Search results for: arabic linguistics
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 746

Search results for: arabic linguistics

86 Enhancing Learners' Metacognitive, Cultural and Linguistic Proficiency through Egyptian Series

Authors: Hanan Eltayeb, Reem Al Refaie

Abstract:

To be able to connect and relate to shows spoken in a foreign language, advanced learners must understand not only linguistics inferences but also cultural, metacognitive, and pragmatic connotations in colloquial Egyptian TV series. These connotations are needed to both understand the different facets of the dramas put before them, and they’re also consistently grown and formulated through watching these shows. The inferences have become a staple in the Egyptian colloquial culture over the years, making their way into day-to-day conversations as Egyptians use them to speak, relate, joke, and connect with each other, without having known one another from previous times. As for advanced learners, they need to understand these inferences not only to watch these shows, but also to be able to converse with Egyptians on a level that surpasses the formal, or standard. When faced with some of the somewhat recent shows on the Egyptian screens, learners faced challenges in understanding pragmatics, cultural, and religious background of the target language and consequently not able to interact effectively with a native speaker in real-life situations. This study aims to enhance the linguistic and cultural proficiency of learners through studying two genres of TV Colloquial Egyptian series. Study samples derived from two recent comedian and social Egyptian series ('The Seventh Neighbor' سابع جار, and 'Nelly and Sherihan' نيللي و شريهان). When learners watch such series, they are usually faced with a problem understanding inferences that have to do with social, religious, and political events that are addressed in the series. Using discourse analysis of the sematic, semantic, pragmatic, cultural, and linguistic characteristics of the target language, some major deductions were highlighted and repeated, showing a pattern in both. The research paper concludes that there are many sets of lingual and para-lingual phrases, idioms, and proverbs to be acquired and used effectively by teaching these series. The strategies adopted in the study can be applied to different types of media, like movies, TV shows, and even cartoons, to enhance student proficiency.

Keywords: Egyptian series, culture, linguistic competence, pragmatics, semantics, social

Procedia PDF Downloads 142
85 Positive Shock: The PhD Journey of International Students at UK Universities: A Qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Study

Authors: Dounyazad Sour

Abstract:

This research examines international doctoral students’ reflections on their journey and experiences of studying for a PhD in the UK. Since the early 1990s, the international students’ number in the UK has increased. The significant contribution of these international students to the cultural and academic diversity of the UK universities’ doctoral programmes is widely acknowledged. The substantial fees these students bring to British Higher Education institutions is also much appreciated. The rationale for undertaking this study grew from personal experience of studying in the UK. Through membership in different groups both online and, when regulations permitted it, face to face social groups, it quickly became apparent that among all students, there were both shared and individual experiences of struggles and triumphs. This insight led to the decision to investigate these matters in greater detail. This in-depth qualitative interpretative study, inspired by a phenomenological approach, offers fresh insights into academic, social and cultural experiences of international PhD students in the UK. Data collection was carried out in the UK over a period of three months, deploying focus groups, individual semi-structured interviews, and images selected by participants that represent their feelings towards their experiences. The ten participants are attending different UK universities, studying a range of disciplines and have diverse backgrounds. Interviews and discussions took place in the participants' preferred languages; Arabic, English and French. The analysis shows that the participants had experienced two types of shock: negative and positive. Negative shocks, which have seen considerable attention in the field of international students’ experiences, relate to unexpected incidents that happened to the participants in relation to their interactions with others: people from different backgrounds and people from the same background. This impacted their experience negatively through experiencing feelings of anxiety, stress, low self-esteem and xenophobia, all these hindering factors contribute to make international students struggle to adapt to the new environment. Positive shocks, which have remained largely under-researched in the field of international students’ experiences, refer to all the positive occurrences that participants experienced. For instance, a shop assistant saying: “do you need any help, honey?” which brought a sense of belonging, feeling home, safety, and satisfaction to the respondents, and made their experiences less challenging. This investigation will offer insights into the PhD international students’ experiences and shed new light on the shocks that can work as facilitators, rather than as inhibitors.

Keywords: international students, PhD journey, phenomenological approach, positive shock

Procedia PDF Downloads 186
84 Polycode Texts in Communication of Antisocial Groups: Functional and Pragmatic Aspects

Authors: Ivan Potapov

Abstract:

Background: The aim of this paper is to investigate poly code texts in the communication of youth antisocial groups. Nowadays, the notion of a text has numerous interpretations. Besides all the approaches to defining a text, we must take into account semiotic and cultural-semiotic ones. Rapidly developing IT, world globalization, and new ways of coding of information increase the role of the cultural-semiotic approach. However, the development of computer technologies leads also to changes in the text itself. Polycode texts play a more and more important role in the everyday communication of the younger generation. Therefore, the research of functional and pragmatic aspects of both verbal and non-verbal content is actually quite important. Methods and Material: For this survey, we applied the combination of four methods of text investigation: not only intention and content analysis but also semantic and syntactic analysis. Using these methods provided us with information on general text properties, the content of transmitted messages, and each communicants’ intentions. Besides, during our research, we figured out the social background; therefore, we could distinguish intertextual connections between certain types of polycode texts. As the sources of the research material, we used 20 public channels in the popular messenger Telegram and data extracted from smartphones, which belonged to arrested members of antisocial groups. Findings: This investigation let us assert that polycode texts can be characterized as highly intertextual language unit. Moreover, we could outline the classification of these texts based on communicants’ intentions. The most common types of antisocial polycode texts are a call to illegal actions and agitation. What is more, each type has its own semantic core: it depends on the sphere of communication. However, syntactic structure is universal for most of the polycode texts. Conclusion: Polycode texts play important role in online communication. The results of this investigation demonstrate that in some social groups using these texts has a destructive influence on the younger generation and obviously needs further researches.

Keywords: text, polycode text, internet linguistics, text analysis, context, semiotics, sociolinguistics

Procedia PDF Downloads 131
83 Collaborative Stylistic Group Project: A Drama Practical Analysis Application

Authors: Omnia F. Elkommos

Abstract:

In the course of teaching stylistics to undergraduate students of the Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, the linguistic tool kit of theories comes in handy and useful for the better understanding of the different literary genres: Poetry, drama, and short stories. In the present paper, a model of teaching of stylistics is compiled and suggested. It is a collaborative group project technique for use in the undergraduate diverse specialisms (Literature, Linguistics and Translation tracks) class. Students initially are introduced to the different linguistic tools and theories suitable for each literary genre. The second step is to apply these linguistic tools to texts. Students are required to watch videos performing the poems or play, for example, and search the net for interpretations of the texts by other authorities. They should be using a template (prepared by the researcher) that has guided questions leading students along in their analysis. Finally, a practical analysis would be written up using the practical analysis essay template (also prepared by the researcher). As per collaborative learning, all the steps include activities that are student-centered addressing differentiation and considering their three different specialisms. In the process of selecting the proper tools, the actual application and analysis discussion, students are given tasks that request their collaboration. They also work in small groups and the groups collaborate in seminars and group discussions. At the end of the course/module, students present their work also collaboratively and reflect and comment on their learning experience. The module/course uses a drama play that lends itself to the task: ‘The Bond’ by Amy Lowell and Robert Frost. The project results in an interpretation of its theme, characterization and plot. The linguistic tools are drawn from pragmatics, and discourse analysis among others.

Keywords: applied linguistic theories, collaborative learning, cooperative principle, discourse analysis, drama analysis, group project, online acting performance, pragmatics, speech act theory, stylistics, technology enhanced learning

Procedia PDF Downloads 182
82 The Effect of Technology on International Marketing Trading Researches and Analysis

Authors: Karim Monir Halim Salib

Abstract:

The article discusses the use of modern technology to achieve environmental marketing goals in business and customer relations. The purpose of this article is to show the possibilities of the application of modern technology. In B2C relationships, marketing departments face challenges arising from the need to quickly segment customers and share information across multiple systems, which seriously hinders the achievement of marketing objectives. Therefore, the Article states that modern IT solutions are used in the marketing of business activities, taking into account environmental objectives. For this reason, its importance in the economic and social development of developing countries has increased. While traditional companies emphasize profit as the most important business principle, social enterprises have to address social issues at the expense of profit. This mindset gives social enterprises more than traditional businesses to meet the needs of those at the bottom of the pyramid. This also poses a great challenge for social business, as social business works for the public good on the one hand and financial stability on the other. Otherwise, the company cannot be evacuated. Cultures are involved in business communication and research. Using the example of language in international relations, the article poses the problem of cultural discourse in management and linguistic and cultural studies. After reviewing current research on language in international relations, this article presents communication methods in the international economy from a linguistic perspective and attempts to explain communication problems in business from the perspective of linguistic research. A step towards multidisciplinary research combining research in management and linguistics.

