The aim of the research was to investigate the aspects of happiness and the way they are expressed through Lithuanian and English zoomorphic idioms. The research focused on the theoretical background of idiom peculiarities, establishment of the aspects of happiness, their investigation and comparison within the zoomorphic idioms of both languages. To carry out the research, 135 zoomorphic idioms were collected: 50 English idioms and 85 Lithuanian idioms. Qualitative, descriptive and quantitative methods of analysis were mainly employed in the research. The analysis revealed that 45 animal names were employed to express happiness in both languages. English idioms comprised 25 animal names, and 33 animal names were found in Lithuanian idioms. Despite the fact that 13 animal names (bull, calf, cat, cow, dog, horse, sheep, eagle, bird, dove, fish, bee, and duckling) coincided in both languages, the patterns of equivalence expressing the same aspect of happiness were not abundant. Ten semantic groups of happiness were distinguished:joy,wealth, good health, relationships,knowledge,longevity,easy life, optimism, acknowledgement, and positive traits. Although there were 3 total and 12 partial equivalents distinguished among 10 semantic groups of happiness, zero equivalence was prevailing. This confirms the fact that Lithuanian and English cultures are different. Despite this fact, both the Lithuanians and the English employ the concepts of a horse and a cat to express the aspects of... [to full text] / Šio darbo tikslas yra ištirti laimės aspektus bei jų reiškimo būdus lietuviškuose ir angliškuose zoomorfiniuose frazeologizmuose. Tyrime yra naudojami kokybinis, kiekybinis ir aprašomasis analizės metodai. Teorinėje dalyje yra apžvelgiama frazeologizmų definicijos problema, jų struktūrinė bei semantinė klasifikacija, formavimosi subtilybės bei kultūros įtaka. Šiame darbe skiriamas didelis dėmesys šiuolaikinei ir praėjusių šimtmečių laimės sampratai bei ryšio tarp žmogaus ir gyvūnų aptarimui. Praktinės dalies analizei buvo surinkta 135 zoomorfiniai frazeologizmai: 50 anglų kalboje ir 85 lietuvių kalboje. Iš viso 45 gyvūnai buvo pasitelkti reikšti laimės aspektus abiejų kalbų frazeologizmuose: 25 iš jų anglų kalboje ir 33 lietuvių kalboje. Tik 13 gyvūnų sutampa abiejose kalbose (jautis, veršis, katė/katinas, karvė, šuo, arklys, avis, erelis, paukštis, balandis, žuvis, bitė ir ančiukas). Dauguma jų yra naminiai gyvūnai, vieni iš anksčiausiai prijaukintų bei būdingi abiem šalims. Vienas iš svarbiausių praktinės dalies akcentų buvo išskirti laimės aspektų semantines grupes. Remiantis mokslininkų darbais bei statistiniais tyrimais buvo išskirta 10 semantinių grupių: džiaugsmas/sėkmė, turtas/gerovė, gera sveikata/fizinė būklė, santykiai/sutarimas, žinios/patirtis, ilgaamžiškumas/energija, lengvas gyvenimas, optimizmas/pozityvios permainos, pripažinimas, teigiami bruožai/buvimas geresniu už kitus. Remiantis šiais kriterijais, frazeologizmai buvo klasifikuojami, lyginami ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Buscando trazer luzes à relação entre arte, cultura e desenvolvimento rural, investigou-se o campo artístico-cultural no norte/noroeste de Minas Gerais (municípios de Arinos e Chapada Gaúcha). Este espaço é particularizado por uma “efervescência” artístico-cultural que se desdobra como produto ao mesmo tempo cultural, político e contingencial. Tal processo é contextualizado a partir da história recente da região, na qual atores diversos buscam imprimir características modernas em desfavor de uma “época” fundada na administração personalista de fazendas, na relação íntima com os recursos naturais e em modos particulares de vida. Tomando isso por base, (i) a realização de manifestações culturais por ex-residentes de áreas rurais, (ii) a organização de redes de artesanato, (iii) as ações artístico-culturais empenhadas pelas prefeituras e (iv) a ocorrência de festivais de cultura popular constituem pontos investigativos distintos que se integraram em uma etnografia conduzida a partir de uma Perspectiva Orientada aos Atores. De um modo, a pesquisa revela a interligação profunda entre esses temas, a despeito de sua aparente independência. De outro, revela arranjos sociais multimotivados que são usados para problematizar aspectos relacionados à construção de subjetividades, à articulação em redes e à realização de poder; aspectos estes fundados em uma ideia e em um idioma de desenvolvimento amalgamado (político-literário-ambiental-cultural). A análise é tensionada problematizando-se agência enquanto produto situado entre “algo que está saindo” e “algo que está chegando”. Por fim, reflete-se sobre o campo artístico-cultural e sua intersecção com questões de desenvolvimento rural. / Seeking to light the relation between art, culture and rural development, we have immersed the artistic-cultural field in the north/northwest of the State