Issued also as thesis, Utrecht. / Bibliography: p. [248]-264.

Compounding is one of the most productive methods to construct words in different languages, e.g. joining the words “super” and “man” gives the compound word “superman”. For decades, researchers are interested to know how compound words are stored and retrieved in the lexicon. Different theories of lexical storage and retrieval of compound words were proposed to explain the compound word processing observed in both normal and abnormal adult subjects. However, little studies have attempted to apply these theories to explain the developmental pattern of storage and retrieval of compound words. To fill the gap, the major aim of the current study is to investigate the power of different theories of lexical storage and retrieval of compound words in explaining the typical and atypical development of compound word processing in Chinese children. Altogether, 20 grade 2 children, 22 grade 4 children, and 17 grade 6 children screened to have normal non-verbal intelligence and reading abilities were recruited from a local mainstream school. Three experiments were conducted to investigate the existence of the holistic representations of compound words and the representations of their constituent morphemes in the lexicon, and their involvement during the compound word retrieval processes across different grade levels. Results show that grade 4 and grade 6 children demonstrate significant whole-word frequency, morphological family size and semantic transparency effects in all three experiments, a pattern which resembles that observed in normal adult subjects. The grade 2 children, however, only demonstrate significant whole-word frequency effect but not the morphological family size and the semantic transparency effect. The results indicate that grade 4 and grade 6 children adopt the partial-decomposed approach of compound word storage and retrieval (e.g. Taft, 2003). As for the grade 2 children, it is hypothesized that their performances represent a developing stage of the partial-decomposed approach, where networks of morphological relations between family members were underdeveloped in their lexicon. Further investigation of the compatibility of the partial-decomposed approach in explaining the compound word storage and retrieval pattern resulted from atypical development was conducted. The three experiments mentioned above were administered on 16 poor readers (PR), 16 reading-level-matched (RL) peers and 16 chronological-agematched (CA) peers. Interestingly, the PR group’s performances resemble that of the RL and CA group in experiments of whole-word frequency and morphological family size but not in experiment of semantic transparency. The PR group’s performances can be explained by assuming a deficit in identifying shared semantic features between compound words and their constituents in the partial-decomposed approach. It is proposed that the PR group identifies frequently occurring morphemes as salient orthographic reading units without recognizing the shared semantic features between compound words and their constituents. In summary, results of the current study support the partial-decomposed approach of lexical storage and retrieval of compound words. The current study further proposes (i) a developing stage of the partial-decomposed approach to explain the compound word processing within an under-developed lexicon and (ii) a deviated partial-decomposed approach to explain the compound word processing of children with reading difficulties. / published_or_final_version / Speech and Hearing Sciences / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Issued also as thesis, Utrecht. / Bibliography: p. [248]-264.

Since the nineteenth century, the modernisation of Arabic vocabulary has been subject of a great concern for Arab scholars who are loyal to the language while aware of the need to adapt it to the demands of the modern world. This thesis attempts to present a comprehensive view of the subject by examining linguistic and extra-linguistic aspects of the process of lexical development in Modern Standard Arabic. The thesis comprises six chapters: Chapter One: is a brief introduction to the emergence of the movement for cultural and linguistic revival in the Arab world, leaders of linguistic reform, and the Arabic language academies. Chapter Two: examines the phenomenon of Ishtiqāq (Derivation) in Arabic, and its role in providing the language with native means of generating new lexical items. Chapter Three: discusses the assimilation of foreign words. It investigates the concept of borrowing in both classical and modern theory, and presents a description and analysis of this process as adopted for Modern Standard Arabic. Chapter Four: deals with the methods of Tarkīb and Naẖt (Compounding and Blending), and assesses their significance in the growth of Arabic vocabulary. Chapter Five: gives a brief introduction to the question of terminology formation and reviews the terminological activities in the Arab world which, aim at the standardization of current terminological work and the creation of a unified Arabic vocabulary. Chapter Six: provides a brief summary of the conclusions and findings of this study.

