No description available.

With the emergence of Optimality Theory, where the burden of explanation is placed almost entirely on constraints, we have observed in the phonological literature a de-emphasis on the role of structural relationships that hold within and across segments. In this thesis, counter to the current trend, I argue that the most explanatory approach to phonological processes requires reference to highly-articulated representations. I explore a number of phenomena found in the first language acquisition of Quebec French and argue that these phenomena are best captured in an analysis based on structurally-defined markedness, headedness in constituent structure, and relationships between segmental features and their prosodic licensors. / I demonstrate that headedness in constituent structure must be assigned to both input and output forms. In order to encode the dependency relations between input and output representations, I appeal to faithfulness constraints referring specifically to constituent heads. Output representations are regulated by markedness constraints governing complexity within constituents, as well as by licensing relationships that hold between segmental features and different levels of prosodic representation. / At all stages in the development of syllable structure and complex segments, when more than one option is available for the representation of a target string, children select the unmarked option, consistent with the long-held view that early grammars reflect what is unmarked. When input complex structures are reduced in children's outputs, reduction operates in order to ensure faithfulness to the content of prosodic and segmental heads. Finally, in the discussion of consonant harmony, where the French data are supplemented by examples from English, I propose that consonant harmony results from a licensing relation between segmental features and the head of the foot. The differences in foot structure between French and English enable us to account for the contrasts observed between learners of the two languages.

Teachers routinely conduct a period of review after a semester or summer holiday break due to expected loss of material learned. In the area of second language (L2) acquisition, this matter is of particular concern to instructors and students because, in general, during the period of disuse students have had little, if any, contact with the language. One factor which has proven to influence the maintenance of an L2 is that of motivation. Gardner and his colleagues’ (1959, 1971, 1973, 1985, 1987, 1988) studies of French as a Second Language (FSL) have highlighted strong correlations between attitude and achievement and achievement and language retention. Research on individual differences among learners (Brounstein, Holahan, William, & Sawyer, 1988; Gardner, 1990) has also contributed to identifying what leads to a successful learner. This study examined the loss of linguistic and reading comprehension skills among learners of all ability levels in FSL, with a focus on high ability learners, following summer vacation. In addition, between-group comparisons of motivational factors, as based upon subjects’ pre-test scores were conducted. Tests performed consisted of an analysis of exam questions and components to confirm an equal level of difficulty of both test versions used, as well as tests of reliability. Pre- and post-test measures were compared to identify any loss incurred, followed by Pearson correlations and t-tests. Ability groupings were then categorized as high, medium, and low according to their pre-test scores. Within these groupings, questionnaire statistics were calculated and contrasted to highlight any motivational differences between them. Findings from this research suggested that language skills among FSL learners of varying abilities deteriorate significantly after a period of disuse. In addition, these findings confirmed that highly proficient FSL learners are more immune to attrition due to their having a more stable language base. With reference to the motivational questionnaires, analyses concluded few significant differences among the three ability levels.

Teachers routinely conduct a period of review after a semester or summer holiday break due to expected loss of material learned. In the area of second language (L2) acquisition, this matter is of particular concern to instructors and students because, in general, during the period of disuse students have had little, if any, contact with the language. One factor which has proven to influence the maintenance of an L2 is that of motivation. Gardner and his colleagues’ (1959, 1971, 1973, 1985, 1987, 1988) studies of French as a Second Language (FSL) have highlighted strong correlations between attitude and achievement and achievement and language retention. Research on individual differences among learners (Brounstein, Holahan, William, & Sawyer, 1988; Gardner, 1990) has also contributed to identifying what leads to a successful learner. This study examined the loss of linguistic and reading comprehension skills among learners of all ability levels in FSL, with a focus on high ability learners, following summer vacation. In addition, between-group comparisons of motivational factors, as based upon subjects’ pre-test scores were conducted. Tests performed consisted of an analysis of exam questions and components to confirm an equal level of difficulty of both test versions used, as well as tests of reliability. Pre- and post-test measures were compared to identify any loss incurred, followed by Pearson correlations and t-tests. Ability groupings were then categorized as high, medium, and low according to their pre-test scores. Within these groupings, questionnaire statistics were calculated and contrasted to highlight any motivational differences between them. Findings from this research suggested that language skills among FSL learners of varying abilities deteriorate significantly after a period of disuse. In addition, these findings confirmed that highly proficient FSL learners are more immune to attrition due to their having a more stable language base. With reference to the motivational questionnaires, analyses concluded few significant differences among the three ability levels. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

