bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Financial Incentives to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Infections Under Alternative Payment Arrangements
Authors: Cohen Catherine Crawford , Liu Jianfang , Cohen Bevin , Larson Elaine L. , Glied Sherry
Published: February 2018

OBJECTIVE

The financial incentives for hospitals to improve care may be weaker if higher insurer payments for adverse conditions offset a portion of hospital costs. The purpose of this study was to simulate incentives for reducing hospital-acquired infections under various payment configurations by Medicare, Medicaid, and private payers.

DESIGN

Matched case-control study.

SETTING

A large, urban hospital system with 1 community hospital and 2 tertiary-care hospitals.

PATIENTS

All patients discharged in 2013 and 2014.

METHODS

Using electronic hospital records, we identified hospital-acquired bloodstream infections (BSIs) and urinary tract infections (UTIs) with a validated algorithm. We assessed excess hospital costs, length of stay, and payments due to infection, and we compared them to those of uninfected patients matched by propensity for infection.

RESULTS

In most scenarios, hospitals recovered only a portion of excess HAI costs through increased payments. Patients with UTIs incurred incremental costs of $6,238 (P<.01), while payments increased $1,901 (P<.05) at public diagnosis-related group (DRG) rates. For BSIs, incremental costs were $15,367 (P<.01), while payments increased $7,895 (P<.01). If private payers reimbursed a 200% markup over Medicare DRG rates, hospitals recovered 55% of costs from BSI and UTI among private-pay patients and 54% for BSI and 33% for UTI, respectively, across all patients. Under per-diem payment for private patients with no markup, hospitals recovered 71% of excess costs of BSI and 88% for UTI. At 150% markup and per-diem payments, hospitals profited.

CONCLUSIONS

Hospital incentives for investing in patient safety vary by payer and payment configuration. Higher payments provide resources to improve patient safety, but current payment structures may also reduce the willingness of hospitals to invest in patient safety.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2018;39:509–515
Experimental study of the mean structure and quasi-conical scaling of a swept-compression-ramp interaction at Mach 2
Authors: Vanstone Leon , Musta Mustafa Nail , Seckin Serdar , Clemens Noel
Published: February 2018

This study investigates the mean flow structure of two shock-wave boundary-layer interactions generated by moderately swept compression ramps in a Mach 2 flow. The ramps have a compression angle of either $19^{\circ }$ or $22.5^{\circ }$ and a sweep angle of $30^{\circ }$. The primary diagnostic methods used for this study are surface-streakline flow visualization and particle image velocimetry. The shock-wave boundary-layer interactions are shown to be quasi-conical, with the intermittent region, separation line and reattachment line all scaling in a self-similar manner outside of the inception region. This is one of the first studies to investigate the flow field of a swept ramp using particle image velocimetry, allowing more sensitive measurements of the velocity flow field than previously possible. It is observed that the streamwise velocity component outside of the separated flow reaches the quasi-conical state at the same time as the bulk surface flow features. However, the streamwise and cross-stream components within the separated flow take longer to recover to the quasi-conical state, which indicates that the inception region for these low-magnitude velocity components is actually larger than was previously assumed. Specific scaling laws reported previously in the literature are also investigated and the results of this study are shown to scale similarly to these related interactions. Certain limiting cases of the scaling laws are explored that have potential implications for the interpretation of cylindrical and quasi-conical scaling.
Dynamics of laser-induced cavitation bubbles near two perpendicular rigid walls
Authors: Brujan Emil-Alexandru , Noda Tatsuya , Ishigami Atsushi , Ogasawara Toshiyuki , Takahira Hiroyuki
Published: February 2018

The behaviour of a laser-induced cavitation bubble near two perpendicular rigid walls and its dependence on the distance between bubble and walls is investigated experimentally. It was shown by means of high-speed photography with $100\,000~\text{frames}~\text{s}^{-1}$ that an inclined jet is formed during bubble collapse and the bubble migrates in the direction of the jet. At a given position of the bubble with respect to the horizontal wall, the inclination of the jet increases with decreasing distance between the bubble and the second, vertical wall. A bubble generated at equal distances from the walls develops a jet that is directed in their bisection. The penetration of the jet into the opposite bubble surface leads to the formation of an asymmetric toroidal bubble that is perpendicular to the jet direction. At a large distance from the rigid walls, the toroidal bubble collapses in the radial direction, eventually disintegrating into tiny microbubbles. When the bubble is in contact with the horizontal wall at its maximum expansion, the toroidal ring collapses in both radial and toroidal directions, starting from the bubble part opposite to the vertical wall, and the bubble achieves a crescent shape at the moment of second collapse. The bubble oscillation is accompanied by a strong migration along the horizontal wall.
Spectral broadening of acoustic waves by convected vortices
Authors: Clair Vincent , Gabard Gwénaël
Published: February 2018

