linguistics degree dissertation topics

Syntax and Semantics

• The Tok Pisin noun phrase
• Towards an investigation of socially-conditioned semantic variation
• Definite article reduction in a religious community of practice
• The definiteness effect in Chinese 'you'-existential constructions: A corpus based study
• Topics and pronouns in the clausal left periphery in Old English
• Scalar implicatures in polar (yes/no) questions
• Quantification, alternative semantics and phases
• The syntax and semantics of V2 – 'weil' in German 
• An analysis of Chinese quantifiers 'ge', 'dou' and 'quan' and their co-occurrence
• Distribution and licensing condititions of Negative Polarity Items in Mandarin Chinese
• The NP/DP Distinction in Slavic: A comparative approach
• A complex predicational analysis of the 'ba'-construction in Mandarin Chinese
• Two types of raising in Korean
• Serial verb constructions in Mandarin Chinese
• From Turncoats to Backstabbers:  How headedness and word order determine the productivity of agentive and instrumental compounding in English

Forensic Phonetics

• An Investigation into the Perceived Similarity of the Speech of Identical Twins and Same Sex Siblings
• Detecting Authenticity of Audio Files Compressed by Social Media Platforms
• Investigating Changes from Neutral to Soft and Whispered Speech and their Impact on Automatic Speaker Recognition
• The Effect of Anger and Fear on Forensic Authomatic Speaker Recognition System Performance
• The Impact of Face Coverings on Speech Comprehension and Perceptions of Speaker Attributes
• Tracking Linguistic Differences in the Ultrasound Images of the Tongue in Spoken and Silent Speech Conditions Using Pose Estimation

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Scholars' Bank

Linguistics theses and dissertations.

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• Automatic Analysis of Epistemic Stance-Taking in Academic English Writing: A Systemic Functional Approach  Eguchi, Masaki ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-10 ) Existing linguistic textual measures that investigate features of academic writing often focus on lexis, syntax, and cohesion, despite writing skills being considered more complex and multifaceted (e.g., Sparks et al., ...
• Empirical Foundations of Socio-Indexical Structure: Inquiries in Corpus Sociophonetics and Perceptual Learning  Gunter, Kaylynn ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-09 ) Speech is highly variable and systematic, governed by the internal linguistic system and socio-indexical factors. The systematic relationship of socio-indexical factors and variable phonetic forms, referred to here as ...
• Information Management in Isaan Storytelling  Raksachat, Milntra ( University of Oregon , 2024-01-09 ) This study is an investigation of information packaging or information structure properties associated with selected productive morphosyntactic constructions in Isaan narrative texts. The description and analysis of ...
• Case and Gender Loss in Germanic, Romance, and Balkan Sprachbund Languages  Alhazmi, Mofareh ( University of Oregon , 2023-03-24 ) My dissertation investigates the loss of morphological case and grammatical gender in the Germanic, Romance, and Balkan Sprachbund languages. Crucial language-internal and language-external motivations are considered. To ...
• Influences on Expert Intelligibility Judgments of School-age Children's Speech  Potratz, Jill ( University of Oregon , 2023-03-24 ) Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) make impressionistic intelligibility judgments as part of an evaluation of children for speech sound disorders. Despite the lack of formalization, it is an important measure of choice ...
• Factors that affect generalization of adaptation  Lee, Dae-yong ( University of Oregon , 2023-03-24 ) As there is a growing population of non-native speakers worldwide, facilitating communication involving native and non-native speakers has become increasingly important. While one way to help communication involving native ...
• The Chepang language: Phonology, Nominal and Verbal morphology - synchrony and diachrony of the varieties of the Lothar and Manahari Rivers  Pons, Marie-Caroline ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-26 ) N/A
• L2 Motivation in Language Revitalization Practice  Taylor-Adams, Allison ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-26 ) This dissertation investigates the initial and ongoing motivations of language revitalization practitioners. This study extends our understandings of language revitalization from the programmatic and sociological levels ...
• Indigenous Methodologies in Linguistics: A Case Study of Nuu-wee-ya' Language Revitalization  Hall, Jaeci ( University of Oregon , 2021-11-23 ) Doing linguistic research for the purpose of language revitalization, academic inclusion, and social justice fundamentally changes the perspective, questions, and goals of the work. Framing this research in a traditional ...
• Factors affecting the incidental formation of novel suprasegmental categories  Wright, Jonathan ( University of Oregon , 2021-11-23 ) Humans constantly use their senses to categorize stimuli in their environment. They develop categories for stimuli when they are young and constantly add to existing categories and learn novel categories throughout their ...
• Production and Perception of Native and Non-native Speech Enhancements  Kato, Misaki ( University of Oregon , 2020-12-08 ) One important factor that contributes to successful speech communication is an individual’s ability to speak more clearly when their listeners do not understand their speech. Though native talkers are able to implement ...
• Contingency, Contiguity, and Capacity: On the Meaning of the Instrumental Case Marking in Copular Predicative Constructions in Russian  Tretiak, Valeriia ( University of Oregon , 2020-12-08 ) This study investigates the use of the Instrumental case marking in copular predicative constructions in Russian. The study endeavors to explain why the case marking whose prototypical meaning cross-linguistically is that ...
• Towards Modelling Pausing Patterns in Adult Narrative Speech  Kallay, Jeffrey ( University of Oregon , 2020-12-08 ) The study that is the focus of this dissertation had 2 primary goals: 1) quantify systematic physiological, linguistic and cognitive effects on pausing in narrative speech; 2) formalize a preliminary model of pausing ...
• Teaching Papa to Cha-Cha: How Change Magnitude, Temporal Contiguity, and Task Affect Alternation Learning  Smolek, Amy ( University of Oregon , 2020-02-27 ) In this dissertation, we investigate how speakers produce wordforms they may not have heard before. Paradigm Uniformity (PU) is the cross-linguistic bias against stem changes, particularly large changes. We propose the ...
• Verbal Morphology of Amdo Tibetan  Tribur, Zoe ( University of Oregon , 2020-02-27 ) This dissertation describes the functional and structural properties of the Amdo Tibetan verb system. Amdo Tibetan (Tibetic, Trans-Himalayan) is a verb-final language, characterized by an elaborate system of post-verbal ...
• Investigating differential case marking in Sümi, a language of Nagaland, using language documentation and experimental methods  Teo, Amos ( University of Oregon , 2020-02-27 ) One goal in linguistics is to model how speakers use natural language to convey different kinds of information. In theories of grammar, two kinds of information: “who is doing what (and to whom)”, the technical term for ...
• Nominalization and Predication in Ut-Ma'in  Paterson, Rebecca ( University of Oregon , 2020-02-27 ) U̠t-Ma'in is a Kainji, East Benue-Congo language, spoken in northwestern Nigeria (ISO 639-3 code [gel]). This study contributes to our understanding of Benue-Congo languages by offering the first indepth look at nominalization ...
• Prosodic Prominence Perception, Regional Background, Ethnicity and Experience: Naive Perception of African American English and European American English  McLarty, Jason ( University of Oregon , 2020-02-27 ) Although much work has investigated various aspects of African American English (AAE), prosodic features of AAE have remained relatively underexamined (e.g. McLarty 2018; Thomas 2015). Studies have, however, identified ...
• A Historical Reconstruction of the Koman Language Family  Otero, Manuel ( University of Oregon , 2020-02-27 ) This dissertation is a historical-comparative reconstruction of the Koman family, a small group of languages spoken in what now constitutes the borderlands of Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan. Koman is comprised five living ...
• Accessibility, Language Production, and Language Change  Harmon, Zara ( University of Oregon , 2019-09-18 ) This dissertation explores the effects of frequency on the learning and use of linguistic constructions. The work examines the influence of frequency on form choice in production and meaning inference in comprehension and ...

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Theses/Dissertations

Since 1999, most theses and dissertations submitted by graduate students at the university are published online in the UGA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Database (ETD) . This page is a list of recent theses and dissertations produced by graduates of the University of Georgia M.A. and Ph.D. programs in Linguistics, with a link to the UGA ETD page for the pdf file.

Dissertations

Julia Steele Josephs. Ph.D., 2023. Variable Que in Three Francophone Regions Advisor: Diana L. Ranson

Trevor Ramsey . Ph.D., 2023. Phonetic Trend in the Speech of Transgender Speakers of English and German Advisor: Margaret Renwick

Jacob Emerson. M.A., 2023.  Emojis: Perceptions by Online Communities Advisor: Vera Lee-Schoenfeld

Julia Horton. M.A., 2023. So What Does It Do?: the Multifunctionality of Discourse Marker so in Two Television Sitcoms Advisor: Sarah E. Blackwell

Michael Gray. M.A., 2023. Emojis and the Expression of Queer Identity: A Sentiment Analysis Approach Advisor: Chad Howe

Andrew Robert Bray. Ph.D., 2022. A Hockey-Based Persona: The Sociolinguistic Impact of Canadian English on American-Born Players Advisor: Chad Howe

Kit Callaway. Ph.D., 2022. From Ey to Ze: Gender-neutral Pronouns as Pronominal Change Advisor: Chad Howe

Wonbin Kim.  Ph.D., 2022. Distributional Corpus Analysis of Korean Neologisms using Artificial Intelligence Advisor:  William A. Kretzschmar 

Katherine Ireland Kuiper. Ph.D., 2022. Patterns of Health: A Corpus Analysis of Health Information and Messaging Advisor: William A. Kretzschmar

Rachel Miller Olsen. Ph.D., 2022. IT’S ALL IN HOW YOU SAY IT: PROSODIC CUES TO SOCIAL IDENTITY AND EMOTION Advisor: Margaret E. L. Renwick

Shannon Penton Rodriguez. Ph.D., 2022. Constructing, Performing, and Indexing “Southern” Latino Identities: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of the Intersection of Ethnicity and Place in the Speech of Young Adult Latinos in Georgia Advisor: Chad Howe

Rachel A. Ankirskiy. M.A., 2022. VARIATION IN JAPANESE NOMINAL PARTICLE OMISSION: TOWARDS A CORPUS-BASED SYNTACTIC ANALYSIS Advisor: Vera Lee-Schoenfeld

Joseph Finnegan Beckwith. M.A., 2022. THE DECLINE OF THE SIMPLE PAST: A CROSS-LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF SIMPLE AND COMPOUND PAST FORMS IN ROMANCE AND GERMANIC LANGUAGES Advisor: Jared Klein

Lisa Lipani. Ph.D., 2021. Subphonemic Variation in English Stops: Studies using automated methods and large-scale data Advisor: Margaret Renwick

Michael Olsen. Ph.D., 2021. CULTURAL KEYWORDS IN AMERICAN EDITORIAL DISCOURSE Advisor: William A. Kretzschmar

Bailey Bigott. M.A., 2021. Mock Infantile Speech: A Sociolinguistics Perspective Advisor: Jon Forrest

Kora Layce Burton. M.A., 2021. Lexical and Thematic "Peculiar Mood" Development of Faërie Language in the Germanic Cauldron of Story Advisor: Jared Klein

Mary Caroline Clabby. M.A., 2021. Comme Y’all Voulez: Translanguaging Practices in Digitally Mediated Communication Advisor: Linda Harklau

Jordan Grace Graham. M.A., 2021. #WHOSE LIVES MATTER: A MIXED MEDIA ANALYSIS OF THE #BLACKLIVESMATTER AND #BLUELIVESMATTER ON TWITTER DURING THE SUMMER OF 2020 Advisor: John Hale

Lindsey Antonini. Ph.D., 2020. The Copula in Malayalam Advisor: Pilar Chamorro

Joey Stanley. Ph.D., 2020. Vowel Dynamics of the Elsewhere Shift: A Sociophonetic Analysis of English in Cowlitz County, Washington Advisor: Lewis Chadwick Howe

Longlong Wang. Ph.D.., 2020. The Past Tenses in Colloquial Singapore English Advisor: Pilar Chamorro

Douglas C. Merchant. Ph.D., 2019. Idioms at the interface(s): towards a psycholinguistically grounded model of sentence generation Advisor: Timothy Gupton

Aidan Oliver Cheney-Lynch.  M.A., 2019. Studies in feminine derivation in Vedic Advisor: Jared Klein

Conni Diane Covington.  M.A., 2019. Frequency and the German(ic) verb: a historical sociolinguistic study of class VII Advisor: Joshua Bousquette

William James Lackey III . M.A., 2019. Denasalization in early austronesian Advisor: Jared Klein

Kelly Wade Petronis . M.A., 2019. Finding the game: a conversation analysis of laughables and play frames in comedic improv Advisor: Ruth Harman

Mohammad Fahad Aljutaily . Ph.D. 2018. The influence of linguistic and non-linguistic factors on the variation of Arabic marked consonants in the speech of Gulf Pidgin Arabic : acoustic analysis Advisor: Lewis (Chad) Howe

Sofia Alexandrovna Ivanova . Ph.D. 2018. Cue weighting in the acquisition of four American English vowel contrasts by native speakers of Russian Co-Advisors: Victoria Hasko and Keith Langston

Elisabeth Wood Anderson Lacross .   Ph.D. 2018. Variation in future temporal reference in southern France Advisor: Diana Ranson

Sandra McGury .   Ph.D. 2018. Passives are tough to analyze Advisor: Vera Lee-Schoenfeld

Amanda Nicole Walls . Ph.D. 2018. Israel's Pagan Passover Advisor: Richard Friedman

Alexander Ankirskiy . M.A. 2018. Investigating the potential for merger of Icelandic 'flámæli' vowel pairs through functional load Advisor: Margaret Renwick

Ryan Michael Dekker . M.A. 2018. Income effects on speech community: : Oconee County within northeastern Georgia Advisor: Lewis (Chad) Howe

