Academic literature on the topic 'Inferential references'

This paper reviews recent research on dependent functional data. After providing an introduction to functional data analysis, we focus on two types of dependent functional data structures: time series of curves and spatially distributed curves. We review statistical models, inferential methodology, and possible extensions. The paper is intended to provide a concise introduction to the subject with plentiful references.

This paper explores national governments’ prioritization of environmental matters within their e-government websites, in order to provide empirical evidence related to the way “green” issues are articulated in different countries’ policymaking agendas. Through a multi-pronged methodological approach combining frame analysis, factor analysis, inferential statistics, and qualitative interpretation, explicit and visual allusions related to environmental policies, initiatives, challenges, and agencies in the home page or main portal of the national governments for 189 UN members were coded. Results show that only 39.1% of the analyzed e-government sites included environmental references, and no strong pattern characterized the framing of environmental concerns by governments. Correlation and regression analyses revealed that GDP per capita and contribution to global CO2 emissions have more weight than other variables in a nation’s propensity to highlight environmental issues within their e-government websites. Findings are discussed in light of framing theory, as well as in light of implications for governments’ public image and for actual environmental advocacy.

Abstract Online participatory environments have become saturated spaces in terms of the opportunities that they offer for the display of different viewpoints and ideologies. YouTube, as a popular video-sharing and networking site, constitutes a new media space that invites both individual and collaborative stance-taking by participants who gather, virtually, to address a particular topic, issue or event depicted visually and discussed textually through the comments that are posted on the site. This interactional dynamics triggers a dialogic sequence of follow-ups through which stances are formulated following up on previous stances or counterstances. Against this background, this paper reports on a case study of individual and collaborative, and interdiscursive and intradiscursive stance-taking in participants’ comments to an online review focusing on the strategic use of direct (tactile) and indirect (inferential) references to evidentiality and their co-occurrence with argumentative markers. In this multilayered context stance-taking does not only contribute to evaluation but also to the construction of collective identities.

The phenomenon of misunderstanding is a recurrent feature of everyday life – sometimes a source of frustration, sometimes a site of blame. But misunderstandings can also be seen as getting interactants out of (as well as into) trouble. For example, misunderstandings may be produced to deal with disaffiliative implications of ‘not being on the same page,’ and as such they may be deployed as a resource for avoiding trouble. This paper examines misunderstanding as a pragmatic accomplishment, focusing on the uses to which it is put in interactions as a practice for dealing with threats to intersubjectivity: the extent to which persons are aligned in terms of a current referent, activity, assessment, etc. A multimodal discourse analysis of audio and video recordings of naturally-occurring talk inspects moments in which misunderstandings are purported or displayed (rather than overtly invoked) as well as how such misunderstandings are oriented to as simply-repairable references, versus inferential matters more misaligned and potentially fraught. Rather than being a straightforward reflection of an experience of trouble with understanding, misunderstanding may also be collaboratively produced to manage practical challenges to intersubjectivity.

Lack of student interest in writing essays, this happens because teachers in learning do not use innovative learning models, and learning media that interest students. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the use of Think Talk Write (TTW) learning models assisted by monopolistic media on simple essay writing skills of third-grade elementary school students. This type of research is quasi-experimental (quasi-experimental) with a non-equivalent post-test only control group design. The study population was all grade III in elementary school. The research sample was taken using a random sampling technique, with a total of 59 people. Data collection instruments used in this study were simple essay writing skills instruments, then analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (t-test). Based on the results of the t-test analysis, the t-count was 11.457. While the table with db = 57 and a significance level of 5% is 2.002. This shows that t-count is greater than t-table (t-count> t-table) with the conclusion that the Think Talk Write (TTW) learning model assisted by monopoly media has a positive effect on writing skills in simple essays. The existence of this research helps teachers to enrich references to models and instructional media that can be used.

