An attempt at reconstructing the practice of bird-divination for the speakers of Proto-Indo-European by comparing the terminology for this practice in Greek, Latin and Hittite texts.
Experimental approaches to sentence processing focus on localizing areas responsible for language comprehension in the brain oftentimes disregarding the role of time in both the construction and...Show moreExperimental approaches to sentence processing focus on localizing areas responsible for language comprehension in the brain oftentimes disregarding the role of time in both the construction and deconstruction of linguistic structure. Inspired by predictive coding and cue integration, this thesis proposes a theoretical framework for sentence processing where the hierarchical structure of language and its evolution over time profoundly influences its processing leading to time-contingent weighted integration of information. Essential to this theory is the assumption that the reliability of the internal representations generated by each level of linguistic analysis influences the gain of the predictions formulated by the other levels. Multivariate Pattern Analysis was used to compare the gain of semantic and phonological processing at two different timepoints in a sentence. Experiment 1 was the design of an EEG Multivariate Pattern Classification experiment where the classification accuracy of a phonological and semantic classifier for words in early and late positions in a sentence would be compared. We expected classification accuracy of the phonological classifier to be constant regardless of word position and a higher classification accuracy for the semantic classifier at later time points relative to the phonological classifier. Experiment 2 was a Representational Similarity Analysis of nouns in early and late positions from MEG audiobook data. When correlating Phonological and Semantic models with the data, no significant time windows were found. However, the presence of uncorrected clusters suggests the implementation of nested timescales as variations in temporal integration frequency.Show less
English and Farsi are languages that maintain a plosive voicing contrast in word-final position, unlike Dutch, a language that neutralizes this contrast in word-final position, while maintaining it...Show moreEnglish and Farsi are languages that maintain a plosive voicing contrast in word-final position, unlike Dutch, a language that neutralizes this contrast in word-final position, while maintaining it in word-initial and word-medial position. With the use of an online questionnaire, I wanted to find out whether native speakers of Farsi are better at categorizing the English word-final plosive voicing contrast than native speakers of Dutch, because native speakers of Farsi have native-language experience with the same contrast in the same position. The results show that both the Dutch and the Farsi group were relatively successful in distinguishing this contrast, but the Farsi group categorized it significantly better. The results of the Dutch group are in line with previous literature that indicate that perception of an L2-contrast is supported by native-language experience with the same contrast in other positions. Additionally, the results of the Farsi group imply that perception of an L2-contrast becomes even better when there is native-language experience with the same contrast in the same position.Show less
Abstract In dit BA eindwerkstuk heb ik onderzocht welke soorten conversationele humor voorkomen in sitcoms. Ik heb dit gedaan door middel van het beantwoorden van mijn hoofdvraag "In welke...Show moreAbstract In dit BA eindwerkstuk heb ik onderzocht welke soorten conversationele humor voorkomen in sitcoms. Ik heb dit gedaan door middel van het beantwoorden van mijn hoofdvraag "In welke categorieën binnen conversationele humor van Dynel (2009) vallen de talige grappen die worden gemaakt in sitcoms?”. Voor dit onderzoek heb ik in eerste instantie een kwalitatieve analyse uitgevoerd en daarna een kwantitatieve analyse. Ten eerste heb ik twee afleveringen van sitcoms voor volwassenen en twee afleveringen van sitcoms voor preadolecenten bekeken en van iedere talige uiting waarna een lachband volgde besloten van wat voor soort humor hier sprake was en die, wanneer mogelijk, ingedeeld in de categorieën van conversationele humor die Dynel (2009) heeft opgesteld. Daarna heb ik een kwantitatieve analyse uitgevoerd om te bekijken hoe vaak iedere vorm van conversationele humor voorkomt. Aan de hand van deze analyses heb ik een conclusie kunnen trekken. Door de categorieën van Dynel aan te houden en zelf nog twee extra categorieën - “andere soort humor” en “geen humor” - op te stellen, heb ik de talige uitingen in de sitcoms die door de makers zelf als grappig worden beschouwd, gecategoriseerd. Alle categorieën van Dynel worden in de sitcoms gebruikt, maar wel in verschillende mate. Naast de bestaande categorieën van conversationele humor werden er ook veel potentiële grappen in de categorie “andere soort humor” ingedeeld. Na de analyse kwamen er uit deze categorie drie nieuwe categorieën naar voren: 1) Personage-specifiek, 2) Context-specifiek, en 3) Zelf-referentie. Deze categorieën kunnen ingedeeld worden in conversationele humor, doordat ze gebaseerd zijn op interactie.Show less
There are different theories on the nature of sentence processing. Early research argued for implementation of old material into a known structure, but more recent theories argue that the language...Show moreThere are different theories on the nature of sentence processing. Early research argued for implementation of old material into a known structure, but more recent theories argue that the language processing facility is predictive and tries to construct sentences before completely receiving the input. This study investigates two different predictive accounts to language processing, the Hyper-active Gap Filling account and the Garden Path model, by presenting native English participants with an online self-paced reading task containing sentences with differing degrees of ambiguity. Analyses of reading time data in key regions were carried out to assess whether the parsing difficulty predicted by these theories could be elicited. The Garden Path analysis was further complemented by questions testing for a lingering reanalysis. The experiment showed significant results for the Hyper-active Gap Filling account as well as for the Garden Path model.Show less
