School of Languages and Linguistics - Theses

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    Written feedback in intermediate Japanese L2 classes: Teachers’ and students’ attitudes and practices
    Cauchi, Ashley Johann ( 2022)
    This thesis investigates the attitudes and practices of students and teachers surrounding written feedback in the context of an intermediate Japanese as a Second Language program. Despite the abundance of research investigating written feedback and the factors that influence its implementation and uptake in programs that teach English as an Additional Language, the field of research into second language acquisition has yet to explore written feedback outside of this context in any depth. Hence, the current study aims to begin to address this apparent gap in the existing literature by applying methodologies and theories from previous study to the novel environment of Japanese as a Second Language education. In particular, this was done in order to determine the validity of existing findings outside of the usual context and consider the reasons for any differences in results that might arise. Nine students and two teachers of an intermediate university JSL program provided both qualitative and quantitative data to the study via interviews, surveys, and collection of feedback provided on assignments. Analysis of this data then demonstrated that despite the difference in target language of the educational environment, teachers and students displayed similar attitudes and practices to those that had been observed in previously studied English as an Additional Language learning environments. Thus, the study demonstrates the validity of drawing upon previous literature from English as an Additional Language programs to inform pedagogy in other language learning environments, and facilitates further research on written feedback in environments that teach languages other than English.
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    Miscreants or Mere Mortals? Representation of Female compared to Male Politicians in Comments to Australian Online Newspapers: a Corpus Assisted Discourse Study
    Dacy, Karen Maree ( 2023-01)
    Female politicians in Australia appear to have experienced more severe criticism and more career obstacles than male politicians, while public opinion remains divided over whether males and females in political leadership are treated at all differently. However, effective female presence in government, decided by the voting public, is vital if legislation is to address inequalities and issues pertinent to women. Beliefs and attitudes about women’s suitability for political leadership may partly explain the embattled careers of many women in politics. Attitude can be uncovered by examining how people are represented in discourse both thematically and in terms of linguistic devices. This study examined comments in online newspapers by members of the public to discover if, and in what manner, female politicians were represented differently than their male counterparts. Most research into representation of female politicians has examined mass media revealing more negative attitudes toward female politicians and widespread traditional gender stereotyping. However, journalistic representation may reflect a stance imposed by the publishing institution rather than the attitudes of the broader society. Public attitudes have largely been sampled through surveys, which are limited by what respondents choose to reveal. Few studies have examined the opinions of members of the public expressed in authentic, unprompted natural language. Furthermore, the framework of social stratification views public attitudes as shaped by culture, and culture determines the cohorts that may legitimately occupy powerful roles in society. Such attitudes are ideologically based and encoded in linguistic choices including the construction of a politician through thematic roles, naming, omission, assimilation or individualisation within a group, and how actions are represented. Language of appraisal also provides information on evaluation, descriptive lexicon and its intensity and attitude encoded in traditional literary devices such as metaphor, litotes, metonym and synecdoche. I examined 19,464 reader comments to on-line newspapers in two publications from 2013 to 2018, totalling 701,883 words. The method of Corpus Assisted Discourse Study was followed to enable identification of major themes at the corpus level, verified by Logistic Regression. These themes were then examined within comments using qualitative techniques drawn from Appraisal Theory, Sociolinguistic Analysis and Discourse-Historical Analysis. Results both supported and extended previous research into gender representation, finding male and female politicians were represented differently, stronger reactions being evident toward females in intensified vocabulary, extended arguments and saturated appraisal. Other features included omission, argumentation using abstraction or concrete description as a persuasive device and exaggeration of alleged female misdemeanours, while these were mitigated for males. In contrast with previous research, traditional gender stereotypes did not dominate. Instead, females were delegitimated within their role through association with moral and behavioural characteristics that were cardinally incompatible with political values. I argue that gender-based discrimination against Australian female politicians has been rendered implicit by prominent moral and behavioural censure of gender stereotyping and more frequent use of delegitimising strategies which are commonly applied to all politicians. Such strategies parallel the nature of discrimination against other social cohorts grouped by such features as ethnicity or class, especially when a cohort presents a threat to established hierarchies of status.
