This thesis aims at filling a gap in the typological analysis of Niger-Congo noun classes and initiate the creation of a framework applicable for every Niger-Congo noun class system. It answers the...Show moreThis thesis aims at filling a gap in the typological analysis of Niger-Congo noun classes and initiate the creation of a framework applicable for every Niger-Congo noun class system. It answers the research question "What are the criteria and challenges to creating a typological framework for Niger-Congo noun classes ?" Based on existing literature, this thesis reviewed the definitions of noun classes and existing frameworks in most of Niger-Congo language families. It also identifies the challenges specific to this type of project and develops an approach to overcome the difficulties by using the resources of technology, typically Excel, to build a database, sufficiently general to take into account all Niger-Congo noun class systems and flexible enough to adapt to all specificities. Such a framework also aims at creating a database in order to create statistical analysis.Show less
The present thesis investigates how West-Frisian expresses low quantities or amounts. The thesis provides evidence in favor of a claim made in Hoekstra, J. (2000) in a reaction to Doetjes (1998)....Show moreThe present thesis investigates how West-Frisian expresses low quantities or amounts. The thesis provides evidence in favor of a claim made in Hoekstra, J. (2000) in a reaction to Doetjes (1998). This claim states that the West-Frisian quantity expression in bytsje ‘a bit’ is compatible with mass nouns as well as count plurals. This is due to an ambiguity inherent to this West-Frisian quantity expression such that it can have a meaning similar to a bit as well as few/little. Similar to counterparts of this quantity expression in related languages such as English, Dutch and German (resp.: a bit, een beetje and ein bisschen), the mass-only restriction applies to West-Frisian in bytsje in its reading similar to a bit as well. In the reading similar to few/little on the other hand, West-Frisian in bytsje does not adhere to the mass-only puzzle as proposed by Doetjes (1998), instead, in bytsje is compatible with count plurals as well as Hoekstra, J. (2000) states. In those cases, as Hoekstra, J. (2000) states and data collected for the present paper shows, the West-Frisian quantity expression in bytsje seems to range from being ambiguous between having a negative and a positive reading and having only a probable negative reading. This compatibility of in bytsje (a bit) with count plurals is hypothesized to be related with the disappearance of the simplex low-degree quantifier min (few/little) in contemporary West-Frisian. Furthermore, through comparing the properties of three distinct West-Frisian quantity expressions (in bytsje ‘a bit’, net folle ‘not many/much’ and in pear ‘a few’) the ambiguities for substituting min for in bytsje are laid bare. Based on these arguments, the present thesis claims that the simplex quantity expression min has been replaced not only by in bytsje and net folle as Hoekstra, J. (2000) proposes, but also by in pear to account for these ambiguities. A language analysis seems to indicate that each quantity expression in West-Frisian has its own distinct role in the quantity system of this language which provides evidence that while in bytsje is compatible with count plurals, this compatibility shows a highly limited distribution.Show less
As the game industry grows larger, game localization becomes more important. This thesis focuses on the way game localizers deal with the translation of Japanese role language in two entries of the...Show moreAs the game industry grows larger, game localization becomes more important. This thesis focuses on the way game localizers deal with the translation of Japanese role language in two entries of the popular Final Fantasy franchise.Show less
Previous studies (Jensen, 1989) (Börestam Uhlmann, 1994) (Zeevaert, 2004) (Gooskens et al., 2018) have attempted to establish intelligibility between cognate or sister languages - languages...Show morePrevious studies (Jensen, 1989) (Börestam Uhlmann, 1994) (Zeevaert, 2004) (Gooskens et al., 2018) have attempted to establish intelligibility between cognate or sister languages - languages descending from a common ancestral language. But what happens to intelligibility when those languages are not only related but are a direct continuation such as descendant languages or a creoles? This thesis attempts to establish the intelligibility of Papiamentu as an Iberian-based creole language among native speakers of Spanish and Portuguese. By means of a cloze test (Aitken, 1977) performed online and distributed through social media, participants were asked to look at three written texts and listen to three audio fragments, each with certain words missing for which the participants had to select replacements through multiple choice. Participants were sorted into different categories in order to establish whether the order of performed tasks had any impact on the end results. Additionally, participants were asked to self-assess their performance at the end of each task. Results showed that Spanish speakers generally performed better at the reading task, while Portuguese speaking participants scored better during the listening task. Overall, the Portuguese speakers had the highest scores. The order in which tasks were performed also impacted the scores, with those who performed the listening task first scoring higher than those who performed the tasks in the reversed order.Show less
