Contrastive analysis of keywords in discourses: intégration and integration in French and German discourses about migration

This article suggests a theoretical and methodological framework for a systematic contrastive discourse analysis across languages and discourse communities through keywords, constituting a lexical approach to discourse analysis which is considered to be particularly fruitful for comparative analysis. We use a corpus assisted methodology, presuming meaning to be constituted, revealed and constrained by collocation environment. We compare the use of the keyword intégration and Integration in French and German public discourses about migration on the basis of newspaper corpora built from two French and German newspapers from 1998 to 2011. We look at the frequency of these keywords over the given time span, group collocates into thematic categories and discuss indicators of discursive salience by comparing the development of collocation profiles over time in both corpora as well as the occurrence of neologisms and compounds based on intégration/Integration.

Do investors care about corporate tax?

This paper conducts a comprehensive examination of the link between corporation tax payment and financial performance in the UK. We find no discernible link between tax rates and stock returns for the UK, no matter how tax payment is measured. This is true throughout the sample period and for both customer-facing and non-customer-facing companies. However, allowing for industry norms and a host of firm characteristics, companies with lower effective tax rates have significantly higher levels of stock market risk. Firms that are reported in the newspapers in a negative way in relation to their level of corporation tax payment experience small negative stock returns, which are partially reversed within a month. However, the initial negative effects and subsequent rebound are both more pronounced for smaller companies. News announcements of the potential involvement of a firm in a corporate inversion (expatriation) result in steeper and much longer-lasting falls in share prices, whereas news stories of a more general nature relating to a firm's tax avoidance or tax payments have little noticeable effect.

The storms of war

The Storms of War, is the first in a trilogy about the de Witt family. The first explores their lives from 1914-1918, as the youngest girl, Celia, sees her perfect world crumble and change. Inspired to write about the wars since Kate visited the trenches in France when she was ten on a school trip. Kate was fascinated by how small they were - and how men could ever live in such places. She really wanted to go into the lives of Germans - the Victorians couldn't get enough of them. Then - almost overnight - they were the enemy and people saw German spies everywhere and the newspapers demanded that all Germans in the country be imprisoned. At the beginning of the book, Rudolf and Verena have four children - and their lives will never be the same again.

Un estudio sociolingüístico sobre el catalán : Los efectos de la inmersión lingüística

This thesis analyzes the current state of the language immersion program in Catalonia after its implementation 30 years ago, and after the immigration wave of the last decade. The language immersion is a method of teaching a second language using a language of instruction different than the students’ mother tongue. The Catalan authorities use this as a method for preserving Catalan in the society.The aim of this study is to examine the use of Catalan at school and outside of school by students who have followed the language immersion program. Language attitudes play an important role for the maintenance of a minority language, as Catalan. Therefore, in this study, the informants’ attitudes towards Catalan have also been measured. The method applied is a quantitative method where the informants have answered a written questionnaire. The results show a high level of knowledge of Catalan and its frequent use in the classroom. In contrast, outside of school the Castilian language is more often used. The informants seem to have a positive attitude towards Catalan.The conclusion is that the language immersion works satisfactory in a school context but often fails outside of school.

Immigration, security and the public debate on US language policy : a critical discourse analysis of language attitudes in the United States of America

