Languages

Generative Oscillation - A Cognitive Model for the Emergence of Language

by Thorold (Thor) May

Research Material for a discontinued PhD

DRAFT COPY ONLY

NOT READY FOR PRINT PUBLICATION

The GO model proposes a co-generative view of the emergence of language. Most conventional linguistics models conceive... more The GO model proposes a co-generative view of the emergence of language. Most conventional linguistics models conceive of language as a representational system of symbols which refer to events, either mental or external to the organism. This representational function is said to motivate the linguistic system and (depending upon the linguistic model) largely control its form. The GO (Generative Oscillation) model proposed here recognizes the representational role of language. However it notes that as the mental linguistic system itself becomes efficiently organized, it creates an internal logic and drive of its own. To some extent this internally motivated linguistic system is conceived to override the external motivation to represent another reality. Since the internal linguistic system is dynamic and generative, it may give rise to linguistic output which seems strange in an inter-human communicative context (or even within the reflective mind of the creator). Thus while the external communicative context can become a constraint on unmotivated non-representational "internal language", it might not eliminate it. The Generative Oscillation model proposes that actual language production is an oscillating compromise between the representational function of language and the mental "language bot" itself (i.e. an internal self-organizing system) which is generating language strings just because that is what language language bots do. As far as I know, the Generative Oscillation Model, or anything like it, had not been suggested before in linguistics at the time of writing. Some conventional linguists may find it a bit "off the wall".

Language Tangle - Predicting & Facilitating Outcomes in Language Education - PhD Thesis - ThorMay

by Thorold (Thor) May

Doctoral dissertation in knowledge worker productivity (specifically language teaching productivity) awarded by the University of Newcastle, NSW in 2010. The abstract and links to supporting documents including the thesis itself may also be viewed at http://thormay.net/lxesl/lxtangle_abstract.html. The full dissertation title is "Language Tangle - Predicting and Facilitating Outcomes in Language Education".

This thesis argues that foreign and second language teaching productivity can only reach its proper potential when it... more This thesis argues that foreign and second language teaching productivity can only reach its proper potential when it is accorded priority, second only to language learner productivity, amongst the many competing productivities which are always asserted by stakeholders in educational institutions.

A theoretical foundation for the research is established by examining the historical concept of productivity, and its more recent manifestation as knowledge worker productivity, especially as applied to teachers.

The empirical basis of the thesis is sourced from a chronological series of twenty biographical case studies in language teaching venues in Australia, New Zealand, Oceania and East Asia. The biographical case study methodology, although rare in applied linguistics, is justified by reference to its wide and growing application in other fields of qualitative research. The case studies are analysed for common patterns of productivity, as well as teaching productivity inhibition or failure.

It was affirmed across all of the case studies without exception that external parties could not control or even reliably predict what individual students might learn, and how well, from instances of instructed language teaching. This was regardless of the power of institutional players, external resources, curriculums or the teacher. Student belief in the immediate value of what was to be learned in a given lesson, and personal confidence in an ability to learn it were the most critical factors.

Teaching productivity was found to turn, ultimately, on the teacher's ability to influence the probability of student learning. The teacher could best influence learning probability by enhancing student motivation. The most effective environments for teaching productivity were seen to be those where the teacher was professionally equipped and politically enabled to exercise judgements which maximized opportunities for student language learning productivity. A negotiated pact concerning both curriculum and method often proved effective, especially with mature students, and at times required some deception of institutional authorities.

Empirically, the encouragement of reciprocal learning relationships between teacher and students was found to be powerfully enabling for language teaching productivity in the case studies.

In many venues a small but effective minority of 'intimate learners' were also able to leverage their language learning productivity by forging more personal relationships with the teacher.

The wider cultural paradigm within each of the countries represented in the case studies sanctioned different paths and limitations for both language learners and teachers, and hence was seen to influence teaching productivity in critical ways. It was found that under certain conditions, notably (but not exclusively) those prevailing in many East Asian educational institutions, that certification of foreign language skills had a higher cultural, employment and monetary value than the actual ability to exercise foreign language skills.

A negative influence on teacher productivity in many of the case studies was an ignorance about language learning and teaching amongst institutional players. The disregard of language teacher professionalism was fed by a belief that being able to speak a language was all that was necessary to teach it, and reinforced by misinterpreting the meaning of test results. Related to this, an imbalance of power relationships between teachers or students with other institutional interests was consistently found to interfere with teaching and learning productivities. Overall, the model of productivity understood in institutions instanced by the case studies tended to reflect a 19th Century economic paradigm of capital, raw materials (students) and labour (dispensable classroom workers) rather than any more sophisticated grasp of knowledge worker productivity.

