scholarly journals Theme and prosody

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerard O’Grady
Keyword(s):  
Meaning Making ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Thematic Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Spoken Discourse ◽  
Prague School ◽  
The 1960S

In a series of extremely influential articles published in the 1960s, Halliday illustrated that what the Prague School labelled as Theme was formed out of two separate but related systems which he labelled Theme and Information (1967a & b). However, as Information is a system grounded in spoken language, this separation has had the unfortunate consequence of prioritising the study of Theme in written language. The Thematic structure of spoken language and especially the interplay of Theme and intonation has been consequently neglected. The prosodic system of Key (Brazil 1997) functions like Theme to ground a message in its local context and signal how it is to be developed. This study, by uniquely examining the interplay between Theme and Key, is able to identify a number of novel meanings, the most significant of which is a focus on the enabling of Interpersonal meanings. By so doing, it illustrates that the full semogenetic meaning making potential of Theme, as an unfolding orientating device in spoken discourse, can only be revealed by examining the prosodic realisation of the Theme choices.

scholarly journals Multimodal meaning making: The annotation of nonverbal elements in multimodal corpus transcription

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-88
Author(s):  
Marie-Louise Brunner ◽  
Stefan Diemer
Keyword(s):  
Meaning Making ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Multimodal Data ◽  
Spoken Discourse ◽  
Annotation System ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Research ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Multimodal Corpus ◽  
Suitable Standard ◽  
Structured Approach

The article discusses how to integrate annotation for nonverbal elements (NVE) from multimodal raw data as part of a standardized corpus transcription. We argue that it is essential to include multimodal elements when investigating conversational data, and that in order to integrate these elements, a structured approach to complex multimodal data is needed. We discuss how to formulate a structured corpus-suitable standard syntax and taxonomy for nonverbal features such as gesture, facial expressions, and physical stance, and how to integrate it in a corpus. Using corpus examples, the article describes the development of a robust annotation system for spoken language in the corpus of Video-mediated English as a Lingua Franca Conversations (ViMELF 2018) and illustrates how the system can be used for the study of spoken discourse. The system takes into account previous research on multimodality, transcribes salient nonverbal features in a concise manner, and uses a standard syntax. While such an approach introduces a degree of subjectivity through the criteria of salience and conciseness, the system also offers considerable advantages: it is versatile and adaptable, flexible enough to work with a wide range of multimodal data, and it allows both quantitative and qualitative research on the pragmatics of interaction.

scholarly journals Multimodal- Stylistic Representation of Comparison in Airtel Nigeria 4G Visual Commercials

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Evangeline Agwa Fomukong Seino
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Survey Research ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Coherent Structure ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Multimodal Text ◽  
Words And Images

In semiotics, a code of communication which is a set of conventions used for meaning making can be spoken language, written language or an image. Modes of communication are used to accomplish a desired effect in daily social interaction. This social interaction can be found in the communication between the advertiser and the consumer, and the writer and the reader. This study analyses some of these modes used in the Airtel Nigeria 4G visual commercials and examines how the advertisers make use of the concept of the composition of elements in a multimodal text which bases on the idea that the advertisers and the viewers are abreast with what information is mutually known and understood. This view is explicitly shown in the composition of elements, words and images, combine aesthetics and persuasion through meaningful elements that form a coherent text of code-specific structures that produce meaning. The study follows the survey research design and the data is analysed following four steps of assigning incidents to frames, elaborating frames, relating themes to frames and interpreting the data as a coherent structure. The study concludes that the advertisers of Airtel Nigeria 4G visual commercials make ample use of metaphors associating 3G with negative frames and 4G with positive frames, drawing inspiration from gargets used daily by their audience. They vividly and successfully create a demarcation between 3G and 4G, persuading consumers to go for the Airtel Nigeria 4G products. 

scholarly journals A Discourse Approach to Spoken and Written Narratives: Pedagogical Implications for EFL Learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (I) ◽  
pp. 42-56
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Written Narratives ◽  
Spoken Discourse ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Pedagogical Implication ◽  
Similarities And Differences

Recent research on the analysis of spoken discourse (Halliday, 1985, McCarthy, 1998) shows that spoken language also has a consistent structure and in many respects, it does have the language patterns as that of written English. Thus, it proves that both spoken and written language have a describable structure. The aim of this study is to explore some discourse features of both spoken and written English and their pedagogical implication. For this purpose, two texts: a spontaneous speech (recorded and transcribed) and then a short-written poem are analyzed at both micro and macro level of discourse. As both texts have narrative content, Labov’s model of narrative analysis is applied to identify their organizing pattern. Similarities and differences in the discourse features of both texts are also examined. Some pedagogical implications of such an analysis are also suggested to language teachers; so that they can improve students’ language competence skills by adopting discourse-based teaching strategies.

