bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico, Postclassic Chronology
Authors: Evans Susan Toby , Freter AnnCorinne
Published: October 2008

The Postclassic period in central Mexico was characterized by enormous population growth and expansion of settlement, but the timing of the onset of these processes has been poorly understood. Obsidian tools from residential contexts at the Late Postclassic village of Cihuatecpan in the Teotihuacan Valley have been analyzed to determine the extent of hydration, and thus the amount of time elapsed since the tools were manufactured. Estimated dates of manufacture range betweena.d.1221 and 1568, consistent with ethnohistoric accounts of the timing of establishment of Cihuatecpan and other rural villages, and their abandonment in the Early Colonial period. Ceramics found in the same contexts as the obsidian tools include Black-on-orange types, such as III, which may have come into use in the thirteenth century. This experiment in relative and absolute dating accords with other current research, indicating a needed revision of traditional chronologies toward an earlier onset of major processes.
A New Postclassic Chronology for Yautepec, Morelos
Authors: Hare Timothy S. , Smith Michael E.
Published: October 2008

We describe the derivation of a new archaeological chronology for the Postclassic period at Yautepec, Morelos. We first apply cluster analysis to ceramic type frequencies for 47 excavated contexts to identify groups of related ceramic collections. This classification is then extended to several hundred additional collections using discriminant-function analysis. The groups are evaluated successfully against stratigraphy and radiocarbon dates, resulting in their designation as chronological phases. Radiocarbon determinations are then used to assign calendar dates to the phases. The new chronology consists of one Middle Postclassic phase (Pochtla), two Late Postclassic phases (Atlan, Molotla), and one Early Colonial phase (Santiago). We also explore issues concerning the extension of this chronology to other Postclassic sites in the Yautepec Valley.
Gender and Health Among the Colonial Maya of Tipu, Belize
Authors: Danforth Marie Elaine , Jacobi Keith P. , Cohen Mark Nathan
Published: October 2008

The health of the Colonial-period Maya from Tipu, Belize, was evaluated using a skeletal series to explore differential effects of European contact by sex. Variables addressed were nutrition and disease patterns, reproductive patterns, and occupational stress. Results suggest that females enjoyed fewer childhood health disruptions, likely as a result of greater genetic buffering. No evidence of male preferential treatment was observed. Frequencies of indicators were similar to those reported for precontact Maya. Markers of adult activity patterns, including timing of parity, were also comparable to those of earlier groups. These findings support the cultural continuity with the Postclassic suggested by the archaeological and ethnohistorical records at Tipu.
Formative-Period Subsistence and Forest-Product Extraction at the Yarumela Site, Honduras
Authors: Lentz David L. , Ramírez Carlos R. , Griscom Bronson W.
Published: October 2008

Analysis of paleoethnobotanical remains from the Yaramela site in central Honduras has provided insights into subsistence activities, resource-extraction preferences from surrounding ecological zones, and the transfer of plant materials through interregional exchange networks during the Formative and Late Classic periods. Remains of maize (Zea mays) and squash (Cucurbitasp.) were found as well as the wood of a number of tree species, for example, pine (Pinussp.), oak (Quercussp.), fig (Ficussp.), timber sweet (Licariasp.), andguanacaste (Enterolobium cyclocarpum). These woods were obtained from the upland pine-oak savanna, the tropical deciduous forest of the Comayagua Valley, and the circum-riverine community along the Humuya River. In an unusual discovery, the wood of cashew (Anacardiumcf.occidentale) was found in Middle Formative contexts. This, most likely an introduced domesticate from South America, appears to be the earliest record ofAnacardiumfor Honduras. Paleoethnobotanical data along with root-processing artifacts indicate a diversified subsistence pattern based on domesticates of Mesoamerican and South American origin.
Pre-Hispanic Quarrying in the Ucareo-Zinapecuaro Obsidian Source Area
Authors: Healan Dan M.
Published: October 2008

Obsidian artifact sourcing studies performed over the last 25 years have identified obsidian from outcrops around the communities of Zinapecuaro and Ucareo, Michoacan, at sites widely distributed in time and space. Recent data indicate that Zinapecuaro and Ucareo constitute distinct obsidian sources, although their proximity to each other and their similar chemical compositions merit their consideration as collectively comprising part of an obsidian source area. Sourcing studies that used Ucareo as well as Zinapecuaro source reference samples provide strong evidence of considerably greater pre-Hispanic utilization of the Ucareo source, and raise the possibility that at least some artifacts attributed to Zinapecuaro in studies that did not use Ucareo reference samples may be from the Ucareo source. These findings are supported by recent archaeological evidence of considerably greater exploitation of the Ucareo source, including what is probably one of the largest known pre-Hispanic quarries. Preliminary data provide a tentative chronology for settlement and exploitation of the source area.
Obsidian Procurement and Distribution in the Tikal-Yaxha Intersite Area of the Central Maya Lowlands
Authors: Ford Anabel , Stross Fred , Asaro Frank , Michel Helen V.
Published: October 2008

