குறியியல்-அறிமுகம்

(மொழிபெயர்ப்பு) Mubeen Sadhika

குறிப்பான் மற்றும் குறிப்பீடு என்ற சொற்களின் தேர்வு மூலம் 'ஒன்றிலிருந்து மற்றொன்றைப் பிரித்துக் காட்டும் வேறுபாட்டை'ச் சுட்டிக்காட்ட முடிகிறது என சசூர் குறிப்பிட்டார்(சசூர் 1983,67; சசூர் 1974, 67). இத்துடனும், குறியின் வரைபடத்தில் இருக்கும் கிடைக்கோட்டுடனும், சசூர் ஒலியும் சிந்தனையும்(அல்லது குறிப்பானும் குறிப்பீடும்) ஒரு தாளின் இரு பக்கங்கள் போல் பிரிக்க முடியாதவை என்று சசூர் வலியறுத்தினார்(சசூர் 1983, 111; சசூர் 1974, 113). அவை மூளையில்... 'நெருங்கிய தொடர்பை' 'ஒரு தொடர்புச் சங்கிலிபோல்' கொண்டிருக்கின்றன-'ஒன்று மற்றொன்றைத் தூண்டுவதாக' உள்ளன என்றார்(சசூர் 1983, 66; சசூர் 1974, 66).

இந்தக் கூறுகள் முழுமையாகச் சுதந்திரமானவை என்றும் ஒன்று மற்றொன்றுக்கு முந்தி இருப்பதில்லை என்றும் சசூர் விளக்குகிறார்(சில்வர்மேன் 1983, 103). வாய்மொழிப் பேச்சில் ஒரு குறி உணர்வற்ற ஒலியாகவோ அல்லது ஒலியற்ற உணர்வாகவோ இருக்கமுடியாது. அவர் இரு அம்புக்குறிகளை அவற்றின் பரிமாற்றத்தைக் குறிக்கப் பயன்படுத்தினார். வரம்பும் எதிர் அம்பும் குறிப்பானும் குறிப்பீடும் ஆய்வு நோக்கங்களில் தெளிவாக விளக்கப்படுவதைக் குறிக்கின்றன.

பின் அமைப்பியல் கோட்பாட்டாளர்கள் சசூரிய குறி மாதிரியில் உள்ள கிடைக்கோடான வரம்பைத் தெளிவான பிளவாக-குறிப்பானுக்கும் குறிப்பீட்டுக்கும் இடையிலுள்ள பிளவாகக் காட்டுவதாக விமர்சித்தார்கள்; அவர்கள் அதை மங்க வைத்து அல்லது அழித்து குறி அல்லது அமைப்பியல் உறவின் புதிய வடிவத்தை உருவாக்க விரும்பினார்கள். சில கோட்பாட்டாளர்கள், 'குறிப்பான் எப்போதும் குறிப்பீட்டிலிருந்து தனித்திருக்கும்...அது தனக்குரிய சுயச்சார்பைக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது' என்றும் விவாதித்தார்கள்(லெக்ட், 1994, 68), இந்தக் குறிப்பு குறியின் இடுகுறித் தன்மை பற்றியதாக இருக்கிறது. அதைப் பின்னர் விவாதிக்கலாம்.

பொதுப்புத்தியின் படி குறிப்பீடு முன்பே இருப்பது போலவும் குறிப்பானுக்கு முன்பே இருப்பது போலவும் தோன்றுகிறது:'உணர்வை பார்த்துக்கொள்ளவேண்டும்,' என்றார் லூயிஸ் கரோல், 'ஒலிகள் தங்களைத் தாங்களே கவனித்துக்கொள்ளும்(ஆலிஸின் விந்தை உலகத்தில் சாதனைகள், இயல் 9) என்றும் கூறுகிறார். இருந்தாலும், சசூருக்குப் பிந்தைய கோட்பாட்டாளார்கள் குறிப்பானுக்கு உள்ளார்ந்த முக்கியத்துவம் தரும் மாதிரியாக சசூரின் மாதிரியைப் பார்த்தது பொதுபுத்தியின் நிலைப்பாட்டுக்கு நேரெதிராக இருந்தது.

லூயி ஹெல்ம்ஸ்லெவ், 'வெளிப்பாடு' மற்றும் 'உள்ளடக்கம்' என்ற சொற்களைக் குறிப்பானுக்கும் குறிப்பீட்டுக்கும் முறையே பயன்படுத்தினார்(ஹெல்ம்ஸ்லெவ் 1961, 47எஃப்எஃப்). குறிப்பானுக்கும் குறிப்பீட்டுக்கும் இடையிலுள்ள வேறுபாடு சில சமயங்களில் 'வடிவம் மற்றும் உள்ளடக்கம்' என்ற பிரபலமான இரட்டையுடன் இணையாக்கப்படும். அது போன்ற கட்டமைப்பில் குறியின் வடிவமாகக் குறிப்பானும் உள்ளடக்கமாகக் குறிப்பீடும் பார்க்கப்படுகிறது.

