Proceedings of the Seventh Italian Conference on Computational Linguistics CLiC-it 2020

On behalf of the Program Committee, a very warm welcome to the Seventh Italian Conference on Computational Linguistics (CLiC-it 2020). This edition of the conference is held in Bologna and organised by the University of Bologna. The CLiC-it conference series is an initiative of the Italian Association for Computational Linguistics (AILC) which, after six years of activity, has clearly established itself as the premier national forum for research and development in the fields of Computational Linguistics and Natural Language Processing, where leading researchers and practitioners from academia and industry meet to share their research results, experiences, and challenges

Culture teaching in EFL through computer/critical thinking

The purpose of this project is to develop computer-assisted language learning (CALL) lesson plans using the Internet and to offer an example for academic senior high school teachers in South Korea of exemplary treatment of cultural topics that promote critical thinking and incorporate crosscultural understanding based on cooperative learning

The Handbook to English as a Lingua Franca Practices for Inclusive Multilingual Classrooms

This handbook is an important companion for future users of the ENRICH CPD Course, including, but not limited to: (a) pre- or in-service English language teachers who may wish to engage with the CPD materials and activities at their own pace; (b) teacher educators who would like to employ the CPD materials and activities with their own trainees; (c ) researchers in the fields which ENRICH revolves around (e.g., English as a Lingua Franca, multilingualism, English language pedagogy) who may be interested in finding out whether, and how, information gathered through ENRICH could inform their research studies; and (d) members of educational policy- making organisations and institutions which may want to explore the relevance of ENRICH to their own professional endeavours. It is divided into five main chapters where the ENRICH project is firstly introduced, followed by an explanation of the needs analysis for the development of the CPD Course, a rationale for the target audience, a detailed description of each of the CPD Course sections, and a final reflection on the evaluation of the Course and lessons learnt.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The acquisition of literacy in Gaelic-medium primary classrooms in Scotland

This thesis analyses the factors affecting the acquisition of literacy in Gaelic-medium primary classrooms, including teaching techniques, availability of resources, and support for language development. In order to investigate this issue thoroughly, the background for the study includes an overview of the sociolinguistic situation of Scottish Gaelic, comparison to other minority language revitalisation efforts, discussion of the theories and practice of bilingualism and bilingual education, and an in-depth look at literacy acquisition, from perceptions of literacy and its value to the mechanics of reading in both a first and a second language. The core of the thesis presents extended observational data from seven case-study classrooms. The targeted population is Primary 1 to 3 pupils as this is the intensive period of reading instruction; the research focus is on literacy in Gaelic as the amount of English at this stage is negligible. Interviews and questionnaires involving education authorities, teachers, and parents supplement this data and emphasise the qualitative, ethnographic approach. The specific results are placed in the broader context of the Scottish education system and the Gaelic revitalisation movement. The analysis assesses the effectiveness of literacy acquisition in Gaelic-medium education and addresses some of the challenges related to further development. This thesis concludes that while significant progress has been made in the teaching of literacy in Gaelic-medium education, there are several points that are cause for concern, including the nature of teacher training, the provision of sufficient and appropriate resources, and the amount of extra-curricular reading taking place. Examples of "best practice" from the case-study classrooms are provided as possible solutions to these problems

English language teaching in Taiwan : a study of the effects of teaching culture on motivation and identity.

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN015199 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Popular Culture and English Language Learning: A Study among Youth in India

This study looks at how popular cultural forms like internet, social networking sites, television, popular music, cinema, newspapers, magazines etc. are impacting the language environment of today’s youth, and in the process whether a ‘new’ language style is emerging among them. Today, standing on the threshold of 21stcentury, as we look back into the 20thcentury, we find that various youth identities have emerged, with their characteristic styles in music, dance, clothing, hairstyle and language, generously assisted by the corresponding progress of the mass media and interactive digital media such as the internet. In the midst of such cultural dynamism, language undoubtedly will take on new forms and uses in a world in which communication is mediated through numerous agencies. With the proliferation of television channels, social networking sites, blogs, music and film genres, video and computer games etc. the youth of today’s generation live a life that is completely dominated by technology and pop culture. The pressure to fit into the group, to be one in the crowd, is so overpowering for youngsters today that most of them live life dictated by what they see in movies, TV serials, fashion and popular magazines etc. Speakers are seen to be using language creatively in specific local contexts to achieve particular social and interactional goals, and in the process both language and culture are reshaped to fit new, locally meaningful identities. The study was initially conceived with three basic objectives in mind: to examine the impact of popular culture forms on the everyday language environment of Indian youth; to explore the various ways and methods by which popular cultural forms can be used for English language learning amongst students at the tertiary level, and to delineate the changes in the language habits of the youth because of the new adaptations. The research draws chiefly from primary data, and the method applied was a questionnaire-based survey among undergraduate students of different educational backgrounds namely, engineering, medical, arts, commerce and science disciplines of various colleges of Odisha. Data was elicited from the students in their classrooms; hence the context was quite normal for them. The questionnaire included both close-ended and open-ended questions, and 626 students, both male and female, were accessed for the study. The findings of the study indicate that the language environment of the youth of the state is decisively influenced by today’s popular cultural forms. They enjoy being a part of it as that reassures their identity in the group of their peers inside or outside their study environment. All popular culture forms are v important means of English language learning that if used wisely and properly can become valuable teaching resources for teachers in the classrooms. The survey data reveals that popular cultural forms like print media, internet, television and SNSs are affecting the English language environment of Indian youth more than any other forms. In addition, the findings also indicate that today’s new media is generating a new language style, i.e. a new way of speaking and writing that includes shortcuts, simplifications, instant messaging, blends, neologisms etc., and whose primary users are the youth

