scholarly journals Forward to the past

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy J. LaPolla

Abstract This paper argues that linguistic typology, and linguistics more generally, got off to a good start in the 19th century with scholars like Wilhelm von Humboldt and Georg von der Gabelentz, where the understanding was that each language manifests a unique world view, and it is important to study and compare those world views. This tradition is still alive, but was sidelined and even denigrated for many years due to the rise of Structuralism, which attempted to study language structures divorced from their linguistic and socio-cultural contexts. The paper reviews the understandings the early scholars had and points out their similarities with cutting edge current views in cognitive linguistics, construction grammar, and interactional linguistics, which had to be rediscovered due to the influence of Structuralism for so many years. It then argues that we should make linguistic typology (and linguistics more generally) more modern, scientific, and empirical by returning to our roots.

Author(s):  
Emiliia Bushueva

The language is a specific type of human activity, «a shape of thought». As a means of communication, it acts as an exponent of the speaker’s spirit and world outlook. The issue of shaping a linguistic world view in students of non-linguistic colleges and, in particular, the problem of the language impact on the way of view of life still requires its solution. The author of the article harks back to the history of foreign linguistic school of thoughts of German linguists Wilhelm von Humboldt (founder of theoretical linguistics) and Johann Leo Weisgerber (who proposed the term «the linguistic world view»), of American ethno-linguists Edward Sepir (author of the comprehensive typological classification of languages of the world) and Benjamin Whorf (author of the theory of linguistic relativity), of an English philosopher John Langsho Ostin, one of the creators of the theory of speech acts. The article mentions some ideas of the Russian world view presented in works of the national linguists, such as A.A. Potebnya, A. Vezhbitskaya, Ye.S. Kubryakova, V.M. Vorobyev. Drawing on many years of experience of teaching the English language in departments of international relations, linguistics and translation studies in St. Petersburg Institute for External Economic Relations, Economics and Law, the author examines the methods of shaping the linguistic world view in students of International Relations and Linguistics. As an example, the author brings forth a scenario of the lecture course in the discipline «Professional Foreign Language (English) in Studying the Topic «National Identity».


Litera ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 114-122
Author(s):  
Aleksandr Mergenovich Seldikov ◽  
Timur Stanislavovich Goryaev ◽  
Badma Erdnievich Dovunov ◽  
Snezhana Valerevna Shonkhorova ◽  
Aleksandr Vladimirovich Katashov

The scientific works of scholars and experts dedicated to conceptology, intercultural communication, and linguistics became the foundation for this research. The author analyzes bibliography, presents various approaches towards conceptology, formulates main conclusions of recent research on the indicated problematic, as well as provides specific examples. Research of the concepts presented in different linguistic worldviews, including Russian linguistic paradigm of the world, is first and foremost substantiated by the importance of intercultural communication in the current context. The relevance of this topic is defined by the significance of studying the dialogue of cultures, language, culture and mentality. The selected topic is of interest to the philosophers, linguists, culturologists and foreign language pedagogues. In anthropological linguistics, cognitive linguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, ethnolinguistics, linguoculturology and other fields, the subject of research is the concept of the dialogue of cultures along with interaction between language, culture and mentality. The development of Russian relations on international arena over the past decade led to active cooperation in the area of education, economy, trade and tourism. Therefore, there is an urgent need for studying communication in the situation of interaction between the representatives of Russian and foreign cultures from the perspective of teaching languages as a means of intercultural communication. The need to study communication is justified by different communication behavior in Russia and other countries in the cultural aspect. Insufficient understanding of the language of communication can result in communication failures and even initiate cross-cultural conflict. In the following paragraphs of this article, the author gives detailed attention to specificity of the concept in the linguistic worldviews.


Author(s):  
Magdalena Zarzyka-Ryszka

The paper describes the past and present distribution of Colchicum autumnale in the vicinity of Cracow, highlights the role of Stanisław Dembosz (who published the first locality of C. autumnale near Igołomia in 1841). Gives information about the occurrence of C. autumnale in Krzeszowice in the 19th century (reported by Bronisław Gustawicz), presents new localities noted in 2012–2014 in meadows in the north-eastern part of the Puszcza Niepołomicka forest and adjacent area (between the Vistula and Raba rivers), and gives a locality found in Cracow in 2005 (no longer extant).


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagmar Divjak ◽  
Natalia Levshina ◽  
Jane Klavan

AbstractSince its conception, Cognitive Linguistics as a theory of language has been enjoying ever increasing success worldwide. With quantitative growth has come qualitative diversification, and within a now heterogeneous field, different – and at times opposing – views on theoretical and methodological matters have emerged. The historical “prototype” of Cognitive Linguistics may be described as predominantly of mentalist persuasion, based on introspection, specialized in analysing language from a synchronic point of view, focused on West-European data (English in particular), and showing limited interest in the social and multimodal aspects of communication. Over the past years, many promising extensions from this prototype have emerged. The contributions selected for the Special Issue take stock of these extensions along the cognitive, social and methodological axes that expand the cognitive linguistic object of inquiry across time, space and modality.


Author(s):  
Marcelo Luiz Carvalho Gonçalves ◽  
Cassius Schnell ◽  
Luciana Sianto ◽  
Francoise Bouchet ◽  
Mathieu Le Bailly ◽  
...  

