scholarly journals Eros, Beauty, and Phon-Aesthetic Judgements of Language Sound. We Like It Flat and Fast, but Not Melodious. Comparing Phonetic and Acoustic Features of 16 European Languages

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vita V. Kogan ◽  
Susanne M. Reiterer

This article concerns sound aesthetic preferences for European foreign languages. We investigated the phonetic-acoustic dimension of the linguistic aesthetic pleasure to describe the “music” found in European languages. The Romance languages, French, Italian, and Spanish, take a lead when people talk about melodious language – the music-like effects in the language (a.k.a., phonetic chill). On the other end of the melodiousness spectrum are German and Arabic that are often considered sounding harsh and un-attractive. Despite the public interest, limited research has been conducted on the topic of phonaesthetics, i.e., the subfield of phonetics that is concerned with the aesthetic properties of speech sounds (Crystal, 2008). Our goal is to fill the existing research gap by identifying the acoustic features that drive the auditory perception of language sound beauty. What is so music-like in the language that makes people say “it is music in my ears”? We had 45 central European participants listening to 16 auditorily presented European languages and rating each language in terms of 22 binary characteristics (e.g., beautiful – ugly and funny – boring) plus indicating their language familiarities, L2 backgrounds, speaker voice liking, demographics, and musicality levels. Findings revealed that all factors in complex interplay explain a certain percentage of variance: familiarity and expertise in foreign languages, speaker voice characteristics, phonetic complexity, musical acoustic properties, and finally musical expertise of the listener. The most important discovery was the trade-off between speech tempo and so-called linguistic melody (pitch variance): the faster the language, the flatter/more atonal it is in terms of the pitch (speech melody), making it highly appealing acoustically (sounding beautiful and sexy), but not so melodious in a “musical” sense.

2010 ◽  
pp. 52-72
Author(s):  
Serena Zacchigna ◽  
Mauro Giacca

Since the early days of gene therapy, both the scientific community and the public have perceived the ethical challenges intrinsic to this discipline. First, the technology exploited by gene therapy is still experimental and burdened by important safety issues. Second, in several instances gene therapy aims at stably modifying the genetic characteristics of individuals. Third, the same modifications could in principle be applied also to embryos, foetuses or germ cells. Finally, while gene therapy applications are generally accepted for therapeutic purposes, the same gene transfer technologies could also be exploited to improve the aesthetic appearance, or the physical and intellectual performance of people. The definition of suitable guidelines for a controlled, ethically accepted translation of gene therapy to the clinics remains a major challenge for the near future.


Author(s):  
Marleen Van Peteghem

Comparison expresses a relation involving two or more entities which are ordered on a scale with respect to a gradable property, called the parameter of comparison. In European languages, it is typically expressed through two constructions, comparatives and superlatives. Comparative constructions generally involve two entities, and indicate whether the compared entity shows a higher, lesser, or equal degree of the parameter with respect to the other entity, which is the standard of comparison. Superlatives set out one entity against a class of entities and indicate that the compared entity shows the highest or lowest degree of the parameter. Hence, comparatives may express either inequality (superiority or inferiority) or equality, whereas superlatives necessarily express superiority or inferiority. In traditional grammar, the terms comparative and superlative are primarily used to refer to the morphology of adjectives and adverbs in languages with synthetic marking (cf. Eng. slow, slower, slowest). However, while Latin has such synthetic marking, modern Romance languages no longer possess productive comparative or superlative suffixes. All Romance languages use analytic markers consisting of dedicated adverbs (e.g., Fr. plus ‘more’, moins ‘less’, aussi ‘as, also’) and determiners (e.g., Sp./It. tanto, Ro. atât ‘so much’). Superlatives are marked with the same markers and are mainly distinguished from comparatives by their association with definiteness. Another difference between comparatives and superlatives lies in the complements they license. Comparatives license a comparative complement, which may be clausal or phrasal, and which identifies the standard of comparison. As for superlatives, they license partitive PPs denoting the comparison set, which may be further specified by other PPs, a relative clause, or an infinitive clause. The Romance languages show many similarities with respect to the morphosyntactic encoding of comparatives and superlatives, but they also display important cross-linguistic differences. These differences may be related to the status of the comparative marker, the encoding of the standard marker, ellipsis phenomena in the comparative clause, and the dependence of the superlative on the definite article.


