815 research outputs found
Indic Lexicon in the English/Creole of Trinidad
No full textExamines the contemporary lexical component of the English/Creole of Trinidad (TEC) that is derived from languages of India. Author focuses on the TEC as spoken among Indo-Trinidadians, but also pays attention to Indic words used in the TEC of Afro-Trinidadians and other groups. Author sketches the history of Indian immigration into Trinidad, explaining how most came from the Bihar province in northern India and spoke Bhojpuri, rather than (closely related) Hindi, and how in the 20th c. Indian languages were replaced by English with education. She further focuses on retained Indic words incorporated in current-day TEC, and found 1844 of such words in usage. She discusses words misassigned locally as Indian-derived, but actually from other (European or African) languages. Then, she describes most of the Indo-TEC lexicon, categorizing items by their semantic-cultural domain, with major domains for Indian-derived words: religious practice, music, dance and stickfighting, food preparation, agriculture, kinship, and behaviour or appearance. Further, the author discusses to what degree Indic words have been mainstreamed within the non-Indian population of Trinidad, sometimes via standard English, sometimes directly assimilated into TEC, and made salient through the press or street food selling
Indic Lexicon in the English/Creole of Trinidad
No full textExamines the contemporary lexical component of the English/Creole of Trinidad (TEC) that is derived from languages of India. Author focuses on the TEC as spoken among Indo-Trinidadians, but also pays attention to Indic words used in the TEC of Afro-Trinidadians and other groups. Author sketches the history of Indian immigration into Trinidad, explaining how most came from the Bihar province in northern India and spoke Bhojpuri, rather than (closely related) Hindi, and how in the 20th c. Indian languages were replaced by English with education. She further focuses on retained Indic words incorporated in current-day TEC, and found 1844 of such words in usage. She discusses words misassigned locally as Indian-derived, but actually from other (European or African) languages. Then, she describes most of the Indo-TEC lexicon, categorizing items by their semantic-cultural domain, with major domains for Indian-derived words: religious practice, music, dance and stickfighting, food preparation, agriculture, kinship, and behaviour or appearance. Further, the author discusses to what degree Indic words have been mainstreamed within the non-Indian population of Trinidad, sometimes via standard English, sometimes directly assimilated into TEC, and made salient through the press or street food selling
Tecniche narrative nelle autobiografie italiane del Secondo Settecento
Get PDFThis Ph.D thesis analyses seven autobioraphies by italian writers, all born in in the Eighteenth century: Vittorio Alfieri, Carlo Goldoni, Lorenzo Da Ponte, Giacomo Casanova, Filippo Mazzei, Francesco Bal. It is divided in two parts: the first concerns with microtextuality aspects (incipit, explicit, dialogues, descriptions); the second deals with the macrotextuality ones (structures of time, structures of the plot). Besides evalutating in which ways the autobiographies organize their narration, the author compares them with Eighteenth Century italian novels and with other autobiographical works to see how much their structure is different
Accountability and Accreditation in the Nonprofit Sector: Examining the Louisiana Standards for Excellence Model:
No full textThe nonprofit sector of our economy is a special class of entities with an expansive array of organizations and activities dedicated to the common good and well-being of others. Even though this sector has constructed creative and forward thinking initiatives, obstacles remain which interfere with their accomplishment of significant achievements. The struggle to maintain their respected position, unique character and role in society remains prevalent. In order to stay competitive, organizations are constantly assessing their current capacity to deliver needed services. Today, a number of umbrella associations of nonprofits have implemented assessment and certification programs intended to produce organizational improvement for their member organizations. Based on analysis of phenomenological interviews and guided by institutional theory, the research reported here is designed to identify factors that differentiate between organizations that chose to participate in the Louisiana Standards for Excellence organizational assessment program and those that did not. Drawing on concepts of organizational learning and broadened accountability, the research further explores whether those nonprofits successfully achieving certification experience an enhanced commitment to ongoing organizational learning.Doctorate of Management ProgramsEnglis
Translator: an author or a guide? Letters from an Other by Lise Gauvin beyond the stereotype
No full textThe article aims to present the particularities of the English translation of Lise Gauvin’s novel Lettres d’une autre by a Canadian feminist translator, Suzanne de LotbinièreHarwood. The purpose of the translation was to make the Quebec culture closer to the English speaking Canadians. Moreover, de Lotbinière-Harwood intended to emphasize feminist issues. Indubitably, such a project goes beyond the stereotypical function of translation as the translator herself is clearly visible in the text. The specificity of the de Lotbinière-Harwood’s translation encourages the reflection on the problematic border between a translation sensu stricto and a translation being at the same time some kind of explanation. The article seeks to answer to the following questions: is a literary translator “only” a transmitter of meanings invented by the author or a guide in the unknown world? Is he also a full-fledged author? In addition, the article considers how far a translator is allowed to be visible in a text, in particular, if he aims to explain culture
