• Title/Summary/Keyword: English literature

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Is Compared to Different from Compared with? A Discussion of Prepositions that Are Particularly Difficult for EFL Learners

  • Lee, Seung-Ah
    • Journal of English Language & Literature
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    • v.55 no.6
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    • pp.1057-1085
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    • 2009
  • This paper addresses the question of why prepositions are particularly difficult forEFL learners. The first reason for such difficulty lies in the distinction between seemingly equivalent prepositions such as to and with, as in compared to and compared with. Most monolingual learners' dictionaries regard these two phrases as virtually synonymous. Yet, the results of the corpus analysis conducted in this study indicate that there are differences between the two. A second reason why EFL learners have problems with prepositions is that there are often variations in the inputdata. For example, although from generally follows different, in American English different than is also used. On the other hand, in British English, different to is the second most commonly used construction. This type of regional variation, confirmed in the corpus findings of the present paper, causes confusion in students of English. A learner who is not accustomed to British English may be puzzled by the expression different to. Finally, L1 negative transfer is responsible for the incorrect use of expressions such as discuss about. An error of this sort is the result of interference from the learner's mother tongue. The English verb discuss is not subcategorized for a preposition, whereas the equivalent Korean verb, for example, requires a noun phrase combined with the postposition.

Chinua Achebe's Contributions to the Expansion of the English Language:A Look at "African" English Literature Exploring Ibo Language and Proverbs (치누아 아체베(Chinua Achebe)의 영문 소설 외연 확장에 대한 기여에 관한 연구: "아프리카" 영문 소설에서의 이보 언어 및 속담 사용을 중심으로)

  • Lee, Young-Eun
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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    • v.17 no.12
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    • pp.525-536
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    • 2017
  • One of Africa's most accomplished writer, Chinua Achebe is not only known to have to contributed to writing a renowned folk literature but to contributing to the expansion of the English language. This research paper seeks to explore Achebe's most widely read novel "Things Fall Apart" and his 1 other novel and analyze how the incorporation and purposeful use of Ibo words, proverbs and phrases contribute to not only conveying the rich African experience but expanding the English language.

Is Voicing of English Voiced Stops Active?

  • Yun, Il-Sung
    • Speech Sciences
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    • v.10 no.2
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    • pp.207-221
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    • 2003
  • Phonetic voicing does not support the phonological distinction of voiced/voiceless in English stops. The present study is aimed at defining the nature of voicing of English voiced stops. A review of the literature reveals that the voicing is position-conditioned and its length is notably inconsistent relative to the closure duration. No consistent relationships are found between vocal fold adduction and glottal pulsing in initial position. Stress reduced the voicing, etc. The hypothesis for experiments was: (1) active voicing: stress generates longer (stronger) voicing during the closure duration of a voiced stop; (2) passive voicing: stress induces shorter (weaker) voicing during the closure. Instead the voiced stop becomes more voiced when the preceding vowel (syllable) is stressed. The literature review and the results of two experiments comparing English and Slovakian suggested that the voicing of English voiced stops is passive (i.e., a coarticulation of glottal pulsing for adjacent vowels-syllables) and should be distinguished from active voicing in some other languages.

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A Retrospective, Quantitative Review of the ETAK Journals

  • Lee, Eunpyo;Shin, Myeong-Hee
    • English Language & Literature Teaching
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    • v.18 no.3
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    • pp.135-148
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    • 2012
  • This is a retrospective, quantitative review of the English Teachers Association in Korea, namely the ETAK and its journals during the period of 18 years ever since the establishment in August 1994. It examines the history of the association, its domestic and international conferences, and most importantly, its articles. The purpose was to learn how it has emerged into a full-fledged organization, what the preferred language of the article has been, how the volume size has changed, and how many foreign scholars' articles have been contributed. It also looked into the number of authors each article was written by to examine the trend of cooperative work in the field of English education. Classification of the research topic was focused on the 4 skills of the language, grammar and vocabulary, literature, linguistics and all the rest areas were categorized into others. From the results of the study, suggestions for the future ETAK in the Korean English teaching were to be given.

