The practices of multiple other-initiated repair in online second language interaction

IPhD ThesisIn adopting the Conversation Analysis approach as the theoretical framework for this study, this thesis seeks to investigate the multiple other-repair initiation practices that target the same trouble source in second language interactions between L1-L2 and L2-L2 speakers of English. The concept of multiple other-repair initiation in this study is defined as a series of other-repair initiations (ORIs) that are repeatedly generated to address the same trouble source. A review of the existing literature has revealed that the phenomenon of ‗multiples‘ has received little attention. In light of this, this research aims to provide insight into this particular area of research where the dataset for the study comprises either one-to-one or three-party interaction between unacquainted individuals. In order to achieve this, the interactions were conducted using a ‗video chat‘ application of the social networking site Google Plus Hangouts, and the data were video/audio recorded using screen recorder software, Camtasia. All of the Google Hangouts (i.e. video chat rooms) for this study were created1 and online invitations sent to a random four2 participants from selected communities3 by the researcher one week prior to the original day of recording the Hangout session. During the actual event, the researcher was not present or involved in the interaction, all the sessions were recorded by three participants and ―none of [them] had any prior knowledge of, and connection with present study‖ (Jenks, 2014:158). At the start of each chat session, most of the participants were unacquainted with each other and they had joined chat rooms for the purpose of practising their spoken English. Participants in this study were L1 speakers of English from the UK and US and L2 speakers were from different backgrounds.Through analysis of multiple other-initiated repair sequences in English L1-L2 and L2-L2 interactions which took place in an online video chat and out of classroom context, attempts have been focused to explicate the following: 1) factors that trigger multiples, 2) repeated attempts of repair operations that have been employed to restore the same trouble source and achieve mutual understanding and, lastly, 3) to explore the types of action that this practice accomplishes. Close examination of interactions between unacquainted participants in this online setting reveals that multiples have been triggered, not only as a result of linguistic competence (in the case of L2 speakers) or understanding (in the case of L1 speakers), but also as a result of sequential problems and social actions. Analysis also shows that there are recognisable differences between L1 and L2 speakers in terms of the practices in multiple other-initiated repair. In other words, L1 and L2 speakers display different preferences to indicate the types of trouble in their interlocutors‘ prior turn. The L1 speakers seem to have a preference to indicate the problem as hearing rather than a problem in understanding or speaking. This preference has been demonstrated by using some distinctive features, such as ‗apology-based format‘ in the repair initiation. In contrast, the L2 speakers tend to show a preference of displaying all the types of trouble they encountered in their co-participants‘ utterances. Their preference has been associated with exposing the trouble source, not only through employing repeated attempts of other-repair initiations, but also through offering multiple solutions that treat the trouble as understanding. This suggests that there are different interactional goals; that is, while the L2 speakers‘ goals are to exploit the multiple repair sequences as interactional resources in order to accomplish some linguistic functions, as well as interactional goals, the L1 speakers‘ goal is to focus on subject matter. Finally, when talk failed to solve problems, participants employed the interactional resources (affordance) available in this online setting to address the trouble source through written means, even though shifting the current interactional mode was not always the preferred method to repair by the speaker of the trouble source turn. Thus, the findings of this thesis have implications for English teaching materials and also add to L2 interactions in the out of classroom context

Twits, Toxic Tweets, and Tribal Tendencies: Trends in Politically Polarized Posts on Twitter

Social media platforms are often blamed for exacerbating political polarization and worsening public dialogue. Many claim hyperpartisan users post pernicious content, slanted to their political views, inciting contentious and toxic conversations. However, what factors, actually contribute to increased online toxicity and negative interactions? In this work, we explore the role that political ideology plays in contributing to toxicity both on an individual user level and a topic level on Twitter. To do this, we train and open-source a DeBERTa-based toxicity detector with a contrastive objective that outperforms the Google Jigsaw Persective Toxicity detector on the Civil Comments test dataset. Then, after collecting 187 million tweets from 55,415 Twitter users, we determine how several account-level characteristics, including political ideology and account age, predict how often each user posts toxic content. Running a linear regression, we find that the diversity of views and the toxicity of the other accounts with which that user engages has a more marked effect on their own toxicity. Namely, toxic comments are correlated with users who engage with a wider array of political views. Performing topic analysis on the toxic content posted by these accounts using the large language model MPNet and a version of the DP-Means clustering algorithm, we find similar behavior across 6,592 individual topics, with conversations on each topic becoming more toxic as a wider diversity of users become involved