There is currently a very wide range of different approaches on the study of emotional meaning in language. This paper discusses how these different approaches might be combined within the same...Show moreThere is currently a very wide range of different approaches on the study of emotional meaning in language. This paper discusses how these different approaches might be combined within the same model. I hypothese a framework, which incorporates both pragmatic and sociolinguistic theory, and illustrates how this framework could be used to compare the emotional meaning of US politicians in relation to their American culture.Show less
Michelle Obama faces public scrutiny over her race and use of African American Language. Research has demonstrated that African American Language (AAL) shoulders much prejudice and that Michelle...Show moreMichelle Obama faces public scrutiny over her race and use of African American Language. Research has demonstrated that African American Language (AAL) shoulders much prejudice and that Michelle Obama, as a black woman, has faced negative stereotypes due to her complexion. This study aims to establish a direct connection between Michelle Obama’s use of African American Language and her public image, based on a sentiment analysis of tweets. Building on existing work, this study asks how Michelle Obama’s African American Language use affects her public image and whether public perception is based on her use of AAL. In this context, the archaic use of African American Vernacular English is substituted with the use of African American Language. Based on a corpus of gathered tweets, a sentiment analysis was performed to determine online engagement based on mood. An analysis of the results demonstrated that positive online engagement could be connected to a decreased use of African American Language by Michelle Obama. The results indicate that Americans think more highly of Michelle when she speaks less “black.”Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
2023-08-31T00:00:00Z
In this thesis, I study loanwords of unknown origin in Proto-Indo-Iranian and early Post-Proto-Indo-Iranian. According to the Central Asian Substrate Hypothesis, Indo-Iranian speakers migrated to...Show moreIn this thesis, I study loanwords of unknown origin in Proto-Indo-Iranian and early Post-Proto-Indo-Iranian. According to the Central Asian Substrate Hypothesis, Indo-Iranian speakers migrated to Central Asia around 2000 BCE and came into contact with the agricultural BMAC civilization, which resulted in a body of loanwords into Proto-Indo-Iranian, borrowed from the language of the BMAC people. Following a methodology for identifying non-Indo-European vocabulary in Indo-European languages, I argue that 74 out of 103 previously suggested loanwords can plausibly be analyzed as loanwords (chapter 3). Only a handful of these may have been borrowed from known languages. After establishing the relative chronology of Proto-Indo-Iranian sound changes (chapter 2), I divide the 74 early Indo-Iranian loanwords into chronological layers based on when they were borrowed (chapter 3-4). I argue that 21 words were borrowed after the disintegration of Proto-Indo-Iranian. Moreover, I argue that many of the remaining 53 loanwords that are reconstructable to Proto-Indo-Iranian were borrowed towards the end of this stage. Finally, I integrate the chronological layers into my analysis of structural characteristics of early Indo-Iranian loanwords and describe two new phonological patterns of loanwords (chapter 5). The fact that many loanwords are shown to have been borrowed in late PII or Post-PII, i.e. after Indo-Iranian speakers migrated to Central Asia, is consistent with the timeline of the Central Asian Substrate Hypothesis. Second, the newly discovered phonological characteristics provide additional support for the Central Asian Substrate Hypothesis, since they increase the likelihood that most loanwords originate in the same language.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Afrikaanse talen en culturen (BA)
closed access
