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Research Article
A Cognitive Linguistic Study of Sentence Comprehension Memory in Martin Luther King’s Jr. “I Have Been to the Mountain Top Speech”
Anthony James,
Rejoice James Songden,
Onome Ojo,
Blessing Saina’n Lagan,
Atine Yakubu Pane
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 6, November 2023
Pages:
179-190
Received:
28 October 2023
Accepted:
15 November 2023
Published:
24 November 2023
Abstract: This study has investigated the workings of the mind in relation to sentence comprehension and memory, using, Dr. Martin Luther King’s Jr speech, “I Have been to The Mountain Top" as its data base. This is because most times listeners or readers of a text are faced with the challenge of how to resolve or interpret the meanings of the numerous sentences that come their way. Because some of the wordings in sentences could be very cumbersome to unravel, while others are clearer in meaning and intent. The objective of the study therefore, was to reveal the relationship between Cognitive linguistics, Sentence comprehension and memory in any given text or speech. Consequently, the study highlighted the various facets of the topic; which include sentence parsing, figurative language, inferences and prepositions, and how they all add up to help the listener or audience to interpret or resolve meanings in their memory or mind. This study therefore, revealed some of the styles and techniques that could help a sentence reader of a text or a listener of a speech; in this case, Martin Luther King’s Jr I HAVE BEEN TO THE MOUTAIN TOP SPEECH, to interpret the meaning of sentences in a text like we have done in this study, the reader or the listener of a speech must bear in mind the need to adhere to the techniques highlighted in this study in order to have a good grasp of a speech or a text.
Abstract: This study has investigated the workings of the mind in relation to sentence comprehension and memory, using, Dr. Martin Luther King’s Jr speech, “I Have been to The Mountain Top" as its data base. This is because most times listeners or readers of a text are faced with the challenge of how to resolve or interpret the meanings of the numerous sente...
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Research Article
Rule-Based Machine Translation for the Automatic Translation of Vietnamese Sign Language
Thi-Bich-Diep Nguyen,
Thi-Tam Nguyen
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 6, November 2023
Pages:
191-198
Received:
6 November 2023
Accepted:
8 December 2023
Published:
18 December 2023
Abstract: Sign language is acknowledged as a unique language in the field of machine translation, possessing distinct grammatical characteristics compared to written or spoken Vietnamese. These include simplifications, altered word order, and emphasis on stress. This article explores a rule-based machine translation approach specifically designed to translate Vietnamese utterances into grammatically accurate Vietnamese Sign Language sentences. While considered a conventional technique, this approach demonstrates remarkable success in this specific scenario. Evaluation results reveal that the proposed method outperforms several contemporary machine translation models for this particular challenge, achieving a BLEU score of 62.55. This achievement is particularly noteworthy considering the limited resources available for Vietnamese Sign Language. Moreover, experiments conducted with varying data sizes further solidify the effectiveness of this method within a defined domain. Notably, the BLEU score surpasses expectations for typical translation problems, highlighting the effectiveness of both the probabilistic model and the intuitive linguistic model employed. This study demonstrates the potential of rule-based machine translation for Vietnamese Sign Language, particularly in situations where resources are limited. The encouraging results pave the way for further research and development in this area, ultimately aiming to improve communication and accessibility for the Vietnamese deaf community.
Abstract: Sign language is acknowledged as a unique language in the field of machine translation, possessing distinct grammatical characteristics compared to written or spoken Vietnamese. These include simplifications, altered word order, and emphasis on stress. This article explores a rule-based machine translation approach specifically designed to translat...
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Research Article
The Implementation of Vocabulary Strategies Employed by Teachers and Students in EFL Classroom: The Case of Oda Bultum University
Ashenafi Shimeles Shumiye
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 6, November 2023
Pages:
199-210
Received:
8 June 2023
Accepted:
24 July 2023
Published:
22 December 2023
Abstract: This study aims to assess the implementation of vocabulary strategies employed by Bultum University English language teachers. Vocabulary is a core element of foreign language learning by which students are bridged to understand and learn new words. The study was conducted using a quasi-experiment research design involving both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The data were collected through close surveys from 65 students from Geography, History, and English Departments and seven EFL teachers. Data were entered into the software programmer SPSS version 20 for further processing and then quantitative and qualitative data analysis was performed. The results showed that teachers encouraging students to watch different TV programs can improve their success in vocabulary learning. Students' commitment proved to be a significant predictor of all indicators of learning vocabulary. In relation to strategies, students believed that vocabulary learning positively helped them in their level of understanding, in this case in understanding English vocabulary easier. It was also found that students’ positive response was that vocabulary learning helps them in developing English vocabulary capacity but their response was close to undecided.
Abstract: This study aims to assess the implementation of vocabulary strategies employed by Bultum University English language teachers. Vocabulary is a core element of foreign language learning by which students are bridged to understand and learn new words. The study was conducted using a quasi-experiment research design involving both qualitative and quan...
