ScholarWorks@UMassAmherst

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Featured Items

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UMOP 42: Historical reflections in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of UMass Linguistics

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UMOP 42: Papers in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of UMass Linguistics

Recent Submissions

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  • PublicationEmbargo
    The Physiology of Tall Fescue as Affected by Cutting Height and Nitrogen Application
    (2025-09) Hunt, Lily
    Livestock farmers in New England struggle with limitations due to land availability when allowing their livestock to graze. There is much discourse on what height tall fescue should be grazed in order to allow for efficient regrowth, and proper nutrition for cattle. There are also differing philosophies on how tall fescue should be grazed. We investigated several different philosophies. In this experiment, tall fescue was grown in a controlled greenhouse environment. There were three grazing treatments regarding height, including 1.5”, 4”, and 6.5”. The fescue was cut three times at these heights. Cutting events were staggered, and plants were grazed when each height treatment separately reached a height of thirty inches. This resulted in the 1.5” plants taking the longest time to regrow, and the 6.5” were the fastest. Nitrogen was applied to half the pots to find if nitrogen fertilizer would allow for more efficient regrowth, and more nutritive value. Nitrogen did allow for greater yield after the 2nd cutting event. The 6.5” plants had the least yield after both cutting events but the most biomass after both cutting events suggesting that grazing tall could allow for more aboveground biomass and less short-term yield. Photosynthesis and plant height values were highest within the 6.5” plants, which could be correlated to the observation that the 6.5” plants having most amount of stored WSC and fructans within their root crowns after the final cutting event as excess photosynthesis results in stored carbohydrates. Photosynthetic parameters such as photosynthesis, chlorophyll, transpiration, and stomatal conductance were lowest in the 1.5” plants suggesting less efficient regrowth. The 1.5” plants also had the lowest regrowth rate after both cutting events. Forage analysis revealed that while the 6.5” plants had the least desirable forage quality results, the results were within acceptable nutrition guidelines as recommended by literature for certain livestock. Grazing tall could be more beneficial to farmers in order to allow for faster rates of pasture turnover due to the improved regrowth efficiency, but there is a tradeoff of less yield and worse RFV. Therefore, since the 4” plants had higher yield and better RFV, that cutting height may be more suited to high energy-requiring livestock, whilst the 6.5” cutting height may be more beneficial for higher grazing frequency and nutrient deficient soil.
  • PublicationEmbargo
    Semantic and Pragmatic Analysis of Chinese Internet Neologisms
    (2025-09) HOU, YINGXIN
    This dissertation presents a semantic and pragmatic analysis of Chinese internet neologisms, investigating their role as a pivotal linguistic and cultural phenomenon in the digital era. It addresses two questions: How are Chinese internet neologisms formed, and what underlying patterns and rules govern the semantics and pragmatics of Chinese internet neologisms? The study argues these expressions are more than ephemeral slang; they are linguistic tools that encapsulate collective identities, emotions, and social narratives, reflecting the anxieties, humor, and values of digitally native generations in contemporary China. The dissertation adopts a qualitative, data-driven approach, integrating multiple theoretical frameworks to construct a comprehensive model. The methodology combines Componential Analysis, Prototype Theory, Conceptual Metaphor Theory, and corpus-based semantic analysis to examine the internal structure and meaning-making strategies of neologisms. A curated corpus of 73 expressions was compiled from major Chinese social media platforms like Weibo, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu, selected for their frequency, diversity, and relevance. This multi-theoretical lens allows a nuanced examination of both semantic mechanisms and context-dependent pragmatic uses of digital expressions. The analysis identifies five primary mechanisms for the creation and evolution of Chinese internet neologisms: metaphor and conceptual mapping, homophonic wordplay, code-mixing, semantic shift and extension, and pragmatic expressiveness, where terms serve social functions such as emotional marking, solidarity, irony, and identity construction. The dissertation explores how these neologisms function as vehicles for social critique, emotional catharsis, and community bonding, effectively navigating online censorship and shaping digital communication. The findings have implications for Chinese language education, digital literacy, AI-driven sentiment analysis, and cross-cultural communication. The dissertation advocates incorporating neologisms into pedagogy to enhance student engagement and cultural competence. Limitations include the rapidly evolving nature of online language and focus on specific platforms, which may affect generalizability. Future research should employ longitudinal designs, broaden digital communities studied, and develop advanced natural language processing models capable of interpreting irony, humor, and cultural nuance to deepen understanding of their impact on language and society.
  • PublicationEmbargo
    Priests, Poets, and People: Religion as Key to Interactions with the Ptolemies
    (2025-09) Foster, Caitlyn
    Religion in the ancient world was not like the religion of today. It was not a private spiritual practice but was instead a public one which pervaded all aspects of life. The early Ptolemaic kings, Soter, Philadelphus, and Euergetes, all made critical choices regarding religion that would fundamentally change the landscape of ancient Egypt, but their subjects were not passive receptors of these changes. The people ruled by these early Ptolemies were active agents in the political scene, making choices and wielding religious ideology in order promote their own interests when engaging with their Greco-Macedonian rulers. This thesis will look at three groups of people under the reign of Ptolemy I Soter, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, and Ptolemy III Euergetes. First, it will examine the role of the Egyptian priesthood, who were a powerful and wealthy social class. Second it will look at the works of two poets who wrote in the Hellenistic courts, Theocritus and Callimachus. Finally, it will turn to the regular people of Ptolemaic Egypt, including a discussion on the absence of Egyptian voices during this time.
  • PublicationOpen Access
    Texture-taste interactions: exploring the effect of thickener concentration on the sensory perception of sweet, sour, and salty tastes.
    (2025-09) Dhamodharan, Gunalan
    The addition of thickeners to beverages remains the primary strategy for managing dysphagia. However, thickened beverages have poor compliance among patients, citing a dislike of the taste and flavor. While thickeners produce a higher viscosity, helping to reduce the risk of aspiration, there is evidence that they reduce taste sensations. Previous research suggests that rheological properties might explain the impact on taste perception; however, recent findings do not demonstrate this interaction. Therefore, this study aims to explore the impact of Nestle ThickenUp Clear on the taste intensity of sucrose (sweet), citric acid (sour), and NaCl (salty) when mixed at three concentrations compared to an unthickened control. The samples were analyzed for rheological properties (including viscosity, viscoelasticity, tan delta, and complex viscosity) and tribological characteristics. A total of 56 untrained healthy participants completed Temporal Check All That Apply (TCATA) and rated taste intensity, liking, and ease of swallowing. This study presented significant findings on physical textural properties and sensory aspects; most importantly, Linear Mixed Models (LMM) revealed that saltiness (β = -4. 16), sourness (β = -3. 29), and sweetness (β = -3. 43) all decreased significantly with the addition of thickener (p < 0. 001), with the magnitude and slope varying considerably for each tastant. However, viscosity did not inform a decrease in taste intensity (as indicated by low marginal R2 than conditional R2). These findings emphasize that unique interactions between tastants and thickeners drive taste perception rather than solely being determined by physical rheological measures (such as viscosity, visco-elasticity, etc). Future studies can extend these findings to other thickeners and more complex beverages, which will aid in identifying effective strategies to improve the taste and flavor profiles of thickened beverages.
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