Diachronic Approach Research Articles

Domestic animals and birds in traditional rites of the Mordovians: Finno-Ugric context

Introduction. The article presents a study of the functions of domestic animals and birds in the traditional rites of the Mordovians and a number of Finno-Ugric ethnic groups of Russia. Common and unique functions are revealed as well as the level of transformation of animalistic and ornithomorphic rituals of the Mordovians in comparison with the Mari, Udmurts, Komi, Karelians, Vepsians, Khanty. Materials and Methods. The material of the study includes the published folklore and ethnographic sources, field materials collected by the authors. The analysis of the material was carried out using the descriptive and contrastive methods. The synchronic and diachronic approaches were also applied in the course of study. Results and Discussion. The study has revealed a variety of functions of domestic animals and birds in traditional rites of the Mordovians and a number of Finno-Ugric ethnic groups of Russia. In addition to the function of ritual sacrifice in various rites, they perform the apotropaic function in folk signs and fortunetelling, thanksgiving and propitiatory functions in the rituals associated with the patron deities of the elements. In the modern culture of the Mordovians, the traditional ritual functions of domestic animals and birds are being transformed into the utilitarian function. Conclusion. The contrastive analysis of the Mordovians materials with the data obtained from the Mari, Karelians, Komi, Udmurts, Vepsians, Khanty has showed that the ritual tradition of each ethnic group is characterized by a common and a specific use of animals and birds. In the modern ritual practice of these ethnic groups, chickens, roosters, sheep, pigs are used in the utilitarian function

Socio-cultural Status of Albinism in Africa: Challenging Myths, Concepts, and Stereotypes

This article analyses the socio-cultural status of Albinism in Africa and the role unchallenged stereotypes, irrational concepts, and unfounded beliefs play in the lives of persons with albinism. Following some beliefs, persons with albinism” do not die but vanish” to later “return as ghosts to haunt the living.” The author discusses this paradox about persons with albinism identified as hunted victims and simultaneously haunting perpetrators. The research examines the concept of albinism being a curse from dead ancestors or theodicy and its association with supernatural powers. By a comparative and diachronic approach, the study challenges unsubstantiated stereotypes. This study aims at social awareness by demystifying established myths and discussing study cases and examples referring to media, art, performing arts, literature, photography, and motion pictures.

Internet communication and language dynamics and norm

The purpose of the research the results of which are presented in the article is to show the language dynamics taking place under the influence of internet communication and in internet communication, on the example of selected syntax structures representing two mechanisms contributing to language dynamization, namely substitution and multiplication. In the article, based on quantitative corpus research in a diachronic approach, impact of internet communication, with observable distortion of the language standard, on the general standard Polish language is proven. An example of that impact is variability of the syntax structures selected for the research in scientific texts, that is in texts representing the highest correctness standards, subject to multiple linguistic corrections.

The Role of Public Policy in Promoting Gender Equality in Malta: A Diachronic Approach

This article analyzes the major policy and regulatory framework of gender equality policies enacted in Malta between 1921-2021. A diachronic approach was adopted. A historical analysis of the development of gender equality policies was carried out by analyzing official documents. The data was consolidated with the findings which emerged from the twelve in-depth interviews held with key institutional actors. They were involved in the design and implementation of gender equality policies, procedures, and measures. Since Malta does not have an umbrella policy on gender equality, this is an important public policy field. Gender equality laws and policies have evolved over the years, often in a piecemeal manner, due to pressure from international bodies. Efforts have been made to eliminate gender discrimination in the public sector and service with the aim of establishing a standard for the private sector. Malta’s gender equality laws and policies have brought about change in some areas, but others need to be further developed. The Gender Equality Index devised by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) shows that Malta has improved in some domains but not in others.