Nicole Elizabeth Dreier . M.A. 2018. Gender in Proto-Indo-European and the feminine morphemes Advisor: Jared Klein

Melissa Ann Gomes . M.A. 2018. A Holistic Analysis of Get Constructions Advisor: Vera Lee-Schoenfeld

Jason D Hagler . M.A. 2018. Call of qatullu: towards an understanding of the semantic role of terminal root consonant reduplication in the Semitic languages Advisor: Baruch Halpern

Joshua Robert Hummel . M.A. 2017. Conflict's connotation: a study of protest and riot in contemporary news media Advisor: Lewis (Chad) Howe

Madeline Asher Jones . M.A. 2017. The impact of EFL teacher motivational strategies on student motivation to learn english in Costa Rica Advisor: Vera Lee-Schoenfeld

Mariah Lillian Copeland Parker . M.A. 2017. Flippin' the script, joustin' from the mouth: a systemic functional linguistic approach to hip hop discourse Advisor:  Ruth Harman

Christa August Rampley . M.A. 2017. Ratchet: an etymological origin & social dispersion theory Advisor: Lewis (Chad) Howe

Joseph Thomas Rhyne . M.A. 2017. Quantifying the comparative method: applying computational approaches to the Balto-Slavic question Advisor: Jared Klein

Wei Chen . Ph.D. 2016. The impact of environmental factors on the production of english narratives by Spanish-English bilingual children Advisor: Liang Chen

Richard Moses Katz Jr . Ph.D. 2016. The resultative in Gothic Advisor: Jared Klein

Martin Jakub Macak . Ph.D. 2016. Studies in classical and modern Armenian phonology   Advisor: Jared Klein

Judith Allen Oliver . Ph.D. 2016. When fingerspelling throws a curveball Advisor: William Kretzschmar

Andrew Michael Paczkowski . Ph.D. 2016. Toward a new method for analyzing syntax in poetry: discriminating grammatical patterns in the Rigveda Advisor: Jared Klein

Jennimaria Kristiina Palomaki . Ph.D. 2016. The pragmatics and syntax of the Finnish -han particle clitic Advisor: Vera Lee-Schoenfeld

Calvin Ferst . M.A. 2016. Walhalla: language shift in the garden of the gods Advisor: Joshua Bousquette

Maisy Elizabeth French . M.A. 2016. When orthography and phonology collide: an examination of the effect of orthography on the phonetic production of homophones Advisor: Margaret Renwick

Karen Elizabeth Sesterhenn . M.A. 2016. An overview of the phenomenon of doublets in English Advisor: Jared Klein

Steven Slone Coats . Ph.D. 2015. Finland Twitter English: lexical, grammatical, and geographical properties Advisor: William Kretzschmar

Xiangyu Jiang . Ph.D. 2015. Ultimate attainment in the production of narratives by Chinese-English bilinguals Advisor: Liang Chen

Rachel Virginia Nabulsi . Ph.D. 2015. Burial practices, funerary texts, and the treatment of death in Iron Age Israel and Aram Advisor: Richard Friedman

Tomoe Nishio . Ph.D. 2015. Negotiating contradictions in a Japanese-American telecollaboration: an activity theory analysis of online intercultural exchange Advisor: Linda Harklau

Xiaodong Zhang . Ph.D. 2015. A discourse approach to teachers? beliefs and textbook use: a case study of a Chinese college EFL classroom Advisor: Ruth Harman

Michael Reid Ariail . M.A. 2015. Language and dialectal variation in request structures: an analysis of Costa Rican Spanish and southern American English Advisor: Sarah Blackwell

Eleanor Detreville . M.A. 2015. An overview of Latin morphological calques on Greek technical terms: formation and success Advisor: Jared Klein

Luke Madison Smith . M.A. 2015. External possession and the undisentanglability of syntax and semantics Advisor: Vera Lee-Schoenfeld

Scott Lee . Ph.D. 2014. The phonetics of intonation in learner varieties of French Advisor: Keith Langston

Laura Brewer . M.A. 2014. Cognitive connections between linguistic and musical syntax: an optimality theoretic approach Advisor: Keith Langston

Courtney Ann Macer . M.A. 2014. Relearning heritage language phonology Advisor: Margaret Renwick

Tiffany Strickland . M.A. 2014. Eat their words: a corpus-based analysis of grocery store discourse Advisor: Jonathan Evans

Julia Catherine Patterson Sturm . M.A. 2014. Idiomatization of preverb + verb compounds in the ?g Veda Advisor: Jared Klein

Kenneth Jeffrey Knight . Ph.D. 2013. L1 English vocalic transfer in L2 Japanese Advisor: Don McCreary

Heather Lee Mello . Ph.D. 2013. Analysis of language variation and word segmentation for a corpus of Vietnamese blogs: a sociolinguistic approach Advisor: William Kretzschmar

Hugo Enrique Mendez . Ph.D. 2013. Canticles in translation: the treatment of poetic language in the Greek, Gothic, Classical Armenian, and Old Church Slavonic gospels Advisor: Jared Klein

Nicole Elizabeth Siffrinn . M.A. 2013. Using appraisal analysis to map value systems in high-stakes writing rubrics Advisor: Ruth Harman

Mark Raymund Wenthe . Ph.D. 2012. Issues in the placement of enclitic personal pronouns in the Rigveda Advisor: Jared Klein

Ellen Marie Ayres . M.A. 2012. Influences on gender agreement in adjectives among adult learners of Spanish Advisor: Don McCreary

Marcus Paul Berger . M.A. 2012. Parallel hierarchies: a minimalist analysis of nominals and gerunds Advisor: Vera Lee-Schoenfeld

Kelly Patricia Dugan . M.A. 2012. A generative approach to homeric enjambment: benefits and drawbacks Advisor: Jared Klein

Kristen Marie Fredriksen . M.A. 2012. Constraints on perfect auxiliary contraction: evidence from spoken American English Advisor: Lewis (Chad) Howe

Anastasia Nikolaevna Sorokina . M.A. 2012. The dynamics of bilingual mental lexcon: the effects of partical conceptual equivalence on acquisition of Russian as an L2 Advisor: Victoria Hasko

Allison Rebecca Wachter . M.A. 2012. Semantic prosody and intensifier variation in academic speech Advisor: Lewis (Chad) Howe

Sam Zukoff . M.A. 2012. The phonology of verbal reduplication in Ancient Greek: an Optimality Theory approach Advisor: Jared Klein

Radia Benzehra . Ph.D. 2011. Arabic-English/ English-Arabic lexicography: a critical perspective Advisor: Don McCreary

Satomi Suzuki Chenoweth . Ph.D. 2011. Novice language learners? Off-screen verbal and nonverbal behaviors during university synchronous Japanese virtual education Advisors: Kathryn Roulston & Linda Harklau

Willie Udo Willie . Ph.D. 2011. Lexical aspect and lexical saliency in acquisition of past tense-aspect morphology among Ibibio ESL learners Advisor: Lioba Moshi

Renee Lorraine Kemp . M.A. 2011. The perception of German dorsal fricatives by native speakers of English Advisor:  Keith Langston

Erin Beltran Mitchelson . M.A. 2011. Implicature use in L2 Advisor: Don McCreary

Justin Victor Sperlein . M.A. 2011. A Phonetic Summarizer for Sociolinguists: concordancing by phonetic criteria Advisor: William Kretzschmar

Garrison E. Bickerstaff Jr . Ph.D. 2010. Construction and application of Bounded Virtual Corpora of British and American English Advisor: William Kretzschmar

Paulina Bounds . Ph.D. 2010. Perception versus production of Polish speech: Pozna? Advisor: William Kretzschmar

Alberto Centeno-Pulido . Ph.D. 2010. Reconciling generativist and functionalist approaches on adjectival position in Spanish Advisor:  Sarah Blackwell

Janay Crabtree . Ph.D. 2010. Roads and paths in adaptation to non-native speech and implications for second language acquisition Advisor: Don McCreary

Jeff Kilpatrick . Ph.D. 2010. The development of Latin post-tonic /Cr/ clusters in select Northern Italian dialects Advisor: Jared Klein

Joseph Allen Pennington . Ph.D. 2010. A study of purpose, result, and casual hypotaxis in early Indo-European gospel versions Advisor: Jared Klein

Aram Cho . M.A. 2010. Influence of L1 on L2 learners of Korean: a perception test on Korean vowels and stop consonants Advisor: Don McCreary

Frances Rankin Gray . M.A. 2010. It's like 120 milliseconds: a search for grammaticalization in the duration of like in five functions Advisor: Don McCreary

Magdalene Sophia Jacobs . M.A. 2010. The decline of the French passe simple: a variationist analysis of the passÉ simple and passe compose in selected texts from the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries Advisor: Diana Ranson

Nathan Loggins . M.A. 2010. Mandarin loanword phonology: a case study of three English mid vowels Advisor: Keith Langston

Caley Charles Smith . M.A. 2010. The development of final [asterisk]/-as/ in Pre-Vedic Advisor: Jared Klein

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Recent Dissertations

Dissertations written by doctoral candidates in Applied Linguistics and TESOL are listed in reverse chronological order. Dissertations can be obtained from  ProQuest  by purchase or with a subscription. Columbia affiliates can access ProQuest  here .

Diversity in the adult ESL classroom  by Nadja Tadic, Ed.D., Teachers College, Columbia University, 2020. 

Managing multiple demands in the adult ESL classroom  by Elizabeth Reddington, Ed.D., Teachers College, Columbia University, 2020.

Working on understanding in the adult ESL classroom: A collaborative endeavor  by Nancy Boblett, Ed.D., Teachers College, Columbia University, 2020.

Han, Z-H. (2020). Usage-based instruction, systems thinking, and the role of Language Mining in second language development.  Language Teaching,  1-16. FirstView, doi:10.1017/S0261444820000282

Han, Qie (Chelsea). (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics). (2020).  Investigating the Combined Effects of Rater Expertise, Working Memory Capacity, and Cognitive Functionality on the Scoring of Second Language Speaking Performance.

Getman, Edward. (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics). (2020).  Age, task characteristics, and acoustic indicators of engagement: Investigations into the validity of a technology-enhanced speaking test for young language learners.

A conversation analytic study on participation practices in the American graduate classroom: East Asian students vs. L1 English-speaking students  by Junko Takahashi, Ed.D., Teachers College, Columbia University, 2019.

Person reference in Korean  by Gahye Song, Ed.D., Teachers College, Columbia University, 2019.

Han, Z-H. (2019). Researching CDST: Promises and pitfalls. In Han, Z-H. (ed.)  Profiling l earner language as a dynamic system . Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. 

Han, Z-H. & Liu, J. (2019). Profiling learner language from a complex dynamic system perspective: An introduction. In Han, Z-H. (ed.) Profiling learner language as a dynamic system. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. 

Han, Z-H. (2019). Special issue. Thirty-five years of instructed second language acquisition.  Language Teaching Research, 23( 4) .

Liu Banerjee, Han-Ting (Heidi). (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics). (2019).  Investigating the Construct of Topical Knowledge in a Scenario-Based Assessment Designed to Simulate Real-Life Second Language Use.

Chen, Chen-Ling (Alice) (Ed.D. in TESOL).  The Effects of Second-Language Repeated Reading on Reading Comprehension and Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition . (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han)

Le, Rong Rong (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  The Pragmatic-Discursive Structure of Chinese Compliments in Naturally-Occurring Conversation . (Sponsor: Hansun Waring)

Oh, Saerhim (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Investigating Test-Takers' Use of Linguistic Tools in Second Language Academic Writing Assessment . (Sponsor: Jim Purpura)

Box,   Catherine (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Navigating Competing Demands in Pre-Service TESOL Supervision . (Sponsor: Hansun Waring)

Kang, EunYoung (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  The Effects of Narrow Reading on L2 Text Comprehension and Vocabulary Acquisition . (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han)

Sok, Sarah (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Incidental and Intentional L2 Vocabulary Acquisition . (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han)

Creider, Sarah (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Encouraging Student Participation in a French-Immersion Kindergarten Class: A Multimodal Conversation Analytic Study.   (Sponsor: Hansung Waring)

Hall, Timothy (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Learning Chunks in Second Language Acquisition.   (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han)

DelPrete, Domenica (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Mother-Adolescent Daughter Interaction: How Maternal Roles Affect Discursive Outcomes.  (Sponsor: Leslie Beebe)

Choong, Kun-Wang Philip (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  The Effects of Task Complexity on Written Production in L2 English.  (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han)

Fagan, Drew (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Managing Learner Contributions in the Adult ESL Classroom: A Conversation Analytic and Ethnographic Examination of Teacher Practices and Cognition.  (Sponsor: Hansun Waring)

Wai, June (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  School Science or Disciplinary Science? Discourse Encountered and Practiced by English Language Learners in Two International High School Science Classroms.  (Sponsor: Michael Kieffer)

Cheon, Heesook (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Linguistic Affordances of Korean-English Tandem Learning . (Sponsor: Carolin Fuchs)

Di Gennaro, Kristen K. (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  An Exploration into the Writing Ability of Generation 1.5 and International Second Language Writers.   (Sponsor: James E. Purpura)

Johnson, Rebekah Joanne (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Discursive Practices in Family Discourse: Co-Constructing the Identity of Adult Children.   (Sponsor: Leslie Beebe)

Kim, Ah Young (Alicia) (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Examining Second Language Reading Components in Relation to Reading Test Performance for Diagnostic Purposes: A Fusion Model Approach.   (Sponsor: James E. Purpura)

Kim, Hyun Jung (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Investigating Raters' Development of Rating Ability on a Second Language Speaking Assessment.   (Sponsor: James E. Purpura)

Dakin, Jee Wha (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Investigating the Simultaneous Growth of and Relationship between Grammatical Knowledge and Civics Content Knowledge of Low-Proficiency Adult ESL Learner s. (Sponsor: James E. Purpura)

