Synchronic Perspective Research Articles

An extensive analysis of blending in Contemporary Italian

This study investigates Italian blending from a synchronic perspective, based on data extracted from a dictionary of neologisms attested over the past two decades. The first part of the paper addresses the boundaries between blends and other morphological units. Neologisms in which at least one of the two constituents has undergone a shortening have been classified into three categories (i.e., compounds with combining forms, secreted affixation, and blends), and described according to a set of semantic and formal parameters. The second part of the paper provides an updated description of Italian blending by analyzing a sample of 200 blends. The analysis reveals that Italian blends exhibit a wide variety of structures, according to the parameters of linearization, shortening, and overlap. Overlap, along with the phonological resemblance, proved to be a factor that favors blend formation. Moreover, it is shown that although blending in Italian is an irregular mechanism overall, in rare cases (such as that of -iota from idiota ‘idiot’), a blend’s part may acquire regularity and affix-like properties.

Revisiting “verbal agreement”: The case of Israeli Hebrew

This paper questions the adequacy of the notion ‘verbal agreement’ with respect to the inflectional marking of person in verbal paradigms, using Israeli Hebrew (IH) as a case study. With regard to IH, the paper argues against the agreement interpretation of the inflectional affixes of the person-inflected paradigms in general, and against the assumption that third person verbs are not marked for person in particular. Adopting a corpus-based and a synchronic intra-paradigmatic perspective, it is suggested that the inflectional affixes in IH should be treated as referential elements (‘bound pronouns’) that are uniformly marked for person. More broadly, the validity of the concept of verbal agreement is questioned based on its incompatibility with observed cross-linguistic data and its historiographical origin. In this respect, the notion verbal agreement presupposes the primacy/naturalness of a particular clausal format – a bipartite structure in which the lexical subject NP and the predicate are present and morphologically independent. As this presupposition essentially reflects a logico-philosophical perspective of the clause originating in the works of the first Greek grammarians rather than a usage-based linguistic one, it is argued that the term ‘verbal agreement’ is inadequate.

Synchronous and Diachronic Timing: Insights into Managing Projects from Disaster Management and Fast-Response Organizations

Timing, that is selecting the right time or speed, is critical in urgent projects, yet there are few studies addressing timing in project management. This article emphasizes event time to better understand that timing is not simply a given externality and points to the importance of enacting events and urgency. Furthermore, the article distinguishes between synchronic and diachronic time perspectives. By transferring insights from disaster management and fast-response organizations, the article shows that (synchronous) coordination is best done by organizational improvisation and fragmentation, whereas (diachronic) pace and rhythm are marked by seizing opportunities, deliberately induced interruptions, and periods of patience.

Contiguous Governance of Synchronic and Diachronic Changes for the Use of Genome Editing Technologies

Genome editing technologies are increasingly coming under scrutiny, based on various social value judgments in biomedical research, clinical care, and public health. A central cause of this sociotechnical tension is that these technologies are capable of precisely and easily creating genome-modified organisms and human cells and tissues. To exemplify a general framework for a national governance system of genome editing technologies, we first look at the regulatory dynamics in Japan. Second, we expose the potential tension between national and international debates and directions for the global harmonization of genome editing technologies. Third, underpinning these two perspectives, we propose contiguous governance as a novel model of the governance of emerging biotechnologies from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives. These perspectives, derived from genome editing technologies, can contribute to a better understanding and consideration of future regulations and governance systems.

A supervised independent component analysis algorithm for motion imagery-based brain computer interface

Recognizing the corresponding neural activities of independent components(ICs) obtained by independent component analysis(ICA) is of prime importance to take use of ICA in EEG analysis. There are many methods trying to solve this problem. But most of them combining ICA, a unsupervised method, and recognition of ICs in a separate way. In this paper, we propose a supervised method to extract the independent components corresponding to different motion imagery(MI) activities in the brain. By designing a new optimization objective and solving it, we combine the idea of ICA with principle of MI in an individual algorithm. From the perspective of event-related desynchronization and synchronization (ERD/ERS), specific frequency band power of the motion-related component should be enhanced or suppressed when executing or imaging movement of body. Therefore, the new optimization function extract the components that satisfy both independence and band power maximization for specific motions. Then, we solve this optimization problem based on the fixed-point iteration scheme. In the experimental stages, we show that our methods can extract motion-related independent components without losing independence. Experimental results show that, although basing on the principle of ERD/ERS, our methods’ effectiveness can be verified in the perspective of movement-related potential (MRP). Additionally, by identifying features in the extracted motion-related independent components, we can achieve better motion recognition accuracy. When using the proposed algorithms with different schema, the results yielded significant accuracy imporvements of 6.9%(p < 0.001) and 7.9%(p < 0.01).

Analysing the dynamics of inclusive practices through the mass media coverage of deafness, multimodal communication and performance in professional contexts.

Multifaceted diversity and related inclusive practices are increasingly becoming very significant in designing social policies and managing the workforce in the workplaces. This paper discuses the cultural shift in the public perceptions of deafness and hard of hearing in a synchronic perspective. Using Buzzsumo’s content analyser, we identified the content published during the British Strictly Come Dancing 2021 television show around “Rose Ayling-Ellis”,“sign language” and “deaf” as specific keywords. We examined the data in tandem with the social engagement, the concept, the purpose and the impact of inclusive practices through the mass media coverage of deafness, multimodal communication and performance in a professional context. The findings revealed a significant increase in social engagements with Sign Language and Deaf; and Rose Ayling-Ellis was an important driver of the content and related topics. Using the content analysis and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as theoretical frameworks, this study confirms that multimodal communication strategies have allowed the (dis)ability dimensions to transcend the empathic assumptions in the society and the workplace and embrace significantly meritocratic achievements in a very competitive and yet inclusive contest. The paper concludes that ability/disability is an elusive dichotomy that is often related to societal and cultural interpretative deficiency. But for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion framework to lead to meaningful changes within the society and the organisations, it should be supported by equitable interventions designed to facilitate and warrant the level playing field.

On voice-over translation of documentaries in Iran: A synchronization perspective

ABSTRACT Voice-over is a mode of transfer in the audiovisual translation in which the original soundtrack is heard simultaneously in the background. The reason for the double-voice hearing is proof of the products’ authenticity and translators’ faithfulness to the target viewers. The technical factor of synchrony (adapting the length of the soundtrack, matching the original and target soundtracks, the soundtrack and visuals, and the soundtrack and body movements) raises the quality of voiced-over products. Voice-over is widely used in the translation of documentaries in many countries including Iran. The present study investigated documentary voice-over on Iran’s national television from an isochrony perspective seeking to examine to what extent the international isochrony standards are followed and where the Iranian voice-over profession stands. For this purpose, a documentary was selected and analyzed based on framework triangulated by the researchers. The results revealed that, in practice, voice-over narrators adhered strongly to synchronization techniques in most segments of the selected documentary. The study demonstrates that documentary voice-over translation techniques, particularly the synchronization principles, are frequently followed on Iran’s television, although with slight modifications they would even improve more.

Functioning of Word-Forming Components гомо- / гетеро- in the Russian Language

The article examines the features of functioning of prepositive components of Greek origin homo- / hetero- in the Russian language in a synchronic and diachronic perspective. The necessity of a differentiated approach to determining the morphological status of these components, depending on their meaning and use in a particular type of discourse, is substantiated. In scientific discourse гомо- /гетеро- are used as term elements denoting the homogeneity/heterogeneity of the defined part of the derivatives and perform the function of prefixes. There is a tendency to expand the scope of their functioning from the exact and natural sciences to the humanities. When used in the meaning of markers of sexual identification, the morphological status of these components is differentiated depending on the type of the derived word. As part of the composites, гомо-/гетеро- act as one of their derivative bases, in affixal formations they acquire the status of a root. The peak of morphosemantic development of components is their lexicalization, as a result of which they begin to be used as an autonomous part of speech - a noun. The growth of the derivational activity of гомо-/гетеро- in modern Russian is explained by the influence of extralinguistic factors considered in a broad socio-historical context.

Ecosystem models and social balance from a synchronization perspective

In this paper, a connection between Heider social balance theory and synchronization patterns of a triad of oscillators is investigated. It is shown that the Heider and Kuramoto diagrams can be identified in a way that is consistent with the interpretation of cognitive states in Heider’s theory and with the behavior of coexisting species in a network of ecosystems. While most of this work focuses on networks with predefined fixed couplings, a preliminary investigation of an evolution model for the links of the network is presented, where a universal order parameter allows to formulate a feedback of the status of the oscillators to the coupling links.

Romové jako místní obyvatelé? Přináležení, cikánství a politika prostoru ve vesnici na východním Slovensku

Based on long-term ethnographic research in one eastern Slovak village, this paper explores the complex issue of the role of place in the (self-)identification of Roma. Applying both a diachronic and a synchronic perspective, the author focuses on the mechanisms of the territorialisation of the Roma that led to the preservation of the historical continuity of the Romani settlement and to its territorial stigmatisation. He shows how local identification and position in the residential structure of the village studied here translated into a more enduring differentiation among Roma themselves. The author argues that crucial to understanding this process is the racialised category of 'Gypsyness', through which the Roma were singled out as 'less local'. 'Gypsyness' was also strongly associated with the space of the settlement and at the same time served as a generally accepted reason for its very existence. By setting up their own strategy of social mobility and striving to achieve full-fledged local belonging, the Roma, to a large extent, subscribed to the dominant logic of 'Gypsyness' and thus reproduced it, but they also transformed some of its characteristics, integrating it into their own understanding of their sociability in an environment of historically rooted non-Romani dominance.

