SVIBOR - Project code: 6-03-168

MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Strossmayerov trg 4, HR - 10000 ZAGREB
tel.: +385 1 459 44 44, fax: +385 1 459 44 69
E-mail: ured@znanost.hr

SVIBOR

SVIBOR - Collecting Data on Projects in Croatia

Project code: 6-03-168


PRAGMALINGUISTICS OF NATURAL LANGUAGES


Main researcher: HORGA, DAMIR (63013)


Assistants
Type of research: developmental
Duration from: 01/01/91. to 12/31/96.
Papers on project (total): 44
Institution name: Filozofski fakultet - Humanističke znanosti, Zagreb (130)
Department/Institute: Department of Phonetics
Address: Salajeva 3
City: 10000 - Zagreb, Croatia
Communication
Phone: 385 (0)1 6120-098
Fax: 385 (0)1 513-834
E-mail: dhorga@filozof.ffzg.hr
Summary: Three apects of natural languages will be investigated from pragmatic standpoint: - typology of professional texts, - determinants of reading proficiency in mother tongue and second language - phonetic characteristic of different foreign languages and Croatian and their interference. Typology of professional texts will be studied on a representative computer sample of summaries from various scientific disciplines which will be described on the basis of specific linguistic categories. This will be followed by the determination of the degree of similarity among summary types and the of the degree of their internal coherence. It will also be determined to what extent the extracted factors may be taken as criteria in determining text typology. On a representative sample the reading proficiency in first and second language will be studied, competence in native and foreign language and certain general skills which would enable the determination of influence of individual factors on efficient reading of professional texts in a foreign language. Phonetic features at segmental and suprasegmental (prosodic) levels in different foreign languages and Croatian languages will be described and the differences determined in cases of interference between the two langauges. All analyses will be carried out with suitable computer and statistical methods.

Keywords: typology of texts, pragmalinguistics, natural languages, reading ability, second-language learning, prosody, interference, interlanguage

Research goals: The typology which is planned to result from this project should identify a series of principal types of scientific text in English and the relations among them: (1) ways in which particular types of texts are mutually similar; (2) the degree of their similarity, and (3) the degree of their internal coherence. Apart from that, text typology is a conditio sine qua non for a general model of text comprehension. It is expected that in addition to their theoretical value the results will have direct practical use in planning teaching English for special purposes, since on the basis of these results it will be possible to select and evaluate the suitability of particular language segments used in teaching. The aim of the second part of research will be to investigate the characteristics of reading skills in native and foreign language and to determine their correlation with the competence in native and foreign language as well as with some cognitive traits of the subjects. This research is expected to reveal readers' strategies which may then be used in developing methodology for teaching reading in a foreign language. The third part of the study is expected to provide comparative description of phonetic systems of the different languages (from acoustic, perceptive and articulatory aspects), which may be used in teaching foreign language pronunciation.

COOPERATION - INSTITUTIONS


  1. Name of institution: Klinika za otorinolaringologiju i cervikofacijalnu kirurgiju, Kliničke bolnice SESTRE MILOSRDNICE
    Type of institution: International organization
    City: 10000 - Zagreb, Croatia
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Last update: 10/13/95
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