O tema desta dissertação teve como ponto de partida a situação de certos estudantes de língua francesa que, apesar de estarem no nível intermediário dois ou avançado, ainda apresentavam extremas dificuldades de falar essa língua. Essa situação levou-nos a supor que tal dificuldade poderia ser o reflexo da interferência da língua materna, do laço que cada estudante mantinha com sua língua materna, pois, sempre que esses alunos tentavam falar francês, hesitavam, procuravam palavras em português e, aos poucos, traduziam o que queria dizer, como se buscassem sempre uma correspondência na língua materna. Alguns deles produziam diálogos bem simples enquanto outros não conseguiam formar frases complexas. É importante ressaltar que tais alunos pareciam demonstrar interesse em aprender essa língua, o que parecia contraditório, pois, se havia vontade, por que tanta dificuldade? Diante de tal situação, a partir da noção de inconsciente estruturado como uma linguagem, proposta por Lacan, de sujeito efeito da significante, procuramos guiar nosso trabalho por teóricos de aquisição da linguagem que compactuam com os pressupostos lacanianos, tais como Cláudia de Lemos, Charles Melman, Christine Revuz e Jean-Claude Milner. Assim, buscamos, na fala dos sete participantes selecionados após um questionário e uma entrevista semi-estruturada, elementos que apontassem para os reflexos desse laço específico com a língua materna, reflexos interpretados como resistência à captura que a língua francesa representa para essas pessoas. A partir dos resultados, tentamos compreender o que viria a ser esse laço específico, tão particular que amarra o falante à sua língua, à sua língua materna, chamada por Revuz (2007) de língua fundadora. Como material de análise, optamos por uma entrevista semi-estruturada, pois acreditamos que esse gênero permite que o eu tome a palavra e que cada participante possa tentar exprimir seus sentimentos concernentes a essa dificuldade. Para fins de análise, demos total atenção à fala de cada participante. Buscamos, ao longo dessa fala, elementos que pudessem trazer pista dessa dificuldade, tais como significantes que se repetissem, desvios do discurso, entonação dada a certas palavras. Ainda para fins de análise, servimo-nos de alguns conceitos da AD propostos por Authier-Revuz, tais como não coincidências e heterogeneidade discursiva. Os resultados apontaram elementos que marcam um aquém de nossas expectativas e acreditamos que eles serão úteis a todos os envolvidos com aquisição de línguas estrangeiras, principalmente aprendizes que vivem situação semelhante à medida que, longe de interpretar tais reflexos e estabelecer um diagnóstico, podemos fazê-los refletir sobre a sua história tão singular com a língua fundadora e sobre a complexidade de ser envolvido e capturado por uma língua dita estrangeira. / This dissertation investigates the difficulties regarding the learning process of some students of French language that, despite the fact of being in intermediate and advanced levels of their studies, presented a considerable level of difficult regarding speaking in French. This leads us to made the assumption that such inequality could be attributed to the interference from their mother language and the link that each one of the students had with it, as each time that the students tried to speak in French, they demonstrated levels of hesitation, trying to search for references in the Portuguese language, translating the words they wished to say, in a sort of process of looking for similarities with in their native language. Some of the students were capable of conduct simple speeches and others were not able to assembly complexes sentences.Its important to emphasize that those students seemed to demonstrate interest in learning the French language, fact that sounded contradictory, as if they had the willingness to learn, why there were high levels of difficulties in their learning process? Standing such particularity, using the notion of the unconscious structured as a language form, proposed by Lacan, the significant effect of the subject, it was conducted this research, supported by the acquisition of language theorists that establishes interfaces with the Lacan assumptions, such as Charles Melman, Christine Revuz and Jean-Claude Milner. Thus it was sought, in the speech of seven selected participants, after conducting a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview, evidences that could point out to the consequences from this bond with their mother tongue, understood as a barrier to the learning process of the French language, to this sampleinvestigated. From the outcome it was tried to understand what could be this linkage that those French foreign students faced in such a specific way, with their native spoken language, named by Revuz (2007) as founder language. For the analyses, it was chosen semi-structured interviews, as it is believed that allows us to be ahead of the process and that each participant is able to express their feelings related to their difficulties. It was given attention to their speeches, seeking for elements that could bring evidences of their faced barriers, such as repeated words, deviations of speech and intonation given to certain words. Additionally for analysis purposes, it was used some of the concepts proposed by Authier-Revuz, such as mismatches and discursive heterogeneity.The results put in evidence elements that are below our expectations and we believe that they will be useful to all that are involved with the acquisition process of foreign languages, especially students that faces similar situation as in the proportion that - without the objective of interpret these reflections and establish a diagnosis we can suggest then to reflect on their unique experience with their founder language and about the complexity of being involved and captured for some foreign language.