இருந்தாலும், வடிவம் என்பதற்குரிய உருவகமான 'பாத்திரம்' என்பது சிக்கலைத் தரும், ஏனெனில் பொருள் என்பதற்கு நிகராக உள்ளடக்கம் இருப்பதால் அதனை ஆதரிப்பதாக இருக்கும். இது 'விளக்கம் தருவதற்கு முனைந்தச் செயல்பாடிலில்லாமல்' பொருளைப் 'பிரித்தறிய' உதவும் என்றும் அதனால் வடிவம் பொருளாம்சம் தருவதல்ல என்றும் அர்த்தம் கொள்ளப்படக்கூடும்(சாண்ட்லர் 1995 104-6).

The Berlin File Film

சர சர, சுரு சுரு ஆக்சன் படம் ஒன்னு பாக்கனும்ன்னா...
ஒரு பரபரப்பான கொரியன் ஆக்சன் த்ரில்லர்... satisfaction guaranteed. படம் பெயர் : The Berlin File.

Directed By:

Seung-wan Ryoo

Written By:

Seung-wan Ryoo

In Theaters:

Aug 15, 2013  wide

On Disc/Streaming:

Dec 24, 2013

Runtime:

120 minutes

Studio:

CJ Entertainment

Curiously quaint in concept and fairly conventional in execution, South Korean action auteur Ryoo Seung-wan’s contemporary spy thriller plays almost like a throwback to the 70s, with its focus on Berlin as a nest of competing intelligence agencies.  Already a major hit in Korea, where it notched the number-one spot last weekend with $15.5 million in boxoffice, The Berlin File is well-positioned to capitalize on Ryoo’s international reputation for tasty genre fare as it ventures into overseas markets, opening Stateside February 15.

A tense illegal arms deal in a Berlin hotel suddenly descends into mayhem after a "ghost" agent named Jong-seong (HA Jung-woo) appears on the scene. Secretly watching the deal go down is embattled South Korean intelligence chief Jin-soo (HAN Suk-Kyu), the North Koreans and the US CIA, who are all left trying to decode whether the ghost is a double-agent or taking the fall for a more insidious plot. Myung-soo (RYOO Seung-bum) a young, notorious North Korean agent jumps into these treacherous waters to investigate loyalties of all involved and begins to implicate Jong-seong's wife, Jung-hee (Gianna JUN), a translator at the North Korean embassy in the German capital. Caught between his love of country and his wife, Jong-Seong must quickly prepare to make the ultimate sacrifice

By converting North vs. South Korean political rivalries to an international setting and substituting global arms trading and money laundering for all-out post-Cold War conflict, writer-director Ryoo sets a contemporary tone, which is oddly contradicted by his view that Berlin continues to represent a major nexus for global clandestine operations. After a secretive arms deal in the German capital involving North Korean spy Pyo Jong-seong (Ha Jung-woo), a Russian broker and a Middle-Eastern terrorist goes wrong when it’s disrupted by unknown assailants, Pyo narrowly escapes, only to confront a daunting morass of conflicting evidence that may reveal why he was set up or else lead straight into a deadly trap.

Also investigating the failed weapons sale, South Korean intelligence agent Jung Jin-soo (Han Suk-kyu) must determine the North’s role in the deal, as well as the potential involvement of the CIA, Israel’s Mossad spy agency, international terrorist organizations, and any other covert operatives lurking in Berlin’s polyglot underworld.

Confronting the possibility of a double-agent within Berlin’s North Korean embassy where his wife Ryun Jung-hee (Gianna Jun) is a translator, Pyo discovers that Pyongyang security authorities have dispatched ruthless fixer Dong Myung-soo (Ryoo Seung-bum) to sort out potentially conflicting loyalties at the consulate. Dong’s investigation quickly implicates Ryun and he gives Pyo just 48 hours to incriminate his wife, who’s suspected of leaking information on the arms deal to South Korean agents trying to gain access to a secret multibillion-dollar bank account controlled by Pyongyang authorities.

Despite an apparently loveless marriage, Pyo is reluctant to betray Ryun, particularly after she discloses she’s pregnant, and when the North Korean ambassador makes an attempt to defect to the West, Pyo becomes incriminated as well. Narrowly escaping an assassination squad dispatched by Dong, Ryun and Pyo go on the run, with the rival Korean intelligence agencies closing in fast.  

With an A-team cast taking the primary roles, including Ryoo’s brother and regular collaborator Ryoo Seung-bum, and featuring the return of Shiri’s Han Suk-kyu along with international star Gianna Jun, The Berlin File crackles with tense character conflict. Points should also be awarded for the Korean actors’ English-language dialogue, but it’s often so heavily accented that subtitles might actually be warranted. Although Ryoo smoothly shifts genres to an international stage, he’s so overloaded the narrative with minor characters supporting intersecting subplots that the film’s principal throughline, centering on personal loyalty and patriotism, too often gets obscured.

Atmospherically shooting at a variety of key locations around Berlin, Ryoo and cinematographer Choi Yeong-hwan opt for bathing most scenes in the blue-gray lighting that’s all-too characteristic of spy yarns, but by injecting frequent high-octane shootouts and chases they consistently deliver a variety of invigorating set pieces.

