Suicide texts are the traces left by their authors for the public allowing them to understand the causes of the desire to commit suicide, regardless of whether such notes preceded successful suicide attempts or not. The types of such texts can vary dramatically in emotional expressiveness, be it a suicide note handwritten by the author or a short post typed on a web forum dedicated to suicides. While one text can be evidence of a successful suicide attempt, the other may point to a deeply depressive state which may or may not lead to a suicide attempt in future. The main questions this study aims to answer are: (1) what is the difference between the two above-named types of suicide texts (‘suicide notes’ and ‘suicide posts’) and (2) how is it expressed linguistically? Previous works on suicide texts have been of significant importance and have managed to investigate the differences between suicide notes of the attempters and those who completed suicide (Joiner 2002) as well as underline the typical features of genuine suicide notes in comparison to fabricated suicide notes. However, no studies indicating the differences between the ‘suicide notes’ of successful suicides and the ‘suicide posts’ of authors exhibiting various degrees of depressive behavior have previously been conducted. In this thesis, the comparative analysis of ‘suicide notes’ left by those successful in their attempts  and ‘suicide posts’ composed by authors with unknown fates has been carried out with the help of discourse analysis. Both types of texts have been examined from such linguistic levels as semantics, pragmatics and syntax. The results show several distinctive features peculiar to each type. While providing a clear reason for committing suicide in the one case contrasts with detailing a number of causes for depression in the other, further differences exist in regard to expressing such emotions as (1) fear of life, (2) relief, (3) lack of hope and (4) lack of doubt versus displaying such emotions as (1) fear of death, (2) preserved desire and (3) doubt. An easy to follow structure and purposeful past tense usage in suicide notes stands in contrast to the allusions to previous suicide attempts and indistinguishable pattern found in suicide posts. At the same time, specific punctuation signs were found to be peculiar mainly to the suicide post type of text.  The results of the research also demonstrate the necessity for further investigation of the characteristic features of different types of suicide text as well as their classification. Moreover, the study indicates the possibilities of tracing the probable transformation from ‘suicide posts’ to ‘suicide notes’ which may well serve for purposes of suicide prevention, especially if an additional category, i.e., notes written by survivors, is added to the analysis.

This study examines the difference in perception of a character in a male and a female guise amongst university students in Seychelles, and elaborates on how such difference reflects gender hierarchies in general. The students were given a questionnaire consisting of five scenarios, in which two or more characters communicated, and then answered questions about their perception of the characters. The character’s gender mattered to how he/she was perceived for at least one of the characters in the dialogue, in four of the scenarios, and in one scenario there was no difference in perception of the male guise and the female guise. The biggest difference in perception of a male guise and female guise was in a scenario in which one character commented on his/her colleague’s appearance. The male guise was perceived more negatively both when commenting and when rejecting such comment. However, the space in which the interaction took place, and the relationship between the characters influenced how they were perceived. So, when a group of people commented on an unknown person’s appearance, on the beach, the respondents perceived both the male guise and the female guise of the character similarly both as commenters and as receivers of the comment.

This study aims to examine possible differences in the way male and female politicians answer questions in a news interview, with focus on hedging expressions, answer resistance strategies and negative mentions of other politicians and political parties.The study is based on analysis of 13 interviews with British politicians made for the BBC One programme The Andrew Marr show in 2013 and 2014. The data used for analysis is transcripts and recordings of the interviews, and the study uses conversation analytical tools to in detail examine the answers in relation to conversational phenomena and techniques.The results show several significant differences in the way men and women answer questions. Women use more hedging expressions, minimal response and overt resistance than men, whereas men covertly resist questions to a greater extent than women. Men also seem more likely to mention colleagues or other political parties in a negative manner in a way to pass blame. These results are discussed in relation to social structures in society as well as former studies on the matter.

