In today’s globalized society with intense interaction between and among cultures, cross cultural understanding is becoming of crucial importance for successful communication. Whenever there is communication among people from different cultures, disagreement, argument and interpersonal conflict may occur. For this reason, the study of cultural differences in conflict resolution is of great value to society at large. Yet, the number of studies that have examined conflict resolution approaches across cultures is insufficient. This study sought to contribute to this area of research by investigating conflict resolution strategies employed by US and Taiwanese college students in academic contexts and the motives underlying participants’ preferences for certain strategies. The US and Taiwanese samples were chosen as representative of two different cultures, individualistic and collectivistic, respectively. Specifically, 15 US college students and 15 Taiwanese college students were selected from a US college campus. The Taiwanese group included students who have spent less than one year in the United States. The instrument consisted of a written questionnaire with four conflict scenarios and an audio-recorded interview with six randomly selected participants from both groups. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, Discriminant Function Analysis and content analysis. Both the descriptive and the Discriminant Function analyses showed that the US college students were significantly associated with the use of direct or avoidance conflict resolution approaches, while the Taiwanese college students showed a significantly higher inclination towards an indirect approach often involving a third party. The qualitative results revealed that the motives underlying the participants’ responses stemmed from both cultural and personal factors, such as individualistic and collectivistic values as well as family and religious background.

En el marco del variacionismo, en este trabajo se realiza una aproximación sociolingüística al empleo de de repente como introductor de la complicación de la narración en una muestra de 300 narraciones de experiencia personal (Labov y Waletzky 1967, y Labov 1972) de hablantes santiaguinos. Primero, se establece la frecuencia de empleo de dicha partícula. Luego, se correlacionan los factores sociodemográficos de los hablantes con el empleo de de repente y, finalmente, se describe el funcionamiento de esta partícula en las narraciones que conforman la muestra. La hipótesis de trabajo fue que las características sociodemográficas de los hablantes de español en Santiago de Chile están correlacionadas con el empleo de de repente como introductor de complicación de la narración. El análisis de los datos dio cuenta de que de repente tiene una frecuencia de 100 casos, de los cuales 95 (95%) cumplen la función de introducir la acción complicada de los relatos. Asimismo, demostramos que se trata de una partícula que suele emplearse más por informantes mujeres de edad joven (20-34 años). El análisis, a su vez, permitió dar cuenta de que una colocación preponderante es la que se genera entre la forma de repente + presente histórico. / Situated within the variationist sociolinguistic framework, in this paper we analyze the use of de repente as a marker that introduces complication or climax in a sample of 300 personal experience narratives (Labov y Waletzky 1967 y Labov 1972) of Santiago speakers. First, we establish the frequency of use of this particle. Then, we correlate the speakers’ sociodemographic factors with the use of this marker, and finally, we describe the functionality of this particle within the narratives that make up the sample. Our hypothesis was that the sociodemographic characteristics of Santiago Spanish speakers would be correlated with the use of de repente as a phrase that introduces complication or climax within the narrative. The data analysis shows that de repente was used a total of 100 times, of which 95 (95%) function in this manner, or as introducing the complicated action of the story. Additionally, we demonstrate that this particle is used most frequently by female informants from the younger age group (20-34 years old). The analysis, in turn, enabled us to determine that a main collocation is that of de repente + historical present.

