Referential Elements Research Articles

Referential processing in the human brain: An Event-Related Potential (ERP) study

A substantial body of ERP research investigating the processing of syntactic long-distance dependencies has shown that, across languages and construction types, the second element in such configurations typically elicits phasic left anterior negativity (LAN). We hypothesized that these effects are not specific to syntactic dependencies, but rather index a more general cognitive operation in which the second (dependent) element in sentence-level linguistic long-distance relationships triggers a process of association with the first element. We tested this hypothesis with straightforward referential dependencies, comparing pronouns with proper name antecedents to those without, and proper names with and without preceding co-referring pronouns. We predicted phasic LAN effects in response to the second referential element in both comparisons, but observed them only in response to pronouns with antecedents; no differences were observed between responses to proper names with and without preceding co-referring pronouns. We argue that LAN effects observed at the pronoun index the cognitive operations necessary for the association of a pronoun with its antecedent, on which it depends for its reference. Similar but non-identical responses were elicited by the main clause verb following the gap position in object relative clause constructions compared to coordinate clause controls in an orthogonal manipulation. LAN effects were thus elicited by the second dependent element in both construction types, suggesting that long-distance syntactic and referential dependencies pose similar processing challenges. These findings help to clarify the cognitive processes indexed by anterior negative responses to associated dependent elements in a variety of language contexts.

Turn-taking practices in multi-party EFL oral proficiency tests

This study focuses on multi-party talk among EFL learners during peer-to-peer interaction in oral proficiency tests. We conduct a micro-analysis of the way test-takers in small groups use questions like ‘How about you?’ to manage turn-taking when speaking in rounds or through a pivot. We find that these deceptively simple questions have both an indexical referential element and an addressee-determining element that is used in conjunction with bodily conduct to select next-speaker, making them in fact a sophisticated interactional achievement. The study concludes by discussing how turn-taking practices in multi-party speaking tests can help make visible novice language users’ orientations to learning.

Spanish

Fil: Lantos, Irene Johanna. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofia y Letras. Museo Etnografico juan B. Ambrosetti; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas; Argentina

The fox and the cabra: An ERP analysis of reading code switched nouns and verbs in bilingual short stories

Comprehending a language (or code) switch within a sentence context triggers 2 electrophysiological signatures: an early left anterior negativity post code switch onset – a LAN – followed by a Late Positive Component (LPC). Word class and word position modulate lexico-semantic processes in the monolingual brain, e.g., larger N400 amplitude for nouns than verbs and for earlier than later words in the sentence. Here we test whether the bilingual brain is affected by word class and word position when code switching, or if the cost of switching overrides these lexico-semantic and sentence context factors. Adult bilinguals read short stories in English containing 8 target words. Targets were nouns or verbs, occurred early or late in a story and were presented alternately in English (non-switch) or Spanish (switch) across different story versions. Overall, switched words elicited larger LAN and LPC amplitude than non-switched words. The N400 amplitude was larger for nouns than verbs, more focal for switches than non-switches, and for early than late nouns but not for early than late verbs. Moreover, an early LPC effect was observed only for switched nouns, but not verbs. Together, this indicates that referential elements (nouns) may be harder to process and integrate than relational elements (verbs) in discourse, and when switched, nouns incur higher integration cost. Word position did not modulate the code switching effects, implying that switching between languages may invoke discourse independent processes.

An interactive metadata model for structural, descriptive, and referential representation of scholarly output

The scientific metadata model proposed in this article encompasses both classical descriptive metadata such as those defined in the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (DC) and the innovative structural and referential metadata properties that go beyond the classical model. Structural metadata capture the structural vocabulary in research publications; referential metadata include not only citations but also data about other types of scholarly output that is based on or related to the same publication. The article describes the structural, descriptive, and referential (SDR) elements of the metadata model and explains the underlying assumptions and justifications for each major component in the model. ScholarWiki, an experimental system developed as a proof of concept, was built over the wiki platform to allow user interaction with the metadata and the editing, deleting, and adding of metadata. By allowing and encouraging scholars (both as authors and as users) to participate in the knowledge and metadata editing and enhancing process, the larger community will benefit from more accurate and effective information retrieval. The ScholarWiki system utilizes machine‐learning techniques that can automatically produce self‐enhanced metadata by learning from the structural metadata that scholars contribute, which will add intelligence to enhance and update automatically the publication of metadata Wiki pages.

