Matching Items (9)
Filtering by
- Creators: Adams, Karen
- Creators: Computer Science and Engineering Program
Description
The nature of imperative syntax has remained an elusive, yet ever-present, subject in syntactic research, spanning several decades of linguistic inquiry and analysis, and it is therefore unsurprising that current views on the subject continue to be somewhat divided. This thesis examines the syntactic evidence from imperatives in Old English and ultimately seeks to develop a picture of the possibilities for imperative clauses in OE alongside an overall framework for imperative syntax within contemporary theoretical models of syntactic structure. The general, perceived pattern for OE imperative clauses (e.g. Millward 1971) is “verb−first,” and statistical data from the corpora confirm this perception, with the majority of imperative clauses exhibiting the verb in clause−initial position. Imperative constructions with post− and preverbal overt subjects are also examined at length, and postverbal subjects are found to be the majority case. These results are further expanded by examinations of data from verb−second and verb−third contexts, which include possibilities for topicalized constituents and adverbs. Ultimately, the relative position of both the verb and the subject and the relationship between these and other elements in the totality of the data provide essential clues for constructing a clearer model of OE imperative syntax. Within a relatively rich cartographic framework (Rizzi 1997), I therefore argue that the imperative verb is standardly fronted to the head of ForceP, with the overt subject remaining in spec−FinP, in parallel with other models for imperative syntax and OE syntax. Exceptions to this pattern for imperatives which suggest lower positions for the imperative verb (e.g. verb−second and verb−third constructions) are also accounted for, all with the central goal of demonstrating a consistent pattern underlying the realization of imperative syntax in Old English.
ContributorsKruger, William Wriley (Author) / Gelderen, Elly van (Thesis advisor) / Adams, Karen (Committee member) / Major, Roy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
In this thesis, I conduct a preliminary analysis of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham's travel manual-cum-propaganda ebook Hijrah to the Islamic State, which has been used by people from various parts of the world attempting to enter Syria and join the terrorist organization. Using techniques from discourse and propaganda analysis I examine how the author of the text uses discursive resources to construct the reader of the text, the author's expectations for the reader, and the act of traveling to Syria. I then use news articles from varying organizations as well as the Islamic State-produced periodical magazine Dabiq to locate the document within the context of Islamic State affairs and propaganda. Subsequently, I show that the use of discursive resources is consistent with the ethos espoused in Dabiq, and in addition to serving as a guide to entering Syria Hijrah to the Islamic State is also a soft introduction into the radical belief systems of the terrorist group itself.
ContributorsDelmonico, Edward Peter (Author) / Prior, Matthew (Thesis director) / Adams, Karen (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Education in computer science is a difficult endeavor, with learning a new programing language being a barrier to entry, especially for college freshman and high school students. Learning a first programming language requires understanding the syntax of the language, the algorithms to use, and any additional complexities the language carries. Often times this becomes a deterrent from learning computer science at all. Especially in high school, students may not want to spend a year or more simply learning the syntax of a programming language. In order to overcome these issues, as well as to mitigate the issues caused by Microsoft discontinuing their Visual Programming Language (VPL), we have decided to implement a new VPL, ASU-VPL, based on Microsoft's VPL. ASU-VPL provides an environment where users can focus on algorithms and worry less about syntactic issues. ASU-VPL was built with the concepts of Robot as a Service and workflow based development in mind. As such, ASU-VPL is designed with the intention of allowing web services to be added to the toolbox (e.g. WSDL and REST services). ASU-VPL has strong support for multithreaded operations, including event driven development, and is built with Microsoft VPL users in mind. It provides support for many different robots, including Lego's third generation robots, i.e. EV3, and any open platform robots. To demonstrate the capabilities of ASU-VPL, this paper details the creation of an Intel Edison based robot and the use of ASU-VPL for programming both the Intel based robot and an EV3 robot. This paper will also discuss differences between ASU-VPL and Microsoft VPL as well as differences between developing for the EV3 and for an open platform robot.
