Browsing by Subject "Spanish"
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Item Analysis of presupposition and relevance as mood choice predictors in Spanish Temer(se) clauses(2013-08) Cigarroa-Cooke, Noelia; Kelm, Orlando R., 1957-This report examines the dynamic mood alternation attested in fear emotive clauses, i.e. (Me) temo que mi hija sea/es anoréxica, 'I fear/am afraid my daughter (SUBJ/IND) is anorexic'. It does so by using data gathered in electronic sources, implementing two model analyses from the vast literature on the topic and presenting and analyzing the results. It then concludes which of the two chosen models better predicts and clarifies the mood alternation usage for this phrase. The two models come from Terrel and Hooper (1974; Model A) and Lunn (1989 and 1995; Model B). It is expected that one of the two analyses will better explain mood choice patterns for temer(se) expressions and, in future research, it may become a validated tool to explain mood variation in other comment clauses as well.Item An analysis of the relationship between English non-word repetition and morphosyntax in bilingual children(2016-05) Gutierrez, Analea Patricia; Bedore, Lisa M.; Peña, Elizabeth PThis study evaluates the relationship of between phonological short-term memory, as measured by a non-word repetition task (NWR), and the performance on morphosyntax language tasks, as assessed by grammatical priming and the Bilingual Spanish Assessment (BESA)/Bilingual English Spanish Assessment Middle Extension (BESAME) morphosyntax subtest in English. Sixty-nine Spanish-English first graders were selected from a previous study. A correlational analysis indicated there was no relationship between phonological short-term memory and performance on the BESA or the priming task. A moderate significant relationship occurred between the two morphosyntax tasks. The results imply that children may require a foundation of grammatical knowledge before they are able to benefit from grammatical priming. Performance on the BESA suggests that children’s ability to learn new grammatical forms was not dependent on their phonological short-term memory.Item Audience design and code-switching in Bayside, Texas(2009-12) Dahl, Kimberly Lynn; Crowhurst, Megan Jane; Hinrichs, LarsThis study casts the code-switching patterns observed among Spanish-English bilinguals in Bayside, Texas within the framework of Bell’s (1984) theory of audience design, which is claimed to apply to both monolingual style-shifting as well as bilingual code-switching. The latter part of this claim has been little explored. The intent of this study, then, is to determine if the explanatory power of audience design, as demon¬strated in studies on style-shifting, does indeed hold when applied to cases of language alternation. Analysis of the data from Bayside generally supports Bell’s theory as it shows speakers adjusting their use of Spanish and/or English to suit their audience. The study will highlight a less frequently analyzed aspect of Bell’s model, i.e., the role of the auditor, and will call for the auditor to be classified as a primary influencer of lin¬guistic choice in bilingual contexts, alongside the addressee. The code selection patterns exhibited by a pair of Bayside residents in a series of interviews and in conversations videotaped at the local general store will be com¬pared to illustrate the effects of addressee and auditor. A qualitative analysis will dem¬onstrate that differing determinations regarding the linguistic repertoires of the auditors led to contrasting linguistic choices on the part of the study’s subjects. The data collected will show that, when selecting a language of communication, as opposed to a register, style, or dialect, a speaker may be more greatly affected by an auditor than by the addressee. The methods used in collecting the data will also support an expan¬sion of Bell’s model to include an additional participant category suitable for capturing the effect of the recording device, as per Wertheim (2006).Item Ceramic analysis and interpretation from Presidio San Saba (41MN1) Menard, Texas(2009-08) Whitman, Lauren Elizabeth; Walter, Tamra L.; Houk, Brett A.Excavations at Presidio San Sabá have been underway in Menard, Texas from 2000 to 2007 by Texas Tech University and the Texas Archaeological Society. These excavations have provided a wealth of details about the lives of the soldiers who lived at this far northern outpost of New Spain from 1757 to 1772. By describing and analyzing the ceramic artifacts recovered at this site, it is possible to understand the lifeways of the men and women who lived at the fort. Ceramic analysis provides details about the use of rooms throughout the site as well as contributes to knowledge of trade and supply, as well as the material wealth of the soldiers and their families stationed