The subject of the thesis is the determination of syllable boundaries in English with respect to its perceptual relevance. The hypothesis is based on two different theoretical conceptions. The Maximum Onset Principle (MOP), a traditional approach widespread among linguists, assigns intervocalic consonants to neighbouring syllables in such a way that the longest possible onsets are created in the syllables that follow. An alternative view, advocated by John Wells, advises to utilize more complex parameters, such as morphological structure, prosodic structure or, most importantly, the allophonic realization of phonemes as determined by position within the syllable. A word monitoring experiment measuring reaction times, in which listeners pressed a key if they heard a given word in the auditory stimulus, yielded data about listeners' performance in two conditions: in one the items were divided into syllables according to the MOP, in the other according to Wells. The latter was associated with faster reactions, which might be interpreted as cognitively less strenuous. However, the difference between the two conditions was not robust, mainly because of the limited number of listeners.

The thesis presents a pragmatic analysis focused on the repertoire of communicative intents in the speech of a child from the 23rd to the 29th month of its life. The work is based on a case study of one child. The theoretical part of the work in chapters 1-3 is based on the study of literature, especially the literature of communication intentions, pragmatic functions and their expression and relevant literature of language and communication of 2 years old children. Before the start of recording we have obtained informed consent from the parents of a child whose communication were analysed. Basic material for the analysis are the video recordings of family communication of the child in various situations, the material was supplemented by observations and interviews with parents. Video recordings are transcribed according to the principles of CHAT (corpus CHILDES) and then (in chapters 4 and 5) is analysed in terms of recorded communication situations and communicative intents expressed by a child. The results of our work we compare with the results in existing literature.

Communication skill is one of the key competencies that pupils should achieve during the compulsory education. The subject of this work - teaching pragmatic aspects is closely related to communication competence. The thesis focuses on teaching of pragmatic aspects in primary schools. Based on the theoretical literature there are defined basic terms such as cooperative communication, politeness principle, manipulation, argumentation, nonverbal communication and assertiveness. In the practical part the thesis focuses on the analysis of textbooks - how are the pragmatic aspects included in the textbooks. Other part is concerned with the analysis of the survey in which several teachers were asked about how the pragmatic aspects of speech communication are taught and how well is this subject matter mastered by their pupils. The last section includes worksheets, in which the activities are designed to practice examined pragmatic aspects.

<div>This thesis research was motivated by the need for increasing speech transmission rates through a phonemic-based tactile speech communication device named TAPS (TActile Phonemic Sleeve). The device consists of a 4-by-6 tactor array worn on</div><div>the forearm that delivers vibrotactile patterns corresponding to English phonemes. Three studies that proceeded this thesis evaluated a coding strategy that mapped 39 English phonemes into vibrotactile patterns. This thesis corresponds to a continuation of the project with improvements summarized in two parts. First, a design and implementation of a training framework based on theories of second language acquisition and game-based learning is developed. A role playing game named Haptos was designed to implement this framework. A pilot study using the first version of the game showed that two participants were able to master a list of 52 words within 45 minutes of game play. Second, an improved set of haptic codes was designed. The design was based on the statistics of spoken English and included an additional set of codes that abbreviate the most frequently co-occurring phonemes in duration. The new set included 39 English phonemes and 10 additional abbreviated symbols. The new codes represent a 24 to 46% increase in word presentation rates. A second version of the Haptos game was implemented to test the new 49 codes in a learning curriculum distributed over multiple days. Eight participants learned the new codes within 6 hours of training and obtained an average score of 84.44% in symbol identification tests with error rates per haptic symbol below 18%. The results demonstrate the feasibility of employing the new codes for future work where the ability to receive longer sequences of phonemes corresponding to phrases and sentences will be trained and tested.</div>

