Search results for ""Peter Lang AG""

The volume, inspired by Professor Wełna’s life-long studies in historical linguistics, brings together scholars researching topics in various fields of the history of the English language. Nine chapters devoted to different linguistic disciplines gather articles covering sound and spelling changes, historical word-formation processes, selected semantic domains, and manuscript variants. In the broader perspective the book addresses the history of linguistic thought with authors incorporating different tools of analysis in historical research.

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Cultural diversity has long been and remains a complex issue for its depiction and appreciation vary according to the historical, geographical or ethical context in which it is considered or the viewpoint from which it is observed. The articles published in this volume, written by European-based specialists in their own particular fields, draw on examples taken from the five continents to explore how diversity is questioned and negotiated both within and beyond the parameters of colonial or post-colonial experience. They thus offer substantial food for thought, by discussing the real or imagined other in different locations, at different periods, through different modes of expression (moving images on the small or large screen, photographs and drawings, alone or in association with the printed word), or by suggesting the discordant richness offered by simultaneous presence of conflicting narratives.

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The monograph, based on broad studies into the Polish diaspora in Sweden, provides a picture of the social factors influencing the maintenance of the heritage language and culture by the second generation of emigrants. The author’s main objective, however, is to discover the systemic mechanisms underlying language acquisition by children in a bilingual setting and to investigate the influence of the interference from the dominant language on the acquisition of Polish. A particular attention is devoted to the category of case, which is absent from Swedish. Although it, generally, represents a description of a particular linguistic material, in fact the book addresses problems of the theory of language acquisition. The results and conclusions enable a better understanding of the universal semiotic and psychological principles that motivate the structure of the grammatical system of a natural language.

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The book is a study of the most recent American fiction, published at the turn of the 21th century, which demonstrates a renewed interest in the matters of history. Using the concepts of memory and experience, the author points at the ways in which subjective history has been created in the new «novel about history», written by such authors as William Gass, Richard Powers, Marilynne Robinson, Nicholson Baker, Aleksandar Hemon, and Jeffrey Eugenides. Theoretically, the study has been inspired by the works of Aleida Assmann, Hayden White, Reinhart Koselleck, Frank Ankersmit, and Dominick LaCapra.

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The Black tile in Canada’s mosaic has long been neglected – in historiography, literary criticism and public discourse. African-Canadian literature sets out to correct this absence. This study provides an in-depth look into the fiction of one of African-Canadian literature’s foremost writers, Lawrence Hill. His novels provide a counter-memory, an antidote to the forgetfulness and neglect which often characterize Canada’s attitude towards its Black minority both past and present. Dominant collective memory versions are thus corrected to reflect a more faithful Canadian mosaic. Whether it is the enslavement of Blacks in Canada, de facto segregation or racial profiling – Hill narrates histories which have rarely been told before. This book is the first to provide a comprehensive analysis of Hill’s historical fictions.

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Frederick Marryat’s The Phantom Ship (1839), James F. Cooper’s The Red Rover (1828) and Richard H. Dana’s Two Years Before the Mast (1840) may be regarded as simulacra of reality imitating the then extremely popular literary conventions of the Gothic sea novel, the nautical romance and the sea diary, respectively. However, informed by René Girard’s model of mimetic desire, Luigi Pirandello’s theory of mimetic form and Meyer H. Abrams’ metaphor of «mimetic mirror», the analysis proves that the explored texts combine mimesis with creatio, that is the reproduction of maritime experience with the representation of general truths concerning human existence. Thus, the study demonstrates that the reading of the selected nineteenth-century sea novels through the lens of twentieth-century theories, regarded as variations on the concept of mimesis, may lead to re-evaluation of the long forgotten texts, which proved inspiring to some of the most prominent nautical writers, among others Joseph Conrad and Herman Melville.

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This publication analyzes three individual corporate finance-related research topics on mergers and acquisitions in the global brewing industry. The first two studies investigate the short and long-term share price reactions of acquirer and rival companies. The third study assesses the immediate impact of mergers and acquisitions on systematic risk. Overall, the study contains a variety of empirical findings that are novel to existing corporate finance research. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the capital market implications of mergers and acquisitions in the sector and determinant drivers.

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This book is the result of an ethnographic study of everyday practices of new media communication among teenagers in Poland. It follows several dozen young people to provide insights on the emergent reality of mobile online life. It is about hanging out, loving, sharing passions and learning in the age of the networked digital media. Youth and Media explores the new forms of cultural participation as the most fundamental coordinates of the social space are reshaped by these new technologies.

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This book proposes a novel analysis of Nominal Construction from the syntax-semantics interface. It is based on the newly developed framework of Radical Minimalism, and provides both a concise introduction to this formal model and the application of the theory to real examples provided by native speakers. The theory, which makes use of mathematics, cognitive science, and physics combined with formal syntax, is explained in detail before entering the domain of the nominal construction where straightforward, clear analyses are provided for multiple interlinguistic phenomena. Even though mainly theoretical, the book has a strong empirical basis and enables the reader to continue the quest by applying the framework to phenomena of his interest.

