Masaryk University Journals / Časopisy Masarykovy univerzity
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Old Wine in New Bottles: Hard Euroscepticism in the 2024 European Parliament Elections
No full textThe article addresses the conceptualisation of hard Euroscepticism, which must reflect current crises and challenges facing European integration, such as the war in Ukraine. The conceptualisation of party-based Euroscepticism remains problematic, particularly in delineating a clear boundary between hard and soft variants. Szczerbiak and Taggart’s dichotomous typology is regarded as highly useful, offering two fundamental ideal types. However, its practical application proves more complex. Since Brexit, explicit calls to leave the EU have declined, supplanted by reformist narratives that blur traditional categories. Nonetheless, many political parties maintain fundamental objections to European integration, often concealed by strategic ambiguity. This article argues for the continued – but recontextualised – use of the ideal type of hard Euroscepticism, accounting for contextual and strategic variation and focusing not on the ‘essence’ of each type, but on the trajectory individual parties take in relation to the EU. It offers a theoretical and empirical framework for analysing manifestations of hard Euroscepticism in the 2024 European Parliament elections, drawing on both case studies and broader regional trends
Maximising learners' speaking opportunitiesMaximising learners' speaking opportunitiesMaximising learners' speaking opportunities
No full textPříspěvek se zabývá vybranými faktory s potenciálem kladně ovlivňovat míru využití mluvních příležitostí v cílovém jazyce studenty v rámci výukové jednotky. Pozornost je věnována těm faktorům působícím ve vyučování druhého jazyka, s nimiž může učitel cíleně pracovat v průběhu plánování, výběru, adaptace a tvorby učebních materiálů i v průběhu vyučování. Pojednanými faktory jsou bezpečné prostředí ve vyučování, výběr mluvní aktivity učitelem s využitím informací o potřebách a zájmech studentů tak, aby mluvní aktivitu subjektivně vnímali jako relevantní, dostupnost jazykových prostředků potřebných ke zvládnutí mluvní aktivity, uspořádání třídy, kvalita interakce a využívání pracovního jazyka (negociace a další praktické komunikace při vyučování) jako plnohodnotné komunikační příležitosti. Příspěvek uzavírá náčrt výukových komponent zaměřených na rozvíjení této oblasti jazyka.Příspěvek se zabývá vybranými faktory s potenciálem kladně ovlivňovat míru využití mluvních příležitostí v cílovém jazyce studenty v rámci výukové jednotky. Pozornost je věnována těm faktorům působícím ve vyučování druhého jazyka, s nimiž může učitel cíleně pracovat v průběhu plánování, výběru, adaptace a tvorby učebních materiálů i v průběhu vyučování. Pojednanými faktory jsou bezpečné prostředí ve vyučování, výběr mluvní aktivity učitelem s využitím informací o potřebách a zájmech studentů tak, aby mluvní aktivitu subjektivně vnímali jako relevantní, dostupnost jazykových prostředků potřebných ke zvládnutí mluvní aktivity, uspořádání třídy, kvalita interakce a využívání pracovního jazyka (negociace a další praktické komunikace při vyučování) jako plnohodnotné komunikační příležitosti. Příspěvek uzavírá náčrt výukových komponent zaměřených na rozvíjení této oblasti jazyka.Příspěvek se zabývá vybranými faktory s potenciálem kladně ovlivňovat míru využití mluvních příležitostí v cílovém jazyce studenty v rámci výukové jednotky. Pozornost je věnována těm faktorům působícím ve vyučování druhého jazyka, s nimiž může učitel cíleně pracovat v průběhu plánování, výběru, adaptace a tvorby učebních materiálů i v průběhu vyučování. Pojednanými faktory jsou bezpečné prostředí ve vyučování, výběr mluvní aktivity učitelem s využitím informací o potřebách a zájmech studentů tak, aby mluvní aktivitu subjektivně vnímali jako relevantní, dostupnost jazykových prostředků potřebných ke zvládnutí mluvní aktivity, uspořádání třídy, kvalita interakce a využívání pracovního jazyka (negociace a další praktické komunikace při vyučování) jako plnohodnotné komunikační příležitosti. Příspěvek uzavírá náčrt výukových komponent zaměřených na rozvíjení této oblasti jazyka.The article focuses on some of the factors affecting the degree to which students exploit speaking opportunities in a second-language class: Those which can be affected by the teacher at the choosing or adapting materials stage, lesson planning and then teaching. These are: a safe class environment, the perceived relevance of a task, availability of necessary language features needed for the completion of the task, the composition of the task, classroom setup, the quality of interaction and the perception of “work language” (the language of practical class interaction) as a source of valuable communication opportunity