Evidential markers encode the source of information that an individual (the evidential Origo) has for a proposition. In root declaratives, the Origo is always the speaker (see Korotkova 2016 and references therein). Instead, questions often display interrogative flip: the Origo shifts to the hearer (Garrett 2001; Speas & Tenny 2003, a.o.). While interrogative flip is widely attested across languages, some evidentials have been reported not to flip in questions (see, e.g., San Roque, Floyd & Norcliffe 2017; Bhadra 2017). What determines whether evidentials flip or not? Recent work (Korotkova 2016; Bhadra 2017) has proposed that there is a correlation between lack of flip and bias in questions. This paper contributes to our understanding of the interaction of evidentials and bias by investigating the behaviour of questions with the Italian non-predictive future. We characterize the non-predictive future as an inferential evidential marker (see also Mari 2009; Eckardt & Beltrama forthcoming), and show that lack of flip for the future correlates only with a particular type of bias: a reversal of the default bias associated with negative polar questions (Frana & Rawlins forthcoming). We trace back this pattern to an interaction between the evidential component of the future and the operator that triggers bias reversal.

This study investigates university English learners’ motivational and emotional responses to a performance-based assessment project before and after the project. Data were collected from 25 students learning English as a foreign language using two motivation questionnaires while they were working individually on a project called “Identity Poem”. A quantitative analysis of the data using descriptive and inferential statistics revealed that participants were highly motivated before and after the project. This increase in the level of motivation at both stages could be explained by the supportive behavior of the teacher and by the topic of the project that aroused curiosity and interest. Their emotional state was also positive at both stages due to their perception of the feasibility of the project and a high level of confidence resulting from outstanding performance. Regarding the qualitative data, an analysis based on the number of references to a pattern was utilized. The findings corroborated the high level of motivation observed with the quantitative results before and after the project. They additionally supported the quantitative findings indicating that the participants’ emotional state was relatively positive. However, a few learners were anxious, but their anxiety did not prevent them from completing the project. Regarding the pedagogical implications, project work can be used as an alternative in assessment so that learners can stay motivated during the assessment process. To achieve this aim, language teachers need to ensure that a project is within the learners’ reach and provide them with quality feedback at every stage.