Ekiert, Monika (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Investigating Articles as Expressions of Definiteness in English as a Second Language.   (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han)

Perrone, Michael (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  The Impact of the First Certificate of English (FCE) on the EFL Classroom: A Washback Study.   (Sponsor: James E. Purpura)

Purdy, John D. (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Unaccusativity and Neurocognitive Indices of Second Language Acquisition: An ERP Study.   (Sponsor: Karen Froud)

Ameriks, Yoko (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Investigating Validity Across Two Test Forms of the Examination of Proficiency in English (ECPE): Multi-group Structural Equation Modeling Approach.   (Sponsor: James E. Purpura)

Grabowski, Kirby (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Investigating the Construct Validity of a Test Designed to Measure Grammatical and Pragmatic Knowledge in the Context of Speaking.   (Sponsor: James E. Purpura)

Jacknick, Christine M. (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  A Conversation-Analytic Account of Student-Initiated Participation in an ESL Classroom.   (Sponsor: Leslie M. Beebe)

Jung, Ji-Young (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Discourse Markers in Contrast: But, Actually and Well in Native-Nonnative English Conversations Between Friends.   (Sponsor: Leslie Beebe)

Kim, Hyunjoo (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Investigating the Effects of Context and Language Speaking Ability.  (Sponsor: James E. Purpura)

Liao, Yen-Fen (Alick) (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Construct Validation Study of the GEPT Reading and Listening Sections: Re-examining the Models of L2 Reading and Listening Abilities and Their Relations to Lexico-grammatical Knowledge.   (Sponsor: James E. Purpura)

Song, Sunhee (Ed.D. in TESOL).  Recasts, Grammatical Morphemes, and L2 Learning: A Longitudinal Case study of Korean L2 Learners.   (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han)

Year, Jungeun (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Korean Speakers' Acquisition of the English Ditransitive Construction: The Role of Input Frequency and Distribution.   (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han)

Wagner, Santoi (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Disputants' Talk in Mediation: A Single Case Study.   (Sponsor: Leslie Beebe)

Kim, Ji Hyun (Ed.D. in TESOL).  Focus on Form in Communicative EFL Classrooms: A Study of Learner Recognition of Recasts.   (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han)

Kwon, Eun-Young (Ed.D. in TESOL).  Cross-linguistic Influence and "universal" developmental patterns in child second language acquisition: A longitudinal study.   (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han)

Wiseman, Cynthia (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Examining Rater Effects and Process of Using a Holistic and Analytic Rubric.   (Sponsor: James E. Purpura)

Krohn, Nitza (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  An Examination of the Hebrew Language Needs of Students in the Jewish Theological Seminary  (Sponsor: James E. Purpura).

Yeu-Ting (Ed.D. in TESOL).  Phonological Recoding in Sentence-Level Chinese character recognition by advanced adult L2 Chinese learners  (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han).

Park, Taejoon (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Investigating the Construct Validity of the Community Language Program English Writing Test  (Sponsor: James E. Purpura).

Park, Eun Sung (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Learner-Generated Noticing of L2 Input: An Exploratory Study  (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han).

Revesz, Andrea (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Focus on Form in Task-Based Language Teaching: Recasts, Task Complexity, and L2 Learning  (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han).

Seol, Heekyung (Ed.D. in TESOL).  The Impact of Age and L1 Influence of L2 Ultimate Attainment  (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han).

Suzuki, Mikiko (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Learner Uptake and Second Language Learning  (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han).

Seol, Hee-Kyung (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  The Impact of Age and L1 Influence on L2 Ultimate Attainment  (Sponsor: ZhaoHong Han).

Wagner, Mathew (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Utilizing the Visual Channel: An Investigation of the Use of Videotexts on Tests of Second Language Listening Ability  (Sponsor: James E. Purpura).

Suh, Joowon (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Other-Initiated Repair in English Lingua Franca Business Negotiation (Sponsor: Leslie Beebe).

Chang, Jaehak (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Examining Models of Second Language Knowledge with Specific Reference to Relative Clauses: A Model-Comparison Approach  (Sponsor: James E. Purpura) .

Tsai, Constance (Ed.D. in TESOL).  Investigating the Relationships between ESL Learners' Writing Strategy Use and Writing Ability  (Sponsor: James E. Purpura).

Beaumont, John (Ed.D. in TESOL).  Passing as a Teacher: An Ethnographic Account of Entering the TESOL Profession (Sponsor: Herve Varenne).

Cho, Yunkyoung (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  An Examination of Epistemic Markers in Korean  (Sponsor: Leslie Beebe).

Dimitrova, Evelina. (Ed.D. in TESOL).  A Discourse Analysis of the Paired Interview in the University of Cambridge First Certificate of English Proficiency Exam  (Sponsor: Leslie Beebe).

Korsko, Paula (Ed.D. in TESOL).  The Narrative Shape of a Two-Party Complaint: A Discourse Analytic Study of European Portuguese  (Sponsor: Leslie Beebe).

Nottono, Miharu (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Japanese Hedging in Friend-Friend Discourse  (Sponsor: Leslie Beebe).

Fen, Ho-Ping (Ed.D. in TESOL).  An Analysis of the Relationships between Source Material and EFL Writing Ability (Sponsor: James E. Purpura).

Fujita, Naomi (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Investigating Japanese Politeness Strategies in School Meetings  (Sponsor: Leslie Beebe).

Mori, Reiko (Ed.D. in TESOL).  Two Post-Secondary ESL Teachers' Beliefs about Classroom Instruction and How their Beliefs are Reflected in their Classroom   Practice  (Sponsor: James E. Purpura).

Waring, Hansun Zhang (Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics).  Conversational Analysis of Academic Discussion Skills  (Sponsor: Leslie Beebe).

Teachers College, Columbia University 316 Zankel

Phone: (212) 678-3795 Fax: (212) 678-3428

Email: tesolalofc@tc.edu

Doctoral Dissertations

Each completed graduate student dissertation on this list reflects the diversity and quality of student scholarly work during recent years in the uc davis department of linguistics..

• Claire Henderson :   Ergativity in East Futunan Oral Narratives
• Marinka Swift : Language Ideologies and Belonging: Educational Experiences of Chicanx and Latinx University Students
• Peter Torres :  The Nation’s Fix: The Language of the Opioid Crisis
• Ludmila Ciochina :  Functional and Anatomical Adaptations in Multilingual Language Users
• Ryan Redmond:   Herbivore in the streets: A participant observation approach to hybrid masculinity performance and the linguistic practices of underground male idols in Japan
• Glen Heinrich-Wallace:  On the Application of Item Response Models and Dependency Parsing to the Assessment of Early-stage Spanish Acquisition
• Zoey (Ying) Liu:   Data-driven Crosslinguistic Modeling of Constituent Ordering Preferences
• Lisa Gonzalves :   Understanding and Supporting Emergent Writing in L2 Adults Developing First - Time Literacy
• Caitlin Green :  Toward Increased Retention in University Computer Science Programs: A Language Socialization Approach
• Michelle Cohn :   Investigating the effect of musical training on speech - in - speech perception: The role of f0, timing , and spectral cues
• Kelly Corcoran : Wild Gals and Delusional Girls: Discursive and Linguistic Practices of Japanese Alternative Women's Fashion Magazines
• Gabriella Notarianni Burk :  The Acquisition of Tense and Aspect by Instructed Adult Learners of Italian
• Emily Moline :   L1 and L2 Adult Emergent Literacy:  Reading Patterns, Oracy, and Interaction Within an English Literacy Program
• Anna Reznik :  “We All Grew Up on the Same Books”: The Role of Literacy in Language Socialization
• Will Dyer : Minimizing Integration Cost: A General Theory of Constituent Order
• Katherine Evans :  Engaging Undergraduate Writers: A Study of Motivational Dynamics in the Second Language Writing Classroom
• Chris Graham : Geographical correlates of rare word orders: a computation approach to quantitative typology and language contact
• Lajos Szoboszlai : Mutsun reclamation continued: Four years in a learner's effort to acquire language
• Renee Kemp : Lexical Effects on Second Language Acquisitions
• Daniel James Villarreal : The Construction of Social Meaning: A Matched-Guise Investigation of the California Vowel Shift
• Daniel Moglen : Social Environments, Writing Support Networks, and Academic Writing: A Study of First Year International Graduate Students
• Serena Williams :  Performativity in Wedding Narratives of Same- and Mixed-Sex Couples
• Miki Mori : Negotiating Ownership When Incorporating Outside Sources: A Qualitative Study With Multilingual Undergraduate Students
• Kristen Greer : A General Theory of Quantification
• Cory Lin Holland : Shifting or Shifted? The State of California Vowels
• Ariel Loring : Language and U.S. citizenship: Meanings, Ideologies and Policies
• Grant Eckstein:  Ideal versus Reality: Student Expectations and Experiences in Multilingual Writing Center Tutorials
• Emily Feuerherm : Language Policies, Identities, and Education in Refugee Resettlement
• Heather Sturman : Immigrant Socialization Literacy Development among Girls in a U.S. High School
• Duane Leonard : Why We Teach "ESL" Writing: A Socio-historic Discussion of an Undergraduate ESL Program 2010
• Tammy Gales : Ideologies of Violence: A Corpus and Discourse Analytic Approach to Stance in Threatening Communications
• Sze-Wei Liao : Identity, Ideology and Language Variation: A Sociolinguistic Study of Mandarin in Central Taiwan
• Michael Grosvald : Long-Distance Coarticulation: A Production and Perception Study of English and American Sign Language
• Lisa Bonnici : Variation in Maltese English: The Interplay of the Local and the Global in an Emerging Postcolonial Variety
• Dionne Soares Palmer : Second Language Pragmatic Socialization in World of Warcraft
• Ann Kelleher : Policies and Identities in Mandarin Education: The Situated Multilingualism of University-level "Heritage" Language Learners
• Yuriko Miyamoto Caltabiano : Children’s Negotiation of Multicultural Identities and Multiple Languages in Japan
• Vineeta Chand : Who Owns English? Political, Social and Linguistic Dimensions of Urban Indian English Language Practices
• Paul McPherron: Internationalizing Teaching, Localizing English: Language Teaching Reforms Through a South Chinese University

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211 Research Topics in Linguistics To Get Top Grades

Many people find it hard to decide on their linguistics research topics because of the assumed complexities involved. They struggle to choose easy research paper topics for English language too because they think it could be too simple for a university or college level certificate.

All that you need to learn about Linguistics and English is sprawled across syntax, phonetics, morphology, phonology, semantics, grammar, vocabulary, and a few others. To easily create a top-notch essay or conduct a research study, you can consider this list of research topics in English language below for your university or college use. Note that you can fine-tune these to suit your interests.

Linguistics Research Paper Topics

If you want to study how language is applied and its importance in the world, you can consider these Linguistics topics for your research paper. They are:

• An analysis of romantic ideas and their expression amongst French people
• An overview of the hate language in the course against religion
• Identify the determinants of hate language and the means of propagation
• Evaluate a literature and examine how Linguistics is applied to the understanding of minor languages
• Consider the impact of social media in the development of slangs
• An overview of political slang and its use amongst New York teenagers
• Examine the relevance of Linguistics in a digitalized world
• Analyze foul language and how it’s used to oppress minors
• Identify the role of language in the national identity of a socially dynamic society
• Attempt an explanation to how the language barrier could affect the social life of an individual in a new society
• Discuss the means through which language can enrich cultural identities
• Examine the concept of bilingualism and how it applies in the real world
• Analyze the possible strategies for teaching a foreign language
• Discuss the priority of teachers in the teaching of grammar to non-native speakers
• Choose a school of your choice and observe the slang used by its students: analyze how it affects their social lives
• Attempt a critical overview of racist languages
• What does endangered language means and how does it apply in the real world?
• A critical overview of your second language and why it is a second language
• What are the motivators of speech and why are they relevant?
• Analyze the difference between the different types of communications and their significance to specially-abled persons
• Give a critical overview of five literature on sign language
• Evaluate the distinction between the means of language comprehension between an adult and a teenager
• Consider a native American group and evaluate how cultural diversity has influenced their language
• Analyze the complexities involved in code-switching and code-mixing
• Give a critical overview of the importance of language to a teenager
• Attempt a forensic overview of language accessibility and what it means
• What do you believe are the means of communications and what are their uniqueness?
• Attempt a study of Islamic poetry and its role in language development
• Attempt a study on the role of Literature in language development
• Evaluate the Influence of metaphors and other literary devices in the depth of each sentence
• Identify the role of literary devices in the development of proverbs in any African country
• Cognitive Linguistics: analyze two pieces of Literature that offers a critical view of perception
• Identify and analyze the complexities in unspoken words
• Expression is another kind of language: discuss
• Identify the significance of symbols in the evolution of language
• Discuss how learning more than a single language promote cross-cultural developments
• Analyze how the loss of a mother tongue affect the language Efficiency of a community
• Critically examine how sign language works
• Using literature from the medieval era, attempt a study of the evolution of language
• Identify how wars have led to the reduction in the popularity of a language of your choice across any country of the world
• Critically examine five Literature on why accent changes based on environment
• What are the forces that compel the comprehension of language in a child
• Identify and explain the difference between the listening and speaking skills and their significance in the understanding of language
• Give a critical overview of how natural language is processed
• Examine the influence of language on culture and vice versa
• It is possible to understand a language even without living in that society: discuss
• Identify the arguments regarding speech defects
• Discuss how the familiarity of language informs the creation of slangs
• Explain the significance of religious phrases and sacred languages
• Explore the roots and evolution of incantations in Africa

Sociolinguistic Research Topics

You may as well need interesting Linguistics topics based on sociolinguistic purposes for your research. Sociolinguistics is the study and recording of natural speech. It’s primarily the casual status of most informal conversations. You can consider the following Sociolinguistic research topics for your research:

