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Variational metapragmatics in South Asian Englishes: a corpus-based study of apology in newspaper writing
No full textVariational metapragmatics—the study of how speakers talk or write about pragmatic actions and how they use their metapragmatic awareness to manipulate language perception across varieties of English as reported by Culpeper and Haugh (Pragmatics and the English language, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke 2014) (Schneider in J Pragm 179:12–18, 2021)—has recently sparked attention amongst linguistic scholars. Yet, despite notable exceptions (Schoppa in Corpus Pragmat 6:63–88, 2022; J Pragm 237:30–41, 2025) studies into postcolonial varieties of English are still sparse. As a result, metapragmatic realizations of apologies in South Asian Englishes—in general and in written genres such as newspaper writing in specific—remain underexplored. This paper fills that gap by investigating apology framing in four South Asian Englishes—Bangladeshi English (BdE), Indian English (IndE), Pakistani English (PkE) and Nepali English (NpE)—using the South Asian Varieties of English 2020 (SAVE2020) newspaper corpus (Bernaisch et al. in ICAME J 45(1):5–32, 2021). This study employs a random forest (Breiman in Mach Learn 45(1):5–32, 2001) including both structural (e.g. wordclass) and sociobiographic (e.g. variety, gender) predictors to model adherence to the pragmatic maxims of modesty and approbation as reported by Leech (Principles of pragmatics, Longman, London, 1983). Our results, amongst others, identify the interaction between variety and wordform as the most influential predictor: The findings demonstrate that South Asian Englishes exhibit their own pragmatic systems, even in presumably highly standardised genres. By applying a multifactorial, corpus-based approach to newspaper data, this study advances variational metapragmatics in terms of writers’ report on apologies and underlines the value of empirical methods for uncovering subtle interaction effects in world Englishes
How to use generative artificial intelligence in the research process: a modular course approach for early career researchers
No full textThe integration of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools into academic research workflows presents both promise and complexity — particularly for early career researchers (ECRs), who often lack structured guidance on responsible use. This study addresses this gap by designing and evaluating a modular course that supports ECRs in applying GAI systematically and appropriately across key stages of the research process, including literature exploration, hypothesis development, and academic writing. Drawing on the Design Science Research (DSR) Methodology, the course was iteratively developed and assessed through expert interviews and pre- and post-surveys with participants. Expert feedback suggests refinements to pacing and engagement. Quantitative findings indicate increased confidence and frequency of GAI use, especially for literature discovery and scholarly communication. This work contributes to DSR by offering a grounded course concept and actionable guidelines, aimed at advancing GAI literacy in ECRs’ scholarly work, supporting the transparent, responsible integration of GAI into research practice
Il rapporto reciproco tra "grazia esterna" e "grazia interna": riflessioni sulle tracce di Leo Scheffczyk
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Treatment of large chondral lesions with an autologous minced cartilage technique and synovial flap leads to superior results compared to matrix associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation technique after 24 months: a controlled clinical trial
No full textPurpose: Treating large cartilage lesions in the knee remains a challenge. While matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) is the gold standard for medium to large lesions, the minced cartilage technique has shown promise in smaller defects. Enhancing this technique with biomaterials has been suggested for larger lesions, but its effectiveness remains unclear due to limited data. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of the minced cartilage technique with autologous synovial flap coverage in large knee cartilage lesions and compare the results with MACI.
Methods: Twenty patients with large Grade III-IV cartilage defects (>6 cm²) at the knee were included. Ten patients underwent the autologous minced cartilage procedure (AutoCart™) with synovial flap (Group A), and ten received the MACI procedure (Group B). Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Tegner score, visual analog scale (VAS), the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) forms, and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). MRI evaluations were performed using the MOCART 2.0 score before surgery and 24 months postoperatively.
Results: Clinical scores significantly improved in Group A after surgery, while Group B showed improvement only in the VAS, pain, and sports/recreation levels. Postoperative MRI revealed similar results between groups, with Group A showing significantly better cartilage defect volume fill and fewer subchondral changes compared to Group B (p < 0.05). The mean MOCART 2.0 score at the final follow-up was 76.0 ± 15.4 for Group A and 65.6 ± 17.6 for Group B, though without statistical significance.
Conclusion: The study suggests that the all-autologous minced cartilage technique with synovial flap is an effective treatment for large chondral lesions, yielding outcomes similar to or better compared to the MACI technique.
Level of evidence: Level III