Talking it up! Project report : Aboriginal voices in the formulation of health policy that works : short report

Initially, there were three separate strands to the work of the project: a series of forums involving group interviews/discussions with community members; a policy analysis that reviewed policies relating to Aboriginal health at federal and state level; and a literature review. The results of these three separate strands of analysis were then brought together in a fourth strand to the work, a process involving community members to discuss and agree the overall recommendations contained in this report.Through this structure, the project employed a participatory methodology as the basis for individual and collective empowerment in relation to health outcomes. As mentioned above, the need for the project was identified by Aboriginal people, through their own processes of healing. The need was presented by appropriate figures within their communities, namely community elders. They invited other Aboriginal people to take part through their own communication channels, thus ensuring that responsibility for engagement in the project, and in formulating action for improvement, remained with Aboriginal people and their families. However, the project design also recognised that Aboriginal people exist within broader structural and policy constraints which impact on their ability to manage their own lives successfully or otherwise. Thus the project sought to combine indigenous and non-indigenous knowledge through bringing together the three strands of work in the way described.A Community Reference Group guided the work of the project at all stages, endorsed the findings and drafted the recommendations. The two elders who had identified the need for the project formed the core of the group, and worked on the project from start to finish. At different times during the project, other community members joined the group to assist in its work, including training Aboriginal researchers, letting others know about the forums, discussing findings and drafting recommendations.<br /

The private sector : Can zero deforestation commitments save tropical forests?

Key messages • There are three approaches to private sector commitments on zero deforestation: individual company or group-level adoption of voluntary standards; sector-wide supply chain-based interventions; and mixed supply chain and territorial initiatives at jurisdictional level. • The main implementation challenges of these approaches are the limits of voluntary standards, traceability systems that are difficult to implement, selective actions that cannot deliver at scale, associated leakage effects, and persistence of segmented supply chains. • Approaches have evolved to deal with such challenges, however progress requires committed companies to increase implementation efforts, other supply chain actors to adhere to commitments, and governments to harness the potential of jurisdictional approaches.Peer reviewe

Teaching through culture in the K-12 classroom

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2018This study explores how quality experienced teachers use culture to successfully deliver K-12 classroom instruction. Additionally, it develops and tests the effectiveness of a resource designed to instruct early career teachers on the use of culture to deliver classroom instruction. Research was conducted in two phases over a four-year time frame (2014-2017). The study followed a mixed methods exploratory sequential design, using a participatory action research approach. Phase 1 gathered qualitative data from 20 experienced teachers located in two states, which were analyzed using constructed grounded theory. The results of this analysis, accompanied by a literature review, resulted in the development of a Chapter about Culture (CAC), an instructional resource on teaching through culture for early career teachers. Phase 2 gathered quantitative data using a Checklist of Classroom Inventory (CCI) from eight Alaska early career teachers and one Montana experienced teacher, and were analyzed by averaging the pre/post CAC scores and comparing the differences. In addition, one open-ended question after use of CAC provided additional qualitative data about the resourcefulness of CAC, as well as the process for implementing the lessons. Phase 1 results revealed five common themes when teaching through culture: Relationships, Communication, Connections, Respect, and Multicultural Resources. These themes contributed to the construction of a value-added theory of practice for teaching through culture, and served as the basis of the CAC. Phase 2 results demonstrated growth by early career teachers after using the newly created CAC in all five themes of teaching through culture

Kujuteldavate globaalsete kogukondade loomine. Venekeelse auditooriumi orientaliseerimine rahvusvahelises meedias ja auditooriumi enesepositsioneerimine selle suhtes

