Formulaic Language: The Building Block of Aphasic Speech

Aphasia is a condition that may appear when parts of the brain (Broca’s or Wernicke’s area) responsible for language production and processing are damaged. In most cases, patients have the left side of their brain affected. Thus, formulaic language remains intact in most cases. During speech therapy, this can be a solid base to build on. Formulaic language consists of formulas that are fixed phrases, stereotypes that behave as a single-unit lexical item. They have a significant role in language acquisition and fluent discourse production. These ready-made parts of speech are stored in the long-term memory. Studies suggest that the processing of formulaic language engages right hemisphere areas of the brain. Due to their language impairment, people with aphasia often have a lower quality of life, consequently social and professional integration for them being problematic. The investigation of preserved patterns, such as formulaic language and impairments related to different aspects of discourse, may provide insights both for clinical practice and for cognitive science, therefore, facilitating a more efficient approach to treatment

Handling rich turn-taking in spoken dialogue systems

ABSTRACT This paper discusses how to build a system that can engage in a mixed-initiative human-machine spoken dialogue in which system utterances sometimes overlap with user utterances and vice versa. In the method, a module that incrementally understands user utterances and another module that incrementally generates system utterances work in parallel, and the timing of taking and releasing the dialogue initiative is decided according to the understanding of user utterances and the content of the system utterances. This method enables the system to respond when the user holds the dialogue initiative and is speaking, and enables the system to react to the user's barge-ins when it holds the initiative and is speaking. An experimental system called DUG-1 is also presented

Heteros tis eimi: On the Language of Menander's Young Lovers

published or submitted for publicatio

Eh, das jus like da kine, ah?: Researching the role of pidgin in church

This paper reports on a yearlong sociolinguistic case study that explored how Hawai‗i Creole English, known locally as Pidgin, is used in sermons at one particular church in the Honolulu area on Oahu. Although this study focuses on one localized socio-educational context, it reflects a greater need to understand the role and function of Pidgin in and across various social contexts. While scholars have explored the use of other languages and language varieties in church, to date, there are no existing studies on Pidgin use in church or in sermons. Consequently, this case study represents a first step in understanding language use in this particular socio educational context. This case study is framed within a Language Policy and Planning approach and particularly emphasizes a move beyond dichotomy-based domain-specific understandings of language use. The data generated in this study through qualitative research methods including participant observation, interviews, focus groups, and personal narratives is framed and interpreted through relevant substantive theory including but not limited to Gee‘s (2008) Discourse and Lave and Wenger‘s (1991) Legitimate Peripheral Participation. The findings challenge current perceptions of the role and function of Pidgin in society and suggest a move beyond dichotomy based domain-specific understandings of language use which reiterates the need to better understand: (a) language use in and across different social contexts, (b) Local language policies, (c) and language-in-education practices, in order to better inform Language Policy and Planning. Implications for future research are discussed

Interpreting in a community of practice : a sociolinguistic study of the signed language interpreter's role in workplace discourse

This thesis explores the role of signed language interpreters (SLIs) in the workplace, a setting which presents challenges in terms of role, boundaries and interaction with deaf and hearing employees. The key research aims were to determine how primary participants understand the role of the SLI, and how this influences the dynamics of everyday interaction. Specific attention was paid to norms of discourse and shared repertoires within a workplace Community of Practice (CofP). A detailed description of the interpreting process was thus generated, enabling a deeper appreciation of workplace dialogue where the SLI is an active third participant. The research takes a linguistic ethnographic approach to examining signed language interpreting within the workplace. Data were collected through the use of questionnaires, practitioner journals, video-recorded interpreted interaction gathered in workplace settings, and video playback interviews. Findings show that the SLI has a considerable impact on the ways in which members of a CofP interact, specifically in relation to small talk, humorous exchanges and participation in the collaborative floor. The SLI’s management of these aspects of workplace discourse influences the extent to which collegial relations can be established between employees. These findings have significance in relation to the training and education of SLIs, as well as their practice in this domain. The findings also demonstrate the need for all participants to re-evaluate their understanding of interpreted workplace discourse, moving towards a collaborative approach

Virtual Japanese : Enigmas of Role Language

Osaka University Humanities and Social Sciences Series『ヴァーチャル日本語　役割語の謎』の英語

Temporal representation in narratives of forced removals : a narrative analysis of life story texts

In this thesis I have examined the life stories of three victims of forced removals. It is based on an understanding that there is much that we can learn from the lives of 'ordinary people' and that the oral medium is a rich source of understanding other aspects of society. Chapter 1 sketches the background of this study, and the socio-political context within which it has grown. In the main theory section (chapter 2), I provide a general overview of the tools of narrative-based discourse analysis which I have used for my work and lead into a consideration of theories of memory and time. I focus particularly on aspects of representation of time in narrative and explore the nature of traumatic memory in relation to this. In chapter four, my analysis draws attention to the different ways in which narrators make sense of the traumatic event in their lives. In fact, my analysis demonstrates that trauma shares fewer features with 'events' (as understood by Portelli, Ricouer and others), and seems to correspond more closely to an understanding of it as 'duration'. I conclude that the concept of linear time is not the organising principle in the narratives which I have examined, and that the forced removal has been a central occurrence around which the rest of life - and narrating about life is understood