This study aims to investigate topic choices of humour as well as how humour is conjointly constructed in podcasts, with particular focus on the similarities and differences between men and women in both same- and mixed-gender groups. Six podcasts were chosen to be investigated through two different methods: 1. instances of humour were categorised based on the topic of the humour and 2. conversation analysis (CA) was used to analyse the contributions of the different groups of participants with a focus on the pragmatic force and the discursive effect of the contributions. The pragmatic force of the contributions could be supportive or contestive and the discursive effect could be maximally collaborative or minimally collaborative. This study found that the similarities were greater than the differences between same- and mixed-gender groups, regarding both topic choices and how the humour was constructed; however, there were some differences between the groups regarding both aspects. Men tended to make more self-deprecating jokes while women made more jokes about Personal Anecdotes; furthermore, contestive and minimally collaborative humour was more common in groups involving men. This study indicates that podcasts can be an important area of research for future studies regarding humour and gender.

<p><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p> <p>This dissertation is a philosophical inquiry into the pragmatics of emotion as an inherent dimension of the learning self (Ellsworth, 2005). This inquiry first establishes the socio-political context regarding emotional responses to critical forms of pedagogy currently rising across the United States. Secondly, this inquiry explores philosophical conceptualizations of emotions as pedagogical within the fields of public pedagogy, affect theory, and arts-based educational research, as well as the paradigmatic contexts underlying these philosophies. Finally, this inquiry “thinks-with” (Jackson & Mezzei, 2017) these conceptualizations by enacting an affective pragmatic inquiry, centering emotions and embodied experiences of learning through my own neurotypicality as pedagogical inquiry via an arts-based empirical component, consisting of my enrollment in a community pottery class over the course of 40 weeks. I advocate for the need to reconsider the current paradigm around critical forms of pedagogy toward a pragmatist paradigm that uses emotions and value systems of learners to facilitate ethical pedagogical <em>response</em>-abilities (Haraway, 2016) for what to do, pragmatically, with complicated knowledge about social problems that result in ideological and axiological impasses. </p>

The thesis presents semantic and pragmatic characteristics that must be taken into account in vocabulary recording of the status vocatives. An ideographic dictionary entry should reflect the word vocative function as communicative-pragmatic props. Word ideographic implementation is a contributing factor that influences the realization of the vocative function. The use of the ideographic dictionaries’ data helps to implement those word classes the lexicalized syntactic function of vocativity. Appeal to corpus data allows to follow the dynamics in use of vocative forms, and also to elicit special grammar aspects of lexical items that are being used as vocatives. It is important to include illustrative examples of vocative function realization into the dictionary entries for the learners of Russian as a foreign language. This thesis deals with the characteristic of macro- and microstructures of the description of status vocatives in a dictionary and with the bases of the ideographic approach to the vocatives. The ways of semantisation of vocatives in a dictionary are presented in an example of a dictionary entry. / В диссертации рассматриваются семантические и прагматические характеристики, которые необходимо учитывать при словарной фиксации статусных обращений. Способность слова употребляться в функции обращения рассматривается как коммуникативно-прагматическое свойство, которое должно получать отражение в словарной статье идеографического словаря. Принадлежность слова к определенной идеографической группе является одним из факторов, влияющих на реализацию словом вокативной функции. Использование данных идеографических словарей способствует выявлению тех классов слов, для которых синтаксическая функция обращения является лексикализованной. Обращение к данным корпуса позволяет отследить динамику в употреблении вокативных форм, а также установить некоторые грамматические особенности лексических единиц, используемых в качестве обращений. Включение в иллюстративный материал толкового словаря примеров реализации вокативной функции важно для изучающих русский язык как иностранный и неродной. В работе охарактеризована макро- и микроструктура словарного описания статусных обращений, обосновывается идеографический подход к обращениям, обсуждаются способы семантизации обращений в словаре и предлагается модель словарной статьи.