Beyond Traditional Hierarchies

Children’s literature collections and their associations with canons and histories pose challenges for contemporary children’s literature research, where an emphasis is increasingly placed on diversity and inclusion, as well as on questioning so-called established histories of children’s literature. Problems arise when using collections to deconstruct canons or to destabilise established histories: by, for example, shifting the focus to gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, nationality, we may end up tracing alternative histories and in so doing, potentially – even unintentionally – creating new canons. In this paper, we propose that, in directing the focus away from concepts of linear time, an alternative ›spatial‹ approach to children’s literature collections can be facilitated, one that might at once acknowledge and disrupt canons and histories, while also promoting an understanding of the complexities and contradictory natures of collections. Taking a synchronic rather than a diachronic approach, drawing upon theories of space and considering collections in terms of both the physical and the online spaces they occupy, encourages conceptualisations that move beyond traditional histories and hierarchies as well as attempts to delineate, exalt and cohere, and creates opportunities for serendipitous research discoveries.

저출산･고령사회 재정사업의 유형화를 통한 메타평가: 1차~3차 저출산･고령사회 기본계획 성과평가의 통시적 접근

본 연구는 ｢저출산･고령사회 기본계획｣을 종단면적인 관점에서 종합적으로 평가하여 향후 인구정책의 방향을 제시하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 한국보건사회연구원에서 2006년 저출산･고령사회 기본계획이 수립되어 추진된 이후, 2007년부터 매년 실시하고 있는 연차별 성과평가 결과를 활용하여, 통시적 관점에서 연차별 성과평가를 종합한 메타평가를 실시하고 그 결과를 바탕으로 인구정책의 방향성을 제시하였다.BR 보건사회연구원의 성과보고서에서 활용하고 있는 종속변수인 예산집행률과 목표달성률을 종속변수로 한 통합모형(pooled OLS) 분석 결과를 종합하여 살펴보면, 예산집행률을 종속변수로 보았을 때, 아동･청소년기를 대상으로 한 정책들과 중장년기를 대상으로 한 정책의 예산집행률이 낮은 것으로 나타났다. 한편, 목표 달성률을 종속변수로 분석한 모형에서는 소득보장 정책에 비해 보건･의료 정책, 일자리 정책, 그리고 정주환경 정책의 목표달성률이 유의미하게 낮은 것으로 나타났다. 정책유형 중 소득보장 정책의 경우 예산집행율은 다른 정책들에 비해 낮지만 목표달성률은 높은 것으로 나타났다.BR 분석결과, 소득보장 정책과 더불어 현재 예산집행률이 높음에도 부처 스스로 설정한 목표임에도 불구하고 달성률이 저조한 정책유형(보건의료, 일자리, 정주환경)의 재정사업에 대한 세심한 정책설계의 필요성이 요구된다. 저출산･고령사회 기본계획의 주요 방향인 안정적인 사회보장의 관점에서 기본적인 소득보장 정책의 추진과 함께, 동 계획에서 상대적으로 소흘히하고 있는 중장년층 등 정책대상과 수단의 사각지대를 적극적으로 발견하고 개선해나가는 노력이 필요하다.

Syntactic alternations and socio-stylistic constraints: the case of asyndetic complementation in the history of Spanish

AbstractThis paper analyses the alternation between complement clauses with and without complementizer (syndetic and asyndetic), in historical Spanish (15th–18th century). While previous studies have shown that this syntactic alternation was regulated by the degree of integration of the clauses, its stylistic distribution is understudied. In this paper we investigate whether the syndetic/asyndetic alternation is governed by socio-stylistic factors (discourse traditions, audience and speaker design). The analysis of the data from the corpus CODEA+2015, is carried out by using regression models. Our results indicate that the selection of asyndetic complements was predicted by the type of audience (reactive style-shift), employed especially when addressing superiors. Also, asyndetic complements were favored by the use of deferential request verbs such assuplicar(‘to beg’) that represents the petitioner as an inferior (proactive style-shift). Furthermore, the stylistic choice for an asyndetic complement was determined at the sentential level (“micro” discourse traditions), when the writer is also the performer of the speech-act. Thus, we show that in choosing alternative variants, writers are concerned with expressing grammatical meanings but also social identity. Additionally, the diachronic analysis indicates that while the proactive style-shift effect grows stronger over time, the relevance of the reactive style-shift declines, showing that socio-stylistic predictors, similarly to linguistic predictors, can be affected diachronic fluctuations. Our paper evinces the relevance of a multidimensional and diachronic approach to the study of syntactic variation, demonstrating how a monolithic view of the textual dimension can hide fine-grained socio-stylistic effects.

