This thesis is a pilot study investigating the influence of Information Structure on naturalness of (non-)canonical word order permutations among Russian Heritage speakers residing in mainland...Show moreThis thesis is a pilot study investigating the influence of Information Structure on naturalness of (non-)canonical word order permutations among Russian Heritage speakers residing in mainland Portugal. The obtained word order patterns are compared to the data collected from a homogenous group of monolingual Russian speakers from St Petersburg. The thesis in particular focuses on whether (in)definiteness plays a role in the distribution of extralinguistic information (TOPIC/FOCUS) in Heritage Russian. Through short dialogue recordings of Colloquial Russian, ratings of Subject FOCUS and Object FOCUS are elicited amongst the two participant groups, as part of the acceptability judgement task. It was hypothesised that Russian Heritage Speakers would map Word Order based on Information Structure similar to L1/1 speakers of Russian. For Subject and IO FOCUS sentences, the obtained results indicate that Russian Heritage speakers are non-target like. Russian Heritage speakers transfer the preference for VOS/SV DO IO order from European Portuguese as opposed to Russian OVS/S DO V IO.Show less
This thesis builds on the idea that subtle, culturally induced differences in semantic meaning remain between translation equivalent words across different languages. This study further argues that...Show moreThis thesis builds on the idea that subtle, culturally induced differences in semantic meaning remain between translation equivalent words across different languages. This study further argues that these differences in meaning may be approached through the examination of the linguistic contexts within which these words occur. Consequently, this work provides a quantitative methodology for highlighting relevant areas in which such cultural differences may be reflected. The method is based on intuition derived from several existing, structuralist methods and works primarily by comparing the frequency of hypernyms of nouns that appear in the neighborhood of an examined word. This thesis focuses on the indigenous Dolgan language as a case study; one that is purposely exploratory in nature. This minority language poses the research with the additional challenge of working with a small-sized language corpus for computational purposes: it demands a ‘rough’ look at data to act as a means, instead of being a limitation. Overall, the results indicate that culturally determined differences between words exist to a measurable degree, despite the unavailability of an adequately sized dataset. Although the results provide insufficient guidance for drawing anthropological conclusions, the findings reassert that cultural knowledge is encoded within language and reiterate the need to preserve endangered indigenous languages.Show less
This thesis addresses verbal and non-verbal aspects of Russian identity, namely word order and smiling. It aims at investigating whether Russian national identity is shifting and can be qualified...Show moreThis thesis addresses verbal and non-verbal aspects of Russian identity, namely word order and smiling. It aims at investigating whether Russian national identity is shifting and can be qualified as ‘Western’. In order to examine these aspects, the Matched Guise Test was used, which proved its efficiency in measuring verbal and non-verbal sociolinguistic aspects that existed in a particular language community. For this experiment, native Russian speakers (n=22) were offered to participate in two tests that focused on common and uncommon word order use and use of a sincere smile in a situation where it was not commonly used. In the first task, native Russian speakers were asked to evaluate two equivalent Russian phrases produced by a guise. The phrases were different in their word order. During the second task, a video scene was shown to participants where a stranger smiled sincerely when making eye contact with another stranger. Participants were supposed to assess both tasks across seven characteristics on Likert scales. The results of the first task were compared and correlated with gender and age, as were the findings of the second task. Overall, participants pointed out that uncommon word order and a genuine smile to a stranger could not be regarded as a Russian way of verbal and non-verbal behaviour. This led to the conclusion that participants were sensitive towards these aspects. Also, their responses supported the idea that both aspects contributed to Russian identity formation. Apart from that, the study revealed that female participants were more conservative concerning uncommon word order use, and younger participants were more sensitive towards the sincerity of a smile received from a stranger. However, according to previous research, more studies are needed in order to outline a clear-cut sociolinguistic situation in Russia, especially in measuring attitudes of its population by means of the matched-guise technique.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
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
closed access
