scholarly journals Unruly intonation

Linguistica ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-43
Author(s):  
Michael George Ashby ◽  
Patricia Ashby

In this paper we call into question the value of ‘rules’ concerning intonation to the learner of English. Are there predictive rules of sufficient generality and power to make them worth learning explicitly, or would learners’ time be better spent on habit-forming drills of common patterns? Examining a typical test passage for advanced students, we show that in all three systems of tonality, tonicity and tone, known ‘rules’ account only for a proportion of the ‘right’ or expected answers. There are plentiful instances where competent native speakers agree over the selection of a pattern, though no rule seems to guide their choice. We recommend that the utility of ‘rules’ should be evaluated in relation to the frequency of occurrence of the structures to which they apply, in the relevant types of discourse; that more attention be given to idiomatic expressions, and the prosodic patterns associated with particular lexical items; and that learners should be equipped with simple practical heuristics (e.g. for using punctuation as a guide to intonation when reading aloud).

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanya Ivanova ◽  
◽  
Gergana Petkova

Idioms are metaphorical expressions that cannot be translated literally. They are widely used in English because they make everyday speech more interesting and entertaining for native speakers. It is assumed that there are about twenty-five thousand idiomatic expressions in English and one of the most common thematic areas for idioms is colour. Idiomatic expressions are a fun way to enhance the vocabulary and cultural knowledge of learners of English. However, mastering these expressions cause difficulties for students not only because their meaning is not deductible from the meanings of the words comprising it, but also due to the different meaning of colours in the cultures around the world. For instance, purple is usually connected with aristocracy, affluence, and piousness across the globe but in Thailand and Brazil it is the colour of bereavement. In this article we have described an approach to check the acquisition of idiomatic expressions and facilitate their long-term retention by using online practice tests. These tests are designed by the teacher and taken by students on their personal computers or mobile phones at their own convenience. Furthermore, specifically developed criteria for test construction are listed together with typical test questions based on them. Examples of test items are presented to illustrate the process of test creation. Finally, an appendix of a selection of the most widely used idiomatic expressions with colours is compiled.


2020 ◽  
pp. 54-63
Author(s):  
Vanya Ivanova ◽  
Gergana Petkova

Idiomatic expressions, a large number of which refer to animals, are widely used in English since they tend to add color to the language and make everyday speech more interesting and exciting for native speakers. However, these expressions pose difficulties for learners of English as their meaning is not deductible from the meanings of the words comprising it. Furthermore, the meaning may not have any relation to the animals that they feature or there may not be a correspondence of similar expressions in the learners’ mother tongues. Therefore, strategies to facilitate learning are needed and some of them, which can help students remember idioms more easily, are described in this article. Emphasis is placed on online practice tests, which check the acquisition of idiomatic expressions and facilitate their longterm retention. Practice tests are designed by the teacher and done by students on their personal computers or mobile phones at their own convenience. Also, some criteria specifically developed to enhance test construction are listed together with typical test questions based on them. Examples of different tasks are presented to illustrate the process of test creation. Finally, an appendix of some of the most commonly used idiomatic expressions with animals is included.


