Constructing a second language: some final thoughts

All the papers in this special section address issues central to cognitive linguistics research: usage-based models with their focus on frequency; multi-word units and the relationship between lexical and grammatical knowledge; and the nature of lexical meaning, especially construal or “thinking for speaking”. Cognitive Linguistics is thus clearly a useful paradigm for L2 research. The contributors also emphasise that many of the processes operating in L1 acquisition are relevant in L2A as well. In this paper, I discuss the opposite side of the coin: how cognitively-inspired L2 research can inform work on first language learning and theoretical linguistics, focussing in particular on three issues that have been extensively studied in an L2 context but neglected by the other language sciences: transfer of knowledge between constructions, the role of explicit learning, and individual differences in linguistic knowledg

How like-smile relates to metaphor: an exploration of analytical parameaters

Traditional accounts of figurative language consider like-simile and metaphor to be largely equivalent. However,more recent research shows that metaphor expresses a closer association between the two terms of comparison than likesimile.This paper proposes a variety of criteria to understand the similarities and differences between these two figures ofspeech, among them the abstractness of the resemblance relationship, the greater subjectivity of metaphor, and the role ofcomparison in contrast to other factors. This discussion casts light on the metaphor-simile equivalence versus non-equivalence debate

Why *John can't contribute Mary money. Constructional behavior of contribute verbs

Este artículo examina la estructura conceptual de las principales construcciones en las que aparecen los verbos de contribución de Levin (1993), concretamente las construcciones ditransitiva y dativa que alternan a menudo. El presente trabajo cuestiona la fiabilidad del criterio semántico de Levin para los verbos de contribución y demuestra que la subsunción de estos verbos en la construcción dativa se rige por varios factores, como la presencia de múltiples agentes, múltiples entidades transferidas y múltiples recipientes que desenfocan la relación de posesión entre un único recipiente y un objeto (ej. contribuir, administrar, distribuir), y la prominencia conceptual del evento de movimiento sobre la relación de posesión entre el recipiente y el objeto (ej. remitir, transferir), entre otros.This article examines the conceptual structure of the main constructions in which Levin's (1993) contribute verbs appear, viz. the ditransitive and the dative constructions, which often alternate. The present paper questions the reliability of Levin's semantic criterion for contribute verbs and shows that the integration of these verbs into the dative construction is licensed by several factors, such as the presence of multiple agents, multiple transferred entities and multiple recipients which deprofile the possessive relationship between a unique recipient and an object (e.g. contribute, administer, distribute), and the conceptual prominence of the motion event over the possession relationship between the recipient and the object (e.g. refer, transfer), among others. Keywords: ditransitive construction, dative construction, Lexical Constructional Model, internal/external constraints, Focal Prominence Compatibility constraint

