Intersubjective Impersonals in Context : a Multivariate Analysis of Spanish "Uno" and "Se" in Spoken Language

This paper offers a multivariate analysis of the alternation between 2 Spanish constructions traditionally considered as impersonal, namely uno and se, in 3 different spoken language genres. The proposed analysis will show that, while the traditionally described syntactic factors related to this alternation and to the analysis of each of these forms account for part of the alternation, it is the much less studied pragmatic-discursive factors that offer a better explanation. Moreover, we will show the crucial role of genre variation and of differences as to intersubjective functioning for accounting for the alternation between these two constructions.Aquest article ofereix una anàlisi multivariant de l'alternança entre dues construccions espanyoles tradicionalment considerades com a impersonals, concretament, uno i se, en 3 gèneres diferents de llengua oral. L'anàlisi proposada demostrarà que, mentre que els factors sintàctics tradicionalment descrits relacionats amb aquesta alternança i amb l'anàlisi de cadascuna d'aquestes formes expliquen parcialment l'alternança, són els factors pragmaticodiscursius, molt menys estudiats, els que ofereixen una millor explicació. A més, mostrarem el paper crucial de la variació de gènere i de les diferències quant al funcionament intersubjectiu per donar compte de l'alternança entre aquestes dues construccions

Spanish spatial deictic adverbs : interpretation and discourse functioning with depersonalizing constructions

In this paper, I analyze the ways in which spatial deictic adverbs function in Spanish. More concretely, through an analysis of spatial deictic adverbs used with depersonalizing constructions, I show how, in the absence of person deictic forms, the interpretation of spatial deictic adverbs depends not only on the physical, but more crucially on contextual cues in the discursive context. Moreover, I show that spatial adverbs used with depersonalizing constructions fulfill different functions in discourse construction than when they are used in combination with person deixis or with a concrete 3rd person reference. Indeed, in the absence of person deixis, spatial deictic adverbs take up crucial functions for the cohesion of the linguistic production

Instituciones españolas de cara a la difusión de la lengua. Con atención particular a la situación en Bélgica, Estados Unidos y Canadá

Dans cette étude, nous présentons un cadre théorique pour l’étude de la politique de diffusion linguistique à l’étranger, par opposition à la politique linguistique qui est du ressort de la législation (sub)nationale. Nous décrivons d’abord la politique de diffusion linguistique espagnole entre 1978 et 1991. Ensuite, nous appliquons le cadre théorique aux politiques de diffusion linguistique menées à partir de 1991, en nous centrant sur l’ Instituto Cervantes et la Consejería de Educación y Ciencia. Après une présentation générale de ces organisations, nous nous penchons sur leur structure et sur les objectifs linguistiques, culturels et politiques qu’elles poursuivent, en nous appuyant sur une étude comparée des activités qu’elles déploient en Belgique, aux États-Unis et au Canada. Ces pays ont été choisis en raison de leur situation linguistique particulière : elles présentent des différences permettant de prendre en compte un nombre de variables susceptibles d’influencer la politique de diffusion de la langue espagnole.In this article, I present a theoretical framework for the study of the language promotion policy abroad, as opposed to the language policy that falls within the competence of  (sub)national legislations. I first describe the Spanish language promotion policy from 1978 till 1991. I will then apply this theoretical framework to the language promotion policies after 1991, more specifically focusing upon the Instituto Cervantes and the Consejería de Educación y Ciencia. After a general presentation of these organizations, I will comment upon their structure and analyze their linguistic, cultural and political objectives, through a comparative study of the activities they develop in Belgium, the United States and Canada. These countries were chosen for their specific linguistic situation: the differences among them allow us to take into account a number of variables likely to influence the Spanish language promotion policy.En este estudio, presentamos un marco teórico para el estudio de la política de difusión lingüística en el extranjero, en contraste con la política lingüística a nivel de la legislación (sub)nacional. Nos detendremos primero en la política de difusión lingüística española entre 1978 y 1991. Luego, aplicamos el marco teórico a las políticas de difusión lingüística seguidas a partir de 1991, centrándonos más en particular en el Instituto Cervantes y la Consejería de Educación y Ciencia. Tras una presentación general de estas organizaciones, nos detenemos en su estructura y analizamos sus objetivos lingüísticos, culturales y políticos a través de un estudio comparado de las actividades que desarrollan en Bélgica, Estados Unidos y Canadá. Estos países han sido seleccionados por su situación lingüística particular: por las diferencias que presentan, resulta posible tomar en consideración una serie de variables susceptibles de incidir en la política de difusión de la lengua española