I Guess Korean Has Some More Mirative Markers: -Napo- and -Nmoyang- The aim of this paper is to shed light on the semantics of some newly discovered Korean evidential markers -napo- and -n moyang- and to discuss their underlying cognitive mechanism by investigating their functional similarities and differences. 1. PHENOMENA IN FOCUS. The markers, to begin with, are inferential evidential markers; as shown in (2)-(3), they indicate that the speaker infers that the event referred to occurs based on her own observation: (1) cip-ey koyangi-ka iss-e [an utterance without the markers] house-Loc cat-Nom be-Ending “There is a cat in the house.” (2) [After finding a cat’s footprints around the door,] a. cip-ey koyangi-ka iss-napo-a Lit. See whether there is a cat house-Nom cat-Nom be-napo-Ending in the house. b. cip-ey koyangi-ka iss-nu-n moyang-i-a Lit. It is a shape (=situation) that house-Nom cat-Nom be-Pres-n moyang-cop-Ending there is a cat in the house. “(I can infer that) It seems that there is a cat in the house.” (3) [Seeing that the addressee’s pants is wet,] a. pakk-ey pi-ka o-napo -a Lit. See whether it rains outside outside-Loc rain-Nom come-napo-Ending b. pakk-ey pi-ka o-nu-n moyang-i-a Lit. It is a shape (=situation) that outside-Loc rain-Nom come-Pres-n moyang-cop-Ending it rains outside.” “(I can infer that) It seems that it rains outside.” The evidential markers, however, are intriguing in that they can function as a mirative evidential (DeLancey 1997): (2) and (3) sometimes indicate unexpected information, even when the speaker has direct visual access to the information. For instance, (2a-b) should be used in a context where the speaker does not have a cat in her house, whereas the cat in (1) can be specific; (3a-b) can be used in a context where the interlocutors have not known that it was raining and where the speaker who discovered it first let the addressee know. Notice that the marker’s unique semantics is also employed as a politeness strategy to hedge the speaker’s assertiveness for politeness: In (4), even though she knows that the event referred to is a fact, the speaker pretends not to know it in front of her senior: (4) [A student explaining what happened the previous night to her advisor, who was too drunk to remember anything,] ecey sensayingnim-kkeyse manhi chwiha-si-ess-*(napo-/-te-n moyang-i)e-yo. yesterday teacher-Nom [Hon] much be.drunk-Hon-Past-napo-/retro-n moyang-cop)Ending-Hon “(I can infer that) It seems that you were drunk too much.” 2. BACKGROUNDS. Most Korean linguists apparently regard the category of evidentiality as a redundant category due to its functional overlapping with mood, since there are more than a few cases where each of evidentiality and epistemic modality induces inferences about the other and since Korean has an elaborate mood system that can cover some of the territory of evidentiality (hinted by Y.-K. Ko 2007; inter alia), on the one hand. On the other hand, there are a number of linguists, (Kwon 2009, J.-M. Song, 2002, K.-S. Chung 2005, inter alia) who assume that the category of evidentiality definitely exists in Korean and focus on some of the evidential markers case by case. This paper will not treat this controversy any further, but it seems clear that the category of evidentiality is conceptually salient, and cross-linguistically pervasive. Meanwhile, it is surprising that most of studies on evidentials in Korean only concentrate on an individual item and that there has not been a comprehensive work outlining the overall picture of the overall system of evidentiality in Korean (cf. K.-S. Chung 2005). My long-term goal is to figure out the overall system of evidentiality in Korean and to characterize the semantic/pragmatic properties of the markers thoroughly. This paper focuses on the two inferential evidential markers -napo and –nmoyang among them. These markers have not been thoroughly discussed in previous literature. To explore their semantic and pragmatic properties would be of particular interest, since their extended properties are inherited from their original constructions (to be discussed in section 3) where elaborate pragmatic inferences are involved. 3. ANALYSES. This paper argues that the semantics of the markers converges from two different origins (-na ‘whether’ and po- ‘see’ > -napo-; -n relativizer and -moyang- ‘shape’> -nmoyang-), because the speaker employs different intersubjective pragmatic tactics that converge into a single function: to draw the addressee’s attention to what the speaker inferred. The original constructions can be shown as follows: (7)a. Chelswu-ka (o-na po-a /b. o-n moyang-i-a) Chelswu-Nom come-whether see-Decl come-Relativizer shape-Cop-Decl. “See whether Chelswu is coming.” The pragmatics underlying the original structure of the -napo construction is that he speaker urges the addressee to confirm what the speaker conjectures, on the one hand. On the other hand, -nmoyang is originally used in contexts where the speaker intends to describe a situation from a certain epistemic distance, which implies that the speaker has some level of knowledge of the focal event. The difference in their original constructions results in subtle functional difference of their grammaticalized forms. SUBJECT CONSTRAINTS. Other than by showing their functions, there is another supporting evidence that the markers are evidentials: they show an intriguing asymmetry in subject usages in utterances that employ either of the markers, as Aikhenvald and Dixon (2003: 16) noted that “[E]videntiality systems often interact with the grammatical person of the subject or experience.” If the markers show limitations on first person subject usages, then their evidential function requires that the speaker’s inference be based on her objectified observation, which yields asymmetry between usages involving first person subjects and those with non-first person subjects: (8) a. ku (?nay)-ka hakkyo-ey ka-ess-napo-a He(?I)-Nom school-Loc go-Past-napo-Decl b. ku (?nay)-ka hakkyo-ey ka-nmoyang-i-a He(?I)-Nom school-Loc go-nmoyang-Cop-Decl “(I can infer that) It seems that he (I?) went to school” The markers presuppose that the event referred to in the utterance is based on the speaker’s inference. It is also implicated that the speaker is not certain about the information. But, people are normally aware of their own conscious, volitional actions such as going to school. In this context, if the speaker mentioned what she had done with either of the inferential markers, it would be contradictory: Since the mode of access that the indirect evidential encodes is not direct, the inferential evidential conflicts with the direct access that a first person subject usually has with respect to her own past actions. This is a typical characteristic of evidentials. MIRATIVITY. The inferential evidential markers -napo and -nmoyang are also licensed in context where the speaker intends to express the unexpectedness of the focal event. As Delancey (1997, 1999) noted, there is a kind of evidential that encodes/implicates the ‘unprepared mind’ of the speaker, which is a mirative evidential, and this paper argues that the two inferential markers are extended to be used as such function: (9) cip-ey koyangi-ka iss-e house-Loc cat-Nom be-Decl “There is a cat in the house.” [an unidentified cat or a pet cat] (10)a. cip-ey koyangi-ka iss-napo-a house-Loc cat-Nom be-napo-Decl b. cip-ey koyangi-ka iss-nu-nmoyang-a house-Loc cat-Nom be-Imperf-nmoyang-Decl “(Oh) Wow, there is a cat in the house.” [an unidentified cat] We can see that in (10), the cat should not be a pet cat that is already identifiable to the speaker, whereas (9) could refer to either a specific or a non-specific