Author(s):  
Яна Валерьевна Самиулина

В настоящей статье предпринята попытка исследовать отдельные проблемные аспекты института потерпевшего в российском уголовном процессе. В этих целях подвергнуты анализу правовые нормы, регламентирующие его процессуальный статус. Раскрываются отдельные пробелы уголовно-процессуального законодательства в сфере защиты законных прав и интересов потерпевшего. Автор акцентирует внимание на том, что совершенствование уголовно-процессуального законодательства в части расширения правомочий потерпевшего по отстаиванию своих нарушенных преступлением прав следует продолжить. На основании проведенного исследования действующего законодательства в части регламентации прав потерпевшего от преступления предлагается расширить перечень получаемых им копий постановлений, указанных в п. 13 ч. 2 ст. 42 УПК РФ. Автор предлагает включить в перечень указанной законодательной нормы право получения потерпевшим копии постановления об избрании конкретного вида меры пресечения, избранного в отношении подозреваемого (обвиняемого). Для создания действенного механизма защиты интересов потерпевших от преступления юридических лиц предлагаем ч. 9 ст. 42 УПК РФ изложить в следующей редакции: «в случае признания потерпевшим юридического лица его процессуальное право в уголовном процессе осуществляет представляющий его профессиональный адвокат». This article attempts to investigate certain problematic aspects of the institution of the victim in the Russian criminal process. For this purpose, analyzed the individual norms governing his procedural status. Separate gaps of the criminal procedure legislation in the sphere of protection of the legal rights and interests of the victim are disclosed. The author emphasizes that the improvement of the criminal procedure legislation in terms of the extension of the victim’s authority to defend his rights violated by the crime should be continued. On the basis of the study of the current legislation regarding the regulation of the rights of the victim of a crime, it is proposed to expand the list of decisions received by him, referred to in paragraph 13, part 2 of article 42 Code of Criminal Procedure. The author proposes to include in the list of the indicated legislative norm the right to receive the victim a copy of the decision on the selection of a specific type of preventive measure, selected in relation to the suspect (accused). To create an effective mechanism for protecting the interests of legal entities victims of a crime, we offer part 9 of art. 42 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation shall be reworded as follows: «if a legal entity is recognized as a victim, his procedural right in criminal proceedings is exercised by the professional lawyer representing him».


Interpreting ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ena Hodzik ◽  
John N. Williams

We report a study on prediction in shadowing and simultaneous interpreting (SI), both considered as forms of real-time, ‘online’ spoken language processing. The study comprised two experiments, focusing on: (i) shadowing of German head-final sentences by 20 advanced students of German, all native speakers of English; (ii) SI of the same sentences into English head-initial sentences by 22 advanced students of German, again native English speakers, and also by 11 trainee and practising interpreters. Latency times for input and production of the target verbs were measured. Drawing on studies of prediction in English-language reading production, we examined two cues to prediction in both experiments: contextual constraints (semantic cues in the context) and transitional probability (the statistical likelihood of words occurring together in the language concerned). While context affected prediction during both shadowing and SI, transitional probability appeared to favour prediction during shadowing but not during SI. This suggests that the two cues operate on different levels of language processing in SI.


Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Colin Eady

For 30 years, forage ryegrass breeding has known that the germplasm may contain a maternally inherited symbiotic Epichloë endophyte. These endophytes produce a suite of secondary alkaloid compounds, dependent upon strain. Many produce ergot and other alkaloids, which are associated with both insect deterrence and livestock health issues. The levels of alkaloids and other endophyte characteristics are influenced by strain, host germplasm, and environmental conditions. Some strains in the right host germplasm can confer an advantage over biotic and abiotic stressors, thus acting as a maternally inherited desirable ‘trait’. Through seed production, these mutualistic endophytes do not transmit into 100% of the crop seed and are less vigorous than the grass seed itself. This causes stability and longevity issues for seed production and storage should the ‘trait’ be desired in the germplasm. This makes understanding the precise nature of the relationship vitally important to the plant breeder. These Epichloë endophytes cannot be ‘bred’ in the conventional sense, as they are asexual. Instead, the breeder may modulate endophyte characteristics through selection of host germplasm, a sort of breeding by proxy. This article explores, from a forage seed company perspective, the issues that endophyte characteristics and breeding them by proxy have on ryegrass breeding, and outlines the methods used to assess the ‘trait’, and the application of these through the breeding, production, and deployment processes. Finally, this article investigates opportunities for enhancing the utilisation of alkaloid-producing endophytes within pastures, with a focus on balancing alkaloid levels to further enhance pest deterrence and improving livestock outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 49-54
Author(s):  
Yuliia E. Romashova ◽  
Vladimir N. Vilyaninov ◽  
Nikolay V. Belgesov ◽  
Sergey P. Kaleko