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    The Dynamics of Contemporary Pitjantjatjara: An Intergenerational Study
    Wilmoth, Sasha Lin-Jia ( 2022)
    This thesis investigates several areas of Pitjantjatjara grammar, drawing attention to the ways in which the language varies between and within generations, and the ways that the language is being both adapted and maintained by young adults. The primary goal of the thesis is to find out how young people are speaking Pitjantjatjara today, against a backdrop of rapid social change and language contact. How does their language use differ in comparison to older generations, and to previous descriptions, and what areas of the grammar are being changed or maintained? Pitjantjatjara is one of only a dozen Australian First Nations languages that have been continuously transmitted since colonisation, and which are still being acquired by children as a first language today. Many Pitjantjatjara speakers have noticed that the language is changing and are concerned about its future. In light of speakers' concerns, which are presented at length, this thesis investigates six topics in the language: phonetics and phonology, verbal morphology, case-marking, possession, nominalisation, and negation. Each of these presents a different picture of a dynamic system in constant flux, with different patterns of variation and change, maintenance and innovation, simplification and complexification. To investigate these issues, a corpus of over 40,000 words was recorded in Pukatja/Ernabella (SA). This corpus was designed to capture spontaneous speech among different generations of women. In addition, I draw upon an annotated collection of previously published texts, from the substantial body of previous description and documentation of the language. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods is used to investigate variables and grammatical structures of interest. In some areas, such as the phonetics and phonology, there are numerous differences between generations; over a dozen variables are described. In the verbal morphology, there is variation in both derivational and inflectional morphology. This appears to be system-internal, not motivated by language contact, and shows an overall maintenance of a complex and interesting system. The syntax of case is fully maintained, although there is some change in case allomorphy, and a new, innovative use of the inclusory construction that has not been documented elsewhere. Possession is an area where contact-induced change has been reported in many languages, including in Pitjantjatjara. However, variation in this domain appears stable between generations, and influenced by subtle semantic, pragmatic, and lexical factors. Nominalisation shows significant morphosyntactic complexity, which is described in detail. Complex sentence structures utilising nominalisations are being fully maintained, with no reduction in the range or use of subordination constructions among young people. Negation is also an area with significant complexity in Pitjantjatjara, and which is typologically unusual in many respects. While there is currently no variation in negation between generations, there are some differences to previous descriptions, and this can shed light on broader questions of how negation constructions evolve. Overall, my findings do not point to a single identifiable youth variety, a radical break between `traditional' and `contemporary' Pitjantjatjara, or to any significant grammatical borrowing from English. The thesis makes a descriptive and analytical contribution to our understanding of Pitjantjatjara phonology, morphology, and syntax, pointing out several areas of typological and theoretical interest. It also adds to the growing body of work describing variation, change, and contact in contemporary Aboriginal language varieties. The findings of this thesis show the benefits of embedding the study of variation and young people's language within language documentation.
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    The Expression of Location in Wumpurrarni English: Continua and Coherence in an Australian Contact Language
    Leslie-O'Neill, Henry ( 2020)
    This thesis investigates the expression of static and dynamic location in Wumpurrarni English, a contact language spoken in central Australia which is derived from English, Warumungu, and other nearby contact languages. First, it offers a description of the morphosyntax and semantics of ‘locative phrases’ in the language – phrases which express location and contain a noun phrase plus optional locative markers – and discusses this in comparison to the source languages. Then it analyses the co-occurrence of morphemes in a locative phrase relative to the language they derive from, finding some degree of ‘lectal coherence’ but also a wide range of variation; the usage-based framework of schemas and constructions is applied to understand these findings. The results support the existence of a continuum in Wumpurrarni English but suggest it should be understood as multidimensional rather than linear.
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    Silence in the works of Patrick Modiano
    Weston-Evans, Phoebe Jude ( 2020)
    The 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the French writer Patrick Modiano (b. 1945) for work that ‘uncovered the life-world of the Occupation’. The jury recognised the author’s significant role in addressing the heavy silences surrounding this uneasy period in French history. Modiano’s novels, however, are full of silences, the unsaid, and the unsayable. While his work is an indictment of certain sociohistorical silences, it is also a literature which performs, and is permeated by, a multitude of silences. This thesis seeks to elucidate the nature of this tension through an analysis of silence across twenty-seven of Modiano’s texts, from his first novel, La place de l’etoile (1968), to Souvenirs dormants (2017). A defining aspect of silence is its fluctuating semantic value and the plurality of its applications, from language and noise, to art and ethics. Its meaning is not fixed; it is, rather, an amorphous concept and its denotation and connotations shift depending on the context in which it occurs. The way in which silence signifies also changes over time; what might be silenced in 1945 could become sayable a generation later. Given the intrinsic semantic plasticity of the concept, this thesis develops an evolutive analysis of silence, which exists in multiple guises and occupies multiple spaces in Modiano’s works, from the awkward silences to those that are more eloquent, to the salutary, recuperative and respectful silences, to the silences that condemn and denounce, and the silences that gesture to the very limits of language, thought and logic. This thesis is arranged in three parts, each one based on a particular interpretation of silence. Firstly, reading silence as a generative force which, paradoxically, can be productive of narrative, the multiform silent beginnings and origins of Modiano’s texts are investigated. Secondly, silence is considered as a place of forgetting, loss and erasure, which is opposed by Modiano’s texts. This shifts the discussion to the ethical tensions associated with biographical writing and testimony in his works. Finally, silence is interpreted as something that can be created, both through the text and through other artistic media. Here, silence is positioned as a destination in its own right and the trajectories made towards and around silence by Modiano’s characters in their various fields of expression are explored. Through these differing interpretations of silence, this thesis examines how Modiano’s writing comes from and engages with silences, resists meaning and evades conclusion, creating a kind of literary silence unique to his work.
