This thesis examines whether native speakers of Dutch can aspirate unvoiced word-initial plosives in English as a second language and if they are able to do so to the same degree as native speakers...Show moreThis thesis examines whether native speakers of Dutch can aspirate unvoiced word-initial plosives in English as a second language and if they are able to do so to the same degree as native speakers of English. Aspiration was measured in word-initial unvoiced plosives /p, t, k/ using Voice Onset Time (VOT). Influence of sex, age, age of onset of the second language, and self-reported general pronunciation ability in English were also examined. Native Dutch VOT generally lies between 0-20ms, while native English VOT is anywhere between 50-100 ms. Using recordings from 19 participants who read both Dutch and English sentences out loud, it was found that participants increased their aspiration with an average of 10 ms when switching from Dutch to English. The analysis also shows that two participants out of 19 had an average VOT at a native-like level (>50 ms). Further investigation showed that sex, age, and age of onset did not influence VOT. Participants who graded their general pronunciation abilities with an 8 or higher did show a bigger increase in VOT, but there was no correlation to higher VOT in English when compared to other speakers. Other results showed that /p, t, k/ were not aspirated to the same extent, with /t/ being aspirated significantly more and /p/ significantly less. Lastly, the co-existence of words in both English and Dutch did not significantly alter the VOT, only when words started with /k/ did aspiration significantly improve when the exact word also existed in Dutch. These results conclude that native speakers of Dutch increase aspiration and can aspirate to a native-like degree while speaking English. Any defining factors of the participants who were able to do so are not available due to the limited sample size.Show less
Degrammaticalisation, the field of study which concerns itself with counterexamples to the hypothesis of unidirectionality, is a contested concept in grammaticalisation theory. This thesis examines...Show moreDegrammaticalisation, the field of study which concerns itself with counterexamples to the hypothesis of unidirectionality, is a contested concept in grammaticalisation theory. This thesis examines the definitional issues and points of contention in (de)grammaticalisation theory. The aim was to examine the tenability of degrammaticalisation as a separate process and the limits of its definition in light of the diachronic development of the English prenominal genitive. Corpus data were probed against definitions and requirements of degrammaticalisation posited in the literature. In addition, the impact of the various definitions of both grammaticalisation and degrammaticalisation on a degrammaticalisation analysis were examined.Show less
The main topic of this thesis is yakuwarigo in translation. Yakuwarigo, the Japanese word for role language, is a type of language use often used in works of fiction which evokes the image of a...Show moreThe main topic of this thesis is yakuwarigo in translation. Yakuwarigo, the Japanese word for role language, is a type of language use often used in works of fiction which evokes the image of a certain type of character, such as an old man or a young girl, by using certain first-person pronouns, copula and sentence-ending particles (Kinsui 2013). Translating yakuwarigo can be extremely challenging because the Japanese language has many opportunities for variation where English does not. For that reason, yakuwarigo is often standardised in the target text, even though this negatively impacts the uniqueness of the characters (Terada, 2015). While there is quite a bit of literature available on yakuwarigo, hardly any research has been done on the topic of yakuwarigo in translation. In this thesis, the feasibility of translating yakuwarigo from Japanese to English using a foreignising translation strategy is examined. The research question is: “To what extent is it possible to translate yakuwarigo from Japanese to English with a foreignising translation strategy?”. The answer to this question is formed by two parts: a theoretical framework and a case study. In the theoretical framework, a number of different topics are discussed, such as translation strategies, equivalence, and stereotyping. In the case study, six characters of a manga (Japanese cartoon) are analysed in the original version as well as in a fan translation. Additionally, a new translation of is proposed based on the acquired information. It was found that despite the fact that it is impossible to translate yakuwarigo to English perfectly, it is possible to translate characters in such a way that their language reflects their main personality traits. This is done by adapting the font, punctuation and lexical choices, among others, to the character’s personality as a way of compensating for the original yakuwarigo.Show less