The Musical Force of the Magnetic Field: On the Latest Creative Phase in the Works of Jasna Veličković

Since 2008, Jasna Veličković has been experimenting with and researching within the sound world of the magnetic field—the omnipresent, yet usually completely silent elements in human life. Her journey into the unknown started with an exploration of the sound produced by manipulating coils as parts of complex sound systems, including classical instruments as sound sources. A purely serendipitous event in 2013 led her to the discovery that magnets can also produce sounds when applied to coils in certain ways. This discovery ultimately resulted in the invention of the Velicon, the instrument which she has been composing for and performing on ever since. The investigations of the musical force of the magnetic field also led to the introduction of other seemingly silent objects as sound sources. In this article, I aim to investigate these works both from the diachronic and the synchronic perspective. The key questions will include: (1) mapping Jasna Veličković’s referential worlds—an intricate encounter between music and science/technology, (artistic) experimentation, and electronic music—viewed from the composer’s personal, Serbian, and ‘global’ perspective; (2) the nature of Veličković’s creative process with regard to the reconfiguration of the relationship between composing, experimenting, and improvising; (3) the ramifications of Veličković’s way of breaking loose from the conventional composer-performer-listener chain; and (4) analytical remarks on the prospects of musical structure within the magnetic sound.

La gènesi dels somatismes: accions humanes fossilitzades

Somatic idioms – those including a part of the body – have been traditionally studied from a synchronic perspective, yielding different explanations for their semantic value. The main objective of this paper is to highlight the diachronic origin of idiomatic meaning, by illustrating the process of phraseologization from a historical, usage-based perspective. As the first step, we will reflect on the general nature of phraseological meaning, and then on the semantic particularities of somatic idioms. Secondly, we will carryout a corpus-based diachronic analysis of the Catalan idiom tapar-se el nas (to hold one’s nose) within the framework of the Invited Inference Theory of Semantic Change. The different stages of the process will be exemplified and discussed. As a result, a new notion of somatic idioms as frozen human actions will be presented.

Reciprocidad, vincularidad y transformación : algunas notas sobre la hospitalidad en el Antiguo Testamento

From a synchronic perspective and a narrative approach, some encounters in which the characters assume roles of host or guest are presented. Although they have some common elements, each encounter has its own characteristics: causes, motivations, consequences. This confirms the difficulty of making simple and ab- solute statements about "hospitality in the Old Testament". However some notes are proposed that can contribute to the debate: reciprocity, bonding, asymmetry, hostility and transformation.

Research on the International Exchange and Cooperation in Education under the BRI Based on Review of the Documentary Materials

Based on case analyses of educational exchange between China and the Soviet Union in 1950s recorded in documentary materials, this study probes into the ways to establish, under the guidance of “the Belt and Road Initiative”, cultural diplomatic relations and educational cooperation among countries and regions along the Belt and Road by giving a chronological study of China’s cultural diplomacy. And on that basis, it further explores how cultural exchange and international relations connect and influence each other with an analysis from both diachronic and synchronic perspectives. This study will provide academic support for the Belt and Road countries to carry out cultural exchanges, and it is particularly instructive for them to explore new ways and countermeasures of educational exchange.

The “accountant” stereotype in the Florentine medieval popular culture: “galantuomini” or usurers?

PurposeThis paper explores the stereotype of the accountant in Florentine medieval popular culture based on literary works and from a historical perspective. It aims to highlight how stereotypes change with time and represent the cultural and historical evolution of a society. This research challenges Miley and Read (2012), who stated that the foundation of the stereotype was in Commedia dell'arte, an Italian form of improvisational theatre commenced in the 15th century.Design/methodology/approachThe authors applied a qualitative research method to examine the accountant from a medieval popular culture perspective. The analysis consists of two phases: (1) categorisation of the accountant stereotype based on accounting history literature and (2) thematic analysis of The Divine Comedy (1307–1313) and The Decameron (1348–1351). The authors explored a synchronic perspective of historical investigation through a “cross-author” comparison, identifying Dante Alighieri as the first key author of medieval popular culture. During his imaginary journey through The Divine Comedy, Dante describes the social, political and economic context of the Florentine people of the 14th century. Then, with its various folkloristic elements, The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio becomes the “manifesto” of the popular culture in the Florentine medieval times.FindingsThis study shows the change of the accountant stereotype from the medieval age to the Renaissance. The Divine Comedy mainly connotes a negative accountant stereotype. The 14th century's Florentine gentlemen (“i galantuomini”) are apparently positive characters, with an ordered and clean aspect, but they are accused of being usurers. Dante Alighieri pictures the accountant as a “servant of capitalism”, “dishonest person, excessively fixated with money”, “villain and evil” and “excessively rational”. Giovanni Boccaccio mainly portrays a positive accountant stereotype. The accountant is increasingly more reliable, and this “commercial man” takes a more prestigious role in the society. In The Decameron, the accountant is depicted as a “hero”, “gentleman”, “family-oriented person with a high level of work commitment” and “colourful persona, warm, and emotional”. Overall, the authors provided new evidence on the existence of the accountant stereotype in the Florentine medieval popular.Originality/valueThis study engages with accounting history literature accountants' stereotypes in an unexplored context and time period, providing a base for comparative international research on accounting stereotypes and popular culture. Additionally, it addresses the need for further research on the accountant stereotype based on literary works and from a historical perspective. Therefore, this research also expands the New Accounting History (NAH) literature, focussing on the investigation of the accountant stereotype connotations in the 14th century.