Keywords: international marketing, marketing mix, marketing research, small and medium-sized enterprises, strategic marketing, B2B digital marketing strategy, digital marketing, digital marketing maturity model, SWOT analysis consumer behavior, experience, experience marketing, marketing employee organizational performance, internal marketing, internal customer, direct marketing, mobile phones mobile marketing, Sms advertising.

Procedia PDF Downloads 39
81 Becoming Multilingual’: Empowering College Students to Learn and Maintain Languages for Life

Authors: Peter Ecke

Abstract:

This research presents insights from a questionnaire study and autobiographic narrative analyses about the language and cultural backgrounds, challenges, interests, and needs, as well as perceptions about bilingualism and language learning of undergraduate students at a Public University in the southwestern United States. Participants were 650 students, enrolled in college-level general education courses, entitled “Becoming multilingual: Learning and maintaining two or more languages” between 2020 and 2024. Data were collected via pre- and post-course questionnaires administered online through the Qualtrix XM platform and complemented with analyses of excerpts from autobiographical narratives that students produced as part of the course assignments. Findings, for example, show that course participants have diverse linguistic backgrounds. The five most frequently reported L1s were English (about 50% of course participants), Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, and Korean (in that order). The five most frequently reported L2s were English, Spanish, French, ASL, Japanese, German, and Mandarin (in that order). Participants also reported on their L2, L3, L4, and L5 if applicable. Most participants (over 60%) rated themselves bilingual or multilingual whereas 40% considered themselves to be monolingual or foreign language learners. Only about half of the participants reported feeling very or somewhat comfortable with their language skills, but these reports changed somewhat from the pre- to the post-course survey. About half of participants were mostly interested in learning how to effectively learn a foreign language. The other half of participants reported being most curious about learning about themselves as bi/multilinguals, (re)learning a language used in childhood, learning how to bring up a child as a bi/multilingual or learning about people who speak multiple languages (distributed about evenly). Participants’ comments about advantages and disadvantages of being bilingual remained relatively stable but their agreement with common myths about bilingualism and language learning changed from the pre- to the post-course survey. Students’ reflections in the autobiographical narratives and comments in (institutionally administered) anonymous course evaluations provided additional data on students’ concerns about their current language skills and uses as well as their perceptions about learning outcomes and the usefulness of the general education course for their current and future lives. It is hoped that the presented findings and discussion will spark interest among colleagues in offering similar courses as a resource for college students (and possibly other audiences), including those from migrant, indigenous, multilingual, and multicultural communities to contribute to a more harmonious bilingualism and well-being of college students who are or inspire to become bi-or multilingual.

Keywords: autobiographic narratives, general education university course, harmonious bilingualism and well-being, multilingualism, questionnaire study

Procedia PDF Downloads 47
80 Developing Cultural Competence as Part of Nursing Studies: Language, Customs and Health Issues

Authors: Mohammad Khatib, Salam Hadid

Abstract:

Introduction: Developing nurses' cultural competence begins in their basic training and requires them to participate in an array of activities which raise their awareness and stimulate their interest, desire and curiosity about different cultures, by creating opportunities for intercultural meetings promoting the concept of 'culture' and its components, including recognition of cultural diversity and the legitimacy of the other. Importantly, professionals need to acquire specific cultural knowledge and thorough understanding of the values, norms, customs, beliefs and symbols of different cultures. Similarly, they need to be given opportunities to practice the verbal and non-verbal communication skills of other cultures according to their cultural codes. Such a system is being implemented as part of nursing studies at Zefat Academic College in two study frameworks; firstly, a course integrating nursing theory and practice in multicultural nursing; secondly, a course in learning the languages spoken in Israel focusing on medical and nursing terminology. Methods: Students participating in the 'Transcultural Nursing' course come from a variety of backgrounds: Jews, or Arabs, religious, or secular; Muslim, Christian, new immigrants, Ethiopians or from other cultural affiliations. They are required to present and discuss cultural practices that affect health. In addition, as part of the language course, students learn and teach their friends 5 spoken languages (Arabic, Russian, Amharian, Yidish, and Sign language) focusing on therapeutic interaction and communication using the vocabulary and concepts necessary for the therapeutic encounter. An evaluation of the process and the results was done using a structured questionnaire which includes series of questions relating to the contributions of the courses to their cultural knowledge, awareness and skills. 155 students completed the questionnaire. Results: A preliminary assessment of this educational system points an increase in cultural awareness and knowledge among the students as well as in their willingness to recognize the other's difference. A positive atmosphere of multiculturalism is reflected in students' mutual interest and respect was created. Students showed a deep understanding of cultural issues relating to health and care (consanguinity and genetics, food customs; cultural events, reincarnation, traditional treatments etc.). Most of the students were willing to recommend the courses to others and suggest some changes relating learning methods (more simulations, role playing and activities).

Keywords: cultural competence, nursing education, culture, language

Procedia PDF Downloads 276
79 Teaching the Meaning of the Holy Quran Using Modern Technology

Authors: Arjumand Warsy

Abstract:

Among the Muslims, the Holy Quran is taught from early childhood and generally by the age of 7-8 years the reading of the entire Quran is completed by most of the children in Muslim families. During this period excellent reciter’s are selected to teach and emphasis is laid on correct reading, pronunciation and memorization. Following these years, the parents lay emphasis on the recitation of the Quran on daily basis. During the month of Ramadan the entire Quran is read one or more times and there are considerable number of Muslims who complete the entire Quran once or more each calendar month. Many Muslims do not know Arabic and for them message in the Quran is what others tell them and often they have no idea about this Guidance sent to them. This deficiency is reflected in many ways, both among people living in Muslim or non-Muslim countries. Due to the deficiency in knowledge about Islamic teachings, the foundations of Islam are being eroded by a variety of forces. In an attempt to guard against the non-Islamic influences, every Muslim must have a clear understanding of the Islamic teachings and requirements. The best guidance can be provided by the understanding of the Holy Quran. However, we are faced with the problem that often the Quran is taught in a way that fails to develop an interest and understanding of the message from Allah. Looking at the teaching of other subjects both scientific and non-scientific, at school, college or University levels, it is obvious that the advances in teaching methodologies using electronic technology have had a major impact, where both the understanding and the interest of the students are significantly elevated. We attempted to teach the meaning of the Holy Quran to children and adults using a scientific and modern approach using slide presentation and animations. The results showed almost 100% increase in the understanding of the Quran message; all attendees claimed they developed an increased interest in the study of the Holy Quran and did not lose track or develop boredom throughout the lectures. They learnt the information and remembered it more effectively. The love for Allah and Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) increased significantly. The fear of Allah and love of Heaven developed significantly. Historical facts and the stories of the past nations became clearer and the Greatness of the Creator was strongly felt. Several of attendees wanted to become better Muslims and to spread the knowledge of Islam. In this presentation, the adopted teaching method will be first presented and demonstrated to the audience using a short Surah from the Quran, followed by discussion on the results achieved during our study. We will endeavor to convey to the audience that there is a need to adopt a more scientific approach to teach the Quran so that a greater benefit is achieved by all.

