2,794 research outputs found
Dr. Aleksandra Sznajder Lee – Faculty Author Interview
No full textDr. Aleksandra Sznajder Lee, Associate Professor of Political Science, discusses her new book, Transnational Capitalism in East Central Europe’s Heavy Industry, published recently by the University of Michigan Press. Focusing on the steel industry during the post-communist transition from 1989 through 2009, Dr. Sznajder Lee traces the transformation of flagship state enterprises in the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia into the subsidiaries of large, international corporations
Acculturation Strategy and its Influence on the use of Rhoticity by Polish Adult Immigrants to Wales
Full text linkMigration to a foreign country can be a complex process involving the adjustment to a new culture and the acquisition of a second language (L2). Acculturation, the process by which an individual integrates their native values and behaviours with those of the host culture, is an integral part of this process. It has been suggested that the choice of acculturation strategy can either facilitate or hinder L2 acquisition (Schumann, 1986; Berry, 1997). Pronunciation is a vital aspect of L2 proficiency and is often seen as mediating an individual's identity in the host culture (Piske et al., 2001). This study focuses on the pronunciation patterns of ten adult Polish immigrants living in Welshpool, Wales, and attempts to examine the potential relationship between a chosen acculturation strategy (adaptation or preservation) and the use of rhoticity in English. Rhoticity, a salient feature of British English pronunciation that varies in use and quality depending on the region (Wells, 1982), has been previously studied in relation to the use of rhoticity by Polish speakers (Jaworski, 2010; Jaworski & Gillian, 2011; Stolarski, 2013, 2015; Zając, 2016; Rojczyk & Zając, 2017; Matysiak, 2020), with a notable emphasis on the use of taps in intervocalic and post-vocalic positions. The present study found some inconsistencies in the use of rhoticity in English
Accents 2023. Accent perception and production. 16th International Conference on Native and Non-native Accents of English, Łódź, 30 Nov – 2 Dec, 2023. The Book of Abstracts
No full text‘Accents’ is an annual conference organized by the Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics in Institute of English Studies at University of Lódź, Poland. The first edition of ‘Accents’ conference took place in 2007 and is successfully continued since. It brings together researchers and teachers interested in native and non-native accents of English approached from a variety of theoretical and/or practical perspectives. The key issues discussed each year include individual accent characteristics, the dynamism of accent usage, accent teaching and learning, and the methods and tools for accent studies. The leitmotif of Accents 2023 revolves around numerous accent varieties and their impact on perception and identity as well as native and non-native accent production, accent teaching/learning, perceptual training and its effectiveness in the language classroom and in the language laboratory
Aleksandra Dirvianskaitė - piano Player, educator, composer
No full textReikšminiai žodžiai: Pianistai; Kompozitoriai; Biografijos; Aleksandra Dirvianskaitė“While writing a boom Lithuanian Music in Siberia I titled a chapter about those who managed to survive “Next to Exile” and now I strongly believe that all of us who survived the ra of dependence were next to exile, writes the author discussing the life and works of Lithuanian musician (page 70)
Women’s crisis narratives : the mourning experience in Aleksandra Zielińska’s "Sorge"
Full text linkThis article concerns Aleksandra Zielińska’s novel Sorge. The author focused on relationships beetwen women - mothers, daughters and sisters in perspective of women’s mourning and also uses cathegory of trauma, abnormal grief and unresolved grief. The author analyses Sorge as (post)pandemic reinterpretation of legend of Pied Piper of Hamelin and examines contemporary forms of mourning in perspective of social quarantines
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Aleksandra Khokhlova
Full text linkToday Aleksandra Khokhlova is remembered as the star actress in films directed by Lev Kuleshov in the 1920s and 1930s. Indeed, at the peak of her career she was at the epicenter of the Soviet avant-garde, an icon of the experimental acting that matched the style of revolutionary montage cinema. Looking back at his life, Kuleshov wrote: “Nearly all that I have done in film directing, in teaching, and in life is connected to her [Khokhlova] in terms of ideas and art practice” (1946, 162). Yet, Khokhlova was much more than Kuleshov’s wife and muse as in her own right she was a talented author, actress, and film director, an artist in formation long before she met Kuleshov
Epizod bragmański Historii o żywocie i znamienitych sprawach Aleksandra Wielkiego jako zderzenie dwóch światopoglądów
Full text linkThe Bragman Episode in the History of the Life and Eminent Affairs of Alexander the Great (Historia o żywocie i znamienitych sprawach Aleksandra Wielkiego) as a Clash of Different World ViewsThe article presents an interpretation of a literary vision of utopia. It is focused on the cultural aspect Bragmanes utopia created using artistic means – representations, values and beliefs specific for the author of the text as well as his cultural milieu. The deliberations featured in the article are based on the analysis of the “Bragman episode,” a fragment of an Old-Polish translation of Historia o żywocie i znamienitych sprawach Aleksandra Wielkiego dating back to 1550. The story of Alexander’s encounter with Bragmanes determines the beginnings of the utopian tendency in Polish literature. The episode mentioned was described by Julian Krzyżanowski in his monograph Romans polski wieku XVI in 1934 and extensively analysed by Anna Krzewińska in her treatise Początki utopii w literaturze staropolskiej. One of the interpretative proposals presented in this article is an assumption that the Bragman utopia is unreal and poses as a curiosity. Moreover, the exoticism and isolation of Bragmanes’ land indicates connections between its description and the myth of the Golden Age or paradise lost. The key role of nature, which is identified with the primeval and – at the same time – the best state of human existence, is also emphasized. One of the means of depicting nature appears to be worth considering especially: the description of nature referring to the concept of locus amoenus, also proper for the descriptions of an earthly paradise, indicates an archetypical character of this kind of representations. The next part of the article is devoted to an analysis of the axiological level of the Bragman utopia. Implying that strict ethical principles based on a strong distinction between right and wrong result from perceiving man as a spiritual creature, the author aims to discuss the spirituality of the Indian nation with reference to Christian religion and beliefs, and ways of representation characteristic for the religious mentality of the Middle Ages. The conducted analysis of paraphrases from the Holy Bible found in the letters of the leader of the Bragman community indicates that their philosophy and religion are deeply ingrained in the culture of Logos. As a result, it is logos, not nature (physis) or law (nomos), that can be considered the basis of the Bragman order. Furthermore, Bragmanes’ retreat from the sphere of culture as well as European civilisation and their conscious choice of living close to nature do not prove their barbarity. Instead, they question the validity of the opposition between culture and nature (however the distinction between nature and civilisation is sustained). The reading of the Bragman episode proposed in the article, oriented towards the disclosure of a vision of the world depicted in the romance, shows that the Christian significance and parenetic character of the Bragman utopia (clear for the medieval reader) could not influence the protagonist. In the author’s opinion, they determine a significant stage of Alexander’s pilgrimage around the world, the moment of confronting and rejecting a strange world-view.
