Numerical Simulation of Tanpura String Vibrations

A numerical model of a tanpura string is presented, based on a recently developed, stability-preserving way of incorporating the non-smooth forces involved in the impactive distributed contact between the string and the bridge. By defining and modelling the string-bridge contact over the full length of the bridge, the simulated vibrations can be monitored through the force signals at both the bridge and the nut. As such it offers a reference model for both measurements and sound synthesis. Simulations starting from different types of initial conditions demonstrate that the model reproduces the main characteristic feature of the tanpura, namely the sustained appearance of a precursor in the force waveforms, carrying a band of overtones which decrease in frequency as the string vibrations decay. Results obtained with the numerical model are used to examine, through comparison, the effect of the bridge and of the thread on the vibrations.

Temps et Oralité dans le Conte Oral

This article addresses the question of narrative tense usage in a particular variety of performed oral narration in modern French, i.e. oral storytelling. We examine the narrative tense systems used in both traditional and new storytelling, comparing these with well-attested oral and written patterns and with theoretical models such as Benveniste's, Weinrich's and Revaz's. We examine briefly some of the key functions of the tense alternations attested, again comparing these to patterns in other types of discourse, and conclude by considering the nature of the « orality » in question.

'Le récit de vie(s)': immobility and fluidity in Ying Chen's works

The article explores the themes of fluidity and immobility in the works of Ying Chen, a francophone Chinese writer whose early texts are associated with 'les écritures migrantes' of Quebec. From her third book, the narratives take on a post-death perspective and the narrator moves between her present existence and past lives.