Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
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The history of the Albanian present suffix -i/-ën is discussed, in terms of both form and function. This is done through the study of present dialects, Old Albanian texts, other Indo-European...Show moreThe history of the Albanian present suffix -i/-ën is discussed, in terms of both form and function. This is done through the study of present dialects, Old Albanian texts, other Indo-European languages, and typological parallels.Show less
During an internship project at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (the National Library of the Netherlands; KB) in The Hague the library’s Special Collections’ department requested a project be set up to...Show moreDuring an internship project at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (the National Library of the Netherlands; KB) in The Hague the library’s Special Collections’ department requested a project be set up to examine the catalogue objects then described only as ‘collections’. Previous digitization projects had shown that these collections often contained prints or Plano’s that had remained uncatalogued as individual objects. The goal for this Plano project was to find and identify the objects in these collections and add them to the library’s catalogue as new, individual entities. During the first stages of the project over 2500 individual prints were discovered to be part of these ‘collection’ catalogue objects. Among these were eight folders of collected materials accompanied by handwritten notes and indexes. These folders were identified as the work of historian Georges-Joseph Gérard (1734-1814). This thesis argues that the eight folders are a part of Gérard’s planned Monumenta Historiae Belgicae project, a large-scale project with the intention of collecting all available source material on the history of the Southern Netherlands. Was the project important enough for Gérard to cut prints out of undamaged books, or did he acquire the source materials through other methods? The folders from the KB show that Gérard was not only an avid note-taker, but also a collector of prints.Show less
Este estudio trata de dos cuentos peruanos de los años '50 que describen la vida en la Lima urbanizada del siglo veinte. Es un análisis de 'Al pie del acantilado' de Julio Ramón Ribeyro, y 'Lima,...Show moreEste estudio trata de dos cuentos peruanos de los años '50 que describen la vida en la Lima urbanizada del siglo veinte. Es un análisis de 'Al pie del acantilado' de Julio Ramón Ribeyro, y 'Lima, hora cero' de Enrique Congrains. El enfoque de la investigación es la presentación del tema de la barriada limeña en los cuentos: el objetivo es analizar cómo estos cuentos influyen en la formación de una imagen sobre esas barriadas. La investigación propone que, aunque en muchos aspectos los cuentos coinciden en cuanto a esta presentación, cada cuento tiene una manera específica en la cual intenta influir el sentimiento del lector en cuanto a la vida en la barriada.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
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This thesis attempts to link certain aspects of literary analysis, i.e. character development and rising/falling action, to the phenomenon of the literary epiphany. After providing a general...Show moreThis thesis attempts to link certain aspects of literary analysis, i.e. character development and rising/falling action, to the phenomenon of the literary epiphany. After providing a general definition of epiphany and listing various types of literary epiphany, the thesis focuses on one specific type: the epiphany which comes after a prolonged period of mounting tension culminating in a personal crisis. A new working model is introduced: a logical progression of states of mind or being, moving towards an epiphany which has a lasting effect on the character. Though the visionary moment may be spontaneous, it does not occur haphazardly but rather is the result of a series of consecutive events which lead up to the point of epiphany. This progression can be perceived as an upward spiral representing a mental development towards a wider consciousness, a better understanding of the self and the other, and a greater degree of self-realization or self-actualization. In discussing the phenomenon of the epiphany, some indispensable links are made to the field of psychology, without straying too far from the literary implications. Thus, the literary notions of rising and falling action and character development are tied in to a dynamic rather