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The aim of the book is to gauge the possibilities of formalization of the Thomistic Theodicy. The benefits of such formalization attempts may be mutual, both in applied logic and the formalized field. Concerning formal logic on the linguistic improvements in all areas of science, formalization attempts provide useful material that can be applied to develop semiotics of the Thomistic language.

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Supply chains consist of all processes which are needed in order to supply customers with the required products. Traditionally, supply chain management decisions are based on the economic performance of the involved parties. But in recent years, other criteria, such as quality, flexibility or the environment, have become important as well. Especially carbon emissions are high on the political agenda because they are considered to be a major cause of the greenhouse gas effect. In this work it is shown how the performance of supply chains can be evaluated considering both economic and environmental criteria. In particular, the work deals with dual sourcing in the context of the newsvendor model. The impact of environmental regulations (emission taxes and emission trading) on the decisions of companies is analysed.

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The differing beliefs that emerged between Christianity and Judaism, especially in the first two centuries AD, were mainly caused by the introduction of heavenly beings in the Jewish religion. This resulted in the predominance of a messiah, who will be sent by God as salvator mundi. Mainly Paul preached and practiced the conversion of pagans to Christianity, without obligating them to practice the Jewish law. In the course of time the baptized pagans represented the mainstream of Christianity which caused a conflict between them and those Jews who practiced the Jewish law but also believed in Jesus as the Messiah. The development of these tendencies is described in this book.

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The Mexican Crisis of 1994/5 was the first financial crisis that spilled over into the real sector. This thesis explores three unconventional research strands. The first is the assessment of the Mexican trade structure to evaluate possible impulses from the real to the monetary sector, which can be discarded. However, a structural weakness, an export structure based largely on pre-imported inputs (and oil) contributes significantly to current account deficits. The second is the triggering role of domestic investors, and not foreign capitals, in the financial stampede that elicited the crisis. The last strand highlights the role of OTC financial derivatives and the thereof resulting «synthetic capital flows», which reached in Mexico 4.9% of GDP in 1994. These transactions were crucial to underpin currency appreciation, to the development of a credit boom and external imbalances and finally determined the emergence of the crisis.

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This study explores the somewhat neglected area of dramatic genres of early English religious lyric and illuminates the functions of dialogue as an instrument of devotion and cognition in the context of medieval culture. The book focuses on short poems in dialogue form, semi-dialogic prayers and dramatic monologues, and alleged dialogic configurations of the lyrics, stressing their potential for performance. Devotional dialogues, as between Jesus and Mary, are shown to have the form of mutual begging, in accordance with the central medieval ritual of supplication. Dialogue as heteroglossia provides the basis for readings of selected prayers from Cædmon to Lydgate, highlighting a variety of cultural transactions involved in addressing heaven. Tracing the ways the poems overcome the limits of language in search of transcendent communication leads to insights into vernacular poetics and theology inherent in early English religious verse.

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Using the method of critical intertextual research, this book analyses the phenomena of hypertextuality and ethopoeia in the New Testament writings against the background of the Second Temple literature, the historical Jesus, and the historical Paul. The work demonstrates that all twenty post-Pauline writings including the Gospels, like some of Paul’s letters, are only loosely related to history. On the other hand, the New Testament writings constitute a logically consistent network of intertextual-rhetorical relationships which have to be properly investigated and interpreted. Only analyses of this kind enable us to understand the internal logic of the New Testament as a whole and the true meaning of its individual works.

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This unique dictionary presents popular slang names for North American cities. These expressions are used instead of official names to convey additional information. They are semantically rich and culturally meaningful, telegraphically describing the characteristics of the cities to which they refer, explaining the motivations of their coiners, and revealing the attitudes of their users. The dictionary lists 500 entries, each containing a headword, usage label, standard equivalent, and numerous contextual examples which authenticate their usage. The material comes from a large database of quotations from media, film, literature, and oral sources. A reliable and practical reference, the dictionary will be useful for linguists, educators, students and anyone interested in the subject.

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This book offers a case study in foreign policy change: It examines why the Bush administration suddenly redirected its nuclear nonproliferation policy toward North Korea in the aftermath of North Korea’s first nuclear test in October 2006, abandoning its former confrontational approach in favor of a more accommodating line. Existing explanations of this course reversal draw on the security implications of a growing crisis on the Korean Peninsula, U.S. domestic politics, and changing decision-making dynamics within the Bush administration. Employing before-after comparison, the study refutes these accounts – and it offers an alternative explanation: The Bush administration altered its nonproliferation policy toward North Korea toward a cooperative course because after the nuclear test, it perceived fundamentally improved prospects for fruitful cooperation on North Korea’s denuclearization.

