Ši disertacija – tai kontrastyvinio pobūdžio lingvistinis darbas, kurio tyrimų objektas yra viešasis anglų ir lietuvių kalbų diskursas politine tema. Darbo tikslas – nustatyti, kokiais moralės modeliais vadovaujamasi Didžiosios Britanijos ir Lietuvos viešajame diskurse politine tematika, remiantis metaforos analize. Moksliniam tyrimui buvo renkami analitiniai straipsniai, kuriuose aprašomi Lietuvos (www.politika.lt) ir Didžiosios Britanijos (www.economist.com) politiniai įvykiai ketverių (Britanijos atveju) ir dvejų (Lietuvos atveju) metų laikotarpiu. Visame sinchroniniame tyrime taikomas trianguliacijos metodas, leidžiantis ištirti metaforos raišką įvairiais aspektais, derinant kokybinius (aprašomąjį, analitinį ir kognityvinį) tyrimus su kiekybiniu tyrimu. Buvo nustatyta trylika universalių metaforų: JUDĖJIMAS, JĖGA, KARAS, GYVŪNAI, SANDARA, JUSLĖS, VISUMA, SPORTAS, SVEIKATA, SANTYKIAI, PURVAS, VERSLAS ir TEATRAS. Gretinamoji analizė rodo, kad anglų kalbos metaforos skiriasi nuo lietuvių kalbos metaforų savo epistemine sandara. Anglų kalbos metaforų analizė rodo vertinimą, grindžiamą kompleksiniu moralės modeliu. Toks politinių įvykių vertinimas byloja apie progresyvią demokratinę politinę sistemą, pasižyminčią dinamiškumu, vertinimų kaita ir įvairove. Lietuvių kalbos metaforų analizės metu nustatytas vyraujantis pragmatinis metaforos moralės modelis su labai nežymiai išreikštais kitais metaforos moralės modeliais. Toks Lietuvos politinių įvykių vertinimas rodo pragmatinės... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The present study has attempted the analysis of public discourse and its moral expectations through metaphor at a contrastive level in the theoretical framework of cognitive linguistics. The study deals with the identification of morality models in public discourse in English and Lithuanian. The materials of the study consist of analytical political articles extracted from the online archives of two following websites: (1) www.economist.com, (2) www.politika.lt. The collected data amounts to 415, 670 words in total. Three methods of analysis were applied to the collected data: qualitative, quantitative and contrastive. The analysis reveals that political affairs in both cultures are framed by the same conceptual metaphors. The structural composition of the conceptual metaphors has been examined in terms of the following thirteen SOURCE domains: MOTION, RELATIONSHIP, STRENGTH, HEALTH, SPORTS, WAR, ESSENCE, BUSINESS, DIRT, SENSES, WHOLENESS, THEATRE, and ANIMALS. The cross-mapping between SOURCE domains and TARGET domains is held by different epistemic correspondences, which leads to the variability of MORALITY models across the two languages, i.e. English and Lithuanian. British politics tends to be more varied in its moral expectations, which derive from three types of Morality Systems: Pragmatic, Rational and Integrated. Thus, the moral expectations governing British political discourse are based on the Complex Morality Model. By contrast, Lithuanian politics is... [to full text]

The present study has attempted the analysis of public discourse and its moral expectations through metaphor at a contrastive level in the theoretical framework of cognitive linguistics. The study deals with the identification of morality models in public discourse in English and Lithuanian. The materials of the study consist of analytical political articles extracted from the online archives of two following websites: (1) www.economist.com, (2) www.politika.lt. The collected data amounts to 415, 670 words in total. Three methods of analysis were applied to the collected data: qualitative, quantitative and contrastive. The analysis reveals that political affairs in both cultures are framed by the same conceptual metaphors. The structural composition of the conceptual metaphors has been examined in terms of the following thirteen SOURCE domains: MOTION, RELATIONSHIP, STRENGTH, HEALTH, SPORTS, WAR, ESSENCE, BUSINESS, DIRT, SENSES, WHOLENESS, THEATRE, and ANIMALS. The cross-mapping between SOURCE domains and TARGET domains is held by different epistemic correspondences, which leads to the variability of MORALITY models across the two languages, i.e. English and Lithuanian. British politics tends to be more varied in its moral expectations, which derive from three types of Morality Systems: Pragmatic, Rational and Integrated. Thus, the moral expectations governing British political discourse are based on the Complex Morality Model. By contrast, Lithuanian politics is... [to full text] / Ši disertacija – tai kontrastyvinio pobūdžio lingvistinis darbas, kurio tyrimų objektas yra viešasis anglų ir lietuvių kalbų diskursas politine tema. Darbo tikslas – nustatyti, kokiais moralės modeliais vadovaujamasi Didžiosios Britanijos ir Lietuvos viešajame diskurse politine tematika, remiantis metaforos analize. Moksliniam tyrimui buvo renkami analitiniai straipsniai, kuriuose aprašomi Lietuvos (www.politika.lt) ir Didžiosios Britanijos (www.economist.com) politiniai įvykiai ketverių (Britanijos atveju) ir dvejų (Lietuvos atveju) metų laikotarpiu. Visame sinchroniniame tyrime taikomas trianguliacijos metodas, leidžiantis ištirti metaforos raišką įvairiais aspektais, derinant kokybinius (aprašomąjį, analitinį ir kognityvinį) tyrimus su kiekybiniu tyrimu. Buvo nustatyta trylika universalių metaforų: JUDĖJIMAS, JĖGA, KARAS, GYVŪNAI, SANDARA, JUSLĖS, VISUMA, SPORTAS, SVEIKATA, SANTYKIAI, PURVAS, VERSLAS ir TEATRAS. Gretinamoji analizė rodo, kad anglų kalbos metaforos skiriasi nuo lietuvių kalbos metaforų savo epistemine sandara. Anglų kalbos metaforų analizė rodo vertinimą, grindžiamą kompleksiniu moralės modeliu. Toks politinių įvykių vertinimas byloja apie progresyvią demokratinę politinę sistemą, pasižyminčią dinamiškumu, vertinimų kaita ir įvairove. Lietuvių kalbos metaforų analizės metu nustatytas vyraujantis pragmatinis metaforos moralės modelis su labai nežymiai išreikštais kitais metaforos moralės modeliais. Toks Lietuvos politinių įvykių vertinimas rodo pragmatinės... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

<p>This dissertation explores the potential contributions of the mechanisms for early warning and intelligence sharing to regional security in Africa. The Continental Early Warning System (CEWS) and the Committee on Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) are centrally concerned with the dissemination of information to enable decision-making on continental security. The main focus of the dissertation is on the manner in which the information generated by the CEWS and CISSA can contribute to regional security. In order to analyse the potential contribution of the CEWS and CISSA to regional security, a sound theoretical framework is proposed so as to explore how and why states choose to cooperate, as well as addressing multifaceted cooperation and integration at inter-state, government department and nonstate levels. Constructivist interpretations of international cooperation are utilised to explore the role of ideas, meanings and understandings in shaping behaviour. The focus is placed on the manner in which interaction as provided for by the CEWS and CISSA can shape understandings of reality and potentially impact on the definition of actors&rsquo / interests. This is based on the assumption drawn from security community and epistemic community theory that, enabling the creation of shared meanings and shared knowledge there is the potential for both the CEWS and CISSA to have a positive influence on the choices that stakeholders take in favour of peaceful change.</p>

L'étude de la formation d'une communauté épistémique québécoise en santé publique en ayant recours à l'interactionnisme-structural permet d'appréhender ce phénomène social sous l'angle d'une influence réciproque entre d'une part des acteurs sociaux interagissant entre-eux et d'autre part, des conceptualisations variées des objets de santé publique; ces éléments sociaux et sémantiques subissent des transformations simultanées. Notre étude démontre et illustre qu'au même moment où un réseau social de chercheurs prend forme, une thématique nouvelle prend place et rallie ces mêmes chercheurs, non pas seulement dans leurs relations sociales, mais dans les idées qu'ils manipulent lors de leur travail de production et de diffusion de connaissances; les identités sociales se lient, mais pas au hasard, parce qu'elles partagent des éléments sémantiques communs. C'est notamment en explorant 20 ans de collaborations scientifiques à l'aide d'outils d'analyse de réseaux, d'analyse en composantes discrètes et par l'exporation de treillis de Galois que cette étude a été menée. Notre approche est principalement exploratoire et une attention toute particulière est portée sur les aspects méthodologiques et théoriques du travail de recherche scientifique. / The study of the formation of an epistemic community in Quebec's public health by using structural interactionism allows to understand this social phenomenon in terms of an interaction between, on the one hand, social actors interacting together and, on the other hand, various conceptualizations of the objects of public health. These social and semantic elements undergo simultaneous transformations. Our study demonstrates that the formation of a network of researchers leads to the emergence of a new thematic at the center of interest of those researchers. Researchers are linked, not only in social networks term, but also at a conceptual level : social identities are linked, but not randomly, they are linked by semantics elements. It is by exploring 20 years of scientific collaboration by using tools from social networks analysis, discrete components analysis and the exploration of concept lattice in particular that this study was conducted. Our approach is more exploratory and a special attention is put on methodological aspects of scientific work.

