http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10417 2026-01-07T04:28:17Z http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10424 Prepositional Phrases in English as Phases of the Weak Kind Weerasooriya, W. A. T. A phase is an instance of derivation or “spell out’’ of a chunk or whole of a sentence construction. It is standardly assumed that only complementizer phrases and little v(erb) phrases are phases, and tense and verb phrases are not phases. Other categories such as determiner phrases and applicative phrases have been tested positive for phases. However, no claim is made about the status of prepositional phrases as phases. This paper investigated whether prepositional phrases in English can have the status of a phase as defined in phase theory. It was hypothesised that prepositional phrases are phases of the ‘weak’ kind. To determine the phase status of prepositional phrases, the method of standard phase diagnostics tests such as computational complexity, phonological independence, semantic independence, and case checking, and theta completeness were used. It was found out that computational complexity is not a valid test to test prepositional phrases for phasehood. While prepositional phrases bear very strong evidence to be labelled phases with respect to phonological independence, PPs fail to be phases in the case of semantic independence, and case checking and theta completeness. Given these findings, it was concluded that prepositional phrases in English are phases of the ‘weak’ kind. A sample of sentence constructions in English selected by the author and borrowed from the existing literature were used for the tests to draw conclusions. The study is expected to help better understand and analyze the cognitive processes involved in the acquisition and production of the English language specifically and any language in general. 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10423 Identifying the Gender Differences in Response to Graduate Unemployment: Evidence from Sri Lanka Gardiyawasam, C.T.; Ganegoda, G.A.K.M.; Fernando, T.A.R.; Lankeshwara, P Employment opportunities are available for graduates from certain disciplines, while for a considerable proportion of the graduates, finding employment has become a problem. Therefore, enhancing the employability of graduates is a challenge faced by the university system of Sri Lanka. This research contains the findings based on economic, social and geographical attributes for gender difference in response to graduate unemployment. A questionnaire was distributed among the graduates of selected two faculties of General Sir John Kotelawala Defense University, Ratmalana. The study aimed to identify the impact of gender on graduate unemployment, causes for the gender differences, and the impact of geographical, social and economic factors in response to each gender. Primary data was collected through the questionnaire. Chi square test was used to determine the individual impact of independent variables towards the dependent variable, and binary logistic regression has been used to determine the collective impact of independent variables towards the dependent variable. The findings suggest that age, father’s education, satisfaction with higher education/ training, job preference, job satisfaction and impact of gender on finding a job (as per the thoughts) have a significant relationship with employability status of the male graduates. Furthermore, academic qualifications, monthly income of families, satisfaction with higher education and the training, job satisfaction and impact of gender of the female graduates (as per their experiences) have a significant relationship with employability status of the female graduates. 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10422 Anthropological gleanings of the work of Martin Wickramasinghe Abhayasundere, P. N.; Wijayarathna, W. K. M. Martin Wickramasinghe is a prominent figure who contributed to various academic spheres in Sri Lanka. Many who define Martin Wickramasinghe only as a creative writer disregards the fact that he was an expert who contributed to a Sri Lankan approach in anthropology. This qualitative research paper analyzes the role of Wickramasinghe in emphasizing the anthropological paradigms in Sri Lankan society during his period. The main objective of this analysis is to provide a comprehensive insight about the impact and contribution of Martin Wickramasinghe’s work to develop anthropology as an academic discipline in Sri Lanka. For this research, we utilized his publications related to anthropology and culture and analyzed the content which underlined important anthropological characteristics. His ‘Sathwa Santhathiya’, ‘Sakaskada’, ‘Mānawa Vidyāwa Ha Sinhala Sanskruthiya’, ‘Buddhism and Culture’ are some renowned works that were applied for this study. Wickramasinghe read widely the works of Darwin, Spencer, Huxley as well as the ethnographies of scholars like Malinowski, Ruth Benedict. One of his major views was that Sri Lankan culture was undermined by the conflict with Western culture, and that Buddhism is one of the institutions that protected it from collapse and disappearance. He comparatively expressed his ideas about diffusionism, one of the significant ideas in cultural anthropology, as an ordinary process which takes place in every society. Wickramasinghe related the ideals of democracy, humanism, socialism, religion, and culture to the context of Sri Lanka. This research concludes that Wickramasinghe's interest in anthropology came at a time when anthropology was not popular in Sri Lanka. He has used his knowledge and ideology from records on anthropology to express critical views on the socio-cultural divisions of Sri Lanka, although he cannot be defined as an anthropologist. 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10421 Fear as a Hindering Factor in the Second Language Classroom Arivarasy, M The attitude towards language learning is a critical factor in the ESL context. Attitude is characterized by a large proportion of emotional involvement such as feelings, and self-relationships in the community. The fear of language learning has a negative impact on a learner’s future learning encounters and affects future learning possibilities. The objective of this research paper is to focus on the impact of fear or anxiety in language learning, specifically related to speaking, reading and writing. Quantitative and qualitative methodology have been employed. Forty-six students from the Faculty of Science, and the teachers who were assigned to teach English for science students were selected for this study. Data was collected from classroom observation, a questionnaire and interviews. The study reveals that the fear of speech frequently occurred because of the unconducive environment and fear of negative evaluation. Fear of reading and writing are also to be observed due to the lack of technical skills among students and lack of practice. Fear is a vicious cyclic process. So the study recommends that teachers explore and provide suggestions on how to alleviate the fear that is embedded among students related to language skills. 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z