POLYSEMY PATTERNS OF THE SIMILATIVE SUFFIX -LA IN HILL MARI

Статья посвящена моделям полисемии суффикса la в горномарийском языке. Основное значение данного суффикса — маркирование стандарта сравнения в симилятивных конструкциях. В статье рассматриваются такие значения суффикса, как маркер глоттонимов, маркер актанта при глаголе madaš ‘играть’, маркер обменного эквивалента, маркер приблизительной локализации. Помимо типологически ожидаемых моделей полисемии (как, например, маркер глоттонимов или маркер актанта при глаголах čučaš ‘казаться’, kajaš ‘быть видимым, казаться’), горномарийский симилятивный маркер la имеет менее изученные в типологическом плане функции — например, маркер актанта при глаголе madaš ‘играть’. Предыдущие исследования показали, что la может иметь разные морфосинтаксические ограничения в зависимости от контекста. В статье приводятся существующие ограничения для не рассматриваемых ранее контекстов употребления. Так, маркируя глоттоним или актант при глаголе madaš ‘играть’, la имеет более ограниченную морфосинтаксическую дистрибуцию по сравнению с симилятивными конструкциями и конструкциями с глаголами типа čučaš ‘казаться’. Еще одно употребление la — с локативными выражениями в качестве маркера приблизительной локализации. В этой функции la присоединяется к именной группе, оформленной одним из локативных падежей, а также к послеложной группе с пространственным послелогом или к наречию, сохраняющему в своем составе старые формы локативных падежей. Согласно нашим данным, полученным в ходе опроса носителей, la может присоединяться ко всем трем локативным падежам, а не только к иллативу, как это отмечается в грамматиках. Однако сочетание la с инессивом и лативом, в отличие от иллатива, грамматично только для имен с пространственной семантикой. Помимо этого, в статье анализируется описанная сеть полисемии: обсуждается возможность развития рассматриваемых функций маркера из симилятивного значения, распространившегося из симилятивных конструкций на остальные контексты. This article discusses the polysemy models of the Hill Mari suffix la, which main meaning is marking the standard of comparison in similative constructions: glottonym marker, marker of the actant in constructions with the verb madaš ‘play’, marker of the approximate localization. In addition to the typologically expected patterns of polysemy (for example, the marker of glottonyms or the complementizer marker in constructions with the verbs čučaš ‘seem’, kajaš ‘be seen, seem’), the Hill Mari similative marker la has some functions that are less studied from typological perspective. Previous research has shown that la can have different morphosyntactic restrictions depending on the context. The article presents the restrictions for contexts of la that were not studied previously in a proper way. Thus, when used as a glottonym marker or as a marker of an actant in constructions with the verb madaš ‘play’, la has a more limited morphosyntactic distribution compared to similative constructions and constructions with verbs like čučaš ‘seem’. Another context for la is locative expressions. The suffix is used to indicate the direction and not a final point. In this function, la is attached to a noun phrase marked by one of the locative cases, as well as to a postpositional group with a spatial postposition or to an adverb that retains the old forms of locative cases. It is important that la can be attached to all three locative cases, not just to the illative, as noted in the grammars. Moreover, the article analyzes the existing polysemy network: there is an attempt to present a possible invariant underlying all functions of the la. This is the similative meaning of the suffix, which is spread from the similative constructions to other contexts.

Women’s Constitutional Rights

This chapter explains how legal syncretism influences and manifests itself in the design and practice of constitutional rights—with a particular focus on women’s rights—in the constitutional systems of Nigeria, South Africa, and Ethiopia. The chapter demonstrates how the interaction between the liberal and indigenous conceptions of rights in a constitutional space produces unique regimes of women’s rights in these countries. The chapter first presents a brief theory of women’s rights as a standard of comparison and evaluation; this is done through a more general investigation of women’s rights in international law. This is then followed by a more focused discussion of women’s constitutional rights in Nigeria, South Africa, and Ethiopia. Such discussion explores the substantive content and the way in which women’s rights are constitutionalized, as well as their practical and judicial applications. The syncretic nature of women’s rights in these countries sheds some light on the importance of looking beyond the universalism versus cultural relativism debate when trying to enforce human rights in Africa.

