Ji Young Shim | American University of Sharjah (original) (raw)
Papers by Ji Young Shim
International journal of Arabic-English studies, Jan 10, 2023
This paper investigates the use of subtitles by Arabic-English bilingual speakers in the UAE. Whi... more This paper investigates the use of subtitles by Arabic-English bilingual speakers in the UAE. While extant research on the effects of subtitles on language acquisition focuses on either first language acquisition by children or second or foreign acquisition by monolingual speakers, this study examines bilingual speakers and their preference for the language of subtitles in different contexts via an online questionnaire. Results from 28 Arabic-English bilingual speakers revealed that subtitles were used more frequently for foreign language films and English language films over Arabic language films, and English was the preferred subtitle language regardless of the language of the film. Higher dependence on subtitles for English language films in contrast to lower dependence on subtitles for Arabic language films suggests the participants' lower English proficiency and higher proficiency in Arabic. However, an analysis of self-reported language proficiency revealed that participants were more dominant in English, which also accounts for the selection of English as a preferred subtitle language. The paper concludes that such contradictory findings reflect linguistic dualism between English and Arabic that prevails in the UAE, which is due to the proliferation of English especially in the education sector in the country.
This study provides a new outlook of overt and null complementizers (COMPs) in clausal complement... more This study provides a new outlook of overt and null complementizers (COMPs) in clausal complements in English. Since the seminal work by Kiparsky & Kiparsky (1970; KK henceforth), it is widely assumed that the finite declarative COMP that can be omitted in clausal complements of non-factive verbs (e.g., believe, say, think), whereas it cannot be deleted in clausal complements of factive verbs (e.g., know, realize, regret). Most studies on the null COMP have an overarching view that overt that and null that clauses have the identical underlying structure, where the COMP, either overt or null, represents a C head (Stowell 1981, Pesetsky 1991, Bošković and Lasnik 2003), predicting both overt and null that clauses are predicted to show (nearly) the same syntactic distribution, contrary to fact: the so-called ‘main clause phenomena’ (MCP) are permitted only when that is present, as in (1).
International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature, 2021
This study investigated gender and sexuality discourse in hip-hop by using the FPDA (Feminist Pos... more This study investigated gender and sexuality discourse in hip-hop by using the FPDA (Feminist Post-Structuralist Discourse Analysis) approach. The samples were drawn from the chart of Billboard Hot 100 in February, 2020 and the lyrics of 20 contemporary hip hop music were analyzed according to two variables: (a) the theme of gender-biased language and (b) the gender of the artist. Results of the study indicate that gender-biased language exists in hip-hop music and both male and female artists predominantly used much more gender-biased language against women rather than men, showing no correlation between gender-biased language against a specific gender and the gender of the language user.
The present study provides a minimalist account of diverse semantic and syntactic patterns found ... more The present study provides a minimalist account of diverse semantic and syntactic patterns found in three different types of clausal complements selected by factive and non-factive predicates in Korean. It will be shown that Korean challenges the widely-held dichotomous views on factive and non-factive sentential complements, such as the presence vs. absence of presupposition and the presence vs. absence of islandhood. We argue that the semantic and syntactic behavior (factivity and islandhood) of the clausal complement is determined by the interplay between two related factors, the type of the matrix predicate (factive vs. non-factive) and the type of the clausal complement in Korean.
This monograph is intended as a contribution to the field of bilingualism from a generative synta... more This monograph is intended as a contribution to the field of bilingualism from a generative syntax perspective at a variety of levels. It investigates code-switching between Korean and English and also between Japanese and English, which exhibit several interesting features. Due to their canonical word order differences, Korean and Japanese being SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) and English SVO (Subject-Verb-Object), a code-switched sentence between Korean/Japanese and English can take, in principle, either OV or VO order, to which little attention has been paid in the literature. On the contrary, word order is one of the most extensively discussed topics in generative syntax, especially in the Principles and Parameter's approach (P&P) where various proposals have been made to account of various order patterns of different languages. By taking the generative view that linguistic variation is due to variation in the domain of functional categories rather than lexical roots (e.g. Borer 1...
