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Linguistic Features (linguistic + feature)
Selected AbstractsLinguistic Features in Eukaryotic GenomesCOMPLEXITY, Issue 4 2002Panagiotis A. Tsonis No abstract is available for this article. [source] Development of the Spanish Subjunctive by Advanced Learners: Study Abroad Followed by At-Home InstructionFOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 2 2007Article first published online: 31 DEC 200, Casilde A. Isabelli This study investigates whether or not abstract-level linguistic features, not successfully acquired abroad, will be acquired once the advanced language learner returns from a study abroad program and is exposed to linguistic instruction. The goal of the study was to measure the development of the Spanish subjunctive in adverbial clauses collected via oral interviews among 24 learners who were exposed to advanced subjunctive instruction upon returning from a study abroad program, and to compare them to 19 learners who were exposed to advanced subjunctive instruction without ever having studied abroad. The results show a positive effect on the development of the Spanish subjunctive with linguistic instruction. However, those who had previous study abroad experience benefited even more from this instruction in that they produced more complex subjunctive-related structures. [source] Gender differences in young children's speech: the acquisition of sociolinguistic competenceINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS, Issue 2 2003Hans J. Ladegaard Many sociolinguistic studies have found that female speakers prefer standard speech forms while male speakers prefer vernacular forms. This article addresses two questions: (1) when does this split between male and female language occur in the language of young children; and (2) how do little boys and girls come to prefer linguistic features which are predominant in the language of adults? Two hypotheses accounting for the mechanisms of transmission are presented , the frequency hypothesis and the role-model hypothesis , and data from a study of Danish children's acquisition of past-tense morphology is presented. The study found gender differences in the past-tense morphology of the 4-, 6- and 8-year-old participants, and it is argued that the role-model hypothesis would most adequately explain these differences. Furthermore, it is argued that early institutionalisation of children in Denmark may lead to increased peer group influence and help explain why gender differences occur at an earlier age compared to studies from the UK and the USA. [source] The effectiveness of two form-focused tasks in advanced EFL pedagogyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS, Issue 2 2002María Del Pilar García Mayo Recent research on second language pedagogy advocates the use of form-focused tasks which require learners to produce output collaboratively. This article reports on the results of a study carried out with high-intermediate/advanced EFL learners who completed two form-focused tasks (a dictogloss and a text reconstruction) collaboratively. The learners' interaction in both tasks was codified and language-related episodes (LREs) identified. Results indicate that (i) learners' attention to form was task-dependent; (ii) the linguistic features of concern were those targeted by the tasks in the case of text-reconstruction, and (iii) high-intermediate/advanced learners provide no justification for most of the decisions concerning LREs. The results are considered in the light of current claims about the need for classroom teachers and researchers to carefully consider the choice of task and how learners interpret and complete it. [source] Fantasy proneness as a confounder of verbal lie detection toolsJOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND OFFENDER PROFILING, Issue 3 2010Karen Schelleman-Offermans Abstract This study investigated whether high fantasy-prone individuals have superior storytelling abilities. It also explored whether this trait is related to specific linguistic features (i.e. self-references, cognitive complexity, and emotional words). Participants high (n = 30) and low (n = 30) on a fantasy proneness scale were instructed to write down a true and a fabricated story about an aversive situation in which they had been the victim. Stories were then examined using two verbal lie detection approaches: criteria-based content analysis (CBCA) and linguistic inquiry and word count (LIWC). Irrespective of the truth status of the stories, independent observers rated stories of high fantasy-prone individuals as being richer in all nine CBCA elements than those of low fantasy-prone individuals. Furthermore, overall, high fantasy-prone people used more self-references in their stories compared with low fantasy-prone individuals. High fantasy prones' fabricated stories scored higher on various truth indices than authentic stories of low fantasy prones. Thus, high fantasy-prone people are good in creating a sense of authenticity, even when they fabricate stories. Forensic experts should bear this in mind when they employ verbal lie detection tools. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] "I Read the Nikkei, Too": Crafting Positions of Authority and Masculinity in a Japanese ConversationJOURNAL OF LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2006Cindi L. SturtzSreetharan This article investigates how Japanese men use terms of address and sentence-final particles to create ongoing positions of superiority, seniority, and masculinity in their conversations. Data are drawn from conversations by all-male groups who are speakers of the Hanshinkan dialect of western Japan. An examination of real linguistic practices shows deft use of multiple linguistic features, including first-person pronouns, address terms, and sentence-final particles, to carve out particular identities vis-à-vis specific interlocutors. These forms and their subsequent stances are interpreted by other speakers in ways that indicate their access to larger discourses of ideological gender and hierarchy relations. [source] The Political Production of a LanguageJOURNAL OF LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Tony Crowley The assertion that a language is a dialect with an army and a navydraws attention to the fact that the distinction between the two is more likely to be based on political imperatives rather than linguistic features. The aim of this article is to examine a specific example of a form of language, Ulster-Scots, whose status varies between dialect and language. It will be argued that in the context of contemporary Northern Ireland, the distinction has serious political consequences in relation to identity, rights, and the possibilities for a settlement to a deep and extended conflict. [source] Phonation type as a stylistic variable: The use of falsetto in constructing a persona1JOURNAL OF SOCIOLINGUISTICS, Issue 4 2007Robert J. Podesva Although the field of sociolinguistics has witnessed a growing interest in the sociophonetic aspects of segmental and intonational variation, few studies have examined variation in voice quality. This paper addresses the gap by investigating the stylistic use of falsetto phonation. Focusing on the speech of Heath, a speaker exhibiting considerable cross-situational variation, I show that when attending a barbecue with friends, Heath's falsetto is more frequent, longer, and characterized by higher fundamental frequency (f0) levels and wider f0 ranges. Advancing recent approaches to variation which treat linguistic features as stylistic resources for constructing social meaning, I draw on an analysis of the discourse contexts in which falsetto appears to illustrate that the feature carries expressive connotations. This meaning is employed to construct a ,diva' persona and may also participate in building a gay identity. [source] Unexpected but authentic use of an ethnically,marked dialectJOURNAL OF SOCIOLINGUISTICS, Issue 4 2002Julie Sweetland Recent work on language crossing in the U.S. has examined the temporary appropriation of African American Vernacular English by white youth in an effort to participate in the current popularity and prestige of hip,hop culture, or in order to highlight racial boundaries. While such verbal behavior probably encompasses most white use of AAVE, it is not the only way in which whites (or other non,blacks) can use the variety. This paper presents a case study of the language of a 23 year old white female who makes consistent use of many distinctive linguistic features associated with AAVE. I argue that the interaction of ideologies of race, class, localness and language allow her to be considered an ingroup member despite her biographical race. This suggests that there is a tension between academic linguistic theory and actual speaker practice in assigning authenticity to individuals, and I conclude that language ideologies and other forms of qualitative evidence should be taken into account by sociolinguists looking at the link between language and race. [source] A hybrid approach to Web forum interactional coherence analysisJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 8 2008Tianjun Fu Despite the rapid growth of text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC), its limitations have rendered the media highly incoherent. This poses problems for content analysis of online discourse archives. Interactional coherence analysis (ICA) attempts to accurately identify and construct CMC interaction networks. In this study, we propose the Hybrid Interactional Coherence (HIC) algorithm for identification of web forum interaction. HIC utilizes a bevy of system and linguistic features, including message header information, quotations, direct address, and lexical relations. Furthermore, several similarity-based methods including a Lexical Match Algorithm (LMA) and a sliding window method are utilized to account for interactional idiosyncrasies. Experiments results on two web forums revealed that the proposed HIC algorithm significantly outperformed comparison techniques in terms of precision, recall, and F-measure at both the forum and thread levels. Additionally, an example was used to illustrate how the improved ICA results can facilitate enhanced social network and role analysis capabilities. [source] Exact Repetition as Input Enhancement in Second Language AcquisitionLANGUAGE LEARNING, Issue 3 2003Eva Dam Jensen This study reports on two experiments on input enhancement used to support learners' selection of focus of attention in second language listening material. Eighty-four upper intermediate learners of Spanish took part. The input consisted of video recordings of quasi-spontaneous dialogues between native speakers, in tests and treatment. Exact repetition and speech rate reduction were examined for their effect on comprehension, acquisition of decoding strategies, and linguistic features. Each of three groups listened to each utterance of the dialogue three times, in different speed combinations: fast-slow-fast, fast-slow-slow, fast-fast-fast, respectively. A fourth group served as a baseline and received no treatment. Comparisons of pretest and posttest scores showed significant effects for all three parameters. No difference with regard to effect could be established between treatment conditions. [source] | ||||||||||