Factivity-assertivity-alternation(s) in German and Polish
No full textThis paper discusses the role of the reportative subjunctive in the factivity-assertivity-alternation in German and Polish. It contributes to research stating that factivity is not an inherent feature of a predicate but an effect of structural configurations. We show that cognitive and emotive factives can have both a factive and a non-factive interpretation, depending on the syntactic frame they appear in. Factive meanings arise when an embedded indicative clause is introduced by the complementizer dass in German and że in Polish. In German, the presence of a complementizer forces an embedded verb to appear head-final. In Polish, there is no such restriction. German additionally allows for the complementizer-less verb-second subordinate clauses, but only with matrix communication verbs. In this case, an embedded proposition functions as an independent (mediated or shifted) assertion. Our crucial point is that this V2-order is acceptable with factive verbs like regret, be happy, remember, find out, etc. if an embedded verb is marked for the reportative subjunctive. What happens then is that the factive matrix verb is reinterpreted as a verb of communication. In Polish, the complementizer-alternation fulfills the same function. If the subordinate clause is being introduced by jakoby instead of że, the embedded proposition expresses an assertion, towards which a matrix subject has a cognitive or an emotional attitude (stating to have found out, expressing with regret, etc.). Crucially, in both German and Polish, subjunctive clauses, in contrast to indicative clauses, cannot be coreferent with a proform. This indicates that the former, in contrast to the latter, are born as reports, and that the latter, in contrast to the former, have a nouny origin. The goal of this paper is to describe the factivity-assertivity-alternation in German and Polish and to present an outline of a theoretical explanation
(Anti-)resultativity, exhaustivity and answerhood : a novel analysis of Mandarin Chinese perfective -le and -guo
No full textThis paper provides a novel analysis of the Mandarin Chinese perfective particles -le and -guo, based on observations regarding their ability to obtain the resultative reading and the exhaustivity inference in certain question-answer pairs. I argue that these differences follow from the different at-issue contents these two particles allow. While -le allows various constituents in the sentence to at-issue, the at-issue content of a -guomarked sentence is always the existence/instantiation of the event. The study concludes by examining cross-linguistic patterns in tense-aspectual constructions and discusses potential implications for understanding similar distinctions in other languages
Brutalist theatrical procedures of Sarah Kane, Anja Hilling, Simona Semenič, and Milena Marković
No full textThe essay examines three cases of brutalist procedures in contemporary theatre and drama, focusing on artists' inventive responses to war, violence, and subsequent deaths happening around the world. Sarah Kane's in-yer-face theatre, marked by hypertrophied violence and symbolic dynamism, is compared with selected plays by German playwright Anja Hilling (Black Beast Sorrow), Slovene playwright and dramaturge Simona Semenič (the feast; we, the european corpses), and Serbian poet and playwright Milena Marković (Pavilions; The Doll Ship). The essay explores how these artists challenge theatrical representation and create, through heterogeneous textual and visual strategies, a 'theatre of unbelief' (Deleuze), reframing Kane's brutalism for post-socialist European contexts
A brand "born from water" : storytelling strategies and sustainability narratives in the construction of Biotherm's brand identity
No full textWith the rise of the so-called 'blue beauty', many beauty brands have had to adapt to the need to promote narrations and self-narrations that align with the urgency to care for the environment and minimize their impact on ocean health. Among the brands that prominently position themselves as environmentally friendly and ocean-conscious stands Biotherm. Drawing on a theoretical framework of Corporate Storytelling and employing a social semiotic approach to Multimodality, this article aims at analyzing how Biotherm communicates its corporate social responsibility (CSR), leveraging sustainability issues in its Blue Report, a free-toconsult, multimodal document, accessible on the company's website. In particular, the article addresses the interplay between verbal and non-verbal modes in constructing and disseminating Biotherm's brand narrations throughout the Blue Report. By means of multimodal analyses of selected double-spreads from the Blue Report and drawing on Alexandra Georgakopoulou's work on 'small stories' (2007, 2020, 2023), the article shows how 'grand', formal narratives about the company's CSR merge with 'small', semi-formal narratives in the verbal mode. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the extent to which non-verbal modes crucially facilitate the connection between 'grand' and 'small' narratives, enabling the brand to build (and disseminate) its reputation and foster stakeholder engagement around eco-themes like sustainability and the preservation of ocean health