cat. In sum, considering the given examples above that are not prototypical examples that show inferential semantics, we can learn that markers -napo and -nmoyang can encode mirativity as well as inferential evidential semantics. POLITENESS TACTIC. The markers can be used in a politeness strategy neutralizing the speaker’s assertiveness: (11) [When a bartender politely tells a drunken customer, who is demanding more drinks, to stop drinking and to go home] a. cip-ey ka-si-e-yacyo. manhi chwiha-si-ess-#(napo-)e-yo. home-Loc go-Hon-Decl-Hon.end much be.drunk-Hon-Past-napo-Decl-Hon b. cip-ey ka-si-e-yacyo. manhi chwiha-si-#(nmoyang-i)e-yo. home-Loc go-Hon-Decl-Hon.end much be.drunk-Hon-nmoyang-Cop-Decl-Hon “You should get yourself going home. (It seems that) You’re very drunk.” [Koreterm #3643] The utterances would have been rude, without the markers -napo and -nmoyang. The utterances involve the speaker’s pragmatic tactic of flouting: although the bartender has perceived the customer’s obvious drunken state, he pretends not to have directly perceived what is referred to and also pretends to indirectly infer it from some other evidence. It is noted that again, this usage of the marker is not prototypical inferential marking: The speaker has observed it, she has certainty about the information, and thus, its inferential marking function is not needed, logically speaking. Part of the pragmatic tactics involved is related to the markers’ inferential function and the other part of it is related to the markers’ mirative function. That is, in case of (11), the speaker should not assert directly that her customer is drunk, since otherwise, the utterance will threaten her customer’s face. Thus, the speaker employs either of the inferential markers in order to distance herself from the focal event, i.e., in order to pretend not to know what she observed, as if she had not perceived the scene directly. Also, the speaker employs it as if she had just recognized that her customer is drunk. The shorter the period of time during which the customer has been “obviously” drunk, the less face threat is involved in telling the customer about it. 4. DISCUSSION. So far, it has been shown that inferential evidential markers -napo- and -nmoyang- are distributed in a similar way and that even their extended functions, such as implicating mirativity and giving a rise to politeness reading, are similar to each other. SUBTLE FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENCE. Nevertheless, the markers carry subtly different degrees of the speaker’s attitude towards novelty of the information that is talked about. For instance, -napo can encode the speaker’s urgency towards the focal event, whereas -nmoyang encodes the speaker’s controlled and calm emotional state towards the focal event: (12) [While sleeping, hearing that someone has come in, the speaker is scared and says to her husband] a. totwuk-i tul-ess-napo-a thief-Nom come.in-Past-napo-Decl b.?? totwuk-i tul-unmoyang-i-a thief-Nom come.in-nmoyang-Cop-Decl “(I can infer that) It seems that a thief broke into our place.” In brief, in order for -nmoyang to be licensed, the speaker will keep a relatively farther cognitive distance toward the focal event, as if the speaker had observed the event very objectively as a third party. In contrast, -napo is likely to encode the speaker’s urgent attitude toward the target event. DISTANCING STRATEGY. In a number of cases, it is not easy to choose exactly one of these functions as the relevant one in context. This might implicate that the three functions in context are compatible with each other and thus, entangled conceptually. Here is an example show the entangled functions of the markers: (13) [The speaker is scheduled to meet her friend, but she feels sick. She feels sorry about not being able to keep the promise and tries to apologize to her friend, saying,] nay-ka aphu-{n-kapo/nmoyang-i}-a I-Nom be.sick-{Conn-napo/nmoyang-Cop}-Decl “(I can infer that) It seems that I’m sick.” Literally, the speaker expresses a guess about her own internal state. Notice that first person subject is used with either of the markers. This is possible, first, because she does not want to take responsibility for the consequence of her illness—canceling the appointment. If no evidential marker is used, the transfer of the information is direct and the fact that the speaker is sick will be directly vouched for by the speaker, which might yield an assertive reading. In (13), the speaker is less assertive and thus, avoids direct responsibility. Second, the markers allow the speaker to express the unexpectedness of the information. And obviously an unexpected problem is a better excuse for inability to keep a promise. In brief, (13) includes all the functions mentioned above: The speaker employs an inferential evidential construction in a context where it is not only a prototypical inferential statement, but also a mirative statement, which is further used as a politeness strategy. The cognitive mechanisms underlying the multiple usages of the markers stem from the speaker’s effort to distance herself from the event in question, exploiting the indirective semantics of the markers. 5. CONCLUSION. This paper argues that the markers -napo and -nmoyang are to be regarded as evidentials, by looking into their basic properties and extended properties. Specifically, they are inferential markers, which encode the speaker’s inference based on observed entities, properties, or relations. It was also shown that the markers can encode a mirative function that marks unexpectedness or unpreparedness to the speaker’s mind. Moreover, the markers are intentionally employed in a politeness strategy. This strategic indirectness derives from their inferential and mirative characteristics. Based on these observations, this paper provides a unified account for the semantic functions of these two markers, following DeLancey’s assumption that inferentials, evidentials, and miratives are semantically related, and argues that the relationship is based on pragmatic tactics of exploiting inferential and mirative senses for indirectness and politeness. It is also discussed that even though the two markers are distributed very similarly, they are subtly different in that -napo encodes immediacy, whereas -nmoyang encodes the speaker’s non-immediacy and even the speaker’s controlled and calm state of mind toward an event. Based on the similarities and differences between the two markers’ (extended) functions, this paper argued that the cognitive mechanism underlying the two markers’ functions is a distancing strategy for interactive meaning negotiation. SELECTED REFERENCES Aikhenvald, Alexandra Y. and R.M.W. Dixon (eds.). 2003. Studies in Evidentiality. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chung, Kyung-Sook. 2005. Spaces in Tense: The Interactionof Tense, Aspect, Evidentiality and Speech Act in Korean. Ph. D. Dissertation. Simon Fraser University. DeLancey, Scott. 1997. Mirativity: The Grammatical Marking of Unexpected Information. Linguistic Typology 1. 33-52. DeLancey, Scott. 1999. The Mirative and Evidentiality. Journal of Pragmatics 33, 369-382. Ko, Yeong-Keun. 2007. Hankwukeuy Sicey, Sepep, Tongcaksang [Tense, Mood, and Aspect in Korean]. Kyeonggi-do, Korea: Taehaksa. Kwon, Iksoo. 2009. The Korean Evidential Marker -te- Revisited: Its Semantic Constraints and Distancing Effects in Mental Spaces Theory. Paper presented at Fillmore Fest 2009: Frames and Constructions, University of California, Berkeley, July 31-August 2, 2009. Song, Jae-Mog. 2002. A Typoloical Analysis of the Korean Evidential Marker ‘-Te-.’ Enehak [The Linguisitic Society of Korea] 32, 147-164.

