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Number of results: 288
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Abstract

The present article takes up one of the needs present in today’s Cognitive Linguistics: applying its theoretical assumptions to a detailed study of the phenomena encountered in particular languages. The instrument tested for this purpose is one of the aspects of construal offered within Cognitive Grammar – scope (Langacker 1987, 2000, 2008, etc.). It is applied to the description of several English temporal constructions in order to check both the range of phenomena which it can refer to as well as the efficiency and accuracy of such an account.

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Grzegorz Drożdż
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Abstract

The research reported in this paper is a continuation of the experimentation on the articulation of the Polish /r/ in the intervocalic and postconsonantal positions (cf. Stolarski 2013a and 2013b, respectively). According to Biedrzycki (1978: 83-84), in these two phonetic contexts the rhotic happens to be articulated as a tap. Such an assumption stands in contrast to the widely accepted view that the Polish rhotic is generally realised as a trill. The results reported in Stolarski (2013a) and (2013b) amply prove that in these two environments tapping of the Polish /r/ is extremely frequent. In this article the articulation of the Polish rhotic is examined in the preconsonantal and word-final phonetic contexts. Biedrzycki’s account suggests that in these environments /r/ should be realised as a trill. The results obtained in the current research, however, indicate that even in such contexts the rhotic is mostly tapped. The conclusion which must be drawn from these findings is that the basic allophone of the Polish /r/ is the tap, and not the commonly assumed trill.

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Łukasz Stolarski
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Abstract

In this paper I will present an analysis of the semantic bias in partially-directed compound words (PCWs) in modern Chinese. As a very special type of compound words, PCWs are of great value to the study of modern Chinese. They can prove and reveal the inseparable relationship between ancient Chinese and modern Chinese. Furthermore, we can judge the cultural psychology of Chinese nation through the analysis of the bias feature.

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Chen Jing
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Abstract

This paper analyses the use of Polish achievements with durative expressions of godzinę (in an hour) and przez godzinę (for an hour) – types, their use in the progressive and finally a possible relationship between this use and the terminative recategorisation of imperfective achievements. In the analysis we have accounted for a number of linguistic and contextual factors that influence the possibility of the progressive use of achievements. This has allowed us to propose several subclasses of achievements that may undergo recategorisation under specific conditions set in the concluding section.

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Jadwiga Stawnicka
Andrzej Łyda
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Abstract

The article discusses a new jargon; so-called “jazyk padonkov”. It originated spontaneously about 10 years ago in the Russian Internet. Its users describe themselves as the representatives of the counterculture and they object to all norms, orders and bans. The jargon itself is characterised by not following orthographic rules, i.e. the words are written in their phonetic form. In the vocabulary one can find a lot of emotives and vulgarisms. Despite the fact that the jargon is new, single words and idiomatic expressions created by internauts have become popular enough to become a part of the colloquial language.

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Jadwiga Tarsa
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Abstract

The meaning of temporal distributiveness occurs either in situations in which a habitual activity is correlated with the recurrent periods of time, or in situations in which the recurrent periods of time are accompanied by an activity. The present paper is yet another contribution to a series of papers exploring temporal constructions in Polish that express the meaning of distributiveness. It focuses on the analysis of constructions such as ostrzał gęstniał z każdą minutą, which are exponents of the so-called intensifying and distributive time.

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Czesław Lachur
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Abstract

The paper aims at presenting selected notes and remarks on corpora and corpus linguistics. It starts with a brief history of corpus linguistics. It occurs that although corpus linguistics is a relatively young branch of linguistics, it managed to revolutionise all branches of linguistics. Afterwards, the notion of corpus anddifferent types of corpora are discussed . In general, we can say that, on the one hand, there are annotated and unannotated corpora, and, on the other, diachronic and synchronic ones. In the following sections of the article the notions of corpus composition, annotation, size and representativeness are discussed, and towards the end of the paper a list of the advantages of corpus linguistics is presented and some further conclusions drawn.