The aim of this project is to discern possible patterns in the changes of epistemic frameworks and in the way in which factors cause or stimulate such changes. Article 1 illustrates forms of consensus between the views of various prominent 20th century philosophers of science on the characteristics and functions of pre-scientific frameworks in scientific activity. This is done by highlighting various helpful insights from the reformational tradition as a point of departure. Article 2 attempts to achieve more clarity on how changes in epistemic frameworks occur, whilst article 3 discerns the factors influencing framework change. Article 4 illustrates and evaluates the relationship between change and constancy in the viewpoints of various philosophers and scientists throughout history. The project suggests that change and constancy can be related to epistemic frameworks according to a pattern referring to the irreducibility of coherents where change and constancy exist in cohesion. As a consequence, change is never completely random or absolute. Although a broad variety of factors play a role in framework changes, a pattern can be discerned in the sense that some factors play a regulative role, so that change is dynamic but not arbitrary. / Thesis (PhD (Philosophy))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The aim of this project is to discern possible patterns in the changes of epistemic frameworks and in the way in which factors cause or stimulate such changes. Article 1 illustrates forms of consensus between the views of various prominent 20th century philosophers of science on the characteristics and functions of pre-scientific frameworks in scientific activity. This is done by highlighting various helpful insights from the reformational tradition as a point of departure. Article 2 attempts to achieve more clarity on how changes in epistemic frameworks occur, whilst article 3 discerns the factors influencing framework change. Article 4 illustrates and evaluates the relationship between change and constancy in the viewpoints of various philosophers and scientists throughout history. The project suggests that change and constancy can be related to epistemic frameworks according to a pattern referring to the irreducibility of coherents where change and constancy exist in cohesion. As a consequence, change is never completely random or absolute. Although a broad variety of factors play a role in framework changes, a pattern can be discerned in the sense that some factors play a regulative role, so that change is dynamic but not arbitrary. / Thesis (PhD (Philosophy))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

This thesis by the name To create oneself: Carl Peter Thunberg’s persona constructed by means of his travel account draws inspiration from recent studies within the history of science regarding the concept of persona. It seeks to expand the notion of persona to examine how it could be constructed and refined by individuals. In doing so, it offers an alternative approach to persona. Not as intellectual standard types but as a joining together of qualities that through the joining creates unique personae to each individual. Furthermore, the essay looks at change, and how it could function as an aspect of a persona. In order to examine this, I will look at how the persona of Carl Peter Thunberg was constructed in his travel account which was published in four parts and covered his travels in Europe, Africa and Asia in the 1770s. Thunberg was one of Carl von Linné’s students and a natural historian and physician in his own right. His travel account was widely anticipated and offered an opportunity for him to introduce himself to a wider audience. This source is exemplary for this kind of analysis as all four parts of the travel account existed within the same genre and was written for the same public, yet changes occurred in how Thunberg was portrayed. Rather than explaining these changes in how Thunberg was portrayed by changes in his personal circumstances, I will argue that they are best understood by considering the aspect of change as a central strategy in constructing Thunberg’s persona as a evolving scientist and natural historian.

