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Abstract: Despite growing literature on the different aspects of airline service quality in relation to behavioural intentions, less attention has been paid to some specific aspects of in-flight services. The focus of the present research is, therefore, on a multiple conceptual model of the quality of in-flight services in relation to passengers’ perception of value, followed by recommendations (word of mouth - WOM) of airlines, as well as the quality and comfort of airline seats. The study is performed using two databases of reviewers’/passengers’ opinions regarding the quality of in-flight airline services and airline seat comfort. Our research results reveal that the perceived comfort of the airplane seat is the most important factor of passengers’ perceived quality of in-flight airline services, which also considerably affects the passengers’ perception of value, and consequently moderates behavioural intentions (in our research, expressed through positive WOM). The analysis of the relative importance of the components of perceived airline seats’ comfort shows that seat width is the most significant factor that contributes to the overall perceived comfort of the airline seat.
Keywords: in-flight airline service quality, perceived value, recommendations (word of mouth), airline seat comfort, transport, air transport, services, quality
Published in DKUM: 19.09.2017; Views: 1302; Downloads: 424
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Abstract: We are surrounded with different varieties of English language. We listen to English music or radio shows, watch English movies and shows and watch English videos on the internet. The most common varieties that we encounter are British English and American English, which have distinctive differences in stress and pronunciation. Because we encounter both varieties daily, we have found it interesting to see which one prevails in our primary schools. The British English variety is primarily taught in school and the American variety is all around us and is thus more likely to be acquired. Children acquire a foreign language very easily if they are in contact with it on a regular basis. This is as nowadays, as we all hear English lyrics on the radio or hear English conversations on TV. The thesis focuses on the factors that might influence the choice of the English variety. It explores if the input, whether it is pictorial with pictures or textual with words, influences the choice of variety. It also presents connections between the pronunciation of more frequent and less frequent words with choice of variety, the influence of the pupils’ backgrounds, and way of learning English.
Keywords: word recognition, working and long-term memory, second language, language acquisition, language learning, British and American English pronunciation.
Published in DKUM: 15.11.2016; Views: 1886; Downloads: 73
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Abstract: Globalization influences economic development political systems, the environment, languages and cultures as well as many other aspects of societies worldwide. Language has become an integral and very sensitive element in the process of globalization; therefore globalization related issues cannot be discussed without the analysis of language changes. Today the English is a means of mutual communication of the emerging global culture spread by international trade and relations, the internet, science, literature, sports and entertainment. The influence of the English language on Macedonian and Slovene is evident on almost all linguistic levels. The main goal of this thesis is to present the influence that English has on the language of Macedonian and Slovene students. The research is focused on the analysis of undergraduate theses in order to indicate the linguistic levels where the influence is most evident and frequent. Additionally, as part of the research, I have prepared questionnaires distributed among students currently studying at major universities in Macedonia and Slovenia. The results show that the most affected linguistic levels are vocabulary and orthography. Furthermore, the results point to the necessity of enriching the technological terminology in both languages of interest. Students do not have negative attitudes toward the expansion of English; on the contrary they believe that it provides certain benefits (education, career, international communication). Macedonian and Slovene are not threatened by the spread of the English language, but that does not mean that we should stop protecting our linguistic heritage and indulge in indiscriminate use of words borrowed from English.
Keywords: globalization, global language, influence, English, students, word borrowing
Published in DKUM: 05.10.2016; Views: 1945; Downloads: 185
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Abstract: Blending is a word-formation process where a new word is made by combining two or more words. The newly created word is called a blend or a portmanteau word. There are many patterns by which blends are formed. When coining the new word, at least one of the source words has to be shortened. Blends are therefore formed by using fragments of source words. These fragments are called splinters. Besides shortening, blends can also be formed by retaining both source words if they share common sounds or letters. While many blends become a part of everyday language, some blends quickly disappear after the initial popularity. The graduation thesis is divided into two parts – theoretical and empirical. The first part is mainly concerned with the theoretical background of the blending process and word-formation in general. It also describes The Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) in more detail. The empirical part is based on a corpus analysis, where we research the usage of blends in contemporary English by analysing a selected list of blends from The Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA).
Keywords: word-formation, blending, blends, clipping, overlapping
Published in DKUM: 12.09.2016; Views: 1218; Downloads: 115
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Abstract: American popular culture is a complex unity of different social, political, economic and religious aspects. It is wrought in duality. Some consider it a low form, while others think of it as high art. It is often described as trash, nothing but a means to produce and consume products. Yet, many people of different social, cultural, political, racial and religious backgrounds create, produce and distribute popular content, in turn making American popular culture diverse, rich and colourful. The thesis presents some of the most important events in American popular culture and also enumerates and describes TV series, films, songs, music artists and other celebrities that have impacted American popular culture and the American way of life. Furthermore, the thesis deals with morphology, primarily word-formation. Basic linguistic terms such as morphemes, words, lexemes and affixes are explained. A detailed examination of word-formation processes is provided in order to better understand how new words are created. Additionally, a brief comparison between first language vocabulary acquisition and foreign language vocabulary acquisition is presented. The empirical section describes and analyses words which have been created or popularized in American popular culture in the last 25 years. TV series, films, songs, print and electronic media, politics, fashion, social networking websites and other forms of popular culture are examined to find new coinages. Such coinages are called neologisms. The words are analysed and compared according to their etymology, syntax, word-formation processes and meaning. A detailed examination of new words and their word-formation processes is provided in order to find out which word-formation processes are among the most productive in the 21st century. The main aim of this thesis is to provide a closer look at American popular culture and its influence on the English vocabulary, i.e. to better understand how culture can affect language and vice versa. Additionally, the thesis provides an overview of American popular culture, morphology and non-Standard English vocabulary and serves as a basis for further research of American popular culture, English morphology and vocabulary.
Keywords: sociolinguistics, American popular culture, word-formation, neologisms, print and electronic media
Published in DKUM: 11.08.2016; Views: 1952; Downloads: 141
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