In this master thesis, we studied the effect of the use of graphical personification in multimedia learning materials on positive and negative affect, and retention and transfer of the acquired knowledge. According to the Cognitive-Affective Theory of Learning with Media, graphical personification, as one of the main forms of emotional design, could increase the learning outcomes by means of elevated positive affect. The theoretical section of the thesis describes the underlying theories of emotions, emphasizing the Cognitive-Affective Theory of Learning with Media. The respective subsections are dedicated to cognitive multimedia learning principles, emotional design and the Cognitive Load Theory. The experimental section describes a replication and an extension of the original study by Mayer and Estrella. In our experiment, we used an incomplete 2 x 3 between-subject design with independent factors being the use of personification in learning materials (three levels) and the presence of eye tracker in the experimental setup (two levels). We have found no significant effect of graphical personification in learning materials on positive affect, retention or transfer of acquired knowledge. The participants that were given learning materials containing personification and were subject to eye tracking...

Diploma thesis is an environmentally and process oriented project which is based on the issue of the so-called bark beetle calamity. It deals with the personification of non-human life. It uses experience with materials, their handling and processing.

The principal objective of this paper is to investigate the use of Hurston’s figurative language in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Metaphors, symbolism, and personification have always been present in the African American language. Hurston uses the richness of figurative language to depict the African American experience in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century. Figurative language is observed in various instances in the novel, such as when the author places special importance on the porch and the “lies” told there. Other significant examples of figurative language include the kiss and the bloom. Hurston also uses the seasons in a symbolic manner to reflect the main character’s state of mind through winter, spring, and summer.

This essay investigates the author’s translation of a non-fiction text about literary theory. The study examines the metaphors found in the original text and how they have been translated from English to Swedish.  The analysis uses Lakoff and Johnson’s (1980) description of conceptual metaphors to categorize the metaphors found in the text. Conceptual metaphor theory suggests that the understanding of metaphor is mainly based on cultural experience which complicates the translatability of metaphors. In addition, the investigation draws on Newmark’s (1981) prescriptive framework for translation studies and Schäffner’s (2004) study on micro- and macro-level metaphors.   The findings in this essay suggest that the most common type of conceptual metaphor in the translated text is the ontological metaphor, probably due to the high number of personifications. The findings also indicate that three translation strategies are preferred when translating metaphors, namely to reproduce the same image in the target language, to replace the image in the source language with a standard image in the target language, and to convert metaphor to sense. The results also suggest that changes on the macro-level seem unavoidable unless it is possible to reproduce the same image as in the target language and that changes on the micro-level might occur even if the macro-level is the same in both the source text and target text. However, no certain conclusions are made due to the limited sample of metaphors in the study.

