scholarly journals Transfer at the level of argument structure or morphology: a comparative study of English and Persian unaccusative and unergative verbs

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzaneh Dehghan ◽  
Reza Rezvani
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Argument Structure ◽  
Proficiency Test ◽  
Forced Choice ◽  
Morphological Markers ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Structure Level ◽  
Unaccusative Verbs ◽  
Verb Categories

Abstract Transitivity alternation refers to the causative/inchoative alternation of some unaccusative verbs. Different languages use different patterns to show transitivity alternation morphologically. While some languages like English use zero or no overt lexical marking, other languages (e.g. Spanish, Turkish, and Japanese) use overt morphological markers to show transitivity. This study aims to investigate the degree to which similarities and/or mismatches between English and Persian influence the use of unaccusative and unergative verbs by Persianspeaking learners of English. Based on different verb types in English and Persian, seven verb categories were identified as the basis for comparison. A forced-choice elicitation test including 48 items was developed based on these seven verb categories. A proficiency test was also used to divide participants (116 undergraduate students of English) into high and low proficiency groups. The results revealed findings more in line with transfer at the morphological rather than the argument structure level (Montrul, 2000). Alternating unaccusatives with similar equivalent structures for transitive/intransitive pairs in Persian and non-alternating unaccusatives with different structures for transitive/intransitive pairs in Persian seem to be the most difficult verb categories for learners. The effect of proficiency level was also significant on the recognition of correct structures.

Why is this happened? Passive morphology and unaccusativity

1997 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Balcom
Keyword(s):  
Argument Structure ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Past Participle ◽  
Production Task ◽  
Syntactic Rule ◽  
English Writing ◽  
The Past ◽  
Linguistic Representations ◽  
Unaccusative Verbs

Zobl discussed inappropriate passive morphology (‘be’ and the past participle) in the English writing of L2 learners, linking its occurrence to the class of unaccusative verbs and proposing that learners subsume unaccusatives under the syntactic rule for passive formation. The research reported here supports and amplifies Zobl' proposal, based on a grammaticality judgement task and a controlled production task containing verbs from a variety of subclasses of unaccusatives. The tasks were administered to Chinese L1 learners of English and a control group of English native speakers. Results show that subjects both used and judged as grammatical inappropriate passive morphology with all verbs falling under the rubric of unaccusativity. The article concludes with linguistic representations which maintain Zobl’s insights but are consistent with current theories of argument structure.

scholarly journals Predicate union and the syntax of Japanese passives

1997 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
STANLEY DUBINSKY
Keyword(s):  
Argument Structure ◽  
Case Marking ◽  
Unaccusative Verbs

This paper presents a relational account of the Japanese constructions that are commonly referred to as ‘passives’. They are shown to all be multipredicate, monoclausal constructions, with the differences between them primarily attributable to optionality in the lexical argument structure of the ‘passive’ predicate. The proposed analysis explains the differences between passives and causatives, despite their sometimes identical case-marking. Further, evidence from the interaction of unaccusative verbs and passive is shown to lead to a formal revision of the 1-Advancement Exclusiveness law. Finally, the differences between Japanese and Korean with respect to passives is reduced to a simple lexical difference between the two languages.

scholarly journals The effect of English Non-Modal Operators on Proficiency and Performance of Undergraduate Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 271-281
Author(s):  
Khalid ◽  
Ghani Rahman ◽  
Abdul Hamid
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Proficiency Test ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Model Operator ◽  
Undergraduate Level ◽  
Modal Operators ◽  
Idiomatic Expressions ◽  
Convenience Sampling ◽  
And Performance

This study focuses on the problems posed by the English non-modal operators to the undergraduate level students of Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan. The data was collected from hundred students selected through non-random and convenience sampling technique. A proficiency test was used as a tool for data collection. The test was focused on all the uses of non-modal operators. The results show that some of these problems were caused by the intervention of some of grammatical concepts like tense, aspect, back shifting and voice. While some grammatical operations like negation, interrogation and insertion/omission had no role and so were found comparatively easy. These operators when used after wh-word such as when, while, before and if posed difficulty for the subjects. Similarly, different forms such as non-tensed form and uses such as dynamic and non-dynamic of non-modal operators were also problematic for the subjects. The highest frequency of error was found in the use of non-model operator for emphasis and surprise. However, the degree of difficulty posed by non-modal operators in idiomatic expressions was not significant.

scholarly journals Cross-Sectional Study of Refusal Speech Act Used by Iraqi Undergraduate Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-173
Author(s):  
Hutheifa Y. Turki ◽  
Juma’a Q. Hussein ◽  
Ahmed A. Al-Kubaisy
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Arabic And English ◽  
Refusal Strategies

