Trammell, Robert L.

The Arabic language includes many dialects that
differ considerably from one another. In fact, they
differ in almost every linguistic category : syntax,
morphology, phonology, style and the lexicon. Written
and spoken varieties also differ greatly , which is
why Arabic is a prime example of diglossia within a
single language. The dialects of Arabic were
influenced by languages spoken previously in those
regions. In addition, written Arabic has remained
syntactically, morphologically and phonologically
essentially unchanged for over a millennium. The
spoken varieties, however, have evolved freely. This thesis will describe some of the differences that
exist between these dialects and it will demonstrate
that some of these differences are a result of the
influence of substratum languages on Arabic. In
particular, it will focus on the influence of Coptic
on Egyptian Arabic.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the structure of
certain types of ambiguous French sentences in standard written
and spoken French. There are four levels at which ambiguity can
occur: at the lexical, surface-structure, underlying-structure,
and phonological levels. The emphasis is on structural ambiguity.
This study is done by analyzing cases where adjectives, pronouns ,
verbs and invariable words are responsible for the ambiguities.
Ambiguous sentences at the surface-structure level are represented
on tree diagrams whereas those at the underlying-structure level
have to be explained by deriving the different interpretations
from the deep structures underlying different sentences. Clues or
methods to eliminate or explain ambiguity are proposed. There is
a brief discussion of psychological implications involved in
sentence ambiguities and of the relationship between surface and
underlying structure in linguistics and psychology. The analysis
of structural ambiguity also reveals some pedagogical applications
in the teaching of foreign languages. Examples are given to show
how teachers could make use of ambiguous sentences to improve the
students' comprehension of the target language.
This analysis shows native speakers or students of French how
the language functions when it manifests certain patterns which
are conducive to ambiguity.

A sequence for materials in English beginning reading lessons is proposed
for native speakers of Mikasuki. This sequence utilizes to the greatest
possible extent the native linguistic background of Mikasuki-speaking
students while including most of the skills taught to native English
speakers in traditional materials. The presentation is based on two
criteria: 1) an analysis of the phonological similarities and differences
between Mikasuki and English, and 2) a linguistic approach to beginning
reading instruction, which emphasizes the gradual and systematic introduction
of regular sound-spelling patterns. Using these criteria it is
possible to order the presentation of English phonemes and graphemes in
terms of their predicted difficulty for the Mikasuki-speaking student.
These are systematically presented to improve the Mikasuki-speaker's
chances of establishing a, positive achievement base at each stage of
the learning process.

This thesis explores differences of opinion in the
descriptions of French phonology. Chapter I pursues
reasons for existing differences of opinion, Chapter II
investigates the articulation and phonemic status of
sounds, while Chapter III presents a critical examination
of currently used pronunciation textbooks.
It was found that linguists tend to disagree about
both the articulation as well as the phonemic classification
of certain consonants, vowels, and semi-vowels. Because of
this, two distinct styles had to be described for standard
French, an informal style with a minimum number of phonemic
contrasts, and a formal style with a maximum number of phonemic
contrasts. Only by describing these two styles could
some of the widely divergent viewpoints be reconciled.

Many textbooks either ignore or pay scant attention to
instruction on liaison. Commercial tapes designed to teach students
by example seldom provide good or consistent models for its use.
Nevertheless, since the process of liaison is a compli cated phenomenon
even for the French, it deserves careful pedagogical attention.
This thesis presents a study of the adequacy of instruction
on liaison in four sample texts and tapes. It also includes a
definition and brief history of liaison, a statement of its function,
and some general rules for students. Particular emphasis is placed
on the function of optional liaison as a stylistic determinant.

The purpose of this thesis is to present an objective overview
of the controversy concerning the placement of Catalan among the Western
Romance languages. Catalan has been classified as Ibero-Romance)
Galla-Romance) and as a member of new groupings of the various Romance
languages) such as a distinct Pyrenean group (Gascon) Aragonese) Catalan)
and one large group of the Western Romance languages which exeludes
French. A critical analysis of the theories of classification
shows the Ibero-Romance theory to be the soundest. The strongest
evidence for the Ibero-Romance affiliation of Catalan was obtained
from linguistic comparisons of Modern Catalan and Old Castilian or
other dialects and languages of the Peninsula) excluding Modern
Castilian because it was the most innovative.

Prepositional usage presents Greek students of English with one of
their most serious learning problems. According to the theory of transfer
in foreign-language learning, a likely source of the problem is linguistic
interference caused by conflict either between the English and
Greek prepositional systems or within the former system itself--interlingual
and intralingual interference, respectively. A contrastive analysis
of these two systems at the syntactic and semantic levels serves
to pinpoint specific areas of such conflict. Transformational-generative
grammar provides a framework for the syntactic analysis of the systems,
but for their semantic analysis we use a variety of approaches. A brief
examination of four types of prepositional errors made by Greek students
of English, deletion, insertion, substitution, and dislocation, follm.;s
the contrastive analysis. This examination shows a close correlation between
the errors and the particular points of conflict revealed by the
contrastive analysis. The correlation demonstrates that linguistic interference
is a possible source of prepositional misuse by Greek students
of English.

A review of recent linguistic literature reveals many problems which
speakers of black English encounter in school. The problems of learning
standard English as a second dialect are examined in terms of linguistic
differences between two dialects and, even more importantly, sociolinguistic
differences between two cultures. The approach of teaching
English as a second dialect in college is compared to teaching freshman
English by "traditional" methods and to teaching English as a second
language. As an aid to teachers of standard English as a second
dialect, one such course is described and evaluated in terms of the
students, the texts, and the teaching methods. The textbook used
Keys to American English, teaches written forms of standard English
by contrastive analysis methods. In conclusion, the results of tests
are explained, similar courses are discussed, and recommendations for
conducting such courses are made.

The base structures of Hutchins' deep case grammar are designed
in exclusively semantic terms. Part I of this study of the model
assesses its theoretical implications: (1) To compare the depth
of Hutchins' base structures with that of structures in other
models, a definition of grammatical depth is needed. The depth
of an abstract structure is defined in terms of the range of
similar surface structures derivable from it. (2) Hutchins
distinguishes some aspects of semantic study from the study of
general knowledge. Arguments for and against this dichotomy are
evaluated. (3) Hutchins' rules usually produce surface structures
so that early segments can be produced before the form of later
segments is fixed. Such part-by-part generation is seen as useful
in modeling performance. Part II attends to the grammar's partieulars.
A summary description is provided; critical comments are
made; and Hutchins' treatment of paraphrases involving causality
and incongruity ("although") is extended.

Four plays, La Cantatrice cuavre, La Lecon, Jacques ou la soumission and Les Chaises, are analyzed from a psycho-linguistic point of view. The emphasis is on problems related to the discrepancy between the "name" (word) and the "referent" (that which is referred to) behind the name. This discrepancy occurs in a variety of forms, including contradictory statements, cliches, socially inappropriate words or phrases, and non sequiturs, as well as the use of words as instruments of power rather than tools of communication of thought. This communications gap, while exaggerated in the theater of Ionesco, is shown to be similar to that encountered recently in our everyday lives.