Chun Soo-a’s production design emphasizes the less-glamorous aspects of clandestine operations and the brisk pacing set by editors Kim Sang-beom and Kim Jae-bum rarely flags before reaching the overly drawn-out climactic scenes.

The genetics of intelligence

Intelligence research should not be held back by its past

Evidence grows for the idea that some of your smarts are in your DNA

By sifting through the genetics of nearly 80,000 people, researchers have uncovered 40 genes that may make certain people smarter. That brings the total number of suspected “intelligence genes” to 52.
Combined, these genetic attributes explain only a very small amount of overall smarts, or lack thereof, researchers write online May 22 in Nature Genetics. But studying these genes, many of which play roles in brain cell development, may ultimately help scientists understand how intelligence is built into brains.

Nature vs. Nurture
Historically, intelligence research has been mired in controversy, says neuroscientist Richard Haier of the University of California, Irvine. Scientists disagreed on whether intelligence could actually be measured and if so, whether genes had anything at all to do with the trait, as opposed to education and other life experiences. But now “we are so many light-years beyond that, as you can see from studies like this,” says Haier. “This is very exciting and very positive news.”
http://www.nature.com/…/intelligence-research-should-not-be…

Exactly what constitutes intelligence, and to what extent it is genetic, are some of the most controversial questions in science. But now a new study of nearly 80,000 people, published in Nature Genetics, has managed to identify a number of genes that seem to be involved in intelligence.
According to a dictionary definition, intelligence is “the ability to learn, understand or deal with new situations” or “the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one’s environment or to think abstractly”.
This is obviously quite broad. Indeed, even animals display a number of different forms of intelligence, typically critical for survival. These range from reaching or gathering sources of food and escaping predators to the sharing of duties within a group (such as in ant communities). Elephants or monkeys also possess forms of empathy and care, which strengthen their relationships and chances to survive.
Human intelligence started out as “reactive”, enabling us to find solutions to the challenges of nature. But it later became “proactive”, so that we could use the resources of nature to develop preventive measures aimed at solving problems. Ultimately, what makes human intelligence different from that of other animals is our ability to shape the environment, for example through farming. This became possible as we developed communities and started delegating tasks on the basis of talents. When the acute problem of survival was controlled, we could dedicate our intelligence to the development of arts or other higher skills.
There are many factors that enable us to shape and nurture our intelligence – ranging from access to resources and information to skills acquired through experience and repetition. But, like with most human traits, there is also a genetic basis.

The experiment

The method used to measure intelligence in the new study was the so-called “g-factor” – a measure of analytical intelligence. Although it might appear reductive to catalogue all types of intelligence through a single test, the g-factor is often used in scientific research as being among the most unbiased methods. The authors looked at such scores in 78,000 people of European descent to search for genetic factors and genes that potentially influence human intelligence.
They carried out a genome-wide association study (GWAS). This assesses connections between a trait and a multitude of DNA markers called single-nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, which might determine an individual’s likelihood to develop a specific trait. The test enabled the researchers to identify 336 significant SNPs.

DNA. vitstudio

Generally, the vast majority of significant SNPs that result in this way fall in non-coding regions of the DNA. In other words, they indicate portions of the DNA that may regulate gene expression even though the actual regulated gene is unknown. This makes the SNPs from GWAS hard to interpret. So the authors then complemented their analysis with a so called genome-wide gene association analysis (or GWGAS), which calculates the effect of multiple SNPs within genes and can identify actual associated genes. They then combined both kinds of study to strengthen their confidence in naming the genes associated with intelligence.
This work led to isolating 52 candidate genes linked to intelligence. Although 12 of these had been previously associated with “intelligence”, the study needs to be replicated in future studies.

What do we gather?

The researchers discovered that the genes that were the strongest linked to intelligence are ones involved in pathways that play a part in the regulation of the nervous system’s development and apoptosis (a normal form of cell death that is needed in development). The most significant SNP was found within FOXO3, a gene involved in insulin signalling that might trigger apoptosis. The strongest associated gene was CSE1L, a gene involved in apoptosis and cell proliferation.
Does this all mean that intelligence in humans depends on the molecular mechanisms that support the development and preservation of the nervous system throughout an person’s lifespan? It’s possible.
And is it possible to explain intelligence through genetics? This paper suggests it is. Nevertheless, it might be warranted to consider that intelligence is a very complex trait and even if genetics did play a role, environmental factors such as education, healthy living, access to higher education, exposure to stimulating circumstances or environments might play an equally or even stronger role in nurturing and shaping intelligence.
It is also worth considering that the meaning of “intelligence” rather falls within a grey area. There might be different types of intelligence or even intelligence might be interpreted differently: in which category would for example a genius physicist – unable to remember their way home (Albert Einstein) – fall? Selective intelligence? Mozart nearly failed his admission tests to Philharmonic Academy in Bologna because his genius was too wide and innovative to be assessed by rigid tests. Is that another form of selective intelligence? And if so, what’s the genetic basis of this kind of intelligence?
Studies like this are extremely interesting and they do show we are starting to scratch the surface of what the biological basis of intelligence really is.