scholarly journals Romance sentence adverbs in -mente: Epistemic mitigation in synchrony and diachrony

2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Hummel
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Truth Value ◽  
Sentence Adverbs

In Romance, epistemic sentence adverbs expressing certainty often reduce the truth value of the proposition. Examples such as Fr. sûrement and Sp. seguramente convey probability and even doubt rather than certainty. This phenomenon, called epistemic mitigation, is the topic of this paper. It will be shown that the intuitive first glance impression of epistemic mitigation masks a bundle of other factors: subjectivization, inferential mitigation, politeness, “better language”, and style. Italian is shown to keep to baseline subjectivization, while French, Portuguese, and Spanish tend to develop further inferential mitigation. The paper presents “ten facts” that explain the interplay of these factors at the levels of function and culture, and in both synchrony and diachrony. The paper thereby proposes a complex synthesis. Further empirical investigation will be required to test the facts and arguments presented.

scholarly journals Epistemic sentence adverbs, epistemic complement-taking predicates and epistemic pragmatic markers

2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Pietrandrea
Keyword(s):  
Functional Data ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
The Other ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Epistemic Evaluation ◽  
Pragmatic Markers ◽  
Truth Value ◽  
The One ◽  
Sentence Adverbs

This study presents a formal and functional data-driven characterization of sentence adverbs. We define epistemic sentence adverbs as semantic predicates that validate the truth value of their scopes and are macrosyntactically dependent on them. We distinguish epistemic sentence adverbs on the one hand from epistemic complement-taking predicates – i. e., semantic predicates that validate the truth value of their scopes and govern them microsyntactically – and on the other hand from epistemic pragmatic markers – i. e., semantic predicates that validate the truth value of their scopes and that are syntactically independent of them. We also hypothesize that epistemic sentence adverbs have a specific functional role. Unlike (most) epistemic complement taking predicates, they express a non-addressable epistemic evaluation of the scope; unlike pragmatic markers they serve to qualify, rather than negotiate, the epistemic evaluation of the scope. We show that such a distinction is not necessarily inscribed at the lexical level: even though some words invariably behave as sentence adverbs, other words can be classified as epistemic sentence adverbs in some syntactic contexts, and as other epistemic markers in other syntactic contexts.

Self-Esteem and the SCII: Empirical Investigation of a Clinical Observation

1979 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 82-86
Author(s):  
Karen Friedel ◽  
Jo-Ida Hansen ◽  
Thomas J. Hummel ◽  
Warren F. Shaffer
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Clinical Observation ◽  
Self Esteem

Self-Injurious Behavior vs. Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

Crisis ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Bloom ◽  
Shareen Holly ◽  
Adam M. P. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Positive Reinforcement ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Animal Research ◽  
Stress Conditions ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Pharmacological Interventions ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Cns Stimulant ◽  
Nonsuicidal Self Injury

Background: Historically, the field of self-injury has distinguished between the behaviors exhibited among individuals with a developmental disability (self-injurious behaviors; SIB) and those present within a normative population (nonsuicidal self-injury; NSSI),which typically result as a response to perceived stress. More recently, however, conclusions about NSSI have been drawn from lines of animal research aimed at examining the neurobiological mechanisms of SIB. Despite some functional similarity between SIB and NSSI, no empirical investigation has provided precedent for the application of SIB-targeted animal research as justification for pharmacological interventions in populations demonstrating NSSI. Aims: The present study examined this question directly, by simulating an animal model of SIB in rodents injected with pemoline and systematically manipulating stress conditions in order to monitor rates of self-injury. Methods: Sham controls and experimental animals injected with pemoline (200 mg/kg) were assigned to either a low stress (discriminated positive reinforcement) or high stress (discriminated avoidance) group and compared on the dependent measures of self-inflicted injury prevalence and severity. Results: The manipulation of stress conditions did not impact the rate of self-injury demonstrated by the rats. The results do not support a model of stress-induced SIB in rodents. Conclusions: Current findings provide evidence for caution in the development of pharmacotherapies of NSSI in human populations based on CNS stimulant models. Theoretical implications are discussed with respect to antecedent factors such as preinjury arousal level and environmental stress.

Authorship Decision Making: An Empirical Investigation

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn J. Geelhoed ◽  
Julia C. Phillips ◽  
Ann R. Fischer ◽  
Elaine Shpungin ◽  
Younnjung Gong
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Empirical Investigation

Empirical Investigation: Results and Discussion

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari L. Shaw ◽  
Charles Bermingham
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Investigation
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