of Minas Gerais (municipalities of Arinos and Chapada Gaúcha), Brazil. This place can be characterizated by its artistic-cultural "spirit" resulted as product simultaneously cultural, political and contingential. Such a process is contextualized considering region’s recent history, in which several actors seek to print modern features despite of an "age" based on personalistic farm management, on people’s proximity to nature and on particular ways of life. Taking this into account, (i) the organization of artistic-cultural events by former residents of rural areas, (ii) the organization of craft networks, (iii) the artistic-cultural activities committed by local prefectures and (iv) the occurrence of festivals of popular culture constituted distinct research points that have been integrated in an ethnography conducted on an Actor-oriented Approach. On the one hand, the research reveals the deep interconnection between these issues, despite their apparent independence. On the other, reveals multimotivated social arrangements that are used to discuss aspects related to constructions of subjectivity, networks articulations and power attainment; these aspects are founded on an amalgamated (political-literary-environmental-cultural) development idea and idiom. The analysis is tensioned by positioning agency as a product located between "something that is coming out" and "something that is just coming." Finally, it is reflected on the artistic-cultural field and its intersection with rural development issues.

Buscando trazer luzes à relação entre arte, cultura e desenvolvimento rural, investigou-se o campo artístico-cultural no norte/noroeste de Minas Gerais (municípios de Arinos e Chapada Gaúcha). Este espaço é particularizado por uma “efervescência” artístico-cultural que se desdobra como produto ao mesmo tempo cultural, político e contingencial. Tal processo é contextualizado a partir da história recente da região, na qual atores diversos buscam imprimir características modernas em desfavor de uma “época” fundada na administração personalista de fazendas, na relação íntima com os recursos naturais e em modos particulares de vida. Tomando isso por base, (i) a realização de manifestações culturais por ex-residentes de áreas rurais, (ii) a organização de redes de artesanato, (iii) as ações artístico-culturais empenhadas pelas prefeituras e (iv) a ocorrência de festivais de cultura popular constituem pontos investigativos distintos que se integraram em uma etnografia conduzida a partir de uma Perspectiva Orientada aos Atores. De um modo, a pesquisa revela a interligação profunda entre esses temas, a despeito de sua aparente independência. De outro, revela arranjos sociais multimotivados que são usados para problematizar aspectos relacionados à construção de subjetividades, à articulação em redes e à realização de poder; aspectos estes fundados em uma ideia e em um idioma de desenvolvimento amalgamado (político-literário-ambiental-cultural). A análise é tensionada problematizando-se agência enquanto produto situado entre “algo que está saindo” e “algo que está chegando”. Por fim, reflete-se sobre o campo artístico-cultural e sua intersecção com questões de desenvolvimento rural. / Seeking to light the relation between art, culture and rural development, we have immersed the artistic-cultural field in the north/northwest of the State of Minas Gerais (municipalities of Arinos and Chapada Gaúcha), Brazil. This place can be characterizated by its artistic-cultural "spirit" resulted as product simultaneously cultural, political and contingential. Such a process is contextualized considering region’s recent history, in which several actors seek to print modern features despite of an "age" based on personalistic farm management, on people’s proximity to nature and on particular ways of life. Taking this into account, (i) the organization of artistic-cultural events by former residents of rural areas, (ii) the organization of craft networks, (iii) the artistic-cultural activities committed by local prefectures and (iv) the occurrence of festivals of popular culture constituted distinct research points that have been integrated in an ethnography conducted on an Actor-oriented Approach. On the one hand, the research reveals the deep interconnection between these issues, despite their apparent independence. On the other, reveals multimotivated social arrangements that are used to discuss aspects related to constructions of subjectivity, networks articulations and power attainment; these aspects are founded on an amalgamated (political-literary-environmental-cultural) development idea and idiom. The analysis is tensioned by positioning agency as a product located between "something that is coming out" and "something that is just coming." Finally, it is reflected on the artistic-cultural field and its intersection with rural development issues.

