Social capital and health : variations, associations and challenges

Although social capital and health have been extensively studied during the last decade, there are still open issues in current empirical research. These concern for instance the measurement of the concept in different contexts, as well as the association between different types of social capital and different dimensions of health. The present thesis addressed these questions. The general aim was to promote the understanding of social capital and health by investigating the oldest old and the two major language groups in Finland, Swedish- and Finnish-speakers. Another aim was to contribute to the discussion on methodological issues in social capital and health research. The present thesis investigated two empirical data sets, Umeå 85+ and Health 2000. The Umeå 85+ study was a cross-sectional study of 163 individuals aged 85, 90, and 95 or older, living in the municipality of Umeå, Sweden, in the year of 2000. The Health 2000 survey was a national study of 8,028 persons aged 30 or above carried out in Finland in 2000-2001. Different indicators of structural (e.g. social contacts) and cognitive (e.g. trust) social capital, as well as health indicators were used as variables in the analyses. The Umeå 85+ data set was analyzed with factor analysis, as well as univariate and multivariate analysis of variance. The Health 2000 data was analyzed with logistic regression techniques. The results showed that the Swedish-speakers in the Finnish data set Health 2000 had consistently higher prevalence of social capital compared to the Finnish-speakers even after controlling for central sociodemographic variables. The results further showed that even if the language group differences in health were small, the Swedishspeakers experienced in general better self-reported health compared with the Finnish-speakers. Common sociodemographic variables could not explain these observed differences in health. The results imply that social capital is often, but not always, associated with health. This was clearly seen in the Umeå 85+ data set where only one health indicator (depressive symptoms) was associated with structural social capital among the oldest old. The results based on the analysis of the Health 2000 survey demonstrated that the cognitive component of social capital was associated with self-rated health and psychological health rather than with participation in social activities and social contacts. In addition, social capital statistically reduced the health advantage especially for Swedish-speaking men, indicating that high prevalence of social capital may promote health. Finally, the present thesis also discussed the issue of methodological challenges faced with when analyzing social capital and health. It was suggested that certain components of social capital such as bonding and bridging social capital may be more relevant than structural and cognitive components when investigating social capital among the two language groups in Finland. The results concerning the oldest old indicated that the structural aspects of social capital probably reflect current living conditions, whereas cognitive social capital reflects attitudes and traits often acquired decades earlier. This is interpreted as an indication of the fact that structural and cognitive social capital are closely related yet empirically two distinctive concepts. Taken together, some components of social capital may be more relevant to study than others depending on which population group and age group is under study. The results also implied that the choice of cut-off point of dichotomization of selfrated health has an impact on the estimated effects of the explanatory variables. When the whole age interval, 35-64 years, was analyzed with logistic regression techniques the choice of cut-off point did not matter for the estimated effects of marital status and educational level. The results changed, however, when the age interval was divided into three shorter intervals. If self-rated health is explored using wide age intervals that do not account for age-dependent covariates there is a risk of drawing misleading conclusions. In conclusion, the results presented in the thesis suggest that the uneven distribution of social capital observed between the two language groups in Finland are of importance when trying to further understand health inequalities that exist between Swedish- and Finnish-speakers in Finland. Although social capital seemed to be relevant to the understanding of health among the oldest old, the meaning of social capital is probably different compared to a less vulnerable age group. This should be noticed in future empirical research. In the present thesis, it was shown that the relationship between social capital and health is complex and multidimensional. Different aspects of social capital seem to be important for different aspects of health. This reduces the possibility to generalize the results and to recommend general policy implementations in this area. An increased methodological awareness regarding social capital as well as health are called for in order to further understand the cfomplex association between them. However, based on the present data and findings social capital is associated with health. To understand individual health one must also consider social aspects of the individuals’ environment such as social capital.

Towards an Integrative Information Society: Studies on Individuality in Speech and Sign

