Historical and theoretical perspectives in language policy and planning

This paper explores the evolution of language policy and planning (LPP) as an area of research from the end of World War II to the present day. Based on analysis of the LPP literature, three types of factors are identified as having been instrumental in shaping the field. These factors – macro sociopolitical, epistemological, and strategic – individually and interactively have influenced the kinds of questions asked, methodologies adopted, and goals aspired to in LPP research. Research in LPP is divided into three historical phases: (1) decolonization, structuralism, and pragmatism; (2) the failure of modernization, critical sociolinguistics, and access; and (3) the new world order, postmodernism, and linguistic human rights. The article concludes with a discussion of current research trends and areas requiring further investigation.     

Community and family in Venezuela. Reflections on paradigms and theoretical models

Based on an overview of the research done during the last 15 years on family and community in Venezuela, this article discusses the contributions and limitations of the different approaches under which the family has been studied. Since family research covers a wide spectrum of models, this article is organised in three sections. The first discusses an overview of anthropological and demographic findings, in order to illustrate the historical situation of Venezuela and compare these findings with those from Central American research. In the second section, the sociological and psychological approaches used to describe the cultural characteristics of the family, are discussed. Here, systems-oriented models and action-research methodologies applied in some intervention studies on family dynamics are introduced. The third section, focusing on the Educational Approach, is an example of the most recent trends in family and community intervention. It is intended to illustrate programs aimed at accelerating social change and strengthening family and community life around the school. Finally, it is concluded that an analysis of current trends in research with families and communities in Venezuela reveals a paradigm shift from positivist to postmodern approaches.     

Maternal education influences Australian infants’ language experience from six months

Disparities in children's early language skills associated with socioeconomic factors have led to many studies examining children's early language environments, but few as yet in the first year of life. This longitudinal study assessed the home language environments of 50 Australian infants, who varied in maternal education (university education, or not). Full‐day audio recordings were collected and analyzed using the LENA system when infants were aged 6–9 months and 12–15 months. Using the device‐specific analysis software, we assessed 12‐h projected counts of (1) adult speech input, (2) conversational interactions, and (3) child vocalizations. At both ages, higher maternal education was associated with higher counts of adult words and conversational turns, but not child vocalizations. The study adds to the literature by demonstrating disparities in the infants’ language experience within the first year of life, related to mothers’ education, with implications for early intervention and parenting supports.     

Werner syndrome protein--unwinding function to explain disease

Werner syndrome (WS) is one of three heritable human genetic instability/cancer predisposition syndromes that result from mutations in a member of the gene family encoding human RecQ helicases. Cellular defects are a prominent part of the WS phenotype. Here we review recent work to identify in vivo functions of the WS protein and discuss how loss of function leads to cellular defects. These new results provide clues to the origin of cell lineage-specific defects in WS patients and suggest a broader role for Werner protein function in determining disease risk in the general population.     

Drawing on revisionist economics to explain the inspirational dimension of leadership

Hermalin’s (1998) model of leadership by example makes leadership amenable to conventional economic analysis by excluding the possibility that leader rhetoric can have an inspirational effect that induces followers to increase the effort they exert in team situations. This effect is also ignored by Casson (1991) who demonstrates that leader rhetoric can reduce opportunism through the moral manipulation of shame and guilt. The general propositions that Elster (1998) advanced with regard to the relationship between the emotions and decision making are applied in a theory which explains the inspirational dimension of leadership in terms of the way leaders rhetoric strengthens the hopes and counters the disappointments of followers.     

Public relations in Kenya: An exploration of models and cultural influences

This pioneer study explores the public relations models that inform the practice of public relations in Kenya, and the cultural values that influence this practice. Results show the personal influence model as the most used by practitioners in Kenya, while individualism is the most experienced cultural value. The strong correlation between personal influence model and Hofstede's cultural value of femininity points to the practitioners’ strong desire for good interpersonal relationships with colleagues, supervisors, clients and key publics.     

