Abstract In physics, the spread of particles such as atoms is called diffusion. The same term is employed in linguistics to describe the spread of language features or languages as a whole. In this paper, we investigate how models for physical diffusion can be transferred to linguistics to study language spread. We review the different ways of describing physical diffusion and then look at two types of models to study language spread. By examining the differences and similarities between speakers, languages and atoms, we show that it is important to be clear about what is being modelled: languages or speakers, as these are quite different but cannot be completely separated—languages cannot exist without speakers and vice versa.
{"title":"Are Languages like Atoms? On Modelling Language Spread as a Physicist","authors":"Katharina Prochazka, G. Vogl","doi":"10.1515/GLOT-2018-0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/GLOT-2018-0005","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In physics, the spread of particles such as atoms is called diffusion. The same term is employed in linguistics to describe the spread of language features or languages as a whole. In this paper, we investigate how models for physical diffusion can be transferred to linguistics to study language spread. We review the different ways of describing physical diffusion and then look at two types of models to study language spread. By examining the differences and similarities between speakers, languages and atoms, we show that it is important to be clear about what is being modelled: languages or speakers, as these are quite different but cannot be completely separated—languages cannot exist without speakers and vice versa.","PeriodicalId":37792,"journal":{"name":"Glottotheory","volume":"9 1","pages":"77 - 88"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/GLOT-2018-0005","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45463361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Teaching materials in German lessons at primary level, which are intended to guide or support the acquisition of written language, have different concepts. As part of a nationwide survey, between 2013 and 2015, the question was asked about the textbooks used in German lessons, and especially about the use of an initial sound table. The evaluation focuses on the distribution of syllabic-oriented textbooks and the use of initial sound tables. It can be seen that the nationwide distribution shows regional tendencies. Follow-up surveys and a correlation with spelling and reading at later points in time of the cohorts collected can provide possible indications as to how learn-effective textbooks could be.
{"title":"(An-)Lauttabellen und silbenbasierte Lehrwerke im Deutschunterricht der Primarstufe","authors":"J. Hagemann","doi":"10.1515/GLOT-2018-0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/GLOT-2018-0003","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Teaching materials in German lessons at primary level, which are intended to guide or support the acquisition of written language, have different concepts. As part of a nationwide survey, between 2013 and 2015, the question was asked about the textbooks used in German lessons, and especially about the use of an initial sound table. The evaluation focuses on the distribution of syllabic-oriented textbooks and the use of initial sound tables. It can be seen that the nationwide distribution shows regional tendencies. Follow-up surveys and a correlation with spelling and reading at later points in time of the cohorts collected can provide possible indications as to how learn-effective textbooks could be.","PeriodicalId":37792,"journal":{"name":"Glottotheory","volume":"9 1","pages":"1 - 27"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/GLOT-2018-0003","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43001475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Adnominals of different types in the texts of 16 popular modern Russian authors were analyzed to examine gender based differences. The study was conducted with the help of discriminant analysis which revealed considerable differences in female and male authors’ adnominal styles and allowed to build a discriminant model of several types of adnominals.
{"title":"Gender Differences Based on Attributive Relations","authors":"S. Andreev","doi":"10.1515/GLOT-2018-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/GLOT-2018-0002","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Adnominals of different types in the texts of 16 popular modern Russian authors were analyzed to examine gender based differences. The study was conducted with the help of discriminant analysis which revealed considerable differences in female and male authors’ adnominal styles and allowed to build a discriminant model of several types of adnominals.","PeriodicalId":37792,"journal":{"name":"Glottotheory","volume":"9 1","pages":"29 - 40"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/GLOT-2018-0002","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48702985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The article focuses on analysing activity in the selected sonnets of the Czech and Russian nineteenth-century literatures (100 poems per each). Busemann Coefficient (Q) is counted for the samples, and the individual authors are tested on statistical significance by means of the nonparametric Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon test. Another product of the research is a scatter plot, where the counts of the significant MWW test values for the poets and their average Q’s are compared; these figures are clustered according to the k-means method, and interpretations are formulated on the basis of the groupings. Both microanalyses penetrating into an author’s production, and literary-movement investigations are provided, so as to make the research of use for literary criticism, too. Finally, two ways of comparing the Czech and Russian data are sketched, with the outcomes being commented upon.