<p>The category of grammatical gender has gained considerable attention in the linguistic literature. Previous studies focused primarily on describing the often very complex system of genders in particular languages, on the understanding of the category <em>per se</em> (e.g. the origin of gender differentiation) or the acquisition of grammatical gender and the processing of this category in language production.</p> <p>In contrast, the present dissertation looks at grammatical gender from a cognitive point of view. For the sake of this dissertation, <em>cognitive perspective</em> is defined as the assumption that human language cannot be separated from the way human beings perceive the world since language and thought are inextricably related. This approach also implies that research cannot be limited to theoretical explorations, but rather, that it must employ experimental methods and use research tools traditionally associated with other disciplines to collect data about authentic language use. All studies included in this thesis concentrate on the topic of grammatical gender, but they approach the category from a variety of perspectives.</p> <p>It was found that the grammatical gender, at least to some degree, shapes the worldview of speakers of those languages in which the category operates, since the gender of the personification of concepts usually agrees with the grammatical gender of the respective nouns. In the context of translation, grammatical gender proved to be much more challenging than had been expected; there were many mistakes found in the translation product and many hesitations observed in the translation process.</p> <p>The findings of the studies included in this thesis add to the general understanding of the complexities of the category of grammatical gender and its relationship to the way language users perceive the world. What is more, the investigations and proposals presented here emphasize the need for a more interdisciplinary approach to the study of grammatical gender.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Today’s increasing information supply raises the needfor more effective and automated information processing whereindividual information adaptation (personalization) is onepossible solution. Earlier computer systems for personalizationlacked the ability to easily define and measure theeffectiveness of personalization efforts. Numerous projectsfailed to live up to the their expectations, and the demand forevaluation increased. This thesis presents some underlying concepts and methodsfor implementing personalization in order to increase statedbusiness objectives. A personalization system was developedthat utilizes descriptions of information characteristics(metadata) to perform content based filtering in anon-intrusive way. Most of the described measurement methods forpersonalization in the literature are focused on improving theutility for the customer. The evaluation function of thepersonalization system described in this thesis takes thebusiness operator’s standpoint and pragmatically focuseson one or a few measurable business objectives. In order toverify operation of the personalization system, a functioncalled bifurcation was created. The bifurcation functiondivides the customers stochastically into two or morecontrolled groups with different personalizationconfigurations. Bygiving one of the controlled groups apersonalization configuration that deactivates thepersonalization, a reference group is created. The referencegroup is used to measure quantitatively objectives bycomparison with the groups with active personalization. Two different companies had their websites personalized andevaluated: one of Sweden’s largest recruitment servicesand the second largest Swedish daily newspaper. The purposewith the implementations was to define, measure, and increasethe business objectives. The results of the two case studiesshow that under propitious conditions, personalization can bemade to increase stated business objectives. Keywords:metadata, semantic web, personalization,information adaptation, one-to-one marketing, evaluation,optimization, personification, customization,individualization, internet, content filtering, automation. / <p>QCR 20161027</p>

A partir das letras de fado acerca da cidade de Lisboa cuja colheita, inédita, foi parte inicial desta investigação o presente trabalho procura mostrar de que modo a cidade de Lisboa é vista e representada por seus habitantes. A análise de um corpus de 183 canções que cantam a cidade enquanto tal (e não elementos dela: o castelo, o Tejo, bairros, telhados, personagens), revelam que Lisboa é quase sempre uma mulher. Em seguida, o presente estudo dedica-se a interpretar, utilizando como método o círculo filológico da estilística de Leo Spitzer, o fenômeno da personificação de Lisboa no fado, primeiro por uma perspectiva diacrônica e depois sincronicamente. Por último, dedica-se a revelar que tipo de mulher é Lisboa, e sua relação com as vendedoras ambulantes (varinas, saloias, minhotas) e meretrizes que historicamente frequentavam as ruas da cidade e hoje frequentam apenas o imaginário popular. E principalmente a relação de Lisboa-mulher com o mito da Maria Severa. / Based on the lyrics of fado for which there has been no previous research or collection into one study this thesis seeks to show how the city of Lisbon is seen and represented by its inhabitants. The analysis of a corpus of 183 songs that sing the city as such (and not elements of it: the castle, the Tagus, neighborhoods, roofs, characters), shows that Lisbon is most of the time portrayed as a woman. Subsequently, the present study interprets, using the \"philological circle\" proposed by Leo Spitzer as a method, the phenomenon of personification of Lisbon in fado, first by a diachronic perspective and then synchronically. Finally, it investigates what kind of woman Lisbon is, and its relationship with the female street vendors (varinas, saloias, minhotas) and harlots who historically inhabited the city\'s streets but today are present only in the imagination of its people. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between the Lisbon-woman and the myth of Maria Severa.

