A linguistic study of interview and conversation

The present thesis focuses on the overall structure of the language of two types of Speech Exchange Systems (SES) : Interview (INT) and Conversation (CON). The linguistic structure of INT and CON are quantitatively investigated on three different but interrelated levels of analysis : Lexis, Syntax and Information Structure. The corpus of data 1n vest1gated for the project consists of eight sessions of pairs of conversants in carefully planned interviews followed by unplanned, surreptitiously recorded conversational encounters of the same pairs of speakers. The data comprise a total of approximately 15.200 words of INT talk and of about 19.200 words in CON. Taking account of the debatable assumption that the language of SES might be complex on certain linguistic levels (e.g. syntax) (Halliday 1979) and might be simple on others (e.g. lexis) in comparison to written discourse, the thesis sets out to investigate this complexity using a statistical approach to the computation of the structures recurrent in the language of INT and CON. The findings indicate clearly the presence of linguistic complexity in both types. They also show the language of INT to be slightly more syntactically and lexically complex than that of CON. Lexical density seems to be relatively high in both types of spoken discourse. The language of INT seems to be more complex than that of CON on the level of information structure too. This is manifested in the greater use of Inferable and other linguistically complex entities of discourse. Halliday's suggestion that the language of SES is syntactically complex is confirmed but not the one that the more casual the conversation is the more syntactically complex it becomes. The results of the analysis point to the general conclusion that the linguistic complexity of types of SES is not only in the high recurrence of syntactic structures, but also in the combination of these features with each other and with other linguistic and extralinguistic features. The linguistic analysis of the language of SES can be useful in understanding and pinpointing the intricacies of spoken discourse in general and will help discourse analysts and applied linguists in exploiting it both for theoretical and pedagogical purposes.

A statistical comparison of regional phonetic and lexical variation in American English

This paper presents a statistical comparison of regional phonetic and lexical variation in American English. Both the phonetic and lexical datasets were first subjected to separate multivariate spatial analyses in order to identify the most common dimensions of spatial clustering in these two datasets. The dimensions of phonetic and lexical variation extracted by these two analyses were then correlated with each other, after being interpolated over a shared set of reference locations, in order to measure the similarity of regional phonetic and lexical variation in American English. This analysis shows that regional phonetic and lexical variation are remarkably similar in Modern American English.

A linguistic and semantic approach to the theory and practice of literary translation

This work explores the relevance of semantic and linguistic description to translation, theory and practice. It is aimed towards a practical model of approach to texts to translate. As literary texts [poetry mainly] are the focus of attention, so are stylistic matters. Note, however, that 'style', and, to some extent, the conclusions of the work, are not limited to so-called literary texts. The study of semantic description reveals that most translation problems do not stem from the cognitive (langue-related), but rather from the contextual (parole-related) aspects of meaning. Thus, any linguistic model that fails to account for the latter is bound to fall short. T.G.G. does, whereas Systemics, concerned with both the 'Iangue' and 'parole' (stylistic and sociolinguistic mainly) aspects of meaning, provides a useful framework of approach to texts to translate. Two essential semantic principles for translation are: that meaning is the property of a language (Firth); and the 'relativity of meaning assignments' (Tymoczko). Both imply that meaning can only be assessed, correctly, in the relevant socio-cultural background. Translation is seen as a restricted creation, and the translator's encroach as a three-dimensional critical one. To encompass the most technical to the most literary text, and account for variations in emphasis in any text, translation theory must be based on typology of function Halliday's ideational, interpersonal and textual, or, Buhler's symbol, signal, symptom, Functions3. Function Coverall and specific] will dictate aims and method, and also provide the critic with criteria to assess translation Faithfulness. Translation can never be reduced to purely objective methods, however. Intuitive procedures intervene, in textual interpretation and analysis, in the choice of equivalents, and in the reception of a translation. Ultimately, translation, theory and practice, may perhaps constitute the touchstone as regards the validity of linguistic and semantic theories.

From postgraduate student to published writer:discourse variation and development in TESOL

This thesis is part of a project whose overall aim is to assist participants on an MSc TESOL course who wish to begin to publish articles in the field to do so. The project, which is undertaken within a naturalistic paradigm, has two intimately related and mutually constitutive strands: one descriptive, one interventionist. The descriptive strand consists of an analytical model of the TESOL article genre, and it is instantiated in this thesis. The interventionist strand consists of a series of pedagogic interactions and materials intended to assist project participants formulate a text suitable for publication within the target genre, and it is reported on in this thesis. I begin the thesis by looking in detail at the research approach which characterises the project. I then attempt to explain the situational context of the work and to position it within the context of other research in the areas of discourse community membership, academic genres, genre learning and academic enculturation. Having thus contextualised the work, I next attempt a detailed exploration of the problems of postgraduate students in TESOL when first attempting to write in the TESOL article genre: this exploration is undertaken from both a linguistic and a pedagogic perspective. Then in subsequent chapters, both a linguistic and a pedagogic response to these problems are proposed: the first consisting of an analytical model of the target genre, the second consisting of a series of pedagogic interactions and materials. The relationships between the two lines of response are also examined in some detail. Then in the final part of the thesis, I report feedback from the interventionist strand and attempt to conduct an evaluation of the whole project to date. Criteria for evaluation are proposed and examined in some detail in the context of the research approach of the project. The concluding chapter is a brief discussion of future directions for this work.