{"title":"Activity in Czech and Russian Nineteenth-century Sonnets: A Contrastive Study","authors":"S. Andreev, Michal Místecký","doi":"10.1515/GLOT-2018-0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/GLOT-2018-0004","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The article focuses on analysing activity in the selected sonnets of the Czech and Russian nineteenth-century literatures (100 poems per each). Busemann Coefficient (Q) is counted for the samples, and the individual authors are tested on statistical significance by means of the nonparametric Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon test. Another product of the research is a scatter plot, where the counts of the significant MWW test values for the poets and their average Q’s are compared; these figures are clustered according to the k-means method, and interpretations are formulated on the basis of the groupings. Both microanalyses penetrating into an author’s production, and literary-movement investigations are provided, so as to make the research of use for literary criticism, too. Finally, two ways of comparing the Czech and Russian data are sketched, with the outcomes being commented upon.","PeriodicalId":37792,"journal":{"name":"Glottotheory","volume":"9 1","pages":"89 - 104"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/GLOT-2018-0004","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42352095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The present paper discusses the occurrence, structure, and complexity of the postmodifier in the Nigerian English noun phrase (NP) showing tendencies for structural simplification. It also compares its findings with patterns in British, Ghanaian, Singaporean, Honk Kong varieties. The paper shows how variables representing syntactic function, register, and weight shed light on specific contexts where we might or might not find (1) NP with or without a postmodifier (2) a clausal or phrasal postmodifier, and (3) a simple or a complex postmodifier. In addition, the paper shows that the extent of variation among different varieties of English is dependent on variables crucial to the construction choices being investigated. For instance, in (1), a postmodifier is realised while no postmodifier is realised in (2). (1) My car which I just bought last week has been stolen, and (2) My car has been stolen.The NP in (1) is structurally complex because it realises the clausal type of post modifier, ‘which I just bought last week’. Meanwhile in (2), the NP (the car) lacks a postmodifier. In other words, the occurrence viz-a-viz non-occurrence of a postmodifier contributes to the overall structural and semantic complexity of the entire noun phrases, irrespective of the syntactic positions of the NP. Quantitative analyses of 8897 NPs indicate that in Nigerian NPs, a postmodifier is more unlikely to occur (61 %) than not (39 %). Further analyses show that prepositional phrase (57 %), rather than clause (32 %) or adjective (9 %) or adverbials (2 %), is the most preferred structural postmodifier type. It is also shown that realised postmodifiers are more likely to be structured in two-to-four words (51 %) than four-words above. As for the predictive strength of variables studied, syntactic function is found to edge register in asserting influence and explaining different scenarios and contexts where we might or might not find a postmodifier, together with its structural type and weight. In other words, register, which is reputed as a significant indicator of structural variation (Biber, 2007; De Haan, Pieter. 1993. Sentence Length in Running Text. In Souter, C. & E. Atwell (), Corpus-Based Computational Linguistics, 147–161. Amsterdam: Rodopi; Schilk and Schaub, 2016) is outweighed by syntactic function. The study further attests that significant structural simplification is largely present in the postmodifier structure of the Nigerian English noun phrase.
