Ethology: The Narrative Turn

Author(s):  
Dominique Lestel

Distinguishing their work from the causalist approaches of objectivist ethology, sociobiology, or cognitive ethology, a growing number of ethologists lay claim to the possibility of describing what animals do through more or less complex narratives. Narration becomes a methodological tool in its own right. Animals thus become characters as in novels. This is an epistemological choice. Our capacity to perceive the complexity of animal lives is tied to our capacity to tell ourselves stories in which animals are the heroes. These animals are not robots. They are subjects, individuals, and even persons. From this results a new and transpecific form of third-person narration. This approach still relies, however, on a set of very carefully collected field data and requires a great familiarity with observed animals. It then becomes possible to concern oneself with the individual strategies of particular animals rather than solely with behaviors that would be common to all members of a given species. The recourse to narrative as a means of understanding animal intelligence is especially pertinent as we become increasingly aware that animals themselves tell stories and that our concepts of narrative must expand beyond the human. Knowing whether animals have narrative structures is a philosophical question before it is a biological one. The desire to extend narrativity to the animal necessarily modifies what narrativity signifies. We perceive in animals a processual narrativity, a behavioral narrativity, and a fictional narrativity. The study of animals forces to rethink what a fiction is and compels one to consider its phylogensis in a rigorous manner without locating its origins in Homo sapiens.

Author(s):  
Elaine Auyoung

This chapter demonstrates how the organization of narrative information can shape a reader’s impression of what is represented. It focuses on two ways in which concrete objects are arranged in Charles Dickens’s Bleak House: as specific members of general categories and as part of causally connected narrative structures. Dickens relies on these representational strategies to capture a scale of reality no longer suited to the individual human body. In doing so, he also reveals that the realist novel’s conventional commitment to individual experience at the scale of concrete particulars reflects constraints on the comprehension process.


2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110092
Author(s):  
Quentin Marre ◽  
Nathalie Huet ◽  
Elodie Labeye

According to embodied cognition theory, cognitive processes are grounded in sensory, motor and emotional systems. This theory supports the idea that language comprehension and access to memory are based on sensorimotor mental simulations, which does indeed explain experimental results for visual imagery. These results show that word memorization is improved when the individual actively simulates the visual characteristics of the object to be learned. Very few studies, however, have investigated the effectiveness of more embodied mental simulations, that is, simulating both the sensory and motor aspects of the object (i.e., motor imagery) from a first-person perspective. The recall performances of 83 adults were analysed in four different conditions: mental rehearsal, visual imagery, third-person motor imagery, and first-person motor imagery. Results revealed a memory efficiency gradient running from low-embodiment strategies (i.e., involving poor perceptual and/or motor simulation) to high-embodiment strategies (i.e., rich simulation in the sensory and motor systems involved in interactions with the object). However, the benefit of engaging in motor imagery, as opposed to purely visual imagery, was only observed when participants adopted the first-person perspective. Surprisingly, visual and motor imagery vividness seemed to play a negligible role in this effect of the sensorimotor grounding of mental imagery on memory efficiency.


RNA ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. rna.078814.121
Author(s):  
Anna Ender ◽  
Nadine Grafl ◽  
Tim Kolberg ◽  
Sven Findeiss ◽  
Peter F. Stadler ◽  
...  

Removal of the 5' leader region is an essential step in the maturation of tRNA molecules in all domains of life. This reaction is catalyzed by various RNase P activities, ranging from ribonucleoproteins with ribozyme activity to protein-only forms. In Escherichia coli, the efficiency of RNase P mediated cleavage can be controlled by computationally designed riboswitch elements in a ligand-dependent way, where the 5' leader sequence of a tRNA precursor is either sequestered in a hairpin structure or presented as a single-stranded region accessible for maturation. In the presented work, the regulatory potential of such artificial constructs is tested on different forms of eukaryotic RNase P enzymes – two protein-only RNase P enzymes (PRORP1 and PRORP2) from Arabidopsis thaliana and the ribonucleoprotein of Homo sapiens. The PRORP enzymes were analyzed in vitro as well as in vivo in a bacterial RNase P complementation system. We also tested in HEK293T cells whether the riboswitches remain functional with human nuclear RNase P. While the regulatory principle of the synthetic riboswitches applies for all tested RNase P enzymes, the results also show differences in the substrate requirements of the individual enzyme versions. Hence, such designed RNase P riboswitches represent a novel tool to investigate the impact of the structural composition of the 5'-leader on substrate recognition by different types of RNase P enzymes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-53
Author(s):  
Minkhatunnakhriyah Minkhatunnakhriyah ◽  
◽  
Didin Nuruddin Hidayat ◽  
Alek Alek ◽  
◽  
...  

