Análisis contrastivo del español y el inglés como lenguas de instrucción en la educación superior: estrategias discursivas del profesor en un corpus oral

El amplio dominio del inglés como lengua global también está dejando huella en el mundo académico. En un principio fue la lengua a través de la cual se realizaba gran parte de la investigación y la publicación de los conocimientos específicos de cada disciplina académica. Actualmente también se está convirtiendo gradualmente en lengua de instrucción. A pesar de que en numerosos contextos a lo largo de la historia la enseñanza a través de una lengua extranjera ha sido más la regla que la excepción, las repercusiones que está causando a todos los niveles (político, económico, social, educativo y pedagógico) hacen de este fenómeno educativo un objeto necesario de investigación. Uno de los principales factores que han llevado a la adopción del inglés como lengua de instrucción en la educación superior ha sido la internacionalización de la universidad. Además, puesto que su implementación ya constituye una práctica extendida y aceptada en previos niveles educativos debido a la expansión del aprendizaje integrado de contenidos y lengua (AICLE) en primaria y secundaria (Dafouz & Guerrini, 2009; Dalton-Puffer, Nikula & Smit, 2010), continuar con este enfoque parece una elección lógica y, en principio, no muy costosa y problemática (Coleman, 2013: XIV). A este hecho hay que sumarle el factor competitivo que lleva a las universidades a atraer a estudiantes nacionales e internacionales, a profesores e investigadores con vocación y éxito de todas las partes del mundo y a alumnos de postgrado con talento con el objeto de incentivar la reputación y el prestigio de la universidad (Graddol, 2006; Ramos, 2013; Dafouz, 2015)...

Rivalidad de preeminencias entre el cabildo civil y eclesiástico en los cortejos procesionales del Corpus Christi. Antequera (siglo XVI)

Entre 1598 y 1606 la procesión del Corpus en Antequera quedó suspendida por desavenencias entre los miembros del concejo y el clero de la Colegiata por ocupar los mejores puestos y más cercanos a la Sagrada Forma para significar así su posición predominante en la sociedad del momento. Las alteraciones a describir en el presente artículo forman parte del proceso de institucionalización de una fiesta, cuyo culmen estético y simbólico se confirma durante el siglo XVII, bajo la ideología contrarreformista de Trento. Between 1598 and 1606 the Corpus Christi’s procession in Antequera was suspended because of disagreements between the members of the Council and the clergy. These disagreements focused on the matter of who must occupy the best positions in the procession (that is: as close to the Communion Bread as possible). These locations signify the status in that society. The changes described in this paper are part of the process of institutionalization of a festivity, which reach its crowning moment (aesthetically and symbolically) during the seventeenth century, under the ideology of Trento.

La sabiduría árabe antigua reflejada en los proverbios de Al-Maydani: traducción y análisis paremiológico de un corpus seleccionado

Little is known about Ancient Arabia before the arrival of Islam as it was an area with few inhabited settlements and it was mostly a passageway for traders. In those inhabited settlements we could find some settled Arabs, but the prevailing life style was that of the rest of the population, nomadic Bedouin Arabs who travelled from place to place looking for water and pasture for their cattle, which they lived off. The desert was their natural habitat, a hostile environment full of danger where life was not easy. Camel taming made it possible for them to live that nomadic lifestyle, and the Bedouins became inseparable from their camels and from their horses and cattle. In order to make a living they worked as hunters, transported caravans, and plundered too. In the pre-Islamic era, knowledge was transmitted by oral communication, so very little written information about that time and place remains. One thing that has been handed down are proverbs, which after the 8th Century started to be collected by several writers in various written works. Given the characteristics of those proverbs, which are conserved almost intact from their origins, we can learn much about the lifestyle in Ancient Arabia. What is to be investigated within this thesis is whether through Paremiology it is possible to learn more about this area at this historic moment that precedes the arrival of Islam, and the first years of this religion. To learn about history, we usually rely on historians and palaeontologists, but this work will demonstrate that through Paremiology it is possible to know other aspects of culture, their knowledge, the way of life, thinking, society, etc...

