The average lifespan of a house is somewhere around 100 years. During that time it will see many mutations in household composition and related spatial rituals. Designers are therefore faced with the task of giving form to something that is constantly subject to change. Many studies into flexibility focus on the changeable, on movable partitions and variation in the internal layout. The present study takes not the changeable but the permanent as its departure-point. The permanent--i.e. the more durable component of the house or building--constitutes the frame within which change can take place, while the frame defines the generic space, the space in which change can occur.

How do words mean? What is the nature of meaning? How can we grasp a word’s meaning? The frame-semantic approach developed in this book offers some well-founded answers to such long-standing, but still controversial issues. Following Charles Fillmore’s definition of frames as both organizers of experience and tools for understanding, the monograph attempts to examine one of the most important concepts of Cognitive Linguistics in more detail. The point of departure is Fillmore’s conception of “frames of understanding” – an approach to (cognitive) semantics that Fillmore developed from 1975 to 1985. The envisaged Understanding Semantics (“U-Semantics”) is a semantic theory sui generis whose significance for linguistic research cannot be overestimated. In addition to its crucial role in the development of the theoretical foundations of U-semantics, corpus-based frame semantics can be applied fruitfully in the investigation of knowledge-building processes in text and discourse.

Before discussing the research itself in greater depth, it is beneficial at this stage to introduce the background to the research. To do so, the chapter is divided into four parts. The first part of the chapter summarises terminologies associated with adaptability, and goes on to define and elaborate on the meaning of adaptability in this research study. The second part of this chapter defines mass housing; the development of mass housing and its problems are also illustrated. In the third part, as the key solution for addressing housing occupants’ requirements and accommodating changes, the importance of adaptability in improving overall housing quality, particularly from a social, financial, and environmental point of view, is outlined. The sustainability of adaptability is also discussed. Even though studies of adaptability have been developed structurally, functionally, technically and financially, adaptability still occupies a marginal position due to the production of mass housing. The final part of the chapter rethinks the notion of adaptability for mass housing. Factors of mass housing related to social, financial, technical and design issues and which address adaptability are explored. Lastly, it is revealed that the design aspect of adaptability is chosen as the research focus in this research study.

Collaborative Networks A Tool for Promoting Co-creation and Innovation The collaborative networks paradigm offers powerful socio-organizational mec- nisms, supported by advanced information and communication technologies for p- moting innovation. This, in turn, leads to new products and services, growth of better customer relationships, establishing better project and process management, and building higher-performing consortia. By putting diverse entities that bring different perspectives, competencies, practices, and cultures, to work together, collaborative networks develop the right environment for the emergence of new ideas and more efficient, yet practical, solutions. This aspect is particularly important for small and medium enterprises which typically lack critical mass and can greatly benefit from participation in co-innovation networks. However, larger organizations also benefit from the challenges and the diversity found in collaborative ecosystems. In terms of research, in addition to the trend identified in previous years toward a sounder consolidation of the theoretical foundation in this discipline, there is now a direction of developments more focused on modeling and reasoning about new c- laboration patterns and their contribution to value creation. “Soft issues,” including social capital, cultural aspects, ethics and value systems, trust, emotions, behavior, etc. continue to deserve particular attention in terms of modeling and reasoning. Exploi- tion of new application domains such as health care, education, and active aging for retired professionals also help identify new research challenges, both in terms of m- eling and ICT support development.

The contents of the volume prove the vitality of cognitive linguistic studies of figuration when combined with new research methodologies, in tandem with other disciplines, and also when applied to an ever broader range of topics. Individual chapters are concerned not only with some fundamental issues of defining and delimiting metaphor and metonymy, with the impact of figuration on grammatical forms, but are also exemplary discussions of how figurative language is processed and understood, as well as studies of practical ramifications of the use of figurative language in various types of discourse (the language of media, politics and healthcare communication). Most of the volume assumes a synchronic perspective, but diachronic coverage of processes is not missing either. In short, the volume demonstrates how rewarding it is to return to the true origins of cognitive linguistics for new inspiration and take a fresh start promising a true cornucopia of future results.

Since James Barr’s work in the 1960s, the challenge for Hebrew scholars has been to continue to apply the insights of linguistic semantics to the study of biblical Hebrew. This book begins by describing a range of approaches to semantic and grammatical analysis, including structural semantics, cognitive linguistics and cognitive metaphors, frame semantics, and William Croft’s Radical Construction Grammar. It then seeks to integrate these, formulating a dynamic approach to lexical semantic analysis based on conceptual frames, using corpus annotation. The model is applied to biblical Hebrew in a detailed study of a family of words related to “exploring,” “searching,” and “seeking.” The results demonstrate the value and potential of cognitive, frame-based approaches to biblical Hebrew lexicology.