214 research outputs found
Contributions of formal language theory to the study of dialogues
For more than 30 years, the problem of providing a formal framework for modeling dialogues has been a topic of great interest for the scientific areas of Linguistics, Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Formal Languages, Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence. In the beginning the goal was to develop a "conversational computer", an automated system that could engage in a conversation in the same way as humans do. After studies showed the difficulties of achieving this goal Formal Language Theory and Artificial Intelligence have contributed to Dialogue Theory with the study and simulation of machine to machine and human to machine dialogues inspired by Linguistic studies of human interactions. The aim of our thesis is to propose a formal approach for the study of dialogues. Our work is an interdisciplinary one that connects theories and results in Dialogue Theory mainly from Formal Language Theory, but also from another areas like Artificial Intelligence, Linguistics and Multiprogramming. We contribute to Dialogue Theory by introducing a hierarchy of formal frameworks for the definition of protocols for dialogue interaction. Each framework defines a transition system in which dialogue protocols might be uniformly expressed and compared. The frameworks we propose are based on finite state transition systems and Grammar systems from Formal Language Theory and a multi-agent language for the specification of dialogue protocols from Artificial Intelligence. Grammar System Theory is a subfield of Formal Language Theory that studies how several (a finite number) of language defining devices (language processors or grammars) jointly develop a common symbolic environment (a string or a finite set of strings) by the application of language operations (for instance rewriting rules). For the frameworks we propose we study some of their formal properties, we compare their expressiveness, we investigate their practical application in Dialogue Theory and we analyze their connection with theories of human-like conversation from Linguistics. In addition we contribute to Grammar System Theory by proposing a new approach for the verification and derivation of Grammar systems. We analyze possible advantages of interpreting grammars as multiprograms that are susceptible of verification and derivation using the Owicki-Gries logic, a Hoare-based logic from the Multiprogramming field
A Corpus-Based Cross-Linguistic Study
Effective communication requires texts to be organised into a coherent discourse structure. But
languages vary considerably in how they do this, posing a challenge for effective intercultural
communication. Instead of relying on our own preferred persuasion style to be the most
effective, we need to take into consideration that people with different linguistic and cultural
backgrounds do not necessarily employ the same linguistic means in similar communication
situations. This is of particular importance in a business context, and a profound understanding
of cross-linguistic differences in the organisation of argumentative texts is needed.
In order to address this challenge, this thesis presents a study of structural characteristics in
argumentative texts across three different languages. The aim of the study is to examine some of
the linguistic means that writers of different languages employ when creating persuasive
discourses. The study is based on 150 Danish, English and Italian speeches held by Members of
the European Parliament in their native language.
The linguistic means under investigation are conceptualised as belonging to three different
structural domains which account for different ways of linking discourse units in a text: a
syntactically organised text structure, a rhetorically organised discourse structure and an
information packaging organised information structure. The structural domains are defined from
a cognitive-functional perspective and juxtaposed into a single analytical framework.
The analyses show that writers across the three languages generally use the same rhetorical
relations to build up persuasive discourses. But the analyses also reveal that the Danish, English
and Italian writers textualise relations differently. The Danish writers use almost exclusively
finite verb forms in coordinate and subordinate structures. The English writers tend to avoid
explicating the rhetorical relations between discourse units, and the Italian writers tend to
include more units inside the same sentence than the Danish and English writers.
The analyses also suggest that the cross-linguistic differences in textualisation can be
correlated with certain persuasive strategies. The Danish writers tend to persuade by analogy,
making use of typical features from narratives. The English writers make use of presentational
persuasion style, involving themselves in a more personal way than the Danish and Italian
writers. And lastly, the Italian writers make use of typical features from quasilogical persuasion
style, adopting a formal register and argumentation.
This thesis formulates an analytical framework for a systematic investigation of the structure
of discourse across languages, pairing theories and methods from the two parallel disciplines of
linguistics and rhetoric in order to gain more insights into effective intercultural communication
Donogh O’Malley And The FreePost Primary Education Scheme
Ireland, from the late 50's experienced a new era of economic expansion and this
coincided with changing societal norms and expectations. Concurrently, An
Taoiseach Lemass appointed Donogh O’Malley and others as Ministers for Education
and these individuals transformed the Ministry o f Education from its previously laissezfaire
function to a new role of assertive leadership/initiator of change.
Donogh O’Malley served as Minister for Education for twenty months until his
untimely death on 10 March, 1968. During this short period, he abolished the Primary
Certificate examination, considered reports on Regional Technical Colleges and the
Commission on Higher Education, established the Ryan Tribunal on Teacher Salaries
and controversially proposed a merger between University College, Dublin and Trinity
College, Dublin.
He is best known as the Minister for Education who proposed a scheme of free second
level education. The puipose o f this dissertation is to analyse previously available
public comments and the recently available private cabinet/ministerial and secondary
school managerial papers regarding Minister O’Malley’s free education scheme. This
is supplemented by letters, interviews and recollections of persons familiar with the
circumstances of this scheme.