Computational approaches to semantic change (Volume 6)

Semantic change — how the meanings of words change over time — has preoccupied scholars since well before modern linguistics emerged in the late 19th and early 20th century, ushering in a new methodological turn in the study of language change. Compared to changes in sound and grammar, semantic change is the least understood. Ever since, the study of semantic change has progressed steadily, accumulating a vast store of knowledge for over a century, encompassing many languages and language families. Historical linguists also early on realized the potential of computers as research tools, with papers at the very first international conferences in computational linguistics in the 1960s. Such computational studies still tended to be small-scale, method-oriented, and qualitative. However, recent years have witnessed a sea-change in this regard. Big-data empirical quantitative investigations are now coming to the forefront, enabled by enormous advances in storage capability and processing power. Diachronic corpora have grown beyond imagination, defying exploration by traditional manual qualitative methods, and language technology has become increasingly data-driven and semantics-oriented. These developments present a golden opportunity for the empirical study of semantic change over both long and short time spans

Dance as a Community of Practice: Exploring Dance Groups in the Kansas City Area through the Lifespan

Title from PDF of title page, viewed on August 4, 2015Dissertation advisor: Shannon JacksonVitaIncludes bibliographic references (pages 485-499)Thesis (Ph.D.)--Department of Sociology and Department of Psychology. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2015This dissertation examines the embodied cultural practice of dance among several groups in the Kansas City area. The dance groups were studied as Communities of Practice (CoP), as outlined in the Lave-Wenger model of CoP. The CoP model uses the complementary concepts of “reified structures” and “peripheral participation” to explain social learning. This dissertation argues that participation in dance activities creates body schema and social bonds that make dance a powerful mechanism for learning and teaching social behaviors. The dance groups studied covered a spectrum of dance genres, including folkloric, popular, hip-hop, ballroom, ballet, and modern dance. Data were collected from participant observation, interviews, archives, cable TV shows, websites, and published materials. Archival documentation included photographic and video materials, as well as survey data available for secondary analysis. Grounded Theory Methodology based on qualitative data was deemed the most appropriate approach. By examining these dance groups, certain social processes were consistently observed, including 1) similarities in dance practice across groups led to similar social practices and processes over the lifespan; 2) differences in dance genre aesthetic structure were associated with different forms of CoP structure and organization; the more structured the aesthetic of the dance genre, the more structured and hierarchical the organization of the dance group; 3) certain factors/attributes of the CoPs contributed to the dance group’s robustness and longevity; and 4) the mediation of time and space with other dancers during dance served as a model of interactions between self and others and developed the skills of collaboration. Overall, this study found the sharing and mediation of time and space during dance shaped individual social interactions into increasingly cooperative and collaborative activities. Also, the aesthetic structure of the dance genre was associated with the dance group's hierarchical social structure.The project -- Literature review -- Methodology -- Historical context -- Theoretical bases of embodied behavior and social interaction -- Analysis of social dance from a meadian perspective -- Results: analysis of data as community practice -- Conclusion and discussion -- Appendix A. Culture through Ballroom Dance Questionnaire Documents -- Appendix B. Informed Permission Statement -- Appendix C. Models and Diagrams -- Appendix D. Historic Dance Photographs -- Appendix E. Photographs Illustrating Taxonom

European Approaches to Japanese Language and Linguistics

In this volume European specialists of Japanese language present new and original research into Japanese over a wide spectrum of topics which include descriptive, sociolinguistic, pragmatic and didactic accounts. The articles share a focus on contemporary issues and adopt new approaches to the study of Japanese that often are specific to European traditions of language study. The articles address an audience that includes both Japanese Studies and Linguistics. They are representative of the wide range of topics that are currently studied in European universities, and they address scholars and students alike