here. The ceramics recovered from San Sabá are also compared to the assemblages from other contemporary presidios to better understand the supply issues that affected the fort.Item Conditioning variables at interfaces for Spanish pronominal subject expression : heritage language learners across proficiency levels(2012-05) Witte, Jennifer Lauren; Koike, Dale April; Toribio, Almeida JacquelineContributing to a more detailed understanding of heritage language (HL) learner levels of Spanish competence, this study examines the first-person singular Spanish pronominal subject expression by 17 HL learners across three levels of proficiency in oral interviews – as rated by modified ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines: intermediate (n = 3), intermediate-advanced (n = 4), and advanced (n = 10). Using a variationist approach, I analyze five conditioning variables (including discourse function and verb class) that have been found to affect pronominal expression in native speaker Spanish (Bentivoglio, 1980; Cameron, 1992, 1994; Cacoullos & Travis, 2010; Otheguy et al, 2007; Silva-Corvalán, 1989, 2001; Travis, 2005, 2007), as well as two additional variables (correct verbal inflection and presence of hesitation phenomena) seen in second language acquisition studies. Following theories of interface vulnerability (cf. Montrul, 2011b; Sorace, 2004, 2005; Sorace & Serratrice 1995), I hypothesized that the incremental development of sensitivity to conditioning variables would be reflective of the complexity of the interface at which the variable is conditioned. Based on previous studies of HL leaners (Montrul, 2004; Montrul & Rodríguez-Louro, 2006) and second language learners (Geeslin & Gudmestad, 2010a, Rothman, 2007a, 2007b, 2009), I predicted that the variables related to the more vulnerable and complex interface of syntax-discourse/pragmatics would be acquired only by the advanced proficiency group. My analysis indicated that HL pronominal expression is in free variation and unconstrained by any of the interface-related variables at the intermediate-advanced proficiency level. Neither the intermediate-advanced nor the advanced proficiency level HL leaners showed native-like sensitivity to variables conditioned at the syntax-discourse/pragmatic interface. Importantly, the only variable that was significant in first-person singular subject expression by HL leaners of all proficiency levels was the presence of hesitation phenomena. These results support the claim (Evans, 1985; Fehringer & Fry, 2007; Kormos, 1999; Riazantseva, 2001; van Hest 1996a, 1996b; Verhoeven, 1989) of a relationship between hesitation phenomena in oral speech and anxiety and increased processing demands while speaking the heritage language. Comparing the results across three proficiency levels, I analyze when and to what degree HL learners show sensitivity to these variables. The findings illustrate the benefits of extending the application of sociolinguistic methodology (specifically the comparative multivariable analysis and the stepwise logistic regression procedure) to HL and second language acquisition studies because it facilitates a fine-grained examination and comparison of leaners across proficiency levels.Item Dancing with Spanish words : teaching pragmatic awareness through speech acts(2013-05) Sallee, Ashley Nicole; Sardegna, Veronica G.This Report answers three questions: (a) Why is teaching pragmatic competence important? (b) What are the approaches to teaching pragmatic awareness? Specifically how do instructors teach Spanish requests?, and (c) What role does technology play in pragmatic awareness instruction? The first chapter explains why I chose to write my Report on developing pragmatic awareness through speech act instruction. Chapter two discusses development of pragmatic awareness. Chapter three and four address approaches to teaching pragmatic knowledge and technology’s role in pragmatic instruction. Chapter five proposes a lesson for an intermediate university Spanish class grounded on speech act theory. Materials and a rubric for classroom use accompany the lesson (Appendices A-C). The chapter concludes with a discussion of pedagogical challenges as well as pedagogical recommendations for teachers. Chapter six concludes the Report by answering my guiding questions succinctly, summarizing the pedagogical lesson proposed, and explaining the reasons why I think the lesson is a useful resource for teachers.Item Does culture moderate the relationship between awareness and internalization of Western ideals and the development of body dissatisfaction in women?