Keywords: The Holy Quran, Muslims, presentations, technology

Procedia PDF Downloads 426
78 Comparative Study of Case Files in the Context of H. P. Grice’s Pragmatic Theory

Authors: Tugce Arslan

Abstract:

For a communicative act to be carried out successfully, the speaker and the listener must consider certain principles in line with the intention–centered “Cooperative Principle” expressed by H. P. Grice. Violation of a communication principle causes the listener to make new inferences called “implicatures”. In this study, focusing on the linguistic use of H. P. Grice’s principles, we aim to find out which principles of conversation are generally followed in case files from different fields and which principles are frequently violated. Three case files were examined, and the violating and the abiding cases of the maxims were classified in terms of four categories (Quality, Quantity, Relevance and Manner). The results of this investigation is reported below (V: Violating, A: Abiding): Quality Quantity Relevance Manner V A V A V A V A Case 1 10 8 5 9 3 15 16 6 Case 2 4 5 11 6 2 11 7 14 Case 3 21 13 7 12 9 14 15 9 Total 35 26 23 27 14 40 38 29 The excerpts were selected from files covering three different areas: the Assize Court, the Family Court and the Commercial Court of First Instance. In this way, the relations between the types of violations and the types of courts are examined. Our main finding is that in the 1st and the 3rd file, as the cases of violation in “Quality” and “Manner” increase, the cases of violation in “Quantity” and “Relevance” decrease. In the second file, on the other hand, as the cases of violation in “Quantity” increase, the cases of violation in “Quality”, “Relevance” and “Manner” decrease. In the talk, we shall compare these results with the results obtained in the study of Tajabadi, Dowlatabadi, and Mehric (2014), which examined various case files in Iran. Our main finding is that in the study conducted in Iran, violations were found only on the principles of “Quantity” and “Relevance”, while violations were found on the principles of “Quality”, “Quantity” and “Manner” in this study. In this case, it shows us that there is a connection between at least two maxims. In both cases, it has been noticed that the “Quantity” maxim is a common denominator. Studies in this field can be enlightening for many areas such as discourse analysis, legal studies, etc. Accordingly, comments will be made about the nature of the violations mentioned in H. P. Grice’s “Cooperation Principle”. We shall also discuss various conversational practices that cannot be analysed with these maxims.

Keywords: comparative analysis, cooperation principle, forensic linguistics, pragmatic.

Procedia PDF Downloads 220
77 Teaching Audiovisual Translation (AVT):Linguistic and Technical Aspects of Different Modes of AVT

Authors: Juan-Pedro Rica-Peromingo

Abstract:

Teachers constantly need to innovate and redefine materials for their lectures, especially in areas such as Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) and Translation Studies (TS). It is therefore essential for the lecturers to be technically skilled to handle the never-ending evolution in software and technology, which are necessary elements especially in certain courses at university level. This need becomes even more evident in Audiovisual Translation (AVT) Modules and Courses. AVT has undergone considerable growth in the area of teaching and learning of languages for academic purposes. We have witnessed the development of a considerable number of masters and postgraduate courses where AVT becomes a tool for L2 learning. The teaching and learning of different AVT modes are components of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Universities, in which AVT is offered as part of their teaching programme or training, make use of professional or free software programs. This paper presents an approach in AVT withina specific university context, in which technology is used by means of professional and nonprofessional software. Students take an AVT subject as part of their English Linguistics Master’s Degree at the Complutense University (UCM) in which they are using professional (Spot) and nonprofessional (Subtitle Workshop, Aegisub, Windows Movie Maker) software packages. The students are encouraged to develop their tasks and projects simulating authentic professional experiences and contexts in the different AVT modes: subtitling for hearing and deaf and hard of hearing population, audio description and dubbing. Selected scenes from TV series such as X-Files, Gossip girl, IT Crowd; extracts from movies: Finding Nemo, Good Will Hunting, School of Rock, Harry Potter, Up; and short movies (Vincent) were used. Hence, the complexity of the audiovisual materials used in class as well as the activities for their projects were graded. The assessment of the diverse tasks carried out by all the students are expected to provide some insights into the best way to improve their linguistic accuracy and oral and written productions with the use of different AVT modes in a very specific ESP university context.

Keywords: ESP, audiovisual translation, technology, university teaching, teaching

Procedia PDF Downloads 517
76 The 'Ineffectiveness' of Teaching Research Methods in Moroccan Higher Education: A Qualitative Study

Authors: Ahmed Chouari

Abstract:

Although research methods has been an integral part of the curriculum in Moroccan higher education for decades, it seems that the research methods teaching pedagogy that teachers use suffers from a serious absence of a body of literature in the field. Also, the various challenges that both teachers and students of research methods face have received little interest by researchers in comparison to other fields such as applied linguistics. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to remedy to this situation by exploring one of the major issues in teaching research methods – that is, the phenomenon of students’ dissatisfaction with the research methods course in higher education in Morocco. The aim is also to understand students’ attitudes and perceptions on how to make the research methods course more effective in the future. Three qualitative research questions were used: (1) To what extent are graduate students satisfied with the pedagogies used by the teachers of the research methods course in Moroccan higher education? (2) To what extent are graduate students satisfied with the approach used in assessing research methods in Moroccan higher education? (3) What are students’ perceptions on how to make the research methods course more effective in Moroccan higher education? In this study, a qualitative content analysis was adopted to analyze students’ views and perspectives about the major factors behind their dissatisfaction with the course at the School of Arts and Humanities – University of Moulay Ismail. A semi-structured interview was used to collect data from 14 respondents from two different Master programs. The results show that there is a general consensus among the respondents about the major factors behind the ineffectiveness of the course. These factors include theory-practice gap, heavy reliance on theoretical knowledge at the expense of procedural knowledge, and ineffectiveness of some teachers. The findings also reveal that teaching research methods in Morocco requires more time, better equipment, and more competent teachers. Above all, the findings indicate that today there is an urgent need in Morocco to shift from teacher-centered approaches to learner-centered approaches in teaching the research methods course. These findings, thus, contribute to the existing literature by unraveling the factors that impede the learning process, and by suggesting a set of strategies that can make course more effective.

Keywords: competencies, learner-centered teaching, research methods, student autonomy, pedagogy

Procedia PDF Downloads 265
75 Cultural Adaptation of Foreign Students in Vienna, A Sociolinguistic Case Study of Iranian Students in Vienna

Authors: Roshanak Nouralian

Abstract:

The primary focus of my Ph.D. dissertation revolves around the interconnection between language and culture, as well as the crucial role that language plays in facilitating communication and fostering integration within the host society for immigrants. This research specifically focuses on Iranian students studying at various universities in Vienna. Throughout this study, I have attempted to examine and analyze their challenges in various life situations in Austria. The broad dimensions of the research question led the research process to apply a constructivist grounded theory strategy. I have also used critical discourse analysis that is in line with constructivist GT's point of view to look closely at the borders, contradictions, and inequalities that came up in the participants' real-life experiences. Data from individual interviews and group discussions have expanded the research trajectory beyond disciplinary boundaries toward a transdisciplinary approach. The research findings indicate how the language policy of the host society leads to the establishment of power relationships and the arousal of a sense of cultural dominance among the research participants. This study investigates the problems experienced by participants in their daily interactions within the host society. Additionally, the results illustrate the development of a dependency relationship between participants and their host society despite linguistic policies that cause a sense of cultural hegemony. Conversely, the obtained data allowed me to examine the participants' language ideologies. The findings of this study show that social linguistics has the potential to go beyond the boundaries of its field. This is possible by using a variety of research strategies and analyzing people's real-life experiences to find out how language affects different parts of their daily lives. Therefore, in this conference, discussing the logic of employing a constructivist GT strategy along with critical discourse analysis (CDA) in this research, I intend to discuss the achieved results.

