Multimodal lexicography: The representation of meaning in electronic dictionaries

One finding of user studies is that information on meaning tends to be what diction¬ary users want most from their dictionaries. This is consistent with the traditional image of the dictionary as a repository of meanings of words, and this is also borne out in definitions of the item DICTIONARY itself as given in dictionaries. While this popular view has not changed much, the growing role of electronic dictionaries can change the lexicographers' approach to meaning repre¬sentation. Traditionally, paper dictionaries have explained words with words, using either a defi¬nition or an equivalent, and occasionally a line-drawn picture. However, a prominent feature of the electronic medium is its multimodality, and this offers potential for the description of meaning. While it is much easier to include pictorial content, electronic dictionaries can also hold media objects which paper cannot carry, such as audio, animation or video. Publishers are drawn by the attraction of these new options, but are they always functionally useful for the dictionary users? In this article, the existing evidence is examined, and informed guesses are offered where evidence is not yet available.

Aspects of Semantics and Pragmatics of Dialogue. SemDial 2010, 14th Workshop on the Semantics and Pragmatics of Dialogue

The papers collected in this book cover a range of topics in semantics and pragmatics of dialogue. All these papers were presented at SemDial 2010, the 14th Workshop on the Semantics and Pragmatics of Dialogue. This 14th edition in the SemDial series, also known as PozDial, took place in Poznań (Poland) in June 2010, and was organized by the Chair of Logic and Cognitive Science (Institute of Psychology, Adam Mickiewicz University). From over 30 submissions overall, 14 were accepted as full papers for plenary presentation at the workshop, and all are included in this book. In addition, 10 were accepted as posters, and are included here as 2-4 page short papers. Finally, we also include abstracts from our keynote speakers. We hope that the ideas gathered in this book will be a valuable source of up-to-date achievements in the field, and will become a valuable inspiration for new ones. We would like to express our thanks to all those who submitted to and participated in SemDial 2010, especially the invited speakers: Dale Barr (University of Glasgow), Jonathan Ginzburg (King's College London), Jeroen Groenendijk (University of Amsterdam) and Henry Prakken (Utrecht University, The University of Groningen). Last but not least, we would like to thank everybody engaged in the workshop organization -- the chairs, the local organizing committee for their hard work in Poznań, and the programme committee members for their thorough and helpful reviews.

Dialogic Signals In Argumentative Discussions of Advanced Polish Learners Of English

The first part of the paper deals with characteristics of classroom interaction as a type of institutional talk in a conversational analytic perspective. Next, the thesis is discussed concerning developing learners' interactional competence to foster learner discursive independence in argumentative discussions in English as a foreign language. Finally, after a short review of dialogic signals, the article presents a preliminary analysis of selected dialogic signals: evaluating reformulations and piggybacking as the ways of achieving reciprocity in argumentative discussions.

Dialogic Signals In Argumentative Discussions of Advanced Polish Learners Of English

The first part of the paper deals with characteristics of classroom interaction as a type of institutional talk in a conversational analytic perspective. Next, the thesis is discussed concerning developing learners' interactional competence to foster learner discursive independence in argumentative discussions in English as a foreign language. Finally, after a short review of dialogic signals, the article presents a preliminary analysis of selected dialogic signals: evaluating reformulations and piggybacking as the ways of achieving reciprocity in argumentative discussions.

Transformation from natural (thermal contraction) to anthropogenic (resource exploitation) depressions in the Krotoszyn-Koźmin-Raszków area (Polish Lowland)

An exceptional concentration of almost identical depressions exist near the small towns of Krotoszyn, Koźmin and Raszków (southern Wielkopolska). Their origin is, however, different from that of the typical post glacial-relief: they are Man-made enlarged thermal-contraction structures that developed at the very end of the Middle Polish (Warthian) glaciation and during the North Polish (Weichselian) glaciation, most probably under periglacial conditions.

Integrative motivation and global language (English) acquisition in Poland

This study investigated the consistency of a measure of integrative motivation in the prediction of achievement in English as a foreign language in 18 samples of Polish school students. The results are shown to have implications for concerns expressed that integrative motivation might not be appropriate to the acquisition of English because it is a global language and moreover that other factors such as the gender of the student or the environment of the class might also influence its predictability. Results of a hierarchical linear modeling analysis indicated that for the older samples, integrative motivation was a consistent predictor of grades in English, unaffected by either the gender of the student or class environment acting as covariates. Comparable results were obtained for the younger samples except that student gender also contributed to the prediction of grades in English. Examination of the correlations of the elements of the integrative motivation score with English grades demonstrated that the aggregate score is the more consistent correlate from sample to sample than the elements themselves. Such results lead to the hypothesis that integrative motivation is a multi-dimensional construct and different aspects of the motivational complex come into play for each individual. That is, two individuals can hold the same level of integrative motivation and thus attain the same level of achievement but one might be higher in some elements and lower in others than another individual, resulting in consistent correlations of the aggregate but less so for the elements.

