Theses and Dissertations - Department of Modern Languages and Classics

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À la recherche des Ètats-Unis D'Afrique: une approche linguistique
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Vignon, Kpatagnon Maxime; Picone, Michael D.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
After centuries of colonization, the African continent saw most of its present nation-states emerge from colonization and achieve independence in the 1960s. Sixty years later, various formidable obstacles have hampered the development of the continent. In view of previous studies pointing toward a solution in the form of a continent-wide federal union of Africans, why does the advocated federation remain a dream? As demonstrated in the present study, the linguistic component of any projected African federation, taking into account both exogenous and endogenous obstacles, must be accorded its due importance in contributing to a successful outcome overall. The present study seeks to outline the salient issues involved and to analyze potential linguistic approaches that might play a role in preparing Africans’ minds for the advocated ambitious project of the ‘United States of Africa’, as a necessary component in the promotion of a new politico-cultural structure characterizing the development of the continent. Clearly, African languages must be promoted, but European languages need not be abandoned. What is crucial is that the overall configuration must not continue on as a haphazard relic of colonization imposed from without, but rather it must be an outgrowth of a real African-inspired development that promotes unity. Although the idea of the United States of Africa is not new and has been discussed by the pioneers of African independence over many decades, the originality of this study resides in the consideration of the unity of Africans from the perspective of a linguistic federation. It is understood that the linguistic union of Africans would be a complex and formidable undertaking, but carefully planned first steps in that direction must be taken in order to facilitate a successful federal integration of Africa. Therefore, this study aims to discuss the role of an African continent-wide lingua franca language planning in the layout of a potential union of Africans, as a corollary of great importance in a real and complex federal integration of the African continent.
Afrika, Afrikaner und schwarze Deutsche in Wolframs Von Eschenbach Parzival, Sebastian Musters Cosmographei von 1550, "Aneaso, der Neger aus dem Ibo-Lande" und Joy Denalandes Wem gehort die Welt
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2014) Oduro-Opuni, Obenewaa; Lazda, Rasma; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study deals with the representation of Africa and Africans as well as Black Germans in four selected texts from different time periods of German literature, from medieval to contemporary literature. It should thus give an insight into the means by which the "other" is depicted in different time periods. The first chapter examines the medieval courtly epic Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach. The focus is on the depiction of the African Queen Belacane and her dealings with other characters within the courtly epic. The second chapter treats Sebastian Münster's Cosmographei (1550) as a text example from the Early Modern period. The sixth book of Münster's description of the world deals with Africa and its inhabitants. Here, I dedicate myself to the question of how the African regions and cultures are represented. The third text is a narrative which focuses on the evangelization of slaves in the time of colonialism. "Aneaso, der Neger aus dem Ibo-Lande" (1866) tells the story of an African slave in Jamaica who gets introduced to Christianity by missionaries. The story reflects the paternalism of the white population during the slave trade and the church's missionary activity in Jamaica. The steady and positive description of the protagonist and other Christian slaves is compared to those who reject Christianity. The last text is composed by an Afro-German artist, is a song lyric from 2002 and features a change in perspective. Joy Denalane's song Wem gehört die Welt deals with discrimination based on race and gender in present day Germany. The study demonstrates the transformation and change in the depiction of Africa, Africans and Black Germans over the centuries, as well as the emergence of certain stereotypes and influences of various ideologies throughout German literature.
The body beautiful and the abject: a look into the manifold mirror of age
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Myers, Kathryn Kori; Schnepf, Michael; Edmunds, Bruce T.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This project studies four novels by Rosa Montero, Te trataré como a una reina (1983), Bella y oscura (1993), La hija del caníbal (1997), and Instrucciones para salvar el mundo (2008), as well as four novels by Agnès Desarthe, Cinq photos de ma femme, (1998), Les bonnes intentions (2000), Mangez-moi (2006), and Dans la nuit brune (2010). This dissertation examines the representations of aging in these novels through the lens of Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of heteroglossia and Julia Kristeva’s theory of the abject. I consider the effects of cultural constructs of age and aging on: how the elderly characters are depicted; how the characters describe their own aging and that of others; the interpretation of reflections in literal and figurative mirrors; the obsession with youth in Western cultures; and the sexual identity of female characters. I will take an in-depth look at how identity, self-perception, and sexuality are linked to the aging body.