than a static epiphanic model. It is noted that epiphanies are not an end in themselves, but rather an inherent part of the transitions in life. The thesis explores some of the theoretical background to the literary epiphany, as discussed by Morris Beja, Ashton Nichols, Robert Langbaum, Philipp Wolf, Christel van Boheemen-Saaf, and Wim Tigges. It also attempts to counter Paul Maltby’s postmodern critique and deconstruction of the epiphanic literary tradition. To support the thesis, the various stages in the progression toward epiphany are illustrated with developments in two works of primary literature: James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Far more succinctly, the proposed model is tested on key developments in three other novels: Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums, Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and Walker’s The Color Purple. This thesis expresses a professed belief in the mental and moral evolution in man, based on a deep conviction that “truth will out” and that mankind is, in a moral sense, upwardly mobile. Character development is, in this model at least, a development for the better.Show less
India has proven to be difficult to define. In this essay the three novels A Passage to India, Midnight's Children and Heat and Dust are analysed as to the way they represent India
Un número de palabras españolas e inglesas se parecen mucho en su ortografía, pero tienen un significado distinto. Para angloparlantes que aprenden la lengua española eso puede causar, y muchas...Show moreUn número de palabras españolas e inglesas se parecen mucho en su ortografía, pero tienen un significado distinto. Para angloparlantes que aprenden la lengua española eso puede causar, y muchas veces causa, problemas y malentendidos cuando usan la lengua. El trabajo presentado aquí investiga la etimología y las diferencias en definiciones de esos 'falsos amigos', primero investigado por Maxime Koesler y Jules Deroc en 1928, y trata de aclarar algunos de los problemas del fenómeno lingüístico conocido como falsos amigos.Show less
Kinderen met 'Specific Language Impairment' (SLI) hebben een afwijkende spraak- taalontwikkeling, maar ze vertonen ook vaak problemen in de auditieve en neurocognitieve verwerking (Baddeley, 2012)....Show moreKinderen met 'Specific Language Impairment' (SLI) hebben een afwijkende spraak- taalontwikkeling, maar ze vertonen ook vaak problemen in de auditieve en neurocognitieve verwerking (Baddeley, 2012). Kinderen die auditieve verwerkingsproblemen hebben, hebben verschillende uitvalsymptomen waaronder het slecht verstaan in situaties met veel achtergrondlawaai en het moeilijk kunnen volgen van snelle, korte auditieve informatie of spraak die is vervormd. Een zwak auditief geheugen en/of een zwakke aandacht en problemen met richtingshoren zijn ook veelvoorkomende klachten bij kinderen met auditieve verwerkingsproblemen (Bamiou, Musiek & Luxon, 2001; Neijenhuis, 2003). In dit onderzoek zijn de resultaten van twee groepen kinderen: een groep met SLI en auditieve verwerkingsproblemen en een groep met SLI zonder auditieve verwerkingsproblemen op verschillende taaltesten vergeleken.Show less
Vorstelijke gerechtshoven als de Grote Raad te Mechelen en de Admiraliteit te Veere waren deel van de machtscentralisatie van de Habsburgers in de 16e eeuwse Nederlanden, en hebben de verspreiding...Show moreVorstelijke gerechtshoven als de Grote Raad te Mechelen en de Admiraliteit te Veere waren deel van de machtscentralisatie van de Habsburgers in de 16e eeuwse Nederlanden, en hebben de verspreiding van het Romeins-canonieke procesrecht in de Nederlanden verzekerd. De procesgang aan deze gerechtshoven wordt nog steeds onderzocht; met name de praktijk aan de Admiraliteit is vrij onbekend. Deze casestudy van een tweetal processen voor de Admiraliteit en Grote Raad presenteert observaties over de rechtsgang aldaar. Dit onderzoek beoogt tevens vanuit de inhoud van de rechtszaken bijdragen te leveren aan het onderzoek naar de haringvisserij.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to investigate how contemporary documentary is appropriating certain strategies that are traditionally only used in art, to question the difficulties of giving an accurate...