In Making It Explicit (1994) Robert Brandom claims that we may distinguish those linguistic expressions with object-representational purport — the singular terms — from others merely by the structure of their inferential relations. A good part of his inferentialist program rests on this claim. At first blush it can seem implausible: linguistic expressions stand in inferential relations to each other, so how could we appeal to those relations to decide on the obtaining of what seems to be relation between linguistic expressions and objects in general (viz., x purports to represent y)? It is perhaps not surprising then that Brandom's proposal fails. But it definitely is surprising how it fails. The problem is that in order to specify the sort of generality there is to an expression's inferential role, one must appeal to some version of the traditional distinction between extensional and nonextensional occurrences of expressions, and there appears to be no way to draw anything like that distinction in inferentialist terms. For the inferential proprieties governing the different occurrences an expression can have are so varied that they do not determine a binary partition of those occurrences.

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to comprehensively understand the effect of Perceived Organizational Support (POS) on Organizational Commitments of SMAN in Palangka Raya. This research uses quantitative methods. The sample of this study was 389 teachers who served at SMAN in Palangka Raya City. Data collection techniques with survey techniques through questionnaires. The data analysis technique used is descriptive and inferential analysis (hypothesis testing). Inferential analysis (hypothesis testing is used to test research hypotheses through path analysis). Based on the results of the analysis of research data it can be concluded that the POS has a direct positive effect on organizational commitment, so it can be interpreted POS accuracy perceived by teachers has an impact on increasing the commitment of teacher organizations Public High Schools in the City of Palangka Raya. Keywords: Perceived Organizational Support, Organizational Commitment, SMAN Palangka Raya Abstrak: Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui secara komprehensif pengaruh dari Perceived Organizational Support (POS) terhadap Komitmen Organisasi SMAN di Palangka Raya. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif. Sampel penelitian ini adalah 389 orang guru yang bertugas di SMAN di Kota Palangka Raya. Teknik pengumpulan data dengan teknik survey melalui penyebaran angket. Teknis analisis data yang digunakan adalah secara deskriptif dan analisis inferensial (uji hipotesis). Analisis inferensial (uji hipotesis digunakan untuk menguji hipotesis penelitian melalui jalur analisis alur (Path Analysis). Berdasarkan hasil analisis data penelitian dapat disimpulkan disimpulkan bahwa POS berpengaruh langsung positif terhadap komitmen organisasi; sehingga dapat diartikan ketepatan POS yang dirasakan guru berdampak pada peningkatan komitmen organisasi guru SMA Negeri se-Kota Palangka Raya. Kata Kunci: Perceived Organizational Support, Komitmen Organisasi, SMAN Palangka Raya References: Colquitt, J., Lepine, J., & Wesson, M. (2009). Organizational Behavior: Improving Performance and Commitment in the Worplace. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Eisenberger, R., & Huntington, R. (1986). Perceived Organizational Support. Journal of Applied Psychology, (71)3. Giraldi, N. V. N. (2017). Pengaruh Perceived Organizational Support terhadap Kinerja Karyawan dengan Komitmen Organisasional sebagai Variabel Intervening pada Karyawan Bidang Transmisi Distribusi PDAM Delta Tirta Sidoarjo. Skripsi, tidak dipublikasikan, Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Universitas Airlangga Surabaya. LaMastro. V. (1999). Commitmen and Perceived Organizational Support”.National Forum of Applied Educational Research Journal, (12)2. Newstrom, J. W., & Davis, K. (2012). Organizational Behavior(New York: International Edition, Inc. Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 41 Tahun 2009 tentang Tunjangan Profesi Guru dan Dosen, Tunjangan Khusus Guru dan Dosen, serta Tunjangan Kehormatan Profesor. Robbins, S. P., & Coulter, M. (2012). Management. United States: Pearson Education, Inc. Slocum. J. W., & Hellriegel, D. (2011). Principles ofOrganizational Behavior. South-Western: Cengage Learning. Soleh, A. R. (2018). Hubungan Persepsi Dukungan Perceived Organizational Support dengan Komitmen Organisasi pada Pegawai BLU UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya. Skripsi, tidak dipublikasikan, Fakultas Psikologi dan Kesehatan Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Ampel Surabaya. Uc?ar, D., & O?tken, A. B. (2010). Perceived Organizational Support and oOganizational Commitment: The Mediating Role of Organization Based Self-Esteem. Dokuz Eylu?l U?niversitesi I?ktisadi ve I?dari Bilimler Faku?ltesi Dergisi,(5)85-105. www.dergi.iibf.deu.edu.tr. Undang-Undang Nomor 14 Tahun 2005 tentang Guru dan Dosen.