This study presents the results of the examination of potential donors of blood and its components for immunoglobulins M and G to patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) living in St. Petersburg. A total of 6782 people aged 1824 years were evaluated, which accounted for 2.07% of the regions population (326 760 people) of this age group. The study was carried out in the spring and autumn of 2020. A negative result (absence of antibodies) was obtained in 93.5% of the participants. The rates of immunoglobulins M and M + G were 0.58% and 4.18%, respectively, in the spring and autumn. Moreover, the number of participants who had immunoglobulins M and G + M in the autumn period was four times higher than the indicators of the spring period, which indicated greater infection activities in the population during this period. This is most likely due to the active movement of the population in the summer. When comparing the rates of COVID-19 infection and the frequency of occurrence in donors of the same age, markers of human immunodeficiency virus 1 and 2 and hepatitis B and C in 2020 (0.024, 0.012 and 0.13%, respectively) indicate the urgency of the problem of donor selection during blood services, especially during a difficult epidemiological situation because of COVID-19. Along with organizational measures for the selection of donors (e.g., attracting individuals from organized groups in which there are no signs of an unfavorable epidemiological situation to donation), mandatory testing of potential donors for immunoglobulins M and G should be considered.


2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (1) ◽  
pp. 4955-4961
Author(s):  
Mathieu Gontier ◽  
Barbara Romeyns

In industry segments such as automotive and industrial equipment the use of compressed porous materials is well known to improve the global acoustic performance of the complete system. Such porous materials should be designed in a specific way in order to reach a significant acoustic sealing performance at different compression rates. Unfortunately, there are no standard measurement procedures nor predefined material characteristics that allow the selection of the right material with the optimal acoustic performance. The main goal of this research is to link acoustic performance of compressed porous materials with intrinsic material characteristics using statistical techniques.


Author(s):  
Andy Dong ◽  
Alice M. Agogino

Abstract In design synthesis, engineering prototypes make an ideal representation medium for preliminary designs. Unlike parametric design wherein a pre-specified design is parametrically varied, design synthesis demands artistic creativity and engineering experience to transform the previously known components, relationships and designs into a new form. The process compels the designer to ascertain which prototypes will, in some sense, best satisfy the design task. The challenge in this assignment lies in selecting the “right” design prototype. This selection process typically entails an objective evaluation of different designs that perform the same functions or have similar intended behavior and comparing trade-offs between alternate designs. This paper introduces a multi-objective spectral optimization algorithm for the selection of design prototypes based upon their functional representations. The optimization algorithm returns an index of rank, scoring the functional similarity of the proposed design to the goal design. Two illustrative examples apply the algorithm to the selection of a heat fin and beam.


2018 ◽  
pp. 7-79
Author(s):  
S.Yu. Vdovichenko ◽  
◽  
T.D. Fakhrutdinova ◽  

The objective: depression of obstetric and perinatal complications at pregnant women with pathological increase of body weight during pregnancy on the basis of studying of clinical-functional, endocrinologic, metabolic, morphological features of condition of fetoplacental complex and development of advanced algorithm of treatment-and-prophylactic actions. Materials and methods. We conducted examination of 264 patients who consisted on the account concerning pregnancy in female consultations of Kiev. By a method of selection of 178 women were included in retrospective research and 86 – in prospective. The main group was made by 39 pregnant women with whom led individual discussions, control – 142 women, that received traditional references in female consultation. Results. Use of the algorithm improved by us allows to improve obstetric (decrease of frequency of a preeclampsia by 12.3%; anomalies of a patrimonial deyalnost for 8.4%) and perinatal outcomes (depression of level of an asphyxia at a delivery for 9.4% and post-natal adaptation for 7.8%) deliveries of women with an excessive increase of body weight during pregnancy. Conclusion. The received results grant the right to recommend the algorithm improved by us for wide use in practical health care. Key words: obstetric and perinatal pathology, pathological increase of body weight, prophylaxis.


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