Authentic Texts in English Language Teaching : An empirical study on the use of and attitudes towards authentic texts in the Swedish EFL upper elementary classroom

International assessments indicate that Swedish students achieve high results in reading, writing and understanding English. However, this does not mean that the students display oral proficiency, despite an emphasis on functional and communicative language skills in the current English Syllabus. While a previous literature study by this researcher has shown that authentic texts are a way to increase these skills, most of the results shown are from an international viewpoint. Thus an empirical study was conducted within Sweden with the aim to examine the use of authentic texts in the Swedish EFL upper elementary classroom. Twelve teachers have answered a questionnaire on how they use authentic texts in their language teaching, as well as their opinions about these as a teaching tool. Additionally, 37 students have answered a questionnaire on their attitudes about authentic texts. Results indicate that all of the teachers surveyed see authentic texts as an effective way to increase students’ communicative competence and English language skills; however, only a few use them with any frequency in language teaching. Furthermore, this seems to affect the students’ attitudes, since many say that they read authentic texts in their free time, but prefer to learn English out of a textbook at school. These findings are based on a small area of Sweden. Therefore, further research is needed to learn if these opinions hold true for the entire country or vary dependent upon region or other factors not taken into consideration in this study.

On the EA-style integrated processing of self-contained mathematical texts

A sound and complete first-order goal-oriented sequent-type calculus is developed with ``large-block'' inference rules. In particular, the calculus contains formal analogues of such natural proof-search techniques as handling definitions and applying auxiliary propositions.

Evidence Algorithm and Processing Formalized Mathematical Texts

The goal of a research programme Evidence Algorithm is a development of an open system of automated proving that is able to accumulate mathematical knowledge and to prove theorems in a context of a self-contained mathematical text. By now, the first version of such a system called a System for Automated Deduction, SAD, is implemented in software. The system SAD possesses the following main features: mathematical texts are formalized using a specific formal language that is close to a natural language of mathematical publications; a proof search is based on special sequent-type calculi formalizing natural reasoning style, such as application of definitions and auxiliary propositions. These calculi also admit a separation of equality handling from deduction that gives an opportunity to integrate logical reasoning with symbolic calculation.

O Macrogênero drama Norte-Riograndense: uma análise de gênero e de discurso sob a perspectiva da linguística sistêmico-funcional

The focus of this qualiquantitative research is the phenomenon we are denominating Drama-of-Rio-Grande-do-Norte, which contemplates short verse texts from the oral tradition, sung and presented on stage by women in communities on the south coast of the northeastern Brazilian State, Rio Grande do Norte. This tradition harkens to the medieval romance of the Iberian Peninsula (CASCUDO, 2001; GURGEL, 1999; GALVÃO, 1993; MAGALHÃES, 1973; ROMERO,1977). The objective of this research is to: identify what characterizes the genre Drama of Rio Grande do Norte; situate this genre within a systemization of genres from the oral tradition in Rio Grande do Norte; investigate the interpersonal relationships of power and solidarity through the role of the women in the discourse, how they see themselves and others, pointing out which elements of the world they evaluate and to identify representations of the feminine in the discourse. The theory of Genre and Register of Martin and Rose (2008) and Generic Structure Potential of Hasan (1989, 1996), which has as a base the Systemic Functional Linguistics of Halliday and Matthiessen (2004), Eggins (1994) among others, offers a theoretical framework for the characterization of the genre through the identification of stages and phases configuring its typology the individual schematic structure and its topology its relation to other phenomena in the oral tradition. Other groupings were mapped of the ‗Macrogenre , from the model of Martin and Rose (2008) as a continuum on two axis: between the poles of how the genre circulates orally x in writing, and recited/individually x staged/collectively; as well as mapping the samples with relation to power using the same model, but with the poles of individual voice x collective voice on an axis between increased power and diminished power. Eleven texts described as Narratives and one Anecdote were selected for the analysis of Attitudes, and Negotiations of power. Through the quantification of semantic discursive resources in the discourse systems of Appraisal (MARTIN; WHITE, 2005) and of Negotiation (MARTIN; ROSE, 2007), as well as reflections about humor (EGGINS; SLADE, 1997) we identified the Attitudes and the Negotiations of interpersonal roles. The quantification is based on the theories of Corpus Linguistics (BERBER SARDINHA, 2010), using WordSmith Tools 5.0 (SCOTT, 2010). Our results show that the Drama-of-Rio-Grande-do-Norte is characterized as a Macrogenre in the Community of Oral Stories, in the Family of Street Theatre/Games, composed of five genre types: Narratives, Praise, Complaints, Anecdotes, and Exemplum. The Macrogenre is characterized by its being circulated orally, staged collectively and the texts analyzed configure in differing degrees of power between men and woman. In synthesis we observe that through humor, the Drama-of-Rio-Grande-do-Norte functions to offer a space for women to voice, comment, judge and orient about social conditions in their communities, such as alcoholism, domestic violence, inequalities before the law etc., as well as circulating positive appreciations of rural/coastal culture and judgments about the behavior of members of the speech community, the role of women being to establish and reinforce norms. We anticipate possible benefits of the addition of the genre analyzed in literacy projects in the schools of Rio Grande do Norte

