ICLSL 2017
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/18326
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Item A Study of the Strategies Used by Aphasics in the Retrieval of Words in Their First Language.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Weerasinghe, K. W. A. A. G.Word retrieval difficulty is a characteristic of Aphasia, which is a language impairment that occurs due to brain damage. Stroke is the main cause of brain damage that results in Aphasia. Individuals utilize various strategies to retrieve words in their speech. Finding out the successful strategies used by individuals experiencing Aphasia can be implemented in therapy activities as well as in facilitating communication in daily settings. The specific objectives of the study are to identify strategies used by Sinhala speaking individuals who experience Aphasia when retrieving single words in a picture-naming task, to identify strategies used when retrieving single words during a conversation and to identify the strategies used by the carers to support word retrieval. A descriptive study was carried out in a government hospital Speech and Language Therapy unit on 10 individuals experiencing Aphasia and their carers who were selected through consecutive sampling. Each pair carried out two conversational tasks and a picture-naming task. Video recordings were done of the activities carried out and verbatim translations were made. The strategies were identified which were used in successful retrieval of a predetermined set of nouns. These were analysed using psycholinguistic theories. Four findings emerged as successful strategies used by the individuals experiencing Aphasia, which were fillers, circumlocutions, conduit d‟Approche and gestures. Semantic cues and phonemic cues were identified as strategies used by their carers in facilitating word retrieval. Individuals experiencing Aphasia with word retrieval difficulties can be supported in word retrieval using different strategies, which are self-generated, as well as carer prompted. Carers need advice and training in strategies that can be used in helping word retrieval other than semantic and phonemic cueing.Item The Common Linguistics Inheritance of Sanskrit between India and Japan.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Seelananda Thero, Kumburuwela; Yassassi Thero, OkkampitiyeThere is a connection between Sanskrit and Japanese from long ago regarding Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts and other literary works. Usage of Indian script as sacred has an uninterrupted history in Japan. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to explore the common linguistic inheritance of India and Japan with Sanskrit. This study mainly focuses on the connection of Sanskrit alphabet with Japanese alphabet. Some words and language patterns are identical between Sanskrit and Japanese. Therefore, it is proved that Sanskrit language have influenced the development of Japanese language, though these two belong to separate different language families. Relevant secondary sources, involving Sanskrit and Japanese languages are referred for this study. To emphasize the final idea, it is supposed to conduct a comparative analysis in this study. Siddham script is the most useful evidence for this discussion. It became the style of writing favored by the Chinese and the Japanese Buddhists for writing mantras and Dhāraīs, which has remained in use till the present day. The great monk scholar Kōbō Daishi was the first who began the study of Sanskrit letters known as Siddham in Japan. Thus, the Siddham scripts assisted to develop the Japanese alphabet. For instance, the Japanese alphabets Katagana and Hiragana are based in the Sanskrit sound sequence: a, i, u, e, o, ka, ki, ku etc. Iroha poem contains 47 letters and it is a free translation of a Buddhist poem composed in ancient India. That poem was taken from Mahayana parinirvāna sūtra. Japan Bandai was used in place of ''yours truly'' at the end of a letter. It is Sanskrit vande. Japanese word tsunami for drum is Sanskrit dundubhi. It can be mentioned that there was a commonItem Gendered Language: A Review of Available Literature.(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Pathirana, U. P. N. N.The most significant difference between human beings is the gender difference. Therefore, people of different genders will have their own gender characteristics, which leads to the gender differences in language. This study is an examination of influence of gender on language. The paper has been carried out as a literature review with the support of available literature, observations, informal conversations with laymen and opinions on scholars in the field of linguistics. The paper intends to investigate the gendered aspect of the language in relation to phonology, morphology and vocabulary, syntax and semantics and pragmatics. The study further seeks to discuss assumptions on nature of language that men and women use, supremacy in patterns of language use, and sexism exist within different languages. The latter part of the paper is dedicated to confer progressive language policies to address existing language issues at a point of time where huge socio-cultural and political changes is happening in outer world in relation to women‟s lives which is generally considered second or weaker sex. The study concludes proposing that language should be more people-oriented than relying on gender differences, minimizing discrimination of individuals‟ language rights.Item Importance & Significance of Language Used in Newspaper Headlines (An Investigation Based on National Newspapers of Sri Lanka).(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Madhusanka, N. M. A. N.Language is the medium which transit knowledge developed by humans from past to present and present to future. Newspapers are different from other literary documents as they contain day to day information. Therefore, it is a document, which contains information related to wars, crimes, floods, robberies, changes of consumer price index, commercial news, ongoing activities of the country etc. Newspaper headlines are significant since every headline denotes the beginning of a news item. Hence, it is easy to investigate newspaper headlines by examining the characteristics and qualities of news items since headlines and news are interrelated. Significant value has been given to headlines than other news items of the newspaper. A complete news item is compressed into a single headline by using a creative language style. The main objective of the investigation based on national newspapers of Sri Lanka, is to identify the significance of the language used in headlines. Content analysis and interviews were used as the research methodology. The contents selected for the analysis are from the newspapers: Lankadeepa, Divaina, Dinamina and Silumina. At the end of the research, the study enabled to understand the importance of the language used in headlines. It was found that the language used in headlines is important to compress the story, to express the importance of the story, to attract readers and to add colours to the face of the paper. The main feature of the newspaper headlines is the transformation of “Vidakdha” tradition of language to progressive tradition of language. In addition, the usage of classical prose language style for headlines, usage of ordinary structure by going beyond the classical rules, influence made by folklore and other languages and the significance of the sentence structure were also observed regarding the language used in headlines. Newspaper titles are very important for popularity. There was a hidden meaning in headlines especially in the form of puns. A suggestion can be made at the end of the research as follows: Writers should pay their attention to the structure of the language as well as the grammar of the language when they are following the progressive tradition. The headline should look at the hidden meaning of the headlines before the publishing and the support of specialized editors should be sought for the title.Item The Impact of Gender Differences on Class Attendance and Student Performance in Second Language Learning (A Case Study Based on First Year Undergraduates of the Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya).(The Third International Conference on Linguistics in Sri Lanka, ICLSL 2017. Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2017) Kelanigama, D.A.This study intends to investigate the relationship between gender and second language learning, while paying special attention to the class attendance of the undergraduates. This was achieved through the analysis of their performance in language in relation to class attendance according to their gender. The sample of this study consisted of 46 (23 male and 23 female) first year students from the Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya. The final grades based on the mid-term and end-term results on English tests and attendance recorded for both semesters of the students who completed the questionnaire based on the compelling reasons for absenteeism were obtained for analysis. The quantitative data collected were analysed using Statistical Package for Microsoft Excel Windows 2010. The study reveals that females are significantly successful than males in terms of overall test scores with the females scoring an average of almost fifteen points higher than male language learners. It is found that 92% of female students earning above-average grades have over 75% attendance while 83% of male students earning grades below class average have low attendance. Thus, class attendance seems to be particularly effective at reducing the number of failures while having stronger or weaker effect on the number of high grades received. When further analysing the possible underlying reasons for absenteeism, 43% of the males say that they use English hours to do the work of the other subjects they are doing while only 4% of females express the same. Moreover, 88% of the students who use English hours for extracurricular activities and students‟ union/ welfare activities are males. This is mostly due to the mind-set that they only have to focus on their own academic specification and utilize the English hours for such activities. Thus, it is found that there is a direct relationship between grades achieved for second language learning and the class attendance of the undergraduate corresponding to the specific gender.