Paralanguage

Paralanguage is a component of meta-communication that may modify or nuance meaning, or convey emotion, such as prosody, pitch, volume, intonation etc. It is sometimes defined as relating to nonphonemic properties only. Paralanguage may be expressed consciously or unconsciously. The study of paralanguage is known as paralinguistics, and was invented by George L. Trager in the 1950s, while he was working at the Foreign Service Institute of the Department of State. His colleagues at the time included Henry Lee Smith, Charles F. Hockett (working with him on using descriptive linguistics as a model for paralanguage), Edward T. Hall developing proxemics, and Ray Birdwhistell developing kinesics. Trager published his conclusions in 1958, 1960 and 1961. His work has served as a basis for all later research, especially those investigating the relationship between paralanguage and culture (since paralanguage is learned, it differs by language and culture). A good example is the work of John J. Gumperz on language and social identity, which specifically describes paralinguistic differences between participants in intercultural interactions. The film Gumperz made for BBC in 1982, Multiracial Britain: Crosstalk, does a particularly good job of demonstrating cultural differences in paralanguage, and the impact these have on relationships.

Sigh (disambiguation)

A sigh is an audible exhalation, usually signifying some emotional experience. It may also refer to:

Sigh (band)

Sigh (サイ, sai) is a Japanese extreme metal band from Tokyo, formed in 1989. They are credited as being one of the first Japanese black metal bands, when the majority of black metal in early 1990s came from Scandinavia. They gradually shifted from a more traditional black/thrash metal sound, to a more experimental, avant-garde style.

Biography

Sigh was founded in 1989 in Tokyo, Japan. The band was signed by Euronymous' (of Mayhem fame) infamous label Deathlike Silence Records and released their first full-length album Scorn Defeat on DSP in 1993, shortly after Euronymous' death. The label ceased to exist shortly after his death and Sigh changed to Cacophonous Records.

After major disputes with Cacophonous over promotion and album rights, the band eventually found a new home at Century Media Records. Through this label they released their album Imaginary Sonicscape in 2001, which contained a more avant-garde elements than their previous work. In 2005 they released their full-length Gallows Gallery through yet another source, Candlelight/Baphomet Records. The band then signed to The End Records that released Hangman's Hymn and Scenes From Hell and reissued re-mastered versions of Gallows Gallery and Imaginary Sonicscape with revamped artwork and bonus tracks, before re-signing with Candlelight Records. After returning to Candlelight Records, Sigh has released 2012's In Somniphobia, and have announced recordings for their 10th studio album, Graveward, will begin in mid-2014.

Vanitas

Vanitas is a category of symbolic works of art, especially those associated with the still-life paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries in Flanders and the Netherlands. The Latin noun vanitas -atis means "emptiness" and thus refers in this context to the traditional Christian view of earthly life and the worthless nature of all earthly goods and pursuits. In Christian philosophy, the word vanitas derives its prominence from the Ecclesiastes, and in Vulgate the verse is rendered as "Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas". In the King James Version, however, it is translated "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity", and therefore the English word "vanity" is used in its older (especially pre-14th century) sense of "futility".

Themes

Vanitas themes were common in medieval funerary art, with most surviving examples in sculpture. By the 15th century these could be extremely morbid and explicit, reflecting an increased obsession with death and decay also seen in the Ars moriendi, the Danse Macabre, and the overlapping motif of the Memento mori. From the Renaissance such motifs gradually became more indirect and, as the still-life genre became popular, found a home there. Paintings executed in the vanitas style were meant to remind viewers of the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. They also provided a moral justification for painting attractive objects.

Vanitas (Macbeth album)

Vanitas is the second full-length studio album by the Italian Gothic metal band Macbeth.

Track listing

All songs written by Fabrizio Cislaghi and Max Montagano.

Credits

References

Characters of Kingdom Hearts

Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square). It is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios. Kingdom Hearts is a crossover of various Disney settings based in a universe made specifically for the series. The series features a mixture of familiar Disney, Final Fantasy and The World Ends with You characters, as well as several new characters designed by Tetsuya Nomura. In addition, it has an all-star voice cast which includes many of the Disney characters' official voice actors.

The series centers on Sora's search for his friends and his encounters with various Disney and Final Fantasy characters along the way. Players primarily control Sora, though there are numerous characters that join Sora's party as computer controlled members. The majority of the characters were introduced in the original game Kingdom Hearts. Subsequent installments including Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II, 358/2 Days, Birth by Sleep and coded featured several new original, Disney and Final Fantasy characters while the most recent game Dream Drop Distance introduces several characters from Square Enix's The World Ends with You.