[pt] Este estudo tem como objetivo investigar a situação lingüística na fronteira Brasil/Guiana Francesa, discutindo os resultados obtidos frente à política lingüística de ensino de línguas estrangeiras estabelecida no Brasil assim como preconizar a educação bilíngüe para esse contexto. Dentro da diversidade lingüística do país, as regiões de fronteira são os locais onde se observam com maior freqüência os fenômenos resultantes do contato lingüístico. A partir desta constatação, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa sociolingüística, que considera a língua a partir de seu contexto social. O trabalho tem como referencial teórico os estudos sobre Línguas em/de Contato e estudos sobre política e planejamento lingüístico para comunidades com diversidade lingüística. Em Línguas de/em Contato, buscamos referencial nos estudos clássicos que tratam do nível de competência dos falantes e das funções de uso das línguas em situações de bilingüismo e multilinguismo. No âmbito da política e planificação lingüística buscamos referencial nos estudos que tratam da problemática desse bi/ multilinguismo para o estabelecimento de propostas de educação bilíngüe. A investigação foi desenvolvida com uma pesquisa qualitativa, de base etnográfica, que utilizou dos seguintes instrumentos: análise documental, pesquisa de campo, entrevistas e questionários. Identificamos o status lingüístico e as atitudes lingüísticas dos alunos do sexto ano do ensino fundamental de uma escola pública da região com o objetivo de embasar a discussão sobre o estabelecimento de políticas lingüísticas adequadas para os contextos de minorias lingüísticas como os de fronteira. Como resultados mais significativos, apontamos que essa região ressente de uma política e planificação lingüística no tocante a formalização da língua francesa como língua estrangeira nos estabelecimentos de ensino / [en] This paper aims at analyzing the linguistic situation in the frontier Brazil/French Guiana. The results obtained were discussed in relation to the foreign language teaching linguistic policy established in Brazil. Considering the diversity of languages in the country, the frontiers are the places where the phenomena derived from linguistic contact are mostly observed. In view of this fact, a sociolinguistics research was developed, taking into account language through its social context. Our theoretical background encompasses the studies of language in contact and studies about linguistic policy and planning to linguistically diverse communities. Considering language in contact we based this research on the classic studies that deal with the speaker’s level of competence and the functions of use of language in bilinguism and multilinguism situations. Regarding linguistic policy and planning we were based on studies that investigate the matter of bi/multilinguism for the establishment of proposals of bilingual education. The analysis was carried as an ethnographic based qualitative research through the use of the following tools: documental analysis, field research, interviews and surveys. We identified the linguistic status and the attitudes of sixth grade students of an elementary (public) school of the region to serve as a basis to the discussion concerning the establishment of more appropriate linguistic policies in the context of linguistic minorities, such as the border/frontier ones. More significantly, we indicate that the region lacks a linguistic policy and planning concerning the formalization of the French language as the foreign language in teaching institutions.

This study examines the characteristics of a range of narrative and performance texts featuring Wenglish, the dialect of the South Wales Valleys, in terms of their linguistic and thematic content and their relation to the community. Part One comprises an introduction to Wenglish and an overview of research on English in South Wales and approaches to language in use. In Part Two the results of textual and discourse analysis of twenty-five texts (nine literary and seven formal performance excerpts and nine personal narratives) are presented. In Part Three insights arising from analysis are applied in three pieces of new creative work in dialect. A reference list of texts containing Wenglish is appended. Cultural outputs mirror and express the community which produces them and thus the formal and informal literary output of the South Wales Valleys both reflects and expresses some of the shared characteristics, values, beliefs and preoccupations of those communities. Analysis revealed recurrent thematic clusters (e.g. community, personal identity, world of work, sport) across the range of texts, suggesting the centrality of these themes and a close link between the texts and the community. From analysis of linguistic content, a ‘Wenglish index’ was calculated for each text. The literary texts generally had lower indices than the formal performance texts. The personal narratives, though informal, all had lower indices than the formal performance material, suggesting that in this latter category, dialect features are consciously exaggerated. Discourse analytical methods generated rich interpretive material at the level of individual texts. Insights from analysis proved useful at the initial and editing phases of new creative work. The possible practical application of Wenglish material in community and interpretive projects is also discussed.

Dyslexia is primarily a neurobiological disorder and much research has been conducted on this (see for example Coltheart 1996; Shaywitz and Shaywitz 2000 and 2004). However, little has been done which investigates the social construction of dyslexia. Because dyslexia affects reading, writing and spelling to varying degrees, although it may originate from genetic inheritance, it manifests itself in social spheres. Brown and Levinson‟s (1987) Face Theory states that people use strategies to minimise the damage to the positive face of others. My research focuses on how dyslexic individuals use linguistic strategies to minimise potential face-threatening acts or FTAs against themselves and in so doing preserve their own positive face. Using elements of Face Theory and APPRAISAL I constructed a typology reflecting these linguistic face management devices of adults with dyslexia. With this research I hope to contribute to the field in an innovative and meaningful manner through an exploration of the linguistic face management strategies used in the management of positive face.