Keywords: cultural adapttaion, language policy, language ideology, cultural hegemony, transdisciplinary research, constructivist grounded theory, critical discourse analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 63
74 Rheological Study of Wheat-Chickpea Flour Blend Bread for People with Type-2 Diabetes

Authors: Tasleem Zafar, Jiwan Sidhu

Abstract:

Introduction: Chickpea flour is known to offer many benefits to diabetic persons, especially in maintaining their blood sugar levels in the acceptable range. Under this project we have studied the chemical composition and antioxidant capacity of white flour (WF), whole wheat flour (WWF) and chickpea flour (BF), in addition to the effect of replacement of WF and WWF with BF on the rheological characteristics of these flour blends, with the ultimate objective of producing acceptable quality flat as well as pan-bread for the diabetic consumers. Methods: WF and WWF were replaced with BF ranging from 0 to 40%, to investigate its effect on the rheological properties and functionality of blended flour dough using farinograph, viscoamylograph, mixograph and falling number apparatus as per the AACC standard methods. Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) was carried on the WF, WWF, and their blends with BF using Stable Micro System Texture Analyzer. Effect of certain additives, such as freeze-dried amla fruit powder (Phyllanthus emblica L.), guar gum, and xanthan gum on the dough rheological properties were also studied. Results: Freeze-dried amla fruit powder was found to be very rich in ascorbic acid and other phenolics having higher antioxidant activity. A decreased farinograph water absorption, increased dough development time, higher mixing tolerance index (i.e., weakening of dough), decreased resistance to extension, lower ratio numbers were obtained when the replacement with BF was increased from 0 to 40%. The BF gave lower peak viscosity, lower paste breakdown, and lower setback values when compared with WF. The falling number values were significantly lower in WWF (meaning higher α-amylase activity) than both the WF and BF. Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) carried on the WF, WWF, and their blends with BF showed significant variations in hardness and compressibility values, dough becoming less hard and less compressible when the replacement of WF and WWF with BF was increased from 0 to 40%. Conclusions: To overcome the deleterious effects of adding BF to WF and WWF on the rheological properties will be an interesting challenge when good quality pan bread and Arabic flatbread have to be commercially produced in a bakery. Use of freeze-dried amla fruit powder, guar gum, and xanthan gum did show some promise to improve the mixing characteristics of WF, WWF, and their blends with BF, and these additives are expected to be useful in producing an acceptable quality flat as well as pan-bread on a commercial scale.

Keywords: wheat flour, chickpea flour, amla fruit, rheology

Procedia PDF Downloads 156
73 Talking to Ex-Islamic State Fighters inside Iraqi Prisons: An Arab Woman’s Perspective on Radicalization and Deradicalization

Authors: Suha Hassen

Abstract:

This research aims to untangle the complexity of conducting face-to-face interviews with 80 ex-Islamic State fighters, encompassing three groups: local Iraqis, Arabs from the Middle East, and international fighters from around the globe. Each interview lasted approximately two hours and was conducted in both Arabic and English, focusing on the motivations behind joining the Islamic State and the pathways and mechanisms facilitating their involvement. The phenomenon of individuals joining violent Islamist extremist and jihadist organizations is multifaceted, drawing substantial attention within terrorism and security studies. Organizations such as the Islamic State, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Al-Qaeda pose formidable threats to international peace and stability, employing various terrorist tactics for radicalization and recruitment. However, significant gaps remain in current studies, including a lack of firsthand accounts, an inadequate understanding of original narratives (religious and linguistic) due to abstraction and misinterpretation of motivations, and a lack of Arab women's perspectives from the region. This study addresses these gaps by exploring the cultural, religious, and historical complexities that shape the narratives of ex-ISIS fighters. The paper will showcase three distinct cases: one French prisoner, one Moroccan fighter, and a local Iraqi, illustrating the diverse motivations and experiences that contribute to joining and leaving extremist groups. The findings provide valuable insights into the nuanced dynamics of radicalization, emphasizing the need for gender-sensitive approaches in counter-terrorism strategies and deradicalization programs. Importantly, this research has practical implications for counter-narrative policies and early-stage prevention of radicalization. By understanding the narratives used by ex-fighters, policymakers can develop targeted counter-narratives that disrupt recruitment efforts. Additionally, insights into the mechanisms of radicalization can inform early intervention programs, helping to identify and support at-risk individuals before they become entrenched in extremist ideologies. Ultimately, this research enhances our understanding of the individual experiences of ex-ISIS fighters and calls for a reevaluation of the narratives surrounding women’s roles in extremism and recovery.

Keywords: Arab women in extremism, counter-narrative policy, ex-ISIS fighters in Iraq, radicalization

Procedia PDF Downloads 21
72 Speech Community and Social Language Codes: A Sociolinguistic Study of Mampruli-English Codeswitching in Nalerigu, Ghana

Authors: Gertrude Yidanpoa Grumah

Abstract:

Ghana boasts of a rich linguistic diversity, with around eighty-seven indigenous languages coexisting with English, the official language. Within this multilingual environment, speech communities adopt bilingual code choices as a common practice, as people seamlessly switch between Ghanaian languages and English. Extensive research has delved into this phenomenon from various perspectives, including the role of bilingual code choices in teaching, its implications for language policy, and its significance in multilingual communities. Yet, a noticeable gap in the literature persists, with most studies focusing on codeswitching between English and the major southern Ghanaian languages like Twi, Ga, and Ewe. The intricate dynamics of codeswitching with minority indigenous languages, such as Mampruli spoken in northern Ghana, remain largely unexplored. This thesis embarks on an investigation into Mampruli-English codeswitching, delving into the linguistic practices of educated Mampruli speakers. The data collection methods encompass interviews, recorded radio programs, and ethnographic observation. The analytical framework employed draws upon the Ethnography of Communication, with observation notes and transcribed interviews thoughtfully classified into discernible themes. The research findings suggest that a bilingual's tendency to switch from Mampruli to English is significantly influenced by factors such as the level of education, age, gender, perceptions of language prestige, and religious beliefs. In essence, this study represents a pioneering endeavor, marking the first comprehensive study on codeswitching practices within the Mampruli-English context and making a significant contribution to our understanding of Mampruli linguistics, covering the social language codes reflecting the speech community. In a region where such research has been scarce for the past four decades, this study addresses a critical knowledge gap, shedding light on the intricate dynamics of language use in northern Ghana.

Keywords: codeswitching, English, ethnography of communication, Mampruli, sociolinguistics

Procedia PDF Downloads 60
71 An Analysis of Methodological Approaches of Ahmed Cevdet and Fatma Aliye towards the Ottoman Historiography in a Comparative Context

Authors: Aysen Muderrisoglu Esiner

Abstract:

As an intellectual, scholar, bureaucrat, and statesman, Ahmed Cevdet Pasha (1822-1895) was the prominent figure of “Tanzimat” (reorganization) reforms of the Ottoman State while his daughter Fatma Aliye (1862-1936) was a novelist, columnist, essayist, and women’s rights activist. His father had numerous books on law, grammar, linguistics, logic, and astronomy, moreover, Aliye accepted as the first female novelist in the Turkish literature and the Islamic world. Even if she was better known as a novelist, she also published some works on philosophy, Islam, poetry. In addition, Aliye who was one of the pioneers of the Ottoman women’s movement, also wrote historical works. Her historical works which titled as Tarih-i Osmaninin Bir Devre-i Mühimmesi Kosova Zaferi-Ankara Hezimeti (An Important Era of the Ottoman History: Kosova Victory-Ankara Defeat), and Ahmed Cevdet Paşa ve Zamanı (Ahmed Cevdet Pasha and His Time) have been generally ignored in the literature. However, Aliye’s works in history field are worth being studied in terms of her methodological approach to the Ottoman historiography. On the other hand, written by Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, such as Tarih-i Cevdet (History of Cevdet), Tezâkir (Memoir), Mâruzat (Reports, the events that took place between 1839-1876, 1890), Kısas-ı Enbiya ve Tevârîh-i Hulefa (Retaliation of the Prophets and the History of Calips), Kırım ve Kafkas Tarihçesi (Crimean and Caucasian History) are the most important works in terms of historiography in the 19th century. In contrast to the traditional methodology, Cevdet Pasha brought a new understanding to the Ottoman historiography by making a synthesis between the traditional and modern methods. In this research, the historical works of these two prominent figures of the Ottoman State will be analyzed in terms of their approaches to the Ottoman historiography while evaluating the following questions: to what extent that their use of local and foreign historical sources and their handling of the historical events differ, or if it is possible to talk about a methodological similarities in terms of historiography.

