A corpus-based study of the ADJ-looking adjectivization in English

This article aims to conduct a corpus-based study of the diachronic and synchronic distributions of a special type of participle adjectivization, the ADJ-looking adjectivization. The study based on the Corpus of Historical American English (COHA) finds that this process of adjectivization consists of two phases: (1) The downward rank-shift from the look ADJ construction to the ADJ looking adjectivization is a process of metaphorization; (2) The transcategorization from the ADJ looking adjectivization to the ADJ-looking adjectivization is a process of lexicalization. The study based on the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) finds that ADJ-looking adjectivizations are mode and register sensitive but not discipline sensitive. The modifier use prefers to occur more in hard science texts to increase the complexity of nominal groups and the predicative use prefers to occur more in soft science texts to increase the grammatical intricacy of sentences. The reason for the non-sensitivity across disciplines is that evaluative adjectives tend to occur in neither soft nor hard science texts.

Text-image complementarity and genre in English as foreign language textbooks

Relating visual images to textual messages may have great potential in facilitating students’ reading comprehension. The inevitable and important presence of visuals in textbooks obliges language teachers to exploit all semiotic resources to deepen students’ understanding. However, analysis of how images interact with text in textbooks has been rare, and among the efforts it has generally been found that visuals and text often fail to achieve coherence. This study investigates whether and how text and image complement each other ideationally (i.e., the “what”) by six sense relations (e.g., synonymy and hyponymy) and interpersonally (i.e., reader engagement) by the Mood system in ninth-grade English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks to reach intersemiotic complementarity (IC). The results revealed that ideational rather than interpersonal IC is more frequent, where many more Participants (i.e., the nominal groups) than Processes (i.e., the verbal groups) in the texts find their visual complements. Ideational IC is particularly high in Information Reports while Recounts generally mark higher percentages of interpersonal IC. To accomplish ideational IC, repetition is most frequent, followed by hyponymy (i.e., general-specific relation) and collocation (i.e., relations that naturally co-occur). Distinct IC patterns also characterize the different editions of textbooks investigated, which may suggest their different potentials in catering to students of varying proficiencies.

Implementation of qualia structures provided by relative adjectives and composites in German

The present paper deals with the semantic representation of attributive elements in the nominative group − relative adjectives and composites. The aim of the present study is to analyze the semantic representation of a predominantly noun in an attributive group with reference to Qualia structures, as applied in J. Pustejovsky’s theory of generative lexicon, and their realization through relative adjectives and composites, which are direct explicators of the semantic structure of predominant words (nouns). The study is based on the 150 most frequent relative adjectives identified on the basis of the electronic corpus of the German language. Relative adjectives qualify as Qualia structures and can denote objective constitutive (material and origin), formal (physical parameters, colour, time, place), telic (purpose and function of an object) and agentive (information about the creator, artifact, natural genus and causal chain) properties. The system of relative adjectives demonstrates a wide range of semantic meanings that are expressed in German by other linguistic means, e.g. composites. When describing the possibility of implementing Qualia structures in the noun group, other correlative linguistic units, such as composites, are analyzed. The variation in the use of nouns in composites and relative adjectives formed from them helps to actualize the presence of a feature in a particular situation, to give the nominal groups a terminological character and to make the transition from one qualification group to another.

“I wish it had a place to go”: a nominal group study of barriers to the effectiveness of non-surgical treatments for knee osteoarthritis inclusive of minority populations

