Figurative language in science popularisation:similes as an explanatory strategy in TED talks

This paper investigates the use of figurative language as one of the main features of TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) Talks,a new science popularising genre. Drawing upon Wikberg’s (2008) similes classification,which analyses the patternsas ADJ/ADV as, is like N, is like V-ing N, and V like N,the paper examines the use of similes as an explanatory strategy for knowledge dissemination. Focussing on a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the TED talks held between 2006 and 2012,the study shows how TEDsters use similes to compare complex scientific concepts to everyday life experiences;to breach the expert/non expert barrier so that non-experts can participate in the scientific findings;and to look at science as ideas to be discussed rather than information to be passively received. The study also reveals that rather than focussing on culture-bound similes, these audience-oriented talks tend to avoid local cultural references that would not be understood abroad

Lexical differences between American and British English : a survey study

This work aims at analysing reciprocal comprehension between American and British English native speakers. After a brief historical description on the main issues that have led to a differentiation of the two languages, the paper focuses on a description of lexical differences of everyday language that could lead to a complete failure of communication. In particular, the paper reports the results of a survey led among speakers of the two varieties to verify how well American and British speakers understand each other and whether they are aware of the lexical differences. The sample was asked to complete a questionnaire by writing the American equivalent of 45 British items proposed and vice versa for the British speaking sample

Vagueness as a political strategy: weasel words in security council resolutions relating to the second gulf war

Over the last few years the diplomatic language of UN resolutions has repeatedly been questioned for the excessive presence of vagueness. In an era of expanding international contacts between different legal systems, international institutions such as the UN are constantly faced with the need to overcome cultural divergences of their recipient countries. In order to meet these requirements, UN diplomatic texts may use vague words quite extensively. Such terms, whose meaning is very flexible, variable and strictly dependent on context and interpretation, have been defined by Mellinkoff (1963: 21) as “weasel words”. The use of vague terms could be connected to the genre of diplomatic texts, as resolutions should be applicable to every international contingency. However, excessive vagueness could also lead to biased or even strategically-motivated interpretations of resolutions, undermining their legal impact and triggering conflicts instead of diplomatic solutions. This doctoral thesis is based on two main research aims: A first section aims at investigating on whether the use of strategic vagueness in Security Council resolutions relating to Iraq has contributed to the breakout of the second Gulf war instead of a diplomatic solution of the controversy. Using the qualitative Discourse-Historical approach (Wodak 2000) and quantitative analysis tools (Antconc and Sketch Engine), special attention is given to the historical/political consequences of vagueness used in that framework, and to the study of vague ‘weasel words’ (Mellinkoff 1963), modals, and adjectives contained in the corpus. The hypothesis of intentional vagueness is further reinforced through an analysis of the American legislation related to the outbreak of the war, to reveal how the U.S. has interpreted UN legislation and to understand the purposes and consequences of vague language contained in it. A second section of the study was originated by the desire to understand whether the same patterns would be used in resolutions relating to the Iranian 2010 nuclear crises revealing a relationship between the choice of vague linguistic features and intent to use intentional vagueness as a political strategy. The findings indicate that: - Vagueness in resolutions has triggered the Iraqi conflict instead of diplomatic solutions. - Similar patterns can also be found in resolutions relating to the Iranian 2010 nuclear crises: although being less vague than the resolutions relating to Iraq in order to avoid the same historical consequences, the legislation related to the Iranian nuclear controversy still suggests the UN intentional use of some vague linguistic patterns as a political strategy

For a New Edition of Miguel de Unamuno’s Poesías: La torre de Monterrey a la luz de la luna