(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Warren, Cortney SoderlindThe sociocultural model of eating disorders suggests that awareness of a thin physical ideal directly affects internalization of that ideal, which in turn, directly affects body dissatisfaction. The current study evaluated the general accuracy of the sociocultural model and examined the potential for ethnicity to protect against eating disorder symptomatology by moderating the relationships between awareness and internalization and between internalization and body dissatisfaction. Spanish (n = 100), Mexican American (n = 100), and Euro-American (n = 100) female participants completed various questionnaires measuring sociocultural attitudes towards appearance and body dissatisfaction. Analysis of covariance with tests of homogeneity of slope and path analysis using maximum likelihood with robust standard errors tested the two relationships by ethnic group. Results supported the sociocultural model: there was strong evidence for the mediational effect of internalization on the relationship between awareness and body dissatisfaction. Furthermore, ethnicity moderated the relationships such that both relationships were significantly stronger for Euro-American women than for Mexican American or Spanish women. Within the Mexican American group level of acculturation also moderated these relationships. Taken together, the results of this study highlight how ethnicity can protect against the development of eating disorder symptoms. Denouncing the thin ideal, minimizing appearance as an indicator of female value, and emphasizing personal traits other than appearance as determinants of worth are important in protecting against the development of body dissatisfaction and more severe eating pathology.Item El Mundo de Comida : the relative effectiveness of digital game feedback and classroom feedback in helping students learn Spanish food vocabulary(2014-12) Wendorf, Arthur Herman II; Koike, Dale AprilFeedback has been defined as “helpful information or criticism that is given to someone to say what can be done to improve a performance, product, etc.” (Merriam-Webster, 2014) Within the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) researchers have shown that language learners acquire languages best when they are provided with feedback (Gass & Selinker, 2008; Loewen, 2012). Because of the importance of feedback to the language learning process, there is an ongoing line of investigation that seeks to determine whether differences in how and when feedback is provided lead to different results in acquisition (Loewen, 2012). To date this research has primarily been focused on comparing the effectiveness of the different types of feedback that naturally occur within language classrooms, as identified by such classic studies as Lyster and Ranta (1997; Bargiela, 2003). However, there are other possible approaches to feedback than those that naturally occur within the language classroom. One of these alternatives is the approach to feedback used in digital games. Similar to what is found in the field of SLA, within the field of digital game research it has been established that feedback is important for successful learning (Schell, 2008). Nevertheless, to date no research has been conducted which compares the SLA approach to feedback and the digital game approach to feedback in order to determine which would lead to better language acquisition within a digital game. Answering this question is the goal of the present dissertation. In order to answer this question I created two versions of a digital game, called “Mundo de Comida” (MuCo) ‘World of Food’, which is designed to help novice Spanish learners acquire food vocabulary. One version of the game employs feedback strategies based on the most commonly employed feedback used in Spanish language classes, while the other uses feedback designed according to the most commonly used feedback mechanisms in commercial digital games. A comparison of the vocabulary gains according to feedback type allows us to see which type of feedback seems to help learners of Spanish acquire vocabulary within the context of MuCo. The findings indicate that MuCo does indeed help participants acquire food vocabulary. However, there is no significant difference in the effectiveness of the two different feedback types, which is likely due to the fact that both feedback types have been refined within their respective environments. Nevertheless, there is evidence to suggest that participants found the game that contained the digital game-style feedback to be more game-like than the other version. It was also found that, for several participants, MuCo did motivate them in the sense that they played more of the game than was required. Finally, there was no significant effect found for the participants’ self-reported gaming habits, personalities, or motivation. These findings suggest that well-designed digital games can help learners acquire Spanish vocabulary, and that the impact of differences among participants is negligible when the game is well designed.Item