The mediated innovation model: A framework for researching media influence in language change

Linguistic innovations that arise contemporaneously in highly distant locations, such as quotative be like, have been termed ‘global linguistic variants’. This is not necessarily to suggest fully global usage, but to invoke more general themes of globalisation vis‐à‐vis space and time. This research area has grown steadily in the last twenty years, and by asserting a role for mass media, researchers have departed intrepidly from sociolinguistic convention. Yet they have largely relied on quite conventional sociolinguistic methodologies, only inferring media influence post hoc. This methodological conservatism has been overcome recently, but uncertainty remains about the overall shape of the new epistemological landscape. In this paper, I review existing research on global variants, and propose an epistemological model for researching media influence in language change: the mediated innovation model. I also analyse the way arguments are constructed in existing research, including the use of rhetorical devices to plug empirical gaps – a worthy sociolinguistic topic in its own right.     

Using reflexivity to explain variations in migration among the highly-skilled

ABSTRACT

Migration literature has traditionally distinguished between different motivations of migration, such as labour, family and newly also lifestyle migration, never fully exploring the background of these motivations. This article suggests that these different motivations may be explained by different modes of reflexivity as distinguished by Margaret Archer. Linking modes of reflexivity with migration motivations addresses two problems in current migration literature. First, it provides for practical application of reflexivity in explaining migration motivations, which has been missing so far. Second, the article advocates using psycho-social approach as opposed to more commonly adapted ethnical or class based explanations in understanding migration behavior, hence avoiding the potential trap of falling into the trap of methodological nationalism or classism. Through the interview with highly-skilled Estonian migrants it is shown that the reasons of migration among highly skilled are versatile and cannot be explained solely by their class background.     

The transference of theoretical models to productive transdisciplinary intersections in public relations management: Eight case studies addressing wicked problems

This work aims at offering a trans-disciplinary, critical and realistic perspective of the intervention of Public Relations (PR) in Wicked Problems (WP). WPs are complex problems with perverse effects on social issues which affect all the components of the socio-economic system: public and private organizations, their stakeholders and citizens. First, we deeply review the academic literature for analysing the controversy between rhetoric and realistic approaches in WPs management. Later, we present a set of real-world experiences developed from the humble intelligence of PR. In these cases, PR play an important role both, as facilitators of the dialogue between knowledges and ignorances, and by enabling the participation of involved actors, including, in some cases, undergraduate students in PR.The outcomes of these 8 action research cases share the resignification of PR’s practice and discourse. In addition, all they show evidence that 1) it is possible to go beyond habitus and 2) that PR, from a critical and trans-disciplinary perspective, can serve as a stimulus for collective intelligence and improve social and organizational quality.     

Some theoretical models and constructs generic to substance abuse prevention programs for adolescents: possible relevance and limitations for problem gambling

For the past several years the author and his colleagues have explored the area of how social psychological constructs and theoretical models can be applied to the prevention of health threatening behaviors in adolescents. In examining the need for the development of gambling prevention programs for adolescents, it might be of value to consider the application of such constructs and theoretical models as a foundation to the development of prevention programs in this emerging problem behavior among adolescents. In order to provide perspective to the reader, the present paper reviews the history of various psychosocial models and constructs generic to programs directed at prevention of substance abuse in adolescents. A brief history of some of these models, possibly most applicable to gambling prevention programs, are presented. Social inoculation, reasoned action, planned behavior, and problem behavior theory, are among those discussed. Some deficits of these models, are also articulated. How such models may have relevance to developing programs for prevention of problem gambling in adolescents is also discussed. However, the inherent differences between gambling and more directly health threatening behaviors such as substance abuse must, of course, be seriously considered in utilizing such models. Most current gambling prevention programs have seldom been guided by theoretical models. Developers of gambling prevention programs should consider theoretical foundations, particularly since such foundations not only provide a guide for programs, but may become critical tools in evaluating their effectiveness.     