Keywords: Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, Fatma Aliye, historiography, methodology

Procedia PDF Downloads 255
70 Language Maintenance and Literacy of Madurese in Probolinggo City

Authors: Maria Ulfa, Nur Awaliyah Putri

Abstract:

Madurese is known as Malayo-Sumbawan Austronesian language which is used by Madurese people in Madura Island, Indonesia. However, there was a massive migration of Madurese people due to Dutch colonization. The Madurese people were brought by force for cultivation system to the eastern salient north coast or called as Tapal Kuda that spread in region covers the regencies of Probolinggo, Lumajang, Jember, Situbondo, Bondowoso, and Banyuwangi, the eastern part of the Pasuruan Regency, as well as the city of Probolinggo. The city of Probolinggo has unique characteristic regarding the ethnic and language variation. Several ethnics can be found in this city, such as Madurese, Javanese, Tengger, Arabic, Mandhalungan, Osing, and Chinese. Hence, the hybrid culture happens in Probolinggo, they called the culture as Pendhalungan which is the combination of culture among Madurese and Javanese. Among those ethnics, Madurese is the strongest ethnic that still maintains their identity, such as their ethnic language. The massive growth of Madurese in Probolinggo city, East Java is interesting to be analyzed. The object of this study is to discover language ideology and literacy of Madurese to maintain their ethnic language in Probolinggo city, East Java. The researchers used the theory of language maintenance practice based on three types of practices social language, social literacy, and peripheral ritualized practices. The approach of this study was qualitative research with ethnography method. In order to collect the data, researchers used observation and interview techniques. The amount of informants were 20 families which consist of mother, father and children in 5 sub-districts in Probolinggo city and they were interviewed regarding language ideology and literacy of Madurese. In supporting the data, researchers employed the Madurese speakers outside family scope like in school, office, and market. The result of the study revealed that Madurese has been preserved heritably to young generations by ethnics of Madura in Probolinggo city. Primarily the language is being taught in the earlier age of their children as L1 and used as ethnic identity. The parents teach them with simple sentences that grammatically correct. This language literacy is applied to maintain ethnic language as their ethnicity marker since they inhabit in Javanese ethnic area. In fact, it is not the only ideology of Madurese ethnic but also the influence of economic situation like in trading communication. The usage of Madurese in the trading scope is very beneficial since people can bargain the goods cheaper and easier because most of the traders are from Madurese ethnic. In this situation, linguistic phenomena such as code mixing and code switching between Madurese and Javanese are emerged as the trading communication. From the result, it can be concluded that solidarity exists among Madurese people in many scopes.

Keywords: language literacy, language maintenance, Madurese, Probolinggo City

Procedia PDF Downloads 233
69 A Descriptive Study on Syrian Entrepreneurs in Turkey

Authors: Rudainah Alkhazam, Özlem Yaşar Uğurlu

Abstract:

Immigrant entrepreneurship arises from the start of entrepreneurial activity by immigrants in the country they relocate to. The future prosperity and stability of the refugee-hosting countries depends on the mutual social and economic benefits between the residents and the refugees. Syrian refugees and workers in host countries necessitate efforts to assist their residents and refugees in meeting their daily needs, contributing lawfully to local and possibly regional economies through trade, and instilling hope in their future. This study investigates the effects of Syrian refugee entrepreneurs on host communities' business sectors, focusing on Turkey. Specifically, we examine entrepreneurship in general and its role in the country's economy. Because Turkey is the most popular resettlement destination for Syrian refugees, this study will shed light on the challenges of successful migrant entrepreneurship in Turkey and their role in the business sector. The research relies on a mixed-method approach which helps identify recurring themes, favorable results, and conflicting results across methods, allowing us to draw accurate conclusions. The study will adopt a quantitative method in collecting numerical data from Syrian refugees in Turkey. The self-administered survey would be translated into Arabic to ensure that the respondents understood the questions and possible replies. The research will use survey questionnaires to gather the majority of the data. These surveys would have closed-ended questions with nominal ratio and Likert scales. The data will be analyzed using linear regression and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to ascertain the role of Syrian entrepreneurs in the business sectors of Turkey. The research will use the findings to make future recommendations. Syrian entrepreneurs, among the migrant entrepreneurs, contribute to the labor market, the majority of whom are young people. This research noted the significant participation of Syrian immigrant women in the entrepreneurship sector. The previous experience of Syrians in the field of trade and running their own business plays a vital role in the success of their business in the host countries. The study shows that Syrian entrepreneurs could integrate effectively into the various Turkish business sectors and could rely on themselves, open and manage their projects, and market them in the Turkish market. Syrian entrepreneurs consider that the investment and labor laws, commercial arrangements, and facilities for obtaining financial resources in Turkey need to be more flexible and available to immigrant entrepreneurs.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, immigration, Syrian, Turkey, refugees, investors, socio-economic benefits, unemployment

Procedia PDF Downloads 64
68 The Study of Difficulties of Understanding Idiomatic Expressions Encountered by Translators 2021

Authors: Mohamed Elmogbail

Abstract:

The present study aimed at investigating difficulties those Translators encounter in understanding idiomatic expressions between Arabic and English languages. To achieve this goal, the researcher raised the three questions are:(1) What are the major difficulties that translators encounter in translating idiomatic expressions? (2) What factors cause such difficulties that translators encountered in translating idiomatic expressions? (3) What are the possible techniques that should be followed to overcome these difficulties? To answer these questions, the researcher designed questionnaire Table (2) and mentioned tables related to Test Show the second question in the study is about the factors that stand behind the challenges. Translators encounter while translating idiomatic expressions. The translators asked Provided the following factors:1- Because of lack of exposure to the source culture, they do not know the connotations of the cultural words that are related to the environment, food, folklore 2- Misusing dictionaries made the participants unable to find a proper target language idiomatic expression. 3-Lack of using idiomatic expressions in daily life. Table (3): (Questionnaire) Results to the table (3) Questions Of the study are About suggestions that can be inferred to handle these challenges. The questioned translators provided the following solutions:1- translators must be exposed to source language culture, including religion, habits, and traditions.2- translators should also be exposed to source language idiomatic expressions by introducing English culture in textbooks and through participating in extensive English culture courses.3- translators should be familiar with the differences between source and target language cultures.4- translators should avoid literal translation that results in most cases in wrong or poor translation.5- Schools, universities, and institutions should introduce translators to English culture.6- translators should participate in cultural workshops at universities.7- translators should try to use idiomatic expressions in everyday situations.8- translators should read more idiomatic expressions books. And researcher also designed a translation test consisted of 40 excerpts given to a random sample of 100 Translators in Khartoum capital of Sudan to translate them. After Collected data for the study, the researcher proceeded to a more detailed analysis, the methodology used in the analysis of idiomatic expressions Is empirical and descriptive. This study is qualitative by nature, but the quantitative method used the analysis of the data. Some figure and statistics are used, such as (statistical package for the social sciences). The researcher calculated the percentage proportion of each translation expressions. And compared them to each other. The finding of the study showed that most translations are inadequate as the translators faced difficulties while communication, these difficulties were mostly due to their unfamiliarity with idiomatic expressions producing improper equivalence in the communication, and not being able to use translation techniques as required, and resorted to literal translation, furthermore, the study recommended that more comprehensive studies to executed on translating idiomatic expressions to enrich the translation field.

Keywords: translation, translators, idioms., expressions

Procedia PDF Downloads 145
67 Carl Wernicke and the Origin of Neurolinguistics in Breslau: A Case Study in the Domain of the History of Linguistics

Authors: Aneta Daniel

Abstract:

The subject of the study is the exploration of the origins and dynamics of the development of language studies, which have been labelled as neurolinguistics. It is worth mentioning that the origins of neurolinguistics are to be found in the research conducted by German scientists before the Second World War in Breslau Universität (presently Wroclaw). The dominant figure in these studies was professor Carl Wernicke, whose students continued and creatively developed projects of their master within this area. Professor Carl Wernicke, a German physician, anatomist, psychiatrist, and neuropathologist, is primarily known for his influential research on aphasia. His research, as well as those conducted by professor Paul Broca, has led to breakthroughs in the location of brain functions, particularly speech. Years later the theses of the pioneers of cognitive neurology (Carl Wernicke and Paul Broca) were developed by other neurolinguists. The main objective of the investigation is the reconstruction of the group of scientists –the students of Carl Wernicke– who contributed to the development of neurolinguistics. The scholars were mainly neurologists and psychiatrists and dealt with the branch of science that had not been named neurolinguistics at that time. The profiles of the scholars will be analysed and presented as the members of the group of researchers who have contributed to the breakthroughs in psychology and neuroscience. The research material consists of archival records documenting the research of professor Carl Wernicke and the researchers from Breslau (presently Wroclaw) which is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. In 1870, when Carl Wernicke became the medical doctor, Breslau was full of cultural events: festivals and circus shows were held in the city center. Today we can come back to these events due to 'Breslauer Zeitung (1870)', which precisely describes all the events that took place on particular days. It is worth noting that those were the beginnings of antisemitism in Breslau. Many theses and articles that have survived in the libraries in Wroclaw and all over the world contribute to the development of neuroscience. The history of research on the brain and speech analysis, including the history of psychology and neuroscience, areas from which neurolinguistics is derived, will be presented.

