Music Lessons for the Study of Affect

Some accounts of the evolution of music suggest that it emerged from emotionally expressive vocalizations and serves as a necessary counterweight to the cognitive elaboration of language. Thus, emotional expression appears to be intrinsic to the creation and perception of music, and music ought to serve as a model for affect itself. Because music exists as patterns of changes in sound over time, affect should also be seen in patterns of changing feelings. Psychologists have given relatively little attention to these patterns. Results from statistical approaches to the analysis of affect dynamics have so far been modest. Two of the most significant treatments of temporal patterns in affect—sentics and vitality affects have remained outside mainstream emotion research. Analysis of musical structure suggests three phenomena relevant to the temporal form of emotion: affect contours, volitional affects, and affect transitions. I discuss some implications for research on affect and for exploring the evolutionary origins of music and emotions.

Flexibilizing the Retirement Transition: Why, How and for Whom? Conceptual Clarifications, Institutional Arrangements and Potential Consequences

In many countries, flexibilizing the retirement transition is seen as an innovative policy which may help to solve some of the problems ageing societies face. The paper aims at specifying what is or can be meant by flexibilizing the retirement transition. The proposed conceptual framework contributes to a better understanding of the potential individual and structural consequences of flexibilized retirement transitions. It spells out four dimensions based on which measures of flexibilization can be differentiated, compared and examined more closely: aggregate vs. individual flexibilization (the latter resulting in gradual retirement), the temporal form and reference of flexibilizing measures, accessibility and eligibility, and financial risks and costs resulting from flexible transitions to retirement. These dimensions of comparison are exemplified by referring to existing measures of retirement flexibilization, in particular wage subsidies and partial pensions. Based on the conceptual argument, some of the potential consequences of flexibilized retirement transitions are discussed critically and in particular with regard to questions of social inequality. As these reflections show, the framework may also help to unpack the policy logic behind flexibilizing retirement transitions, and the very different interests it may serve.

PLUPERFECT – ABSOLUTE, RELATIVE OR ABSOLUTE-RELATIVE TEMPORAL FORM?

The article is devoted to the problem of grammatical status of pluperfect forms of German and Ukrainian languages. The study differentiates the views of scientists on pluperfect forms in terms of their relative or absolute interpretation. The definition of the pluperfect with the future temporal reference is given, confirmed by applied representations and analysis of the studied units in the sentence structure. From the point of view of traditional linguistic interpretation, pluperfect is a form that expresses either “precedence over another past action” or “distant past”. However, in this study, we look at new meanings of this grammar: “present” or “future”.The article raises the problem of the futural orientation of pluperfect forms, based on two positions: when pluperfect is used in the sense of “past” in relation to another past action. That is, when this gram is in opposition to its conventional meaning; when the plusquamperfect expresses the meaning of “counterfactual” with the future temporal reference, when the subject of the statement knows that in the real world certain actions cannot be realized because they contradict the objective laws of human existence. The use of the pluperfect forms in such constructions indicates that language not only does not limit us by means of expressing real knowledge about the world, but also provides such for the reproduction of hypothetical, unreal or counterfactual statements.It is concluded that from the point of view of temporality, the conjunctive forms of the pluperfect are timeless and can express the action that occurs at the time of speech, occurred (or could occur) before the moment of speech or will occur after the moment of speech, the temporal nature of the verbal form recedes into the background. It is proposed to consider plusquamperfect as an absolute-relative time form.Key words: pluperfect, absolute time, relative time, moment of speech, counterfactuality. Статтю присвячено актуальній проблемі граматичного статусу плюсквамперфектних форм німецької та української мов. У дослідженні диференційовано погляди науковців щодо плюсквамперфектних форм із боку їх відносної чи абсолютної інтерпретації. Подається визначення плюсквамперфекта з майбутньою часовою рефе-ренцією, підтверджене прикладними репрезентаціями й аналізом досліджуваних одиниць у структурі речення. З боку традиційного лінгвістичного трактування плюсквамперфект – це форма, яка виражає або «передування щодо іншої минулої дії», або «віддалене минуле». Однак у дослідженні звертаємо увагу на нові значення цієї гра-меми: «теперішнє» чи «майбутнє».У статті висувається проблема футуральної спрямованості плюсквамперфектних форм, виходячи з двох позицій: коли плюсквамперфект вживається в значенні «післяминуле» щодо іншої минулої дії, тобто коли ця грамема опозиціонує своєму загальноприйнятому значенню; коли плюсквамперфект виражає значення «контр-фактичність» із майбутньою часовою референцією – суб’єкт висловлення знає, що в реальному світі певні дії не можуть бути реалізовані, оскільки суперечать об’єктивним законам людського існування. Вживання плюсквам-перфектних форм у подібних конструкціях свідчить про те, що мова не лише не обмежує нас засобами вираження реальних знань про світ, а й надає такі для відтворення гіпотетичних, ірреальних чи контрфактичних висловлень.Зроблено висновок, що з позиції темпоральності форми плюсквамперфекта кон’юнктива є позачасовими й можуть виражати дію, що відбувається в момент мовлення, відбувалася (чи могла відбутися) раніше моменту мовлення або відбудеться після моменту мовлення, оскільки в зіставленні часу й способу переважає спосіб дієслова, а часовий характер вербальної форми відходить на другий план. Запропоновано розглядати плюсквампер-фект як абсолютно-відносну часову форму.Ключові слова: плюсквамперфект, абсолютний час, відносний час, момент мовлення, контрфактичність

