It is understood that reading literature texts and writing essays are interrelated and multidimensional. This study investigates the teaching of writing focusing on two subskills: sentence-combining and vocabulary within the context of study-reading texts in literature. The study was carried out by the teacher-researcher in Beirut, Lebanon at the Lebanese American University (LAU). The research method comprised a threefold approach: a Counterbalancing Experiment including an experimental and control group that used two contrasting approaches to teaching writing in the classroom an Attitudinal Questionnaire, to take into account the learners attitude and to control bias and Transcript Analyses of 5 class sessions, to analyze the discourse of the teacher/learner interaction. The Quantitative and Qualitative Analyses of transcribed sessions included a focus on various classroom activities: vocabulary analysis, vocabulary revision, vocabulary correction, sentence-combining and reading comprehension. Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) and T-tests among others were used to analyse the data of the Experiment. The results of the Quantitative Experiment reveal significant differences of both experimental groups in Essay Performance in the Counterbalancing Study. Furthermore, T-test results of the Attitudinal Questionnaire coincide in most instances with the quantitative results. However, the correlation among the 3 variables: vocabulary, sentence-combining and essay gave, in general, inconsistent results. In addition, the model of patterns of lexis, which is an innovation in research on vocabulary, has been analysed in the learners' written discourse with implications for the teaching of lexis. The study shows that vocabulary is useful in a context in which it has long been neglected. It emphasises the benefits of sentence-combining as a pedagogical means for teaching writing. Finally, it highlights the dilemma of the teacher as a researcher within a traditional context of language teaching.

This thesis studies the internal syntax and semantics of spatial PPs, i.e. phrases headed by words such as (in English) in, on, at, above, in front of, from, out of, through, around, etc. as well as their role and contribution in motion events when combined with different motion verbs. I argue that these adpositions as used in spatial relationships are Relators. They relate entities, positions or events to specific entities or positions. For example, in/on/at relate a Figure to specific Spaces with reference to a Ground. Thus I refer to them as Place Relators. As to the elements to/from/through, I refer to them as Path Relators. They relate the Figure to specific points in a path domain. Based on the way I view these elements, the minimum P projection I propose is [RelPATHP [RelPLACEP]]. Furthermore, adapting ideas of Svenonius (2010), I decompose RelPLACEP into [RelPLACEP [AxPartP [KP]]]. The scope of the materials is extended to analyse equivalent elements in Kurdish and Arabic for which no full descriptions are available. The P projection proposed provides a better understanding of spatial adpositions in these languages. On the one hand, it helps distinguish the elements that belong to the P category in e.g. Arabic, which has true and semi adpositions. On the other hand, Kurdish data show that there is more to the P projection proposed through suggesting another functional head, namely PLACE. Furthermore, I investigate the role of spatial PPs in motion events when combined with different motion verbs. Following Ramchand’s (2008) first-phase syntax of verbs and based on the availability of a Res feature, I divide motion verbs into two classes: [Proc] and [Proc, Res] verbs. The occurrence of different spatial PPs with these two types of motion verbs is closely examined and discussed in the second half of the thesis. It is shown that there are two types of events expressed by such combinations: Process and (resultative) Transition. Process events can be expressed by [Proc] Vs and different spatial PPs. The PP in such an event structure mostly defines the location of the activity. Transition events can be expressed lexically by [Proc, Res] Vs in general. The spatial PP in such lexical Transition events does not contribute much to the event structure either, except for PPs headed by Ps such as in/on/behind/to/into, which can represent the culmination (upper bound) of the BECOME event involved in Transition events. Further I show that resultative Transition events can also be expressed syntactically by [Proc] Vs combined with specific spatial PPs that denote an end point (a culmination), such as English into/onto-phrases. In Kurdish and Arabic, the presence of a bounded GoalRelP headed by an adposition meaning ‘to’ and a lexicalised AxPart is crucial to give rise to a resultative Transition event with a [Proc] V. In such cases, since the PPs can suggest a culmination in the event structure, the combination suggests a Transition event that involves a BBECOME event. Syntactically I present this BECOME event as a null Res element.