The narrative of the United States is of a "nation of immigrants" in which the language shift patterns of earlier ethnolinguistic groups have tended towards linguistic assimilation through English. In recent years, however, changes in the demographic landscape and language maintenance by non-English speaking immigrants, particularly Hispanics, have been perceived as threats and have led to calls for an official English language policy.This thesis aims to contribute to the study of language policy making from a societal security perspective as expressed in attitudes regarding language and identity originating in the daily interaction between language groups. The focus is on the role of language and American identity in relation to immigration. The study takes an interdisciplinary approach combining language policy studies, security theory, and critical discourse analysis. The material consists of articles collected from four newspapers, namely USA Today, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle between April 2006 and December 2007.Two discourse types are evident from the analysis namely Loyalty and Efficiency. The former is mainly marked by concerns of national identity and contains speech acts of security related to language shift, choice and English for unity. Immigrants are represented as dehumanised, and harmful. Immigration is given as sovereignty-related, racial, and as war. The discourse type of Efficiency is mainly instrumental and contains speech acts of security related to cost, provision of services, health and safety, and social mobility. Immigrants are further represented as a labour resource. These discourse types reflect how the construction of the linguistic 'we' is expected to be maintained. Loyalty is triggered by arguments that the collective identity is threatened and is itself used in reproducing the collective 'we' through hegemonic expressions of monolingualism in the public space and semi-public space. The denigration of immigrants is used as a tool for enhancing societal security through solidarity and as a possible justification for the denial of minority rights. Also, although language acquisition patterns still follow the historical trend of language shift, factors indicating cultural separateness such as the appearance of speech communities or the use of minority languages in the public space and semi-public space have led to manifestations of intolerance. Examples of discrimination and prejudice towards minority groups indicate that the perception of worth of a shared language differs from the actual worth of dominant language acquisition for integration purposes. The study further indicates that the efficient working of the free market by using minority languages to sell services or buy labour is perceived as conflicting with nation-building notions since it may create separately functioning sub-communities with a new cultural capital recognised as legitimate competence. The discourse types mainly represent securitising moves constructing existential threats. The perception of threat and ideas of national belonging are primarily based on a zero-sum notion favouring monolingualism. Further, the identity of the immigrant individual is seen as dynamic and adaptable to assimilationist measures whereas the identity of the state and its members are perceived as static. Also, the study shows that debates concerning language status are linked to extra-linguistic matters. To conclude, policy makers in the US need to consider the relationship between four factors, namely societal security based on collective identity, individual/human security, human rights, and a changing linguistic demography, for proposed language intervention measures to be successful.

Recensionernas retorik : Om könsroller i kulturjournalistiken

At the centre of this study lies the question if normative gender thinking affects the way poetry gets reviewed and how the reviews are written, this in relation to both the gender of the reviewer and the poet. The study crosses three academic fields; gender studies, poetry and journalism, and is based on the cultural studies theory of media affecting and even creating the world around it. The study is based on two types of analysis. One quantitative analysis based on the thematic criticism theory about detail studies that shows bigger patterns, this analysis focuses on how the poet and his/hers work are being treated in the reviews in areas such as how much space they´re given in the newspapers, how they are named by the reviewer and the tendency to quote the reviewed work.  And one qualitative analysis based on the new criticism method of close reading, that focuses on the reviewers way of writing and how that may be connected with theories of gender differences, this both connected to the gender of the reviewers and the poets. The material chosen for this study are all the reviews that were published in the same newspapers and that reviewed two specific poetry works by two specific poets chosen with great sensibility to age and career so that their difference in gender would be the most significant difference between them. The works were chosen based on year of publishing, they were supposed to be published as newly as possible and as close to each other in time as possible. The works I ended up with were Dimman av allt (2001) and Svart som silver (2008) by Bruno K. Öijer and Silverskåp (2000) and Nu försvinner vi eller ingår (2007) by Birgitta Lillpers. The results of this study show several differences in how poetry is being judged and how poetry reviews are being written are connected with the gender of the poets and the reviewer. Lillpers got 35% less space in the newspapers and Öijers poetry got quoted a lot more which confirms that female poetry often is considered as less important than the male poetry, and that men in general tends to be judged as more professional than woman. The male reviewers tended to express themselves with greater certainty than the female reviewers who held a more professional tone in their reviews and focused more on the technical aspects of the poetry. This confirms the theory of the male words are being looked upon as the truth but contradicts the theory of women writing more based on personal experience and of women being less skilled in language techniques. In conclusion, there are differences in how poetry gets reviewed and how the reviews are written that are connected to the genders of the poet and the reviewer but these differences are complex and does not show a clear normative way of thinking about gender

Actitudes hacia el catalán : un estudio sociolingüístico de principiantes del catalán en Barcelona