The scattering of acoustic waves by a moving vortex is studied in two dimensions to bring further insight into the physical mechanisms responsible for the spectral broadening caused by a region of turbulence. When propagating through turbulence, a monochromatic sound wave will be scattered over a range of frequencies, resulting in typical spectra with broadband sidelobes on either side of the tone. This spectral broadening, also called ‘haystacking’, is of importance for noise radiation from jet exhausts and for acoustic measurements in open-jet wind tunnels. A semianalytical model is formulated for a plane wave scattered by a vortex, including the influence of the convection of the vortex. This allows us to perform a detailed parametric study of the properties and evolution of the scattered field. A time-domain numerical model for the linearised Euler equations is also used to consider more general sound fields, such as that radiated by a point source in a uniform flow. The spectral broadening stems from the combination of the spatial scattering of sound due to the refraction of waves propagating through the vortex, and two Doppler shifts induced by the motion of the vortex relative to the source and of the observer relative to the vortex. The fact that the spectrum exhibits sidebands is directly explained by the directivity of the scattered field which is composed of several beams radiating from the vortex. The evolution of the acoustic spectra with the parameters considered in this paper is compared with the trends observed in previous experimental work on acoustic scattering by a jet shear layer.
Feasibility of Delivering Varenicline Through a Telephone Quitline to Promote Smoking Cessation
Authors: Rojewski Alana M. , Hyland Andrew , Mahoney Martin C. , Cooper Louise M. , Zuromski Kelly L. , Celestino Paula , Koutsky James , Toll Benjamin A.
Published: February 2018

Introduction: Telephone quitlines are an easily accessible and effective means for delivering cessation services including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Varenicline (VAR) may show superior quit rates to NRT, but has not been routinely evaluated in the context of quitlines.

Aims: To assess the feasibility of distributing VAR through a quitline, and preliminarily compare cessation rates between participants receiving VAR and NRT.

Methods: Participants were recruited through the New York State Smokers’ Quitline. Those randomised to VAR (n = 200) were instructed to obtain a prescription from their primary care physician (PCP) to be filled by mail through the research pharmacy. Those randomised to NRT (n = 100) were mailed NRT using an existing protocol. Outcome measures were number of submitted prescriptions and dispensed medication kits, and self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence at follow-up.

Results: The research pharmacy filled 100% of prescriptions through the quitline. However, only 27% of the VAR Arm submitted a prescription. An intent-to-treat analysis revealed that those receiving NRT were more likely to be abstinent at follow-up than the VAR Arm (OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.27–4.60; p < 0.01). The per-protocol analysis, which only included those in the VAR Arm who submitted a prescription, showed no difference in quit rates.

Conclusions: The present protocol resulted in successful delivery of VAR through the quitline, but a sizable proportion of the VAR Arm did not submit a prescription. Self-reported barriers included being unable to obtain a prescription from a PCP. Future studies should explore alternative methods for delivering VAR through quitlines.
A NOTE ON DORMANT OPERS OF RANK IN CHARACTERISTIC
Authors: HOSHI YUICHIRO
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we prove that the set of equivalence classes of dormant opers of rank
$p-1$
over a projective smooth curve of genus
${\geqslant}2$
over an algebraically closed field of characteristic
$p>0$
is of cardinality one.
When take means require: A study of extraposed and impersonal constructions with take
Authors: Furmaniak Gregory
Published: February 2018

The aim of this corpus-based study is to offer a syntactic and semantic characterization of sentences whose formal realization can be schematized as it + take + NP + (NP) + to-VP. The examination of the data suggests that this linear structure is shared by two distinct micro-constructions with different semantic properties: a construction with extraposition whose primary meaning is described in terms of consumption and an impersonal micro-construction which is analyzed as an anankastic construction expressing a necessary condition. It is shown that the apparently erratic grammatical behaviour of the string results from the existence in the hierarchical network of constructions of two different micro-constructions with similar formal realizations.
Unaccusativity and the VP node in Cayuga
Authors: Barrie Michael
Published: February 2018

In this squib, I discuss the iterative marker in Cayuga (Northern Iroquoian) and how it helps us to understand VP structure and unaccusativity in that language. This discussion bears directly on the issue of configurationality and clausal structure (Hale 1983, Jelinek 1984, Baker 1996, Legate 2002). A fundamental question aboutdiscourse-configurationallanguages is whether they have a distinct VP node or a flat structure. I show that the iterative marker takes scope over objects but not over subjects, supporting the notion that a distinct VP node is present in this language. Furthermore, I show that the iterative marker also takes scope over the subjects of unaccusatives, thus distinguishing unaccusatives from unergatives.
Vowel devocalization in Northern East Cree
Authors: Knee Sarah
Published: February 2018