Bringing the past to life: the effects of historical linguistics instruction on motivation, enjoyment, and identity in the foreign language classroom
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2018) Thomas Coffman, Jana M.; Picone, Michael D.; Rountree, Barbara; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
For centuries, languages have been changing and evolving in complex, systematic ways. The study of past stages of a linguistic system and the overarching linguistic patterns characterizing the arc of change over time characterize the field of linguistics known as historical linguistics. Historical linguistics serves to illuminate both the sources and earlier phonetic and morphosyntactic features of a given language and the present trajectories and modern features of those same systems. This has implications for Second Language Acquisition. Indeed, existing literature suggests that instruction in various aspects of historical linguistics correlates positively with increased confidence, motivation, global competence, and multicultural identity. This study explored the effects of introductory historical linguistics exposure on the L2 Motivational Self as defined by Dörnyei (2005) and revisualized for multilingual learners by Ushioda (2017) and Lasagabaster (2014), among others. After a one-week treatment period, qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed to determine if changes could be detected in middle and high school language learners’ levels of motivation, enjoyment, and sense of identity in the foreign language classroom. Quantitative results revealed significant results in the areas of self-efficacy and metalinguistic awareness. Qualitative analysis revealed strong support for increased L2 enjoyment, L2 motivation, and self-efficacy, and revealed moderate support for lowered L2 anxiety and higher self-confidence. Keywords: Historical linguistics, SLA, motivation, enjoyment, L2 self, L2 identity
Comparatisme Du Conte Francophone : Poétique De La Réécriture Et Enjeux Transtextuels Chez Tahar Ben Jelloun Et Amélie Nothomb.
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Kadji, Deproux; Picone, Michaã«L D; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Dissertation Abstract Central to this dissertation is a reflection on the properties of deformability and variability that occur in the retelling of an oral tale. The tale is defined as a text with multiple origins whose articulations vary from one storyteller to another, such that variability becomes a defining feature of the story itself. Consequently, inasmuch as a literary tale has no stable form, it is crucial to take into account the intertextual relations that exist between an original text and all the others that extend it through various rewritings. To that end, an investigation is undertaken of the rewriting, by two outstanding figures of Francophone literature, of seven French traditional fairy tales taken from Les Contes by Charles Perrault. The work of the rewriters, the Moroccan Tahar Ben Jelloun and the Belgian Amélie Nothomb, refocuses the question of the transtextual and dialogical relationships that exist in such cases. Reflection and analysis concern the following questions: How to characterize the textual specificities that make every tale recast by Ben Jelloun and Nothmb a different story from Perrault’s. How to account for the manner in which the tales comprising the corpus fit into a discursive and narratological enterprise owing to the authors’ desire to suggest new ways of reading and understanding them. What is at stake, in terms of discourse and meaning-building, in a situation where the voice of the author seems to be absorbed by reading and listening to the tales?
Con voz propia: Creación de una rúbrica autoevaluativa para valorar la participación diaria en las clases elementales de español como lengua extranjera
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2018) Rubio, Laura; Cipria, Alicia; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
One of the implicit aims of higher education is to enable students to become better judges of their own work. The present study is the first to examine the effect of self-assessment on the daily class participation of novice college Spanish students, involving students in their own daily assessment and the creation of the self-assessment tool used in the classroom. This investigation explores the validity, reliability, and outcomes of self-assessment methodology, and the effects it may have on students’ motivation, risk taking, and learning styles when learning Spanish as a foreign language. The study included an treatment group (n = 23) and a control group (n = 23) and utilized a mixed approach that combined quantitative and qualitative data collection through pre- and poststudy questionnaires, a reaction paper, an individual interview, and daily participation scores. The results show that self-assessment is an evaluative technique as valid as instructor grading, with the advantage that students’ awareness in terms of their expectations is positively reinforced by the formative assessment. The results performed on the participants’ gains in overall motivation and risk taking from pretest and posttest show that awareness of daily grade participation criteria did not have a statistically significant main effect. This study is not without its own limitations because the results are based upon a single case study with a relatively small sample size (N = 46) and as a result should be interpreted or generalized accordingly. However, it sheds light into a new area of study such as engaging elementary college students as active agents of their own learning.
