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Relative distance and the use of `this’ and `that’ and possible deictic response

Lewinski, Sandra L.
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5258-0831
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1418417619

Abstract Details

2014, Master of Arts, University of Toledo, College of Languages, Literature, and Social Sciences.
Previous studies have been done on the use of `this’ and `that’ by native speakers (NSs) of English, non-native speakers (NNSs) of English or foreign language speakers (FLSs) by Kelly-Lopez (2005), Esseili (2006), Hickman (2005), and Imai (2003). Although the first three studies were very well thought out they were missing one point that Imai had. But as Esseili points out in her thesis, Imai’s research was flawed because he told his subjects what he was looking for. I want to re-do his test but remove the bias from the study to see if the presentation of objects would be more likely to elicit `this’ for near objects and `that’ for objects that are farther away from the subjects. In the current study four identical objects will be presented to subjects aligned at equal distances on a flat plane going away from the subjects on a mat, either on a table or on the floor. They may or may not be able to touch the items they are referring to. This will allow the researcher to see if the relative distance from the subject is important or not in the use of `this’ and `that’ and if Imai’s “contact/control” theory is valid (Imai, p. 135). Affective distance of all objects presented horizontally to the subjects has been proven to have the same effect on the choice of `this’ or `that’, whether closer or farther from the subject. Using NSs and NNSs of English, I plan on testing relative distance of the same types of objects, set up on a table or on the floor, so that one object is closest to the subject and the following items are spaced on the axis so that the final object presented is completely out of the subject’s physical reach. I feel that this presentation will elicit the desired response of `this’ and `that’ along with other possible deixis responses from the subjects. I would ask the subject in random order which item is first, second, third, and fouth. I also will use the survey provided by Christman for the assessment of handedness to check if handedness has a possible impact on the physical responses by the subjects. If the responses are as expected then it would show that relative distance does have an effect on the selection of `this’ and `that’ of the items presented in a straight line going away from the subjects by NSs and NNSs. The opposite could also happen where, same as affective distance, there is no difference between the use of `this’ and `that’ and if there is a difference between NSs and NNSs.
Douglas Coleman, Ph. D. (Committee Chair)
Stephen Christman, Ph. D. (Committee Co-Chair)
Paul Fritz, Ph. D. (Committee Member)
32 p.
Adult Education; Bilingual Education; English As A Second Language; Linguistics
Hard Science Linguistics; relative distance; absolute distance; English as a Second Language; Linguistics; contact-control; TESOL

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Lewinski, S. L. (2014). Relative distance and the use of `this’ and `that’ and possible deictic response [Master's thesis, University of Toledo]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1418417619

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Lewinski, Sandra. Relative distance and the use of `this’ and `that’ and possible deictic response. 2014. University of Toledo, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1418417619.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Lewinski, Sandra. "Relative distance and the use of `this’ and `that’ and possible deictic response." Master's thesis, University of Toledo, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1418417619

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

toledo1418417619
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