This research is based on the study of phonomorphemes and word families in Catalan Sign Language (LSC). On the one hand, we provide a formal expression of a series of LSC phonomorphemes, that is, ...basic parameters that provide minimal meaning to the sign (morphemes) and, at the same time, are necessary for its adequate articulation (phonemes). We group them into extended and nuclear word families, adapting the phonological analysis model of Fernald and Napoli (2000). Unlike previous research in other sign languages (Fernald and Napoli, 2000; Johnston and Schembri, 1999; Meir, 2012; Tobin, 2008), we provide an alternative morphological analysis of word families in LSC following the prosodic model (Brentari, 1998). In our analysis we consider the internal structure and the formation of the word family with the same root. We study how compounds, derived and inflected signs are constituted by the same root. Thanks to this model, we have detected a series of morphological procedures in LSC which have not yet been described, such as inflectional reduplication, in ALWAYS-THE-SAME, or affixes with an intensity function, in the non-manual marker of EXCESS-OF-LIGHT. The signs under study have been manually collected from signed recordings of natural speech, glossaries, and dictionaries in LSC. This research offers the possibility of detecting new bound morphemes, whether derivational or inflectional, as well as distinguishing affixation from compounding in LSC. The detection of morphophonemes can also be used for pedagogical purposes and provides a better morphological comprehension of LSC.
Esta investigación se basa en el estudio de los morfofonemas y las familias léxicas en lengua de signos catalana (LSC). Por un lado, describimos y ofrecemos la expresión formal de una serie de morfofonemas de la LSC, es decir, de parámetros formativos que aportan significado mínimo al signo (morfemas) y, a la par, son necesarios para su adecuada articulación (fonemas). Los agrupamos en familias léxicas extendidas y nucleares adaptando el modelo de análisis fonológico de Fernald y Napoli (2000). A diferencia de las investigaciones previas en otras lenguas de signos (Fernald y Napoli, 2000; Johnston y Schembri, 1999; Meir, 2012; Tobin, 2008), ofrecemos un análisis alternativo morfológico de las familias léxicas en LSC siguiendo el modelo prosódico (Brentari, 1998). En nuestro análisis contemplamos la estructura interna y la formación de la familia léxica a partir de un signo base. Estudiamos cómo a partir de este se forman signos derivados, compuestos, polimorfemáticos y flexivos. Gracias a este modelo hemos detectado una serie de procedimientos morfológicos en LSC todavía no descritos, tales como la reduplicación flexiva, en SIEMPRE-IGUAL, o afijos con valor de intensidad, en el marcador no manual de EXCESO-DE-LUZ. Los signos materia de estudio se han recabado manualmente a partir de grabaciones signadas de discurso natural, glosarios y diccionarios en LSC. Esta investigación brinda la posibilidad de detectar nuevos morfemas ligados, ya sean derivativos o flexivos, así como de distinguir la afijación y la composición en LSC, hecho que puede usarse además con fines pedagógicos y aporta una comprensión morfológica de la LSC en profundidad.
Abstract
The study investigates derivational knowledge of second language (L2) learners as a function of four variables: learner
proficiency, word family frequency, derived word frequency, and affix ...type as suggested by two affix difficulty hierarchies. Seventy-nine
EFL learners at two proficiency levels received two tests, the VST – Vocabulary Size Test (
Nation &
Beglar, 2007
) and a custom-made ‘Derivatives Test’, which included derived forms of VST base words. We performed the following
within-participant comparisons: knowledge of base words and knowledge of their derived forms, knowledge of derived forms from high-, medium, and low-frequency word families and knowledge of derivatives at different affix difficulty levels. Knowledge of basewords and their derivatives was
statistically equivalent for advanced learners. However, a difference was found between the categories for less advanced learners. The
findings also revealed learner proficiency and base word frequency effects, partial support for the two affix difficulty hierarchies, and no
support for the effect of derivative frequency.