A new methodological tool to study the memorability of supernatural concepts

We introduce the first set of normed stimuli designed to resolve methodological and theoretical issues that have muddled the interpretation of results on the memorability of supernatural concepts (e.g., ghosts, souls, spirits), an important line of research in the Cognitive Science of Religion (Barrett, 2000). We focus here on Boyer’s (1994, 2000, 2001) pioneering Minimally Counterintuitive (MCI) hypothesis according to which supernatural concepts tap a special memory-enhancing mechanism linked to violations of default intuitive inferences. Empirical tests of the MCI account have given rise to a vexed picture that renders meaningful interpretation difficult. The lack of a common standard of comparison among different studies, coupled with the presence of uncontrolled variables independently known to affect memorability, lie at the heart of these problems. We show that our new stimuli offer the hope of resolving these issues thereby establishing a more secure foundation for the study of the memorability of supernatural concepts.

Change in Evaluation Mode Can Cause a Cheerleader Effect

The cheerleader effect describes the phenomenon whereby faces are perceived as being more attractive when flanked by other faces than when they are perceived in isolation. At least four theories predict the cheerleader effect. Two visual memory processes could cause a cheerleader effect. First, visual information will sometimes be averaged in the visual memory: the averaging of faces could increase the perceived attractiveness of all the faces flanked by other faces. Second, information will often be combined into a higher-order concept. This hierarchical encoding suggests that information processing causes faces to appear more attractive when flanked by highly attractive faces. Two further explanations posit that comparison processes cause the cheerleader effect. While contrast effects predict that a difference between the target face and the flanking faces causes the cheerleader effect due to comparison processes, a change in the evaluation mode, which alters the standard of comparison between joint and separate evaluation of faces, could be sufficient for producing a cheerleader effect. This leads to the prediction that even when there is no contrast between the attractiveness of the target face and the flanking faces, a cheerleader effect could occur. The results of one experiment support this prediction. The findings of this study have practical implications, such as for individuals who post selfies on social media. An individual’s face will appear more attractive in a selfie taken with people of low attractiveness than in a selfie without other people, even when all the faces have equally low levels of attractiveness.

RESEARCH OF MELT PROCESSING IMPACT WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSES UPON SILUMIN WEAR-RESISTANCE

To improve functional properties of pre-eutectic silumins there are used many different methods having a complex effect upon processes of structure formation and physical-mechanical properties of alloys. In this paper there is offered a method for alloy operation characteristics increase by the example of wear-resistance by the impact of nanosecond electro-magnetic pulses (NEMP) upon silumin melt AK7ch (AL9). Melt illumination was carried out with the generator (NEMP) (GNI-01-1-6) submersible rod radiator. The melt was overheated to 900ºC and processed with NEMP with the length up to 25 min after that it was cooled at a rate of 20ºC/min. Slow cooling contributed to the formation of a structure close to equilibrium. Cylindrical ingots with a diameter of 0.06 m (60mm) and a height of 0.06 m (60 mm) were obtained. Wear-resistance was defined on a cross cut of ingots according to GOST 23.208-79. As a standard of comparison were used non-irradiated samples of silumin. It is defined that melt NEMP processing changes considerably parameters of crystallization, structure formation and increases silumin properties. At abrasive wear, silumin wear-resistance changes from the duration of melt electro-pulse processing according to an extreme dependence with the evident maximum at melt irradiation in the course of 15 min. At that in the edge area of the ingot wear-resistance increases by 1.54 times, and in the central one – by 1.34 times. This effect is explained by the fact that during melt NEMP processing during 15 min the characteristics of alloy micro-structure change considerably: morphology and dimensions of structural constituents. At that there is formed a qualitatively new fine structure of a non-dendritic type which ensures maximum values of alloy wear-resistance. The data obtained allow developing technology of wear-resistant silumin fusion intended for operation under abrasive wear conditions.