• What makes language exceptional to a particular person?
• How does language form a unique means of expression to writers?
• Examine the kind of speech used in health and emergencies
• Analyze the language theory explored by family members during dinner
• Evaluate the possible variation of language based on class
• Evaluate the language of racism, social tension, and sexism
• Discuss how Language promotes social and cultural familiarities
• Give an overview of identity and language
• Examine why some language speakers enjoy listening to foreigners who speak their native language
• Give a forensic analysis of his the language of entertainment is different to the language in professional settings
• Give an understanding of how Language changes
• Examine the Sociolinguistics of the Caribbeans
• Consider an overview of metaphor in France
• Explain why the direct translation of written words is incomprehensible in Linguistics
• Discuss the use of language in marginalizing a community
• Analyze the history of Arabic and the culture that enhanced it
• Discuss the growth of French and the influences of other languages
• Examine how the English language developed and its interdependence on other languages
• Give an overview of cultural diversity and Linguistics in teaching
• Challenge the attachment of speech defect with disability of language listening and speaking abilities
• Explore the uniqueness of language between siblings
• Explore the means of making requests between a teenager and his parents
• Observe and comment on how students relate with their teachers through language
• Observe and comment on the communication of strategy of parents and teachers
• Examine the connection of understanding first language with academic excellence

Language Research Topics

Numerous languages exist in different societies. This is why you may seek to understand the motivations behind language through these Linguistics project ideas. You can consider the following interesting Linguistics topics and their application to language:

• What does language shift mean?
• Discuss the stages of English language development?
• Examine the position of ambiguity in a romantic Language of your choice
• Why are some languages called romantic languages?
• Observe the strategies of persuasion through Language
• Discuss the connection between symbols and words
• Identify the language of political speeches
• Discuss the effectiveness of language in an indigenous cultural revolution
• Trace the motivators for spoken language
• What does language acquisition mean to you?
• Examine three pieces of literature on language translation and its role in multilingual accessibility
• Identify the science involved in language reception
• Interrogate with the context of language disorders
• Examine how psychotherapy applies to victims of language disorders
• Study the growth of Hindi despite colonialism
• Critically appraise the term, language erasure
• Examine how colonialism and war is responsible for the loss of language
• Give an overview of the difference between sounds and letters and how they apply to the German language
• Explain why the placement of verb and preposition is different in German and English languages
• Choose two languages of your choice and examine their historical relationship
• Discuss the strategies employed by people while learning new languages
• Discuss the role of all the figures of speech in the advancement of language
• Analyze the complexities of autism and its victims
• Offer a linguist approach to language uniqueness between a Down Syndrome child and an autist
• Express dance as a language
• Express music as a language
• Express language as a form of language
• Evaluate the role of cultural diversity in the decline of languages in South Africa
• Discuss the development of the Greek language
• Critically review two literary texts, one from the medieval era and another published a decade ago, and examine the language shifts

Linguistics Essay Topics

You may also need Linguistics research topics for your Linguistics essays. As a linguist in the making, these can help you consider controversies in Linguistics as a discipline and address them through your study. You can consider:

• The connection of sociolinguistics in comprehending interests in multilingualism
• Write on your belief of how language encourages sexism
• What do you understand about the differences between British and American English?
• Discuss how slangs grew and how they started
• Consider how age leads to loss of language
• Review how language is used in formal and informal conversation
• Discuss what you understand by polite language
• Discuss what you know by hate language
• Evaluate how language has remained flexible throughout history
• Mimicking a teacher is a form of exercising hate Language: discuss
• Body Language and verbal speech are different things: discuss
• Language can be exploitative: discuss
• Do you think language is responsible for inciting aggression against the state?
• Can you justify the structural representation of any symbol of your choice?
• Religious symbols are not ordinary Language: what are your perspective on day-to-day languages and sacred ones?
• Consider the usage of language by an English man and someone of another culture
• Discuss the essence of code-mixing and code-switching
• Attempt a psychological assessment on the role of language in academic development
• How does language pose a challenge to studying?
• Choose a multicultural society of your choice and explain the problem they face
• What forms does Language use in expression?
• Identify the reasons behind unspoken words and actions
• Why do universal languages exist as a means of easy communication?
• Examine the role of the English language in the world
• Examine the role of Arabic in the world
• Examine the role of romantic languages in the world
• Evaluate the significance of each teaching Resources in a language classroom
• Consider an assessment of language analysis
• Why do people comprehend beyond what is written or expressed?
• What is the impact of hate speech on a woman?
• Do you believe that grammatical errors are how everyone’s comprehension of language is determined?
• Observe the Influence of technology in language learning and development
• Which parts of the body are responsible for understanding new languages
• How has language informed development?
• Would you say language has improved human relations or worsened it considering it as a tool for violence?
• Would you say language in a black populous state is different from its social culture in white populous states?
• Give an overview of the English language in Nigeria
• Give an overview of the English language in Uganda
• Give an overview of the English language in India
• Give an overview of Russian in Europe
• Give a conceptual analysis on stress and how it works
• Consider the means of vocabulary development and its role in cultural relationships
• Examine the effects of Linguistics in language
• Present your understanding of sign language
• What do you understand about descriptive language and prescriptive Language?

List of Research Topics in English Language

You may need English research topics for your next research. These are topics that are socially crafted for you as a student of language in any institution. You can consider the following for in-depth analysis:

• Examine the travail of women in any feminist text of your choice
• Examine the movement of feminist literature in the Industrial period
• Give an overview of five Gothic literature and what you understand from them
• Examine rock music and how it emerged as a genre
• Evaluate the cultural association with Nina Simone’s music
• What is the relevance of Shakespeare in English literature?
• How has literature promoted the English language?
• Identify the effect of spelling errors in the academic performance of students in an institution of your choice
• Critically survey a university and give rationalize the literary texts offered as Significant
• Examine the use of feminist literature in advancing the course against patriarchy
• Give an overview of the themes in William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”
• Express the significance of Ernest Hemingway’s diction in contemporary literature
• Examine the predominant devices in the works of William Shakespeare
• Explain the predominant devices in the works of Christopher Marlowe
• Charles Dickens and his works: express the dominating themes in his Literature
• Why is Literature described as the mirror of society?
• Examine the issues of feminism in Sefi Atta’s “Everything Good Will Come” and Bernadine Evaristos’s “Girl, Woman, Other”
• Give an overview of the stylistics employed in the writing of “Girl, Woman, Other” by Bernadine Evaristo
• Describe the language of advertisement in social media and newspapers
• Describe what poetic Language means
• Examine the use of code-switching and code-mixing on Mexican Americans
• Examine the use of code-switching and code-mixing in Indian Americans
• Discuss the influence of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” on satirical literature
• Examine the Linguistics features of “Native Son” by Richard Wright
• What is the role of indigenous literature in promoting cultural identities
• How has literature informed cultural consciousness?
• Analyze five literature on semantics and their Influence on the study
• Assess the role of grammar in day to day communications
• Observe the role of multidisciplinary approaches in understanding the English language
• What does stylistics mean while analyzing medieval literary texts?
• Analyze the views of philosophers on language, society, and culture

English Research Paper Topics for College Students

For your college work, you may need to undergo a study of any phenomenon in the world. Note that they could be Linguistics essay topics or mainly a research study of an idea of your choice. Thus, you can choose your research ideas from any of the following:

• The concept of fairness in a democratic Government
• The capacity of a leader isn’t in his or her academic degrees
• The concept of discrimination in education
• The theory of discrimination in Islamic states
• The idea of school policing
• A study on grade inflation and its consequences
• A study of taxation and Its importance to the economy from a citizen’s perspectives
• A study on how eloquence lead to discrimination amongst high school students
• A study of the influence of the music industry in teens
• An Evaluation of pornography and its impacts on College students
• A descriptive study of how the FBI works according to Hollywood
• A critical consideration of the cons and pros of vaccination
• The health effect of sleep disorders
• An overview of three literary texts across three genres of Literature and how they connect to you
• A critical overview of “King Oedipus”: the role of the supernatural in day to day life
• Examine the novel “12 Years a Slave” as a reflection of servitude and brutality exerted by white slave owners
• Rationalize the emergence of racist Literature with concrete examples
• A study of the limits of literature in accessing rural readers
• Analyze the perspectives of modern authors on the Influence of medieval Literature on their craft
• What do you understand by the mortality of a literary text?
• A study of controversial Literature and its role in shaping the discussion
• A critical overview of three literary texts that dealt with domestic abuse and their role in changing the narratives about domestic violence
• Choose three contemporary poets and analyze the themes of their works
• Do you believe that contemporary American literature is the repetition of unnecessary themes already treated in the past?
• A study of the evolution of Literature and its styles
• The use of sexual innuendos in literature
• The use of sexist languages in literature and its effect on the public
• The disaster associated with media reports of fake news
• Conduct a study on how language is used as a tool for manipulation
• Attempt a criticism of a controversial Literary text and why it shouldn’t be studied or sold in the first place

Finding Linguistics Hard To Write About?

With these topics, you can commence your research with ease. However, if you need professional writing help for any part of the research, you can scout here online for the best research paper writing service.

There are several expert writers on ENL hosted on our website that you can consider for a fast response on your research study at a cheap price.

As students, you may be unable to cover every part of your research on your own. This inability is the reason you should consider expert writers for custom research topics in Linguistics approved by your professor for high grades.

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Home > School, College, or Department > CLAS > Applied Linguistics > Dissertations and Theses

Applied Linguistics Dissertations and Theses

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Critical Analysis of Anti-Asian Hate in the News , Benardo Douglas Relampagos

A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of NASA's Instagram Account , Danica Lynn Tomber

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

A Computer Science Academic Vocabulary List , David Roesler

Variation in Female and Male Dialogue in Buffy the Vampire Slayer : A Multi-dimensional Analysis , Amber Morgan Sanchez

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Differences in Syntactic Complexity in the Writing of EL1 and ELL Civil Engineering Students , Santiago Gustin

A Mixed Methods Analysis of Corpus Data from Reddit Discussions of "Gay Voice" , Sara Elizabeth Mulliner

Relationship Between Empathy and Language Proficiency in Adult Language Learners , Mika Sakai

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

College Student Rankings of Multiple Speakers in a Public Speaking Context: a Language Attitudes Study on Japanese-accented English with a World Englishes Perspective , John James Ahlbrecht

Grammatical Errors by Arabic ESL Students: an Investigation of L1 Transfer through Error Analysis , Aisha Saud Alasfour

Foreign Language Anxiety, Sexuality, and Gender: Lived Experiences of Four LGBTQ+ Students , James Donald Mitchell

Verb Stem Alternation in Vaiphei , Jesse Prichard

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Teacher and Student Perceptions of World Englishes (WE) Pronunciations in two US Settings , Marie Arrieta

Escalating Language at Traffic Stops: Two Case Studies , Jamalieh Haley

Lexical Bundles in Applied Linguistics and Literature Writing: a Comparison of Intermediate English Learners and Professionals , Kathryn Marie Johnston

Multilingualism and Multiculturalism: Opinions from Spanish-Speaking English Learners from Mexico, Central America, and South America , Cailey Catherine Moe

An Analytical System for Determining Disciplinary Vocabulary for Data-Driven Learning: an Example from Civil Engineering , Philippa Jean Otto

Loanwords in Context: Lexical Borrowing from English to Japanese and its Effects on Second-Language Vocabulary Acquisition , Andrew Michael Sowers

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Effect of Extended Instruction on Passive Voice, Reduced Relative Clauses, and Modal Would in the Academic Writing of Advanced English Language Learners , Audrey Bailey

Identity Construction and Language Use by Immigrant Women in a Microenterprise Development Program , Linda Eve Bonder

"That's the test?" Washback Effects of an Alternative Assessment in a Culturally Heterogeneous EAP University Class , Abigail Bennett Carrigan

Wiki-based Collaborative Creative Writing in the ESL Classroom , Rima Elabdali

A Study of the Intelligibility, Comprehensibility and Interpretability of Standard Marine Communication Phrases as Perceived by Chinese Mariners , Lillian Christine Holland

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Empowering All Who Teach: A Portrait of Two Non-Native English Speaking Teachers in a Globalized 21st Century , Rosa Dene David

A Corpus Based Analysis of Noun Modification in Empirical Research Articles in Applied Linguistics , Jo-Anne Hutter

Sound Effects: Age, Gender, and Sound Symbolism in American English , Timothy Allen Krause

Perspectives on the College Readiness and Outcome Achievement of Former Intensive English Language Program (IELP) Students , Meghan Oswalt

The Cognitive Development of Expertise in an ESL Teacher: A Case Study , Lyndsey Roos

Identity and Investment in the Community ESL Classroom , Jennifer Marie Sacklin

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Code Switching Between Tamazight and Arabic in the First Libyan Berber News Broadcast: An Application of Myers-Scotton's MLF and 4M Models , Ashour S. Abdulaziz

Self-Efficacy in Low-Level English Language Learners , Laura F. Blumenthal

The Impact of Wiki-based Collaborative Writing on English L2 Learners' Individual Writing Development , Gina Christina Caruso

Latino Men Managing HIV: An Appraisal Analysis of Intersubjective Relations in the Discourse of Five Research Interviews , Will Caston

Opportunities for Incidental Acquisition of Academic Vocabulary from Teacher Speech in an English for Academic Purposes Classroom , Eric Dean Dodson

Emerging Lexical Organization from Intentional Vocabulary Learning , Adam Jones

Effects of the First Language on Japanese ESL Learners' Answers to Negative Questions , Kosuke Kanda

"Had sh'er haute gamme, high technology": An Application of the MLF and 4-M Models to French-Arabic Codeswitching in Algerian Hip Hop , Samuel Nickilaus McLain-Jespersen

