bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ESL Teachers' Questions and Corpus Evidence
Authors: Tsui Amy B.M.
Published: September 2007

In the last ten years, more and more attention has been paid to the importance of raising the language awareness of language teachers. This is an area in which corpus linguistics has a unique contribution to make. With the help of a concordancer, linguistic features that may be overlooked can be made salient and intertextual information that is implicit in a single text can be made explicit. This paper reports on a study of how corpus evidence was used to address questions sent by English language teachers in Hong Kong to a dedicated website. More than one thousand grammar questions sent to the website over a period of eight years were examined. Three types of most frequently asked questions were identified. The paper discusses how corpus evidence was used to help teachers to notice features and patterns which have escaped their attention and to question long-standing assumptions and misconceptions. It shows how subsequent interrogation of corpus data stimulated by teachers' question often led to new insights into linguistic patterns and language use.
A multi-level semantic approach to Korean causal conjunctive suffixes -(e)se and -(u)nikka
Authors: Oh Sang-suk
Published: September 2007

The purpose of this paper is to discuss actual usage of the two Korean causal conjunctive suffixes, -(e)seand-(u)nikka, and to propose their multi-layered semantics based on analysis of corpus data. To account for the functional differences of the two conjunctives, most previous studies focused on different syntactic distributions or semantic contrast by employing an objectivist viewpoint, failing to incorporate the polyfunctionality, semantic overlapping and pragmatic ambiguities of them. This paper advances that the meanings of the two causal suffixes are distributed on four different cognitive-discourse levels: content, epistemic, speech act, and discourse level. Corpus analysis does reveal that all four levels are accessible to both conjunctive suffixes but the difference between the two suffixes lies in the different degree of accessibility of these four levels in their sentence semantics. This finding suggests that we treat these linguistic categories more flexibly by accepting their gradient and pragmatically ambiguous status.
The design of a corpus of Contemporary Arabic
Authors: Al-Sulaiti Latifa , Atwell Eric Steven
Published: September 2007

Corpora are an important resource for both teaching and research. Arabic lacks sufficient resources in this field, so a research project has been designed to compile a corpus, which represents the state of the Arabic language at the present time and the needs of end-users. This report presents the result of a survey of the needs of teachers of Arabic as a foreign language (TAFL) and language engineers. The survey shows that a wide range of text types should be included in the corpus. Overall, our survey confirms our view that existing corpora are too narrowly limited in source-type and genre, and that there is a need for a freely-accessible corpus of contemporary Arabic covering a broad range of text-types. We have collected and published an initial version of the Corpus of Contemporary Arabic (CCA) to meet these design issues. The CCA is freely downloadable via WWW from http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/arabic.
Discovering and organizing noun-verb collocations in specialized corpora using inductive logic programming
Authors: Claveau Vincent , L'Homme Marie-Claude
Published: September 2007

This article presents a method for discovering and organizing noun-verb (N-V) combinations found in a French corpus on computing. Our aim is to find N-V combinations in which verbs convey a “realization meaning” as defined in the framework of lexical functions (Mel’čuk 1996, 1998). Our approach, chiefly corpus-based, uses a machine learning technique, namely Inductive Logic Programming (ILP). The whole acquisition process is divided into three steps: (1) isolating contexts in which specific N-V pairs occur; (2) inferring linguistically-motivated rules that reflect the behaviour of realization N-V pairs; (3) projecting these rules on corpora to find other valid N-V pairs. This technique is evaluated in terms of the relevance of the rules inferred and in terms of the quality (recall and precision) of the results. Results obtained show that our approach is able to find these very specific semantic relationships (the realization N-V pairs) with very good success rates.
Lexical cohesion and rhetorical structure
Authors: Morley John
Published: September 2007

Lexical cohesion not only contributes to the texture of a text, it can help to indicate the rhetorical development of the discourse. This article looks at this argument-structuring function of lexical cohesion first by considering single texts using the techniques of classical Discourse Analysis and then by using the methodology of corpus linguistics to examine several million words of text. First, the nature of cohesive links within single articles is examined. Next, the link between headlines and the articles that follow them is studied. Finally, various concessive mechanisms which structure arguments are examined in detail. It is argued that an awareness of the mechanisms outlined in this article will help students to understand better the kind of argumentation presented in texts. All the texts studied are from English newspapers.
Use of signalling nouns in a learner corpus
Authors: Flowerdew John
Published: September 2007

