I den här studien har undersökts hörande andraspråksinlärares fonologiska utveckling med avseende på deras förmåga att identifiera ett teckens aspektstruktur, både partiellt och som hela tecken, samt en- och tvåhandstecken. Deras resultat jämfördes sedan med en kontrollgrupp bestående av döva förstaspråkstalare av svenskt teckenspråk. Det har tidigare varit begränsat med studier med fokus på identifiering av tecken. Av den anledningen skapades till denna studie en uppgift som vare sig kräver kunskaper i svenskt teckenspråk eller lingvistiska förkunskaper. Studien består av data som baseras på en kvantitativ och longitudinell undersökning. Vid identifieringen av de aspekterna visade det sig hos båda grupperna att aspekten artikulationsställe var lättast att identifiera, direkt följt av aspekten artikulator och att aspekten artikulation var svårast att identifiera. L2-gruppen presterade bättre och kunde identifiera fler korrekta tecken än L1-gruppen. Båda grupperna presterade emellertid låga resultat. En möjlig orsak till detta kan vara att svarsblanketten inte var tillräckligt tydlig gällande aspekten artikulation. En annan tänkbar orsak är förmågan att memorera visuella komponenter. Vid identifieringen av en- och tvåhandstecken visade det sig för båda grupperna vara enklare att identifiera enhandstecken än tvåhandstecken. Detta bedöms överensstämma med tidigare forskning som visar att tvåhandstecken är fonologiskt och kognitivt mer komplexa än enhandstecken. Vidare forskning med ett större antal deltagare behövs för att kunna se eventuella ytterligare aspekter som kan påverka resultatet. / In this study, the phonological development of hearing L2 learners has been investigated with regard to their ability to identify a sign's aspect structure, both partially and as a whole, and one- vs. two-handed signs. The results were compared to a control group of deaf first language speakers of Swedish sign language. There has previously been a limited number of studies focusing on the identification of signs. For this reason, a task that required no previous knowledge of Swedish Sign Language or linguistics was created for this study. The study is based on data from a quantitative and longitudinal investigation. In the identification of aspects, it is shown that place of articulation was the easiest to identify for both groups, followed by articulator, and lastly articulation, which was the most difficult to identify correctly. The L2 group performed better and could identify a higher number of correct lexical signs than the L1 group. However, both groups scored low results. A possible reason for this is that the test template is not explicit enough about articulation as a aspect. When identifying one- and two-handed signs, it is shown that one-handed signs are easier to identify than two-handed signs, across both groups. This corroborates previous research that shows that two-handed signs are phonologically and cognitively more complex than one-handed signs. Further research with a larger number of participants is encouraged in order to investigate other potentially influencing factors.

I denna uppsats undersöks tre svenska partiers webbplatser, specifikt startsidorna samt webbsidor som gäller temat integration. Uppsatsen syftar till att undersöka vilka deltagare och vilka typer av processer som synliggörs på integrationswebbsidorna samt även hur modus och modalitet framträder. Vidare avser undersökningen att analysera användandet av avbildningar samt andra semiotiska resurser på partiernas respektive startsida. Vad kan man se i en text eller i bild? Kan man som avsändare framställa sig på ett visst sätt vid textelement respektive bildelement? Med hjälp av verktyg från systemisk-funktionell grammatik undersöker jag textelementen och bildelementen undersöks med verktyg från visuell textanalys. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att det finns vissa likheter och skillnader mellan partiernas startsidor respektive integrationswebbsidor. Skillnaderna är dels vad varje parti framför av sina politiska åsikter i skrift, dels att användandet av avbildningar och andra semiotiska resurser skiljer sig.