Creating conditions for authenticity in the Spanish classroom: promoting agency, empathy, and inquiry through a U.S.-Mexico role-immersion simulation
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2018) Finney, Sara; Drewelow, Isabelle; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The present study investigates if and how a US-Mexico border role-immersion simulation creates conditions for authenticity in an intermediate Spanish classroom. Aiming to promote whole-person engagement within a rich contextualized scenario, 16 undergraduate students adopted the roles of real-world cultural identities and were tasked with achieving individual and collective goals aimed at curbing the problems of drug trafficking and violence at the border. Learners participated in a variety of activities including becoming familiar with the scenario, selecting and developing character roles, and engaging in a set of learner-managed class sessions in which they collectively devised solutions to problems. In order to understand how the dynamic interplay among the various elements in the simulation influenced learners’ subjective perceptions, I adopted an ecological vision of the classroom and used a qualitative approach, collecting self-reported and interactional data. Following Charmaz’s (2006) Constructivist Grounded Theory, I conducted a line-by-line coding of the pre- and post-simulation questionnaires and two post-simulation interviews and then derived categories based on recurrent themes. As for the interactional data, I video-recorded and transcribed two learner-managed classes. After translating these verbal exchanges as well as learners’ virtual communications on the technology platform Google Plus into English, I coded the data in terms of agency, as operationalized by van Lier (2008), and analyzed it, drawing on complexity theory. Findings showed that a majority of learners likened their simulation experience to being immersed in real-world circumstances. These learners also exhibited high degrees of both intellectual and affective (i.e., personal) engagement during the simulation. Learners who only displayed one of the two were less likely to consider their classroom experience authentic. These results suggested that adopting an ecological perspective to explore relationships among the many dynamic elements present in the simulation uncovered the potential of this role-immersion simulation to cultivate in learners a sense that they were engaged in authentic linguistic and cultural encounters. However, data also indicated that learners’ capacity to perceive their experience as authentic and personally meaningful may be contingent on the particular nature of their encounters and their incoming views and experiences related to the communities under study.
Culture, l2 self, and emotion in the digital realm: developing learners’ interest in continuing to study Spanish
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2016) Mitchell, Claire Mitchell; Drewelow, Isabelle; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The present study centers on developing cross-cultural awareness using contextualized cultural projects. Drawing on the ubiquity of social media in learners’ lives, I used Pinterest as a means of exploring real-world cultural topics and leading learners to visualize themselves interacting in the target culture. To evaluate learners’ subjective experiences, I adopted a qualitative approach and collected data through pre- and post-study questionnaires, cultural projects, journal entries, and a focus group. Twenty-eight undergraduate students enrolled in two intensive review introductory Spanish courses collaboratively completed two cultural projects. In each project, they worked in groups to explore the target culture on Pinterest. Then they used the information from Pinterest to complete a written activity and an oral activity. After each cultural project, learners wrote an individual journal entry (in English) to reflect more deeply on what they had learned. Following an iterative approach (Charmaz, 2006), I did a line-by-line coding of all written data produced on Pinterest and in learners’ journal entries. I developed categories and themes based off the recurring words and phrases I found and analyzed the patterns through the lens of Gee’s (2011) theory of D/discourse. I also used descriptive statistics to analyze the data produced on the pre- and post-study questionnaires and triangulated learners’ responses with data from Pinterest and journal entries. Findings revealed that in the first cultural project, all 28 learners enacted a jet-setting tourist when exploring the target culture on Pinterest. However, once they had time to reflect, they began to progress in their cross-cultural awareness. In the second cultural project, results showed that when learners made emotional connections with the target culture, their cross-cultural awareness and interest in continuing to study Spanish increased. Findings suggest that cross-cultural awareness was not a straightforward progression nor did learners move toward cross-cultural awareness at the same pace. Instead, results indicate that cross-cultural awareness is a recursive process. Additionally, findings show that Pinterest served as a “narrative hook” (Freadman, 2014, p. 380) and piqued learners’ interests in culture. However, an integral component in cultivating a deeper, more profound understanding of culture in foreign language learning is reflection.
