Syllabification, Tone Marking, and Minimality in Eleme

This paper discussed syllabification in Eleme. It accounted for the distribution of glides and phonotactic constraints on intrasyllabic segmental sequences via sonority hierarchy. Two types of extraprosodicity in Eleme – word-final /i/s and word-initial were also discussed. The paper also presented the analysis of foot construction and tone marking, adopting the framework of Halle and Vergnaud (1987). It argued for a minimal word constraint in Eleme, which states that the smallest allowable phonological word in Eleme is a maximal (i.e. binary) foot. This constraint is crucial to understanding why vowel-initial words with only a single well-formed syllable violate the tone rule and why sequences of equally sonorant vowels are allowed only in bivocalic words. Finally, the paper  summarized the results of this study and their significance for linguistic theory and Ogonoid studies. The twofold objective of this paper is therefore to describe tone and syllabification in Eleme and their interaction with prosodic minimality, underscoring the implications of these phenomena for multilinear theories of phonology

Eleme Noun Incorporation

This paper generally argues that in Eleme the process of elision triggers a number of other phonological processes such as aphaeresis, apocope, syncope; it offers concrete evidence of tone stability in the face of segment deletion, and evidence of noun incorporation. More specifically, it argues that superficially, Eleme elision process appears to indicate that the noun following the verb is incorporated into the stem. In other words, in Eleme, prosodically independent elements following inflected verb stem frequently become phonologically integrated with the stem following elision of the syllable nucleus. Constructions of this type are clear instances of noun incorporation in the sense of Mithum (1984), Gerdts (1988), T. Mohanan (1994, 1995), Bresnan and Michombo (1995) and Bresnan (2001) since they exhibit all the grammatical properties of this process. But, I caution that care should be exercised in analysing the relationship between a verb stem and following object as noun incorporation since incorporation in Eleme is often attributable to hiatus resolution strategies. This paper suspects that noun incorporation may actually exist in Eleme but the elision process discuss in it does not result into such constructions that admit the term noun incorporation

Cross Linguistic Influence on English Usage of Rivers State University of Science and Technology Freshmen

This paper examines specific instances of L1 interference on L2 in the syntactic structures of the second language learners’ writing. This paper also identifies the effect of the differences and/or similarities between the structures of L1 and L2 on the use of English among UST students. The study focuses on the effect of each of the areas of difficulty identified on a native speaker’s interpretation of the written text. It also identifies the importance of the learner’s knowledge of the syntactic structures of L1, which cause difficulty in L2. The study is designed to make the learner aware of the errors made and how they may be rectified. It provides new information in the L2 learning context. Finally, it identifies the language use and knowledge of the learner; it attempts to provide up-to-date evidence in the current L2 learning. An important aspect of this study is that it provides an interesting comparison of four groups of languages, namely Igboid, Ogonoid, Ijoid and English, this is a move from other researches which focus on one Nigerian language and English and this is useful for the current local teaching context

Metaphony and the Theory of Gapping in the Phonology of Eleme

This paper examines phonologically motivated gaps in the phonology of Eleme. The author follows Rice (2005), which ‘uses an approach to modeling gaps based on a tension between markedness constraints, faithfulness constraints and constraints which require the expression of morphological categories’. The author explores specifically vowel harmony in Eleme, arguing that the language has gaps in its phonological systems. The approach predicts that the same phonotactics problem may be solved by a repair in one phonological context and by a gap in another. This prediction is illustrated and further implications are explored

Advocating Orchestration amongst RSUST Freshmen

One of the most neglect language skills in the university system in Nigerian is listening; everybody assumes that this skill is innate and therefore every new-intake knows how to listen. My experience in the Nigerian classroom indicates otherwise. The new and even the returning students have no clue on how to listen and the micro-skills that enable one to listen properly. Here, I plan to explain systematically what is listening? Secondly, I follow this up with the unique features of listening, after which I outline and discuss the various models of listening. Thirdly, I examine types of listening and the processes of listening. A number of listening skills have been proffered in most learned journals of the world; I examine these skills and see how applicable they are to the Nigerian classroom situation. And finally I concentrate on listening strategies. I hope the treatment adopted here will help improve the quality of lecture delivery and understanding on the part of the undergraduate and graduate students alik

A model for enhancing digital transformation through technology‑related continuing professional development activities in academic libraries in context

