What Is This Thing Called Peace?

This article scrutinizes discourse surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war in Western nations, where, despite widespread support for Ukraine, a contingent advocates for peace by rejecting military aid. This “pacifist” stance gains traction through public demonstrations in European countries and political endorsement. However, by opposing military aid while advocating peace, these messages, while ostensibly altruistic, distort genuine efforts for establishing peace in Ukraine. The article argues that recent developments from the philosophy of language, combined with the realities of Russia’s invasion and main war objectives, provide clarity on this phenomenon, making a case for considering such calls for peace as propagandistic, perverting the meaning of the word

Syntax of the Uralic languages: principal features and challenges. Introduction to the special issue of ESUKA – JEFUL

This introductory paper presents the context and current challenges of Uralic syntactic studies. The brief summary of seven selected papers from the SOUL-4 conference published in the present issue is followed by an overview of six topics from the domain of Uralic syntax, namely: differential object marking; object agreement; impersonal constructions; the syntax of minor parts of speech; subordination and nonfinite predication; and possessive constructions. The aim of this overview is to show how intricate and, in some ways, how unfamiliar Uralic syntax looks from the Standard Average European perspective and how many issues still await further study. Kokkuvõte. Maria Ovsjannikova, Fedor Rozhanskiy: Uraali keelte süntaks: põhiomadused ja väljakutsed. Sissejuhatus. See sissejuhatav artikkel tutvustab Uurali süntaktiliste uuringute konteksti ja praeguseid väljakutseid. Esmalt tehakse lühikokkuvõte seitsmest SOUL-4 konverentsil ette kantud käesolevasse numbrisse valitud artiklist, millele järgneb ülevaade kuuest Uurali süntaksi valdkonna teemast, nimelt: diferentseeritud objekti markeerimine, objekti ühildumine, impersonaalsed konstruktsioonid, abisõnade süntaks, alistusseos ja mittefiniitne predikatsioon ning omastavate konstruktsioonide süntaks. Käesoleva ülevaate eesmärk on näidata, kui keeruline ja mitmes mõttes võõras on Uurali süntaks Euroopa keskmise standardi perspektiivist ning kui palju küsimusi ootab veel edasist uurimist

World Poetry Today: Production, Translation, Reception

World Poetry Today: Production, Translation, Receptio

Language is not a thing: it is a practice! A conversation with Patrick Sériot

This interview with Patrick Sériot, a scholar of the history and epistemology of linguistic theories, presents some small aspects of his engagement with linguistics in his early years, and thereafter discusses the problem of the interrelationships between culture and language sciences by tackling the question to which extent culture shapes the idea of language and, correspondingly, to which extent such an idea of language shapes linguistic research. The conversation then moves on to the issues of meaning, translation, and the ways of determining the context of a given work, mainly discussing examples of Sériot’s own works. In its final part, the interview deals with the problem of the social commitments of linguistics, and how we, as linguists, may contribute to the solving of social problems

Nationalisms: Purification, Privilege, Pride, and Protection

In the aftermath of WW2, nationalism was regarded by many political philosophers as an afront to civilized values. Yet at the same time nationalism has been an important means by which former colonies have attained and protected their independence. Once this distinction is made, it is clear that there are different types of nationalism, used in different circumstances, and for different purposes, and many political theorists have attempted to distinguish acceptable and unacceptable forms of nationalism. In this paper, I contribute to this debate by distinguishing four functions of nationalism: purification, privilege, pride, and protection. These functions can be mixed together in different ways, and I claim that purification and privilege are both highly problematic, while pride, and especially protection, are far more defensible

Fictionality in “Fog on the Barrow-downs”: Myth and Reference

Exploring fictionality as the link between imagined and referential reality, the paper draws on the theoretic al framework of cognitive narratology in examining the mechanisms on which the creation of myth relies in the narratives introduced at the beginning of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, in Chapters 7 and 8 of The Fellowship of the Ring. In the introductory section, the authors review relevant literature pertaining to the manner in which immersion occurs, how analogous links are formed between fiction and reality, and whether the pragmatic dichotomy of the fictional and factual holds in all fictional circumstances. Essentially, the reviewed literature offers an insight into how text reception depends on context and the imported or integrated rhetorical frame of the fictional text. Next, the paper uses these two chapters as illustration, with reference to the appendices relevant to their interpretation, from the perspective of the formulated framework. The concluding remarks summarise the importance of immersion, as well as other automatic processes activated during reading, in internalising truth programs contained within fiction and myths that render their fictionality almost irrelevant

The silent war on signs: Unpacking the concept of semiocide and its implications for the Baha’i community in Iran

Within the field of conflict and violence studies, there exists a range of subtle yet profound forms of violence that often remain underexplored. This paper addresses the concept of semiocide, which refers to the destruction of culturally significant signs, stories, symbols, and narratives. Through unpacking of the theoretical foundations of semiocide, the study highlights its distinct nature and potential for further exploration in cultural violence and conflict studies. Utilizing content analysis of various media sources, the study examines the semiocidal practices perpetrated against the Baha’i community in Iran. The findings illustrate the systematic erasure and manipulation of the Baha’i cultural identity through three semiocidal mechanisms. These insights shed light on the complex dynamics of cultural violence, not only within the specific context of Iran but also providing valuable implications for understanding similar phenomena in other socio-cultural contexts. By bridging the gap between theory and practice, this study offers a nuanced discussion of semiocide, contributing to a broader comprehension of cultural violence and cultural hegemony, and thereby enriching the discourse in conflict and violence studies

Geneetiline ja autoimmuunhaigus samal patsiendil. Haigusjuhu kirjeldus

Spinaalne lihasatroofia on geneetiline haigus, mida iseloomustab α-motoneuronite degeneratsioon ja düsfunktsioon seljaajus ja ajutüve tuumades. Haigus on põhjustatud SMN1 (survival of motor neuron 1) geeni muutustest, mille tõttu ei ekspresseeritamotoneuronites närvirakkude tööks vajalikku SMN-valku. Kliiniliselt väljendub see progresseeruva lihasnõrkuse ja -atroofiana, millega võib kaasneda ka hingamispuudulikkus ning neelamis- ja kõnehäired.Sclerosis multiplex (SM) on noorte täiskasvanute eas avalduv autoimmuunne kesknärvisüsteemi põletikuline haigus, mille tunnuseks on mitmed demüeliniseerivad kolded peaajus ja seljaajus. Kliiniliselt avalduvad ägenemistena tekkivad SMi sümptomid lihasnõrkusena ning häiritud tundlikkuse, tasakaalu- ja nägemishäiretena

40–65aastase täiskasvanu tervise jälgimise ja haiguste ennetamise juhend

Eesti Arst 2024; 103(9):455–45

Craft teachers’ graduation theses in Latvia

Cultural heritage is taught as part of the craft curriculum from the beginning of general education in Latvia. At the end of the craft teacher training programme, students complete a final thesis in which one of the tasks is to develop teaching content for the chosen theme and class. This article asks how traditional culture is reflected in students’ final theses, using content analysis as the research method. 210 final theses containing studies on traditional crafts were selected for the study. The research findings identified four types of traditional cultural expressions: technique-, artefact-, ornament- and research-focused theses. The final theses examine both Latvian traditional culture and the traditional cultures of other nations. Keywords: artefacts, craft techniques, design, teacher education, traditional cultur