The semantics and pragmatics of polysemy: a relevance-­theoretic account

This thesis investigates the phenomenon of polysemy: a single lexical form with two or multiple related senses (e.g. catch the rabbit/order the rabbit; lose a wallet/lose a relative; a handsome man/a handsome gift). I develop a pragmatic account of polysemy within the framework of Sperber and Wilson’s relevance theory, where new senses for a word are constructed during on-line comprehension by means of a single process of ad hoc concept construction, which adjusts the meanings of individual words in different directions. While polysemy is largely unproblematic from the perspective of communication, it poses a range of theoretical and descriptive problems. This is sometimes termed the polysemy paradox. A widely held view in lexical semantics is that word meanings must consist of complex representations in order to capture the sense relations involved in polysemy. Contrary to this view, I argue that a conceptual atomist approach, which treats word meanings as unstructured atoms and thereby avoids the range of problems associated with decompositional theories of word meaning, may be at least as able to account for polysemy when paired with an adequate pragmatic theory. My proposed solution to the polysemy paradox is to treat polysemy as a fundamentally communicative phenomenon, which arises as a result of encoded lexical concepts being massively underdetermining of speaker-intended concepts, and is grounded in our pragmatic inferential ability. According to this approach, the role of the linguistic system in giving rise to polysemy is to provide a minimal input, or clue, which the pragmatic system uses as evidence to yield hypotheses about occasion-specific, speaker-intended meanings. I further show how this pragmatic approach can account for cases of ‘systematic polysemy’, usually seen as prime candidates for an analysis in terms of lexical rule application. Finally, I develop an account of metonymy within the overall framework of relevance-theory

Accounting for the preference for literal meanings in autism spectrum conditions

Pragmatic difficulties are considered a hallmark of autism spectrum conditions (ASC), but remain poorly understood. We discuss and evaluate existing hypotheses regarding the literalism of ASC individuals, that is, their tendency for literal interpretations of non-literal communicative intentions. We present evidence that reveals a developmental stage at which neurotypical children also have a tendency for literalism and suggest an explanation for such behaviour that links it to other behavioural, rule-following, patterns typical of that age. We discuss evidence showing that strict adherence to rules is also widespread in ASC, and suggest that literalism might be linked to such rule-following behaviour.This paper is part of a project that has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 853211). Funding for this research was also supported by Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Spain grant number: PGC2018-093464-B-I00; by the Basque Government, grant number: IT1396-19; and by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), grant numbers: GIU18/221 and US20/03

KOLS og underernæring : en undersøkelse av ernæringsintervensjon ved Røros Rehabiliteringssenter

