TITLE: Vowel Lenght: Comparison of Czech and French Vowel Systems from the Phonetic and Phonological Point of View. A Pedagogically Focused Contrastive Study. AUTHOR: Kateřina Vychopňová DEPARTMENT: Department of French Language and Literature SUPERVISOR: prof. PhDr. Marie DOHALSKÁ, DrSc./ prof. Philippe MARTIN The thesis, one of the French-Czech contrastive studies, deals with the issue of vowel length in Czech and French language. The first part of the thesis, which was intentionally written for a potential pedagogic use, introduces the comparison of the main phonetic and phonological characteristics of both languages, their typology considering vowels length and its development through the history of these languages. The second part, experimental, brings the description and results of several attempts which observe whether the French native speakers learning Czech respect the length of Czech vowels, further the influence of following consonants, final and initial stress and also the type of a syllable on the length of French vowels, both in the production of French native speakers and Czech native speakers learning French. The results prove that articulatory habits which both groups of speakers use in their mother tongue have a significant influence on the production of the acquired language. In...

Thesis (MPhil (Modern Foreign Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / This study focuses on foreign language teaching and learning in the professional workplace. A gap was perceived in the catering industry where chefs and waitrons are required to use French cooking terminology in their profession without ready access to the correct usage of this terminology. The purpose of this study is to address this gap and to offer a solution to the observed need. The study concentrates on the reading and writing of menus in French. The reason for this focus is that this is the area where French cooking terminology is arguably needed, as it is here where the incorrect usage of the French language is most evident.

Thesis (MA (Modern Foreign Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, / This study presents conceptions for a German learner's dictionary ("Lemworterbuch"), aimed at the needs of the foreign language learner as recipient. The requirements set and proposals made for such a dictionary are aimed at improving the linguistic competence of the learner when he/she uses the language as recipient, in other words when he/she reads a German text or hears the spoken language (e.g. in conversation, on the radio, television, film etc.). III The target users are persons whose mother tongue is not German, but whose mastery of the language is at a fairly advanced level. Such users, who have mastered the basic grammatical rules of the German language and already have a good basic vocabulary, will nevertheless experience difficulties in using existing German explanatory dictionaries such as DUDEN and WAHRIG. These dictionaries present information in such a complicated way that it remains inaccessible to the average foreign language speaker. The propositions made in this thesis are directed at creating a dictionary that could overcome the existing gap between the bilingual translating dictionary with German as target language and the monolingual explanatory German dictionary. This study proceeds on the assumption that it is impossible to compile a dictionary without the consistent application of theoretically expounded principles (regarding linguistics, typography etc.). The subtlest detail regarding typographical layout is also emphasized, since the presentation of information determines how easily information can be retrieved from the dictionary. Proposals are made for a user friendly arrangement of material, which will enable the user to retrieve desired information easily and immediately. Two language aspects that are of the utmost importance to the recipient, flexion and definition, are examined. The way in which these two aspects are currently dealt with in monolingual dictionaries is investigated. From this investigation it is evident that flexion and defmition are inadequately dealt with for the specific needs of the foreign language learner. Suggestions are made to improve weaknesses and inconsistencies in order to make the dictionary more suitable for the language learner. Finally, the principles required by a German learner's dictionary for recipients are demonstrated by means of various entries. This serves as an example of how the dictionary could finally look. ;The entries are presented in both the printed and the electronic medium. The potential of both these media is utilized to show how the presentation of information can improve the user friendliness and accessibility of the dictionary.

Thesis (MA (Modern Foreign Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / Résumé La littérature de jeunesse est continuellement considérée comme un outil pédagogique indispensable, un moyen efficace pour éduquer les jeunes. Cependant, un roman de jeunesse ne peut pas atteindre son objectif d’enrichir les jeunes lecteurs s’ils ne s’amusent pas en le lisant. Il est donc essentiel que les auteurs de jeunesse créent des textes qui plaisent en premier lieu aux lecteurs, des textes qui captent leur intérêt. Si les lecteurs ne sont pas capables de s’identifier entièrement aux thèmes qu’un auteur aborde, son langage ou les personnages qu’il met en scène dans son histoire, le texte ne retiendra pas leur intérêt et l’auteur ne parviendra pas à les enrichir. Cette étude se concentre sur les romans pour jeunesse de Marie Desplechin afin de déterminer dans quelle mesure les petits héros ordinaires dans ses romans peuvent encourager et aider les lecteurs préadolescents (âgés de sept à quinze ans) à se construire d’une façon progressive. Opsomming Kinder- en jeugliteratuur word gereeld as `n ideale opvoedkundige medium beskou aangesien dit gebruik kan word om die jeug aan die wêreld en al sy fasette bloot te stel. `n Outeur kan egter slegs daarin slaag om `n boodskap aan die jong lesers te kommunikeer indien die leesproses `n genotvolle ervaring is en indien die jong lesers met die karakters, die temas en die taalgebruik in `n roman kan identifiseer. Hierdie studie fokus op Marie Desplechin se kinder- en jeugromans om te bepaal in watter mate die doodgewone kinders in haar stories preadolessente lesers (tussen die ouderdom van sewe tot vyftien jaar) kan aanmoedig om die struikelblokke in hulle bestaan deur middel van selfkennis en selfkritiek te oorkom en hulle lewenskwaliteit sodoende te verbeter.

