School of Languages and Linguistics - Theses
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ItemBlind rhapsodists: the image of the modern Greek popular musician( 1998)This thesis sets out to explore, define and analyse the image of the Modern Greek Popular Musician between approximately 1945 and 1990 as expressed in a variety of written texts. The main argument is that there is a mythic approach in the presentation of the aforesaid image within the context 'of prevailing ideological and political concerns in modern Greek culture since the end of the War, and the ongoing influences of Western philhellenic ideals and Greek nationalism. Secondly, it is argued that the recurrence of common images points to an overall image for the popular musician which is composed of a number of general, diachronic images. The general images have been abstracted from a Typology constructed in a succinct and comprehensive way to show the wide variety of images of the popular musician over the last forty-five years. Despite this variety, however, it is argued that there a certain number of general images which are pivotal to any understanding of the overall image of the popular musician and which can be applied to all the case studies (six in total) which have also been included in the discussion and, indeed, to virtually all Modern Greek popular musicians. Finally, it is argued that the presence of recurring general images of the popular musician (which are neither random nor arbitrary) point to the strong cultural significance of that image. It is suggested that the popular musician is perceived to be a prominent figure in modern Greek culture precisely because there is a need for Culture Heroes in modern Greece; the musician seems to fulfil the relevant criteria by making an important contribution to his/her nation's culture and acting as a role-model for his/her people. Furthermore, it is contended that certain cultural values, beliefs and national preoccupations are expressed and reaffirmed in the image of the popular musician which makes its study all the more important.
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ItemTopics in colloquial Malay( 1990)This thesis is a description of some common linguistic features of Colloquial Malay, a spoken variety of the Malay language used by native Malay speakers of Malaysia among themselves in everyday unmarked speech situations. While linguistic works and grammars of Standard Malay (or, Bahasa Malaysia), the national language of Malaysia are numerous, there are very few works on the less formal varieties and dialects of Malay spoken in Malaysia. Little importance is given to studying Colloquial Malay and scholarly works on Colloquial Malay are very rare. This thesis seeks to explore and compare various formal properties of Colloquial Malay and Standard Malay and in doing so, to contribute to this largely unexplored area of study in the Malay language. In this work I aim to provide a description of some of the major characteristics of CM in contrast with SM based on a comparison of one sizeable CM text with a comparable SM narrative text. An inductive method is used in analysing inter-and intra-textual shifts in register, that is, shifts in the degree of formality or informality, which correlate with the use of CM-like properties and SM-like properties. From this I build up a description of a set of CM features which can be expected to be characteristic of actual colloquial Malay usage, which will provide a basis for further study. The types of CM features described are diverse and include lexical, morphological and syntactic properties. The lexical features examined include variant phonological forms, colloquial lexical roots, semantic shifts in the colloquial usage of some common roots, code-switching and English loans, the class of emotive, modal and illocutionary particles, and the classes of pronouns and prepositions in Colloquial Malay. Some typical Colloquial Malay expressions, phrases and constructions are dealt with briefly. Several grammatical features are considered: affixation and its frequency in Colloquial Malay relative to Standard Malay; ‘passive’ and causative constructions; the structure of the noun phrase; the Modifier-punya-Head construction, a typical Colloquial Malay construction; verbal auxiliaries; and typical uses of the adverbial saja/(a)je ‘only, just’ in Colloquial Malay. Clause combining strategies, which include subordination, coordination, verb serialization and juxtaposition, are discussed as well.
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ItemThe comparability of direct and semi-direct speaking tests: a case study( 1997-08)This thesis investigates the equivalence of direct (live) and semi-direct (tape-mediated) versions of a test of oral proficiency which forms part of the access: test, a four-skill English language test for prospective skilled migrants to Australia sponsored by the Commonwealth Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. This is essentially an equity issue since the two versions are used interchangeably in overseas test centres and candidates normally have no choice about the version to which they are assigned. It is important therefore that candidates’ final results should not be adversely affected by the particular method used to test their oral proficiency.