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-01T18:24:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 saulo_albino_silva_parte1.pdf: 18301788 bytes, checksum: 04284f51f52d9ada271634fc6c9940a6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-10-19 / This dissertation investigates the difficulties regarding the learning process of some students of French language that, despite the fact of being in intermediate and advanced levels of their studies, presented a considerable level of difficult regarding speaking in French. This leads us to made the assumption that such inequality could be attributed to the interference from their mother language and the link that each one of the students had with it, as each time that the students tried to speak in French, they demonstrated levels of hesitation, trying to search for references in the Portuguese language, translating the words they wished to say, in a sort of process of looking for similarities with in their native language. Some of the students were capable of conduct simple speeches and others were not able to assembly complexes sentences.It s important to emphasize that those students seemed to demonstrate interest in learning the French language, fact that sounded contradictory, as if they had the willingness to learn, why there were high levels of difficulties in their learning process? Standing such particularity, using the notion of the unconscious structured as a language form, proposed by Lacan, the significant effect of the subject, it was conducted this research, supported by the acquisition of language theorists that establishes interfaces with the Lacan assumption s, such as Charles Melman, Christine Revuz and Jean-Claude Milner. Thus it was sought, in the speech of seven selected participants, after conducting a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview, evidences that could point out to the consequences from this bond with their mother tongue, understood as a barrier to the learning process of the French language, to this sampleinvestigated. From the outcome it was tried to understand what could be this linkage that those French foreign students faced in such a specific way, with their native spoken language, named by Revuz (2007) as founder language . For the analyses, it was chosen semi-structured interviews, as it is believed that allows us to be ahead of the process and that each participant is able to express their feelings related to their difficulties. It was given attention to their speeches, seeking for elements that could bring evidences of their faced barriers, such as repeated words, deviations of speech and intonation given to certain words. Additionally for analysis purposes, it was used some of the concepts proposed by Authier-Revuz, such as mismatches and discursive heterogeneity.The results put in evidence elements that are below our expectations and we believe that they will be useful to all that are involved with the acquisition process of foreign languages, especially students that faces similar situation as in the proportion that - without the objective of interpret these reflections and establish a diagnosis we can suggest then to reflect on their unique experience with their founder language and about the complexity of being involved and captured for some foreign language. / O tema desta dissertação teve como ponto de partida a situação de certos estudantes de língua francesa que, apesar de estarem no nível intermediário dois ou avançado, ainda apresentavam extremas dificuldades de falar essa língua. Essa situação levou-nos a supor que tal dificuldade poderia ser o reflexo da interferência da língua materna, do laço que cada estudante mantinha com sua língua materna, pois, sempre que esses alunos tentavam falar francês, hesitavam, procuravam palavras em português e, aos poucos, traduziam o que queria dizer, como se buscassem sempre uma correspondência na língua materna. Alguns deles produziam diálogos bem simples enquanto outros não conseguiam formar frases complexas. É importante ressaltar que tais alunos pareciam demonstrar interesse em aprender essa língua, o que parecia contraditório, pois, se havia vontade, por que tanta dificuldade? Diante de tal situação, a partir da noção de inconsciente estruturado como uma linguagem, proposta por Lacan, de sujeito efeito da significante, procuramos guiar nosso trabalho por teóricos de aquisição da linguagem que compactuam com os pressupostos lacanianos, tais como Cláudia de Lemos, Charles Melman, Christine Revuz e Jean-Claude Milner. Assim, buscamos, na fala dos sete participantes selecionados após um questionário e uma entrevista semi-estruturada, elementos que apontassem para os reflexos desse laço específico com a língua materna, reflexos interpretados como resistência à captura que a língua francesa representa para essas pessoas. A partir dos resultados, tentamos compreender o que viria a ser esse laço específico, tão particular que amarra o falante à sua língua, à sua língua materna, chamada por Revuz (2007) de língua fundadora. Como material de análise, optamos por uma entrevista semi-estruturada, pois acreditamos que esse gênero permite que o eu tome a palavra e que cada participante possa tentar exprimir seus sentimentos concernentes a essa dificuldade. Para fins de análise, demos total atenção à fala de cada participante. Buscamos, ao longo dessa fala, elementos que pudessem trazer pista dessa dificuldade, tais como significantes que se repetissem, desvios do discurso, entonação dada a certas palavras. Ainda para fins de análise, servimo-nos de alguns conceitos da AD propostos por Authier-Revuz, tais como não coincidências e heterogeneidade discursiva. Os resultados apontaram elementos que marcam um aquém de nossas expectativas e acreditamos que eles serão úteis a todos os envolvidos com aquisição de línguas estrangeiras, principalmente aprendizes que vivem situação semelhante à medida que, longe de interpretar tais reflexos e estabelecer um diagnóstico, podemos fazê-los refletir sobre a sua história tão singular com a língua fundadora e sobre a complexidade de ser envolvido e capturado por uma língua dita estrangeira.

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy