title: Can nonhumans speak? Languaging and worlds in posthumanist applied linguistics

authors: Demuro, Eugenia

subjects: posthumanism

abstract: This paper mobilises posthumanism as a way to theorise and articulate what language(s)/languagingmay be for nonhuman animals. This is investigated via various concepts brought together: we turn to the on-tological turn in anthropology to expand on what language is, or might be, amongst humans, and then discussUmwelt and languaging as two possible modes of exploring ontologies and biosemiosis among nonhumans. Thedialogue between posthumanism and biosemiosis is so far absent in the field of critical language studies. Theaim, thus, is to contribute to the nascent field of posthumanist applied linguistics by tentatively linking discretefields of enquiry for a productive exchange across disciplines, and to further the discussion of how nonhumanlanguage is (or may be) ontologised

text: Can nonhumans speak? Languaging and worlds in posthumanist applied linguistics This paper mobilises posthumanism as a way to theorise and articulate what language(s)/languagingmay be for nonhuman animals. This is investigated via various concepts brought together: we turn to the on-tological turn in anthropology to expand on what language is, or might be, amongst humans, and then discussUmwelt and languaging as two possible modes of exploring ontologies and biosemiosis among nonhumans. Thedialogue between posthumanism and biosemiosis is so far absent in the field of critical language studies. Theaim, thus, is to contribute to the nascent field of posthumanist applied linguistics by tentatively linking discretefields of enquiry for a productive exchange across disciplines, and to further the discussion of how nonhumanlanguage is (or may be) ontologised

year: 2023-09-01

title: iDCC - Hardware, Software and Marketing of a Usable Digital Command Controller

authors: Chang, Benson

subjects: DCC

abstract: iDCC is the new implement of Digital Command Control (DCC) with a better user interface and a much better user experience compared to the existing DCC controllers on the market. The iDCC project was carried out firstly at 2009 and the proof-of-concept prototype was available at the beginning of this project. The goal of this project is to prepare this prototype for a commercialization through the real-world industry arrangement. This is also a new framework of a Master degree project. The author of this thesis has acted as a project manager and a hardware engineer to work with a 4-member software team and a 2-member marketing team whom all are the students of the University of Waikato. As hardware engineers, the duties were to test the previous prototype and develop a brand new hardware which has more functionality and stability. With the unique scanning technology developed in this project it eliminates the complexity of the model train operation and simplifies the technical format of DCC controllers. The enclosure case also has been designed by the author to meet the market need. The software team developed and tested the firmware to fulfill the concept of iDCC with the author. The market team prepared logos, product names, and advertising materials to achieve the market promotion requirement. The author also acts as the project manager to lead the teams together to achieve the goal. The final product is ready to be released to the market as an entry level DCC controller, and the result of this project also shows that this type of framework is sustainable so that it can be applied in any Master or even Phd level project.

text: iDCC - Hardware, Software and Marketing of a Usable Digital Command Controller iDCC is the new implement of Digital Command Control (DCC) with a better user interface and a much better user experience compared to the existing DCC controllers on the market. The iDCC project was carried out firstly at 2009 and the proof-of-concept prototype was available at the beginning of this project. The goal of this project is to prepare this prototype for a commercialization through the real-world industry arrangement. This is also a new framework of a Master degree project. The author of this thesis has acted as a project manager and a hardware engineer to work with a 4-member software team and a 2-member marketing team whom all are the students of the University of Waikato. As hardware engineers, the duties were to test the previous prototype and develop a brand new hardware which has more functionality and stability. With the unique scanning technology developed in this project it eliminates the complexity of the model train operation and simplifies the technical format of DCC controllers. The enclosure case also has been designed by the author to meet the market need. The software team developed and tested the firmware to fulfill the concept of iDCC with the author. The market team prepared logos, product names, and advertising materials to achieve the market promotion requirement. The author also acts as the project manager to lead the teams together to achieve the goal. The final product is ready to be released to the market as an entry level DCC controller, and the result of this project also shows that this type of framework is sustainable so that it can be applied in any Master or even Phd level project.

year: 2013

title: "Ko au te whenua, ko te whenua ko au:" A Māori housing development process

authors: Fletcher, Marcus Anzac Kewene

subjects: Māori

abstract: Tangata whenua (People of the land/Indigenous people of Aotearoa) are being recognised as emerging property and land developers in Aotearoa New Zealand (hereafter, Aotearoa). Literature and practice demonstrates how Māori are developing housing in different ways than traditional developers, supporting the wellbeing of whānau (families), hapū (sub-tribes) and iwi (tribes), while contributing to addressing the national housing crisis. The distinctiveness of these approaches are important to understand if we want to deepen our knowledge of urban development and the modelling of housing markets in Aotearoa. This thesis aims to reveal, codify and examine Māori decision-making processes relating to how and why we develop housing in Aotearoa and the values and principles that inform these approaches. Utilising Kaupapa Māori Theory and taking an insider/whānaunga (relatives) approach to the research, four whakawhiti kōrero sessions with Waikato whānau and kaimahi (workers) were undertaken to better understand how and why Māori develop housing and the processes and rationalities at play. The thesis has three contributions for academia, environmental planning and the housing sector in Aotearoa: insights into the values and rationalities that influence Māori urban development; the introduction of a Māori housing development framework; and insights into how the framework may be utilised to contribute towards more accurate and sophisticated agent-based modelling (ABM) or urban growth modelling.  

The findings and discussion identified six prominent values that Māori utilise to develop housing: kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, orangatanga, whānaungatanga, ūkaipōtanga and rangatiratanga. Being rooted in Māori knowledge and epistemology essentially demands differing rationalities for when Māori undertake housing development, which are placed within an overarching framework. The framework represents a new tool to disrupt the current understanding of ‘developers’ as a single entity with a defined pathway that influences all development behaviour. Moreover, it demonstrates how whānau, hapū and iwi draw on the established learning and guidance of our tūpuna (ancestors) and the strides taken to reclaim tino rangatiratanga (self-determination). The thesis argues that academics, environmental practitioners and the housing sector should re-examine their understanding of developers in Aotearoa to become more pluralistic, which may present new challenges and opportunities for ABM and urban growth modelling. This framework argues some aspects may have potential to be incorporated into these technical analyses, while other aspects should be considered in the context of Māori and Indigenous Data Sovereignty to protect the contributions and mana of the participants within this thesis, or resist the ability to be captured altogether.

text: "Ko au te whenua, ko te whenua ko au:" A Māori housing development process Tangata whenua (People of the land/Indigenous people of Aotearoa) are being recognised as emerging property and land developers in Aotearoa New Zealand (hereafter, Aotearoa). Literature and practice demonstrates how Māori are developing housing in different ways than traditional developers, supporting the wellbeing of whānau (families), hapū (sub-tribes) and iwi (tribes), while contributing to addressing the national housing crisis. The distinctiveness of these approaches are important to understand if we want to deepen our knowledge of urban development and the modelling of housing markets in Aotearoa. This thesis aims to reveal, codify and examine Māori decision-making processes relating to how and why we develop housing in Aotearoa and the values and principles that inform these approaches. Utilising Kaupapa Māori Theory and taking an insider/whānaunga (relatives) approach to the research, four whakawhiti kōrero sessions with Waikato whānau and kaimahi (workers) were undertaken to better understand how and why Māori develop housing and the processes and rationalities at play. The thesis has three contributions for academia, environmental planning and the housing sector in Aotearoa: insights into the values and rationalities that influence Māori urban development; the introduction of a Māori housing development framework; and insights into how the framework may be utilised to contribute towards more accurate and sophisticated agent-based modelling (ABM) or urban growth modelling.  

The findings and discussion identified six prominent values that Māori utilise to develop housing: kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, orangatanga, whānaungatanga, ūkaipōtanga and rangatiratanga. Being rooted in Māori knowledge and epistemology essentially demands differing rationalities for when Māori undertake housing development, which are placed within an overarching framework. The framework represents a new tool to disrupt the current understanding of ‘developers’ as a single entity with a defined pathway that influences all development behaviour. Moreover, it demonstrates how whānau, hapū and iwi draw on the established learning and guidance of our tūpuna (ancestors) and the strides taken to reclaim tino rangatiratanga (self-determination). The thesis argues that academics, environmental practitioners and the housing sector should re-examine their understanding of developers in Aotearoa to become more pluralistic, which may present new challenges and opportunities for ABM and urban growth modelling. This framework argues some aspects may have potential to be incorporated into these technical analyses, while other aspects should be considered in the context of Māori and Indigenous Data Sovereignty to protect the contributions and mana of the participants within this thesis, or resist the ability to be captured altogether.

year: 2025