Sustainability has become a central theme in contemporary fashion branding, yet the ways in which companies articulate their commitments can vary significantly. This study examines how French ethical fashion brands construct their discourse on sustainability through linguistic choices, focusing on terminology, conceptual associations, and emotional framing. Using a lexicometric approach, we analyze a corpus of brand communications through word frequency analysis, co-occurrence heatmaps, and sentiment analysis. The findings reveal that sustainability discourse is structured around key themes such as materials, transparency, and cultural identity, with a strong emphasis on traceability and responsible production. Despite expectations of aspirational messaging, neutral sentiment dominates, suggesting a preference for factual, credibility-driven communication over overt emotional appeal. The study also highlights how labels and certifications play a pivotal role in reinforcing sustainability claims, though they may also serve as marketing tools rather than verifiable indicators of corporate responsibility. Additionally, the absence of key terms like “upcycling” suggests that linguistic choices shape how sustainability practices are framed and understood within the French ethical fashion industry. These insights contribute to a broader discussion on how sustainability is communicated in fashion branding and raise questions about whether changing geopolitical dynamics and increasing environmental awareness will influence the evolution of these narratives in the future.
Abstract This qualitative study aims to investigate the mediation strategies employed by teachers who participated in a professional development (PD) course, focusing on the teaching of Grade 9 linear equations. Within the context of the PD course, teachers engaged with various pedagogical approaches for teaching linear equations and other secondary school mathematical concepts. A critical issue exists in South Africa, where many under-resourced schools are required to adhere to scripted lesson plans (SLPs), raising the important question of the quality and relevance of the examples and tasks related to linear equations contained within these SLPs. In this paper, we utilise the framework of Mathematics Discourse in Instruction to conduct a detailed analysis of lessons from three participating teachers, specifically examining their approach to teaching Grade 9 linear equations. The findings reveal that the participating teachers’ mathematical discourse, while supported by Annual Teaching Plan examples that aid progression in linear equations, often emphasised routine procedures. This highlights the need for adaptations—such as varied variables, error analysis, and open-ended questions—to foster deeper conceptual understanding, richer peer interaction, and more meaningful learner engagement.
The study presents linguistic description of the dynamics of Internet discourse. Nowadays, Internet discourse is not only individual speech practice, but also global communication. Linguists are naturally interested in the issues of the Internet, studies devoted to the emergence and consolidation of the corresponding linguistic means, including ones used in the Russian language, are certainly relevant. In this regard, practically relevant tasks are to consider the sufficiency of modern Russian vocabulary in the context of Internet communication and to identify its corresponding potential for further development of the Russian lexicography. The aim of this study is to analyze the lexicographic reflection of linguistic units associated with the Internet and the trends in their dictionary representation under modern conditions. The empirical possibilities of both this study and linguistic papers devoted to IT issues in general are provided by statistically significant data of modern discourse, in particular, data available through corpus methods and Internet search. To achieve the goal of the study, the representative material available in Russian National Corpus was used. In accordance with the topic of the study, the analysis was focused on the dictionaries of the Russian language: the ones interpreting it, for example, the “Modern Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language” edited by T.F. Efremova, and the ones regulating real speech practice, for example, the “Russian Spelling Dictionary’ edited by V.V. Lopatin and O.E. Ivanova. The study used a set of analytical methods, including discourse analysis, component analysis, as well as synthesis, modeling, comparison, and other general scientific and linguistic methods. In general, the authors conclude that the Russian Internet discourse is highly dynamic. At the same time, the model of the ongoing changes shows that lexicographic sources reflect the dynamics of the language incompletely and selectively. The results obtained can be used in organizing scientific support for the modern Russian communication, optimizing lexicographic work, and studying a wide range of theoretical and practical issues of linguistics.