Signalling nouns are nouns which have cohesive properties across and within clauses. A signalling noun is potentially any abstract noun the full meaning of which can only be made specific by reference to its context. Examples of nouns which can function as signalling nouns are attitude, assistance, difficulty, endurance, process, reason, result etc. Signalling nouns in discourse are closely associated with nominalisation and are problematic for learners. Based on a corpus of argumentative essays written by Cantonese L1 learners of English, this paper presents a taxonomy of error types and frequency data of the different error types in the use of signalling nouns. The paper then compares the average number of signalling nouns used per essay with grades awarded to the essays, on the one hand, and the numbers of signalling noun errors according to grades, on the other. In both cases there is a significant correlation. The findings confirm the intuitive idea that the use of signalling nouns adds to the overall coherence of a text.
Part-of-speech ratios in English corpora
Authors: Hardie Andrew
Published: September 2007

Using part-of-speech (POS) tagged corpora, Hudson (1994) reports that approximately 37% of English tokens are nouns, where ‘noun’ is a superordinate category including nouns, pronouns and other word-classes. It is argued here that difficulties relating to the boundaries of Hudson’s ‘noun’ category demonstrate that there is no uncontroversial way to derive such a superordinate category from POS tagging. Decisions regarding the boundary of the ‘noun’ category have small but statistically significant effects on the ratio that emerges for ‘nouns’ as a whole. Tokenisation and categorisation differences between tagging schemes make it problematic to compare the ratio of ‘nouns’ across different tagsets. The precise figures for POS ratios are therefore effectively artefacts of the tagset. However, these objections to the use of POS ratios do not apply to their use as a metric of variation for comparing datasets tagged with the same tagging scheme.
The Functions of Actually in a Corpus of Intercultural Conversations
Authors: Cheng Winnie , Warren Martin
Published: September 2007

Using a corpus of naturally occurring conversations between native and non-native speakers of English in Hong Kong, we examine the use of actually in intercultural conversations. The frequencies with which the two groups of speakers use actually and the functions it performs are compared and contrasted. Our findings suggest that Hong Kong Chinese speakers of English use actually far more frequently than native speakers of English. The patterns of usage are remarkably similar in certain respects but there are differences in use and in the position actually occupies in utterances which in turn can affect the way that it functions. Explanations are offered for the differences in usage between the two groups of speakers.
SPAACy – A semi-automated tool for annotating dialogue acts
Authors: Weisser Martin
Published: September 2007

This article reports on a pilot project which aims at creating a speech-act annotated training corpus for service dialogue systems. In order to achieve this aim, an annotation tool, which allows us to automate large parts of the annotation, is being developed. This tool converts text-based transcriptions into XML and applies different levels of markup to each dialogue, so that there remains as little post-editing to be done as possible. The project also aims at developing a relatively generic mark-up scheme that may be applied to different domains without needing a large degree of adaptation. This article describes aspects of the grammar ‘controlling/governing’ the tool and how this grammar ‘interacts’ with the general strategies employed in the annotation.
MICE
Authors: Arévalo Rodríguez Montserrat , Torruella Montserrat Civit , Martí Maria Antònia
Published: September 2007

In the field of corpus linguistics, Named Entity treatment includes the recognition and classification of different types of discursive elements like proper names, date, time, etc. These discursive elements play an important role in different Natural Language Processing applications and techniques such as Information Retrieval, Information Extraction, translations memories, document routers, etc.
Extending collostructional analysis
Authors: Gries Stefan Th. , Stefanowitsch Anatol
Published: September 2007

This paper introduces an extension of distinctive-collocate analysis that takes into account grammatical structure and is specifically geared to investigating pairs of semantically similar grammatical constructions and the lexemes that occur in them. The method, referred to as `distinctive-collexeme analysis', identifies lexemes that exhibit a strong preference for one member of the pair as opposed to the other, and thus makes it possible to identify subtle distributional differences between the members of such a pair. The method can be applied in the context of what is sometimes referred to as `grammatical alternation' (e.g. the dative alternation), but it can also be applied to other choices provided by the grammar (such as the two future tense constructions in English). The method has two main applications. First, it can reveal subtle differences between seemingly synonymous constructions, many of which are difficult to identify on the basis of more traditional approaches. Second, it can be used to investigate the very notion of `alternation'; we show that many alternations are much more restricted than has hitherto been assumed, and thus confirm the claims of recent, non-derivational views of grammar.
Phases of translation corpus
Authors: Utka Andrius
Published: September 2007