The flow of information within modern information society has increased rapidly over the last decade. The major part of this information flow relies on the individual’s abilities to handle text or speech input. For the majority of us it presents no problems, but there are some individuals who would benefit from other means of conveying information, e.g. signed information flow. During the last decades the new results from various disciplines have all suggested towards the common background and processing for sign and speech and this was one of the key issues that I wanted to investigate further in this thesis. The basis of this thesis is firmly within speech research and that is why I wanted to design analogous test batteries for widely used speech perception tests for signers – to find out whether the results for signers would be the same as in speakers’ perception tests. One of the key findings within biology – and more precisely its effects on speech and communication research – is the mirror neuron system. That finding has enabled us to form new theories about evolution of communication, and it all seems to converge on the hypothesis that all communication has a common core within humans. In this thesis speech and sign are discussed as equal and analogical counterparts of communication and all research methods used in speech are modified for sign. Both speech and sign are thus investigated using similar test batteries. Furthermore, both production and perception of speech and sign are studied separately. An additional framework for studying production is given by gesture research using cry sounds. Results of cry sound research are then compared to results from children acquiring sign language. These results show that individuality manifests itself from very early on in human development. Articulation in adults, both in speech and sign, is studied from two perspectives: normal production and re-learning production when the apparatus has been changed. Normal production is studied both in speech and sign and the effects of changed articulation are studied with regards to speech. Both these studies are done by using carrier sentences. Furthermore, sign production is studied giving the informants possibility for spontaneous speech. The production data from the signing informants is also used as the basis for input in the sign synthesis stimuli used in sign perception test battery. Speech and sign perception were studied using the informants’ answers to questions using forced choice in identification and discrimination tasks. These answers were then compared across language modalities. Three different informant groups participated in the sign perception tests: native signers, sign language interpreters and Finnish adults with no knowledge of any signed language. This gave a chance to investigate which of the characteristics found in the results were due to the language per se and which were due to the changes in modality itself. As the analogous test batteries yielded similar results over different informant groups, some common threads of results could be observed. Starting from very early on in acquiring speech and sign the results were highly individual. However, the results were the same within one individual when the same test was repeated. This individuality of results represented along same patterns across different language modalities and - in some occasions - across language groups. As both modalities yield similar answers to analogous study questions, this has lead us to providing methods for basic input for sign language applications, i.e. signing avatars. This has also given us answers to questions on precision of the animation and intelligibility for the users – what are the parameters that govern intelligibility of synthesised speech or sign and how precise must the animation or synthetic speech be in order for it to be intelligible. The results also give additional support to the well-known fact that intelligibility in fact is not the same as naturalness. In some cases, as shown within the sign perception test battery design, naturalness decreases intelligibility. This also has to be taken into consideration when designing applications. All in all, results from each of the test batteries, be they for signers or speakers, yield strikingly similar patterns, which would indicate yet further support for the common core for all human communication. Thus, we can modify and deepen the phonetic framework models for human communication based on the knowledge obtained from the results of the test batteries within this thesis.

Sitouttamisretoriikka yritysviestinnässä

This study focuses on work commitment creation on rhetorical level, that is to say, the rhetorical and linguistic means that are used to construct or elicit worker commitment. The commitment of the worker is one of the most important objectives of all business communication. There is a strong demand for commitment, identification, or adherence to work in various walks of life, although the actual circumstances are often somewhat insecure and shortsighted. The analysis demonstrates that the actual object of commitment may vary from work itself or work organization to one’s career or professional development. The ideal pattern for commitment appears as comprehensive: it contains affective and rational as well as ideological dimensions. This thesis is a rhetorical discourse analysis, or rhetorical analysis with discourse-analytic influences. Primarily it is a rhetorical analysis in which discourses are observed mainly as tools of a rhetorician. The study also draws on various findings of sociology of work and organizational studies. Research material consists of magazines from three and web pages from six different companies. This study explores repeated discourses in commitment rhetoric, mainly through pointing core concepts and recurrent patterns of argumentation. In this analysis section, a semantic and concept-analytic approach is also employed. Companies talk about ideas, values, feelings and attitudes thus constructing a united and unanimous group and an ideal model of commitment. Probably the most important domain of commitment rhetoric is the construction of group and community. Collective identity is constructed through shared meanings, values and goals, and these rhetorical group constructs that can be used and modified in various ways. Every now and then business communication also focuses on the individual, employing different speakers, positions and discourses associated to them. Constructing and using these positions also paints the picture of an ideal worker and ideal work orientation. For example, the so called entrepreneurship model is frequently used here. Commitment talk and the rhetorical situation it constructs are full of tensions and contradictions; the presence of seemingly contradictory values, goals or identities is constant. This study demonstrates tensions like self-fulfilment and individuality versus conformity, and constant change and development versus dependable establishment, and analyses how they are used, processed and dealt with. An important dimension in commitment rhetoric is the way companies define themselves in respect of current social issues, and how they define themselves as responsible social actors, and how they, in this sense, seek to appear as attractive workplaces. This point of view gives rise to problematic questions as companies process the tensions between, for example, rhetoric and action, ethical ideals and business conditions and so on. For its part, the commitment talk also defines the meaning of waged work in human life. Changing society, changing working life, and changing business environments set new claims and standards for workers and contents of work. In this point of view this research contributes to the study of working life and takes part in current public discussion concerning the meaning, role and future of waged work.