A partir das letras de fado acerca da cidade de Lisboa cuja colheita, inédita, foi parte inicial desta investigação o presente trabalho procura mostrar de que modo a cidade de Lisboa é vista e representada por seus habitantes. A análise de um corpus de 183 canções que cantam a cidade enquanto tal (e não elementos dela: o castelo, o Tejo, bairros, telhados, personagens), revelam que Lisboa é quase sempre uma mulher. Em seguida, o presente estudo dedica-se a interpretar, utilizando como método o círculo filológico da estilística de Leo Spitzer, o fenômeno da personificação de Lisboa no fado, primeiro por uma perspectiva diacrônica e depois sincronicamente. Por último, dedica-se a revelar que tipo de mulher é Lisboa, e sua relação com as vendedoras ambulantes (varinas, saloias, minhotas) e meretrizes que historicamente frequentavam as ruas da cidade e hoje frequentam apenas o imaginário popular. E principalmente a relação de Lisboa-mulher com o mito da Maria Severa. / Based on the lyrics of fado for which there has been no previous research or collection into one study this thesis seeks to show how the city of Lisbon is seen and represented by its inhabitants. The analysis of a corpus of 183 songs that sing the city as such (and not elements of it: the castle, the Tagus, neighborhoods, roofs, characters), shows that Lisbon is most of the time portrayed as a woman. Subsequently, the present study interprets, using the \"philological circle\" proposed by Leo Spitzer as a method, the phenomenon of personification of Lisbon in fado, first by a diachronic perspective and then synchronically. Finally, it investigates what kind of woman Lisbon is, and its relationship with the female street vendors (varinas, saloias, minhotas) and harlots who historically inhabited the city\'s streets but today are present only in the imagination of its people. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between the Lisbon-woman and the myth of Maria Severa.

Este trabalho investiga o uso da personalização como estratégia discursiva do jornalismo cultural, tomando, como objeto, textos jornalísticos sobre a Fundação Iberê Camargo publicados na mídia impressa nacional e internacional. Partimos do pressuposto de que o jornalismo é um importante lugar de produção de sentidos sobre valores contemporâneos, incluindo parte significativa do conhecimento construído sobre cultura e arte. O recorte temporal de coleta do material empírico abrange os sete primeiros meses de 2008, que inclui o período anterior e posterior à inauguração da nova sede da Fundação. Identificamos a forte presença da personalização como estratégia discursiva, examinando, por meio da Análise de Discurso, como sentidos sobre a arte contemporânea e sobre o museu contemporâneo são construídos a partir da referência a Álvaro Siza, o arquiteto responsável pelo prédio da Fundação. O corpus consolidado é constituído de 11 textos, nos quais são analisadas 116 seqüências discursivas pertinentes à problemática central. Concluímos que a personalização constrói quatro sentidos predominantes sobre arte (“o artista”, “o estrangeiro”, “o profissional” e “o humano”) e dois sentidos predominantes sobre museu (“o museu como obra de arte” e “o museu orgânico”). / This research investigates the employment of personification as a discursive strategy of cultural journalism, taking as object the texts about the Iberê Camargo Foundation published in national and international press. It departs from the perspective that journalism is an important place for the production of meaning around contemporary values, including a significant part of knowledge built on art and culture. The timely approach of collecting data on empirical material encompasses the seven initial months of 2008, which includes the period prior and subsequent to the inauguration to the new building of the Foundation. We identified a strong presence of a personalized discursive strategy, through Discourse Analysis, how meaning around contemporary art and on the contemporary museum is constructed departing from the image of Álvaro Siza, the architect which designed the Foundation building. The consolidated corpus is comprised by 11 texts, in which it is analyzed 116 discursive sequences pertaining to the central issues of the argument. The conclusion is that personalizing creates four predominant stances of meaning on art (“the artist,” “the foreigner”, “the professional” and “the human being”) and two stances of meaning predominantly on the museum (“the museum as an art work” and “the organic museum”).