Derived clusters in Northern East (NE) Cree are traditionally assumed to result from the deletion of an intervening vowel. I propose, rather, that they arise from vowel devocalization, a process involving gradient vowel shortening or weakening. First, I demonstrate the compelling similarity between the process leading to derived clusters in NE Cree and vowel devocalization in non-Algonquian languages. Second, I show that consonants in NE Cree derived clusters display phonetic lengthening, one of the phonetic correlates accompanying vowel devocalization. I suggest that the gestures of these lengthened consonants overlap the vowel to the point that it is not perceived
Stress properties of Greek compounds: Psycholinguistic considerations
Authors: Tsiamas Athanasios , Jarema Gonia , Kehayia Eva , Chilingaryan Gevorg
Published: February 2018

Theoretical accounts of Greek compounds argue for a close relation between their stress properties and their underlying structure. Compounds that preserve and receive stress at the same position as their second constituent are analyzed as stem-word constructions, while those that receive antepenultimate stress are viewed as belonging to the stem-stem category. Using an auditory lexical decision task, we examine the effect of stress change on the processing of compounds in the light of existing theoretical linguistic accounts. Although our experimental results do not reach statistical significance, we believe that they are informative of the cognitive status and role of stress in compound processing. Finally, they relate to existing theories of compounding in Greek and reflect the complex interaction of the psycholinguistic effects of stress and the structural properties of these constructions.
Asymmetries in the Acquisition of Consonant Clusters in Spanish
Authors: Barlow Jessica A.
Published: February 2018

This article considers three children’s acquisition of tauto- and heterosyllabic consonant clusters in Spanish within the framework of Optimality Theory. Each child presents with a unique phonological system with respect to the cluster types. One child, BL4 (female, aged 2;8), reduces tautosyllabic clusters to the least sonorous singleton, but preserves both segments in production of heterosyllabic clusters. A second child, SD1 (female, aged 3;4), preserves both segments of tautosyllabic clusters, but reduces heterosyllabic clusters to the least sonorous singleton. Finally, a third child, SD2 (female, 3;9), reduces both types of clusters, maintaining the least sonorous segment; however, a different pattern is observed withthenasal + voiced stop clusters, which reduce to the most sonorous segment. The inter- and intra-child variation is accounted for by an appeal to general markedness and faithfulness constraints that have been motivated elsewhere in the literature in accounting for syllabic and segmental phenomena in acquisition and beyond.
Missing Inflection in L2 Acquisition: Defective Syntax or LI-Constrained Prosodic Representations?
Authors: Goad Heather , White Lydia , Steele Jeffrey
Published: February 2018

It is proposed that failure to consistently produce inflectional morphology by Mandarin-speaking learners of English is due to properties of the LI prosodic phonology which are transferred into the interlanguage grammar. While English requires inflection to be adjoined to the Prosodic Word, Mandarin does not permit this structure. Inflection in Mandarin is instead incorporated into the PWd of the stem to which it attaches. It is shown that Mandarin speakers fall into two groups in their treatment of English inflectional morphology. One group of learners is sensitive to the need for a unified analysis of inflection. They recognize that English does not permit a stem-internal analysis of this morphology, but as their grammars do not permit adjunction, inflection is deleted across-the-board. For the other group, inflection surfaces variably, for those stimuli where the shape of the stem enables it to be incorporated into the PWd, as in the L1.
Markedness and Context Effects in the Acquisition of Place Features
Authors: Morrisette Michele L. , Dinnsen Daniel A. , Gierut Judith A.
Published: February 2018

Empirical and theoretical claims about the markedness of place features and associated context effects are evaluated against the facts of acquisition. The primary focus is on the segmental inventories and substitution patterns of young children with phonological delays (ages 3;0-8;6). Results are reported from a large scale cross-sectional archival study of 211 children. Additionally, two especially challenging case studies are singled out for consideration. A typological account of the cross-sectional variation is formulated in optimality theoretic terms and requires permutable rankings of place-referring constraints. Consideration is also given to the different statistical trends along with a comparison of developing and fully developed languages.
The French Discourse Marker Mais Dame: Past and Present Functions
Authors: Butler Gary R. , King Ruth
Published: February 2018

We examine the evolution and current use of the French discourse marker mais dame, whose usage was first attested in Metropolitan French early in the 19th century. This expression has since fallen into disuse, to the point that many present-day Metropolitan French speakers do not even know it. We first determine the discourse functions of mais dame in literary texts (comedies and farces) from the 19th century. We then consider the use of mais dame in naturally occurring discourse, from conversational and narrative discourse with Newfoundland Franco-Acadians—descendants in part of 19th-century immigrants from France who speak a conservative variety of the language — who use the marker frequently. We find that the 19th-century literary usages anticipate the use of mais dame in Newfoundland French. Moreover, we show that mais dame plays an important role as an evaluative marker in oral narration.
The syntax ofsameand ATB constructions
Authors: Zhang Niina Ning
Published: February 2018