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    A grammar of Paku: a language of Central Kalimantan
    Diedrich, Daniela ( 2018)
    This thesis describes the phonology, morphology and syntax of Paku, a highly endangered East Barito language spoken in four villages in the southeast of Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia. It has currently about fifty speakers (conservative estimate, including semi-speakers) and since children, for a variety of reasons, no longer learn the language, it is classified as moribund. This thesis is part of a ARC-funded project The South East Barito languages in Indonesia and Madagascar: Safeguarding their past and future concerned with the documentation of Southeast Barito languages which Paku was thought to be a member of until the recent reclassification of languages in Borneo by Smith (2017). It is a contribution to the description of the rapidly declining linguistic diversity in Borneo and other parts of the world. In doing so, this thesis will also contribute data of Bornean languages to broader typological research. Like many other endangered languages Paku is virtually undescribed and one of the main aims of this part of the project is the thorough documentation of Paku and the compilation of an extensive corpus of data consisting of both narratives and elicited material. This will help create a record of the language before it disappears, a fate which at this stage seems inevitable. The examples used in this thesis are taken from the recorded materials as well as field notes. The data was collected during five field trips totalling nine months conducted between July 2013 and June 2017. Chapter one will introduce the Paku language and the people who use it. It will address the current linguistic situation and provide a brief overview of their traditions and customs. It also includes an overview of the methodology employed in both data collection and analysis and explain some of the conventions used in this thesis. Chapter two is concerned with the phonology in Paku and includes a description of the various and at times unusual phonological processes found in Paku. Chapter three describes word classes that need to be recognised in Paku while chapters four and five focus on nominal and verbal morphology respectively. They furthermore discuss the internal structure of phrases headed by nominals and verbs. Chapter six introduces prepositional phrases which can have various functions both at the phrase and clause level. Chapter seven is the beginning of the syntactic description of Paku and includes a discussion of grammatical relations and word order. It also identifies the different clause types found in the language. Chapter eight looks at question formation and chapter nine explores complex sentences. In Paku they include coordinated clauses, adverbial clauses, and complementation. The most intriguing features of Paku are found in the phonology of the language. For instance, Paku features extensive harmony systems. Firstly, there is comprehensive nasal harmony. This in itself is not unusual in the Austronesian world, but Paku has developed a mechanism of preventing nasal spread which is almost exclusively found in languages of Borneo - nasal preplosion. Furthermore, the majority of affixes are subject to vowel harmony, a feature which sets Paku apart from other Barito languages in the area and which provides valuable insight for potential reconstruction work. Finally, Paku features nasal substitution and accretion.
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    Finding Hawu: landing pages, finding aids and the Alan T. Walker Collection
    Vaughan, Anthony Ronald ( 2016)
    Linguists working in language description have developed valuable grammars and dictionaries for many of the world’s small or endangered languages. However, without access to the primary data used to produce these tools, it can be difficult to scrutinise their accuracy. Language documentation aims to improve access to field data using online archives. Thus it shifts the focus from a grammar or dictionary to the data itself. Alan T. Walker collected an extensive written and audio record of Lii Hawu (the Hawu language), a small language spoken on the Sabu islands in eastern Indonesia, from May 1975 to January 1976. He subsequently published a description of the language titled A Grammar of Sawu (1982). Walker’s primary data (the Walker Collection) is now available digitally in the Pacific Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures (PARADISEC). In this thesis, I consider the practical steps involved in creating a finding aid and inventory as a guide to the extensive Walker Collection. I also argue that landing pages and finding aids are essential elements of archival description. They are necessary to ensure digital language collections are accessible for both researchers and community members. I also discuss how primary data such as Walker’s can be used more widely, with the support of finding aids and inventories, to further document and revitalise small or endangered languages.