Is Self-Sufficiency Really Sufficient? A Critical Analysis of Federal Refugee Resettlement Policy and Local Attendant English Language Training in Portland, Oregon , Domminick McParland

Explorations into the Psycholinguistic Validity of Extended Collocations , J. Arianna Morgan

A Comparison of Linguistic Features in the Academic Writing of Advanced English Language Learner and English First Language University Students , Margo K. Russell

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

The First Year: Development of Preservice Teacher Beliefs About Teaching and Learning During Year One of an MA TESOL Program , Emily Spady Addiego

L1 Influence on L2 Intonation in Russian Speakers of English , Christiane Fleur Crosby

English Loan Words in Japanese: Exploring Comprehension and Register , Naoko Horikawa

The Role of Expectations on Nonnative English Speaking Students' Wrtiting , Sara Marie Van Dan Acker

Hypothetical Would-Clauses in Korean EFL Textbooks: An Analysis Based on a Corpus Study and Focus on Form Approach , Soyung Yoo

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Negative Transfer in the Writing of Proficient Students of Russian: A Comparison of Heritage Language Learners and Second Language Learners , Daria Aleeva

Informal Learning Choices of Japanese ESL Students in the United States , Brent Harrison Amburgey

Iktomi: A Character Traits Analysis of a Dakota Culture Myth , Marianne Sue Kastner

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Motivation in Late Learners of Japanese: Self-Determination Theory, Attitudes and Pronunciation , Shannon Guinn-Collins

Foreign Language Students' Beliefs about Homestays , Sara Racheal Juveland

Teaching Intonation Patterns through Reading Aloud , Micah William Park

Disordered Thought, Disordered Language: A corpus-based description of the speech of individuals undergoing treatment for schizophrenia , Lucas Carl Steuber

Emotion Language and Emotion Narratives of Turkish-English Late Bilinguals , Melike Yücel Koç

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

A Library and its Community: Exploring Perceptions of Collaboration , Phoebe Vincenza Daurio

A Structural and Functional Analysis of Codeswitching in Mi Vida Gitana 'My Gypsy Life,' a Bilingual Play , Gustavo Javier Fernandez

Writing Chinuk Wawa: A Materials Development Case Study , Sarah A. Braun Hamilton

Teacher Evaluation of Item Formats for an English Language Proficiency Assessment , Jose Luis Perea-Hernandez

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Building Community and Bridging Cultures: the Role of Volunteer Tutors in Oregon’s Latino Serving Community-Based Organizations , Troy Vaughn Hickman

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

Beyond the Classroom Walls: a Study of Out-Of-Class English Use by Adult Community College ESL Students , Tracey Louise Knight

Theses/Dissertations from 2004 2004

A Dialect Study of Oregon NORMs , Lisa Wittenberg Hillyard

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

The Acquisition of a Stage Dialect , Nathaniel George Halloran

Self-perceptions of non-native English speaking teachers of English as a second language , Kathryn Ann Long

The Development of Language Choice in a German Immersion School , Miranda Kussmaul Novash

Theses/Dissertations from 2002 2002

Writing in the Contact Zone: Three Portraits of Reflexivity and Transformation , Laurene L. Christensen

A Linguistic Evaluation of the Somali Women's Self Sufficiency Project , Ann Marie Kasper

Theses/Dissertations from 2001 2001

Attitudes at the Bank : A Survey of Reactions to Different Varieties of English , Sean Wilcox

Theses/Dissertations from 2000 2000

A Comparison of the Child Directed Speech of Traditional Dads With That of Stay-At-Home Dads , Judith Nancarrow Barr

Error Correction Preferences of Latino ESL Students , John Burrell

The Relationship Between Chinese Character Recognition Strategies and the Success of Character Memorization for Students of Mandarin Chinese , Hui-yen Emmy Chen

Portland dialect study: the story of /æ/ in Portland , Jeffrey C. Conn

On Communicative Competence : Its Nature and Origin , Mary Lou Emerson

The Influence of Cultural Backgrounds on the Interpretations of Literature Texts Used in the ESL Classroom , Barbara Jostrom Gates

Chinese Numeratives and the Mass/Count Distinction , David Goodman

Learning, Motivation, and Self : A Diary Study of an ESL Teacher’s Year in a Japanese Language Classroom , Laura Ruth Hawks

Portland Dialect Study - High Rising Terminal Contours (HRTs) in Portland Speech , Rebecca A. Wolff

Theses/Dissertations from 1998 1998

The Bolinger Principle and Teaching the Gerunds and Infinitives , Anna Maria Baratta-Zborowski

Training for Volunteer Teachers in Church-Affiliated English Language Mission Programs , Janet Noreen Blackwood

Šawaš ılıˀ--šawaš wawa: A Participant Observation Case Study of Language Planning by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon , Gregry Michael Davis

Phonological Processing of Japanese Kanji Characters , Randy L. Evans

Academic ESL Reading : Semantic Mapping and Lexical Acquisition , Jeffrey Darin Maggard

The Representation of Gender in Current ESL Reading Materials , Kyunghee Ma

Perception of English Passives by Japanese ESL Learners : Do Adversity Passives in L1 Transfer? , Koichi Sawasaki

Theses/Dissertations from 1997 1997

Non-Literate Students in Adult Beginning English as a Second Language Classrooms - A Case Study , Sandra Lynn Banke

A Case Study of Twelve Japanese ESL Students' Use of Interaction Modifications , Darin Dooley

The Home-School Connection: Parental Influences on a Child's ESL Acquisition , Catharine Jauhiainen

A Comparison of Two Second Language Acquisition Models for Culturally and Linguistically Different Students , Karen Dorothy Kuhn

ESL CD-ROM Principles and their Application: A Software Evaluation , Stephanie Burgi LaMonica

Developing a Language in Education Policy for Post-apartheid South Africa: A Case Study , Nancy Murray

Video Self-Monitoring as an Alternative to Traditional Methods of Pronunciation Instruction , P. C. Noble

Analysis of Rhetorical Organization and Style Patterns in Korean and American Business Fax Letters of Complaint in English , Mi Young Park

The Importance of Time for Processing in Second Language Comprehension and Acquisition , Jennifer Lee Watson

Theses/Dissertations from 1996 1996

The Constraints of a Typological Implicational Universal for Interrogatives on Second Language Acquisition , Dee Anne Bess

An Assessment of the Needs of International Students for Student Services at Southern Oregon State College , Molly K. Emmons

The relationship between a pre-departure training program and its participants' intercultural communication competence , Daniel Timothy Ferguson

An Exploratory Evaluation of Language and Culture Contact by Japanese Sojourners in a Short-term US Academic Program , Elizabeth Anna Hartley

Correction of Classroom Oral Errors: Preferences among University Students of English in Japan , Akemi Katayama

An Analysis of Japanese Learners' Comprehension of Intonation in English , Misako Okubo

An Evaluation of English Spoken Fluency of Thai Graduate Students in the United States , Sugunya Ruangjaroon

A Cross-cultural Study of the Speech Act of Refusing in English and German , Charla Margaret Teufel

Theses/Dissertations from 1995 1995

An Examination of the English Vocabulary Knowledge of Adult English-for-Academic-Purposes Students: Correlation with English Second-Language Proficiency and the Validity of Yes/No Vocabulary Tests , Robert Scott Fetter

English in the Workplace: Case Study of a Pilot Program , Kim Roth Franklin

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Any Questions? Polarity as a Window into the Structure of Questions 

Diachronic poetics and language history: studies in archaic greek poetry , feature mismatch: deponency in indo-european languages , interpreting questions with non-exhaustive answers , linking form to meaning: reevaluating the evidence for the unaccusative hypothesis , a modular theory of radical pro drop , nominal arguments and language variation , prosodic noun incorporation and verb-initial syntax , the semantics of measurement , the sense of self: topics in the semantics of de se expressions , soft but strong. neg-raising, soft triggers, and exhaustification , split intransitivity in ranmo , studies in tocharian adjective formation , the syntax-phonology interface in native and near-native korean , the caland system in the north: archaism and innovation in property-concept/state morphology in balto-slavic , the linguistic and conceptual representation of scalar alternatives: number and 'only' as case studies , toward a theory of mandarin quantification , unnatural phonology: a synchrony-diachrony interface approach .

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Home > Humanities > Linguistics > Theses and Dissertations

Linguistics Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2022 2022.

Temporal Fluency in L2 Self-Assessments: A Cross-Linguistic Study of Spanish, Portuguese, and French , Mandy Case

Biblical Hebrew as a Negative Concord Language , J. Bradley Dukes

Revitalizing the Russian of a Heritage Speaker , Aaron Jordan

Analyzing Patterns of Complexity in Pre-University L2 English Writing , Zachary M. Lambert

Prosodic Modeling for Hymn Translation , Michael Abraham Peck

Interpretive Language and Museum Artwork: How Patrons Respond to Depictions of Native American and White Settler Encounters--A Thematic Analysis , Holli D. Rogerson

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Trademarks and Genericide: A Corpus and Experimental Approach to Understanding the Semantic Status of Trademarks , Richard B. Bevan

First and Second Language Use of Case, Aspect, and Tense in Finnish and English , Torin Kelley

Lexical Aspect in-sha Verb Chains in Pastaza Kichwa , Azya Dawn Ladd

Text-to-Speech Systems: Learner Perceptions of its Use as a Tool in the Language Classroom , Joseph Chi Man Mak

The Effects of Dynamic Written Corrective Feedback on the Accuracy and Complexity of Writing Produced by L2 Graduate Students , Lisa Rohm

Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions as Applied to Motivation in L2 Vocabulary Acquisition , Lindsay Michelle Stephenson

Linguistics of Russian Media During the 2016 US Election: A Corpus-Based Study , Devon K. Terry

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Portuguese and Chinese ESL Reading Behaviors Compared: An Eye-Tracking Study , Logan Kyle Blackwell

Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions to Lower Test Anxiety , Asena Cakmakci

The Categorization of Ideophone-Gesture Composites in Quichua Narratives , Maria Graciela Cano

Ranking Aspect-Based Features in Restaurant Reviews , Jacob Ling Hang Chan

Praise in Written Feedback: How L2 Writers Perceive and Value Praise , Karla Coca

Evidence for a Typology of Christ in the Book of Esther , L. Clayton Fausett

Gender Vs. Sex: Defining Meaning in a Modern World through use of Corpora and Semantic Surveys , Mary Elizabeth Garceau

The attributive suffix in Pastaza Kichwa , Barrett Wilson Hamp

An Examination of Motivation Types and Their Influence on English Proficiency for Current High School Students in South Korean , Euiyong Jung

Experienced ESL Teachers' Attitudes Towards Using Phonetic Symbols in Teaching English Pronunciation to Adult ESL Students , Oxana Kodirova

Evidentiality, Epistemic Modality and Mirativity: The Case of Cantonese Utterance Particles Ge3, Laak3, and Lo1 , Ka Fai Law

Application of a Self-Regulation Framework in an ESL Classroom: Effects on IEP International Students , Claudia Mencarelli

Parsing an American Sign Language Corpus with Combinatory Categorial Grammar , Michael Albert Nix

An Exploration of Mental Contrasting and Social Networks of English Language Learners , Adam T. Pinkston

A Corpus-Based Study of the Gender Assignment of Nominal Anglicisms in Brazilian Portuguese , Taryn Marie Skahill

Developing Listening Comprehension in ESL Students at the Intermediate Level by Reading Transcripts While Listening: A Cognitive Load Perspective , Sydney Sohler

The Effect of Language Learning Experience on Motivation and Anxiety of Foreign Language Learning Students , Josie Eileen Thacker

Identifying Language Needs in Community-Based Adult ELLs: Findings from an Ethnography of Four Salvadoran Immigrants in the Western United States , Kathryn Anne Watkins

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Using Eye Tracking to Examine Working Memory and Verbal Feature Processing in Spanish , Erik William Arnold

Self-Regulation in Transition: A Case Study of Three English Language Learners at an IEP , Allison Wallace Baker

"General Conference talk": Style Variation and the Styling of Identity in Latter-day Saint General Conference Oratory , Stephen Thomas Betts

Implementing Mental Contrasting to Improve English Language Learner Social Networks , Hannah Trimble Brown

Comparing Academic Vocabulary List (AVL) Frequency Bands to Leveled Biology and History Texts , Lynne Crandall

A Comparison of Mobile and Computer Receptive Language ESL Tests , Aislin Pickett Davis

Yea, Yea, Nay, Nay: Uses of the Archaic, Biblical Yea in the Book of Mormon , Michael Edward De Martini

L1 and L2 Reading Behaviors by Proficiency Level: An English-Portuguese Eye-Tracking Study , Larissa Grahl

Immediate Repeated Reading has Positive Effects on Reading Fluency for English Language Learners: An Eye-tracking Study , Jennifer Hemmert Hansen

Perceptions of Malaysian English Teachers Regarding the Importation of Expatriate Native and Nonnative English-speaking Teachers , Syringa Joanah Judd

Sociocultural Identification with the United States and English Pronunciation Comprehensibility and Accent Among International ESL Students , Christinah Paige Mulder

The Effects of Repeated Reading on the Fluency of Intermediate-Level English-as-a-Second-Language Learners: An Eye-Tracking Study , Krista Carlene Rich

Verb Usage in Egyptian Movies, Serials, and Blogs: A Case for Register Variation , Michael G. White

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Factors Influencing ESL Students' Selection of Intensive English Programs in the Western United States , Katie Briana Blanco

Pun Strategies Across Joke Schemata: A Corpus-Based Study , Robert Nishan Crapo

ESL Students' Reading Behaviors on Multiple-Choice Items at Differing Proficiency Levels: An Eye-Tracking Study , Juan M. Escalante Talavera

