Vladan Sutanovac, Ph.D | University of Vienna (original) (raw)
Papers by Vladan Sutanovac, Ph.D
Ph.D thesis, 2019
The general aim of this study is the inter-cultural analysis of apologetic speech acts and the no... more The general aim of this study is the inter-cultural analysis of apologetic speech acts and the notions of explicit and implicit context from an interdisciplinary perspective, and through the prism of Bakhtin’s theory of dialogic verbal communication and Vygotsky’s phase structure theory. In addition, special emphasis is placed on the analysis of cultural and contextual determination of the aforementioned language formula. The study itself will involve a semantic and pragmatic analysis of apologetic speech acts in three distinct linguistic cultures - Serbian, Austrian German and Anglo. Additional focus is placed on the cross-cultural and conceptual differences of the apologetic speech-act expressions used in the aforementioned linguistic cultures. The novel alternative empirical method - DCTt [Dialogic Conceptualisation Test], has been employed to elicit the desired speech act and the specific strategies which, in turn, provided the basis for decoding the cultural values within the elicited language, as well as the substance for formulating the pertinent cultural scripts in NSM [Natural Semantic Metalanguage]. In addition, the DCTt method had been used to investigate the importance and the impact of explicit and implicit situational context on the comprehension, conceptualisation and production of the pertinent speech act. The NSM and cultural scripts were regarded as the part and parcel of the DCTt, complementing the encoding of the cultural, attitudinal and cognitive specificities underlying the explicit IFIDs [Illocutionary Force Indicating Devices]. On the one hand, such knowledge, coupled with the awareness of the metalinguistic aspects of verbal communication, can prove essential not only for deconstructing the socio-cultural dynamics and its underlying mechanisms but, equally importantly, for carving the cross-cultural miscommunication at its joints. On the other, it can also prove crucial for language learners in defeating the negative pragmatic transfer that occurs all too often in the process of second language acquisition.
Conceptualising cognition at large, and emotions in particular, in such a way that would provide ... more Conceptualising cognition at large, and emotions in particular, in such a way that would provide us with valuable insights into their very nature has been a long-lasting challenge for science in general. One of the methods that has proven effective in this regard is modeling. A process that allows us to address the complexity of the investigated phenomenon by creating its functional simulacrum, i.e. a model. This model, in turn, represents an "artifact that can be mapped onto a phenomenon that we are having difficulty understanding" [1]. By examining the model, we can test the validity of our conceptualisation and, in this manner, increase our overall comprehension of the phenomenon of interest. A class of models that has proven particularly useful in this regard are computational models. That is to say, implementations in the form of functional computer programs powered by specific-purpose architectures. The more multidimensional the underlying architecture is, the more e...
!!!! Investigations into the Multidimensionality of VAK Personalities: Reinforcing the Augmented ... more !!!! Investigations into the Multidimensionality of VAK Personalities: Reinforcing the Augmented VA[S]K (Learning Preferences and Psychological Model) The augmented VA[S]K is conceived as a novel research tool for investigating the cognitive and psychological nature of Individuals. That is to say, it represents a means to model the learning preferences of an individual - based on its specific information-processing proclivities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic), as well as the pertinent personality traits that constitute this individual and are specific to the exhibited learning preferences. What the initial research (Sutanovac 2012, in press) revealed is that a crude and exclusive categorisation of individuals into one of the three groups might not be an ideal approach to take. One of the reasons for this is the extremely low number of mono-sensory participants. Other, the fact that even those participants were not 100% mono-sensory. Therefore, the underlying goal of this research project will be to revisit, revise and further advance the learning-preferences and psychological model (the augmented VA[S]K), formerly developed within the Models of Personalities and Emotions framework. Given the results of the initial research, main focus of this followup will be to probe further into the "multidimensionality" of the model itself, paying special attention to the multidimensionality of the VAK personalities. The secondary focus will be on revising and refining the former tools of investigation (VAK questionnaire and Big-Five-Personality-Test questionnaire) in order to increase their investigative validity and, consequently, their efficiency with respect to results. Furthermore, additional complementary analysis tools will be introduced (KMO Measure of Sampling Adequacy, Common/Principal Factor Analysis) for the purpose of allowing an even more rigorous empirical scrutiny. The particular significance of such complementary tools lies in the fact that they provide a sturdy foundation for extrapolating the pertinent variables and, consequently, for devising more up-to-the-point questionnaires. This will, in turn, not only increase the overall accuracy of the master questionnaires