Variation in hypothallus width and the growth of the lichen Rhizocarpon geographicum (L.) DC.

Variations in hypothallus width were studied in relation to radial growth in the lichen Rhizocarpon geographicum (L.) DC. in South Gwynedd, Wales, UK. Variations were present both within and between thalli and in successive three-month growth periods, but there was no significant variation associated with thallus size. In individual thalli, there were increases and reductions in hypothallus width in successive three-month growth periods attributable to hypothallus growth and changes at the margin of the areolae. Total radial growth over 18 months was positively correlated with initial hypothallus width. These results suggest: 1) individual thalli of similar size vary considerably in hypothallus width, 2) fluctuations in the location of the margin of the areolae in successive three month periods is an important factor determining this variability, 3) hypothallus width predicts subsequent radial growth over 18 months, and 4) variation in hypothallus; width is a factor determining between thallus variability in radial growth rates in yellow-green species of Rhizocarpon.

Genetic and environmentally derived variation in the cell wall composition of miscanthus and implications for thermo-chemical conversion

Fifteen Miscanthus genotypes grown in five locations across Europe were analysed to investigate the influence of genetic and environmental factors on cell wall composition. Chemometric techniques combining near infrared reflectance spectroscopy and conventional chemical analyses were used to construct calibration models for determination of acid detergent lignin, acid detergent fibre, and neutral detergent fibre from sample spectra. The developed equations were shown to predict cell wall components with a good degree of accuracy and significant genetic and environmental variation was identified. The influence of nitrogen and potassium fertiliser on the dry matter yield and cell wall composition of M. x giganteus was investigated. A detrimental affect on feedstock quality was observed to result from application of these inputs which resulted in an overall reduction in concentrations of cell wall components and increased accumulation of ash within the biomass. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and thermo-gravimetric analysis indicates that genotypes other than the commercially cultivated M. x giganteus have potential for use in energy conversion processes and in the bio-refining. The yields and quality parameters of the pyrolysis liquids produced from Miscanthus compared favourably with that produced from SRC willow and produced a more stable pyrolysis liquid with a higher lower heating value. Overall, genotype had a more significant effect on cell wall composition than environment. This indicates good potential for dissection of this trait by QTL analysis and also for plant breeding to produce new genotypes with improved feedstock characteristics for energy conversion.

Genotypic and environmentally derived variation in the cell wall composition of Miscanthus in relation to its use as a biomass feedstock

Fifteen Miscanthus genotypes grown in five locations across Europe were analysed to investigate the influence of genetic and environmental factors on cell wall composition. Chemometric techniques combining near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) and conventional chemical analyses were used to construct calibration models for determination of acid detergent lignin (ADL), acid detergent fibre (ADF), and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) from sample spectra. Results generated were subsequently converted to lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose content and used to assess the genetic and environmental variation in cell wall composition of Miscanthus and to identify genotypes which display quality traits suitable for exploitation in a range of energy conversion systems. The NIRS calibration models developed were found to predict concentrations with a good degree of accuracy based on the coefficient of determination (R2), standard error of calibration (SEC), and standard error of cross-validation (SECV) values. Across all sites mean lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose values in the winter harvest ranged from 76–115 g kg-1, 412–529 g kg-1, and 235–338 g kg-1 respectively. Overall, of the 15 genotypes Miscanthus x giganteus and Miscanthus sacchariflorus contained higher lignin and cellulose concentrations in the winter harvest. The degree of observed genotypic variation in cell wall composition indicates good potential for plant breeding and matching feedstocks to be optimised to different energy conversion processes.

Doctoral work in translation studies as an interdisciplinary mutual learning process:how a translator, teacher educator and linguistic typologist worked together

The focus of this paper is on the doctoral research training experienced by one of the authors and the ways in which the diverse linguistic and disciplinary perspectives of her two supervisors (co-authors of this paper) mediated the completion of her study. The doctoral candidate is a professional translator/interpreter and translation teacher. The paper describes why and how she identified her research area and then focused on the major research questions in collaboration with her two supervisors, who brought their differing perspectives from the field of linguistics to this translation research, even though they are not translators by profession or disciplinary background and do not speak Korean. In addition, the discussion considers the focus, purpose and theoretical orientation of the research itself (which addressed questions of readability in translated English-Korean texts through detailed analysis of a corpus and implications for professional translator training) as well as the supervisory and conceptual processes and practices involved. The authors contend that doctoral research of this kind can be seen as a mutual learning process and that inter-disciplinary research can make a contribution not only to the development of rigorous research in the field of translation studies but also to the other disciplinary fields involved.

