Honors College Capstones
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10877/17056
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Browsing Honors College Capstones by Author "Agwuele, Augustine"
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Item Dynamics of Phonological Variation in Texas English(2021-12) Story, Caroline; Agwuele, AugustineThis acoustic phonetic study examines the stable and deviant phonological features of contemporary Texas accents. The range of Southern American English (SAE) speech patterns are observed in apparent time to identify possible cross-generational and cross-regional dynamics and the diffusion of potential variants among specific Texas populations. The frames of contrast identified are from a total of 8 representative participants – divided by age and urban or rural residence. In this study, a set of 8 vowels were placed in lexical sets with identical environments for sentence readings and an elicited-word game. The participants’ samples of citation speech styles were compiled through recorded interviews for subsequent acoustic measurement. Through comparative analyses using spectrographic displays, I find distinctive contrasts in vowel qualities among the younger generations in contrast to their older regional counterparts. Additionally, the analysis demonstrates a de-localizing shift from SAE through vowel shifts propagated by the younger population. The variabilities in population patterns are further subject to t-testing to determine their statistical significance. This method of evaluating hypothesized language change through synchronic variation expands on a related body of work and provides the foundation for future diachronic research on sound shifts in American English.Item Hair as a Glory: An Analysis of the Perceptions of Hair in St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church(2011-12) Hagans, Katelynn Danae; Agwuele, Augustine; McCabe, Diann A.In early Christianity, Biblical authors and theological authorities mandated that a woman should cover her head while in church or prayer. Compared to the time in which the New Testament was compiled, significantly fewer Christian churches today require female parishioners to wear head coverings. Many have embraced this shift in norms, but some continue to veil themselves in worship. This thesis will discuss how hair was viewed in early Christianity as a basis to investigate modern perceptions of hair and its treatment within St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church. In juxtaposing the opinions of the subjects studied, this thesis will demonstrate a transition of hair’s significance from the historically spiritual to the contemporarily social. As a complement to the research, five narratives have been created based on my personal interactions and questionnaire results for five parishioners representing the diverse opinions within this Greek Orthodox community.