This study investigates the expression of epistemic modality in a corpus of Ghanaian Pidgin English (GhaPE). The epistemic expressions are manually identified and thereafter distinguished from each other in terms of grammatical status and their indication of different epistemic and evidential notions. 7 different elements are found, ranging from 1 pre-verbal marker, 1 adverb, 2 particles and 3 complement-taking predicates. The results indicate, in line with existing research, that to differentiate between usage properties of individual modal expressions it may be necessary to subdivide them in terms of not only epistemic but also evidential meanings. Moreover, a functional parallel between the GhaPE particle abi, the Swedish modal particle väl and the Spanish adverbs a lo mejor and igual is demonstrated, with respect to their simultaneous function of expressing epistemic probability and asking the hearer for confirmation. Finally, the results suggest, contrary to previous accounts, that the pre-verbal marker fit may indicate epistemic possibility without the addition of a preceding irrealis marker go. It is proposed that future researchers should make use of bigger corpora in order to arrive at a more ample conception of both individual modal categories and their interrelations.

El punto de partida para este trabajo es la investigación de Thegel (2017), que demuestra que un grado menor de agentividad del sujeto y el uso de condicional son dos indicaciones de intersubjetividad. El presente estudio pretende investigar de modo cuantitativo la posibilidad de una correlación entre estas dos nociones, a saber, si se emplea el condicional cuando el sujeto muestra un grado menor de agentividad. El corpus utilizado consiste en extractos de Cartas a la Directora del periódico El País e incluso transcripciones de dos debates parlamentarios de sesiones plenarias, en total, 212 oraciones. Puesto que los resultados cuantitativos muestran que no parece residir una relación entre las dos variables, la distribución del tiempo gramatical se explica a través de un análisis cualitativo. Por una parte, se nota una tendencia de usar el presente indicativo en contextos descriptivos y cuando el evento exigido coincide con una responsabilidad o expectativa consideradas internas del agente; por otra, el uso del condicional se asocia con la alusión de la violación de una norma compartida, como ha señalado Thegel (2017). Finalmente, se pretende vincular los resultados con el modelo teórico de Narrog (2005) sobre la evolución semántica de los modales, y se concluye que el uso del presente indicativo en deber tiene características similares a la descripción de expresiones orientadas hacia el evento, mientras las oraciones con el condicional se consideran más orientadas hacia el acto de habla.

The author has attempted a dubbleedged purpose, as indicated by the title. The author firstly deals with Pereboom; begining with his so-called ‘wild coincidence’-argument, by which Pereboom claims agent-causation to be unlikely. The author argues that this argument lacks both scope and strenght. The author then deals with the question of compatiblity between physics and agent-causation as related to Pereboom’s basic problematization; whether agent-causation would or would not diverge from what is expected (from any other event) given our best physical theories. This results in a strong criticism against Pereboom’s whole position, and a positive argument for agent-causation. After the first purpose is achieved, the author turns to the purpose indicated by the subtitle. The author presents a general criticism against the field of metaethics concerning the question of free will. The author also makes suggestions for a possible solution. / Författaren har, som titeln indikerar, tagit på sig ett tveeggat problem. Först hanterar författaren Pereboom; och börjar med hans så kallade ‘wild coincidence’-argument, med vilket Pereboom hävdar att agentkausalitet är osannlik. Författaren menar att detta argument saknar både omfång och styrka. Författaren hanterar sedan frågan om kompatibilitet mellan fysik och agentkausalitet, så som den är relaterad till Perebooms grundläggande problematisering; huruvida agentkausalitet skulle eller inte skulle avvika från vad som vi förväntar oss (givet någon annan händelse) från våra bästa fysiska teorier. Detta resulterar i en stark kritik mot Perebooms hela position, och ett positivt argument för agentkausalitet. Efter att det första syftet är avklarat, så vänder sig författaren till undertitelns syfte. Författaren presenterar en generell kritik mot fältet metaetik avseende frågan om fri vilja. Författaren föreslår även en möjlig lösning på problemet.