This thesis investigated the cognitive and neurological processes used to recognize visually presented words in a second language. In this study, Dutch second language learners of Russian and...Show moreThis thesis investigated the cognitive and neurological processes used to recognize visually presented words in a second language. In this study, Dutch second language learners of Russian and native speakers of Russian participated in a lexical decision task. Stimuli consisted of visually presented letter/character strings which increasingly deviated from existing Russian words. ERP measurements together with behavioural responses (error rates and reaction times) were recorded and analyzed.Show less
This thesis examines transferability of sociopragmatic knowledge to L2 speech act realization by studying request production in English and Russian. It aims at investigating whether native Russian...Show moreThis thesis examines transferability of sociopragmatic knowledge to L2 speech act realization by studying request production in English and Russian. It aims at investigating whether native Russian speakers transfer sociopragmatic knowledge to the requests in English and how they assess their linguistic behaviour in L2 compared to the performance carried out by native English speakers. To study the subject, native Russian speakers and native English speakers were asked to participate in two speech tasks: the Oral Discourse Completion (the ODCT) Test and the stimulated recall interviews (the SRI). The ODCT was aimed at elicitation of requests in eight situations that were constructed with consideration of three social parameters: social distance, power, and imposition. Native Russian speakers were asked to produce requests both in Russian and in English to detect transfer. Native English speakers produced requests in English, and their answers served as a baseline for comparison. Native Russian speakers as well as native English speakers were asked to reflect on their language use during the SRI. Three groups of requests, as well as speakers’ reports, were obtained and compared in relation to social distance, power, and imposition. The qualitative research method showed that even though there is cross-cultural variation in the Russian and English languages, sociopragmatic knowledge that is embedded in Russian culture does not affect the second language use. Russian speakers do tend to use more direct strategies in request production in the native language, as suggested by other related research on the Russian language. However, the findings of this study suggest that Russian speakers more often opted for indirect strategies, which relates their linguistic behaviour to Western tradition.Show less
During the last half of the nineteenth century, major European colonial powers tended to see society as something that was malleable and that the state should act as a ‘’gardener of society’’...Show moreDuring the last half of the nineteenth century, major European colonial powers tended to see society as something that was malleable and that the state should act as a ‘’gardener of society’’ rooting out ‘’weeds’’ in the ‘’social body’’ wherever they are through the use of military statistics, surveillance, deportation and the use of force among other things. This idea of social engineering became conceptually and practicably possible only with the rising concern through the last half of the nineteenth century for the social realm and the emergence of technologies for acting upon this realm. This thesis is about how the Bolsheviks, inspired by these ideas, used violence as an instrument in applying social engineering and the fashioning of a new (Soviet) social body during the Russian Civil War. The subject of this thesis is the Cheka, the first Bolshevik secret police and security agency, and its leader Feliks Dzerzhinsky, and takes as its starting point that these actors might have played a crucial role in the execution of the so-called ‘’gardening state’’ and the use of violence in achieving a ‘’pure’’ Soviet social body in which ‘’contaminating elements’’ have been excised. I will show to what extent the Cheka conceptualised and operated on society through techniques of violence during the Russian Civil War. I argue that the Cheka and its leader Feliks Dzerzhinsky played a prominent role in the execution of the ‘’gardening state’’ that the Bolsheviks were in the process of shaping. Both their conceptualisation in language as well as their violent performances can be deducted as partly the result of envisioning the Soviet social body to be a supposed utopia, that required the excising of unreliable, unwanted or dangerous elements. These elements were plentiful, and in the end, the classification of what was considered malign could be extended to those individuals considered allies of the Bolsheviks, or even Bolsheviks themselves. However, deviations by both Dzerzhinsky and his chekisty occurred on multiple occasions in relation to cleansing society of elements. It is these deviations that call into question to what extent the Cheka thought the ‘’gardening state’’ should go, in its efforts to mold the population.Show less
A thesis about the Wall of Grief in Moscow, the first monument built for the victims of political repression during the Soviet era supported by the Russian government.