Notre thèse s’intéresse aux processus de création des adverbes de modalité dubitative dans l’histoire de l’espagnol. À l’aide des corpus de la Real Academia Española, CORDE et CREA, nous étudions du point de vue diachronique les principaux adverbes et locutions adverbiales qui expriment le doute du locuteur par rapport au contenu propositionnel de l’énoncé : por (a)ventura, acaso, quizá(s), puede que, tal vez, a lo mejor, lo mismo et igual. Notre recherche comprend ainsi la quasi-totalité de l’histoire de la langue espagnole, depuis le XIIe siècle, où l’on retrouve déjà quizá, jusqu’au XXe avec le surgissement de lo mismo et igual. Ces expressions ont des origines diverses – constructions verbales, syntagmes prépositionnels, etc.–mais elles fonctionnent toutes initialement comme des éléments intégrés dans la structure syntaxique de la phrase, dans laquelle elles transmettent des notions qui relèvent du hasard, de la temporalité, de la comparaison, etc. Ce travail s’occupe donc, dans un premier temps, d’élucider les chemins que ces expressions ont empruntés pour parvenir à fonctionner comme des adverbes de modalité dubitative et, dans un deuxième temps, il rend compte des relations qu’entretiennent ces expressions adverbiales, puisque, malgré leur apparente synonymie et interchangeabilité, ces adverbes diffèrent sur certains aspects les uns des autres. À cet égard, l’étude diachronique des contextes d’apparition, des valeurs et des fonctions des éléments qui ont intégré le paradigme nous permet de comprendre les différentes nuances et possibilités d’emploi qui caractérisent ces expressions une fois qu’elles acquièrent leur rôle d’adverbes de modalité dubitative. / This thesis aims to study the creation processes of the modal probability adverbs in the history of Spanish. Thus, from the diachronic point of view, we study, with the help of the Real Academia Española corpora, CORDE and CREA, the main adverbs and adverbial locutions that express the speaker's doubt regarding the propositional content of the statement: por (a)ventura, acaso, quizá(s), puede que, tal vez, a lo mejor, lo mismo and igual. Our research covers practically the whole history of the Spanish language, from the twelfth century, in which quizá is documented, until the twentieth, when the most recent adverbs of probability, lo mismo and igual, arise. These expressions have different origins – verbal constructions, prepositional phrases, etc. – but all function initially as integrated elements in the syntactic structure of the sentence, in which they transmit notions related to chance, temporality, comparison, etc. This work, therefore, is concerned firstly with elucidating the paths followed by these expressions in order to function as probability adverbs and, secondly, it gives account of the relations that lie between these adverbial expressions. Despite their apparent synonymy and interchangeability, these adverbs differ from one another in some respects. In this sense, the diachronic study of the contexts of appearance, the meanings and the functions of the elements that have integrated the paradigm allow us to understand the different nuances and possibilities of use that characterize these expressions once they acquire their role of modal probability adverbs. / Esta tesis se ocupa del estudio de los procesos de creación de los adverbios de modalidad dubitativa en la historia del español. Con la ayuda de los corpus de la Real Academia Española, CORDE y CREA, estudiamos desde el punto de vista diacrónico los principales adverbios y locuciones adverbiales que expresan la duda del hablante con respecto al contenido proposicional del enunciado: por (a)ventura, acaso, quizá(s), puede que, tal vez, a lo mejor, lo mismo e igual. Nuestra investigación abarca así prácticamente toda la historia de la lengua española, desde el siglo XII, en el que ya se documenta quizá, hasta el XX, en el que surgen los adverbios de duda más recientes lo mismo e igual. Las expresiones estudiadas tienen orígenes diversos –construcciones verbales, sintagmas preposicionales, etc.