This paper presents a new approach to Across-the-Board (ATB) constructions without resorting to ATB movement. I first examine the syntactic properties ofsameconstructions such asThe same man Mary helped and John ruined, and propose a derivation for the constructions. I claim that the relational nominal that contains the adjectivesameis base-generated in the first conjunct, and moves out of the co-ordinate complex. The raised relational nominal binds a silent form in the second conjunct. This analysis ofsameconstructions is then extended to ATB constructions. The two types of constructions share syntactic and semantic properties. I argue that the overt extracted element of ATB constructions has a movement chain relation with the gap in the first conjunct alone. The silent argument in the second conjunct never moves out of the conjunct. Various types of non-identity readings of ATB constructions are also explained. This research shows that coordinate constructions do not introduce any special type of movement to the computation system.
Lexical frequency as a scalar variable in explaining variation
Authors: File-Muriel Richard J.
Published: February 2018

This study examines the relationship between lexical frequency ands-lenition in Barranquillero Spanish, looking at lexical frequency as a scalar variable. A quantitative analysis of/s/in words of different lexical frequencies, in which productions from a reading task were submitted to auditory acoustical analysis, reveals that the single most important factor in s-lenition is lexical frequency. Speakers tend towards a full articulation of /s/ in low-frequency words, while weakening it in high-frequency words. This study addresses three questions: Do subtle differences in lexical frequency influence how sounds are produced synchronically? What are the advantages of considering lexical frequency in scalar terms as opposed to a categorical variable (high vs. low-frequency)? What is the relationship between lexical frequency and other linguistic factors?
The L2 acquisition of aspectual properties in Spanish
Authors: Cuza Alejandro
Published: February 2018

This study examines the L2 acquisition and LI attrition of preterite versus imperfect aspectual distinctions in Spanish among English-speaking L2 learners and long-term Spanish-speaking immigrants. Results from an acceptability judgment task and a truth value judgment task demonstrate significantly lower levels of target performance by both groups when compared to the control participants. The L2 learners outperform the native speakers undergoing attrition in some aspectual contexts, while in others both experimental groups show similar difficulties. To the extent that L2 learners and adult immigrants demonstrate comparable difficulties, L2 learners’ deficits cannot be directly related to impairment reasons. LI transfer of the semantic properties of tense heads offers a better explanation for the difficulties L2 learners often show in the aspectual domain.
Noun incorporation as symmetry breaking
Authors: Barrie Michael
Published: February 2018

This article proposes a novel account of noun incorporation in Northern Iroquoian. It is proposed that there is no special mechanism for noun incorporation and that this phenomenon falls out naturally from the geometry of the phrase structure under Moro’s theory of Dynamic Antisymmetry. In a nutshell, when the verbal head and the nominal head undergo Merge, they form a point of symmetric c-command, which is resolved by the nominal head moving to the specifier of the verb phrase. Further, it is proposed that, in noun incorporation constructions with a full DP double, the incorporated noun and the DP form a constituent, which is merged in theta-position.
The Canadian Shift in Toronto
Authors: Roeder Rebecca , Jarmasz Lidia-Gabriela
Published: February 2018

This study provides the first wide-scale, apparent time, instrumental description of the Canadian Shift in mainstream Toronto English. In contrast with some previous findings, the Toronto data suggest that for the last 70 years or more the shift has not affected the high front lax vowel (i). We observe that the movement of the nonhigh front lax vowels (ε) and (æ) involves both lowering and retraction in Toronto English, although retraction is the primary direction of more recent change and the shift appears to be slowing down. Our findings also suggest that continued retraction of the vowel resulting from the low back merger is involved in the final stage of the shift. We do not find evidence of a chain shift but instead propose that a parallel shift is occurring and make reference to Vowel Dispersion Theory in our discussion.
On the development of verbal and nominal morphology in four lusophone creoles
Authors: Baptista Marlyse
Published: February 2018

This article attempts to reconstruct the plausible evolution of inflectional and free-standing morphemes in three historically related lusophone creoles (Cape Verdean Creole, Guinea-Bissau Creole, Papiamentu), and compares their morphological properties to Angolar, believed to have followed an independent developmental path. I examine their synchronic morphological properties and seek insights into their origins by studying Black speech in Portuguese 15th- and 16th-century literature. This reconstruction seeks to address several questions. Within the historically related creoles, is it possible to identify a set of formally and functionally common morphemes? If so, what is their source? Are they likely to have been inherited through diffusion? Are the common morphemes in the three related creoles distinct from those of Angolar or do they overlap?
Variable plural marking in Jamaican Patwa and Tok Pisin: A linguistic perspective
Authors: Bobyleva Ekaterina
Published: February 2018