This paper is based on the findings of a doctoral study that aimed to examine the role of continuing professional development (CPD) in enhancing digital transformation in selected university libraries in Uganda. One of the ways of effecting digital transformation is to continuously build the technological competencies of the librarians working in academic institutions through attending technology-related CPD. The study adopted a mixed methods approach with a convergent parallel design for collecting qualitative and quantitative data from six universities in Uganda. Quantitative data were collected from 76 librarians with a minimum degree-level qualification from the six selected universities. Qualitative data were obtained from six University Librarians working in these universities. The study findings indicated several challenges hindering librarians from participating in technology-related CPDs such as lack of management support, lack of personal interest, limited funding, and lack of opportunities, among others. The implementation of digital transformation within university libraries in Uganda was also reported to be beset by a lack of competent staff, limited management support, lack of funds, and technological gaps. Therefore, this paper presents a proposed model to address challenges hindering the digital transformation and the participation in technology-related continuing professional development activities within academic libraries. The proposed model is based on the study findings, and it draws from Watkin and Marsick’s learning organisation model, andragogy theory, the technology-organisation-environment framework, and extant literature. The model will guide academic libraries in the implementation of a conducive environment to necessitate staff development and implementation of digital transformation

Education: A Pathway to Africa\u27s Development (The Scrutiny)

There have been many theories given on how Africa should develop, regardless, this paper argues on why it is important to focus on education as one of the major tools to move Africa forward. It scrutinizes the current education systems in African countries and how they are not tailored to equip the African child with the mindset and skills required for leadership. Instead of waiting for aid and relief, this paper champions the need for Africans to arise and offer solutions to Africa\u27s problems. The challenge calls for stock-taking of the “state” of the different African countries so that the proper education system can be targeted to them. For Africa\u27s education system to respond to the needs of poor children and to contribute to wealth creation in communities and society at large, it needs to take poverty into special consideration when planning education services

The use of technology-based mechanisms and knowledge management techniques in library practices in an academic environment : a case study

In response to the knowledge-driven economy, many academic libraries have adopted knowledge management (KM) techniques in the provision of services. KM techniques have been implemented in commercial and business environments towards operational advantages and figains. However, there is uncertainty about whether the use of KM principles and technology-based mechanisms could partly solve the academic library\u27s approach to improving its quality of service and fulfi l its mandate to its community in the modern information environment. Using a case study approach, this study considered the use of technology-based mechanisms and KM techniques in library practices in order to enhance performance and improve the quality of service in the Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY) library. Data were collected with the use of a questionnaire, interviews, observation and institutional documents. The fiof this study indicate that KM concepts were not universally understood at MCNY, and that library practices were not based on KM, but that they were adopting such KM practices as using social networking media for the purpose of collaboration and sharing knowledge

Public Libraries as Conduits for Indigenous Knowledge in South Africa

The dearth of indigenous knowledge (IK) in libraries in general and in South Africa in particular is cause for concern as the situation can lead to its demise. Awareness of the usefulness of IK in various aspects of community life is well documented. It is imperative that public libraries, as gateways to information and knowledge should be at the forefront of facilitating access to all knowledge, including IK. The article explores how public libraries in South Africa can facilitate access to indigenous knowledge. Data for this multiple case study was collected through semi-structured interviews with directors of provincial library services. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Findings indicate that despite awareness of the value of IK, public libraries have not yet devised mechanisms to enhance its availability and access. It is recommended that partnerships with stakeholders such as communities and archives archival institutions be forged in order to define, capture and preserve indigenous knowledge in order to ensure its accessibility

Public programming skills of archivists in selected national memory institutions of east and southern Africa

The National Archives are an important part of South African society because they serve as memory institutions. Fulfilling this mandate requires archivists to encourage societal engagement with the archives. This article sought to examine the role of an archivist’s knowledge and skills in promoting public archival institutions. Therefore, the perceptions and experiences of the directors of the National Archives, archivists who work at the National Archives and Executive Board members from the East and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) were explored. This was achieved through administering questionnaires to all the directors of the National Archives in the ESARBICA region, and conducting interviews with archivists from this region as well as ESARBICA Executive Board members. The intention was to identify whether archivists from the National Archives in the ESARBICA region thought that they have the relevant skills to conduct public programming initiatives; if public programming was part of the core archival curricula in the region; and furthermore, to determine the availability and awareness of public programming training and education in the region. The study provides an overview of public programming, together with a better understanding of the significance of archivists’ skills and knowledge regarding public programming in the mission of encouraging greater use of archives.n/aInformation Scienc