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Research Article
Echo - Questions as a Pragmatic Type of Interrogative Sentences and a Special Type of Communication
Artemenko Antonina Ivanivna
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 6, November 2023
Pages:
211-214
Received:
29 May 2023
Accepted:
28 August 2023
Published:
22 December 2023
Abstract: This article deals with researching of echo-questions. It is admitted that echo-questions are a pragmatic type of interrogative sentences where they can repeat a part or all of what someone has asked. And they are also a special form of interrogative statements. The purpose of the article is to point out the importance of the usage them in the dialogue speech. It is admitted that echo-questions are used in dialogue speech but they can be used in monologue speech too. Speakers usually repeat a question because they didn't fully understand or hear what was said, or they simply can't believe someone would ask such a question or express feelings and emotions where intonation allows us to clarify what we are thinking. Echo-questions as an interrogative sentence can have different interrogative form: general, special, alternative, disjunctive. It is noted that they can repeat questions of different forms but they are not able to create them and it differs them from interrogative sentences. But echo-questions can transform the question which is repeated by them. The transformations depend on their pragmatic intention. It is important to note that echo-questions can express different emotions and feelings of the speaker which is not possible for interrogative sentences which can only be used for request. It is admitted that echo-questions can repeat the previous statement which can be not only interrogative sentences but affirmative and negative ones partially and fully. It depends on the intention which is followed by the speaker. Echo-questions as linguistic phenomena are very important for communication because speakers can understand each other better. Researching of the pragmatic peculiarities of echo-questions is important for specification of dialogue speech.
Abstract: This article deals with researching of echo-questions. It is admitted that echo-questions are a pragmatic type of interrogative sentences where they can repeat a part or all of what someone has asked. And they are also a special form of interrogative statements. The purpose of the article is to point out the importance of the usage them in the dial...
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Research Article
Democracy, Infocracy and the Challenges of Algorithmization to Democratic Rhetoric: The Digital Narcissism and Colonialism
Narbal de Marsillac,
Emmanuel Pedro Ribeiro
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 6, November 2023
Pages:
215-224
Received:
6 February 2023
Accepted:
2 March 2023
Published:
26 December 2023
Abstract: The proposal is to establish, by the method of rhetorical rereading, the possible relations between what Han called infocracy, and its correlated complete digitization of life and the necessary and constitutive rhetoric of democratic practice in general, pointing to the important role that algorithms and the recent and sophisticated means of communication fulfill the constitution and manipulation of the subject and its process of subjectivation, no longer from the calculation of power over life, which Foucault called biopolitics, or even over death, which Mbembe defined as necropolitics, but rather, from an algorithmic calculation, complete, precise, and definitive, of power over human thought or desire and its capacity to dream, which Han called psychopolitics. In this new contemporary technology of governmentality, democratic governments and their rhetoric are late manifestations of the absolute control of information systems over our will that, now through an algorithmic rhetoric, subsumes that democratic rhetoric and turns citizens into consumers, artificially forging convenient understandings of ourselves and the world, reinforcing, at the same time, the narcissistic and self-centered appreciation of what is properly ours and the colonialist aversion to the other, naturalizing a superficial and inauthentic existence, where the criterion of value becomes how many "likes" or followers one can get. In this new “culture of likes", as Han called it, the libidinal energies move away from things and we start to live under the spell and fetish of information. Democracy here is only the delayed, fictional and hallucinatory rationalization and legitimization of an infocratic government that exercises its control from a digital panopticon.
Abstract: The proposal is to establish, by the method of rhetorical rereading, the possible relations between what Han called infocracy, and its correlated complete digitization of life and the necessary and constitutive rhetoric of democratic practice in general, pointing to the important role that algorithms and the recent and sophisticated means of commun...
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Research/Technical Note
Feature Specification, Underspecification, and Morphophonemic Process and Feature Geometry of Amharic Language
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 6, November 2023
Pages:
225-235
Received:
15 September 2023
Accepted:
20 October 2023
Published:
28 December 2023
Abstract: This research paper focused on the phonological processes of assimilation in the Amharic language. The objective of the study is to analyze the role of feature specification, underspecification, and morphophonemic processes in the phonological structure of Amharic. The paper provides ample examples from the language to illustrate different types of assimilation processes, such as gemination, palatalization, and labialization. Gemination, a notable assimilation process in Amharic, was examined in both lexical and morphological contexts. Lexically, the presence or absence of gemination distinguishes the meanings of words, as seen in the examples of /gäna/ meaning 'still' and /gänna/ meaning 'Christmas'. Morphologically, gemination occurs in verb conjugation, as demonstrated by /säbbärä/ meaning 'broke' and /wässädä/ meaning 'took'. Palatalization is another assimilation process discussed in the paper, although specific examples are not provided in the abstract. It likely involved the palatalization of consonants in certain contexts, influenced by `neighboring sounds. Labialization, the assimilation process involving lip rounding, is also mentioned in Amharic, /änbässä/ becomes [ämbässa], the phoneme /n/ in the phonetic representation of [m], /n/ comes before the bilabial sound /b/- is the plosive bilabial sound. The study adopted a qualitative approach and employed descriptive and analytical methods to analyze the phonological structure of Amharic. By systematically examining the phonological units, the author contributes to the understanding of the phonological structure of Amharic and its assimilation processes. The research enhances our knowledge of the phonological patterns of the Amharic language, shedding light on the role of feature specification, underspecification, and morphophonemic processes. It highlights gemination, palatalization, labialization, and other assimilation processes as significant factors shaping the phonological structure of Amharic. The findings contribute to the broader study of phonology and deepen our understanding of the Amharic language.
Abstract: This research paper focused on the phonological processes of assimilation in the Amharic language. The objective of the study is to analyze the role of feature specification, underspecification, and morphophonemic processes in the phonological structure of Amharic. The paper provides ample examples from the language to illustrate different types of...
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