Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
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The current paper set out to investigate new dialect formation in progress in the Dutch new town of Dronten. Designated in the early 1960s, this city provided to be an excellent place to study new...Show moreThe current paper set out to investigate new dialect formation in progress in the Dutch new town of Dronten. Designated in the early 1960s, this city provided to be an excellent place to study new dialect formation in progress. This study looked into the phonetic characteristics of this variety of Dutch and it was examined how this variety could be defined. Further, the time scale of koineization was addressed. Lastly, the perceived degree of standardness was studied, based on a claim made by Scholtmeijer (1992). Interviews and an online survey provided data that shed more light on these issues. The current study has identified a number of remarkable phonetic features, such as lowering of the first element of (ei) and devoicing of (v) and (z). However, these features seem to be part of a more general tendency found in Standard Dutch and are therefore not exclusive to the Dronten variety of Dutch. In addition, Dronten Dutch was associated with a high degree of perceived standardness, as expert analysis as well as the online survey confirmed. Note, however, that this applies particularly to second-generation speakers, revealing evidence of focusing towards a more homogeneous linguistic variety in this generation.Show less
This thesis investigates mixed nominal constructions, both complex (with an adjective) and simplex. Such constructions create potential conflict sites in Spanish-English code-switching. Spanish and...Show moreThis thesis investigates mixed nominal constructions, both complex (with an adjective) and simplex. Such constructions create potential conflict sites in Spanish-English code-switching. Spanish and English differ for (1) adjective-noun order: Spanish typically has post-nominal adjectives, whereas English has pre-nominal adjectives, and (2) grammatical gender: Spanish has a binary gender system, while English does not. A multi-task method was conducted in the Spanish-English bilingual community in Puerto Rico. The tasks comprised of an elicitation task (cf. director-matcher task, Gullberg, Indefrey, and Muysken 2008) and an auditory grammaticality judgment task. The predictions from the Matrix Language Framework (MLF, Myers-Scotton 2002) and a minimalist analysis from Cantone and MacSwan (2009) are tested against the collected data. The results from both tasks tend to indicate that the Matrix Language approach provides better predictions than the minimalist approach in every respect except for adjective-noun order constructions in the judgment task. This slight preference, however, is not significant. Toy task results for gender assignment in Spanish determiners indicate that there is a preference for the assignment of default gender, i.e. masculine in Spanish, rather than gender that is analogue to the translation equivalent of the noun. This preference is confirmed by judgment task results that include simple nominal constructions, but not by judgment task results for complex nominal constructions. I assume that adjectival presence in complex nominal constructions may have to do with this. Implications of my results for the theories and the methodologies are discussed.Show less
Stylistics is a methodology through which one can analyse different aspects of authors styles. It is also suitable for analysing American Presidential Debates.
This paper sets out to investigate Lithuanians’ attitudes towards foreign languages in the light of political, cultural, and historical situation that Lithuania witnessed during the turn from the...Show moreThis paper sets out to investigate Lithuanians’ attitudes towards foreign languages in the light of political, cultural, and historical situation that Lithuania witnessed during the turn from the 20th to the 21st century. The aim of this paper is twofold: 1) to determine what type of identities Lithuanians ascribe to speakers with foreign accents and 2) to establish the motivations behind choosing Lithuanian versus foreign languages in daily life. The research that was carried out in Lithuania consisted of two parts. The first part of the research used attitudinal study and the second part used a questionnaire distributed around Lithuania. These tools were used to assess Lithuanian opinions of six speakers with various accents, and to analyse the rationale for choosing either the mother tongue or a foreign language in different situations. The results showed that the attitudes towards foreign speakers of Lithuanian differ between the capital city and the smaller town chosen for this study, and that the main reason for choosing Lithuanian over foreign languages in daily settings is more often based on the emphasis of national identity. The findings also suggest that while for the respondents in the smaller town chosen for this study, a standard Lithuanian speaker was an ultimate example of a successful person, the respondents in the capital city saw an American speaker of Lithuanian as the most prosperous individual.Show less
