https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/5429 2026-07-27T05:06:31Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148051 Title: Maltese first language acquisition of morphosyntax : a focus on nominal inflection and agreement Abstract: This study traces the development of morphosyntax in typically developing, Maltese-dominant bilingual children aged 18–60 months, examining how mean length of utterance in morphemes (MLUm), parts-of-speech (POS) category distribution, and nominal morphosyntax evolve and interact over time. To this end, a corpus comprising over 30 hours of Maltese child language data was collected. Drawing on longitudinal naturalistic data complemented by targeted elicitation tasks, and supported by statistical modelling, the study provides a detailed account of language acquisition in a bilingual environment. The results show that MLUm increases steadily with age at a rate comparable to previous studies. A higher proportion of nouns in early productions gradually gives way to increased use of verbs and function words, with mixed-effects modelling confirming a significant shift over time and in relation to MLUm. Analyses of nominal inflection reveal that concatenative plural forms are acquired earlier and with greater accuracy than templatic forms. In nominal agreement, accuracy increases with age, although earlier stabilisation of gender relative to number is not statistically confirmed. Integrative analyses indicate that the stabilisation of nominal morphosyntax coincides with the transition to multiword syntax and the attenuation of this early noun dominance. Collectively, these findings depict the development of nominal systems as gradual and interdependent, contributing new empirical evidence to cross-linguistic theories of morphosyntactic learnability and bilingual acquisition. Description: Ph.D.(Melit.) 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147895 Title: Rooted in the Mediterranean studies in Arabic dialectology Authors: Fabri, Ray; Gatt, Kurstin; Spagnol, Michael Abstract: This volume presents the proceedings of the 15th Conference of the International Association of Arabic Dialectology (AIDA) held at the Valletta Campus of the University of Malta from 21 to 24 May 2024. The conference was jointly organised by the Department of Maltese, the Department of Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures, and the Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology at the University of Malta. [excerpt] 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145885 Title: How to write up interdisciplinary research in line with its theoretical underpinnings Authors: Schembri, Natalie Abstract: This guide aims to equip readers with practical advice on how to write up an interdisciplinary study in line with the theoretical underpinnings of interdisciplinary research. It will focus on how to write your text, explaining areas where it is important to highlight the interdisciplinary nature of your study. There are critical points in an IMRAD (Introduction, Methodology, Results, and Discussion) structure where this must be justified, highlighted, and brought to bear on your research problem. This guide will provide examples from relevant published research to illustrate how you can do this. It will also give you a basic understanding of the theory behind these textual practices. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145884 Title: Critical events in bachelor's and taught master's dissertation writing : a case study and model Authors: Schembri, Natalie; Jahić Jašić, Alma Abstract: Dissertation writing at bachelor’s and master’s levels is a process presenting challenges that must be overcome for the successful completion of the degree programmes. Factors such as unclear expectations and the assumption of competence can generate situations jeopardising successful dissertation outcomes. This study applies an instrumental case study approach to chart the lived experience of one student’s dissertation writing journeys at undergraduate and taught master’s levels. It uses interviews, journey plots and email correspondence to provide insights identifying factors that feed into critical event scenarios during the writing process. Following thematic analysis, the themes Supervision, Feedback and University Regulations were identified and discussed in relation to the emotions in the journey plots of the two dissertations. A categorisation of critical event factors is provided and used for a tentative model of a critical event scenario in an attempt to contribute useful insights into dissertation writing pedagogy and related institutional policies.; Waqt il-proċess tal-kitba ta’ dissertazzjonijiet fuq livell ta’ Baċellerat jew Masters, l-istudenti jaffaċċjaw sfidi li jridu jissuperaw biex jispiċċaw il-kors. Jista’ jkollhom problemi serji biex ilestu l-kitba tad-dissertazzjoni u jgħaddu mill-kors jekk l-aspettazzjonijiet tagħna ma jkunux ċari jew jekk nassumu li l-istudenti diġà għandhom il-kapaċitajiet meħtieġa biex jagħmlu xogħolhom. Dan l-istudju juża l-ġrajjiet ta’ studenta li kitbet dissertazzjoni tal- Baċellerat u wara dissertazzjoni għall-kors ta’ taught masters biex jitfa’ dawl fuq il-proċess tal-kitba f’dawn il-livelli. Nużaw intervisti, plotts tal-proċess tal-kitba u korrispondenza bl-email biex nagħtu indikazzjonijiet ta’ ġrajjiet kritiċi waqt il-proċess tal-kitba. Analiżi tematika wriet li t-temi prinċipali li ħarġu mill-istudju kienu dawk tas-Superviżjoni, Feedback u r-Regolamenti tal-Università. Dawn iddiskutejniehom flimkien mal-emozzjonijiet li dehru fil-plotts talproċess tal-kitba. Ġbarna f’kategoriji l-fatturi li jagħtu xi ħjiel li jista’ jkun ta’ siwi għall-pedagoġija tal-kitba tad-dissertazzjonijiet u l-policies istituzzjonali relatati u ħloqna mudell tentattiv ta’ ġrajja kritika. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z