Pohjoiset maisemat : "Eurooppalaisen maisemayleissopimuksen toteuttaminen Pohjois-Kalotin kunnissa" - Konferenssi Inarissa 7.-9.9.2011

Kansainvälinen Eurooppalaisen maisemayleissopimuksen tavoitteiden saavuttamista edistävä konferenssi järjestettiin Inarissa 7.-9.9.2011. Konferenssissa käsiteltiin maisemasopimuksen tavoitteita, tarpeita ja mahdollisuuksia Pohjois-Kalotin alueella. Tähän raporttiin on koottu konferenssissa esiintyneiden asiantuntijoiden laatimat artikkelit aiheesta. Raportin toivotaan helpottavan alueiden käytön suunnittelijoita käytännön työssään ja rohkaisevan kuntia toteuttamaan tulevaisuuden suunnittelua Eurooppalaisen maisemayleissopimuksen tavoitteiden mukaisesti. Raportti on saatavissa viidellä eri kielellä: suomeksi, ruotsiksi, norjaksi, pohjoissaameksi ja englanniksi. Pohjois-Kalotin aluetta yhdistää yhteinen tunnusomainen maisema. Saamelaiskulttuurin sekä poronhoidon muovaamat tunturimaisemat ja upeat jokivarsimaisemat heijastuvat ympäristössä laaja-alaisesti. Alueen maisemalle haasteita tuovat sen moninaiset maankäyttömuodot ja elinkeinot, kuten matkailu, kaivosteollisuus ja energiantuotanto. Arvokkaiden maisemapiirteiden säilyttäminen vaatii erityistä tuntemusta ja tietämystä alueen kunnissa. Maisemansuojelua ja -hoitoa toteutetaan alueiden- ja maankäytön suunnittelun kautta, pääasiallisesti kaavoituksella ja maisemanhoitosuunnitelmilla. Pohjois-Kalotin alueen kunnissa on erilaiset osin toisistaan poikkeavat toimintatavat ja käytännöt maisemanhoidossa. Kuitenkin alueen asukkailla on yhtäläisiä intressejä elinympäristönsä suojeluun ja säilyttämiseen. Maisema nähdään vetovoimatekijänä, jota ei haluta menettää. Lisääntyvät maankäyttötarpeet kunnissa luovat tarpeen entistä moniulotteisemmalle suunnittelulle. Paikallisten tahojen osallistaminen suunnitteluprosesseihin aikaisessa vaiheessa ja monimuotoinen vuorovaikutus, niin toimijoiden, kansalaisten kuin viranomaisten välillä vähentää konfliktien muodostumista. Tutkimustiedon tehokkaampi hyödyntäminen ja valtiorajat ylittävä yhteistyö helpottaa päätöksentekoa ja luo yhteisiä linjoja maisemansuojelutyöhön. Yhteiset kokemukset, käytännöt ja tietotaidon jakaminen sekä laajemman maisemakokonaisuuden hahmottaminen parantaa eurooppalaisen maisemayleissopimuksen tavoitteiden toteutumista. Työn jatkuvuuden varmistamiseksi Pohjois-Kalotin alueelle suunnitellaan perustettavaksi maisemayhteistyöryhmä, jonka tehtävä on maisemapolitiikan kehittäminen ja eteenpäin vieminen.

Northern Landscapes : ʻʻImplementation of the European Landscape Convention In the North Calotte Area Municipalitiesʼʼ - Conference in Inari, Finland 7-9.9.2011

The conference promoting the objectives of the international European Landscape Convention (ELC) was held on 7-9 September 2011 in Inari. The primary aim of the conference was to increase awareness of the ELC and the prospects and requirements it brings to practical planning work, especially at the municipal level. The conference speakers included top experts from Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Holland and Catalonia. This report is a collection of articles written by the experts in the ELC conference. The report is available in five languages: Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Northern Sámi and English. The common characteristics of the North Calotte area, such as the magnificent riverside scenery and the beautiful fell landscapes formed by the Sámi culture and reindeer management are broadly reflected in the environment. Alongside the traditional forms of land use, many other livelihoods and forms of land use now need to be accommodated in the area. Tourism, energy production, mining industry and new infrastructure create new and manifold challenges to the authorities in charge of land use in these areas. Municipalities need information and support for versatile planning in the future, so that the unique and valuable characteristics of the North can be preserved. Landscape protection and management in the landscape areas is executed through areal and land use planning, mainly through town planning and the creation of landscape management plans. The municipalities in the North Calotte region have their own partly divergent methods and practices, based on the various land use processes are executed. The municipalities and inhabitants have a great interest in preserving and protecting their living environment and maintaining and increasing the appeal of the area. Landscape is viewed as one of the most significant appealing factors that cannot be lost. The increasing land use in municipalities, for example due to energy production, mining industry and increasing tourism, create a need for more multidimensional planning. The reconciliation of the wishes of different interest groups, and traditional and new livelihoods will not be easy. Conflict is inevitable. This will lead to a greater need to engage local bodies to the planning processes right from the start of the projects. Close cooperation between different administrative branches, operators, local bodies and landscape research promote the objectives of the convention. To ensure that the work continues, a landscape co-operation group is planned to be established in the North Calotte area. It´s main task is to promote and develop landscape policy in the area.