Second language teaching has been subject of research and debate for decades. There have been three major movements from the early twentieth century on wherein the emphasis has gradually shifted...Show moreSecond language teaching has been subject of research and debate for decades. There have been three major movements from the early twentieth century on wherein the emphasis has gradually shifted from grammar focused teaching to communicative focused teaching (Kwakernaak, 2011). Krashen states that students acquire language effectively when exposed to input which is a little bit above their own level. Exposure to the target language is a common factor in studies on second language acquisition. My research focused on the use of target language in the English classroom at secondary school “Kaj Munk College” in Hoofddorp. My research provides insight in how teachers use English in the foreign language classroom and how pupils experience the use of target language in the classroom. Another part of my research was to investigate whether pupils’ listening abilities improve by the teacher’s use of target language in class. Two first form classes completed a survey in which they were asked to share their experiences with the use of the target language in class. A similar survey was conducted amongst the English teachers at Kaj Munk College. The results of these surveys show that both pupils as teachers prefer the extensive use of the target language in class because they both believe this will have a positive effect on the pupils’ skills. The results of the listening tests were not significant enough to establish whether or not the extensive exposure to English in class has had a positive effect on the pupils’ listening skills. More research is needed to prove this hypothesis.Show less
This thesis examines spoken academic L2 English. It looks at the spoken language of Dutch university lecturers in their L2 English spoken lectures, against the background of the...Show moreThis thesis examines spoken academic L2 English. It looks at the spoken language of Dutch university lecturers in their L2 English spoken lectures, against the background of the internationalisation of higher education, high ambitions of Dutch universities, and the emergence of the English language as the common academic spoken language, the quality of which receives criticism and is under-researched. The study focuses on the differences in linguistic richness between the L1 Dutch spoken language and the L2 English spoken language of nine Dutch university lecturers, lecturing in the Humanities and in the Social Sciences. Three methods are applied: a corpus analysis focused on the linguistic variety of the L2 English lecture language compared to the linguistic variety of the L1 Dutch lecture language, interviews with the participating lecturers aimed at complementing the corpus analysis data, and an expert analysis focused on the non-L1 English features of the L2 English spoken lecture language. Both quantitative and qualitative data are presented. Special attention is paid to the adjectives and the verbs used, i.e., their variety, frequency of usage, sophistication, and correct or incorrect usage specifically in the L2 English lecture language. The study shows the linguistic complexities of studying L2 English academic lecture language. In the epilogue it is argued that L2 English academic lecture language deserves more attention.Show less
Elderspeak is a form of secondary babytalk that is often used by caregivers to communicate with older adults. Elderspeak frequently involves a slow rate of speaking, simplified syntax, vocabulary...Show moreElderspeak is a form of secondary babytalk that is often used by caregivers to communicate with older adults. Elderspeak frequently involves a slow rate of speaking, simplified syntax, vocabulary restrictions, and exaggerated prosody (Kemper, 2003). The language is often perceived as offensive, because it is based on a stereotype of the mental health of elderly (Draper, 2005). This research sets out to describe what previous research has found so far on the characteristics and consequences of elderspeak. There has been done little research on the occurrence of elderspeak in the Netherlands and how it is perceived by residents and nurses of Dutch nursing homes. By conducting interviews with five residents and five nurses, this research shows that elderspeak is indeed an occurring phenomenon in the Netherlands, but moreover, it also shows that elderspeak is mostly perceived as a positive speech-style. Elderspeak in the Netherlands is predominantly used to show affection or to comfort the residents. The Dutch nurses use a personalised speech-style to each of the residents and therefore the negative consequences of elderspeak are disengaged. The use of elderspeak of the Dutch nurses can perhaps be used as an example of how elderspeak can also function a positive, beneficiary speech-style. This research was performed as a small case-study in which only ten participants from one city were interviewed. Extensive research with more participants across the country would provide more insights on the findings of this research.Show less
Speelt taalaanleg een belangrijke rol voor de ‘ultimate attainment’ van tweetaligen? Want er is een groot verschil tussen de ‘ultimate attainment’ tussen vroege en late tweetaligen. In deze...Show moreSpeelt taalaanleg een belangrijke rol voor de ‘ultimate attainment’ van tweetaligen? Want er is een groot verschil tussen de ‘ultimate attainment’ tussen vroege en late tweetaligen. In deze scriptie ga ik met literatuuronderzoek na of er een verbinding is op het aspect van morfosyntaxis en collocaties tussen de taalaanleg en het 'age effect'. Door onderzoeken over taalaanleg en near-nativeness kunnen we zien dat taalaanleg een voorwaarde is voor late tweetaligen om ‘near- native’ niveau te bereiken. Volgens de meeste onderzoekers speelt taalaanleg een belangrijke rol in morfosyntaxis voor late tweetaligen. Voor vroege tweetaligen kan het zijn dat taalaanleg bepaalde effecten heeft. Voor de rol van taalaanleg in collocaties lijkt het duidelijk dat taalaanleg hierin een belangrijke rol speelt voor late tweetaligen.Show less