El rol de los elementos referenciales en la indexicalidad social

The aim of this article is exploring the role of referential elements in sociolinguistic indexicality in a Brazilian TV program called Manos e Minas, which is about the hip hop culture of suburbia in Sao Paulo City. Our theoretical approach comprises sociolinguistic and social cognitivist studies. Through qualitative analysis of the use of referential slangs, we show how this use indexes social identities. Results indicate that referential elements are very important to social indexicality and must be valued as more than just elements with semantic function. We conclude that it is necessary an ampliation of referentiality and indexicality notions for a better comprehension of semantic and pragmatic indexicality, the relation among the linguistic uses, social life and interactional sociolinguistic mechanisms that take part in social cognitions.

Turn formats for other-initiated repair and their relation to trouble sources: Some observations from Japanese and Korean conversations

Intended as a contribution to our understanding of the principles underlying the selection of turn formats used for other-initiated repair (OIR), this study explores the relationship between OIR turn formats involving the “what” token in Japanese and Korean and the types of trouble addressed by them. We focus in particular on the differentiation between “open class repair initiators” (Drew, 1997) and OIR that targets a specific referential element in the trouble-source turn. We show that, while prosody plays an important role in distinguishing the two in Korean, it does not in Japanese. Instead, Japanese speakers rely on grammatical resources, in particular postpositional particles, to accomplish the differentiation. We also discuss one type of OIR turn format in Japanese, nani ga (‘what’ followed by the nominative particle ga), whose workings deviate from those of all the other OIR turn formats consisting of “what” followed by a postpositional particle. We suggest that nani ga has undergone a process of pragmatic specialization and that, as a result, it is treated by speakers as an unanalyzed chunk used for specific pragmatic purposes.

That We See That Some Diagrammatic Proofs Are Perfectly Rigorous

Mistaken reasons for thinking diagrammatic proofs aren't rigorous are explored. The main result is that a confusion between the contents of a proof procedure (what's expressed by the referential elements in a proof procedure) and the unarticulated mathematical aspects of a proof procedure (how that proof procedure is enabled) gives the impression that diagrammatic proofs are less rigorous than language proofs. An additional (and independent) factor is treating the impossibility of naturally generalizing a diagrammatic proof procedure as an indication of lack of rigor.

Territórios, memória e etnicidade no espaço urbano de Kourou- Guiana Francesa - DOI 10.5216/ag.v4i12.12780

The configuration of space center of Kourou, city of French Guiana in Pan-Amazon, is marked by cohabitation with ethnic differences, creating a controversial relationship and sometimes litigious. In this context, the spatialities of the ethnic groups of Kourou are appropriated by representations and symbologies rooted in the collective memory which provides a concret referential element of apprehension of the identity feeling : the territory.

Expressões referenciais – uma proposta classificatória

In this work, we reflect about the suggested criteria in literature to identify different kinds of anaphorics and deictics, according to their referential function, meaning features and manifestation forms. Privileging remission parameter, we divide these referential elements into two major groups: in one of them, there are expressions introducing new referents in discourse universe without any referential continuity; in the other group, there are expressions with referential continuity, either because they are explicitly evocated or because they are inferible.

