Oct 22
ChRIS CLÉiRIGhbook publication
Title: Talking with the President
Subtitle: The Pragmatics of Presidential Language
Publication Year: 2015
Publisher: Oxford University Press
http://www.oup.com/us
Book URL: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/talking-with-the-president-9780199858798
Author: John Wilson
Paperback: ISBN: 9780199858798 Pages: 288 Price: U.S. $ 35.00
Abstract:
This book provides a pragmatic analysis of presidential language. Pragmatics is concerned with “meaning in context,” or the relationship between what we say and what we mean. John Wilson explores the various ways in which U.S. Presidents have used language within specific social contexts to achieve specific objectives. This includes obfuscation, misdirection, the use of metaphor or ambiguity, or in some cases simply lying. He focuses on six presidents: John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, Ronald W. Reagan, William F. Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack H. Obama. These presidents cover most of the last half of the twentieth century, and the first decade of the twenty first century, and each has been associated with a specific linguistic quality. John F. Kennedy was famed for his quality of oratory, Nixon for his manipulative use of language, Reagan for his gift of telling stories, Clinton for his ability to engage the public and to linguistically turn arguments and descriptions in particular directions. Bush, on the other hand, was famed for his inability to use language appropriately, and Obama returns us to the rhetorical flourishes of early Kennedy. In the case of each president, a range of specific examples are explored in order to highlight the ways in which a pragmatic analysis may provide an insight into presidential language. In many cases, what the president says is not necessarily what the president means.
Oct 20
ChRIS CLÉiRIGhannouncements, mode and modalities
The Shepherd School of Music and Rice University are preparing to host their 3rd International Conference on Music and the Mind. The goal of the Conference is to promote collaboration between musicians and scientists and spur research, as well as increase public interest in this exciting discipline.
We are now accepting applications from musicians and scientists for the four-day program that will take place from June 6-10, 2016. All Conference costs are covered, including registration fees, housing and meals; fellows are only required to pay for their travel to campus. Please see the attached flyer and Conference website for full details:
www.rice.edu/mindandmusic <http://www.rice.edu/mindandmusic>
The mornings feature inter-disciplinary seminars: the science fellows will study music theory and history while the music fellows will learn about brain morphology, music perception and experimental design. The afternoons and evening sessions include presentations by distinguished visiting faculty including Ian Cross, Elizabeth Margulis, Isabelle Peretz, David Temperley, Michael Thaut, and Lawrence Zbikowski.
The fellows will also have a chance to share their work with their peers and the public in short, “TED”-style presentations. Many events are free and open to the public; seating will be on first-come, first-served basis. The morning seminars may be audited by members of the Rice and Baylor communities. Please consult our schedule for full Conference details.
Musicians and scientists at any stage in their careers are encouraged to apply. Fifteen musician and fifteen scientist applicants will be selected based on their demonstrated interest and accomplishment in the field. Applications are due November 1st, 2015 and applicants will be notified by January 15th, 2016. Please share this information with anyone whom you think might be interested.
With thanks and best wishes,
Anthony Brandt and Xaq Pitkow, Conference Directors
Shane Monds, Conference Coordinator
Lucy Lai and Zoe Tao, Assistant Conference Coordinators
Oct 03
ChRIS CLÉiRIGhbook publication
Title: Body Talk and Cultural Identity in the African World
Publication Year: 2015
Publisher: Equinox Publishing Ltd
http://www.equinoxpub.com/
Book URL: https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/body-talk-cultural-identity-african-world-augustine-agwuele/
Editor: Augustine Agwuele
Hardback: ISBN: 9781781791851 Pages: 214 Price: U.S. $ 100 Comment: £60
Paperback: ISBN: 9781781791868 Pages: 214 Price: U.S. $ 29.95 Comment: £19.99
Abstract:
The body is a site bearing multiple signs of cultural inscriptions. People’s postures, use of space, dress codes, speech particularities, facial expressions, tone qualities, gaze, and gestures are codes that send messages to observers. These messages differ across cultures and times. Some of these non-verbal messages are taken to be conscious or subconscious projection of a sense of personal or collective identity. The various forms of “body talk” may flag personal distinction, style, uniqueness or politics, in which case, the body and its presentations become stances of the self. Body talk may also exhibit a society’s or culture’s standardized norms.
The subject of this anthology is non-verbal communication signals from societies and cultures of Africa and African Diaspora. The goals are to document popular gestures, explore their meanings, and understand how they frame interactions and colour perception. The anthology is also aimed at offering interdisciplinary perspectives on the problematics of non-verbal communication by making sense of the various ways that different cultures speak without “voice”, and to examine how people and groups make their presence felt as social, cultural and political actors.
Contributions include case studies, descriptive codification, theoretical analyses and performative studies. The issues highlighted range from film and literature studies, gender studies, history, religion, popular cultural, and extends to the virtual space. Other studies provide a linguistic treatment of non-verbal communication and use it as means of explicating perception and stereotyping.
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