Landskapet i nord : ”Gjennomføring av Den europeiska Landskapskonvensjonen i kommunene på Nord-Kalotten” – Konferansen 7.-9. 9.2011, Enare, Finland

Kansainvälinen Eurooppalaisen maisemayleissopimuksen tavoitteiden saavuttamista edistävä konferenssi järjestettiin Inarissa 7.-9.9.2011. Konferenssissa käsiteltiin maisemasopimuksen tavoitteita, tarpeita ja mahdollisuuksia Pohjois-Kalotin alueella. Tähän raporttiin on koottu konferenssissa esiintyneiden asiantuntijoiden laatimat artikkelit aiheesta. Raportin toivotaan helpottavan alueiden käytön suunnittelijoita käytännön työssään ja rohkaisevan kuntia toteuttamaan tulevaisuuden suunnittelua Eurooppalaisen maisemayleissopimuksen tavoitteiden mukaisesti. Raportti on saatavissa viidellä eri kielellä: suomeksi, ruotsiksi, norjaksi, pohjoissaameksi ja englanniksi. Pohjois-Kalotin aluetta yhdistää yhteinen tunnusomainen maisema. Saamelaiskulttuurin sekä poronhoidon muovaamat tunturimaisemat ja upeat jokivarsimaisemat heijastuvat ympäristössä laaja-alaisesti. Alueen maisemalle haasteita tuovat sen moninaiset maankäyttömuodot ja elinkeinot, kuten matkailu, kaivosteollisuus ja energiantuotanto. Arvokkaiden maisemapiirteiden säilyttäminen vaatii erityistä tuntemusta ja tietämystä alueen kunnissa. Maisemansuojelua ja -hoitoa toteutetaan alueiden- ja maankäytön suunnittelun kautta, pääasiallisesti kaavoituksella ja maisemanhoitosuunnitelmilla. Pohjois-Kalotin alueen kunnissa on erilaiset osin toisistaan poikkeavat toimintatavat ja käytännöt maisemanhoidossa. Kuitenkin alueen asukkailla on yhtäläisiä intressejä elinympäristönsä suojeluun ja säilyttämiseen. Maisema nähdään vetovoimatekijänä, jota ei haluta menettää. Lisääntyvät maankäyttötarpeet kunnissa luovat tarpeen entistä moniulotteisemmalle suunnittelulle. Paikallisten tahojen osallistaminen suunnitteluprosesseihin aikaisessa vaiheessa ja monimuotoinen vuorovaikutus, niin toimijoiden, kansalaisten kuin viranomaisten välillä vähentää konfliktien muodostumista. Tutkimustiedon tehokkaampi hyödyntäminen ja valtiorajat ylittävä yhteistyö helpottaa päätöksentekoa ja luo yhteisiä linjoja maisemansuojelutyöhön. Yhteiset kokemukset, käytännöt ja tietotaidon jakaminen sekä laajemman maisemakokonaisuuden hahmottaminen parantaa eurooppalaisen maisemayleissopimuksen tavoitteiden toteutumista. Työn jatkuvuuden varmistamiseksi Pohjois-Kalotin alueelle suunnitellaan perustettavaksi maisemayhteistyöryhmä, jonka tehtävä on maisemapolitiikan kehittäminen ja eteenpäin vieminen.

Davviduovdagat : ”Eurohpálaš duovddaoktasašsoahpamuša ollašuhttin Davvikalohta gielddain” Konfereansa čakčamánu 7.-9. beaivve 2011, Anár, Suopma