I den här studien har ordspråket Man ska inte ropa hej förrän man är över bäcken undersökts, med syfte att ta reda på hur ordspråket varieras och när eventuella variationer började komma in i språket. Metoden i studien har bestått av sökningar i språkkorpusar, med material från bland annat sociala medier, tidningstexter och finlandssvenska texter. Resultatet av studien visade att variationer av ordspråket är vanliga. Den vanligaste variationen av ordspråket är av typen Man ska inte ropa hej än/ännu/för tidigt. Det första belägget för en varierad form av ordspråket publicerades på 1890-talet.

Buscando trazer luzes à relação entre arte, cultura e desenvolvimento rural, investigou-se o campo artístico-cultural no norte/noroeste de Minas Gerais (municípios de Arinos e Chapada Gaúcha). Este espaço é particularizado por uma “efervescência” artístico-cultural que se desdobra como produto ao mesmo tempo cultural, político e contingencial. Tal processo é contextualizado a partir da história recente da região, na qual atores diversos buscam imprimir características modernas em desfavor de uma “época” fundada na administração personalista de fazendas, na relação íntima com os recursos naturais e em modos particulares de vida. Tomando isso por base, (i) a realização de manifestações culturais por ex-residentes de áreas rurais, (ii) a organização de redes de artesanato, (iii) as ações artístico-culturais empenhadas pelas prefeituras e (iv) a ocorrência de festivais de cultura popular constituem pontos investigativos distintos que se integraram em uma etnografia conduzida a partir de uma Perspectiva Orientada aos Atores. De um modo, a pesquisa revela a interligação profunda entre esses temas, a despeito de sua aparente independência. De outro, revela arranjos sociais multimotivados que são usados para problematizar aspectos relacionados à construção de subjetividades, à articulação em redes e à realização de poder; aspectos estes fundados em uma ideia e em um idioma de desenvolvimento amalgamado (político-literário-ambiental-cultural). A análise é tensionada problematizando-se agência enquanto produto situado entre “algo que está saindo” e “algo que está chegando”. Por fim, reflete-se sobre o campo artístico-cultural e sua intersecção com questões de desenvolvimento rural. / Seeking to light the relation between art, culture and rural development, we have immersed the artistic-cultural field in the north/northwest of the State of Minas Gerais (municipalities of Arinos and Chapada Gaúcha), Brazil. This place can be characterizated by its artistic-cultural "spirit" resulted as product simultaneously cultural, political and contingential. Such a process is contextualized considering region’s recent history, in which several actors seek to print modern features despite of an "age" based on personalistic farm management, on people’s proximity to nature and on particular ways of life. Taking this into account, (i) the organization of artistic-cultural events by former residents of rural areas, (ii) the organization of craft networks, (iii) the artistic-cultural activities committed by local prefectures and (iv) the occurrence of festivals of popular culture constituted distinct research points that have been integrated in an ethnography conducted on an Actor-oriented Approach. On the one hand, the research reveals the deep interconnection between these issues, despite their apparent independence. On the other, reveals multimotivated social arrangements that are used to discuss aspects related to constructions of subjectivity, networks articulations and power attainment; these aspects are founded on an amalgamated (political-literary-environmental-cultural) development idea and idiom. The analysis is tensioned by positioning agency as a product located between "something that is coming out" and "something that is just coming." Finally, it is reflected on the artistic-cultural field and its intersection with rural development issues.

