Explorations of Chinese Theoretical and Applied Linguistics

Explorations of Chinese Theoretical and Applied Linguistics PDF Author: Dongyan Chen
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527559947
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
This volume explores the implications of Chinese for linguistic theory building and for the field of second language acquisition. Bringing together selected papers from the first International Symposium on Chinese Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, it sheds light upon under-documented topics in a variety of areas within theoretical and applied research. The topics covered here include competing approaches within optimality theory to phonological opacity, formal solutions to puzzles in Shanghainese morphosyntax, and different approaches to polarity items and presentational sentences in Chinese. With regard to applied linguistics, the contributions in this volume address challenges in the acquisition of Chinese phonology by L1 Danish speakers as well as the acquisition of the Mandarin ba construction by Cantonese learners, and the expression of social judgements in the L1 and L2. Taken together, the papers in this volume contribute to the empirical documentation of aspects of the Chinese language and its acquisition, as well as helping to unpack the significance of Chinese for mainstream linguistic theory.

Explorations of Chinese Theoretical and Applied Linguistics

Explorations of Chinese Theoretical and Applied Linguistics PDF Author: Dongyan Chen
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527559947
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 264

Get Book Here

Book Description
This volume explores the implications of Chinese for linguistic theory building and for the field of second language acquisition. Bringing together selected papers from the first International Symposium on Chinese Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, it sheds light upon under-documented topics in a variety of areas within theoretical and applied research. The topics covered here include competing approaches within optimality theory to phonological opacity, formal solutions to puzzles in Shanghainese morphosyntax, and different approaches to polarity items and presentational sentences in Chinese. With regard to applied linguistics, the contributions in this volume address challenges in the acquisition of Chinese phonology by L1 Danish speakers as well as the acquisition of the Mandarin ba construction by Cantonese learners, and the expression of social judgements in the L1 and L2. Taken together, the papers in this volume contribute to the empirical documentation of aspects of the Chinese language and its acquisition, as well as helping to unpack the significance of Chinese for mainstream linguistic theory.

Existential Constructions across Languages

Existential Constructions across Languages PDF Author: Laure Sarda
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISBN: 9027252882
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 364

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Book Description
This volume reflects the centrality of the existential construction in current linguistic research and offers studies that both consolidate and challenge established research agendas. It addresses (i) a variety of constructions related to ‘prototypical’ existentials (including the have-possessive construction), and investigates (ii) the relationships between locative, existential, and information structure, (iii) the quantification of the pivot and (iv) the issue of negative existentials. It brings together different and complementary approaches (functional, cognitive, pragmatic, typological, comparative, diachronic, philosophical) based on a wide variety of data sources. The contributions illustrate how the so-called existential construction can take a variety of forms – more or less grammaticalized – and functions – ranging from the expression of literal existence to that of localization and discursive focus – in a wide range of languages. The book will be valuable for linguists, researchers or students, interested in the cross-linguistic manifestations of existential constructions at the interface between syntax, semantics and information structure.

Primitives of Phonological Structure

Primitives of Phonological Structure PDF Author: Florian Breit
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192508660
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 401

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Book Description
This book brings together phonologists working in different areas to explore key questions relating to phonological primitives, the basic building blocks that are at the heart of phonological structure and over which phonological computations are carried out. Whether these units are referred to as features, elements, gestures, or something else entirely, the assumptions that are made about them are fundamental to modern phonological theory. Even so, there is limited consensus on the specifics of those assumptions. The chapters in this book present differing perspectives on phonological primitives and their implications, addressing some of the most pressing issues in the field such as how many features there are; whether those features are privative or binary; and whether segments need to be specified for all features. The studies cover a wide range of methodologies and domains, including experimental work, fieldwork, language acquisition, theory-internal concerns, and many more, and will be of interest to phoneticians and phonologists from all theoretical backgrounds.

Explorations in Linguistic Relativity

Explorations in Linguistic Relativity PDF Author: Martin Pütz
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9027283753
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 387

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Book Description
About a century after the year Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897–1941) was born, his theory complex is still the object of keen interest to linguists. Rencently, scholars have argued that it was not his theory complex itself, but an over-simplified, reduced section taken out of context that has become known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis that has met with so much resistance among linguists over the last few decades. Not only did Whorf present his views much more subtly than most people would believe, but he also dealt with a great number of other issues in his work. Taking Whorf’s own notion of linguistic relativity as a starting point, this volume explores the relation between language, mind and experience through its historical development, Whorf’s own writing, its misinterpretations, various theoretical and methodological issues and a closer look at a few specific issues in his work.