Maturana's (1988) theory of constituted reality is used to explain the relationships among language, cognitive domain and emotion. His theory is applied to explain distressed couples' conversations about their own marital problems. The sample was composed of 30 married couples who had requested marital therapy at the Florida State University Marriage and Family Therapy Center. The researcher used 7 measurement instruments: (1) self report measure of marital distress (Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Spanier, 1976); (2) Brief Structured Interview; (3) self-report Affect Checklist; (4) self report Objectivity Checklist; (5) self-report Representative Simulation Questionnaire; (6) Demographic Questionnaire; (7) Interpersonal Influence Strategies Coding System (Newton & Burgoon, 1990). Couples completed Affect Checklists and Objectivity Checklists at predetermined intervals during their conversations. Conversations were videotaped then coded by trained raters. Results indicate that specific emotions of anger, sadness, frustration, hatefulness, hopelessness, and hurt are correlated with marital distress. Accusatory statements were correlated with high marital distress and supportive statements were correlated with low marital distress. Direct correlations between marital distress and cognitive domain were not evident. Results suggest correlations among verbal strategies, cognitive domain and specific emotions. Although no clear pattern of correlation was evident from turn to turn, findings lend support to Maturana' s theory. Methodological issues concerning operational definitions of cognitive domain, inter-rater reliability, and the verbal strategy coding system are addressed. Discussion of implications for marital therapy includes the importance of clinical evaluation that emphasizes clients' desires to maintain their marriages. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-07, Section: B, page: 3758. / Major Professor: Thomas E. Smith. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

The rapid growth of the internet over the last ten years has led many people to question the social implications of this new technology. Using nationally representative data collected by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in October and November of 2004, I investigated how gender influences the ways American teenagers use the internet. I used quantitative analysis to document the scope of the gender gap and identify the individual-level social factors that perpetuate the gender gap. I focused on five different areas of internet use, and found that, overall, gender matters. First, my analysis focused on the frequency and intensity of girls' and boys' internet use. Results suggest that girls are more likely to go online than boys, although I found no difference between teens' intensity of internet use. Second, my analysis focused on the types of skills teens use on the internet and found that girls are more likely to use the internet for communicating with others while boys are more likely to use the internet in ways that demand some advanced skills. Third, I focused on the technical means of access through which teens go online, but I found no differences between girls and boys. Fourth, I analyzed teens' autonomy of use of the internet and found that parents are more likely to monitor boy's internet use than girl's use. Lastly, I looked at social support networks of teens who go online and found that girls are more likely than boys to have friends who go online. Overall, my study contributes to the sociological body of knowledge in three important ways. First, it extends the debate about the digital divide by refining our understanding of digital inequalities beyond simple access. Second, it investigates a social group, teens, that has been overlooked by social scientists studying new media and the internet. Third, and most importantly, it extends our understanding of the social organization of internet use in terms of gender / acase@tulane.edu

The theories of French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan concerning human psychic development provide a significant metastructure for interpreting the motivation of five major epic figures: Dante the pilgrim in La Divina Commedia, Britomart in Spenser's The Faerie Queene, and Satan, Eve, and Adam in Milton's Paradise Lost. Each of these psychodramas begins at the point Lacan has posited as the primal phase of all human psychic experience, which he has called the 'mirror stage,' located within the pre-verbal realm of the Imaginary. My reading of each poem begins with each poet's focus upon a mirror, either a literal mirror image, when Britomart sees Arthegall in Merlin's magic glass and when Eve gazes upon her reflection in the Edenic lake, or a 'mirroring' relationship, like Dante's with Beatrice, Satan's with God the Father, and Adam's with Eve, whereby the individual's sense of 'self' depends upon the positive responses of an 'other.' The illusion of the mirror stage is that a perfect harmony between self and other--usually between child and mother--is possible. To accept the impossibility of this basic human desire is to transcend the mirror and to find one's place as a mature adult in the real world of language, law, and authority that Lacan terms the Symbolic. The order or words, of speech, supersedes the infantile realm of visual images. The formal motif of the epic quest is portrayed in these three poems as a psychic journey either toward or away from the objective of psychic freedom from impossible desire, a freedom that can only be achieved through obedience to a higher authority: Dante's desire for Beatrice leads him to God and to his own identity as a poet; Britomart's quest for the mirror knight teaches her that she cannot escape her destiny as woman; and Satan's descent into Hell reveals the tragic consequences of the psychotic's refusal to repress his desire for power, while Adam and Eve are freed from the narcissistic self-absorption that characterizes their paradise when they submit to God's will. The Lacanian metastructure thus provides a fruitful method for 'deciphering' the psychological signification of the poetry of Dante, Spenser, and Milton / acase@tulane.edu

This dissertation is a detailed account of Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori's use of coercion and rhetoric against Shining Path's international terrorism campaign. This work considers the spectrum of ploys--from his 5 April 1992 autogolpe to the 13 December 1993 reestablishment of significant international investment--used by Fujimori to create the perception that Peru was safe for international investment. / Chapter One describes the social, political, and economic conditions that Fujimori faced, while pointing to the dearth of communication research concerning Shining Path and Fujimori. Chapter Two reviews the varied literature concerning nonviolent and violent rhetoric, leading to an explanation of the terror-rhetoric genre. Chapter Three presents the historical-critical methods and procedures used in this research. Chapter Four narrates the exchange between Shining Path's international offensives and Fujimori's use of force to contain the group's dissuasive power. Chapter Five then concludes this study by examining how Fujimori's use of terror-rhetoric affected its various audiences. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-03, Section: A, page: 0758. / Major Professor: Marilyn J. Young. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

Ideals of freedom, independence, and land ownership helped form and perpetuate the mythology of ranching in the United States. However, stereotypes emerged as a result of distortion from the media and the move away from the land. Social philosophies changed regarding the environment, land use, and the health and safety of the food supply in the late 20th century. In relation to the mythology, stereotype, and social theory regarding the ranching culture, this research seeks to clarify the fundamental principles, business philosophy, lifestyle, and values of men and women raising beef as a food product on both public and private lands in the 1990's. The mythology surrounding ranchers and cowboys are the result of three historical periods in the United States; however, the last 100 years have had the most profound effect in developing stereotypes. In this survey, 42 ranchers in Lake County, Oregon and Modoc County, California describe the challenges, satisfactions, and the partnership with Nature that is part of their livelihood in the harsh, high desert environment of eastern Oregon and northeastern California. The low ratio of private ground in these counties creates a dependency on use of public lands for grazing. This use if often stereotyped as "welfare ranching," without computation for other variables that make it comparable with private leasing. Historically, the Taylor Grazing Act authorizes fee grazing between ranchers and the U.S. government, but current philosophy has shifted its view of free enterprise on public lands, terming it "resource extraction." Although ranching is high in risk and low in economic return, ranchers stay in the business because they value freedom, hard work, family cohesiveness, and the interaction with Nature and the land. The future of ranching is challenged by environmental policy, government agency relations, public opinion, the high cost of land and production, and a lack of unity in the beef industry. To survive, ranchers need to unify, sharpen communication skills, provide education about ranching practices to the public, and become service-oriented as an organization to change stereotype and meet the social criteria of the next century. / Graduation date: 1998

The initial purpose of this study was to better understand issues of gender in classrooms in relation to language and literacy. In particular, this research was designed to examine the construction of gender in the talk and text of adolescent girls in one Canadian urban grade eight classroom. This research was based on the theoretical premise that gender is a social construct, talk is a social construct, and text is a social construct. In order to demonstrate the social construction of gender with middle school girls, this analysis was framed within the larger Canadian society. This linguistically informed ethnographic research included classroom observations, interviews with students and teachers, analysis of tape recorded classroom talk, and an examination of classroom written texts. The data from these observations, interviews of students, and oral and written texts were analyzed for themes. The following themes emerged from the data: classroom talk and text are gendered, youths construct their gender identity through talk and text, the "genderlects" and "genderprints" reflect the lives of these youths in a modern world. Conflict, toughness, violence, friendships, relationships, and modernity were salient constructs in the social construction of gender for these youth. These micro social processes contributed to the macro social process or gendered relations in Canadian society. The findings from this study suggest implications for schools. The main implication is that the gendering of discourse in schools is important and that gender identity is linked to both talk and text. Classroom teachers need to develop an awareness and understanding of what and how gender implicates all classroom interactions and that the social phenomena of classroom interactions are important to the success of girls in middle schools. Another contribution of this study is that it contributes to the growing body of knowledge on gender and language at a time when gender equity is emerging as central to the educational success of girls yet is seldom the focus of examination of educational research.