The Acquisition of English Reflexives by Speakers of Mandarin Chinese (Published)
This study offers a perspective on the interpretation of reflexive pronouns in English by Mandarin Chinese native speakers. It assumes that English reflexives are locally bound and based on structural processing in accordance with Principle A of Chomsky’s (1981) Binding Theory. However, Mandarin also long-distance binding of subjects is licit when there is no conflict with the centre of perspective within the sentence. The Test involves native speakers of Mandarin Chinese to see if their intuitions about English reflexive pronouns are in accordance with UG and if their grammars show logophoric features.
Keywords: Second Language Acquisition, Semantics, Syntax, logophors, reflexives
Investigating the Literary Components of Print Media: A Case of Punch and Guardian Newspapers (Published)
The paper investigates the literary components of print media with specific reference to Punch and Guardian Newspapers as case studies. It uses syntax and semantics components of the English language as units of inquiry. The paper starts by describing the history of the newspaper in Nigeria and conceptualizes the syntax and semantics components in media. Also, the review of the documentary evidence as secondary resources from journal articles, paper reports and books were utilised in gathering the information used in analysing the situation. The syntax of any language is governed by rules that are fairly stable and which, unlike the phonology, cuts across both horizontally and vertically among the users while semantics is the study of meaning. The paper unravels the appropriate usage of syntax and semantics of English language to pass across messages to reader by removing the ambiguity, and minimizing errors when it comes to newspaper editorials.
Keywords: Editorials, Media, Newspaper, Semantics, Syntax