The manner of the announcement of the free post-primary scheme was sudden and
surprising and involved An Taoiseach Lemass in vetting the announcement speech
Law and Social Policy in the Global South
The book is an in-depth study of the origins and the trajectories of the law governing social policies in Brazil, China, India, and South Africa, four middle-income countries in the global South with a history in social policy making that starts in the 1920s.
The policies of these countries affect almost half of the world’s population. The book takes the legal framework of the policies as a starting point, but the main interest lies behind the letter of the law: What were the objectives and goals of social policy over the course of the last 100 years? What were the ideas, ideologies, and values pursued by relevant actors? The book comprises four country studies and a comparative study. The country studies concentrate on the political and social context of social policy making in Brazil, China, India, and South Africa as well as on the ideas, ideologies, and values underpinning the constitution, statutory laws, and case law that frame and shape social policy at the national level. The country studies are complemented by a comparative study exploring and describing the commonalities and differences in the ideational approaches to social policies across the four countries, nationally and – in the formative decades – internationally. The comparative study also identifies the characteristics that make Brazilian, Chinese, Indian, and South African social policies distinct from European social policies. With its emphasis on law and drawing on legal scholarship, the book adds a new dimension to the existing accounts on welfare state building, which, so far, are dominated by European narratives and by scholars with a background in sociology, political science, and development studies.
This book is relevant to specialists and peers and will be invaluable to those individuals interested in the fields of comparative and international social security law, human rights law, comparative constitutional law, constitutional history, law and development studies, comparative social policies, global social policies, social work, and welfare state theory.
The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license
Law and Social Policy in the Global South
The book is an in-depth study of the origins and the trajectories of the law governing social policies in Brazil, China, India, and South Africa, four middle-income countries in the global South with a history in social policy making that starts in the 1920s.
The policies of these countries affect almost half of the world’s population. The book takes the legal framework of the policies as a starting point, but the main interest lies behind the letter of the law: What were the objectives and goals of social policy over the course of the last 100 years? What were the ideas, ideologies, and values pursued by relevant actors? The book comprises four country studies and a comparative study. The country studies concentrate on the political and social context of social policy making in Brazil, China, India, and South Africa as well as on the ideas, ideologies, and values underpinning the constitution, statutory laws, and case law that frame and shape social policy at the national level. The country studies are complemented by a comparative study exploring and describing the commonalities and differences in the ideational approaches to social policies across the four countries, nationally and – in the formative decades – internationally. The comparative study also identifies the characteristics that make Brazilian, Chinese, Indian, and South African social policies distinct from European social policies. With its emphasis on law and drawing on legal scholarship, the book adds a new dimension to the existing accounts on welfare state building, which, so far, are dominated by European narratives and by scholars with a background in sociology, political science, and development studies.
This book is relevant to specialists and peers and will be invaluable to those individuals interested in the fields of comparative and international social security law, human rights law, comparative constitutional law, constitutional history, law and development studies, comparative social policies, global social policies, social work, and welfare state theory.
The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license
Global Citizenship in Foreign Language Education
In light of increasing globalization, this collection makes the case for global citizenship education as a way forward for transforming foreign language learning and teaching to better address current and future global challenges in times of unprecedented change. 
The volume maps a multi-dimensional approach within foreign language pedagogy to take up the challenge of ""educating the global citizen"". Drawing on sociocultural, pedagogical, cosmopolitan, digital, and civic-minded perspectives, the book explores the challenges in constructing epistemological frameworks in increasingly global environments, the need for developing context-sensitive educational practices, the potential of linking up with work from related disciplines, and the impact of these considerations on different educational settings. The collection reflects an international range of voices, attuned to global and local nuances, to offer a holistic compilation of conceptual innovations to showcase the relevance of global citizenship issues in foreign language education and encourage future research.
This book will be of interest to scholars in intercultural education, foreign language education, and language teaching, as well as policymakers and foreign language teachers
Global Citizenship in Foreign Language Education
In light of increasing globalization, this collection makes the case for global citizenship education as a way forward for transforming foreign language learning and teaching to better address current and future global challenges in times of unprecedented change. 
The volume maps a multi-dimensional approach within foreign language pedagogy to take up the challenge of ""educating the global citizen"". Drawing on sociocultural, pedagogical, cosmopolitan, digital, and civic-minded perspectives, the book explores the challenges in constructing epistemological frameworks in increasingly global environments, the need for developing context-sensitive educational practices, the potential of linking up with work from related disciplines, and the impact of these considerations on different educational settings. The collection reflects an international range of voices, attuned to global and local nuances, to offer a holistic compilation of conceptual innovations to showcase the relevance of global citizenship issues in foreign language education and encourage future research.
This book will be of interest to scholars in intercultural education, foreign language education, and language teaching, as well as policymakers and foreign language teachers
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