"Not one word of it made any sense" : Hyperbolic Synecdoche in the British National Corpus

A distinct metonymic pattern was discovered in the course of conducting a corpus-based study of figurative uses of WORD. The pattern involved examples such as Not one word of it made any sense and I agree with every word. It was labelled ‘hyperbolic synecdoche’, defined as a case in which a lexeme which typically refers to part of an entity (a) is used to stand for the whole entity and (b) is described with reference to the end point on a scale. Specifically, the speaker/writer selects the perspective of a lower-level unit (such as word for ‘utterance’), which is quantified as NOTHING or ALL, thus forming a subset of ‘extreme case formulations’. Hyperbolic synecdoche was found to exhibit a restricted range of lexicogrammatical patterns involving word, with the negated NOTHING patterns being considerably more common than the ALL patterns. The phenomenon was shown to be common in metonymic uses in general, constituting one-fifth of all cases of metonymy in word. The examples of hyperbolic synecdoche were found not to be covered by the oftquoted ‘abbreviation’ rationale for metonymy; instead, they represent a more roundabout way of expression. It is shown that other cases of hyperbolic synecdoche exist outside of word and the domain of communication (such as ‘time’ and ‘money’).

Investigating interpreter-mediated interaction in the Chinese bilingual courtroom: Analysis based on a multimodal corpus

This research project is based on the Multimodal Corpus of Chinese Court Interpreting (MUCCCI [mutʃɪ]), a small-scale multimodal corpus on the basis of eight authentic court hearings with Chinese-English interpreting in Mainland China. The corpus has approximately 92,500 word tokens in total. Besides the transcription of linguistic and para-linguistic features, utilizing the facial expression classification rules suggested by Black and Yacoob (1995), MUCCCI also includes approximately 1,200 annotations of facial expressions linked to the six basic types of human emotions, namely, anger, disgust, happiness, surprise, sadness, and fear (Black & Yacoob, 1995). This thesis is an example of conducting qualitative analysis on interpreter-mediated courtroom interactions through a multimodal corpus. In particular, miscommunication events (MEs) and the reasons behind them were investigated in detail. During the analysis, although queries were conducted based on non-verbal annotations when searching for MEs, both verbal and non-verbal features were considered indispensable parts contributing to the entire context. This thesis also includes a detailed description of the compilation process of MUCCCI utilizing ELAN, from data collection to transcription, POS tagging and non-verbal annotation. The research aims at assessing the possibility and feasibility of conducting qualitative analysis through a multimodal corpus of court interpreting. The concept of integrating both verbal and non-verbal features to contribute to the entire context is emphasized. The qualitative analysis focusing on MEs can provide an inspiration for improving court interpreters’ performances. All the constraints and difficulties presented can be regarded as a reference for similar research in the future.

Nature in the books of seven metals – Ǧābirian corpus in dialogue with ancient Greek philosophy and Byzantine alchemy –

The Ǧābirian corpus was a receiver of ancient Greek ideas and, at the same time, a source of knowledge for the later Greek-speaking world, in particular for medieval Byzantine alchemy. Both aspects are explored in the dissertation with respect to the notion of nature. After a general introduction to the Corpus and the sciences described in it, particular attention is devoted to a Byzantine anonymous text, The Work of Four Elements, which was probably influenced by the Ǧābirian Books of Seventy. These texts exemplify how, in the theory of the Ǧābirian science, things are constructed from four natures (hot, cold, moist and dry), the balance of which defines what a thing is. By changing the balance of natures, one can transmute any metals into gold that is perfectly proportioned in terms of natures. Ǧābir presents the art of dyeing metals gold in the Books of Seven Metals which, along with chrysopoetic recipes, also include medical recipes and theoretical contents such as the theories of four humours, properties, and talismans. Moreover, Ǧābir postulated a substrate that does not change in itself and continues to exist when natures move in and out of things. Such primary existence is called the fifth nature as an additional principle to the four natures. This key concept for the Ǧābirian theory, which has been underexplored so far, is discussed through the textual and critical analysis of various unedited sources: the Books of Seven Metals and the Book of the Fifth Nature. This study confirms that the fifth nature was probably derived from ancient Greek philosophical concepts such as the Empedoclean particles, the Aristotelian fifth element and the Stoic pneuma. Thus, this research indicates the importance of the Ǧābirian corpus both in the history of alchemy and the history of philosophy.

