Suchergebnisse

The problem of linguistic reform in China is complicated by the fact that it has 2 aspects: (1) a uniform spoken language & (2) a written language. Efforts to universalize the use of pai hua (Pekinese, which is also the language of the classics) are closely connected with attempts to modernize the country itself. It is necessary to distinguish between the bourgeois (Hu Shis) & revolutionary reformers, such as the prophet Ch'en Tu-Hsin, who assigned to linguistic reform an important role In the Communist revolution. At this time, the success of the spoken language is almost attained, for pai hua is being used more & more throughout China. The promblem of the written language is more complex.- the knowledge of 2,000 characters (of some 40,000) is actually considered indispensable as a basic alphabet, posing not only a problem of scholarship, but also raising difficulties in the functioning of modern methods of communication & thought. Attempts to simplify it are not new; however, it was not until 1955 that a methodical plan of modernization was established. If linguistic reform is only one of the testing grounds of the new regime, its pol'al importance is still considerable. Tr from IPSA.

In this paper the author examines the theme of the tutelage of the Italian & regionals languages in Italy. In particular legislative proposals have been presented in the XIII, XIV & XV legislature to amend Articles 6 or 12 of the Constitution by inserting the official Italian language. A comparative overview in Europe shows how many are the States that have chosen to enshrine in the Constitution the official national language. But in Italy the proposal to include the Italian language in the Constitution is almost always been accompanied also by that for regional languages in the form of their exploitation - The contemporary debate on protection of national & regional languages demonstrates the varied linguistic substrate of Italy. Adapted from the source document.

This contribution deals with Kiezdeutsch, a form of youth slang spoken in multilingual and multi-ethnic urban settings in Germany. Based on three works by German scholars published in the past few years the linguistic features of Kiezdeutsch are described and the issues of its sociolinguistic status and of its origin are discussed. Then, the role played by Kiezdeutsch in present day German society is scrutinized relying on the dichotomy 'community vs. migrancy'.

The article analyzes the debate on "racial" or "ethnic voting" in postapartheid South Africa, looking at its implications for democratic theory. A critical review is offered of "sociological" (culture- & class-based) as well as "psychological" & political communication explanations for the unexpected tendency of the 'coloured' voters in the Cape area to "betray" the African National Congress & line up with the white electorate after 1993. An alternative explanation is also offered that seeks to combine elements from the theory of cleavages, class voting theory, & the Downsian theory of elections. It is based on the application of some recent developments of European & American rational choice sociology to the genesis of voting preferences, as well as on the concept of language repertoire & central place theory. Finally, some possible adjustments to the liberal democratic model in contexts marked by economic, language, culture, & geographic differentials are recommended from within the theoretical framework of the neo-contractarian views of democracy. 8 Tables, 2 Figures, 72 References. Adapted from the source document.

A review essay on books by (1) Maurizio Cotta, Donatella della Porta, & Leonardo Morlino, Scienza politica ([Political Science] Bologna, Italy: Il Mulino, 2001); (2) Domenico Fisichella, Lineamenti di scienza politica ([An Outline of Political Science] Roma: Carocci, 2003); & (3) Patrizia Messina, Introduzione alla scienza politica. Concetti, modelli, teorie e linguaggi ([Introduction to Political Science. Concepts, Models, Theory and Language] Padova, Italy: Cleup, 2002).

The Author analyses the comparative legal profiles of citizenship in the constitutional legal orders of some African, Latin American and Asian countries, providing brief examples. The paper focuses on the following aspects: a) language problems raised by the comparison of different legal orders; b) the concept of citizenship in constitutional law; c) the relationship between the legal status of citizenship and forms of State; d) the configuration of citizenship in Islamic law and in federal States; e) conditions for the acquisition and the deprivation of citizenship, solutions to cases of double nationality, the international effort to tackle statelessness. Adapted from the source document.

This paper sketches a historical & analytical framework for the interpretation of the process of European integration. The chosen approach tries to relate the European regional integration to the processes of the formation & consolidation of nation-states. The latter completed the process of European territorial differentiation of the Middle Ages common heritage based on Christian cultural identity, Latin high-language & culture, & Roman public law, Germanic common law, & Church Canon law. European integration is interpreted as a new phase of development of the European system of nation-states characterized by an uneven process of territorial de-differentiation, which generates tensions due to the decoupling of the formerly territorially overlapping principles of identity, solidarity, & legitimized decision rules within the nation-state. 3 Tables, 2 Figures, 29 References. Adapted from the source document.

Political science, because of its many subdisciplines & multiple approaches, strongly needs a specific vocabulary. This article compares eleven dictionaries -- in three languages & four different political cultures -- to offer a critical overview of the making of a political dictionary. First, the author reviews the editorial & methodological features (number of editors &/or contributors, average length of the entries, method of explanation of the entries, & the system of cross-references). Then he gives an account of the (eleven) different typologies of political concepts provided by the editors, after which he provides a short review of the entry "political science." A dictionary is more interesting when each single entry goes beyond a simple report of definitions, taking the aim -- as Sartori says -- of reconstructing a concept but also forming a concept. New & original classifications & stronger & stimulating linking patterns among concepts are indispensable to a professional political vocabulary as well as to theory making. In the last 15 years, some steps have been taken -- including by these eleven dictionaries -- but much work remains to be done. 3 Tables, 29 References. Adapted from the source document.

Based on an interpretation of the European Union (EU) as a compound democracy, the article argues that the constitutionalization of the European Union is necessarily a contested process. A compound democracy is a union of states constituted by units of different demographic size, political history and geographical interests, and as such characterized by different views on its constitutional identity. This is also the experience of the other main compound democracy, that of the United States (US), although the latter is a compound democracy by design whereas the EU is by necessity. However, whereas the contested process of constitutionalization in the US was based on a common constitutional framework, at least since the Civil War, and has been ordered by a super-majority procedure for settling disputes, the EU lacks a document that embodies a shared language and a procedure that is able to solve the disputes. Here is the EU conundrum: it needs a constitution for stabilizing itself, but the divisions between its member states make the approval of such a constitution highly implausible. As a result the process of constitutionalization in the EU ends up periodically in stalemate. Adapted from the source document.

Ethiopia has been ever the icon of sovereignty for Africa and the blacks of the whole world. The process of formation of modern statehood paved the way to a born-again state reinforcing the central authority and absorbing the proto-states of the southern regions. The territorial expansion undertaken by Menelik in the last decades of XIX century encompassed into a multination Empire peoples and nations who didn't share the same values, religions and languages with the dominating stock. Hence, the image of a an alien occupation in order to exploit the work of the groups out of power and often deprived of the lands. Actually the Christian elites dwelling the highlands, the so-called Abyssinians, treated the "indigenous" peoples, especially of the south, with arrogance and paternalism as backward and pagan ones. Besides, tension between Islam and Christianity was a permanent factor in the history of Ethiopia. The oppression has been more visible as far as the eastern frontier, which has been garrisoned employing force instead of flexibility and assimilation. In such a context a special issue of contention has been the role of Amhara, who according to some historical versions and in the grievances of the communities put in a subject or servile condition were responsible to exercise an hegemony in their exclusive advantage. The Amhara themselves deny to be an ethnic group and pretend to be actually the true Ethiopian nationals. Amhara can be seen rather as a metaphor for power whereas Oromo (Galla in the Italian colonial sources) is a metaphor for the relative lack of it. Any way, it should be a mistake to draw analogy with European colonialism even at the level of stereotype. Adapted from the source document.