Authors of financial media discourse use metaphors to communicate with readers. Finweek is a renowned South African financial magazine and its articles on stocks and markets are written by expert authors in the field of the South African stock market. Finweek is published in Afrikaans and English and contains the same articles, but the Afrikaans and English metaphors differ. The study of metaphor in translated financial discourse on stocks and markets is a fundamental characteristic of financial texts and in a multi-lingual country such as South Africa it may support the expansion of the lexicon in the financial domain. The hypotheses were put that the translated media discourse in Finweek on stocks and markets contains coherent metaphor clusters that centre around the metaphors WAR AND POWER, and SPORT AND GAMES; that metaphor has an ideational function in the South African discourse on stocks and markets, i.e. it extends the lexicon; that the choice of metaphor coheres with certain objectives of the translator/author in the financial text in a specific cultural background, and that metaphor has an ideological effect. The study built on the results of research by Bowker and Pearson (2002) on the use of language for special purposes in corpora; the research of McEnery, et al. (2006) on corpus based linguistics; the research of Lakoff and Johnson (1980), Lakoff and Turner (1989), Lakoff (1997), Lakoff and Johnson (1999) and Kövecses (2002) on the source and target domains of metaphors; and the research by Koller (2004) on metaphor and gender in business media discourse. The research was conducted within the framework of corpus based translation. An Afrikaans and an English electronic corpus were compiled from 1 000 articles on stocks and markets that appeared in 33 editions of Finweek from March 2006 to October 2006. The two corpora were compiled as parallel corpora and the programme ParaConc was used for the analyses. The focus was on metaphor in LSP (Language for Special Purposes). The study showed that financial discourse on stocks and markets in the Afrikaans and English versions of Finweek are characterised by coherent metaphor clusters of WAR AND POWER and SPORT AND GAMES. The use of these specific conceptual metaphors reflects the goal that the author/translator has in the cultural background of the readers, because the metaphors in the Afrikaans and English texts differ. Evidence was found that, to transfer a specific message, the authors used a specific choice of metaphor. In reports on the performance of companies and the stock market, Finweek uses conceptual metaphors to transfer their perceptions. Inherent in these metaphoric terms are conceptual, communicative and ideological principles. The discourse shows a basic reference and notion of an evolutionary struggle for survival. On the level of conceptual metaphor struggle is conceptualised in terms of physical conflict as it occurs in the domains of both WAR and SPORT. The analysis indicated that, from a quantitative viewpoint, the WAR AND POWER metaphor appeared most frequently in the Afrikaans text and that the SPORT AND GAMES metaphor appeared the second most frequently. In the English text the SPORT AND GAMES metaphor appeared most frequently and the WAR AND POWER metaphor the second most frequently. A possible explanation for this finding is that the modern society in South African is confronted with violence, power play, fear, vulnerability and struggle. When an author wants to convey the notion of a struggle for evolutionary survival in Afrikaans, metaphors from the WAR AND POWER domain are used abundantly. On the other hand, sport is an international common concept and by using metaphors from the SPORT AND GAMES domain in English, the author can transfer to international readers the notion of struggle for evolutionary survival.