Backward Transfer of Apology Strategies from Japanese to English: Do English L1 Speakers Use Japanese-Style Apologies When Speaking English? , Candice April Flowers

Cultural Differences in Russian and English Magazine Advertising: A Pragmatic Approach , Emily Kay Furner

An Analysis of Rehearsed Speech Characteristics on the Oral Proficiency Interview—Computer (OPIc) , Gwyneth Elaine Gates

Predicting Speaking, Listening, and Reading Proficiency Gains During Study Abroad Using Social Network Metrics , Timothy James Hall

Navigating a New Culture: Analyzing Variables that Influence Intensive English Program Students' Cultural Adjustment Process , Sherie Lyn Kwok

Second Language Semantic Retrieval in the Bilingual Mind: The Case of Korean-English Expert Bilinguals , Janice Si-Man Lam

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Korean Heritage-Speaking Interpreter , Yoonjoo Lee

Reading Idioms: A Comparative Eye-Tracking Study of Native English Speakers and Native Korean Speakers , Sarah Lynne Miner

Applying the Developmental Path of English Negation to the Automated Scoring of Learner Essays , Allen Travis Moore

Performance Self-Appraisal Calibration of ESL Students on a Proficiency Reading Test , Jodi Mikolajcik Petersen

Switch-Reference in Pastaza Kichwa , Alexander Harrison Rice

The Effects of Metacognitive Listening Strategy Instruction on ESL Learners' Listening Motivation , Corbin Kalanikiakahi Rivera

The Effects of Teacher Background on How Teachers Assess Native-Like and Nonnative-Like Grammar Errors: An Eye-Tracking Study , Wesley Makoto Schramm

Rubric Rating with MFRM vs. Randomly Distributed Comparative Judgment: A Comparison of Two Approaches to Second-Language Writing Assessment , Maureen Estelle Sims

Investigating the Perception of Identity Shift in Trilingual Speakers: A Case Study , Elena Vasilachi

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Preparing Non-Native English Speakers for the Mathematical Vocabulary in the GRE and GMAT , Irina Mikhailovna Baskova

Eye Behavior While Reading Words of Sanskrit and Urdu Origin in Hindi , Tahira Carroll

An Acoustical Analysis of the American English /l, r/ Contrast as Produced by Adult Japanese Learners of English Incorporating Word Position and Task Type , Braden Paul Chase

The Rhetoric Revision Log: A Second Study on a Feedback Tool for ESL Student Writing , Natalie Marie Cole

Quizlet Flashcards for the First 500 Words of the Academic Vocabulary List , Emily R. Crandell

The Impact of Changing TOEFL Cut-Scores on University Admissions , Laura Michelle Decker

A Latent Class Analysis of American English Dialects , Stephanie Nicole Hedges

Comparing the AWL and AVL in Textbooks from an Intensive English Program , Michelle Morgan Hernandez

Faculty and EAL Student Perceptions of Writing Purposes and Challenges in the Business Major , Amy Mae Johnson

Multilingual Trends in Five London Boroughs: A Linguistic Landscape Approach , Shayla Ann Johnson

Nature or Nurture in English Academic Writing: Korean and American Rhetorical Patterns , Sunok Kim

Differences in the Motivations of Chinese Learners of English in Different (Foreign or Second Language) Contexts , Rui Li

Managing Dynamic Written Corrective Feedback: Perceptions of Experienced Teachers , Rachel A. Messenger

Spanish Heritage Bilingual Perception of English-Specific Vowel Contrasts , John B. Nielsen

Taking the "Foreign" Out of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale , Jared Benjamin Sell

Creole Genesis and Universality: Case, Word Order, and Agreement , Gerald Taylor Snow

Idioms or Open Choice? A Corpus Based Analysis , Kaitlyn Alayne VanWagoner

Applying Corpus-Assisted Critical Discourse Analysis to an Unrestricted Corpus: A Case Study in Indonesian and Malay Newspapers , Sara LuAnne White

Investigating the effects of Rater's Second Language Learning Background and Familiarity with Test-Taker's First Language on Speaking Test Scores , Ksenia Zhao

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Influence of Online English Language Instruction on ESL Learners' Fluency Development , Rebecca Aaron

The Effect of Prompt Accent on Elicited Imitation Assessments in English as a Second Language , Jacob Garlin Barrows

A Framework for Evaluating Recommender Systems , Michael Gabriel Bean

Program and Classroom Factors Affecting Attendance Patterns For Hispanic Participants In Adult ESL Education , Steven J. Carter

A Longitudinal Analysis of Adult ESL Speakers' Oral Fluency Gains , Kostiantyn Fesenko

Rethinking Vocabulary Size Tests: Frequency Versus Item Difficulty , Brett James Hashimoto

The Onomatopoeic Ideophone-Gesture Relationship in Pastaza Quichua , Sarah Ann Hatton

A Hybrid Approach to Cross-Linguistic Tokenization: Morphology with Statistics , Logan R. Kearsley

Getting All the Ducks in a Row: Towards a Method for the Consolidation of English Idioms , Ethan Michael Lynn

Expecting Excellence: Student and Teacher Attitudes Towards Choosing to Speak English in an IEP , Alhyaba Encinas Moore

Lexical Trends in Young Adult Literature: A Corpus-Based Approach , Kyra McKinzie Nelson

A Corpus-Based Comparison of the Academic Word List and the Academic Vocabulary List , Jacob Andrew Newman

A Self-Regulated Learning Inventory Based on a Six-Dimensional Model of SRL , Christopher Nuttall

The Effectiveness of Using Written Feedback to Improve Adult ESL Learners' Spontaneous Pronunciation of English Suprasegmentals , Chirstin Stephens

Pragmatic Quotation Use in Online Yelp Reviews and its Connection to Author Sentiment , Mary Elisabeth Wright

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Conditional Sentences in Egyptian Colloquial and Modern Standard Arabic: A Corpus Study , Randell S. Bentley

A Corpus-Based Analysis of Russian Word Order Patterns , Stephanie Kay Billings

English to ASL Gloss Machine Translation , Mary Elizabeth Bonham

The Development of an ESP Vocabulary Study Guidefor the Utah State Driver Handbook , Kirsten M. Brown

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Unpacking the history of middle chinese *ɣu- in the yue dialects in guangdong: a dialect geographical analysis , perception and production of singular they in british english , cross-dialect variation in dinka tonal morphology , morphophonological interactions in shilluk: an investigation into the tone system and suffixation patterns in the gar dialect , vowel duration in the standard english of scotland , linguicide or linguistic suicide: a case study of indigenous minority languages in france , combining translation into the second language and second language learning : an integrated computational approach , post-critical period age of arrival and its relationship to ultimate attainment in a second language , hci for development: does sense of agency affect the adoption of a mobile health insurance service in tanzania , language policy and planning in xinjiang uygur autonomous region of china , comparable structural priming from comprehension and production: evidence against error-based learning of syntactic structure , developing educational games for teaching children with special educational needs , variation in the speech of university students from edinburgh: the cases of /x/ and // , a diachronic constructional investigation into the adverse avertive schema in chinese , onset consonants and the perceptions of tone and voicing in thai , simulating the interaction between mindreading and language in development and evolution , in task-oriented dyadic dialogue, how do non-native speakers of english align with each other in terms of lexical choices , native english speakers' music ability and their perception and production of l2 mandarin tones , a study of cmc language switching in china , the cognitive processes involved with hitting a fastball and why the baseball axiom "keeping your eye on the ball" is an exercise in futility .

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Please note that these guidelines apply  only  to dissertations being submitted under the regulations for Part IIB of the Linguistics Tripos. For information regarding the  MML Year Abroad Project  and  MML Tripos Optional Dissertation  please see the relevant Faculty webpages.

What is a dissertation?

A dissertation is an extended essay normally divided into chapters or sections, with appropriate scholarly apparatus - precise referencing of sources, bibliography, possibly footnotes - which sets out to solve a problem, to query an existing belief, or to provide an accurate description and explanation of some phenomenon.

How will I benefit from writing a dissertation?

Writing a dissertation provides you with experience of research. If you think you might want to go on to postgraduate study, it'll give you an idea of what the research component of an MPhil course would involve. It allows you to go into an aspect of the course you find particularly interesting in much greater depth than is possible in a supervision essay. Many students enjoy the fact that, unlike examinations, the dissertation is entirely under their control, and that it is usually possible to find a subject in which they are doing original research. That said, however, it is only fair to add that it is not always easy to judge in advance what constitutes a tractable topic for research on this scale. It is important to get advice on your proposed topic at an early stage.

Proposal of your dissertation title

Towards the end of your Part IIA year you should discuss the topic of your proposed dissertation with your Director of Studies, and identify a potential supervisor.

Your dissertation should be on a subject that falls within the scope of the papers in  Section C  of the Linguistics Tripos. Note, however, that your dissertation  must not  be on a subject that falls substantially within the scope of a paper you are taking for your Part IIB examination.

It is important to try out your ideas at an early stage to make sure that your topic is neither too broad nor too narrow, and to ensure that you will have access to the requisite resources over the summer. Once you have a fairly clear idea of its scope and title and have found someone willing to supervise your project, download a copy of the form Proposed Title for Part IIB Dissertation . Complete it in consultation with your proposed supervisor (who will need to sign it) and take it to your Director of Studies, who will check it and sign it.

You should submit the form to the Secretary of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics for forwarding on to the Faculty Board for approval. This form  must  be submitted  no later than 3 pm on the third Friday of the Full Michaelmas Term  before your Part IIB exams ,  but it  may  be submitted earlier. Please allow plenty of time for consultation with your Director of Studies and potential supervisors as they cannot sign incomplete proposals. You will receive confirmation of the proposed title from the Faculty Board by the end of Full Michaelmas Term.

Making a change to your dissertation title

Applications to submit a change in the title of your dissertation after you have received approval will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances. Applications to change your title must be presented to the Secretary of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics via the email address [email protected]  using the form for Change of Title for Part IIB Dissertation . Applications must be submitted no later than  3 pm on the second Friday of the Full Lent Term .

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Completing the dissertation

You should aim to make significant progress with your dissertation over the summer between your Part IIA and Part IIB years. In particular, if your project includes fieldwork, you should do this over the summer before your Part IIB year. You may be able to arrange with your College to stay up for several weeks either at the beginning or at the end of the Long Vacation to carry out any necessary reading or experimental work. Note that the University Library is usually shut in the third week of September. If you need lab facilities or recording equipment, ensure in advance that they will be available.

It is vitally important that you complete at least a first draft before the start of the Lent Term as you will not have time to carry out major research or rewriting after this. Be aware that your supervisor's schedule may not allow him/her to drop everything and read it precisely when it suits you: aim to submit a fortnight  before  the deadline to give yourself, your supervisor and your computer a little room for the unforeseen.

You are entitled to six supervisions but not more on your dissertation. In the early stages you can expect your supervisor to help with formulating the topic and structure, and with providing some bibliographical/methodological pointers; and then to read a first or second draft; and then to answer specific questions as you finalise the text. Do not expect your supervisor to read multiple versions as you go along, nor to act as your proof-reader.

Referencing

Any consistently applied referencing system, such as those described in the  MHRA style guide , is acceptable. The  Unified Style Sheet for Linguistics Journals  sets out one widely used system. Use of the author-date system is normal in linguistics.

Please see the  Faculty guidance  and  University information  on plagiarism.

Presentation

The dissertation must be in English (quotations from original foreign-language sources must be accompanied by a translation into English unless a dispensation is given by the Department), and should be between 8,000 and 10,000 words in length. The Examiners are instructed not to read beyond 10,000 words.

If an examiner has reason to believe that a dissertation has exceeded the word limit and thus infringed the rubric, they will ask the Faculty Office to ascertain the exact word count. One mark will be deducted for every 100 words above the word limit.

Notes, section titles and footnotes are all included in the word count. Excluded from the word count are the title page; index (if any); abstract (if there is one); tables and graphs (including their titles and summaries); appendices; bibliography; acknowledgments;  automatically-generated material (such as Headers, Footers and any numbers that label sections, notes and other structural units) and required lists of experimental materials. Where data from foreign languages is used, only the data itself will be included in the word count: associated glosses and translations will be exempt.

Extensions to the word limit will only be granted in exceptional circumstances where there is a specific reason for additional material to be included, and where such data does not form part of your argument. Extensions to the word limit should be discussed with your supervisor as early as possible in the writing process as you will need their agreement to make such a request. To request an extension, your supervisor must write to the Chair of the Linguistics Tripos Examiners, clearly stating your reasons. Your supervisor will also need to confirm the rationale for the request and their agreement to it. Please ensure that if you are considering requesting an extension you do so as early as possible, to allow sufficient time for the request to be considered and for you to take appropriate action if it is not agreed. 

Dissertations should be typed. The pages should be numbered and securely attached, for example with staples or a binder (paperclips are not acceptable). The title page should include the title as originally submitted, your candidate number, and an accurate word count. Any part of the dissertation which is the outcome of work done in collaboration should be identified as such with a note in the text to that effect, eg: 'These figures were produced in collaboration with another student'.

The University treats plagiarism with the utmost seriousness. The Court of Discipline, to which cases of plagiarism must be reported, has the power to deprive a student of membership of the University.

Please refer to the  University information on plagiarism  and the University policy on the use of the plagiarism detection software, Turnitin, here .

Submitting the dissertation

The dissertation must be submitted in its final form not later than 3 pm on the last Monday of the Full Lent Term preceding your Part IIB examination.

You will email the Section Secretary with a completed  Dissertation Submission Declaration form .This form will include your name and college and you will have to sign the declaration that the dissertation is all your own work. You will be required to give an accurate word count.

