We propose a model of L2 phonological learning in which the acquisition of novel phonological category inventories proceeds not by mapping L2 inputs onto existing category inventories available in L1 and other already known languages, but rather through general categorization processes in which L1 and other language knowledge serves as an inductive bias. This approach views linguistic knowledge...

Title of Document: THE STRUCTURE OF COMPARISON: AN INVESTIGATION OF GRADABLE ADJECTIVES SCOTT FULTS, PHD, 2006 Directed By: DR. PAUL PIETROSKI, DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS This dissertation explores the syntax and semantics of positive and comparative gradable adjectives. A detailed study of intransitive (tall) and transitive (patient with Mary) adjectives is provided with special emphasis on phr...

although explicit and implicit knowledge of language learners are essential to theoretical and pedagogical debates in second language acquisition (sla), little research has addressed the effects of instructional interventions on the two knowledge types (r. ellis, 2005).this study examined the relative effectiveness of explicit and implicit types of form-focused instruction (ffi) on the acquisit...

OBJECTIVE Accurate representation of study findings is crucial to preserve public trust. The language used to describe results could affect perceptions of the efficacy or safety of interventions. We sought to compare the adjectives used in clinical trial reports of industry-authored and non-industry-authored research. METHODS We included studies in PubMed that were randomized trials and had a...

The aim of this study is to examine the advantages of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL), especially vocabulary learning of English as a foreign or second language (L2) in terms of the two strands: automatization and learner autonomy. Previous studies articulate that technology-enhanced L2 learning could bring about some positive effects. The use of technological functions in a mobile dev...

This paper describes ongoing work towards a computational model for the analysis of gradable adjectives, including dimensional/evaluative adjectives, modifiers, and comparative and incommensurable adjectives. The approach is based on a representation of conceptual comparison classes and a flexible construction of scales. Input sentences are compositionally analysed by means of the λ-calculus. F...

Title of Document: USING NEW MEASURES OF IMPLICIT L2 KNOWLEDGE TO STUDY THE INTERFACE OF EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT KNOWLEDGE Yuichi Suzuki, Doctor of Philosophy, 2015 Directed By: Dr. Robert M. DeKeyser, Second Language Acquisition Second language acquisition (SLA) becomes extremely difficult for late second language (L2) learners, who are assumed to have passed the sensitive or critical period for...

Language has an intrinsically evaluative and communicative function. Words can serve to describe emotional traits and states in others and communicate evaluations. Using electroencephalography (EEG), we investigate how the cerebral processing of emotional trait adjectives is modulated by their perceived communicative sender in anticipation of an evaluation. 16 students were videotaped while the...