and, thus, yield significantly more valid overall empirical results, but, equally importantly, also increase the overall accuracy of the model itself. Finally, the tertiary focus will be on: A) devising one unified refined questionnaire - to be implemented in the form of a software; and B) graphically simulating the reinforced learning preferences/psychological model. !!The ultimate goal of the research in question is to provide valuable insights into and a stepping stone for the advancement of knowledge concerning individual higher-level cognitive faculties and mechanisms that lie at their foundations, their relationship to the individual-specific microcosm[s] - personality, and the related individual-specific usage of natural language. *In the context of VA[S]K, the term (higher-level) cognitive faculties is an umbrella term encompassing cognition per se, learning and communicative preferences !!References [1] S. Penger, M. Tekavcic, V. Dimovski. 2008. "Meta-Analysis and Empirical Research of Learning Style Theories in Higher Education". Journal of College Teaching & Learning, Volume 5, Number 11. [2] S. Cassidy, "Learning styles: an overview of theories, models and measures," Educational Psychology, Vol. 4, no. 24, 419-444, 2004. [3] C. Jackson. "Learning Styles and its measurement: An applied neuropsychological model of learning for business and education", Australia: Cymeon, 2006.
![Research paper thumbnail of Cultural and Social[Contextual] Determination of Lan](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/77455636/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](The general aim of this study is the cross-cultural analysis of apologetic speech acts, the notio... more The general aim of this study is the cross-cultural analysis of apologetic speech acts, the notion of context from an interdisciplinary perspective and how these fit into the Bakhtinian/Vygotskian theory of verbal communication. In addition, special emphasis is placed on the analysis of cultural and contextual determination of language formulas speech acts in particular. The study itself will involve a semantic and pragmatic analysis of apologetic speech acts from three distinct cultures/languages Serbian, Australian English and Austrian German. The focus of the analysis will be placed, in particular, on the crosscultural and conceptual differences of the apologetic speech-act expressions used in these languages. DCT2 method will be employed to elicit the desired speech act and specific strategies, which will in turn provide the basis for decoding cultural values within the elicited language, as well as the substance for forming relevant cultural scripts in NSM3. In addition, the DC...
The aim of this project was to investigate the potential existence of neural substrates underlyin... more The aim of this project was to investigate the potential existence of neural substrates underlying the Novel PILL[ The acronym represents the nexus of Personality[traits], Information[processing], Learning[preferences] and Language[use]]] Model. Pursuant to this, the focus was placed on the neural-circuitry-language-processing interface, investigated via the Semantic Categorisation Task (SCT). For this purpose an experiment was designed to examine the extent to which semantic processing of linguistic information (specific sets of words) differs across individuals belonging to the three designated groups - visuals, audios and [symps]kinesthetics, with respect to particular brain areas. The goal being a group-specific lateralisation of linguistic processing.
Translated into practice, the focal point of the EEG experiment was N400 - an ERP component reflecting (contextual) semantic processing, i.e. normal brain response to words and other meaningful, and potentially meaningful stimuli. Thus, by combining the measurements of reaction times (between specific stimuli) and ERP components an attempt has been made at inferring about the neural underpinnings behind group specific information/word processing.
Conceptualising cognition at large, and emotions in particular, in such a way that would provide ... more Conceptualising cognition at large, and emotions in particular, in such a way that would provide us with valuable insights into their very nature has been a long-lasting challenge for science in general. One of the methods that has proven effective in this regard is modeling. A process that allows us to address the complexity of the investigated phenomenon by creating its functional simulacrum, i.e. a model. This model, in turn, represents an "artifact that can be mapped onto a phenomenon that we are having difficulty understanding" [1]. By examining the model, we can test the validity of our conceptualisation and, in this manner, increase our overall comprehension of the phenomenon of interest.
A class of models that has proven particularly useful in this regard are computational models. That is to say, implementations in the form of functional computer programs powered by specific-purpose architectures. The more multidimensional the underlying architecture is, the more efficient our model and the closer to deciphering the complexity at hand we will be. Pursuant to this, the primary (ontological) goal of this study is to introduce one such multidimensional architecture that grounds cognition, and emotions in particular, in a web of linguistic schemata - NSM scripts, formulated in a universal Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM). The secondary (epistemic) goal, to provide empirical insights into the intuitiveness of the framework itself with regards to its affective-modeling potential, as well as its potential for modeling cognition at large.