The effect of previous language experience and ‘proper’ L2 input on the aspiration of English voiceless stops by Polish adult immigrants to London
Full text linkSynchronic variability in the area of phonetics, phonology, vocabulary, morphology and syntax is a natural feature of any language, including English. The existence of competing variants is in itself a fascinating phenomenon, but it is also a prerequisite for diachronic changes. This volume is a collection of studies which investigate variability from a contemporary and historical perspective, in both native and non-native varieties of English. The topics include Middle English spelling variation, lexical differences between Middle English dialects, Late Middle and Early Modern English forms of address, Middle English negation patterns, the English used by Polish immigrants living in London, lexical fixedness in native and non-native English used by Polish learners, and the phenomenon of phonetic imitation in Polish learners of English. The book should be of interest to anyone interested in English linguistics, especially English phonetics and phonology as well as history of English, historical dialectology and pragmatics.The study explores the effect of language experience (with emphasis on the level of L2 proficiency on arrival in the UK and the quality of L2 input) in 24 Polish adult immigrants to London who have been learning their L2 on a daily basis in natural surroundings.
Participants were divided into groups according to the abovementioned criteria. The phonetic parameter under investigation is VOT in voiceless aspirated stops /p/, /t/ and /k/ in word-initial positions, analysed on the basis of a reading task and then measured in Praat. The qualitative data were collected by means of a structured interview.
The results suggest the importance of the level of English proficiency in L2 on arrival in the L2 country and its influence on the phonetic system developed by each learner individually. L2 pronunciation level can be developed mainly through the frequent use of the L2 in communication with native-speakers of the language
Students' perceptions on the use of selected mobile apps in the process of acquiring L2 pronunciation – a preliminary study
No full textThe accessibility and multimodality of modern technologies make them particularly beneficial for pronunciation learning and teaching. Google Play Store offers more than 300 English pronunciation apps, many of which have received high ratings ranging from 4.5 to 4.9 out of 5 stars. Most of these apps are available for free. Due to their capacity for individualized, customized, self-paced “anytime – anywhere” learning and automated feedback on individual performance and progress, these apps are gaining increasing popularity among English learners worldwide. This paper reports on a small-scale study that examined five of the highest-rated free apps: Elsa Speak – Learning English Pronunciation by ELSA, English Pronunciation 2019 – Correct Pronunciation by Grounders, English Pronunciation by NVG Std, Pronounce It by Maclo Studios, and Quick Pronunciation Tool by Tiago English Tutor. Twenty first-year BA students of English Philology from the University of Łódź participated in the study by testing the five apps and answering questions related to their overall design, utility, potential for learning, teaching, and pronunciation assessment. The results of the study revealed the learners’ practical uses of the apps and their views on the value of using these apps for practising, teaching, and assessing English pronunciation skills
Trzy wizje Ukrainy w twórczości Aleksandra Karola Grozy
Full text linkIn the article selected works of Aleksander Groza, a representative of “the Ukrainian school” of Polish romanticism, have been thoroughly investigated. The author used interpretive methods of postcolonialism, comparative studies and intertextuality, and sometimes also from the field of ethnography and ethnology. The article is an introduction to the monograph that the author is currently working on. As a result of the analysis of the works, it was possible to distinguish three main images of the Ukraine, which are stereotypical for the Polish literature in genere: Arcadian Ukraine, Cossack Ukraine and frenetic Ukraine. By using the fragments of Groza’s texts, as well as intertextual references, the author characterized each of these images. After outlining the poet’s profile through a simple biography, which will be developed in the future, the author of the article conducted an analysis and interpretation of the following works by Groza: the volume Poezje, Ukrainian elegies: Soroka and Pierwsza pokuta Żeleźniaka, poem Mogiły, dramas Śmieciński and Hryć. Such a versatile choice of texts allowed to draw some interesting conclusions concerning Aleksander Groza’z profile
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