Masculinity in Contention: Performance, Language, and Gender in the Lebanese Army during the Civil War

AbstractThe gender history of the Lebanese Civil War (1975–90) has so far focused on the study of female figures. In an attempt to widen the scope of analysis, this article reconsiders the role of the Lebanese army in war-torn Lebanon through the lens of gender. Based on interviews with retired officers and noncommissioned officers, I argue that the military—the combat personnel in particular—never relinquished its claim to an exclusive militarized masculinity, despite the rise of contending actors. By maintaining this claim, these men strove to confront both the new standards of masculinity imposed by the militias and the anxiety caused by the disruption of gender roles throughout the conflict. To make sense of this confrontation, the article investigates how the veterans have engaged in a social performance, during both past and present, to (re)enact their manliness in front of an audience. This diachronic approach allows me to further untangle the combat officers’ trajectories during the war, using gender to bring them into conversation with their milieu.

Comparison between English Loanwords in Mandarin Chinese and Chinese Loanwords in English

Language is an organ in constant evolution and as such a diachronic approach should be taken when analyzing how speakers of a given languages use it in their everyday life. English and Chinese Mandarin have become two of the most spoken languages in the world and as such some sort of linguistic influence on one another must be expected to an extent. This paper should be taken as an introductory chapter of a very complex socio-linguistics topic that deserves to be researched indepth to be fully understood. This paper highlights the most common English loanwords in modern Chinese and vice versa, briefly giving a summary on why two foreign languages so far apart has becoming interlacing and blending in the everyday speech.

The potential of contrastive analysis in the study of discourse

The article focuses on contemporary trends in contrastive studies. As a point of departure the nature, history and evolution of contrastive linguistics are examined. Contrastive linguistics is viewed in relation to other disciplines such as comparative linguistics, comparative historical linguistics, linguistic typology, theory of translation, and foreign language teaching. Any aspect of language may be covered in cross-linguistic studies which involve a systematic comparison of two or more languages both at micro-linguistic and macro-linguistic level. The current trends are identified in terms of macro-linguistic widening of contrastive analysis which is applied in studies of specialized discourses such as media, political and academic communication. The findings are based on a small-scale research of contrastive studies published in Contrastive Linguistics, the oldest international journal for contrastive linguistics. By conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis and employing a diachronic approach conclusions are drawn about the need for the contrastive approach at macro-level, the type of linguistic phenomena studied and the preferred methods of contrastive analysis within a period of forty-six years. The findings show that there is only a slight increase in macro-linguistic analyses in recent years, but contrastive analysis remains a vibrant area of research with a potential for development at discourse level in particular and implications for intercultural understanding and tolerance.

Mapping perceptions diachronically

This research takes a diachronic approach to perceptual dialectology and uses data collected in 2016-2017 to replicate work done in Michigan in 1985-87 (Preston 1996) to examine possible changes in perceptions. The frequency of identification of regions and their spatial distributions were analyzed in 148 newly collected hand-drawn maps. The rates of regional identification in these are generally similar to the earlier ones, with the exception of increases of over 10% for three of the fourteen regions and decreases of more than 10% for two others. GIS analysis of the five most frequently identified regions showed that the South and Northeast are larger in the newer work, while the North, Plains and Mountains, and West are similar to the earlier study. These findings allow questions about the factors that influence change in perceptions over time and address a gap in diachronic studies in perceptual dialectology.

The Relevance of Diachronic Approach to Grammaticalization Research

The present paper proves the relevance of the diachronic approach to grammaticalization research. The article contains defi nitions of the concept of grammaticalization and makes a distinction between diachronic and historical grammar. The theoretical review is based on research carried out by such scholars as I.A. Baudouin de Courtenay, W. von Humboldt, E. Kuryłowicz, B. Heine, Ch. Lehmann, E. Traugott, J. Bybee and others. Grammaticalization is defi ned as a process whereby lexical units turn into grammatical units or the latest increase their grammatical status. It is noted that a diachronic approach to this process enables researchers to identify the grammaticalization sources, fi nd out the patterns and possible ways of development of universal grammaticalization paths in diff erent languages and prove the unidirectionality hypothesis. This approach also provides the explanatory value of a linguistic theory, allows us to identify the cognitive and communicative factors, analyze the dynamics of grammatical changes and fi nd out the similarities between languages in the most explicit way. Based on the example of the English grammaticalized construction be going to, it is proved that the grammaticalization process is gradual and requires a diachronic approach for a more comprehensive analysis of intermediate stages of development of grammatical units.