Keywords: Aphasia, brain injury, Carl Wernicke, language, neurolinguistics

Procedia PDF Downloads 390
66 Reading and Teaching Poetry as Communicative Discourse: A Pragma-Linguistic Approach

Authors: Omnia Elkommos

Abstract:

Language is communication on several discourse levels. The target of teaching a language and the literature of a foreign language is to communicate a message. Reading, appreciating, analysing, and interpreting poetry as a sophisticated rhetorical expression of human thoughts, emotions, and philosophical messages is more feasible through the use of linguistic pragmatic tools from a communicative discourse perspective. The poet's intention, speech act, illocutionary act, and perlocutionary goal can be better understood when communicative situational context as well as linguistic discourse structure theories are employed. The use of linguistic theories in the teaching of poetry is, therefore, intrinsic to students' comprehension, interpretation, and appreciation of poetry of the different ages. It is the purpose of this study to show how both teachers as well as students can apply these linguistic theories and tools to dramatic poetic texts for an engaging, enlightening, and effective interpretation and appreciation of the language. Theories drawn from areas of pragmatics, discourse analysis, embedded discourse level, communicative situational context, and other linguistic approaches were applied to selected poetry texts from the different centuries. Further, in a simple statistical count of the number of poems with dialogic dramatic discourse with embedded two or three levels of discourse in different anthologies outweighs the number of descriptive poems with a one level of discourse, between the poet and the reader. Poetry is thus discourse on one, two, or three levels. It is, therefore, recommended that teachers and students in the area of ESL/EFL use the linguistics theories for a better understanding of poetry as communicative discourse. The practice of applying these linguistic theories in classrooms and in research will allow them to perceive the language and its linguistic, social, and cultural aspect. Texts will become live illocutionary acts with a perlocutionary acts goal rather than mere literary texts in anthologies.

Keywords: coda, commissives, communicative situation, context of culture, context of reference, context of utterance, dialogue, directives, discourse analysis, dramatic discourse interaction, duologue, embedded discourse levels, language for communication, linguistic structures, literary texts, poetry, pragmatic theories, reader response, speech acts (macro/micro), stylistics, teaching literature, TEFL, terms of address, turn-taking

Procedia PDF Downloads 326
65 Factors Influencing Resolution of Anaphora with Collective Nominals in Russian

Authors: Anna Moskaleva

Abstract:

A prolific body of research in theoretical and experimental linguistics claims that a preference for conceptual or grammatical information in the process of agreement greatly depends on the type of agreement dependency. According to the agreement hierarchy, an anaphoric agreement is more sensitive to semantic or conceptual rather than grammatical information of an antecedent. Furthermore, a higher linear distance between a pronoun and its antecedent is assumed to trigger semantic agreement, yet the hierarchical distance is hardly examined in the research field, and the contribution of each distance factor is unclear. Apart from that, working memory volume is deemed to play a role in maintaining grammatical information during language comprehension. The aim of this study is to observe distance and working memory effects in resolution of anaphora with collective nominals (e.g., team) and to have a closer look at the interaction of the factors. Collective nominals in many languages can have a holistic or distributive meaning and can be addressed by a singular or a plural pronoun, respectively. We investigated linguistic factors of linear and rhetorical (hierarchical) distance and a more general factor of working memory volume in their ability to facilitate the interpretation of the number feature of a collective noun in Russian. An eye-tracking reading experiment on comprehension has been conducted where university students were presented with composed texts, including collective nouns and personal pronouns alluding to them. Different eye-tracking measures were calculated using statistical methods. The results have shown that a significant increase in reading time in the case of a singular pronoun was demonstrated when both distances were high, and no such effect was observed when just one of the distances was high. A decrease in reading time has been obtained with distance in the case of a plural pronoun. The working memory effect was not revealed in the experiment. The resonance of distance factors indicates that not only the linear distance but also the hierarchical distance is of great importance in interpreting pronouns. The experimental findings also suggest that, apart from the agreement hierarchy, the preference for conceptual or grammatical information correlates with the distance between a pronoun and its antecedent.

Keywords: collective nouns, agreement hierarchy, anaphora resolution, eye-tracking, language comprehension

Procedia PDF Downloads 36
64 God, The Master Programmer: The Relationship Between God and Computers

Authors: Mohammad Sabbagh

Abstract:

Anyone who reads the Torah or the Quran learns that GOD created everything that is around us, seen and unseen, in six days. Within HIS plan of creation, HE placed for us a key proof of HIS existence which is essentially computers and the ability to program them. Digital computer programming began with binary instructions, which eventually evolved to what is known as high-level programming languages. Any programmer in our modern time can attest that you are essentially giving the computer commands by words and when the program is compiled, whatever is processed as output is limited to what the computer was given as an ability and furthermore as an instruction. So one can deduce that GOD created everything around us with HIS words, programming everything around in six days, just like how we can program a virtual world on the computer. GOD did mention in the Quran that one day where GOD’s throne is, is 1000 years of what we count; therefore, one might understand that GOD spoke non-stop for 6000 years of what we count, and gave everything it’s the function, attributes, class, methods and interactions. Similar to what we do in object-oriented programming. Of course, GOD has the higher example, and what HE created is much more than OOP. So when GOD said that everything is already predetermined, it is because any input, whether physical, spiritual or by thought, is outputted by any of HIS creatures, the answer has already been programmed. Any path, any thought, any idea has already been laid out with a reaction to any decision an inputter makes. Exalted is GOD!. GOD refers to HIMSELF as The Fastest Accountant in The Quran; the Arabic word that was used is close to processor or calculator. If you create a 3D simulation of a supernova explosion to understand how GOD produces certain elements and fuses protons together to spread more of HIS blessings around HIS skies; in 2022 you are going to require one of the strongest, fastest, most capable supercomputers of the world that has a theoretical speed of 50 petaFLOPS to accomplish that. In other words, the ability to perform one quadrillion (1015) floating-point operations per second. A number a human cannot even fathom. To put in more of a perspective, GOD is calculating when the computer is going through those 50 petaFLOPS calculations per second and HE is also calculating all the physics of every atom and what is smaller than that in all the actual explosion, and it’s all in truth. When GOD said HE created the world in truth, one of the meanings a person can understand is that when certain things occur around you, whether how a car crashes or how a tree grows; there is a science and a way to understand it, and whatever programming or science you deduce from whatever event you observed, it can relate to other similar events. That is why GOD might have said in The Quran that it is the people of knowledge, scholars, or scientist that fears GOD the most! One thing that is essential for us to keep up with what the computer is doing and for us to track our progress along with any errors is we incorporate logging mechanisms and backups. GOD in The Quran said that ‘WE used to copy what you used to do’. Essentially as the world is running, think of it as an interactive movie that is being played out in front of you, in a full-immersive non-virtual reality setting. GOD is recording it, from every angle to every thought, to every action. This brings the idea of how scary the Day of Judgment will be when one might realize that it’s going to be a fully immersive video when we would be getting and reading our book.