Slavic languages. Baltic languages. Albanian languages
OBJECTIVES This cross-national comparative study was conducted to analyze the differences in physical activity-focused policies for older adults among South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. METHODS The study examined elderly health promotion and physical activity–related legislation in each country through a review of policy documents and official reports issued by public institutions, as well as prior academic literature. A dual-framework approach was employed that integrates comparative policy analysis and framing analysis. In the comparative policy analysis, policies were assessed across six structural dimensions: policy objectives, implementing bodies, financial structure, program components, target populations, and evaluation methods. In the framing analysis, three discursive elements were investigated: how aging-related problems are defined, how policy tools are legitimized, and how perceptions of older adults are constructed within each country’s policy discourse. RESULTS While all four countries aim to extend healthy life expectancy, their policy designs and governance structures differ markedly. South Korea’s centralized approach revealed weak inter-ministerial coordination and regional disparities, along with a tendency to frame older adults as passive welfare recipients. The United States applies federal evidence-based guidelines through multilevel governance involving states and private actors, emphasizing voluntary participation. The United Kingdom promotes emotional well-being and social integration through collaborative efforts between government and community organizations. Japan adopts a scientific and preventive model focused on community sustainability, recognizing older adults as active contributors. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that South Korea should reinforce evidence-based and preventive strategies, empower local-level governance, and reframe its perception of older adults as autonomous participants rather than dependent recipients. These shifts are vital to building sustainable and inclusive elderly health promotion policies in the era of super-aged societies.
Abstract This study examines the discourse features of ChatGPT-generated IELTS Writing Task 2 essays, with a focus on the specific characteristics associated with band descriptors for scores of 6 and 7.Utilizing discourse and content analyses approaches, the studyexamines coherence, cohesion, argument structure, and lexical resource to understand the discourse characteristics indicative of different proficiency levels. Findings reveal that band 6 essays exhibit basic coherence with abrupt transitions and limited use of cohesive devices which result in a more linear argument structure and simpler lexical choices. Conversely, band 7 essays demonstrate a clearer progression of ideas, enhanced cohesion through varied cohesive devices, and a more complex argument structure that effectively integrates counterarguments and depth of analysis. These discourse patterns underscore the potential for AI-generated texts to model proficiency levels in writing and serve as pedagogical tools to improve learner outcomes. By highlighting the discourse elements critical to achieving higher band scores, this study contributes valuable insights into AI’s role in supporting language learning and academic writing proficiency.
The aim of this paper is to contextualize briefly the emergence and development of Bitcoin as well as to offer an anthropological analysis of one such "algorithmic utopia" known as Bitcoin. Bitcoin was officially "born" in 2009. Its foundation was laid by the so-called white paper titled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System" (2008), authored by Satoshi Nakamoto, a pseudonym for an individual or a group of individuals. In essence, the intention of its creator (or creators) was to solve the technical problem of so-called double-spending of money, aiming to avoid reliance on a third party or institution (such as a bank) and the consequent loss of privacy for its users, with the help of an algorithm called blockchain. Although Bitcoin can be viewed in continuity with movements such as crypto-anarchism and cypherpunk, whose roots trace back to the 1980s of the twentieth century, and although it is not the first cryptocurrency nor the first alternative to fiat money, Bitcoin is indeed the first cryptocurrency to have attracted broader attention in both public and academic discourse. This paper will shed light on the context in which Bitcoin was born and popularized, and will endeavor to defend the assumption that the popular imagination behind the Bitcoin currency is technoutopian. Finally, this paper will seek to demonstrate that the algorithm at the very core of Bitcoin is perceived not only as the fulfillment of an Enlightenment dream of a method itself as a non-cultural and supra-historical guarantor of objectivity (as the one) removed from politics, economy and ideology but also as a democratization method applicable to them all. Apart from the mentioned above, the paper concludes that Bitcoin is seen as the fulfillment of a modernist dream of efficient, formal, predictable, depersonalized bureaucracies in the context of the diminished legitimacy of centralized, hierarchically structured, sluggish, fallible, and abuse-prone economic and state institutions. The focus of trust shifts to technology: to an algorithm seen as self-regulating, efficient, free from ideology, subjective interests, and potential abuse, almost divinely infallible, decentralized, and democratic system that provides a group of individuals not only with the necessary tools to achieve their freedom and privacy, deprived from control and regulations, but also as a tool for reforming the political and economic system.