How diabetes forum-users complain about others’ expectations: Troubles-telling and troubles-receiving

This article offers a qualitative analysis of two instances of troubles-telling threads on a diabetes forum, with a specific focus on how these instances contribute to constructing a way to manage others’ expectations concerning how persons diagnosed with diabetes control their condition. From the perspective of conversation analysis and discursive psychology, this article shows some recurrent features of both troubles-telling (namely announcement, stake inoculation and self-deprecation) and of troubles-receiving (namely appreciation, second stories, escalation). Our analysis furthermore shows how inadequate expectations from family members are judged differently from those of health professionals. The latter are judged more harshly for what seems a lack of professional competence, whereas the former are more easily pardoned but pose a particular challenge in that patients do not wish to remove these persons from their lives. Through this analysis, we contribute to showing a particularly important function of patient fora, namely allowing patients to tell troubles about others’ expectations and to receive support and advice for these circumstances that put a heavy emotional burden.</p

The Discourse of Digital Activism: A Linguistic Analysis of Calls for Action Concerning the Fashion Revolution

Abstract In this study, we analyze the calls for action in a corpus of tweets with the hashtag #FashionRevolution, related to the 2020 Fashion Revolution week. We offer a linguistic analysis of the discourse of digital activism, relying on insights from pragmatics, discourse analysis, and argumentation. Our analysis focuses on the calls for action concerning the move towards a more sustainable fashion system, issued by account owners that do not have any impositive force on their audience. This leads us to showing that a variety of actors call for action through an imperative but also through other deontic structures. However, those responsible for carrying out the actions towards a fashion revolution are often left vague, in line with overall campaigning strategies. The motive for the call for action, crucial to convince, appears sometimes in an argument and/or through a reference to social or environmental sustainability. Through this case study, we then contribute to the linguistic analysis of digital activism, and to a better understanding of the challenges of bringing about behavioral change from a non-impositive position.</jats:p

MycoBank gearing up for new horizons.

MycoBank, a registration system for fungi established in 2004 to capture all taxonomic novelties, acts as a coordination hub between repositories such as Index Fungorum and Fungal Names. Since January 2013, registration of fungal names is a mandatory requirement for valid publication under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants (ICN). This review explains the database innovations that have been implemented over the past few years, and discusses new features such as advanced queries, registration of typification events (MBT numbers for lecto, epi- and neotypes), the multi-lingual database interface, the nomenclature discussion forum, annotation system, and web services with links to third parties. MycoBank has also introduced novel identification services, linking DNA sequence data to numerous related databases to enable intelligent search queries. Although MycoBank fills an important void for taxon registration, challenges for the future remain to improve links between taxonomic names and DNA data, and to also introduce a formal system for naming fungi known from DNA sequence data only. To further improve the quality of MycoBank data, remote access will now allow registered mycologists to act as MycoBank curators, using Citrix software

Evolutionary genomics of a cold-adapted diatom: Fragilariopsis cylindrus

The Southern Ocean houses a diverse and productive community of organisms1, 2. Unicellular eukaryotic diatoms are the main primary producers in this environment, where photosynthesis is limited by low concentrations of dissolved iron and large seasonal fluctuations in light, temperature and the extent of sea ice3, 4, 5, 6, 7. How diatoms have adapted to this extreme environment is largely unknown. Here we present insights into the genome evolution of a cold-adapted diatom from the Southern Ocean, Fragilariopsis cylindrus8, 9, based on a comparison with temperate diatoms. We find that approximately 24.7 per cent of the diploid F. cylindrus genome consists of genetic loci with alleles that are highly divergent (15.1 megabases of the total genome size of 61.1 megabases). These divergent alleles were differentially expressed across environmental conditions, including darkness, low iron, freezing, elevated temperature and increased CO2. Alleles with the largest ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous nucleotide substitutions also show the most pronounced condition-dependent expression, suggesting a correlation between diversifying selection and allelic differentiation. Divergent alleles may be involved in adaptation to environmental fluctuations in the Southern Ocean