In a pronunciation evaluation task, 30 Dutch students of English Language & Culture responded to questions about the ‘correctness’ in pronunciation of 4 speakers of global Englishes. This...Show moreIn a pronunciation evaluation task, 30 Dutch students of English Language & Culture responded to questions about the ‘correctness’ in pronunciation of 4 speakers of global Englishes. This included two L1 speakers (from London and New Delhi), and two L2 speakers (from Groningen and Zhengzhou). Follow-up interviews were conducted with 10 participants for further insight. Results showed that the pronunciations were ranked as most to least correct in regard to their similarity to RP. However, three factors were highly influential in participants’ evaluations. Firstly, prosodic features were found to be the defining feature of ‘good’ pronunciation. Secondly, identification of a speaker’s accent affected participants’ overall evaluations. Finally, a speaker was thought to have a lower standard of pronunciation if they did not have an RP accent, regardless of how easy they were to understand. Overall, English was found to be indexical of the UK or USA due to RP and GA being the standard pronunciation models, and if these teaching models are to continue to be the norm, there is an overwhelming need to increase the use of other pronunciation models as stimuli in the classroom to address the practical realities of using English today.Show less
This thesis discusses the properties of the current global language English, along with other three languages: Esperanto, Latin, and Classical Chinese who once were or close to be an international...Show moreThis thesis discusses the properties of the current global language English, along with other three languages: Esperanto, Latin, and Classical Chinese who once were or close to be an international language. This paper attempts to figure out if Chinese will replace English as the next global language by listing the properties of a global language following a comparison of the list with properties of Modern Chinese. In order to find out the properties of a global language, this thesis analyzes the reasons why each language became a global or a regional lingua franca and why some of the languages failed to maintain the status of being an international language. The result shows that being a global language often relies on colonial expansion, strong influence in multiple fields throughout the world and the easiness of acquiring the language. Chinese being the only language written with characters and the principle of “Peaceful Rise” of China makes Chinese less likely to be the next global language.Show less
The goal of this thesis is to determine the factors that affect the decomposability of affixed words in a cross linguistic level by conducting two experiments, the first in English and the second...Show moreThe goal of this thesis is to determine the factors that affect the decomposability of affixed words in a cross linguistic level by conducting two experiments, the first in English and the second in Modern Greek language. With the term decomposability I refer to the property of affixed words to be broken down to their basic components in order to be semantically defined. Native speakers are able to distinguish and seperate their language's complex words into their basic morphemes. One of the main factors that is suspected to affect the decomposability of affixed words is the relative frequency of the words themselves. After I provide sufficient information about the specifics of relative frequency and other possible factors that can affect the decomposability of affixed words, I will present in detail the two experiments that were performed along with their results. The thesis will conclude with a discussion of the results before determining whether the examined factors share the same effects in both languages and examining if the possibility of other factors that affect the phenomenon of decomposability in a cross-linguistic level may exist or not.Show less
This paper investigated discourse on the use of the English language in Dutch pop music. An important term in this research was societal treatment. Societal treatment studies deal with the explicit...Show moreThis paper investigated discourse on the use of the English language in Dutch pop music. An important term in this research was societal treatment. Societal treatment studies deal with the explicit manifestations of beliefs, feelings and behavioural intents present in a wide range of communications (Santello 2015). The questions which were researched in this thesis were: What are the language attitudes of the people of the Netherlands towards Dutch and towards English in pop music? Do they have a language preference? Three methods were used to look at the societal treatment of English and Dutch in pop music: content analysis, indirect measurement, and direct measurement (Van Meurs 2010). In the content analysis, Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) was gathered about the use of Dutch and English in pop music from different forums. All this data was categorized into twenty-three different categories. The indirect measurement consists of a questionnaire which focused on the four tendencies which were found in the content analysis. These four tendencies were the connection to the song, the understanding of the song, the thoughts on the lyrics, and the enjoyment of the song. The goal of this questionnaire was to define if there were differences in the treatment of Dutch and English in these tendencies by letting people evaluate different video clips. In all the video clips Dutch artists were present but half of the video clips were sung in Dutch and the other half was sung in English. The direct measurement was the creation of two discussions online which focused on upcoming new Dutch music genres and the language attitudes of the Dutch towards the Dutch language. Overall, the results show that most of the Dutch have a negative language attitude towards their first language and have a language preference for English in pop music.Show less
