In the fall of 2012, in reaction to proposed legislation by the Canadian government, the actions of four women, three of which of First Nations descent, led to a grassroots activist movement called...Show moreIn the fall of 2012, in reaction to proposed legislation by the Canadian government, the actions of four women, three of which of First Nations descent, led to a grassroots activist movement called ‘Idle No More’. This movement has since inspired many people to take action for Indigenous rights and environmental preservation. In this thesis I will research which historical, social, economical, environmental and political factors contributed to the origination and the continuing impact of the Idle No More movement to answer the question: who is Idle No More, and what does being Idle No More mean to those involved?Show less
In deze scriptie wordt onderzocht hoe de informatie die in medicijnadvertenties gericht op artsen staat, wordt ingezet om de arts te overtuigen een bepaald medicijn voor te schrijven. Het onderzoek...Show moreIn deze scriptie wordt onderzocht hoe de informatie die in medicijnadvertenties gericht op artsen staat, wordt ingezet om de arts te overtuigen een bepaald medicijn voor te schrijven. Het onderzoek wordt gedaan aan de hand van de pragma-dialectische argumentatietheorie. Uit het onderzoek blijkt onder meer dat er een bepaalde argumentatiestructuur ten grondslag ligt aan medicijnadvertenties gericht op artsen. Het standpunt is ‘schrijf middel X voor aan uw patiënten’ en wordt altijd ondersteund met pragmatische argumentatie die het welzijn van de patiënt benadrukt. Die argumentatie wordt onderbouwd met de informatie die expliciet in de advertentie te vinden is: met kenmerken van het medicijn.Show less
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the existence and behavior of translation universals in Dutch subtitles. The corpus that will be used in this research is the television series Sherlock....Show moreThe purpose of this thesis is to examine the existence and behavior of translation universals in Dutch subtitles. The corpus that will be used in this research is the television series Sherlock. The reason of this choice of corpus is that I believe that the distinctive vocabulary and attitude of the protagonist, Sherlock Holmes, will provide interesting translation issues. This thesis will explore how the subtitles deal with these issues and whether translation universals are present in the solutions. In chapter one, the concept of ‘translation universals’ will be explained and a variety of different categories will be put forward. Chapter two will examine the Dutch subtitling process to understand the possibilities and constrictions of this form of audiovisual translation. Finally, chapter three will combine the theory presented in chapter two and three by analyzing instances of translation universals found in the subtitles of Sherlock.Show less
The topic of this thesis is the translation of civil procedure terminology. It contains a lexicon of translated terminology from Dutch to English. The main research question is which translation...Show moreThe topic of this thesis is the translation of civil procedure terminology. It contains a lexicon of translated terminology from Dutch to English. The main research question is which translation procedure can be used best for the translation of such terminology. It also discusses why I have chosen a thematic approach for the lexicon, what kind of terminology the lexicon deals with, the possible translation procedures, and how different text types are important for translation.Show less
Maritime English (ME), the international working language in the maritime industry, is a Language for Special Purpose (LSP) of which a spoken variant, SMCP, acts as a controlled safety language....Show moreMaritime English (ME), the international working language in the maritime industry, is a Language for Special Purpose (LSP) of which a spoken variant, SMCP, acts as a controlled safety language. Text-based studies of Maritime English, although scarce, point to a concise syntax and grammar, a formal and impersonal style and a preference for nouns and nominal groups. Using the theory of LSP, the thesis finds that depending on content, situation and subdomain, ME can firstly be seen as restrictive language mode; secondly as a deviant language mode; and thirdly as a preferred language mode. More corpus-based descriptive research into the linguistic features of written ME and of the spoken version (SMCP) is advised. As terms typically belong to LSP, the thesis looks into the theory and methodology of terminology. They can be of assistance in setting up a corporate Terminology Management System. The terminological principles of concept structure, precise concept/term definitions and source and context information help create a reliable knowledge database. Focussing on maritime terminology, the thesis concludes with a case study illustrating how a structured approach to maritime terminology processing with the help of a terminology management tool results in a consistent corporate terminology and more reliable information benefitting translation quality. These tools should be freely available, easy to operate and should use standardized database exchange formats. More research is needed on the use of pictures in terminology including their "translatability" and their role in the information exchange.Show less