DIACHRONIC ECOLOGICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF IMDb

Media is a useful tool to convey various types of messages. Within the past years, broadcasting media has covered a wide range of different communication methods such as television, radio, newspapers, and magazines. The article's central hypothesis is that movies, TV, and video games quotes, as the subcategory of broadcasting, convey messages about environmental issues. It seems that ecological discourse analysis can be useful, as it focuses on texts about the environment. In a diachronic approach, the present article aims to explore the environmental issues in movies, TV, and video games quotes; in this regard, we analyzed ecological discourse and solutions proposed by IMDb quotes. The data was collected from the IMDb database using Keyword in Context (KWIC) over 1990-2020. The findings indicated that KWICs such as global warming (38%) and endangered species (19.18%) had the highest frequencies. On the other hand, only 0.67% of the raw numbers of quotes belonged to environmental issues, which indicated that IMDb quotes implicitly conveyed the message regarding ecological matters. Furthermore, the studied IMDb mostly explained the consequences and provided solutions to environmental issues. Therefore, the frequency of informing people about environmental negligence was much lower than expected.

Paleogenetic Studies of Migration Processes in Eurasia

Paleogenetic Studies of Migration Processes in Eurasia

Multi-Decadal Assessment of Soil Loss in a Mediterranean Region Characterized by Contrasting Local Climates

Soil erosion is one of the most widespread soil degradation phenomena worldwide. Mediterranean landscapes, due to some peculiar characteristics, such as fragility of soils, steep slopes, and rainfall distribution during the year, are particularly subject to this phenomenon, with severe and complex issues for agricultural production and biodiversity protection. In this paper, we present a diachronic approach to the analysis of soil loss, which aims to account for climate variability and land cover dynamics by using remote data about rainfall and land cover to guarantee sufficient observational continuity. The study area (Basilicata, Southern Italy) is characterized by different local climates and ecosystems (temperate, Csa and Csb; arid steppic, Bsk; and cold, Dsb and Dsc), and is particularly suited to represent the biogeographical complexity of the Mediterranean Italy. The well-known Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was applied by integrating information from remote sensing to carry out decadal assessments (1994, 2004, 2014, and 2021) of the annual soil loss. Changes in the rainfall regime and vegetation cover activity were derived from CHIRPS and Landsat data, respectively, to obtain updated information useful for dynamical studies. For the analyzed region, soil loss shows a slight reduction (albeit always remarkable) over the whole period, and distinct spatial patterns between lowland Bsk and Mediterranean mountain Dsb and Dsc climate areas. The most alarming fact is that most of the study area showed soil erosion rates in 2021 greater than 11 t/ha*y, which is considered by the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) the threshold for identifying severe erosion phenomena. A final comparison with local studies shows, on average, differences of about 5 t ha−1 y−1 (minimum 2.5 and maximum 7) with respect to the local estimates obtained with the RUSLE model. The assessment at a regional scale provided an average 9.5% of soil loss difference for the arable lands and about 10% for all cultivated areas. The spatial-temporal patterns enhance the relevance of using the cover management factor C derived from satellite data rather than land cover maps, as remote observations are able to highlight the heterogeneity in vegetation density within the same vegetation cover class, which is particularly relevant for agricultural areas. For mountain areas, the adoption of a satellite-gridded rainfall dataset allowed the detection of erosion rate fluctuations due to rainfall variability, also in the case of sparse or absent ground pluviometric stations. The use of remote data represents a precious added value to obtain a dynamic picture of the spatial-temporal variability of soil loss and new insights into the sustainability of soil use in a region whose economy is mostly based on agriculture and the exploitation of natural resources.