This thesis reports on a quantitative and qualitative study on the introduction of new words by means of different translation methods in three languages, namely Dutch, Russian and Turkish, aimed...Show moreThis thesis reports on a quantitative and qualitative study on the introduction of new words by means of different translation methods in three languages, namely Dutch, Russian and Turkish, aimed at identifying different processes and their possible motivations. With the help of a database consisting of 179 original English terms and their respective counterparts in Dutch, Russian and Turkish, a quantitative and qualitative analysis has been carried out in order to identify the different translation processes and word formation patterns. As a result of this study I found that different factors can influence the behavior of a language with regard to the creation of terminology. First of all, the available word formation strategies of the language grammar and semantics are of importance; how many ways there are for a language to create new words. Second, the relation and similarities in grammar, semantics and pronunciation between the original language and the target language. Third, the sociolinguistic aspect regarding the attitude of language users on foreign (lexical) influence.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
Predicates of fear and apprehension in Russian can be followed by clauses with a marker of negation that does not alter the truth value of the proposition as in 'Ja bojus’, kak by ne bylo dožd’ja' ...Show morePredicates of fear and apprehension in Russian can be followed by clauses with a marker of negation that does not alter the truth value of the proposition as in 'Ja bojus’, kak by ne bylo dožd’ja' (I am afraid that it might rain), where it is the possibility of rain that causes the fear and not the contrary. The negative particle ne thus seems superfluous and illogical if the two clauses are assumed to be linked by subordination. This thesis reapplies Jespersen’s insight of paratactic negation (Jespersen 1917) to address this well-known problem of Russian syntax. Corpus-based evidence is presented in support of analyzing clauses with 'kak by' and negation as instantiations of an autonomous, independent-clause construction rather than as embedded complements. By way of corroboration, the historical path along which the construction is likely to have developed is also examined to demonstrate its main-clause origins. While this analysis provides an elegant solution to the problem of negation by removing restrictions stemming from the notion of embeddedness, the precise function of negation is explored within an intersubjective approach (Verhagen 2005). The role of negation in the construction is shown to consist in cognitive coordination whereby the speaker instructs the addressee to entertain two mental representations of an apprehension-causing situation and to adopt the one in which this situation is construed as non-existent through the use of negation.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
closed access
The current thesis discusses the topic of partial agreement between a coordinated subject and the agreeing verb in Russian. Previous accounts have pointed out the relevance of word order for the...Show moreThe current thesis discusses the topic of partial agreement between a coordinated subject and the agreeing verb in Russian. Previous accounts have pointed out the relevance of word order for the related agreement phenomena in languages like Arabic, Slovenian and Dutch. No proposal has gone beyond describing this factor, and offered an explanation for the role of word order. In this thesis, I present a formal analysis explaining the relevance of word order from the perspective of Information Structure considerations. I show that the structures facilitated by the discourse-related operations enable the establishment of additional agreement, namely agreement in definiteness. Definiteness-driven agreement affects the syntactic and semantic weight of the conjuncts, which poses consequences for the standard phi-feature agreement.Show less
In this thesis the current developments of the Ukrainian and Russian language in Ukraine since the crisis are compared to the developments of Serbo-Croatian in Croatia during the Balkan war.
As artistic ideas move from one context to another, they change in context-specific ways with each adaptation. This has happened in Russia regarding adaptations of self-harming conceptualist...Show moreAs artistic ideas move from one context to another, they change in context-specific ways with each adaptation. This has happened in Russia regarding adaptations of self-harming conceptualist performance art, a genre originally derived from the Conceptualist movement that began with Marcel Duchamp’s creation of Dada in the early 1900’s. Conceptualist performance first began in the Soviet Union in 1976, and for the next several decades continued to develop in the Russian context; through the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the chaos of the post-Soviet nineties, and the restoration of strong central control that has marked the Putin era. Most recently, Russian conceptualist performance was thrust into the international limelight with the controversial arrest of the punk-rock collective Pussy Riot, in 2012. Pyotr Pavlensky, whose work can be seen as one of the newest iterations of Russian Conceptualist performance art, began his performance career in response to Pussy Riot’s arrest, and the majority of his work has involved self-harming performances. From the perspective of interest in the translation of artistic principles from one context to another, this thesis attempts to analyze the extent to which Pyotr Pavlensky’s work adheres to Western frameworks of self-harming performance art and the extent to which it diverges from these frameworks.Show less
This thesis concentrates on correlative sentences in Russian. A number of derivational accounts have been proposed in the literature for correlatives in Hindi, Serbo-Croatian and Hungarian...Show moreThis thesis concentrates on correlative sentences in Russian. A number of derivational accounts have been proposed in the literature for correlatives in Hindi, Serbo-Croatian and Hungarian respectively (Srivastav 1991, Dayal 1996, Bhatt 2003; Izvorski 1996; Lipták 2005, 2009, 2012), but little has been said about the possible derivation of Russian correlatives. The main goal of my thesis is to apply the derivational account proposed by Lipták (2012) for Hungarian in a modified form to Russian. I first provide a thorough background on correlatives in general, and secondly how they behave in Russian specifically. The criteria for preferring the structural account proposed Lipták (2012) will be discussed as well. The 2 derivational steps of primary importance in my analysis are: 1.) Focus fronting of the Dem XP in the main clause; 2.) base-generation of the correlative clause in the left periphery of the main clause and its optional Topicalization. I furthermore show that the crucial diagnostics used by Lipták for Hungarian do not apply to Russian. Using a different set of diagnostic tests I eventually conclude that 1.) the Dem XP in the main clause is contrastively Focused; 2.) the correlative clause is likely to be base-generated in the left periphery of the main clause, and is similar to a contrastive Topic in Russian.Show less
