Search results for " English"

The grammaticalization and pragmaticalization of cleft constructions in Present-Day English

2012

The present paper examines the development of the variation between a marked and an unmarked infinitival complement clause in three types of cleft constructions in 20th century English. Data from corpora of written and spoken British (BrE) and American English (AmE) evidence a significantly divergent development of these clefts types in speaking when compared to writing. The written corpora show a steady increase in the frequency of clefts, and a decrease of the to-infinitive paired with an increase of the bare infinitive, thus a reversal of preferences in both varieties in all three types of clefts. This erosion of to as an (optional) grammatical marker leads to a higher degree of syntacti…

On the Conceptual History of the Term Lingua Franca

2015

This paper aims to give an outline of the development of the term “Lingua Franca”. Initially the proper name of an extinct pidgin, to “Lingua Franca”, the term has become a common noun, used with regard to language contact phenomena in general – at first specifically for pidgins and trade languages, but now for all vehicular languages. This broader usage is especially prominent in the field of research known as “English as a lingua franca” (ELF). Using ELF as an example, it is shown that the modern usage is partly inconsistent and can be misleading, as it connects a positive feature of the original Lingua Franca, viz linguistic equality, with a language with native speakers like English, wh…

Legal English

2004

Annals of the 'Constantin Brrncuui' University of Targu Jiu: Letters and Social Sciences Series No. 4/2014 (Analele Universitatii 'Constantin Brancus…

2014

English Abstract: In this issue are included scientific articles who debate problems from social science fields: modernity crises, lean startup, action research, federative states, Russia grand strategy, Europe, joint investigation teams, Emile Zola, iconography, George Bernard, negation, foreign language, revolution of December 1989, management, development, teaching English, political power, criminal procedure, demographic change."Constantin Brancusi" University Annals from Targu Jiu, Letters and Social Sciences Series is published by "Academica Brâncusi" Press of "Constantin Brancusi" University from Targu-Jiu, a state university, institutionally certified. The journal includes articles …

Mécanismes de résistance à l'apoptose induite par TRAIL dans les cellules cancéreuses : restauration de la sensibiltié à TRAIL par la chimiothérapie …

2010

The TNF-family member TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand) is a cytokine involved in immune anti-tumour surveillance. TRAIL is one of the most promising agents currently under investigation, as it exhibits efficient anti-cancer cytotoxicity with limited side effects on healthy cells. The problem in current cancer therapy is that some cancer cells are already resistant, or can become resistant to TRAIL-induced cell death. The aim of my thesis was to study the mechanisms of resistance to TRAIL, and to find a way to bypass it. First, we were interested in the TRAIL-R4 antagonistic receptor, which is known to bind TRAIL without inducing a death signal. We have demonstrated for the firs…

Master's level education in biomedical optics: four-year experience at the University of Latvia

2000

Pilot program for Master's studies on Biomedical Optics has been developed and launched at University of Latvia in 1995. The Curriculum contains several basic subjects like Fundamentals of Biomedical Optics, Medical Lightguides, Anatomy and Physiology, Lasers and Non-coherent Light Sources, Optical Instrumentation for Healthcare, Optical Methods for Patient Treatment, Basic Physics, etc. Special English Terminology and Laboratory-Clinical Praxis are also involved, and the Master Theses is the final step for the degree award. Following one four-year teaching experience, some observations, conclusions and eventual future activities are discussed.

Jacqueline Woodson’s narrative style in The Other Side: An African American picture book for children

2012

The Other Side (2001) is a children’s story with multicultural characters and themes that can be regarded as an aesthetic exploration of the human experience in the process of the acquisition of knowledge. Following the Black Arts Movement, Jacqueline Woodson’s work portrays many of the issues that are present in the real world but seldom appear in children’s literature, such as racial division or interracial relationships. Using the metaphor of a fence, this African American author reveals issues of loneliness and friendship, inclusion and exclusion, and the overcoming of prejudice and segregation through the wisdom of Clover and Annie, an African American and a white girl, who become frie…

Developing and Testing Speaking Skills in Academic Discourse

2014

Teaching speaking is an essential aspect of developing students’ sociolinguistic competence in a foreign language at any level. English studies at the tertiary level offer a variety of courses for practicing speaking and helping students reach the C1 and C2 level in BA and MA studies, respectively. However, it is not only the level that differentiates between BA and MA studies, but also aspects of register and style. Beginning with the subjects generally called Conversation, Speaking, Oral reproduction, Argumentation skills, Debating or Public speaking (BA studies), students gradually advance to Conversation based on academic texts (MA studies). This transition requires students to raise th…

Drunkenness in Early Modern France (XVI - XVIIIth century)

2010

From the 16th to the 18th century, a deeply rooted tradition of open and celebrative inebriation existed in the kingdom of France. Society permitted collective, festive and social drinking. But many opposed drunkenness. In France at that time, absolute monarchy from divine right was developing, and the fundamental opposition came from religious and civic powers. Drunkenness was seen either as a sin or as a vice of variable severity that drove others to commit it as well. From 1536, a connection was made between sin and crime: inebriation became an auxiliary crime. However, in face of the culture of inebriation, religious and political authorities acted pragmatically and did not really attem…

Family Register in British English: The First Approach to its Systematic Study

2015

The present study looks into an unexplored area of research as it is the family register. An alternative to recording family conversations is the use of popular TV series, as their success lies in the audience s identification with their characters and their communicative style. This work analyses two highly popular series in UK. The results suggest that this register has its own communicative richness and internal variation, the knowledge of which may be of great help for students and professionals travelling to English-speaking countries and living or relating with native speakers in family environments.