<p> Chinese language is the only ideographic language remaining in the world (Osaka, 1976). It conveys affluent Chinese culture and has great influences on the East Asian countries (Miyake, 2013). In the economic globalization of the world, China&rsquo;s economy and international influence are expanding. For these reasons and many more the Chinese language is widely accepted as one of the major world languages. It makes sense then Chinese language classes are experiencing popularity and growth with United States undergraduates. Despite this growth, however, the enrollment of African American students is constantly low in college Chinese language classrooms (Li, Wen, &amp; Xie, 2014). This call to action argues that this low representation of African American students lies on a course promotion system that denies African American students a preliminary learning opportunity that systematically limits their representation in Chinese language classrooms from the beginning. </p><p> This call for action examines systematic avenues for creating early opportunities. First the study explores the utility of offering African American students an informational workshop introducing the features of the language and the potential benefits of learning it. Next the study examines the leverage that could be gained by providing direct feedback and assessing student interest to explore whether students are more inclined to enroll in Chinese language courses following the information workshop. Such a process could lead to suggested policy changes that might close the enrollment gap between the African American students and their peers. This call for action considers the reality that even a well-designed action plan may not always produce positive consequences. Therefore, an impact evaluation is explored along with suggested instruments and uses. Finally possible outcomes of an impact evaluation are described. </p><p> To ground this call for action, a set of foundational theories are employed that mainly include networked improvement communities, leadership and teamwork, and critical theories. The call for action strongly suggests the iterative cycle of Plan, Design, Study, and Act (PDSA) of the NIC improvement science (Bryk, Gomez, &amp; Grunow, 2011) in the change process beginning with the examination of a local four-year university Chinese Studies Program. </p>

In this thesis I argue for a repositioning of Edith Wharton’s short stories in relation to both the twentieth century and modernism. Whilst Wharton was acclaimed for her novels, I argue that the short story, the genre in which she felt most proficient as a writer, yet is still habitually overlooked by critics, presents Wharton at her most experimental and "renovat(ive)", to use her own words. I consider how the restrictive confines of the short story, both in terms of its brevity and commercial value, particularly in relation to the magazine market, were exploited by Wharton to her own advantage, and how her literary craft flourished in such a contained form. I do not argue for a re-envisioning of Wharton as a modernist writer, rather for recognition of her modernist tendencies both in terms of her narrative technique and her interaction with the literary marketplace. Accordingly this thesis is divided into two parts; the first considers Wharton's poetics: her use of myth, modes of narration, creation of narrative gaps, and her notable use of ellipsis points (closely associated by critics such as Henry with modernist writing). The second part of this thesis explores Wharton's modernist practices outside her texts. Here I investigate Wharton's short story magazine publication history, outlining the uneasy balance between her challenges to editorial policy in both the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, and her businesslike attitude toward the profession of writing. Finally, given recent critical reassessments of modernism and its relationship with both the short story and the magazine industry, I argue for the timely recognition of the distinctly modernist nature of Wharton's popular, mass marketed short fiction.

This PhD presents a new term for contemporary ekphrastic poetry: curatorial ekphrasis. The thesis is composed of two elements, a critical essay followed by a collection of poetry that informs and is informed by the former, Entitled 'Curatorial Ekphrasis in Contemporary British Poetic Practice', the critical essay challenges established critical approaches to ekphrastic poetics by revealing a curatorial practice currently being undertaken by a number of contemporary poets writing about artworks. Chapter One identifies and evaluates key critical texts about ekphrasis and its role in the relationship between word and image and highlights how theorists have failed to account for the work of ekphrastic poets with a heightened interest or background in art- Chapter Two presents and defines the term curatorial ekphrasis. The chapter discusses the emergence of the contemporary curator in the art world and discusses how the term 'curator' can be appropriated for use in a literary context The following chapters analyse the work of contemporary poets who I argue are writing curatorial ekphrasis, Chapter Three analyses Roger Hilton's Sugar (2005), a poetic sequence by Kelvin Corcoran (b.1956). Chapter Four analyses Paul Klee's Diary (1995), a long poem by Peter Hughes (b.1956). Chapter Five analyses De Chirico's Threads (2011), a verse-drama with soundscape by Carol Rumens (b.1944). The conclusion summarizes my research and also anticipates the creative work, which follows, by highlighting elements in the analysed texts that resonate with my own poetry. The conclusion also suggests areas for future research by both critical and creative practitioners. The critical essay is followed by the creative component of the PhD, a collection of curatorial ekphrasis entitled 'Lucian Freud Portraits'. The poetry collection is sectioned into five rooms, reflecting the layout of an exhibition at an art gallery, The collection includes twenty-nine poems and a poem-libretto. The collection is precede-d by a Preface, which introduces the work, and is followed by a section of notes, The appendix of the thesis includes reproductions of the artworks referred to in the poetry collection, a chronology of Lucian Freud's life, a catalogue raisonne of his entire works and an extensive bibliography of material written about the artist and his works. This information is provided in a similar manner to the wall notes, exhibition guides and catalogues which are offered to visitors of a traditional art gallery. They are not prescribed reading material, but they may prove of interest to the reader seeking further information.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2008. / "Graduate Program in Communication, Information and Library Studies." Includes bibliographical references (p. 226-238).