Author(s):  
Eman Elmahjoubi ◽  
Mufida Yamane

Background. The safe use of medicines largely relies on consumers reading the labeling and packaging carefully and accurately, and being able to comprehend and act on the information presented. We aimed to conduct local study on consumers’ perceptions, attitudes and use of written drug information. Methods. A survey included 200 adults of the public in 13 community pharmacies and one main hospital (the University Hospital) in Tripoli city of Libya, using a structured interview technique. Results. The results showed that 73% of participants read drug labels with variation from always (39.72 %) to rarely (10.95%). About 42.46% of pharmacy customers read the Patients Package Inserts (PPIs) routinely, however; 53.42% of them faced difficulties in understanding the labelling. Foreign languages and small font sizes of written information were the most barriers to participants` comprehensibility (44.69 %, 34%) respectively. The findings indicated that 59 % of the respondents were used to obtain information from pharmacists. Despite the relatively high rate of reading to drug labels among pharmacy customers; more than half of them were unable to interpret information correctly. Conclusion. The study demonstrated the need for the implementation of educational and awareness programs for patients by pharmacists to improve the health literacy of medication labels. Steps must be taken to ensure that medicines in Libyan market are supplied with bilingual and non-technical language labels.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-394
Author(s):  
Emelia Quinn

When we encounter the work of Grinling Gibbons, we find ourselves in the presence of multiple non-human animals. However, it is unclear how one should address these presences. On the one hand, for ecofeminist scholars such as Josephine Donovan, the aestheticization of animal death is to be vehemently resisted and the embodied presence of animals recovered by looking beyond the surface: a mode of looking that Donovan terms ‘attentive love’. On the other hand, a re-reading of the philosophical ideas of Simone Weil, upon which Donovan premises her argument, suggests that attention to others requires a mode of radical detachment. These two positions speak in important ways to the dilemmas faced by a vegan spectator. Drawing on Jason Edwards’s previous work on ‘the vegan viewer’, this article seeks to reconcile a vegan resistance to Gibbons’s depictions of animal death, in their spontaneous falling under human dominion, with the aesthetic pleasure generated by Gibbons’s craftmanship. I therefore propose ‘vegan camp’ as a means of reconciling oneself to insufficiency and complicity in systems of violence without renouncing pleasure. Vegan camp is detailed as an aesthetics that acknowledges the violence of humanity and one’s inescapable place within it, dissolving the subjective idea of the beautiful vegan soul to pay attention to the pervasive presence of an anthropocentrism that, in the case of Gibbons, decoratively adorns the sites at which animals might be eaten, worn, or offered up for sacrifice.


Author(s):  
Barbara Gail Montero

Although great art frequently revers the body, bodily experience itself is traditionally excluded from the aesthetic realm. This tradition, however, is in tension with the experience of expert dancers who find intense aesthetic pleasure in the experience of their own bodily movements. How to resolve this tension is the goal of this chapter. More specifically, in contrast to the traditional view that denigrates the bodily even while elevating the body, I aim to make sense of dancers’ embodied aesthetic experience of their own movements, as well as observers’ embodied aesthetic experience of seeing bodies move.


Muzikologija ◽  
2008 ◽  
pp. 185-202
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Vasic

Serbian music criticism became a subject of professional music critics at the beginning of the twentieth century, after being developed by music amateurs throughout the whole previous century. The Serbian Literary Magazine (1901- 1914, 1920-1941), the forum of the Serbian modernist writers in the early 1900s, had a crucial role in shaping the Serbian music criticism and essayistics of the modern era. The Serbian elite musicians wrote for the SLM and therefore it reflects the most important issues of the early twentieth century Serbian music. The SLM undertook the mission of educating its readers. The music culture of the Serbian public was only recently developed. The public needed an introduction into the most important features of the European music, as well as developing its own taste in music. This paper deals with two aspects of the music criticism in the SLM, in view of its educational role: the problem of virtuosity and the method used by music critics in this magazine. The aesthetic canon of the SLM was marked by decisively negative attitude towards the virtuosity. Mainly concerned by educating the Serbian music public in the spirit of the highest music achievements in Europe, the music writers of the SLM criticized both domestic and foreign performers who favoured virtuosity over the 'essence' of music. Therefore, Niccol? Paganini, Franz Liszt, and even Peter Tchaikowsky with his Violin concerto became the subject of the magazine's criticism. However their attitude towards the interpreters with both musicality and virtuoso technique was always positive. That was evident in the writings on Jan Kubel?k. This educational mission also had its effect on the structure of critique writings in the SLM. In their wish to inform the Serbian public on the European music (which they did very professionally), the critics gave much more information on biographies, bibliographies and style of the European composers, than they valued the interpretation itself. That was by far the weakest aspect of music criticism in the SLM. Although the music criticism in the SLM was professional and analytic one, it often used the literary style and sometimes even profane expressions in describing the artistic value and performance, more than it was necessary for the genre of music criticism. The music critics of the SLM set high aesthetic standards before the Serbian music public, and therefore the virtuosity was rejected by them. At the same time, these highly professional critics did not possess a certain level of introspection that would allow them to abstain from using sometimes empty and unconvincing phrases instead of exact formulations suitable for the professional music criticism. In that respect, music critics in the SLM did not match the standards they themselves set before both the performers and the public in Serbia.