Cette étude se fonde sur la comparaison entre l'empire romain et l'empire inca inaugurée par les chroniqueurs espagnols au XVIe siècle. Le symbolisme de Rome est analysé en fonction d'images de Cuzco produites par l'imaginaire européen. L'importance du passé romain dans la définition de l'Autre est rattaché au processus d'acculturation des Incas. L'analyse de symboles universels des mythes, et notamment du rôle des tricksters dans la construction de l'ordre des communautés et du pouvoir, vise à discerner les éléments pouvant être rattachés aux idéologies impérialistes. Le choixdes objets d'étude pousse à conclure sur l'universalisme de certains éléments interprétés de façon différente par chacune des civilisations
Comparisons between Incas and Romans first started by 16th century Spanish chroniclers. We ail to highlight how Roman past and origins have been the bastion for European power justification and how Roman history and ideals became a cultural pattern. We suggest that Cuzco was stereotyped by European imaginary. As so, we chose to take an interest in mythical tricksters and their part in defining social boundaries. This leads to critical thinking on the way political power was perceived. We conclude that similar but not identical symbols were mobilized by Incas and Romans

In De Motu, Berkeley distinguishes between two uses of language, which we may call ‘genuine reference’ and ‘quasi-reference.’ Genuine referring expressions, like ‘red,’ are used to label language-independent objects. Quasi-referring expressions function syntactically, and hence inferentially, just like genuine referring expressions but lack this labeling use. The central thesis of De Motu is that the theoretical terms of physics are quasi-referring expressions. The metaphysical conclusion Berkeley draws from this linguistic thesis is not that forces do not exist but rather that they depend for their existence and nature on our theorizing activity. Berkeley’s anti-realism in the philosophy of physics is thus ultimately grounded in his philosophy of language.