It was demonstrated in the context of the case studies that productivity, and in particular knowledge worker productivity, is a complex concept whose facets require detailed analysis to arrive at a proper understanding of the role that foreign and second language teachers play in educational institutions.

Banjalung* - Transcript for a Language Course

by Thorold (Thor) May

* Banjalang, aka Bundjalung, Bunjalung, Badjalang, Banjalung & Bandjalang, is a middle Clarence dialect of a NSW, Australia Aboriginal language

This is a rudimentary phrase book for the Australian Aboriginal language Banjalung, constructed in co-operation with a... more This is a rudimentary phrase book for the Australian Aboriginal language Banjalung, constructed in co-operation with a surviving speaker and designed to encourage Banjalung language revival. It was undertaken in 1983 at the request of Southern Cross University (then Northern Rivers CAE) and local community members.

What Kind of Values Do Languages Have? Means of Communication and Cultural Heritage

by Manuel Toscano

published in Redescriptions. Political Thought, Conceptual History and Feminist Theory, vol. 15 (2011), pp. 171-184

The recent debates on linguistic diversity inevitably raise questions about the value of languages. This paper deals... more The recent debates on linguistic diversity inevitably raise questions about the value of languages. This paper deals with two descriptions of the value of languages that have played an outstanding role in such debates: on the one hand, language as communication means, and on the other, language as cultural heritage. The main purpose is explanatory, providing an account of how language is understood and assessed in each of these descriptions. Moreover, it is also important to note the rhetorical uses of these value descriptions in the discourses on linguistic diversity, especially considering the intrinsic value given to the language as a cultural heritage.

Overcoming Language Challenges of Open Source Appropriate Technology for Sustainable Development in Africa

by Joshua Pearce

Joshua M. Pearce and Eleanor ter Horst, “Overcoming Language Challenges of Open Source Appropriate Technology for Sustainable Development in Africa”, Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, 11(3) pp.230-245, 2010.

Despite enormous efforts over the course of several decades, sustainable development on the African continent remains... more Despite enormous efforts over the course of several decades, sustainable development on the African continent remains incompletely realized. Top-down methodologies have largely failed and many sustainable development organizations now support small-scale direct approaches, which provide the tools and knowledge necessary for people to help themselves. The new approach to sustainable development of open source appropriate technology (OSAT) builds on these successes. OSAT is a development method for traditional appropriate technologies (following Schumacher). The fundamental concept behind OSAT is that anyone can learn how to make and use AT free of intellectual property concerns, and can simultaneously add to the collective open source knowledge base by contributing ideas, observations, and experimental data. This approach to drive sustainable development is promising because the continuous peer review should result in better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility and of course less expensive (free) AT than conventional design/patenting. As OSAT is being developed largely in English, Africa’s many languages present a fundamental challenge to OSAT’s use for sustainable development on this continent. This paper provides potential solutions to this challenge by reviewing i) the ongoing merger between Appropedia (English) and Ekopedia (French), ii) systematic translations at the NGO Catalytic Communities, and iii) virtual service learning in languages. Despite enormous efforts over the course of several decades, sustainable development on the African continent remains incompletely realized. Top-down methodologies have largely failed and many sustainable development organizations now support small-scale direct approaches, which provide the tools and knowledge necessary for people to help themselves. The new approach to sustainable development of open source appropriate technology (OSAT) builds on these successes. OSAT is a development method for traditional appropriate technologies (following Schumacher). The fundamental concept behind OSAT is that anyone can learn how to make and use AT free of intellectual property concerns, and can simultaneously add to the collective open source knowledge base by contributing ideas, observations, and experimental data. This approach to drive sustainable development is promising because the continuous peer review should result in better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility and of course less expensive (free) AT than conventional design/patenting. As OSAT is being developed largely in English, Africa’s many languages present a fundamental challenge to OSAT’s use for sustainable development on this continent. This paper provides potential solutions to this challenge by reviewing i) the ongoing merger between Appropedia (English) and Ekopedia (French), ii) systematic translations at the NGO Catalytic Communities, and iii) virtual service learning in languages.