The Afterlife of St Cuthbert: Place, Texts and Ascetic Tradition, 690–1500

The Afterlife of St Cuthbert: Place, Texts and Ascetic Tradition, 690–1500

Hisbah in Public Moral and Marketplace Control: From Historical to Indonesian contexts

The Hisbah is an institution in Islamic history that deals with marketplace control and public moral surveillance. Hisbah institution represents the state's effort to uphold social order based on the ideals of Islamic teachings. Although hisbah functions surveillance decreases, its function draws attention from scholars and public officials. The article aims to reveal the root and development of the hisbah along with history and its function in contemporary Indonesia. The article employs a synchronic and diachronic approach to track the development of hisbah and to portrait its relevance in a contemporary Indonesian context. The function of hisbah stems from the practice of the Prophet Muhammad and guided caliphs, while institutionally hisbah develop from market supervision authority to a broader function that encompasses morality. The function of hisbah in monitoring public morals emerge during the Abbasid. The importance of hisbah institution may decrease, but its functions are embodied in several modern institutions
 

Metaliterature in the Work of Russell Edson Álvaro Pina Arrabal

This paper examines Russell Edson’s metaliterary texts. Since almost no previous attemptshave been made to consistently systematize them, a diachronic approach has been adopted.Edson’s collections, leaving aside his two novels and four short plays, are taken as the corpusfor this work. Accordingly, his surrealistars poeticais also analyzed in the light of his owndreamlike short texts, whether prose poems or short-short stories. It is concluded that theAmerican writer constructed his apparently nonsensical works on the basis of a highlysophisticated rationalism insomuch as they refer to their own processes of composition whilestill preserving most of their surrealist features.

Synchronism and diachronism of antique origin idioms in the English language media discourse

The article examines the semantics of idioms of antique origin in media discourse from the standpoint of synchrony and diachrony. The study of media discourse as a phenomenon of language and as an extralinguistic entity enables us to consider it using methods of cognitive and discourse analyses. Phraseological units as inherent elements of mediatexts have a powerful connotative (evaluative) potential at the synchronic level that is identified by referring to the source of the expression at the diachronic level. Cognitive analysis determines the evaluative potential in the semantics of idioms associated with subjective modalities. Axiological modality represents rational (positive or negative) evaluation of real situations. Emotive modality embraces the whole range of emotions (condemnation, approval, admiration, disapproval). Deontic modality relates to the system of norms that regulate the behavior of people in the society. Being originally precedent phenomena, phraseological units of antique origin store in their semantics a considerable volume of information about the events of past epochs, about the value system of the ancient world. The study of idioms of antique origin as a synchronous unit does not give a complete idea of its modern meaning. The combination of cognitive analysis method that examines the synchronic semantics of the phraseological unit from the position of diachronic approach, and discourse analysis method, which takes into account the extralinguistic situation, can determine the actual sense and connotative potential of the idiom of antique origin in the mediatext.

New speakers versus old speakers. O akwizycji języka niemieckiego dwóch pokoleń na Mazurach

NEW SPEAKERS VERSUS OLD SPEAKERS: ABOUT GERMAN LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN TWO GENERATIONS IN MASURIA This article presents part of the results of a field study carried out in Masuria in Summer 2018, in the framework of the international Beethoven 2 project: “Generational language differentiation: morphosyntactic changes resulting from Polish-German language contact in the speech of bilingual persons” financed by Narodowe Centrum Nauki (National Science Centre), project no. 2016/23/G/HS2/04369, affiliated with the Institute of Slavic Studies, Polish Academy of Science. The author focuses on two different linguistic situations connected with acquisition of German language by new speakers, or adults who learn a language during organized educational classes, in relation to old speakers, or those who learnt the language in their childhood, in the context of their homes or families. The members of both groups were born in Masuria, which was part of East Prussia before World War II, and was incorporated into Poland after 1945. The language change in that territory has had an important effect on the acquisition process of the Polish and the German languages, and on the language biographies of the speakers. However, the notion of generation included in the title of this paper does not necessarily have to refer to changes in the diachronic approach, but can also address synchronically occurring conditions, as both old and new speakers can be representatives of various generations of the same family or members of the same community and of similar age.