El teatro religioso popular en Nuevo Mexico: desarrollo y categorias(Texas Tech University, 1996-12) Guerra, EloyEl teatro, en sentido general, tiene una función doble: instruir y divertir. Al instruir, comunica mensajes sociales y sugiere posibles soluciones a los problemas que afectan a la sociedad. Al instruir, llega a la mente de les individuos y los convierte o convence respecte a determinadas ideas o acciones. Les diferentes tipos de teatro, como Agit-Prop o el Teatro Campesino per citar algunos, cumplen con les propósitos mencionados. El teatro religioso, históricamente, el más antiguo, o primer tipo de teatro en aparecer, tiene también les mismos dos propósitos o funciones: instruir y divertir.Item Emergence of comprehension of Spanish second language requests(2013-08) Sauveur, Robert Paul; Koike, Dale AprilThis dissertation examines the developmental trajectory of online processing toward second language (L2) pragmatic comprehension. This goal stems from two shortcomings of previous research: (1) approaching L2 pragmatics as the acquisition of discrete phenomena through progressive stages (see Kasper, 2009), and (2) focusing narrowly on production. Building upon previous L2 pragmatic comprehension work (Carrell, 1981; P. García, 2004; Taguchi, 2005, 2007, 2008a, 2008b, 2011a, 2011b; Takahashi & Roitblat, 1994), the current study investigates the development of L2 Spanish request speech act comprehension by native English-speaking adult learners. The analysis involves accuracy, comprehension speed and the relationship between the two dimensions across three levels of directness over a 13-week period. Previous research was informed by skill acquisition theories (Anderson & Lebiere, 1998) to account for increased accuracy and decreased speed over time. Here, further analysis is based on Complexity Theory / Dynamic Systems Theory (CT/DST) (Larsen-Freeman, 1997; Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008a; de Bot, Lowie, & Verspoor, 2007; Ellis, et al., 2009; Verspoor, de Bot, & Lowie, 2011) to account for the seemingly chaotic results often found in L2 research. The findings of the current study show significant overall improvement in accuracy and speed of Spanish request identification, and a moderate relationship between the two measures. However, the association between slower responses and higher accuracy in the current data contradicts skill acquisition theories. Rather, the theoretical framework of CT/DST provides a more authentic account of development. As such, the results indicate that the levels of request directness develop along distinct trajectories and timescales. Direct requests reflect higher accuracy and faster interpretation. While the most indirect level of requests shows the largest improvement in accuracy, the responses for these items are no faster at the end of the study than at the beginning. The development of conventionally indirect requests occupies a middle ground in terms of accuracy similar to direct requests and comprehension speed like implied items. Further findings reflect L2 pragmatic comprehension as a complex, dynamic system that emerges through the differential effects of predictor variables across measures and within sub-groups of participants based on proficiency improvement, motivation and response strategy.Item Error analysis of expressive analogy task in Spanish-English bilingual school age children with and without specific language impairment(2015-05) Moreno, Beverly; Peña, Elizabeth D.; Sheng, LiPurpose: The relational shift hypothesis (RSH) states that, as children age, the way in which they interpret analogies shifts from a focus on object similarities to relational aspects of objects. This study investigated the validity of the RSH by describing the error patterns of typically developing (TD), low normal (LN), and language impaired (LI) bilingual school-age children when completing an expressive analogy task in A:B::C:D format (e.g. good:bad::happy:_____) in English and Spanish. Method: Participants included a total of 49 Spanish-English bilingual children between the ages of 7;4 and 8; 9 (mean = 8; 1). Ten children were identified as LI, ten scored in the LN range, and 29 were TD. Children were administered English and Spanish versions of the item twice, initially during the second grade and once again approximately one year later. Responses were recorded verbatim and coded as correct (C), thematic/category error (THEM/CAT), wrong object, correct relationship error (WO-CR), unrelated error (UNREL), or repetition/no response (REP/NR). Results: A repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare children’s analogy scores by time, ability, and language. Results demonstrated significant differences for ability. Four chi square tests investigated the error patterns of TD, LN, and LI bilingual children in English and Spanish. We