scholarly journals Italian ma ‘but’ in deverbal pragmatic markers: Forms, functions, and productivity of a pragma-dyad

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 29-56
Author(s):  
Chiara Fedriani ◽  
Piera Molinelli

This paper focuses on the development, paradigmaticization, and productivity of a set of complex pragmatic markers in Italian, which are constituted by two distinct elements, namely the adversative conjunction ma ‘but’ and a deverbal pragmatic marker (e.g., ma dai ‘come on! really!’, literally: ‘but give’, or ma piantala ‘just stop! give it a rest!’, literally ‘but dump it’). The main idea we will develop is that such a complex pattern can be better described in terms of a pragma-dyad, i.e., a dyadic construction with a pragmatic meaning, featuring a fixed element which systematically combines with a set of preferential fillers. In our case, the fixed element is ma, which generally signals a contrast with the interlocutors’ point of view, thus shaping the pragmatic meaning of the resulting complex in terms of interactional contrast. Such a meaning is then functionally enriched through a variety of fillers compatible with the schema, which actualize it in conveying mock politeness, disagreement, counter-expectation, and pragmatically neighbouring values. By providing a corpus-based study of the development and productivity of these complex markers, we illustrate the empirical and theoretical advantages which a pragma-dyadic approach can offer in exploring processes of functional enrichment involving complex markers.

Author(s):  
Ekaterina A. LOBANOVA

This article studies the cognitive features of the “power” frame and its gender implementation in the historical tragedy by W. Shakespeare “Macbeth”. Here, the author examines the concepts of “frame” and “gender” in linguistics, studying different approaches to their definition. The relevance of this work is determined by the close attention of the contemporary linguistics to these concepts, as well as their place in the contemporary academic paradigm. The academic affirmation of the “frame” and “gender” concepts designates a new step in understanding the ways and peculiarities of the language interaction, consciousness, and culture, and, consequently, it shows new aspects of the relationship of linguistics with other sciences. Nevertheless, the problems of both frame and gender are not yet fully understood. This study allows describing in detail the essence of the frame “power” and showing its meaning, use, and ways of its gender implementation in fiction, which explains the novelty of this article. The study’s methodology is based on the cognitive-discursive analysis of the text, as well as on an integrative approach to the discourse study, which combines methods of both cognitive and gender linguistics, as well as the discourse analysis. Common research methods were used along with private linguistic methods. The application of cognitive-discursive analysis has significantly increased the depth of understanding of the “power” frame that dominates Shakespeare’s historical tragedy. This historical text presents the central theme of political tragedy: the overthrow of the rightful ruler and the usurpation of power. The motive for the seizure of power forms a thematic core and is presented from the usurpers’ point of view. In this article, the author observes the gender shift and duality of the female and male beginnings: Shakespeare puts the female protagonist, hungry for power, among men, thus the images of Lady Macbeth and her husband come into conflict with the gender characteristics attributed to them. The play clearly traces the main idea of Machiavellianism: the goal justifies the means. The results conclude that the “power” frame is the leading one in Lady Macbeth’s monologue, thus setting one of the main themes of this tragedy.


2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Marie Simon-Vandenbergen ◽  
Karin Aijmer

The study of of course presented in this article has an applied, a descriptive and a theoretical aim. Since of course proves to be very frequent in English, learners will need to know what meanings the item has and in what pragmatic contexts it is used. It has indeed been shown that some learners tend to use of course in contexts where it is felt by native speakers to be inappropriate. In order to explain such inappropriate uses we need detailed descriptions of the semantics and pragmatics of of course. From a theoretical point of view such multifunctional items raise the question of whether semantic polysemy or pragmatic polysemy is the best explanatory account. It is argued in this paper that empirical cross-linguistic work can contribute to providing answers to all three research questions. First, the study of correspondences and differences between languages with regard to the meanings and uses of pragmatic markers is a necessary step in the explanation of learner problems. Second, the bidirectional approach to equivalents, which involves going back and forth from sources to translations, enables us to show to what extent the equivalents have partially overlapping pragmatic functions. An in-depth comparison of the semantic fields in which the translation equivalents operate is the ultimate goal. Third, the translation method helps to see to what extent a core meaning account is justified. In this paper three languages are brought into the picture, viz. English, Swedish and Dutch. The cross-linguistic data have been gathered from three translation corpora, i.e. the English-Swedish Parallel Corpus, the Oslo Multilingual Corpus and the Namur Triptic Corpus.