2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-23
Author(s):  
Faisal Nazir

This article analyzes the concept of postcolonial aesthetics as developed and debated by such critics as Bill Ashcroft, Elleke Boehmer and Robert Young. In particular, it critiques Ashcroft’s theorization of the postcolonial aesthetics in his article ‘Towards a Postcolonial Aesthetics’ and recommends an alternative approach to the conceptualization of postcolonial aesthetics with reference to Muhammad Hasan Askari’s essay on Ahmed Ali’s novel Twilight in Delhi. It questions Ashcroft’s emphasis on the hybrid linguistic makeup of the postcolonial text as the source of the particular aesthetic effects of the text and emphasizes the need for differentiating between affection– the writer’s deep sense of engagement with and involvement in the narrative – and affectation – a clever use of native words and expressions by the writer to authenticate his or her cultural identity – in discussing the affective dimension of a postcolonial text. The article argues that the aesthetic impact of the postcolonial text is produced by the intensity of experience and emotional involvement of the postcolonial writer (affection) as opposed to being produced by creative wordplay and mixing of local and foreign languages (affectation). Thus, the article contributes to the ongoing debates about the aesthetic dimension of postcolonial literature.


Author(s):  
José Daniel Santibáñez Vásquez ◽  
Natalie Barragán ◽  
Natalie Barragán ◽  
Christopher Andrade ◽  
Christopher Andrade ◽  
...  

