Japanese Video Game Localization : A Case Study of Sony's Sairen Series

This thesis is a comparative case study in Japanese video game localization for the video games Sairen, Sairen 2 and Sairen Ny��toransur��shon, and English-language localized versions of the same games as published in Scandinavia and Australia/New Zealand. All games are developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and published exclusively for Playstation2 and Playstation3 consoles. The fictional world of the Sairen games draws much influence from Japanese history, as well as from popular and contemporary culture, and in doing so caters mainly to a Japanese audience. For localization, i.e. the adaptation of a product to make it accessible to users outside the original market it was intended for in the first place, this is a challenging issue. Video games are media of entertainment, and therefore localization practice must preserve the games��� effects on the players��� emotions. Further, video games are digital products that are comprised of a multitude of distinct elements, some of which are part of the game world, while others regulate the connection between the player as part of the real world and the game as digital medium. As a result, video game localization is also a practice that has to cope with the technical restrictions that are inherent to the medium. The main theory used throughout the thesis is Anthony Pym���s framework for localization studies that considers the user of the localized product as a defining part of the localization process. This concept presupposes that localization is an adaptation that is performed to make a product better suited for use during a specific reception situation. Pym also addresses the factor that certain products may resist distribution into certain reception situations because of their content, and that certain aspects of localization aim to reduce this resistance through significant alterations of the original product. While Pym developed his ideas with mainly regular software in mind, they can also be adapted well to study video games from a localization angle. Since modern video games are highly complex entities that often switch between interactive and non-interactive modes, Pym���s ideas are adapted throughout the thesis to suit the particular elements being studied. Instances analyzed in this thesis include menu screens, video clips, in-game action and websites. The main research questions focus on how the games��� rules influence localization, and how the games��� fictional domain influences localization. Because there are so many peculiarities inherent to the medium of the video game, other theories are introduced as well to complement the research at hand. These include Lawrence Venuti���s discussions of foreiginizing and domesticating translation methods for literary translation, and Jesper Juul���s definition of games. Additionally, knowledge gathered from interviews with video game localization professionals in Japan during September and October 2009 is also utilized for this study. Apart from answering the aforementioned research questions, one of this thesis��� aims is to enrich the still rather small field of game localization studies, and the study of Japanese video games in particular, one of Japan���s most successful cultural exports.

Mapinduzi Daima ��� Revolution Forever : Using the 1964 Revolution in Nationalistic Political Discourses in Zanzibar

This Master's thesis examines two opposite nationalistic discourses on the revolution of Zanzibar. Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the party in power since the 1964 revolution defends its revolutionary and "African" heritage in the current multi-party system. New nationalists, including among others the main opposition party Civic United Front (CUF), question both the 1964 revolution and the post-revolution period and blame CCM for empty promises, corruption and ethnic discrimination. This study analyzes the role of a significant historical event in the creation of nationalistic ideology and national identity. The 1964 revolution forms the nucleus of various debates related to the history of Zanzibar: slavery, colonialism, racial discrimination and political violence. Representations of these Social constructivist principles form the basis of this study, and central concepts in the theoretical framework are nationalism, national identity, ethnicity and race. I use critical discourse analysis as my research method, lean on the work by Teun A. van Dijk and Norman Fairclough as the most significant researchers in this field. I examine particularly the ways in which linguistic methods, such as stereotypes and metaphors are used to form in- and out-groups ("us" vs. "others"). My material, both in Swahili and English, was collected mainly in Tanzania in the fall of 2007 and from online sources in the spring of 2009. It includes publications by the Zanzibari government between the years of 1964-2000 (12), official speeches for the Revolution Day or the Union Day (12), articles from Tanzanian newspapers from the 1990s until the year of 2009 (15), memoirs and political pamphlets (10), blog posts and opinion pieces from four different websites (8), and interviews or personal communication in Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam and Uppsala (8). Nationalistic rhetoric often creates enemy images by using binary good-bad oppositions. Both discourses in this study build identities on the basis of "otherness" and exclusion, with the intent of emphasizing the particularity of the own group and excluding "evilness" outside the own reference group. These opposite views on the 1964 revolution as the main axis of the history of Zanzibar build different portraits of the nation and Zanzibari-ness (Uzanzibari). CCM still relies on the pre-revolutionary enemy images of Arabs as selfish rulers and cruel slave traders. For CCM, Zanzibar is primarily an "African" nation and a part of Tanzania which is threatened by "Arabs", the outsiders. In contrast, the new nationalists stress the long history of Zanzibar as multi-racial, cosmopolitan and formerly independent country which has its own, separate culture and identity from mainland Tanzanians. Heshima, honour/respect, one of the basic values of Swahili culture, occupies a central role in both discourses: the main party emphasizes that the revolution returned "heshima" to the Zanzibari Africans after centuries of humiliation, whereas the new nationalists claim that ever since the revolution all "non-Africans" have been humiliated and lost their "heshima". According to the new nationalists, true Zanzibari values which include tolerance and harmony between different "races" were lost when the "foreign" revolutionaries arrived from the mainland. Consequently, they see the 1964 revolution as Tanganyikan colonialism which began with the help of Western countries, and maintain that this "colonialism" still continues in the violent multi-party elections.

