Browsing by Subject "Linguistic"

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    Correctness and Clarity in Applying for Overseas Jobs: A Cross Cultural Analysis of U.S. and Flemish Applications
    (Publisher of the original article: Walter de Gruyter. [BREAK][LINK]http://www.degruyter.com/[/LINK], 1995) Connor, Ulla, 1948-; Davis, Ken, 1945-; Rycker, Teun de
    This study examined cross-cultural similarities and differences between US and Flemish letters of job application as a promotional business-writing genre. Altogether 74 letters were collected and analyzed for 'correctness' and 'clarity', two linguistic properties that strongly correlate with communicative success in getting invited for a job interview. The results show that a typical US applicant writes more than the Flemish applicant and makes fewer mistakes. Differences were also found in the degree of clarity, i.e., content and length of information. The typical US applicant provided more supporting arguments for the application, discussed benefits for the employer and the applicant, but was not as direct in asking for an interview. The results correspond with previous contrastive rhetoric research showing cultural differences in writing for specific purposes (Bhatia, 1993; Jenkins and Hinds, 1987; Maier, 1992).
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    Linguistic Perspectives on the Development of Intercultural Competence in Telecollaboration.
    (The original publisher of this article is:Language Learning & Technology (LLT). The definitive publisher-authenticated version of Julie A. Bellz. "Linguistic Perspectives on the Development of Intercultural Competence in Telecollaboration". Language Learning & Technology 7, no.2 (2003): 68-117, is available online at:[BREAK][LINK]http://llt.msu.edu/vol7num2/default.html[/LINK][BREAK]Access to the original article may require subscription and authorized logon ID/password. Please check University Library resources before purchasing an article via the publisher. Questions on finding the original article via our databases? Ask a librarian:[LINK]http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/research/askalibrarian[/LINK], 2003-05) Belz, Julie A. (Julie Anne)
    It is widely reported (e.g., Belz & Müller-Hartmann, 2002; Kern, 1996; Kinginger, in press; Warschauer & Kern, 2000) that the goals of telecollaborative language study are the development of foreign language (FL) linguistic competence and the facilitation of intercultural competence (e.g., Bausch, Christ, & Krumm, 1997; Bredella & Delanoy, 1999; Byram, 1997; Harden & Witte, 2000). Whereas evaluations of the impact of telecollaboration on FL linguistic competence have been based on structural descriptions of learner discourse from the earliest days of research in this field (e.g., Beauvois, 1992; Chun, 1994; Kelm, 1992; Kern, 1995; Pelletieri, 2000; Sotillo, 2000; Warschauer, 1996), discussions of intercultural competence in the same configuration have been characterized primarily in alinguistic terms. These have included analyst-sensitive content analyses of learner interaction in telecollaboration, post-semester interviews with learners who have participated in telecollaborative projects, and attitudinal surveys of these same learners (e.g., Fischer, 1998; Furstenberg, Levet, English, & Maillet, 2001; Lomicka, 2001; Müller-Hartmann, 1999; von der Emde, Schneider, & Kötter, 2001; Warschauer, 1998; see, however, Belz, 2001; Belz & Müller-Hartmann, 2003). In general, the fields of foreign language learning and teaching (FLL&T) have neither advocated nor presented linguistically critical interpretations of the development of intercultural competence in telecollaboration. In this paper, I present a detailed case study of the development of intercultural competence (or lack thereof) in a German-American e-mail partnership by examining the electronic interaction produced in this exchange within the framework of appraisal theory (e.g., Eggins & Slade, 1997; Martin, 2000; White, 1998), a Hallidayian-inspired linguistic approach to the investigation of evaluative language.
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    Linguistic/Rhetorical Measures for International Persuasive Student Writing.
    ([BREAK]Copyright © 1990 by the National Council of Teachers of English. Reprinted with permission.[BREAK]The definitive publisher-authenticated version of this article is available online at[BREAK][LINK]http://www.jstor.org/stable/40171446[/LINK][BREAK]Access to the original article may require subscription and authorized logon ID/password. IUPUI faculty/staff/students please check University Library resources before purchasing an article. Question on finding the original article via our databases? Ask a librarian: [LINK]http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/research/askalibrarian[/LINK]., 1990) Connor, Ulla, 1948-
    This research developed linguistic/rhetorical measures to analyze and evaluate argumentative/persuasive student writing. 150 essays written for the IEA International Study of Written Composition by high school students from three English-speaking countries were used to test these measures. In a multiple regression analysis with an impressionistic holistic rating as the dependent variable, 11 independent variables explained 61 percent of the variation in the holistic score. The Toulmin measure, credibility appeal, and the syntactic factor of Abstract versus Situated Style were the best predictors of writing quality. Implications of this research for the evaluating and teaching of argumentative/persuasive writing are discussed.