Using the Ecological Model to understand influences on college student vaping

ABSTRACT

Objective The Ecological Model was used to examine the social and environmental influences of the college environment on e-cigarette use (vaping) among college students. Participants: Undergraduate college student e-cigarette users (vapers) across three large college campuses in the southwest US from Jan 2015- Aug 2016. Methods: Thirty-three interviews were conducted. Transcribed interviews were coded then analyzed for themes. Results: College student vapers report multiple levels of influence on their vaping beyond personal beliefs and peer influences, including parents, explicit campus and community messaging, community member requests, and respect for others. College student vapers also describe constant associations with smokers in allowable public places to vape. Conclusions: Parents, community members, campus policy, and the physical environment all influence where and when college students vape. Health communication messages to prevent college student vaping should incorporate alternative messages that are important to college students, such as respect for others and social image.     

An auction theoretical approach to fiscal wars

I examine a situation where a firm chooses to locate a new factory in one of several jurisdictions. The value of the factory may differ among jurisdictions and it depends on the private information held by each jurisdiction. Jurisdictions compete for the location of the new factory. This competition may take the form of expenditures already incurred on infrastructure, commitments to spend on infrastructure, tax incentives or even cash payments. The model combines two elements that are usually considered separately; competition is desirable because we want the factory to be located in the jurisdiction that values it the most, but competition in itself is wasteful. I show that the expected total amount paid to the firm under a large family of arrangements is the same. Moreover, I show that the ex-ante optimal mechanism – that is, the mechanism that guarantees that the firm chooses the jurisdiction with the highest value for the factory, minimizes the total expected payment to the firm, and balances the budget in an ex-ante sense – can be implemented by running a standard auction and subsidizing participation. Received: 6 December 2000/Accepted: 18 February 2002 I gratefully acknowledge the financial support of CNPQ (Grant no. 300065/93-0) and ARC (Grant no. A000000055). The author is grateful to the editor and an anonymous referee for many helpful comments.     

浅析日本建筑师对建筑材料语言的运用

黑格尔曾提出:建筑是“用建筑材料造成的一种象征性符号”。建筑材料是营造建筑空间的一种因素。建筑师设计的作品,不论他要表达什么样的内涵,最终都要通过物质化的建筑材料来实现,可以说建筑材料是建筑师书写建筑文本过程中所必须使用的物化语言。     

Mass media influences on sexuality

The mainstream mass media (television, magazines, movies, music, and the Internet) provide increasingly frequent portrayals of sexuality. We still know relatively little about how this content is used and how it affects sexual beliefs and behaviors. The few available studies suggest that the media do have an impact because the media keep sexual behavior on public and personal agendas, media portrayals reinforce a relatively consistent set of sexual and relationship norms, and the media rarely depict sexually responsible models. More longitudinal research, especially with early adolescents is needed to learn more about how media content is attended to, interpreted, and incorporated into developing sexual lives.     

Why language is unique to human beings

There are some well-known theories about the origin of the language. The origin of the language is very mysterious. The theory of language origin can be divided into two hypotheses: continuity and discontinuity. The basic idea of the continuity hypothesis is that the language can't be suddenly formed, there must be a process from the human ancestors of the early evolution of the language system. The discontinuous hypothesis holds that language has some unique characteristics which come across in a certain period of time and relates to the human gene evolution and mutation. However, What I want to prove is neither of them, I prefer the religious views. In this thesis, I mainly talk about two aspects. Bible records the original history of human society, therefore, I'd like to find the answer of the origin of language from the Bible.     

Some theoretical models in the study of health behaviour: implications for health systems in India

This paper attempts to highlight some of the presently accepted models of health, behaviour and their usage in explaining illness, sickness and utilisation behaviour. The limitations of each of the model have also been described. Finally an attempt has been made to visualise the applicability of such models on Indian health system. A viable model already tested has been proposed to assess the social patterns of seeking medical care in rural setting in India.     

Systems,features, figures: Approaches to language and class vs. language and race

This paper contrasts different approaches taken in research on language and race vs. language and class. It looks at the timescales, units of analysis, and phenomena that have drawn scholars’ attention, and considers how each subfield approaches the study of language and inequality. ??? ??? ???? ??, ??? ???? ??? ? ???? ??? ??? ??? ???? ??·?? ??. ??? ??????? ??? ???? ????, ???? ??? ???? ? ?? ??? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???? ??? ?? ??? ????? ??? ???? ? ??? ????.