This thesis deals with the merge operation in the four types of languages in the world, namely internal merge of displaced wh-words or wh-phrases in Single Filled Spec Languages, Multiply Filled Spec Languages, and Non-multiply Filled Spec Languages, and external merge of in situ wh-words and wh-phrases in Null Spec Languages. The universality of merge in the wh-questions proves that merge is a biologically based operation.

The Namesake is the debut novel which was written by the Indian American writer, Jhumpa Lahiri. In this novel, Lahiri depicts the lives of two generations of Indian immigrants in America and their own problems. It differs from other immigrant novels in the way that Lahiri does not arrange rise and fall of experiences for her characters. She just uses the simplest words to describe the heroes’ daily life. Under the multicultural background, Lahiri lays a lot of emphasis on the struggles and sufferings of the cultural identity of Indian American. This thesis aims at the analysis of the different identity confusions between the first generation immigrants and the second generation immigrants in terms of their names, love experiences and marriages. This paper attempts to conclude that the cultural differences have a great influence on the fate of characters. Meanwhile, it points out different attitudes and solutions toward the problems.

This paper unfolds male stereotypical authoritative nature under the lens of reader response theory by Rosenblatt i.e. reader and text in The Bull and She Devil. This paper argues that a text has different meanings to different readers. Therefore, the theme of jealousy and anger is due to male authoritative nature and feelings of comparison in the selected short story. Based on the idea of transaction among the reader, text, author and social context by Rosenblatt, this paper highlights that the husband is a merciless creature toward his wife, relatives and the bull. As anger is due to male stereotypical authoritative nature, it causes jealousy and the end of his life. Ironically, he blames the destructive influence of his wife instead blaming his own negative approach.

Being an embodiment of education philosophy and campus culture, university mottoes show the education objectives and school-running philosophy through their refined words and well-structured sentences. Present researches on E-C translation of mottoes help domestic university to go global. However, most of them are done from the perspective of linguistics, which, to some extent, weakens the importance of the functions of university mottoes. To view the translation of university mottoes from a different way and tackle problems that occur in the translation, this thesis, under the guidance of Skopos theory, makes an analysis on the features of Chinese university mottoes and overseas university mottoes and looks into translation techniques.

The Moon and Sixpence is told in a series of glimpses into the mind and soul of the central character Charles Strickland, a middle-aged English stockbroker, who abandons his wife and children abruptly to pursue his desire to become an artist. In this novel, Strickland tried to search for his identity that he had lost in the past years. He deconstructed his former identity and constructed his new identity. Strickland searched for this identity through several steps: First, to get rid of the bondage of family. Second, don’t care what others think about him. Third, to accept a support. Finally, died but fulfilling his construction of identity.

This present paper is devoted to the analysis of modal auxiliaries in Martin Luther King’s speech (I have a dream). This speech was delivered at the march on Washington for jobs and freedom. In this speech King has used modality through modal auxiliaries and there is a wide range of meanings that these words are used to express. The phrase “modal auxiliary” shows that there are two linguistic forms which are under question: the syntactic notion of “auxiliary” and the semantic notion of “modality” Thus, not all modal auxiliaries have been analyzed in this present study; but some of them such as Will, Shall, Must and Can in their predicative and inter-subjective relationships.

Teaching and learning of English vocabulary are the most basic parts in the whole process of English acquisition. Based on the result analysis of an extensive on-line questionnaire about the vocabulary teaching situation among some Chinese and foreign teachers, this paper points out the existing problems in college English vocabulary teaching and learning. The corresponding vocabulary learning strategies are proposed to stimulate students' interest in English vocabulary learning, enhance the flexibility of vocabulary learning and use, and thus improve the effect of English vocabulary teaching and learning.

As the basis of language learning, vocabulary has been the focus of college English vocabulary teaching and learning for a long time. Because a host of teachers and students are still prone to utilize traditional vocabulary memorizing methods, English vocabulary teaching and learning is still a field which is worthy of innovation. Associative memorizing method is an innovative method of English vocabulary acquisition. This paper will deeply analyze the application effects of associative memorizing method from the aspects of English vocabulary teaching and learning, hoping to give some helps and inspirations in English vocabulary teaching and learning.

Contrastive analysis (CA) is a sub-discipline of linguistics dealt with comparison of two or more languages; it permits to detect the similarities and differences between them. This study aimed at contrasting the order of attributive adjectives in English, an Indo-European language and Sereer Siin, a Negro African language spoken in Senegal in the area of Fatick. The study involved 25 male students who were Sereer speakers and learners of English as a second language at the English department of Cheikh Anta Diop University. A test of 112 items in both languages was given to them. It was composed of 56 in English and 56 in Sereer. These students were asked to order correctly in a sentence two attributive adjectives in each language. However, the results revealed that in both languages there were more differences than similarities. However, the identical features of both languages are the fact that : adjectives of size precede adjectives of shape and of age, adjectives of color are placed before adjectives of Origin/nationality and of purpose; and adjectives of material are positioned before adjectives of purpose. There is an exception with ŋas which is the only adjective of age that should be placed after adjectives of size. Thus, this paper will enable to promote and develop the Sereer language and culture around the world. It will definitely be an invaluable resource for English speakers who are interested in the functioning of the order of attributive adjectives in Sereer Siin.

This paper is aimed at analyzing the female names among the Tugen community a Kalenjin sub-tribe in Baringo County, Kenya, East Africa. While proper names are given to people, geographical features, places and some settlements, I will restrict this paper discussion to the names applied to females only. I have divided this paper into the following main sections; a brief description of Tugen sub-tribe, Naming customs, the traditional naming ceremonies, female names and their meaning, elements of Tugen female names and conclusion. This study was based and guided by Semiotic theory. To help deal with the topic, the following questions were asked; Who are the Tugen-Sub tribe? What were the traditions which accompanied naming? What dictated their names? Which female name categories existed? What were the meanings of female names? What were the elements which formed female names? The answers to the questions were the basis of this paper.