Obsidian from known outcrops in the Mesoamerican highlands has been recovered from lowland Maya sites, providing significant evidence for long-distance procurement and local redistribution of obsidian by the ancient Maya. Prior chemical-characterization studies of obsidian from the lowland Maya area provide a foundation for the study of Tikal-Yaxha obsidian presented here. The samples used in this analysis came from middens associated with 12 residential units located between Tikal and Yaxha and dating from the Preclassic through Terminal Classic periods. The results of chemical sourcing of the Tikal-Yaxha samples generally lend support to current interpretations of changes in obsidian distribution and procurement in the central Maya lowlands. During the Preclassic period, most obsidian was imported from the San Martín Jilotepeque-Río Pixcaya source area. Obsidian from the El Chayal source predominated throughout the Classic period, although some Mexican Pachuca obsidian appeared in Early Classic contexts, and Ixtepepque obsidian was apparently restricted to the Terminal Classic period.
A Technological Typology of Prismatic Blades and Debitage From Ojo de Agua, Chiapas, Mexico
Authors: Clark John E. , Bryant Douglas Donne
Published: October 2008

A technological typology for the description and analysis of Mesoamerican obsidian industries is proposed, and its relative merits vis-à-vis Sheets's (1975a) “behavioral” typology are briefly explored. The typology is used to classify and describe a pristine deposit of obsidian-blade refuse recovered from the Early Classic Maya site of Ojo de Agua, Chiapas, Mexico. Analysis of this deposit revealed that the obsidian artifacts were manufacturing refuse resulting from the production of fine prismatic blades from polyhedral cores imported from highland Guatemala. The obsidian refuse was recovered from a workshop dump rather than from an actual workshop.
Prismatic Blademaking, Craftsmanship, and Production
Authors: Clark John E.
Published: October 2008

Artifacts from an obsidian-blade workshop dump from Ojo de Agua, Chiapas, Mexico, are analyzed to determine levels of craftsmanship and craft specialization. Detailed consideration of knapping errors and rejuvenation flakes reveals that the blademaker at Ojo de Agua was moderately skilled at his craft, which he practiced on a part-time basis. The maximum level of output from his workshop was 26,000, or fewer, fine blades per year, or the equivalent of part-time work during a three-month period. Analysis of knapping strategies evident in the workshop debris suggests that the blademaker's overriding strategy was to achieve a balance between effort and knapping risk at the expense of raw material. Access to obsidian cores does not appear to have been a concern, as little effort was made to economize in this respect, and thousands of usable, irregular blades were discarded in the workshop refuse.
Tamarindito: Archaeology and Regional Politics in the Petexbatun Region
Authors: Valdés Juan Antonio
Published: October 2008

The archaeological site of Tamarindito is located on an elevated escarpment that gives it a wide panoramic view of various distances all around, especially toward the northeast in the direction of the Río Petexbatun and the lake with the same name, in addition to the well-known, important archaeological site of Seibal. Tamarindito is 7 km east of Dos Pilas and 7 km northwest of Aguateca. It is one of the most important sites of the Petexbatun region and the capital of the most ancient polity of the region.
Basic colour terms: comparative results for French and Russian
Authors: Morgan Gerry
Published: October 2008

An experiment is described in which 74 French subjects were asked to list colour terms within a limited time period. Results are compared with those from a similar experiment with Russian subjects. The resulting data are used as a measure of psychological salience to establish which French colour terms are basic. Particular attention is paid to the two possible French terms for brown (marron and brun), and to beige ‘beige’, which may be emerging as an additional basic term. As Russian also has an additional term for blue, both languages are particularly interesting in the light of Berlin and Kay's 1969 model of basic colour term development.
On the syntactic derivation of negative sentence adverbials
Authors: Rowlett Paul
Published: October 2008

We consider recent Government-Binding work on sentential negation, e.g. by Pollock, and evaluate a fundamental assumption made about the syntax of negative clauses. While accepting that ne is generated as the head of NegP, we reject the dual claim that pas is characteristically: (a) a maximal projection, and (b) base-generated as the specifier of ne. We offer a three-sided argument against such an analysis, invoking: (a) the incompatibility of the proposal with the status of pas as a nominal; (b) the interaction between pas, etc, and indefinite direct objects; and (c) the syntax of ‘adverbials’. We go on to consider Obenauer's work on ‘quantification at a distance’ and Battye's work on ‘nominal quantification’. On the basis of this work, we posit that pas is generated lower in clause structure, either VP-adjoined or as the head of a determiner-less direct object DP.
Unaccusativity and auxiliary choice in non-native grammars of Italian and French: asymmetries and predictable indeterminacy
Authors: Sorace Antonella
Published: October 2008

In the diachronic development of the modern Romance languages, reflexes of the Latin verbhaberehave replaced reflexes ofesse, to a greater or lesser extent in particular languages. In this article it will be argued that the distribution ofesse-reflexes is determined by a hierarchy of unaccusativity based on the semantic distinctionsconcreteness/abstractenessandmovement/staticity, and thathabere-reflexes have been spreading systematically from the periphery of this hierarchy towards the core. This process has affected Italian and French to different degrees: Italian has largely retained a syntactically and semantically consistent auxiliary system, whereas the French system, at a more advanced stage of the evolution, shows greater variation and inconsistency.