Regional variation in written American English

The first study of its kind, Regional Variation in Written American English takes a corpus-based approach to map over a hundred grammatical alternation variables across the United States. A multivariate spatial analysis of these maps shows that grammatical alternation variables follow a relatively small number of common regional patterns in American English, which can be explained based on both linguistic and extra-linguistic factors. Based on this rigorous analysis of extensive data, Grieve identifies five primary modern American dialect regions, demonstrating that regional variation is far more pervasive and complex in natural language than is generally assumed. The wealth of maps and data and the groundbreaking implications of this volume make it essential reading for students and researchers in linguistics, English language, geography, computer science, sociology and communication studies.

Metaphor and translation:Some implications of a cognitive approach

Metaphor has been widely discussed within the discipline of Translation Studies, predominantly with respect to translatability and transfer methods. It has been argued that metaphors can become a translation problem, since transferring them from one language and culture to another one may be hampered by linguistic and cultural differences. A number of translation procedures for dealing with this problem have been suggested, e.g., substitution (metaphor into different metaphor), paraphrase (metaphor into sense), or deletion. Such procedures have been commented on both in normative models of translation (how to translate metaphors) and in descriptive models (how metaphors have been dealt with in actual translations). After a short overview of how metaphor has been dealt with in the discipline of Translation Studies, this paper discusses some implications of a cognitive approach to metaphors for translation theory and practice. Illustrations from authentic source and target texts (English and German, political discourse) show how translators handled metaphorical expressions, and what effects this had for the text itself, for text reception by the addressees, and for subsequent discursive developments. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All right reserved.

Solids mixing and segregation in a gas spout-fluid bed-effect of the distributor design

This work is concerned with the assessment of a newer version of the spout-fluid bed where the gas is supplied from a common plenum and the distributor controls the operational phenomenon. Thus the main body of the work deals with the effect of the distributor design on the mixing and segregation of solids in a spout-filled bed. The effect of distributor design in the conventional fluidised bed and of variation of the gas inlet diameter in a spouted bed were also briefly investigated for purpose of comparison. Large particles were selected for study because they are becoming increasingly important in industrial fluidised beds but have not been thoroughly investigated. The mean particle diameters of the fraction ranged from 550 to 2400 mm, and their specific gravity from 0.97 to 2.45. Only work carried out with binary systems is reported here. The effect of air velocity, particle properties, bed height, the relative amount of jetsam and flotsam and initial conditions on the steady-state concentration profiles were assessed with selected distributors. The work is divided into three sections. Sections I and II deal with the fluidised bed and spouted bed systems. Section III covers the development of the spout-filled bed and its behaviour with reference to distributor design and it is shown how benefits of both spouting and fluidising phenomena can be exploited. In the fluidisation zone, better mixing is achieved by distributors which produce a large initial bubble diameter. Some common features exist between the behaviour of unidensity jetsam-rich systems and different density flotsam-rich systems. The shape factor does not seem to have an affect as long as it is only restricted to the minor component. However, in the case of the major component, particle shape significantly affects the final results. Studies of aspect ratio showed that there is a maximum (1.5) above which slugging occurs and the effect of the distributor design is nullified. A mixing number was developed for unidensity spherical rich systems, which proved to be extremely useful in quantifying the variation in mixing and segregation with changes in distributor design.

The preparation of carbon fibres: a study of the physics and chemistry of the preparation of carbon fibres from acrylic precursors

High strength, high modulus carbon fibres are becoming increasingly important as high performance engineering materials. This thesis describes how they may be prepared by heat treatment from filaments spun from polyacrylonitrile and its copolymers. The chemistry of the first stages of heat treatment is very important in controlling the mechanical properties of the carbonised product. A cyclisation reaction has been found to be responsible for the relatively high thermal stability of pyrolysed polyacrylonitrile, but without oxidation the fibres degrade and fuse. An initial oxidation stage is, therefore, essential to the preparation of fibre of high orientation. The cyclised product of pyrolysis is probably a poly 1,4 dihydropiridine and oxidation converts this to aromatic structures, and cyclised structures containing carbonyl and other oxygenated groups. Oxidation is found to assist the carbon fibre preparation process, by producing a product which condenses at an earlier stage of heat treatment, before fusion can occur. Carbon fibre strength and modulus are dependent upon producing a highly oriented crystal structure. While oxidation of the polymer stabilises the fibre so as to prevent disorientation, further large increases in orientation, with a commensurate improvement in strength and modulus, can be obtained by stretching at temperatures above 1,700 °C. This process is analogous to the way fibre orientation is increased by the stretching of the precursor. A lamellar graphite structure can be created in high temperature fibre, by carefully controlling the degree of oxidation. This type of graphite can produce very high values of Young's modulus. More often, however, graphite fibre has a fibrillar fine structure, which is explicable in terms of continuous graphite ribbons. A ribbon model is the most satisfactory representation of the structure of carbon fibre, as it explains the mechanism of the development of long range order and the variation of Young's modulus with crystalline preferred orientation.