Syntactic Density Research Articles

Исследование влияния свойств и состава микросфер на характе- ристики сферопластика при действии гидростатического давления (моделирование и эксперимент)

Object and purpose of research. The object of research is a polymer composite material of syntactic type, which is a heterogeneous medium consisting of a polymer matrix filled with spherical inclusions – micro spheres. The purpose of work is to increase the strength/weight ratio of syntactic under hydrostatic pressure based on the analysis of processes at the material micro structure level, which let us identify the influence of initial components (micro spheres) and polymer matrix on the material density and ultimate state. Subject matter and methods. The Initial data are syntactic composition and structure as well as characteristics of its components. Numerical studies were performed using the earlier developed structural model of syntactic deformation and failure implemented into С++ software. Main results. The elastic and strength characteristics of the matrix and mico sphere glass are shown to have influence on the syntactic density and strength. Based on the size distribution of micro spheres and its influence on these characteristics, recommendations are formulated regarding development of the bi-dispersed mixture of MS-BP micro spheres. Application of such mixture made it possible to develop a new syntactic foam with required density and strength characteristics. Conclusion. The newly developed numerical method for prediction of syntactic characteristics takes into consideration the size distribution in micro sphere structures and allows optimized development of novel materials. The characteristics of new material obtained on the basis of developed guidelines have been verified by experiments.

대학수학능력시험 영어 듣기와 읽기 지문의 어휘, 통사, 담화적 특성 비교

The aim of this study is to compare the lexical, syntactic, and discourse features between the listening and the reading texts in the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). Dialogues, monologues and reading texts from the 1994 to 2020 CSATs, were analyzed using Coh-Metrix. A total of 30 separate ANOVAs, with the text as the independent variable and the numerical index obtained via Coh-Metrix as the dependent variable of each ANOVA, were conducted. The results reveal that the texts show differences in terms of lexical, syntactic, and discourse features. The texts mostly match the descriptions of the relevant literature on spoken and written languages. However, there are some discrepancies with respect to lexical diversity and syntactic density in the listening texts. These findings indicate possible differences between actual spoken data and the listening texts in the CSAT. This study suggests that test developers should pay attention to the linguistic features of spoken texts when writing test items for the CSAT. Implications for ways to enhance the authenticity of the CSAT are also discussed.

Depictive Structure?

This paper argues against definitions of depiction in terms of the syntactic and semantic properties of symbol systems. In particular, it is argued that John Kulvicki's definition of depictive symbol systems in terms of relative repleteness, semantic richness, syntactic sensitivity and transparency is susceptible to similar counterexamples as Nelson Goodman's in terms of syntactic density, semantic density and relative repleteness. The general moral drawn is that defining depiction requires attention not merely to descriptive questions about syntax and semantics, but also to foundational questions about what makes it the case that depictions have the syntactic and semantic properties they do.

Modeling the development of written language

Alternative models of the structure of individual and developmental differences of written composition and handwriting fluency were tested using confirmatory factor analysis of writing samples provided by first- and fourth-grade students. For both groups, a five-factor model provided the best fit to the data. Four of the factors represented aspects of written composition: macro-organization (use of top sentence and number and ordering of ideas), productivity (number and diversity of words used), complexity (mean length of T-unit and syntactic density), and spelling and punctuation. The fifth factor represented handwriting fluency. Handwriting fluency was correlated with written composition factors at both grades. The magnitude of developmental differences between first grade and fourth grade expressed as effect sizes varied for variables representing the five constructs: large effect sizes were found for productivity and handwriting fluency variables; moderate effect sizes were found for complexity and macro-organization variables; and minimal effect sizes were found for spelling and punctuation variables.

A Syntactic Approach to Readability

Focusing on the issue of readability, this article examines problems that readability formulas present to the technical communicator, especially in terms of interaction with government agencies, and focuses on readability formula requirements mandated by The Office of Health and Industry programs [OHIP] for medical technology product support literature. Because the Flesch Reading Ease and the Flesch-Kincaid formulas are widely available, they are probably the ones most frequently used. Contemporary readability scholars have overlooked the Golub Syntactic Density Formula, which evaluates prose according to a sentence's syntax at a deeper level than the number of words per sentence and the number of syllables per word. The authors recommend it as a tool for evaluating readability. How it might be applied with current computer applications is discussed.

The syntactic density score revisited: which of its components matter in the oral language of 9-15 year olds?

The Syntactic Density Score (SDS) is an index of language complexity computed from 10 variously weighted component variables. The SDS has been criticized as being redundant with one of its own component variables, as being arbitrarily weighted, and as having a serious scoring anomaly. The purposes of this study were to determine if group effects would be found by using the raw scores of the 10 variables without the weightings and to see which of these variables would contribute most to group differences among older children. Language samples from 72 learning disabled students and a matched group of normally achieving peers (age range 9.0 to 15.0) were analysed. A MANOVA revealed no significant overall effect for ability nor for ability X age inter action. These was, however, a significant effect of age. Discriminant analysis with stepwise variable selection identified gerunds, verbs, prepositional phrases and number of subordinate clauses per T-unit as components of the SDS which could be used to determine age group differences. Similar analysis of com ponent variables of the SDS is recommended for future studies, rather than using the derived SDS itself.