Comparatives and Superlatives in the Romance Languages

Comparison expresses a relation involving two or more entities which are ordered on a scale with respect to a gradable property, called the parameter of comparison. In European languages, it is typically expressed through two constructions, comparatives and superlatives. Comparative constructions generally involve two entities, and indicate whether the compared entity shows a higher, lesser, or equal degree of the parameter with respect to the other entity, which is the standard of comparison. Superlatives set out one entity against a class of entities and indicate that the compared entity shows the highest or lowest degree of the parameter. Hence, comparatives may express either inequality (superiority or inferiority) or equality, whereas superlatives necessarily express superiority or inferiority. In traditional grammar, the terms comparative and superlative are primarily used to refer to the morphology of adjectives and adverbs in languages with synthetic marking (cf. Eng. slow, slower, slowest). However, while Latin has such synthetic marking, modern Romance languages no longer possess productive comparative or superlative suffixes. All Romance languages use analytic markers consisting of dedicated adverbs (e.g., Fr. plus ‘more’, moins ‘less’, aussi ‘as, also’) and determiners (e.g., Sp./It. tanto, Ro. atât ‘so much’). Superlatives are marked with the same markers and are mainly distinguished from comparatives by their association with definiteness. Another difference between comparatives and superlatives lies in the complements they license. Comparatives license a comparative complement, which may be clausal or phrasal, and which identifies the standard of comparison. As for superlatives, they license partitive PPs denoting the comparison set, which may be further specified by other PPs, a relative clause, or an infinitive clause. The Romance languages show many similarities with respect to the morphosyntactic encoding of comparatives and superlatives, but they also display important cross-linguistic differences. These differences may be related to the status of the comparative marker, the encoding of the standard marker, ellipsis phenomena in the comparative clause, and the dependence of the superlative on the definite article.

Methodology of Concept and Conceptual Analysis

This article discusses cognitive linguistics, one of the areas of the anthropocentric paradigm. The views of world linguists on the concept and its types, methods of conceptual analysis are analyzed. The methods of conceptual analysis are explained by means of comparisons. It is well known that man's knowledge of the surrounding world is expressed through concepts. These concepts are a mental-intellectual structure embodied as a product of various mental activities of man. In the process of thinking, a person deals with concepts, not with meanings and notions. Therefore the concept is recognized as a unit of thought and set of knowledge that branched and unified at one point. The article contains stable comparisons in the Uzbek language for conceptual analysis and it is repeatedly acknowledged that the comparisons reflect national and cultural connotations, richness of Uzbek language, and as well as its importance as a mirror of traditions. The analysis focuses on the standard of comparison, which reflects the uniqueness of people's perception and understanding of the world. Therefore, the study of cognitive analysis in relation to comparisons is one of the essential problems of anthropocentric linguistics.

Äiwoo wâtu and the typology of comparatives

This paper examines a comparative construction in the Oceanic language Äiwoo and argues that it differs from those known in the typological literature on comparatives on two counts. It is similar to a so-called ‘exceed’ comparative in involving a morpheme meaning ‘go far’; but unlike canonical exceed comparatives, the construction is intransitive, and the standard of comparison is expressed as an oblique. Moreover, the standard is indicated not only by this oblique phrase but also by a directional marker on the verb, in an extension of the frequent use of directionals in Äiwoo to indicate peripheral participants. This construction thus, on the one hand, expands the established typology of comparative constructions; and on the other, shows that the use of directional morphemes to indicate peripheral participants, otherwise attested e.g. for recipients of give verbs, may extend to the standard in comparative constructions, pointing to an avenue for further typological exploration.

ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY TEST of SIJUKKOT (Lactuca indica L.) LEAVES EXTRACT LEAF

Has been investigated the antioxidant activity of sijukkot ( Lactuca indica L.) The antioxidant activity was tested by capturing 2,2’-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical method and Vitamin C as a standard of comparison, to absorption using UV-Vis spectrophotometry at a wavelength of 517nm. The data obtained were analyzed using the SPSS for windows, resulting in a value of y = 0.2036x + 30.35 for sijukkot extract and y = 29.625x - 73.664 for vitamin C. It was found the leaves have an antioxidant site with 96,51 ppm through IC50 test 4,17 ppm which used Vitamin C as a control.

SIMILATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS IN HITTITE «SONG OF ULLIKUMMI»

The article is aimed at the analysis of similative constructions with the semantics «X like Y» in Hittite epos the «Song of Ullikummi». Contextual analysis allows the author to detect this type of collocations without any markers like asyndetic constructions (with juxtaposition, a chain of accusatives). The author of the article has studied the word order in these constructions. It has been shown that the similarity phrase regularly takes place in the immediate preverbal position after the object and the adverbial modifier of place in a linear structure. It is interesting to find contexts with a standard of comparison in the initial position of the clause, which points out to the upper (and marked) focus position. This type of placement mostly correlates with right dislocations, frequent in the Hittite poetic language. As for the linear word order, constructions with conjunction «like X», as a rule, appear as a sequence «a comparee – a standard of comparison – a marker of the standard». The rare sequences «a standard – a comparee – a marker» show markedness connected to the needs for information structure, which demands further research. In asyndetic constructions the standard sequence appears as «a comparee – a standard». In the paper it has been shown that similative constructions in the «Song of Ullikummi» actually lost the proper similarity semantics and serve as markers of certain qualities of poetic images.