218f. / Submitted by Suelen Reis (suziy.ellen@gmail.com) on 2013-05-13T18:41:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao Gredson dos Santos.pdf: 1108137 bytes, checksum: a5b107ca74f32536f7d4344e97ba074c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Alda Lima da Silva(sivalda@ufba.br) on 2013-05-16T17:07:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao Gredson dos Santos.pdf: 1108137 bytes, checksum: a5b107ca74f32536f7d4344e97ba074c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-05-16T17:07:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao Gredson dos Santos.pdf: 1108137 bytes, checksum: a5b107ca74f32536f7d4344e97ba074c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Esta dissertação, de natureza empírica e de cunho predominantemente descritivo, buscou registrar aspectos fonéticos em variação em estudantes de duas áreas rurais do município de Catu-Ba. Procurou também verificar se e até que ponto os traços em variação na fala espontânea daqueles indivíduos se refletem na escrita monitorada dos mesmos. Além disso, tentou desenvolver uma reflexão sobre as implicações pedagógicas da variação lingüística. A metodologia utilizada permitiu a constituição de um corpus composto de duas amostras: a primeira resultante da gravação de cerca de dez horas de entrevistas com 14 estudantes da primeira e da quarta séries do Ensino Fundamental do primeiro ciclo de duas escolas municipais; a segunda resultou da aplicação de um teste com os mesmos estudantes em que eles deveriam escrever palavras sujeitas às variações que constituíram objeto da pesquisa. Os resultados sinalizaram para a ocorrência diminuta, na segunda amostra, dos fatos variáveis na fala espontânea dos estudantes em foco. / Salvador

The present study observed the use of educational code-switching to the L1 (Arabic) among six Arabic EFL teachers at Majmaah University, in Saudi Arabia. It used an a priori set of purposes based on Creswell (2003) and derived categories to examine the linguistic, social, and class management purposes behind code-switching. The instrument consisted of two parts: a demographic questionnaire and an audio recorder used in conjunction with a classroom observation sheet. Although some studies have suggested that educational code-switching to the L1 in EFL classrooms is an unconscious act (e.g., Moghadam, Abdul Samad, & Shahraki, 2012), the present study's results concluded the reverse: that the use of educational code-switching could be interpreted as an intentional practice among teachers in EFL classrooms. The results provided a more in-depth understanding of the use of educational code-switching to the L1 (Arabic). They agreed with previous studies that have found such code-switching to be very common among EFL teachers. Although participants displayed different linguistic, social, and class management purposes, analysis of the data revealed that certain purposes were more common than others, with linguistic purposes being far more common than social, class management, or other purposes. The most common linguistic purpose was to explain new words, and for class management was to clarify activities/exercises. Only two purposes, to engage in small talk with students and to connect between sentences, could not be categorized into one of the three main types.

The research project takes a hard look into the linguistic challenges faced by foreign migrant workers and informal traders in Gauteng province, South Africa. The research makes a panoramic view into the linguistic challenges faced by foreign migrant workers and informal traders. The focus of the research is on the challenges regarding language use in business domains. It dissects into business communication dynamics and the cultural contexts in the developing economies of Southern Africa. The study focused on finding out language challenges for immigrants as a consequence of migration. The research undertakes to discover language policy frameworks operating in industries and informal business environment in Gauteng. It seeks to establish the strategies that could be used to solve the language problems faced by foreign migrants taking into consideration that most of the immigrants in the construction industry and informal sector are semi-literate or illiterate. In other words, the research explores alternatives and the different roles of different organizations in the approach to language challenges when doing business. The study attempts to make some recommendations that can rescue immigrant challenges. These include language training programmes and changing attitudes as they have to learn the indigenous languages used in Gauteng province. The discussion reviews the sociolinguistic aspects in view of the changing demands of the developing economies of Africa where languages are used as vehicles for economic development and technological innovation. It attempts to reflect on why European languages continue to dominate business operations in Africa while African languages remain marginalized. / African Languages / (D. Litt et Phil. (African Languages))