1988 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 1177-1187
Author(s):  
W. A. MacCaull

Using formally intuitionistic logic coupled with infinitary logic and the completeness theorem for coherent logic, we establish the validity, in Grothendieck toposes, of a number of well-known, classically valid theorems about fields and ordered fields. Classically, these theorems have proofs by contradiction and most involve higher order notions. Here, the theorems are each given a first-order formulation, and this form of the theorem is then deduced using coherent or formally intuitionistic logic. This immediately implies their validity in arbitrary Grothendieck toposes. The main idea throughout is to use coherent theories and, whenever possible, find coherent formulations of formulas which then allow us to call upon the completeness theorem of coherent logic. In one place, the positive model-completeness of the relevant theory is used to find the necessary coherent formulas.The theorems here deal with polynomials or rational functions (in s indeterminates) over fields. A polynomial over a field can, of course, be represented by a finite string of field elements, and a rational function can be represented by a pair of strings of field elements. We chose the approach whereby results on polynomial rings are reduced to results about the base field, because the theory of polynomial rings in s indeterminates over fields, although coherent, is less desirable from a model-theoretic point of view. Ultimately we are interested in the models.This research was originally motivated by the works of Saracino and Weispfenning [SW], van den Dries [Dr], and Bunge [Bu], each of whom generalized some theorems from algebraic geometry or ordered fields to (commutative, von Neumann) regular rings (with unity).


2020 ◽  
Vol 224 ◽  
pp. 72-79
Author(s):  
E.V. Bessonova ◽  
◽  
I.K. Kirillova ◽  
YU.A. Tarabarina ◽  
◽  
...  

Today experts with a high level of proficiency in a foreign language are considered in demand in the labour market. The level of foreign language proficiency is confirmed by a high test result of international exams in a foreign language. The essay is a mandatory part of international English language exams such as TOEFL, IELTS, and Cambridge Advanced English. We examined the requirements and assessment criteria for the essay writing exam task. The task assesses the level of speech skills formation necessary to create your own pieces of writing in a foreign language. As part of the research, we developed a technology for teaching writing based on a product-oriented approach. According to the technology we have identified the following stages of text production: task orientation, text planning, text writing, and text self-editing. We have also proposed a set of exercises aimed at developing following skills: task understanding, formulating the author’s point of view and its proving with relevant examples, planning a cohesive and coherent text, text division into paragraphs, highlighting of the paragraph’s main idea, development of the idea in the text, expressing ideas in the text logically in accordance with the rhetorical structure of English essay, usage of lexical cohesive means, text self-editing. This technology was tested during experimental training; its results prove the effectiveness of the proposed technology for teaching essay writing according to international English language exams requirements.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (87) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryna Hederym ◽  
◽  
Nataliya Hlinka ◽  
◽  

The article is devoted to the study of one of the most important issues in modern linguistics – the problem of elliptical sentences, namely their definition, classification, different approaches to the study of this phenomenon and functioning in English-language scientific and technical texts. One of the tasks of scientific text is the ability to convey a large amount of new information in a sufficiently limited amount of text. It is this that leads to syntactic compression (the use of an ellipse) in such texts. Syntactic compression, as we have mentioned, is one of the characteristics of the modern scientific style. Authors of scientific texts seek to reduce the amount of text by compression, while increasing its content. Ellipse is a multidimensional phenomenon in language that allows authors to make the communication process more productive by using language savings. The ellipse has an extremely large pragmatic potential in achieving an extralinguistic effect. The use of the ellipse as a means of linguistic economy in scientific and technical texts is especially appropriate because the characteristic features of scientific and technical style are its informativeness (content), logic (strict sequence, clear connection between the main idea and details), accuracy and objectivity. It is an effective way of unloading sentence matter and exempting it from meaningfully redundant or structurally redundant components that carry repetitive information, it is based on the principle of compactification of predicative units. From a stylistic point of view, the desire to save language means leads to the emergence of new constructions that enrich the language, make speech dynamic, expressive. The article considers pragmatic and linguistic features of the ellipse, its structural and functional features. The article traces an attempt to review and structure the main theoretical approaches to the interpretation of the concept of "ellipse", the study of functions that perform elliptical structures in sentence structure and analysis of functional features of elliptical structures in English scientific and technical texts.