The absolute majority of scholarly work in descriptive translation studies is product-oriented. In this article, the focus is moved from product-oriented to process-oriented translation studies by compiling an English – Lithuanian Phases of Translation Corpus (PT corpus). The PT corpus is analysed using quantitative and qualitative analyses. The quantitative analysis using frequency information highlights the difficult word types that either are missing or are inconsistently translated in successive Lithuanian translated versions. The qualitative analysis continues the quantitative research by help of parallel concordancing. The problematic cases of translation are extracted and cases of normalization, systematic replacement of terminology, and influence by the original language are reported.
Profaning Margery Kempe's tomb or the application of a Constraint-Grammar Parser to a late Middle English text
Authors: González-Álvarez Dolores , Pérez-Guerra Javier
Published: September 2007

The aim of this paper is to investigate the extent of grammatical variation between late Middle English and Present-day English. To that end, we compare the automatic output which the English Constraint Grammar Parser (ENGCG-2) offers of an updated medieval text from The Book of Margery Kempe and its corresponding modern version. In the first half of the paper we focus on the description of the parser. This system parses every constituent and associates it with a complex tag which provides morphological and syntactic information. The second half of the paper is devoted to the evaluation of the results obtained after the application of the parser to the medieval and the contemporary passages. By examining the instances exhibiting either unjustified ambiguity or parsing failure we determine to what extent morphosyntactic rules designed for Present-day English can be suitably applied to earlier stages of the language.
Looking under the rug
Authors: Lueg Christopher
Published: September 2007

Technological progress allows for the development of “intelligent” gadgets that are much smaller and more powerful than the bulky desktop computers that were around just a few years ago. Technology-oriented research communities understand these gadgets as enablers of scenarios that were widely considered science fiction just a few years ago: the expectation is that embedded and invisible technology calms our lives by removing the annoyances. Everyday life, however, is shaped by what people do, how they do it, and how they perceive what they are doing. The idea is that technology becomes context-aware in order to suit everyday life. So far, however, artifacts do not exhibit context-awareness beyond trivial notions of context. The question I address in this paper is to what extent artifacts can reasonably by expected to become context-aware. My impression is that the very idea of context-aware artifacts is closely related to much older ideas about intelligent machines pursued (with limited success) in the realm of classical artificial intelligence.
Differences between computer-mediated and face-to-face communication in a collaborative fiction project
Authors: Kaushik Radhika , Kline Susan , David Prabu , Oaks D’Arcy John
Published: September 2007

In this paper we examine collaborative fiction writing in a face-to-face setting and in a computer-mediated environment (online chat). To understand the role of social presence in online collaborative work, participants were placed either in a high collaboration task that involved working toward a common storyline or a low collaboration task that involved working toward individual storylines. For the high collaboration task, although face-to-face was perceived as more convenient than computer-mediated communication, this preference did not translate into any difference in terms of the number of idea units generated. For the low collaboration task, where teammates pursued independent storylines, computer-mediated communication was preferred over face-to-face communication. Despite this preference for computer-mediated communication over face-to-face communication in the low collaboration task, participants in the face-to-face condition generated more idea units than those in the computer-mediated condition. These findings are examined within the framework of interactivity and social presence.
Modeling a cognitive tool for teaching the addition/subtraction of common fractions
Authors: Kong Siu Cheung , Kwok Lam For
Published: September 2007

The case study reported here models a Cognitive Tool (CT) for primary school children to learn common fraction addition/subtraction with unlike denominators. In the study, we developed a CT based on a cognitive task analysis of the domain. We then observed how 12 learners used this CT to understand fraction operations based on a knowledge of fraction equivalence. Results of the study indicate that the support offered by the CT aids learners with higher ability in mathematics to produce cognitive residues. The graphical partitioning model helps to link the concrete operations of partitioning with the abstract idea of a common denominator required for adding/subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. However, learners who have failed to develop the knowledge of fraction equivalence, which includes the concept of equivalence and the ways of finding it, cannot gain much from working with the CT. A model of affordances for improving the design of the CT to meet the diverse needs of learners is discussed.
Lack of referential vocal learning from LCD video by grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus)
Authors: Pepperberg Irene M. , Wilkes Steven R.
Published: September 2007

Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) do not acquire referential English labels when tutored with videotapes displayed on CRT screens if (a) socially isolated, (b) reward for attempted labels is possible, (c) trainers direct birds’ attention to the monitor, (d) live video feed avoids habituation or (d) one trainer repeats labels produced on video and rewards label attempts. Because birds learned referential labels from live tutor pairs in concurrent sessions, we concluded that video failed because input lacked live social interaction and modeling (Pepperberg, 1999). Recent studies (e.g. Ikebuchi & Okanoya, 1999), however, suggest that standard CRT monitor flickering could instead have prevented learning. Using an LCD monitor, we found that eliminating flickering did not enable birds to learn from video under conditions of limited social interaction. Results emphasize the role of social interaction in referential label learning and may generalize to other systems (e.g. disabled children, or possibly software and robotic agents).
How individual interactions control aggregation patterns in gregarious arthropods
Authors: Gautrais Jacques , Jost Christian , Jeanson Raphael , Theraulaz Guy
Published: September 2007