The topics of this thesis are Spanish, Czech and Slovak phrasemes that contain words to do with the human body or its parts. The theoretical part of this work delimitates the concepts of phraseme, idiom etc. It describes the different attitudes to this topic in the Spanish and Czech linguistic tradition. The theoretical background serves as a base for the practical section which is dedicated to a dictionary and analysis of Czech and Spanish idioms. The practical section studies the dictionary from different points of view. It is focused on the frequency of use of the idioms in Spanish and Czech, the possibilities of translation and etymology of certain expressions.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This research is in the area of child language acquisition, especially, acquisition of figurative language. It investigates how native Cicewa speaking children learn to interpret Cicewa idioms. This is done through examination of sociocultural contexts in which idioms are produced and consumed. It involves the identification of factors influencing children’s acquisition of idioms and strategies employed by children to interpret idioms. The study also investigates how children rerank language constraints in the process of acquiring Cicewa idiomatic meanings. The study is informed by two theories: Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and Optimality Theory (OT). SFL is used to explore the sociocultural contexts within which Cicewa idioms are acquired, produced and consumed. It also helps to explain the social cultural factors influencing children’s choices of meaning options and idiom acquisition strategies. OT is used to establish how children rerank language constraints in the process of acquiring idioms in Cicewa with an aim to identify the developmental stages in idiomatic meaning acquisition. The study adopted cross-sectional and experimental designs. Experiments were conducted on 20 typically developing native Cicewa speaking children with ages 4, 6, 9, 12 and 14 drawn from Mpalume Village, in Chinamawali Township, Zomba Malawi. Deliberately developed stories, sentences containing idioms and idiom lists were used to collect data in five experiments. The data were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Qualitative analysis involved identification of types of responses given by children, strategies employed by children to interpret idioms and factors that influence children’s interpretation and acquisition of idioms. Quantitative analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to determine how often a response was given, differences in the responses given by children of different age groups and to establish if there was a relationship between idiom interpretation and the tested factors. The research finds that children produce more idiomatic interpretations when the idioms are presented in stories than when the idioms are presented in sentences and out of context. It also finds that idiom acquisition starts with idiom recognition at around 4 years and interpretation starts at around 6 years with a child interpreting idiomatic expressions involving daily activities of human experience. It also finds that 14 years is the age at which the child’s idiomatic knowledge starts to resemble adult’s knowledge although at this age acquisition of idiomatic meaning is still taking place. In addition, it identifies a number of strategies that children employ to interpret and acquire idiomatic expressions. Among the identified strategies ‘inferring from sociocultural context’ is the only successful strategy. Additionally, the thesis establishes that children learn first idioms that involve daily activities of human experience then idioms with clear cultural frames reference and finally idioms with obsolete cultural frames of reference. It also establishes that knowledge of the sociocultural context in which idioms are consumed is critical in idiomatic meaning acquisition. A child can have skills to use the contextual cues and have knowledge of the grammar but if s/he lacks the sociocultural knowledge cannot correctly interpret an idiom nor acquire it. It also establishes that the language constraints Full Interpretation and CONSISTENT are highly ranked dominating Relevance Principle at the initial stage in idiomatic meaning acquisition and that the two constraints are demoted as the child acquires idiomatic meaning. The thesis also identifies five developmental stages that children go through in idiom acquisition. These are Stage 1: 4 – 5 years, an initial stage in which a child is able to recognize an idiomatic expression as an instance of use; Stage 2: 6 – 8 years, a stage in which a child is able to interpret idioms of daily activities involving human experience when presented in supportive context; Stage 3: 9 – 11 years, a transitional stage in the development of idiomatic meaning in which a child is able to interpret idioms involving daily activities of human experience when presented without supportive context; Stage 4: 12 – 13 years, a stage in which a child is able to interpret idioms with clear cultural frames of reference when presented without supportive context and Stage 5: 14 years