Gender-dependent language anxiety in Polish communication apprehensives

This paper analyzes the relationship between communication apprehension and language anxiety from the perspective of gender. As virtually no empirical studies have addressed the explicit influence of gender on language anxiety in communication apprehensives, this paper proposes that females are generally more sensitive to anxiety, as reflected in various spheres of communication. For this reason, language anxiety levels in communication apprehensive females should be higher, unlike those of communication apprehensive males. Comparisons between them were made using a student t test, two-way ANOVA, and post-hoc Tukey test. The results revealed that Polish communication apprehensive secondary grammar school males and females do not differ in their levels of language anxiety, although nonapprehensive males experience significantly lower language anxiety than their female peers. It is argued that the finding can be attributed to developmental patterns, gender socialization processes, classroom practices, and the uniqueness of the FL learning process, which is a stereotypically female domain.

Magnetic orderings and phase separations in the zero-bandwidth limit of the extended Hubbard model with intersite magnetic interactions

This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in Acta Physica Polonica A. The Version of Record is available online at http://przyrbwn.icm.edu.pl/APP/PDF/118/a118z2p31.pdf

Rorty's Elective Affinities. The New Pragmatism and Postmodern Thought

The present book is devoted to "European connections of Richard Rorty's neopragmatism". The theme, chosen carefully and intentionally, is supposed to show the motivation behind the writing of the present work, as well as to show its intended extent. Let us consider briefly the first three parts of the theme, to enlighten a little our intentions. "European" is perhaps the most important description for it was precisely that thread that was most important to me, being the only context seriously taken into account, as I assumed right from the start that I would not be writing about rather more widely unknown to me - and much less fascinating (even to Rorty, the hero of the story) from my own, traditional, Continental philosophical perspective - American analytic philosophy. So accordingly I have almost totally skipped "American" connections (to use the distinction I need here) of Rorty's philosophy, that is to say, firstly, a years-long work within analytic philosophy, secondly struggles with it on its own grounds, and finally attempts to use classical American, mainly Deweyan, pragmatism for his own needs and numerous polemics associated with it - the questions that are far away from my interests and that arise limited interest among reading and writing philosophical audience in Poland, and perhaps also among Continental philosophers. It did not seem possible to me to write a book on Rorty in his American connections for they are insufficiently known to me, demanding knowledge of both post-war American analytic philosophy as well as pragmatism of its father-founders. I could see, setting to work on Richard Rorty, that a book on his American connections (leaving aside the issue that it would not be a philosophical problem but rather, let us say, the one of writing a monograph) written by a Polish philosopher in Poland and then in the USA was not a stimulating intellectual challenge but rather a thankless working task. Besides, having spent much time on Rorty's philosophy, writing extensively about him and translating his works, I already knew that the "Continental" context was extremely important to his neopragmatism, and that thinking about it could be relatively prolific (as opposed to the context potentially given by American philosophy).

Surveillance and data retention in Poland

The object of analysis in the present text is the issue of operational control and data retention in Poland. The analysis of this issue follows from a critical stance taken by NGOs and state institutions on the scope of operational control wielded by the Polish police and special services – it concerns, in particular, the employment of “itemized phone bills and the so-called phone tapping.” Besides the quantitative analysis of operational control and the scope of data retention, the text features the conclusions of the Human Rights Defender referred to the Constitutional Tribunal in 2011. It must be noted that the main problems concerned with the employment of operational control and data retention are caused by: (1) a lack of specification of technical means which can be used by individual services; (2) a lack of specification of what kind of information and evidence is in question; (3) an open catalogue of information and evidence which can be clandestinely acquired in an operational mode. Furthermore, with regard to the access granted to teleinformation data by the Telecommunications Act, attention should be drawn to a wide array of data submitted to particular services. Also, the text draws on the so-called open interviews conducted mainly with former police officers with a view to pointing to some non-formal reasons for “phone tapping” in Poland. This comes in the form of a summary.

Poland’s internal security as exemplified by the tasks and activities of the Internal Security Agency in the period 2007–2015

The text analyses Poland's internal security illustrated with the example of the tasks and activities of one of the Polish special services, the Internal Security Agency (pol. Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego – ABW). Although the Internal Security Agency was established as a counter-intelligence service, the scope of its tasks and activities places it among the criminal intelligence services, which is poorly effective in terms of the eradication of crime targeted at the state's internal security. The analysis of the issues of state security in the context of the ISA's activity has been elaborated in the present text with the following research questions: (1) To what extent does the statutory scope of the ISA's tasks lower the effectiveness of the actions aimed at combating crime threatening state security? (2) To what extent does the structural pathology inside the ISA lower the effectiveness of the actions aimed at combating crime threatening state security? The text features an extensive analysis of three major issues: (1) the ISA's statutory tasks (with particular consideration of de lege lata and de lege ferenda regulations), (2) the dysfunctional character of the ISA's activity in relation to the scope of its statutory tasks, and (3) the structural pathology resulting from the 'politicisation' of the Internal Security Agency.