The present study seeks to investigate the body part nomenclature and partonomy of the Bantu language Xhosa and to explore its semantics by looking at the conventionalised ways these body part...Show moreThe present study seeks to investigate the body part nomenclature and partonomy of the Bantu language Xhosa and to explore its semantics by looking at the conventionalised ways these body part terms are used figuratively, in metaphorical and metonymical expressions. This is done in order to discover and document the richness of the way this language uses its body part nomenclature while simultaneously analysing to what extent the patterns that are found in the partonomy and the metaphorical use of body parts agrees with universal patterns found in previous research and to what extent it is culturally specific. First, the literature on the topic of body part nomenclature, partonomy and on metaphorical uses of body parts in African languages will be reviewed. Then, the methodology employed and data collected on Xhosa body nomenclature and partonomy and the metaphorical expressions will be presented. Thirdly, the body parts and their metaphorical uses that were collected will be described and analysed. Fourthly, the data collected will be compared to cross-linguistic data and data from similar studies performed on African languages. These components will finally accumulate to a concluding discussion on Xhosa body part nomenclature, partonomy and its metaphorical uses by exploring the ways in which Xhosa speakers conceive of body parts semantically and conceptualise them linguistically, with a special case study of the terms iminwe (fingers) and iinzwane (toes).Show less
In August 2017, The Guardian announced the display of the Yeats family collection, which took place in London from 22 to 26 September. This thesis will discuss William Butler Yeats’ (1865 – 1939)...Show moreIn August 2017, The Guardian announced the display of the Yeats family collection, which took place in London from 22 to 26 September. This thesis will discuss William Butler Yeats’ (1865 – 1939) relationship with his wife, George Yeats “Georgie” (born Bertha Hyde-Lees, 1892 – 1968), his sister, Susan Mary ('Lilly') Yeats (1866-1949), and his business partner, Lady Gregory (1852 – 1932) from the perspective of his language use. The focus will be on the degree of linguistic involvement between Yeats and the women in his life revealed from the letters written by Yeats, during 1917– 1932. This paper will discuss possible style variation in these letters of W.B. Yeats (1865 – 1939). Also, I shall asses the relationships between Yeats and the three different women in his life by analysing the opening and closing formulas. The hypothesis is that the linguistic variation shows the degree of involvement between the man behind the poet and his correspondent. I shall look at the involvement by taking into consideration the usage of markers such as evidential verbs, degree adverbs, and second-person pronouns, while working with Wordsworth Tools 7.0, drawing on previous research, and linking it back to my findings (see e.g. Milroy 1980, Sairio 2005, Tieken-Boon van Ostade 2014, and Bax 2000).Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis sets out to explore relationships between attitudes to language learning and context as influential factors on the production, and perceived offensiveness and acceptability of L2...Show moreThis thesis sets out to explore relationships between attitudes to language learning and context as influential factors on the production, and perceived offensiveness and acceptability of L2 English swearwords. Using a sample of 111 L1 Dutch, L2 secondary school learners of English, this study uses a three-part approach to further understand L2 English swearing behaviour. The participants first completed a production task. In this task they replied to six hypothetical text- messages following a DCT approach that were manipulated on speaker (authoritative/non- authoritative). Following this, they completed an attitudes task consisting of 24 stimuli to be able to shed further light on attitudes to L2 English learning and swearing as possible influential variable on L2 swearing behaviour. Lastly, based on previous studies by Dewaele (2004, 2016, 2017) and Jay & Janschewitz (2008), the participants completed a perception task in which they rated the perceived offensiveness and acceptability of four swearwords in 4 different contexts. These contexts were manipulated on speaker (authoritative/non-authoritative) and location (formal/informal). For the production task, the findings suggest that participants are more likely to use swearwords in a closed-DCT design. Further, an effect of speaker is found as significantly more swearwords were used when the participants were in conversation with a friend rather than a parent. Swearing, however, occurred rather infrequently, which is partly explained by the negative attitudes of the participants to the use of swearwords. Continuing, the results of the perception task revealed significant effects of speaker (p = 0.001) and location (p = 0.005) on offensiveness ratings, and a significant effect of speaker on acceptability ratings (p = 0.001). Further, a strong negative correlation was revealed between offensiveness and acceptability. Lastly, a comparison between the ratings of offensiveness by the participants and native speaker scales of offence (Millwood-Hargrave, 2000; McEnery, 2006; OFCOM, 2016) show that the non-native participants significantly rate offensiveness lower than native speakers. These results re-affirm findings by other researchers such as Dewaele (2004, 2016, 2017) and Jay & Janschewitz (2008), and indicate that ratings of acceptability are largely dependent on ratings of offensiveness.Show less