This study focuses on the Catalan language of Catalonia, a region located in the east of Spain. There are many immigrants living in this region who decide to learn the Catalan language in hope of finding a job or to integrate in the Catalan society. The main aim of this study was to discover the types of language attitudes the beginners of Catalan show towards this language (general, instrumental and integrative attitudes). Language attitudes are of importance because it can indicate the “health” of a minority language, such as is usually considered Catalan. The method applied was direct, where the informants had to answer a written questionnaire. The results of the study show positive attitudes towards the Catalan language and its general use in Catalonia. The main conclusions of the study were that the informants showed positive and slightly more instrumental attitudes towards Catalan, indicating that the main motive of learning the language was more of practical use than integrative motives.

Variabeltryck med inkjet i dagspress : Möjligheten att införa anpassade upplagor

På uppdrag av Tidningsutgivarna har en studie utförts angående olika möjligheter att införa tryck av variabeldata med tryckmetoden inkjet i svensk dagspress. Målet var att undersöka tekniska möjligheter och begränsningar samt att utreda om det fanns något intresse på marknaden som skulle kunna ge någon avkastning. Studien utfördes med hjälp av noggranna källstudier och ett fortlöpande samarbete med olika företag med intresse för dagspress. Rapporten beskriver också företag som arbetar med den här typen av innovationer idag och diverse tidigare projekt med variabeltryckta tidningar. Nya teknologier som eventuellt kan vara av intresse för framtida utveckling har också beskrivits och hur tidningens framtid kommer att se ut ur ett kortare och ett längre perspektiv. Studien visar att inkjetpressar inte klarar av den hastighet som de moderna tidningspressarna håller idag. Men i takt med minskade upplagor och utvecklad teknologi, samt ett stort marknadsmässigt intresse så tyder det på att det kommer att finnas möjlighet att tillverka anpassade digitaltryckta tidningsupplagor inom en överskådlig framtid. Inkjet kan fungera som ett bra komplement till offset. Inlinepressar ger möjligheten att införa variabeltryck i stora tidningsupplagor medan separata inkjetpressar passar bra för tryck av mindre lokala upplagor.

Flit, fylleri och förbundsstatspotential : En undersökning av den nyzeeländska Sverigebilden i samband med skandinaviska emigranters ankomst till Wellington år 1871

This Bachelor’s thesis elucidates the subject of Swedish migration to New Zealand in 1871. Drawing on the work of Anthony Grigg, who has assessed the public opinions regarding the arrival of Scandinavians in 1871-1876, this study aims to highlight the image of Sweden and Swedes conveyed in New Zealand at this time. Through a hermeneutic engagement with newspapers of the day, it is concluded that Swedes in general were being portrayed as industrious, thrifty and well suited for the forestry labour expected of them. It is also shown, however, that Swedes and Sweden to a limited extent were being associated with notorious drinking habits and inferior intellectual abilities. Furthermore, the study highlights what appears to have been a medial difficulty to differentiate between Swedes and Norwegians.

English Vowels: A World English Perspective

In spite of having a fixed standard of pronunciation, English is being used in various ways in parts of the world, particularly in its way of utterance. English vowel is playing one of the significant roles in making different varieties of English language. This essay tries to see into detail how some phonetic features (formant movement, frequency, pitch) of English vowels vary in relation to Bengali, Catalan, Italian, Spanish and Swedish speakers. It has been found that all these speakers vary a lot from each other in the utterance of English vowels.

Actitudes hacia el castellano y el catalán : Un estudio sociolingüístico entre veinteañeros y sus padres en el ámbito

This study focuses on the attitudes toward Catalan and Spanish, the two main languages spoken in Barcelona, on the East coast of Spain, in Southwestern Europe. The aim of this study was to compare those attitudes between two generations of informants. The informants of one generation were born 1984-93 and were thus in their twenties at the time of the investigation, in 2013. The aforementioned generation was labelled with the name "Children", whereas their parents were labelled with the name "Parents". The method applied was direct, where the informants had to answer an online survey, and the number of informants that were studied was 15 for each generation, or 30 in total. The conclusion of the study, derived from the results to the aforementioned survey, is that the generation of the Children have a more positive attitude toward Catalan and more negative toward Spanish than the generation of the Parents.