Thesis (MPhil (Modern Foreign Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / This research is based on a study which was made in order to investigate why the students who study Education at the Eastern Cape Technikon fail to acquire competence in essay writing, in spite of going through the Computer program that is being used by the Department of Communication. The name of this program is the Writing Process Workshop, and will be referred to as the WPW throughout the study. This program has been in use at the Technikon as a form of supplementary program for those students who were perceived to have shortfalls1 in their essay writing communication skills. This perception came about from the Department of Communication which decided that those students who scored less than 40% overall in (in language, not in content) their assignments, class works, and tests should go through the program and work independently, in the hope that their performance will improve. The study spans over two years, with the first year being the period where the researcher collected data in the form of written errors that the students made in their essays. The second year of the research is the period when the main research took place. During the second year of the research, the researcher observed the students as they went through the WPW for three months. Upon completing the program, the students were asked to respond to a questionnaire. In addition to the questionnaire, the researcher examined the student errors that occurred in the students’ essays throughout 2003 (while they were on the program, together with the ones from last year (2003). The reason for this was to determine if the errors that were present in 2002 are still present even after the students had gone through the WPW. The researcher then found that there was still considerable occurrence of the same errors in the students’ essays, a fact which led the researcher to deduce that very little improvement in the writing skills of the students has occurred between 2002 and 2003. To explain the above point further, the research findings indicated that the essay-writing competence of the subjects did not improve in spite of the WPW intervention.The researcher then went on to evaluate the program, using a set of guidelines2, and found it consistent with the requirements of the evaluation; and therefore ruled it out as the cause of the failure of students to improve their competence in writing. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher found that the students do not put conscious effort to apply what they have learnt in the program, and that some have not even completed the required tasks from the program. She also found that there is lack of integration of the software into the curriculum. Specific recommendations in Chapter 9 are given on how to facilitate this integration and to motivate the students to apply what they have learnt from the WPW to the mainstream essay writing exercises.

Thesis (MPhil (Modern Foreign Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Arts and Culture is one of the new learning areas in the grade 8 and 9 school curriculum. To understand and then express themselves in a correct and confident manner, learners need the correct terminology for Arts and Culture. The learners need more than the day to day terminology in order to participate in conversations focussing on specialised subjects such as music, dance, drama and visual arts. It is important to note that the idea is not to develop expert academics but it is an attempt to enrich children for life and give them more self confidence. The aim of this computer project is to provide an information website to assist the grade 9 learners in the Arts and Culture domain to develop the appropriate language needed in the learning area.

Thesis (MPhil (Modern Foreign Languages))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / It is widely recognized that learning to read is one of the most crucial learning processes in which children are involved at primary school. However, becoming a proficient reader is not equally easy for all learners. When it comes to the development of reading comprehension many children appear to have persistent problems. In order to meet the reading needs of students in the 21st century, educators are pressed to develop effective instructional means for teaching strategies to improve reading comprehension. The ability to read academic texts is considered one of the most crucial skills that students of English as a Second Language need to acquire. Reading comprehension has become the “essence of reading” (Dreyer & Nel, 2003:349). Literacy, and more specifically reading, is one of many areas where research has provided evidence of the potential impact of technology such as multimedia and hypermedia. If one looks broadly at the issue of technology and literacy, one of the more rewarding issues for educators is the role of technology in literacy acquisition and instruction, especially for primary grade learners (Pearson et al, 2005:3). This study aims to support the growing trend of an increasingly “paired” literacy, namely that of general literacy and computer (or technological) literacy. The study proposes that through implementing an overall blended-learning methodology for teaching learners how to use reading strategies, it will be possible to improve learners’ general reading comprehension levels.