1/3 KOLS-syke karakteriseres som underernærte. Årsaker til økt risiko for underernæring ved KOLS er ikke fullt ut forstått, men hypermetabolisme, økt energibehov og redusert energiinntak spiller vesentlige roller. Konsekvenser av underernæring ved KOLS er alvorlige og omfatter økt risiko for tidlig død, økt hyppighet av akutt forverring, tap av kroppsmuskulatur, dyspne og begrenset fysisk aktivitetsnivå. Informasjon og opplæring i riktig ernæring, endring av kostholdsvaner og rehabilitering kan bedre ernæringsstatus blant underernærte KOLS-syke. Formålet med studien var å undersøke om en ernæringsintervensjon ved Røros Rehabiliteringssenter kan benyttes som fremgangsmåte for å bedre ernæringsstatus, særlig i form av vektøkning, blant underernærte alvorlig KOLS-syke. Det var ønskelig å undersøke om ernæringsstatus kan bedres ved hjelp av vanlige matvarer og fokus på mestring av egen ernæringssituasjon, og om økt ernæringsstatus ble vedlikeholdt etter rehabiliteringsoppholdet. Det var også ønskelig å undersøke om underernærte alvorlig KOLS-syke endret kostholdet til et mer fordelaktig med tanke på vektøkning og bedre ernæringsstatus, etter rehabiliteringsoppholdet. Intervensjonsgruppen bestod av KOLS-syke (stadium III og IV) med kroppsmasseindeks <20 kg/m² eller som hadde opplevd et alvorlig vekttap den siste tiden. Kontrollgruppen hadde KOLS i stadium III eller IV og kroppsmasseindeks mellom 20-30 kg/m². Begge grupper deltok på lungerehabilitering ved Røros Rehabiliteringssenter. En ernæringsintervensjon ble gjennomført i intervensjonsgruppen i løpet av rehabiliteringsoppholdet på 4 uker. Intervensjonen inkluderte energirik mat og energiberikning, ekstra mellommåltider, gruppesamtaler om ernæring, treningskjøkken og tett oppfølging av ernæringsfysiolog. Ernæringsstatus ved starten av (T1), etter (T2) og seks måneder etter (T3) rehabiliteringsoppholdet ble undersøkt i begge gruppene. Ernæringsstatus ble undersøkt ved hjelp av antropometriske målinger, biokjemiske målinger og et frekvensspørreskjema som registrerte deltakernes vanlige kosthold. Kostregistreringen ble kun utført ved T1 og T3. Tjueto personer deltok i undersøkelsen. Av disse var 14 i intervensjonsgruppen og 8 i kontrollgruppen. 8 deltakere kunne ikke møte til ny undersøkelse ved T3. Ved dette tidspunktet bestod intervensjonsgruppen av 9 og kontrollgruppen av 5 deltakere. Intervensjonsgruppen økte kroppsvekt (2,2 kg), kroppsmasseindeks (0,8 kg/m²), fettmasse (1,4 kg), fettmasseindeks (0,5 kg/m²) og triceps hudfold (1,1 mm) signifikant i løpet av intervensjonen (T1-T2). Kontrollgruppen hadde ingen signifikante endringer i disse parametrene. I perioden T1-T3 økte intervensjonsgruppen kroppsvekt (3,8 kg), kroppsmasseindeks (0,9 kg/m²), fettmasse (3,6 kg), fettmasseindeks (1,3 kg/m²), triceps hudfold (2,9 mm) og midtre armmuskelomkrets (0,8 cm) signifikant, mens kontrollgruppen reduserte kroppsvekt (1,3 kg) og kroppsmasseindeks (0,5 kg/m²) signifikant. Intervensjonsgruppen hadde ingen endringer i biokjemiske målinger i løpet av intervensjonen. Intervensjons- og kontrollgruppen hadde høyt fibronektinnivå, 0,47 g/l og 0,49 g/l henholdsvis, i forhold til øvre anbefalte grenseverdi. Kontrollgruppen reduserte nivået til 0,39 g/l ved T2. I perioden T1-T3 reduserte intervensjonsgruppen fibronektin signifikant til 0,38 g/l. Energiinntaket ved T1 var svært høyt i intervensjonsgruppen og kontrollgruppen, med 10,3 MJ og 9,3 MJ, henholdsvis. I perioden T1-T3 økte intervensjonsgruppen energiinntaket og fettinntaket signifikant. Det ble konkludert med at ernæringsintervensjonen førte til bedre ernæringsstatus både i løpet av intervensjonen og i perioden etterpå. Det var vanskelig å vedlikeholde ernæringsstatus i etterkant av intervensjonen. Intervensjonen førte til kostholdsendringer som kan øke kroppsvekt og bedre ernæringsstatus. Ernæringsintervensjonen kan benyttes for å øke ernæringsstatus og endre kosthold blant underernærte KOLS-syke i en rehabiliteringssituasjon. Imidlertid bør den tilpasses tilgjengelige ressurser

En fusjon mellom likeverdige? Integrasjonen av Statoil og Hydros olje- og gassaktiviteter

I denne rapporten presenteres noen av de viktigste overordnete funnene fra følgeforskningsprogrammet. Forskningsresultatene er presentert i sin helhet i boken ”A Merger of Equals?” Fagbokforlaget. Denne komprimerte og norske versjonen tar for seg: 1. Overordnete mål og resultater fra integrasjonen 2. Partssamarbeid og fagforeningenes rolle 3. Utvikling av global identitet etter fusjone