Author(s):  
Еkaterina A. Shkurskaya ◽  

The article focuses on verbal olfacty representation on the example of phytonym “sage” in the poetic text of Rimma Khaninova “Sage Scent” (2008) and the literary translation by Nikolay and Gala Burlakovs. The comparative analysis of the original and the English translation enables us not only to set the intercultural dialogue but also see the distinctive features of one culture through the prism of another language. The phytonym “sage” in the author’s text has a strong and associative dominance reflecting the underlying peculiarities of the culture of the Kalmyk people. Such floral features of phytonym “sage” as a long-lasting fragrance and color create a lot of additional metaphorical associations. On the figurative level, the scent of sage represents the scent of motherland, freedom, on the emotional level – it is the memory of the native land, a landmark. The national identity is expressed implicitly through positive evaluative characteristics of sage scent. In the poetic translation by N. and G. Burlakovs the main idea and the plot line of the poem remained the same, however, the verbal olfacty representation – the sage scent ― is rendered from the point of view of the people of the Western culture. The emotional and image associations in English stay the same, but they do not reflect the unique feature of the phytonym “sage” for national identity of the Kalmyk people, they lack the dominant ethnic-specific feature of this plant which is the equality to the native land and national language.


4.1.3 Stage 3: understanding what you are reading • Guessing words that you do not know. Do not expect to know all the words read. Even as a more extensive vocabulary is acquired, there will be words that are not known. You may even have singled the following out already: Lexcalibur, democratic ‘deficit’, ‘competencies of the Union’, ‘specific gravity’ and ‘apocryphal statement’. • Identifying main ideas. Here, the main idea is that a package of three proposals (a limited ballot by citizens concerning legislation; internet access to European decision making; establishment of a constitutional council), taken from research, initiated by the European Parliament, can make a real difference to increase the power of the European citizen without creating a political drama. • Identifying subsidiary ideas. Here, that there could be potential clashes between the constitutional council and the function of the European Court of Justice. • Identifying overall text organisation. Every writer has a different way of organising, classifying and structuring their work. This needs to be ascertained by any reader who wishes to break successfully into the text. Here the author has clearly indicated structure through the headings and has discussed points in the order indicated. The writer is: discussing a specific problem; and proposing a solution to that problem. 6.4.1.4 Stage 4: evaluating what you are reading • Ascertaining the purpose of the writer. The writer wants to inform about something and indicate the correctness of a particular point of view. • Evaluating the argument(s) of the writer. The argument here is relatively easy to extract because the article is written in a punchy, journalistic style while keeping to headings. What is clear, however, is that the detail given to setting out the three proposals is not given to indicating evidence to support propositions—perhaps because the writer feels that many of his propositions are self-evident. Having ascertained the arguments, then it is up to the reader to decide what is thought. A student’s view of the argument of the writer is initially limited by their lack of knowledge of the issues spoken of. As research is continued in an area for an essay, more is learnt, more about competing views, and more about the area generally. Then, the student’s view of the argument may change. Even if an argument is preferred, it can still be a weak or strong argument either theoretically or practically. It can be weak because no evidence to show support for important propositions or ultimate conclusion has been put forward.