One of the common misconceptions when it comes to teaching a second language to gifted students is that teachers expect gifted students to be better at learning a second language than non-gifted...Show moreOne of the common misconceptions when it comes to teaching a second language to gifted students is that teachers expect gifted students to be better at learning a second language than non-gifted students. Expectations are usually high, and when a student does not live up to these expectations, it causes frustration; not just for the student, but also for the teacher and the parents. This misconception stems from the fact that most gifted students show an extensive knowledge of their L1 (first language) at an early age. In theory, a gifted child should therefore be faster at picking up an L2 (second language) than non-gifted students: Hayes et al (1998, p. 179) states: “there is a strong connection between language ability and learning ability.” So hypothetically, with their advanced thinking skills, their more extensive verbal skills, and with their aptitude for learning, these gifted students should have little trouble with learning a second language. In practice, however, this does not always seem to be the case; gifted students do not automatically apply their abilities in learning second languages. For example, classroom practice shows that gifted students generally have greater difficulties with learning and memorizing vocabulary than non-gifted students. The study described in this thesis has multiple aims. First and foremost it aims to examine if there is a difference in the ways gifted and non-gifted students acquire English as a second language. Secondly it explores how language pedagogy as well as taking learning styles into account could benefit gifted students. This is in turn compared to the current classroom practice at the Rijswijks Lyceum. It should finally lead to the causes of these differences or similarities along with the consequences for gifted students.Show less
The processes involved in second language phonology have been long researched, yet the research is not always easy to apply in real-life teaching situations. Considering the dynamics of learning a...Show moreThe processes involved in second language phonology have been long researched, yet the research is not always easy to apply in real-life teaching situations. Considering the dynamics of learning a second language and respecting the innate processes that are involved in phonology acquisition the method of this thesis steps away from a traditional lengthy formal instruction: participants were given a very short instruction on their pronunciation. The differences before and after instruction were measured both phonetically (in F1 and F2 frequencies) and audibly (survey). One participant is successful at changing his output both phonetically and audibly, while the others are less successful. Their results, however, inform us about learners’ aptitude, the interconnectedness between vowel output and learner proficiency, transfer processes, and draws comparisons with dynamic systems theory and the effect that psychological tension may have on language output.Show less
This thesis has investigated whether it is worthwhile to incorporate explicit strategy instruction in EFL-classes in Dutch secondary education. The case study performed at Christiaan Huygens...Show moreThis thesis has investigated whether it is worthwhile to incorporate explicit strategy instruction in EFL-classes in Dutch secondary education. The case study performed at Christiaan Huygens College shows that Dutch secondary students portray a relatively low frequency of strategy use. Unlike many international studies on strategy research no correlation was found between overall strategy use and achievement. A positive relationship was found between motivation and achievement. This indicates that, for secondary students, it might be more effective to invest time and energy in enhancing students’ motivation than to merely focus on strategy instruction.Show less
While the choice of accent in British popular music has been subject of debate for many years, there is still little known about the choice of accent in Dutch popular music. This thesis sets out to...Show moreWhile the choice of accent in British popular music has been subject of debate for many years, there is still little known about the choice of accent in Dutch popular music. This thesis sets out to describe the trend in the choice of accents among Dutch artists when singing in English and it sets out to examine how this choice correlates with the choice of topic and the stylistic choices. An analysis of one hundred songs by seventy-three Dutch artists revealed that the vast majority of the Dutch artists adopt a primarily American accent. The analysis also disclosed that there is not an obvious correlation between the choice of accent, the choice of topic and the stylistic choices in these songs. Previous research also did not really include the listener’s preference for an accent. Therefore, the second aim of this thesis is to examine whether listeners have a preference for one accent over the other and what their motivations are for this preference. A survey was conducted involving fifty-eight participants. The results of the survey showed that a large majority of the listeners preferred the British recording over the American recording. The motivations for the preference for the British recording are mostly based on the accent of the singer, the comprehensibility and the overall sound of the recording. In conclusion, this study offers support for the use of a British accent in Dutch popular music songs.Show less