El objetivo de este estudio es investigar la noción semántica de la modalidad deóntica y sus concretas representaciones lingüísticas en los prospectos médicos. Mediante un método cuantitativo comparamos seis prospectos españoles con seis argentinos, a fin de comprobar semejanzas y diferencias con respecto al grado de la fuerza deóntica de las instrucciones, así como la preferencia por ciertas construcciones lingüísticas. Todas las instrucciones encontradas en los textos son colocadas en un escala deóntica de tres grados dependiendo del grado de obligación que expresan. El resultado señala una diferencia clara entre España y Argentina en cuanto a la distribución de la fuerza deóntica; mientras que los prospectos españoles tienen una preferencia por el tercer grado deóntico, predomina el segundo grado en los textos argentinos. Creemos que la diferencia regional se debe a una focalización distinta del grupo de receptores. Además mostramos que la distribución deóntica varía en las secciones de los prospectos dependiendo de su función comunicativa. Finalmente señalamos que pese a la preferencia por las mismas cuatro construcciones lingüísticas en ambos países, el orden interno varía. Mientras que el imperativo predomina en los prospectos españoles, cosa que refuerza el rasgo personal de los textos, los prospectos argentinos prefieren las construcciones modales, las construcciones impersonales y el infinitivo antes que el imperativo, lo cual les atribuye a los textos un carácter más formal.

The communication regarding the new corona-virus raises questions about availability and plain language. In Sweden, approximately 1.5 million people are in need of this communication through written language due to, inter alia, hearing impairment. Although subtitles are considered one of the most read genres today, it has received little focus in Swedish linguistic research, especially when it comes to intralingual subtitles. However, the communication through subtitles is limited and can lead to information loss. In Sweden, SVT as a public service channel has special requirements to maintain good quality in subtitles but nonetheless omissions are a prerequisite. However, this must never affect the loss of important information. Modality is considered within the Systemic-Functional Linguistics as linguistic tools to create opportunities to shift communication in different degrees and directions. A similar shift in degree can occur in expressions of valuation and opinions. Therefore, modality and valuation are interesting and important to study in a well-known TV- show that communicates, informs and debates about a social-crisis like the Corona-virus. This paper examines modality and expressions of valuation in the adaption from speech to subtitles in the Swedish news-program Agenda (SVT) reporting on the Corona-virus in Sweden and the world. Through the subtitling-shift model created by Sahlin (2001), I examine the omissions of modality and the expressions of valuation. The results show that the communication in subtitles have a weaker emphasis of conflicting opinions, are more objectively constructed and that there is a shift in nuances.

The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to investigate how an ideal job applicant is described when searching real estate janitors and real estate managers in job advertising using a Swedish linguistic perspective. This is achieved by looking at how the model reader is constructed i.e. if the ways to describe the two occupational groups differ, if the descriptions tend to include or exclude groups of applicants, and if and how a relationship is created between the employer and the recipient and if so what kind of relationship. The material consists of ten job advertisements where the employer is looking for real estate janitors and ten job advertisements where the employer is looking for real estate managers. The choice of method for the study is systemic functional grammar, critical discourse analysis and gender coding. Theoretically I also start from the systemic functional grammar and the critical discourse analysis, though with an emancipatory approach. The descriptions of the dream candidates that is created in the ads differ between the two occupations. Real estate janitor is a job which requires more practical skills, while the job as a manager requires more theoretical skills. The ideal real estate janitor has equal numbers of masculine and feminine qualities. The dream candidate is self-propelled, service-oriented and is able to plan the working day in an efficient way. Since the employer seems to have a dominant attitude towards the janitor their relationship tends to not be very close. The ideal dream candidate created for real estate managers is also very self-sufficient, but he or she also has a strong internal drive and likes to run projects in combination with a strong sense of responsibility. The ideal real estate manager has a little more feminine than masculine qualities. The relationship between the employer and the ideal real estate manager is more symmetrical than the relationship that is constructed with the ideal real estate manager.