Kansainvälinen Eurooppalaisen maisemayleissopimuksen tavoitteiden saavuttamista edistävä konferenssi järjestettiin Inarissa 7.-9.9.2011. Konferenssissa käsiteltiin maisemasopimuksen tavoitteita, tarpeita ja mahdollisuuksia Pohjois-Kalotin alueella. Tähän raporttiin on koottu konferenssissa esiintyneiden asiantuntijoiden laatimat artikkelit aiheesta. Raportin toivotaan helpottavan alueiden käytön suunnittelijoita käytännön työssään ja rohkaisevan kuntia toteuttamaan tulevaisuuden suunnittelua Eurooppalaisen maisemayleissopimuksen tavoitteiden mukaisesti. Raportti on saatavissa viidellä eri kielellä: suomeksi, ruotsiksi, norjaksi, pohjoissaameksi ja englanniksi. Pohjois-Kalotin aluetta yhdistää yhteinen tunnusomainen maisema. Saamelaiskulttuurin sekä poronhoidon muovaamat tunturimaisemat ja upeat jokivarsimaisemat heijastuvat ympäristössä laaja-alaisesti. Alueen maisemalle haasteita tuovat sen moninaiset maankäyttömuodot ja elinkeinot, kuten matkailu, kaivosteollisuus ja energiantuotanto. Arvokkaiden maisemapiirteiden säilyttäminen vaatii erityistä tuntemusta ja tietämystä alueen kunnissa. Maisemansuojelua ja -hoitoa toteutetaan alueiden- ja maankäytön suunnittelun kautta, pääasiallisesti kaavoituksella ja maisemanhoitosuunnitelmilla. Pohjois-Kalotin alueen kunnissa on erilaiset osin toisistaan poikkeavat toimintatavat ja käytännöt maisemanhoidossa. Kuitenkin alueen asukkailla on yhtäläisiä intressejä elinympäristönsä suojeluun ja säilyttämiseen. Maisema nähdään vetovoimatekijänä, jota ei haluta menettää. Lisääntyvät maankäyttötarpeet kunnissa luovat tarpeen entistä moniulotteisemmalle suunnittelulle. Paikallisten tahojen osallistaminen suunnitteluprosesseihin aikaisessa vaiheessa ja monimuotoinen vuorovaikutus, niin toimijoiden, kansalaisten kuin viranomaisten välillä vähentää konfliktien muodostumista. Tutkimustiedon tehokkaampi hyödyntäminen ja valtiorajat ylittävä yhteistyö helpottaa päätöksentekoa ja luo yhteisiä linjoja maisemansuojelutyöhön. Yhteiset kokemukset, käytännöt ja tietotaidon jakaminen sekä laajemman maisemakokonaisuuden hahmottaminen parantaa eurooppalaisen maisemayleissopimuksen tavoitteiden toteutumista. Työn jatkuvuuden varmistamiseksi Pohjois-Kalotin alueelle suunnitellaan perustettavaksi maisemayhteistyöryhmä, jonka tehtävä on maisemapolitiikan kehittäminen ja eteenpäin vieminen.

Nordliga landskap : "Tillämpning av den europeiska landskapskonventionen i kommunerna på Nordkalotten" - Konferensen 7.-9.9.2011, Enare, Finland

För att kunna nå de uppsatta målen för den europeiska landskapskonventionen anordnades en internationell europeisk konferens den 7–9 september 2011 i Enare. Konferensen var främst inriktad på att öka kunskapen om den europeiska landskapskonventionen och de möjligheter och behov den ger vad gäller det praktiska planeringsarbetet, särkilt på kommunnivå. Den här rapport är samlat artikel skrev av ledande expertes som var föreläsare i konferensen. Vi hoppas att den här rapport underlättar det praktiska arbetet för planerarna av de här områdena och inspirerar kommunerna att genomföra sina framtidsplaner enligt den europeiska landskapskonventionen. Publikationen finns tillgänglig på fem olika språk: finska, svenska, norska, nordsamiska och engelska. Naturen på Nordkalotten återspeglar på bred front de gemensamma karaktäristiska dragen, såsom de fantastiska älvlandskapen och de vackra fjälltrakterna formade av samekulturen och renskötseln. Turism, energiproduktion, gruvnäring och utbyggnad av infrastruktur leder till nya och mångfacetterade utmaningar för dem som är ansvariga för områdena. Kommunerna behöver kunskap och stöd för att kunna förverkliga de allt mer komplexa planerna i framtiden, så att de unika och värdefulla särdragen kan bevaras. Landskapsskyddet och -vården genomförs i landskapsområdena via områdesplanering och planering av markanvändning, i huvudsak genom planläggning och utarbetande av landskapsvårdsplaner. Kommunerna i Nordkalotten har egna, delvis olikartade metoder och praxis, på basis av vilka olika processer i anslutning till områdesanvändningen sköts. Kommunerna och kommuninvånarna har ett stort intresse att bevara och skydda den egna livsmiljön och att upprätthålla och öka områdets attraktionskraft. Landskapet ses ju i kommunerna som en av de viktigaste attraktionsfaktorerna som man inte vill förlora. Kommunernas ökade markanvändningsbehov med avseende på bland annat energiproduktionen, gruvindustrin och den växande turistnäringen skapar ett välgrundat behov av en planering med ännu fler dimensioner. Det är viktigt att lokala intressegrupper deltar i planeringen redan i början av processen. Mångsidigt samarbete mellan medborgare, aktörer och myndigheter kan minska eller hindra konflikter. En dialog mellan medborgare, organisationer och myndigheter har en stor inverkan på många projekts effekter på landskapet. Med hjälp av forskning får vi mer information om landskapen, deras betydelse och hur olika markanvändningsmetoder påverkar landskapen. Gemensamma erfarenheter och praktik, uppdelningen av kunnande (know-how) samt uppfattningen av bredare landkapshelheten dörbättrar tilsammans de möjligheterna att förverkliga målen som definierats i Europeiska landskapkonventionen.För att säkerställa att arbetet fortsätter upprättas en landskapssamarbetsgrupp på Nordkalottens område, som huvuduppgift är att utveckla landskapspolitiken och driva den framåt.