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Ireneusz Kida
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Abstract

The aim of the paper is to explore two sandhi phenomena of liquid-zero alternations, i.e. linking and intrusion in two varieties of English recorded in southern England and north-eastern United States. Since, however, the analysis of linking/intrusive r can be found elsewhere (e.g. Kijak 2009), the main concern here, is the phenomenon of linking/ intrusive l. We address the questions concerning the distribution, representation and interaction of the lateral with the preceding vowel. We explain the mechanics behind the l-zero alternations. Additionally, we explore the problem of lexical representation of etymologically l-less and l-full forms participating in the linking/intrusion processes.

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Artur Kijak
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Abstract

One of the fragments of a system of temporal meanings is distributive tense. It occurs when an activity repeats in time or the time intervals correlating with the activity are repeated. This meaning has its specifi c means of expression. The proposed draft (ending a series of articles focusing on semantics of distributiveness in Polish) concerns synonymics of distributive constructions. Part 1 of the paper focuses on the position of a nominal group in particular constructions, aspectual-temporal characteristics of verb as well as on synonymics of constructions with names of time units.

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Czesław Lachur
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Abstract

The overriding goal of this paper is to present the most influential minimalist approaches1 to the resolution of the infinite regress in antecedent-contained deletion constructions. Therefore, the point of departure is the general description of the problem concerning the interpretation of sentences containing antecedent-contained deletion, which occurs at LF (Logical Form), when a null VP is filled with a copy of its antecedent creating at the same time an infinite regress. In the subsequent sections of this paper I strive to give an account of the attempts to resolve ACD by focusing on the theory of Vehicle Change developed by Fiengo and May (1993), the case-based approach proposed by Hornstein (1995) as well as the copy theory of movement by Fox (2002). In the last section of this paper I provide some Chomsky’s views (2004) on the direction in which the research on ACD constructions may proceed.

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Przemysław Ligęza
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Abstract

Defined as “the ways the writers project themselves into their texts to communicate their integrity, credibility, involvement, and a relationship to their subject matter and their readers” (Hyland, 1999: 101), stance can be expressed by a variety of means, including, among others, hedges, emphatics and attitude markers. The use of these elements – their frequency, distribution and variety in different text types – is language and culture-specific. This paper focuses on selected exponents of stance by which speakers of English and Polish express their assessment of the truth of a proposition and their commitment to this assessment, and more specifically, on high-value modal verbs of epistemic necessity and inference used in linguistics research articles in these two languages. The analysis is based on two corpora of research articles published in the years 2001–2006 in English- and Polish-language linguistics-related journals, each corpus consisting of 200 complete articles. The analysis focuses on the following modal and quasi-modal verbs: MUST, NEED, HAVE (GOT) TO (Eng.) and MUSIEĆ (Pl.) in an attempt to discuss their use in one specific genre and discipline but across languages and cultures. The results indicate that, compared to the English necessity and inference cluster, Polish MUST is heavily underrepresented, but that the proportion of epistemic and root meanings as well as the ratio of epistemic proper and indirect evidential senses is similar across the two studied corpora. It is also apparent that for the English data the relative frequency of individual modal expressions is different from that reported from non-academic varieties of English, and that the proportion of epistemic and root meanings for these modals is different in the studied sample and in non-academic contexts.

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Krystyna Warchał
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Abstract

While most traffic signs in Europe are purely pictorial, some also employ text. The article discusses two-code (image plus text) traffic signs on examples from a few countries: the UK, Germany, the US, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Poland. Special emphasis is placed on various possible sense relations between text and image in such signs. In some of these relations (such as intersemiotic translation or emphasis) the text does not modify the meaning of the image, whereas in others (such as restriction, complementation or elaboration) it does. Drivers who do not know the local language, however, are neither able to understand the text nor to determine its function towards image. Therefore, the text is always prone to affect them negatively.