Misinterpretations of William James' pragmatic account of truth are due to three main factors. First, the failure to see the connection between James' account of truth and his account of reality (that is, the connection between pragmatism and radical empiricism). Second, the failure to see James' philosophical project as essentially involving the reinterpretation of traditional philosophical concepts. Third, the mistaken belief that pragmatism provides a formula or rule for determining the truth or falsity of beliefs. In this thesis, these three factors provided a framework for my own interpretation of James' account of truth. In the introduction, I briefly discuss the connection between pragmatism and radical empiricism. In the first chapter, I show that philosophical notions like 'consciousness', 'perception', 'subjectivity' and 'objectivity' are reinterpreted in James' account of reality. In the second chapter, I show how his reinterpretations of 'correspondence', 'coherence', and 'utility' lead to what is better called an 'account' of truth instead of a 'theory' of truth. The third chapter provides further elaboration on his account of truth by examining conceptual systems and 'necessary' truths. In the conclusion, I examine the emphasis which separates James' pragmatic account of truth from other versions, namely, the emphasis on individual experience in determining and constituting truth. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Introduction: There has been increasing interest in evidence from pragmatic trials as healthcare providers and decision makers must determine if available evidence can be translated and used in real world practice. As a result, a number of tools have been developed to help researchers design and appraise randomized controlled trials (RCTs) within the pragmatic-explanatory continuum. It is unclear what role pragmatism plays in heterogeneity and if pragmatic and explanatory trials should be pooled in meta-analyses of systematic reviews. Objectives: Our primary objective was to explore the role of pragmatism (based on the Pragmatic-Explanatory Continuum Indicator Summary-2 [PRECIS-2] score) as a source of heterogeneity in Cochrane systematic reviews with at least substantial heterogeneity (I2≥ 50%). Our secondary objective was to compare and contrast the application of the established PRECIS-2 tool to the newly developed Rating of Included Trials on the Efficacy-Effectiveness Spectrum (RITES) tool. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional methodological review on systematic reviews of RCTs published in the Cochrane Library from January 1, 2014 to January 1, 2017. Included systematic reviews had a minimum of 10 RCTs in the meta-analysis of the primary outcome and at least moderate heterogeneity (I2≥ 50%). Of the eligible systematic reviews, a random selection of 10 were included for quantitative evaluation. In each systematic review, RCTs were scored using the PRECIS-2 and RITES tools, in duplicate, to determine the amount of pragmatism. Meta-regression modelling was performed to evaluate how much variability in heterogeneity (quantified by I2) was due to pragmatism. Inter-rater reliability of both PRECIS-2 and RITES was measured using the intraclass correlation coefficient and Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to determine the strength of the relation between PRECIS-2 and RITES. Results: Ten systematic reviews from nine Cochrane Review Groups were included in the quantitative analysis. The reviews included an average of 13 RCTs (standard deviation=2.6) for a total of 132 RCTs of which 128 could be obtained. When the PRECIS-2 summary score was entered as a covariate in random effects meta-regression models for each systematic review, there were minimal changes in heterogeneity. The changes in I2 ranged from 0.2% to 13.3%. Conclusion: Based on these findings it appears pragmatism as measured by PRECIS-2 does not explain heterogeneity in systematic reviews, therefore pooling of pragmatic and explanatory RCTs is unlikely to be detrimental to meta-analyses. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are an important scientific activity that can lead to changes in health care. However, there is concern whether it is appropriate to meta-analyze data from RCTs that are performed under more controlled conditions (explanatory RCTs) and RCTs that are performed under more real world conditions (pragmatic RCTs) since there may be variability between them. The purpose of this research was to explore how much these trial types affect variability, otherwise known as heterogeneity, in systematic reviews. We applied a scoring tool called the Pragmatic-Explanatory Continuum Indicator Summary-2 (PRECIS-2) to RCTs within 10 systematic reviews with at least moderate heterogeneity and performed statistical modelling to determine how much heterogeneity could be explained by a trial being more or less pragmatic. Results showed that trial type did not explain heterogeneity therefore it is probably reasonable to meta-analyze data from pragmatic and explanatory RCTs.

This thesis aims to explore the conceptualization, practice, and motivations behind nonviolent resistance among Palestinian activists and organizations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Addressing a notable gap in the literature, this study examines how these actors navigate between pragmatic and principled strategies of nonviolence, utilizing Burrowes’ framework on the pragmatic-principled dimension. Through in-depth interviews with key activists and organizations, the research provides valuable insights into their experiences and beliefs. The findings of the study reveal a prevalence of principled approaches, challenging existing research and theory on Palestinian resistance. Thereby, this thesis contributes to a better understanding of nonviolent resistance in the Palestinian context, and by emphasizing the nonviolent aspect of Palestinian resistance, the research introduces a perspective that challenges traditional narratives of conflict.