Evidence is presented from the linguistic intuitions of very advanced Italian non-native speakers of French and French non-native speakers of Italian about equivalent unaccusative verbs, and it is argued that the unaccusative hierarchy conditions both the degree and the directionality of difficulty in second language acquisition. The findings reveal an asymmetric pattern: it is easier for the French learners to fully acquire the facts ofessere-selection than for the Italian learners to internalize the facts of être-selection, and the degree of difficulty experienced by the Italian learners with individual unaccusative verbs is correlated to their position along the hierarchy.
La notion de point de vue en analyse contrastive anglais—français
Authors: Chuquet Hélène
Published: October 2008

La notion de point de vue se rencontre dans differentes théories stylistiques, littéraires et linguistiques, qui tantôt se rejoignent, tantôt divergent dans l'usage métaphorique qu'elles font de cette expression empruntée à la langue courante. Qu'y a-t-il en effet de commun entre le procédé de traduction appelé ‘modulation’, le concept de ‘focalisation’ ou de ‘perspective’ en narratologie, et l'identification des marqueurs proprement linguistiques du point de vue?

Dans la théorie des opérations énonciatives d'Antoine Culioli, le concept de point de vue est lié à la construction d'un certain type de repérage par rapport à une origine énonciative et permet, entre autres choses, de rendre compte de phénomènes relevant des choix aspectuels et modaux. Cet article cherche à montrer,à travers l'étude de quelques exemples bilingues, en quoi le concept de repère-point de vue est opératoire dans l'étude des divergences aspectuelles entre l'anglais et le français et dans quelle mesure une analyse en ces termes peut contribuer à l'élaboration de stratégies de traduction.
Lexicon, genre and local discourse organisation: French speech act verbs and journalistic texts
Authors: Monville-Burston Monique , Waugh Linda R.
Published: October 2008

Speech act verbs have characteristic uses in journalistic texts. Our analysis shows that there is a metapragmatic shell which specifies how clarifying speech act verbs – ajouter, préciser, souligner, indiquer – are employed in reported speech microstructures, and with respect to which each verb has its own lexico-pragmatic specificity. To illustrate our genre-specific method of lexical analysis, préciser and souligner are examined in detail. These verbs contribute to textual cohesion and to clarification in terms of the relation between the reported speech they introduce and the discourse context in which they are used. They are also subject to the economy of the journalistic text, in particular the balance between scription (conventional writing) and écriture (creative writing). Thus, they evidence convergence of meaning, semantic bleaching and stylistic variation: that is, there is a semi-grammaticalisation of these verbs.
Clause subordination structures in language decline
Authors: Rottet Kevin J.
Published: October 2008

The field of language-death studies has invited a growing number of researchers to explore what happens to the internal structure of a language as it declines. However, little work has been done to date on minority varieties of French in the context of language-death studies. This paper examines some intergenerational changes in subordination (conditionals and subjunctive clauses) in a Cajun French community, exploring the gradual loss of non-indicative moods and the abandonment of finite clauses in subjunctive contexts in favour of innovative non-finite clause types via a continuum of variation.
When does variation indicate linguistic change in progress?
Authors: Ashby William J.
Published: October 2008

It is argued that two variables of Modern French (the negative particleneand the consonantlof clitic pronouns such asil) are indeed indices of ongoing linguistic change, even though this change appears to be of long duration. This conclusion is based not only on the distribution of the variables in a corpus of natural French discourse, but also on independent linguistic evidence, together with the available historical record. In the absence of adequate ‘real-time’ data, variationist analysis yielding synchronic, “apparent-time” data provides a useful means of charting the drift of the language.
Partitive and pseudo-partitive revisited: Reflections on the status of ‘de’ in French
Authors: Battye Adrian
Published: October 2008

The radical structural distinction often proposed between pseudo-partitive (i.e. beaucoup de problèmes) and partitive (i.e. beaucoup des problèmes épineux) is argued to be the by-product of too restrictive a view of the internal structure of the noun phrase in French. A more articulated nominal phrase structure is adopted here, one which makes. use of the idea of the determiner being itself the head of a functional projection (the so-called DP-panalysis). This DP approach to partitive and pseudo-partitive configurations, it is proposed, also allows for a reappraisal of what are traditionally termed the partitive and plural indefinite article (i.e. du, de la, de l' and des).
French and English passives in the construction of text
Authors: Péry-Woodley Marie-Paule
Published: October 2008

ABSTARACT

The aim of the article is to explore a small corner of the interface between micro-characteristics of texts – such as sentence syntax – and the macroproperty of textual coherence, in the context of second-language academic writing. French and English passives are analysed in terms of their information-packaging role in essays in English LI, and French LI and L2. The analysis provides insights into the role of passives in academic writing in both languages and into some specific problems for English-speaking learners of French: in particular it throws some light on the excessive – and often erroneous – use of on, regarded as a substitute for the English passive.
Les processus de sandhi externe en français de Marseille
Authors: Watbled Jean-Philippe
Published: October 2008

