Qualities, objects, sorts, and other treasures : gold digging in English and Arabic

In the present monograph, we will deal with questions of lexical typology in the nominal domain. By the term "lexical typology in the nominal domain", we refer to crosslinguistic regularities in the interaction between (a) those areas of the lexicon whose elements are capable of being used in the construction of "referring phrases" or "terms" and (b) the grammatical patterns in which these elements are involved. In the traditional analyses of a language such as English, such phrases are called "nominal phrases". In the study of the lexical aspects of the relevant domain, however, we will not confine ourselves to the investigation of "nouns" and "pronouns" but intend to take into consideration all those parts of speech which systematically alternate with nouns, either as heads or as modifiers of nominal phrases. In particular, this holds true for adjectives both in English and in other Standard European Languages. It is well known that adjectives are often difficult to distinguish from nouns, or that elements with an overt adjectival marker are used interchangeably with nouns, especially in particular semantic fields such as those denoting MATERIALS or NATlONALlTIES. That is, throughout this work the expression "lexical typology in the nominal domain" should not be interpreted as "a typology of nouns", but, rather, as the cross-linguistic investigation of lexical areas constitutive for "referring phrases" irrespective of how the parts-of-speech system in a specific language is defined

Considering a lexicographic plan for Gabon within the Gabonese language landscape

This article raises a number of questions that should be dealt with in drawing up a lexicographic plan for Gabon. For which of the Gabonese languages should lexicographic units be established? This question entrains the issue of inventorying the Gabonese languages and their standardization as well as the issue of language planning for Gabon. What is the status of those foreign languages widely spoken in Gabon? What about French? Should Gabon keep importing its French dictionaries from France, or should the Gabonese compile their own French dictionaries, including French words and expressions exclusively used in Gabon? Finally, after trying to answer these questions, a number of suggestions are made for the establishment of a lexicographic plan for Gabon

“Appropriateness” in foreign language acquisition and use: some theoretical, methodological and ethical considerations

In this contribution, I focus on the concept of “appropriateness” in the usage, the learning and the teaching of foreign languages. Using a participant-based emic perspective, I investigate multilinguals’ perceptions of appropriateness in their foreign languages. Referring to the existing literature, and using previously unpublished material collected through a web questionnaire (Dewaele and Pavlenko 2001–2003), I will show that multilinguals develop their judgements of appropriateness, a crucial aspect of sociopragmatic and sociocultural competence, as part of their socialisation in a new language/culture. However, their ability to judge appropriateness accurately does not imply that they will always act “appropriately”. Indeed, the presence of conflicting norms in their other languages may contribute to conscious or unconscious divergence from the “appropriate” norm in a particular language. Some implications for foreign language teaching will be considered

Qalāwūnid discourse, elite communication and the Mamluk cultural matrix: interpreting a 14th-century panegyric

This article analyses a brief panegyric text from mid-14th-century Egypt, authored by the court scribe Ibrāhīm b. al- Qaysarānī (d. 1352) and dedicated to the Qalāwūnid Mamluk sultan al-Malik al-Ṣāliḥ Ismāʿīl (r. 1342-5). It challenges this panegyric’s standard treatment as a work of history and as a product of court propaganda and connects it to wider issues of Mamluk literary production and social organisation. In doing so, a new understanding of this panegyric emerges within a specific context of Mamluk elite communication and social performance, demonstrating at the same time how such a social semiotic reading of Mamluk cultural expressions generates further insights into the symbiotic interactions between Mamluk culture and society

A Review of Verbal and Non-Verbal Human-Robot Interactive Communication

In this paper, an overview of human-robot interactive communication is presented, covering verbal as well as non-verbal aspects of human-robot interaction. Following a historical introduction, and motivation towards fluid human-robot communication, ten desiderata are proposed, which provide an organizational axis both of recent as well as of future research on human-robot communication. Then, the ten desiderata are examined in detail, culminating to a unifying discussion, and a forward-looking conclusion

Art for Social Change: Supporting Art for Community Building, New Philanthropic Orientations in Egypt

Taking stock of recent developments in the field of philanthropy concerning the theme of Art for Social Change, this paper shall analyze the new cultural and artistic trends in civic participation and social engagement in Egypt that take their root well before the revolution and could be further emphasized following the Uprisings. The focus will be on new philanthropic orientations fostering community based cultural expressions rather than 'elitist' art forms or already recognized performing artists (concerts, opera, and blockbuster films)

Excavating a linguistic category : on the properties of Ism al-Fi‘l and the limits of Kalām al-‘Arab

Examining the occurrence of ism fi‘l murtajal (an obscure lexical class whose words syntactically are verbs, while morphologically resemble irregular nouns) in three early, founding works of Arabic grammar and lexicology, affords analysis of the words’ structures and origins, and informs our understanding of the Classical Arabic linguistic register at whose edges they existed. These works’ terminology for the items differs from modern terms. Said terminology seems furthermore not yet standardized. Many items do not fit into conventional root-pattern morphological analysis, though creative or unprecedented derivational methods render them pliable to Arabic’s triradical morphosyntactic system. Some items do correspond to known roots, and a few are recognizable as basically conventional, if irregular, imperatives. A few times items exhibit archaic or irregular phonetics or morphophonology. This lexeme class’ presence in the performative Classical Arabic (‘arabiyyah) suggests its founding corpus (kalām al-‘arab) was not merely linguistic (i.e., “Arabic language”) but also cultural (i.e., perceptions of ‘urūbah—Arabness—itself).Middle Eastern Studie

Understanding the Personalistic Aspects of Jola Ethnomedicine

This paper discusses the contemporary expression of the personalistic aspects of Jola ethnomedicine. Ethnomedicine pertains to the culturally specific health- associated beliefs and behaviors of a society. Personalistic pertains to medical beliefs and practices that associate disease with direct or intentional factors of a social and supernatural origin. The inherent personalistic aspects of contemporary Jola ethnomedicine are heavily associated with the contemporary religious beliefs and practices of the Jola. In the Gambia, Jola religious beliefs and practices reflect a synthesis of traditional Jola religion and Islam. Contemporary Jola religious beliefs and practices manifest themselves in contemporary Jola ethnomedical beliefs and practices through the use of protective amulets known as jujus. Jujus serve to prevent misfortune, which is often presented in the form of health problems. Jujus are typically inscribed with verses from the Koran and with particular Islamic verses. The use of Islamic verses to address health problems is supported by Hadith, the sayings of the Muslim prophet Mohammed. As a result, the use of protective amulets inscribed with Islamic verses occurs not only in the Gambia but throughout West Africa and the Middle East. Such pervasiveness and continued use of these protective amulets demonstrates the persistence of the personalistic health-associated beliefs and practices as well as their continued relevance among societies experiencing increased exposure to Western medicine