A corpus-assisted approach to apology-like expressions in Japanese computer-mediated discourse

This thesis provides a corpus-assisted pragmatic investigation of three Japanese expressions commonly signalled as apologetic, namely gomen, su(m)imasen and mōshiwake arimasen, which can be roughly translated in English with ‘(I’m) sorry’. The analysis is based on a web corpus of 306,670 tokens collected from the Q&A website Yahoo! Chiebukuro, which is examined combining quantitative (statistical) and qualitative (traditional close reading) methods. By adopting a form-to-function approach, the aim of the study is to shed light on three main topics of interest: the pragmatic functions of apology-like expressions, the discursive strategies they co-occur with, and the behaviours that warrant them. The overall findings reveal that apology-like expressions are multifunctional devices whose meanings extend well beyond ‘apology’ alone. These meanings are affected by a number of discursive strategies that can either increase or decrease the perceived (im)politeness level of the speech act to serve interactants’ face needs and communicative goals. The study also identifies a variety of behaviours that people frame as violations, not necessarily because they are actually face-threatening to the receiver, but because doing so is functional to the projection of the apologiser as a moral persona. An additional finding that emerged from the analysis is the pervasiveness of reflexive usages of apology-like expressions, which are often employed metadiscursively to convey, negotiate and challenge opinions on how language should be used. To conclude, the study provides a unique insight into the use of three expressions whose pragmatic meanings are more varied than anticipated. The findings reflect the use of (im)politeness in an online and non-Western context and, hopefully, represent a step towards a more inclusive notion of ‘apologies’ and related speech acts.

Le note del traduttore: analisi di un corpus di opere letterarie italiane tradotte in francese

Sulla base di una riflessione sull’utilità delle note del traduttore si è cercato di capire a che cosa fossero necessarie: sono davvero da considerare come un elemento estraneo al testo? Perché il traduttore decide di uscire dal suo ruolo di terzo, perdendo l’anonimato che gli fornisce il suo ruolo di semplice mediatore? Per rispondere a queste domande, ho deciso di creare un corpus di letteratura italiana in traduzione francese rilevando sistematicamente in quarantadue testi contemporanei le note inserite. In un secondo tempo ho classificato sia le parole che hanno dato luogo ad una nota che la tipologia di note fornite. Questa indagine mi ha permesso di avere una migliore idea delle modalità di inserimento di informazioni e della loro importanza.

Ampliamento del corpus EPTIC e studio di caso sulla combinazione inglese-finlandese

The goal of this dissertation is both to expand EPTIC, the European Parliament Translation and Interpreting Corpus containing EU Parliament plenary speeches in five different languages, and to carry out a case study on the corpus. The corpus was expanded by adding 52 new speeches in both oral and written form in a language that was not hitherto represented in the corpus i.e., Finnish. The case study focuses on the analysis of the English structure “head noun + of + modifier” interpreted into Finnish with the use of the genitive case. As for several previous case studies, this dissertation shows the potential of a corpus such as EPTIC, despite its limited size. It can be used to expand research in the fields of translation and interpreting, but also for didactic purposes. The dissertation is divided into three chapters. The first offers a theoretical background, by presenting the notion of “corpus,” the different types of corpora – particularly focusing on intermodal corpora – and an overview of corpus-based translation and interpreting studies. The second chapter focuses on the EPTIC corpus i.e., on its development and structure, and it then describes all phases of the construction of the corpus. Finally, the third chapter presents the case study, which is introduced by a description of the genitive case in Finnish and of several strategies used by interpreters to face certain difficulties in simultaneous interpreting. The case study highlights two dimensions of the EPTIC corpus. Each original speech was compared with its interpreted version (parallel dimension), and each interpreted speech was compared with its verbatim report, the written version of the oral speech (intermodal dimension). The results confirm the initial assumption of higher accuracy in translation compared to interpreting of the “of structure” from English into Finnish. Moreover, the use of the genitive case in Finnish is higher among translators than interpreters.