–, pero todas funcionan inicialmente como elementos integrados en la estructura sintáctica de la frase, en la que transmiten nociones relativas al azar, a la temporalidad, a la comparación, etc. Este trabajo se ocupa, pues, en primer lugar, de elucidar los caminos que han seguido estas expresiones para llegar a funcionar como adverbios de modalidad dubitativa y, en segundo lugar, de dar cuenta de las relaciones que mantienen estas expresiones adverbiales, ya que, a pesar de su aparente sinonimia e intercambiabilidad, estos adverbios difieren unos de otros en algunos aspectos. En este sentido, el estudio diacrónico de los contextos de aparición, valores y funciones de los elementos que han integrado el paradigma nos permite comprender los diferentes matices y posibilidades de uso que caracterizan a estas expresiones una vez que adquieren su papel de adverbios de modalidad dubitativa.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly progressing and could be the next technological revolution we see. The idea of AI is no longer farfetched and is becoming more present; individuals are showing a very diverse set of opinions regarding AI. We are currently being the first generation of people to be introduced to AI assets. As this striving new topic is developing the research existing today regarding AI is predominantly based on a technical perspective, and a gap concerning consumer values and AI, applied on millennial’s consumer values is present. The purpose of this study is to explore Millennial consumption values regarding AI with the use of The Theory of Consumption Values as a base theory. When concluded the study will add value to the field and will benefit from future research. The purpose of this study is conducted from a consumer perspective. The study is of qualitative method and the primary, empirical data is gathered through 19 semi structured interviews with millennial. An abductive approach is taken. The finding s of this study show results of the exploration of millennial consumptions values on AI. Furthermore, the study also showed the most important consumption value regarding AI and the one most talked about. Lastly, additional values were found as well as extensions to existing consumption values.

A tese da equivalência afirma que as condicionais indicativas e a condicional material possuem condições de verdade equivalentes, i.e., elas são falsas quando possuem a antecedente verdadeira e a consequente falsa, mas são verdadeiras nas demais circunstâncias. Essa tese tem algumas consequências contra-intuitivas. Por exemplo, ela implica que qualquer condicional com uma antecedente falsa é verdadeira. Isso é estranho, pois não é intuitivo pensar que a condicional “Se a lua é feita de queijo, então 2 +2 = 4” é verdadeira somente porque a lua não é feita de queijo. Antes, pensamos que a constituição da lua não tem qualquer relação com as verdades da aritmética. Essa perplexidade é um dos paradoxos da condicional material. No primeiro e segundo capítulos apresento as duas tentativas mais influentes de defender a tese da equivalência face aos paradoxos, as propostas de Paul Grice e Frank Jackson. Argumento que elas são incapazes de eliminar os paradoxos, pois tentam explicar a sua origem em práticas linguísticas. No terceiro capítulo eu argumento que a real causa dos aspectos paradoxais da condicional material são intuições epistêmicas e metafísicas que devem ser recusadas, pois resultam de erros de raciocínio. / The equivalence thesis states that indicative conditionals and the material conditional have the same truth conditions i.e., they are false when they have a truth antecedent and a false consequent, but true in any other circumstances. This thesis has some counterintuitive consequences. For instance, it implies that any conditional with a false antecedent is true. This is odd, for it is not intuitive to think that the conditional “If the moon is made of cheese, then 2 + 2 = 4” is true solely in virtue of the moon not being made of cheese. We would rather think that the moon’s composition and arithmetic truths aren’t related to each other. This perplexity is one of the paradoxes of the material conditional. In the first and second chapters, I present the two most influential attempts of defending the equivalence thesis from the paradoxes: the proposals of Paul Grice and Frank Jackson. I argue that the attempts are nonetheless unable of dismissing the paradoxes, because they attempt to explain their origins as stemming from linguistic practices. In the third chapter, I argue that the real cause of the paradoxical aspects of the material conditional are epistemic and metaphysical intuitions that must be refused, for they result from flawed reasoning.