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Public language is generally considered to have become more informal in the Western world in the past few decades. The same holds true for Swedish public language and the language of Swedish newspapers in particular. However, two former studies of opinion articles in five Swedish newspapers revealed that the language used in this genre was surprisingly unchanged during the time period 1945–2000. This article replicates the two former studies by analysing 36 Swedish opinion articles from 2015 from a quantitative perspective. The results of the analysis are then compared to those of the earlier studies to see if, and to what extent, tendencies of informalization have now become noticeable in the opinion articles. It is demonstrated that there are indeed signs of informalization in the articles from 2015. Words and sentences have become shorter, colloquial expressions (such as swear words) are used, and both incomplete sentences and personal pronouns in first and second person are more frequent than before. On the other hand, subordinate clauses are more common in the articles from 2015 than in 1985–2000. Since subordinate clauses in former studies of Swedish have been considered a formal trait, this is quite unexpected. In the article, it is argued that the connection between subordination and formal language is more complex than has sometimes previously been acknowledged –, and that subordinate clauses have different functions, not all of them characterizing a formal style., https://doi.org/10.33063/diva-376235

In the careers of many prominent seventeenth-century painters such as Annibale Carracci, Guercino, Domenichino and even Caravaggio there is a familiar stylistic progression: each began their careers with a chiaroscuro manner rooted in Venetian and Emilian naturalism and then later shift to a markedly classicizing manner characterized by a brightening or lightening of the palette, a tendency to idealize the human form, and an insistence on composing in a series of parallel planes. The art-theoretical concept known as L'Idea della bellezza was the touchstone in cases where this stylistic phenomenon manifested itself. Developed and modified in antiquity to maintain its relevance to art theory, the Platonic Idea went through many variations and interpretative models until it was reintroduced to art theory in the Renaissance. At the same time, expectations of artists increased as the arti di disegno sought to be included among the liberal arts. Artists' primary and secondary phases of education ensured a reading knowledge of Latin and equipped them with the ability to engage with the theoretical material of their day. This intellectual interest was reinforced by the foundations of the Florentine Accademia del Disegno, and later the Bolognese Accademia degl'Incamminati. As the number of publications by artists seemingly dwindled in the period following Mannerism, it was assumed that artists were increasingly disinterested with the complex theoretical discourse taken up by a growing number of critics and theorists. However, artists of the early modern period did participate in the debates of their day, which in turn reveals their sensibilities. A number of treatises and writings on art have survived from Pietro Testa, Orfeo Boselli and Nicholas Poussin that demonstrate a sustained interest in theory. Within these writings we find that art-theoretical concepts such as L'Idea elucidate each artist's conceptual process and metaphysical understanding of art. In the Seicento th

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Queensland College of Art, This thesis is concerned with studying the factors which influence stylistic change in magazine design. Of particular interest is the role computer technology plays in the formulation of design style change. This relates to the rate of style change and the application of inscription characteristics into the visual imagery to create distinct visual grammars. The introduction of the computer during the late 1980’s as a design tool revolutionised the practice of graphic design. Anecdotal evidence suggests computers changed the restrictive practices previously imposed by typesetters, film houses and printers (Patterson, 2004). The purpose of this study is to investigate the period prior to and after the introduction of the computer as a design tool to discover what direct and indirect influences computer technology had on the development of visual grammar associated with print based publications, specifically the graphic design style of selected magazines over this period. The influence of technology within a creative society is a complex process in which interacts with sub cultures and market economics. The intent was to discover if there was a way to quantify style change in magazines and evaluate the usefulness of such information in terms of keeping the visual content vital and interesting to different market audiences. Many magazine editors do not appreciate the relevance of the visual grammar they use in maintaining readership interest. The readership figures and the advertising environment ascertained by market research from companies such as Roy Morgan Research and McNair-Anderson indicate how “healthy” a magazine is in the marketplace. These figures tend to fluctuate and it is common to see re-vamps of a magazine’s style to give the flagging image a boost without any survey of readers’ preferences in visual grammar. The re-focusing of content and appearance often tries to bring the magazine into a more contemporary design space which is often a reflection on wh