This dissertation is a comparative study of the morphosyntax of the constituents referred to as noun phrases in traditional grammar. In line with Abney’s (1987) Determiner Phrase (DP) Hypothesis, this study investigates the syntactic structures of Sinitic nominal phrases by means of a thorough study of lexical elements, such as numerals, classifiers, possessives, adjectives, and nouns, and functional elements, such as plural/collective markers, force particles, and modification markers. It is argued that the syntactic structure of the nominal phrase is universal regardless of the presence of lexical items which realise the heads of the functional projections. This study further proposes a unified account of the articulated structure of nominal phrases, as a full-fledged DP, to explain the syntactic phenomena in both classifier and non-classifier languages. More specifically, a Probe-Goal feature-valuing model is proposed to account for parametric variation among Sinitic and other languages within the framework of Chomsky’s (2000, 2001, 2004) Phase-based Minimalist Programme. Furthermore, given the assumption of the Split-DP Hypothesis, this study proposes that the DP in Sinitic languages is also not a unitary projection but an articulated array of functional projections, including DforceP, DfocusP, DtopicP and DdefiniteP. As their counterparts in the clausal domain, these functional projections encode discourse-related properties, such as illocutionary force, topic, and focus. As far as modification structures are concerned, this study argues that the bare modifier is base-generated in the Spec of a functional or lexical projection, whereas the marked modifier is adjoined to the left of the nominal phrase by the operation Adjunction.

Post-minimalist American composer Julius Eastman's residency at Northwestern University in 1980 provides a rare opportunity to mitigate, if not eliminate, the problems involved in defining his compositional style. Eastman occupies a complex and unlikely position in late twentieth-century music as an openly gay, African-American composer of serious art music who both a member of the Creative Associates at SUNY Buffalo as well as participated in the diverse musical culture of Downtown New York. Eastman's surviving scores are notated in a fragmentary and idiosyncratic fashion and the composer's outrageous personality left few people with whom he worked closely or on a regular basis. However, scores of three of Eastman's works survive. Crazy Nigger, Evil Nigger, and Gay Guerilla were performed on January 16, 1980, as the culmination of Eastman's residency at Northwestern. Eastman's use of inflammatory was influenced by the political timeframe of their composition, particularly black cultural narratives and the state of gay rights conflict in the era between Stonewall and the AIDS crisis. Drawing upon newspaper reports, early scholarship on Eastman's biography, and interviews with concert participants, this thesis documents the rehearsal process and the controversy surrounding the titles of the works. For Members Only, the black student organization at Northwestern, protested advertisements of the concert in the midst of their own conflict with the student government. A viable analytical framework for Eastman's works draws from the techniques of earlier minimalist theorists, including John Roeder's adaptation of set theory. Crazy Nigger, the earliest and longest of the three works, provides to be the least complex example of Eastman's "vertically additive process." Whereas composer Philip Glass extends an original melodic kernel by adding notes horizontally, Eastman adds notes vertically to create increasingly dense textures. Evil Nigger's use of the process is more complicated, introducing additional elements such as ostinati and de-emphasizing the kind of sectional form found in Crazy Nigger. In Gay Guerilla, the last of the three works to be composed, Eastman totally obscured any salient perception of form by eliding several simultaneous occurrences of the vertically additive process and introducing a quotation of the Lutheran chorale "Ein feste Burg." With these three analysis, a more generalized concept of Eastman's compositional style thus consists of his vertically additive process, the introduction of modernist harmony into minimalist technique, the use of hendecachords (11-note sets), a gradual dissolution with the sectional form dominant in concert-length minimalist works, and a move away from post-modernity that Eastman termed "organic music."

This thesis discloses how I explored free improvisation through minimalism and composition.  My initial aims were to merge minimalism with free improvisation. I wanted to combine the hypnotic and meditative effect of the former with the co-creative aspect and element of surprise of the latter. In continuing experiments together with fellow musicians, I tried out different kinds of composing for improvisers, focusing on for instance repetition and motivic development. Experiments were recorded and reflected upon throughout.  However, halfway into my studies I wanted to focus more on co-creation in-the-moment and therefore left composing behind, but instead used my compositions as practice tools for free improvisation. At this pivotal part of the process, new challenges regarding “improvisation vs. composition” emerged. These were overcome thanks to a change of mindset.  As a result of these studies, I expanded my vocabulary as improviser, for instance a creative use of repetition, a broader range of interaction and a deeper understanding of free improvisation in general.

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abstract My project has been a reflection on; our consumer society, what a home is, and how we are supposed to live. It all started with an interest in flexible living, looking at buildings and the cities in a new way, and a new interpretation of the already built environment. My research question was “What do we really need?” and “ What is the minimum requirement for making a home?”. The project touches on the topics of housing, housing shortage mainly but also sustainability, minimalism, and reactivation of space. This manifested itself in the way that I designed a portable, flexible unit that is your interior space and that also cloud store one’s belongings. The unit was explored in a 1:1 scale model and drawings, exploring both design and different contexts such as; student rooms, small living for couples, and temporary living (mainly students and refugees in mind). I was inspired by Tokyo nomad woman, Shigeru Ban’s paper log house, and Ibiza instant city.