On Using Written Language Training Data for Spoken Language Modeling

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Schwartz ◽  
L. Nguyen ◽  
F. Kubala ◽  
G. CHou ◽  
G. Zavaliagkos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spoken Language ◽  
Language Modeling ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Training Data ◽  
Language Training

Sinitic in a Global Perspective

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Francis Kornicki
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
The Common

This chapter focuses on the language rupture in East Asia, that is to say, the loss of the common written language known as literary Chinese or Sinitic. The gradual replacement of the cosmopolitan language Sinitic by the written vernaculars was a process similar in some ways to the replacement of Latin and Sanskrit by the European and South Asian vernaculars, as argued by Sheldon Pollock. However, Sinitic was not a spoken language, so the oral dimension of vernacularization cannot be ignored. Charles Ferguson’s notion of diglossia has been much discussed, but the problem in the context of East Asia is that the only spoken languages were the vernaculars and that Sinitic was capable of being read in any dialect of Chinese as well as in the vernaculars used in neighbouring societies.

scholarly journals The freshness of the fell streams: contextualizing the success of Lapin Kulta Beer in the 1960s

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-180
Author(s):  
Janne Ikäheimo
Keyword(s):  
Marketing Research ◽  
External Factors ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Trade Association ◽  
Brewing Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
European Free Trade Association ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Tensions ◽  
The 1960S

Purpose As Finland became an associate member of the European Free Trade Association in early 1960s, the domestic brewing industry faced a new threat posed by imported beer. It was neutralized effectively with joint and individual efforts of the breweries. This paper aims to analyze the maneuvers taken by Tornion Olut Oy to brand its new product, Lapin Kulta, which ultimately became the most popular beer in Finland. In addition, the contemporary changes in the Finnish society with related social tensions are shown to have contributed to its success significantly. Design/methodology/approach Archival research focusing on primary sources complemented with biographies, historical newspaper and magazine articles as well contemporary research papers with an aim to reconstruct and better understand the historical and social context of the events. Findings The success of the Lapin Kulta beer in 1960s was not only based on the effective marketing, although a well-thought name, the successful participation in international beer “competitions” enhancing the brand and both improved distribution and logistics certainly contributed to it. Instead the success is shown to have depended also on seemingly odd collection of external factors. However, when put together, the success is shown to have been based on brand's capability to address the social tensions present in Finland during 1960s. Originality/value The importance of the context reconstruction in historical marketing research is underlined as developments traditionally attributed solely to product qualities and marketing may equally stem from a multitude of external factors. As a case study, the research represents a fresh take on the subject through a variety of previously neglected sources.

Who tells which story and why? Micro and macro contexts in narrative

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna de Fina
Keyword(s):  
Collective Identity ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Social Power ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Symbolic Capital ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Local Meaning ◽  
The Many

AbstractThis article focuses on the inter-relations between storytelling and micro and macro contexts. It explores how narrative activity is shaped by and shapes in unique ways the local context of interaction in a community of practice, an Italian American card-playing club, but also illustrates how the storytelling events that take place within this local community relate to wider social processes. The analysis centers on a number of topically linked narratives to argue that these texts have a variety of functions linked to the roles and relationships negotiated by individuals within the club and to the construction of a collective identity for the community. However, the narrative activities that occur within the club also articulate aspects of the wider social context. It is argued that, in the case analyzed here, local meaning-making activities connect with macro social processes through the negotiation, within the constraints of local practices, of the position and roles of the ethnic group in the wider social space. In this sense, narrative activity can be seen as one of the many symbolic practices (Bourdieu 2002 [1977]) in which social groups engage to carry out struggles for legitimation and recognition in order to accumulate symbolic capital and greater social power.