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneHeidi Erbsen uurib oma doktoritöös, kuidas inglise- ja venekeelne rahvusvaheline meedia räägib venekeelse lugejaskonnaga ja samast lugejaskonnast erinevates riikides. Uuurimismaterjal on kogutud ja analüüsitud enne Venemaa täiemahulist sissetungi Ukrainasse. Eesti-Venemaa piirilinnast Narvast ning selle elanikest kirjutati rahvusvahelises inglisekeelses meedias aastatel 2015-2018 (st pärast Krimmi hõivamist Venemaa poolt ja enne täiemahulist sissetungi Ukrainasse 2022. aastal) orientaliseerival viisil, see tähendab loodi püsivaid stereotüüpe. Rahvusvaheliste venekeelsete uudiste illustratsioonidena kasutati stereotüüpseid pilte nagu Vladimir Putin, matrjoškad, Lenini kuju, tekstis kujutati seda kui konfliktipiirkonda Venemaa ja Lääne vahel. Samal ajal narvakad ei võtnud seda kujutusviisi omaks ning rääkisid oma kodulinnast kui ajalooliselt Rootsi ja Hansalinnast, tänasest Ida ja Lääne kohtumiskohast. Yandexi algoritmi poolt pakutud uudissisu Venemaal, Eestis, Lätis ja USAs on erinev, mis näitab, et Venemma kontrollitud infovood on üsna killustunud. Rahvusvahelise uudismeedia toodetud kujutluspilt ei väljenda ajalooliselt, poliitiliselt või kultuuriliselt aktuaalseid teemasid kohalike venekelsete auditooriumide jaoks piisava nüansirikkusega. Seega rahvusvaheline meedia, mis peaks ideaalis olema väga paindlik, seda tegelikult ei ole. Vene keelt kõnelevate vähemusgruppidele eri riikides pakutakse uudissisu ja kujutluspilti venekeelsest auditooriumist, mis ei kujuta tõepäraselt inimesi (inglisekeelne sisu) ega kõneta neid (venekeelne sisu). Eesti venekeelne auditoorium suhestub aga rohkem kohalikest allikatest tuleva informatsiooniga ning vähem uudistega, mida Yandexi algoritm Eesti venekeelse lugeja jaoks pakub. Veelgi vähem huvitavad kohalikke venenekeelseid lugejaid Venemaa lugeja jaoks pakutavad uudised, sest need jäävad kaugeks.The dissertation The making of ‘Imagined Global Communities’: the ‘orientation’ and ‘orientalization’ of Russian speaking audiences considers how international online media in English and Russian reports about and to Russian speaking audiences in different countries. The author shows how the city of Narva, Estonia (a city on the border with Russia) was reported on in international English news media from 2015-2018 (after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022). This reporting used fixed and stereotyped images of the city, such as pictures of Vladimir Putin, Russian nesting dolls, the statue of Lenin, etc., as a starting point to discuss larger international conflict between Russia and the West and demonstrate that Russia is an ominous and real threat. At the same time, from interviews with local Russian speakers in Narva in 2018, the author understood how residents worked to ‘slightly correct’ the way their city was represented: rather than being a historically Russian city, it is a city with a Swedish and Hanseatic past, and instead of a place for future conflict, Narva is a potential bridge between the East and West or a place for “a handshake or even a hug between Russia and Europe”. In investigating how Russian news media generated by the Yandex News algorithm reports based on the country filters for Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and the USA the author also found several differences in reporting to confirm that the Russian information space, even that controlled by the Russian Federation, was, as of 2019 quite fractured. Interviews with local Russian speakers in different cities in Estonia further showed how Russian speaking audiences in Estonia connect mostly with local information (shared by peers or known sources), to a lesser extent with content generated for Estonia, and lease of all with content from Russia which seemed rather ‘distant’ for respondents. Keeping in mind that this research took place before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this thesis sheds a great deal of light on how communication between international news media and increasingly diverse audiences, including Russian speaking minorities in Estonia, continues to operate in times leading up to larger international conflict.https://www.ester.ee/record=b556115