The aim of this research is to gain insight in how futurity is expressed within English and Dutch legal contracts and to define the relation between modality and temporality. It is hypothesized...Show moreThe aim of this research is to gain insight in how futurity is expressed within English and Dutch legal contracts and to define the relation between modality and temporality. It is hypothesized that futurity is not unequivocally expressed in contract language. Also, it is expected that not only within futurity but also within modality a potential degree of ambiguity can be found considering expression of epistemic, dynamic, and deontic modality.Show less
In a threefold study linking sociolinguistics to the field of second language acquisition, I investigated what values students indexed through their L2 English accent. I related this to their...Show moreIn a threefold study linking sociolinguistics to the field of second language acquisition, I investigated what values students indexed through their L2 English accent. I related this to their identity. Indexicality is a framework that attatches linguistic variables to social meanings (e.g. Eckert, 2008, Trousdale, 2010, p. 48). The social meanings attached to speech are valued unequally across social groups, and therefore, some language is more likely to be heard and respected than others in a construct termed the ‘linguistic marketplace’ by Bourdieu and Boltanski (Eckert, 2000, p. 13). This study involved questionnaires (n=99), interviews (n=4), and investigations into students’ sound files (n=18). The majority of the students (71%) aspired to a British accent, which could be related to findings in the questionnaire: namely that students rated sounding native and intelligent highly. When interviewed, students stated that a British accent, and specifically Received Pronunciation (RP), sounded more intelligent, and had more prestige attached to it. Investigation by Edwards (2016) reveals that the British accent is still considered the default model in the Netherlands. Thus it appears they have appropriated this norm, and thereby maximise the value of their speech on the linguistic marketplace. Moreover, students likely wish to signal their intelligence and expertise by emulating the British ideal. In general, students sounded predominantly British in their sound files (52% on average), though they had 40% Dutch influence on average, and also traces of American influences, like t-flapping and rhoticity. Besides L1 interference this showed students also incorporated aspects of speech which likely had covert prestige for them. In general, students’ accent preferences signal their academic, professional identity, but do not seem to index all aspects of their identity. When applied to the wider L2 acquisition field, this study illustrates identity expression may not be a priority of learners; instead, they may wish to appropriate a most standard and accepted accent.Show less
Traditionally, grammar is important in translation. However, translation quality assessment often does not pay much attention to the correct use of grammar and information structure. This research...Show moreTraditionally, grammar is important in translation. However, translation quality assessment often does not pay much attention to the correct use of grammar and information structure. This research aims to investigate whether Hannay and Mackenzie’s five principles for effective writing in English can be used to provide a guideline for the assessment of grammatical constructions. The study contained a literature review and a questionnaire, which focused on quality assessment of Dutch to English translations in which the five principles are applied. Although the number of respondents is slightly small, there are interesting findings. Especially principle 1 and principle 5 are recognized and those translations are assessed as grammatically correct. The study also found that native speakers of English are more strict in their assessment than non-native speakers of English, who are more tolerant towards minor errors.Show less
Today, various translation applications exist which are used daily by millions of people. However useful these applications are, occasionally they fail to deliver adequate translations. This paper...Show moreToday, various translation applications exist which are used daily by millions of people. However useful these applications are, occasionally they fail to deliver adequate translations. This paper explains how applications following Statistical Machine Translation methods would translate negation in sentences from Dutch to English, why this can lead to inadequate translations, and compares these findings with how different theoretical linguistic frameworks approach negation. The paper ends with a suggestion that, as theoretical linguistic frameworks show, using statistics alone is not sufficient when translating negation in sentences from Dutch to English.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
This study focuses on the variation in pronunciation of 18 Dutch loanwords. These loanwords know variation in a vowel or consonant, or in their stress pattern. With the help of a questionnaire and...Show moreThis study focuses on the variation in pronunciation of 18 Dutch loanwords. These loanwords know variation in a vowel or consonant, or in their stress pattern. With the help of a questionnaire and wordlist, the varying pronunciation forms of these Dutch loanwords were analysed. By studying the origin of these loanwords, it became evident whether the donor language influenced the pronunciation. It became clear that French is the most influential donor language with regards to the pronunciation. Correlations with sex, age, region, educational level, and dialect proficiency were also studied to find any patterns. The social variables sex and educational level influenced the choices speakers made for a certain pronunciation form the most.Show less