Este artículo se propone presentar la edición filológica de una de las composiciones de Poesías –la primera colección de poemas publicada por Miguel de Unamuno en 1907–; en concreto la que lleva por título La torre de Monterrey a la luz de la luna. La elección de esta obra fue dictada por varios factores, el principal la variedad de materiales disponibles, hecho que la dota de interés para la construcción del aparato. En la última parte del artículo se ofrece un breve comentario al texto y algunas consideraciones sobre el uso del aparatoThis article aims to present the philological edition of one of the poems of Poesías, the first collection of poems published in 1907 by Miguel de Unamuno, named La torre de Monterrey a la luz de la luna. Choosing this poem is due to several reasons, above all the variety of available materials which makes it interesting for the construction of the apparatus. The last part of this article provides a brief commentary to the text and some consideration about the apparatu

Pedro Salinas: la guerra, la bomba, le lettere, l’amore

Negli anni dell’esilio americano Pedro Salinas continua a seguire con preoccupazione e interesse i drammatici eventi che coinvolgevano il continente europeo e il mondo intero. Il suo ricco epistolario, infatti, offre importanti riflessioni sul triste destino della Spagna franchista, sulla Seconda Guerra Mondiale e sui rapporti tra le forze in campo, sulla Guerra Fredda e, soprattutto, sulla bomba atomica. In un mondo sempre più nettamente diviso in due blocchi contrapposti, l’esistenza di un ordigno capace di uccidere, in un attimo, centinaia di persone segna, per il poeta, l’inizio di una nuova epoca di terrore La seconda parte del contributo è dedicata all’analisi dell’opera intitolata La bomba increíble che permette al poeta in sublimare l’ansia atomica e di rappresentare l’angoscia legata a un presente in cui la pace si fonda su uno stato permanente di guerra. Nel dare forma a questo mondo distopico, inoltre, Salinas attinge a temi e immagini provenienti dalle più diverse tradizioni letterarie (da Rabelais a Federico García Lorca)

ETHOS IN TED TALKS: THE ROLE OF CREDIBILITY IN POPULARISED TEXTS

This paper investigates the importance of credibility in TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talks, which are popularising speeches aiming at Knowledge Dissemination. Drawing upon Gili’s (2013) theory on credibility, which grounds credibility on the three roots of knowledge, affectivity, and shared values, this work analyses how credibility is established in this new tool of popularisation that breaches the typical ‘scientist-mediator-audience’ triangularisation, bringing scientists directly into contact with their audiences. Through the analysis of the use of personal stories and anecdotes, familiar language, visuals, exemplifications, and reference to everyday life, this study shows how these techniques are used by TED speakers to establish on-the-spot trustworthiness by appealing to emotions and values, revealing that in this genre of popularisation, credibility is achieved more through trustworthiness and similarity, connected to Gili’s normative and affective roots of credibility, than through authority and reputation due to mere knowledge. The work further suggests that the success of these talks depends on how the speakers are listened to, remembered, and perceived as credible promoters of knowledge dissemination, but also on how they contribute to the audience’s approach to science, not as something distant and separate, but as a heritage belonging to both professionals and layperson. Key words: TED talks; Credibility; Scientists-Audience interaction; Communicative competence; Popularisation; Knowledge Dissemination

‘Pushing back against the pushback’: WAR and JOURNEY metaphors in UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ Commission on the Status of Women speeches

This paper investigates the role of metaphors of WAR and JOURNEY in shaping the understanding of key themes related to women and girls’ rights as articulated by UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the annual sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). By analysing Guterres’ opening CSW speeches from 2017 to 2023, this study applies a theoretical framework rooted in cognitive linguistics and metaphor theory to explore the conceptual mappings used in these metaphorical domains. The analysis reveals that the metaphors of WAR and JOURNEY effectively capture the complexity and multifaceted nature of challenges in women’s rights. The metaphor of WAR emphasises the urgency and significance of taking proactive measures to achieve gender equality, portraying women’s rights as a battle that requires collective action guided by women. In contrast, the metaphor of JOURNEY acknowledges the existence of structural barriers and highlights the need for transformative action and long-term progress. Additionally, the study uncovers a shift in the rhetoric from portraying women as victims to active agents of change. The metaphors used by Guterres emphasise the leadership role of women in the forefront of the fight for their rights, while recognising the global responsibility and collaborative efforts necessary to address deep-rooted forces of misogyny and patriarchy. However, the paper also underscores a notable absence of explicit references to concrete actions in Guterres’ speeches. This omission could be attributed to the nature of the corpus being examined, but it is also believed that incorporating these references would have added more substance and credibility to the speeches. While metaphoric language generates awareness and challenges power dynamics, it is essential to critically evaluate the translation of these metaphors into tangible policies and actions