The identification of parasites in ancient human feces is compromised by differential preservation of identifiable parasite structures. However, protein molecules can survive the damage of the environment. It was possible to detected antigen of Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia duodenalis in historic and prehistoric human fecal remains using two enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) kits with monoclonal antibodies specific for E. histolytica and G. duodenalis, respectively. Specimens of desiccated feces and ancient latrine sediment from the New and the Old World were examined. The ELISA detected E. histolytica antigen in samples from Argentina, USA, France, Belgium, and Switzerland, dated to about 5300 years BP to the 19th Century AD. G. duodenalis antigen was detected in samples from USA, Belgium, and Germany, dated to about 1200 AD, 1600 AD, and 1700 AD. The detection of protozoan antigen using immunoassays is a reliable tool for the study of intestinal parasites in the past.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Feliciano Villar ◽  
Rodrigo Serrat ◽  
Michael W. Pratt

Abstract Research on later-life generativity has promoted a new view of older persons that, far from the traditional images of disability, dependence and frailty, recognises their capacities, and potential to continue growing, while underlining their participation and contributions to families, communities and society. The goal of this study was to carry out a scoping review on later-life generativity, the first one conducted on this topic as far as we know, to show how studies in this area have evolved, which aspects of generativity in later life have been studied, and the methodological and epistemological approaches that are dominant in this area of inquiry. Our scoping review shows that research into generativity in later life has grown steadily over the past 30 years, and particularly during the last decade. However, our results also show how such growing interest has focused on certain methodological approaches, epistemological frameworks and cultural contexts. We identify four critical gaps and leading-edge research questions that should be at the forefront of future research into generativity in later life, gaps that reflect biases in the existing literature identified in the study. These are classified as methodological, developmental, contextual and ‘dark-side’ gaps.


2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-55
Author(s):  
Riikka Korppi-Tommola

Abstract The reception of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and John Cage’s visit to Helsinki in 1964 revealed local, Finnish aesthetic priorities. In the dance critics’ texts, Cunningham’s style seemed to create confusion, for example, with its mixture of styles visà-vis avant-garde music. Music critics, mainly avant-garde and jazz musicians, had high expectations for this theatrical event. In their reviews, comparisons were made between Cunningham’s style and the productions of Anna Halprin. In this paper, I analyse the cultural perspectives of this encounter and utilize the theoretical framework of Thomas Postlewait’s pattern of cultural contexts. Additionally, I follow David M. Levin’s argumentation about changes in aesthetics. Local and foreign conventions become emphasized in this kind of a transnational, intercultural encounter. Time and place are involved in the interpretations of the past as well as later in the processes of forming periods.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill Barton ◽  
Roslyn M Frank

Recent interest in how anthropology and linguistics relates to mathematics has led to recognition that mathematical thinking is a function of language in ways not previously recognised. Ethnomathematics, cognitive linguistics, and anthropology are all pointing to a way of understanding mathematical ideas based on human experience and cultural activities. Formal mathematics can be seen to have developed from metaphors deeply embedded in our languages. This raises the question of relativity in mathematics. Do different languages embody different types of mathematics? This chapter examines some emerging evidence in the grammar and syntax of indigenous languages, i.e. languages structurally very different from the Indo-European linguistic tradition. The educational consequences of the possibility of different mathematical thinking is briefly discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-310
Author(s):  
Marijana Horvat ◽  
Martina Kramarić

In this article, we will present the rich linguistic heritage of the Croatian language and our attempts to ensure its preservation and presentation to the general public by means of the "Retro-digitization and Interpretation of Croatian Grammar Books before Illyrism ‒ RETROGRAM" project. There is a long tradition of grammatical description in the history of the Croatian language. The first grammar book of the Croatian language was written at the beginning of the 17th century and the first grammar book written in Croatian was compiled in the middle of the 17th century. In later years, when literary and linguistic activity were transferred from the Dalmatian area to the northern and eastern part of Croatia, the Latin model for the description of the Croatian language was still present, even though German was also used. There were a large number of grammars written up to the second half of the 19th century, which are considered pre-standard Croatian grammars. They are the subject of research within the project "Pre-standard Croatian Grammars" at the Institute of Croatian Language and Linguistics. This research proposal "Retro-digitization and Interpretation of Croatian Grammar Books before Illyrism" aims to create a model for the retro-digitization of the chosen eight Pre-standard Croatian Grammars (written from the 17th until the 19th century). The retro-digitization of Croatian grammar books implies the transfer of printed media to computer-readable and searchable text. It also includes a multilevel mark-up of transcribed or translated grammar text. The next step of the project is the creation of a Web Portal of Pre-standard Croatian Grammars, on which both the facsimiles and the digitized text of the grammars will be presented. Our aim is to present to the wider and international public the attainments of the Croatian language and linguistics as an important part of Croatian culture in general. Keywords: pre-standard Croatian grammars, history of the Croatian language, retro-digitization, Extensible mark-up language, Text encoding initiative, web portal of pre-standard Croatian grammars


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Felgner ◽  
Dino Kocijancic ◽  
Michael Frahm ◽  
Siegfried Weiss

The rising incidence of cancer cases worldwide generates an urgent need of novel treatment options. Applying bacteria may represent a valuable therapeutic variant that is intensively investigated nowadays. Interestingly, the idea to apply bacteria wittingly or unwittingly dates back to ancient times and was revived in the 19th century mainly by the pioneer William Coley. This review summarizes and compares the results of the past 150 years in bacteria mediated tumor therapy from preclinical to clinical studies. Lessons we have learned from the past provide a solid foundation on which to base future efforts. In this regard, several perspectives are discussed by which bacteria in addition to their intrinsic antitumor effect can be used as vector systems that shuttle therapeutic compounds into the tumor. Strategic solutions like these provide a sound and more apt exploitation of bacteria that may overcome limitations of conventional therapies.


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