Aggregation is one of the most widespread phenomena in animal groups and often represents a collective dynamic response to environmental conditions. In social species the underlying mechanisms mostly obey self-organized principles. This phenomenon constitutes a powerful model to decouple purely social components from ecological factors. Here we used a model of cockroach aggregation to address the problems of sensitivity of collective patterns and control of aggregation dynamics. The individual behavioural rules (as a function of neighbour density) and the emergent collective patterns were previously quantified and modelled by Jeanson et al. (2003, 2004). We first present the diverse spatio-temporal patterns of a derived model in response to parameter changes, either involving social or non-social interactions. This sensitivity analysis is then extended to evaluate the evolution of these patterns in mixed societies of sub-populations with different behavioural parameters. Simple linear or highly non-linear collective responses emerge. We discuss their potential application to control animal populations by infiltration of biomimetic autonomous robots that mimic cockroach behaviour. We suggest that detailed behavioural models are a prerequisite to do so.
Construing and constructing others
Authors: Snyder Mark , Klein Olivier
Published: September 2007

When individuals (as perceivers) hold expectations about other people (as targets), they can elicit from these targets behaviors that are consistent with their expectations, even if these expectations are independent of the target’s real characteristics. In this paper, we consider the role that this phenomenon, known as behavioral confirmation, plays in shaping the social perceptions of perceivers, targets, and outside observers. As well, we address the value of laboratory research on behavioral confirmation for understanding the dynamics and outcomes of social interactions in naturally occurring settings. Building on these considerations, we then examine the role of behavioral confirmation phenomena in shaping intergroup relations, with particular reference to delineating conditions in which such phenomena serve to preserve these relations. Based on this analysis, we suggest that dyadic confirmation phenomena are likely to occur in naturally occurring settings and may contribute to the maintenance and perpetuation of social stereotypes and societal structures.
Intentional communication and the anterior cingulate cortex
Authors: Benga Oana
Published: September 2007

This paper presents arguments for considering the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as a critical structure in intentional communication. Different facets of intentionality are discussed in relationship to this neural structure. The macrostructural and microstructural characteristics of ACC are proposed to sustain the uniqueness of its architecture, as an overlap region of cognitive, affective and motor components. At the functional level, roles played by this region in communication include social bonding in mammals, control of vocalization in humans, semantic and syntactic processing, and initiation of speech. The involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex in social cognition is suggested where, for infants, joint attention skills are considered both prerequisites of social cognition and prelinguistic communication acts. Since the intentional dimension of gestural communication seems to be connected to a region previously equipped for vocalization, ACC might well be a starting point for linguistic communication.
Constructing perspectives in the social making of minds
Authors: Carpendale Jeremy I.M. , Lewis Charlie , Müller Ulrich , Racine Timothy P.
Published: September 2007

The ability to take others’ perspectives on the self has important psychological implications. Yet the logically and developmentally prior question is how children develop the capacity to take others’ perspectives. We discuss the development of joint attention in infancy as a rudimentary form of perspective taking and critique examples of biological and individualistic approaches to the development of joint attention. As an alternative, we present an activity-based relational perspective according to which infants develop the capacity to coordinate attention with others by differentiating the perspectives of self and other from shared activity. Joint attention is then closely related to language development, which makes further social development possible. We argue that the ability to take the perspective of others on the self gives rise to the possibility of language, rationality and culture.
The uncanny advantage of using androids in cognitive and social science research
Authors: MacDorman Karl F. , Ishiguro Hiroshi
Published: September 2007

The development of robots that closely resemble human beings can contribute to cognitive research. An android provides an experimental apparatus that has the potential to be controlled more precisely than any human actor. However, preliminary results indicate that only very humanlike devices can elicit the broad range of responses that people typically direct toward each other. Conversely, to build androids capable of emulating human behavior, it is necessary to investigate social activity in detail and to develop models of the cognitive mechanisms that support this activity. Because of the reciprocal relationship between android development and the exploration of social mechanisms, it is necessary to establish the field of android science. Androids could be a key testing ground for social, cognitive, and neuroscientific theories as well as platform for their eventual unification. Nevertheless, subtle flaws in appearance and movement can be more apparent and eerie in very humanlike robots. This uncanny phenomenon may be symptomatic of entities that elicit our model of human other but do not measure up to it. If so, very humanlike robots may provide the best means of pinpointing what kinds of behavior are perceived as human, since deviations from human norms are more obvious in them than in more mechanical-looking robots. In pursuing this line of inquiry, it is essential to identify the mechanisms involved in evaluations of human likeness. One hypothesis is that, by playing on an innate fear of death, an uncanny robot elicits culturally-supported defense responses for coping with death’s inevitability. An experiment, which borrows from methods used in terror management research, was performed to test this hypothesis.

[Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators: Fast Breaking Paper in Social Sciences, May 2008]
Measurement of negative attitudes toward robots
Authors: Nomura Tatsuya , Suzuki Tomohiro , Kanda Takayuki , Kato Kensuke
Published: September 2007

A great deal of research has been performed recently on robots that feature functions for communicating with humans in daily life, i.e., communication robots. We consider it important to develop methods to measure humans’ attitudes and emotions that may prevent them from interaction with communication robots, as indices to study short-term and long-term interaction between humans and communication robots. This study is aimed at exploring the influence of negative attitudes toward robots, focusing on applications of communication robots to daily-life services. First, a scale of negative attitudes toward robots consisting of three subordinate scales, “negative attitudes toward situations of interaction with robots,” “negative attitudes toward the social influence of robots,” and “negative attitudes toward emotions in interaction with robots,” was developed based on a data sample comprising of 263 Japanese university students. This scale was administered to 240 Japanese university students to confirm its validity and reliability. In this paper, we report on the results of analyses of these data samples. Moreover, we discuss some future problems including a comparison of attitudes toward robots between nations.
Exploring the influence of task assignment and output modalities on computerized training for autism
Authors: Grynszpan Ouriel , Martin Jean-Claude , Nadel Jacqueline
Published: September 2007

Our exploratory research aims at suggesting design principles for educational software dedicated to people with high functioning autism. In order to explore the efficiency of educational games, we developed an experimental protocol to study the influence of the specific constraints of the learning areas (spatial planning versus dialogue understanding) as well as Human Computer Interface modalities. We designed computer games that were tested with 10 teenagers diagnosed with high functioning autism, during 13 sessions, at the rate of one session per week. Participants’ skills were assessed before and after a training period. A group of 10 typical children matched on academic level also took part in the experiment. A software platform was developed to manage interface modalities and log users’ actions. Moreover, we annotated video recordings of two sessions. Results underline the influence of the task and interface modalities on executive functions.
“I think I know what you mean”
Authors: Krych-Appelbaum Meredyth , Law Julie Banzon , Jones Dayna , Barnacz Allyson , Johnson Amanda , Keenan Julian Paul
Published: September 2007

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to predict and understand the mental state of another. While ToM is theorized to play a role in language, we examined whether such a mentalizing ability plays an important role in establishing shared understanding in conversation. Pairs of participants engaged in a Lego model building task in which a director instructed a builder on how to create duplicate models from a prototype that only the director could see. We manipulated whether the director could see (visible condition) or could not see (hidden condition) the builder’s workspace. As predicted, the Mind in the Eyes test (a measure of ToM) predicted accuracy when the workspace was hidden. A high mentalizing ability was an advantage when instructing, resulting in fewer errors, but may be a disadvantage when following instructions. This research indicates that ToM plays a key role in communicating information effectively in conversation.
Are robots like people?
Authors: Woods Sarah , Dautenhahn Kerstin , Kaouri Christina , Boekhorst René te , Koay Kheng Lee , Walters Michael L.
Published: September 2007

Identifying links between human personality and attributed robot personality is a relatively new area of human–robot interaction. In this paper we report on an exploratory study that investigates human and robot personality traits as part of a human–robot interaction trial. The trials took place in a simulated living-room scenario involving 28 participants and a human-sized robot of mechanical appearance. Participants interacted with the robot in two task scenarios relevant to a ‘robot in the home’ context. It was found that participants’ evaluations of their own personality traits are related to their evaluations of the robot’s personality traits. The statistical analysis of questionnaire data yields several statistically significant results: (a) Participants do not tend to assign their personality traits to match the robots’, (b) For individual personality traits, participants rated themselves as having stronger personality characteristics compared to the robot, (c) Specific significant correlations were found between participants’ and robot personality traits, and (d) Significant group differences for participant gender, age and technological background are highlighted. The results are discussed in light of developing personalized robot companions.
Young Researchers in HRI Workshop 2006
Authors: Burke Jenny , Murphy Robin R. , Kidd Cory
Published: September 2007

