<p>This essay is a corpus study, the aim of which is to investigate the usage of two near-synonymous verb pairs that descend from Germanic and Romance languages. The four verbs begin, commence, hate, and detest were chosen for the study. The analysis is based on occurrences of the verbs in five subcorpora in the COBUILDDIRECT corpus; two subcorpora consist of British and American books and three subcorpora are composed of British and Australian newspapers. Occurrences were also collected from the novel Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Brontë. The primary aims of the essay are to investigate the frequency and occurrence of the verbs in different text types as well as in British and American books, to reveal if the verbs are synonymous and whether they occur with the same collocates. Furthermore, the novel Wuthering Heights gives a diachronic view of the usage of the verbs.</p><p>This analysis suggests that a usage of the verbs of Germanic origin is more frequent than the verbs of Romance origin. The Romance verbs are more common in novels and books, but also in the British newspaper The Times. Furthermore, the usage of commence and detest seems to be restricted to certain contexts which are connected to the field of the English language in which the verbs occurred at first. The Germanic verbs are clearly favoured in all kinds of texts investigated, even though Wuthering Heights has a high number of occurrences of commence.</p><p>On the topic of synonymy, begin and commence have been found to be further apart from each other than hate and detest. This is due to the fact that begin and commence are constructed grammatically different, as well as a restriction in contextual usage of commence. Despite this, commence is used more freely in American books than in British books. The synonymy of hate and detest is connected to the fact that detest expresses a stronger feeling than hate, which makes the two verbs near-synonymous but also gradable. The verbs in the two pairs also collocate with different words, which underlines that they are not real synonyms. These findings support the claim that one should not call the verb pairs synonyms but near-synonyms, and that one has to be careful when choosing a verb.</p>

<p>Klassrummet har ett alldeles eget samtalsklimat vilket påverkar hur samtal och diskussioner ter sig i just en klassrumsmiljö. Relationen mellan lärare och elever påverkar hur makt-, kon-troll- och dominansförhållandet är i klassrummet. En dialog är sällan helt symmetrisk utan oftast dominerar en deltagare och i relationen mellan elev och lärare är det läraren som har den dominerande rollen vilket medför att läraren hamnar i en maktposition eller en överord-nad roll gentemot eleven.</p><p>Syftet med denna uppsats är att se hur en lärare språkligt utövar makt och kontroll i klassrummet samt att se hur dominansen i det språkliga samspelet ter sig där. Undersökningen är gjord i en Komvuxklass vilket gör att det är relationen mellan en lärare och vuxenstuderan-de som har observerats. Undersökningen har genomförts genom observation under en dubbel-lektion, 2x 45 minuter. Genom bandinspelning och protokoll har jag kunnat se mönster på makt-, kontroll- och dominansrelationen mellan läraren och eleverna. Gruppdynamiken i en vuxenklass är annorlunda än en lärar/elev relation inom skolans lägre stadier vilket gör att makt-, kontroll- och dominansförhållandet är intressant att undersöka. Lärarrollen medför en formell auktoritet där statusen och åldersrelationen till eleverna gör att läraren har en förutbe-stämd makt eller dominans men i relationen mellan vuxenstuderande och lärare försvinner den automatiska åldersstatusen då läraren i många fall är lika gammal eller till och med yngre än sina elever.</p><p>Förutom att åldersrelationen är annorlunda för en lärare som undervisar vuxna har också lärarrollen i stort förändrats på senare tid. Idag är lärarrollen mer av handledande karaktär än tidigare och det påverkar givetvis makt-, kontroll- och dominansförhållandet mellan lärare och elev. Läraren måste släppa på sin egen kontroll för att låta eleverna vara delaktiga. Detta vet eleverna om men det är ändå något som hindrar dem att ta steget fullt ut. Den traditionella lärarrollen är djupt rotad och eleverna vet att det är läraren som i slutänden bedömer vilket bromsar dem i deras eventuella försök att ta större plats i det språkliga samspelet.</p><p>Läraren har den innehållsliga, interaktiva och kvantitativa dominansen i klassrummet och genom sin position en viss makt men i det stora hela visar det sig att läraren mer domine-rar än att hon utövar makt gentemot sina elever. Läraren har kontroll över det som sker i klassrummet i de allra flesta fall men det finns de tillfällen då läraren får släppa på kontrollen och släppa in eleverna. Läraren låter eleverna vara delaktiga i arbetet men olika mycket under olika delar av lektionen.</p>