OPĆE MODALNE METONIMIJE U ENGLESKOM I ŠPANJOLSKOM

has been brought to the fore in recent works by Thornburg and Panther (1997), Panther and Thornburg (1999), Radden and Kövecses (1999), Ruiz de Mendoza and Pérez (2001), and Ruiz de Mendoza and Otal (2002) among others, where the authors analyze the grammatical import of high-level or generic metonymies. This paper explores the metonymic basis of several expressions of modality in English and Spanish. More specifically, we focus on two types of metonymic mapping: (i) OBLIGATION FOR DESIRE (called NECESSITY FOR MOTIVATION in Thornburg and Panther 1997), which underlies the understanding of expressions like I must go, where the modal verb is used to express an obligation that comes from the speaker; and (ii) POTENTIALITY FOR ACTUALITY, which motivates English expressions such as I can see the Thames from my window (‘I see the Thames from my window’) or I can hear well (‘I hear well’). We have observed that both metonymies are productive in Spanish as well, but their exploitation in this language is subject to certain peculiarities. On the one hand, Spanish is sensitive only to the POTENTIALITY FOR ACTUALITY metonymy in those cases in which a verb carrying a commissive element is involved. On the other hand, regarding the OBLIGATION FOR DESIRE mapping, there is a clear asymmetry between Spanish and English. An example like I must speak to you, please is better rendered into Spanish as Tengo que hablar contigo, por favor (‘I have to speak to you, please’). In this sentence, the Spanish modal expression tener que is only formally equivalent to the English modal have to, but unlike its English counterpart it conveys internal (or self-imposed) obligation. Finally, we note that, in the domain of epistemic modality, meaning shifts from probability to usuality, and we argue for a non-metonymic implicational correlation between these two modality scales both in English and Spanish.Metonimijski temelji jezične porabe i strukture u žarištu su novijih radova poput Thornburg i Panther (1997), Panther i Thornburg (1999), Radden i Kövecses (1999), Ruiz de Mendoza i Pérez (2001) te Ruiz de Mendoza i Otal (2002), u kojima se analizira značaj općih ili generičkih metonimija u gramatici. U ovom se radu istražuju metonimijski temelji nekoliko tipova modalnih izraza u engleskom i španjolskom. Pozornost se usmjerava na dva tipa metonimijskih preslikavanja: (i) OBAVEZA UMJESTO ŽELJE (koju Thornburg i Panther (1997) nazivaju NUŽNOST UMJESTO MOTIVACIJE), pomoću koje se razumijevaju izražaji poput I must go, gdje se modalni glagol rabi za izražavanje obaveze čiji je izvor u govorniku te (ii) POTENCIJALNO ZA OSTVARENO, pomoću čega se mogu motovirati izražaji poput I can see the Thames from my window ( u smislu ‘I see the Thames from my window’) ili I can hear well (u smislu ‘I hear well’). Opažamo da su obje metonimije produktivne i u španjolskom, no njihova je poraba podložna specifičnim ograničenjima. Kao prvo, španjolski pribjegava metonimiji tipa POTENCIJALNO ZA OSTVARENO kada se radi o glagolu s elementom obećanja. U slučaju metonimije tipa NUŽNOST UMJESTO MOTIVACIJE zamjećujemo jasnu asimetriju između španjolskog i engleskog. Primjeru poput I must speak to you, please u španjolskom najbolje odgovara Tengo que hablar contigo, por favor (čemu bi u engleskom na prvi pogled odgovaralo ‘I have to speak to you, please’). Španjolski je modalni izraz tener que samo formalno ekvivalentan engleskom modalu have to, no za razliku od engleskog, španjolski izraz označava unutarnju (samonametnutu) obavezu. Na kraju, u domeni epistemičke modalnosti opažamo značenjske pomake od mogućnosti prema uzualnosti te argumentiramo da se radi o nemetonimijskoj implikacijskoj korelaciji između tih dvaju modalnih skala kako u engleskom tako i u španjolskom

Corporate Social Responsibility. A Critical Review

Within the context of the European Union, the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been revised in its 2011-2014 strategy to conform with a concept including new features that deal with the impact of business in society. We aim at denouncing the false debate between a compulsory or voluntary vision of CSR because the voluntariness would be in the process but not in its concept. CSR resurfaces with a vengeance after a period of reflection caused by the deep economic and social crisis. Our analysis intends to situate this concept in a critical and historicized perspective of CSR, inspired by a critical theory of society and the historicizing of concepts proposed by Ellacuría. Amartya Sen has also worked on the relationship between ethics and economics and the development of the capability approach as a way of measuring development; this approach may help to enforce the basic premise of CSR that was qualified as a weakness by Professor Stefano Zamagni due to its support of companies’ reputational issues. At a moment when global capitalism is under revision and the environmental and social unsustainability of the current economic system has become evident, CSR could play a role or at least make a proposal to improve not only the visibility of companies, but also the legitimizing of a category of practices that could ultimately be unsustainable

Performance of a LiBr water absorption chiller operating with plate heat exchangers