Explorations in Second Language Acquisition and Processing

Explorations in Second Language Acquisition and Processing PDF Author: James Corbet
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527530825
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
This book presents cutting-edge research on the nature of grammatical systems developed by bilinguals and second language learners, as well as how speakers put these grammatical systems to use in processing language. The chapters provide a stimulating mix of theoretical contributions and experimental designs addressing a variety of research questions, such as learnability and access to Universal Grammar, native language influence, variability, and what propels language development from one stage to the next. Bilingual development is a special highlight here. The linguistic domains investigated are also extremely diverse, and include morphology, syntax, and language processing, as well as the interfaces between syntax and semantics and between syntax and discourse. The book covers the acquisition of an impressive number of languages including Arabic, Croatian, Chinese, English, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish as first or second languages. Through these diverse contributions, the reader will be able to identify and follow important new directions in which generative language acquisition is developing and expanding.

The Unity of Movement

The Unity of Movement PDF Author: Tommy Tsz-Ming Lee
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISBN: 9027247080
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
Displacement (of linguistic expressions) is a ubiquitous phenomenon in natural language. In the generative tradition, displacement is modelled in terms of transformation, or more precisely, movement, which establishes dependencies among syntactic constituents in a phrase structure. This book probes the question regarding to what extent movement theories can be unified. Specifically, I address issues surrounding the debate of the distinction between head movement and phrasal movement over the past few decades. The distinction presupposes that structural complexity of the moving element is correlated with its movement properties. The goal of this book is to show that this is an unwarranted assumption. Based on a number of case studies on verb displacement phenomena in Cantonese, I attempt a unified theory of movement by abandoning the head/phrase distinction in movement theories. These case studies converge on the conclusion that the phrase structure status of syntactic constituents bears a minimal role in theorizing displacement phenomena in natural language. This volume represents a minimalist pursuit of a unified theory of movement.

The Exploration of Multilingualism

The Exploration of Multilingualism PDF Author: Larissa Aronin
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9027205221
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 177

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Book Description
This volume offers an ontogenetic perspective on research on L3, multilingualism and multiple languages acquisition and a conceptually updated picture of multilingualism studies and third/multiple language acquisition studies. The contributions by prominent scholars of multilingualism present state-of-the-art accounts of the significant aspects in this field. This unique collection of articles adopts a broad-spectrum and synthesized view on the topic. The volume, largely theoretical and classificatory, features main theories, prominent researchers and important research trends. The articles also contain factual and historical material from previous and current decades of research and offer practical information on research resources. For lecturers, students, educators, researchers, and social workers operating in multilingual contexts, "The Exploration of Multilingualism "is manifestly relevant.

Emerging Technologies for Education

Emerging Technologies for Education PDF Author: Zuzana Kubincová
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9819742463
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description


A Corpus-based Contrastive Study of the Appraisal Systems in English and Chinese Scientific Research Articles

A Corpus-based Contrastive Study of the Appraisal Systems in English and Chinese Scientific Research Articles PDF Author: Xu Yuchen
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000514226
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 367

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Book Description
Appraisal is the way language users express their attitude towards things, people, behaviour or ideas. In the last few decades, significant achievements have been made in Appraisal Theory research, yet little attention has been paid to appraisal in scientific texts, especially in relation to the contrast to how it is applied in English and Chinese. This title examines the similarities and differences of Appraisal systems in English and Chinese scientific research articles. Using a self-constructed corpus of scientific research articles, the authors make cross-linguistic comparisons in terms of the quantity and distribution patterns of categories of appraisals. They creatively categorise articles into theoretical scientific research articles and applied studies and discover that for both languages, each genre can have its own favorite mode of distribution for the realization of appraisal systems. In addition, this research helps appraisal theory systems to become more explicit, specific, and more applicable for the analysis of scientific research articles. Students and scholars of applied linguistics, comparative linguistics and corpus linguistics will find this an essential reference.

First Year in a Multilingual University

First Year in a Multilingual University PDF Author: Feng Ding
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9811607966
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
Although both school–university transitions and cross-border transitions have been widely explored, comparatively little research has been conducted on those students who undergo both transitions at the same time. This book reports on a longitudinal qualitative study investigating the major issues faced by nine Mainland Chinese students during their first year at a Hong Kong university from the perspective of learner autonomy. It argues that the school–university transition is especially challenging for students going through a cross-border transition at the same time, which usually involves a linguistic and cultural adjustment, and challenges their autonomy in three domains: managing their personal lives; academic learning; and English learning. Adopting the perspective of autonomy enables us to better understand student transitions so that more appropriate support can be provided for this group. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable asset for educators at both the secondary and post-secondary levels, and underscores the need to help students bridge the gap between school and university, and thus advance along the continuum of autonomy more smoothly. It also has practical implications for students who are studying or intend to study abroad.