This study draws on Relevance Theory (Sperber and Wilson, 1986/1995), Conversation Analysis (Sacks et al., 1974), and Politeness Theory (Brown and Levinson, 1987) in investigating a full range of discourse functions for hao and dui with reference to recurrent patterns, distributions, and forms of organization in a large corpus of talk. Special emphasis is placed on a comparison of hao and dui in combination with a small subset of discourse particles: in particular hao/hao le/ hao la/hao a/hao ba and dui/dui a/dui le in spoken discourse. We find that both of the markers signal special sequential relatedness in talk and carry information which is relevant in determining the boundaries of conversational exchange. However, in interaction hao is used for expressing acceptance of the other speaker’s move or act, whereas dui conveys acknowledgment of the propositional content of the utterance produced by the other speaker.
The study reported here, building on the research methods of Conversation Analysis (Sacks et al., 1974), Politeness Theory (Brown and Levinson, 1987), and Relevance Theory (Sperber and Wilson, 1986/1995), attempts to examine the distribution of Mandarin qishi ('actually') and shishishang ('in fact') across two different discourse modes in formal speech settings: formal lectures and TV panel news discussions. The results indicate that qishi is prevalent in TV panel news discussion data, which fall into the interactional mode, whereas shishishang is more prevalent in formal speech at UNIV OF CONNECTICUT on May 30, 2015 dis.sagepub.com Downloaded from 236 Discourse Studies 13 (2) data, which fall into the transactional mode. The study shows that in interaction, qishi is addresseeoriented and signals alignment (agreement) or divergence (disagreement), whereas shishishang is message-oriented and asserts a proposition with a tone of certainty. In addition, the study suggests that although the literal meanings of qishi ('it's fact') and shishishang ('in the aspect of fact'), which are concerned with factuality, are seemingly unrelated to emotive expressivity, they offer a rhetorical strategy for expressing the speaker's attitudinal position, and can both serve to indicate the speaker's epistemic inference.
Mazes are fun. Their appeal stems from their simplicity, their relevance to everyday problem solving, and their beauty. This article will give a simple algorithm by which interesting random mazes can be generated.
This study systematically reviewed enhanced employability and language competency in the context of international hospitality internships. A multi-method research design was applied to analyze the perceptions of student interns and industry practitioners. Research methods included a questionnaire, interviews with practitioners, and focus group meetings with students. The quantitative techniques used were importance-performance analysis (IPA) and stepwise regression analysis, and the qualitative approach used was thematic analysis. Results showed that both groups’ perceptions of employability were closely aligned, though gaps existed regarding perceptions of language competency: practitioners felt interns should improve language competency to strengthen employability; conversely, students perceived their language competency as adequate and emphasized their progress. The analysis also indicated that stress management skills and innovation capabilities significantly impacted students’ willingness to remain in the industry. Educators are advised to make joint efforts with hospitality practitioners to help students in improving language competency, communication abilities, and professional knowledge, with the aim of increasing retention rates; as for students, they are advised to partake in language practice that is more interactive and grounded in contextually-relevant content, in order to enhance their professional knowledge and competencies, and to aid them in better navigating the international workplace.
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