The effects of outlets for English use in anglophone learners of French in the study abroad environment /
No full textThis study examined a group of English-speaking individuals temporarily residing in the province of Quebec who were studying French. I expected to find that language students who take an active role seeking opportunities to practice French outside of the classroom would demonstrate acquisition of a native speaker (NS) language variant more than those students who take a passive role in seeking out informal French interactions or those who actively sought instead interaction in English. However, no significant correlation between active or passive reactions to the learning environment and the production of the language variant was established. Students who actively sought French interaction were those who were focused on French language study, favored linguistic diversity, and spoke more French at school. For future French language students coming to Quebec to acquire native-like French I suggest developing a strong foundation of French beforehand and, once in Quebec, to live in a Francophone area
A sociolinguistic inquiry into wax-dyed cloth names in Togo and Côte d'Ivoire /
No full textAccording to Domowitz (1992), the Agni women of Cote d'Ivoire assign proverbs and aphorisms as names to wax-dyed cloth. Women then use the imagery and associated proverbs behind cloth names to send non-verbal messages they would otherwise be unable to express publicly. The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to investigate wax-dyed cloth names including their underlying meanings and uses given by women in Cote d'Ivoire and Togo; and second, to investigate how these names are acquired in French by women who have no formal education. Qualitative results revealed that women in these two countries are very motivated to learn cloth names. New undocumented names and their underlying meanings were also found. Some of these meanings were found to be educational; others are used to maintain status or to clarify power relationships. At the same time, quantitative results indicated that knowledge and use of cloth names in both communities studied is in decline
The relationship between student teachers and cooperating teachers as a foundation for the development of reflective thinking : an exploratory study based on student teachers' perceptions
No full textThe development of reflective thinking in student teachers has been gaining greater attention in the teacher education literature. Nevertheless, some of the multiple factors involved in this process have not yet been examined. This study focused on the perceptions that student teachers have of their relationship with their cooperating teachers in the context of a practicum. More specifically, it attempted to determine if and how cooperating teachers trigger student teachers' reflective thinking. Seventeen student teachers, who made up the first cohort to experience the four-year undergraduate program in teaching English as a second language, participated in this exploratory study. Three sets of data were collected through questionnaires, interviews and reflective logs. Two phases of analysis followed, allowing the categorization of results and patterns into five distinct categories that corresponded to the research questions. The quantitative phase provided the results to the Likert-type questionnaire using two statistical management softwares: SPSS 10.0 and Excel. The qualitative phase used a coding system to identify the emerging patterns in the interview and in the reflective log data. The first phase of analysis provided descriptive statistics indicating that it is the cooperating teachers' verbal communication that most triggers student teachers' reflective thinking. The second phase revealed that student teachers attribute the triggering of their reflective thinking more to themselves and to class incidents than to their cooperating teachers. Based on the findings, Taggart's (1996) Reflective Thinking Model was enhanced by a socio-constructivist micro-model designed to help cooperating teachers better support student teachers' reflection. The study contributes to teacher education research by elucidating the relationship between student teachers and cooperating teachers with regards to the development of reflective thinking
ESL reading comprehension amongst second cycle high school students, students' requests
No full textThe intention of this study was to investigate what are second cycle secondary students' favorite teaching techniques regarding learning reading comprehension in a second language inside the classroom. Another aim was to find out what was their favorite competency to practice during class hours. The best available method to pursue this study was a quantitative survey method. The questionnaire focused on different reading comprehension teaching techniques that are often used inside classrooms. Students had to position themselves in terms or enjoyment of certain teaching techniques used inside the classroom. Out of the 600 questionnaires sent out to the second cycle students of La Magdeleine High School, 227 responses were received. The results of the study indicated that students understand the values of doing the majority of reading exercises proposed inside the classroom, but were sometimes experiencing some form of anxiety, laziness and resistance with some of those activities. The principal conclusion is that teachers need to combine some of