Background: Diabetes is a global health issue on the rise. Besides genetics as a cause of diabetes, diet, weight and lifestyle are amongst the main factors. Due to the modernized society, new technology and risks, there has been a shift in responsibility of safety and health. As a part of a health promoting policy development during the last few decades there has also been a natural de-authorization of health knowledge and expertise. Governmental expertise has been decentralized to the society and so has the responsibilities. Traces of this new health paradigm can be seen in the media discourse. It has been seen in studies of the reporting of diabetes in North American press, that societal factors – such as labor market, health care and infrastructure – often get veiled by individuals’ responsibility and guilt due to lifestyle and life choices. This affects how individuals feel about their life situation and how the public perceive them.     Method and material: A quantitative content analysis was performed on 112 articles from six Swedish broadsheet and tabloid newspapers. The articles were coded with variables measuring article theme, dominant framing of diabetes´ causes and whose responsibility, what arguments are used and what agents with dignity can be seen. Excerpts from the articles were also analyzed with qualitative tools as modality and argumentation analysis. Results: Similarities between the Swedish and the North American newspapers were discovered. Societal factors and structures as causes and means of responsibilities were not as prominent as those aiming for the individual. The responsibility of the society was also reported to a much greater extent than society as a factor contributing to cause diabetes. This can be considered a sign of the health promoting strategy and the individualism that is rooted in modernization, industrialization and economic liberalization. Doctors and scientists were given dignity as often as celebrities and private citizens, which indicates the de-authorization of health knowledge and the further use of scientists and doctors as a truth repository in media. Several of the articles concern the critique of the diabetes unawareness and predominant individual responsibility that was the outset of this study. Celebrities and private citizens were frequently given dignity in these cases. In their criticizing, high modality contributed to a strong authority in their knowledge. / Grund för forskningsfrågan: Diabetes av olika slag drabbar ett växande antal människor världen över. Sjukdomen tros främst bero på genetik och omgivande faktorer så som livsstil, vilken påverkas av den omgivande miljön. Det har visat sig i studier av rapportering kring sjukdomen i bland annat nordamerikansk press att samhälleliga faktorer ofta hamnar i skymundan och att skulden och ansvaret för sjukdomen framstår ligga hos individen och dess egenvalda livsstil. Detta kan bero på en hälsofrämjande strategi som setts växa fram under de senaste decennierna, som en reaktion på effekterna av teknisk utveckling, modernisering och marknadskrafter. Strategin har inneburit en naturlig av-auktorisering av hälsokunskapen och individualisering av ansvaret. Detta hälsoparadigm återspeglas i medierna.   Studien: Denna studie undersöker rapporteringen av diabetes i svensk press, genom en kvantitativ innehållsanalys av 112 artiklar från sex svenska dags- och kvällstidningar. Materialet kodades med variabler för bland annat artikeltema, dominant gestaltning av orsak samt ansvar för diabetes, vilka argument som förekommer och vilka aktörer som tillskrivs dignitet i sammanhanget. Detta kompletterades med en kvalitativ analys av några textutdrag från materialet, med verktyg och begrepp från och argumentationsanalys samt det lingvistiska begreppet modalitet.   Resultat: Det framträder stora likheter mellan de svenska tidningarna och de nordamerikanska. Samhällsstrukturer som orsak till och ansvar för diabetes framgår inte i samma utsträckning som individens roll. Samhällets ansvar för sjukdomen framgår dock i större utsträckning än dess skuld, vilket går i linje med individualiseringen av hälsoansvaret. Läkare och professorer tillsammans förekommer med dignitet i ungefär lika många artiklar som privatpersoner och kändisar tillsammans, vilket indikerar avauktoriseringen av hälsokunskapen, och den fortsatta användningen av läkare och professorer som ett slags ”sanningsvittnen”. I flera artiklar framträder just den kritik mot okunskap kring sjukdomen och hur individerna själva måste arbeta för att förändra läget, en utgångspunkt för denna studie. Kändisar och privatpersoner fick i dessa fall dignitet. I deras kritiserande av andra uttalanden de inte höll med i, agerade hög modalitet en faktor som gav dem auktoritet i sina uttalanden.

This thesis deals with the development of methods for composition in Just Intonation (JI). The author (Gustav Spoormaker) has composed a three movement String Trio in Just Intonation largely based on the theoretical ideas of Harry Partch, Marc Sabat and Kristofer Svensson which incorporates influences from contemporary microtonal music, early western classical music, jazz, and various types of world and folk music. Established core concepts of Just Intonation are explained for the author to then present their own theoretical and aesthetic ideas based on their artistic work. These ideas mostly center around practical aspects of JI composition, through presenting tangible approaches to modality, harmony, and counterpoint with the goal of ensuring an artistic result that enables both performability (tuneability) and stylistic flexibility. Concrete examples from the author’s artistic work are brought up to illustrate these ideas. The artistic results of these methods are discussed as well as their practical implications for performance.