The practical rendition came in the form of a qualitative behavioural study based on a carefully designed questionnaire, aimed at testing the [a] modelling efficacy of the framework & validity of the existent emotion-scripts [pt. I] and [b] intuitiveness of the framework based on participants' self-devised emotion-scripts [pt. II]. Resting on the findings of the study, the ultimate goal is to propose the implementation scenario for a universal affective architecture in the form of a multi-language software - the "NSM cogni-cultural emotion translator".
Although originally a brainchild of linguistics, the multidimensional character makes the NSM framework [2] highly applicable to other disciplines as well. One such discipline that could benefit profusely from its potentials is also A.I. - domains that deal with computational modeling of cognition and emotions in particular [3]. Implemented in this manner, the NSM framework can be regarded as a linguistic substrate of cognition and emotions.
![Research paper thumbnail of Novel Framework for Investigating Cognitive [/Learning] Preferences and Personality Traits: The Augmented VA[S]K](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/39808428/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Primary goal of the following paper is to provide an in depth overview of the research, and its e... more Primary goal of the following paper is to provide an in depth overview of the research, and its empirical implications, concerning the functionality, significance, role, and implications of the augmented VAS[k] model in facilitation and furtherance of the general understanding of higher-level cognitive faculties* and individual-specific microcosm. This includes the revision of parent and related concepts and models - more contemporary and attested adaptations included, for the purpose of broadening and further advancing the aforementioned insights and conceptual constructs, as well as for laying foundations for a novel multi-dimensional model.
*In the context of VAS[k], the term (higher-level) cognitive faculties is an umbrella term encompassing cognition per se, communicative and learning preferences
![Research paper thumbnail of [Keynote] SEMANTICS OF CONTEMPORARY LINGUISTICS: FROM SOLITARY TO A HETEROFONIC NARRATIVE](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/39808056/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](The underlying purpose of this address shall be to provide an analytical overview of the field of... more The underlying purpose of this address shall be to provide an analytical overview of the field of linguistics in general and its contemporary subdisciplines in particular, by placing special emphasis on such, seemingly irreconcilable, dichotomies: [a] interdisciplinarity/monodisciplinarity [b] atomistic/wholistic and [c] universal/Anglocentric. However, instead of providing a traditional and crude chronological overview of the numerous voices regarded as pivotal in the field of contemporary linguistics, the focus shall be placed on their core assumptions thought to hold the greatest potential in terms of heterofonia. As well as on the questions that can prove helpful in raising the awareness of these voices concerning the productivity of the methodologies they employ in investigation of the relevant phenomena. Following this trajectory, the narration will be further extended by an account of those approaches to the study of language (the relevant phenomena included) that are held as being the closest to achieving the status of a heterofonic narrative which is rooted in such notions as dialogism, coupling, utility, heterofonia and heterochronicity. The penultimate portion of the address will be focused on placing the heterofonic narrative into a broader context. That is to say, a brief, yet concise, account of its outerdisciplinary applicative potentials shall be provided in a systematic manner. The address shall be concluded with a word on the current state of academic affairs in contemporary linguistics, complemented by the proposition of potentially more rewarding directions its subdisciplines might take in order to reach the productive common grounds. Such common grounds would allow them not only to get to the core of the phenomena they seek to understand and consequently explain, but, equally importantly, allow them to bring these invaluable insights closer to the general public in a comprehensible and epistemologically illuminating way.
The aim of this treatise is to set the foundation for a large-scale Ph.D study focused on inter-c... more The aim of this treatise is to set the foundation for a large-scale Ph.D study focused on inter-cultural and ethnopragmatic analysis of (apologetic) speech acts, the notion of context from an interdisciplinary perspective, and how these fit into the Bakhtin-Vygotskian theory of dialogic verbal communication. The main focus shall, therefore, be placed on the theoretical analysis of the above mentioned aspects in general, and cultural and contextual underpinnings of language formulas - speech acts, in particular. Given that the study itself will involve a semantic and pragmatic analysis of the aforementioned particular speech acts from three distinct cultures/languages - Serbian, Austrian German and Australian English, the rationale underlying their choice shall also constitute an important part of this treatise. In addition, due to the immense importance they have for the study itself, as sources of the empirical substance, the treatise will also include an account of and the rationale behind the linguistic tools to be used. More specifically, the enhanced version of the conventional DCT [Discourse Completion Test] method and the NSM [Natural Semantic Metalanguage] & cultural scripts framework.