Deixis is a human language phenomenon in which particular expression referential depends on context use (Williams, 2019). By knowing deixis, a speaker knows alternate reference words depending on the interlocutor, places and time conversation takes place. The study investigates deixis and its context used by diplomats and representatives from Indonesia, Silvany Pasaribu of human rights cases of Vanuatu and Papua. This study's data source was the comment speech of an Indonesian diplomat, consisting of three types of deixis based on Levinson's theory. The video was collected from YouTube. Further, to analyse the data through several processes, the researchers firstly collected all deictic expressions found in transcription, classified the deictic word into each category of deixis. The result of this study shows thirty five deixis from comment speech of Indonesian diplomat. There were twenty three personal deixis consisting of a first, second, and third person, seven spatial deixis, and five temporal deixis. Person deixis generally be delivered by person grammatical type, which replaces personal pronoun encode like community, appropriate names, and the individual pronoun compound. Spatial or place deixis based on result which expresses by the speaker on their speech were location. Temporal deixis is used to the pointing of time context speech. Further research is suggested to analyze all kinds of deixis, such as social deixis and its context.


Author(s):  
Emily Blyth

The idea that there are grammatical structures which form accusations and defenses in language has been explored in the context of isolated instances of political debate (Rasiah 2009). This paper goes beyond that, looking at the specific linguistic strategies that compose such a structure, and evaluating those strategies over time. A discourse analysis is used to isolate, contrast and compare argumentative strategies in two different sections from the Canadian Hansard corpus. The first section consists of transcriptions of question period recorded in 2005 while the second is from 2014, allowing for a comparison that explores these trends through time. The strategies found in each section consist of specific linguistic elements which are relevant in the context of grammar structure analysis. Beyond this the individual strategies can also be sorted into larger groups, such as temporal distancing and diverting agentivity, which map the grammar of evasion on a more general scale. These groups expose language trends in political debate, and allow for an analysis of general evasion tactics used in Canadian government. By exploring the implications of said trends, this paper raises the question of political integrity in our Country’s leadership. A presentation of this thesis would explore the specific strategies, however would focus on the general groups, the trends that they expose and their implications.  This information could be found relevant in many academic contexts including sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, politics, and English studies.


Author(s):  
В.Р. Аминева

На материале произведений современной татарской писательницы Р. Габдулхаковой выявляются конститутивные черты жанра парча в современной татарской литературе. Охарактеризованы жанровые разновидности парчи в творчестве Р. Габдулхаковой, которые соответствуют двум направлениям сюжетного движения: от внешнего к внутреннему или от единичного к универсальному и двум типам повествования - от 1-го или от 3-го лица. Художественное завершение в парчах первого типа определяется постижением некой нравственной истины, вытекающей из лично пережитой лирическим субъектом ситуации, в парчах второго типа оно создается переходом от отдельных явлений к их суммирующему итогу. Сделан вывод о том, что внутреннюю меру жанра определяет характер соотношения повествовательной фабулы и обобщающей ее «концовки». Описаны свойственные этому жанру пространственно-временные отношения и принципы организации субъектной сферы. Структурообразующая роль в парчах Р. Габдулхаковой отводится субъективно-лирическому началу в повествовании. В произведениях писательницы проявились как особенности ее творческой индивидуальности, так и типологические черты женской прозы в целом с ее повышенной эмоциональностью, автобиографичностью и проникновенностью. Большинство миниатюр Р. Габдулхаковой написаны от первого лица и представляют сознание женщины, сосредоточенной на переживании своего одиночества и «холода жизни», безответной любви и позднего раскаяния, боли утраты, преследующей каждого человека после ухода матери. Парчи, написанные от третьего лица, раскрывают сознание человека, знающего о существовании объективных закономерностей и пытающегося найти личный выход из безнадежных ситуаций. В творчестве Р. Габдулхаковой парча функционирует как синтетический жанр, вбирающий в себя элементы других жанровых форм. On the material of works of the modern Tatar writer R. Gabdulhakova the constitutive features of the genre of the parcha are revealed. Genre varieties of parcha in the work of R. Gabdulkhakova are characterized, which correspond to two directions of plot movement: from the external to the internal or from the individual to the universal, and two types of narrative-from 1 or 3 persons. Artistic completion in the parcha of the first type is determined by the realization of a certain moral truth arising from the situation personally experienced by the lyrical subject, in the parcha of the second type it is created by the transition from individual phenomena to their summing result. It is concluded that the internal measure of the genre determines the nature of the relationship between the narrative plot and its generalizing "ending". Space-time relations and principles of organization of the subject sphere peculiar to this genre are described. The structure-forming role in the parcha of R. Gabdulkhakova is assigned to the subjective-lyrical beginning in the narrative. The works of the writer manifested both the features of her creative individuality and the typological features of female prose in general with its increased emotionality, autobiography and penetration. Most of R. Gabdulhakova’s miniatures are written in the first person and represent the consciousness of a woman focused on experiencing her loneliness and “cold life”, unrequited love and late repentance, the pain of loss that haunts every person after leaving her mother. Рarcha written in the third person reveal the consciousness of a person who knows about the existence of objective laws and tries to find a personal way out of hopeless situations. Allegorical or symbolic imagery at the same time turns a personal scenario - into a typical, universal human one. In the work of R. Gabdulhakova parcha functions as a synthetic genre, incorporating elements of other genre forms.