Questo contributo ha l’obiettivo di presentare un’analisi qualitativa condotta su un corpus di 48 testi giornalistici, raccolti da quotidiani italiani (n = 24) e giornali e/o portali web per cinesi d’oltremare residenti in Italia (n = 24). Il focus principale dell’analisi riguarda l’impatto della pandemia da COVID-19 sulle vite dei cinesi e dei sinodiscendenti in Italia. Il framework metodologico dello studio assume una connotazione triplice. Innanzitutto viene enfatizzato un approccio misto, che mette in relazione la Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2006) e la Qualitative Content Analysis (Ji & Eun, 2014). Lo strumento usato per mettere in pratica tale approccio è il software multifunzionale Nvivo 11, un programma che finora è stato adoperato in diversi settori della conoscenza, come la sociologia, la psicologia e l’etnografia (Pacifico & Coppola, 2010). Infine, per quanto riguarda il processo di etichettatura dei nodi concettuali codificati attraverso Nvivo, un’ulteriore prospettiva è stata presa in considerazione, ovvero quella dei Chinese Discourse Studies (Shi-xu, 2014). I risultati dell'analisi contribuiscono ad interpretare, da varie angolature, diversi aspetti dell'impatto del Covid-19 sulla vita di cinesi e sinodiscendenti in italia.
In order to demonstrate the benefits of an anthropological approach to literary studies, this paper begins with introducing ethnocritique as a paradigm combining formal analysis and an awareness of the cultural components of texts. It then shifts to evaluate the faculty of ethnocritique to account for literature considered as discourse. Eventually, studying a short story by Maupassant (Saint-Antoine, 1883), it highlights how ethnocritique, integrated within the frame of discourse analysis, can unveil discursive activities, such as the mode of relation between reader and text, and, beyond, the efforts of positioning of the author in the literary field.
The article presents the results of three linguistic associative experiments. The purpose of this research is to determine the influence of specific linguistic units – phonetic nonce words (occasionalisms) – on the perception of modern Ukrainian poetical discourse by addressees (readers). As stimuli for linguistic analysis of phonetic occasional units in modern Ukrainian poetical discourse used the most frequent phonetic nonce words in their graphic actualization (total 16 different stimuli). The three experimentally groups of respondents include 105 students of three Poltava high schools. A result of these experiments are 1684 reactions, among which 1146 (68%) – positive, 300 (18%) – negative, 238 (14%) – neutral. The lowest per cent of neutral reactions is motivated because phonetic nonce words are power intensifiers for the expressiveness of sound background in poetical discourse. The phonetic nonce words positively influence the perception of modern verbal discourse by addressees. The special role in decoding of sound information belongs to acoustic-articulator characteristics of vowels and consonants.
Following a critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach, the present study reports on the analysis of 49 texts from the Hellenic Parliament Proceedings, where the term λαθρομετανάστης “illegal migrant” is used. The texts under scrutiny date back to 2015 (i. e., the year the migration crisis reached its peak) and reveal the recontextualized use of this term, which is identified with the hegemonic national-racist discourse of the 1990s perceiving migrants as criminals. Since the 1990s, the term has been stigmatized by political correctness as racist and inaccurate. We consider political correctness as a type of corrective practice, since it detects naturalized language uses reproducing stereotypes and power relationships. We will examine how the re-emergence of the older, racist use of the term in question as a reaction against the guidelines of political correctness is anew connected with national-xenophobic discourse and, in particular, with framing migrants as invaders and a national threat. Overall, tracing the semantic trajectory of the term λαθρομετανάστης “illegal migrant” allows us to explore how language use at the micro-level is dialectically connected with discourses at the macro-level.
Aim:The causes of the syringomyelia in Chiari are not certainly defined. We have done morphometric analyses which can be useful to understand natural course and causes which increase the surgery requirement of patients.Methods:Eighty nine patients (operated) and 41 patients (non-operated) were included the study. Investigations were done as randomized. Accompanying syringomyelia, area of foramen magnum, herniated tonsil volume and clivo-dental angle were compared between operated and control groups.Results:Syringomyelia was seen in 50%. The mean values of FMA were 765.2±119.5 mm2. The mean value of critical discourse analysis (CDA) was 139.5±10.6°. Mean of the hydrophobicity (HTV) were found to be 54.5±24.1 mm3. The mean of age was 27±11.1, FMA was 876.5±131.9 mm2, CDA was 141.1±10.2° and HTV was 57.6±20.7 mm3 in the patients with syringomyelia. The mean of age was 33.9±12, FMA was 704.3±99.6 mm2, CDA was 137,8±10,8° and HTV was 51,4±26,8 mm3 in the patients who had not syringomyelia.Conclusion:Younger age, larger FMA and CDA increase the HTV and the rate of accompanying syringomyelia. As a result, the need for surgery increases. We think that it may be beneficial to consider these parameters in patients who are evaluated for surgery.