Out of the prisonhouse : British radical feminist theatre and Sarah Daniels' Ripen Our Darkness and Masterpieces
No full textThe present article concentrates on British radical feminist drama, particularly on Ripen Our Darkness (1981) and Masterpieces (1983) by Sarah Daniels, the British feminist playwright, and aims to suggest that radical feminist theatre responds to the call of the French literary critic Hélène Cixous for writing specifically by and for women. The article studies the influence of radical feminist theory on radical feminist theatre in Britain and explores new forms and styles which enable radical feminist playwrights, and Sarah Daniels in particular, to re-examine and fragment classic realism. The analysis of the two plays, which achieved mainstream success and which Daniels wrote at the beginning of her career, aims to propose that the theatrical style corresponds with the character of the plays as Daniels supports the radical feminist debate by subversive and innovative theatrical strategies which complement the feminist character of her work
Becoming a Facilitator for Dialogic Teaching: Building Trust and Joy in Confronting Ideas as a Basis for Learning
No full textTeachers' professional learning is a complex process that requires active participation and a willingness to transform teaching practices. In dialogic teaching, as in other teaching approaches, successful professional development programs are characterized by being well organized and structured in close collaboration with teachers. However, knowledge about the role of the facilitators who lead and implement these activities remains scarce. This single-case study investigates how a novice facilitator without dialogic teaching experience reconstructed her own experience and learning after conducting three versions of a teacher development program with Chilean primary school teachers to become a skilled dialogic facilitator. The study findings reveal the sources of knowledge and experience that this novice facilitator used to cope with her role, some of which were consistent with dialogic pedagogy, such as a genuine interest in promoting thoughtful development through the exchange of ideas, and an emphasis on creating trusting environments in which ideas can be freely shared and explored. These results show how a combination of disciplinary knowledge and socio-affective dimensions in learning and teaching were used to build a kind of new identity: "dialogic teaching facilitator." The importance of these characteristics for a facilitator is discussed, as is the contribution of narrative techniques to deepen the knowledge of dialogic teaching from the facilitator's perspective.Teachers' professional learning is a complex process that requires active participation and a willingness to transform teaching practices. In dialogic teaching, as in other teaching approaches, successful professional development programs are characterized by being well organized and structured in close collaboration with teachers. However, knowledge about the role of the facilitators who lead and implement these activities remains scarce. This single-case study investigates how a novice facilitator without dialogic teaching experience reconstructed her own experience and learning after conducting three versions of a teacher development program with Chilean primary school teachers to become a skilled dialogic facilitator. The study findings reveal the sources of knowledge and experience that this novice facilitator used to cope with her role, some of which were consistent with dialogic pedagogy, such as a genuine interest in promoting thoughtful development through the exchange of ideas, and an emphasis on creating trusting environments in which ideas can be freely shared and explored. These results show how a combination of disciplinary knowledge and socio-affective dimensions in learning and teaching were used to build a kind of new identity: "dialogic teaching facilitator." The importance of these characteristics for a facilitator is discussed, as is the contribution of narrative techniques to deepen the knowledge of dialogic teaching from the facilitator's perspective