Manipulation in Newspaper Articles : A Political Discourse Analysis of Lexical Choice and Manipulation in Japanese Newspaper Crisis Reporting in the case of North Korea

This paper analyzes some forms of linguistic manipulation in Japanese in newspapers when reporting on North Korea and its nuclear tests. The focus lies on lexical ambiguity in headlines and journalist’s voices in the body of the articles, that results in manipulation of the minds of the readers. The study is based on a corpus of nine articles from two of Japan’s largest newspapers Yomiuri Online and Asahi Shimbun Digital. The linguistic phenomenon that contribute to create manipulation are divided into Short Term Memory impact or Long Term Memory impact and examples will be discussed under each of the categories.The main results of the study are that headlines in Japanese newspapers do not make use of an ambiguous, double grounded structure. However, the articles are filled with explicit and implied attitudes as well as attributed material from people of a high social status, which suggests that manipulation of the long term memory is a tool used in Japanese media.

Student and library services in cooperation

Abstract At Ångström Laboratory, one of the largest campuses at Uppsala University, the Library and the Student Services Office merged in November 2012. This merger is a pilot project to improve service for students and faculty. Ångström Laboratory has around 900 staff and almost 10,000 students, of whom most also spend time at other campuses. In this paper we describe the background and the implementation of the pilot project. One of the main reasons for moving together was the wish to gather together all kinds of student services, including the distribution of written examinations in one place. The central location and open environment of the Library made it a good choice. The heart of the Library and Student Services is an open office consisting of two service desks located in the library area. There are silent study areas; computers for searching and printing, an area for relaxing with newspapers and journals, meeting rooms and offices for the staff. The result is a lively place with a cosy atmosphere. As the Library and the Student Services still belong to different parts of the University we are now starting to find out how best to collaborate. To understand more we log all the questions we get and the services we deliver. We also have meetings together and use the same lunch room to get to know each other and our different functions. We will define which matters can be solved in common, and how we can back each other up when necessary.

Un estudio de la interferencia lingüística del uso del verboser + estado civil del castellano hablado por catalanes

This thesis aims to study the phenomenon of linguistic interference in the use of the verb ser in different marital status (single, married and divorced) in spanish spoken by catalans living in different territorial areas of Catalonia. Our theory is that individuals who reside in territorial areas where catalan is the most spoken language tend to use the verb ser + marital status rather than the verb estar + marital status due to the influence of catalan. We have used a quantitative methodology, i.e. we have collected data through a survey. The results of our study confirm our theory that individuals who reside in territorial areas where catalan is the most spoken language tend to use the verb ser + marital status rather than the verb estar + marital status due to the influence of catalan.

Genrestratifiering och massmedias neutralisering av kritiken mot ADHD : Ett kunskapssociologiskt perspektiv

Genre stratification and the mass media’s neutralization of the critique of ADHD: A sociology of knowledge perspective This study examines how the Swedish mass media has dealt with the opposition against the neuropsychiatric diagnosis ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Drawing on empirical data from eight of the largest newspapers in Sweden (n=778 articles) the study focuses on the scientific controversy of DAMP, 2000–2006. DAMP (Dysfunction in Attention, Motor Control and Perception) is a diagnostic term denoting difficulties similar to ADHD, and which was used in Sweden at the time of the controversy. The study uncovers the ideological role played by the mass media during the DAMP-controversy, and demonstrates the significance of genre. While the spokespersons for DAMP/ADHD were given exclusive and systematic access to the news genre, the forum of fact-production in the mass media, the critics of DAMP/ADHD were confined to arguing and expressing their opinions in the debate genre. Based on the various effects of genre differences a comprehensive analytical tool for the sociology of knowledge, called genre stratification, is developed in the study