Mehrsprachigkeit und Sprachgebrauch: Deutsch als Zweitsprache in der Unterstützten Kommunikation

Wie gebrauchen Kinder Sprache, wenn sie anfangen, Deutsch als Zweitsprache zu lernen? Welche Wörter und Wortkombinationen werden in den ersten Wochen und Monaten am häufigsten verwendet? Lena Lingk führt erstmals Erkenntnisse aus Unterstützter Kommunikation und Deutsch als Zweitsprache dezidiert zusammen. Dabei geht sie den Fragen nach, welche Rolle das sogenannte Kernvokabular spielt und welche Bedeutung dem Gebrauch fester Wortkombinationen (Chunks) für Teilhabe, Grammatik- und Wortschatzerwerb zugesprochen wird. Die fachlichen Auseinandersetzungen sowie die Ergebnisse der Studie sind insbesondere relevant für die Sprachförderung von mehrsprachigen und von unterstützt kommunizierenden Kindern und Jugendlichen

Two Decades of Bt Cotton in India: Impact and Policy Imperatives

Genetically modified for resistance to bollworms, Bt cotton saw rapid adoption by farmers nationwide since its introduction in 2002. This paper examines the impact of Bt cotton adoption in India over two decades. The study analyzes adoption trends and effects on pesticide usage, input costs, farmer incomes, and crop loss risk. Using unit-level data from India's Cost of Cultivation Scheme (2002-2022), the study analyses the shift in production costs and returns. Findings reveal significant increase in cotton yields and returns between 2002 and 2016, although recent years display mixed results due to secondary pest pressures and heightened yield variability. The study examines the growth of Total Factor roductivity (TFP) during the pre- and post-Bt cotton periods. The estimated cumulative cost savings from the adoption of Bt cotton amount to Rs. 3.47 lakh crore, measured at constant 2011-12 prices. The macroeconomic impact of Bt cotton adoption is also examined by focusing on its role in enhancing export growth and foreign exchange earnings using FAOSTAT data. This study throws light on the policy implications for GM cotton in the country

China as a "Green Soft Power" and the Belt and Road Initiative: Evidence From Pakistan

By taking a proactive role in international negotiations on climate change and extending the ecological dimension of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has been strengthening its position as a leader in global environmental governance. This article examines the effects of China's efforts regarding its soft power. Specifically, it argues that prioritising environmental protection in foreign policies can enhance a state's status as a "green soft power." To test this argument, this article examines the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key component of the BRI and a multibillion-dollar, 3,000-km energy, road and railway infrastructure network, accompanied by geostrategic, diplomatic, and economic initiatives promoted as a "game-changer" and a "win-win" situation. More specifically, the article aims to assess this project's influence on China's green soft power "reserves," and it sheds light on the role of the bilateral relationship in shaping China's international status. This article asks the following: What is the impact of the CPEC on China's green soft power vis-à-vis Pakistan and globally, especially given that it encompasses numerous coal-based energy projects? To address this question, it draws on selected academic literature, triangulated with primary sources such as policy documents and semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders in Pakistan

Unveiling Hate Speech Dynamics: An Examination of Discourse Targeting the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET)

This article examines hate speech directed at AEMET, the Spanish meteorological state agency, on the social media platform X. We analysed nearly half a million messages posted between 31 December 2021 and 19 April 2023, using hate speech detection algorithms, text mining techniques, and qualitative analysis to identify patterns and themes in the discourse. Our research reveals a troubling reality, with around 25% of the messages collected displaying some degree of hostility towards AEMET, its staff, and its scientific work. A considerable amount of hate speech was expressed through derogatory comments and insults aimed at meteorologists, which is indicative of a wider trend of anti‐intellectualism and scepticism of scientific expertise. Furthermore, the spread of conspiracy theories, particularly those related to geoengineering and chemtrails, highlights the spread of misinformation within online communities. This study emphasises the importance of acknowledging and addressing the spread of hate speech in meteorology and scientific communication. By emphasising the negative effects of such language on public perception and trust in scientific institutions, this article advocates for collaborative efforts to promote a culture of informed dialogue and evidence‐based discourse. The results highlight the importance of combating hate speech and misinformation to protect the integrity and credibility of scientific institutions such as AEMET

Von Klimawandel und Klassenfrage: Rezension zu "Der neue sozial-ökologische Klassenkonflikt: Mentalitäts- und Interessengegensätze im Streit um Transformation" von Dennis Eversberg, Martin Fritz, Linda von Faber und Matthias Schmelzer

Dennis Eversberg, Martin Fritz, Linda von Faber, Matthias Schmelzer: Der neue sozial-ökologische Klassenkonflikt: Mentalitäts- und Interessengegensätze im Streit um Transformation. Frankfurt am Main u.a.: Campus Verlag 2024. 978-3-593-51995-

"Im Grunde ist alles, was gesagt wird, zitiert": Die kreative und intertextuelle Thomas-Bernhard-Rezeption

Das Zitieren und Imitieren ist eines der zentralen Stilmittel in Thomas Bernhards Prosa: der Famulant zitiert Strauch, der Student zitiert Saurau, der Erzähler zitiert Oehler, Oehler zitiert Karrer, alle zitieren sie Wittgenstein oder Voltaire - und Bernhard zitiert oftmals Bernhard. Und auch Bernhard selbst wird zitiert: Wohl kaum ein*e deutschsprachige*r Autor*in hat eine derart umfassende und variantenreiche Wirkung entfaltet. Robin-M. Aust fokussiert auf die vielfältige, literarische Rezeption und Transformation von Bernhards Prosa in Texten der Gegenwartsliteratur. Darüber hinaus wirft er einen Blick auf die Zeichenhaftigkeit von Bernhards öffentlicher Persona sowie ihre Literarisierung in fiktionalen Texten und beleuchtet so das produktive Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Adaptionen und ihrer Quelle