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ItemThe role of digital video media in second language listening comprehension( 1999)The aim of this investigation was to examine the role of visual elements in second language listening comprehension when digital video was used as a mode of presentation. Despite the widespread use of video in listening instruction, little is known at present about how learners attend to dual-coded media and, in particular, how visual elements may influence comprehension processes. The study was conducted at the Japanese department of a large Australian research university. In conjunction with Japanese language instructors, the researcher first selected three authentic Japanese news broadcasts. After digitisation, the videotexts were utilised in a pilot study that ws designed to explore issues not resolved in a review of current theory. Four participants, representing a range of proficiencies from beginning to advanced, were directed to provide immediately restrospective verbal reports in the pilot study. The central outcome of the pilot study was to set out a preliminary seven-category framework of listener interactions with the digital videotexts. These categories, for example, included text type identification, macrostructure generation, confirmation and hindrance of macrostructure development. In the main study, twelve upper intermediate non-native tertiary students of Japanese attended to the videotexts. With some modification of the data collection procedures, the participants provided immediately retrospective verbal reports while they 1) interacted with the videotext initially and 2) engaged with videotext during self-directed responses to open-ended task demands. Based on the first section of the verbal reports, the pilot study framework was refined to focus on initial front-to-back comprehension of the videotexts. The seven-part categorisation was expanded to include greater detail of behaviours. In a second stage of analysis, a three-category framework was proposed to focus on responses to task demands. Listeners were seen to initiate extensive reviews, make no immediate use of the videotext and search for task-relevant information. To illustrate these categories, seven individual case studies were used to profile listener engagement with videotext in response to task demands. The investigation then summarises the findings and discusses video-mediated listening comprehension in regards to classroom instruction, listening assessment and computer-based language learning. The results point to a view that visual elements work in a number of ways that go beyond merely ‘supporting’ verbal elements; they are better thought of as integral resources to comprehension whose influence shifts from primary to secondary importance as a listener develops a mature understanding of the videotext. Finally, the thesis provides a critical evaluation of the investigation and suggests areas for future research.
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ItemA critical evaluation of Islamic aesthetics: with reference to architectural symbolism( 1993)Many texts on the subject of Islamic art either tend to assess its qualities based on those of Western art historical criteria or pay no or insufficient attention to an Islamic context for its art forms. Very little appears to have been written on the direct relationship which exists between Islamic art and the spirituality which inspires it. It is the hypothesis of this dissertation that there may well be underlying aesthetic principles which govern the great variety of arts inspired by Islam based upon the Qur'an and Hadith (Traditions), the two primary textual sources. The Qur'an is the paramount source, 'a Message consistent with itself' (Surah, 39:23) and it is Islamically appropriate that such principles be derived from its text and its influence therefore is uniformly documented throughout the thesis, with the assistance of Abdullah Yusuf ‘Ali's The Holy Qur'an Text, Translation and Commentary for the sake of cohesiveness. It is only in the case of seeking further clarity of meaning in the Arabic that further translations are employed. The present author is not an Arabicist equipped with the necessary linguistic skills, so where it is necessary, has sought qualified advice on certain Qur'anic words after referring to alternate translations and has inserted in brackets an alternative suggestion. But in general, A.Y. 'Ali's translation has been accepted. Why include Arabic the reader may ask? Arabic's presence as the language of Divine revelation, and its prominence in the Islamic visual arts require its appearance in an aesthetic context and to juxtapose Arabic and with its English translation through the Qur'anic quotations appeared as a more sensitive format in the thesis. The crucial role of Hadith in Islam is explained in the introduction of my forthcoming publication al-Ahadith al-Oudsiyya (Divine Narratives) mentioned in the acknowledgements, the English section of which is included in Volume II, Appendix V of this thesis. If it can be established that the timeless language of traditional Islamic art in its various forms is the result of the implementation of aesthetic principles, we seek to identify these and once established, apply them to selected examples of architecture of the sixteenth and seventeenth century AD Turkey, Iran and India at the height of Islamic influence. Although only one major art form has been selected, these aesthetic principles could have a universal application in classification and identification of art forms that claim to be Islamic, thereby assisting those Museums or Galleries possessing such art to take into account Islamic criteria. One only has to take a cursory glance at a brief survey of institutions with Islamic art holdings on such a question to realise the relevancy of this research. Islamic artists-craftpersons generally anonymous in traditional Islamic society, due more to a sense of religious purpose in their quest to ennoble matter and a subjugation of self-importance, view the world through eyes that have been imbued with a knowledge of Islam. The first chapter of the thesis discusses the nature of the problems associated with Islamic aesthetics and suggests a means of approach. We then turn to examining the nature of Islamic vision, perception and aesthetic in the second chapter. Consideration is given to the language and form of Islamic aesthetics in the third chapter, whilst the fourth outlines the four principles of Qibla/qibla (Direction), qadar (Order), ma dd (Display) and tawhid (Unity). The final chapter applies these principles to the Mosque of Suleyman Istanbul, the Mosque of the Shah, Isfahan, and the mosque/mausoleum of the Taj Mahal, Agra where Islamic values we believe in an Islamic State were expressed with the greatest skill and with a consummate sense of beauty.