Irruptive discourse and conflicted curiosity

Kirjallisuusarvostelu

„Und frei erklär' ich alle meine Knechte“ : Höflichkeit als Ausdruck sozialer Utopie in Schillers Drama Wilhelm Tell.

My dissertation is an interdisciplinary study of the relationship between the Swiss peasants and nobles in Friedrich Schiller’s play Wilhelm Tell (1804). Changes to this relationship are of particular interest. Communication in the play is examined via a micro-analysis based on Penelope Brown’s and Stephen C. Levinson’s theoretical framework Politeness: Some universals in language usage. (1978, 1987). Brown and Levinson distinguish between positivepoliteness and negative-politeness strategies and their distinction is useful for my argument, since they claim that the use of positive-politeness strategies reflects the speaker’s intention to minimize the distance between the interlocutors (Brown and Levinson 1987: 103). Negative-politeness strategies, by contrast, result in social distancing (Brown and Levinson 1987: 130). In accordance with Brown’s and Levinson’s theory, it can be argued that the distribution of positive-politeness and negative-politeness strategies reflects changes in the distance between the fictional interlocutors as representatives of their social classes in Wilhelm Tell. The analysis of the communication in the play highlights that existing conflicts within the social groups are resolved and replaced with solidarity (cf. ‘Claim ’common ground’ and ‘Claim in-group membership with H’) before the peasants and noblemen appear on stage simultaneously in III, 3. In the scene in question, Geßler forces Tell to shoot the apple off his son’s head. Although both nobles and peasants are present, they do not communicate with each other. Thus, communication between the social classes occurs for the first time in IV, 2. This scene is crucial with regard to the changes in the relationship between the social classes in the play. The younger generation, with Rudenz as a representative of the nobility and Melchthal as a representative of the peasants, break with the prevailing conventions and initiate a new type of cooperation based on mutual helping and equality in the right and the duty to protect the country from the violent oppressors representing Habsburg (cf. ‘Convey that S and H are cooperators’, ‘Claim reflexivity’ and ‘Claim reciprocity’). The linguistic analysis reveals the crucial role of the Swiss nobility in the development of the social utopia, as well as the non-contribution of Wilhelm Tell. In fact, Tell never communicates with the Swiss noblemen. The role of the nobility and the role of Wilhelm Tell are further investigated in a comparison between Schiller’s Wilhelm Tell and four of Schiller’s historical sources. These sources, which contain earlier, non-dramatic versions of the establishment of the Swiss Confederation, are the following: Kronica von der loblichen Eydtgnoschaft compiled by Petermann Etterlin (1507), Gemeiner loblicher Eydgnoschafft Stetten Landen vnd Völckeren Chronik wirdiger thaaten beschreybung (1548) written by Johann Stumpf, Chronicon Helveticum of Aegidius Tschudi (the publication of Iselin from 1734 and 1736) and Johannes von Müller’s Geschichten schweizerischer Eidgenossenschaft (1786). Thecomparison sheds light on the fact that both Tschudi and von Müller emphasize unity among the Swiss and cooperation in their attempt to defeat the enemy. However, Schiller has reinforced the role of the nobility in the cooperation. In addition, the comparison between Schiller’s play and the historical sources reveals profound differences with regard to the role of Wilhelm Tell. In all of Schiller’s sources, Tell is present at Rütli, whereas he is absent from Rütli in Schiller’s play. In the play in general, Tell is conspicuously separated from the other peasants. Explanations of my linguistic results, which correspond to the above mentioned differences between the roles of the figures in Wilhelm Tell and the depictions in Schiller’s sources, are found by comparing the path of Schiller’s Swiss towards an egalitarian perspective with the kind of social evolution depicted by the German philosopher Johann Benjamin Erhard in his essay Über das Recht des Volks zu einer Revolution (1795). Aiming at considering Schiller’s social utopia within the larger cultural framework of the German response to the French Revolution, the comparison suggests that both authors depict the need for social change in terms of a change in social hierarchies (Erhard 1970: 95-96, cf. Foi 2005: 225). Erhard’s essay thus helps explain the political intention of Schiller’s play to keep the ideals of the French Revolution as crucial aims but profoundly change the means towards freedom and equality. In his attempt to claim the political resistance of the nobles and peasants as just, however, Schiller sacrificed the figure of Wilhelm Tell. Guilty of the murder of Geßler, Tell was no longer suitable for the righteous revolution imagined by Schiller (cf. Bloch 2008: 215 and Schulz 2005: 228). This explains Tell’s absence in the Rütli scene, his isolation in the plot, as well as his non-contribution to the social utopia. Together, the linguistic analysis and contextualisation of Schiller’s play support my hypothesis that Wilhelm Tell describes a process of change in the relationship between peasants and nobles. The interdisciplinary approach to the topic proved to be fruitful for all areas of the research involved.