Korean Language Education in the Philippines: A Case Study of Ateneo de Manila University's Korean Language Program

by Sarah Domingo Lipura

Global Citizenship in 2040: Six Scenarios

by Vahid V. Motlagh

1- Placeless Brains Triumph, 2-Planetary Second Life, 3-Multicultural City Islands, 4-Cherished Mental Model, 5-Lagging Global Education, 6-Tribal Towers Tremble

After listening to a presentation that reviewed the scientific discoveries and technological developments,... more After listening to a presentation that reviewed the scientific discoveries and technological developments, participants in the workshop titled Global Placeless Brains at the conference Reconciling Babel – Education for cosmopolitanism were directed in a brief method based scenario planning exercise that was designed and run by the author.They were encouraged to do some “disciplined imagination” about the alternative futures of the global citizenship in 2040. One week after the workshop was concluded their written inputs were analyzed and subsequently six scenarios were developed and named. For more detail about how the tacit knowledge of the participants was tapped and thus documented as explicit knowledge see the Method section below

Th e Adaptation of the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale-Elementary Form into Turkish, Language Validity, and Preliminary Psychometric Investigation

by Halil Eksi

Mustafa BALOĞLU, Esra BALGALMIŞ
Educational Sciences: Th eory & Practice
10 (1) • Winter 2010 • 101-110

Th e purpose of the present study was to adapt the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale-
Elementary Form (MARS-E,... more Th e purpose of the present study was to adapt the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale-
Elementary Form (MARS-E, Suinn, 1988) into Turkish by first doing the translation of
its items and then the preliminary psychometric investigation of the Turkish form. Th e
study included four diff erent samples: 30 bilingual language experts, 50 Turkish language
experts, 50 mathematics subject matter experts, 21 school counselors, and 336 elementary
school students. After each item was independently translated into Turkish by three experts,
the accuracy of the translation was investigated. Next, the Turkish form was studied
in terms of understandability. In order to study, the Turkish form’s preliminary properties,
the scale was administered to 336 elementary school students. Results showed evidence
for language validity, structural validity, content validity, and concurrent validity. In addition,
the Turkish form’s items were found to have acceptable internal consistency reliabilities.
Results were discussed in relation to previous mathematics anxiety literature. It is
concluded that the Turkish MARS-E appears to be a valid and reliable instrument in measuring
mathematics anxiety levels of Turkish elementary school children.

Ist das slavische Schaf (*ovьca, *ovьcь) bis nach Transkaukasien (hōgač) und Anatolien (öveč, ögeč) gewandert?

by Marek Stachowski

Teoria nostratyczna i szkoła moskiewska

by Marek Stachowski

(= The Nostratic Theory and the Moscow School).

The Nostratic Theory, the main directions of its evolution and the Moscow School of Comparative Linguistics are critically presented in this study under the following headings: 1. Preliminaries; 2. Beginnings and Holger Pedersen; 3. Three binary hypotheses; 4. The Moscow School; 5. Reception in Europe; 6. Conclusion. -- The aim of the present author is not only to show the main lines of the evolution of Nostratics but also to formulate what he personally views as its most characteristic features – now and in the past – and to suggest what questions inevitably have to be answered if some kind of future cooperation of Moscow Nostraticists with non-Nostratic diachronic comparativists is to come into being and take root.

De l'€™un et du divers. La région Rhône-Alpes et la mise en récit de ses langues.

by James Costa

Costa, J. & Bert, M., 2011. De l'€™un et du divers. La région Rhône-Alpes et la mise en récit de ses langues. Mots. Les langages du politique, 97, pp.45-57.

Origins and Grammar of the Mazovian Language

by Bartlomiej Wrzesinski

Issues in Language Testing: Testing Grammar and Vocabulary

by Yousuf B. AlBader

This essay demonstrates the notion of ‘language test’ by mentioning its different types such as IELTS and TOEFL. What... more This essay demonstrates the notion of ‘language test’ by mentioning its different types such as IELTS and TOEFL. What is more, we will consider two types of language tests which separately examine the grammar and vocabulary of English as a foreign language. Subsequently, to illuminate the discussion, we will illustrate the factors of administrating tests of grammar and vocabulary, and the common types of testing the awareness of the grammatical features of the language. After that, attention will be given to the traditional types of vocabulary tests and how we can test the students various kinds of lexical knowledge i.e. phrasal verbs, collocations, and synonyms and antonyms. After that, it will look at the constructors’ use of distracters while administrating a test. Last but not least, a discussion about the major factors of measuring an individual’s ability will be illustrated by referring to two test requirements: the reliability and validity of a test. As a final point, a critical conclusion with a recapitulation of the subject matter will be conferred.