compared responses provided children by response type (C, THEM/CAT, WO-CR, UNREL, or REP/NR). Results from the Spanish analogical reasoning task indicated a decrease in THEM/CAT with age for the LN and TD children. Results from the English analogical reasoning task were inconsistent. Conclusions: Results provide partial support for the RSH in LN and TD children, but not in children with LI. This difference in error patterns may provide insight into the validity of the RSH in bilingual children with specific language impairment and typically developing second language learners.Item An experimental approach to phonetic transfer in the production and perception of early Spanish-Catalan bilinguals(2013-05) Amengual Watson, Marcos; Toribio, Almeida Jacqueline, 1963-; Bullock, Barbara E.This dissertation examines the production, perception and processing of the Catalan-specific mid-vowel categories (/e/-/[open-mid front unrounded vowel]/ and /o/-/[open-mid back rounded vowel]/) by early Spanish-Catalan bilinguals in Majorca (Spain). The analyses focus on the lexical as well as the segmental levels to analyze cognate effects in the production and lexical representations of these early bilinguals, and they explore how their production and perception abilities are related. This study provides evidence that early and highly proficient Spanish-Catalan bilinguals in Majorca maintain two independent phonetic categories in the Catalan mid-vowel space. The first significant finding is that production patterns in Majorca differ from those previously reported in Barcelona, as the Catalan mid-vowel contrasts are not merging into a single Spanish-like mid-vowel for either Catalan-dominants or Spanish-dominants. Additionally, these bilinguals are not 'deaf' to the Catalan-specific mid-vowel contrasts: both language dominance groups perceive the contrast between the Catalan mid-vowel categories despite the overlap with one phonetic category in Spanish. Even though Spanish-dominant bilinguals as a whole are indistinguishable from Catalan-dominant bilinguals in the perception and production tasks, they are found to have a higher error rate in the lexical decision task. The comparison of the acoustic properties of the target vowels in Catalan cognate and non-cognate experimental items reveals that the production of the mid-vowels is affected by cognate status, and that these cognate effects are also found in the word recognition of aurally presented stimuli. Finally, bilinguals who produced the mid-vowels with a smaller Euclidean distance are more likely than bilinguals who maintain a more robust contrast in their productions to have a higher error rate in the AXB discrimination and lexical decision tasks. The present study contributes to the discussion regarding the organization of early bilinguals' dominant and non-dominant phonetic systems, and implications are considered for cross-linguistic models of bilingual speech production and perception. It is proposed that the exemplar model of lexical representation (Bybee, 2001; Pierrehumbert, 2001) can be extended to include bilingual lexical connections that can account for the interactions between the phonetic and lexical levels of early bilingual individuals.Item Feedback for language learning exercises on Livemocha.com(2011-12) Allstrom, Grace Adelaide; Kelm, Orlando R., 1957-; Hughes, JoanThis report investigates the amount and types of feedback that are produced on the social language learning site Livemocha.com in response to learners’ written and oral productions. The data are 200 speaking and writing activity submissions with a total of 674 reviewer comments and 1,357 feedback tokens. Feedback is separated into 19 categories which take into account interpersonal communication as well as task-based and grammatical information. More than one-third of all feedback tokens consist of the reviewer encouraging, congratulating, or otherwise offering emotional support to the learner. This strongly indicates that Livemocha.com users are not solely focused on the mechanics of learning languages, but also are creating a welcoming community of practice.Item Greeting and leave-taking in Texas : perception of politeness norms by Mexican-Americans across sociolinguistic divides(2014-05) Michno, Jeffrey Alan; Koike, Dale AprilThe present study sheds light on how 16 Mexican-Americans residing in Texas perceive and follow politeness norms (e.g., Brown & Levinson, 1987; Fraser, 1990; Terkourafi, 2005) related to greetings and leave-takings in different cultural and linguistic contexts. Data from online questionnaires identify a significant difference in perceived level of social expectation (i.e. politeness) for employing the speech acts with Spanish- versus non-Spanish speakers. The data support previous research in identifying a sense of solidarity among Mexican-American extended families, but go further in suggesting that this bond extends to other Spanish-speaking acquaintances. Better understanding of these norms should facilitate inter-cultural exchanges between linguistic in- and out-group members.Item Hispanic cancer patients’ attitudes toward Internet cancer support groups(2009-12) Guevara, Enrique; Im, Eun-Ok; Brown, Sharon A., 1943-Previous studies suggest that the reasons that Hispanics do not use support groups might include utilizing the family as an informal support group structure, the use of spiritual support, language barriers, the lack of access to a computer and the Internet, the lack of face-to-face interactions in Internet groups, and the lack of cultural competence. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes of Hispanics toward Internet cancer support groups (ICSGs) and reasons for the lack of participation in ICSGs. In this feminist qualitative study, 30 Hispanic individuals who were receiving cancer care were contacted for telephone interviews. The participants were interviewed to obtain their responses to questions related to current use and interest in using ICSGs. The researcher used qualitative thematic analysis to analyze the data. Four major themes arose. They were the need for a strong social network, attitudes about information access, concrete barriers to obtaining support, and the need for respect and empowerment. The major theme of “a strong social network” includes five sub-themes: (a) differences in online and face-to-face communication; (b) loneliness, isolation; (c) existence or lack of familial support; (d) spiritual support; and (e) informal support. Participants had mixed attitudes about information access. Positive attitudes were more common and included wanting to learn about their disease and learn how to obtain information and support via computer. Some participants did not want to obtain information, and some had negative attitudes about learning to use the computer. Many participants did not own a computer and had transportation problems that limited their access to a computer. The theme involving the need for respect and empowerment addressed the empowering use of Spanish in support of Hispanic cancer patients and empowerment via the group leader, who was Hispanic. The findings suggest a need to develop culturally competent ICSGs for Hispanics. One goal would be to augment instead of replace support. For example, an ICSG could have a spiritual basis, or there might be several ICSGs—one each for patients, families, and supporters such as friends from church. ICSGs also could target people without these supports. The existing knowledge should be used to provide direction for future research and for the development of cancer support groups that could meet the unique needs of Hispanic cancer patients.Item I thought we weren't in Spain : the emergence of authenticity in a foreign language classroom(2014-05) Whitehead, Sarah Jey; Palmer, Deborah K.; Callahan, Rebecca M; De Lissovoy, Noah; Horwitz, Elaine K; Urlaub, PerThis study is based upon the idea that foreign language (FL) classrooms exist apart from their target language communities. While historically, this has been a geographic truth, divides between FL learners and native speakers may also reflect symbolic social distance. Given the symbolic, if not geographic, isolation of the FL classroom from the real world, this study presumes that a challenge inherent to the endeavor of FL education is that the authentic, real-world language and culture under study are, by definition, not naturally present in the FL classroom. This study considers how this challenge, referred to as the challenge of authenticity, is managed in one FL classroom. Seven eighth-grade students and their teacher comprise Classroom 204, a beginning Spanish FL classroom at a private school in the southwest U.S. This qualitative case study uses classroom observations, audio-recordings, classroom artifacts, and participant interviews as data to consider not only how authenticity is imported, imagined, and conjured by participants in Classroom 204, but how authenticity is assigned value therein. Data is analyzed largely with discourse analysis of transcripts of classroom talk about (and classroom talk that constituted) various facets of authenticity, value, and the real world. Ecology theory serves as a broad theoretical lens through which to understand (and accept) the complexity inherent to the social phenomena being researched. Benedict Anderson's (1991) theory of imagined communities is adopted to understand the boundaries that delineate the inside of the FL classroom from the outside, and Bourdieu's (1992) notion of symbolic capital is used to understand the ways by which authenticity becomes valuable (and, conversely, how that which is valuable becomes authentic). Findings suggest that, while participants are