ContributorsDe Luca, Gennaro (Author) / Chen, Yinong (Thesis director) / Cheng, Calvin (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
Description
Social media is explosively popular in discussing socio-political issues. This work provides a preliminary study on how polarization occurs online. Chapter I begins by introducing limitations of the internet in maintaining a free flow of information. Not only do users seek out groups of like-minded individuals and insulate themselves from opposing views, social media platforms algorithmically curate content such that it will be in line with a user’s preconceived notions of the world. The work then defines polarization and carefully discusses its most prominent causes. It then shifts focus to analyze a closely-related issue regarding political discourse: outrage, which is both a noticeable effect of and further cause of polarization. It is clearly prevalent in traditional media, but for completion, I provide a case study to measure its incidence in social media. In Chapter II, I scrutinize the language used in the #MeToo movement on Twitter and draw conclusions about the issues Twitter users focus on and how they express their views. This chapter details the method I used, the challenges I faced in designing the exploratory study, and the results I found. I benchmark patterns I find in the Twitterverse against those I find in The Wall Street Journal. The analysis relies upon the metric of word similarity, based on proximity of and frequency of words used together, to make distinctions about what users are most commonly saying with respect to given topics, or keywords. Chapter III closes the essay with conclusions of socio-political polarization, discourse, and outrage in social media. Finally, the essay outlines potential channels for future work.
ContributorsJain, Niharika (Author) / Simhony, Avital (Thesis director) / Lewis, Paul (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
This project serves as an extra learning tool for students enrolled in HEB 101 (Hebrew) at Arizona State University. This tool was developed using Axure Prototyping Software and can be used by anyone. The tool follows the HEB 101 course curriculum which also works alongside the textbook for the class (Hebrew From Scratch part 1). The tool fully covers the seven units that students learn in HEB 101. Each unit follows a standard structure. There is a unit title page which lays out the major concepts covered in the unit (i.e. personal pronouns, question words, prepositions, etc.) and links to different pages within the unit. Each unit has seven to ten lesson pages which introduce Hebrew concepts and provide exercises and examples to help the students practice the material they learned both in class and in the tool. Each unit also has links to Quizlet pages that have the units' vocab set up in a flashcard format so that they can study for upcoming quizzes and exams in the class. The Quizlet page for each unit also provides a randomly generated vocab quiz for the students. There is also a unit quiz for every unit which tests the students on the major concepts of the unit. There are also unit vocab pages that provide all the vocab covered in the unit. This tool provides students with numerous ways of practicing and mastering the material covered in the lectures. The main benefit of this tool for students is that it provides audio files for each vocabulary word learned in HEB 101 which will allow them to have quick access to the pronunciation of the words they are learning. This tool will be used in future HEB 101 classes.
ContributorsOsuna, Esteban Rene (Author) / Shemer, Judith (Thesis director) / Mirguet, Francoise (Committee member) / Computing and Informatics Program (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Modern curriculum requires students to purchase expensive handheld calculators, which has created a market with little competition or incentive for improvement. The purpose of this project was to create a competitive free alternative to be used outside the classroom for those who do not have the economic stability to purchase, for example, a TI-82, which costs approximately $100. Calculat3d is an Android application that matches the general-purpose functionality of the TI-82, including calculations, basic statistical functions, graphing, and creating programs. Additionally, a programming language and interpreter were created so programs can be written inside Calculat3d and be used alongside calculations, thus expanding the functionality of the calculator. Graphing functionality is also included in Calculat3d but expanded to three dimensions as opposed to the two-dimension limited TI calculator.
ContributorsEverhart, Ryan Matthew (Author) / Hansford, Dianne (Thesis director) / Bazzi, Rida (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This research consists of an eye-tracking study examining the efficacy of eye gaze indexing (EGIX) in manipulating viewer eye gaze and enhancing second language (L2) fingerspelling comprehension in American Sign Language (ASL) through a controlled laboratory experiment. The study consisted of two groups and two conditions, EGIX+/EGIX- to test the effect of EGIX on participant eye gaze (EG) behaviors and fingerspelling comprehension using eye-tracking software and a comprehension quiz. The results indicate that participant EG was the same regardless of whether the signer used EGIX.The results also indicated that participant comprehension scores were the same regardless of whether the model used EGIX. Several statistical analyses of comprehension and EG metrics found that as hand fixation duration, mouth fixation duration, number of hand fixations, and number of mouth revisits increased, comprehension performance decreased. On the other hand, the Area of Interest metrics did not affect performance or only revealed weak trends.