<p> This Master's thesis seeks to gain further understanding of the issues confronting Latino speakers of ESL with respect to language learning and identity. Specifically, through group and individual interviews that I conducted with Latino immigrants involved with a community-based ESL program in Southeast Michigan, I investigate the factors that shape these individuals' attitudes towards the English language as well as the ways in which pedagogical practices may foster or impede the development of ownership, confidence, and a positive sense of self in the target language. In the first chapter, I examine how recent applications of poststructuralism in second language acquisition (SLA) research serve as the theoretical underpinnings of the present study. Additionally, I outline some of the social, political, and cultural hegemonies impacting the lives of Latinos living in the United States and how SLA researchers have investigated these as they concern the social aspects of language learning. Chapter Two not only delineates the ethnographic methods I used to carry out the current research, but also aims to describe in detail many of the difficulties I encountered as a novice researcher in the hopes that it may benefit other newcomers to empirical exploration. The third chapter of this paper is dedicated to elucidation and analysis of the insights shared by interview participants. Amidst findings that life circumstances and the opinions of others (both native English speakers and Hispanic peers) often preclude these individuals from feeling they can take legitimate claim to English, I offer implications for the ESL classroom that may help students to explore their relationship to the language. Lastly, I propose the limitations of my research as well as directions for future inquiries.</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T18:11:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Juliana Cristina Alves de Andrade.pdf: 744802 bytes, checksum: 89125b2536fd72a81b1720f33979dfff (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Introduction: letters are present in the universe of the subject even before his birth. When desired, the baby is previously spoken by a speech / writing, so that his symbolic presence precedes his physical presence in the world. It s possible to say that the child is both spoken and written by the "Other", "Other" which Lacan refers to as the treasury of signifiers in which the speaking subject is immersed. Objective: To propose a model of acquisition of writing before its formalization by the child, it another view: that writing emerges before the formal encounter between the child and the letters. Method: qualitative research that is supported on one side, by studies in the field of language acquisition represented mainly by Claudia De Lemos and on the other, by notions of trace, letter and writing as understood by psychoanalysis studies of Freud, Lacan and Allouch. Some of the data from this literature were reread in order to trace the entry of the child in the alphabetic speech. Results: the analyzed material indicated the presence of pre-literate traces, or rather a writing system that indicates the child's subjection to the Other, to their capture by language in both oral and written form. Conclusion: writing takes a special place in the functioning of language, and the contact with oral and writing speeches opens the entry of the child to "letters". The speech therapist must interpret the marks left by the child, not only as scribbles, but as indicative marks of a singular process of acquisition of the written form of language. Thus, withdraws the denial of knowledge and returns the writing-subject position to the child, that separates from the alienation to the trace of the other, to take the position of reader / writer / Introdução: as letras estão presentes no universo do sujeito mesmo antes do seu nascimento. Ao ser desejado, o bebê é anteriormente falado por uma fala/escrita, de forma que sua presença simbólica precede sua presença física no mundo. Pode-se dizer que a criança tanto é falada como escrita pelo Outro , Outro que em Lacan refere-se ao tesouro dos significantes em que o sujeito falante está imerso. Objetivo: apresentar uma proposta de modelo de aquisição da escrita antes de sua formalização pela criança, sob uma outra ótica: a de que a escrita emerge antes do encontro formal entre a criança e as letras. Método: pesquisa qualitativa que está sustentada, de um lado, por estudos do campo da aquisição de linguagem representados principalmente por Cláudia De Lemos e, de outro, pelas noções de traço, letra e escrita tal como entendidas pela Psicanálise de estudos de Freud, Lacan e Allouch. Alguns dos dados retirados dessa literatura foram relidos a fim de rastrear a entrada da criança no discurso alfabético. Resultados: o material analisado apontou para a presença de traços anteriores à alfabetização, ou melhor, de um sistema de escrita que indica o assujeitamento da criança ao Outro, à sua captura pela linguagem, tanto na modalidade oral como escrita. Conclusão: a escrita ocupa lugar privilegiado no funcionamento da língua e o contato com discursos orais e escritos abre a entrada da criança para as letras . O fonoaudiólogo deve interpretar as marcas deixadas pela criança, para além de rabiscos, como marcas indicativas de um processo singular de aquisição da modalidade escrita da linguagem. Assim, afasta-se a negação de um saber e restitui-se à criança sua posição sujeito-escriba que separa-se da alienação ao traço do outro, para tomar a posição de leitor/escritor

This thesis is a comparative investigation into the use of Italian of an extended Italian family in language contact situation in three countries: the United States, Australia and France. This study is undertaken and described in the context of the different policies on migrant integration and minority languages in the three migration countries. / The investigation uses the ‘Case Study’ methodology in the format of an embedded multiple case-study project. / The third generation was made the focus of the study to investigate Fishman’s “intergroup social dependency” theory. According to this theory, when the immigrant experience is viewed from a perspective of three or more generation time depth, the immigrant group generally loses its language due to its dependency on the host society for its survival. Fishman contends that only an effective and strict ‘compartmentalisation of language functions’ between the minority language and the host language can help the minority group maintain its language. / The findings indicate that for people of Italian background living as a minority group in language contact situation compartmentalisation is not a viable alternative. Nor do they consider the ‘maintenance’ of their community language important. When in the migration country bilingualism is valued, it is the standard variety of the heritage language that is chosen for maintenance and further learning. / The study presents recommendations towards the achievability of bilingualism beyond the limitations of compartmentalisation.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of French & Italian, 2007. / Title from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 25, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-02, Section: A, page: 0592. Adviser: Albert Valdman.