<p>This paper examines how aesthetic and anthropologic culture is represented in a few selected textbooks for English and to what degree these representations correspond to the aims of the English course syllabi. Regarding aesthetic culture, the emphasis in the syllabi is on the students using literature as means to an end, mainly to develop certain skills such as an understanding of the English language, or learning about anthropologic culture through aesthetic culture. The aesthetic values of literature as an art form are not promoted or encouraged at all. The selected textbooks correspond to the syllabi on this matter. Concerning anthropologic culture, the emphasis in the syllabi is on ‘difference’. Other cultures are presented as strange and distant from us, and this is something that also can be seen in the selected textbooks. Moreover, in one of the textbooks the students are addressed as future tourists, potentially causing them to view other cultures and places as sights to see and sites to visit, instead of as having intrinsic value.</p>

<p>Abstract</p><p>This study is based on empirical studies and the approach to this has been interviews with a group of pupils. The study investigates the use of reading strategies among pupils. The aim is to investigate how the pupils use different reading strategies in order to overcome problems that occur when reading fictional texts. In addition, the pupils were also asked some questions about their reading habits and attitudes towards reading.</p><p>Research has shown that pupils who are introduced to different reading strategies are better readers than those who are not. Reading strategies help the readers make literary texts more comprehensible. As a result of this study, it is shown that there are reading strategies that the pupils are familiar with. These strategies are of importance, since they are part of the pupils’ learning process and help them increase their reading comprehension. They also lead to the fact that the pupils gain and widen their knowledge. However, this investigation has also shown that there are important reading strategies that the pupils did not use in this study. There can be different factors that have affected the outcome of this. Therefore, it is difficult to determine whether the pupils are familiar with these strategies or not. Moreover, the pupils argued that they seldom read fiction in school and those times they read, it was literature that they did not like.</p>

<p>Vårt informationstäta samhälle, som är fullt av texter och bilder, ställer krav på oss medborgare både i vårt privatliv och i vårt arbetsliv. Dessa samhälleliga krav innebär bland annat att det inte längre är tillräckligt att kunna läsa och skriva olika texter. Begreppet ’text’ har fått en vidgad betydelse och omfattar idag exempelvis även bilder av olika slag.</p><p>I förskolan och de tidigare åren i skolan, samt vid specialundervisning som exempelvis läs- och skrivsvårigheter används ett vidgat textbegrepp i undervisningen. I de lägre åldrarna är barns bilder en accepterad del av deras språk. Bilder och andra aspekter på ”text” är även en accepterad undervisningsform inom specialundervisning. I forskning och litteratur utanför förskolan och de tidigare åldrarna samt specialundervisning tycks det dock handla om ett vidgat textbegrepp till elever. I grundskolan behandlas ett vidgat textbegrepp oftast i upplysningssyfte om olika mediers påverkan på elever. Ett vidgat textbegrepp ur ett elevperspektiv, d.v.s. när elever ska visa sin kunskap verkar vara ett relativt outforskat område.</p><p>Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur elever använder text och bild när de visar sin kunskap vid ett skriftligt prov. För att ett vidgat textbegrepp ska integreras i undervisningen bör eleverna kunna använda sig av andra medier än skriftlig text när de visar sin kunskap. Ett vidgat textbegrepp bör inte enbart vara en envägskommunikation från läraren till eleven i undervisningen. En intervju med elevernas lärare samt observationer av interaktionen i klassen har därför även genomförts och undersökts i uppsatsen.</p><p>Via text- och bildanalyser av sex högstadieelevers provsvar har jag tydliggjort hur ord och bild samspelar i elevernas provsvar. Undersökningen visar att elever visar sin kunskap på olika sätt när de ges möjlighet att använda ett vidgat textbegrepp i andra situationer än vid inlärning. Text- och bildanalyser på elevers provsvar tydliggör kvalitéer och synliggör det utvecklingsbara istället för att fokus vid bedömning annars riskerar hamna på sådant som ska korrigeras. Ord och bild samspelar och ord och bild är betydelsefullt på olika sätt för de olika eleverna Ett vidgat textbegrepp är således väsentligt både för lärare och för elever i undervisningen.</p>

No description available.

<p>This research shows and analyses how pupils in ninth grade in the nine-year compulsory school look at being multilingual, at the Swedish language and at Swedish as a second language. I also want to know if language and culture knowledge are taken care of in school as it says in official documents for the Swedish school and as it also is desired in an intercultural education. For my research I do eight interviews in a suburb school south of Stockholm.</p><p>My work includes a limited account for the current research about being multilingual, Swedish as a second language and about the close relationship between language and culture. The applied theory is a social constructivist theory which in short can be explained like that we construct social structures that have consequences on the individual as well as on the society.</p><p>I show in my research how the view of the world around the pupils influences their view on their languages, their school and their neighbourhood. I also draw conclusions from my interviews that language knowledge is little appreciated in school and that Swedish as a second language has a low status.</p>

<p>The aim of this essay is to examine how students in 6-9 grade with reading and writing difficulties are treated and supported by teachers and staff at Ideskolan, a community school north of Stockholm. I have chosen to answer the following question:</p><p>- How does Ideskolan cope with and support students with reading and writing difficulties</p><p>This has in turn generated the following questions:</p><p>- How is special education organized at Ideskolan?</p><p>- Is a diagnose always needed in order to deploy extra support?</p><p>The method I have employed is observation while participating, together with informal talks and interviews. I have visited Ideskolan twice, one week at the time. The material that the visits have generated is the foundation of the essay, supported by previous research in the field.</p><p>The essay clarifies what right to special support students have according to law, regulations, curriculum and teaching plans and what they look like in reality at Ideskolan. This paper questions why schools focus on the individual student in these matters instead on the schools organisation and way of working. It might not automatically be the students’ difficulties with reading and writing that limits their continued learning, but rather the schools attitude towards students with special needs. Some ways of working might minimize the difficulties while some can increase them. If so, perhaps a change is in order?</p><p>The essay also discusses the role of the special teacher – should she be supporting the students or her colleagues, or both. It also discusses if the teacher training should evolve to better suite the need to handle students with reading and writing difficulties.</p><p>Even though Ideskolan recognizes the fact that two – three students in each class suffers with reading and writing difficulties the support to these students are inadequate. The school can excuse it self by saying that there is no “right way to go”, for each student with reading and writing difficulties are unique and there for require different support.</p>

No description available.

<p>This essay deals with subject-verb concord in written compositions by Swedish students at Uppsala University. The essay investigates the possibility that students who continue studying English beyond the A level at the university make fewer errors than students who do not continue.</p><p>In order to minimize the influence of the students’ gender and first language, only essays written by female students were included in the study; in addition, all students included had Swedish as their first language, and so did their parents. 25 essays by students who continued their studies and 25 essays by students who may not have done so were chosen. All 50 essays were examined for both correct and incorrect instances concerning concord between subjects and verbs in the present tense. The primary verbs to be, to do and to have were analysed as well as regular and irregular verbs.</p><p>The results show that the 25 students who continued beyond the A level made fewer errors than the 25 students who may not have continued. The results also indicate that subject-verb concord is not a serious problem for Swedish learners.</p>