The first Young Researchers in Human–Robot Interaction Workshop, held on March 1, 2006 in Salt Lake City, Utah, provides insight into how to facilitate the establishment of the HRI community. Organized in conjunction with the first annual ACM/IEEE Human Robot Interaction Conference, the NSF-sponsored workshop assembled 15 graduate students from 5 different countries in computer science, psychology, engineering, and the arts to build the HRI community. This report highlights recommendations from discussion sessions, a synopsis of the plenary address, and representative examples of the participants’ presentations. Participants emphasized that HRI is a unique field, requiring knowledge in computing, psychology, and communications despite the differences in the courses, methods, and philosophies across disciplines. The following are needed for future growth in HRI: (i) stable, canonical robotics platforms for research purposes, (ii) a multidisciplinary community infrastructure to connect researchers, and (iii) a “Berlitz phrasebook” and collected reference materials for helping understand the “other” disciplines.
Revising strategies in ESL academic writing
Authors: Yasuda Sachiko
Published: September 2007

This article presents a case study that analyzes the revising processes of three Japanese ESL students in academic writing contexts. Much previous research into the revision strategies used by L1 and L2 writers has been conducted in experimental-like settings rather than naturally occurring situations. In contrast, the present study seeks to show what writers are doing during revision in their L2 academic essay writing in naturally occurring situations. The results indicate that the three students had very different revising strategies and very different perceptions of the role that revision played in the entire composing process. The results further demonstrate how ESL students struggle with their academic writing tasks in a new academic discourse community. Implications for ESL writing instructions are discussed from the viewpoint of literacy skills, second language proficiency, and students’ past learning, writing and professional experiences.
Nanjing language survey and the theory of speech community
Authors: Xu Daming
Published: September 2007

One of the central issues in the theory of speech community is whether speech community is a naturally-existing entity or a research construct without any restricted empirical basis. The issue is attacked here by way of a language survey. The survey was on language-choice behavior in public places, conducted in the city of Nanjing in 2002. The survey results show: (a) Nanjing residents’ verbal behavior exhibits a specific order of social convention and the urban population thus makes up an effective body of social communication. (b) The ordered behavior reflects a community-wide evaluative system that governs linguistic heterogeneity. (c) The thinning-out of the regularity among the individuals’ behaviors is typically found both in the spatial and the temporal marginals of the urban population. The study supports the hypothesis that a speech community is a naturally-existing entity. An attitudinal-behavioral and impactal unity is the core of such existence. With the approach taken here, a speech community can be discovered with certain well-defined empirical procedures. The wider significance invoked is that the organizational system of speakers is an important linguistic system alongside the other linguistic systems.
Standard Chinese and the Xining dialect
Authors: Dede Keith
Published: September 2007

Xining, the capital of Qinghai province, is an especially valuable location for observing the spread and influence of Standard Chinese, or Putonghua, for at least two reasons. First, the dialect’s history of contact with non-Sinitic languages, mostly Tibetan and Mongolic languages, created an older linguistic stratum that differs markedly from other Mandarin dialects, indeed with most all Chinese dialects, in clearly identifiable ways, so that comparisons between Standard Chinese and variations within the Xining dialect reflect unambiguous cases of standard cum dialect language contact. Second, the demographic history of the region, including large-scale migrations of Chinese-speaking people from other provinces, created a socio-cultural context in which the promotion of Standard Chinese would likely find fertile ground.

This paper will show that the combination of these two factors has created a situation in which the old Xining dialect is rapidly disappearing. In its place is not Standard Chinese, per se, but an interdialect, a compromise variety stripped of the most obvious dialect features but clearly distinct from Standard Chinese. The differences will be shown to exist in the phonology, lexicon and syntax of the dialect and that the more highly educated members of the community are leading the changes toward the New Xining dialect. While Standard Chinese is shown to have been a powerful force in the creation the New Xining dialect, it has not completely replaced the local dialect.
Acquiring Nonverbal Competence in English Language Contexts
Authors: Damnet Anamai , Borland Helen
Published: September 2007

In the Asia Pacific region acquiring communicative competence in intercultural interactions in English is an increasingly important goal for adult English language learners. One aspect of communicative competence that has been little researched to date is competence in interpreting the nonverbal channels of communication that accompany speakers’ verbal messages. For Thai learners of English the differences between Thai and English native speakers in many features of nonverbal communicative behaviour can lead to misunderstanding and miscommunication. In this study the understanding of English native speakers’ nonverbal communication and attitudes to such communication is investigated with a group (n = 73) of Thai university students. Using experimental classroom-based research the effectiveness of two teaching approaches using American and Australian films have been evaluated. One of these approaches involves explicit teaching about nonverbal communication used by English native speakers, whereas the other approach does not teach about nonverbal communication, but exposes the students to nonverbal codes whilst explicitly teaching the linguistic features of interactions in the chosen films. Results of pre and post teaching intervention assessments support the importance of explicit teaching for Thai background English learners’ enhanced appreciation of the nonverbal communication of English native speakers.
Ritual performance and the politics of identity
Authors: Koster Jan
Published: September 2007