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to investigate how contemporary documentary is appropriating certain strategies that are traditionally only used in art, to question the difficulties of giving an accurate documentation of the world. A world that is never transparent or simple, conflicts and situations that are never black or white. For this I will look at the photographs by documentary photographer/artist Richard Mosse, as an example for the wider phenomenon in contemporary documentary, and investigate what strategies he uses to address the problems of documenting atrocities in Eastern Congo and narrating its complicated story to the viewers. I will investigate how the boundary between documentary and art in these strategies (and because of these strategies) is shifting, what the implications are and what effect this has on the viewers. For this thesis I will examine three main strategies Richard Mosse uses in his photographs: first, the use of a certain pre-determined concept and the negation of the decisive moment, as was long (at least until the 1980s) the characteristic of documentary photography and photojournalism. Second, the aesthetization of the documentary photograph and its increasing relationship to art and, third, the presentation of the work in both an installation form as well as the placement of these projects within a cultural and art institutional environment.Show less
Between 1945 and 2001 possibilities for homosexual men to move to the Netherlands improved considerably. This thesis examines how and why this development took place. In 1967 for the first time men...Show moreBetween 1945 and 2001 possibilities for homosexual men to move to the Netherlands improved considerably. This thesis examines how and why this development took place. In 1967 for the first time men were allowed to stay in the Netherlands officially, despite their sexuality. From 1974 partner migration became possible, allowing the foreign partner to stay 'because' of his sexuality. In 1981 the Netherlands was the first country that allowed asylum seekers to be granted refugee status on the basis of their sexuality. Main reasons for this change are the secularisation of the Netherlands, a liberalisation of family law, progressive politics in the 1970s because of the social (and sexual) revolutions in the 1960s. Also very important was the emergence of the gay emancipation movement in the Netherlands which became politically active in the 1970s. Nevertheless, implementation of these novel opportunities to settle in the Netherlands proved more difficult. Local police forces applied their own moral judgments on immigrants and it took until the 1990s before a homosexual asylum seeker was granted refugee status for his sexuality. This thesis therefore argues that the Netherlands wanted to show abroad how progressive its policies were, while practically, the results of the policies were not so progressive at all. Nevertheless, the Netherlands became to be known abroad as a safe haven for homosexual men. This was an image that the Dutch government tried to avoid in the 1960s, while it embraced the image in the 1990s. This thesis adds to the debate of policy change, as well as to the debate around the difference between policy and practice, taking immigration of homosexual men as a case study.Show less
The work of the Japanese contemporary artist Nara Yoshitomo is followed by groups of loyal fans, which consist mainly of young women. In this thesis I will investigate the relationship between the...Show moreThe work of the Japanese contemporary artist Nara Yoshitomo is followed by groups of loyal fans, which consist mainly of young women. In this thesis I will investigate the relationship between the works by Nara Yoshitomo and these young female fans. These fans feel attracted to his work and at the same time engage with his work in various ways. This situation brings forth the following questions: what elements are there in the artistic language of Nara Yoshitomo that these fans find so appealing? How do they interpret the art by Nara Yoshitomo? And what is the relationship between Nara's art and these groups of young female fans? I will answer these research questions by discussing 'Your Childhood' (2001) and 'Aomori dog' (2005), two works by this artist that involved interaction with his fans. I will interpret these works from the eyes of its fans by observing their reactions on fan sites and blogs, applying the concepts of 'shoujo', 'nostalgia' and 'transitional object'. Eventually I will conclude that Nara’s fans appreciate the cute and nostalgic visual elements in Nara’s art as ‘shoujo’ or ‘nostalgic subjects’, as these young women are known for their consumption of cute and nostalgic things in order to escape temporarily from their social obligations. However, the belief that Nara’s fans act solely as passive consumers of his art may be challenged since they also play an active role as producers around Nara’s art via a wide range of participatory actions targeting his work.Show less
