Dissertation Information for Shuqiang Zhang NAME: - Shuqiang Zhang
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Linguistics
SCHOOL:
- University of Hawaii (USA) (1990)
ADVISORS: - None COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - None
MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected
Title: Differentiable semantic organizations in the acquisition of English as a Second Language
Abstract: "This dissertation focuses on the evolving organization of the lexicon of English as a second language (ESL). Previous research in the mental representation of external objects has not only established the credibility of certain scaling methods as a probe into the inner workings of the human mind but also produced semantic models typical of native speakers. With the native-English semantic organization serving as the target, this dissertation describes how the ESL semantic organization gradually approximates the target model as proficiency improves.
Seventy educated native speakers of English and 187 ESL learners at three proficiency levels in American colleges provided pair-comparison judgments for a set of degree adverbs and another set of frequency terms. Their judgments were subjected to uni-dimensional scaling and circular triad analysis. Results indicate that ESL semantic organizations do not match the native-English model. The extent of mismatch is related to ESL proficiency, and the location of mismatch is specified in terms of scale values. ESL proficiency predicts the extent of semantic consensus within a particular ESL group but not intra-person consistency in the mental lexicon. There is a distinct approximative pattern in the acquisition of English lexical meaning with the differentiation among certain words acquired before the differentiation of other terms.
Data were also collected from 52 native speakers and 83 ESL learners at two proficiency levels on a partial ranking task involving two sets of adjectives that describe various levels of uniqueness and intellectual acuity respectively. Analysis of the preference data produced 2-dimensional configurations which suggest that some fundamental dimensions define the semantic space shared by native and non-native speakers. Within the same semantic space, ESL models tend to deviate from the native-English model. The deviance is reflected in inappropriate coordinate readings, and native and non-native speakers differ in how the underlying dimensions are applied to semantic differentiation. Nevertheless, there is a systematic pattern of approximation in the acquisition of ESL semantics.
The results have provided insight into the largely unexplored semantic aspect of interlanguage and demonstrated the feasibility of using scaling in capturing the evolution of the interlexicon."
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MPACT Scores for Shuqiang Zhang A = 0
C = 3
A+C = 3
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:31:04
Advisors and Advisees Graph
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Students under Shuqiang Zhang
ADVISEES:
- None
COMMITTEESHIPS:
- Jeng-Chung Chen - University of Hawaii (2001)
- Mei-Ling Luo - University of Hawaii (2005)
- Michael Cress - University of Hawaii (2006)