largely oriented to real-world manifestations of Spanish language and culture, authenticity is not most present in Classroom 204 in the form of stuff imported from elsewhere. Rather, authenticity emerges out of the highly local, socially-immediate interactions and value systems unique to Classroom 204. Suggestions for both pedagogy and future research focus on approaches that acknowledge and capitalize on the power of local authenticity in the FL classroom, as cultivated by local social actors.Item Ideology and identity in Spanish heritage language classroom discursive practices(2013-12) Showstack, Rachel Elizabeth; Koike, Dale AprilThis study addresses how bilingual students and instructors construct and negotiate discourses about language and language-related social positions through different kinds language use in and outside the heritage language (HL) classroom. The project focuses on one group of students who took an entry-level Spanish HL course in 2010. Data include ethnographic observations and video recordings of class sessions throughout the semester, filmed interviews with the students and the instructor, observations and recordings of students’ language use in social contexts outside of class, course materials, and writings produced by the students for the class. The study takes the perspective that identities and ideologies are dynamic and embodied within the repeated, purposeful types of interaction in which people engage in their daily lives, and can be constructed, contested and negotiated using a variety of meaning-making resources (Bucholtz and Hall 2004b, Young 2009). The analysis takes an ethnographic approach (Blommaert 2005) and draws from the linguistic anthropological notion of language ideologies (Kroskrity 2004), a sociolinguistic approach to stance (Jaffe 2009b), and narrative analysis (De Fina 2003). The study data show that when orienting toward the pedagogical objective of acquiring grammar and vocabulary, the students and the instructor represent institutional ideologies, such as the notion of a superior ‘standard’ variety of Spanish, and construct relations of authority with respect to these discourses through resources such as repair and epistemic stance. The instructor displays a complex set of stances in the classroom, mediating between an authoritative role associated with her institutional position on the one hand and a stance of alignment with the students on the other. Reflecting the instructors’ stancetaking, the students negotiate their orientation to the institutional context on a moment-to-moment basis in classroom interaction. They ascribe expert and novice roles to each other through resources such as repair, but they do not always claim the roles ascribed to them by their co-participants. Although the expert/novice stances displayed by the students reflect an ideal monolingual identity ascribed by the instructor and an over-simplified view of language characteristic of traditional language instruction, the students challenge these institutional discourses through linguistic performance and the reframing of other voices. In other moments of interaction, the students and the instructor orient toward the goal of alignment, reflecting discursive practices from outside of the classroom, and institutional ideologies appear to be less relevant. When interacting with Spanish-speaking family members and co-workers outside of the classroom, the students use language in creative ways to construct identities that conflict with the monolingual identity ascribed within the institution. However, while they demonstrate competence in constructing these identities in contexts that are familiar to them, some students express concerns about how others will perceive them when they use language in less familiar contexts. Many of the students view the HL courses as an important stepping-stone toward full participation in Spanish-speaking communities outside of their hometowns and immediate families. The conclusions discuss a disconnect between pedagogical practices and the discursive practices in which the students participate in their daily lives and hope to participate in the future, and end with a proposal for HL teaching that addresses these differences.Item Informational masking of multi talker babble in English vowel identification for Spanish-English bilinguals(2016-05) Estrella, Alexandra; Liu, C. (Chang), Ph.D.; Chandrasekaran, BharathSpeech perception studies with bilinguals have demonstrated that bilinguals perform comparably to native speakers in listening conditions during quiet conditions. However, when the listening conditions included different types of noise, and different SNRs, bilinguals are seen to have difficulties and perform lower than native speakers when tested in their L2. With Spanish-English bilinguals becoming a large part of the U.S. population, the