The University of Salford Sound of Laughter project

What follows is a report of the University of Salford’s Sound of Laughter Project (2018). This pilot study was set up as an initial attempt to ascertain whether it is possible to discern any meaning from the different laughter sounds that audiences might make during a stand-up comedy show. The experiment also aimed to discover whether comedians can recognise variations in the properties of laughter responses made during the act of public joking. Further, the study aimed to establish whether performers can discern these different audience laughter sounds in real time and use them as identifiable ‘cues’ to check the efficacy (or otherwise) of their comic communication. This combined report on the pilot study has been prepared by a group of researchers at the University of Salford, all of which were involved in different stages of the experiment and whose initials are appended to each relevant section of the report. Keywords: Audience laughter; stand-up comedy; joking; psychoacoustics, audience respons

Beyond ‘BRICS’: ten theses on South–South cooperation in the twenty-first century

Grounded in a review of past and present academic South–South cooperation literatures, this article advances ten theses that problematise empirical, theoretical, conceptual and methodological issues essential to discussions of South–South cooperation in the 21st century. This endeavour is motivated by the perceived undermining, especially in the contemporary Anglophone academic South–South cooperation literature, of the emancipatory potential historically associated with South–South cooperation. By drawing on the interventionist South–South cooperation agendas of ‘left’-leaning Latin America-Caribbean governments, the article seeks to establish a dialogue between social science theories and less ‘visible’ analyses from academic (semi)peripheries. The ten theses culminate in an exploration of the potential of South–South cooperation to promote ‘alternative’ development

Oxford english reference dictionary.

Oxford1765 p.; 26 cm

The Oxford English Reference Dictionary

New Yorkxx, 1765 p.; 26 cm

The new Oxford dictionary of English

This dictionary focuses on English as it is really used in the late 20th century, informed by available evidence and thinking. Its defining style makes it possible to give the most complete picture of English as it is used today, providing authoritative and comprehensive coverage of the language. Compiled after in-depth analysis of computerized databases of current English, this dictionary is the first to base its coverage on the evidence of real English. Accessibility is one of the dictionary's key aims; a rapid-reference page design separates out parts of speech, word histories, phrases, and derivatives to make information easy to find, and the most modern meaning of each word, as used by the majority of people, is placed first within each entry. Contemporary rules are given on question of usage, providing relevant advice on problems old and new. Word history notes not only explain the linguistic roots of words, but also tell the story of how a word's meaning and form have changed over time. Oxford's worldwide network of language consultants have contributed to entries on world English, to provide an accurate and systematic record of how the language is used all around the English-speaking world. Also included are modern, realistic pronunciations which are an accurate representation of late 20th-century speech, using the internationally recognized pronunciation system, IPA