This thesis adopts the framework of the Phase Theory as outlined in Chomsky (2000; 2001) and puts forward a novel approach to wh-question formation. It compares a single wh-fronting language (English) with a multiple wh-fronting language (Polish) and provides a unified account of the derivation of wh-questions in the languages under consideration. I argue that the differences in structural representations of multiple wh-questions between Polish and English are attributed to the differences in mapping to PF. The assumption is adopted that Spell-Out does not apply in a uniform manner across languages. More specifically, while Polish is subject to multiple Spell-Out, which applies at the level of every strong phase (v*P and CP), in English, Spell-Out is based on convergence and applies once the syntactic derivation is completed. This work adopts a split-CP approach to clause structure (Rizzi 1997; 2001) and argues that features participating in wh-movement in Polish and English involve [Wh; Q], an assumption which has recently been challenged in the literature. Finally, the phenomenon of Sluicing is investigated and it is illustrated that the asymmetries in Superiority effects between fully-fledged wh-questions and multiple sluicing constructions in Polish follow from particular properties of the C system; more specifically, the absence of TopP in sluicing structures in Polish.

This study investigates the existence and use of Tense Aspect and Voice (TAV) in Modern standard Arabic (MSA) and Libyan Dialects (LD) and the effect of these language systems, particularly ‘Libyan dialects (LD)’on the acquisition and use of the English (TAV) by Libyan university students. This study is conducted in two stages. The first stage investigates the existence and use of (TAV) in both MSA and LD, and then it compares these grammatical structures in MSA to those of LD in terms of syntactic structures and the pragmatic use of TAV. The second stage investigates the use of the English (TAV) by Libyan learners of English. The findings of these two stages are compared and contrasted to see the extent to which the presence of (TAV) in Libyan dialects affects the use of English (TAV) by Libyan learners of English and, if there is any influence, which of these two language forms (MSA) or (LD) has more effect on the English use of (TAV). The results of the first stage show some similarities and differences between (MSA) and (LD) in the presence and use of (TAV). That is, some tenses exist in both (MSA) and (LD) and are similarly used, while other tenses are either existent in MSA or LD. The results of the second stage show that both language forms (LD) and (MSA) have a degree of influence on the acquisition and use of English (TAV). However, (LD) appears to have more effect. This is very clear in the use of simple past instead of present perfect and in the use of what is so called ‘activisation’ which is deemed an (LD) marked form as this appears in the participants’ responses when using the English (TAV). Besides this, some other grammatical structures such as the use of continuous and perfect tenses are also affected by (LD).

This thesis is a linguistic examination of the spoken Irish of two distinct groups of young Irish speakers, one group from the Donegal Gaeltacht and New Speakers from the greater-Belfast area who have acquired their Irish, for the most part, through the Irish-Medium Education System. The thesis will examine the contexts in which both these groups have acquired and use Irish, giving an historical background to the study, encompassing the decline of the Gaeltacht and the use of Irish in the traditional education system in the Republic of Ireland and its growth in the Gaelscoil sector in both states, alongside its societal marginalization in Northern Ireland. There will also be an examination of the causes and structural consequences of language change and the growth of New Speakers in minority language contexts and the discourse surrounding issues of authenticity and native speakers as linguistic models for New Speakers. The linguistic analysis of the speech data collected from the two groups will examine similarities and differences between the informant groups, highlight and examine salient patterns and analyse what linguistic processes influence these.

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This dissertation is a study of Spec-head Licensing within the Principles and Parameters framework. I examine Spec-head Licensing in three configurations, namely Polarity Item Licensing, Focussing and the Clitic-Construction. The language providing most of the data is Modem Greek (MG). I also discuss English and Romance data. In chapter II, I examine Existential Polarity Items (EPI's). I argue that there is a cluster of properties that can be attributed to propositional operators, the operators modifying the proposition in the philosopher's sense of the term. Namely, propositional operators license EPI's and give rise to inner island effects. The claim is advanced for MG and English. It is further suggested that there are interpretational differences between EPI anyone and someone. In chapter III, I consider properties of foci. I claim that the Focus-Criterion is different from the Wh-Criterion. It is also argued that foci always have scope over Neg. Finally, I present some evidence against Quantifier Raising. It is suggested that scope ambiguity between quantifiers is an epiphenomenon bearing crucially on the Focus-Criterion. In chapter IV, I look at the Clitic-Construction (CLC), the construction involving a DP and a matching clitic. I argue that the position occupied by the object DP in MG CLC is both an A- and A'-position. Clitic Doubling is claimed generally to involve syntactic verb-focussing. Complex Inversion in French is analysed as subject CLC. The parametrization of CLC is addressed next. MG has only object CLC while French has only subject CLC. I suggest that the presence versus absence of object CLC correlates with the Class 1 / Class 2 distinction of languages (Koopman and Sportiche (1991)). In chapter V, I attempt some generalizations on the previous discussion. The following seem to be the basic properties of Spec-head mechanisms: licensing of extraction, licensing of A-properties and licensing of operators.

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