This article is concerned with plural marking in two English-lexified creoles, Jamaican Patwa and Tok Pisin. In addition to bare plurals, these creoles possess two overt strategies of plural marking—a free-standing morpheme and the suffix -s. The analytic and inflectional plural markers occur according to different linguistic constraints. It appears that the creoles use two conceptually and typologically different number marking systems — that of set noun languages, based on the opposition between singleton and collective sets, and that of singular object noun languages, based on the opposition between singular and plural individuals. This poses problems for the definition of the lexical semantics of the creole nouns if one assumes the existence of cross-linguistic differences. The analysis proposed here is based on the universalist approach to lexical semantics. Under this approach, individuated and collective (set) interpretations of plurals are encoded in the noun phrase structure.
Floating yet grounded: Feature transmutation in Optimality Theory
Authors: Flynn Darin
Published: February 2018

Abstarct

It is argued that proxy relations between feature-defining and enhancing gestures in the phonetics can become phonologized. The article proposes Optimality-theoretic markedness constraints, which are grounded in phonetic enhancement and which can compel a delinked/unparsed/floating feature to be realized with another feature (or prosodic element), giving the impression of featural transmutation. Among the phonological phenomena revisited are incomplete neutralization, devoicing, vocalization, and debuccalization.
Deontic contexts and the interpretation of disjunction in legal discourse
Authors: Aher Martin
Published: February 2018

This study investigates the interpretation of or in legal texts, focusing on two puzzles: “inclusive/exclusive” or and “free choice permission”. The study first examines various examples of or in American court cases described by Solan and the “and/or” rule that he describes. It then turns to occurrences of or in a different legal domain, that of the World Trade Organization, giving a brief introduction to the WTO dispute mechanism and its principles of interpretation before examining these occurrences of or. The study then introduces the inquisitive semantics framework as a way to account for these occurrences, offering an analysis of the inclusive/exclusive or and free choice or puzzles and of the interaction of or with obligation, permission, and negation more generally.
Some linguistic properties of legal notices
Authors: Allott Nicholas , Shaer Benjamin
Published: February 2018

In this article, we consider legal notices of various forms, including imperative, indicative, and non-sentential. We argue that these convey various illocutionary forces depending on their particular content. In particular, those that prohibit actions — unlike laws that do so — typically have “directive” illocutionary force, with different linguistic classes of legal notices achieving this force through different means, given their distinct linguistic properties. We propose a “bare phrase” treatment of non-sentential notices, whereby these are underlyingly and not just superficially non-sentential; and a semantic treatment in terms of Discourse Representation Theory, which perspicuously describes their contribution to interpretation. Finally, we argue that assigning such sparse syntactic and semantic representations to non-sentential notices has conceptual and empirical advantages over analyses that posit richer underlying structure, capturing a broader range of data, including patterns involving default case and the absence of articles, and minimizing the need to posit linguistic ambiguity.
“Always speaking”? Interpreting the present tense in statutes
Authors: Goldfarb Neal
Published: February 2018

This article takes a critical look through the lens of linguistics at the “always-speaking” principle in law — an influential principle that is recited in materials on legislative drafting as the justification for using the present tense, adopted in many common-law jurisdictions as a principle of interpretation, and accepted as a foundation for the linguistic analysis of the use of tense in statutes. The article concludes that the principle is an inadequate basis for interpreting or analysing statutes, for at least two reasons: the interpretive results that the principle is intended to support are explainable in terms of widely accepted principles in the analysis of tense, without any need to posit special principles that apply only to statutes; and the interpretations that would be required if the always-speaking principle were taken seriously would in many cases probably be regarded as unnatural by native speakers of English.
Is legal English “going European”? The case of the simple present
Authors: Williams Christopher
Published: February 2018

In many countries in continental Europe the simple present is extensively used in main clauses in legislative texts to express obligation. Several English-speaking legal systems have witnessed an increased usage of the simple present in legal English over the last few decades, largely at the expense of shall. I examine the continuing debate among law scholars and writers of legal drafting manuals over the adoption of the simple present in prescriptive texts in English. I conclude by observing that the decision in some countries to do away with shall would appear to be linked principally to socio-pragmatic factors relating to the way this modal auxiliary is perceived in many parts of the English-speaking world today, that is, as being outdated and smacking of “legalese”, a style of legal writing that plain language exponents have been trying to eliminate.
On the development of null implicit objects in L1 English
Authors: Pérez-Leroux Ana T. , Pirvulescu Mihaela , Roberge Yves , Castilla Anny
Published: February 2018

This article explores a defining property of implicit null object constructions, and how this property emerges during the L1 acquisition process. Implicit objects are non-referential and characterized by a strong semantic association between a null N in object position and the contents of the verb root. By means of an elicited production study, we examine children’s sensitivity to this association in terms of the typicality of implicit direct objects and of their use in a potentially contrastive context. Participants were 73 English-speaking children (between the ages of 2;09 and 5;08) and 20 adult controls. Our results show that children make a distinction between implicit objects with typical and atypical objects—even in scenarios where a previous use introduces a potential contrast—but at rates that differ from those of adults. This suggests an incomplete knowledge of the target properties of null objects and indicates that children use a referential null N until later in development, when the selectional link between V and the null object becomes entrenched and hyponymy with the verb root becomes the sole source of recoverability. We draw implications about the co-development of verb meaning and the null object construction.
Freezing in it-clefts
Authors: Hartmann Jutta M.
Published: February 2018

