Criteria for uniform distribution

AbstractLet f be a complex-valued Riemann-integrable function defined on the interval [0, 1] and vanishing on a set of Lebesgue measure zero. It is proved that a sequence (xn), n = 1, 2, …, of points in [0, 1) is uniformly distributed if and only if for every subinterval [a, b) of [0, 1) we have limN→∞1N∑n=1Nf(Xn)X(a,b)(Xn) = ∫ab f(x)dx where χ[a,b) is the characteristic function of [a,b). The assumptions on f cannot be relaxed. Related notions of discrepancy of a sequence are defined and appropriate criteria for uniform distribution are given

ADVERBIAL MARKERS OF MODALITY IN NORWEGIAN L1 AND L2 CONVERSATIONS

The aim of this paper is to investigate how second language speakers of Norwegian (henceforth Norwegian L2 speakers) differ in their use of modality expressions from native speakers (L1 speakers). As modality is a very broad subject, the main focus of the study is limited to one-word modal adverbs, such as kanskje ‘maybe’, and modal particles such as jo. The study compares the frequency of using different types of modal adverbials by L1 and L2 speakers, and their syntactic position. The implications of the study are two-fold. First of all, it is to contribute to the studies of the field of modality in Norwegian. The second implication is didactic, as describing the use of modal adverbials in Norwegian conversation can help devise right teaching materials to allow second language users achieve a more native-like competence in this respect

Skrytepaver, tøysebukker og kranglefanter. Norske sammensatte nomina attributiva i faktisk språkbruk

The paper deals with the phenomenon of nomina attrubutiva, i.e. nouns denoting a bearer of a quality, in modern Norwegian. It is a corpus study of 55 compound nouns with verbal, nominal and adjectival stems. The goal of the study is to determine which nomina attributiva are the most frequent in written and spoken language and to analyze their usage patterns with regards to their reference and the types of syntactic structures they are parts of. The results show that the analyzed compounds are far from being a homogenous group and that they differ particularly in respect to reference

The Norwegian particles jo and nok in second language writing. A qualitative study of three learner groups from the ASK-corpus

Authors retain the copyright for all the materials published in the journal. This journal adheres the Open Access policy and is a so-called "golden" journal that publishes contributions in "Libre Open Access" mode under the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 International license (full text available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode (CC BY-SA 4.0 International).This paper deals with the topic of lexical modality in Norwegian as a second language. Basing on data obtained from the ASK-corpus – The Norwegian Language Learner Corpus containing second language texts written in a language examination, the authors analyse the use of two modal particles, jo and nok, by three groups of Norwegian as a second language writers: English, Polish and German. The focus of the study is on analysing lexical patterns for co-occurrence of the modal particles. The patterns used by the learners are compared with the ones used by the native speakers of Norwegian and between the learner groups. The discrepancies found in the data are discussed within the broader framework of second language development and second language writing. The findings suggest that the second language writers’ use of modal particles is influenced by several factors, such as general interlanguage tendencies, transfer from the learners’ first languages and the perception of textual norms.publishedVersio

How to be Norwegian in talk? Polish-Norwegian interethnic conversation analysis

It is a ph.d.-dissertation, defended at Adam Mickiewicz University in 2009, and published in Norway in 2010.The present contribution deals with the topic of cultural preconditions of talk and can therefore be placed within the broad field of CA. The data material collected for the study consists of dyadic conversations between native and Polish (hence non-native) speakers of Norwegian. This setting allows the author to compare the language use of both interlocutors and to draw conclusions as to what can be identified as speaking practices typical for Norwegian discourse. Against the background of existing sociological and anthropological research, the study describes the Norwegian ethnic communication pattern and analyses the consequences of its existence for speakers of Norwegian as a second language.Centre for Norwegian Studies Abroad at the University of Agder

The use of passive voice in academic writing. Evidence from Danish, Norwegian and Swedish as L1 and L2

The paper studies the use of the passive voice in academic texts written in Mainland Scandinavian languages (Danish, Norwegian and Swedish) by their native speakers and by adult Polish learners of those languages. The corpus consists of 37 MA theses written in Scandinavia and in Poland. A number of referring verbs were chosen for the purpose of the analysis. The results show that while there are discrepancies in the use of the passive voice in texts written by Polish and Scandinavian students, they cannot be unequivocally diagnosed as resulting from the grammatical and stylistic influence of the mother tongue

Varmt hjerte og kaldt blod. En kontrastiv analyse av uttrykk for følelser basert på indre organer og kroppsvæsker i polsk og norsk

The following paper investigates the nature of idiomatic expressions for emotions and analyses them in Polish and Norwegian. Emotions are a phenomenon universal for all human beings, yet their perception and expression differs across cultures. It seems to be a tendency in all languages to ‘somatize’ emotions, that is to place them in the human body, the nearest reference point. However, explaining this tendency by physiology is not always plausible as shown in the conducted study on expressions using internal organs and bodily liquids in Polish and Norwegian. Expressions that bear most similarity between languages coming from the same culture circle are not those motivated by physiology, but by culture, as for example those originating from Hippocratic humoral doctrine. Metaphorical mechanisms, claimed by some linguists to be universal, for example the so called container metaphor, are also to be found in the analyzed material. It has been proven that culture can influence the construction and perception of emotions. The language of emotions, which by default is a part of culture, calls therefore for more attention from researchers in all fields dealing with this topic