Keywords: programming, the Quran, object orientation, computers and humans, GOD

Procedia PDF Downloads 106
63 Grammar as a Logic of Labeling: A Computer Model

Authors: Jacques Lamarche, Juhani Dickinson

Abstract:

This paper introduces a computational model of a Grammar as Logic of Labeling (GLL), where the lexical primitives of morphosyntax are phonological matrixes, the form of words, understood as labels that apply to realities (or targets) assumed to be outside of grammar altogether. The hypothesis is that even though a lexical label relates to its target arbitrarily, this label in a complex (constituent) label is part of a labeling pattern which, depending on its value (i.e., N, V, Adj, etc.), imposes language-specific restrictions on what it targets outside of grammar (in the world/semantics or in cognitive knowledge). Lexical forms categorized as nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc., are effectively targets of labeling patterns in use. The paper illustrates GLL through a computer model of basic patterns in English NPs. A constituent label is a binary object that encodes: i) alignment of input forms so that labels occurring at different points in time are understood as applying at once; ii) endocentric structuring - every grammatical constituent has a head label that determines the target of the constituent, and a limiter label (the non-head) that restricts this target. The N or A values are restricted to limiter label, the two differing in terms of alignment with a head. Consider the head initial DP ‘the dog’: the label ‘dog’ gets an N value because it is a limiter that is evenly aligned with the head ‘the’, restricting application of the DP. Adapting a traditional analysis of ‘the’ to GLL – apply label to something familiar – the DP targets and identifies one reality familiar to participants by applying to it the label ‘dog’ (singular). Consider next the DP ‘the large dog’: ‘large dog’ is nominal by even alignment with ‘the’, as before, and since ‘dog’ is the head of (head final) ‘large dog’, it is also nominal. The label ‘large’, however, is adjectival by narrow alignment with the head ‘dog’: it doesn’t target the head but targets a property of what dog applies to (a property or value of attribute). In other words, the internal composition of constituents determines that a form targets a property or a reality: ‘large’ and ‘dog’ happen to be valid targets to realize this constituent. In the presentation, the computer model of the analysis derives the 8 possible sequences of grammatical values with three labels after the determiner (the x y z): 1- D [ N [ N N ]]; 2- D [ A [ N N ] ]; 3- D [ N [ A N ] ]; 4- D [ A [ A N ] ]; 5- D [ [ N N ] N ]; 5- D [ [ A N ] N ]; 6- D [ [ N A ] N ] 7- [ [ N A ] N ] 8- D [ [ Adv A ] N ]. This approach that suggests that a computer model of these grammatical patterns could be used to construct ontologies/knowledge using speakers’ judgments about the validity of lexical meaning in grammatical patterns.

Keywords: syntactic theory, computational linguistics, logic and grammar, semantics, knowledge and grammar

Procedia PDF Downloads 37
62 Architecture, Politics and Religion Synthesis: Political Legitimacy in Early Islamic Iran

Authors: Fahimeh Ghorbani, Alam Saleh

Abstract:

Ideology, politics and art have always been omnipresent patterns of Islam since its early age. The Islamic empire, expanded from China to Andalusia, has instrumentalized art and architecture to enhance political legitimacy of different dynasties or states throughout its history. Quranic verses utilized to convey ideological messages in the major mosques and mausoleums. Iranians had already been employing art and architecture to propagate their political legitimacy prior to Islam. The land of Iran and its art with strong civilizational pre-Islamic history has been profoundly politicized since the rise of Islam in the region. Early Islamic period in Iran has witnessed introduction of a new architectural language, new formulas for spatial configuration in built spaces, as well as new system of architectural decoration. Studying Iran’s Early Islamic architecture helps in better understanding the process of socio-political identity making of Iranian-Islamic culture, and thus art and architecture. This period also set the stage for formation of glorious architectural movements through Persianate world in later periods. During the Early Islamic period in Iran, the innovative combination of Islamic ideology and Iranian Architecture created formidable ideological tools in politicizing art in the region and beyond. As such, this paper aims to investigate the political history and architectural legacy from late Sassanid to Early Islamic period, delves into the ways in which Early Islamic architecture played role in transforming Persian concepts of kingship, administration, and social organization. In so doing, the study focuses on the Perso-Islamic architectural synthesis under the Samanids and Seljuk dynasty as case studies. The paper also explores how the newly introduced Islamic architecture has been employed to address the question of political legitimacy and to propagate states’ political agenda in early Islamic Iran (650-1250). As for the existing literature, despite its uniqueness and significance, Early Islamic architecture of Iran has received little scholarly attention. However, there exists a sizeable body of scholarship on socio-historic condition of the land of Iran during Early Islamic period which provide a solid base for the project. Methodologically speaking, the authors look into the subject through various lenses. They will conduct historic and archival research in libraries, private collections, and archives in Iran and the related neighbouring countries in Persian, Arabic and English. The methods of visual and formal analysis are applied to examine architectural features of the period. There are also a high number of intriguing, yet poorly examined, published and unpublished documents, old plans, drawings and photos of monuments preserved in Cultural Heritage of Iran Organization which will be consulted.

Keywords: Iran, Islamic architecture, early Islamic Iran, early Islamic architecture, politicized art, political legitimacy, propaganda, aesthetics

Procedia PDF Downloads 117
61 The Saying of Conceptual Metaphors about Law, Righteousness, and Justice in the Old Testament: Cardinal Tendencies

Authors: Ivana Prochazkova

Abstract:

Cognitive linguistics offers biblical scholarship a specific methodological tool for analysis and interpretation of metaphorical expressions. Its methodology makes it possible to study processes involved in constructing the meaning of individual metaphorical expressions and whole conceptual metaphors; to analyze their function in the text; to follow the semantic development of concepts and conceptual domains, and to trace semantic changes and their motivation. The legal language in the Hebrew canon is extremely specific and formalized. Especially in the preambles to the collections of laws in the Pentateuch, more general considerations of the motif of keeping and breaking the law are encountered. This is also true in the psalms and wisdom literature. Legal theory and the philosophy of law deal with these motifs today. Metaphors play an important role in texts that reflect on more general issues. The purpose of this conference contribution is to write all over the central metaphorical concept, conceptual metaphor ךרד תורה (TORAH/LAW IS A JOURNEY), its function in the Torah and principal trends of the further development in the Prophets and the Writings. The conceptual metaphor תורה ךרד (TORAH/LAW IS A JOURNEY) constitutes a coherent system in conjunction with other metaphors that include e.g., conceptual metaphors נחה תורה (TORAH/LAW LEADS); its variant רעה תורה (TORAH IS A SHEPHERD/GUIDE); מקור תורה (TORAH/LAW IS A FOUNTAIN/A SOURCE OF LIFE). Some conceptual metaphors are well known, and their using are conventional (עשׁר תורה TORAH/LAW IS RICHES, שׂשׂון תורה TORAH/LAW IS DELIGHT, דבשׁ תורה TORAH/LAW IS HONEY, שׁמשׁ תורה TORAH/LAW IS SUN ). But some conceptual metaphors are by its occurrence innovative and unique (e.g., שׁריון תורה TORAH /LAW IS BODY ARMOR, כובע תורה TORAH /LAW IS A HELMET, בגד תורה TORAH/LAW IS A GARMENT, etc.). There will be given examples. Conceptual metaphors will be described by means of some 'metaphorical vehicles,' which are Hebrew expressions in the source domain that are repeatedly used in metaphorical conceptualizations of the target domain(s). Conceptual metaphors will be further described by means of 'generic narrative structures,' which are the particular aspects of a conceptual metaphor that emerge during the metaphorical structuring of concepts. They are the units of the metaphorical vehicles – the Hebrew expressions in the source domain – that structure concepts in much the same way that the conceptual metaphor in the target domain does. And finally, they will be described by means of the network of correspondences that exist between metaphorical vehicles – or generic metaphorical structures – and the Hebrew expressions in the target domain.