It is the author’s belief that an amalgam of the theoretical and the empirical, such as the one fostered by the study in question, can provide us with extremely valuable insights into the innards of the social and the cultural, and the impact they have on our natural language use and inn(out)er-workings of the mind.
The general aim of this study is the inter-cultural analysis of apologetic speech acts and the no... more The general aim of this study is the inter-cultural analysis of apologetic speech acts and the notions of explicit and implicit context from an interdisciplinary perspective, and through the prism of Bakhtin’s theory of dialogic verbal communication and Vygotsky’s phase structure theory. In addition, special emphasis is placed on the analysis of cultural and contextual determination of the aforementioned language formula. The study itself will involve a semantic and pragmatic analysis of apologetic speech acts from three distinct cultures/languages - Serbian, Australian English and Austrian German. Additional focus is placed on the cross-cultural and conceptual differences of the apologetic speech-act expressions used in the aforementioned languages. Enhanced DCT [Discourse Completion Test] method will be employed to elicit the desired speech act and the specific strategies, which will in turn provide the basis for decoding the cultural values within the elicited language, as well as the substance for forming relevant cultural scripts in NSM [Natural Semantic Metalanguage]. In addition, the DCT method will be used to investigate the importance and impact of explicit and implicit situational context on comprehension and production of the pertinent speech acts. The NSM and cultural scripts are regarded as the primary tools for encoding the cultural, attitudinal and cognitive specificities behind explicit IFIDs [Illocutionary Force Indicating Devices].
On the one hand, such knowledge, coupled with the awareness of the metalinguistic aspects of verbal communication, can prove essential not only for deconstructing the socio-cultural dynamics and the underlying mechanisms but, equally importantly, for carving the cross-cultural miscommunication at its joints. On the other, it can also prove crucial for language learners in defeating the negative pragmatic transfer that occurs all too often in the process of second language acquisition.
Talks by Vladan Sutanovac, Ph.D
Cognitive-Pragmatic Modeling of Individual-Public Meaning Relation: The Case of Nominalised Abstract Concepts,, 2018
This study seeks to bring novel insights into the nature of the relationship between the psycholo... more This study seeks to bring novel insights into the nature of the relationship between the psychological (subjective) level of describing individual cognition and the intersubjective level at which language operates. More specifically, it focuses on advancing the overall understanding by clarifying the link between individual mental representations of language users and public meaning of linguistic expressions. Building on the theoretical work by Vosgerau & Petersen (2015), this study looks into practical grounds for the thesis that rich structures of individuals' representations overlap in the sense that they share a common core. In other words, whether public meaning can be conceived of as a generalisation from individual mental representations. Cognitive-Pragmatic Modeling of Individual-Public Meaning Relation: The Case of Nominalised Abstract Concepts AMPRA-4 Graduate Student Award To test the thesis with language users (here, German respondents), a novel explanatory method is introduced-Concept Explication Tool (Sutanovac & Vosgerau, forthcoming). Within CET, the, aforementioned, link is established byNSM-frames (situated semantic explications) as a productive format for describing both mental representations and (linguistic) meaning (after Barsalou 1992; and Goddard 2012). In the context of everyday interaction, NSM-frames are intended to represent the cognitive reality of ordinary language users. In this sense, they stand for prototypical cognitive scenarios that serve as a standard reference point linking a concept together with prototypical thoughts associated with it and with its everyday (language) use. The central idea underlying CET is that of an integrated empirical means for explicating and modeling meaning creation in ordinary language, at different levels of granularity. This particular study focused on demonstrating the explanatory-modeling potential of CET at the lower level of granularity, i.e. with the meaning of smaller units. Namely, words on the linguistic level and concepts on the mental level (belonging to three distinct classes of German abstract nouns denoting complex emotions [Freude, Angst, Schadenfreude], mental processes [Vorstellung] and social relations [Familie, Aufsichtsrat]), for which the link between public meaning and individual mental representations has rarely been systematically discussed and empirically investigated. Thus, making this a valuable contribution to resolving one of the longstanding problems of systematically relating the intersubjective (public) meaning to the content of individual mental representation (subjective level of representing entities), thus far, especially in the Gricean tradition, restricted to the meaning of utterances of whole sentences.