Languages, 2017
To introduce this Special Issue entitled Clausal and Nominal Complements in Monolingual and Bilin... more To introduce this Special Issue entitled Clausal and Nominal Complements in Monolingual and Bilingual Grammars, we begin by explaining what originally motivated this Special Issue. The first two co-editors (Ji Young Shim and Tabea Ihsane) worked on the research project entitled Selection at the Interfaces, in which various linguistic aspects (e.g., syntactic structure, interface with semantics, etc.) of clausal and nominal complements in monolingual grammars were explored. 1 To extend an investigation of these issues to bilingual contexts, they organized a two-day workshop entitled Clausal and Nominal Complements in Monolingual and Bilingual Grammars in June 2016, where the third co-editor (M. Carmen Parafita Couto) of this Special Issue was an invited speaker. 2 The workshop aimed to investigate the left periphery of complements, in particular the left periphery of the clause and the nominal phrase and its edge, such as C(omplementizers) and D(eterminer) and other topmost functional layers, where languages may be parametrized differently, thus leading to linguistic variation. Within generative grammar, it has long been assumed that language variation is due to variation in the domain of functional categories and their morpho-syntactic properties [1,2]. Following this tradition, the left periphery of the clause has been extensively investigated, confirming the hypothesis that the functional category C(omplementizer) and its morpho-syntactic properties may be parameterized differently across languages within research on monolingual grammar [3-6]. In addition, the left periphery of a nominal phrase has also been investigated to a great extent [7-9], based on the proposal that clauses and nominal phrases have parallel structures ([10] and in subsequent work). In recent years, generative linguists have also started to pay attention to the left periphery of bilingual grammars, especially in relation to diverse patterns of code-switching, which is the mixed use of two or more languages in conversation, and which is frequently observed in bilingual speech. Under the assumption that monolingual and bilingual grammars are subject to the same grammatical principles [11-14], several researchers have investigated the grammar of code-switching in various language pairs and showed that the left periphery of a particular functional category such as C, D, or v may be parameterized differently across languages and derive certain patterns of code-switching, 1 The projected was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (#100012_146699/1), and the second Editor was the principal investigator of the project. 2 The workshop was funded by the University of Geneva and the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Languages
This study investigates word order variation in Korean-English and Japanese-English code-switchin... more This study investigates word order variation in Korean-English and Japanese-English code-switching, with specific focus on the relative placement of the object and the verb in two contrasting word orders, Object-Verb (OV) vs. Verb-Object (VO). The results of an experiment eliciting code-switching judgment data provides strong evidence indicating that the distinction between heavy vs. light verbs plays a major role in deriving different word orders in mixed verb constructions in Korean-English and Japanese-English code-switching. In particular, an explanation pursued in this research supports the hypothesis that parametric variation is attributed to differences in the features of a functional category in the lexicon, as assumed in Minimalist Syntax.
Studies in Generative Grammar
Studies in Generative Grammar
Languages
This paper investigates clausal complements of factive and non-factive predicates in English, wit... more This paper investigates clausal complements of factive and non-factive predicates in English, with particular focus on the distribution of overt and null that complementizers. Most studies on this topic assume that both overt and null that clauses have the same underlying structure and predict that these clauses show (nearly) the same syntactic distribution, contrary to fact: while the complementizer that is freely dropped in non-factive clausal complements, it is required in factive clausal complements by many native speakers of English. To account for several differences between factive and non-factive clausal complements, including the distribution of the overt and null complementizers, we propose that overt that clauses and null that clauses have different underlying structures responsible for their different syntactic behavior. Adopting Rizzi's (1997) split CP (Complementizer Phrase) structure with two C heads, Force and Finiteness, we suggest that null that clauses are FinPs (Finiteness Phrases) under both factive and non-factive predicates, whereas overt that clauses have an extra functional layer above FinP, lexicalizing either the head Force under non-factive predicates or the light demonstrative head d under factive predicates. These three different underlying structures successfully account for different syntactic patterns found between overt and null that clauses in various contexts.