Developing pronunciation skills at the introductory level: motivating students through interpersonal audio discussions
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2014) Lepore, Cindy E.; Drewelow, Isabelle; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study investigated students' motivation to develop pronunciation skills while participating in shared conversations called interpersonal audio discussions because research has suggested that learners desire pronunciation instruction in hopes of achieving native-like pronunciation (Gilakjani & Ahmadi, 2011; Harlow & Muyskens, 1994; Drewelow & Theobald, 2007) and that social environments are useful in developing proficiency in a second language (Atkinson, 2002; Aubry, 2009; Ducate & Lomicka, 2009; Firth & Wagner, 1997; Kramsch & Whiteside, 2007; Lee, 2014; Lord, 2008; Pica, 1994b; Smith, Alvarez-Torres & Zhao, 2003; Warschauer, 1996). Due to the plethora of online learning communities, there is also a need for research-based findings that evaluate emerging pedagogical tools for pronunciation development. Participants in the present study were enrolled in a second-semester French course where they focused on pronunciation skills in a web-based software called VoiceThread. Through two questionnaires, journal entries, and assessment activities, students continuously self-reported about the effects of participation on perceptions of pronunciation and its development. Data was analyzed through a mixed methods approach. Results indicated that students had more positive opinions of performance on pronunciation-related tasks as well as higher L2 self-confidence associated with pronunciation after participation. Furthermore, findings detailed how increased interactivity in VoiceThread influenced students' motivation in pronunciation. The study's conclusions maintain that participation in VoiceThread raises students' awareness of their performance in pronunciation thereby creating a feedback-supported environment conducive not only to pronunciation development but also to self-motivation regarding the skill.
Die Darstellung des Luftkriegs bei Hans Erich Nossack, Heinrich Böll, Alexander Kluge und Dieter Forte
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2012) Fink, Fabian; Lazda, Rasma; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
W.G. Sebald claimed that German writers of the post-war time have remained silent when it came to writing about the air-raids over Germany, the bombing of the German cities and the suffering of the people living there. There are several more or less known works adressing the topic Luftkrieg. For this project, Sebald's work is used as a point of departure. Four different German literary works concerning the Luftkrieg will be examined: Hans Erich Nossack's Der Untergang, Heinrich Böll's Der Engel schwieg, Alexander Kluge's Der Luftangriff auf Halberstadt am 8. April 1945 and Dieter Forte's Der Junge mit den blutigen Schuhen. This work aims for two goals: 1. Pointing out how the different texts are approaching the topic Luftkrieg and the linguistic features the authors use to describe the air-raids. The focus is on the depiction of the people living in the German cities. 2. Comparing the results and finding differences and similarities among the four works. The project produces the following results: Every author has his individual way to deal with the topic Luftkrieg what makes a generalization difficult. But although the texts have different authors and originate from different periods of time in or after World War Two, they have several things in common. It can be noticed that the silence Sebald adressed exists indeed, every author has to deal with the trauma the Luftkrieg caused in his very own way. There recurring motives in most of the texts, such as hunger, resignation and the appearance of nature.