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ItemWriting and reciting Acehnese: perspectives on language and literature in Aceh( 1997)This dissertation is a descriptive study of Acehnese language literacy and literature within a multilingual culture. Acehnese is an Austronesian language, spoken by approximately 2.7 million people at the northern end of Sumatra, Indonesia. Acehnese has existed in a multilingual context, notably Arabic and Malay, which have typically given shape to the development of Acehnese language literacy. Pathways to literacy acquisition are not direct: traditional literacy is developed through the contexts Arabic and Malay learning, while modern literacy is developed through the context of Bahasa Indonesia. The ability to read and write Acehnese texts in the Jawi script requires basic knowledge of Arabic and Malay in addition to adequate knowledge of Acehnese language itself. Acehnese is written in two types of script: the Jawi and the Roman alphabet. The development of the Roman script is due to the influence of modern secular education. Acehnese displays exceptionally rich and distinguished poetic traditions. The various kinds and uses of poetry are described in some detail. Of special interest of this study is to explore the role of poetry and its relationship with literacy development. This is significant since virtually all Acehnese written texts, which serves a wide range of functions in the life of Acehnese people, are in verse. Some types of poetry are consistently written down: mainly hikayat, and as a result hikayat forms a major poetic text type within the genre of Acehnese poetry.
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ItemMaterial and relational transitivity in Mandarin Chinese( 1997)This thesis presents a Systemic-Functional analysis of aspects of transitivity in Mandarin Chinese, focusing on two major types of clause: material clauses and relational clauses. Material clauses represent actions/events in the material world. Relational clauses express relationships between entities in the most general sense; they include as their prototypical members 'being' or ‘copula' clauses. Chapter 1 provides a brief account of the theoretical framework of SFG. The following four chapters constitute the bulk of the thesis. Chapter 2 provides a detailed description of material clauses. Chapters 3 - 5, deal in turn with three major types of relational clause: attributive, locational and possessive. One of the significant findings of the thesis is that relational clauses encompass a much larger portion of the grammar than is usually believed, and include various 'processes' such as 'giving', 'renting', 'putting', in addition to 'being' (usually classified as material). Hence the notion of transitivity has been refined. The analysis of material and relational transitivity in Mandarin Chinese in this thesis is organised in the form of networks of semantic choices, which characterise clause types and sub-types in terms of role configurations, together with realisation rules which map the semantic representations onto linguistic constructions. An important characteristic of this approach is that syntax and lexicon are integrated into a unified whole - the lexico-grammar. Another is that the model can be used in sentence generation in computational linguistics. Chapter 6 presents conclusion, which highlights the recurrent issues and topics for further investigation.
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ItemPoetry and cosmogony: science in the writing of Queneau and Ponge( 1994)The tradition of scientific poetry, which reached high points in the work of the Presocratic philosopher-poets, Lucretius, and certain poets of the Renaissance, has been in decline since the end of the sixteenth century. In the middle of the present century Raymond Queneau and Francis Ponge attempted to revive it in three extensive poetic texts. Queneau's Petite cosmogonie portative updates the verse cosmogony as it was written by Scève and Du Bartas, drawing on the freshest scientific discoveries of its day and employing a ludic rhetoric indebted to Freud, Joyce and the surrealists. La Seine and the "Texte sur l’èlectricitè" are major components of Ponge's fragmentary cosmology; while looking back to Lucretius, they cite modern scientific texts extensively according to a strategy derived from Lautréamont. These little-known works are examined here in order to analyse the ways in which they recast scientific material, and to estimate the durability of the resulting poetry. In the light of this critical examination, a set of conditions for the viability of scientific poetry in the twentieth century is proposed. Because the attempt to revive scientific poetry runs counter to long-term trends it may seem futile, and certainly it is risky. But there is more at stake than the fortunes of individual poems. The three texts under examination defend poetry in the boldest fashion by laying claim to subject areas now generally ceded to other kinds of writing. At a time when, in France, the thematic domain of poetry has shrunk to an unprecedented extent, largely under the sustained influence of surrealism, the projects of Ponge and Queneau have an exemplary value, showing, and sometimes saying, that no part of human knowledge should be off limits for poetry, but also that poetry should not seek legitimacy by attempting to assimilate itself to another kind of discourse.
