Linguistics

It is received wisdom in variationist sociolinguistics that linguistic and social factors go hand in hand in structuring variability in language and any consequent instances of language change. We address the complexity of such factors by exploring data from several Arabic dialects in the eastern Arab world. We demonstrate that language change does not always follow expected phonological trajectories, even in cases where older changes are reconstructed to have operated along so-called universal patterns. In our explanation of recent changes in these dialects, we emphasise the role of social motivations for language change and the interactions between these social constraints and purely linguistic ones. Our analysis of change is supported by historical accounts of variation and change in Arabic. We illustrate how general principles of sociolinguistic theory apply to the Arabic data and provide additional layers of sociolinguistic information that highlight the importance of diverse d...

It is a tradition to express overall structures in the lexicon of a language by classifying its words according to their formal as well as to their semantic properties. The problem treated here is how formal and semantic word classes relate to each other. The problem will first be discussed ...

... DEN SPRACHVERGLEICH LUISE F. PUSCH UND CHRISTOPH SCHWARZE 1. ABSICHT Die vorliegende Studie präzisiert und ergänzt eine Konzeption von Mehr-... Dr. Luise F. Pusch/ Professor Dr. Christoph Schwarze Romanisches Seminar Universität Kiel D-2300 Kiel ...

In this study, we use a transmodal lens to investigate how emergent bilingual (EB) preschoolers employ diverse bodies of knowledge, modalities, and languaging practices to engage in show-and-tell presentations. We also investigate the role of translanguaging in support of children's communication and interaction in this activity. Video data of show-and-tell activity in two dual language preschool classrooms were analyzed for the actional, verbal, and visual modes used by children as well as for features of their transmodal repertoire. Qualitative analyses revealed specific patterns in EB children's employment of multimodal resources, in response to presentation purposes and show-and-tell routines and structures. Children's translanguaging practices were flexible and supported their presentation purposes and participation across show-and-tell routines. Findings have implications for ways of facilitating show-and-tell and how teachers can promote students’ transmodal practices in support of their learning and engagement in this activity.

Few studies in language teacher education programs provide insight on how knowledge of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) is developed by teacher candidates to support their metalinguistic awareness and preparation to teach language. Building upon the contributions of Johnson and Byrnes, we combined Halliday’s language-based theory of learning with a sociocultural view of the development of an SFL knowledge base for language teaching. Specifically, we examined teacher candidates’ development of SFL as analytical tool of their English language usage to inform and improve their eventual teaching of a language. We analyzed the functional language features that seven language teacher candidates referenced and applied in multiple drafts of SFL-driven text analyses. Our analysis focused on the ways they expressed information, negotiated relationships, and organized their messages. Results revealed four phases characterizing teacher candidates’ development of more “scientific” notions of SFL whereby they (a) interpreted the meaning of text, (b) linked the meaning of text with SFL features, (c) connected SFL features to their functions, and (d) combined SFL features to enhance analysis. Implications are suggested for how language teacher educators might structure the SFL learning experiences of their language teacher candidates.

This study surveys some exemplary patterns of word derivation in Italian and attempts to integrate them into a theory of derivational semantics using a formal linguistic model, specifically LFG. After a brief exposition of the theoretical dilemmas posed by derivational semantics, we ...