Nexus: da relacionalidade do princípio à metafísica do inominável em Nicolau de Cusa

We indicate the idea of nexus or conexio, thought of as intelligible connection with the intelligent, the foundation on which the reason why you can understand and name, even if inadequately, what the intellect sees incomprehensible and unnameably. Thus, it opens a way for our research: we will take the idea of nexus as fundamental to the interpretation of the divine names and the "metaphysics of the unnameably" and we show how the divine names, mainly in possest, mirrored in the Trinity, relatedness of the principle and therefore also the nexus. For that you need to think some preliminary questions: we will place Nicholas of Cusa in the tradition of medieval Christian Neoplatonism, we resume some discussions on the problem of naming and the philosophy of language in his thinking, we will reflect such thinking is molded from active dialogue with the tradition and how it is your speculation is founded upon the dynamic and dialectical relationship between philosophy and theology to be thought of in our text using the relationship between faith and understandig (intellectus). After introductory clarify these issues we will come to consider introductory understanding of the Trinitarian Beginning and speculation about the nexus taking as its starting point from where the De venatione sapientiae nexus or conexio is designed as a hunting field of wisdom and the First Book of De docta ignorantia where the maximum is now thought of as one and triune. From the Second Book of the same work and the Idiota. De mente we will show in what sense the universe and men, as imago dei, imitate the eternal Trinity. Finally, we will resume the notion of the scientia aenigmatica of De beryllo and some information that will clarify that Nicholas assumes the divine names as enigmas. Finally, we will try to show that the enigmatic or symbolic names also mirror the triune Beginning principle. So, before we return some traces of this aspect in some divine names and texts of the "late period" and then conclude with that which in itself already indicates the nexus and therefore the trinity: possest

Conversion of web texts into Braille characters for real time reading through arrays of electromechanical actuators

This paper describes an electronic device conceived to convert common web texts into sequences of corresponding Braille signals, which are immediately reproduced onto an array ( keyboard) of electromechanical actuators. These actuators are reconfigurable in real time, displaying the Braille characters as matrices of points composed by small stems which can be lowered or raised according to the Braille code. The device, together with its conversion software package, can provide direct access to web texts in any personal computer, thus avoiding the use of complicated Braille printers.

Peregrinação, conquista e povoamento. Mito e realismo desencantado numa hagiografia medieval portuguesa

O texto pretende realizar uma interpretação da narrativa de viagem ao Paraíso Terrestre cistercience Vida de Santo Amaro, à luz da história portuguesa entre os séculos XIII e XV, apontando as relações existentes entre pensamento histórico e pensamento mítico na passagem do processo de Reconquista para os Descobrimentos, vivenciados ao longo da história das diferentes versões escritas da fonte analisada.

A história portuguesa medieval: preservação, ordenação e esquecimento

Os últimos séculos da Idade Média, nomeadamente os séculos XIII, XIV e XV, são marcados na Europa por uma crescente preocupação em fixar por escrito os diversos saberes e eventos, preocupação que, ligada às tentativas de sistematizar a organização dos reinos, contribui significativamente para a ascensão das línguas vulgares como línguas dos mais variados gêneros - de documentos jurídicos e administrativos a textos de caráter filosófico e histórico. em Portugal, o empenho em deixar registrado o passado numa língua acessível tem início no século XIV e culmina no século XV, quando se procura organizar a memória através da escrita e se começa a construir uma perspectiva portuguesa sobre o passado. O objetivo do presente texto é mapear alguns índices que revelam a importância que os portugueses dos séculos XIV e XV conferem à ordenação do passado, sobretudo a partir da escolha do que devia e do que não podia cair no esquecimento.