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High language competence among young people

[19 Dec 2011] The language that adolescents use is often described as sloppy, with an air of "What's going to happen to all these kids who can't even talk properly?" Yet a new doctoral thesis from the University of Gothenburg shows that young people indeed possess a high level of language competence, and also a good ability to adapt to different persons and situations. However, there are also features of their language that do not change according to the situation and that indicate that they have a specific identity style that also affects their communication.

Investigating human corporeity in Merleau-Ponty's philosophy

[15 Dec 2011] French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty wrote several noted works during the period 1940-1960, discussing human corporeity and what it means for a human to have a body. International philosophical research into Merleau-Ponty has primarily focussed on his relationships with other philosophers. A thesis published by the University of Gothenburg presents him instead from the perspective of the history of ideas, focussing on the human corporeity and carnality.

The Swedish "visa" - from lute to protest

[8 Dec 2011] Performance practice within the Swedish song type known as "visa" changed during the 20th century from rural romanticism to protest song in the service of the left-wing political movement. A common trait for the whole period, however, is that the visa often has been associated with intimacy, authenticity and unpretentiousness. A thesis published by the University of Gothenburg discusses the change of the visa as presented on public stages from 1900 to 1970.

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