Books by Ji Young Shim
Language Science Press, 2021
International journal of Arabic-English studies, Jan 10, 2023
This paper investigates the use of subtitles by Arabic-English bilingual speakers in the UAE. Whi... more This paper investigates the use of subtitles by Arabic-English bilingual speakers in the UAE. While extant research on the effects of subtitles on language acquisition focuses on either first language acquisition by children or second or foreign acquisition by monolingual speakers, this study examines bilingual speakers and their preference for the language of subtitles in different contexts via an online questionnaire. Results from 28 Arabic-English bilingual speakers revealed that subtitles were used more frequently for foreign language films and English language films over Arabic language films, and English was the preferred subtitle language regardless of the language of the film. Higher dependence on subtitles for English language films in contrast to lower dependence on subtitles for Arabic language films suggests the participants' lower English proficiency and higher proficiency in Arabic. However, an analysis of self-reported language proficiency revealed that participants were more dominant in English, which also accounts for the selection of English as a preferred subtitle language. The paper concludes that such contradictory findings reflect linguistic dualism between English and Arabic that prevails in the UAE, which is due to the proliferation of English especially in the education sector in the country.
This study provides a new outlook of overt and null complementizers (COMPs) in clausal complement... more This study provides a new outlook of overt and null complementizers (COMPs) in clausal complements in English. Since the seminal work by Kiparsky & Kiparsky (1970; KK henceforth), it is widely assumed that the finite declarative COMP that can be omitted in clausal complements of non-factive verbs (e.g., believe, say, think), whereas it cannot be deleted in clausal complements of factive verbs (e.g., know, realize, regret). Most studies on the null COMP have an overarching view that overt that and null that clauses have the identical underlying structure, where the COMP, either overt or null, represents a C head (Stowell 1981, Pesetsky 1991, Bošković and Lasnik 2003), predicting both overt and null that clauses are predicted to show (nearly) the same syntactic distribution, contrary to fact: the so-called ‘main clause phenomena’ (MCP) are permitted only when that is present, as in (1).
International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature, 2021
This study investigated gender and sexuality discourse in hip-hop by using the FPDA (Feminist Pos... more This study investigated gender and sexuality discourse in hip-hop by using the FPDA (Feminist Post-Structuralist Discourse Analysis) approach. The samples were drawn from the chart of Billboard Hot 100 in February, 2020 and the lyrics of 20 contemporary hip hop music were analyzed according to two variables: (a) the theme of gender-biased language and (b) the gender of the artist. Results of the study indicate that gender-biased language exists in hip-hop music and both male and female artists predominantly used much more gender-biased language against women rather than men, showing no correlation between gender-biased language against a specific gender and the gender of the language user.
The present study provides a minimalist account of diverse semantic and syntactic patterns found ... more The present study provides a minimalist account of diverse semantic and syntactic patterns found in three different types of clausal complements selected by factive and non-factive predicates in Korean. It will be shown that Korean challenges the widely-held dichotomous views on factive and non-factive sentential complements, such as the presence vs. absence of presupposition and the presence vs. absence of islandhood. We argue that the semantic and syntactic behavior (factivity and islandhood) of the clausal complement is determined by the interplay between two related factors, the type of the matrix predicate (factive vs. non-factive) and the type of the clausal complement in Korean.
This monograph is intended as a contribution to the field of bilingualism from a generative synta... more This monograph is intended as a contribution to the field of bilingualism from a generative syntax perspective at a variety of levels. It investigates code-switching between Korean and English and also between Japanese and English, which exhibit several interesting features. Due to their canonical word order differences, Korean and Japanese being SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) and English SVO (Subject-Verb-Object), a code-switched sentence between Korean/Japanese and English can take, in principle, either OV or VO order, to which little attention has been paid in the literature. On the contrary, word order is one of the most extensively discussed topics in generative syntax, especially in the Principles and Parameter's approach (P&P) where various proposals have been made to account of various order patterns of different languages. By taking the generative view that linguistic variation is due to variation in the domain of functional categories rather than lexical roots (e.g. Borer 1...