Freezingis the cover term for the restriction on extraction from constituents in a derived position. The traditional Freezing cases are illustrated here with topicalization in (1a), heavy-NP shift in (1b), and extraposition in (1c).
On the Sources of Person Hierarchy Effects in Halkomelem Salish
Authors: Wiltschko Martina , Burton Strang
Published: February 2018

Like many other Salish languages, in Halkomelem Salish, with transitive verbs, it is not possible to combine a 3rd person with a 2nd person. We propose that this *3/2 constraint is morphological in nature. This departs from previous analyses which have taken the *3/2 constraint to be the effect of a hierarchy of [person] and/or [animate] features. One consequence of analysing the *3/2 constraint as morphologically based is that person/animacy hierarchies are not primitives in the grammar. In particular, we show that person-based gaps in transitive verb paradigms receive a morpho-syntactic explanation, and that apparent restrictions on the distribution of the [animate] feature actually reflect the lexical semantics of the predicate.
Focus on head-final relatives
Authors: Koch Karsten A.
Published: February 2018

Head-final relatives in Nɬe?kepmcxín (Thompson River Salish) have previously been described as rare. This article presents new data illustrating a range of possible head-final relatives and the discourse context in which they occur. The difference between head-initial and head-final relative structures is accounted for by information structure, namely the position of focus. When focus falls on the entire NP containing the relative clause, a head-initial relative is generated. However, when focus falls on the relative clause itself, excluding the head noun, a head-final relative is used. The effect inside complex nominals is to linearize focus before background, matching the FOCUS ≫ BACKGROUND generalization observed in matrix clause focus marking. The study is the first examination of focus marking inside the Salishan nominal domain.
Object relative clauses in Archaic Chinese
Authors: Aldridge Edith
Published: February 2018

This article proposes that Late Archaic Chinese object relative clauses were reduced relative clauses consisting of a TP dominated by DP. They contained a functional morphemesuo, which attracted an operator to the edge of the vP before moving to T in order to provide T with an [N] feature that could be selected by D. The embedded subject moved to the specifier of the nominalized T, where it valued genitive case with D under Agree. The reduced nature of SUO relative clauses accounts for the fact that a unique strategy was required for relativization on VP-internal positions, as opposed to subject position, since the lack of a CP layer denied the clause a uniform landing site for operators originating internal and external to vP. This analysis also accounts for the loss of the relativization asymmetry by correlating it with the loss of nominalizing morphology such as genitive case.
Event nominals in Mëbengokre and the theory of nominalizations
Authors: Salanova Andrés Pablo
Published: February 2018

This article explores event nominals in Mēbengokre, a Jê language spoken in the eastern Amazon region in Brazil. On the basis of data from this language, the article argues that event nouns are more basic than the verbs to which they are related, and develops an account of event nominals where a process of nominalization does not play a part. Though it is conceded that derivation from fully-fledged verbs to nouns and from non-eventive nouns to verbs generally exists in language, it is claimed that embedding of categories under other categories is a marked option that is only analytically justified when there is syntactic evidence of grammatical category mixing.
This sentence sucks to analyse: Are suck, bite, blow, and work tough-predicates?
Authors: Pytlyk Carolyn
Published: February 2018

This paper investigates tough-predicates and whether four verbs (suck, bite, blow, and work) can function as this type of predicate. The theoretical analysis uses two syntactic and two semantic properties of prototypical tough-predicates to determine the status of the tough-verb candidates. Syntactically, tough-predicates select a to-infinitival complement and require a referential dependency between the matrix subject and the object gap in the complement clause. Semantically, the matrix subject must possess an inherent or permanent property and tough-predicates assign an “experiencer” role. From these four diagnostic properties, the analysis concludes that suck, bite, and blow are indeed tough-verbs, while the conclusions concerning work are less definitive. To complement the conclusions of the theoretical analysis, native speaker judgements were collected from 22 Canadian English speakers. The results show that for a majority of the consultants, suck, bite, and blow can function as tough-predicates. The behaviour of these verbs suggests that suck, bite, and blow (and possibly work) should be added to the small list of known tough-verbs.
Demonstrative Position in Michif
Authors: Rosen Nicole
Published: February 2018