RESUMEN El Llanero Solitario ha sido uno de los personajes más emblemáticos de la cultura estadounidense. Su paso por la radio, televisión, cine y cómics marcó toda una época en la que los vaqueros eran héroes nacionales. Uno de los medios que tuvo mayor aceptación por parte del público fue el de la tira cómica o comic strip, que se publicaba diariamente. Escrita por Cary Bates e ilustrado por Russ Heath, esta tira logró llevar a muchos lectores a acompañar al Llanero Solitario y a Tonto en sus aventuras. Se trata de una obra de gran calidad narrativa y visual, en la que Russ Heath expone su talento como dibujante y su capacidad para ordenar, de manera inteligente, cada elemento gráfico del cómic.PALABRAS CLAVES Arte secuencial, cómic, composición, Llanero Solitario, narrativa, Russ Heath.KAWASPA RURASPA PARLASPA IMASAMI RURANKUNA ATUN KAWACHI SAPALLA LLAGTAPI, KAWACHISPA KAI WATAKUNAPI 1981-1984 CHASALLATA RURASKA SUG RUSSEL HEATHSUGLLAPIKaipi kai runa Cary Bates i Russ Heath Parlame Kawachhikame imasami tukuikunata sumaska kai suti alpapi sapalla, llalischiskakuna rimaspa, kawaspa kawachispa tukuikunata kai rurai suti comic strip, kai iskai runakuna kai kilkapi parlanakumi iman paikuna uillankuna. Munankuna tukuinutata kawachinga kankuna ajai iachakuna. Allilla imapas rurangapa Kilkangapa tukuikunata kawachinkuna sumaglla apachikuna.IMA SUTI RIMAI SIMI:Rukaikuna, kunaurramanda, kawachii, alpapi sapalla, parlu, Russ Heath.ANALYSIS OF THE AESTHETIC AND SEQUENTIAL NARRATIVE IN THE LONE RANGER COMIC STRIP, PUBLISHED BETWEEN 1981 AND 1984 AND ILLUSTRATED BY RUSSEL HEATHABSTRACT The Lone Ranger has been one of the most iconic characters in American culture. Its passage through radio, television, film and comics marked an era in which cowboys were national heroes. One medium that was widely accepted by the public was the daily comic strip. Written by Cary Bates and illustrated by Russ Heath, this strip managed to make readers feel that they were joining the Lone Ranger and Tonto on their adventures. This is a unique work of great narrative and visual quality, in which Russ Heath shows his talent as an illustrator and his ability to sort intelligently each graphic element.KEYWORDS Sequential art, comic, layout, Lone Ranger, narrative, Russ Heath.ANALYSE DE L’ESTHETIQUE ET DE LA NARRATIVE SEQUENTIELLE DANS LE COMIC STRIP THE LONE RANGER, PUBLIE ENTRE 1981 ET 1984, ET ILLUSTRE PAR RUSSEL HEATHRÉSUMÉ The Lone Ranger a été l’un des personnages les plus emblématiques de la culture américaine. Son passage à travers la radio, la télévision, le cinéma et la bande dessinée a marqué une époque où les cow-boys étaient des héros nationaux. Un moyen qui a été largement accepté par le public était la bande dessinée quotidienne. Écrite par Cary Bates et illustrée par Russ Heath, cette bande a réussi à rendre les lecteurs les compagnons du Lone Ranger et Tonto dans leurs aventures. Ceci est une œuvre unique de grande qualité narrative et visuelle, dans laquelle Russ Heath montre son talent de dessinateur et sa capacité à trier intelligemment chaque élément graphique.MOTS-CLEFSArt séquentiel, bande dessinée, mise en page, Lone Ranger, narrative, Russ Heath.ANALISES DA ESTÉTICA E DA NARRATIVA SEQUENCIAL DAS TIRINHAS O CAVALHEIRO SOLITÁRIO, PUBLICADA ENTRE 1981 E 1984, E ILUSTRADA POR RUSSEL HEATH.RESUMO O Cavalheiro Solitário tem sido um dos personagens mais emblemáticos da cultura americana (E.U). Seu passo pela rádio, televisão, cinema e os quadrinhos marcou toda uma época na que os boiadeiros eram heróis nacionais. Um dos meios que teve maior aceitação pelo público foi o das tirinhas ou quadrinhos strip, que se publicava diariamente. Escrita por Cary Bates e ilustrado por Russ Heath, estas tirinhas conseguiu levar a muitos leitores acompanhar ao cavalheiro solitário e a Tonto em suas aventuras. Se trata de uma obra de grande qualidade narrativa e visual, na que Russ Heath expõe o seu talento como desenhista e sua capacidade para ordenar, de maneira inteligente, cada elemento gráfico do Gibi.PALAVRAS CHAVES Arte sequencial, tirinhas, composição, Cavalheiro Solitário, narrativa, Russ Heath. Recibido el 04 de julio de 2015 Aceptado el 22 de enero de 2016


2021 ◽  
Vol 905 (1) ◽  
pp. 012145
Author(s):  
S Budi ◽  
T Widiastuti ◽  
D T Ardianto ◽  
S Mataram

Abstract Batik is one of the artworks of old Javanese society which has continued to exist and develop until the present day. In the 18th century, batik was a special type of clothing worn by the nobility, and there were even prohibitions for using batik clothing with certain types of motifs. Its basic substance is the ornamental images made on the fabric. A piece of cloth can change its position and value only because of a difference in decoration. As a visual aesthetic, batik is the work of Javanese artists, created by abstracting the surrounding natural environment, especially various flora, and fauna. Up to 1912, there were more than 100 names of flowers, leaves, and plants that were abstracted to become classical motifs. In the contemporary era, where batik has become more acceptable as clothing for the public, flora-based motifs are no longer the result of abstraction of particular flowers or plants but are considered more for their ornamental aesthetic. The aesthetic value of contemporary batik motifs is no longer determined by the type of flowers or plants abstracted, but by how they are represented for the beauty of clothing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. e337
Author(s):  
Gerda Hassler

Defined narrowly, evidentiality pertains to the sources of knowledge or evidence whereby the speaker feels entitled to make a factual claim. But evidentiality may also be conceived more broadly as both providing epistemic justification and reflecting speaker’s attitude towards the validity of the communicated information, and hearer’s potential acceptability of the information, derived from the degree of reliability of the source and mode of access to the information. Evidentiality and epistemic modality are subcategories of the same superordinate category, namely a category of epistemicity. Since the first seminal works on evidentiality (Chafe and Nichols 1986), studies have for the most part centred on languages where the grammatical marking of the information source is obligatory (for example Willett 1988; Aikhenvald 2004). Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in the study of the domain of evidentiality in European languages, which rely on strategies along the lexico‐grammatical continuum. Assuming a broad conception of evidentiality and defining it as a functional category, we study linguistic means that fulfil the function of indicating the source of information for the transmitted content of a certain proposition in Romance languages.


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