2012 ◽  
pp. 198-198

Author(s):  
Athanasis Karoulis ◽  
Stavros Demetriadis ◽  
Andreas Pombortsis

Interface evaluation of a software system is a procedure intended to identify and propose solutions for usability problems caused by the specific software design. The term evaluation generally refers to the process of “gathering data about the usability of a design or product by a specified group of users for a particular activity within a specified environment or work context” (Preece et al., 1994, p. 602). As already stated, the main goal of an interface evaluation is to discover usability problems. A usability problem may be defined as anything that interferes with a user’s ability to efficiently and effectively complete tasks (Karat et al., 1992). The most applied interface evaluation methodologies are the expert-based and the empirical (user-based) evaluations. Expert evaluation is a relatively cheap and efficient formative evaluation method applied even on system prototypes or design specifications up to the almost-ready-to-ship product. The main idea is to present the tasks supported by the interface to an interdisciplinary group of experts, who will take the part of would-be users and try to identify possible deficiencies in the interface design. According to Reeves (1993), expert-based evaluations are perhaps the most applied evaluation strategy. They provide a crucial advantage that makes them more affordable compared to the empirical ones; in general, it is easier and cheaper to find experts rather than users who are eager to perform the evaluation. The main idea is that experts from different cognitive domains (at least one from the domain of HCI and one from the cognitive domain under evaluation) are asked to judge the interface, everyone from his or her own point of view. It is important that they all are experienced, so they can see the interface through the eyes of the user and reveal problems and deficiencies of the interface. One strong advantage of the methods is that they can be applied very early in the design cycle, even on paper mock-ups. The expert’s expertise allows the expert to understand the functionality of the system under construction, even if the expert lacks the whole picture of the product. A first look at the basic characteristics would be sufficient for an expert. On the other hand, user-based evaluations can be applied only after the product has reached a certain level of completion.


Author(s):  
YU YI ◽  
THOMAS FOBER ◽  
EYKE HÜLLERMEIER

We introduce a new method for modeling rating (utility) functions which employs techniques from fuzzy set theory. The main idea is to build a hierarchical model, called a fuzzy operator tree (FOT), by recursively decomposing a rating criterion into sub-criteria, and to combine the evaluations of these sub-criteria by means of suitable aggregation operators. Apart from the model conception itself, we propose an evolutionary method for model calibration that fits the parameters of an FOT to exemplary ratings. The possibility to adapt an FOT to a given set of data makes the approach also interesting from a machine learning point of view. The performance of the approach is evaluated by means of a suitable experimental study.


2017 ◽  
pp. 5-9
Author(s):  
I. A. Bondarevska

The paper examines delimitation art and non-art as a crucial issue in contemporary philosophy of art. This thesis is developed with a special reference to Thierry de Duve’s nominalistic theory and is argued that this theory traces some opportunity for seeking answer the question indicated in the title. The author agrees with the main idea that name of an art is a performative, which makes changes in our mind and transform a mere thing into a work of art. This is an actual way to create the borders of art, which means to accept a unique point of view witha unique attitude to the world. The article states that the provocative statement "all can be art, but not all is art" gives us necessary tension to overcome the traditional essentialist mode of thinking. However, the author puts in question the ideas, which have implicit essentialist connotations. Duve’s theory argues that aesthetic judgement is a main condition for establishing the borders of art. The theory explores a crucial change of judgement about art. The judgment "this is art"is functioning like the judgment “this is beautiful” in the previous time and they two have equivalent attributes in the art and human life. I refute these ideas as not convincing and prove the alternative theses: the name of art performative power is determined primarily with social and cultural factors (not aesthetic judgment). The author offer the TV show episode The National Anthem (Black Mirror) as a model for testing the theory.It is evident that modern notion of art is tied to existence of the autonomous social "artworld" (Arthur Danto), or cultural field (Pierre Bourdieu) or social system (Niclas Luhmann). Any judgment about art cannot escape its destiny to divide people and social opinion. As a result, we have at least two subjects (instead of one) withdifferent statuses and authority to say and to be heard. The author concludes that judgment “this is art”is political as such but judgment “this is beautiful” is not.


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