Phrase

In everyday speech, a phrase may be any group of words, often carrying a special idiomatic meaning; in this sense it is roughly synonymous with expression. In linguistic analysis, a phrase is a group of words (or possibly a single word) that functions as a constituent in the syntax of a sentence—a single unit within a grammatical hierarchy. A phrase appears within a clause, although it is also possible for a phrase to be a clause or to contain a clause within it.

Common and technical use

There is a difference between the common use of the term phrase and its technical use in linguistics. In common usage, a phrase is usually a group of words with some special idiomatic meaning or other significance, such as "all rights reserved", "economical with the truth", "kick the bucket", and the like. It may be a euphemism, a saying or proverb, a fixed expression, a figure of speech, etc.

In grammatical analysis, particularly in theories of syntax, a phrase is any group of words, or sometimes a single word, which plays a particular role within the grammatical structure of a sentence. It does not have to have any special meaning or significance, or even exist anywhere outside of the sentence being analyzed, but it must function there as a complete grammatical unit. For example, in the sentence Yesterday I saw an orange bird with a white neck, the words an orange bird with a white neck form what is called a noun phrase, or a determiner phrase in some theories, which functions as the object of the sentence.

Renaissance Learning

Renaissance Learning Inc. (RLI) is an educational assessment and learning analytics company that makes cloud-based educational software for use in Kindergarten through 12th grade. In 2011, the company was purchased by Permira. Renaissance Learning acquired Skynet, an instructional e-reading platform in 2013. Google Capital made a $40 million investment in the company at a $1 billion valuation in 2014. In March 2014 it was reported that private equity firm Hellman & Friedman was acquiring Renaissance Learning for $1.1 billion in cash.

History

Accelerated Reader, the company's flagship product, was created in 1985 by Judith and Terrance "Terry" Paul, who founded the company in 1986 under the name "Advantage Learning Systems" (ALS). The company's name changed to "Renaissance Learning, Inc." (RLI) in 2001. At one time, the couple owned about 75% of RLI. In August 2011 the company was bought by the British company Permira. As of October 16, 2011, Renaissance Learning was no longer traded as a public company.

KNOW-FM

KNOW-FM (91.1 FM) is the flagship radio station of Minnesota Public Radio's "news and information" network, primarily broadcasting a talk radio format to the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. The frequency had previously gone under the call sign KSJN, but the purchase of a commercial station at 99.5 MHz in 1991 allowed MPR to broadcast distinct talk radio and classical music services.

History

WLOL (1330 AM) was purchased by MPR in 1980 and carried the KSJN call sign until 1989 when the KNOW letters became available. The AM signal was later spun off into a for-profit subsidiary to help fund the public broadcaster, and was eventually sold off. The station has since reverted to their original WLOL call sign.

In the 1970s, KSJN 91.1 FM and WLOL (99.5 FM) cooperated in an experimental use of quadraphonic stereo, with each station carrying two channels of audio. However, this "quadcast" had some undesirable "ping-pong" effects, much like early stereo broadcasts using the same method did. Somewhat ironically, KNOW currently broadcasts primarily in monaural as its schedule is not music-focused.

Surname

A surname or family name is a name added to a given name. In many cases, a surname is a family name and many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name". In the western hemisphere, it is commonly synonymous with last name because it is usually placed at the end of a person's given name.

In most Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries, two or more last names (or surnames) may be used. In China, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Madagascar, Taiwan, Vietnam, and parts of India, the family name is placed before a person's given name.

The style of having both a family name (surname) and a given name (forename) is far from universal. In many countries, it is common for ordinary people to have only one name or mononym.

The concept of a "surname" is a relatively recent historical development, evolving from a medieval naming practice called a "byname". Based on an individual's occupation or area of residence, a byname would be used in situations where more than one person had the same name.

Kafka (surname)

Kafka is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

See also

Kafka (film)

Kafka is a 1991 mystery thriller film directed by Steven Soderbergh. Ostensibly a biopic, based on the life of Franz Kafka, the film blurs the lines between fact and Kafka's fiction (most notably The Castle and The Trial), creating a Kafkaesque atmosphere. It was written by Lem Dobbs, and stars Jeremy Irons in the title role, with Theresa Russell, Ian Holm, Jeroen Krabbé, Joel Grey, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Alec Guinness.

Released after Soderbergh's critically acclaimed debut Sex, Lies, and Videotape it was the first of what would be a series of low-budget box-office disappointments. It has since become a cult film, being compared to Terry Gilliam's Brazil and David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch (all of which star Ian Holm).

Plot summary

Set in the city of Prague in 1919, Kafka tells the tale of an insurance worker who gets involved with an underground group after one of his co-workers is murdered. The underground group, responsible for bombings all over town, attempts to thwart a secret organization that controls the major events in society. He eventually penetrates the secret organization in order to confront them.