Uncorking the potential of wine language for young wine tourists

Effective communication with consumers underpins growth in wine knowledge that, in turn, contributes to growth in wine consumption. Indeed, tasting notes may enhance consumers’ experiences of wine. Yet wine language is full of fuzzy concepts. In this chapter, we consider the language used to talk about wine, specifically the humanlike features of wine (e.g., wine is described as honest, sexy, shy, or brooding). We demonstrate that metaphoric language is integral to the experience of wine and influences consumer behaviour. We discuss practical implications for the cellar door experience, and for effective and ethical wine communication. We conclude that metaphoric language is a pedagogical and cultural platform for engaging younger wine tourists in the cellar door experience, which is a significant revenue source for micro, small, and medium wineries

Framing COVID-19: How we conceptualize and discuss the pandemic on Twitter

Doctors and nurses in these weeks are busy in the trenches, fighting against a new invisible enemy: Covid-19. Cities are locked down and civilians are besieged in their own homes, to prevent the spreading of the virus. War-related terminology is commonly used to frame the discourse around epidemics and diseases. Arguably the discourse around the current epidemic will make use of war-related metaphors too,not only in public discourse and the media, but also in the tweets written by non-experts of mass communication. We hereby present an analysis of the discourse around #Covid-19, based on a corpus of 200k tweets posted on Twitter during March and April 2020. Using topic modelling we first analyze the topics around which the discourse can be classified. Then, we show that the WAR framing is used to talk about specific topics, such as the virus treatment, but not others, such as the effects of social distancing on the population. We then measure and compare the popularity of the WAR frame to three alternative figurative frames (MONSTER, STORM and TSUNAMI) and a literal frame used as control (FAMILY). The results show that while the FAMILY literal frame covers a wider portion of the corpus, among the figurative framings WAR is the most frequently used, and thus arguably the most conventional one. However, we conclude, this frame is not apt to elaborate the discourse around many aspects involved in the current situation. Therefore, we conclude, in line with previous suggestions, a plethora of framing options, or a metaphor menu, may facilitate the communication of various aspects involved in the Covid-19-related discourse on the social media, and thus support civilians in the expression of their feelings, opinions and ideas during the current pandemic.Comment: 41 pages, 6 figure

Hypothetical Reconstruction of the Forum Novum of Leptis Magna. Design Rules and Cultural Influences, Materials and Construction Techniques

In the monumental complex “basilica - forum - colonnaded street” of Leptis Magna in Libya there are morphological and construction principles that will mark the architecture of the third century AD, in particular the peculiar characters of Severan architecture. For the first time in the history of the Roman Empire, there is a “monumentalization” of the artistic language of late imperial age that we will find in the architectural and decorative productions of late antiquity. The research focuses not only on the cultural influences which helped to define the Severan architectural character in Leptis Magna, but also on the analysis of the forum novum1 through a new image that underline its artistic and architectural qualities as synthesis of different cultural influences. In detail and without any order they are - a general plant with some tricks hiding the different rotation of the pattern, such as trapezoidal rooms or different spans of the order; - the surrounding porticos defined by columns supporting arches instead of horizontal beams; - the decorations realized with an excessive use of the helical drill, generating a very strong “chiaroscuro” effect; - an enclosure-wall characterized by elements of entablature resting on free columns or pilasters, depending of the importance of the wall. This architectural principles were perfectly integrated with the existing context and with the Roman models, creating a compositional and constructive harmony between East and West, that made the site one of the most famous and luxurious in North Africa

Promoting interdisciplinarity in Greek-English lexicography

Modern bilingual lexicography lies at the crossroads between linguistic theory, translation, language technology (related to corpora, databases and delivery media), and user needs considerations. It is the interplay of these factors involved in the route from the raw language data to the finished dictionary that motivates this paper. Promising theoretical perspectives such as frame semantics, the cognitive theory of metaphor and metonymy, and the contextual theory of meaning are combined with corpus methodology in compiling a production-oriented Greek-English entry for the verb περπατάω (‘walk’)

At the Risk of Exaggerating : How Do Listeners React to Hyperbole?

The intensive focus on the reception process of figures of speech, in terms of the psychological processes operated on their understanding, explains that nowadays a crucial limitation in figurative language theories is the production process of non-literal forms, as joint activities between speaker and hearer. Since the object of study has traditionally been the figurative sentence, either in isolation or in the context of an artificially constructed text, it is not surprising that the collaborative nature of figures has been overlooked. This paper focuses on hyperbole, a long neglected trope, despite its pervasive frequency of occurrence and co-occurrence with other tropes in everyday speech. It attempts to explore, from a conversation and discourse analysis framework, the ways in which hyperbole is used in interaction, paying special attention to listeners’ responses, since any full account of hyperbole, like any other act of linguistic creativity, must refer to its interactive dimension. With this aim, a set of naturally-occurring conversations, chosen at random from the BNC, were analysed, and the occurrences of hyperbolic items identified. The results suggest that hyperboles need to be viewed interactively, by including listeners’ responses and further contributions to the unfolding act, rather than being studied as single, creative acts by the speaker alone. Finally, the data also shows that hyperbole might be classified as a low-risk figure, since the chances of misunderstanding are [email protected] (este artículo no aparece en grec

Constructing issues in the media through metaphoric frame networks

This article draws on metaphor and framing theory to build on our understanding of how metaphor works to frame issues. It suggests that metaphors not only may operate as frames in themselves, but they can also combine in hierarchies of metaphoric frames which together co-construct superordinate metaphoric or non-metaphoric frames. Using insights from theory on mixed metaphor, metaphor hierarchies and scenarios, the article introduces the new concept “metaphoric frame networks” to explain interconnections and relationships between frames and metaphors within the same texts, which could at first appear to be unrelated. The article proposes a set of criteria by which a metaphoric frame network can be defined and distinguished from simpler frames. The argument of the article is then illustrated through an empirical analysis of the process frame in television coverage of the 2015 Catalan regional election

Gwendolyn Brooks and the Legacies of Architectural Modernity

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordLeverhulme Trus