The effects of authentic reading activities on the written production of novice college spanish students
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2014) Capanegra, Ana Isabel; Cipria, Alicia B.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Many scholars have researched reading-to-writing relations, some of which found reading to be an effective enhancer of writing (Al-Jarf, 2004; Asenciór, 2006; Lee, 1986a; Lee & Riley, 1990; Pérez-Sotelo & González-Bueno, 2003; Shang, 2007). Similar beginner college student samples were used previously by Asenciór (2006), Pérez-Sotelo and González-Bueno (2003), and Lee and Riley (1990). However, the current study was the first one to examine the effects of authentic readings on the written production of novice college Spanish students, especially on content/vocabulary and text organization. The present research included an experimental group and a control group. There were six written assignments over a 4-month period. The pretest and the posttest compared the overall writing abilities of the participating groups. During the treatment proper, the experimental group was asked to review four different authentic reading texts before writing, whereas the control group completed the assignments without any prior reading activity. The gains of the combined dependent variables content/vocabulary and text organization were analyzed. First, the results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) gains in overall writing scores from pretest (Writing Assignment 1) to posttest (Writing Assignment 6) showed that authentic reading comprehension activities did not improve their writing abilities. Second, the results of the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) performed on the gains from Writing Assignment 2 to Writing Assignment 5 in terms of content/vocabulary and text organization revealed that the experimental treatment did not have a statistically significant main effect on either one of the two dependent variables. However, group and gender had a statistically significant interactive effect on both dependent variables. Finally, the findings of the postexperimental survey administered to the participants in the experimental group revealed moderately positive attitudes toward the use of authentic readings prior to the writing assignments. The gender differences revealed by this investigation warrant further and more detailed research to determine possible underlying causes.
El arte nuevo de hacer vidas: the soldier, the playwright, and the mystic: multiple transgressions in the presentation of their vidas/lives
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2013) Mooney, Jane; Janiga-Perkins, Constance; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This dissertation contemplates the lives and writings of three seventeenth-century Spanish Colonial conventual authors - Catalina de Erauso, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and Madre Jerónima Nava y Saavedra - from a feminist and socio-historical perspective. From the elite female environment of the cloistered convent Erauso, Sor Juana, and Nava intruded upon the male-dominated worlds of the Conquest, literature, and ecclesiastical debates. They appropriated the patriarchal narrative genres of Lives of Saints, the comedia, essays, and soldier's tales - all popular literary genres in early modern Spain and Colonial Spanish-America. Using these different literary genres Erauso, Sor Juana, and Nava produced textual representations of themselves that stand in stark contrast to the prescriptive female behavioral norms of the period. The analysis focuses on the manner in which, Erauso, Sor Juana and Nava appropriated, subverted, and exploited the dominant culture's own literary mechanisms (comedias, legal defense, essays, and confessional letters ) and its ideologies (female gender proscriptions) to legitimize their personal deviation from the dominant cultural norm. The innovations and particularities present in their works underscore these conventual authors' individual interpretations of femininity, masculinity, and spirituality, which enabled them to gain a sense of agency for themselves. What Erauso, Sor Juana, and Nava said through their texts and with their lived experiences, specifically their unorthodox reformulations of gender roles, was transgressive for their times. Why then did the pillars of early modern Spain (the Church, the Crown, and Society) accept and even promote Erauso's Vida i sucesos, Sor Juana's La Respuesta, and Los empeños de una casa, and Nava's Autobiografía de una monja venerable? This dissertation's key proposition is that the Catholic Baroque worldview of the seventeenth-century Spanish Empire informed society's acceptance of the non-normative content and structure of Erauso, Sor Juana, and Nava's manuscripts and their lives. Seventeenth-century Spanish society's fascination with the Baroque phenomenon of monstrous hybrids and the dramatic character of the muger varonil was crucial in influencing widespread acceptance of these transgressive historical figures. Elucidating the Baroque Catholic milieu provides the opportunity to makes visible these exceptional women long hidden under the obfuscation of culture and time.