Spanish Studies: Spanish Syntax from a Synchronic Perspective

Spanish Studies: Spanish Syntax from a Synchronic Perspective

A corpus-based analysis of the modal can with the perfect in American English from a synchronic and diachronic perspective

ABSTRACT The paper discusses an analysis of the modal predicate with can and the perfect in American English. The study uses language samples excerpted from The Corpus of Contemporary American English and The Corpus of Historical American English, and it takes both a synchronic and diachronic approach. The investigation has four aims: (i) examining the meaning(s) expressed by can with the perfect, (ii) establishing the semantic field of can in predicates with the perfect, (iii) pinpointing the factors that are responsible for the particular meanings, and (iv) describing the development and contemporary status of the studied construction. The study has shown that can with the perfect expresses either speaker’s reasoning about a hypothetical past possibility or speaker’s certainty about the non-occurrence of a past situation; thus epistemic modality. It has also proven that modality interacts with the perfect and negation, yielding epistemic readings of can. In addition, the study has extended the array of the negative contexts that influence the modality of can in the analysed predicate type. Further, the investigation has established that can with the perfect is generally a rare construction, with the most intensive use recorded before the 20th century. At present, we may be witnessing its obsolescence.

A critical view on a classical approach: Empirical data collection in linguistics

This paper takes both a diachronic and a synchronic perspective on the empirical approach while exploring the emerging field of Albanology. While still applying methods elaborated during the 1960s, Albanian dialectology is considered widely researched. Other linguistic areas have focused on idiomatic written language, mainly that of print media (e.g., belletristic literature). Precisely because of this, in my view, spoken forms of Albanian have received only little attention. Empiricism in linguistics is as old as the field itself, but with that tradition comes an almost stubborn limitation to only a couple of methods applied. This needs to change, as empiricism is now present in all areas of science and has been revolutionized by digitalization.

Double argument marking in Timok dialect texts (in Balkan Slavic context)

SummaryIdioms of the Torlak dialect (spoken in southeast Serbia and western Bulgaria) are known for their “double affiliation”. On the one hand, by virtue of their historical and phonetic features, they belong to the western range of the South Slavic dialectic continuum. On the other hand, according to their morphosyntactic characteristics (the presence of the post-positive article, the reduced case system, etc.), they adhere to the eastern range (i. e. Balkan Slavic). This paper views the innovative features of Torlak syntax from a strictly synchronic perspective and as a phenomenon of double (i. e. both head- and dependent-) argument marking. It is argued that cases of double argument marking in Torlak appear when several conditions are met. In order to be archaically marked with an overt relict case marker, a nominal group should either refer to the a-declension or, in case of the other declension types, assume a prominent position not only on the animacy scale but also on the scale of emotional involvement. In order to be innovatively indexed by a bound personal form (Haspelmath 2013), the argument should create the most favourable pragmatic and semantic conditions for the possible (optional) occurrence of argument indexing, i. e. be a derhematised and highly individualised Patient.

Open access in translation studies: A bibliometric overview of its distribution and development

This article provides an analysis of open access (OA) publishing in translation studies for the 1961-2015 period. To this end, we have taken advantage of the translation-studies (TS) bibliographical database BITRA, which comprised over 75,000 entries as of December 2018, over 21,000 of which had been labelled as OA. The main bibliometric factors we examined from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives were the global status of OA, publication format, language, topic, kind of publisher and types of websites hosting OA publications, while also providing an estimation of how these factors predict OA. The results indicate that we are increasingly witnessing a balance between open and toll access due to the dramatic growth of OA in TS. We have also found that OA is still on the increase in TS, although with some notable variations within each of the categories under analysis.