In many European languages the National Standard Variety is converging with spoken, informal, and socially marked varieties. In Italian this process is giving rise to a new standard variety called Neo-standard Italian, which partly consists of regional features. This book contributes to current research on standardization in Europe by offering a comprehensive overview of the re-standardization dynamics in Italian. Each chapter investigates a specific dynamic shaping the emergence of Neo-standard Italian and Regional Standard Varieties, such as the acceptance of previously non-standard features, the reception of Old Italian features excluded from the standard variety, the changing standard language ideology, the retention of features from Italo-Romance dialects, the standardization of patterns borrowed from English, and the developmental tendencies of standard Italian in Switzerland. The contributions investigate phonetic/phonological, prosodic, morphosyntactic, and lexical phenomena, addressed by several empirical methodologies and theoretical vantage points. This work is of interest to scholars and students working on language variation and change, especially those focusing on standard languages and standardization dynamics.

In many European languages the National Standard Variety is converging with spoken, informal, and socially marked varieties. In Italian this process is giving rise to a new standard variety called Neo-standard Italian, which partly consists of regional features. This book contributes to current research on standardization in Europe by offering a comprehensive overview of the re-standardization dynamics in Italian. Each chapter investigates a specific dynamic shaping the emergence of Neo-standard Italian and Regional Standard Varieties, such as the acceptance of previously non-standard features, the reception of Old Italian features excluded from the standard variety, the changing standard language ideology, the retention of features from Italo-Romance dialects, the standardization of patterns borrowed from English, and the developmental tendencies of standard Italian in Switzerland. The contributions investigate phonetic/phonological, prosodic, morphosyntactic, and lexical phenomena, addressed by several empirical methodologies and theoretical vantage points. This work is of interest to scholars and students working on language variation and change, especially those focusing on standard languages and standardization dynamics.

This innovative collection brings together a range of perspectives on the notions of "orderly heterogeneity" and "social meaning", shedding light on how structured variation and indexicalities of social meaning "cohere" within linguistic communities. This book fills a gap in research on language variation by critically considering the position articulated by Weinrich, Labov, and Herzog in 1968 that linguistic diversity is systematically organized in ways that reflect and construct social order. The volume investigates such key themes as covariation and co-occurrence restrictions; indexicality, perception and social meaning; coherence and language change; and the structure and measurement of coherence at different levels of analysis. This collection advances our understanding of the coherence of linguistic communities through empirical investigations of larger and more diverse sets of variables, language varieties, speech styles, and communities, as afforded by the development and advancement of new methods and models in sociolinguistic research. This book is of interest to scholars in sociolinguistics, language variation and change, and formal linguistics, as well as those interested in developments on research methods in linguistics.

This manual focuses on teaching Italian as a foreign language in the academic field, taking into consideration the various subjects and disciplines that can be found in a university course in Italian Studies. Various chapters are included within that range, for example, from Italian phonetics and dialectology to art as a means to deepen elements of the Italian language, to morphology with word formations, and to translation as well as subtitling. The range also covers technology as a tool for telecollaboration, academic writing, and learning Italian through geography or the language of vulgarity. Besides, the manual takes into consideration the use of the Italian press for learning, together with the use of comics and cartoons to teach the Italian language. The contribution aims to be a point of reference both for teachers and students who are focusing on linguistics, philology, didactics, and pedagogy. It lays emphasis on the teaching methodology, the instruments of teaching, and the available resources. It also seeks to deal with the various teaching problems and reflects on the disciplines as well as alternative proposals for teaching.

This open access edited book captures the complexities and conflicts arising at the interface of intellectual property rights (IPR) and competition law. To do so, it discusses four specific themes: (a) policies governing functioning of standard setting organizations (SSOs), transparency and incentivising future innovation; (b) issue of royalties for standard essential patents (SEPs) and related disputes; (c) due process principles, procedural fairness and best practices in competition law; and (d) coherence of patent policies and consonance with competition law to support innovation in new technologies. Many countries have formulated policies and re-oriented their economies to foster technological innovation as it is seen as a major source of economic growth. At the same time, there have been tensions between patent laws and competition laws, despite the fact that both are intended to enhance consumer welfare. In this regard, licensing of SEPs has been debated extensively, although in most instances, innovators and implementers successfully negotiate licensing of SEPs. However, there have been instances where disagreements on royalty base and royalty rates, terms of licensing, bundling of patents in licenses, pooling of licenses have arisen, and this has resulted in a surge of litigation in various jurisdictions and also drawn the attention of competition/anti-trust regulators. Further, a lingering lack of consensus among scholars, industry experts and regulators regarding solutions and techniques that are apposite in these matters across jurisdictions has added to the confusion. This book looks at the processes adopted by the competition/anti-trust regulators to apply the principles of due process and procedural fairness in investigating abuse of dominance cases against innovators.