L'objet de cet article est l'étude des processus d'élision et de liaison en français de Marseille. Une attention particulière est accordée aux mots avec initiale vocalique ou semi-vocalique qui bloquent ces processus. La recherche des principes qui régissent leur application dans le parler en question révèle un certain nombre de régularités. On est ainsi amené à considérer le H aspiré comme une position démarcative plutôt qu'une position phonémique vide. D'autre part, on constate une corrélation nette et non fortuite entre le comportement des séquences semi-voyelle + voyelle (à l'initiale du mot) en contexte de liaison/élision, les règles de construction de la syllabe, et les contraintes distributionnelles. La découverte de cette corrélation permet de déterminer quelles règles productives sont à l'oeuvre en discours aux frontières de mot. Elle conduit aussi à une révision de l'analyse de la structure syllabique.
Argument structure in second language acquisition
Authors: White Lydia
Published: October 2008

This paper investigates the effects of the first language (LI) on second language (L2) argument structure, in two situations: (i) LI sentences form a superset of those permitted in the L2; (ii) L2 sentences form a superset of those permitted in the LI. An experiment was conducted on 55 anglophone children learning French in Canada. Subject completed a perference task, comparing sentences which varied the types of arguments and adjuncts, and their ordering. Result indicate that the subject differed from a native speaker control group in various ways; English argument structure had effects but learners were also sensitve to properties of French which are distinct from English.
L'aspect en français: essai de synthèse
Authors: Wilmet Marc
Published: October 2008

La majoritǵ des études sur l'aspectpèchent par une insuffisante distinction de l'aspectsémantique(lié au sens du verbe, l' ‘Aktionsart’ des linguistes allemands), de l'aspectlexical(que manifestent divers coverbes et compléments adverbiaux) et de l'aspectaffixal(inhérent à un préfixe, un infixe ou un suffixe de conjugaison) – certains chercheurs allant jusqu'à demander au second et\ou au troisiéme le soin de déterminer le premier.

Notre synthèse propose d'abord une définition générale de l'aspect: ‘temps intérieur au verbr’. passant au français, elle décrit les phénomènes quiaffectent n'importe quel procès AB en son pôle A, en son pôle B ou en l'intervalle A←B. Pour terminer, on s'intéresse au fonctionnementcombinédes aspects et au délicat problème leurhiérarchie.
Support verb constructions: linguistic properties, representation, translation
Authors: Danlos Laurence
Published: October 2008

This article deals with constructions such as Jean a fait une promenade or Jean a soif which contain verbs called here ‘support verbs’. These structures are known to pose immense difficulties for the translator (whether human or automatic) and part oif the purpose of this paper is to suggest representations which render their translation easier on the basis of work carried out by the author within the EC Eurotra Machine Translation project. First of all, it is argued on linguistic grounds that support verb constructions behave differently from constructions containing ‘ordinary’ verbs such as lire or ouvrir. In particular, it is claimed that the syntactic and semantic head of Jean a fait une promenade is the noun promenade and not the verb faire which is a mere carrier of tense and aspect. We then raise the question of the representation of support verb constructions for the purposes of machine translation and examine several alternative possibilities. The representations adopted below are shown to lead to simple transfer rules limited to the substitution of lexical items which do not entail complex structural changes between source and target sentences. The linguistic ideas presented here have been implemented in nine languages within the Eurotra project but most of the discussion is based on contrastive evidence between French and English.
Verbes causants et verbes causatifs dans la formation des verbes pronominaux français: la nouvelle valence ou ‘se mourir d'ennui’
Authors: Feigenbaum Susanne
Published: October 2008

Existe-il un lien lexical entre le verbe intransitifdormir, le verbe transitifendormiret le verbe pronominal neutres'endormir?La réponse positive réside dans la structure cognitive. Du point de vue sémantique,dormirprésente un procÈs statif,endormirun procÈs causatif ets'endormirun procÈs inchoatif. La structure congitive du statif correspond au prédicat ETRE, celle du causatif à /CAUSER-ALLER-ETRE/ et celle de l';inchoatif à /ALLER-ETRE/. La sturcture congitive confirme en fait que le verbeendormirest une valence augmentée dedormiret ques'amuserouremplir– seremplir, de même que des phrases commeLe métal rouille /L'humidité rouille le métal./Le métal se rouille. Une fois saisi le fait que la structure cognitive permet d'établir des liens lexicaux, on expliquera la difféence entre divers types de verbes pronominaux neutres. Ainsi,s'endormirse distingue dese rouillerpar la position actantielle du sujet á l'intérieur de la structure lexicale. Celui de s'endormir représente le prédicat /ALLER/, tandis que celui des'amuser, représente le prédicat /ETRE/. Finalement, l'approche cognitive permet de dépasser le lexÈme et de nouer une relation entre les structures causatives /CAUSE–EFFET/ et les structures résultatives /sultatives /ACTION–RESULTAT/, comme avecElle se tue au travail.
Second language acquisition research and the second language acquisition of French
Authors: Hawkins Roger , Towell Richard
Published: October 2008