Discourse analysis is a branch of study that encompasses a variety of varied, primarily qualitative methods to the investigation of the interactions that exist between language in use and the social environment. Language is often viewed by researchers in the subject as a sort of social practice that has an impact on the social world and vice versa. Many contemporary kinds of discourse analysis have been overtly or indirectly informed by Michel Foucault's theories of power, knowledge, and discourse, which are discussed below. As a result of Foucault's work, there has been an increased interest in investigating the role that language plays in the formation and maintenance of certain knowledge and the maintenance of inequitable power relations. In order to undertake discourse analyses, human geographers often draw on one of three major schools of discourse analysis: Foucauldian discourse analysis (FDA), critical discourse analysis (CDA), or Gramscian techniques. There are several theoretical and methodological distinctions between these approaches. While different approaches have different strengths and weaknesses, they all provide researchers with an effective means of investigating and exposing semiotic features of power relations in specific sociospatial contexts. While there are no set procedures for these techniques, researchers have recognized certain essential investigative strategies that can be used to inform the performance of any type of discourse analysis project. These strategies are included below. A brief history of Critical Discourse Analysis is offered, along with a full examination of the numerous criticisms levied at CDA and its practitioners over the previous two decades, both by scholars working within the "critical" paradigm and by other critical critics. Reader response and integration of contextual aspects are discussed, as well as a range of objections directed at the underlying premises and analytical technique. Additionally, there is discussion of contentious issues, such as the negative focus of much CDA work and CDA's developing standing as a "intellectual orthodoxy" They highlight the major criticisms that have emerged from this overview and provide some ways to overcome these shortcomings.
Carolina da Costa Pires, Mariana Leal Rodrigues, Jane de Carlos Santana Capelli
et al.
Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate nutritional care and dietary practices, from the perspective of overweight pregnant women receiving primary health care in the town of Macaé, Rio de Janeiro state. Methods: This is a qualitative research study, based on the interpretive paradigm. In-depth interviews were conducted, and the data underwent thematic content analysis, adapted from Bardin. Twelve overweight pregnant women, over 20 years old, living in Macaé-RJ, were interviewed. Results: The study found the establishment of vertical relationships between the health worker-patient, discontinued nutritional care and non-adherence to dietary guidelines by some participants. There was greater acceptance of excessive gestational weight gain and the adoption of ambiguous eating practices, permeated both by the excessive intake of food and by the withdrawal of foods considered to be “bad and/or junk”. The vertical discourse of health workers, which is often authoritarian, and the nullification of women as an active subject in the construction of care, were implicitly reported in the narratives. Conclusion: Naturalization of gestational excess weight, conceptions built in the social imaginary such as “eating for two” and “cravings” during pregnancy, the set of eating practices in this period and family support are relevant elements to be considered by health teams for the organization of nutritional care.
Extended Abstract Abstract This study aimed to critically examine university management in achieving top global rankings, using a qualitative-research approach with Ruth Wodak’s method of critical discourse analysis. Participants included 16 experts and senior officials from the Institute for Higher Education Research and Planning, University of Tehran, Eco Insurance Higher Education Institute, Alameh Tabatabae University and Technical and Vocational University whom were selected via snowball sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were applied to collect data based on theoretical saturation which were lasting between 30 and 60 minutes. For data validation both participants review (member check) and review by external experts (external check) were applied.Thematic analysis and spoken texts analysis methods were used to analyze data. The results showed that university management problems in Iran are associated with two factors: Intrapersonal Factors (extreme politicization of university managers, disregard for delegating authority and trying to maintain the status quo, assuming academic management the same as managing other organizations, inappropriate decision making and planning); and Interpersonal Factors (defective monitoring and evaluation system, inappropriate organizing and coordination). In this regard, some strategies are presented to improve the global ranking of Iranian universities. Introduction Considering the importance of university managers’ role in improving the quality of higher education centers as well as the low ranking of Iranian universities in most international standard evaluation systems, it is necessary to study and critically examine university managers in the process of university management and leadership, and to find the reasons for Iranian universities being dropped behind other universities in the world in the above-mentioned rankings. The results of this study can help higher education managers and policy makers in decision making and strategic planning to enhance the quality of Iranian universities and compete with other universities worldwide while joining the global village to employ international