The Continuity of Linguistic Change presents a collection of selected papers in honour of Professor Juan Andrés Villena-Ponsoda. The essays revolve around the study of linguistic variation and the mechanisms and processes associated with linguistic change, a field to which Villena-Ponsoda has dedicated so many years of research. The authors are researchers of renowned international prestige who have made significant contributions in this field. The chapters cover a range of related topics and provide modern theoretical and methodological perspectives, addressing the structural, cognitive, historical and social factors that underlie and promote linguistic change in varieties of Dutch, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish and Swedish. The reader will find contributions that explore topics such as phonology, acoustic phonetics and processes deriving from the contact between languages or linguistic varieties, specifically levelling, koineisation, standardisation and the emergence of ethnolects.

Holistic medicine is: A clinical discipline that integrates both Eastern and Western medical methods and knowledge systems into one An evidence-based medicine that simultaneously embodies both a holistic approach and personalized principles The most straightforward form of medicine that adheres to scientific standards and effectively meets the needs of humanity In recent years, the integrated research on living organisms initiated by systems biology, along with the efforts of precision medicine to tailor treatment plans based on the individual characteristics of each patient, have opened up the process of modern biology and medicine returning to the ideas of Chinese medical traditions. Under the larger perspective of the development and evolution of Eastern and Western medicine, biology, and even natural science for hundreds of years, this book follows the evolution of modern scientific methods and reveals the inevitable trend of future medicine—holistic medicine. Holistic medicine is a medical system that fully integrates Chinese and Western medical methods and knowledge systems and conforms to scientific norms. It is an evidence-based medicine that embodies the holistic concept and individualized principles. This book outlines the method and theoretical framework of holistic medicine, and provides the method of constructing the theoretical system and using it to achieve the best regulation of diseases. It can be expected that holistic medicine will become the mainstream medicine in the 21st century.

This lucid and theory-neutral introduction to the study of pidgins, creoles and mixed languages covers both theoretical and empirical issues pertinent to the field of contact linguistics. Part I presents the theoretical background, with chapters devoted to the definition of terms, the sociohistorical settings, theories on the genesis of pidgins and creoles, as well as discussions on language variation and the sociology of language. Part II empirically tests assumptions made about the linguistic characteristics of pidgins and creoles by systematically comparing them with other natural languages in all linguistic domains. This is the first introduction that consistently applies the findings of the Atlas of Pidgin and Creole Language Structures and systematically includes extended pidgins and mixed languages in the discussion of each linguistic feature. The book is designed for students of courses with a focus on pidgins, creoles and mixed languages, as well as typologically oriented courses on contact linguistics.

The future of English linguistics as envisaged by the editors of Topics in English Linguistics lies in empirical studies which integrate work in English linguistics into general and theoretical linguistics on the one hand, and comparative linguistics on the other. The TiEL series features volumes that present interesting new data and analyses, and above all fresh approaches that contribute to the overall aim of the series, which is to further outstanding research in English linguistics.

Preface; Introduction - Erik André Andersen and Birgit Lindsnæs; 1. Global public goods - concepts and definitions: The state and the citizen: Natural law as a public good - Peter Wivel; Public goods: Concept, definition, and method - Erik André Andersen and Birgit Lindsnæs; On human rights - Lone Lindholt and Birgit Lindsnæs; The global and the regional outlook: How can global public goods be advanced from a human rights perspective? - Birgit Lindsnæs. 2. Peace and security: Peace as a global public good - Bjørn Møller; International institutions for preserving peace and security - Erik André Andersen; The law of war - Rikke Ishøy; The case of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Erik André Andersen; 3. State and citizen, Is good governance a global public good? - Hans-Otto Sano; Legal protection and the rule of law as a global public good - Hans Henrik Brydensholt and Kristine Yigen; Curbing corruption: A global public good, The potential of international cooperation - Kristine Yigen; Access to global public goods for socially and economically vulnerable groups - Rie Odgaard and Kristine Yigen; 4. Access to information, The right to know - Anders Jerichow; Internet access as a global public good - Henrik Lindholt and Rikke Frank Jørgensen; Research, global public goods and welfare - Peder Andersen; Education as a global public good - Diego Bang; 5. Examples of implementation, Health is global - and a moving target - Poul Birch Eriksen, Ellen Bangsbo, Jens Kvorning, Lene Lange, Esben Sønderstrup, Uffe Torm and Ib Bygbjerg; (Fresh) water as a human right and a global public good - Jannik Boesen and Poul Erik Lauridsen; The international trade system - Christian Friis Bach; The global responsibility of private companies - Henrik Brade Johansen, Helle Bank, Jørgensen and Jens Kvorning; 6. Conclusion, Problems and potentials in the application of global public goods - Erik André Andersen, Peder Andersen and Birgit Lindsnæs; Appendices; Index.