Prior to the late 1960s second language acquisition was thought to be a relatively uninteresting phenomenon; it involved transferring grammatical properties already activated in the first language (L 1) onto second language (L 2) vocabulary. Successful L 2 learners were those who could capitalise on the similarities between the L 1 and the L 2, and eradicate the differences; and successful language teaching involved training learners to overcome the L 1-L 2 differences. Today, perceptions of second language acquisition are more sophisticated and nuanced. Second language acquisition researchers are interested in questions bearing not only on the influence of the L 1, but also on the degree of systematicity in L 2 development, the role that L 1, but also on the degree of systematicity in L 2 development, the role that conscious knowledge plays, the sources of variability in second language speaker performance, the ultimate levels of success achieved by L 2 learners of different ages, and individual differences between learners. The purpose of this article is to present what the authors believe to be some of the key issues which characterise current second language acquisition research, and to consider those issues within the specific context of the acquisition of French as second language.
Patterns of second language development in French immersion
Authors: Harley Birgit
Published: October 2008

In this cross-sectional study of the a acquisition of French by English-speaking immersion students in Ontario, Canada, patterns of second language development are examined with particular reference to verbs. The analysis focuses on second language production data from interviews with 36 early immersion students at three different gradr levels, along with comparison data from a group of late immersion students and two groups of native French speakers. The study documents the learners' well-developed ability to negotiate meaning in context and the continuing impact of the first language in various aspects of their verb use.
Quand le nom propre prenf article: le cas des noms propres métonymiques
Authors: Kleiber Georges
Published: October 2008

Cet article porte sie les noms propres ‘méonymiques’ tels quedu MozartetUn RodindansJ'secoute du MozartetPaul a acheté un Rodin. I1 a pour objectif de répondre au double probléme que posent l'origine du genre masculin invariable et la variation de sens qu'sentraīne le passage du massif au comptable et inversement du comptanle au massif. Notre réponse au premier problÈme établit que le masculin est une valeur par défaut, découlant du changement de référent d'un nom propre animé disposant d'un genre sémantique à un référent inanimé doté d's un genre grammatical arbitraire. Pour résodure le second, nous postulons une opposition entre traits inhérents et traits dérivés de la distinctionmassif/comptable.
Interrogation totale en est-ce que et couple question-réponse dans un corpus de débats politiques
Authors: Leon Jacqueline
Published: October 2008

Dans cet article, je tente d'établir des dimensions descriptives propres à l'analyse du couple interrogation-réplique considéré comme un objet linguistique d'ordre interlocutoire et interprétable comme action. L'hypothÈse centrale consiste à considérer que l'interprétation du couple questionréponse est dépendante de l'terprétation rétroactive de l'interrogation par la réplique. Cette étude est limitée aux interrogations totales en est-ce que dans un corpus de débats politiques. Elle emprunte ses concepts d'analyse à plusieurs champs théoriques de l'usage de la langue: elle tente de mettre au travail, de façon simultanée ou à des étapes différentes de la description, des notion issues de l'analyse de conversation et de la pragmatique. Souhaitons qu'elle y soit parvenue sans trop d'inclhérences.
Old French nasalization and universals of sound change
Authors: Hajek John
Published: October 2008

Changing patterns of assonance in early Old French texts have traditionally provided the basis for the claim that vowel height has a universally predictable effect on the development of distinctive nasalization over time. However, the results of recent studies cannot be accounted for by such a hypothesis. Furthermore, an alternative hypothesis suggests that the same patterns of assonance reflect modifications in vowel quality rather than nasality. Additional cross-linguistic and phonetic data examined here further undermine the purportedly universal character of the development of distinctive nasalization in Old French.
Movement of negative adverbs in French infinitival clauses
Authors: Martineau France
Published: October 2008

This paper examines the position of negative adverbs such as mie, pas, point and jamais in Middle and Classical French infinitival clauses. Instead of linking the movement of the infinitival verb to the strength of functional categories such as AGRℴ, I propose to link it to a parametric change of NEGP from strong to weak. Up to Classical French, the infinitival verb can move to AGRℴ because NEGP is strong; this movement of the infinitival verb to AGRℴ allows the movement of negative adverbs, which are base-generated in VP initial position. At the beginning of Classical French, a parametric change affected the strength of NEGP, from strong to weak. As a result of this parametric change, movement of the infinitival verb to AGRℴ becomes more limited. Moreover, the difference between pas and other negative adverbs is due to a change in the nature of pas, from an adverb base-generated in VP initial position which can move, to a fixed adverb base-generated in the specifier position of NEGP.
Historical linguistics, language change and the history of French
Authors: Posner Rebecca
Published: October 2008

This is a personal delineation of part of a methodology for the History of the French Language, aiming to combine the methodology of linguistics with that of history proper. Both traditional and modern methods of ‘historical linguistics’ fail to take account of a real time dimension, whereas ‘language history’ often resembles institutional, cultural and social history. We ask how we identify the ‘event’ and the ‘object’ of linguistic history, and how we distinguish variation, innovation, shift and change. We ask also what the linguist can contribute to the historian's reconstruction of the past.
Jeux de langage et théorie phonologique. Verlan et structure syllabique du français
Authors: Azra Jean-Luc , Cheneau Veronique
Published: October 2008

Les jeux de langage, en tant que manifestations de la langue, peuvent constructivement participer à la réflexion linguistique. Ce sont non seulement des instruments de validation d'hypothèses émises sur la langue source, mais aussi des outils permettant de mettre à jour des phénomènes phonologiques non visibles en dehors des manipulations qu'ils occasionnent.