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Reduction of Unstressed Prevocalic /u/ in English

  • Hwangbo, Young-Shik
    • Journal of English Language & Literature
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    • v.55 no.6
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    • pp.1139-1161
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    • 2009
  • This paper deals with the reduction of unstressed prevocalic /u/ and the appearance of /w/ which are observed in such words as ambiguity [ˌæm bǝ ˈgju: ǝ ti] - ambiguous [æm ˈbɪ gjǝ wǝs]. This phenomenon is recorded in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, and the draft revisions of Oxford English Dictionary Online. Since this phenomenon has not been studied in detail up to now, this paper aims 1) to collect the data related to the reduction of unstressed prevocalic /u/, 2) to classify them systematically, and 3) to explain the phenomenon in terms of Optimality Theory. In the course of analysis, Prevocalic Lengthening, which is crucial to the preservation of unstressed prevocalic /u/, is reinterpreted as one of the ways to prevent hiatus (annual /æ nju: ǝl/). /w/-insertion is another way to prevent hiatus (annual /æ njǝ wǝl/). In addition it is argued that prevocalic /u/ behaves differently from prevocalic /i/ due to the difference in the articulators involved.

I-Umlaut in Old English: A Weak Trigger Effect

  • Moon, An-Nah
    • Journal of English Language & Literature
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    • v.57 no.6
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    • pp.1043-1065
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    • 2011
  • This study investigates i-umlaut which occurred in the period of pre Old English (OE) in two aspects: what motivates i-umlaut in OE and how the phenomenon can be analyzed within the framework of OT. Unlike root-controlled vowel harmony, i-umlaut in OE is triggered by the suffixal i or j in the unstressed syllable whereby a stressed root vowel becomes fronted or raised. In this study, it is proposed that i-umlaut in OE is driven by the weak trigger i or j to improve its poor perception: I-umlaut improves the poor perceptibility of the weak trigger by extending its feature-either [-back] or [-low]-onto the vowel in the stressed syllable. This study provides an OT-theoretic analysis utilizing the licensing account to vowel harmony proposed by Walker (2004, 2005). The licensing constraints, IDENT-IO(F) and the locally conjoined constraints are proposed and their interaction correctly captures the pattern of i-umlaut in OE. Also, it is shown that the licensing account proposed in this paper is superior to the previous analyses as well as the nonlicensing approaches in that it can provide a perceptual motivation couched in i-umlaut in OE.

A case study on the development of high school students' English reading ability using English newspapers (영자신문을 활용한 고등학생의 영어 독해능력 향상에 관한 사례 연구)

  • Lee, Jeong-Won;Lee, Tae-Ok
    • English Language & Literature Teaching
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.159-180
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    • 2007
  • The present study proposes a set of activities of teaching English reading through English newspapers to narrow the gap between the English required in authentic situation and the one taught in schools. Newspapers can provide students with opportunities to review what they have studied in the classes. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to investigate how extra-curricular activities using English newspapers have an influence on the development of the three low-achieving high school students' English reading ability. The five-month study yielded that the activities using English newspapers exerted positive effects on the students' interest in English and their English scores. It suggests that using English newspapers as teaching materials may be a desirable way both to motivate students to study English harder and to develop their English reading ability.

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Research on Standardization of Sasang Typology Formulae English Translation (사상(四象) 방제명(方劑名)의 영역(英譯) 표준화(標準化)에 대한 연구(硏究))

  • Kim, Hyun-Koo;Ahn, Sang-Young;Kwon, Oh-Min;Ahn, Sang-Woo
    • The Journal of Korean Medicine
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    • v.34 no.1
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    • pp.103-115
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    • 2013
  • Objectives: This study proposes a new form of English translation in comparison with that shown in English books related to Sasang Constitutional medicine formulae which have been published up to now. Methods: This study formulated a new form of English translation guidelines by making a comparative analysis of the English translation cases listed in "Korean-English Dictionary of Oriental Medicine", "Longevity and Life Preservation in Eastern Medicine", and "Introduction to Sasang Constitutional Medicine". Results: This study as a common rules suggested that names of preparation form should be placed at the very end of the formula name and the first letters of the major words of the formula name should be capitalized. In addition, for the sake of accuracy in English translation of the formula name, this study divided the formula names into 8 types. The 8 sorts of types include: (a) Materia Medica + Preparation Form, (b) Materia Medica + Indication + Preparation Form, (c) Materia Medica Numbers + Preparation Form, (d) Indication + Preparation Form, (e) Concept + Preparation Form, (f) Concept + Materia Medica + Preparation Form, (g) Concept + Indication + Preparation Form, (h) Etcetera. In these types, medicinal herbs should be written in scientific name, and translation of indication can follow Noun+~ing participle form. In case of the terms having a Korean-medicine-based meaning, this study aimed for source-oriented translation. Conclusions: This study provides a general English translation method and examples of the formula names for Sasang constitutional medicine.