You are required to upload an electronic (PDF) copy to the Moodle page by the deadline. Information regarding the format of the electronic submission of the dissertation is available here .

Before submitting electronically please ensure you have read the University policy on the use of plagiarism detection software, Turnitin, here .

Penalties for late submission and exceeding word limits

Dissertations will not normally be accepted after the deadline unless prior permission has been sought by a College Tutor from the Board of Examinations Applications Committee. Normally only serious medical reasons can be accepted; failure of computer equipment is not a valid excuse, and you should therefore allow sufficient time for completing and printing the dissertation.

Dissertations submitted up to 24 hours after the deadline must be handed to the Secretary of the Modern and Medieval Languages Faculty Board and may result in a 10-mark penalty being imposed. Submission after this time is equivalent to not appearing at an examination and results in a mark of zero.

Examining the dissertation

The dissertation is normally marked by the examiners in the relevant area of linguistics at the same time as normal Tripos examining is carried out, and the mark is treated in exactly the same way as any examination mark. The examiners have the right to summon you for an oral examination on the subject of the dissertation.

View the  Marking criteria.

Retention of copies

Students are strongly advised to keep a hard copy of their dissertation in their possession: the Faculty cannot be responsible for loss or damage.

One hard copy of the dissertation will be available for collection from the Department Office within six months following the publication of the Class List with your exam results.

For further information please see the undergraduate examinations  data retention policy .

The Department will select some sample copies of dissertations to be stored in the MML Faculty Library and on Moodle for consultation. You will be asked to give your permission for your dissertation to be stored in the Library and on Moodle on the Submission of Dissertation Declaration.

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Home > CLA > APPLIED_LINGUISTICS > APPLIED_LINGUISTICS_THESES

Applied Linguistics Masters Theses Collection

This collection contains open access and campus access Masters theses, made possible through Graduate Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The full content of open access theses is available to all, although some files may have embargoes placed on them and will be made available as soon as possible. The full content of campus access theses is only available to those either on the UMass Boston campus or with a UMass Boston campus username and password. Click on the "Off-Campus UMass Boston Users" link on the record page to download Campus Access publications. Those not on campus and those without a UMass Boston campus username and password may gain access to this thesis through resources like Proquest Dissertations & Theses Global or through Interlibrary Loan.

Theses from 2023 2023

Japanese Reading Japlish: High School Students Study Their Own Fashion Linguistic Landscape , Gabriel Frost Johnson

Theses from 2021 2021

Meaning-Making Dynamics of Job Interview Performances , Jacquelyn K. Bertman

Theses from 2020 2020

Computerized Dynamic Assessment of Grammar in Second Language Development , Tina S. Randall

Limited Viewpoints: The Implementation of Multimodal Constructs in an ELL Model Curriculum Unit , Deborah A. Smith

Theses from 2019 2019

Adult Educators at the Crossroads of Language Learning and Workforce Development: A Qualitative Study of Teacher Agency , Liz Ging

Language Learning and ADA: An Observation of d/Deaf Adults and Their Interpreters in ESL Classrooms , Katharine M. Ward

Theses from 2017 2017

Languaging at Work: The Language Socialization of Support Staff in the Healthcare Workforce , Kristen E. Schlapp

Theses from 2016 2016

Performing Language and Identities: Adult Immigrant Students and the Creation of a Play , Kathleen R. McGovern

Theses from 2015 2015

Discourses and Capital in Court Trials: Representation of Witness Accounts and Identity , Misty Crooks

Theses from 2014 2014

What's in a Game? Identity Negotiations and Pedagogical Implications of Gameplay Discourse , Caleb Reed

Their Decision to Wear Al Hijab: The Stories of U.S. Northeastern Muslim Women , Hadeel Salman

Theses from 2012 2012

Meanings and Typologies of Duboisian Double Consciousness within 20th Century United States Racial Dynamics , Marc E. Black

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Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics

University of oxford, search form.

Clarendon Institute © David Allen

• Undergraduate Thesis in Linguistics
• Undergraduate Studies

Coordinator: Director of Undergraduate Studies

Description: The Linguistic Thesis allows a candidate to undertake a research project using the analytic tools acquired in the core areas of Linguistics. The thesis need not be on original data collected by the students themselves, but should contain points of theoretical interest/reflection. The chosen topic may overlap with any subject on which the candidate offers a paper, but candidates should avoid repetition of material. The analysis of the data may focus on an aspect or combination of aspects of linguistic structure or usage. For help in choosing a topic, formulating a research question, and collecting and analysing data, see the Guidance for Linguistic Research document, available in the FHS Linguistics Overview area of Canvas.

For this option, students receive 6-8 hours of supervision, which may include meetings during the second year for project planning, background tutorials in the project area, email contact with the supervisor, and discussion of a first draft of the thesis. Students must keep in contact with their supervisors and keep them updated on their progress, as well as making their supervisors aware of any problems or concerns that they may have.

The method of examination is a thesis of between 10,000 and 12,000 words, to be submitted by noon on Friday of the week before Trinity Full Term of the examination. For further details and a complete list of the exam regulations, consult the Thesis section in the Linguistics in all Honour Schools including Linguistics under the Examination Regulations.

Timetable: It is vital to begin planning the project as soon as possible in the second year, including arranging for ethical approval, if required (see the Timetable below). This involves discussing the proposed topic with your college tutor, with the project supervisor, and with the course co-ordinator. Once a topic has been provisionally agreed on, it must be approved by the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics.

To apply for thesis topic approval, you must submit, through your college, to the Director of Undergraduate Studies of the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology, and Phonetics:

• a completed Thesis Topic Approval form ( available here ), including a signed statement from the project supervisor and a signed statement from a college tutor;
• a brief description of the project (about 50 words);
• a statement regarding ethical approval.

The official deadline for submitting the topic for approval is Wednesday of 2nd Week of Michaelmas Term of the year of examination; however, students are strongly encouraged to submit their proposals for approval by the beginning of Trinity Term of their second year .

Ethical approval: If the research involves human subjects, ethical approval must be secured before the research can begin (please refer to the Before you start for CUREC to see whether ethical approval is needed). Approval is granted via the ethical review and approval from the Social Sciences and Humanities Interdivisional Research Ethics Committee (SSH IDREC) webpage, which has information on ethics approval and links to the CUREC 1A ethics approval form . Full ethical approval is not normally needed for research with adults who are competent to consent to decide whether or not to participate. Research with under-18s, such as school children, will generally require a full CUREC/2 application . The course coordinator can assist with this process. It should be noted that an application for approval of such a project will take some time to draw up and be considered by CUREC, and it may be necessary to make subsequent revisions to the research plan. You should allow at least six weeks for approval. For more information, see the  Social Sciences and Humanities Interdivisional Research Ethics Committee (SSH IDREC) webpage and the Guidance for Linguistic Research document, or contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Format and submission: The completed thesis should be uploaded to Inspera by noon on Friday of the week before Trinity Full Term of the year of the examination. One copy must be uploaded to Inspera and a copy must be retained by the candidate. Candidates shall present a one-page summary of the arguments at the beginning of their thesis. Theses shall be in the range 10,000-12,000 words (exclusive of the footnotes, the bibliography, any appendices, and summary). No person or body shall have authority to permit the limit of 12,000 words to be exceeded, except that, in the case of a commentary on a text, and at the discretion of the Chair of the Examiners, any substantial quoting of that text need not be included in the word limit. The examiners will not take account of such parts of an essay as are beyond these limits. There must be a select bibliography, listing all primary and secondary sources cited in the thesis, and full details must be given of all citations at the end of the thesis. All theses must be typed in double-spacing on A4 paper. One copy must be uploaded to the University approved online assessment platform, Inspera, and a copy must be retained by the candidate. For more information, consult the Exam Regulations .

•   Sample cover page ( DOC )
•   Sample declaration ( DOC )

Suggested timetable at a glance:

You can also refer to the Descriptors for the Thesis in Linguistics to see the criteria against which your thesis will be evaluated.

Updated March 2023

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Requirements

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Program Outcomes

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Students who enter the Ph.D. program in linguistics with an M.A. in linguistics from Gallaudet University are required to earn an additional 33 credits to complete the Ph.D. in linguistics, followed by dissertation proposal development and dissertation research among other program requirements.

Students who have earned an M.A. degree from another program or university are also eligible for admission to the Ph.D. program in linguistics. These students are required to earn 59 credits to complete the LIN Ph.D., followed by dissertation proposal development and dissertation research among other program requirements. Although these students are not typically awarded an incidental M.A. on the way to the Ph.D. degree, this option is available upon successful completion of the entire MA in linguistics program of study, which includes 5 additional (3-credit) elective courses.

Program of Study

Students who enter the LIN Ph.D. program with a Gallaudet LIN M.A. are required to have a minimum of 36 credits to complete the LIN Ph.D. followed by dissertation research. For these students, the doctoral curriculum consists of a total of 77 credits of coursework plus dissertation research. This means that those who have taken the 41 credits required by the M.A. curriculum must complete another 36 credits of advanced linguistics courses.

Students who enter the LIN Ph.D. program without a Gallaudet LIN M.A. are required to have a minimum of 62 credits to complete the LIN Ph.D., followed by dissertation research. This includes 22 credits of core courses to be taken in the first year, plus 4 credits to be taken in the second year. These students must also successfully complete the Qualifying Exam and Compendium, in addition to other Ph.D. program requirements.

All students must complete the following advanced courses, totaling 24 credit hours: Sociolinguistics in Deaf Communities (LIN 741), Guided Research Project (LIN 880, taken twice), Phonology III (LIN 801), Generative Linguistics III (LIN 802), Cognitive Linguistics III (LIN 827), Concept Paper (LIN 883) and Dissertation Proposal Development (LIN 890). An additional 12 credits of elective courses must also be completed, to be chosen by the student in consultation with the student’s advisor. These courses should focus on aspects of linguistic theory, application, or research related to the student’s professional or academic goals. Some electives may also be taken through the Consortium of Colleges and Universities.

Guided Research Project (LIN 883) and GRP Presentation

Guided Research Project (GRP) LIN 880, 2 semesters. Students design and conduct an independent research project under the guidance of their dissertation advisor. Course requirements include a final paper and the following components, as applicable: development of an appropriate research plan, completion of the IRB human subjects review, and collection and analysis of data. The GRP typically is related to the student’s dissertation topic, but is not required to be. The work done in the GRP is intended to lead to the independence necessary to complete dissertation research. Successful completion of LIN 880 is a prerequisite for LIN 883: Concept Paper. LIN 880 is typically taken during the first and second semesters of the first year.

Students are required to give a presentation on their GRP research. This is a formal presentation, similar to what would be given at a professional conference. It is to be 20 minutes in length with 10 minutes for discussion and/or Q/A. Faculty evaluate the presentation in areas of content, presentation, and language use. Students will receive feedback from the faculty. This is one of three presentations required. Successful completion of the GRP presentation is required to continue in the Ph.D. program.

Concept Paper (LIN 883), Field Exam, and Concept Paper Presentation

LIN 883: Concept Paper serves as a transition from students’ preparatory coursework to their dissertation proposal. Students will complete a concept paper on their proposed dissertation topic. This paper will include a statement of the research question(s) and a review of relevant literature, while it will focus primarily on (a) defining the key concepts relevant to the student’s anticipated research plans and (b) making explicit any underlying theoretical assumptions.

LIN 883 is typically taken during the first semester of the second year. The concept paper must be completed in the first 10 weeks of the semester in order to provide time for the Field Exam and Concept Paper Presentation to occur. Students may register for a second semester of LIN 883 at the discretion of the Linguistics faculty (e.g. in cases where the student has selected a particularly complex topic and is making steady progress, or scores an Unsatisfactory on their Field Exam and is required to revisit and strengthen their Concept Paper).

The Field Exam is administered after the first 10 weeks of LIN 883 and prior to the end of the semester. Content of the exam will be determined by the student’s Concept Paper. Three examiners (the LIN dissertation advisor who led the student’s Concept Paper, a second LIN faculty member with expertise in some area relevant to the student’s Concept Paper, and a third LIN faculty member who does not work in the area of the student’s Concept Paper) will conduct in-depth questioning in areas pertinent to the student’s Concept Paper topic. Student responses will be evaluated by all three examiners together as a Pass with Distinction, Pass, Unsatisfactory or Fail. Students who receive an Unsatisfactory score on the Field Exam will be required to retake the exam; students who Fail the Field Exam will be terminated from the program. Students who retake the Field Exam and receive either a score of Unsatisfactory or Fail will be terminated from the program.

After successful completion of the Field Exam the student will give a presentation on their Concept Paper. This is a formal presentation, similar to what would be given at a professional conference. It is to be 20 minutes in length with 10 minutes for discussion and/or Q/A. Faculty evaluate the presentation in areas of content, presentation, and language use. Students will receive feedback from the faculty. This is one of three presentations required. Successful completion of the Concept Paper Presentation is required to continue in the Ph.D. program. Students must successfully complete the Field Exam and Concept Paper Presentation before taking in LIN 890 Dissertation Proposal Development.

Dissertation Proposal Development (LIN 890) and Proposal Defense

Each student seeking a Ph.D. will be required to complete a research-based dissertation on a topic acceptable to his or her doctoral committee. Students are expected to complete their dissertation proposal in one semester (LIN 890 Dissertation Proposal Development). However, those who fail to do so will be permitted to register for additional semesters of LIN 890 Dissertation Proposal Development, provided they maintain a passing grade each semester.

LIN 890 is the course in which students will develop their dissertation proposal, producing a research plan for answering the research questions posed in their Concept Paper. Emphasis will be on defining a project of appropriate scope, extending the literature review and selecting an appropriate research design and methodology. Students will meet regularly with their dissertation advisor for guidance and discussion, but are expected to pursue the bulk of the work independently. They may receive input from doctoral committee members. Once the full committee deems the proposal defendable, a defense date is set. The dissertation proposal defense is expected to happen at the end of the semester in which LIN 890 is taken. Students may not register for LIN 900: Dissertation Research until the proposal is successfully defended. All Ph.D. coursework must be completed or be on track to be completed by the semester the proposal defense occurs.