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:47:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silvia Cristina Copia Carrilho Silva Martins.pdf: 14014733 bytes, checksum: fe3245103944e46851953298481a84e5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-04 / The present study aims to analyze the personification as persuasive appeal in advertising campaigns dedicated to Pets Shops (a shop specialized in products and services for pets). To this end, we selected 12graphic design pieces published in the Cães e Cia. Magazine, from January to December 2013. The primary focus of the research is on the discourse of advertising, and especially about his attempt to entice pet owners - highlights on the fact that the pet owners represent a significant portion of consumers that has grown substantially in recent years. In this sense, the research has an exploratory nature and employs documentary research and literature review. This study takes as instrument, articles, materials and advertisements published in specialized magazines, targeting the world of pets . Authors such as João Vicente Cegato Bertomeu, João A. Carrascoza, Vestergaard and Schroder and are used for the foundation of the main ideas that guide the study, however, the fundamental strategy lies in the fundamental review of the theories of embodiment; the theoretical path and image analysis of the selected graphic design pieces that depict the use of personification and the persuasive speech of advertising. In this sense, note that the research was guided by the collection and examination of graphic pieces that employ personification as textual and visual appeal, using instruments of communication studies for analysis. The analysis was based on theories that focus on temporal, cultural and behavioral relationships. The areas of phenomenology (here we use authors like Merleau-Ponty e Furlani and Bacchi), the proxemics (using ethologist and anthropologist Edward Hall) will translate the constraints of human perception filters in the act of production and reception advertising discourse, as well as other authors who also pass through these areas. It is noteworthy that the references of this research include data collected in magazines (veterinary or otherwise), such as the magazine of the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, National Geographic and Galileo, as well as official sites like ABINPET (Brazilian Association of the Industry products for Pets), ANFALPET (National Association of Manufacturers of Food for Pets), since these publications are more updated than academic research (masters and doctorates) on the topic. / O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar a personificação como recurso persuasivo nas campanhas publicitárias dedicadas a Pets Shops (lojas especializadas em produtos e serviços para animais domésticos). Para tanto, selecionaram-se 12 peças gráficas veiculadas pela Revista Cães e Cia, no período de janeiro a dezembro de 2013. O enfoque da investigação recai sobre o discurso publicitário e, principalmente, sobre sua tentativa de influenciar os donos de pets (animais domésticos) aqui se destaca que estes representam parcela significativa de consumidores que tem, nos últimos anos, crescido de forma substancial. Nesse sentido, a pesquisa tem natureza exploratória e emprega análise documental e revisão bibliográfica. Tomam-se como instrumental as revistas especializadas em artigos, matérias e propagandas voltadas para o mundo dos pets . Autores, tais como João Vicente Cegato Bertomeu, João A. Carrascoza e Vestergaard e Schroder contribuíram para o embasamento das principais ideias que norteiam o estudo, porém, a estratégia fundamental reside na revisão das teorias da personificação; no percurso teórico e na análise das imagens das peças gráficas selecionadas que retratam o recurso da personificação e o discurso persuasivo da publicidade. Nesse sentido, assinala-se que a pesquisa orientou-se pela coleta e exame das peças gráficas que empregam a personificação como recurso textual e visual, utilizando instrumentais dos estudos comunicacionais para as análises. Embasou-se a análise em teorias que se embrenham em relações sociotemporais, culturais e comportamentais. Já nas áreas da Fenomenologia, como essência de percepção, serão utilizados autores como Merleau-Ponty e Furlan e Bocchi; da Proxêmica, representado pelo etólogo e antropólogo Edward Hall) que vão traduzir os filtros condicionantes da percepção humana no ato da produção e da recepção do discurso publicitário, além de outros autores que transitam por essas áreas. Vale ressaltar que as referências bibliográficas desta pesquisa incluem dados levantados em revistas (veterinárias ou não), tais como a revista do jornal Folha de S. Paulo, a National Geographic e a Galileu, além de sites oficiais como o da ABINPET (Associação Brasileira da Indústria de Produtos para Animais de Estimação), ANFALPET (Associação Nacional dos Fabricantes de Alimentos para Animais de Estimação), uma vez que tais publicações são mais atualizadas do que as pesquisas acadêmicas (mestrados e doutorados) sobre o tema.