Journal

Volume 24, Issue 2 (June 30, 2023)

4 articles

• Sex-Related Differences in Visual-Orientation Discrimination Thresholds
  by Abdullah Bin Dawood
  J. CS. 2023, 24(2), 157-176;
  Abstract Visually induced peak gamma frequency was associated with lower orientation discrimination (OD) thresholds and was higher for females than males. Accordingly, females would be expected to have lower OD thresholds than males. However, behavioural evidence suggests the opposite as males outperformed f... [Read more].
  Abstract Visually induced peak gamma frequency was associated with lower orientation discrimination (OD) thresholds and was higher for females than males. Accordingly, females would be expected to have lower OD thresholds than males. However, behavioural evidence suggests the opposite as males outperformed females in several visual perceptual tasks, such as visual acuity and orientation identification tasks. The current exploratory study aimed to investigate whether there would be differences in OD thresholds between neurotypical adult females and males using a visual-orientation discrimination task (ODT). The ODT is a low-level psychophysical task comprising vertical and oblique conditions and is suggested to indicate cortical Excitation-Inhibition (E-I) balance in the visual cortex. The results showed that females and males had lower OD thresholds in the vertical condition than in the oblique condition, reflecting the well-known oblique effect. Unexpectedly, the results also showed that females had higher OD thresholds in the vertical and oblique conditions than males, indicating potential differences in cortical E-I balance between females and males. Possible explanations for the sex-related differences in ODT performance are addressed. [Collapse]
• ‘-Tul’ in Korean both as an Associative and as an Additive Plural Marker
  by Myung-Kwan Park
  J. CS. 2023, 24(2), 177-206;
  Abstract This paper investigates the grammatical identity of the plural marker ‘-tul’ in Korean. We first explore this issue from comparative morpho-syntactic perspectives. Noting that like in Turkish but unlike in English, ‘-tul’ can give rise to associative plurality, we propose that as cross-linguisticall... [Read more].
  Abstract This paper investigates the grammatical identity of the plural marker ‘-tul’ in Korean. We first explore this issue from comparative morpho-syntactic perspectives. Noting that like in Turkish but unlike in English, ‘-tul’ can give rise to associative plurality, we propose that as cross-linguistically attested, it is generated in the outer layer of a nominal projection. Showing that ‘-tul’ with a common noun allows for an additive plural (ADP) (or sum) reading as well as an associative plural (ASP) (or ADP-like) one, we argue that the attempt to deduce the former reading from the latter one does not work out. Particularly, ‘-tul’ with some collective nouns in Korean yields a genuine kind of additive plurality. Thus, it is safe to say that ‘-tul’ in Korean serves both as an ASP and as an ADP marker, which the ASP-only approach by Jiang (2017) and Nakanish (2018) cannot capture. To further support this thesis, we move on to examine the plural markers in East Asian languages to show that Korean ‘-tul’ behave syntactically like Japanese ‘-tachi’ but unlike Chinese ‘-men.’ [Collapse]
• A Repair Approach to Forward/Backward Control
  by Kwang-sup Kim
  J. CS. 2023, 24(2), 207-252;
  Abstract This article provides a principled account for forward/backward control from the perspective that Caseless DPs are defective, and the Case problem can be repaired either via ellipsis or default Case assignment. According to this perspective, forward control is an instance of repair-by ellipsis, as R... [Read more].
  Abstract This article provides a principled account for forward/backward control from the perspective that Caseless DPs are defective, and the Case problem can be repaired either via ellipsis or default Case assignment. According to this perspective, forward control is an instance of repair-by ellipsis, as Rosenbaum (1967) proposes, and backward control is an instance of repair-by-default Case assignment. The first half of this article is devoted to showing that the repair approach sheds light on backward control in Korean, and the second half shows that the repair approach turns out to be a general theory of control. This article shows that the repair approach is preferred over the movement approach in view of Korean forward/backward control, complement/adjunct control in English, non-obligatory control, and split obligatory control. In short, the major claim of this article is that control is generated via repair strategies, not via movement. [Collapse]
• Faculties’ Perceptions of Using the English Language in an EFLContext forMedical Education Internationalization
  by Iman Alizadeh & Parand Pourghane
  J. CS. 2023, 24(2), 253-282;
  Abstract Research on the pros and cons of using English as the lingua franca of internationalization and medium of instruction abounds. However, there is a paucity of research on faculty members’ beliefs about the role of English in the internationalization of medical education in non-English speaking countr... [Read more].
  Abstract Research on the pros and cons of using English as the lingua franca of internationalization and medium of instruction abounds. However, there is a paucity of research on faculty members’ beliefs about the role of English in the internationalization of medical education in non-English speaking countries. As metaphor provides a fundamental scheme by which people conceptualize the world and their activities (Gibbs, 2008) and displays individuals’ mental structures, images, beliefs, feelings, and thoughts (Eren and Tekinarslan, 2013), this study used metaphor analysis to discover Iranian faculty members’ mental images of the role of English in the internationalization of medical sciences education. To collect data, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the faculty members on their metaphors of the role of English in the internationalization of the university. The content analysis of the metaphors showed that, on the one hand, they viewed English as a necessity for the establishment and development of an international entity by comparing the language for internationalization to the blood, kidney, and hand for the body, the fertilizer and water for plants, a pen for a writer, and a foundation for a building. They also likened English to a ladder, an element of reform, a bridge, and a railway. On the other hand, they took a dim view of the role of English in the internationalization of the education, describing it as systematically and linguistically the Achilles heel of internationalization. The study concludes that the faculty members had a fear and hope stance on the role of English in the internationalization of the education in a non-English speaking country, conceiving of having a good command of the language, to a large extent, as a pathway and the lack of knowledge of the language, to a lesser extent, as an obstacle. [Collapse]