Influenced by Quine, self-styled naturalist projects within the philosophy of mathematics rest upon simplistic conceptions of linguistic reference and how the inferential tools of applied mathematics help us reach empirical conclusions. In truth, these two forms of descriptive enterprise must work together in a considerably more entangled manner than is generally presumed. In particular, the vital contributions of set theory to descriptive success within science have been poorly conceptualized. This essay explores how a less onerous “naturalism” can be conceived on this corrected basis. A useful distinction between “mathematical optimism” and “mathematical opportunism” is introduced, which draws our attention to some open questions with respect to the concrete representational capacities of applied mathematics.

This paper explores national governments’ prioritization of environmental matters within their e-government websites, in order to provide empirical evidence related to the way “green” issues are articulated in different countries’ policymaking agendas. Through a multi-pronged methodological approach combining frame analysis, factor analysis, inferential statistics, and qualitative interpretation, explicit and visual allusions related to environmental policies, initiatives, challenges, and agencies in the home page or main portal of the national governments for 189 UN members were coded. Results show that only 39.1% of the analyzed e-government sites included environmental references, and no strong pattern characterized the framing of environmental concerns by governments. Correlation and regression analyses revealed that GDP per capita and contribution to global CO2 emissions have more weight than other variables in a nation’s propensity to highlight environmental issues within their e-government websites. Findings are discussed in light of framing theory, as well as in light of implications for governments’ public image and for actual environmental advocacy.

In this chapter it is first argued that numerous linguistic phenomena located at the heart of grammar, e.g. deixis, reference, tense, aspect, modality, sentence mode, and intonation, have their origin in the routinization of commonalities extracted from usage events. These commonalities are represented by more or less strongly entrenched pragmatic associations. Then it is claimed that implicatures and other inferential mechanisms such as metaphors, metonymies, irony, as well as connotations and style and register awareness are also based on the routinization of pragmatic associations. These claims are condensed in three pragmatic-strengthening principles: situational pragmatic strengthening, inferential pragmatic strengthening, and pragmatic strengthening of situated meanings. The fundamental role of pragmatic associations for shaping core grammar is emphasized.

Direct reference theories hold that nothing beyond reference is carried from speaker to hearer by singular terms. The chapter argues the same is true of common nouns and most other extensional terms such as terms for properties, places, events, and actions. None of these terms carry descriptions, grasp of paradigm property sets, inferential mandates, or anything else to be “loosened” or “tightened” by pragmatic inference. Both thought and language are directly structured by the structure of the world itself, not by peculiarities of the human mind and not by convention. The route from speech to hearer understanding is indirect, passing, typically, through the hearer’s prior grasp of world structure, a structure that hearers may have idiosyncratic ways of grasping. They may have quite different ways of identifying the same thing; that is, different ways of recognizing when new natural or intentional information about the same is arriving at the sensory surfaces.

The selection of biomimetic prototypes mostly depends on the subjective observation of a designer. This research uses TRIZ to explore some inferential steps in bionic design of the heavy machine tool column. Conflict resolution theory of TRIZ is applied to describe improved and deteriorated parameters and a contradiction matrix is used to obtain recommended inventive principles. A reference table of solutions corresponding to the biological phenomenon and TRIZ solutions is formed to expedite retrieving the biomimetic object. Based on the table, herbaceous hollow stem is selected to imitate column structure. Four kinds of plant are chosen from the biological database. To select the best from four candidates, a bionic ideality evaluation index is proposed based on similarity analysis and ideality evaluation theory in TRIZ. Thus, the bionic effect can be described and compared quantitatively. Bionic configuration is then evolved concerning manufacturing requirements. Size optimization of stiffener thicknesses is implemented finally, and satisfactory results of the lightweight effect is obtained.