Objective To examine patient experience, views, and opinions regarding the ineffectiveness of the current knee osteoarthritis (OA) treatments. Methods Nominal groups were conducted with consecutive clinic patients with knee OA, oversampling African Americans. Patients discussed and rank-ordered their concerns. Results Fourteen nominal groups with 48 knee OA patients were conducted with a mean age of 60.6 years (standard deviation, 9.8) and a knee OA duration of 7.8 years (sd, 5.4); 25% were men, and 54% were African American. The most frequently cited highly ranked concerns for the ineffectiveness of current knee OA treatments were as follows: (1) medication-related—(A) side effects (3 groups; 4% vote), (B) limited efficacy (5 groups; 11% vote), (C) medication not targeting underlying disease (7 groups; 16% vote), (D) lack of personalized medication use (3 groups; 4% vote), (E) temporary benefit (3 groups; 6% vote), and (F) fear of addiction/natural treatment preference (2 groups; 3% vote); (2) exercise/physical therapy-related—(G) exacerbation of joint pain (1 group; 3% vote), (H) difficulty in doing exercises (2 groups; 2% vote), (I) lack of motivation (8 groups; 12% vote), (J) technical challenges/lack of personalized exercise regimens (1 group; 1% vote), and (K) cost (2 groups; 3% vote); and (3) weight loss-related—(L) difficulty in achieving weight loss (4 groups; 6% vote) and (M) motivation (1 group; 1% vote). Conclusions A representative sample of participants with knee OA identified several barriers to the effectiveness of current knee OA treatments. This new knowledge provides insights for making the current treatment options potentially more usable and/or more effective.

Dā'ish vs Tanẓīm Al-Dawlah: BREAK Analysis of The Names of ISIS in Arab Mass Media

This study aims to analyze the meaning of ISIS names in the Arab mass media from the BREAK theory perspective. The research data were taken from two Syrian mass media: Tishrīn and ‘Inab Baladī. The name Dā’ish is used as the primary discourse, while the name Tanẓīm Al-Dawlah is a secondary discourse. The data was collected by observing the basic technique of tapping and the advanced technique of note-taking. Data analysis was carried out using identity method. The findings show that the meaning of primary discourse is structured through the eclectic use of theory on aspects of sound, form, meaning construction, and meaning changes. The analysis found that primary discourse has a negative meaning tendency and is contrary to religion’s moral values (Islam) and state. Meanwhile, the meaning of secondary discourse is carried out by combining the theory of nominal groups, word structures, nominal relations, and stylistics. Secondary discourse has an ambiguous meaning because it represents ISIS as an entity that can be understood in two domains at once: organization and state. The comprehensive analysis of BREAK has shown clear linguistic stages of meaning so the meaning of ISIS names can be clearly understood.

Perception of trainers and students on the measures to be taken to solve the addiction of young people to social networks

Addictions to online social networks is a problem facing technological societies, and those most affected by this phenomenon are young people and teenagers. Among its effects are the decrease in academic performance and the increase in violent behavior. Given these facts, governments around the world are adopting mechanisms for their prevention. The present work describes the results of research focused on investigating the proposals that would be adopted by the members of the educational community to carry out preventive actions against the addiction and abuse of online social networks. The methodological design has been based on the intensive use of the Nominal Groups technique developed by Delbecq and Andrew in 1971 and which facilitates reaching consensus in a structured group process. The results show the high degree of coincidence among the participants stands out, which validates the usefulness of the measures, and that the addiction to social networks perceives it as a direct consequence of the addition to mobile phones and the Internet. Therefore, it seems necessary that prevention plans should have a generalized perspective that encompasses all three technologies

Why collaboration reduces suggestibility: The role of source-monitoring processes and retrieval strategies

Previous research found that collaboration reduces the tendency to yield to misleading questions. Here, the aim was to determine whether this occurs because collaboration induces a conservative change in response criterion or because it promotes more efficient error-checking strategies. To this purpose, we compared the performance of collaborative and nominal triads in the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale. Critically, we recorded conversations during retrieval, allowing us to compute inclusive scores and analyze retrieval strategies. Confirming previous evidence, results showed that collaborative groups yielded less to leading questions; however, the differences between collaborative and nominal groups in yield 1 were canceled when we took into account questions to which at least one participant in the collaborative group gave in but was corrected by collaborators during the discussion (the so-called inclusive scores). This was not the case for yield 2 and total suggestibility scores. Also, the analysis of retrieval strategies indicated that collaborative groups who used process-focused strategies (such as correction and cross-cueing) to a greater extent were less likely to change their responses after receiving the negative feedback and were less suggestible. We conclude that, while the use of error-checking and process-focused strategies played a role in reducing suggestibility in collaborative groups, the administration of negative feedback induced members of collaborative groups to adopt a more conservative response criterion. These results contribute to the understanding of the conditions that maximize the positive effects of collaborative retrieval. They have implications for policymakers and police practitioners, specifying when and how collaboration might be allowed.