El impacto de textos en contextos familiares en comunidades de práctica para la adquicisción de vocabulario y estructuras gramáticales de español inicial acelerado
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2014) Burgos, Francisco; Picone, Michael; Mantero, Miguel; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study, which involved classroom-based experimental research conducted during the Fall semester of 2013 in a Spanish class at Oakwood University, aimed at extending the findings of previous studies on the use of familiar texts in reading and writing (Brown 2007, Vygotsky 1978, Kern 2000, Rollins & Villamil 2001, McCourt 2006, Morris, Beck & Smith 2004, Smith & Carvill 2000, Baring 2008, Bonard 2000, White 2009, Freire 1970. To do so, this study examined empirically the impact of familiar texts on students' reading and writing outcomes using treatment and control conditions for comparison. This study was also interested in demonstrating whether working with these types of texts within a "community of practice" affected reading and writing outcomes. This study presented quantitative evidence in relation to the use of familiar texts for pre-, co- (simultaneous), and post-reading and writing activities at beginning college levels. The tests determined that there were statistically significant differences between scores on reading and writing exercises in the treatment and control conditions. The results suggest that students who were in the treatment condition (with familiar texts) outperformed students in the control condition and did so at a level that is statistically significant. Qualitative evidence was also obtained suggesting positive impact for learning within a community of linguistic practice. Participant surveys revealed that the students felt less anxious and more motivated when their ability to identify with the learning environment was enhanced via the use of familiar texts for pre-, co-, and post-reading and writing activities.
Elementos definitorios de la posvanguardia y el posmodernismo en México y Guatemala: transculturación, intertextualidad e indentidad en la ficción corta de seis autores
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2011) McCrary, Virginia Ledesma; Worden, William; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This dissertation entitled: Elementos definitorios de la posvanguardia y el posmodernismo en México y Guatemala: Transculturación, intertextualidad e identidad en la ficción corta de seis autores, investigates six collections of short stories written by six authors from México and Guatemala. These writers are classified within the present century as postvanguard and postmodern writers with distinctive elements of intertextual connections that exist among the authors and their writings. The authors and their works are: Juan Rulfo's El llano en llamas (1953); Augusto Monterroso's Obras completas y otros cuentos (1959); Elena Garro's La semana de colores (1964); José Agustín Ramírez's Inventando que sueño: Drama en cuatro actos (1968); Dante Liano's Jornadas y otros cuentos (1978); and Ana María Rodas' Mariana en la tigrera (1996). This dissertation studies writers from two nations that share a common border, a language, and the same religion; these are all elements that make possible cultural and literary interchanges between the countries. The investigation offers a comprehensive and thorough analysis of the short stories in light of their intertextuality, transculturation, and hybridity. These are the main themes to be analyzed in this study which highlights marginal, transgressive, and peripheral elements of the societies depicted while also focusing on the feminine body in a world ruled by patriarchy. In addition, this dissertation demonstrates how the authors subvert the trends of dominance in societies that have been ruled since ancient times by the male gender. It should be noted that while some of the authors' short stories, particularly those by Rulfo and Monterroso, have been the object of various literary analyses, many of the texts examined in this dissertation have not been studied extensively. Consequently, this dissertation will help fill the critical gap that exists by offering a needed examination of the importance of these authors and their short stories as significant literary works in Latin America.
Embodied activities and communicative strategies: a case study in French formal and classroom conversation
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2014) Tanous, Chelsea; Drewelow, Isabelle; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The purpose of this project is to add to the growing research on the impact of embodied activities and communicative strategies in conversational second language settings. Studies performed by Atkinson, Nishino, Churchill, and Okada (2007), Goodwin (2000, 2003, 2007), Gregersen (2005), and others have highlighted the importance of embodied activities such as gaze, gesture, participation frameworks, and affect and their impact on communication in and outside of language learning. Using a sociocognitive approach (Atkinson, 2002, 2011), this study examines the ways in which participation in a simulated L2 community affects students' communicative strategies in the target language, taking into account the social and environmental factors involved in second language acquisition as well as cognitive ones. The results show variation between the communicative strategies used in informal and classroom conversation in the target language.