The present Master’s thesis seeks to develop a better understanding of the translation of idiolect in narrative dialogue. Idiolect found in three characters (two villains and one hero) from Roald...Show moreThe present Master’s thesis seeks to develop a better understanding of the translation of idiolect in narrative dialogue. Idiolect found in three characters (two villains and one hero) from Roald Dahl’s children’s novels Matilda and The Witches is analyzed by means of Juliane House’s model for translation quality assessment. Central to this discussion is the way in which the idiolects function regarding character portrayal, and how the Dutch translations affect this, if at all. The analyses demonstrate that idiolect is retained in all translations, although slight shifts have occurred in the translation process. These alterations mainly affect the humorous effect of the villains. The hero is less notably affected, because her idiolect is less explicitly present. Concluding, retaining idiolect in translation texts is salient for character portrayal.Show less
This research examines the effects of the new language policy and language planning in Rwanda where English has replaced French as the medium of instruction in education. The main aim is to study...Show moreThis research examines the effects of the new language policy and language planning in Rwanda where English has replaced French as the medium of instruction in education. The main aim is to study the impact of this change in the language policy in primary education, looking particularly at the practice of this policy and attitudes of the affected stakeholders in different school systems (public and private) in Kigali, with the final purpose of determining the effect this change has on the education of pupils. The data in this comparative case study has mainly been gathered through participant-observation, semi-structured interviews and a review of policy documents and literature. The main finding is that the socio-cultural and –economic background of the stakeholders influence the interpretation of the language policy, affecting the way in which it is being practiced, and gradually also influencing the success of the implementation. This research discusses and concludes that a language policy would need to be better adapted to the realistic and specific circumstances of a school type, which includes teaching methodology, teaching conditions and motivation of the stakeholders.Show less
Second language learning is difficult when social context is involved, especially if the culture of the target language is inherently different from the native one. A full command of a second...Show moreSecond language learning is difficult when social context is involved, especially if the culture of the target language is inherently different from the native one. A full command of a second language involves a linguistic and ideological ‘reframing’ process. At this stage, pragmatic competence is crucial to interlanguage learners. The realization of speech acts, such as implementing politeness strategies, requires a high command of not only linguistic but also social knowledge. This research investigated Chinese English learners’ command of making polite requests with regard to applying different politeness strategies by conducting tests amongst Chinese high school and university students. After analysing the results, some problems are displayed and explanations are ventured.Show less
This case-study tests the findings of Pulvermüller et al. (2001) and Meinzer et al. (2005) about whether intensive therapy has potential to be used for achieving progress in the linguistic...Show moreThis case-study tests the findings of Pulvermüller et al. (2001) and Meinzer et al. (2005) about whether intensive therapy has potential to be used for achieving progress in the linguistic performance of patients suffering from chronic aphasia. In this research, four participants – 2 males and 2 females – suffering from chronic aphasia were treated with intensive semantic therapy during one month. Two weeks before and two weeks after the period of therapy, the participants took several tests, to measure their possible improvements on two picture-naming tests (BNT and SAT) and one regular linguistic test (ScreeLing). The results show a positive trend for most of the subjects, but only one shows a significant improvement. It is discussed whether the intensity of therapy and a distinction between Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia are factors playing a role in this research.Show less
