early twentieth century in Papua New Guinea, as a mixture of German and languages of the environment such as Tok Pisin and Kuanua. Children at a Catholic mission and orphanage were taught in German but it was not their native tongue; they developed a secret language that applied German vocabulary to their own syntax. As they grew up and married amongst themselves, their children learned the new language as native speakers; thus the creole was born. This project involved researching and becoming familiar with the language, familiar enough to apply the knowledge to translate a fairy tale from German into Rabaul Creole German.
ContributorsShear, Erin Julie (Author) / Alexander, John (Thesis director) / Horwath, Peter (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
George Sand (née Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, 1804 – 1876) was one of the most celebrated French authors of her time and remains to this day a central figure in French literary history. She produced throughout her lifetime an extraordinarily broad body of literary works, including short stories, novels, periodicals, newspaper articles, political commentaries, and even plays. One of her most well-known works, and her first novel published under her male pseudonym, was Indiana, which recounts the rise and fall of a young bourgeoise trapped in a loveless marriage, while also touching on the political climate of the age. Indiana was remarkably successful and popular when it was published and catapulted Sand to fame as she became a full-time writer who supported her family and lifestyle purely from sales of her works. The success of Indiana and many other of her works prompted a re-release of her body of works in nine volumes, titled Les Œuvres illustrées de George Sand. The volume studied in this thesis contains seventy-seven engraved illustrations of various scenes from each text. The engravings were produced by the very famous French artist and illustrator Tony Johannot with the help of Sand’s own son, Maurice Sand. Johannot was very well-known during his career and produced engravings for the biggest names in European literature such as Molière, Lord Byron, Cervantes, Goethe, Balzac, and others, including Sand.
In these books, illustrations were distributed throughout the text so the reader could visualize many of the storyline’s scenes. The authors themselves, however, did not oversee or produce these images, so it was at the discretion of the illustrator as to how each character, setting, facial expression, motif, etc. would be drawn. Sand was well-known for being avant-garde, progressive, independent, and, notably, female. Her opinions understandably clashed with many of the stereotypical views of the 19th century on many topics, particularly when it came to the treatment of women. By contrast, Johannot was a very well-respected and successful male artist with solid connections with influential publishers, who catered to a specific audience of well-off and well-educated buyers. The buyers of his works, particularly of his illustrated texts, were often parents of the upper middle class who wanted books to be used as gifts providing not only entertainment but also instruction and moral life lessons to their children. Johannot’s interpretations of Sand’s Indiana, which was considered scandalous and controversial upon its release, could therefore shift some of the most controversial aspects of the novel from what Sand originally intended. There are many reasons as to why Johannot might make certain interpretations of the text. He likely wanted to maintain his status as a successful author and please his audience, typically middle and upper middle-class, wealthy, and bourgeois literate patrons who educated themselves and their children by exposing themselves to books and works of art, as was traditional at the time. Additionally, his fundamental personal opinions as a successful business man might differ from Sand’s opinions as a female author, as traditional gendered roles and stereotypes often prevented the financial and societal independence of women.
This thesis will compare Johannot’s images created for Indiana with Sand’s original French text. In doing so, the reader can gain an understanding of how social status and personal interpretations can affect the way an artist represents a scene. Many of Johannot’s images agree with Sand, while others do not; some of the main similarities and differences will be analyzed to understand how and why such artistic differences occur.
In these books, illustrations were distributed throughout the text so the reader could visualize many of the storyline’s scenes. The authors themselves, however, did not oversee or produce these images, so it was at the discretion of the illustrator as to how each character, setting, facial expression, motif, etc. would be drawn. Sand was well-known for being avant-garde, progressive, independent, and, notably, female. Her opinions understandably clashed with many of the stereotypical views of the 19th century on many topics, particularly when it came to the treatment of women. By contrast, Johannot was a very well-respected and successful male artist with solid connections with influential publishers, who catered to a specific audience of well-off and well-educated buyers. The buyers of his works, particularly of his illustrated texts, were often parents of the upper middle class who wanted books to be used as gifts providing not only entertainment but also instruction and moral life lessons to their children. Johannot’s interpretations of Sand’s Indiana, which was considered scandalous and controversial upon its release, could therefore shift some of the most controversial aspects of the novel from what Sand originally intended. There are many reasons as to why Johannot might make certain interpretations of the text. He likely wanted to maintain his status as a successful author and please his audience, typically middle and upper middle-class, wealthy, and bourgeois literate patrons who educated themselves and their children by exposing themselves to books and works of art, as was traditional at the time. Additionally, his fundamental personal opinions as a successful business man might differ from Sand’s opinions as a female author, as traditional gendered roles and stereotypes often prevented the financial and societal independence of women.
This thesis will compare Johannot’s images created for Indiana with Sand’s original French text. In doing so, the reader can gain an understanding of how social status and personal interpretations can affect the way an artist represents a scene. Many of Johannot’s images agree with Sand, while others do not; some of the main similarities and differences will be analyzed to understand how and why such artistic differences occur.
ContributorsDebeurre, Marielle Prescott (Author) / Canovas, Frédéric (Thesis director) / Fleming, Barbara (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
A situation of language contact on the Uruguayan-Brazilian border has created a unique opportunity to study variant usage with respect to the phoneme /b/. Following past research models, the thesis analyzes the social and linguistic effects of contact bilingualism on the border variety of Spanish using acoustic phonetics. The intervocalic /b/ was the target variant in the study. Analysis was performed on the speech tokens of 20 speakers living on the Uruguayan-Brazilian border using the phonetics software Praat, and from the tokens the consonant-vowel intensity ratio of each intervocalic /b/ was determined in order to characterize the variant. The tokens were classified as one of four possible variants, [b], [v], [β], or phonetic zero. The thesis found that cognate status, normative Spanish orthography, and professional status were the significant predictors of variant usage.
ContributorsEngelhardt, Julie Karyn (Author) / Gradoville, Michael (Thesis director) / Cerron-Palomino, Alvaro (Committee member) / Waltermire, Mark (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12