Multimodal Mri-based Study In Patients With Spg4 Mutations.

Mutations in the SPG4 gene (SPG4-HSP) are the most frequent cause of hereditary spastic paraplegia, but the extent of the neurodegeneration related to the disease is not yet known. Therefore, our objective is to identify regions of the central nervous system damaged in patients with SPG4-HSP using a multi-modal neuroimaging approach. In addition, we aimed to identify possible clinical correlates of such damage. Eleven patients (mean age 46.0 ± 15.0 years, 8 men) with molecular confirmation of hereditary spastic paraplegia, and 23 matched healthy controls (mean age 51.4 ± 14.1years, 17 men) underwent MRI scans in a 3T scanner. We used 3D T1 images to perform volumetric measurements of the brain and spinal cord. We then performed tract-based spatial statistics and tractography analyses of diffusion tensor images to assess microstructural integrity of white matter tracts. Disease severity was quantified with the Spastic Paraplegia Rating Scale. Correlations were then carried out between MRI metrics and clinical data. Volumetric analyses did not identify macroscopic abnormalities in the brain of hereditary spastic paraplegia patients. In contrast, we found extensive fractional anisotropy reduction in the corticospinal tracts, cingulate gyri and splenium of the corpus callosum. Spinal cord morphometry identified atrophy without flattening in the group of patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia. Fractional anisotropy of the corpus callosum and pyramidal tracts did correlate with disease severity. Hereditary spastic paraplegia is characterized by relative sparing of the cortical mantle and remarkable damage to the distal portions of the corticospinal tracts, extending into the spinal cord.

Subclinical Mri Disease Activity Influences Cognitive Performance In Ms Patients.

The pathological mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (MS) are not yet fully understood and, in addition to demyelinating lesions and gray-matter atrophy, subclinical disease activity may play a role. To evaluate the contribution of asymptomatic gadolinium-enhancing lesions to cognitive dysfunction along with gray-matter damage and callosal atrophy in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients. Forty-two treated RRMS and 30 controls were evaluated. MRI (3T) variables of interest were brain white-matter and cortical lesion load, cortical and deep gray-matter volumes, corpus callosum volume and presence of gadolinium-enhancing lesions. Outcome variables included EDSS, MS Functional Composite (MSFC) subtests and the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological tests. Cognitive dysfunction was classified as deficits in two or more cognitive subtests. Multivariate regression analyses assessed the contribution of MRI metrics to outcomes. Patients with cognitive impairment (45.2%) had more cortical lesions and lower gray-matter and callosal volumes. Patients with subclinical MRI activity (15%) had worse cognitive performance. Clinical disability on MSFC was mainly associated with putaminal atrophy. The main independent predictors for cognitive deficits were high burden of cortical lesions and number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions. Cognitive dysfunction was especially related to high burden of cortical lesions and subclinical disease activity. Cognitive studies in MS should look over subclinical disease activity as a potential contributor to cognitive impairment.

A metalinguagem como lugar da interpretação: terminologia e bases de dados informatizadas

The main objective of this work is to discuss the notion of metalanguage concerning the use of thesaurus (symbols systems, functions indicators, descriptors) utilized by indexers for article representation in computerized bibliographical databases. Our corpus comprises article abstracts and bibliographical database descriptors LILACS (Literatura Latino-Americana em Ciências da Saúde) and SOCIOFILE Sociological Abstracts. We aim at clarifying the effects of subjectivity in the functioning of indexing taking account the grounds for interpretation that allow different meanings.

Procurando o lazer no Constituinte : sua inclusão como direito social na Constituição de 1988

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física