A Note on Ontology Localization

We revisit the notion of ontology localization, propose a new definition and clearly specify the layers of an ontology that can be affected by the process of localizing it. We also work out a number of dimensions that allow to characterize the type of ontology localization performed and to predict the layers that will be affected. Overall our aim is to contribute to a better understanding of the task of localizing an ontology

Separated by a common currency? Evidence from the Euro changeover

We study the price convergence of goods and services in the euro area in 2001-2002. To measure the degree of convergence, we compare the prices of around 220 items in 32 European cities. The width of the border is the price di¤erence attributed to the fact that the two cities are in different countries. We find that the 2001 European borders are negative, which suggests that the markets were very integrated before the euro changeover. Moreover, we do not identify an integration effect attributable to the introduction of the euro. We then explore the determinants of the European borders. We find that different languages, wealth and population differences tend to split the markets. Historical inflation, though, tends to lead to price convergence.Euro, economic integration

Strategies and interlanguage pragmatics: Explicit and comprehensive

Explicit instruction in strategies for interlanguage pragmatic learning is fundamental to the development of a comprehensive set of pragmatic abilities in the target language. In this article, we begin by providing an overview of previous work in the area of language learner strategies directed at the teaching and learning of pragmatics. We then offer an extension of Cohen’s (2005, 2014) framework of strategies for learning, using, and evaluating the use of interlanguage pragmatics in four domains: knowledge, analysis, subjectivity, and awareness (Sykes, Malone, Forrest, & Sadgic, forthcoming). Examples from current projects are provided to exemplify the critical importance of a strategies-based approach to the teaching and learning of interlanguage pragmatics. The article concludes with ideas for future research and implementation

The hierarchical effects of employee choice of language: The role of customer bilingualism and self-concept clarity

The impact of the choice of language is continuously widening and deepening in different socio-political contexts due to globalization and multiculturalism (Heller, 2010). A nascent stream of research (Zolfagharian, Hasan, & Iyer, 2017) also suggests that, in multicultural service encounters, employee choice of language affects customer perceived interaction quality, which in turn influences a host of outcome constructs germane to service researchers. Therefore, this dissertation focuses on how employee choice of language works in customer mind and shapes their attitude toward service interaction and the service itself. The exploration of this underlying psychological mechanism is expected to provide answers to the queries on whether and to what extent language matters in bilingual service interactions. This dissertation specifically identifies cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of customer attitude where employee choice of language may exert influence. Besides, this research studies how employee choice of language evokes positive and negative routes of attitudes. This study also conceptualizes and tests how customer bilingualism and self-concept clarity play a role in directing customers toward these alternative routes of attitudes through their interplay with employee choice of language. To conduct this study, a scenario-based between-subjects experiment of 3 (employee choice and use of language: adheres to, adapts to, and ignores) x 2 (customer preference: two languages spoken in a bilingual service context) is conducted to capture the effects of employee choice of language on customer attitudes. The experiment is conducted on Mexican-Americans who are eighteen years or older and who have a preference for English or Spanish in the specific service context. The results support in general the proposed conceptual model and reveal the impact of employee choice of language in triggering both positive and negative attitudes. Self-concept clarity moderates the effect of employee choice of language on cognitive attitudes. However, the effect of positive and negative affect on customer behavior shows a negativity bias of employee choice of language. Unlike negative affect, positive affect does not influence customer behavior

Exploring and Assessing Intercultural Competence

The Federation of The Experiment in International Living (FEIL) has now completed its first international research effort – a one and a half year project designed to explore and assess the impact of intercultural experiences provided through service projects conducted as part of the Federation’s Volunteers in International Partnerships program. This research project, titled Exploring and Assessing Intercultural Competence, involved two sending and one receiving Member Organizations: Great Britain, Switzerland, and Ecuador. The project was made possible through a funding grant obtained from the Center for Social Development of the Global Service Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri

Code-Switching in Spoken Indian English: A Case Study of Sociopolitical Talk

In India, the prevalence of (Indian) English and code-switching between languages is not new. However, there has been a dearth of research that explores code-switching in Indian English (IE) within the genre of sociopolitical talk in Indian English tv talk shows. The current study is a part of a larger longitudinal study that analyzes code-switching patterns across the previous decade in Indian English tv talk shows and is the first in the series of follow-up studies. This study qualitatively examines an episode of an Indian English tv talk show to determine code-switching (CS) patterns and functions in IE. The study employed linguistic analysis, Meyerhoff’s (2007) accommodation theory, Sacks, Schegloff, and Jeferrson’s (1974) conversation analysis methodology, and a world Englishes framework to discover the forms, functions, and motivations of CS in an English matrix context. Findings confirm Si’s (2010) results that speakers preferred higher number of English alternations and insertions than Hindi code-switches, while Hindi-only turns were relatively few. Functions of analyzed code-switches also indicated intentions to reformulate, repeat, quote, connect with or diverge from other interlocutors, and generate emphasis in discourse. The study concludes with implications for Indian English and avenues for future research

Collaborative Classrooms: Incorporating Pragmatics and Technology in Language Learning with a Focus on Generation 1.5

This portfolio is a compilation of work that the author accomplished during the Master of Second Language Teaching program at Utah State University (USU). It reflects the culmination of the author’s learning and teaching experiences during her coursework and as a graduate teaching assistant (GTA) in the Intensive English Language Institute (IELI). The portfolio contains three main sections: teaching perspectives, research perspectives, and an annotated bibliography. In the first section the author explains her desired professional environment, her philosophy of teaching, as well as insights from language classroom observations she will incorporate into her teaching. The research perspectives section consists of two papers which detail areas that are of special interest to the author within the fields of English as a Second Language and English as a Foreign Language. Last, in the annotated bibliography, research on the role of technology in vocabulary instruction is reviewed and discussed

A comparative study of the phenomenon of false friends in SMG and CSG

The present dissertation examines the phenomenon of false friends presenting the evolution of research regarding the same, the theoretical background (definition, linguistic levels involved, total vs. partial, reasons of emergence, the mechanism of borrowing and its importance, etc.) and the practical side of problems caused in communication due to their existence. The aim of the dissertation is not only to present false friends as a linguistic occurrence between languages (interlinguistic false friends) and its many facets, but mainly in delimitating the existence of false friends at the intralinguistic level, namely between varieties of the same language. The thesis presents the specialized case of false friends between two varieties of Modern Greek, i.e. Standard Modern Greek (SMG) and Cypriot (Standard) Greek. The first variety is used in Greece whereas the second in Cyprus and the sociolinguistic situation that characterizes the two varieties is described, in order to clarify the lack of awareness as regards the existence of the phenomenon. Apart from the theoretical background for the phenomenon and the specifics of the specific intralinguistic faux amis, hte thesis boasts the presentation and analysis of 194 false friends between the two varieties of Mordern Greek. The 194 pairs appear as lemmas in Greek accompanied by phonetic transcription, exclusive SMG or C(S)G meanings, as well as common meanings (where there are), real examples of usage in the Cypriot context and an analysis that attempts to explain their provenance and relation

The effect of culture in forming e-loyalty intentions: A cross-cultural analysis between Argentina and Spain

In order to increase their markets, many companies are starting e-commerce internationalization processes that involve dealing with cultural differences among countries. Although most firms start internationalization strategies to similar countries, previous research has mainly focused on understanding expansion to countries with a great cultural distance. This study analyzes the relevance of culture in the formation of e-loyalty intentions in Argentina and Spain, two countries with slight cultural differences. Specifically, culture is proposed as a moderator of e-service quality and satisfaction effects on e-loyalty intentions. Results confirm that the influence of e-service quality on e-loyalty intentions is greater for Argentinian consumers (a little more individualistic, masculine, and less pragmatic culture compared to Spain). Besides, a greater influence of satisfaction on e-loyalty is found for Spanish consumers (a more pragmatic, collectivistic, and feminine culture compared to Argentina). The introduction of socio-demographic control variables, i.e. gender, age and education level, support the moderation effect of culture. According to these results, marketers should note that e-loyalty formation process differs across cultures, even between similar cultures. Further implications for international marketing strategies are widely discussed