Made in “Polish village” – modern ethno-design vs. traditional culture of Polish countryside

Tradycyjna polska wieś – kolorowa, wesoła, zintegrowana z naturą i rządząca się swoimi prawami to zbiorowy mit, odległy w czasie. To klasyczny temat wielu poszukiwań etnografi cznych – terenowych, naukowych opracowań i porównań. We współczesnym świecie mamy do czynienia jedynie z wybranymi elementami – tradycjami jeszcze żywymi lub przetworzonymi i dostosowanymi do wymogów współczesnego odbiorcy – turysty, ale także artysty i projektanta. Obecne zainteresowanie polską sztuką ludową i rzemiosłem to kolejna fala mody folkowej. Ten ogólnoeuropejski trend, poszukujący w kulturze egalitarnej natchnienia i inspiracji swój początek bierze w I połowie XIX wieku. W polskiej sztuce dekoracyjnej (wzornictwie przemysłowym) także nastąpił powrót do źródeł, a w ludowości i wiejskości doszukiwano się narodowego ducha, inspiracją dla polskich artystów był angielski Ruch Arts and Craft, a w ich projektach widoczne były echa fi lozofi i Johna Ruskina oraz Williama Morrisa m. in. odrzucających masową produkcję, mającą wg nich zły wpływ na jakość produkowanych przedmiotów, jednocześnie na piedestał wynoszących umiejętności rękodzielnicze i rzemieślnicze. Po okresie PRLu utożsamianym głównie z funkcjonowaniem Cepelii i sprowadzeniem produktów inspirowanych ludowością do roli masowych dekoracji, stanowiących często synonim kiczu, powróciła moda na polskie rękodzieło, tradycyjną sztukę ludową oraz na inspiracje wypływające z obserwowania wiejskiego stylu życia. Współczesne poszukiwania polskich twórców w obszarze tworzących w ramach nurtu zwanego etnodizajnem przebiegają dwutorowo. Z jednej strony to inspiracja tylko przejawami ludowości, jej konkretnymi wytworami, które stanowią głównie dekorację dla współczesnych rozwiązań formalnych i technologicznych. Jednak coraz silniejszy jest drugi nurt,starający się wniknąć głębiej, którego celem jest zrozumienie istoty tradycyjnej kultury ludowej polskiej wsi. To inspiracja wiejskim stylem życia, wraz z jego zaletami i wadami, to wreszcie inspiracja zmieniającym się krajobrazem kulturowym i poszukiwanie nowych rozwiązań, dzięki którym odbiorca zbliży się do natury. Projekty zaliczane do nurtu etnodizajnu cechuje przede wszystkim różnorodność wykorzystanych materiałów (tradycyjnych i nowoczesnych), sposób ich przetworzenia, zachowanie pierwotnej funkcji lub nadanie nowej. Większość tych projektów sytuuje się też w nurcie eko-artu, sztuki nawiązującej do natury, z wykorzystaniem ekologicznych materiałów. Jest więc etnodizajn XXI kontynuacją ideologii stworzonej już w wieku XIX – przeciwstawieniem dla przemysłu, technicyzacji i umasowienia. A dla współczesnego człowieka – miejskiego – może być etnodizajn powrotem do źródeł.

On the political dimension of political science – a few words about political dimension as the final judgment and reasoning

The subject of the text is the issue of the "political", which is defined as the nature and level of the final judgment and ultimate reasoning. The issues of this kind of the "political" has been attempted to distinguish in political sciences. The text focuses on: (1) the scientist as an agent for the final judgment and reasoning, (2) the subject of study of political science, (3) "theoretical strategies" in the science of politics. The latter problem has been discussed mainly on the example of Polish political science. Discussed were among others: (1) "the dilemma of scale", (2) limited operational capacity (methodological and theoretical), (3) aesthetic imagery of political life, (4) structural ignorance in the field of ontology, epistemology and methodology.

The Polish EU presidency in Polish press: Did we actually notice it?

The aim of this paper is to present the findings of a quantitative content analysis of the Polish print media. Sharing the codebook and procedures with an international team, we were able to gain a broad perspective on the media coverage of the first Polish EU presidency. In particular, we focused on: (1) the number of items covering events related to the presidency, (2) the prominence of the topic, (3) genres, (4) main topics, (5) authors of news, (6) authors of opinions, and (7) the way Polish journalists evaluated Poland’s performance during the EU presidency. The findings showed that although Polish print press reported the first Polish EU presidency, the topic’s prominence was not very high. Media organizations rather rarely presented the topic on the front page and they did not change their regular editorial policy. Most of the news items, as well as opinions and comments, were written by staff members. Furthermore, journalists seemed to be more interested in the opinions of national politicians, rather than experts. As a result, the framework of the coverage was predominantly domestic. Journalists working for daily newspapers focused mostly on providing news and their own interpretations of the reported events. On the contrary weekly magazines provided comments and interviews, but again, most of the opinions were expressed by their own journalists and editors.