Successful defense of one’s dissertation proposal is the candidacy examination for the LIN PhD program.

Dissertation (LIN 900) and Dissertation Defense

Once students have successfully completed and defended their dissertation proposal, they advance to LIN 900 Dissertation Research. LIN 900 may be taken multiple times, provided students earn a passing grade each semester.

Each Ph.D. student is required to prepare a research-based dissertation in an area acceptable to their Doctoral Committee. The dissertation is based on the proposal accepted by the committee, typically in the spring of the second year of Ph.D. study, and work on the dissertation proper typically begins in the fall of the third year. The dissertation is expected to be a research project designed to provide new understanding of the topic, and must include a thorough and thoughtful review of the relevant literature, description of methodology, analysis, and discussion and conclusion elucidating the significance of the findings. The dissertation process is discussed in detail in the Gallaudet University Dissertation and Thesis Handbook (on the intranet GU website and the LIN website). Students will also receive this handbook when they take LIN 890 Dissertation Proposal Development. The maximum time allowed for completion of the dissertation is seven years from the start of the LIN M.A. degree or six years from entrance into the Ph.D. program for those without a LIN M.A. degree. Any extension beyond this deadline will require the approval of the doctoral committee, the Graduate Program Coordinator, the Department Chair, and the Dean of the Graduate School.

Courses & Requirements

Summary of Requirements

For students who completed the Gallaudet M.A. in Linguistics

An examination of the theories and principles of sociolinguistics with specific reference to sign languages and Deaf communities around the world. Topics include multilingualism, bilingualism, and language contact, variation, discourse analysis, language policy and planning and language attitudes.

All first year Linguistics MA courses or by permission of instructor.

This course is an advanced seminar focusing on phonological theory, building on foundational material presented in Phonology I and Phonology II. Topics will vary depending upon current developments in phonological theory, focusing on both spoken and signed languages.

This course is an advanced seminar focusing on generative approaches to syntactic theory, building on foundational material presented in Generative Syntax I and Generative Syntax II. Topics will vary depending upon current developments in syntactic theory, focusing on both spoken and signed languages.

This seminar is the third course in the Cognitive Linguistic sequence of courses in the graduate linguistics program (the first two being LIN 721 and LIN 732). Possible major topics include cognitive grammar, cognitive semantics, conceptual blending, constructional grammar, embodiment, depiction, mental spaces, metaphor, metonymy, and the usage-based approach to language.

This course is required to be taken twice, typically beginning in the fall semester of students' first year in the Ph.D. program and continuing into the following spring semester. Students will design and conduct a research project under the supervision of a faculty member. Course requirements include a final paper by the end of the second semester with the following components, as applicable: development of an appropriate research plan, completion of the IRB human subjects review, and collection and analysis of data. LIN 880 may be repeated a third semester at the discretion of the instructor if requirements cannot be successfully completed in the usual two semesters.

Acceptance to LIN Ph.D. program and successful completion of the LIN Qualifying Exam.

This course serves as a transition from students' preparatory coursework to their dissertation proposal. Under supervision of a faculty member, students will complete a Concept Paper that identifies their research question(s) and defines key concepts that underlie those research questions. The Concept Paper also specifies the theoretical framework(s) to be adopted for research and discusses previous literature assumed as background information. Upon approval of a student's completed Concept Paper by the instructor, the student will then give a Concept Paper Presentation to the full faculty and take the field exam, both of which are developed on the basis of the student's completed Concept Paper. LIN 883 may be repeated one time.

Successful completion of LIN 880 Guided Research Project and LIN Faculty approval of the GRP presentation.

In this course, students will develop their dissertation proposal, producing a research plan for answering the research questions posed in their Concept Paper. Emphasis will be on defining a project of appropriate scope for a dissertation, extending the literature review and selecting an appropriate research design and methodology. Students will meet regularly with their dissertation advisor for guidance and discussion, but are expected to pursue the bulk of the work independently. LIN 890 may be repeated one time.

LIN 883, Field Exam, Concept Paper Presentation, and approval of the GRP paper as having achieved publication quality, as evaluated by an outside reader from the LIN faculty.

Elective Courses in Linguistics (selected sample)

Core Courses in Statistics: Ph.D.

Core Courses in Statistics: These courses are required for students whose Ph.D. specialization requires statistical work. If taken, they replace two elective courses.

This introductory course sequence develops the primary statistical concepts and techniques needed to conduct research. This course presumes no previous statistical background other than college-level algebra or its equivalent. The course goal is to develop many of the basic conceptual theories underlying statistical applications, while also developing a critical perspective toward statistics. Students will develop skills in descriptive statistical analysis, simple correlation procedures, and hypothesis testing. Computer-assisted analysis will complement course work.

College-level algebra

The purpose of this second course in statistics is to develop specific concepts and techniques to conduct basic inferential statistical analysis. The course emphasizes application skills, i.e., the ability to fit the appropriate analysis to a particular data set. Students will learn to conduct and interpret the most often used inferential tests for research and evaluation projects. Computer software will be used to complement course work and analysis.

EDU 720 or equivalent and EDU 801 or equivalent

This course introduces students to the acquisition of a native language by young children (L1 acquisition) and acquisition of a second language after childhood (L2 acquisition), with a focus on sign languages. The first part of the course covers the important milestones of normal L1 development in phonology, morphology, syntax and pragmatics for both spoken and signed languages. The course also explores how delays in exposure affect the acquisition process, related to the main topics of the second part of the course: critical period effects and L2 acquisition. Readings and discussion throughout the course will reflect the perspective that acquisition studies on a broad variety of languages, both signed and spoken, are crucial for developing accurate theories of language structure and use. Application of concepts from lectures and discussion is developed through student analysis of L1 and L2 data.

For UG students: LIN 301, 302; for MASLED GRAD students: B or above in ASL 724 or permission of the instructor and MASLED program coordinator; for other GRAD students, permission of the instructor.

Students are introduced to a descriptive framework with which to identify and analyze iconicity and depiction in ASL and other signed languages and spoken languages as well. The course focuses on depiction typology, examining the structure of role-shifting, constructed action and dialogue, classifier constructions/depicting verbs, aspectual constructions, abstract/metaphorical depictions, and other imagistic uses of space, including different types of gesture.

LIN 101, graduate student status, or permission of the instructor.

This course explores bilingualism, with a special emphasis on bilingualism in the Gallaudet community. We will examine the place of bilingualism and multilingualism in the world, both historically and currently; the linguistic structure and features of bilingualism; social constructions of bilingualism; the acquisition of bilinguality, from the perspectives of both first- and second language acquisition; and we will explore the functions and meanings of bilingualism in communities. For each topic, we will examine the current state of the field, first from the perspective of spoken language bilingualism and then from the perspective of signed language (mixed modality) bilingualism, with special emphasis on the situation at Gallaudet University.

For UG students: LIN 101, 263, 301, 302; for Grad students: Permission of Instructor

This course introduces students to the theories and methods of analyzing prosody in signed and spoken languages. These prosodic features play a critical role in human communication and have a wide range of functions, including expression at linguistic, attitudinal, affective and personal levels.

This course explores the relationships between language and culture from an anthropological and sociolinguistic point of view. Students are introduced to various approaches to qualitative analysis as research tools for understanding the interplay between language and culture in the Deaf community in which they participate.

This course examines general issues in first language acquisition, focusing on the period from birth to five years. It includes critical review of literature on phonological, lexical, morphological and syntactic development for both signed and spoken first languages, from both nativist and usage-based theoretical perspectives.

All first year Linguistics MA courses plus LIN 741, or permission of instructor.

This course will review current theory and research in second language acquisition (SLA) from linguistic and psychological perspectives, focusing on the influences of various theoretical models. Students will be introduced to the principal areas of SLA research and the major methodologies available for their study. Course material will focus on acquisition of a spoken second language, but also discuss recent studies and analyze data related to second language acquisition of a sign language.

The focus of this course is a comparison among six dominant approaches to the analysis of discourse: pragmatics, speech act theory, conversational analysis, interactional sociolinguistics, ethnography of communication, and variation analysis, with close examination of different kinds of sign language discourse.

All first year Linguistics MA courses, or permission of instructor

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to theories and methods of discourse analysis. This is a companion course, not a sequel, to Discourse Analysis: Narrative. Whereas Discourse Analysis: Narrative is concerned with discourse produced primarily by one speaker. Discourse Analysis: Conversation is concerned with dialogic or multi-party discourse.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to theories and methods of discourse analysis. Narrative is chosen for study because it is primarily monologic (at least in U.S. culture) as distinct from dialogic or multi-party discourse which is covered in Discourse Analysis: Conversation. This course will focus on the analysis of ASL narratives.

All first year Linguistics MA courses plus LIN 741, or permission of the instructor

An examination of analytical methods used in the study of variation and change in language structure and use, with a focus on sign language variation. Practice in the exploratory analysis and interpretation of sociolinguistics and discourse data, and introduction to quantitative tools, including the Varbrul program.

For students who did not complete the Gallaudet M.A. in Linguistics

This course will provide students with experience in gathering and analyzing data from a sign language other than ASL. The particular language selected will vary from year to year, with preference given to under-investigated sign languages. Students will study the lexicon, phonology, morphology, and syntax of this language; each student will focus on one topic for an in-depth research project.

Pre- or co-requisites: For UG students: LIN 301, 302; or Permission of Instructor; for Grad students: Permission of Instructor.

An introduction to the principles of linguistic study, with a concentrated focus on phonology and phonological theory as applied to English and ASL. Topics will include: phonetics, phonemics, phonological processes, syllables and syllabification, distinctive features, phonological rules, and an overview of current phonological theory.

This course provides an introduction to generative linguistics and principles of syntactic argumentation within the generative tradition. Topics include Parts of Speech, Phrase Structure rules, X-bar rules, the role of the Lexicon, and various types of syntactic movement related to verbal morphology, questions and passive constructions. The course focuses initially on English and other spoken languages, but also includes application to ASL towards the end of the course.

This course will introduce students to the profession of linguistics, its history and subfields, as well as the research specializations of department faculty. Students will also receive general training in a variety of skills relevant to graduate studies in linguistics, such as technical writing, using library resources to locate literature, using computer and editing techniques needed for carrying out sign linguistics projects, and applying for research grants and IRB approval for student research projects.

This is the first of a three-course sequence focusing on a cognitive linguistics approach to ASL. Examination of semiotic diversity in ASL from the perspective of Cognitive Grammar, with an emphasis on analysis of data. The primary focus of the course is on depiction, establishing a typology of depiction that includes many imagistic phenomena in ASL and other spoken and signed languages, such as enactments, manual depictive forms, and ideophones. Notions in Cognitive Grammar benefiting depiction analysis, such as constructions and construal, are also introduced.

This course builds on foundational material presented in Phonology I. Students will investigate the phonological structure of signs in American Sign Language. Part one (I) presents a comparison of notation systems for signs and provides extensive training in sign notation. Part two (II) deals with phonological contrast. Part three (III) is concerned with the phonotactic properties of lexical signs. Part four (IV) deals with phonological processes and historical change.

LIN 701 or permission of instructor.

This course is a continuation of LIN 721, with discussion of the tenets of cognitive linguistics, particularly the view that lexicon and grammar are a continuum of form-meaning pairings with varying degrees of abstraction and complexity. This discussion provides the theoretical background with which to investigate grammatical structures in ASL, English, and other languages, including metaphor, grammatical classes (e.g., noun and verb categories), and complex expressions (e.g., morphology, compounding, grammatical relations, and grammatical constructions).

LIN 721 or permission of instructor

This course builds on foundational material presented in Generative Linguistics I and extends them to the study of ASL and other sign languages. Lectures include continued opportunity for hands-on practice in deriving various syntactic structures, and also develop students' abilities to independently read and understand articles in generative linguistics.

LIN 702 or permission of instructor

Year III - Fall

Year III - Spring

Present Guided Research Project:Pre-requisite to LIN 883

Complete Qualifying Paper and Present Qualifying Paper:may occur earlier or later; pre-requisite to LIN 890

Year IV - Fall

Field Exam andConcept Paper Presentation:pre-requisite to LIN 890

Year IV - Spring

Year V - Fall

This course is for ABD students conducting any aspect of their dissertation research and writing.

Successful completion of LIN 890 and dissertation proposal defense, LIN 741, LIN 801, LIN 802, and LIN 827, and all four electives required for the doctoral program.

Year V - Spring (and onward)

Year I - Fall

Year I - Spring

Year II - Fall

Year II - Spring

Present Guided Research Project: Pre-requisite to LIN 883

Complete Qualifying Paper and Present Qualifying Paper: may occur earlier or later; pre-requisite to LIN 890

Field Exam and Concept Paper Presentation: pre-requisite to LIN 890

Year IV - Spring (and onward)

Information

Ph.d. in linguistics requirements.

Completed application form. See Application Instructions to learn how. A non-refundable application fee of $75. Official transcripts of all graduate study. See Application Guidelines and FAQ for more information. All international applicants from non-English speaking countries must demonstrate English language competence via the Degrees of...

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Doctoral student in Hispanic Linguistics awarded research grant

María González-Ferrer has been selected as a recipient of a 2024 Sigma Delta Pi (SDP) Graduate Research Grant Award among a very competitive pool of applicants nationwide. This will be a huge help in funding María's dissertation research project on clitic doubling in the Spanish of Spain, Argentina, and Mexico. ¡Enhorabuena, María!

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María gonzález-ferrer.

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