The theory of ritual presented in this article is based on the notion of “territory.” Ritual performance encompasses a set of techniques to affect the identity of participants: away from individuality and by communal demarcation of a symbolic territorial model in space or time. The form of ritual is seen as autonomous, i.e. as relatively independent of meaning. As a set of identity-affecting techniques, the elements of ritual can be integrated into both religious and secular settings. There is a natural tension between individuality, responsibility and the potentially totalitarian implications of ritual discourse. Ritual is claimed to be relatively harmless with respect to the symbolic territories of designated “sacred spaces”, while it is considered dangerous under conditions of “overflow”, when the elements of ritual are brought into public space. The harmful secular religions of the past two centuries are discussed, culminating in a plea for the separation between Ritual and State.
Intertextual networks in the correspondence of Lady Katherine Paston
Authors: Tanskanen Sanna-Kaisa
Published: September 2007

In the dialogue of correspondence, letters both respond to previous letters and anticipate new ones. The intertextuality existing between letters in a chain of correspondence can be made explicit, and it is these manifest intertextual connections that are explored in this paper. More specifically, the study focuses on the use of references to other letters as intertextual links.

The analysis reveals that other letters, previous, future, and even some that were planned but never written, are explicitly present in the majority of the letters passing between Lady Katherine Paston and her fellow correspondents. Some types of references to other letters are constrained by the relationship of the correspondents and the frequency of the correspondence, while others function independently of such factors.
The characterized reader in Hali Meiðhad and the resisting reader of feminist discourse on medieval devotional texts
Authors: Hostetler Margaret
Published: September 2007

What has emerged from much recent feminist analysis of medieval devotional literature is a model of reading based on a theorized resistance by the female reader to the misogyny of the medieval text. Yet this model of reading limits opportunities for positive communication between text and reader. This article offers an analysis of readers characterized in Hali Meiðhad through the use of parenthetical honorifics and direct address to argue that features encoded to entice reader participation or cue certain reader responses are more complex than has been noted and move beyond any unproblematic notion of avoidable misogyny. The description of narrative shifts in this discussion relies on Deictic Shift Theory to illustrate how the author of Hali Meiðhad explicitly shifts his readers from identification with one reader-character to another over the course of the epistle, enabling his readers to position themselves self-consciously in relation to various Christian identities.
Questions in Early Modern English pamphlets
Authors: Claridge Claudia
Published: September 2007

The paper explores the functions and distribution of questions in the Lampeter Corpus of Early Modern English Tracts, a 1.1 million-word corpus of pamphlets written between 1640 and 1740. Pamphlets are a highly interactive medium with a mostly persuasive function. Thus it is not surprising that pamphlet authors exhibit a critical and inquisitive attitude, which shows itself also in the explicit posing of questions. The questions can be sorted according to function into six major groupings: (i) introducing new information, (ii) provoking reader involvement, (iii) marking authorial emphasis, (iv) getting or focusing attention, (v) supporting the argumentation (backed by a number of conducive features), and (vi) exerting control. Of these, argumentation is clearly the dominant function, while reader involvement enhances the persuasive effect. Statistical analysis reveals questions to be more common in pamphlets, in particular highly contentious religious and political tracts, than in most other monologic texts.
The journey of non-standard discourse markers in Quebec French
Authors: Vincent Diane
Published: September 2007

In this study, I look at the history of several non-standard discourse markers in Quebec French. I attempt to explain how certain markers have become specialized so as to take on a conventional role in spoken discourse. Furthermore, my current interest focuses on discourse markers and their relationship with discursive structures.

I will illustrate the organization of discursive “networks” through the presentation of two case studies, the exemplification/opposition network — from the study of par exemple —, and the exemplification/approximation network, from the study of mettons, disons, comme, genre and style.