It is widely assumed that participation in study abroad contributes to developing second language (L2) proficiency, as well as related outcomes such as higher levels of L2 learning motivation and intercultural competence. However, empirical studies into the outcomes of participation in study abroad have been affected by a series of methodological limitations, including complete reliance on participant self-assessment, the omission of longitudinal design elements, failure to control for non-equivalent comparison groups where these are included and insufficient sample sizes for testing programme effects. Thus, the present study investigates further the impact of studying abroad with the EU's ERASMUS programme on the participants' overall L2 proficiency, their self-efficacy and anxiety in using the L2 with native and non-native speakers and on their self-motivation to continue learning the L2. To this end, a longitudinal mixed methods design was employed in which 143 German university students who applied for an ERASMUS exchange with a British university for the academic year 2012-2013 and were either accepted or rejected/ withdrawn formed the abroad and comparison groups. All students completed C-tests of overall English language proficiency and questionnaires that inquired into the students' mobility history, their L2 learning background, L2 motivation, intergroup attitudes and aspects of the study abroad experience itself. Both instruments were administered online at the onset of the study abroad period (September 2012), one term into the programme (December 2012) and prior to the students' return (either December 2012 or June 2013). This predominantly quantitative group-level study served to establish the outcomes of participation in study abroad for the students' linguistic and motivational development. Repeated interviews with a sub-sample of 15 participants served to illuminate the observed outcome patterns in terms of the motivational dynamics during study abroad, as well as common factors associated with individual differences in linguistic development. The results of the study show that during the first 3 months abroad the ERASMUS students made significantly higher gains in overall English proficiency than the group of potentially mobile students who continued to study at home. The effect of the learning context was large and highly significant (p =.001), even after the influence of pre-existing participant characteristics on the students' proficiency development was controlled for. During the subsequent 6 months of the study abroad period, however, progress among the ERASMUS group slowed and the between-group differences were no longer significant. The participants' L2 proficiency level at programme entry emerged as the strongest predictor of overall L2 proficiency gain, explaining up to 31.5% of the variance. The students' attitudes towards their own national group, their perceptions of self-efficacy and feelings of anxiety when using English in social interactions, the perceived present-future L2 self-discrepancy and gender explained another 13.6% of the variance in overall L2 proficiency gain. Learner-external factors, including participation in English language instruction, participation in clubs and societies, the number of academic contact hours and type of enrolment, and free time spent with co-national peers, including friends and family back home explained a further 10.9%. The qualitative analysis of the students' accounts provided further insights into the ways in which these factors play out in L2 learning abroad, as well as into the students' perceptions of aspects of studying abroad that contributed most to their linguistic development. Regarding the motivational impact of the study abroad experience, the study found that ERASMUS students tended to develop significantly higher levels of self-efficacy in using English in social interactions as compared to the group of potentially mobile students who continued to study at home, while both the levels of perceived present-future self-discrepancy and English use anxiety with native and non-native speakers fell during the first 3 months abroad. While the overall impact of the study abroad experience on the students' motivation to continue learning the L2 was perceived as positive by the vast majority of participants, a decline in learning motivation was observed for most students after the initial 3-month period. The qualitative analysis showed that this decline can be plausibly explained by developments in the students' English self-concept that occurred in response to the study abroad experience. Evidence-based recommendations are made regarding ways in which the linguistic and motivational development of ERASMUS students can be more effectively supported by higher education institutions.