Data Echoes: Sound, Evidence, and Acoustic Methods in Energy Landscapes

This paper explores an informal acoustic method developed by a group of industrial geologists working in geothermal energy landscapes in the southwest of Iceland. Through a series of ethnographic descriptions, this paper renders the work these geologists carry out in sonic terms, emphasizing how they use their bodies as sonic detectors in the production of geological evidence. Sound, the paper argues, is what allows geologists to make the intractable problem of volcanic cooling doable. It does this by differentiating two forms of evidence. Primary evidence, which ends up as data in geological reports, and secondary sonic evidence, which is what establishes that this primary evidence is, in fact, evidence. The paper introduces the concept data echoes as a way to think about how sound articulates between these evidential protocols. As echo, sound works as an outside, which, while remaining external to official protocols of knowledge production, nevertheless helps to constitute distinctions that are meaningful to the production of those categories. As data echoes through the various moments of data capture, analysis, and model building, sound’s temporal form helps to predict the time frame of volcanic cooling, as it affects both the immediate energy production scenarios and the long durée of volcanic time.

Ressentiment in Egalitarian Movements: Slavoj Žižek’s Response to Peter Sloterdijk

I discuss Peter Sloterdijk’s critique of egalitarian projects presented in his book Zorn und Zeit and Slavoj Žižek’s response to it. My claim is that both of these thinkers show an oscillation between polemical and analytical aspects when using the concept of ressentiment. By using the concept of ressentiment, Sloterdijk explains the transformation of anger in Western societies. He holds that the atemporal anger, which characterized ancient greeks assumes a temporal form and becomes the project of revenge and ressentiment under Christianity and later emancipatory movements. I show that alongside this view, the author implies a political-polemical argumentation with the intent of delegitimizing the political left movements. Then I discuss the notion of ressentiment in Žižek’s view, which implies the same ambivalence, on the one hand, this concept is introduced as an alternative to Sloterdijk’s attempts at delegitimization, on the other, it seeks to explain anger and revenge related phenomena. At last, I claim that Sloterdijk’s and Žižek’s positions differ on the polemical aspect, but are compatible analytically.

Specific Temporal Localization of Situations in Future Tense in the Khakas Language

The present research featured the cases of future tense with specific time localization in the Khakas language. The study was based on functional grammar, which sees time localization as a functional semantic field that includes categorical situations of time localization (specific) or non-localization (non-specific). A functional analysis made it possible to define the following means of expressing specific time localization: a verb form of future tense with -ар (-ar); adverbial modifiers of time and other time markers in local cases in conjunction with postpositives and auxiliaries; temporal adverbs and clauses with transforms -за (-za), -ғанҷа (-gancha), -(ба)ғанда (-(ba)ganda). The author classified the situations based on typical specifiers. The classification contains eight situations with several sub-types. The research can be used to describe types of past and present tense with specific time localization in the Khakas language, as well as in other Turkic and non-Turkic languages. Some of the specifiers proved to be able to express different meanings depending on the combination with the present, past, or future verb tense. The compatibility of specific temporal form of the Khakas language with some specifiers requires further research.

