Thesis
A Study of Language Typology and Comparative Semantics: Human Locomotion Verbs in English and Chinese
The present research sits itself within the intersection of Language Typology and Comparative Semantics, aiming to shed light on the comparison between English and Chinese typologically on one hand, and contribute to the study of Comparative Semantics in human locomotion verbs on the other.
Using Oral and Written Feedback to Improve Student Writing: An Investigation from Cambodian University Students’ Perspectives
This study examines the perceptions about the effectiveness of oral (OF) and written (WF) feedback on the writing of thirty-seven Cambodian English-major students at the National University of Management (NUM). Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and student paragraphs were used to collect data from the OF group (N=19) and the WF group (N=18) before and after the two-month treatment.
An Investigation into the Use of a Blog as a Tool to Improve Writing in the Second Language Classroom
Several research studies concur that the use of a blog can positively enhance writing skills. Research has confirmed positive uses of the blog which include writing for an audience and peer review, the development of a student’s analytical skills and the development of a sense of community in a class through a collaborative learning environment.
The Effect of Task-Based Language Teaching on Developing Speaking Skills among the Palestinian Secondary EFL Students in Israel and Their Attitudes towards English
Tareq, Mitib Murad. (2009). The Effect of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) on Developing Speaking Skills among the Palestinian Secondary EFL Students in Israel and Their Attitudes towards English. Ph.D. Dissertation, Yarmouk University. (Supervisor: Professor Oqlah Smadi).
This objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a task-based language teaching program on developing the speaking skills of Palestinian secondary students and their attitudes towards English. The students were in the eleventh grade (second secondary grade) during a period of three months in which this study was conducted (JanuaryMarch) of the academic year 2008/2009.
Towards a Functional Lexicogrammatical Syllabus
This paper documents the development and preliminary implementation of a functional-lexicogrammatical (FL) syllabus, and reports on an experiment conducted to test its effectiveness for increasing student awareness of lexicogrammatical (LG) patterns and grammatical word order. Following a communicative, social-semiotic view of language, and attempting to fill…
Collocation and textual cohesion: A comparative corpus study between a genre of Written Sports Reports and a large reference corpus
One of the most problematic areas for foreign language learning is collocation. It is often seen as arbitrary and overwhelming, a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to the attainment of nativelike fluency. The following study takes an approach suggested by recent corpus research by investigating the functional role of collocation for cohesion within a genre-specific corpus of written sports reports (WSR).
Code Mixing Constraints: from Grammatical to Minimalist Framework : A Study in Kashmiri-English Mixed Code
The research in the last half of the twentieth century has advanced the field of language contact and the associated language contact phenomena to a greater extent. The field of language contact has emerged as an important area of research not only in the domain of historical and sociolinguistics but also in other fields like phonology, morphology and syntax.
Does the Hong Kong Native English Scheme have an Effect on Learner’s Intelligibility of ‘Standard Accents?
The present study investigates the effect of the Hong Kong Native English Teacher Scheme on learner’s intelligibility of ‘Standard’ accents. 120 participants from six classes studying for Associate Degrees were given a language learning history questionnaire and an intelligibility test where they were required to listen to and orthographically transcribe speakers from America, England, Hong Kong and Australia.
Changing Associations: The Effect of Direct Vocabulary Instruction on the Word Associations of Japanese College Students
Word association tests (WATs) are generally used in second language (L2)vocabulary acquisition research studies to investigate the connections L2 learners hold in their developing mental lexicons.
The problem with of the studies to date is that the associations produced are often “extremely boring and predicableâ€(Meara, 1983, p. 29), because learners are usually only tested once with high frequency prompt words (PWs). This study examines the evolving mental connections of twenty Japanese college students through the multiple administration of a thirtyâ€item WAT over a threeâ€month period.
Evaluating the L1 Use of Adult Intermediate Korean English Language Learners During Collaborative Oral Tasks
The debate surrounding the use of the first language in the English classroom continues to be a contentious issue. Recent research has noted that the first language does have a part to play in the acquisition process of the second language. In relation to an adult intermediate South Korean EFL context, this study explores how students within this context use their first language as a learning tool, to help them produce the second language, during collaboration on oral pair-work tasks.