Ainsi, l'étude phonologique que nous avons menée sur le verlan nous a conduits à appuyer certaines hypothèses phonologiques sur le français, concernant en particulier la constituance syllabique, et à attirer l'attention sur d'autres aspects plus originaux.
The passé surcomposé régional: towards a definition of its function in contemporary spoken French
Authors: Carruthers J.
Published: October 2008

The passé surcomposé régional is widely recognised as a feature of the régional French of the langue d'oc andfranco-provençal areas. It is also generally regarded as a highly stigmatised form in relation to the prescriptive norm. Less clear, however, is its précise function in the tense System of speakers who use it. In this paper, we investigate the temporal, aspectual and expressive properties of the régional double compound, taking into account semantic/pragmatic, sociolinguistic and syntactic factors. Our analysis suggests that in addition to the temporal and aspectual properties traditionally attributed to this form, the expressive properties of the surcomposé régional are central to any description of its function in contemporary spoken French, and fundamental to the opposition between the passé surcomposé and the passé composé.
Agreement and discourse: from cohesion to coherence
Authors: Cornish Francis
Published: October 2008

The article argues that, contrary to a widespread view (e.g. Haiman, 1985; Palmer, 1984), agreement in those languages which exhibit it is not a purely redundant, semantically empty and grammatically predictable phenomenon, but performs several important functions at the level of discourse.

Taking French as the example language, I will argue (section 2.1) that agreement signals the function-argument interpretation to be assigned to pairs of expressions of various kinds; and second, that it may also code anaphorically the high-focus status of particular discourse referents (section 2.2). Section 3 compares certain written errors in agreement marking made by advanced learners of French, with certain other interpretative errors in their reading of French articles - errors based on agreement relations and leading to the mis-assignment of reference to an agreement target or personal pronoun. Finally, section 4 argues that third person personal pronouns should be treated differently from the (essentially predicative) agreement targets discussed in sections 2 and 3, claiming that they do not participate in agreement stricto sensu.
De la construction du sens des adjectifs préfixés par pré: prétuberculeux vs. précolombien
Authors: Amiot Dany
Published: October 2008

Cet article porte sur un problème de sémantique lexicale appliquée à un domaine particulier, celui des adjectifs préfixés par pré. Il s'agit en effet d'étudier la construction du sens de ces adjectifs, celui-ci ayant pour particularité de se construire sur deux niveaux. Les adjectifs dérivés s'interprètent en effet avec un sens d'antériorité mais aussi avec ce que j'appelle les valeurs ‘continue’ et ‘discontinue’, cette double structure interprétative étant caractéristique de l'ensemble des mots préfixés par pré- (adjectifs mais aussi noms et verbes). Il s'agira donc de mettre en évidence les mécanismes de construction du sens d'antériorité lui-même, ainsi que les principes qui régissent l'attribution des valeurs ‘continue’ et ‘discontinue’. Ceci nous permettra alors de distinguer ce qui, dans le sens des adjectifs dérivés, est à imputer à des mécanismes purement linguistiques et ce qui relève plutôt de l'ordre du culturel, i.e. des représentations et des connaissances que nous pouvons avoir sur le monde. Les adjectifs prétuberculeux et précolombien me serviront d'exemples privilégiés tout au long de ces analyses.
De la rareté de certains phénomènes syntaxiques en français parlé
Authors: Blanche-Benveniste Claire
Published: October 2008

Certaines tournures syntaxiques comme les participes ‘détachés’ sont beaucoup plus rares en français à l'oral qu'à l'écrit, et on retrouve ce phénomène dans plusieurs autres langues. On ne peut pas expliquer la rareté de ces constructions à l'oral seulement par le manque de compétence des locuteurs. Une comparaison entre des récits d'accidents produits par des adultes français par oral et par écrit montre que cette particularité grammaticale est la conséquence de différences dans l'organisation informative des énoncés, dues en grande partie à des stéréotypes collectifs.
La construction passive ense faire
Authors: Kupferman Lucien
Published: October 2008

La construction passive ense faireest (devenue) sémantiquement indépendante de la construction causative réfléchie qui lui est homonyme. Comme dans les passifs enêtre, l'argument externe du prédicat auquel elle s'attache n'est pas représenté, et comme dans les passifs non verbaux porte le rôle Agent. Comme pourse-moyen le prédicat-hôte doit comprendre un argument interne, et est préférentiellement perfectif. Contrairement à ce qui est parfois affirmé, le réfèrent du sujet structural n'est ni nécessairement responsable du procès, ni obligatoirement humain, et l'action décrite par le prédicat-hôte n'est pas toujours violente. Bref, la construction passive ense fairea gagné sa place parmi les passifs.
Patterns of analogy in the Canadian French verb system
Authors: Walker Douglas C.
Published: October 2008