En Busqueda del Sumak Kawsay: Hacia un Nuevo Cine Indigenista Ecuatoriano del Siglo XXI
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Tarco Carrera, Henry Rubén; Moody (Chair), Sarah; Monette (Co-Chair), Marie-Eve; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This dissertation examines indigenista cinema from Ecuador and how non-native Ecuadorian directors enact a process of decolonization in their cinematographic productions through construction of different images that seek to empower, rescue and preserve the traditions and cultures of the Kichwa people in Ecuador. This pattern is apparent in such films as Galo Urbina’s Ayawaska (2007), José Paúl Moreira’s Saraguro: historia con sangre Inka (2010), Víctor Arregui’s El facilitador (2013), and Gabriel Páez’s Vengo volviendo (2015). These indigenista motion pictures incorporate the indigenous inhabitants' epistemologies, principles and worldviews, which, excluded by modernity, lead to the philosophy of life known as Sumak Kawsay, or the attainment of a full life, defined as a harmonic and balanced state of being. In this manner, the films move away from traditional feature films made in Ecuador or in broader Latin America, which only tend to display values and ideals of Western civilization. In contrast, these indigenista films portray the indigenous way of life and the native epistemes in a positive light, thereby contributing to an intercultural dialogue with the aim of imagining a future decolonized Ecuador, free of the hierarchies of the modern/colonial world-system. These cinematographic productions can be linked to the demands for justice and equity that the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador has repeatedly made of the Ecuadorian state. The government’s imposition of neoliberal economic policies led to economic and political instability beginning with the government of former president Jamil Mahuad, lasting until 2007 and occurring again in October of 2019. Indigenous peoples demanded that the Ecuadorian state carry out social, political and economic reforms to the benefit of all its citizens. These demands had a significant impact on the films made in Ecuador, which have become artistic d Degree Awarded*: Doctor of Philosophy Department*: Spanish Primary Subject Category*: Hispanic American studies [0737] Additional Subject Categories: Keywords (include up to 6): Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair*: Enter your primary advisor(s), not your entire committee. Do not include degrees as part of the name. First name: Middle Initial: Last name: Committee Members: Include up to 10 names. Do not include degrees as part of the name. First name: Middle Initial: Last name: Add another member evices that reflect the ideals of the indigenous peoples.
Espacio y violencia en la novela centroamericana del siglo XXI
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2013) Rojas-Arce, Laura; Bazuero-Pecino, Álvaro; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Throughout the 21st century, Central America has experienced widespread violence despite the signing of the Peace Agreements during the 1990s. The existing conflict has inevitably influenced the literature of this region and this dissertation entitled Espacio y violencia en la novela centroamericana del siglo XXI, examines four Central American texts that form an important part of the writings from this time and place. The novels to be analyzed include: El arma en el hombre (2001) by the Salvadorian writer Horacio Castellaños Moya, El hijo de casa (2004) written by Guatemalan Dante Liano, Sombras nada más (2002) by the Nicaraguan author Sergio Ramírez and Verano rojo (2010) by Daniel Quirós, a Costa Rican writer. This dissertation aims to show that violence in these areas has infiltrated spaces of social interaction and more specifically, the boundaries between public and private spaces have been transgressed and blurred due to increased conflict in both spheres. Throughout these novels, the characters are depicted both as victims of this brutality and, in many cases, instigators of violence, illustrating diverse and contrastive perspectives. The analysis of these texts also brings to light the sociopolitical context surrounding this vicious atmosphere; problems such as national corruption and a general mistrust of the legal system have directly impacted the sociopolitical climate in these countries. These novels establish that the violence has not dissipated, but instead maintains a continuous presence making it an almost daily occurrence. Conflict consistently permeates public, private, urban and rural spheres and these texts illustrate a wide array of perspectives, all of which serve to demystify the singular view of history that the hegemony wishes to propagate.