Languages, 2017
To introduce this Special Issue entitled Clausal and Nominal Complements in Monolingual and Bilin... more To introduce this Special Issue entitled Clausal and Nominal Complements in Monolingual and Bilingual Grammars, we begin by explaining what originally motivated this Special Issue. The first two co-editors (Ji Young Shim and Tabea Ihsane) worked on the research project entitled Selection at the Interfaces, in which various linguistic aspects (e.g., syntactic structure, interface with semantics, etc.) of clausal and nominal complements in monolingual grammars were explored. 1 To extend an investigation of these issues to bilingual contexts, they organized a two-day workshop entitled Clausal and Nominal Complements in Monolingual and Bilingual Grammars in June 2016, where the third co-editor (M. Carmen Parafita Couto) of this Special Issue was an invited speaker. 2 The workshop aimed to investigate the left periphery of complements, in particular the left periphery of the clause and the nominal phrase and its edge, such as C(omplementizers) and D(eterminer) and other topmost functional layers, where languages may be parametrized differently, thus leading to linguistic variation. Within generative grammar, it has long been assumed that language variation is due to variation in the domain of functional categories and their morpho-syntactic properties [1,2]. Following this tradition, the left periphery of the clause has been extensively investigated, confirming the hypothesis that the functional category C(omplementizer) and its morpho-syntactic properties may be parameterized differently across languages within research on monolingual grammar [3-6]. In addition, the left periphery of a nominal phrase has also been investigated to a great extent [7-9], based on the proposal that clauses and nominal phrases have parallel structures ([10] and in subsequent work). In recent years, generative linguists have also started to pay attention to the left periphery of bilingual grammars, especially in relation to diverse patterns of code-switching, which is the mixed use of two or more languages in conversation, and which is frequently observed in bilingual speech. Under the assumption that monolingual and bilingual grammars are subject to the same grammatical principles [11-14], several researchers have investigated the grammar of code-switching in various language pairs and showed that the left periphery of a particular functional category such as C, D, or v may be parameterized differently across languages and derive certain patterns of code-switching, 1 The projected was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (#100012_146699/1), and the second Editor was the principal investigator of the project. 2 The workshop was funded by the University of Geneva and the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Languages
This study investigates word order variation in Korean-English and Japanese-English code-switchin... more This study investigates word order variation in Korean-English and Japanese-English code-switching, with specific focus on the relative placement of the object and the verb in two contrasting word orders, Object-Verb (OV) vs. Verb-Object (VO). The results of an experiment eliciting code-switching judgment data provides strong evidence indicating that the distinction between heavy vs. light verbs plays a major role in deriving different word orders in mixed verb constructions in Korean-English and Japanese-English code-switching. In particular, an explanation pursued in this research supports the hypothesis that parametric variation is attributed to differences in the features of a functional category in the lexicon, as assumed in Minimalist Syntax.
Studies in Generative Grammar
Studies in Generative Grammar
Languages
This paper investigates clausal complements of factive and non-factive predicates in English, wit... more This paper investigates clausal complements of factive and non-factive predicates in English, with particular focus on the distribution of overt and null that complementizers. Most studies on this topic assume that both overt and null that clauses have the same underlying structure and predict that these clauses show (nearly) the same syntactic distribution, contrary to fact: while the complementizer that is freely dropped in non-factive clausal complements, it is required in factive clausal complements by many native speakers of English. To account for several differences between factive and non-factive clausal complements, including the distribution of the overt and null complementizers, we propose that overt that clauses and null that clauses have different underlying structures responsible for their different syntactic behavior. Adopting Rizzi's (1997) split CP (Complementizer Phrase) structure with two C heads, Force and Finiteness, we suggest that null that clauses are FinPs (Finiteness Phrases) under both factive and non-factive predicates, whereas overt that clauses have an extra functional layer above FinP, lexicalizing either the head Force under non-factive predicates or the light demonstrative head d under factive predicates. These three different underlying structures successfully account for different syntactic patterns found between overt and null that clauses in various contexts.
Language Science Press, 2021