Structural and semantic types of conditional sentences in the Altai language

We analyze the structural-semantic types of conditional polypredicative constructions in the Altai language. Conditional relations are expressed by monofinite constructions with an all-Turkic conditional-temporal form with =sa, analytical conditional forms with bolzo ‘if’ and a rare conditional-temporal form with =qažïn. The all-Turkic =sa form does not have an absolute temporal meaning: this meaning is communicated by the main clause, with its predicate commonly used in the future tense or imperative mood. The analytical conditional forms consist of the participial form and the verb bol= ‘to be, to become’ in the conditional mood, with personal formants in the first and second person and zero formants in the third person. The participial forms within an analytical form express the temporal meanings. We distinguish proper conditional and improper conditional constructions with different modal planes of the dependent clauses: irreal modality in proper conditional constructions and real modality in improper conditional ones. Improper conditional constructions include some temporal, causal, subordinate, and comparative clauses following the conditional construction model. Proper conditional constructions fall into potential-conditional and irreal-conditional subtypes according to their semantic and formal traits. Potential-conditional constructions denote possible events. However, irreal-conditional constructions denote events that could not, cannot, and will not take place. In potential-conditional constructions, the main predicates are represented by indicative, imperative, and optative forms, with the subjunctive mood used in irreal-conditional constructions. In Altai conditional constructions, the taxis dependence between conditions and consequences is defined by the possibility of two types of correlation (from three possible correlations), namely ‘condition before consequence’ and ‘simultaneous condition and consequence.