Abstract It has been claimed that teachers who possess a low level of self-efficacy may impede the learning process for students. When teachers do not possess a high self-efficacy, they may not believe strongly in their own ability to teach, which could in turn lead to unmotivated students in the second language classroom. The purpose of this research is to examine in what way the self-efficacy of Swedish L2 teachers of English influences their way of teaching in the second language classroom both in terms of how it affects their approach to teaching and how it affects the strategies and methods they choose touse in the classroom to strengthen their own students’ self-efficacy. The study uses a qualitative research method. Data was collected through questionnaires, classroom observations and follow-up questionnaires with five English teachers in Southern Sweden. Findings of the study suggest that teachers' with a high level of self-efficacy more positively influence their teaching approach than those who possess a low level of self-efficacy, which can impede their way of teaching. It was also found that the strategies teachers found useful for improving students’ self-efficacy were: language use, scaffolding and group work. This result could be important for further theoretical and pedagogical research for all in an educational position.

Submitted to the Faculty ofArts in fulfillrnent ofthe Master ofArts degree in the Department of General Linguistics at the University of Zululand, 2004. / The main purpose of the research carried out for this study was to look at the status of women and language use especially in isiZulu language. The dissertation examines the way women are treated in Zulu families, in societies and in the workplace. The dissertation also examines how female learners are differentiated from male learners in terms of their intellectual capacity and responsibility. The data collected in this study shows the unequal treatment given to female managers by society compared to that of male managers. It also shows restrictions and regulations faced by married women in a patriarchal society in terms of their movements, how they should dress, behave and use the language. Another interesting finding of this study is that ironically speaking, women have control over men because even though women are considered as having the inferior status than men, in a Zulu family, a man cannot take decisions without the approval from his wife. For example, if Mr Mkhize asks Mr Zulu to sell him a cow, even if Mr Zulu likes the idea, he would not just agree. Instead, Mr Zulu will lie to Mr Mkhize and say he is still going to think about what he is asking. But in reality, he will be creating time to discuss the matter with his wife. Mr Zulu's response will entirely depend on whether the wife agreed or not The findings of this study suggests that in most societies women are still not viewed as good enough to hold high positions and still viewed as misfits particularly in rural areas. It is up to women to prove their worth to the world by behaving and speaking accordingly.

There has long been a debate regarding how much Swedish and English can and should be used in the EFL classroom. Some favor using only English, whereas others prefer using a mixture of languages i.e. translanguaging (Garcia, 2012). This study explores the language used by EFL teachers in Sweden. Through observations, we looked into the extent and functions of English and Swedish used by four EFL teachers in Southern Sweden. By conducting interviews, we were also able to ascertain the teachers’ beliefs about teachers’ language use and what factors they perceive to have affected those beliefs. The results were compared to previous research related to the two approaches and they were also related to the steering documents for Swedish secondary schools. The results show that teachers used predominantly English in their teaching and that this usage also corresponded to their beliefs. Some discrepancies were found between their beliefs in using Swedish and their actual practice. Furthermore, the participants' beliefs were found to be mainly affected by their teacher education, research, and their personal language learning experience.

For years, researchers have examined financial data in corporate earnings announcements and their influence on market participants. More recently, a body of research has been developing recognizing the impact of narrative disclosures and managers' deliberate language choices. However, no prior studies have investigated those language choices of managers which are likely unintentional in composing such narratives; language choices which, as previous research has revealed, escape conscious access. Using an empirically-grounded model which systematically classifies different predicates, I examined whether managers use systematic patterns of language when construing the earnings press release in a likely unintentional effort to channel or direct readers' attention. I found that managers write positive information using a more concrete construal than negative information. Additionally, I used experimental data to examine whether these systematic differences lead to different perceptions of the company and its value as an investment alternative. Nonprofessional investors performed an analysis of an earnings press release where I manipulated the valence of the narrative as positive or negative and the construal of the narrative as abstract or concrete. I found that these manipulations had an interactive influence on investment decisions. Specifically, investors were least likely to invest when a negatively valenced narrative was written concretely. I also found that the influence of the narrative on the investment decision was direct and not the result of the narrative influencing the investors' focus of attention on the accompanying financial statements. Additionally, I tested whether the investor judgments were due to intentional cognitive effects and found that the influence of the narrative on the investment decision was not conscious on the part of the investor. Lastly, I conducted an analysis of archival data to examine the relationship between managers' language use in forward-looking statements of the earnings press release and future firm performance and the extent to which the market responds to these linguistic clues. Results from the analysis suggest that construal is predictive of future firm performance and the market is incorporating this into pricing for firms that meet or beat earnings expectations.