present study investigated their speech perception abilities using English vowels in different quiet and noise conditions. The participants were controlled for their age of acquisition of English in order to determine if the amount of exposure to the language affected their overall performance. In addition, the amount of informational masking was evaluated using comparisons with the babble and temporally modulated noise conditions. Results indicated that the later bilinguals experienced more difficulties throughout the different conditions when compared to the simultaneous and early bilinguals, but significance levels were only noted for a few of the conditions. Additionally, there were no major effects for informational masking.Item Language Attitudes and Linguistic Profiling among Micro-Enterprisers in Mexico(2013-05-21) Brewer, Rebecca AnnThis study examines the language attitudes of entrepreneurial students enrolled in the Academy for Creating Enterprise (ACE) in Mexico City toward six rural and urban varieties of Mexican Spanish to consider whether their attitudes towards these varieties influence their decisions about hiring. A verbal guise test and focus groups were used to determine the current attitudes held by 98 ACE students towards the popular and upper-class dialects of Mexico City; the urban dialect of M?rida, Yucatan; the urban dialect of Ciudad Ju?rez, Chihuahua; the urban dialect of Monterrey, Nuevo Le?n; and the rural dialect of San Jeronimito, Guerrero. It was determined that the ACE students, who are current and future entrepreneurs and employers, do engage in ?linguistic profiling? (Purnell et al., 1999), preferring the northern varieties of Spanish and the variety spoken by the upper class of Mexico City in all three dimensions of attractiveness, status, and hireability. These results indicate that speakers of the popular variety of Mexico City and the southern varieties of Yucat?n and Guerrero are less likely to be hired. In addition, the students? ratings of hireability were also influenced by the students? age, gender, business owner status, and exposure to the dialect in question. The students? level of income was found to be the most likely to influence the ratings of speaker attractiveness and status. This case study of current and future employers enrolled at ACE responds to a call for the application of language attitudes research (Edwards, 1982; Garrett, 2010) and provides a model for working with an organization. Based on these findings, it was determined that ACE should modify its curriculum to include explicit training regarding linguistic attitudes and hiring practices.Item Las Escrituras del Margen. En Torno a los Territorios Can?nicos de la Literatura Latinoamericana(2013-12-09) Ayarza-Riveros, Luis CarlosLas Escrituras del Margen: En torno a los territorios can?nicos de la literature contempor?nea Latinoamericana. Lorenzo Garc?a Vega, Jorge Gait?n Dur?n, and Nicol?s G?mez D?vila, is the study of some works that have been marginalized in contemporary Latin American canons. These writings, without being absolutely unknown however, occupy a marginal level of attention to secular junior and academic criticism (and therefore are rarely studied or proposed in the reading lists of literature programs ). Among these texts are the following: memoirs, diaries, travel journals and epigrammatic writings such as scholia, and aphorisms. In this project are analyzed the oeuvres of three Latin American authors: Diario de Viaje by Jorge Gait?n Dur?n (travel diary), El Oficio de Perder (memories) by, Lorenzo Garc?a Vega, and Escolios a un texto implicito (scholia) by Nicol?s G?mez D?vila . This thesis examines how the historical and geopolitical contexts in which these texts were written, and also, the life experience of the authors, contribute to determining not only its marginalization of the canons, but also, how these texts, because of their unique nature, enter into an active dialogue with their respective traditions, and in the process of this dialogue enrich them, but also problematize them. As a result, new ways to think the canons and canonical criteria are opened. As main theoretical sources the works of authors, Gilles Deleuze, F?lix Guattari, Edward Said and Harold Bloom were used. From the first authors, their ideas on minor literature, the rhizome and flows. From Edward Said's his works on late style, exile and from Harold Bloom the books: The Western Canon and The Anxiety of Influence. During the investigation was paid special attention to concepts such as exile, acculturation and literary influences. Were also investigated topics such as travel, relationships between age and creative processes, writing and the visual arts, distinctions between fiction and nonfiction, sedentary lifestyle, and nomadism among others.
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