Thesis (MPhil (Modern Foreign Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / In this thesis, I pinpoint the challenge of character learning as my research problem, which is the subsequent motivation to explain the background and rationale of my research. I also discuss the theoretical concepts of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in relation to cognitive psychology, the constructivist learning theory and Second Language Acquisition theories. This leads to the presentation of my considerations regarding design principles, strategic approach and other relevant decisions. The multimedia project I designed, named the “Chinese Character Challenger”, a “supplementary courseware for assisting students learning characters”, is an informational and educational-oriented website. It provides learners with the necessary knowledge, hints, tips and sources to cope with their specific learning problems and to achieve their learning potential. It also introduces external resources of learning if learners need further research. The purpose of the website is to assist, to motivate and to further guide students’ learning. To conclude, I have discussed some open issues with regards to adding value in the learning environment.

La Turquie, avec une population avoisinant les 75 millions d'habitants et abritant pas moins de quarante-sept groupes, de taille variable, de nature "ethnique", "religieuse" ou "linguistique", conserve une structure sociale et culturel multiethnique et multilingue.Le projet de construction de la nation turque, déclenché dans les années 1930, visait à créer une singularité culturelle et linguistique en conformité avec l'idéologie de l'État nation. La candidature de la Turquie à l'Union européenne ainsi que l'ouverture de son économie au marché international invite désormais la Turquie à modifier des perspectives, en s'engageant dans une politique de convergence avec l'Union européenne dans plusieurs domaines parmi lequel figure la gestion de la diversité linguistique. En prenant acte de l'importance de la diversité linguistique dans une Europe multilingue, le Conseil de l'Europe et l'Union européenne ont opté pour une politique en faveur de la diversité linguistique qui a pour objectif la valorisation et le développement d'une éducation plurilingue comprenant la langue nationale, les langues étrangères ainsi que les langues régionales et minoritaires. Cette recherche se donne pour objectif de caractériser la gestion de la diversité linguistique en Turquie et de décrire l'évolution des politiques linguistiques mises en œuvre sur le plan législatif, éducatif et culturel. Ceci en ce qui concerne la langue turque, les langues étrangères et les langues régionales et minoritaires, dans une vision holistique. / Turkey, with a population reaching 75 million people, consists of more than forty seven ethnical groups in different sizes varying in terms of religion, language and race. Inthe 1930s, a policy aiming single language and single culture was adopted within the scope of the efforts to build the "Turkish nation" due to the nation-state ideology. Turkey, which opened its economy to international markets and became a candidate to European Union in the 1990s, has guaranteed to make changes in many areas within the framework of the programme for alignment with the European Union acquis. The management of linguistic diversity also takes place among these promises.The Council of Europe and European Union, which amphasize the importance of linguistic diversity in multilingual Europe, have adopted an approach supporting multilingualism. It is aimed to assess the official language, foreign languages, regional an minority languages within a multilingual education system through the adopted policy. The aim of this research is to examine the development of the linguistic policies in Turkey ine the fields of education, legislation and culture through a holistic approach including the Turkishlanguage, foreign languages, regional ans minority languages by discussing the management of the linguistic diversity in Turkey.