Bilinguals have been posited to have, compared to monolinguals, enhanced cognitive control, consequently exhibiting greater cognitive reserve, which is thought to subsequently delay the onset of clinical expression of dementia. Based on recent evidence suggesting that the more languages one manages the greater cognitive reserve, and that trilinguals undergo greater exercise in language control than bilinguals, this thesis investigated the effects of trilingualism and ageing on cognitive control, in young adults to older adults. As the thesis investigated the novel field of trilingualism and cognitive control, task complexity, the age of second and third language acquisition, language use, and physical and cognitive activity were also, importantly, assessed, as these are possible influencing factors in test performance. The participants completed several cognitive tasks; namely the Simon task, the Inhibition of return task, the Stroop task (inhibition) and the N-back task (working memory). The novel discovery of a trilingual (and bilingual) disadvantage was observed, which could explain some previous inconsistent findings in the bilingualism literature, where trilingualism may influence bilinguals’ test performance, as trilinguals and multilinguals are often mixed in with the bilingual group. Furthermore, the results suggest that second language acquisition and language use does not consistently predict performance in trilinguals (and bilinguals), nor does cognitive activity, although physical activity may modulate language group differences. Importantly, the results from this novel investigation of the effects of trilingualism and ageing on cognitive control suggest that trilingualism (and bilingualism) can, in some cases, be detrimental to cognitive control.

Bakgrund: Transpersoner är en minoritetsgrupp i samhället som historiskt sett av sjukvården blivit behandlad annorlunda, exempelvis då det tidigare har setts som en psykisk sjukdom. Idag ser situationen annorlunda ut och transpersoner har samma rättigheter till god vård som andra patienter och har vissa särskilda behov. Sjuksköterskor har ett ansvar gentemot sina patienter att tillhandahålla vård på ett jämlikt sätt. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva transpersoners upplevelser av vårdpersonals bemötande. Metod: Litteraturöversikt som omfattar elva vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultat: De fyra teman som framkom var vårdpersonals kunskap om transpersoner, vårdpersonals språk gentemot transpersoner, att få frågor som inte är relevanta för ens vård och stigmatisering, diskriminering och utfrysning och dess påverkan. Sammanfattning: Transpersonerna beskrev upplevelser av både positivt och negativt bemötande och en mängd olika faktorer som påverkade upplevelsen av bemötandet. Vårdpersonal som hade mer kunskap om transpersoners behov, och använde ett inkluderande språk, skapade oftare positiva upplevelser. Vid frånvaron av dessa faktorer förekom det att transpersoner avstod från att söka vård. / Background: Transgender persons are a minority group in society that historically has been treated differently than other patient groups in a healthcare setting. Being transgender has for example been viewed as a mental illness. Today the situation has changed, and transgender people have the same rights to healthcare as any other patient and nurses have a responsibility to provide equal care no matter the patient’s gender. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe transgender persons experiences of interactions with healthcare personnel. Method: Literature review consisting of eleven scientific papers. Results: The four themes that emerged were healthcare personnel’s knowledge about transgender people, healthcare personnel’s language toward transgender people, receiving questions that are not relevant to your care, and discrimination and being excluded. Summary: Transgender people described both positive and negative interactions with health personnel and different factors affected the interactions. The use of inclusive language and general knowledge about transgender patients led to more positive experiences. Transgender people who experienced an absence of these factors sometimes avoided seeking healthcare.

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