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Sustainability is widely defined as «the ability to meet the needs of the present while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems and without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs». However, the goal of managing today’s resources so that they may be available to future generations is not easy to reach. Indeed, in order to achieve this ambitious goal, it is important that universities – similar to other sectors of society – become engaged in the sustainability debate, not superficially as it has largely been the case until now, but in a manner not seen before. This book provides a concrete contribution towards the goal of fostering sustainability at universities, by especially focusing on opportunities, challenges and trends. It contains a wide range of papers written by university lecturers, professors, students and practitioners, as well as practical projects, which illustrate some of the latest trends and future perspectives related to sustainability in higher education. It was prepared as part of the project JELARE (Joint European-Latin American Universities Renewable Energy Project), funded by ALFA III, an EU programme of co-operation between the European Union and Latin America, in the framework of higher education and training. This book is meant to inform, inspire and engage all members of the University community in the wide debate on how the principles of sustainable development may be implemented into practice. Produced mid-way in the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, led by UNESCO, it serves the purpose of documenting and disseminating current initiatives all round the world, also paving the way for new ones.

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This book addresses the question of cultural pluralism and its implications for citizenship and national identity in post-war Britain. The author examines the role of underlying public philosophies reflected in laws, policies, and institutional arrangements. When a political community faces challenges of diversity, people explore new principles of social formation, that is, what kind of society they desire based on which methods of maintaining peace and cooperation. In other words, citizens of a political community try to forge a new social contract which is fair to social majorities as well as minorities. Such a contract includes rights and obligations on three levels: the range of state intervention, acceptable responsibility of society, and due liberty of the individual. This book explores Britain’s approach to responding to such challenges of diversity as devolution, European integration, and multiculturalism have deepened. The author interprets Britain’s principles under the name of deliberative multiculturalism, which consists of rational dialogue and mutual respect with firmly guaranteed political rights.

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Ernst Jüngers Roman Eumeswil hat bei seinem Erscheinen im Jahr 1977 wesentliche Elemente jener ‘condition posthistoire’ vorweggenommen, die die kulturkritischen Debatten der folgenden Jahre prägen sollten. Ähnlich wie Christoph Ransmayrs Roman Morbus Kitahara arbeitet Jüngers literarische Imagination eines Zustandes der Nachgeschichtlichkeit mit Techniken der Repräsentation von zeitlichen Strukturen in topographischen Konstellationen. Die Schauplätze beider Romane gewinnen ihr Bildarsenal aus dem destruierten Kontinuum einer katastrophisch verlaufenden Geschichte. Mit einem an Walter Benjamins Kulturtheorie geschulten Blick werden die Bildkonstellationen entzifferbar.

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The main aim of this work is to examine whether Turkish accession to the EU will threaten EU cohesion or not. The evaluation of this process resulted in the formation of a set of factors-variables upon which a model of EU cohesion was established. Through the use of these factors-variables and having theories of International Relations as the theoretical carpet (Realism, Structural Realism, Functionalism, Neo-Functionalism), nine scenarios on Turkish accession to the EU in relation to EU cohesion were elaborated, ranging from ‘best case’ to ‘worst case scenario’ and also including the option of a ‘privileged partnership’. This work addresses the following controversial question: in case that Turkey joins the EU, will we have a ‘European Turkey’ or a ‘Turkish Europe’?

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This book provides the first systematic description of the linguistic accommodation of Moravian migrants in Bohemia. By analyzing the linguistic behaviour of 39 university students from different parts of Moravia living at a hall of residence in Prague, the author investigates part of an unsubstantiated and ideologically motivated dialect contact hypothesis according to which in informal, everyday communication Moravians in Bohemia accommodate not in the direction of the standard dialect but to Common Czech, a non-standard interdialect that is spoken throughout Bohemia. The study combines a quantitative analysis of six linguistic variables with an ethnographic study of informants’ linguistic and social behaviour. A primary objective of the study is to identify the impact of various social criteria on informants’ acquisition of Common Czech forms.

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This volume presents a textbook on German grammar written by Francis (Franz) Lieber in 1835. Persecuted in Germany for his revolutionary views, Lieber had immigrated from Prussia to the United States in 1827, where he spent his entire career as a distinguished scholar and author. Lieber designed his German grammar primarily for his students at South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina), claiming that the course of thirty-four lessons would enable them «to read fluently common German prose within about twelve weeks». Although the book was never published during Lieber’s lifetime, it compares favorably with the best German grammars written in English available on the American and European markets at the time. With Lieber’s many observations on the differences between German and English and his wry comments on the advantages and beauty of the German language, the text is instructive and entertaining even to a modern reader. The editor’s introduction explores the reasons why Lieber’s grammar was shunned by publishers, based on Lieber’s correspondence with friends and publishers on both sides of the Atlantic.

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