Keywords: cognitive theology, conceptual metaphor in the Old Testament, conceptual metaphors of the Torah, conceptual domain of law, righteousness, and justice

Procedia PDF Downloads 201
60 The Influence of Modernity and Globalization upon Language: The Korean Language between Confucianism and Americanization

Authors: Raluca-Ioana Antonescu

Abstract:

The field research of the paper stands at the intersection between Linguistics and Sociology, while the problem of the research is the importance of language in the modernization process and in a globalized society. The research objective is to prove that language is a stimulant for modernity, while it defines the tradition and the culture of a specific society. In order to examine the linguistic change of the Korean language due to the modernity and globalization, the paper tries to answer one main question, What are the changes the Korean language underwent from a traditional version of Korean, towards one influenced by modernity?, and two secondary questions, How are explored in specialized literature the relations between globalization (and modernity) and culture (focusing on language)? and What influences the Korean language? For the purpose of answering the research questions, the paper has the main premise that due to modernity and globalization, the Korean language changed its discourse construction, and two secondary hypothesis, first is that in literature there are not much explored the relations between culture and modernity focusing on the language discourse construction, but more about identity issue and commodification problems, and the second hypothesis is that the Korean language is influenced by traditional values (like Confucianism) while receiving influence also of globalization process (especially from English language). In terms of methodology, the paper will analyze the two main influences upon the Korean language, referring to traditionalism (being defined as the influence of Confucianism) and modernism (as the influence of other countries’ language and culture), and how the Korean language it was constructed and modified due to these two elements. The paper will analyze at what level (grammatical, lexical, etc.) the traditionalism help at the construction of the Korean language, and what are the changes at each level that modernism brought along. As for the results of this research, the influence of modernism changed both lexically and grammatically the Korean language. In 60 years the increase of English influence is astonishing, and this paper shows the main changes the Korean language underwent, like the loanwords (Konglish), but also the reduction of the speech levels and the ease of the register variation use. Therefore the grammatical influence of modernity and globalization could be seen at the reduction of the speech level and register variation, while the lexical change comes with the influence of English language especially, where about 10% of the Korean vocabulary is considered to be loanwords. Also the paper presents the interrelation between traditionalism and modernity, with the example of Konglish, but not only (we can consider also the Korean greetings which are translated by Koreans when they speak in other languages, bringing their cultural characteristics in English discourse construction), which makes the Koreans global, since they speak in an international language, but still local since they cannot get rid completely of their culture.

Keywords: Confucianism, globalization, language and linguistic change, modernism, traditionalism

Procedia PDF Downloads 200
59 Concepts of Creation and Destruction as Cognitive Instruments in World View Study

Authors: Perizat Balkhimbekova

Abstract:

Evolutionary changes in cognitive world view taking place in the last decades are followed by changes in perception of the key concepts which are related to the certain lingua-cultural sphere. Also, such concepts reflect the person’s attitude to essential processes in the sphere of concepts, e.g. the opposite operations like creation and destruction. These changes in people’s life and thinking are displayed in a language world view. In order to open the maintenance of mental structures and concepts we should use language means as observable results of people’s cognitive activity. Semantics of words, free phrases and idioms should be considered as an authoritative source of information concerning concepts. The regularized set of concepts in people consciousness forms the sphere of concepts. Cognitive linguistics widely discusses the sphere of concepts as its crucial category defining it as the field of knowledge which is made of concepts. It is considered that a sphere of concepts comprises the various types of association and forms conceptual fields. As a material for the given research, the data from Russian National Corpus and British National Corpus were used. In is necessary to point out that data provided by computational studies, are intrinsic and verifiable; so that we have used them in order to get the reliable results. The procedure of study was based on such techniques as extracting of the context containing concepts of creation|destruction from the Russian National Corpus (RNC), and British National Corpus (BNC); analyzing and interpreting of those context on the basis of cognitive approach; finding of correspondence between the given concepts in the Russian and English world view. The key problem of our study is to find the correspondence between the elements of world view represented by opposite concepts such as creation and destruction. Findings: The concept of "destruction" indicates a process which leads to full or partial destruction of an object. In other words, it is a loss of the object primary essence: structures, properties, distinctive signs and its initial integrity. The concept of "creation", on the contrary, comprises positive characteristics, represents the activity aimed at improvement of the certain object, at the creation of ideal models of the world. On the other hand, destruction is represented much more widely in RNC than creation (1254 cases of the first concept by comparison to 192 cases for the second one). Our hypothesis consists in the antinomy represented by the aforementioned concepts. Being opposite both in respect of semantics and pragmatics, and from the point of view of axiology, they are at the same time complementary and interrelated concepts.

Keywords: creation, destruction, concept, world view

Procedia PDF Downloads 343
58 Chinese Students’ Use of Corpus Tools in an English for Academic Purposes Writing Course: Influence on Learning Behaviour, Performance Outcomes and Perceptions

Authors: Jingwen Ou

Abstract:

Writing for academic purposes in a second or foreign language poses a significant challenge for non-native speakers, particularly at the tertiary level, where English academic writing for L2 students is often hindered by difficulties in academic discourse, including vocabulary, academic register, and organization. The past two decades have witnessed a rising popularity in the application of the data-driven learning (DDL) approach in EAP writing instruction. In light of such a trend, this study aims to enhance the integration of DDL into English for academic purposes (EAP) writing classrooms by investigating the perception of Chinese college students regarding the use of corpus tools for improving EAP writing. Additionally, the research explores their corpus consultation behaviors during training to provide insights into corpus-assisted EAP instruction for DDL practitioners. Given the uprising popularity of DDL, this research aims to investigate Chinese university students’ use of corpus tools with three main foci: 1) the influence of corpus tools on learning behaviours, 2) the influence of corpus tools on students’ academic writing performance outcomes, and 3) students’ perceptions and potential perceptional changes towards the use of such tools. Three corpus tools, CQPWeb, Sketch Engine, and LancsBox X, are selected for investigation due to the scarcity of empirical research on patterns of learners’ engagement with a combination of multiple corpora. The research adopts a pre-test / post-test design for the evaluation of students’ academic writing performance before and after the intervention. Twenty participants will be divided into two groups: an intervention and a non-intervention group. Three corpus training workshops will be delivered at the beginning, middle, and end of a semester. An online survey and three separate focus group interviews are designed to investigate students’ perceptions of the use of corpus tools for improving academic writing skills, particularly the rhetorical functions in different essay sections. Insights from students’ consultation sessions indicated difficulties with DDL practice, including insufficiency of time to complete all tasks, struggle with technical set-up, unfamiliarity with the DDL approach and difficulty with some advanced corpus functions. Findings from the main study aim to provide pedagogical insights and training resources for EAP practitioners and learners.

Keywords: corpus linguistics, data-driven learning, English for academic purposes, tertiary education in China

Procedia PDF Downloads 57
57 Recommendations for Teaching Word Formation for Students of Linguistics Using Computer Terminology as an Example

Authors: Svetlana Kostrubina, Anastasia Prokopeva

Abstract:

This research presents a comprehensive study of the word formation processes in computer terminology within English and Russian languages and provides listeners with a system of exercises for training these skills. The originality is that this study focuses on a comparative approach, which shows both general patterns and specific features of English and Russian computer terms word formation. The key point is the system of exercises development for training computer terminology based on Bloom’s taxonomy. Data contain 486 units (228 English terms from the Glossary of Computer Terms and 258 Russian terms from the Terminological Dictionary-Reference Book). The objective is to identify the main affixation models in the English and Russian computer terms formation and to develop exercises. To achieve this goal, the authors employed Bloom’s Taxonomy as a methodological framework to create a systematic exercise program aimed at enhancing students’ cognitive skills in analyzing, applying, and evaluating computer terms. The exercises are appropriate for various levels of learning, from basic recall of definitions to higher-order thinking skills, such as synthesizing new terms and critically assessing their usage in different contexts. Methodology also includes: a method of scientific and theoretical analysis for systematization of linguistic concepts and clarification of the conceptual and terminological apparatus; a method of nominative and derivative analysis for identifying word-formation types; a method of word-formation analysis for organizing linguistic units; a classification method for determining structural types of abbreviations applicable to the field of computer communication; a quantitative analysis technique for determining the productivity of methods for forming abbreviations of computer vocabulary based on the English and Russian computer terms, as well as a technique of tabular data processing for a visual presentation of the results obtained. a technique of interlingua comparison for identifying common and different features of abbreviations of computer terms in the Russian and English languages. The research shows that affixation retains its productivity in the English and Russian computer terms formation. Bloom’s taxonomy allows us to plan a training program and predict the effectiveness of the compiled program based on the assessment of the teaching methods used.

Keywords: word formation, affixation, computer terms, Bloom's taxonomy

Procedia PDF Downloads 8