Nesta pesquisa tratamos de questões relacionadas ao ensino e à aprendizagem dos paradigmas verbais do espanhol a/por brasileiros. Tomamos como ponto de partida a hipótese de que, para obter resultados satisfatórios no ensino dos verbos do espanhol, em especial do modo indicativo, a aprendizes brasileiros, é necessário utilizar uma metodologia que obedeça a parâmetros didático-pedagógicos específicos sobre os sistemas verbais dos dois idiomas e que atenda às peculiaridades do nosso alunado. Tivemos por objetivos neste estudo: i) apresentar questões de ordem teórica sobre ensino de línguas próximas e ensino de gramática; ii) descrever e analisar os sistemas verbais do português do Brasil e do espanhol com ênfase no modo indicativo e identificar as convergências e divergências entre as duas línguas, em nível morfológico; iii) refletir sobre as consequências dessas convergências e divergências no processo de ensino e aprendizagem; iv) realizar uma pesquisa in loco com alunos e professores de um curso de licenciatura em Letras/Língua Espanhola; v) realizar um estudo sobre estratégias de aprendizagem e crenças sobre ensino e aprendizagem do sistema verbal da língua espanhola a/por brasileiros. O referencial teórico utilizado para o alcance desses objetivos conformou-se, sobretudo, nas contribuições de ALMEIDA FILHO (1995, 2002 e 2004), BARCELOS (2001, 2004 e 2010), BECHARA (2004), BELLO (1988), CÂMARA JR. (1977 e 2002), CYR (1998), DURÃO (1999 e 2004), FARACO e MOURA (1998), FRANCHI (2006), MIKI KONDO (2002), GARBUIO (2010), LLOBERA (1995), LUFT (1996), MASIP (1999), O´MALLEY E CHAMOT (1990), PORTO DAPENA (1987 e 1991), POSSENTI (1996), RAE (1996 e 2001), RICHARDS e LOCKHARTE (1998), SÁNCHEZ PÉREZ (1992 e 2000), SANTOS GARGALLO (1999 e 2004) e DICCIONARIO SOPENA (1984). Os resultados de pesquisa obtidos apontaram, grosso modo, que: i) Os alunos-informantes da investigação sentem dificuldade na aprendizagem dos verbos do espanhol e, tanto professores como alunos apontaram que as principais são as irregularidades verbais e a interferência da língua portuguesa; ii) os alunos-informantes utilizam muito pouco algumas estratégias de aprendizagem ou nunca utilizam a maioria delas; iii) as estratégias de aprendizagem são igualmente relevantes, tanto para o professor na preparação de atividades, como ferramentas para promover a aprendizagem dos paradigmas verbais, quanto para os alunos na construção desta aprendizagem; iv) apesar de discentes e docentes possuírem algumas crenças diferentes, há uma coincidência significativa em algumas delas entre ambos os grupos; v) com relação à hipótese central da pesquisa, a metodologia que mais se aproxima dos parâmetros didático-pedagógicos específicos sobre os sistemas verbais do português e do espanhol e que pode atender às peculiaridades do nosso alunado é aquela que é compatível com a gramática pedagógica. Dentre as contribuições da pesquisa, julgamos que a principal foi apresentar subsídios consistentes no desenvolvimento do campo das descrições linguísticas e metodológicas referentes ao ensino de verbos do espanhol a/por brasileiros que podem constituir-se como um ponto de partida para a implementação de ações concretas que contribuam para um ensino mais adequado e uma aprendizagem mais eficaz dos verbos do espanhol, especialmente os tempos do modo indicativo. / In this research we deal with issues related to the teaching and learning of the verbal paradigms of the Spanish language to / by Brazilians. Wetook as its starting point the assumption that, to obtain satisfactory results in the teaching of Spanish verbs, in particular the indicative mode, to Brazilian learners, it is necessary to use a methodology that meets the specific didactic-pedagogical parameters about the verbal systems of both languages and that suits the peculiarities of our students. We had the following goals for this study: i) present theoretical issues on the learning of similar languages and the teaching of grammar; ii) describe and analyze the verbal systems of the Portuguese and the Spanish languages with emphasis on the indicative mode and identify the convergences and divergences between both languages at the morphological level, iii) reflect on the implications of these convergences and divergences in the teaching and learning process; iv) conduct a survey with students and teachers of an undergraduate course in Language and Literature / Spanish Language, v) conduct a study on learning strategies and beliefs about the teaching and learning of the verbal system of the Spanish language to / by Brazilians. The theoretical basis for achieving these objectives conformed mainly on contributions from ALMEIDA FILHO (1995, 2002 and 2004), BARCELOS (2001, 2004 and 2010), BECHARA (2004), BELLO (1988), CÃMARA JR. (1977 and 2002), CYR (1998), DURÃO (1999 and 2004), FARACO e MOURA (1998), FRANCHI (2006), MIKI KONDO (2002), GARBUIO (2010), LLOBERA (1995), LUFT (1996) , MASIP (1999), O\'MALLEY and CHAMOT (1990), PORTO DAPENA (1987 and 1991), POSSENTI (1996), RAE (1996 and 2001), RICHARDS and LOCKHARTE (1998), SÁNCHEZ PÉREZ (1992 and 2000) SANTOS GARGALLO (1999 and 2004) and DICCIONARIO SOPENA (1984). The research results showed, broadly, that: i) The informant-students of this research have difficulty in learning the Spanish verbs, and both teachers and students pointed out that the main deficiencies are the verbal irregularities and the interference of the Portuguese language, ii) the student-informants use very little learning strategies or never use most of them, iii) learning strategies are equally relevant for both the teacher when preparing activities, such as tools to promote the learning of verbal paradigms, and for the students in the construction of learning; iv) although some students and teachers have different beliefs, there is a significant coincidence in some of them between both groups; v) with respect to the central hypothesis of this research, the methodology that most closely matches the didactic-pedagogical parameters about the verbal systems of the Portuguese and the Spanish languages and that can meet the peculiarities of our students, is the one that is compatible with the pedagogical grammar. Among the research findings, we believe that the most relevant one was to present consistent subsidies in developing the field of linguistic and methodological descriptions for the teaching of the Spanish verbs to / by Brazilians which might constitute as a starting point for implementing concrete actions, contributing to a more appropriate education and more effective learning of Spanish verbs, especially the indicative mode tenses.