1,206 research outputs found
On cell problems for Hamilton-Jacobi equations with non-coercive Hamiltonians and its application to homogenization problems
We study a cell problem arising in homogenization for a Hamilton-Jacobi
equation whose Hamiltonian is not coercive. We introduce a generalized notion
of effective Hamiltonians by approximating the equation and characterize the
solvability of the cell problem in terms of the generalized effective
Hamiltonian. Under some sufficient conditions, the result is applied to the
associated homogenization problem. We also show that homogenization for
non-coercive equations fails in general
Towards a pragmatic analysis of modals "shall" and "will" in Chaucer's language
This paper attempts to provide the first systematic analysis of the modals SHALL and WILL in
Chaucer’s language from pragmatic viewpoints. In addition to speech acts and alternation in
discourse, this study examined modality in detail, which has a close relationship to pragmatic
factors.
Whereas SHALL is distributed across all kind of modalities, WILL has a limited variety, with
a strong preference to dynamic modality. The inventory of speech acts suggests a strong connection
to relevant modality, although some cases are not related to any particular modality. WILL
again has a more limited variety than SHALL. Incorporating these results into analysis, the scope
of examination is extended to the alternation in discourse, i.e., discourse markers, successive
employments of the same modal, and alternative uses of both modals. The findings here which
other studies would ascribe simply to a matter of variation are in fact well-motivated and controlled
by various factors such as modality, speaker-based vs. hearer-based speech acts, and social
role.
It is suggested that further analysis of discourse and modals in other periods will shed more
light on the pragmatic development of the modal and temporal systems in English.This research is supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society
for the Promotion of Science, and a faculty grant from Hamamatsu University School of
Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan
Modals, speech acts and (im)politeness: Interactions in Shakespeare’s plays
This paper accounts for how modals are interrelated with speech acts and (im)politeness, to offer
a new perspective to the interactions in Shakespeare’s plays.
A variety of strategies to save or attack the hearer’s positive or negative face are taken into
account within the frameworks of Brown & Levinson (1987) and Culpeper (1996), and the interplay
between these strategies is observed in relation to the modals. Furthermore, this study analyses
how speech acts performed with the aid of modals are associated with (im)politeness strategies,
based on the inventory of speech acts proposed by Nakayasu (2009).
It has been shown that there are more strategies to save or attack the hearer’s positive face in
Shakespeare which are employed with the use of modals. The analysis reinforces the proposal by
Kopytko (1993, 1995) that social interactions in Shakespeare’s time were positive politenessoriented,
going further to extend the analysis to impoliteness, and suggests the interrelated nature
of modality, speech acts and (im)politeness.This research is partially supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) from the
Japan Society of the Promotion of Science, and a faculty grant from the Research Institute
for Humanities, Gakushuin University
Wilt thou be lord of all the world? Modals and persuasion in Shakespeare
Persuasion is defined as human communication designed to influence the judgements and actions
of others (Simons & Jones 2011). The purpose of this research is to analyse the discourse of
persuasion in Shakespeare from the perspective of historical pragmatics (Jucker & Taavitsainen
2010), with particular attention to modals employed as part of the strategies. The modals under
investigation are proximal and distal central modals, SHALL/SHOULD, WILL/WOULD,
CAN/COULD, MAY/MIGHT, MUST, and the contracted form ’LL. The data for the present
study is drawn from The Riverside Shakespeare (Evans 1997) and the concordance by Spevack
(1968-1980). The corpus includes both cases where the persuasion attempt is successful and
unsuccessful.
After defining persuasion in comparison to speech acts, quantitative analysis reveals how
frequently the persuader and the persuadee employ a modal regarding each type of modality and
speech act. Further analysis shows in what manner the persuader and the persuadee interact with
each other in discourse resorting to the following strategies: modality, proximal and distal meanings
of the modal, speech act of each utterance including a modal, and use of the same modal or
switching modals in interaction.
This research thus clarifies how effectively speakers attempted to persuade others in interactions,
shedding light on communication mechanisms in the past.This research is supported by a faculty grant from Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
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