knowledge and gain higher international rankings. Case Study Participants included 16 experts and senior officials from the Institute for Higher Education Research and Planning, University of Tehran, Eco Insurance Higher Education Institute, Alameh Tabatabae University and Technical and Vocational University whom were selected via snowball sampling method. Materials and Methods This study used a qualitative approach and a critical interpretive paradigm. According to this paradigm, hidden structures that cause inequality and provide solutions to change can be identified through research (Mohammadpour, 2013). According to the discourse analysis approach, the practical method of collecting data in this study involved reviewing notes taken from related lectures and analyzing interviews. Analysis methods in the CDA included thematic analysis, written text analysis, and spoken text analysis, all three types of which were used in the present study. Results The results showed that university management problems in Iran are associated with two factors: Intrapersonal Factors (extreme politicization of university managers, disregard for delegating authority and trying to maintain the status quo, assuming academic management the same as managing other organizations, inappropriate decision making and planning); and Interpersonal Factors (defective monitoring and evaluation system, inappropriate organizing and coordination). In this regard, some strategies are presented to improve the global ranking of Iranian universities. Discussion and conclusion Inappropriate academic management in various areas of decision making, evaluation, and leadership is one of the factors that have been implicated in numerous research studies in lowering university rankings. Jaroka (2015) believes that university rankings help manage these centers and are important in building and securing credit. In addition, as a platform in the field of strategic management, it assists the university in policy and strategy regulation. The effectiveness of a particular management policy can also be assessed using rankings. However, given the fact that the set of activities and their respective performances are represented by rankings, they are direct reflections of the quality of academic centers. Obviously, in addition to harm reduction, eliminating the problems and challenges of university management, and opening new windows to enhance Iran's higher education status, the strategies of this article can be used as a reliable platform to hopefully eventually improve Iranian universities international rankings.
Political institutions and public administration (General)
The purpose of the article is to carry out a reflection on the subject of reception of ancient Egyptian ritual dances in the research field of national choreology and to identify the artistic and stylistic peculiarities of their performance. Methodology. Reflexive analysis has been used to determine in certain types of ancient Egyptian ritual dances of some stable attributes of their existence, the hermeneutic method allows an attempt to interpret the latter taking into account the religious and mythological worldview of the ancient Egyptians, historical makes it possible to comprehend the formation and functioning of ritual dances against the background of cultural and historical development of the Ancient Egypt. Scientific novelty. For the first time in the domestic art criticism, an attempt was made to study ancient Egyptian ritual dances and it is based on the analysis of head-sab (Pharaoh’s run), “underfoot”, “Eternity Feast” and dances in honor of the goddess Hathor to reveal their artistic and stylistic features. Conclusions. Ancient Egyptian ritual dances were formed under the influence and in the context of the formation of religious and mythological beliefs, which are based on the requiem cult and deification of the pharaoh’s power throughout the history of ancient Egypt. They begin to take shape even in the pre-dynastic period, acquiring specific features in a particular the cosmogonic concept. The compositional decision and the rational organization of ritual dances corresponded to established canonical principles, meaningful within the limits of the dominant “theological discourse” (J. Assman). Created in time and space with the help of such attributes as posture, jump, movement, gesture, step, rhythm, plasticity, ancient Egyptian ritual dances in their religious form were intense spiritual work and the Egyptians spiritual creativity, and in artistic form they represented an organically-syncretic unity of perfect dance forms, among which are the “dance of the stars” performed by the priests, the “feast of Eternity”, dances head-sab (Pharaoh’s run) and “underfoot”, dances in honor of the goddess Hathor.
Liza Halimatul Humairah, Agustina Agustina, Ngusman Abdul Manaf
Abstract: The Ideology of Secularism in the Public Comment on the Discourse of DKI Jakarta Pilkada on Social Media. This study aims to determine the realization of secularism in the public comment text on the DKI Jakarta Pilkada news discourse on social media in terms of vocabulary and sentence structure. This study uses a qualitative-descriptive approach and content analysis method based on Norman Fairclough's theory of critical discourse. The results of the study show that the ideology of secularism is realized: (1) using words that are not related to religion such as the words smart, objective, rational, not, real work etc. which is associated with context; (2) active sentences, with the aim of further highlighting the actors and objects of events; and (3) passive sentences, with the aim of further highlighting the target and hiding the perpetrator. Ideology in discourse can be expressed through vocabulary choices and sentence structure in text through critical discourse analysis, both in mass media texts, and in individual texts (comments) on social media.