Statement of Purpose
My interest in linguistics began with my undergraduate studies when I majored in linguistics and translation in the department of English and Translation at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. After graduation, I pursued my master’s degree in linguistics at the University of Florida. Having my master’s degree, I have applied to the PhD in Linguistics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for the Fall 2014 semester.
My academic linguistics background has grown significantly during my undergraduate and graduate studies. As an undergraduate, the linguistics courses I studied while earning my bachelor’s degree introduced me to the linguistics world and motivated me to pursue my graduate studies in linguistics. The program included the theoretical core courses: Syntax, Semantics, Morphology, Phonology, and Phonetics and other applied linguistics courses such as Sociolinguistics, Second Language Acquisition and Discourse Analysis. I was fascinated by and good at linguistics in general and theoretical linguistics in particular.
Further development and more greatly impact on my linguistics knowledge has occurred during pursuing my master’s degree in linguistics at the University of Florida. I intensively studied linguistics and explored its fields in-depth. The core courses in that program were Phonology, Morphology and Syntax. Moreover, I enrolled in theoretical and applied linguistics courses, which familiarized me with advanced materials and essential experiences in conducting original research. In applied linguistics, I studied Second Language Acquisition and Sociolinguistics and applied English Grammar. In theoretical linguistics, I took two advanced courses in syntax to investigate core areas of researc...
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...tics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee would match my research interests perfectly. My interest in Arabic syntax matches Professor Ouali’s who is interested in Arabic syntax and comparative syntax. He has worked on areas that attract my interest like agreement, tense system among others and has investigated several topics in Arabic syntax. Therefore, I would be honored to work him. Without a doubt, having the opportunity to work with the Department’s faculty in my Ph.D. will enable me to succeed in my academic future. The knowledge and the expertise that I will gain through coursework and participation in research projects will add to the solid linguistics research background that my academic and career goals require me to achieve. In addition, I would be delighted to contribute to the department and be an active member in the department’s activities.
Lewelling, Vickie W., and Washington, DC. ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics. Official English And English Plus: An Update. ERIC Digest. 1997. ERIC. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.
Downs, Doug. "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics." Writing About Writing: A College Reader. By Elizabeth A. Wardle. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 520-33, 581-594. Print.
Author(s): Judie Newman Source: The Modern Language Review, Vol. 98, No. 4 (Oct., 2003), pp. 817-826
Over thousands of years language has evolved and continued to develop to what we know it as today. Throughout the years, it has been studied how we learn language and the benefits of learning it as well as the deficits of not learning it. While studying language it is important to consider the language acquisition device, language acquisition support system, and Infant-Directed and Adult-Directed Speech. Not only is it important to learn language in general, but there are specific sensitive periods in which a human must learn the language in order to obtain developmental milestones. The sensitive period is also crucial when learning a second language and can greatly affect the human when speaking that language. During the sensitive period while a child is learning language it is important that they learn the specifics about language structure and the aspects of language. Once the child has learned the aspects of language, they are also emerged into learning universal grammar. Lastly, the learning of language has influenced ontogeny and phylogeny in various ways. This influence will continue to arise as change occurs and humans and the world continue to develop and evolve.
Martin. Dept. of English and Modern Foreign Languages, UTM, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 12 Sept. 2013.
Text linguistics is a “discipline which analyses the linguistic regularities and constitutive features of texts” (Bussmann, 1996: 1190). According to this definition, text linguistics is mainly concerned with studying the features that every piece of writing should have in order to be considered as a text. It is also defined by Noth (1977 in Al-Massri, 2013:33) as “the branch of linguistics in which the methods of linguistic analysis are extended to the level of text.” This means that text linguistics aims at producing rules and methods that can be used to analyze the whole text. This approach has been put forward by the two scholars Robert-Alain de Beaugrande and Wolfgang U. Dressler in their seminal book “Introduction to Text Linguistics”, in 1981. The study of texts in linguistic studies starts in
Richards, J. C., Platt, J., & Plat, H. (2000). Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied linguistics. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Long, M. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W.Ritchie and T.Bhatia (eds.) Handbook of Second Language Acquisition (San Diego, CA: Academic Press), 413-68.
Issue No. 1 -. 33, 32, and a. Vol. 1, No. 1 -. 1, 1973; no. 2, 1974. California State College, Sonoma, Dept. of Education. of the English language of the country. Roseman, Ellen.
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...al systems, together with morphology, syntax and vocabulary. It is recognized that multilingualists have got to learn in what ways grammatical, phonemic, and semantic policies can be generalized across two or more languages and, if this is not possible, they must go for awareness of any methodical structural dissimilarities. This is particularly pertinent when two languages do not contribute to the similar syntactical rules. On the other hand, it is necessary to keep in mind that the process of flattering literacy cannot be alienated from the social background. Language is eventually a means of expression and individuality. References David Crystal (1997) English as a Global Language, Cambridge University Press. Graddol, David. The future of English? A guide to forecasting the popularity of the English Language in the 21st Century. London British Council (1997)
Language is a means of human communication whether verbally or nonverbally. In everyday life we use language to express our thoughts, feelings ,attitudes,etc.A great amount of social interactions takes place every day over the telephone ,by online chats, face –to face interaction or at workplaces .We use language of different forms for different functions as in to inform, question , and sometimes to strengthen social relationships or just to keep the social wheels turning smoothly. Moreover, understanding one's own language and even other cultures’ language is important to arrive at a successful and effective communication with others . The study of language can be undertaken in various ways .Semantics and pragmatics are two branches of linguistics which are concerned with the study of meaning.
In this position, I 've had ample opportunity to work with undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines. Notably, I have worked closely with many students who speak English as a second language, and this has been the most challenging and the most rewarding part of my job. Several students have worked with me on a consistent basis, and it 's a great accomplishment to see their vocabulary improve through repeated contact with a peer, from whom they discover new words and phrases to better express their ideas. When I help them combine their accumulated knowledge of English grammar and sentence structure with these elements, the results are truly remarkable. My familiarity with the specific nuances of the English language that native Japanese speakers often struggle with, in conjunction with my people skills and cultural sensitivity, will exemplify me as a dependable, approachable source of information and allow me to achieve maximum results in the Japanese
North, S. (2012), 'English a Linguistic Toolkit' (U214, Worlds of English), Milton Keynes, The Open University.
Center for Applied Linguistics. Why, How, When? N.p.: Center for Applied Linguistics, n.d. www.cal.org. US Department of Education. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.