and above, a stage in which the child’s idiomatic knowledge is close to adults’ knowledge and a child is able to interpret idioms with absolete cultural frames of reference when presented without supportive context. The study makes a contribution to the idiom acquisition debate by pointing out that sociocultural knowledge is crucial in the acquisition of idioms thereby clarifying what goes on in the process of idiom acquisition. It has also identified and described developmental stages in idiom acquisition. The study is the first not only to use SFL, but more so in conjunction with OT to account for idiomatic meaning acquisition and interpretation. This eclectic mix of theoretical frameworks is novel and thus offers a new perspective of theorizing never done before. Thus, the thesis contributes to the development of linguistic theory, from both SFL and OT perspectives. Overall, the thesis concludes that children come to know an idiomatic expression as a text before they even understand the sociocultural context in which it is consumed. It argues that idioms are acquired as texts and they are acquired together with the sociocultural context in which they are acquired, consumed and produced, and therefore the sociocultural context forms part of the idioms.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to describe Czech and Spanish idiomatic phrases related to family members. The thesis consists of three parts - theoretical, practical and case study. The initial part is dedicated to theoretical aspects of phraseology and determination of basic terms regarding the differences in approach of Czech and Spanish linguistics. The base of the practical part is a corpus of Czech and Spanish idiomatic phrases which are analysed from semantic point of view. The emphasis is primerily put on the research of the rate of equivalence between Spanish and Czech idioms and to the investigation of differnces and common features between both languages. The case study follows on from the list of Mexican idiomatic phrases related to family members that are further analysed from semantic viewpoint.

The premise that idioms are an important feature in second language learning and teaching is what underpinned the present study. The aim is to investigate what teaching method is the most effective for idiom retention; etymological elaboration or context elaboration. It is a small scale study run focusing on two groups of 9th grade students were approximately 80% of the students had Swedish as their mother tongue, whilst the remaining 20% had other languages. One group of 18 students where taught 15 opaque idioms. The idioms were presented with their etymology. The preference group consisted of 19 students and the same idioms were presented to this group in context. A pre-test was given to both groups in order to establish what idioms they already knew. A post-test was run immediately after the ecture, where the idioms were presented either in context or with their etymology, in order to determine the methods’ effect on immediate retention. After three weeks, a second post-test was run in order to discover the degree to which the idioms had reached the students’ longterm memory and compare the two teaching techniques accordingly. A questionnaire was also conducted in order to gauge out the students’ idiom awareness and to what degree they believed that the teaching method helped them to remember the idioms. The results of the study show that both teaching techniques are beneficial on idiom retention. Context elaboration, however, turned out to be most effective on immediate- and long-term retention.

Formulaic language (FL) has long been a research topic investigated by various schools of researchers. Most of the previous researches focused on English as Second Language. The applicability of the past research results to other languages, especially Chinese as a second language, is still uncertain.The present study attempts to investigate the classroom teaching of Chinese formulaic language and its effects on students writing performance. Two sections of 3rd year Chinese L2 learners at Brigham Young University were chosen to participate the research, serving as the treatment group and the control group respectively. Both groups were required to write on the same topics at different times in a semester. 80 responses from four topics were then chosen to analyze the effects of using Chinese FL.Results show that among the four types of Chinese FL, both collocations and transitions are used frequently, while the other two types of Chinese FL are less used by participants from the experimental group. Except the first topic, the adoption of Chinese FL does contribute to more Chinese characters in the writing responses of the participants from the experimental group, which reveal learners confidence in Chinese writing after the FL training. Also, both the remarkably higher average scores for each topic and the decreasing error rates demonstrate that the adoption of Chinese FL teaching positively influences participants writing performance. Lastly, the contributions of the four different types of Chinese FL to participants better writing performance are also discussed.