Espejo de identidades: género, inmigración y violencia en cine dirigido por mujeres españolas y latinoamericanas
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2012) Boris, Marta; Corbalán, Ana; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
My dissertation Espejo de identidades: género, inmigración y violencia de género en directoras latinoamericanas y españolas, examines four 4 Latin American films and two 2 Spanish films, all of which were directed by Hispanic females during the 20th and 21st centuries. These directors intend to establish a new representation of women which that diverges from the traditional historical male depiction of these women. I have chosen to study the works of Gabriela David (Argentina), Sofía Vaccaro (Argentina), María Novaro (Mexico), Marysa Systach (Mexico), Chus Gutiérrez (Spain) and Irene Cardona (Spain) because they provide diverse contemporary perspectives regarding the way in which Spanish-speaking directors approach the topics of immigration and gender in a postmodern context. This dissertation seeks to deconstruct the connection that has linked gender and female-directed cinema, arguing that cultural factors as well as ideology are the true underpinnings for cinema directed by women. The increasing number of female-directed films over the past two 2 decades in these two particular geographical areas has brought about the need for fresh research to establish a new representation of female-directed cinema which that deconstructs the connection linking gender and films directed by women, which is commonly called cine de mujeres. Contrary to what is currently understood as cine de mujeres, this new representation of cinema directed by women is one in which the intention of the female director is not to exclusively portray the fictional stories of women that respond to patriarchal stereotypes. Instead, the director establishes a transgression of those stereotypes, identifying with and giving voice to a marginal and subaltern individual that transcends gender, origin, race, and ethnicity, which in many instances happens to be a woman. Overall, my dissertation offers an in-depth study of female filmic discourse, identity discourse, gender violence, migration studies and film strategies, among others.
Étude des manuscrits conservés de La Chanson du Chevalier au Cygne et de Godefroi de Bouillon (Buxelles, Ms. 10391, Lyon, Ms. 744): prolégeomènes à édition critique
(1975) Emplaincourt, Edmond A.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Experimental methods in phonosemantics: preliminary testing of the antonymic hypothesis as a way of mediating between the arbitrary nature of linguistic representation and aspects of iconism
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2009) Freeman, Geremy Richard; Picone, Michael D.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The question of whether or not linguistic sounds might convey inherent meaning has never conclusively been resolved. This is an empirical study weighing evidence for and against the existence of phonosemantics, also known as sound symbolism or iconism. Contrary to well established principles such as the arbitrary nature of the sign and the double articulation, the phonosemantic hypothesis proposes that the sounds which compose a given word correlate with aspects of the meaning of that word by virtue of their articulatory features. 116 individuals of 19--73 years of age from both sexes were interviewed to determine their intuitions regarding potential meanings of linguistic sounds. The experiment consisted of three distinct parts. First, participants were asked to define nonsense words with their only cueing being the sound segments of the nonsense word. Second, for a given definition, participants were asked to create an appropriate-sounding nonsense word, uninfluenced by any real words. Finally, for a given image, participants were asked to create an appropriate-sounding nonsense word, uninfluenced by any real words. Participants' responses from the first part were analyzed for semantic patterns, while responses from the second and third parts were analyzed for phonic patterns. Data was interpreted according to the antonymic hypothesis, which states that iconism is most readily observable in articulations that can be set in antonymic contrast to other articulations. This includes points of articulation from the extremities of the vocal apparatus such as front, back, high, and low and manners of articulation such as stops and continuants. The data gathered presents little evidence in support of phonosemantics; hence, by default, the opposite case is made in support of arbitrary designative processes. However, it was determined that certain experimental procedures could be altered during future endeavors, perhaps leading to different results. This alteration primarily involves ways to better control extra-stimulus motivation (interference from real words) which was judged as the most crucial variable of the experimental process.

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