The current report is an examination of language and identity in the context of Brussels. Brussels is sociolinguistically interesting as an official bilingual city with great diversity in languages...Show moreThe current report is an examination of language and identity in the context of Brussels. Brussels is sociolinguistically interesting as an official bilingual city with great diversity in languages and cultures. Theoretical notions of language attitude, accommodation and social identity are linked in the multilingual context of Brussels. To investigate a possible relation between language and identity, the language choice preferences of speakers of Dutch are mapped, as well as identifications they make on different levels. The link between language choice and identification is examined by investigating three small groups of speakers of Dutch in Brussels. An attitudinal online survey, expert interviews and a rapid and anonymous survey offer data that provide insights in the language, and identifications the speakers make. Qualitative analyses imply that speakers of Dutch in Brussels show a tendency to be flexible towards language switch and being addressed in another language. The Dutch language tends not to be a distinctive feature to the speakers’ identity, but multilingualism and positive traits attributed to multilingualism are part of the identity of the speakers of Dutch in Brussels.Show less
Abstract Kachru (1985) described three groups of English speaking world - inner, outer and extending, out of which the last circle includes those speakers who use English for international purposes...Show moreAbstract Kachru (1985) described three groups of English speaking world - inner, outer and extending, out of which the last circle includes those speakers who use English for international purposes. As he claimed, for native speakers’ standard norm is acceptable, however, for the rest of the circles, local variations are more logical. Georgia is part of the third, extending circle, and thus, the question which deviances from norm are acceptable and which are not is the question to ask. The presented study of Georgian-accented English is the first research in the Georgian-English accent studies that is oriented to find out the three groups of pronunciation mistakes: unintelligible, disturbing and ugly. This was possible by creating three groups of listeners, native English speaking, Georgian and Dutch English speaking judges who assessed the Georgian-English speech and singled out the problematic features. The results of the study has shown some serious mistakes that hinder the intelligibility and are disturbing. However, those features that were assessed as ugly were not considered to be very important and were advised to improve only on the higher level of English teaching.Show less
This thesis explores the correlation between gender roles and the use of the high rise pattern in declarative sentences, and whether the High Rising Terminal is an indicator of insecurity, as...Show moreThis thesis explores the correlation between gender roles and the use of the high rise pattern in declarative sentences, and whether the High Rising Terminal is an indicator of insecurity, as Lakoff (1973) suggests. The Introduction gives an overview of the field and the relevant issues and literature and the concepts of gender roles (particularly the phenomenon of the ‘power woman’) and the High Rise are explained. The Methodology for the research consists of two tests. First, five minutes of speech of twenty women in Dutch media were analysed for frequencies of the End Rise. The two women who displayed the highest and lowest frequencies were then subjected to further research (with transcribed speech samples consisting of ten minutes) to investigate the nature and context of their End Rises and whether these End Rises constitute occurrences of the High Rise. The results for both tests, which show that there is little correlation between the High Rise and assumed insecurity, are presented in the Results chapter. In the Conclusion, the results are discussed in relation to the research questions and the implications of the research and its results are also discussed.Show less
This thesis investigates factors that logically influence the quality of English among Western European countries. The factors explored in this thesis are linguistic distance between the mother...Show moreThis thesis investigates factors that logically influence the quality of English among Western European countries. The factors explored in this thesis are linguistic distance between the mother tongue and English, the effect of dubbing versus subtitling as well as teaching methods. The countries that will be looked at are the three Nordic countries of Finland, Norway and Sweden, as well as France, Germany and the Netherlands. The thesis is of a wide explorative nature and aims to provide data for future research into the situation in each of these countries. In doing so, this research includes extensive literature reviews on each of the three factors. In addition, empirical data were gathered by interviewing laymen, linguists as well as English language teachers from six Western European countries.Show less
In this thesis, two factors were examined that could have an influence on the acquisition of English for bilinguals in the Dutch province of Friesland: lexical closeness and held attitudes. First,...Show moreIn this thesis, two factors were examined that could have an influence on the acquisition of English for bilinguals in the Dutch province of Friesland: lexical closeness and held attitudes. First, it is examined whether knowledge of Frisian helps children acquire English lexicon and, second, whether there is a correlation between the attitude towards English and the (self-perceived) proficiency in this language. This was examined on the basis of a vocabulary test and a questionnaire. The results have indicated that the lexical closeness between Frisian and English does not (necessarily) facilitate the lexical acquisition process of English, but that a positive attitude towards English does positively influence the acquisition of English.Show less