the students' favorite teaching ESL reading comprehension techniques and also use some techniques that aren't enjoyed as much by students and attempt to adapt them in a manner that would keep students motivated throughout those classes.Le but de cette étude était de faire une analyse concernant les techniques d'enseignements favorites des étudiants fréquentant le deuxième cycle du secondaire dans le volet de compréhension de lecture de leur cours d'anglais langue seconde. Une autre cible de cette étude était de déterminer quelle était la compétence favorite des étudiants à développer durant les heures de cours. La meilleure méthode disponible afin de faire cette étude était la méthode de sondage quantitative. Le questionnaire s'orientait sur différentes techniques d'enseignements fréquemment utilisées dans les classes des cours d'anglais langue seconde. Les étudiants devaient prendre position en termes d'appréciation face à différentes techniques d'apprentissages utilisées en classe. Sur les 600 questionnaires distribués aux élèves de l'école secondaire de la Magdeleine, 227 questionnaires complétés ont été reçus. Les résultats de l'étude ont démontrés que les étudiants comprennent bien les valeurs de la majorité des exercices de lecture proposés dans les classes, mais ils ont parfois démontrés une certaine forme d'anxiété, de résistance et de paresse avec certaines activités d'apprentissages. La conclusion principale de cette étude est que les enseignants doivent trouver une manière de combiner les techniques les plus appréciées des étudiants avec quelques techniques moins affectionnées tout en tentant d'adapter ces techniques afin de garder les étudiants motivés durant les heures de cours
Setting the scene for liminality: non-francophone French second language teachers' experience of process drama
No full textNon-francophone teachers of French as a second or additional language (FSL) often struggle with overwhelming oral anxiety, consequent low self-confidence, and workplace marginalisation. Core French or Basic French teachers, in particular, and their subjects have been undervalued (Carr, 2007; Lapkin, McFarlane, & Vandergrift, 2006; Richards, 2002). Moreover, recent national FSL research points to challenges in the areas of teacher attrition, lack of methodological and /or linguistic preparation, and lack of professional development opportunities in the FSL context (Karsenti, 2008; Salvatori, 2007). In this dissertation, I present the findings of my qualitative research study, which examined the conditions and experiences of non-francophone FSL teachers in Manitoba. To do so, I looked at the teachers' relationship with French and how French oral competency and oral language communicative confidence are intertwined to foster the teachers' sense of agency. The theoretical orientations underpinning this study draw from socio-constructivism (Bruner, 1985, 1990; Vygotsky, 1978), Feminist Standpoint theory (De Vault, 1999; Lather, 1991), Bakhtinian dialogism (Vitanova, 2005), and Institutional Ethnography (Smith, 1987, 2005). The lens I used to understand and interpret the voices and self-perceptions of the teachers is Process Drama, delivered in the form of professional development workshops. Process Drama (Heathcote, 1991) consists of thematically based improvisations, which are used to explore a topic and, at the same time, to invite self-exploration. It possesses unique characteristics, and has been successfully used in the second and foreign language classroom (Dicks & Le Blanc, 2009; Kao & O'Neill, 1998; Liu, 2002; Marshke, 2005). My particular focus, however, was on the Manitoba FSL teacher as a student, rather than as a teacher of language. Findings from this study indicate reduced oral anxiety as related to French language competency, reduced performanceLes enseignantes et enseignants non-francophones du français langue seconde et additionnelle (FL2) se trouvent parfois aux prises avec l'anxiété orale, le manque d'estime de soi et la marginalisation au travail. En particulier, les enseignants du Français de base sont souvent sous-valorisés par rapport à la matière enseignée (Richards, 2002 ; Lapkin, McFarlane & Vandergrift, 2006 ; Carr, 2007). Des sondages et des études récentes à l'échelle nationale indiquent des défis dans le domaine de l'attrition professionnelle, du manque de préparation méthodologique et/ou linguistique, et de la pénurie d'occasions de perfectionnement professionnel dans le contexte du FL2 (Salvatori, 2007 ; Karsenti, 2008). Ce mémoire de thèse présente les résultats de mon étude qualitative où j'ai examiné les conditions et les expériences des enseignants non-francophones du FL2 au Manitoba. Je me suis concentrée sur la relation entre l'enseignant et la langue française et comment la compétence orale et la confiance communicative se combinent pour construire l'identité linguistique et l'agentivité du locuteur non-natif. À la base de cette étude, mes orientations théoriques proviennent du socio-constructivisme (Vygotsky, 1978 ; Bruner, 1985, 1990), de la théorie de « Feminist Standpoint » (De Vault, 1999; Lather, 1991), du dialogisme bakhtinien (Vitanova, 2005) et de l'ethnographie institutionnelle (Smith, 1987, 2005). Les voix et les perceptions des enseignants-participants de cette étude sont interprétées sous l'optique du Process Drama. Le Process Drama (Heathcote, 1991) consiste en épisodes thématiques improvisés où les participants explorent un sujet et s'explorent parallèlement. Le Process Drama possède des caractéristiques uniques qui font l'objet de recherche dans des classes de langue seconde et de langue étrangère (Dicks & Le Blanc, 2009 ; Kao & O'Neill, 1998 ; Liu, 2002; Marshke, 2005 ). Mon intérêt, cependant, porte sur l'
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