O presente trabalho objetiva observar os valores subjacentes na elaboração da comicidade e os recursos expressionais utilizados na construção do sentido do desenho animado dos Simpsons. Tendo como pressuposto que, no discurso persuasivo, são mobilizados mecanismos retóricos para produção de efeito de sentido, observaremos como tais mecanismos são utilizados na produção do efeito cômico, com base nas teorias da enunciação e do risível / This work aims to evaluate the underlying values in the working up of the comicality and the expressional resources employed in the Simpsons cartoon meaning creation. Assuming that in the persuasive discourse the rhetoric mechanisms are gathered for the meaning effect creation, we evaluated how such mechanisms are employed and how the comical effect is created based on the theories of the laughabla and of the enunciation.

O presente trabalho objetiva observar os valores subjacentes na elaboração da comicidade e os recursos expressionais utilizados na construção do sentido do desenho animado dos Simpsons. Tendo como pressuposto que, no discurso persuasivo, são mobilizados mecanismos retóricos para produção de efeito de sentido, observaremos como tais mecanismos são utilizados na produção do efeito cômico, com base nas teorias da enunciação e do risível / This work aims to evaluate the underlying values in the working up of the comicality and the expressional resources employed in the Simpsons cartoon meaning creation. Assuming that in the persuasive discourse the rhetoric mechanisms are gathered for the meaning effect creation, we evaluated how such mechanisms are employed and how the comical effect is created based on the theories of the laughabla and of the enunciation.

This is a study of David Lodge's campus novels: The British Museum is Falling Down, Changing Places, Small World and Nice Work. Unlike most previous studies of Lodge's work, which have focussed on literary-theoretical issues, this dissertation .aims at unravelling some of the ideological impulses that inform his campus fiction. A basic assumption of this study is that literature is never disinterested; it is always an ideological statement about the world. Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the dialogical relationship between self and other provides a means of investigating the interaction between author and reader; central to this project is Bakhtin's notion of how to reach an independent, ideological consciousness through the active scrutiny of the authoritative discourses surrounding us. First, a brief historical outline of the campus novel is presented, together with analyses of three representative works. Lodge's novels are thereafter discussed in relation to his own literary-theoretical work, and also in relation to his attempts at bridging the gap between the academy and the world outside. The chapter demonstrates how, as a result of this bridging posture, Lodge's works, critical and fictional, become increasingly intertwined. Yet, despite Lodge’s avowed intentions, for readers without prior access to the literary canon his elaborate intertextual games fail to bridge the gap. The discussion of Lodge's first three campus novels novels shows how the authority of the Church, the literary canon, and established societal norms, is seemingly challenged in these texts. Lodge has himself invited a Bakhtinian reading of his novels, but this study demonstrates that his fiction, allegedly both dialogical and camivalesque, to a large extent advocates an ideology that is diametrically opposed to such an activity. Reigning over these novels is a mood of gloom and passive resignation—a mood which is the very antithesis of Bakhtin's insistence on activity and the camivalesque positive attitude to change and renewal. In the discussion of the last novel, it is furthermore demonstrated that Lodge's use of stereotypes wrecks any dialogical potential, and that the extended intertextual play evinces clear anti-feminist and élitist patterns. Lodge’s campus fiction confirms the myth of the isolated Ivory Tower. The attempted bridging of the gap between the academy and the outside world is not accomplished. For most readers his texts remain one-dimensional portrayals of irrelevant campus clowns. / <p>Diss. Umeå : Umeå universitet, 1993</p> / digitalisering@umu

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI) on a spoken persuasive discourse task and to evaluate the affects of eliciting this language sample. Ten adults with TBI (mean age = 51 years and 5 months) and ten adults matched by age and gender completed two spoken language tasks. These tasks required them to verbally provide their opinion of whether trained animals in circuses should be allowed to perform for the public and also whether public transport should be encouraged for everyone to use. One of the tasks was provided with examples for and against the topic within the instructions whereas the other task instructions provided no examples. The presentation of these tasks was alternated within the groups so as not to assist with task practice. Language measures included productivity (total number of words, mean length of T-units, T-units per minute and percentage of T-units with mazes) and complexity (total number of clauses, clause density and clause type). Pragmatic measures included the essential features of argument as identified in the developmental literature (number of claims, reasons, elaborations, repetitions, irrelevancies, and presence of an introduction and conclusion). The TBI group out-performed their age-matched peers on language complexity measures of total number of clauses and independent clauses used, however used significantly more adverbial clauses. On comparison of the elicitation technique, the instructions with examples elicited a significantly greater number of reasons than that of the basic instructions. The results are discussed alongside current literature in the field of discourse production and persuasion. Implications for clinical practice and future directions for research in this area are also suggested.

Sustainable communication is intensively being done through social media platforms such as YouTube to create awareness among people. It is imperative to encourage people to adopt sustainable eating to have better health and a better environment—this research study aimed at analyzing the persuasive discourse in videos related to sustainable eating on YouTube. For this, the research has applied rhetorical analysis to three YouTube videos, focusing on the basic persuasive strategies: ethos, pathos, and logos. The analysis discussed how the speakers in these videos encourage their viewers to adopt sustainable eating. Through comparing these videos, the findings suggested what made the videos more persuasive and what weakened their ability to appeal to the audience. The results of the study contribute to the sustainable communicators who are willing to persuade their viewers to adopt sustainable eating.