Acta Universitatis Danubius. Communicatio

A Note on Descriptive Categories and Comparative Concepts in Linguistics

Klaas Willems — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This note takes issue with the claim that language-specific descriptive categories and crosslinguistic comparative concepts are different “kinds of things” (Haspelmath, 2018). Against the backdrop of Eugenio Coseriu’s epistemology of the language sciences it is argued that the general concepts used to make comparisons between languages are manifestations of potentially universal categories, which fall within the purview of linguistic intuition. In this sense, the relationship between categories of language and comparative concepts of linguistics reflects the creativity of language as enérgeia, which is a “synthetic a priori” in the Kantian sense.

The Status of Linguistics as a Science

Edward Sapir — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The long tried methods of Indo-European linguistics have proved themselves by the success with which they have been applied to other fields, for instance Central Algonkian and Athabaskan. An increasing interest in linguistics may be noted among workers in anthropology, culture history, sociology, psychology, and philosophy. For all of them linguistics is o basic importance: its data and methods show better than those of any other discipline dealing with socialized behaviour the possibility of a truly scientific study of society. Linguistics should, on the other hand, become aware of what their science may mean for the interpretation of human conduct in general.

Artificial Creativity: Augmenting Human Professionals

Roland Mihai Impuscatu — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: This study examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative artificial intelligence (GAI) on the advertising industry, with a particular focus on how these technologies are transforming creative processes. AI and AGI offer new opportunities for predicting consumer behavior and generating innovative content, thereby optimizing both the efficiency and costs associated with advertising campaigns. The study explores the applicability of AI and GAI I in various stages of an advertising campaign, from the initial concept to the evaluation of the impact on the target audience. It also discusses the challenges and limited creativity of GAI compared to human creativity, while emphasizing its role in augmenting work processes. The study suggests that the integration of AI and GAI in advertising has considerable potential to reshape the creative landscape, but requires careful collaboration between technologists and practitioners to fully realize the benefits.

Evaluating Legal Measures, International Conventions, and Collaborative Strategies to Enhance Child Protection from Misinformation and Disinformation in the Digital Communication Landscape of Nordic Nations

Junaid Sattar Butt — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The digital world offers a wealth of information for children, but in today's digital age, children are increasingly exposed to misinformation and disinformation, posing significant challenges to their well-being and development. In the Nordic states, renowned for their progressive digital infrastructure and commitment to child welfare, addressing this challenge has become a focal point of policy discussions and scholarly inquiry. This research manuscript delves into the nuanced landscape of child protection from misinformation and disinformation within the digital communication sphere of Nordic nations. This research investigates the effectiveness of current legal measures, international conventions, and collaborative strategies in safeguarding children from this harmful content. Drawing upon a multidisciplinary approach, this manuscript scrutinizes existing legislative frameworks and policy initiatives aimed at mitigating the dissemination of harmful content targeting children. Furthermore, it investigates the alignment of these measures with international conventions and treaties pertinent to child rights and digital safety. Moreover, this research explores collaborative strategies among stakeholders, including governments, non-governmental organizations, tech companies, educators, and parents, in fostering a safer digital environment for children. By analyzing best practices and innovative interventions, this manuscript offers insights into effective mechanisms for detecting, addressing, and preventing the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation targeting children. Ultimately, this research contributes to the advancement of evidence-based policies and interventions tailored to the unique challenges posed by misinformation and disinformation in the digital communication landscape of Nordic nations. It underscores the imperative of concerted efforts at the national, regional, and international levels to protect children's rights and well-being in an increasingly complex digital ecosystem.

Games, Play and Gamification in the Bucharest Metropolitan Library as Seen through Facebook Posts

Paula-Grațiela Cernamoriț — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Games, play and gamification, used in organized public library programs, are ways in which libraries can attract a larger audience, especially those who are not yet interested in reading. In this way, contact with the library would enable them to find out about other resources that these cultural institutions offer, thus encouraging them to become regular patrons of non-game services. This paper aims to find out whether these new ways have been used in activities carried out with the public in the Bucharest Metropolitan Library. Research on games, play and gamification in public libraries is very limited in Romania and it could benefit researchers and librarians alike. A content analysis was done on the posts made on Facebook in 2023 by the Bucharest Metropolitan Library. The findings of the study showed that games, play and gamification were used mostly in thematic activities combined with reading, learning and creative workshops. Collaboration with institutions, associations and other organizations has increased the quality of the services offered. The research is valuable in that it presents activities in which librarians have used games, play and gamification, thus offering ideas for all Romanian librarians who could implement these tools on a larger scale in our public libraries.

Multilingualism and Cultural Diversity among Young People in Tetovo

Lindita Skenderi — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The relevance of educational reforms for the quality learning of foreign languages in higher
education in the Balkan countries, where multilingualism and diversity are increasingly present in
classrooms, is also the purpose of this research, which analyzes the impact of multilingualism on
cultural diversity in the teaching of foreign languages. Having this objective, the research was carried
out with 250 students from different ethnicities who attended foreign language classes. The
questionnaire was composed of the main pedagogical and methodical educational components and
indicators for foreign language teaching in higher education in the Republic of North Macedonia. Based
on that, the questionnaire data indicate the level of acceptance of cultural diversity in learning a foreign
language based on the perception that in this educational environment multilingualism is set as a
standard. The results of the research indicate that multilingualism is the main bridge for getting to know
cultural diversity, but still, as a psycho-social concept, it is not the main motive for easier learning of a
foreign language among students.

From Repeated Discourse to Phraseology

Bogdan-Adrian Judet — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Fixed phrases, titles of literary or artistic works, quotes of an author, maxims, proverbs, “famous words”, preserved in their “canonical” form, or slightly modified, represent repeated discourse. An utterance, as a part of the repeated discourse with the state of architext, is updated according to one of the construction figures summarized in Quintilian’s formula (quadripartita ratio): detractio, adiectio, immutatio, transmutatio. This transformation is explained by the unintelligibility feature of these rules. It is considered that a group of words, which lose their original meaning and which together have a meaning of their own, form a unit. The overall meaning of the formula is different from each of the words that make it up. In terms of “cognition”, this is fixed and less in terms of syntax. Thus, the speakers understand that the use of such an expression is conventional, being something prebuilt that belongs to a previous, external construction, belonging to the repeated discourse, at the opposite pole being what is constructed by enunciation in the breast of free speech technique. Phraseology, a fairly recent discipline in linguistics, with an interdisciplinary feature, delimits this relatively difficult object of study, because there are different opinions of various linguists about the groups of words that constitute phraseological units. The purpose of this article is not to side with a particular linguist, but to highlight as many points of interest as possible regarding the definition of the terms repeated discourse and phraseology.