This corpus-based study aims at exploring the most frequently-used academic words in legal discourse and compares the wordlist to the distribution of high frequency words in Coxhead‟s Academic Word ...List (AWL) in order to examine their coverage within the law corpus. This study is an attempt to develop an academic word list of frequently used linguistic items and explore the contextual use of words in legal discourse. For this research, a corpus of 76 law research articles, consisting of approximately 246,426 words from 3 law sub-disciplines (Corporate Law, Pakistan Tax Decision and All Pakistan Legal) were compiled and analyzed based on two criteria; frequency and range. Based on the analysis, a list consisting of 72 academic word families were produced to provide a useful law academic word list. A word to be included in the list must occur at least 50 times in the corpus. This study concluded that attempts must be made to create discipline-specific word lists. Further pedagogical implications are discussed in detail.
Vocabulary size is believed to have positive correlations with learners’ language skills, reading comprehension, knowledge acquisition, and academic achievement. In Malaysia, the lack of vocabulary ...has been identified as one of the causes for students’ inability to acquire a second language. This quasi-experimental study examined the efficacies of employing the Contextualized Word Family (CWF) Model for direct vocabulary instruction (DVI) on vocabulary size and writing skills among secondary school students based on three proficiency levels. Through a purposive sampling method, 143 Grade 8 students were classified into three proficiency groups and were administered a similar treatment of contextualized word families. The Productive Vocabulary Level Test (PVLT) was used to measure the participants’ vocabulary size and guided essay writing tests were employed to obtain their test scores in the pre-test and post-test. The findings revealed the positive effects of using the CWF Model for enhancing students’ vocabulary size and writing ability. After a ten-week intervention, the majority of the students from low, intermediate, and high proficiency groups were able to increase their vocabulary size from below 1000 words to 1000-2000 words. There was also an increase in the number of students who were able to reach the 2000-word level of vocabulary size for all three groups. The findings from this study ascertained the positive effects of using the CWF Model to boost not only the vocabulary size, but also the writing skills of the high and intermediate proficiency students. On the writing tests, the high proficiency students showed a significant increase while the intermediate proficiency students experienced a slight increase in their writing test scores, but it was insignificant. Surprisingly, the low proficiency students experienced a significant decrease in their writing test scores after the treatment despite experiencing an increase in their vocabulary size. Future studies are recommended to utilize a true experimental design with a longer treatment period especially for examining the efficacies of the model on students’ writing skills.
Abstract
Linguists researching the Trans-Himalayan family do not have a self-perception as working outside the mainstream of historical linguistics, but 'word families' and 'allofams' are important ...elements in their thinking despite the absence of these terms in the wider discipline. A close examination of the practice of historical linguistics in Indo-European and Trans-Himalayan leads to the conclusion that those phenomena treated as word families admit superior analyses in more traditional terms.
Abstract
The replies to Fellner and Hill (this volume) present the practice of historical linguistics in the study of the Trans-Himalayan family as on the trail our Indo-European forbears blazed. The ...replies further present "word families" and "allofams" as beacons that light this path; we disagree. Our respondents overlook the different status of reconstructions in the two families. Research at the subgroup level that they point to as Neogrammarian implements a formalist approach to reconstruction, which, fine as far as it goes, lacks the sophistication of reconstructions in more mature disciplines. Not appreciating the different status of reconstruction in the two families, our respondents exaggerate the extent to which Indo-European evinces "word family"-like phenomena and present allofams as more synchronically plausible than they are.
Abstract
In a recent article, Fellner & Hill (this volume) level a strong critique against what they view as the misguided prevailing methodology of historical-comparative reconstruction in the ...Sino-Tibetan (aka Trans-Himalayan) language family. The central focus of their criticism is the assembling of "word families" and the reconstruction of ST proto-forms exhibiting variation to account for those word families. In this response, I argue that the methodology is basically sound and is appropriate to the current state of our knowledge. At the same time, I dispute some of the assertions made by Fellner & Hill, which I believe are mischaracterizations of the methods and assumptions underlying the work of Sino-Tibetan scholars.
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