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    Very often the answer's not black or white: current practice, clinician and parental experiences of genomic testing in paediatric genetics clinics
    PAUL, JEAN ( 2015)
    Developmental delay (DD) has been estimated to affect 1 – 3% of the population and the underlying cause often remains unknown. For parents, receiving a diagnosis for their child’s DD can be a source of validation, and may impact upon their child’s prognosis, treatment and access to available supports. New genetic technologies, chromosomal microarrays (CMA), are now used across Australia to help end the ‘diagnostic odyssey’ families often experience. CMA tests have the capacity to identify genetic changes at much higher resolutions than was previously possible, but may increase the complexity and uncertainty of results. There is no research into the process of these consultations and the way in which this information is communicated to patients attending a genetics clinic. Using qualitative techniques and guided by the frameworks of symbolic interactionism and interactional sociolinguistics, this study provides a rich and nuanced analysis of paediatric genetic consultations. A multi-layered approach was used, enabling investigations of both the ‘front stage’ (consultations) and ‘backstage’ (interviews with parents and clinicians) to facilitate and further understand emerging patterns. Four data sources were used: (1) pre-consultation surveys with parents (n=32); (2) audio-recordings from consultations (n=32); (3) post-consultation telephone interviews with parents (n=32); and (4) post-consultation interviews with clinical geneticists (n=10). Overwhelmingly, parents were complimentary regarding consultations and described feeling reassured. Those who were disappointed were largely parents who were desperate for a diagnosis. The vast majority of parents reported a positive relationship with the clinician and felt that the genetic information had been explained in a very useful manner. Clinicians described consultations as varied and dependent on many factors including parents’ hopes and diagnostic expectations. They identified their primary role as a diagnostician but also acknowledged the therapeutic benefits these consultations could provide to families. Clinicians displayed mixed opinions regarding new tests, appreciating the benefits while also wary of inherent complexities and uncertainties that more detailed genetic testing would bring. Seven phases were identified within consultations, and on average clinicians contributed more words than parents, however there was variation across and within consultations. Although content of consultations was extremely similar, clinicians appeared to have varied approaches, and different styles were described including the clinical assessment approach and conversational style. Some parents were able to describe their experiences of their child’s development as a ‘narrative’, while during other consultations clinicians seemingly had a checklist of closed questions. Most clinicians used an historical narrative to describe the evolution of genetic testing; comparing past and current limitations with the promise of future genomic technologies. Findings enabled the development of an ‘ideal’ consultation in this setting, which highlights the importance of a positive clinician-parent relationship, especially in light of diagnostic uncertainty and advancing genomic testing capabilities. Narrative medicine could play a valuable role both for parents and clinicians as they make sense of genomic testing and diagnostic uncertainty. With the impending introduction of whole genome sequencing into a clinical setting, now is an ideal time to reflect and learn from past and present experiences, in order to maximise the therapeutic potential of such scientific discoveries.
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    A contrastive analysis of Chinese and English writing of Singaporean students
    Chew, Si Ying Esther ( 2008)
    This thesis compared the essays of 13 Singaporean students, written in English and Chinese, within the theoretical framework of contrastive rhetoric. The study responded to criticisms made of contrastive rhetoric, by including new methodologies, particularly the experiences of participants as a significant part of the qualitative analysis. The analysis of essay data focused on how arguments were framed and their content. The questionnaire and interview data investigated student's experiences and attitudes towards learning and using the two languages.. It was found that (a) there were similarities in terms of overall structure of the essays and transfer of certain Chinese stylistic devices, (b) there were differences in the use of other Chinese stylistic devices, and the arguments in Chinese essays clustered around personal-informal-emotional arguments whereas those in the English essays clustered around impersonal-formal-rational arguments. These themes were reflected in the questionnaire and interview data as well.
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    Referent identification for ellipted arguments in Japanese
    NARIYAMA, SHIGEKO ( 2000)
    Nominal arguments, such as the subject and the object are not grammatically required to be overt in Japanese, and are frequently unexpressed, approximately 50% of the time in written narrative texts. Despite this in high frequency of ellipsis, Japanese is not equipped with such familiar devices as the cross-referencing systems and verbal inflections commonly found in pro-drop languages for referent identification. Yet the mechanisms governing argument ellipsis have been little explicated. This thesis elucidates the linguistic mechanisms with which to identify the referents of ellipted arguments. These mechanisms stem from three tiers of linguistic system. Each sentence is structured in such a way as to anchor the subject., (using Sentence devices following the principle of direct alignment), with argument inferring cues on the verbal predicate (using Predicate devices). These subject oriented sentences are cohesively sequenced with the topic as a pivot (using Discourse devices). These subject oriented sentences are cohesively sequenced with the topic as a pivot (using Discourse devices). It is this topicalised subject which is most prone to ellipsis. I develop an algorithm summing up these mechanisms, using naturally occurring texts. I demonstrate how it can detect the existence of ellipsis in sentences and track the referential identity of it. A generalisation for ellipsis resolution and the way in which the algorithm is constituted is as follows. Sentence devices formulate sentences to make the subject most prone to ellipsis, discourse devices enable the interaction of wa (the topic maker) and ga (the nominative marker), which mark the majority of subjects, to provide the default reading for referent identification of ellipsis, and predicate devices furnish additional cues to verify that reading. Since Japanese is an SOV language, it is intuitively tenable from the perspective of language processing that the interplay of wa/ga representing subjects gives initial cues from predicate devices. This multiple layering of mechanisms, therefore, can determine referents for ellipted arguments more accurately.