This thesis investigates the prosodic properties of the Mandarin Chinese sentence final particle ne. Frequency (F0) and duration of the particle in questions and declaratives are analyzed, as well...Show moreThis thesis investigates the prosodic properties of the Mandarin Chinese sentence final particle ne. Frequency (F0) and duration of the particle in questions and declaratives are analyzed, as well as the influence of the particle on prosodic properties of preceding syllables. It was found that the particle ne has different realizations with respect to interrogative and declarative sentences, and that it influences the prosody of preceding syllables to a certain extent.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
In deze scriptie is er onderzoek gedaan naar beleefdheid in reclames. Het was een cross-linguistisch onderzoek tussen het Engels en het Nederlands. Hieruit bleek dat, hoewel de verschillen klein...Show moreIn deze scriptie is er onderzoek gedaan naar beleefdheid in reclames. Het was een cross-linguistisch onderzoek tussen het Engels en het Nederlands. Hieruit bleek dat, hoewel de verschillen klein zijn, er merkbaar een duidelijkere keuze was voor beleefdheid in de zin van Brown en Levinson bij de Engelsen dan bij de Nederlanders.Show less
Im niederländischen Fremdsprachenunterricht stellt sich immer wieder heraus, dass die Modalverben für Schwierigkeiten während der Deutschstunde sorgen. Es handelt sich dabei nicht nur um...Show moreIm niederländischen Fremdsprachenunterricht stellt sich immer wieder heraus, dass die Modalverben für Schwierigkeiten während der Deutschstunde sorgen. Es handelt sich dabei nicht nur um Sprachschwierigkeiten, sondern auch um Verständigungsprobleme. Im Mittelpunkt dieser Arbeit stehen die Modalverben müssen und sollen und ihr niederländisches Äquivalent moeten, da sie im DaF-Unterricht für die größten Schwierigkeiten sorgen. Diese Untersuchung hat einerseits zum Ziel eine kontrastive Analyse der deutschen und niederländischen Modalverben müssen, sollen und moeten darzustellen. Andererseits werden die sprachlichen Probleme niederländischer Schüler beim Erlernen und beim Gebrauch dieser deutschen Modalverben gezeigt. Das Ergebnis dieser Arbeit ist eine didaktische Konzeption für die erfolgreiche Vermittlung der Modalverben im niederländische DaF-Unterricht.Show less
The results of this research show that female participants have more positive attitudes towards English loanwords than male participants. Female participants were consistently more positive...Show moreThe results of this research show that female participants have more positive attitudes towards English loanwords than male participants. Female participants were consistently more positive regarding statements 1, 2 and 3 or, respectively, this is an ordinary Dutch sentence, the use of [loanword] is appropriate in this sentence and I would also make use of this sentence as can be found in Figure 1. Furthermore, there is significant correlation at the 0.05 level between both statement 2 and statement 3 and gender, which means that female participants have scored significantly higher than male participants for these statements. The results of this research also suggest that the mean scores of the participants become consistently lower when age increases for each of the statements. Figure 2 shows that the mean scores for the statements mentioned above consistently decrease when ages of the participants increase. These data suggest that older participants have more negative attitudes towards loanwords than younger participants. In furthermore, there is significant negative correlation at the 0.05 level between the statement I would also make use of this sentence and age. This implies that the attitudes towards using these loanwords are significantly more negative when the ages of the participants increase. This research indicated that most participants do not prefer alternative words to the used loanwords. Table 11 (in section 4.3) indicates that crash is the loanword with the most preferred alternatives as it is preferably replaced by ongeluk and neerstorten, according to nine and ten participants, respectively. Table 11 also indicates that seven participants prefer vraaggesprek to interview, six participants prefer behaald or gepresteerd to gescoord and five participants prefer peiling(en) and voorlopige uitslagen to exit polls. Preferred alternatives to the other loanwords were only provided by four participants or less, and are therefore not widely supported among the participants. In addition, the majority of the loanwords (all except crash) are catachrestic. Furthermore, the results of this research suggest that the participants generally consider that the used loanwords are more precise than other Dutch words. The second favoured reason is that participants consider that the used loanwords sound better regarding pronunciation, which can be found in Table 12.Show less