The Spread of English in the State of Kuwait

by Yousuf B. AlBader

English is the language of the planet Earth, the language of the world and the language which unites all mankind.... more English is the language of the planet Earth, the language of the world and the language which unites all mankind. Nowadays, it is impossible to find a country or a state that does not speak at least limited English. In other words, English is the language that is used by a majority of the world (see appendix I). It is doubtless that English is to some extent distinguished from other languages by its flexible grammar In addition, there was an organization called The Athenaeum, who stated the following facts about English: “It has less grammar than other languages; it doesn’t have a lot of endings on its words, and we don’t have to remember the difference between masculine, feminine, and neuter gender”.
The researcher in this paper will investigate how deep the impact of the English language is in the State of Kuwait, and the historical British-Kuwaiti relationship which has lasted for more than two centuries and the reason for connection (see appendix II). Then the focus will be on the official language of Kuwait and what other languages are being used apart from English. Also, the need for English, English as a lingua franca, and the adoption of English words and phrases in Kuwait. After that, the researcher will continue talking about the current situation and the political, economic and educational factors of Kuwait. Finally, there will be a critical conclusion which includes the cultural effect of English, and Arabicization.

Incidental exposure to no-smoking signs primes craving for cigarettes

by Brian Earp

Earp, B. D., Dill, B., Harris, J., Ackerman, J., and Bargh, J. (2011). Incidental exposure to no-smoking signs primes craving for cigarettes: An ironic effect of unconscious semantic processing? Yale Review of Undergraduate Research in Psychology, Vol 2, No 1, 12-23.

The present study tests whether incidental exposure to no-smoking signs may ironically boost craving for cigarettes in... more The present study tests whether incidental exposure to no-smoking signs may ironically boost craving for cigarettes in smokers. Smokers viewed photographs in which no-smoking signs were either incon- spicuously embedded (prime) or edited out (control). Participants then used a joystick to make quick approach vs. avoid motions while viewing smoking-related and neutral stimuli on a computer screen (Chen & Bargh, 1999). We hypothesized that primed smokers, but not controls, would show an automatic reach bias toward the smoking-related stimuli. The data supported our prediction. Possible mechanisms for the effect are discussed, as well as implications for public health policy, negation-based social campaigns in general, and our understanding of the unconscious processing of semantic information.

Ukrainian language legislation`: ways of improvement

by Bronislav Totskyi

This presentation was made at the ath the "Law as means of conflict prevention" (July 2011) in the Giessen, Germany.

Regional and minority languages in Ukrainian legislation

by Bronislav Totskyi

Abstract was published in "Minority politics within the Europe of regions, Cluj, 2010, pp. 30-31"

This article concerns Regional and minority languages in Ukrainian legislation. I try to investigate different... more This article concerns Regional and minority languages in Ukrainian legislation. I try to investigate different languages at the territory of Ukraine. Why do some of them have protectio but other - not. Moreover, I pay attention to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages usage in Ukraine.

”Das bin ich...“: Corporeality and Early German Language Education in (Slovak) Kindergarten

by Ondrej Kaščák

Co-authored with Branislav Pupala and Iveta Kovalcikova
Published in Human Affairs: Postdisciplinary Humanities & Social Sciences Quarterly, 2012, 22 (1): 56-68

This paper, based on ethnographically obtained data, discusses German language acquisition at an early age: the... more This paper, based on ethnographically obtained data, discusses German language acquisition at an early age: the discovery of the interconnection between language and corporeality is the key component of the analysis based on videostudies. The body—conceived as an intermediary and content element of education, becomes an essential base for foreign language acquisition. This will be documented by tangible data and subsequent theoretical analysis with respect to relevant terminology of cultural anthropology (Körper and Leib). The principle of corporeality is further used as a means of perceiving German language education in the sense of the so called language propaedeutic concept and as a means of the legitimisation of particular qualification and the role of foreign language teachers in preschool institutions.

Alberta’s Languages Initiative – Education as a Commodity in a Globalized World

by Sarah Elaine Eaton

Paper presented at the Canadian Association for the Study of Educational Administration (CASEA) Annual Conference May 29, 2006 York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The phenomenon of marketing in educational institutions has been critically examined by Vining, Topor (2001) and... more The phenomenon of marketing in educational institutions has been critically examined by Vining, Topor (2001) and Sevier (1986, 1996). However, no studies have yet been undertaken to examine the marketing of language programs in public education.
A timely study is needed to examine the promotion of a recent educational program: the Alberta Languages Initiative which strongly recommends second language education by 2006. The goals of my research are to examine critically:
Why marketing techniques were used with this initiative and not other program renewals,
How business models are being adopted by educational systems and government agencies, and in particular,
How marketing and branding have become part of educational jargon and practice.

Literacy, Languages and Leadership

by Sarah Elaine Eaton