This article consists of a generative analysis of the variable surface ordering of demonstratives in Michif, a mixed language historically derived from French and Cree, and spoken by some Métis. It is claimed that all demonstratives in Michif originate in [Spec, DemP] and raise to [Spec, DP]. Prenominal demonstratives occur when the head of the movement chain is pronounced, while postnominal demonstratives are the result of two factors: first, the pronunciation of the tail rather than the head of the demonstrative’s movement chain, and second, the noun undergoing a last resort p-movement, adjoining to DemP. The different patterning is motivated via meaning differences in the corresponding patterns, appealing to the differences in the featural makeup of demonstratives. Pragmatic information, said here to be a contrastive focus feature, is posited on some demonstratives while not on others, yielding the different ordering and also a different interpretation. The variable nature of demonstratives cross-linguistically is also discussed.
Introduction
Authors: Hambye Philippe , Simon Anne Catherine
Published: February 2018

The identification of varieties (dialects) — which requires relating linguistic features to major social categories such as class, age, gender, ethnicity and geographical origin — is one of the main achievements of variationist sociolinguistics. The task is central to the aims of sociolinguistics in two ways. First, it reveals the presence of structured heterogeneity within linguistic variation. Second, it accounts for the social meaning of linguistic variants: through the definition of bounded “social”, “regional” or “ethnic” varieties, so-called inter-speaker variation is directly associated with group membership and linguistic features become social identity markers.
DresdenFallbogenContours as an Example of Regionalized German Intonation
Authors: Selting Margret
Published: February 2018

Based on data from a Mid-German dialect area of Dresden, this article presents research on the structure and functions of regionalized intonation. The Dresden data comes from informal conversation-like settings and illustrates a contour that is typical of the Dresden city vernacular: a contour previously named and described as the DresdenFallbogen. An analysis of the phonetic forms and phonological structures of the contour is provided, and its use and function in conversational interactions is described. Additional methods of investigating the perception and identification of these contours by subjects in an experimental setting are also given. The article concludes with remarks about the possible relevance of this contour as a signal of identity.
Sociolinguistic Style: A Multidimensional Resource for Shared Identity Creation
Authors: Moore Emma
Published: February 2018

Traditional accounts of style isolate individual variables and situate their use along a formality scale. Because it abstractly represents speaker interaction, this approach imposes a taxonomic distinction between stylistic and social constraints. By focussing on single variables in isolation, such accounts wrench individual variables out of the context that defines them. Recent accounts of style recognise the context-dependency of social meaning. We must therefore consider how a particular combination of linguistic and extralinguistic resources interact to produce an overall style that subsumes the traditional style/social constraint distinction. I explore how the styles created by a community of girls function to produce a system of distinction (Irvine 2001) in their high school, by considering how each group uses morphosyntactic and discourse-related variables to define themselves in relation to other social groups. The analysis reveals that sociolinguistic meaning is never achieved by a single group in isolation, but is the consequence of a collaborative negotiation of available resources.
Affixes at the Edge
Authors: Di Sciullo Anna Maria
Published: February 2018

This article shows how affixal scope and precedence relations fall out in a natural way from properties of the computational system. Using Asymmetry Theory (Di Sciullo 2005), it is proposed that: (i) roots and affixes form minimal trees; (ii) minimal trees compose with each other to form morphological phases; (iii) features of a morphological phase edge that are legible at Phonetic Form (PF) determine affix-root linearization; and (iv) ordering of affixes relative to each other follows the Hierarchy of Homogeneous Projections, which constrains scope relations at Logical Form (LF). Three languages are considered: English (which has prefixing and suffixing), Yekhee (strongly prefixal), and Turkish (strongly suffixal). The findings presented here support a parallel model of grammar: morphological derivations (DM) parallel syntactic derivations (DS), with restricted interactions between them.
Perspectives sur le changement linguistique : aux sources du français canadien
Authors: Martineau France
Published: February 2018

This article examines the origins of Canadian French, focusing on it morphosyntax. This approach compares written sources, both literary and non-literary, for the 19th century, to oral sources, for the middle and end of the 20th century. While it is still possible to use oral sources from the 20th century as a baseline for written sources from the end of the 19th century, this approach is more problematic for earlier centuries. The negative adverbspasetpointare examined on the basis of a corpus of old Canadian French, and it is shown that the progression ofpaswith respect topointwas more rapid in the context of verbal negation than in the context of argument negation in France, in New France, and in Canada. During the 18th century, even though the progression ofpas, as compared topoint, is parallel in France and in New France, it is nevertheless the case that certain regions of France that served as sources of immigration to Canada as well as certain social groups in New France usepointmore frequently. The 19th century sees a progression and a uniformization of the variantpasacross all social classes in Quebec. In Ontario, the variantpointwas conserved until a later date in its southern border region.
That Crazy Idea of Hers: The English Double Genitive as Focus Construction
Authors: Abel Jennifer
Published: February 2018

