Speak Good English Movement in Singapore : Reactions in Social and Traditional Media

The first Speak Good English Movement, SGEM, took place in 2000, and has been organized annually ever since. Speaking a “standard” form of English is considered to bring increased personal power. However, the SGEM wants the Singaporeans to use “standard” English in their private life as well. A decade after the beginning of the campaign, a Speak Good Singlish Movement was started. Based on studies of language and identity, it is understandable why some Singaporeans might feel the SGEM threatens their identity. However, the reactions towards the campaign are mainly positive. For the purposes of this analysis, Twitter messages, Facebook pages, and newspaper articles from The Straits Times were collected. The SGEM has hailed both direct and indirect praise and criticism in both social and traditional media: Five newspaper articles praise the campaign while five criticize it; the results are nine and seven respectively for social media. This thesis looks at reactions towards the SGEM in both social and traditional media, analyzes how these reactions might relate to the ideas of the power of language, its variety and the relation of language and identity.

Att definiera och skilja på snarlika subgenrer : Tillämpat på death- och black metal

Det är svårt att sätta ord på vad man menar när man pratar om musik. Jag är intresserad av varför det sällan går att finna definitioner av genrer när diskussionen om dem är så stark, speciellt när det gäller snarlika genrer som troligtvis är uppdelade av en eller flera anledningar. Syftet med min undersökning är att utveckla vidare kunskap om vilken betydelse det har att skilja på två snarlika subgenrer inom samma metagenre. Jag undersöker därför hur två snarlika genrer definieras och jämför dem sedan och prövar om det är av betydelse att undersöka flera aspekter av en musikgenre. Tidigare forskning föreslår att den musikaliska stilen borde undersökas likväl som kulturen och andra aspekter. En stark diskussion pågår just inom heavy metalscenen om subgenrerna inom den, därför undersöker jag subgenrerna death- och black metal. I denna undersökning använder jag Fabbris mall för genredefinition, där undersöks formella och tekniska regler, semiotiska regler, regler för beteende, sociala och ideologiska regler samt ekonomiska och juridiska regler. Reglerna har jag undersökt genom att lyssna på fonogram, titta på videoinspelningar av liveframträdande och publik samt hur aktörer inom scenerna beter sig när de inte är på scen. Jag har även analyserat låttexter och använt mig av diverse litteratur och dokumentärfilmer. Mitt resultat visar att det finns betydande anledningar till att skilja på death metal och black metal trots att de musikaliskt liknar varandra.

Sons of Northern Darkness : En fråga om stil och identitet i Black Metal-kulturen

Min uppsats har visat på black metal-stilens betydelse för fyra ungdomars identitetsskapande. Jag har med koppling till teoretiska infallsvinkar och begrepp rörande stilars och kulturers betydelse diskuterat black metal-kulturen med fokus på dess stilmässiga uttryck, dess symbolanvändande och dess innebörd för ungdomarnas självbild.I min studie har jag diskuterat och redogjort för hur black metal-kulturen kan te sig genom att förklara hur musiken låter och hur stilens uttryck i form av kläder och frisyrer kan se ut. Uppsatsen har visat på hur symboler och kodsystem används av ungdomarna inom ramen för kulturen för att markera och positionera sin identitet. Jag har i min studie även visat hur black metal-stilen kan vara ett existentiellt ställningstagande mot kommersialism och mainstreamkultur.

La négritude dans Cahier d´un retour au pays natal d´Aimé Césaire

The objective of this thesis is to study Negritude as literary movement expressed through the words of Aimé Césaire in his poetry Cahier d’un retours au pays natal. The relation between the poetry and historical events as well as the relation between the poetry and the author are examined. The analysis is conducted from the book chosen extracts that are examined in relation to identified characteristics of the negritude movement and the poetic expression. The analysis shows that the poetry of Aimé Césaire expresses fundamental values and attributes found within the negritude movement. The language used in the poetry is aggressive and to some extent contradictory. The "I" and "me" have a central role in the poetry when expressing negritude values and attributes. The revalorisation of the black man and the renaissance of the negritude movement are central themes in the poetry. The author himself is essential for the expression, which is characterised by being subjective rather than objective.

Understanding the "black box" of a health-promotion program : keys to enable health among older persons aging in the context of migration

Although the need to make health services more accessible to persons who have migrated has been identified, knowledge about health-promotion programs (HPPs) from the perspective of older persons born abroad is lacking. This study explores the design experiences and content implemented in an adapted version of a group-based HPP developed in a researcher-community partnership. Fourteen persons aged 70-83 years or older who had migrated to Sweden from Finland or the Balkan Peninsula were included. A grounded theory approach guided the data collection and analysis. The findings showed how participants and personnel jointly helped raise awareness. The participants experienced three key processes that could open doors to awareness: enabling community, providing opportunities to understand and be understood, and confirming human values and abilities. Depending on how the HPP content and design are being shaped by the group, the key processes could both inhibit or encourage opening doors to awareness. Therefore, this study provides key insights into how to enable health by deepening the understanding of how the exchange of health-promoting messages is experienced to be facilitated or hindered. This study adds to the scientific knowledge base of how the design and content of HPP may support and recognize the capabilities of persons aging in the context of migration.

Wind farm construction impacts reindeer migration and movement corridors

Over the last decade, we have seen a massive increase in the construction of wind farms in northern Fennoscandia. Wind farms comprising hundreds of wind turbines are being built, with little knowledge of the possible cumulative adverse effects on the habitat use and migration of semi-domesticated free-ranging reindeer. We assessed how reindeer responded to wind farm construction in an already fragmented landscape, with specific reference to the effects on use of movement corridors and reindeer habitat selection. We used GPS-data from reindeer during calving and post-calving in the MalAyen reindeer herding community in Sweden. We analysed data from the pre-development years compared to the construction years of two relatively small wind farms. During construction of the wind farms, use of original migration routes and movement corridors within 2 km of development declined by 76 %. This decline in use corresponded to an increase in activity of the reindeer measured by increased step lengths within 0-5 km. The step length was highest nearest the development and declining with distance, as animals moved towards migration corridors and turned around or were observed in holding patterns while not crossing. During construction, reindeer avoided the wind farms at both regional and landscape scale of selection. The combined construction activities associated with even a few wind turbines combined with power lines and roads in or close to central movement corridors caused a reduction in the use of such corridors and grazing habitat and increased the fragmentation of the reindeer calving ranges.