Minderheitsregierung in Japan: eingeschränkter Spielraum für außenpolitische Initiativen

Im Oktober 2024 übernahm Ishiba Shigeru das Amt des Premierministers in Japan, nach­dem er überraschend die Wahl zum Vorsitzenden der regierenden Liberal­demokra­tischen Partei (LDP) gewonnen hatte. Dieser von ihm lang ersehnte Erfolg dürfte dennoch einen bitteren Beigeschmack haben: Nach einem schlechten Ergebnis in den Unterhauswahlen Ende Oktober 2024 führt Ishiba nun eine Minderheitsregierung. Wegen des größten Finanzskandals seit Jahrzehnten steckt seine Partei in einer tiefen Krise, und im Sommer 2025 finden Oberhaus­wahlen statt. Die Innenpolitik wird Ishibas Aufmerksamkeit in den kommenden Monaten stark fordern - in einer Zeit, in der die außen- und sicherheitspolitischen Herausforde­rungen für das Land größer sind denn je. (Autorenreferat

Oblique Agency: Mapping the Globalised Workflows of Television Dubbing and Their Impact on Practitioners

This article offers a comprehensive analysis of how increasingly globalised infrastructures, marked by industry expansion, consolidation, and the impact of streamers, affect the workflows and practices within local dubbing industries. Informed by extensive, original interviews with managerial and creative dubbing practitioners, and industry fieldwork observations since 2017, the article is located within a post-Bourdieuian framework, exploring what significant change for the field and its habitus has meant for agency. Having identified a persistent lack of engagement with the dubbing of television in existing scholarship across several disciplines, the article considers how dubbing practitioners negotiate a wider industrial push towards more streamlining, standardisation, and more attendance to issues concerning equity, diversity, and inclusion. Here, the article offers the notion of oblique agency, to capture how creative agency is moved away from local creative practitioners, through more managerial oversight, prescriptive guidance and tools, and feedback cultures shaped by corporate agendas. Simultaneously, some agency is left to these practitioners, most acutely felt in the case of dubbing contemporary television (marked by narrative and tonal complexity), due to a lack of investment and recognition of dubbing as inherently creative. The article takes care to explore the complexities of these dynamics, especially a pronounced heterogeneity of views, including simultaneous criticism and enjoyment by creative practitioners, as well as a considerable gap between their perspectives and those of managerial practitioners. In this way, the article seeks to make a much-needed contribution to nuanced engagement with dubbing infrastructures and working practices

A Co-Generated Analysis of Thai Homestays: Overcoming SERVQUAL Deficiencies and Sustainability Barriers

Post-COVID-19, international travelers have brand assurance expectations that often surpass the benchmark set by the Thai Homestay Standard, leaving some operators struggling to position with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thai homestays face significant challenges due to the lack of clear transitional pathways toward sustainability and alignment with international (ASEAN) standards for 'service quality' (SERVQUAL). This study critically examines these SERVQUAL deficiencies and analyzes Thai homestays in comparison with the ASEAN Homestay Standard, using frameworks derived from SERVQUAL and the SDGs. It identifies barriers within the standards and proposes actionable tools to bridge these gaps, enabling homestays to support sustainability objectives better. Adopting a reflective and co-creative methodological approach, the research engaged a rural community in Northeastern Thailand to co-generate insights towards homestay quality. Findings show community-identified barriers across three core SERVQUAL dimensions: Tangibles, Responsiveness, and Assurance. However, external observations on SERVQUAL of homestays identified all five dimensions, including Reliability and Empathy, albeit against different items. The internal/external gaze juxtaposition suggests a precarious role of sustainability within Thai ethnic homestays. The study's novelty lies in its longitudinal fieldwork and applying a mutual gaze to embed SERVQUAL principles into homestay practices via a refined standards matrix. Findings highlight the pressing need for revisions to the Thai Homestay Standard, equipping hosts to transition effectively toward internationalization while achieving higher service quality and sustainability

After Post‐Truth: Revisiting the Lippmann-Dewey Debate

The debate on post‐truth has sought to restore what it held to be the proper relationship between knowledge, truth, and political judgment. This made for an intuitively plausible response to the experience of democracy itself being increasingly contested. However, with the re‐election of Donald Trump as US president and a broad array of instances of democratic backsliding in Europe and beyond, such a restorative framing may have exhausted itself. Therefore, we suggest revisiting the Lippmann-Dewey debate as a starting point for an alternative way of theorizing the contemporary crisis of democracy and knowledge production. The article outlines the potential of revisiting the Lippmann-Dewey debate to this end in three steps. First, we read the Lippmann-Dewey debate as a classical instance of the contestation of the concept of (liberal) democracy. Second, we discuss the relevance of two fundamentally different perspectives on the politics of knowledge: expertise and education. Third, we introduce two empirical sites to further illustrate such reflexive contestedness: the contestation of economic knowledge during European austerity politics and the role of Scientists for Future in environmental protests. A brief conclusion reflects on how one could think of the paradigmatic positions of Dewey and Lippmann not as mutually exclusive but complementary ways to problematize democracy in crisis