Янко Слава (Библиотека Fort/Da) || slavaaa@yandex.ru || http://yanko.lib.ru || Icq# 75088656
(What do you consider to be the role of academic institutions in the process of innovation?) This question was one of the items included in a questionnaire being applied in the research
project described above to academics and company employees participating in cooperative ventures throughout Mexico.
1.2. Subject
The discourse analyzed was uttered by the scientific advisor in a joint project currently underway to study the optical properties of paint. RB is a scientist with international prestige in the field of optics who has been working at the Institute of Physics of the National University of Mexico (IF-UNAM) for some 28 years. He has been advising a research project at a company research center for the last 6 years. RB spends at least one day a week at this center as an advisor. He is also in contact with the research team via phone and e-mail.
1.3.Method
1.3.1.Force Dynamics
L.Talmy [10. P. 12] distinguishes at least four systems that organize meaning in discourse: configurational structure, location of perspective point, distribution of attention and force dynamics. This paper gives preference to the latter for its intrinsic relationship with causation. It explores the relationship between the focal force entity (called agonist by L. Talmy) and the force entity that opposes the agonist (the antagonist). These forces are conceived as having one of two possible intrinsic tendencies: movement or rest, that is to say, action or inaction. In addition, the analysis takes into account the balance of strength between interacting entities or events and the resultant of the force dynamic interaction.
13.2.Mental space construction
The analysis of force dynamics in discourse is approached from the perspective of the construction of mental spaces [4; 5]. According to G. Fauconnier [5. P. 39] these mental spaces: are internally structured by frames and cognitive models, and externally linked by connectors, that relate elements across spaces, and more generally, structures across space.
G. Fauconnier [5. P. 40] defines a space builder as «a grammatical expression that opens a new space or shifts focus to an existing space». Following his ideas, space builders were located in the discourse fragment analyzed. Elements like names, verb tenses and moods, negation, conjunctions, prepositional phrases and presuppositional constructions were used to determine when to construct new spaces or switch back to previous ones.
In the following section, I will analyze a discourse fragment uttered by the scientific advisor described above, from the double perspective of the construction of mental spaces and force dynamics.
2. RB Scientist (IF-UNAM)
2.1. Corpus
«¿Cuál considera que es el papel de la academia en el proceso de innovación?»
(«What do you consider to be the role of academic institutions in the process of innovation?»)
«Yo ↑/considero que/ es de apoyo/ es apoyo/yo lo que considero ideal/no es lo que esta pasando aquí/ es que hubiera un grupo de ingenieros/ muy ↑ bien preparados / en la empresa / que no hay / no↑ / que tuvieran ideas muy ↑ muy ↑ este innovativas / y que necesitaran apoyo / de la academia раrа llevar las acabo no ↑ / como eso no no no sucede / entonces muchas veces nosotros vamos a/ a hacer ese trabajo de los ingenieros/ lo hacemos nosotros no ↑ / los científicos / porque existe un hueco allí / muy fuerte no ↑«.
(«I / consider that/ it is support/ it is support/ what I consider ideal/ is not what is happening here/ it is that there would be a group of engineers/ in the company/ very well prepared/ which there are not/ that they would have very very innovative ideas/ and that they would need support/ from academic institutions to carry them out/ since that does not not not occur/ consequently often we go to/ to do that work of the engineers/ we do it ourselves/ the scientists/ because there is a gap there/ very strong».)
2.2 Mental space construction
Since a pragmatic interview frame (Q/A) is basic to the discourse analyzed in this paper, the base space В was constructed with the entities existing in the research instrument: the interviewer (q), the role of academic institutions in the process of innovation (r) and the person responsible for answering the question (y), in this case a scientist at the Institute of Physics at the National
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Текст и дискурс: традиционный и когнитивно-функциональный аспекты исследования= Рязань, 2002. - 236 с.
Янко Слава (Библиотека Fort/Da) || slavaaa@yandex.ru || http://yanko.lib.ru || Icq# 75088656
University of Mexico. See Figure 1. Due to the nature of the interview, the research project frame RP is ever present.
Figure 1. Mental space construction
The use of Yo considero (I consider) opens the new opinion space O. Both yo and ro are accessed from B. ro is assigned the value apoyo (support). xo: lo que (what) or «the situation which» is set up relative to the research frame RP. xo is assigned the value: ideal (ideal).
The present indicative and the deictic aquí (here) in no es lo que esta pasando aquí (isn't what is happening here) opens a new reality space R. xr is accessed from О and assigned the absence of a value (φ).
The use of the Spanish subjuntivo pretérito (past subjunctive): hubiera (that there would be) opens a new counterfactual space C. gc is set up relative to RP: un grupo de ingenieros muy bien preparados (a group of engineers very well prepared).
The present indicative in que no hay (which there are not) returns us to R where gr is accessed from С and assigned the absence of a value (φ).
Again the use of the Spanish subjuntivo pretérito: tuvieran (that they would have) and necesitaran (that they would need) return us to C. idc is set up relative to RP - ideas muy muy innovativas (very very innovative ideas). rc is accessed from O. xc is accessed from R and assigned the value es que hubiera un grupo de ingenieros + que tuvieran ideas muy muy innovativas y que necesitaran apoyo de la academia (it is that there would be a group of engineers + that they would have very very innovative ideas and that they would need support from academic institutions).
Again the present indicative como eso no no no sucede (since that does not not not occur) returns us to R. xr is now reaccessed from С The absence of a value first stated as no es lo que esta pasando aquí (isn't what is happening here) is repeated again as the absence of a value: como eso no no no sucede (since that does not not not occur), but now in relation to the positive value for xc defined in C.
Entonces muchas veces (consequently often) opens a new subspace of R called frequency subspace F. cf is expanded from y in O:y + y + y = nosotros los científicos (we the scientists), tf is set up relative to RP: ese trabajo de los ingenieros (that work of the engineers).
Present indicative porque existe un hueco allí (because there is a gap there) is not construed as limited to subspace F, so we shift back to R. hr is set up relative to RP: hueco (gap), a metaphorical representation of xr (the absence of a positive value for xc in R). hr is assigned the value muy fuerte (very strong).
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Текст и дискурс: традиционный и когнитивно-функциональный аспекты исследования= Рязань, 2002. - 236 с.