First, this chapter introduces an idea that deals with narrative phenomena as the integration between the individual (narrative generation and reception system) and social levels (narrative production and consumption system); this idea is called the “multiple narrative structures model.” This chapter describes the future image of a human-machine symbiosis system that includes narrators and receivers as artificial intelligence. Furthermore, based on the concept of “visible narratives” and “invisible narratives,” the author analyzes the narrative components or elements to consider methods for synthesizing the analyzed elements. This idea of the analysis and synthesis of various narrative elements will be systematized in the “integrated narrative generation system.”


2021 ◽  
pp. 37-42
Author(s):  
Clemens Tesch-Römer ◽  
Hans-Werner Wahl ◽  
Suresh I. S. Rattan ◽  
Liat Ayalon

Individual strategies are necessary for successful ageing. Three of the models discussed in the previous chapter—the pragmatic, hedonic, and eudaimonic models—put particular emphasis on individuals’ striving to reach their desired endpoints: to be fit, autonomous and engaged; to be happy; or to be wise, respectively. Nevertheless, the primary responsibility for successful ageing lies mainly in the hands of the individual, although external factors may be in place to support the individual’s effort to age successfully. At present, ageing research has focused to a large extent on individual strategies and resources for successful to the individual level. The main results from ageing research are discussed in this chapter.


2008 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 482-487
Author(s):  
S. Suresh

Stress is believed to be a state of the mind as well as the body, created by certain biochemical reactions in the human body as well as psychological responses to situations, and is reflected by a sense of anxiety, tension and depression and is caused by such demands by the environmental forces or internal forces that cannot be met by the resources available to the person. The greater the gap between the demands and the resources, the greater is the degree of stress. Some of the individual strategies for coping with stress include: readjustment of life goals, support from family and friends, planning certain events of life in advance and keeping the body in good physiological shape by proper diet, exercise, yoga, meditation and biofeedback. Some of the organizational strategies for coping with stress include organized health maintenance facilities as a part of the organizational life, matching of employees qualifications with job requirements, job enrichment and job work redesigns, equitable performance appraisal and reward systems, participation in organizational decision making and building team spirit in the sense that there should be no interpersonal conflict within the group. All these strategies or a combination thereof should be applied to make the work environment less stressful to a level which is positive and challenging.


HUMANIS ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Sarah Ulina Kariny ◽  
Ni Luh Arjani ◽  
Industri Ginting Suka

Local knowledge of Kampung Tarung community is maintained to preserve the traditional house. Most of the local knowledge is practiced by women because it relates to its domestic role. So the role of women has an impact on the preservation of traditional homes. The formulation of problem in this research include (1) How is the role of Kampung Tarung women in traditional house maintenance? (2) What forms of local knowledge do women have in Kampung Tarung? and (3) How is the impact of local knowledge owned by Kampung Tarung women towards the preservation of traditional house ?. The purpose of this research is to (1) identify and explain the role of Tarung Village women in traditional house maintenance; (2) describes the local knowledge forms owned by the Kampung Tarung women; and (3) disclose and analyze the impact of local knowledge of Kampung Tarung women on the preservation of traditional houses. Descriptive qualitative research methods with participant observation techniques, interviews, literature studies, and analysis of field data findings. The role of women in the maintenance of traditional houses in Kampung Tarung can be described by applying the role theory and the theory of ecofeminism. The role, according to Soekanto, is the dynamic aspect of status, so that if a person exercises his rights and obligations in accordance with his position he can be said to run a role. Meanwhile, ecofeminism as proposed Megawangi, see the individual comprehensively as a being that is bound and interact with the environment. This study also uses the concept of women's roles, local knowledge, and traditional houses. The results of the study show the importance of the role of women in the maintenance of traditional houses related to their daily domestic activities, the role is based on local knowledge possessed by women as the most effective way of maintaining traditional houses. Forms of local knowledge that are presently maintained, can not be separated from female figures and forms of local knowledge are taught to the children so that the next generation retains the kelur of the traditional house of Kampung Tarung.


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