Psilo-: exploring the case of a “diminutive” in Modern Greek

In this paper I explore the semantic and morphological properties of the “diminutive” use of the bound morpheme psilo- in Modern Greek (MG). First, I consider the basic lexical information recorded in dictionaries and then its equivalents (if any) in other languages like English and French. Second, I present its rich distribution across different kinds of lexical categories, its rather fuzzy morphological status, as well as its loose relation with ordinary diminutive morphemes in terms of their semantic and pragmatic functions. Third, on the basis of these observations, I argue that psilo- is not a proper diminutive morpheme, but a marker that carries pragmatic features such as those of informality, non-seriousness and mitigation of negative semantic effects in a communicative situation

Towards an account of acronyms/initialisms in Greek

In this paper, we discuss the phases through which Greek initialisms / acronyms are created. More specifically, we show that these abbreviated configurations take the forms of: (A) “initialisms”: objects of the written language; (B) “acronyms”: legitimate pronounceable objects; (C) “meaningful” objects: legitimate elements of the lexicon. In parallel, we touch on the graphetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic processes which stimulate the development of these abbreviated forms. Finally, we cast light on other morphosyntactic and semantic phenomena involved in the creation of Greek initialisms/acronyms

Fashion Anglicisms in Modern Greek: A preliminary investigation

English nowadays is the dominant language in the domain of fashion sinceEnglish and American companies lead the fashion industry worldwide. As a result, a high number of English fashion loanwords have entered the languages of the world and become part of their vocabulary. A considerable number of Anglicisms regarding fashion is attested in Modern Greek too. This work is a preliminary investigation of fashion Anglicisms in MG through their appearance in Greek online shops and social media pages of fashion stores and magazines. Our investigation shows that fashion Anglicisms in MG are present in the MG vocabulary and are used by MG speakers in their transliterated or non-transliterated forms. In particular, we examine in detail how Anglicisms exist in their non-transliterated form in the MG language system, a fact that is, among others, related to prestige perceptions of English that are dominant in Greek society

Asia Minor Greek: Towards a Computational Processing

AbstractIn this paper, we discuss issues concerning the computational aspect of an on-going research project which aims at providing a systematic study of three Greek dialects of Asia Minor (“Pontus, Cappadocia, Aivali: In search of Asia Minor Greek”- AmiGre) In fact, the project constitutes the first attempt to describe dialectal phenomena at a phonological, morphological, and structural level. Furthermore, it also constitutes the first attempt in Greece to combine Informatics and Theoretical Lin- guistics in order to facilitate the above-mentioned task. The aim here is to provide the design principles of the computational component of the project namely, an electronic dictionary and a multimedia database which would provide an innovative mechanism of storing, processing and retrieving oral and written dialectal data

Adrenal lesions found incidentally: how to improve clinical and cost-effectiveness

Introduction Adrenal incidentalomas are lesions that are incidentally identified while scanning for other conditions. While most are benign and hormonally non-functional, around 20% are malignant and/or hormonally active, requiring prompt intervention. Malignant lesions can be aggressive and life-threatening, while hormonally active tumours cause various endocrine disorders, with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite this, management of patients with adrenal incidentalomas is variable, with no robust evidence base. This project aimed to establish more effective and timely management of these patients. Methods We developed a web-based, electronic Adrenal Incidentaloma Management System (eAIMS), which incorporated the evidence-based and National Health Service–aligned 2016 European guidelines. The system captures key clinical, biochemical and radiological information necessary for adrenal incidentaloma patient management and generates a pre-populated outcome letter, saving clinical and administrative time while ensuring timely management plans with enhanced safety. Furthermore, we developed a prioritisation strategy, with members of the multidisciplinary team, which prioritised high-risk individuals for detailed discussion and management. Patient focus groups informed process-mapping and multidisciplinary team process re-design and patient information leaflet development. The project was partnered by University Hospital of South Manchester to maximise generalisability. Results Implementation of eAIMS, along with improvements in the prioritisation strategy, resulted in a 49% reduction in staff hands-on time, as well as a 78% reduction in the time from adrenal incidentaloma identification to multidisciplinary team decision. A health economic analysis identified a 28% reduction in costs. Conclusions The system’s in-built data validation and the automatic generation of the multidisciplinary team outcome letter improved patient safety through a reduction in transcription errors. We are currently developing the next stage of the programme to proactively identify all new adrenal incidentaloma cases

Cost effectiveness analysis of drug coated balloon only angioplasty for de novo coronary artery disease

Aims: We aimed to perform a cost analysis of drug coated balloon (DCB)-only angioplasty versus drug eluting stent (DES), for de novo disease of all vessel sizes and all clinical indications. Background: DCB angioplasty is an emergent technology for the treatment of coronary artery disease. There is lack of data regarding the cost-effectiveness of DCB-only angioplasty for treatment of de novo coronary artery disease as compared with second generation DES. Methods: We compared total costs of patients treated with DCB or DES for first presentation of ST-elevation myocardial infarction, non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction, or stable angina due to de novo disease between January 1, 2018 and November 15, 2019. We defined total cost as the sum of (1) procedural devices-cost, (2) procedural staff-cost, (3) post-percutaneous coronary intervention hospital stay cost, and (4) antiplatelet regime cost. A cost minimization analysis was performed to compare the costs of DCB and DES. Results: We present 1952 all-comer, consecutive patients; 902 (1064 lesions) treated with DCB and 1050 (1236 lesions) treated with DES for de novo coronary artery disease. The cost per patient was estimated to be £9.02 more expensive in the DCB group (£3153.00 vs. £3143.98). However, the cost per lesion treated was calculated to be £15.51 cheaper in the DCB group (£3007.56 vs. £3023.07). The results were consistent irrespective of duration of long-term antiplatelet medications. Conclusion: We have compared the cost-effectiveness of DCB-only angioplasty to DES-angioplasty and showed that the per patient and per lesion results were not different and hence cost should not be implicated in the decision to choose DCB or DES

Fashion Anglicisms in Modern Greek: A preliminary investigation

English nowadays is the dominant language in the domain of fashion sinceEnglish and American companies lead the fashion industry worldwide. As a result, a high number of English fashion loanwords have entered the languages of the world and become part of their vocabulary. A considerable number of Anglicisms regarding fashion is attested in Modern Greek too. This work is a preliminary investigation of fashion Anglicisms in MG through their appearance in Greek online shops and social media pages of fashion stores and magazines. Our investigation shows that fashion Anglicisms in MG are present in the MG vocabulary and are used by MG speakers in their transliterated or non-transliterated forms. In particular, we examine in detail how Anglicisms exist in their non-transliterated form in the MG language system, a fact that is, among others, related to prestige perceptions of English that are dominant in Greek society

Linguistics Textbooks in Greek: Publication Practices in the Last Three Decades

Abstract and full text of the articles are freely available on www.degruyter.com (De Gruyter Open)