MareXperience. AI/AR for the recognition and enhancement of reality

The MareXperience exhibition event was held in Procida on February 22 and 23, 2019, inside an ancient cave for the shelter of fishermen’s boats, 45 meters long and 8 meters wide. Inside, synchronized video projections and soundscapes were produced to create an immersive virtual environment, whose contents were inspired by the signs and fluidity of underwater life. The digital forms were generated by a Swarm Intelligence algorithm, a tool generally used to create complex kinematic structures defined by a large number of parameters. Generative design is an expressive form aimed at artistic languages and representation of dynamic contexts, which here have been integrated into a narrative process, connecting aspects of the recording of the movement of bodies in water with the principles of data visualization

Risk factors and outcome among a large patient cohort with community-acquired acute hepatitis C in Italy

BACKGROUND: The epidemiology of acute hepatitis C has changed during the past decade in Western countries. Acute HCV infection has a high rate of chronicity, but it is unclear when patients with acute infection should be treated. METHODS: To evaluate current sources of hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission in Italy and to assess the rate of and factors associated with chronic infection, we enrolled 214 consecutive patients with newly acquired hepatitis C during 1999-2004. The patients were from 12 health care centers throughout the country, and they were followed up for a mean (+/- SD) period of 14+/-15.8 months. Biochemical liver tests were performed, and HCV RNA levels were monitored. RESULTS: A total of 146 patients (68%) had symptomatic disease. The most common risk factors for acquiring hepatitis C that were reported were intravenous drug use and medical procedures. The proportion of subjects with spontaneous resolution of infection was 36%. The average timespan from disease onset to HCV RNA clearance was 71 days (range, 27-173 days). In fact, 58 (80%) of 73 patients with self-limiting hepatitis experienced HCV RNA clearance within 3 months of disease onset. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that none of the variables considered (including asymptomatic disease) were associated with increased risk of developing chronic hepatitis C. CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the importance of medical procedures as risk factors in the current spread of HCV infection in Italy. Because nearly all patients with acute, self-limiting hepatitis C - both symptomatic and asymptomatic - have spontaneous viral clearance within 3 months of disease onset, it seems reasonable to start treatment after this time period ends to avoid costly and useless treatment

Rare Variants in Autophagy and Non-Autophagy Genes in Late-Onset Pompe Disease: Suggestions of Their Disease-Modifying Role in Two Italian Families

Pompe disease is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a deficiency in the enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase. The late-onset form of Pompe disease (LOPD) is characterized by a slowly progressing proximal muscle weakness, often involving respiratory muscles. In LOPD, the levels of GAA enzyme activity and the severity of the clinical pictures may be highly variable among individuals, even in those who harbour the same combination of GAA mutations. The result is an unpredictable genotype–phenotype correlation. The purpose of this study was to identify the genetic factors responsible for the progression, severity and drug response in LOPD. We report here on a detailed clinical, morphological and genetic study, including a whole exome sequencing (WES) analysis of 11 adult LOPD siblings belonging to two Italian families carrying compound heterozygous GAA mutations. We disclosed a heterogeneous pattern of myopathic impairment, associated, among others, with cardiac defects, intracranial vessels abnormality, osteoporosis, vitamin D deficiency, obesity and adverse response to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). We identified deleterious variants in the genes involved in autophagy, immunity and bone metabolism, which contributed to the severity of the clinical symptoms observed in the LOPD patients. This study emphasizes the multisystem nature of LOPD and highlights the polygenic nature of the complex phenotype disclosed in these patients