http://hdl.handle.net/11089/48991 2026-04-06T04:25:59Z http://hdl.handle.net/11089/49021 The interface of real world, lexicalization and conceptualization on the example of the Contact Sense of the German preposition an (on, at) and its Polish Spanish and English counterparts Mazurkiewicz-Sokołowska, Jolanta The paper takes up the issue of creating meanings, focusing the dynamic relation between lexicalization and conceptualization on the example of prepositions. By providing a systematic view of the specific meanings of the Contact Sense of the German preposition an (on, at) and its Polish, Spanish and English counterparts, the interface between the given real spatial relation of two objects, its lexicalization and the emerging conceptualization is highlighted. Special attention is paid to the role of the particular pieces of knowledge and experience being activated in creating these meanings in order to look closely at the concept of context as this context is usually interpreted differently by different researchers. The attempt to show what happens step by step when conceptualizing a real spatial relation and its linguistic expression fixed in the lexicalization pattern is motivated by the finding that the difficulty with clear determination and separation of the context information from the information actually creating the meaning is one of the reasons why studies on the cognitive aspects of the semantics of prepositions have been abandoned over time. The paper aims to contribute to the elaboration of an authoritative method of establishing and identifying meanings of prepositions, and to contribute to the discussion about the language-thought relation providing arguments supporting the view of language as a trigger for conceptualizations provided by the embodied cognition rather than as a tool shaping thoughts. 2023-12-21T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11089/49020 Examining Temporal Structure of Speech with a Local Articulation Rate Metric Volín, Jan; Svatošová, Michaela The primary goal of our study is to propose a method of calculating and visualising local articulation rate for research in temporal structure of speech. The method builds on proportional durations of vowels and consonants in Czech, which normalizes for inherent durations of phones. We first demonstrate the importance of temporal structure on several conspicuous features: phrase-final deceleration, prominence marking, parentheticals, and information structure constituents. We then describe our method stepwise so that it could be tested by interested parties. We illustrate such testing on a sample of news bulletin sentences produced by 26 speakers. The results confirm that our procedure can meaningfully reflect various temporal features, including the ‘information status’ of words in contextually grounded utterances. 2023-12-21T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11089/49019 Exploring Pitch Accent as an Element of Fluency in L2 English Academic Presentations – a Proficiency-based Sampling Report Klimczak-Pawlak, Agata; Waniek-Klimczak, Ewa The study explores the effectiveness of raising prosodic awareness in teaching academic presentations to a mixed proficiency group of adult Polish students majoring in English from the perspective of prosody as well as utterance fluency measures. A 15-week course included a 4-week prosody practice with focus on pausing and pitch accent. In the course students produced two speeches of approximately the same length: an impromptu before the practice and a prepared presentation after the practice. The speeches were recorded and analysed for the number of pitch accents and pauses. The data for three students, representing different general L2 proficiency levels are discussed in this paper. The results of prosodic performance operationalized as the pause to pitch accent ratio show the greatest benefit of prosody training in the case of the lowest proficiency level student. The analysis of selected utterance fluency measures shows a positive effect of prosody practice across speakers, providing additional support for the relevance of pitch accent in academic presentations in L2. The study has theoretical and practical implications, as it suggests the need to include pitch accent/pause proportion in utterance fluency measures in fluency studies as well as in pedagogical practice. 2023-12-21T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11089/49017 Julian of Norwich’s a Revelation of Love: A Grounded Cognition Approach to a Late Medieval Text Stadnik, Katarzyna Julian of Norwich was a late medieval anchoress and writer, whose work, The Showings, is known for its vivid imagery and bodily resonance it prompts in the reader. The paper identifies a gap in research on the embodied aspects of Julian’s imagery. The article discusses the connection between perception, action and the grounded nature of cognition, exploring its role in structuring Julian’s text. It uses the conceptions of situated conceptualisation and sociocultural situatedness to embed the work in the visual/material culture of the Middle Ages. It reveals how the mystic construes emotionally intense images, which underpin the abstract language of the text’s final chapters. To conclude, the recent conceptions from cognitive science may expand the analytical toolkit of cognitive-diachronic research in particular, helping illuminate the interplay of language, culture, and cognition. 2023-12-21T00:00:00Z