This paper studies the performance of a lithium bromide water absorption chiller operating with plate heat exchangers (PHE). The overall heat transfer coefficients in the desorber, the condenser and the solution heat recoverer are calculated using the correlations provided in the literature for evaporation, condensation and liquid to liquid heat transfer in PHEs. The variable parameters are the external driving temperatures. In the desorber, the inlet temperature of the hot fluid ranges from 75°C to 105°C. In the condenser and the absorber, the inlet temperature of the cooling water goes from 20°C to 40°C. The coefficient of performance (COP) obtained ranges from 0.5 to 0.8 for cooling duties ranging from 2 kW to 12 kW. The chiller response to different hot fluid temperatures and circulated mass flow rates is also presented. The performance and the internal parameters of the chiller at part load are, therefore, calculated. A higher efficiency results when the solution pumped from the absorber to the desorber decreases. The heat transfer analysis of the PHEs is also presented. The overall heat transfer coefficient in the desorber, equal to 790 W/m²K at the design conditions, is also analysed at part load. The condenser performance can be represented by a similar relationship found in conventional air cooled condensersThis work was partially funded by CICYT Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (CLIMABCAR project no. DPI 2003-01567)Publicad

Structural similarity in figurative language: A preliminary cognitive analysis

Structural similarity may be based on the structural characteristics of concrete entities (e.g., the heart relates to bloodcirculation in the way that a pump to a hydraulic system) or on the structural properties of situations and events (e.g.,Your words were a dagger to my heart compares the emotional damage done by the hearers words to the physicalharm caused by a dagger). In combination with metonymy, structural similarity gives rise to paragon-based antonomasiaand allegory-like narratives. An example of paragon-based antonomasia is the Lennon of football, which, said about agreat player, is based on structural similarity: the player and the musician are masters, each in his domain of expertise.Allegory-like narratives rely on a form of high-level structural similarity where each entity-denoting target element is elab-orated through the member-for-class metonymy. For example, in The Prodigal Son, the regretful sons return to hisfather asking for forgiveness represents any repentant sinner. In terms of structural similarity, God is to a repentant sin-ner what the forgiving father is to his returning son. Drawing on a selection of examples, this article reexamines the con-tribution of different types of structural similarity to figurative reasoning at various degrees of abstractness andcomplexity

La importancia de las experiencias positivas y placenteras en la promoción de la actividad física orientada hacia la salud

This article presents a qualitative research in the field of promoting health-oriented physical activity. The targets of the study were, first, to identify the practices of physical activity and the relational and environmental contexts in which positive feelings of pleasure and wellness are experienced; along these lines, second, to know the demands made by participants in such health-oriented physical activity programs. Personal life stories and semi-structured interviews have been the instruments used to collect data. Analysis carried out has identified as satisfactory practice that which provided a sense of personal well-being. It also drew the attention to some questions to be raised to the institutions that promote health-oriented physical activity programs; questions concerning the need that such programs should be implemented in a more natural environment, should pay more attention to the process (as opposed to the result), should stimulate higher interaction among participants, should be more flexible in their organization and should be supervised by qualified personnel.Este artículo presenta una investigación cualitativa realizada en el ámbito de la promoción de la actividad física orientada a la salud. Sus objetivos han sido, por un lado, identificar las prácticas de actividad física y los contextos medioambientales y relacionales en los que se experimentan sensaciones positivas de placer y bienestar; en esta línea, por otro lado, conocer las demandas que los usuarios plantean a los programas de promoción de actividad física orientada a la salud. Los instrumentos de recogida de información utilizados han sido el relato personal y la entrevista semi-estructurada. En el análisis desarrollado se ha identificado como práctica satisfactoria aquella que proporcionaba una gran sensación de bienestar personal. Ha puesto también sobre el tapete algunas cuestiones que debieran plantearse a las instituciones que promueven programas de actividad física orientados hacia la salud; preguntas relativas a la necesidad de que dichos programas se lleven a cabo en un entorno más natural, a la conveniencia de prestar más atención al proceso que al resultado, a la necesidad de fomentar una mayor interacción entre los participantes, a la importancia de que sean flexibles en su organización y, en fin, de que sean tutelados por personal cualificado