Workplace Inclusion Competence and Employer Engagement

Existing active labor market policy (ALMP) measures have been unsuccessful in establishing long- term employment for vulnerable groups.This paper contributes to further development of the role of the employer engagement perspective in ALMP. We introduce the term workplace inclusion competence and explore its association to two distinct work-organizational categories: participa tion- and control-oriented management. We operationalize workplace inclusion competence as inclusion opportunity and inclusion capability. We argue that such competence is dynamic and processual, and find that organizational management-orientation, as well as work pace, employees’ developmental opportunities, financial situation and OSH, have an impact on workplace inclusion competence. Survey data among a sample of managers is analyzed regarding workplaces’ capabilities and opportunities in work inclusion processes. We present two sets of indexes to measure organizational management-orientation and inclusion skills competence. As such, we contribute to the research field by providing new and more specific concepts with adherent question indexes, and by connecting them to a work-organizational perspective

Water Pipeline Leakage Detection Based on Machine Learning and Wireless Sensor Networks

The detection of water pipeline leakage is important to ensure that water supply networks can operate safely and conserve water resources. To address the lack of intelligent and the low efficiency of conventional leakage detection methods, this paper designs a leakage detection method based on machine learning and wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The system employs wireless sensors installed on pipelines to collect data and utilizes the 4G network to perform remote data transmission. A leakage triggered networking method is proposed to reduce the wireless sensor network’s energy consumption and prolong the system life cycle effectively. To enhance the precision and intelligence of leakage detection, we propose a leakage identification method that employs the intrinsic mode function, approximate entropy, and principal component analysis to construct a signal feature set and that uses a support vector machine (SVM) as a classifier to perform leakage detection. Simulation analysis and experimental results indicate that the proposed leakage identification method can effectively identify the water pipeline leakage and has lower energy consumption than the networking methods used in conventional wireless sensor networks

A systematic review of measurement uncertainty visualizations in the context of standardized assessments

This systematic review summarized findings of 29 studies evaluating visual presentation formats appropriate for communicating measurement uncertainty associated with standardized clinical assessment instruments. Studies were identified through systematic searches of multiple databases (Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, ERIC, Scopus, and Web of Science). Strikingly, we found no studies which were conducted using samples of clinicians and included clinical decision-making scenarios. Included studies did however find that providing participants with information about measurement uncertainty may increase awareness of uncertainty and promote more optimal decision making. Formats which visualize the shape of the underlying probability distribution were found to promote more accurate probability estimation and appropriate interpretations of the underlying probability distribution shape. However, participants in the included studies did not seem to benefit from the additional information provided by such plots during decision-making tasks. Further explorations into how presentations of measurement uncertainty impact clinical decision making are needed to examine whether findings of the included studies generalize to clinician populations. This review provides an important overview of pitfalls associated with formats commonly used to communicate measurement uncertainty in clinical assessment instruments, and a potential starting point for further explorations into promising alternatives. Finally, our review offers specific recommendations on how remaining research questions might be addressed.</p

Accounting for the preference for literal meanings in ASC

Impairments in pragmatic abilities, that is, difficulties with appropriate use and interpretation of language – in particular, non-literal uses of language – are considered a hallmark of Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC). Despite considerable research attention, these pragmatic difficulties are poorly understood. In this paper, we discuss and evaluate existing hypotheses regarding the literalism of ASC individuals, that is, their tendency for literal interpretations of non-literal communicative intentions, and link them to accounts of pragmatic development in neurotypical children. We present evidence that reveals a developmental stage at which neurotypical children also have a tendency for literal interpretations and provide a possible explanation for such behaviour, one that links it to other behavioural, rule-following, patterns typical of that age. We then discuss extant evidence that shows that strict adherence to rules is also a widespread feature in ASC, and suggest that literalism might be linked to such rule-following behaviour

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Warr, Cook, and Wall's (1979) Job Satisfaction Scale

Warr, Cook, and Wall's Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS) is a widely used measure of job satisfaction in industrial/organisational (I/O) psychology research and practice. However, the factor structure has not been adequately explored, with two-factor and three-factor solutions previously proposed. This study tested the factor structure of the JSS using robust analysis methods on data gathered from a convenience sample of 381 (females=264, males=116) Australian employees. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a hierarchical three-factor model of job satisfaction in terms of model adequacy coefficients; however, the three factors were highly correlated, thereby rendering a multifactorial approach to the JSS untenable. The results support the continued use of an overall score of job satisfaction when using this measure in I/O psychology research and practice. Further testing of the structure is recommended within a range of employment sectors, as the assumed multifactorial structure of the JSS common in the literature was not supported by the current study