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Magdalena Bartłomiejczyk
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Abstract

In our paper we are going to demonstrate that hypotactic constructions develop from paratactic ones and not the other way round. On the basis of numerous Old English examples, we will try to demonstrate how hypotactic constructions come into being and what is the possible mechanism lying behind this process; one can speak of a hypotactic relation between two clauses when one of them is subordinate and the other is main, so in this sense the term subordinate clauses could actually be used interchangeably with the term hypotactic structures. We will concentrate upon the transition phase between parataxis and hypotaxis, which will allow us to see how hypotaxis was developing from parataxis in English.

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Ireneusz Kida
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Abstract

Questioning in class is often found by students to be highly stressful and a cause of anxiety. Lower-order questions, in particular, are often closely linked to behaviour management, with teachers using them as a means of control in the classroom while e.g. manipulating or accusing. The fact that questions are mainly initiated by teachers ( they ask up to two questions every minute and questioning may account for even up to a third of all teaching time) and that there exists a strong asymmetric relationship in their number (students, on average ask not more than 6 questions during one lesson) may have a tremendous impact on students’ emotional well-being and their learning. This asymmetric relationship stems from differences of status, roles, age, education or class and can give teachers power or authority. Questions are commonly used as part of a power struggle, and pupils can still fi nd this sort of interrogation intimidating. Thus teacher’s questioning (Mitchell cited in Hastings 2003) has been found children’s main source of fear and face-threatening act – the learners are not afraid of being wrong, but of looking silly – saying something that will be ridiculed by the teacher or other pupils. It is well known that FTAs threatening the hearer’s self-image include expressions negatively evaluating the hearer’s positive face, e.g. disapproval, accusations, disagreement or criticism and all of these elements are commonly appearing in teacher’s discourse and questions they ask. Those of the lower status and less dominant role (students) use more indirectness and more negative politeness features, such as hedges and mitigation, than those with the higher status (teachers) do (Cutting 2002). The article also aims at presenting Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive learning (1956) and the influence the language of teacher’s questions may have on students experiencing face-threatening acts.

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Iwona Dronia
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Abstract

The aim of the study was twofold. First it was to investigate sources and symptoms of foreign language listening anxiety (FLLA) among a very specific group of foreign language learners: proficient students of English (C1, C2) who were on the verge of completing their MA studies in the English department, with teaching English as their specialisation. The second goal was to create an instrument which would allow for a detailed analysis to be carried out of the factors giving rise to FLLA and identification of its symptoms. To achieve this aim, the author of this article proposed a new taxonomy of factors responsible for FLLA which served as a basis for constructing a questionnaire to investigate seven categories of FLLA sources and three categories of its symptoms. The research showed that the possibility of getting a poor mark, fast speech, mind drifting away while listening, and being evaluated were identified by participants as being the most common anxiety-provoking factors, although they were experienced less intensely than by less proficient students. As far as the effects of FLLA are concerned, the most common somatic symptoms were found to be a pounding heart and the mind going blank.

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Małgorzata Marzec-Stawiarska
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Abstract

Intercultural encounters, among many values, serve as critical incidents that promote understanding, noticing and observing particular cultural as well as linguistic phenomena. Additionally, narrating intercultural encounters may activate the processes commonly associated with LA methodology, i.e.: description, exploration, languaging (understood as making meaning and shaping knowledge and experience through language use; Swain 2010), engagement and refl ection. The aim of this paper is to analyze Ss’ narratives of intercultural encounters and present the impact that these encounters had on students’ language awareness, language sensitivity and language use.

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Grażyna Kiliańska-Przybyło
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Abstract

The article examines the meanings, both literal and figurative, that are expressed in the British national press by the words blue and blues. The materials on which this study is based come from two corpora of newspaper texts: one collected from the daily newspaper The Guardian, and the other from the weekly magazine The Economist. In its main part, the paper analyses numerous instances of blue and blues use to determine their meanings in respective contexts. This is done to see which aspects of their meaning potential are activated in newspapers targeted at different readerships and preoccupied with dissimilar thematic and ideological concerns.