No description available.

This thesis examines the possibility that connectivity in learner lexicons can be measured using receptive word-association tasks.

No description available.

The first two experiments reported were concerned with the fact and growth of visual and acoustic representations of simple words in the Mental Lexicon. Using a Learning paradigm it was established that some form of visual and acoustic representations are formed within three exposures and that these forms of a word are also a basis for lexical organization. Five experiments, employing different techniques, were aimed at testing the psychological reality of the morphemic structure of prefixed words. It was established that the morphemic structure of some of these words is represented; that the identity of some prefixes is represented; and that some non-specific knowledge concerning the relationship between orthographic and prefix structure is also represented. Finally, the spelling errors of 11 year old children were analysed. This analysis revealed that acoustic, visual (more properly graphemic), and morphemic information, as well as some knowledge of phonotactic rules and statistical regularities, are represented in the Internal Lexicon. It is concluded that the contents of the Internal lexicon are both redundant and heterogeneous. The first two experiments reported were concerned with the fact and growth of visual and acoustic representations of simple words in the Mental Lexicon. Using a Learning paradigm it was established that some form of visual and acoustic representations are formed within three exposures and that these forms of a word are also a basis for lexical organization. Five experiments, employing different techniques, were aimed at testing the psychological reality of the morphemic structure of prefixed words. It was established that the morphemic structure of some of these words is represented; that the identity of some prefixes is represented; and that some non-specific knowledge concerning the relationship between orthographic and prefix structure is also represented. Finally, the spelling errors of 11 year old children were analysed. This analysis revealed that acoustic, visual (more properly graphemic), and morphemic information, as well as some knowledge of phonotactic rules and statistical regularities, are represented in the Internal Lexicon. It is concluded that the contents of the Internal lexicon are both redundant and heterogeneous.

Entre 1718 et 1884, les ouvrages de synonymie composés en France ont exclusivement fait appel à la théorie de la synonymie distinctive. Une véritable tradition lexicographique s’est cristallisée autour du premier traité monolingue français composé par l’abbé Gabriel Girard en 1718, La Justesse de la langue françoise. L’apparition de cette tradition lexicographique résulte d’une conception théorique particulière de la synonymie. Il est effectivement question, au XVIIIe siècle, de contester la synonymie exacte, deux signifiants ne pouvant partager exactement le même signifié. Il s’ensuit une nécessité de distinguer les nuances sémantiques entre les unités lexicales. Durant un siècle et demi, 22 traités et dictionnaires de synonymie distinctive se sont succédé, leurs auteurs poursuivant l’objectif de rédiger le dictionnaire le plus complet tant quantitativement que qualitativement. Ce faisant, une filiation s’est progressivement constituée, chaque auteur élaborant son ouvrage à l’aide des précédents. Cette thèse propose une lecture génétique approfondie de ces 22 traités et dictionnaires afin de mesurer les tenants et aboutissants de cette tradition de la synonymie distinctive. / Between 1718 and 1884, the literature dealing with synonymy published in France exclusively used the theory of distinctive synonymy. A lexicographical tradition crystallized around the first French monolingual treaty made by Abbé Gabriel Girard in 1718, La Justesse de la langue françoise. The emergence of this lexicographical tradition results from a particular theoretical view of synonymy. Indeed, scholars from the XVIIIth century disputed the notion of exact synonymy, assuming that two signifiers cannot share the same exact signified. This resulted in a need to distinguish the semantic nuances between lexical units. For a century and a half, 22 treaties and distinctive synonymy dictionaries have been published. Their authors aimed at writing the most comprehensive dictionary, both quantitatively and qualitatively. In doing so, a lineage gradually appeared, each author developing his work based on the previous. This thesis proposes a comprehensive genetic reading of these 22 treaties and dictionaries to measure the ins and outs of this distinctive tradition of synonymy.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND HUMANITIES / Bibliography: leaves 226-229. / by Karuvannur Puthanveettil Mohanan. / Ph.D.