Yes / Many interventions that are delivered within public health services have little evidence of effect. Evaluating interventions that are being delivered as a part of usual practice offers opportunities to improve the evidence base of public health. However, such evaluation is challenging and requires the integration of research into system-wide practice. The Born in Bradford’s Better Start experimental birth cohort offers an opportunity to efficiently evaluate multiple complex community interventions to improve the health, wellbeing and development of children aged 0–3 years. Based on the learning from this programme, this paper offers a pragmatic and practical guide to researchers, public health commissioners and service providers to enable them to integrate research into their everyday practice, thus enabling relevant and robust evaluations within a complex and changing system. Using the principles of co-production the key challenges of integrating research and practice were identified, and appropriate strategies to overcome these, developed across five key stages: 1) Community and stakeholder engagement; 2) Intervention design; 3) Optimising routinely collected data; 4) Monitoring implementation; and 5) Evaluation. As a result of our learning we have developed comprehensive toolkits (https://borninbradford.nhs.uk/whatwe-do/pregnancy-early-years/toolkit/) including: an operational guide through the service design process; an implementation and monitoring guide; and an evaluation framework. The evaluation framework incorporates implementation evaluations to enable understanding of intervention performance in practice, and quasi experimental approaches to infer causal effects in a timely manner. We also offer strategies to harness routinely collected data to enhance the efficiency and affordability of evaluations that are directly relevant to policy and practice. These strategies and tools will help researchers, commissioners and service providers to work together to evaluate interventions delivered in real-life settings. More importantly, however, we hope that they will support the development of a connected system that empowers practitioners and commissioners to embed innovation and improvement into their own practice, thus enabling them to learn, evaluate and improve their own services. / Big Lottery Fund as part of the A Better Start programme. The Big Lottery Fund. NIHR CLAHRC Yorkshire and Humber.

Thesis (DAppLing)--Macquarie University, Division of Linguistics and Psychology, Department of Linguistics, 2008. / Bibliography: p. 404-418. / Introduction -- Literature review -- Methodology -- Results -- Discussion -- Conclusion. / This study sets out to examine the pragmatic competence of Cantonese adult learners of English possessing different levels of proficiency when performing the speech act of requesting for a formal purpose in writing. Pragmatic judgment - one of the two aspects of pragmatic competence - was examined by studying the most proficient group (i.e., native Cantonese-speaking EFL teachers at university), whereas pragmatic performance - the other aspect of pragmatic competence - was examined by studying the two weaker groups (i.e., university students at two language proficient levels). Both pragmatic judgment and pragmatic performance were examined by investigating the same four dependent variables (i.e., politeness, directness, formality and amount of information). Teacher data, collected through a Pragmatic Judgment Questionnaire completed and returned by sixteen EFL teachers (eight native Cantonese speakers and eight native English speakers) and by means of individual interviews, were analyzed quantitatively for responses to twelve questions and qualitatively for responses to an additional two questions. Student data, consisting of both experimental and authentic letters and e-mails, were analyzed quantitatively. -- Main research findings suggest: *It is possible for very proficient NNSs of English, (i.e., the EFL teachers in this study), to achieve native-like pragmatic judgments in most aspects, except for their views on several pragmatic considerations (i.e., "unnaturally polite" expressions, usefulness of "negative" words, supportive moves not to be used and writing plans preferred). *As the English proficiency of L2 learners improves from Grade E to Grade A/B (as determined by the Hong Kong A-level Examinations in the subject "Use of English"), their pragmatic performance shows improvement. -- For pedagogical reasons, a qualitative analysis was conducted for Questions 1 and 2 in order to generate examples of "unnaturally polite"/ "polite" / "impolite" expressions and to provide examples of inappropriate supportive moves in relation to three writing topics. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / xvii, 576 p