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Spel som Journey (Thatgamecompany, 2012) och ICO (Team Ico, 2001) har betonats som minimalistiska spel och har lyckats skapa en känsla av minimalism. Samtidigt motsäger dem vad Towards Minimalist Game Design (Nealen & Saltsman & Boxerman, 2011) anser är minimalism inom speldesign och kan därför inte tolkas som minimalistiskt. Eftersom detta tankesätt upplevs strikt söker vi att skapa ett mer öppet designtänkande för minimalism inom speldesign. Denna undersökning handlar om att kolla på minimalism som begrepp och utforska olika perspektiv av minimalism. Detta görs med målet att leda till nya tillämpningar inom speldesign, utan att sikta på total minimalism. Genom att titta på minimalismens områden inom: konst, design och livsstil; kan en bättre förståelse för minimalism och begränsningar uppnås. Begränsningar är ett gemensamt tema inom minimalismen och har upplysts inom de valda områdena. Under digitaliseringen fick minimalismen ett nytt tankesätt då den anpassades till att reducera komplexitet till slutanvändade istället för hur det brukade vara: att reducera överdriven komplexitet.  Genom brainstorming och MDA ramverket har en spelidé skapats. Denna spelidé har utvecklats till ett spel genom användandet av minimalistiska begränsningar på både design och arbetsmetod. Resultatet visar spår av en mix olika versioner av minimalism och lyckas demonstrera hur mångfaldigt begreppet kan appliceras. Med detta motiverar vi vårt nya synsätt på minimalism inom speldesign, där vi delar in det i två större kategorier som vi namnger Total Minimalism och Smart Minimalism. / Games like Journey (Thatgamecompany, 2012)  and ICO (Team Ico, 2001) have been emphasized as minimalist games and have managed to create a sense of minimalism. At the same time, they contradict what Towards Minimalist Game Design (Nealen & Saltsman & Boxerman, 2011) consider minimalism within game design and therefore cannot be interpreted as minimalist. Since this way of thinking is perceived as strict, we seek to create a more open way of thinking about minimalism in game design. This study is about looking at minimalism as a concept and exploring different perspectives of minimalism. This is done with the goal of leading to new ways of applying minimalism within game design, without aiming for total minimalism. By looking at minimalism within different areas: art, design and lifestyle; a better understanding of minimalism and limitations can be achieved. Limitations are a common theme in minimalism and have been highlighted in our chosen areas of minimalism. During the digitalization, minimalism gained a new way of thinking when it was adapted to: reduce complexity to end users; instead of how it used to be: to reduce excessive complexity.  Through brainstorming and the MDA framework, a game idea has been created. This game idea has evolved into a game by using minimalist limitations on both design and work method. The result shows traces from a mix of different versions of minimalism and manages to demonstrate how diversely the concept can be applied. With this we motivate our new approach to minimalism in game design, where we divide it into two larger categories that we name Total Minimalism and Smart Minimalism.

Denna studie syftar till att studera den rörliga bildens historia och relation till måleriet utifrån de två modernistiska konstnärliga rörelserna minimalism och abstrakt expressionism. / This study aims at understanding the history and relation between the moving image and two modernistic art movements, minimalism and abstract expressionism.

Människor i informations samhället är omringade av teknologier och medium som ständigt sänder information av alla slag till sina användare. Visualisering av denna information blir då en kritisk aspekt för den vardagliga användaren. Detta kandidatarbetet syftar till att utmana visuell kommunikation av information och data. Genomförandet av frågeställningen sker med hjälp av designperspektivet minimalism och metoden prototypande. Vi presenterar relevant forskning och metoder som skapar en utgångspunkt för en designprocess som experimenterar med visuella gestaltningar i olika design situationer. Genom utmanandet av metoder för visuell kommunikation ville vi få fram experimentella gestaltningar som bearbetar och förmedlar information till en mottagare. Resultatet av designprocessen är en prototyp som testar visualiseringar och möjliga interaktiviteter i den valda kontexten. / People in the information society are surrounded by technologies and mediums that constantly transmit information of all kinds to their users. The design of this informationbecomes a critical aspect for the everyday user. This bachelor thesis aims to challenge visual communication of information and data. The question is carried out using methods such as prototyping and the design perspective minimalism. We present relevant research and methods that create a starting point for a design process that experiments with visual designs in a design situation. Through the challenge of methods of visual communication, we want to develop experimental designs that process and convey information to a recipient. The result of the design process is a prototype that tests visualizations and possible interactivity in the chosen context.

This dissertation proposes a principle of "economy of command", arguing that it provides a simple and natural explanation for some well-known properties of human language syntax. The focus is on the abstract combinatorial system that constructs the hierarchical structure of linguistic expressions, with long-distance dependencies determined by the structural relation of c-command. Adopting the assumption of much recent work that properties of syntax reflect very general organizational principles, I propose that syntactic forms with fewer and shorter c-command relations are preferred. Within the boundaries of strict binary branching assumed here, this results in a preference for hierarchical tree structures to be shallow and bushy, rather than deep and narrow. I pursue two broad applications of this principle, to syntactic movement and phrase structure. I argue that movement, the displacement of material to thematically unrelated positions, is a mechanism to reduce the number and length of c-command relations in the affected structures. I detail the properties we expect if movement is driven by this principle, including antilocality, a size threshold effect, a class of island effects, and feedback effects on iterated patterns of movement. I argue that these predictions align well with recent empirical descriptions of syntactic movement. I develop an account in these terms of the cross-linguistic ordering of elements within nominal phrases. Utilizing a computer program, I show that a single underlying structure common to all languages can give rise to all and only the attested word order possibilities via c-command-reducing movements, and describe the required shape of this underlying structure. The principle of economy of command also makes predictions about the format of phrase structure. Among the possible ways to build self-similar syntactic structure, the phrasal forms that build trees with the fewest c-command relations are "endocentric", in the geometric sense that each phrase contains a unique local terminal, and every daughter of the phrase that does not contain its associated terminal is another phrase. This provides a structural basis for the mysterious headedness of phrases. These successes support the validity of the principle, and reinforce the broader project of seeking naturalistic explanation of linguistic properties.