Study of a large number of aberrant verb forms (‘écarts de la norme’) in Canadian French reveals a variety of pressures, paradigm levelling, markedness reduction and iconicity in particular, affecting the inflectional structures. These verb forms, when seen in the light of the theoretical proposals of Natural Morphology, permit a ranking of naturalness principles within that approach and contribute to proposals for the resolution of ‘naturalness conflicts’.
The use of theQU-final interrogative structure in spoken French
Authors: Coveney Aidan
Published: October 2008

The contextual and pragmatic motivations for the use of theQU-final interrogative structure are explored in a substantial corpus of spoken French, employing a variationist methodology. A number of categorical, or invariant, contexts, are identified, and the effect of several variable contextual and pragmatic constraints is examined.QUelements of three or more syllables and copulas are found to strongly favour the use of theQU-final structure, whereas rhetorical questions and monosyllabicQUelements disfavour its use. Certain discourse contexts effectively rule out the QU-final structure, and, except for a few categorical contexts, its use is always optional.
Personally speaking … or not? The strategic value of on in face-to-face negotiation
Authors: Stewart Miranda M.
Published: October 2008

The fact that the subject clitic on has such a wide range of referential values has been studied extensively, in particular from a variationist perspective. Quantitative methods have been used (e.g. Laberge and Sankoff, 1980) to establish correlations between, on the one hand, on and its paradigmatic ‘equivalents’ tu and vous and, on the other, a number of linguistic, discoursal and social variables. Indeed, pragmatic factors figure increasingly prominently amongst investigated constraints on use and interpretation. It is the aim of this paper to explore, from a broadly qualitative, non-variationist perspective, and within the context of Brown and Levinson's ‘Politeness Theory’ (1978, 1987), how speakers can exploit the indeterminacy of pronominal reference and in particular that of the French indeterminate pronoun on in the interests of face protection.
Quantitative verse in a Quantity-Insensitive language: Baïf's vers mesurés
Authors: Bullock Barbara E.
Published: October 2008

Many Renaissance poets attempted to imitate classical verse metrics in their own vernaculars. This article examines the quantitative metrical verse of the French poet Baïf who is often criticized for producing unscannable verse using an incomprehensible phonetic orthography. This paper argues that the poet's rules for encoding length, while hermetic, are surprisingly consistent. It is demonstrated that Bai¨f's metrics derive largely from a system that is accentual with his orthography permitting the poet to encode quantitative distinctions that coincide with the metre. This article argues that Baïf's metrical verse provides us with a rare example of how prosody and rhythm in sixteenth century France might have been perceived.
Laughing together: laughter as a feature of affiliation in French conversation
Authors: Ellis Yvette
Published: October 2008

In this paper, I propose to show how the analysis of episodes of laughter in French interaction can be approached from the theoretical perspective of Conversation Analysis. Delicate microanalysis reveals how laughter is very carefully placed by participants during the course of their talk to achieve a range of interactional tasks. Using extracts from my corpus of naturally occurring French conversation, I examine how the collaborative construction of episodes of shared laughter contribute to the achievement of affiliation between co-participants. How the laughter is initiated, where it is placed and who joins in that laughter are shown to be significant to the task of constructing and displaying social relationships between the participants.
Analyse morpho-phonologique d'un corpus d'adjectifs dérivés en –esque
Authors: Plenat Marc
Published: October 2008

L'article passe en revue les régularités décelables dans un corpus d'environ 800 adjectifs formés par suffixation de -esque. On y suggère qu'il est plausible que ces régularités découlent de quelques contraintes de surface partiellement contradictoires, les processus qui visent à éviter les configurations dysphoniques (hiatus, répétitions) pouvant être bloqués par la nécessité de conserver à la base une certaine taille. Le corpus utilisé se montre en fin de compte insuffisant pour résoudre toutes les difficultés rencontrées, mais on doute que la seule intuition d'un locuteur isolé eût permis d'atteindre les résultats qui se dégagent de la présente étude.
Awareness of linguistic constraints on variable ne omission
Authors: Coveney Aidan
Published: October 2008

Many quantitative studies have shown that sociolinguistic variables, such as the variable omission ofne, are subject to several linguistic constraints, yet linguists have disagreed as to whether speakers themselves are aware of these constraints. This article reports on an Intuitions Elicitation Test designed to explore whether such awareness does exist, both for native-speakers and non-native advanced learners of French. It is suggested tentatively that the results of the test do indeed indicate some awareness of some linguistic constraints on thenevariable, and that some advanced non-native learners have a particular sensitivity to these constraints.
Subject-clitic inversion and inflectional hierarchies
Authors: Jones Michael A.
Published: October 2008

This paper attributes the effects of subject-clitic inversion to a reversal of the normal hierarchy between Tense (T) and Mood (M) projections which is induced by certain modal or illocutionary features. The simple inversion pattern results from raising of the verb to M, while the subject raises to Spec TP. This structure provides a position (Spec MP) for the lexical subject in the case of complex inversion, without the need for multiple specifiers or additional functional categories. By raising to this position, the lexical subject binds a surrogate clitic in Spec TP, creating an argument Chain which contains a single theta-position and a single Case position. The implications of this analysis for subject questions and the phenomenon of stylistic inversion are also discussed in some detail.
Calcium metabolism in pregnancy
Authors: Walters Barry NJ
Published: October 2008