Data are taken from sociolinguistic corpora of French spoken in Montreal, which total approximately 300 hours of sociolinguistic interviews carried out in 1971, 1984 and 1995 with speakers who are representative of the Montreal francophone sociolinguistic community.
(Re)initiating strategies
Authors: Archer Dawn
Published: September 2007

This paper draws on the trial section of the Sociopragmatic Corpus to explore the interaction of judges and defendants in the English courtroom (1640–1760). I show that defendants tended to be more actively involved in their defence than defendants are today, because of: (i) the absence of legal counsel (although this was changing during our period), and (ii) a perceived need that defendants should demonstrate their own innocence, via their response(s) to evidence given against them. I also reveal that the judges’ role differed from the role adopted by judges today. Rather than presiding over the court, they were actively involved in the trial’s production. Moreover, several of the treason trials within the corpus suggest that their interaction with defendants did not follow a question–answer format. Consequently, I propose that we might need to study more than questions and answers to fully appreciate the dynamics of the historical courtroom.
Bilinguisme ou nouvelle langue ?
Authors: Paladian Michel , Khatchatrian Nelly
Published: September 2007

This article analyses dramatic mutations in a newly developing language, Armenian. It gives evidence of how a new language is born and that it is far from being incoherent.
Knowledge in parliamentary debates
Authors: van Dijk Teun A.
Published: September 2007

Parliamentary debates, like all discourse, presuppose vase amounts of knowledge of their participants. MPs need to know about parliamentary procedures, about parties and other MPs, the political system, current social events, and of course the details of ongoing business and the current context of parliamentary interaction, among many other types of knowledge. Within the framework of a new, multidisciplinary epistemology, this paper first explores the many dimensions of knowledge, both in terms of mental representations as well as socially shared Common Ground. Then it examines how these kinds of discourse influence discourse production and comprehension, in general, and of parliamentary debates in particular. The chapter concludes with an “epistemic” analysis of the speech by Tony Blair held in the British House of Commons on the occasion of the September 11 attacks in the USA.
Comandanta Zapatista Esther at the Mexican Federal Congress
Authors: Carbó Teresa
Published: September 2007

This article addresses a recent instance of transformed communicative behaviour within the Mexican heavily ritualized and tightly controlled parliamentary scene. The Zapatismo, a new (sort of) political actor — of indigenous, armed, rebellious status — managed to be asked, in March, 2001, to the Legislative Power stage, to expound their visions and aims, a propos a project of law on indigenous rights. The strategic impact of their public intervention was considerable, given that the visitors’ discursive (scenic) strategy on the occasion was remarkably proficient. They provided a renewed instance of creative political communication in official scenarios, still managing not to lose the ethnic bases (senses, demands) of the 1994 uprising. Comandanta Esther acted as spokesperson, and her performance is the focus of the present analysis. A multidisciplinary approach is advocated and case-shown. A close reading is applied to the evidence (of mixed character), drawing from discursive, semiotic, visual and anthropological sources. It is an attempt to blend, for best descriptive and interpretive results, various angles of qualitative approaches for the (improved) understanding of a documented instance of political performance. Some ideas concerning the political value of ritualized, symbolic processes, such as the ones mobilized by the Zapatistas, are also briefly explored.
Composing “panacea texts” at the European Parliament
Authors: Loos Eugène
Published: September 2007

The language choice at institutions of the European Union has been investigated in numerous studies examining such aspects as the European language constellation, institutional multilingualism and its possible reforms, linguistic capital and symbolic domination, and European identity related to the EU enlargement. In addition to these, studies researching the (language) practices at a specific EU institution, like the European Parliament, or analyzing EU organizational discursive practices have also been carried out. These studies, however, offer no insight into the way actors in EU institutions deal with multilingualism in their work place while producing texts for these institutions. It is for this reason that I decided to conduct a case study at the European Parliament to examine how advisers belonging to various political groups, despite their different national culture and distinct mother tongues, together succeed in producing what they call “panacea texts”. Finally, a possible new language constellation for the EU is discussed.
“The spoilt children of Europe”
Authors: Kelly-Holmes Helen , O'Regan Veronica
Published: September 2007

Ireland’s rejection of the Nice Treaty in a referendum in June 2001 led to intense media discourse about this “no” vote and speculation about the outcome of the second referendum to ratify the Treaty in October 2002. The German media, traditionally positive in their portrayal of Ireland, were particularly critical, with the Irish electorate being characterised as anti-Eastern enlargement and Ireland recast in the role of “bad” European. This study of German press coverage of the two referenda points to a consensus in the negative representation of Ireland across all strands of media opinions and ideologies. The corpus of texts analysed also highlights the construction of a “them and us” divide between a morally superior in-group (the Germans) and a defective out-group (the Irish). Whilst much of the reporting still takes place within a received map of meaning (Hall et al. 1978), the established reference points are now used to de-legitimise Ireland’s role and to reassert Germany’s position as a “big” country within Europe in order to restore normal power relations.