Abstract This research explored, within the framework of relevance theory, how normally developing 3- to 9-year-old children and two age groups (age 7–9 and age 10–12) of children with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism (AS/HFA) and their 7- to 9-year-old control group used context when answering questions and giving explanations for their correct answers. The children were asked questions targeting the pragmatic processes of reference assignments, enrichments, routines, implicatures and feelings. They were also asked to explain their correct answers to routine, implicature and feeling questions to elicit understanding about their awareness of how they had derived the answers from the context. In normally developing children the largest increase in correct answers occurred between the ages of 3 and 4 in all question types except feeling questions, where rapid development continued until age 5. After that development progressed more gradually until the age of 8 when the children performed near the ceiling level in all of these question types. Giving explanations for correct answers developed gradually between the ages of 3 and 9, indicating that becoming aware of the information used in inferencing has a longer developmental timeframe. Children's incorrect answers and explanations showed that, as children develop, their answering strategies become more sophisticated as they increasingly utilise context in different ways. Children with AS/HFA were able to answer all the question types. However, compared to the control group, the younger AS/HFA group did less well when answering contextually demanding questions, and the performance of the older AS/HFA group fell in between the younger AS/HFA group and the control group. Both AS/HFA groups had difficulties when giving explanations for their correct answers, showing difficulty in articulating explicitly how they had used context in arriving at the correct answer. Incorrect answers and explanations indicated that, usually, all the children tried to utilise contextual information, although the attempt failed somehow. For children with AS/HFA it was more typical to continue with their answer after first giving a correct answer or explanation, which then led to an irrelevant answer, suggesting that these children had difficulties with stopping processing at the relevant point. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin, kuinka normaalisti kehittyneet 3–9-vuotiaat lapset ja kaksi ikäryhmää lapsia (7–9-vuotiaat ja 10–12-vuotiaat), joilla on Aspergerin oireyhtymä tai hyvätasoinen autismi (AS/HFA) ja heidän 7–9-vuotiaista koostuva kontrolliryhmänsä, käyttivät kontekstia vastatessaan kysymyksiin ja perustellessaan oikeita vastauksiaan. Tutkimus tehtiin relevanssiteorian viitekehyksessä. Lapsilta kysyttiin pragmaattista prosessointia vaativia kysymyksiä, jotka arvioivat viittausten, epätäydellisten lauseiden, rutiinien, implikatuurien ja tunnetilojen ymmärtämistä. Lisäksi heidän tuli perustella oikeat vastaukset rutiini-, implikatuuri- ja tunnekysymyksiin, jotta nähtiin, olivatko lapset tietoisia, kuinka he olivat johtaneet vastauksensa kontekstista. Normaalisti kehittyneillä lapsilla oikeiden vastausten määrä lisääntyi nopeasti 3. ja 4. ikävuoden välillä kaikissa kysymystyypeissä. Tunnekysymyksiin vastaamisessa tämä nopean kehityksen kausi jatkui 5. ikävuoteen saakka. Tämän jälkeen kehitys jatkui hitaampana 8 vuoden ikään saakka, jolloin lapset suoriutuivat lähes kaikista kysymyksistä kaikissa eri kysymystyypeissä. Perustelujen antaminen oikeisiin vastauksiin kehittyi asteittain 3. ja 9. ikävuoden välillä, mikä kertoi, että vastauksessa käytetyn informaation tiedostamisen kehittyminen tapahtui pitemmällä aikavälillä. Lasten virheelliset vastaukset ja perustelut osoittivat, että iän lisääntyessä lasten vastausstrategiat muuttuivat kehittyneemmiksi ja he hyödynsivät kontekstia monin eri tavoin. Lapset, joilla oli AS/HFA, osasivat vastata kaikkiin esitettyihin kysymystyyppeihin. Kuitenkin nuorempi AS/HFA-ryhmä suoriutui kontrolliryhmää heikommin ja vanhemman AS/HFA-ryhmän suoriutuminen sijoittui nuoremman ikäryhmän ja kontrolliryhmän suoriutumisen puoliväliin. Molemmilla AS/HFA-ryhmillä esiintyi vaikeuksia oikeiden vastausten perustelussa, mikä kertoi vaikeudesta ilmaista, kuinka he olivat käyttäneet kontekstia oikeaan vastaukseen pääsemiseksi. Virheelliset vastaukset ja perustelut osoittivat, että yleensä kaikki lapset pyrkivät kontekstin hyödyntämiseen vaikka epäonnistuivatkin siinä. Lapsille, joilla oli AS/HFA, oli tyypillisempää jatkaa vastaamista vielä oikean vastauksen tai perustelun antamisen jälkeen, mikä lopulta johti aiheesta syrjähtämiseen. Tämä kertoi vaikeudesta lopettaa prosessointi relevantissa kohdassa.

In this essay I examine the relation between religious non-realism and religious pluralism. Religious pluralism is celebrated by it's adherents, to be benevolent and tolerant towards other religions truth claims and practices. Religious non-realism is also, by its adherents, praised for its including way to look upon truth claims and differing opinions about reality. When it comes to questions like what there is and what is not, does God exist or does he not etc. the religious non-realist is prone to less dogmatism and definite answers than metaphysical realists. Or at least so does the non-realists themselves like to think. What I examine in this essay is whether religious non-realism pragmatically implies religious pluralism, or if a non-realist judiciously can dismiss religious pluralism and instead adopt a form of confessional view of a specifik religion. Religious exclusivism, like the one Alvin Plantinga defends, rejects the possibility of x being both true and false. If a religious claim is taken to be true then incompatible claims have to be considered false according to this view. This fits poorly whith religious non-realism since the latter does not embrace a correspondance theory of truth. Religious pluralism is strongly criticized, among others for leaving “God” or other religious entities empty and whithout characteristics or content. This, because if God is litterally indescribable and unreachable, we would have no reason to believe that God has the chatacteristics we think he has. If religious pluralism cannot answer to the criticism, and if non-realism can not help pluralism evade the problems, then we are in need of a religious inclusivism that does not depend on metaphysical realism. I propose, what I have called, a pragmatic non-realistic inclusivism as an answer to the problem. This is a non-realistic theory that evades metaphysical realism and reductionism of religion, but nevertheless can prefere one religion before others. Not because one religion is concidered to have metaphysical and objective truth while others do not, but because one could prefere a specific religious language and consider that religion to be the most adequate response to human life