This thesis explores the readability of Roald Dahl's books. Specifically, it tests two adult books against two children's books to see if there is a difference between the language use of the two...Show moreThis thesis explores the readability of Roald Dahl's books. Specifically, it tests two adult books against two children's books to see if there is a difference between the language use of the two genres for Dahl. Did he change his language when switching from adult stories to children's books? The readability is tested through the use of the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and the Automated Readability Index tests. These tests showed that there is indeed a slight difference between the readability of the children's books and the adult books of Dahl. This was in line with the prediction based on the literature discussed on language development, children's books as a genre, and readability. However, the adult texts of Dahl turned out to be easier to read than expected and easier to read than the average of adult books. This raises the question whether Dahl really did change his language to fit his new audience, children, or if his adult books show that he actually has always written in a way that is readable for children.Show less
This study aims to clarify the general attitudes of Dutch people towards the usage of anglicisms in Dutch. To this end the function and presence of anglicisms in Dutch are analysed, followed by the...Show moreThis study aims to clarify the general attitudes of Dutch people towards the usage of anglicisms in Dutch. To this end the function and presence of anglicisms in Dutch are analysed, followed by the creation and distribution of a survey that presents ten frequently used anglicisms in Dutch. The results of the survey display an overall neutral stance towards the presence and usage of anglicisms in Dutch, with some interesting outcomes considering the age, education level, and province of origin of the participants.Show less
Dental fricatives are amongst the rarest speech sounds in the natural languages found in the world (Jekiel, 2012) and have disappeared from most Germanic languages (Laker, 2014). However, the...Show moreDental fricatives are amongst the rarest speech sounds in the natural languages found in the world (Jekiel, 2012) and have disappeared from most Germanic languages (Laker, 2014). However, the standard varieties of English still contain both the voiced and voiceless dental fricatives as phonemes. Although these phonemes are still common in e.g. Received Pronunciation (RP) and General American (GA) (Ladefoged & Maddieson, 1996), the dental fricatives are often replaced in other, non-standard varieties through processes such as th-fronting. The phenomenon of these contemporary changes in articulation has been studied, though a large portion of the research has been based mostly on sociolinguistic descriptions and discussing the phenomenon from this field’s paradigm (see e.g. Kerswill, 2003; Stuart-Smith et al., 2013) without thoroughly discussing other potential underlying phenomena that could cause the variation and change of dental fricatives in dialects: phonetic and phonological reasons, as an addition to sociolinguistic explanations, could provide a greater understanding of the factors of speech sound variation. This thesis explores some of the various ways the subfields of linguistics, historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, and phonetics, can work together to provide insights into the underlying factors influencing sound changes. By analysing the scientific literature concerning dental fricatives, the tentative conclusion was reached that, as dental fricatives do not have much phonemic function and are difficult to acquire and most Germanic languages have lost the dental fricatives, Britain could soon follow, especially if th-fronting loses its social stigma.Show less
This thesis examines two approaches to ellipsis in order to gain further insight into the behaviour of clausal ellipsis when targeting constituents. In their recent article, Ott and Struckmeier ...Show moreThis thesis examines two approaches to ellipsis in order to gain further insight into the behaviour of clausal ellipsis when targeting constituents. In their recent article, Ott and Struckmeier (2018) advocate the usefulness of German modal particles (MPs) as a test to show selective targeting in swiping, in contrast to the generally accepted unselective move-and-delete approach of ellipsis argued by Merchant (2001). This thesis adopts Ott and Struckmeier’s argument in order to determine whether the interaction between R-pronouns and MPs in clausal ellipsis in Dutch, also known as sweeping, results in evidence supporting selective targeting of constituents in the clause. This investigation was done via an acceptability judgment task, completed by 162 native speakers of Dutch and Flemish. Comparing acceptability scores of differing syntactic configurations shows that ellipsis does seem to target selectively, as MPs are demonstrated to be resistant to movement and are allowed as remnants in the ellipsis site. Further research into Dutch sweeping constructions thus seems to be advisable.Show less