During pregnancy and lactation there are many changes in maternal calcium physiology which maintain homeostasis in the face of greatly altered calcium balance. In the course of fetal growth and development, 30g of calcium is incorporated into the fetus by term, an amount derived wholly from the maternal system. Most of this accumulates in the latter half of pregnancy, representing a net transfer of 200mg calcium/day (5mmoles). The fact that this is not achieved at the expense of the maternal skeleton is testimony to the conservative and protective adjustments that are seen in calcium metabolism in pregnancy. Furthermore, the changes must persist both in the puerperium and later when lactation presents a source of continuing maternal calcium loss to the suckling infant. The calcium content of human breast milk s i 6–9mmols calcium/l, two to three times the maternal serum level. In the course of one week a normal breast-fed at term infant takes two to three litres of milk, containing 10–30mmols of calcium. The maternal daily calcium intake recommended by the World Health Organization s i 1.25g (30mmol) of which only 25% is absorbed. Thus calcium loss from mother to baby is significant and may not be replaced by diet in many parts of the world.
Fetal lung maturation
Authors: McClure BG , Dornan JC
Published: October 2008

Efficient respiration in a baby relies on adequate anatomical development of the lungs, effective control of respiration, neuromuscular coordination and anatomical and biochemical maturation of the alveoli so that they are stable, thin-walled and in close proximity to the alveolar capillary bed. As well as maturation of lung function, there must also be a major change in pulmonary blood flow at birth to allow perfusion of the capillary bed with deoxygenated blood in order that effective gas exchange can take place. Successful initiation and sustaining of repiration after birth requires all of these things to occur simultaneously otherwise respiratory failure will ensue.
New developments in pre-eclampsia
Authors: Roberts James M , Taylor Robert N , Friedman Steven A , Goldfien Alan
Published: October 2008

It is quite clear that pre-eclampsia is not simply pregnancy-induced hypertension; rather, it is a multisystem disease with pathophysiological changes secondary to reduced organ perfusion. This reduction can be explained by vasospasm secondary to increased sensitivity of the vasculature to usual circulating pressors, and vascular occlusion secondary to activation of the coagulation cascade. Although pre-eclampsia becomes clinically evident late in pregnancy, pathological and pathophysiological changes antedate the clinical syndrome by weeks to months. The syndrome occurs only in pregnancy and is cured by the removal of fetoplacental tissues.

Based on these findings, we have proposed that the inciting pathophysiological change of preeclampsia is reduced trophoblastic perfusion, which produces an agent that perturbs endothelial cells. The altered endothelial functions associated with this insult increase sensitivity to pressors, activate the coagulation cascade and produce the clinical and pathological findings of preeclampsia. Although we feel this hypothesis could explain pre-eclampsia, it is possible that its major value will be to stimulate others to approach this disorder by considering all facets of its pathophysiology rather than merely its hypertensive component.

The appreciation of pre-eclampsia as a disease present from early pregnancy and the potential role of vasodilator prostaglandins have already stimulated therapeutic trials of aspirin in women at very high risk with encouraging results. At present, information is insufficient to determine the risk/benefit ratio of this therapy in lower risk patients, and aspirin therapy should not be used in these women. Another potential modification of therapy, the substitution of phenytoin for magnesium sulphate, does not seem warranted on the basis of either currently available data or on theoretical grounds.

Fruitful directions for research in the near future will be the explanation of the abnormal trophoblastic invasion of pre-eclampsia and the determination of how reduced perfusion translates into a multisystem disease. In addition, aspirin therapy or other potential prophylactic therapies would be greatly aided by the development of new tests with reasonable positive predictive values, in order to identify preeclampsia prior to clinically evident disease.
Vibroacoustic stimulation as a test for fetal health
Authors: Gagnon Robert , Patrick John
Published: October 2008

The behavioural response of the neonate to stimuli is an essential part of neurological examination in the newborn infant in order to measure the integrity and function of the central nervous system. Different sensory channels, such as auditory, vibrotactile or olfactory, have been used to elicit a response. With use of real-time ultrasound, Nijhuis et al. observed that human fetuses of 36 weeks gestation had developed behavioural states (1F–4F) that were, in their organization, fully comparable to the states originally described by Prechtl et al. in neonates. Three variables are used to identify human fetal behavioural states: fetal heart rate (FHR) pattern (A-D), fetal eye movements and fetal body movements.
Invasive prenatal diagnostic techniques
Authors: Arulkumaran S , Rodeck CH
Published: October 2008

Subspecialization in fetal medicine has expanded the scope for obstetricians to investigate the fetus and its surrounding environment in greater detail. Of the advances in technology that have made this possible, ultrasonography is the most important. A high degree of skill is required if it is to be applied to the performance of invasive diagnostic techniques. These should be performed only in specialized centres with appropriate facilities and an adequate referral base. However, it is important for obstetricians to know what is possible in the field of prenatal diagnosis and therapy in order to give patients the best advice.