Die Beendigung von finnischen und deutschen Telefonaten. Eine interaktionslinguistische, kontrastierende Untersuchung

Suomalaisten ja saksalaisten arkikeskustelujen välillä on sekä yhtäläisyyksiä että eroja. Tässä saksalaisen filologian alaan kuuluvassa tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan yhtä keskeistä arkikeskustelun toimintoa, puhelinkeskustelun lopetusta, suomen- ja saksanpuhujien tuottamana. Aineistona on käytetty suomen- ja saksankielisten äidinkielisten puhujien tätä tutkimusta varten nauhoittamia henkilökohtaisia luonnollisia puhelinkeskusteluja. Aineistoon valikoitui 12 suomalaista ja 12 saksalaista puhelua. Nauhoitteiden käyttöön on saatu asianmukainen lupa kaikilta osapuolilta. Puhelut on litteroitu saksalaisella kielialueella vakiintuneen GAT-litterointisysteemin mukaan. Teoreettis-metodisena kehyksenä on kaksi tutkimusalaa, vuorovaikutuslingvistiikka ja kielten vertailu. Vuorovaikutuslingvistinen tarkastelu keskittyy havaintoihin vuorojen ja puheen sekvenssien rakenteesta. Vuorojen merkitysten tulkinnassa hyödynnetään systemaattisesti prosodian antamia vihjeitä. Tuloksena on yksittäisten lopetusten keskustelunanalyyttinen lähikuvaus, jonka pohjalta määritellään kulloisenkin lopetuksen sekvenssirakenne. Kaikki lopetukset olivat siltä osin yhteneväisiä, että niissä kaikissa havaittiin ainakin aloittava, tulevaan tapaamiseen viittaava sekä lopputervehdyksiin johtava sekvenssi. Sekvenssirakenteen variaatioiden pohjalta aineiston lopetukset voidaan kuitenkin jaotella ryhmiin. Sekä suomen- että saksankielisessä aineistossa havaittiin kolmentyyppisiä lopetuksia: kompakteja, komplekseja ja keskeytettyjä lopetuksia. Ryhmittely kolmeen tyyppiin on avuksi seuraavassa kuvausvaiheessa, jossa verrataan suomen- ja saksankielisiä lopetuksia toisiinsa. Samanaikaisesti kun tutkimus valottaa kohtia, joissa kaksi aineistosettiä yhtenevät ja eroavat, se myös esittää, mitkä vuorovaikutuksen tasot soveltuvat kieltenvälisen vertailun kohteiksi. Pohdintaa siitä, mitä vuorovaikutuksen tasoja kieltenväliseen vertailuun voidaan sisällyttää, onkin toistaiseksi esitetty verrattain vähän. Työ siis rakentaa siltaa vuorovaikutuslingvistisen ja kontrastiivisen kielitieteen välille.