Text in Afrikaans / Die term "Alternatiewe Afrikaans" is die afgelope dekade telkens gebruik in taalpolitieke publikasies, maar tot dusver is daar relatief min gedoen om die begrip te analiseer, om die "Alternatiewe Afrikaanse beweging" histories te kontekstualiseer, en om die "beweging" se taalpolitieke uitgangspunte en publ ikasies krities te evalueer as ideologiese teenpool vir Standaardafrikaans of "Establishment Afrikaans". Hierdie proefskrif poog om, na aanleiding van 'n analise van die politieke faktore rondom die opkoms en "kanoni sering" van Standaardafri kaans, die totstandkoming van (wit) Afrikanerhegemonie en die daarmee gepaardgaande breuk in die Afrikaanse taalgemeenskap, die ontstaan van die term "Alternatiewe Afrikaans" en die taalpolitieke "agenda" van die "Alternatiewe beweging" te ondersoek. In die eerste hoofstuk word die taalsosiologie en taalpolitiek as studieterreine ontleed en terme soos "politiek", "mag" en "ideologie" en die verskei e wyses waarop hull e met taa 1 in verband gebri ng kan word, word ondersoek. Die "Kritiese Linguistiek" word onder die loep geneem en die hegemoniemodel van Gramsci word bespreek as deelteoretiese raamwerk vir hierdie studie. In die tweede hoofstuk word die taalpolitiek van Standaardafrikaans bespreek aan die hand van die volgende temas: Afrikanernasionalisme en Afrikaans, die politisering en mitologisering van die ontstaansgeskiedenis van Afrikaans, en die Afrikaanse taalbewegings. Tel kens word "alternatiewe", ontmitologiserende beskouings teenoor "standaardbeskouings" van die temas gestel. Die ontsluiting van 'n alternatiewe hegemonie, verbind met die "Alternatiewe beweging" en "People's Education", word in hoofstuk 3 bespreek en die term "Alternatiewe Afrikaans" word ontleed. Daar word besin oor die "Alternatiewe beweging" as "taalbeweging". In die vierde hoofstuk word die ideologie van "bevryding" in 'n aantal tekste wat met "Alternatiewe Afrikaans" geassosieer word, geanaliseer aan die hand van verskeie tegnieke uit die kritiese diskoersanalise. Manipulatiewe en propagandistiese diskursiewe praktyke word uitgelig. Die "depolitisering" en "demokratisering" van Afrikaans word in die slothoofstuk bespreek. Daar word aangetoon dat "Alternatiewe Afrikaans" deur 'n duidelike polities-mobiliserende agenda onderle word, dat die varieteit 'n verpolitiseerde "ideologiese metalek" van Afrikaans is en uiteindelik 'n etiket is vir " 'n ideologie van bevryding" ten opsigte van die heersende hegemoniese strukture / During the past decade the term "Alternative Afrikaans" has frequently been used in publications on language politics. Until recently little has been done concerning the analysis of this term and the contextualisation of the "Alternative Afrikaans movement". The politico-linguistic premises and publications of the "Alternative movement", as an ideological opposition to Standard Afrikaans or "Establishment Afrikaans", have not yet been sufficiently and critically evaluated. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the origin of the term "Alternative Afrikaans" and the politico-linguistic "agenda" of the "Alternative movement", with analogical reference to the political factors surrounding the rise and "canonisation" of Standard Afrikaans, the establishment of (white) Afrikaner hegemony and the concomitant division within the Afrikaans language community. In the first chapter the sociology of language and language politics are discussed, and terms such as "politics", "power" and "ideology" and the various ways in which they may be connected with language, are examined. The field of "Critical Linguistics" and Gramsci's hegemonic model are discussed as partial theoretical frameworks for this study. In the second chapter the language politics of Standard Afrikaans is discussed on the basis of the following themes: Afrikaner Nationalism and Afrikaans, the politicisation and mythologising of the ontogenesis of Afrikaans, and the Afrikaans language movements. "Alternative", demythologising views, contrary to the "standard" views on these themes, are discussed. The develpment of an alternative hegemony, linked with the "Alternative movement" and "People's Education", is considered in chapter three and the term "Alternative Afrikaans" is analysed. The "Alternative movement" is analysed as "language movement". In chapter four the ideology of "liberation" in a number of texts associated with "Alternative Afrikaans" is analysed on the basis of various techniques used in critical discourse analysis. Manipulative and propagandistic discursive practices are highlighted. The "depoliticisation" and "democratisation" of Afrikaans are considered in the final chapter. It is argued that "Alternative Afrikaans" is based on a specific agenda of political mobilisation, that this variety is a politicised "ideological metalect" of Afrikaans and ultimately a "label" for an "ideology of liberation" with regard to the prevailing hegemonical structures / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / D. Litt. et Phil. (Afrikaans)