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Tatiana Szczygłowska
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Abstract

The paper concerns the concept of English as a lingua franca (ELF) and its potential implications for ELT practices. The paper aims to present fi ndings of the study conducted among secondary school students, who were asked to express and justify their desires concerning the model of English they wish to follow. The author of the study wants to gather information about students’ preferences concerning varieties of English they want to adopt as models. Are students’ opinions grounded in full awareness of the paradigm shift that has taken place in current ELT methodologies? Or do they simply reflect the status quo of the language classroom that is still permeated by conservative tenets upheld in the Polish educational system? A questionnaire with six open-ended questions was administered to 120 students from four senior high schools. Attitude patterns that emerge from the responses indicate that standard language ideology is prevalent among the participants. They feel commitment to native-speaker norms and hold conventional beliefs about the English language.

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Aleksandra Szymańska-Tworek
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Abstract

In this paper an attempt will be made to analyse a number of surnames either directly derived from animal names or variously associated with representatives of the animal world which may be said to embody and provide a variation on the general conceptual metaphor HUMAN BEING IS ANIMAL and/or the ANIMAL NAME FOR PERSON ASSOCIATED WITH THAT NAME metonymy. Animal-related surnames represent a fragment of the English lexicon where morphology and (broadly understood) semantics meet and exert mutual infl uence on each other. It seems that in animal-based nomination language users employ such morphological mechanisms as, for example, affi xation or compounding which, in turn, seem to be conceptually motivated by metaphor and metonymy.
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Robert Kiełtyka
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Abstract

The title of the paper harks back to Schopenhauerian ‘der Positivitȁt des Schmerzens’, a formulation which, stripped of its broader philosophical context, reads to most of us paradoxical if not overtly contradictory. The folk (non-medical) perception of pain may be evaluatively negative, but there are also pain conceptualizations which reveal that humans infrequently think about this phenomenon along more positive lines. Thus, being predominantly construed as an ‘evil-doer’, pain does not preclude more positive construals, both in medical and non-medical fi elds. ‘Positivity of pain’, then, is often explored within literary, anthropological, psychological, theological, social, therapeutic and utilitarian realms, and, as Sussex puts it, “in its interdisciplinary span, pain language is a prototypical example of a problem of applied linguistics” (2009: 4). With this in mind, I take a closer look at some verbal as well as verbo-pictorial manifestations of pain. The focus of the present study is specifi cally on the overarching metaphor +PAIN as ‘GOOD-DOER’+ (naturally contrasted with the previously hinted +PAIN as ‘EVIL-DOER’+), further broken into more specifi c sub-metaphors. An attempt at capturing and describing some of these apparently counter-intuitive pain metaphorizations reveals their ‘positive potential’, a potential of tools with which to obtain control over pain and, in many cases, re-forge it into something ‘better’, something evaluatively positive.
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Adam Palka
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Abstract

The present paper aims at analyzing the conceptual metaphors for sin identifi ed in the English version of the Bible. The experience of moral evil belongs to basic human experiences and in theological interpretation, its existence is the reason for the salvation brought to people by Christ. However, from the semantic point of view, the concept of sin itself is highly abstract and diffi cult to defi ne. In order to conceptualize that notion, people frequently employ conceptual metaphors which enable them to refer to the abstract through the use of the concrete. This study is based on the English translation of Scripture published as the New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (2007[1989]). That version of Scripture is a revised edition of the famous King James Bible (1611) and it is widely used among Christians representing various denominations. The identifi ed sin metaphors are based on either sensorimotor or cultural experience. There are conceptualizations of sin that are motivated by preconceptual image schemas, ontological metaphors, and metaphors that combine cultural scripts and image schemas.
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Authors and Affiliations

Marcin Kuczok

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