Making the impact on research and society : a case study: crowdsourcing solutions developed for the linguistic research and citizen science

Can crowdsourcing solutions serve many masters? Can they be beneficial for both, for the layman or native speakers of minority languages on the one hand and serious linguistic research on the other? How did an infrastructure that was designed to support linguistics turn out to be a solution for raising awareness of native languages? Since 2012 the National Library of Finland has been developing the Digitisation Project for Kindred Languages, in which the key objective is to support a culture of openness and interaction in linguistic research, but also to promote crowdsourcing as a tool for participation of the language community in research. In the course of the project, over 1,200 monographs and nearly 111,000 pages of newspapers in Finno-Ugric languages will be digitised and made available in the Fenno-Ugrica digital collection. This material was published in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s, and users have had only sporadic access to the material. The publication of open-access and searchable materials from this period is a goldmine for researchers. Historians, social scientists and laymen with an interest in specific local publications can now find text materials pertinent to their studies. The linguistically-oriented population can also find writings to delight them: (1) lexical items specific to a given publication, and (2) orthographically-documented specifics of phonetics. In addition to the open access collection, we developed an open source code OCR editor that enables the editing of machine-encoded text for the benefit of linguistic research. This tool was necessary since these rare and peripheral prints often include already archaic characters, which are neglected by modern OCR software developers but belong to the historical context of kindred languages, and are thus an essential part of the linguistic heritage. When modelling the OCR editor, it was essential to consider both the needs of researchers and the capabilities of lay citizens, and to have them participate in the planning and execution of the project from the very beginning. By implementing the feedback iteratively from both groups, it was possible to transform the requested changes as tools for research that not only supported the work of linguistics but also encouraged the citizen scientists to face the challenge and work with the crowdsourcing tools for the benefit of research. This presentation will not only deal with the technical aspects, developments and achievements of the infrastructure but will highlight the way in which user groups, researchers and lay citizens were engaged in a process as an active and communicative group of users and how their contributions were made to mutual benefit.

Altmetrics in practice: How are institutional repositories using altmetrics today?

Workshop at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Promoting Interoperability and Services Through Shared Identifiers

Panel at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Strategic narratives and competitive advantage : do winners speak differently?

Concepts, models, or theories that end up shaping practices, whether those practices fall in the domains of science, technology, social movements, or business, always emerge through a change in language use. First, communities begin to talk differently, incorporating new vocabularies (Rorty, 1989), in their narratives. Whether the community’s new narratives respond to perceived anomalies or failures of the existing ones (Kuhn, 1962) or actually reveal inadequacies by addressing previously unrecognized practices (Fleck, 1979; Rorty, 1989) is less important here than the very phenomena that they introduce differences. Then, if the new language proves to be useful, for example, because it helps the community solve a problem or create a possibility that existing narratives do not, the new narrative will begin circulating more broadly throughout the community. If other communities learn of the usefulness of these new narratives, and find them sufficiently persuasive, they may be compelled to test, modify, and eventually adopt them. Of primary importance is the idea that a new concept or narrative perceived as useful is more likely to be adopted. We can expect that business concepts emerge through a similar pattern. Concepts such as “competitive advantage,” “disruption,” and the “resource based view,” now broadly known and accepted, were each at some point first introduced by a community. This community experimented with the concepts they introduced and found them useful. The concept “competitive advantage,” for example, helped researchers better explain why some firm’s outperformed others and helped practitioners more clearly understand what choices to make to improve the profit and growth prospects of their firms. The benefits of using these terms compelled other communities to consider, apply, and eventually adopt them as well. Were these terms not viewed as useful, they would not likely have been adopted. This thesis attempts to observe and anticipate new business concepts that may be emerging. It does so by seeking to observe a community of business practitioners that are using different language and appear to be more successful than a similar community of practitioners that are have not yet begun using this different language as extensively. It argues that if the community that is adopting new types of narratives is perceived as being more successful, their success will attract the attention of other communities who may then seek to adopt the same narratives. Specifically, this thesis compares the narratives used by a set of firms that are considered to be performing well (called Winners) with those of set of less-successful peers (called Losers). It does so with the aim of addressing two questions: - How do the strategic narratives that circulate within “winning” companies and their leaders differ from those circulating within “losing” companies and their leaders? - Given the answer to the first question: what new business strategy concepts are likely to emerge in the business community at large? I expected to observe “winning” companies shifting their language, abandoning an older set of narratives for newer ones. However the analysis indicates a more interesting dynamic: “winning” companies adopt the same core narratives as their “losing” peers with equal frequency yet they go beyond these. Both “winners” and “losers” seem to pursue economies of scale, customer captivity, best practices, and securing preferential access to resources with similar vigor. But “winners” seem to go further, applying three additional narratives in their pursuits of competitive advantage. They speak of coordinating what is uncoordinated, adopting what this thesis calls “exchanging the role of guest for that of host,” and “forcing a two-front battle” more frequently than their “loser” peers. Since these “winning” companies are likely perceived as being more successful, the unique narratives they use are more likely to be emulated and adopted. Understanding in what ways winners speak differently, therefore, gives us a glimpse into the possible future evolution of business concepts.