Music and Digital Media

Anthropology has neglected the study of music. Music and Digital Media shows how and why this should be redressed. It does so by enabling music to expand the horizons of digital anthropology, demonstrating how the field can build interdisciplinary links to music and sound studies, digital/media studies, and science and technology studies. Music and Digital Media is the first comparative ethnographic study of the impact of digital media on music worldwide. It offers a radical and lucid new theoretical framework for understanding digital media through music, showing that music is today where the promises and problems of the digital assume clamouring audibility. The book contains ten chapters, eight of which present comprehensive original ethnographies; they are bookended by an authoritative introduction and a comparative postlude. Five chapters address popular, folk, art and crossover musics in the global South and North, including Kenya, Argentina, India, Canada and the UK. Three chapters bring the digital experimentally to the fore, presenting pioneering ethnographies of anextra-legal peer-to-peer site and the streaming platform Spotify, a series of prominent internet-mediated music genres, and the first ethnography of a global software package, the interactive music platform Max. The book is unique in bringing ethnographic research on popular, folk, art and crossover musics from the global North and South into a comparative framework on a large scale, and creates an innovative new paradigm for comparative anthropology. It shows how music enlarges anthropology while demanding to be understood with reference to classic themes of anthropological theory. Praise for Music and Digital Media ‘Music and Digital Media is a groundbreaking update to our understandings of sound, media, digitization, and music. Truly transdisciplinary and transnational in scope, it innovates methodologically through new models for collaboration, multi-sited ethnography, and comparative work. It also offers an important defense of—and advancement of—theories of mediation.’ Jonathan Sterne, Communication Studies and Art History, McGill University 'Music and Digital Media is a nuanced exploration of the burgeoning digital music scene across both the global North and the global South. Ethnographically rich and theoretically sophisticated, this collection will become the new standard for this field.' Anna Tsing, Anthropology, University of California at Santa Cruz 'The global drama of music's digitisation elicits extreme responses – from catastrophe to piratical opportunism – but between them lie more nuanced perspectives. This timely, absolutely necessary collection applies anthropological understanding to a deliriously immersive field, bringing welcome clarity to complex processes whose impact is felt far beyond what we call music.' David Toop, London College of Communication, musician and writer ‘Spanning continents and academic disciplines, the rich ethnographies contained in Music and Digital Media makes it obligatory reading for anyone wishing to understand the complex, contradictory, and momentous effects that digitization is having on musical cultures.’ Eric Drott, Music, University of Texas, Austin ‘This superb collection, with an authoritative overview as its introduction, represents the state of the art in studies of the digitalisation of music. It is also a testament to what anthropology at its reflexive best can offer the rest of the social sciences and humanities.’ David Hesmondhalgh, Media and Communication, University of Leeds ‘This exciting volume forges new ground in the study of local conditions, institutions, and sounds of digital music in the Global South and North. The book’s planetary scope and its commitment to the “messiness” of ethnographic sites and concepts amplifies emergent configurations and meanings of music, the digital, and the aesthetic.’ Marina Peterson, Anthropology, University of Texas, Austi

Music and Digital Media: A planetary anthropology

Anthropology has neglected the study of music. Music and Digital Media shows how and why this should be redressed. It does so by enabling music to expand the horizons of digital anthropology, demonstrating how the field can build interdisciplinary links to music and sound studies, digital/media studies, and science and technology studies. Music and Digital Media is the first comparative ethnographic study of the impact of digital media on music worldwide. It offers a radical and lucid new theoretical framework for understanding digital media through music, showing that music is today where the promises and problems of the digital assume clamouring audibility. The book contains ten chapters, eight of which present comprehensive original ethnographies; they are bookended by an authoritative introduction and a comparative postlude. Five chapters address popular, folk, art and crossover musics in the global South and North, including Kenya, Argentina, India, Canada and the UK. Three chapters bring the digital experimentally to the fore, presenting pioneering ethnographies of an extra-legal peer-to-peer site and the streaming platform Spotify, a series of prominent internet-mediated music genres, and the first ethnography of a global software package, the interactive music platform Max. The book is unique in bringing ethnographic research on popular, folk, art and crossover musics from the global North and South into a comparative framework on a large scale, and creates an innovative new paradigm for comparative anthropology. It shows how music enlarges anthropology while demanding to be understood with reference to classic themes of anthropological theory