Ph.D thesis, 2019
The general aim of this study is the inter-cultural analysis of apologetic speech acts and the no... more The general aim of this study is the inter-cultural analysis of apologetic speech acts and the notions of explicit and implicit context from an interdisciplinary perspective, and through the prism of Bakhtin’s theory of dialogic verbal communication and Vygotsky’s phase structure theory. In addition, special emphasis is placed on the analysis of cultural and contextual determination of the aforementioned language formula. The study itself will involve a semantic and pragmatic analysis of apologetic speech acts in three distinct linguistic cultures - Serbian, Austrian German and Anglo. Additional focus is placed on the cross-cultural and conceptual differences of the apologetic speech-act expressions used in the aforementioned linguistic cultures. The novel alternative empirical method - DCTt [Dialogic Conceptualisation Test], has been employed to elicit the desired speech act and the specific strategies which, in turn, provided the basis for decoding the cultural values within the elicited language, as well as the substance for formulating the pertinent cultural scripts in NSM [Natural Semantic Metalanguage]. In addition, the DCTt method had been used to investigate the importance and the impact of explicit and implicit situational context on the comprehension, conceptualisation and production of the pertinent speech act. The NSM and cultural scripts were regarded as the part and parcel of the DCTt, complementing the encoding of the cultural, attitudinal and cognitive specificities underlying the explicit IFIDs [Illocutionary Force Indicating Devices]. On the one hand, such knowledge, coupled with the awareness of the metalinguistic aspects of verbal communication, can prove essential not only for deconstructing the socio-cultural dynamics and its underlying mechanisms but, equally importantly, for carving the cross-cultural miscommunication at its joints. On the other, it can also prove crucial for language learners in defeating the negative pragmatic transfer that occurs all too often in the process of second language acquisition.
Conceptualising cognition at large, and emotions in particular, in such a way that would provide ... more Conceptualising cognition at large, and emotions in particular, in such a way that would provide us with valuable insights into their very nature has been a long-lasting challenge for science in general. One of the methods that has proven effective in this regard is modeling. A process that allows us to address the complexity of the investigated phenomenon by creating its functional simulacrum, i.e. a model. This model, in turn, represents an "artifact that can be mapped onto a phenomenon that we are having difficulty understanding" [1]. By examining the model, we can test the validity of our conceptualisation and, in this manner, increase our overall comprehension of the phenomenon of interest. A class of models that has proven particularly useful in this regard are computational models. That is to say, implementations in the form of functional computer programs powered by specific-purpose architectures. The more multidimensional the underlying architecture is, the more e...
!!!! Investigations into the Multidimensionality of VAK Personalities: Reinforcing the Augmented ... more !!!! Investigations into the Multidimensionality of VAK Personalities: Reinforcing the Augmented VA[S]K (Learning Preferences and Psychological Model) The augmented VA[S]K is conceived as a novel research tool for investigating the cognitive and psychological nature of Individuals. That is to say, it represents a means to model the learning preferences of an individual - based on its specific information-processing proclivities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic), as well as the pertinent personality traits that constitute this individual and are specific to the exhibited learning preferences. What the initial research (Sutanovac 2012, in press) revealed is that a crude and exclusive categorisation of individuals into one of the three groups might not be an ideal approach to take. One of the reasons for this is the extremely low number of mono-sensory participants. Other, the fact that even those participants were not 100% mono-sensory. Therefore, the underlying goal of this research project will be to revisit, revise and further advance the learning-preferences and psychological model (the augmented VA[S]K), formerly developed within the Models of Personalities and Emotions framework. Given the results of the initial research, main focus of this followup will be to probe further into the "multidimensionality" of the model itself, paying special attention to the multidimensionality of the VAK personalities. The secondary focus will be on revising and refining the former tools of investigation (VAK questionnaire and Big-Five-Personality-Test questionnaire) in order to increase their investigative validity and, consequently, their efficiency with respect to results. Furthermore, additional complementary