Crossover and ethical pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese

Ethical pronouns, used to express that someone is negatively affected by the content of the main assertion, cannot co-refer with referential elements in the same clause in Brazilian Portuguese. I propose a syntactic account for this constraint in co-reference by showing that ethical pronouns undergo A’-movement to a projection in the split IP system (called OrientP), in order to check a feature [+S] related to the sentential force and speaker orientation. While undergoing this movement, if the ethical pronoun crosses a co-indexed phrase, it causes a strong crossover violation in the sense of Postal 1971, Wasow 1972, Lasnik 1976.

Written discourse development in CLIL at secondary school

This article presents a study of written development in English as a foreign language produced in a content and language integrated learning (CLIL) environment. The texts analysed, from history classes, were collected annually over the four-year obligatory junior secondary education program from the same students (aged 12 to 16), in two state schools in Madrid, Spain. The ability to produce coherent texts and the appropriate management of the nominal group, or noun phrase, to create disciplinary registers are key skills for academic writing. With the purpose of identifying the linguistic resources used to create coherence and appropriate register in the CLIL students’ written texts, all the nominal groups in the corpus were analysed in terms of recoverability of the elements they referred to, further classifying the referential elements into different types. Finally, the structure of the nominal groups was analysed for pre- and post-modification. The results show development in the control of textual resources, as well as some increase in nominal group complexity, over the four years. The study suggests that CLIL settings, which focus primarily on the learning of content, provide suitable contexts in which to develop written discourse, since the students can draw on a solid knowledge base from which to create their text. Students need to be given the opportunity to construct scaffolded but longer and more autonomous texts in the required genres, an ability which is inextricably linked to academic success in the content area.

Hacia una semántica computacional de las anáforas demostrativas

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000267 EndHTML:0000003569 StartFragment:0000002583 EndFragment:0000003533 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/raquelpalopbenlloch/Documents/PAPERS/CONFERENCIAS%202008-2009/PAPER%20PROJECT%20Linguam%C3%A1tica/Paper%20Linguam%C3%A1tica.doc Demonstratives exhibit a dual nature with respect to their discourse behavior. On the one hand, they behave as directly referential elements commonly accompanied by a pointing gesture in their canonical use. On the other hand, speakers make use of demonstratives to refer to a range of entities that have been previously mentioned in discourse (discourse anaphora), such as events, propositions or any other type of abstract entities apparently lacking any kind of spatio-temporal anchoring. In this paper, we propose a characterization of Spanish demonstrative determiners and pronouns as generalized quantifiers, which will allow us to account for their heterogeneous referential nature and the principal differences among these elements.

Estrabismos: da teoria à prática, dos conceitos às suas operacionalizações

Some particular points concerning the study of strabismus are analyzed, specially, the difficulties for definitions and the different ways it can be conceived, besides the relativity of binocular positions interpretation, and the necessary referential elements for circumscribing such questions. Then, the concept of primary position of gaze is discussed as well as the conditions for its operational attainment, leading to the conclusion that it is materially impossible to achieve this 'zero' point, from which all other measurements of strabismus or ocular movements should be done. In sequence, the construction of multiple referential systems applying the quantification of strabismus are examined. The lack of consensual agreement about which should be used as the standard system causes elementary practical implications, as the lack of agreement about how to superimpose orthogonal prisms for the measurement of associated horizontal and vertical deviations. The functional asymmetry of ocular rotations and its exceptions are commented. The accuracy that the measurements of strabismus can be performed is analyzed, leading to the conclusion that fractional figures using the commonest angular unities are improper. At last, some technical problems related to such evaluations are also commented, as operational difficulties related to prism-diopter unity, concerning the use of prisms, and prismatic effects due to the use of conventional optical glasses.