Creating the digital citizen: students’ co-construction of meaning for global citizenship during online discussions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Myers
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Construction ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Global Citizenship ◽  
Interaction Analysis ◽  
Discussion Board ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Boards ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThis study examines whether online asynchronous discussion forums support student’s meaning-making about citizenship in a globalizing world. Citizenship is an increasingly contested identity for young people, yet they have few opportunities in traditional civic education to consider their own citizenship. Although online discussions are considered effective spaces for increasing dialogue and critical thinking between diverse students, there has been little research to understand how effective they are for helping students to construct new understandings of citizenship.Design/methodology/approachA content analysis approach was used to analyze and code 89 discussion board posts. The Interaction Analysis Model (IAM) coding scheme was used to describe and analyze the quality of knowledge construction that occurred across the posts focusing on different aspects of global citizenship.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that the discussion boards produced substantive talks about the meaning of citizenship that in some instances reached the level of new knowledge construction. The students considered different meanings for global citizenship and negotiated positions on key issues. However, the highest levels of knowledge construction were rarely reached.Practical implicationsA major implication is the need to organize and cue discussion boards to support knowledge construction in addition to fostering dialogue.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the role that technology can play in supporting students’ knowledge construction about global citizenship that go beyond the scripted meanings conveyed in civics classes.

Corporate governance and firm performance: empirical evidence from Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Farooq ◽  
Amna Noor ◽  
Shoukat Ali
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Firm Size ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governance Index ◽  
Governance Quality

Purpose The purpose of this research is to look into the governance–performance relationship in the context of critical firm characteristics, such as firm size. Design/methodology/approach Based on total assets, sample firms were classified as small or large. The governance index, which is based on 29 governance provisions covering the audit committee, board committee, ownership and compensation structure of the respective firm, measures governance quality among sample firms. A higher governance index indicates a higher level of governance quality and vice versa. Accounting and market value measures are used to determine firm profitability. The authors used the two-stage least square (2SLS) method of estimation of the model to eliminate the simultaneous equation bias. Findings Corporate governance (CG) appears to have a positive impact on accounting return and market indices (Tobin’s Q), but it has little impact on return on equity. In terms of firm size, larger companies profited more from better governance implementation than smaller firms that lacked these principles, thus improving CG. The findings indicate that small businesses should improve their governance mechanisms to reap the benefits of CG in terms of increased profitability. Research limitations/implications There are certain drawbacks to this research. First, the authors omitted qualitative aspects of CG from the CG index, such as the board’s decision-making process, directors’ perceptions of the board’s position and directors’ age and qualifications. Such a qualitative component will improve the governance index in the future while building the governance index. Second, as the current study only looks at the nonfinancial sector, caution should be exercised before applying the findings to the entire population. Practical implications The findings show that companies that follow good governance standards have better accounting and market efficiency than those that do not. As a result, good governance practices can help firms in developing countries improve their performance. Academic researchers, regulators, investors, lenders and practitioners can find the findings useful in establishing a true relationship between firm performance and CG practices in Pakistan. Originality/value The relationship between governance and profitability in the context of firm size is examined in this research. Firms with varying resources and ability to implement CG codes have varying effects on profitability. To the authors’ knowledge, there was a gap in the literature that addressed this topic in the local context.

Pandemic meaning making: messing toward motet

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Beth Schaefer ◽  
Sandra Schamroth Abrams ◽  
Molly Kurpis ◽  
Charlotte Abrams ◽  
Madeline Abrams
Keyword(s):  
Participatory Research ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Musical Form ◽  
Content Type ◽  
At Home

Purpose In this child–parent research study, three adolescents theorize their meaning-making experiences while engaged in exclusive online learning during a three-month stay-at-home mandate. The purpose of this study is to highlight youth-created understandings about their literacy practices during COVID-19 in order to expand possibilities for youth-generated theory. Design/methodology/approach This child–parent research builds upon a critical dialectical pluralist (CDP) methodology, which is a participatory research method that looks to privilege the child as a co-researcher at every stage of the inquiry. In this research study, the adolescents work together to explore what it means to create and learn alone and then with others via virtual platforms. Research team discussions initially were scaffolded by the parent–researchers, and the adolescents developed their analyses individually and together, and their words and insights situate the findings and conclusions. Findings The musical form of a motet provides a metaphor that three adolescents used to theorize their meaning-making experiences during the stay-at-home order. The adolescents determined that time, frustration, and space were overarching themes that captured the essence of working alone, and then together, in messy, orchestrated online ensembles. Originality/value In this youth-centric research paper, three adolescents create understandings of their meaning-making experiences during the stay-at-home order and work together to determine personal and pedagogical implications.

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