This paper is conducted to investigate how Iraqi EFL learners refuse different speech acts across different proficiency levels. It aims to examine the most appropriate strategies used by 2nd year students of English as compared to those of 4th year when refusing their interlocutors' invitation, suggestion, and offer. WDCT questionnaire was used to collect data from 40 Iraqi undergraduate students of English: 20 2nd year and 20 4th year. Adopting Beebe et al.'s (1990) theory of refusal, data collected was analyzed quantitatively using statistical analysis. The findings revealed that the 2nd year students of English were more frequent in using direct refusals than their 4th year counterparts. This means the latter were more aware of using refusals politely than the former. On the other hand, the findings showed that 4th year students more frequent in their use of indirect refusal strategies that the 2nd year students. This indicates that the EFL learners of low proficiency level might not bridge the gap between the pragmalinguistic strategies and the grammatical form of the target language. This means that they were not pragmatically competent of the use of the appropriate pragmalinguistic strategies. This implies that the 2nd year students need to pay more attention to pragmatics and use their refusal strategies appropriately. Thus, the paper recommends conducting further research on the use of refusal speech act in Arabic and English.

scholarly journals El inglés en la medicina académica peruana

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
José Vásquez-Villalobos ◽  
Ricardo Vergara-Polo ◽  
Marioli Farro-Maldonado ◽  
Glenda Gutiérrez-Pérez ◽  
Adriana Herrera-Guzmán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Medical Programs ◽  
De Medicina

Estimado editor:Después de leer con satisfacción el artículo “English proficiency level in Colombian undergraduate students of medical programs”,1 publicado por su distinguida revista y con cuyas conclusiones concordamos, quisiéramos profundizar en el tema y resaltar algunos aspectos mencionados en dicho editorial.Como mencionan Alonso et al.,1 ese es el primer estudio en Colombia que evidencia que más del 20% de graduados de las diferentes facultades de medicina poseen un nivel intermedio o alto en inglés. Este porcentaje debe ser mejorado no solo en Colombia, sino también en otros países de Latinoamérica como Perú, ya que, a pesar de que el español es el idioma oficial en la mayoría de países de la región, el dominio del inglés optimizaría el uso de herramientas útiles para el estudiante de medicina en relación con el desarrollo tecnológico y la investigación.2

scholarly journals A Comparative Study of Students’ Happiness Levels and Thinking Styles in Physical Education and Sport Teaching, and Other Departments, in Turkey

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Emre Ozan Tingaz ◽  
Muhsin Hazar ◽  
Hacer Ozge Baydar ◽  
Belgin Gokyurek ◽  
Temel Cakıroglu
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Study Design ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Counseling Students ◽  
Need For Cognition ◽  
Thinking Styles ◽  
Significant Relation ◽  
Convenience Sampling

The objectives of this research were to compare the happiness and thinking styles of undergraduate students in the Physical Education and Sports Teaching Department and different departments, and to examine the relations between the students’ happiness levels and their thinking styles. Using the correlational study design 661, undergraduate students were determined by a convenience sampling method. Participants were selected in terms of being easily accessible from Gazi University, which is located in the Ankara province, Turkey. The analysis indicated that the Department of Physical Education and Sports Teaching students' average level of happiness was significantly higher than in some other departments. However, the Department of Physical Education and Sports Teaching students' need for cognition was not significantly different from the students from other departments. Physical Education and Sports Teaching students' faith in intuition was significantly higher than the Department of Guidance and Psychological Counseling students’. Besides, the happiness levels and thinking styles did not differ significantly by gender. There was a positive correlation between their faith in intuition and happiness. However, there was no significant relation between their happiness levels and need for cognition, nor need for cognition and their faith in intuition. 

An Experiment-Based Comparative Study between Mechanical Testing and Artificial Testing for Putonghua Proficiency Test

2011 ◽  
Vol 88-89 ◽  
pp. 668-673
Author(s):  
Lan Jiang ◽  
Xiao Nong Wang ◽  
Hong Chao Liu ◽  
Chuan Dong Zhang ◽  
Shi Yong Kang
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Mechanical Testing ◽  
Proficiency Test ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

This paper attempts to research the main differences between mechanical testing and artificial testing for Putonghua Proficiency Test by comparing the data acquired through experiments, with an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the two testing forms respectively. The findings may serve as a reference for future efforts to make Putonghua Proficiency Test more standard, scientific, and modernized.

scholarly journals A Comparative Study on the Application of Quality Assessment Schemes in Academic and Construction Industries

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2.12) ◽  
pp. 425
Author(s):  
M Balasubramanian ◽  
Senthil Selvan.S ◽  
V R.Prasath Kumar ◽  
Mahadevan S
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Implementation Evaluation ◽  
Literature Reviews ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Engineering Department

In this study, the development of professionalism of undergraduate students of civil engineering is essential to face the challenges in the modern world and this study describes professional internship program for each semester in the civil engineering department at SRM Institute of Science and Technology. Based upon literature reviews of the professional internship program for each semester questionnaires are prepared and given to faculties, undergraduates of SRM Institute of Science and Technology and also get from the construction contractors, to predict issues in the traditional professional internship program. For undergraduates questionnaires consider weighted percentage of before and after professional internship program are Wb and Wa. The expert groups were utilized to planning, implementation, evaluation, and execution of the professional internship program at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology. An implementation of the professional internship program for each semester of undergraduate students of the civil engineering department at SRM Institute of Science and Technology. The outcomes obtained for civil engineering undergraduates are getting from valuable resources, that professional internship program for each semester is needed undergraduates to develop the carrier and gain knowledge and should create best civil engineers.   

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