The decreases in comprehension may highlight that the students who struggled with comprehension looked more and longer at the mouth and hand as coping strategies to try to glean additional information from mouth grammar or that they were struggling to identify each letter handshape, rather than a causal relationship with EGIX.
Word length effect on comprehension was statistically significant, though varied by word length. Importantly, constraints from name origin may have played a role in the distribution of the comprehension decrease since words of Greek origins cause greater statistically significant reductions in performance.
The qualitative results show that students have a keen awareness of where they look while viewing signed videos. Noticing and perceived helpfulness did not show statistically significant impacts on performance universally. However, some students who reported noticing and reported the EGIX+ as helpful increased their score by 10% or higher on the mean comprehension of EGIX+ words.
The pedagogical takeaway is that the benefits of using EGIX to help novice to intermediate signers with fingerspelling comprehension are inconclusive. EGIX+ may provide substantial benefits for some individuals, but the effects are not generalizable.
ContributorsCheloha, Hannah Jo (Author) / Smith, Bryan (Thesis advisor) / Emmorey, Karen (Committee member) / Adams, Karen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
The steady influx of Venezuelan immigrants to the United States has resulted in the creation of a close-knit community of these immigrants in the city of Doral, Florida, now nicknamed Doralzuela given the strong imprint Venezuelan have left in this city. This study aimed at gaining understanding on how the process of immigration and settlement in the context has affected Venezuelan immigrants’ identity, their perception and use of English and Spanish in daily interactions, and how, or if, their bonds with the home country has affected their incorporation to the host society. The study followed a qualitative design. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed following Riessman’s (2008) notion of dialogic narrative analysis. Six themes emerged from the data; (re)configuration of the self, the role of social networks, negotiating identity through language, issues of assimilation, transnational identity, and Doralzuela, the new Venezuela. These themes were discussed, and multiple and distinct views on each theme were identified.
ContributorsRomero Pino, Blanca Esther (Author) / Adams, Karen (Thesis advisor) / Warriner, Doris (Committee member) / Prior, Matthew (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
This thesis offers a contrastive analysis of the causative alternation phenomenon in English and Standard Arabic variety. This phenomenon has received a lot of attention in the literature on argument structure. It has traditionally been presented in terms of the causativization of inchoative verbs/unaccusatives. It is argued here that this analysis conflicts with the way the causative alternation is molded in Arabic. Causative alternation in Arabic is not only limited to inchoative verbs, but it incorporates unergative verbs as well, which play a vital role in this alternation. The implication of this observation is that the different syntactic behaviors between English and Arabic may reflect people’s different perception of events and lead to different syntactic computation. Therefore, this thesis highlights the role of this subset of intransitives/anti-causatives in the Arabic causative alternation and answers one of the highly considered questions on the causative alternation; that is, which version of the alternation is the lexical base, and which one is derived? This thesis also reveals that there is some significant difference between English and Arabic in terms of the alternatability of unaccusative verbs. Therefore, this study shows that most of the Arabic unaccusative verbs, except denominal verbs, have a causative alternant. This thesis also addresses the vital role of the Arabic verbal template in clarifying this phenomenon. In sum, this thesis provides an overview of the semantic, syntactic, and morphological properties of Arabic verbs undergoing the causative alternation. Besides employing the researcher’s native-speaker intuition, the English/Arabic Lexicon Dictionary and Arabicorpora are consulted to support the validity of the argument.
ContributorsAl-qadi, Mona (Author) / Gelderen, Elly v. (Thesis advisor) / Adams, Karen (Committee member) / Pruitt, Kathryn (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015