British literature was becoming increasingly popular in the Dutch book market around 1900. British books were imported and translated on a large scale. This dissertation presents a case study of...Show moreBritish literature was becoming increasingly popular in the Dutch book market around 1900. British books were imported and translated on a large scale. This dissertation presents a case study of the translation and publication of the novels by the British author Mary Augusta Ward in the Netherlands from 1888 to 1924. An analysis of primary evidence from the Bohn Archives of the Leiden University Library and the Vereeniging ter Bevordering van de Belangen des Boekhandels’ "Nieuwsblad voor den Boekhandel", offers new insights into Dutch translation rights procedures, the negotiations between the Dutch and the British publishers of Ward’s works, the communication between the Dutch publishers and the translators, the competition between English editions of Ward’s novels and the Dutch translations, and the publication of unofficial, competing, translations. In this dissertation, the Dutch publisher De Erven F. Bohn is shown to have paid Smith Elder & Co of London in order to be the first to obtain the Dutch rights to translate Ward’s novels, despite the fact that the Netherlands had not yet signed the Berne Convention. Furthermore, evidence is found suggesting that individual translators could have titles registered at the Translation Committee on their own behalf, in order to become the private owner of the Dutch translation rights. In addition, the archival sources show that there was a danger of competing Dutch translations being published in the Dutch periodicals of the time, and of the Dutch readers reading the novel in English if their patience was tried, throughout the translation and publication process of Ward’s novels.Show less
Op het einde van de negentiende en aan het begin van de twintigste eeuw werd de Belgische parlementaire cultuur gekenmerkt door spanningen en evoluties op het vlak van representatie, legitimiteit,...Show moreOp het einde van de negentiende en aan het begin van de twintigste eeuw werd de Belgische parlementaire cultuur gekenmerkt door spanningen en evoluties op het vlak van representatie, legitimiteit, hoffelijkheid en waardigheid. Die spanningen worden in deze thesis aan de oppervlakte gebracht via een studie van debatten uit de Belgische Parlementaire Handelingen tussen 1888 en 1910 waarin Kamerleden zich genoodzaakt voelden om hun keuzes op het gebied van woordgebruik, daden/gedrag of taalkeuze te verantwoorden. Voor het eerst worden de metadebatten over hoffelijkheid systematisch onderzocht. Bovendien wordt de introductie van het Nederlands in de Belgische Kamer bestudeerd in het licht van het uitdagen van de bestaande negentiende-eeuwse hoffelijkheidstradities. Hoffelijkheid had in haar eerste, conservatieve betekenis te maken met een verfijnde cultuur van de elite. De basisprincipes in verband met hoffelijkheid waren echter niet enkel nodig voor het behoud van de waardigheid van het instituut, maar ook voor het nastreven van efficiëntie in het parlementaire debat. In haar tweede, praktische betekenis, vormde hoffelijkheid dan ook als fatsoenlijke basishouding de voorwaarde voor een efficiënte deliberatieve democratie. Beide interpretaties kwamen onder druk te staan bij de introductie van het Nederlands en de komst van de socialisten in de Kamer vanaf de late negentiende eeuw. Zij introduceerden niet enkel een nieuwe taal en/of ideologie in het halfrond, maar hadden ook een impact op de ontwikkelingen naar een meer progressieve visie op hoffelijkheid. In deze derde betekenis impliceerde hoffelijkheid werkelijk fatsoen ten opzichte van de kiezers in plaats van uiterlijk fatsoen ten opzichte van collega-Kamerleden. Hierbij kon meer legitimiteit en waardigheid verkregen worden door openlijk rekening te houden met de deelbelangen in de samenleving en door de kiezer recht te doen. Deze thesis toont aan dat het zelfs vanuit een strategisch oogpunt echter nooit de bedoeling was om volledig met de bestaande traditie te breken. De ‘nieuwelingen’ of Kamerleden die een nieuw fenomeen wensten te introduceren, trachtten dit vanuit het instituut zelf te doen. Hiervoor hadden ze legitimiteit binnen het parlement nodig en dienden ze dus ook in zekere mate een traditionele vorm van representatie na te streven. Net als hun collega’s verwezen zij dan ook naar hoffelijkheid, waarbij de traditionele en praktische interpretaties niet meteen overboord gegooid werden.Show less