Previously, no single analysis has accounted for all three subtypes of the English double genitive construction: the indefinite (a book of John’s), the definite (the book of John’s that you read), and the demonstrative (that book of John’s). Phonetic and pragmatic evidence discussed in the literature—for example, stress and familiarity/importance to the discourse participants—indicates that the demonstrative construction is a focus construction, bringing the possessed item into a prominent position in the discourse. The application of the Focus Hypothesis to all double genitives is empirically supported and is consistent with theoretical considerations having to do with the function of relative clauses and distributional differences between double genitives and standard partitives.
Southeastern French Nasal Vowels: Perceptual and Acoustic Elements
Authors: Violin-Wigent Anne
Published: February 2018

This article describes the realization of nasal vowels in the southeast of France. Southeastern French retains four nasal vowels, contrary to more innovative varieties of French. The perceptual analysis based on eight participants shows that, for most of the instances of each of the four nasal vowels, the pronunciation is different from that of Reference French. Additionally, these nasal vowels are followed by a nasal closure in about 10% of cases, especially in front of a pause or stop. The perceptual analysis is supplemented by an acoustic description, based on two speakers, one male and one female. The acoustic description gives support to the perceptual analysis, showing the existence of the nasal closure and the realization of /ã/ as [ã],as [ẽ], and /õ/ as.
Canadian Raising Retrospect and Prospect
Authors: Chambers J.K.
Published: February 2018

Canadian Raising, which makes allophonic variants of the low diphthongs /ai/ and /au/, is evaluated with respect to its diachronic, geographic, and synchronic status. Its origins have been established by documentary evidence from 1934. However, comparative dialect evidence from the Linguistic Atlas of the United States and Canada pushes the origins back to the second half of the 19th century. Raising of /ai/ in the northern United States turns out to be different from Canadian Raising, though they overlap. Sociolinguistic studies of (aw)-Fronting in 1980 showed a tendency for fronted onsets to be unraised. Though this was statistically insignificant, any strengthening would threaten the existence of Canadian Raising. Subsequent research shows that the tendency was accidental.
An English “like no other”?: Language Contact and Change in Quebec
Authors: Poplack Shana , Walker James A. , Malcolmson Rebecca
Published: February 2018

Although the received wisdom is that English in Quebec, as a minority language, has undergone contact-induced language change, little scientific evidence has been brought to bear on this claim. We describe a project designed to assess the impact of a majority language on the structure of the minority language in a situation of long-term contact. The existence and directionality of change is assessed by comparing the behaviour of linguistic phenomena (1) over (apparent) time, (2) according to intensity of contact, and (3) against French as a non-contact benchmark and putative source. We detail the methods employed in selecting a sample and constituting a corpus, and characterize the speakers and aspects of their speech. Finally, we present an analysis of the sociolinguistic situation of the Quebec anglophone community, and offer an empirical measure of the impact of the French lexicon on Quebec English.
Nuuchahnulth Double Reduplication and Stratal Optimality Theory
Authors: Stonham John
Published: February 2018

Multiple reduplication is rare: the most often cited case is that of Salish double reduplication, which has been analyzed within the framework of Optimality Theory. For this reason, the simple and double reduplication processes found in Nuuchahnulth (Nootka) have theoretically interesting consequences for current models of morphology. This article demonstrates that Nuuchahnulth double reduplication challenges the standard, parallelist optimality theoretic account. An alternative analysis in terms of Stratal Optimality Theory is presented: the multistratal model is argued to be superior to the mono-stratal one, as the latter misses generalizations and fails to make correct predictions.
The Acquisition of English Word-Final Consonants by Cantonese ESL Learners in Hong Kong
Authors: Chan Alice Y.W.
Published: February 2018

This study investigates the acquisition of English word-final consonants by Hong Kong Cantonese learners of English as a second language and assesses the validity of the Markedness Differential Hypothesis for second language phonology acquisition by these learners. Twelve participants and three native speakers performed four speech tasks: reading a word list, reading three passages, describing pictures, and participating in a conversational interview. The results show that: (i) word-finally, more non-target laterals were produced than voiceless obstruents; and (ii) non-target productions of voiced obstruents were the highest. We argue that the Markedness Differential Hypothesis does not explain the acquisition of English word-final singleton consonants by Cantonese ESL learners in Hong Kong. We conclude that markedness alone cannot be used as a predictor for the relative difficulty of acquiring the target segments of a second language.
Les questions multiples : le débat continue
Authors: Liakin Denis
Published: February 2018

In this article we offer an alternative analysis of multiple questions in Russian that is not only related to topic and focus, but also to other discourse factors. The characteristics that put Russian is the same group as Chinese and Japanese also apply to other multiple wh fronting languages such as Bulgarian, Romanian, and Serbo-Croatian, which, according to previous classification, belong to two different groups. We argue that multiple wh fronting languages can be classified on the basis of the presence of a functional category D-WhP in the left periphery of the matrix or embedded clause. This category is related to the discourse and the speaker’s intentions—one of the wh phrases is more important to the speakers than the others.