Syntactic complexity in written expression of LD college writers

Thirty-three college students enrolled in a special LD program at a small liberal arts college were compared with thirty-three non-LD peers in the syntactic complexity of their writing when asked to write an expository essay on an assigned topic within a 30-minute time limit. The essays after being scored holistically were then prepared for computer scoring based on T-units using the Syntactic Density Scoring procedure (SDS). This program was designed to assess syntactic complexity or degree of embeddedness as one important aspect of good writing. The SDS was comprised of 10 variables which were assigned different weights and then used in calculating the SDS. LD college writers did not differ significantly on the SDS or the corrected SDS (CSDS) score. However, they did differ on two of the variables thought to be more sensitive measures of syntactic complexity, the number of subordinate clauses per T-unit and the main clause word length. The results of the factor analysis confirmed that the SDS provides supplementary information to other written expressive language tools presently used. Limitations of this procedure are discussed and recommendations for refinement of the SDS and its potential in the future are described.

Effects of Discourse Mode on the Syntactic Complexity of Learning Disabled Students' Written Expression

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of discourse mode on the syntactic complexity of the written expression of learning disabled students at three grade levels. A film without narration was used to elicit written language samples in each of the two discourse modes, description and argumentation. Two measures of syntactic complexity — average length of T-unit and Syntactic Density Score — were employed to determine differences between the two modes. In addition, sentence types and syntactic patterns were examined as indices of syntactic complexity. Results of the investigation and implications of these results are discussed.

Syntactic Development in the Oral Language of Learning Disabled and Normal Students at the Intermediate and Secondary Level

Syntax is a crucial component of oral language development. Frequently, learning disabled children's oral language development is characterized by syntax problems. Hence, since deviations in oral language development may form the basis for identification of learning disabilities, adequate indices of oral language development are needed. The purpose of this study was to explore two indices of syntactic development in oral language, the T-unit and the Syntactic Density Score. Learning disabled students and a matched group of normally achieving peers were compared on these indices at four age levels. Results are reported for each measure along with a discussion and implications.

Syntactic and Vocabulary Development in the Written Language of Learning Disabled and Non-Learning Disabled Students at Four Age Levels

Learning disabled students demonstrate serious problems in developing written language facility. Although written expression is one of seven aspects of achievement specified in the federal guidelines for identification of learning disabled students, measurement of written language development is quite complex. The search for a single, sensitive index of written language development is compounded by the synergistic nature of written language and the influence of contrived formats used in assessment. Syntax and vocabulary are frequently employed in research on written language development. Thus, the minimal terminable unit (T-unit) and the type/token ratio have been used as indices of syntactic and vocabulary development in analyzing samples of students' written language. Recently, computer technology has permitted the use of more complex measures of syntactic density and vocabulary intensity. The purpose of this study was to compare the written language development of learning disabled and non-learning disabled students at four age levels on measures of syntactic and vocabulary development. Implications for measurement and research are discussed.

Computer application of a syntactic density measure

complexity of syntactic structures in different levels of graded reading materials and in the oral and written language of children at different levels of development. Research in language education and in language development can be facilitated by using the computer to analyze and measure syntactic density (also called syntactic complexity or syntactic maturity by some researchers). This paper explains one computerized program for measuring this quality of language. One of the characteristics of language development in children is that with increasing maturity and language development, they use increasingly more complex structures. Although language acquisition is most rapid in the preschool period, research has shown (Hunt, 1965, 1970; Loban, 1963, 1970; O'Donnell, Griffin, and Norris, 1967) that students of elementary and secondary school ages continue to develop their abilities to manipulate language by employing increasing numbers of complex syntactic structures. Much of the recent research in syntactic development (Hunt, 1970; Loban, 1970; Golub and Frederick, 1971) has been aimed at discovering, describing, and specifying those characteristics of syntax that distinguish degrees of complexity of syntax. Through a series of studies of children's oral and written discourse, Golub (1974) has developed a Syntactic Density instrument to tabulate the occurrences of specific linguistic structures that correlate with teachers' judgments of writing samples. In an early stage of the study, sixty-three linguistic variables were listed, from which multivariate analysis isolated the ten that most highly correlated with teachers' high ratings, and canonical correlation assigned a relative weight to each variable according to the degree of its contribution to "syntactic density." When the variables are counted and weighted, the products are added and the total is divided by the number of T-units in the sample to arrive at a single syntactic density score, which is printed out on a Tabulation Sheet. (A T-unit is a main clause with all of its subordinate clauses.) The variables included in Golub's formula reflect structures that have been identified in linguistic theory as being complex structures. Measures of mean main clause length and mean subordinate clause length are combined with measures of these other types of complexities. Golub's formula not only incorporates the measures of T-unit length and subordinate clause length that Hunt and others have found useful, but also reflects complex verb expansions, use of some advanced structures of time, and reductions or embeddings that take the form of prepositional phrases. A PL/l program has been written by Kidder to apply the formula to samples of natural language. Encoding Conventions for Data. Text to be analyzed by the computer program must be prepared in blank-delimited form in columns 1 to 72. This means that each word and syntactic punctuation mark must be preceded and followed by at least one blank. Lexical punctuation, as in hyphenated words or in abbreviations, is not by blanks separated from its associated character string. Multiple blanks are ignored. Quotation marks surrounding conversation may be omitted. At the end of each paragraph, the final mark of punctuation must be doubled. To separate samples, three dollar signs ($$$) must appear at the end of each in columns 1 to 3.