La présente thèse propose une description et une étude multidimensionnelles (sociolinguistiques, phonologiques et phonétiques) de la variété d'anglais parlée dans le Greater Manchester. Nous offrons une discussion sur les enjeux méthodologiques et épistémologiques de l'étude du changement linguistique et de l'utilisation des corpus en linguistique. Notre travail est mené dans le cadre du programme PAC (Phonologie de l'Anglais Contemporain : usages, variétés et structure) et au sein du projet LVTI (Langue, Ville, Travail, Identité) sur la base du corpus PAC-LVTI Manchester, constitué de données authentiques et récentes récoltées sur le terrain. Notre analyse se concentre notamment sur le phénomène de nivellement dialectal, qui a été l'objet de nombreuses recherches récentes en sociolinguistique anglaise. Nous nous intéressons en particulier à l'hypothèse de l'expansion d'une variété supralocale dans le nord de l'Angleterre. Notre étude concerne essentiellement les voyelles du Greater Manchester, et repose sur une analyse phonético-acoustique de la production des locuteurs de notre corpus. Nous relevons les caractéristiques majeures de la variété mancunienne, telles qu'elles ont pu être décrites dans les quelques travaux publiés jusqu'ici, et étudions leur corrélation avec des facteurs sociolinguistiques classiques comme l'âge, le genre, ou le niveau socio-économique. Nous explorons également la pertinence des facteurs attitudinaux pour l'étude de nos données. Sur la base de nos résultats phonético-acoustiques, nous nous prononçons en faveur de la pertinence de l'opposition de longueur en anglais, repensée en termes de poids vocalique au niveau de la représentation des voyelles, et proposons une modélisation du système phonologique de la variété du Greater Manchester dans le cadre de la phonologie de dépendance. Nous discutons des évolutions du système à la lumière du phénomène de nivellement dialectal, et nous interrogeons sur la pertinence des facteurs internes et externes pour les expliquer. / This thesis offers a multidimensional (sociolinguistic, phonetic, and phonological) description and study of the variety of English spoken in Greater Manchester. We discuss the study of linguistic change and the use of corpora in linguistics from a methodological and epistemological point of view. Our work is conducted in the framework of the PAC programme (Phonology of Contemporary English: usage, varieties and structure) and within the LVTI project (Language, Urban Life, Work, Identity), and based on the PAC-LVTI Manchester corpus, which is composed of authentic and recent fieldwork data. Our analysis notably focuses on the phenomenon of regional dialect levelling, which has been largely documented in recent English sociolinguistic research. In particular, we are interested in the hypothesis of the expansion of a supralocal variety in the north of England. Our study deals mainly with the vowels of Greater Manchester English, and relies on a phonetic-acoustic analysis of our informants' realisations. We describe the major characteristics of the Mancunian variety based on the few studies published so far, and statistically evaluate their correlation with traditional sociolinguistic factors such as age, gender or socio-economic profile. We also explore the relevance of attitudinal factors for the study of our data. On the basis of our phonetic-acoustic results, we speak in favour of the relevance of the opposition of length in English, which we reconsider in terms of vocalic weight in the representation of vowels. We then offer a model of the phonological system of Greater Manchester inspired by Dependency Phonology. We discuss the evolutions of the system in the light of regional dialect levelling, and question the role played by internal and external factors in these linguistic changes.