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ItemThe role of task-based conversation in the acquisition of Japanese grammar and vocabulary( 1999)This thesis investigates the role of conversation in the acquisition of Japanese grammar and vocabulary items in non-native speaker – native speaker interaction. In particular, it examines the effect of interactional moves of a native speaking conversation partner on the NNS’s control over Japanese grammar and vocabulary items. There are two studies: one cross-sectional and one longitudinal. A quasi-experiment (pre-test, treatment, post-test and delayed post-test) design was used for both. The subjects who participated in the study were beginning learners of Japanese at a tertiary institution. In the cross-sectional study, fifty-five subjects were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. The subjects in the control group first took pre-tests and engaged in the free conversation with a native speaking conversation partner for 30 minutes. Soon after the conversation, they were asked to do post-tests. The subjects in the experimental group first took pre-tests and then performed three communication tasks (treatment) with a native speaking conversation partner. Post-tests were administered soon after the treatment (task-based conversation) and delayed post-tests were administered one week after the treatment. The effect of task-based conversation was examined by comparing the scores on the pre-, post- and delayed post-tests across groups and within groups. The frequency and types of native-speaking partners’ interactional moves were also investigated in relation to their effects on learners’ performance on post- and delayed post-tests. The results showed that overall task-based conversation had a positive impact on the short-term development of the targeted items. A variety of native-speaking partners’ interactional moves were observed. The effect of these moves on the development of the NNSs’ control over Japanese grammar and vocabulary items varied according to the types of the targeted items. In the longitudinal study, five subjects from the cross-sectional study participated for nine months. The five subjects met the same native-speaking conversation partner weekly for an hour and did a variety of communication tasks. Of the five subjects, three subjects received intensive recast treatment in addition to the weekly treatment after week eight. Four follow-up tests were administered during the twelve weeks and two delayed post-tests were administered one month, three month and six month after the final treatment. The results showed that the continuous treatment over twelve week had a positive impact on the development of target grammar and vocabulary items for both short- and long-terms. Intensive recast treatment had a positive impact on some structures, but had a negative impact on the structures which subjects were able to produce correctly prior to the treatment. The present study has implication for classroom teaching especially in the implementation of communication tasks and grammar and vocabulary teaching.
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ItemStudies in Chinese lexicology: investigations into the Xiang dialect( 1992)Any speaker of a non-standard Chinese dialect has some familiarity with a number of written and spoken varieties of the Chinese language, both dialectal and standard. The knowledge of these varieties, and of relationships between them, is an essential characteristic of a dialect speaker's linguistic competence in Chinese, and the complexity of this knowledge presents one of the greatest difficulties for the linguist in charting the synchronic structures and diachronic development of Chinese. The challenge begins for the native speaker, who must negotiate their way through this linguistic milieu. It extends to and dominates the work of contemporary Chinese dialectologists, the products of whose research cannot be properly understood unless one has a clear grasp of both the Chinese dialect speaker's complex linguistic world, and also the traditional means by which Chinese researchers have developed to represent this world. This thesis attempts to tackle this challenge through a discussion of problems concerning the status and organization of the Changsha dialect. The main focus is upon the formative: the monosyllabic morpheme, which, from the perspective of the Chinese speaker, is the fundamental unit in word formation. The arrangement and rearrangement of phonological-semantic relationships between formatives within and across dialects will be explored through a discussion of types of local words (Chapter 3), interactions between different varieties, both written and spoken" standard and local (Chapter 4), and the problem of representation of local words in characters (Chapter 5). Chapters 1 and 2 provide a general introduction to these issues, and also to the linguistic situation of Hunan, the province of which Changsha is the capital.