Teses e dissertações em Ciência da Informação: a multidisciplinaridade não revelada na avaliação da produção científica

Reflexão sobre o perfil da comunidade de pesquisadores em Ciência da Informação na ECA/USP, que emerge das análises de indicadores de formação e titulação do corpo docente dos programas de pós-graduação, em relação ao perfil temático das dissertações e teses orientadas. As linhas e os grupos de pesquisa cadastrados no CNPq são elementos de referência na categorização temática da produção científica da área. Partindo da hipótese de que ementas são elaboradas para acomodar interesses heterogêneos de pesquisadores e não refletem a produção da área, foi realizado estudo para analisar o conteúdo temático e objetos de análise das orientações efetuadas de 1999-2004 para avaliar sua pertinência em relação às linhas e grupos de pesquisa. Os resultados mostram uma gama de trabalhos de pesquisa de corpos teóricos diferentes, com novos temas incluídos no bojo da produção acadêmica que confirmam a multidisciplinaridade presente no programa mas, normalmente, não revelada plenamente nos estudos de avalição dessa mesma produção, em função das categorias utilizadas para análise e apresentação de resultados.

Automatic and real-time inspection system for smart card module inspection

We present an automatic and real-time vision system to inspect the two sides of a smart card module using fuzzy logic. In the smart card industry, the module is the referential element supporting the chip. It is designed via successive microelectronic operations to be finally embedded in the plastic card. For the chip side, the system can detect overflow of resin, integrity problems of the surface or of the resin protection, and misalignments. For the contact side, the system can detect all the defects affecting the module surface such as scratches, marks, or pollution. The vision system is flexible and real time. It is organized in dedicated layers and offers the necessary elements including controlled illumination systems to manage different films. A priori knowledge is introduced in the system, and fuzzy classifiers allow fast and reliable decisions. This industrial system has exhibited an efficiency comparable to that of experienced human observers but at much higher speed.

Contadores de histórias: práticas discursivas e violência de gênero

This paper analyzes a storytelling workshop, an intervention based on the referential elements of oral narratives, held at an NGO in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The workshop was divided into three different stages: narration of a story with a focus on gender violence, a discussion based on the narrative, and an activity with body painting. The theoretical framework was based on discursive practices, and when workshop participants' discourse was assessed, at least two interpretive repertories were identified: one based on the gender category and the other on everyday life and recollections from participants' life stories. There was also considerable variety in the arguments, manifested in the contradictions and incongruence permeating the discourse. Narratives used as tools to work with abused women (especially for public health interventions) have received little attention thus far. In the current study, stories were analyzed as possible strategies to deal with gender inequalities, a powerful analytical tool for evaluating public health actions.

Los alicatados del Baño de Comares de la Alhambra, ¿islámicos o cristianos?

The tiling with arabesque designs lining the walls of the Comares Bath in the Alhambra has long been the subject of an intense debate concerning their origin: Islamic or Christian. The author offers new data, mainly archival, leading to new reflections on their origin and history, as well as providing referential elements in the face of possible future restorations.

The Production of Television Fiction and Nation Building

A nation needs its own fiction. It is for this reason that many countries have used fictional narratives to create a self-image. This article describes the role that fictional television series play in the process of nation building and proposes an analytical model that is based on quantitative and qualitative methods. It is argued that national identity is promoted through referential elements in fictional discourse, most of which are territorial and linguistic, although some are historical, institutional and cultural. It is also argued that the process unfolds in a politically controversial space of contestation where national culture is defined. The author studied the production of fiction on Catalan public television from 1994 to 2003, analysing content and documentation and carrying out in-depth interviews with scriptwriters and managers. The article points out how important cultural policy and production dynamics are in determining the kind of nation that is being represented.

Terminologia e neologia

Este trabalho procura mostrar as relações existentes entre terminologia e neologia, que podem ser situadas desde que os primeiros homens começaram a denominar conceitos e elementos referenciais do mundo em que viviam. Apresenta o conceito de neologia e sua evolução, determinada a partir da década de 80 como conseqüência do desenvolvimento crescente das atividades de caráter terminológico. Em seguida, apresenta os processos de formação de neologismos terminológicos — derivação, composição, transferência semântica, empréstimo de outros idiomas, truncação —, exemplificando-os por meio de exemplos extraídos da terminologia da Inteligência Artificial.