analysis tools will be introduced (KMO Measure of Sampling Adequacy, Common/Principal Factor Analysis) for the purpose of allowing an even more rigorous empirical scrutiny. The particular significance of such complementary tools lies in the fact that they provide a sturdy foundation for extrapolating the pertinent variables and, consequently, for devising more up-to-the-point questionnaires. This will, in turn, not only increase the overall accuracy of the master questionnaires and, thus, yield significantly more valid overall empirical results, but, equally importantly, also increase the overall accuracy of the model itself. Finally, the tertiary focus will be on: A) devising one unified refined questionnaire - to be implemented in the form of a software; and B) graphically simulating the reinforced learning preferences/psychological model. !!The ultimate goal of the research in question is to provide valuable insights into and a stepping stone for the advancement of knowledge concerning individual higher-level cognitive faculties and mechanisms that lie at their foundations, their relationship to the individual-specific microcosm[s] - personality, and the related individual-specific usage of natural language. *In the context of VA[S]K, the term (higher-level) cognitive faculties is an umbrella term encompassing cognition per se, learning and communicative preferences !!References [1] S. Penger, M. Tekavcic, V. Dimovski. 2008. "Meta-Analysis and Empirical Research of Learning Style Theories in Higher Education". Journal of College Teaching & Learning, Volume 5, Number 11. [2] S. Cassidy, "Learning styles: an overview of theories, models and measures," Educational Psychology, Vol. 4, no. 24, 419-444, 2004. [3] C. Jackson. "Learning Styles and its measurement: An applied neuropsychological model of learning for business and education", Australia: Cymeon, 2006.
The general aim of this study is the cross-cultural analysis of apologetic speech acts, the notio... more The general aim of this study is the cross-cultural analysis of apologetic speech acts, the notion of context from an interdisciplinary perspective and how these fit into the Bakhtinian/Vygotskian theory of verbal communication. In addition, special emphasis is placed on the analysis of cultural and contextual determination of language formulas speech acts in particular. The study itself will involve a semantic and pragmatic analysis of apologetic speech acts from three distinct cultures/languages Serbian, Australian English and Austrian German. The focus of the analysis will be placed, in particular, on the crosscultural and conceptual differences of the apologetic speech-act expressions used in these languages. DCT2 method will be employed to elicit the desired speech act and specific strategies, which will in turn provide the basis for decoding cultural values within the elicited language, as well as the substance for forming relevant cultural scripts in NSM3. In addition, the DC...
The aim of this project was to investigate the potential existence of neural substrates underlyin... more The aim of this project was to investigate the potential existence of neural substrates underlying the Novel PILL[ The acronym represents the nexus of Personality[traits], Information[processing], Learning[preferences] and Language[use]]] Model. Pursuant to this, the focus was placed on the neural-circuitry-language-processing interface, investigated via the Semantic Categorisation Task (SCT). For this purpose an experiment was designed to examine the extent to which semantic processing of linguistic information (specific sets of words) differs across individuals belonging to the three designated groups - visuals, audios and [symps]kinesthetics, with respect to particular brain areas. The goal being a group-specific lateralisation of linguistic processing.
Translated into practice, the focal point of the EEG experiment was N400 - an ERP component reflecting (contextual) semantic processing, i.e. normal brain response to words and other meaningful, and potentially meaningful stimuli. Thus, by combining the measurements of reaction times (between specific stimuli) and ERP components an attempt has been made at inferring about the neural underpinnings behind group specific information/word processing.
Conceptualising cognition at large, and emotions in particular, in such a way that would provide ... more Conceptualising cognition at large, and emotions in particular, in such a way that would provide us with valuable insights into their very nature has been a long-lasting challenge for science in general. One of the methods that has proven effective in this regard is modeling. A process that allows us to address the complexity of the investigated phenomenon by creating its functional simulacrum, i.e. a model. This model, in turn, represents an "artifact that can be mapped onto a phenomenon that we are having difficulty understanding" [1]. By examining the model, we can test the validity of our conceptualisation and, in this manner, increase our overall comprehension of the phenomenon of interest.