This thesis discusses and analyses the commonalities and disparities in syntax between English as a superstrate and Sranan, an English-based pidgin that is now a creole. As freed slaves and new...Show moreThis thesis discusses and analyses the commonalities and disparities in syntax between English as a superstrate and Sranan, an English-based pidgin that is now a creole. As freed slaves and new generations of native speakers have continued using the creole, it has separated itself from the original context as a pidgin dependent on English lexicon and grammar. The study conducted for the thesis functioned as an opportunity to learn how modern-day Sranan modal expressions help demonstrate tense in simple clauses compared to modern-day English modals. The comparative analysis was based on the Burton-Roberts analytic methodology (2016), including syntactic trees, to aid in visualising relations between clauses and within phrases. A native speaker was interviewed to gain practical and implemental knowledge about the translations used in the analysis. Since English was the superstrate for Sranan, the sentences were translated from English to Sranan to ensure non-variable sentences with modals for comparison. After these translations, the syntactic structure of simple clauses, including modals in both languages, were compared, focusing on how modals may facilitate the specification of tense. A comparative analysis of English and Sranan simple declarative and interrogative clauses was conducted to discover potential patterns. These analyses revealed patterns in the simple clauses and verb phrases in English and Sranan that were influenced by modality. Each analysis demonstrated overlap and contrast between the languages in tense marking and verb inflection. By the end of the thesis, it becomes clear that, in English, there are differences in word order in clauses. English verb phrases can contain auxiliary and lexical verbs that influence tense in declarative and interrogative sentences. However, in Sranan, word order does not change in either declarative or interrogative sentences. Additionally, Sranan does not use auxiliary and lexical verbs in clauses to indicate tense, using tense markers instead to imply timeframe. Based on the results of the comparative analysis, it can be concluded that Sranan modals function differently than English modals in verb phrases and clauses. As Sranan modals do not directly influence tense, there is a need for another functional class, in this case, tense markers.Show less
Dutch speakers have difficulty distinguishing such Russian sounds as /tj/ and /tjj/, or /tj/ and /tʃ/. The Perceptual Assimilation Model stipulates that we analyse sounds in a second language in...Show moreDutch speakers have difficulty distinguishing such Russian sounds as /tj/ and /tjj/, or /tj/ and /tʃ/. The Perceptual Assimilation Model stipulates that we analyse sounds in a second language in terms of those from the first based on articulatory similarities. It predicts that if two sounds in a speaker’s second language are analysed as the same sound in the first, they will be difficult to distinguish. Proposing that Dutch speakers analyse Russian /tj/, /tʃ/, and /tjj/ as Dutch [tʃ], I used an AXB-task to systematically investigate Dutch speakers’ ability to distinguish the Russian sounds /t/ and /d/, the coronals /t/, /tj/, /tʃ/, and /tjj/, and the sibilants /ʃ/ and /ʃj/. Since stress affects the vowel quality of the vowel following plain and palatalised consonants differently, I also investigated the effect of stress. Last, participants indicated how easy it was to distinguish the contrast. Analyses revealed that the Dutch participants performed worse than the Russian speakers on /tj/-/tʃ/, /tj/-/tʃ/, /tʃ/-/tjj/, and /ʃ/-/ʃj/, while still having an accuracy of well above .50. Initial stress was only found to negatively influence discrimination of /tj/-/tjj/. The Russian speakers also performed worse on the /tj/-/tjj/ contrast, meaning results on this contrast are to be interpreted with caution. These results show that, while Dutch speakers experience difficulty with perceptually distinguishing sounds not available in Dutch, this difficulty is attenuated. This is important, because it confirms that Dutch learners of Russian should focus on these sounds, while at the same time suggesting that they already have a good head start.Show less
The Taita Hills in Southern Kenya are a culturally and linguistically interesting location. Previous linguistic research has shown that even though only Bantu languages are spoken in the area,...Show moreThe Taita Hills in Southern Kenya are a culturally and linguistically interesting location. Previous linguistic research has shown that even though only Bantu languages are spoken in the area, there might have been Southern Cushitic habitation in the past. Taita Bantu words that resemble Cushitic words might be loanwords that were borrowed in a past period of language contact. This idea of extinct Southern Cushitic languages in the Taita Hills was proposed by Christopher Ehret and Derek Nurse in 1981. This thesis aims to critically review their article “The Taita Cushites”. Several tables with proposed Southern Cushitic loanwords in the Taita Bantu languages are included in the article. By reviewing 41 of these proposed loanwords, the accuracy of the article’s conclusions will be tested. New data is available on the Southern Cushitic and Bantu languages of East Africa that was not present yet in 1981. Using this data, new insights in the existence of the Taita Cushitic language(s) could be gained.Show less
Extracting and generalizing rules from a complex input is one of the foundations of learning a language and can be studied using artificial grammar learning tasks. Different results have been found...Show moreExtracting and generalizing rules from a complex input is one of the foundations of learning a language and can be studied using artificial grammar learning tasks. Different results have been found, between artificial grammar learning studies but also within these studies. This thesis tries to explain some of this variance by looking into whether different study backgrounds influence the ability to learn an artificial grammar in adults. The experiment is based on earlier research conducted by Geambaşu (2018), in which she tested adults’ ability to learn an artificial grammar by using clear and vague instructions. She found participants who received clear instructions (explicit instruction condition) to perform better in the experiment than participants who received vague instructions (implicit instruction condition). The participants in the present task were divided into two groups: linguistics students and science students, since they differ most in their courses. They were exposed to the grammar via a passive familiarization and tested with yes/no grammaticality judgment task. The two instruction conditions and the stimuli were similar to those used by Geambaşu (2018). Participants who received clear instructions were expected to perform better in the task, than participants who received vague instructions. Further, participants with a linguistic study background were expected to have more explicit language knowledge and therefore perform better in the task, than participants with a science study background. Results indicate that there is no difference in the ability to extract and generalize rules from the sequences between students with a linguistics study background and students with a science study background. Further, no effect was found based on the different instruction conditions or for the pattern participants were exposed to. However, participants who showed explicit knowledge of the rule, by indicating a strategy based on extracting and generalizing the pattern of the sequences, performed significantly better.Show less
