Du tout au rien:libre-choix et polarité negative

This monograph proposes a general model for the analysis of polysemy. The underspecified content of polysemic items produces interpretations in relation with characterised contextual indicators. This ternary set of schematic representations applies to the meaning organisation of French indefinite qui que ce soit ('any'). Universal positive readings, existential and opposition readings are generated by modalised predicate, a modalised proposition and syntactically adjoined functions. "Affective" contexts yield a negative polarity interpretation, the interpretation is generated through concessive reasoning, which explains how scalar values can be evoked by an item representing arbitrary selection. Such contextual reasoning and characterised contextual indicators are the two modes for the calculation of the contextual interpretation of polysemous items.

Sticky credit spreads, macroeconomic activity and equity market volatility

We uncover high persistence in credit spread series that can obscure the relationship between the theoretical determinants of credit risk and observed credit spreads. We use a Markovswitching model, which also captures the stability (low frequency changes) of credit ratings, to show why credit spreads may continue to respond to past levels of credit risk, even though the state of the economy has changed. A bivariate model of credit spreads and either macroeconomic activity or equity market volatility detects large and significant correlations that are consistent with theory but have not been observed in previous studies. © 2010 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.