A class of models that has proven particularly useful in this regard are computational models. That is to say, implementations in the form of functional computer programs powered by specific-purpose architectures. The more multidimensional the underlying architecture is, the more efficient our model and the closer to deciphering the complexity at hand we will be. Pursuant to this, the primary (ontological) goal of this study is to introduce one such multidimensional architecture that grounds cognition, and emotions in particular, in a web of linguistic schemata - NSM scripts, formulated in a universal Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM). The secondary (epistemic) goal, to provide empirical insights into the intuitiveness of the framework itself with regards to its affective-modeling potential, as well as its potential for modeling cognition at large.
The practical rendition came in the form of a qualitative behavioural study based on a carefully designed questionnaire, aimed at testing the [a] modelling efficacy of the framework & validity of the existent emotion-scripts [pt. I] and [b] intuitiveness of the framework based on participants' self-devised emotion-scripts [pt. II]. Resting on the findings of the study, the ultimate goal is to propose the implementation scenario for a universal affective architecture in the form of a multi-language software - the "NSM cogni-cultural emotion translator".
Although originally a brainchild of linguistics, the multidimensional character makes the NSM framework [2] highly applicable to other disciplines as well. One such discipline that could benefit profusely from its potentials is also A.I. - domains that deal with computational modeling of cognition and emotions in particular [3]. Implemented in this manner, the NSM framework can be regarded as a linguistic substrate of cognition and emotions.
Primary goal of the following paper is to provide an in depth overview of the research, and its e... more Primary goal of the following paper is to provide an in depth overview of the research, and its empirical implications, concerning the functionality, significance, role, and implications of the augmented VAS[k] model in facilitation and furtherance of the general understanding of higher-level cognitive faculties* and individual-specific microcosm. This includes the revision of parent and related concepts and models - more contemporary and attested adaptations included, for the purpose of broadening and further advancing the aforementioned insights and conceptual constructs, as well as for laying foundations for a novel multi-dimensional model.
*In the context of VAS[k], the term (higher-level) cognitive faculties is an umbrella term encompassing cognition per se, communicative and learning preferences
The underlying purpose of this address shall be to provide an analytical overview of the field of... more The underlying purpose of this address shall be to provide an analytical overview of the field of linguistics in general and its contemporary subdisciplines in particular, by placing special emphasis on such, seemingly irreconcilable, dichotomies: [a] interdisciplinarity/monodisciplinarity [b] atomistic/wholistic and [c] universal/Anglocentric. However, instead of providing a traditional and crude chronological overview of the numerous voices regarded as pivotal in the field of contemporary linguistics, the focus shall be placed on their core assumptions thought to hold the greatest potential in terms of heterofonia. As well as on the questions that can prove helpful in raising the awareness of these voices concerning the productivity of the methodologies they employ in investigation of the relevant phenomena. Following this trajectory, the narration will be further extended by an account of those approaches to the study of language (the relevant phenomena included) that are held as being the closest to achieving the status of a heterofonic narrative which is rooted in such notions as dialogism, coupling, utility, heterofonia and heterochronicity. The penultimate portion of the address will be focused on placing the heterofonic narrative into a broader context. That is to say, a brief, yet concise, account of its outerdisciplinary applicative potentials shall be provided in a systematic manner. The address shall be concluded with a word on the current state of academic affairs in contemporary linguistics, complemented by the proposition of potentially more rewarding directions its subdisciplines might take in order to reach the productive common grounds. Such common grounds would allow them not only to get to the core of the phenomena they seek to understand and consequently explain, but, equally importantly, allow them to bring these invaluable insights closer to the general public in a comprehensible and epistemologically illuminating way.
The aim of this treatise is to set the foundation for a large-scale Ph.D study focused on inter-c... more The aim of this treatise is to set the foundation for a large-scale Ph.D study focused on inter-cultural and ethnopragmatic analysis of (apologetic) speech acts, the notion of context from an interdisciplinary perspective, and how these fit into the Bakhtin-Vygotskian theory of dialogic verbal communication. The main focus shall, therefore, be placed on the theoretical analysis of the above mentioned aspects in general, and cultural and contextual underpinnings of language formulas - speech acts, in particular. Given that the study itself will involve a semantic and pragmatic analysis of the aforementioned particular speech acts from three distinct cultures/languages - Serbian, Austrian German and Australian English, the rationale underlying their choice shall also constitute an important part of this treatise. In addition, due to the immense importance they have for the study itself, as sources of the empirical substance, the treatise will also include an account of and the rationale behind the linguistic tools to be used. More specifically, the enhanced version of the conventional DCT [Discourse Completion Test] method and the NSM [Natural Semantic Metalanguage] & cultural scripts framework.