{"title":"Structural Patterns of Postmodifier in Nigerian English Noun Phrase","authors":"Mayowa Akinlotan","doi":"10.1515/GLOT-2018-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/GLOT-2018-0001","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The present paper discusses the occurrence, structure, and complexity of the postmodifier in the Nigerian English noun phrase (NP) showing tendencies for structural simplification. It also compares its findings with patterns in British, Ghanaian, Singaporean, Honk Kong varieties. The paper shows how variables representing syntactic function, register, and weight shed light on specific contexts where we might or might not find (1) NP with or without a postmodifier (2) a clausal or phrasal postmodifier, and (3) a simple or a complex postmodifier. In addition, the paper shows that the extent of variation among different varieties of English is dependent on variables crucial to the construction choices being investigated. For instance, in (1), a postmodifier is realised while no postmodifier is realised in (2). (1) My car which I just bought last week has been stolen, and (2) My car has been stolen.The NP in (1) is structurally complex because it realises the clausal type of post modifier, ‘which I just bought last week’. Meanwhile in (2), the NP (the car) lacks a postmodifier. In other words, the occurrence viz-a-viz non-occurrence of a postmodifier contributes to the overall structural and semantic complexity of the entire noun phrases, irrespective of the syntactic positions of the NP. Quantitative analyses of 8897 NPs indicate that in Nigerian NPs, a postmodifier is more unlikely to occur (61 %) than not (39 %). Further analyses show that prepositional phrase (57 %), rather than clause (32 %) or adjective (9 %) or adverbials (2 %), is the most preferred structural postmodifier type. It is also shown that realised postmodifiers are more likely to be structured in two-to-four words (51 %) than four-words above. As for the predictive strength of variables studied, syntactic function is found to edge register in asserting influence and explaining different scenarios and contexts where we might or might not find a postmodifier, together with its structural type and weight. In other words, register, which is reputed as a significant indicator of structural variation (Biber, 2007; De Haan, Pieter. 1993. Sentence Length in Running Text. In Souter, C. & E. Atwell (), Corpus-Based Computational Linguistics, 147–161. Amsterdam: Rodopi; Schilk and Schaub, 2016) is outweighed by syntactic function. The study further attests that significant structural simplification is largely present in the postmodifier structure of the Nigerian English noun phrase.","PeriodicalId":37792,"journal":{"name":"Glottotheory","volume":"9 1","pages":"41 - 75"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/GLOT-2018-0001","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49589050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The present paper presents the findings of a study comparing the formulations of introductions of academic articles across disciplines. A multidisciplinary corpus of 20 articles from linguistics, medicine, the natural sciences, economics, and sociology is examined. The analysis comprises two general steps, the first being macro-, the second being microstructural. Macrostructurally, the explicit formulations of the moves conducted in the introductions are singled out. These formulations are in turn examined microstructurally in regard to syntax (typology), verbs (valency, grammar-semantics interface, pragmatics) and lexicology (text commentary, lexical deixis, modal expressions). The results are evaluated against the backdrop of possible underlying stylistic patterns of formulation. Subsequently, suggestions for the feasibility of the results within the teaching of German as a (foreign) academic language are made.
{"title":"Einleitungen interdisziplinär vergleichen","authors":"Michael Szurawitzki","doi":"10.1515/glot-2017-0011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/glot-2017-0011","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The present paper presents the findings of a study comparing the formulations of introductions of academic articles across disciplines. A multidisciplinary corpus of 20 articles from linguistics, medicine, the natural sciences, economics, and sociology is examined. The analysis comprises two general steps, the first being macro-, the second being microstructural. Macrostructurally, the explicit formulations of the moves conducted in the introductions are singled out. These formulations are in turn examined microstructurally in regard to syntax (typology), verbs (valency, grammar-semantics interface, pragmatics) and lexicology (text commentary, lexical deixis, modal expressions). The results are evaluated against the backdrop of possible underlying stylistic patterns of formulation. Subsequently, suggestions for the feasibility of the results within the teaching of German as a (foreign) academic language are made.","PeriodicalId":37792,"journal":{"name":"Glottotheory","volume":"8 1","pages":"171 - 189"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/glot-2017-0011","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45982459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Network for Transdisciplinary Research of the Swiss Academies for Arts and Sciences (td-net) – president Prof. Jakob Zinsstag (Basel, Switzerland), managing director Theres Paulsen (Bern/Switzerland) and team. Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Methodenzentrum – Prof. Ulli Vilsmaier (Lüneburg/Germany) and team. The td-net deals as primary Swiss contact point for issues and questions in terms of interand transdisciplinary research and teaching, addressing researchers and funders in this field. Since 2008, it is an initative of the Swiss Academies for Arts and Sciences, but it was founded already in 2000 by the Swiss Academic Society for Environmental Research and Ecology (SAGUF). The network was initiated to support research and research collaboration in all thematic fields – in interaction with the public. Due to the great experience, the td-net has become a very appreciated contact for different questions related to transdisciplinary research methods and tools and is also an important contact for transdisciplinary teaching. Transdisciplinarity (TD) can be defined differently – various definitions shall be deemed as accepted. Shortened and simplified, transdisciplinary research can be described as research including not only academic knowledge but also general expertise. Therewith, also non-academic expertise is
瑞士艺术与科学院跨学科研究网络(td-net)——主席Jakob Zinsstag教授(瑞士巴塞尔),常务董事Paulsen教授(瑞士伯尔尼)及其团队。Leuphana Universität l neburg, Methodenzentrum - Ulli Vilsmaier教授(l neburg/德国)及其团队。td-net是瑞士在跨学科研究和教学方面的主要联络点,面向该领域的研究人员和资助者。自2008年以来,它是瑞士艺术与科学学院的一项倡议,但它早在2000年就由瑞士环境研究与生态学会(SAGUF)成立。该网络的建立是为了支持所有专题领域的研究和研究合作,并与公众互动。由于丰富的经验,td-net已成为跨学科研究方法和工具相关的各种问题的非常受欢迎的联系人,也是跨学科教学的重要联系人。跨学科(TD)可以有不同的定义——不同的定义应被认为是可接受的。缩短和简化,跨学科研究可以描述为研究不仅包括学术知识,也包括一般专业知识。因此,也是非学术性的专业知识
{"title":"Transdisciplinary Research and Education – Intercultural Endeavours","authors":"K. Pelikan","doi":"10.1515/glot-2017-0015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/glot-2017-0015","url":null,"abstract":"Network for Transdisciplinary Research of the Swiss Academies for Arts and Sciences (td-net) – president Prof. Jakob Zinsstag (Basel, Switzerland), managing director Theres Paulsen (Bern/Switzerland) and team. Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Methodenzentrum – Prof. Ulli Vilsmaier (Lüneburg/Germany) and team. The td-net deals as primary Swiss contact point for issues and questions in terms of interand transdisciplinary research and teaching, addressing researchers and funders in this field. Since 2008, it is an initative of the Swiss Academies for Arts and Sciences, but it was founded already in 2000 by the Swiss Academic Society for Environmental Research and Ecology (SAGUF). The network was initiated to support research and research collaboration in all thematic fields – in interaction with the public. Due to the great experience, the td-net has become a very appreciated contact for different questions related to transdisciplinary research methods and tools and is also an important contact for transdisciplinary teaching. Transdisciplinarity (TD) can be defined differently – various definitions shall be deemed as accepted. Shortened and simplified, transdisciplinary research can be described as research including not only academic knowledge but also general expertise. Therewith, also non-academic expertise is","PeriodicalId":37792,"journal":{"name":"Glottotheory","volume":"8 1","pages":"237 - 242"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/glot-2017-0015","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44320838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract As transition from the Early Modern Age to the Modern Age, the 17th and the 18th centuries are seen as historic period with tremendous relevance for the historical development of the German language – from a social and culture-historical perspective. The often transfiguring interest in different regions of Asia, as well as Arabic or Chinese regions, is seen as special phenomenon of this age. The present article aims to analyse the result of this in the German linguistic reflection of baroque and enlightenment. After outlining some supporting documents of Asian languages in general, especially supporting documents of Arabic and Chinese will be analysed in detail. The research focusses here on word usage, genealogy and typology, linguistic characteristics, as well as comparison and evaluation.
{"title":"Asiatische Sprachen im deutschen Sprachdenken des Barock und der Aufklärung","authors":"T. Roelcke","doi":"10.1515/glot-2017-0014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/glot-2017-0014","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract As transition from the Early Modern Age to the Modern Age, the 17th and the 18th centuries are seen as historic period with tremendous relevance for the historical development of the German language – from a social and culture-historical perspective. The often transfiguring interest in different regions of Asia, as well as Arabic or Chinese regions, is seen as special phenomenon of this age. The present article aims to analyse the result of this in the German linguistic reflection of baroque and enlightenment. After outlining some supporting documents of Asian languages in general, especially supporting documents of Arabic and Chinese will be analysed in detail. The research focusses here on word usage, genealogy and typology, linguistic characteristics, as well as comparison and evaluation.","PeriodicalId":37792,"journal":{"name":"Glottotheory","volume":"8 1","pages":"217 - 235"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/glot-2017-0014","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47782889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}