Kielemme kääpiösijoista

Artikkelissa tarkastellaan suomen kielen sijataivutuksen ja adverbinjohdon rajaseutua. Suomen kieliopin kuvauksissa on tapana esittää 15 sijaa, joiden runsautta pidetään suomen kielen erityispiirteenä. Artikkelissa siirrytään perinteisen sijaparadigman marginaalin eli jopa niin sanottujen marginaalisten sijojen (abessiivin, instruktiivin ja komitatiivin) ulkopuolelle. Tarkastelun kohteena on vanhastaankin sijataivutuksen yhteydessä huomiota saanut väyliä ja välineitä ilmaiseva prolatiivi, mutta keskiössä ovat erityisesti isin-päätteiset temporaaliset ja (i)ttAin-päätteiset distributiiviset muodosteet, kuten iltaisin ja maanantaisin tai alueittain ja lajeittain. Tutkimusaineistona ovat laajat kirjoitettua nykysuomea edustavat korpukset. Kyllin laajoissa tutkimusaineistoissa sekä isin-temporaali että (i)ttAin-distributiivi paljastuvat verrattain produktiivisiksi muodostetyypeiksi: temporaalimuotojen (esim. kesäöisin, sapattisin) rinnalla etenkin distributiivimuodot ovat erittäin monikäyttöisiä (kyläkunnittain, nuorkauppakamareittain, tyylipiirteittäin). Erityistä huomiota saavat muodosteiden syntaktiset ominaisuudet, joiden valossa temporaali ja distributiivi – ja myös prolatiivi – poikkeavat tavanomaisista adverbeista, jollaisina niitä perinteisesti on pidetty. Mahdollisia ovat muun muassa relatiivilauseet (kirjeitse, jossa – –, maanantaisin, jotka – –), genetiiviattribuutit (elokuun lauantaisin, Suomen kunnittain) ja eräät taipumattomat määritteet (joka maanantaisin, koko kyläkunnittain). Uusi havainto on myös temporaali- ja distributiivimuotojen kyky saada instruktiivimuotoisia adjektiiviattribuutteja: lausekkeet satunnaisin viikonloppuisin ja tietyin aihealueittain muistuttavat marginaalisuudessaankin sijamuotoja ja etenkin komitatiivia (omin ~ omine lupineen). Artikkelissa esitetään, että sijajärjestelmämme kuvauksen rajapintaa voisi laajentaa eräänlaisilla kääpiösijoilla samaan tapaan kuin eräitä aurinkokuntamme jäseniä voidaan luonnehtia kääpiöplaneetoiksi, vaikka ne eivät varsinaiseen planeetan määritelmään sopisikaan. On Finnish dwarf cases: prolative, temporal and distributive The article discusses the borderland between nominal case inflection and adverb derivation in Finnish. Finnish grammars customarily present a case system of fifteen cases. The present article takes a step outside of the most marginal cases (abessive, instructive and comitative) within the traditional paradigm. In addition to observations on the so-called prolative, which has at times been considered a borderline case, the main focus of the study is on two kinds of formations traditionally regarded as denominal adverbs. The previously under-described formations ending in -isin have a repetitive temporal meaning (e.g., iltaisin ‘in the evenings’) and those ending in -(i)ttain/-(i)ttäin are distributive forms (e.g., maittain ‘by country’). Based on data drawn from large corpora of modern written Finnish, the temporal form -isin and particularly the distributive forms -(i)ttain/-(i)ttäin appear to be rather productive morphological categories. Special attention is given to the syntactic properties of these formations, as the data shows that not only do the case-like prolative forms differ from ordinary adverbs, but the temporal and distributive forms do so too. The author argues that the formations in question are not fully denominal forms, rather they reveal many features characteristic of nouns: they may be accompanied by postmodifying relative clauses as well as genitive and adjectival modifiers. In the absence of the full agreement typical of Finnish adjectival modifiers, the associated adjectives occur in the instructive case (e.g., satunnais-in viikonloppu-isin [random-pl.instr weekend-temp] ‘on random weekends’ and tiety-in aihealue-ittain [certain-pl.instr thematic.area-distr] ‘by certain thematic areas’), which in turn makes the temporal and distributive forms resemble those of the comitative case. The article shows that the inflection–derivation interface of the Finnish noun is far from clear-cut. On the basis of the findings presented in this study, the author asserts that our understanding of the Finnish case system could be advanced by introducing the concept of the “dwarf case”, analogous with that of dwarf planets, which are members of the Solar System and share many features with planets despite not being true planets themselves.

Cuttlefish – performing body

This research report discusses and reflects on the development of the costume design and choreography of the performance piece Cuttlefish, 2017–19. In the performance, the costumes played an essential role as they completely transformed the movements and forms of the dancers. To enable this, costumes were designed as temporal forms, garments that contain a particular movement language based on the structural possibilities of the body. The costumes are discussed here from two perspectives: in relation to their role in constructing a narrative for the audience, choreographer and dancers and secondly concerning the practical aspects of their development as temporal forms. The suggestion is that garments constitute material opportunities, designed to provide a system of possible movements and expressions that the choreographer and dancer can explore. The result has implications for both fields of fashion design and costume design as it proposes fundamental parameters for a method of constructing garment as temporal form.

Characterisation of buried blast loading

While it is well known that detonation of shallow-buried high explosive charges generally results in above-surface loading which is greatly amplified compared with the same detonation in air, uncertainty persists as to the mechanisms leading to this effect. The work presented in this paper is a systematic investigation into the mechanisms of load transfer in buried blast events. This paper details the results from a parametric study into the mechanisms and magnitudes of load transfer following a shallow-buried explosion, where spatial and temporal load distributions are directly measured on a rigid surface using an array of Hopkinson pressure bars. In particular, the investigation has looked at the influence of both geometrical confinement and geotechnical conditions on the loading. The parametric study was separated into four main threads: the influence of physical confinement; gravimetric moisture content; stand-off distance and depth of burial; and soil material/particle size distribution. This study allows a direct observation of the contributions of each of these distinct parameters, and in particular the ability to discern how each parameter influences the temporal form and spatial distribution of the loading.