It is the author’s belief that an amalgam of the theoretical and the empirical, such as the one fostered by the study in question, can provide us with extremely valuable insights into the innards of the social and the cultural, and the impact they have on our natural language use and inn(out)er-workings of the mind.
The general aim of this study is the inter-cultural analysis of apologetic speech acts and the no... more The general aim of this study is the inter-cultural analysis of apologetic speech acts and the notions of explicit and implicit context from an interdisciplinary perspective, and through the prism of Bakhtin’s theory of dialogic verbal communication and Vygotsky’s phase structure theory. In addition, special emphasis is placed on the analysis of cultural and contextual determination of the aforementioned language formula. The study itself will involve a semantic and pragmatic analysis of apologetic speech acts from three distinct cultures/languages - Serbian, Australian English and Austrian German. Additional focus is placed on the cross-cultural and conceptual differences of the apologetic speech-act expressions used in the aforementioned languages. Enhanced DCT [Discourse Completion Test] method will be employed to elicit the desired speech act and the specific strategies, which will in turn provide the basis for decoding the cultural values within the elicited language, as well as the substance for forming relevant cultural scripts in NSM [Natural Semantic Metalanguage]. In addition, the DCT method will be used to investigate the importance and impact of explicit and implicit situational context on comprehension and production of the pertinent speech acts. The NSM and cultural scripts are regarded as the primary tools for encoding the cultural, attitudinal and cognitive specificities behind explicit IFIDs [Illocutionary Force Indicating Devices].
On the one hand, such knowledge, coupled with the awareness of the metalinguistic aspects of verbal communication, can prove essential not only for deconstructing the socio-cultural dynamics and the underlying mechanisms but, equally importantly, for carving the cross-cultural miscommunication at its joints. On the other, it can also prove crucial for language learners in defeating the negative pragmatic transfer that occurs all too often in the process of second language acquisition.
Cognitive-Pragmatic Modeling of Individual-Public Meaning Relation: The Case of Nominalised Abstract Concepts,, 2018
This study seeks to bring novel insights into the nature of the relationship between the psycholo... more This study seeks to bring novel insights into the nature of the relationship between the psychological (subjective) level of describing individual cognition and the intersubjective level at which language operates. More specifically, it focuses on advancing the overall understanding by clarifying the link between individual mental representations of language users and public meaning of linguistic expressions. Building on the theoretical work by Vosgerau & Petersen (2015), this study looks into practical grounds for the thesis that rich structures of individuals' representations overlap in the sense that they share a common core. In other words, whether public meaning can be conceived of as a generalisation from individual mental representations. Cognitive-Pragmatic Modeling of Individual-Public Meaning Relation: The Case of Nominalised Abstract Concepts AMPRA-4 Graduate Student Award To test the thesis with language users (here, German respondents), a novel explanatory method is introduced-Concept Explication Tool (Sutanovac & Vosgerau, forthcoming). Within CET, the, aforementioned, link is established byNSM-frames (situated semantic explications) as a productive format for describing both mental representations and (linguistic) meaning (after Barsalou 1992; and Goddard 2012). In the context of everyday interaction, NSM-frames are intended to represent the cognitive reality of ordinary language users. In this sense, they stand for prototypical cognitive scenarios that serve as a standard reference point linking a concept together with prototypical thoughts associated with it and with its everyday (language) use. The central idea underlying CET is that of an integrated empirical means for explicating and modeling meaning creation in ordinary language, at different levels of granularity. This particular study focused on demonstrating the explanatory-modeling potential of CET at the lower level of granularity, i.e. with the meaning of smaller units. Namely, words on the linguistic level and concepts on the mental level (belonging to three distinct classes of German abstract nouns denoting complex emotions [Freude, Angst, Schadenfreude], mental processes [Vorstellung] and social relations [Familie, Aufsichtsrat]), for which the link between public meaning and individual mental representations has rarely been systematically discussed and empirically investigated. Thus, making this a valuable contribution to resolving one of the longstanding problems of systematically relating the intersubjective (public) meaning to the content of individual mental representation (subjective level of representing entities), thus far, especially in the Gricean tradition, restricted to the meaning of utterances of whole sentences.