The Unable Individual : The Actantial Analyses of Three Chinese Films and Discussion on Their Representations of the Individual���s Position in Contemporary Chinese Society

The thesis studies three contemporary Chinese films, Incense (Xianghuo 2003), Beijing Bicycle (Shiqi sui de danche, 2001), and South of the Clouds (Yun de nanfang, 2004). The aim of the thesis is to find out how these films represent the individual, his relationships with others, and his possibilities in society. The films all portray a male individual setting out to pursue a goal, facing one obstacle after the other in the process, and in the end failing to achieve his goal. The other characters in the films are also primarily either unable or unwilling to help the lead character. In the thesis these features of the films are analysed by applying A.J. Greimas���s structuralist semiotic theory about the actantial structure of discourses. The questions about the individual���s position are answered by defining which instances in the films actually represent the actantial positions of the sender, receiver, subject, object, helper and opponent. The results of the actantial analyses of the three films are further discussed in the light of theories regarding individualization. The focus is on the theories of Ulrich Beck, Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim and Zygmunt Bauman, who see a development towards individualization in societies following the disintegration of traditional social structures. For the most part, these theories do seem to be applicable to the films��� representations of the individual���s position, especially regarding the increased responsibility of the individual. For example, the position of the family is represented as either insignificant or negative in all of the films, which fits with the description of the individualized society, contradicting the idea of traditional Chinese society. On the other hand, the identities and goals of the characters in the films are not represented as fragmented in the way the theories would suggest.

Text and Intensification of Its Impact in Chishti Sam��`

In my master���s thesis I analyse mystical Islamic poetry in ritualistic performance context, sam��` , focusing on the poetry used by the Chishti Sufis. The work is based on both literary sources and ethnographic material collected in India. The central textual source is Sur��d-i R��h��n��, a compilation of mystical poetry. Textual sources, however, can be understood properly only in relation to the living performance context and therefore I also utilise interviews of Sufis and performers of mystical music and recordings of sam��` assemblies along with texts. First part of the thesis concentrates on thematic overview of the poems and the process of selecting a suitable text for performance. The poems are written in three languages, viz. in Persian, Urdu and Hindi. Among the authors are both Sufis and non-Sufis. The poems, mystical and non-mystical alike, share the same poetic images and they acquire a mystical meaning when they are set to qawwali music and performed in sam��` assemblies. My work includes several translations of verses not previously translated. Latter part of the thesis analyses the musical idiom of qawwali and the ways in which the impact of text on listeners is intensified in performance. Typically the intensification is accomplished in the level of a single poem through three different techniques: using introductory verses, inserting verses between the verses of the main poem and repeating individual units of text. The former two techniques are tied to creating a mystical state in the listeners while the latter aims at sustaining it. It is customary that a listener enraptured by mystical experience offers a monetary contribution to the performers. Thus, intensification of the text���s impact aims at enabling the listeners to experience mystical states.

Drops That Open Worlds : Image of Water in the Poetry of Euphrase Kezilahabi

Euphrase Kezilahabi on tansanialainen kirjailija, joka ensimm��isen�� julkaisi swahilinkielisen vapaalla mitalla kirjoitetun runokokoelman. Perinteisess�� swahilirunoudessa tiukat muotos����nn��t ovat t��rkeit��, ja teos synnytti kiivasta keskustelua. Runoteokset Kichomi ( Viilto , Kipu , 1974) ja Karibu Ndani ( Tervetuloa sis����n , 1988) sek�� Kezilahabin muu tuotanto voidaan n��hd�� uuden sukupolven taiteena. Kezilahabi on arvostettu runoilija, mutta h��nen runojaan ei aiemmin ole k����nnetty englanniksi (yksitt��isi�� s��keit�� lukuunottamatta), eik�� juurikaan tutkittu yksityiskohtaisesti. Yleiskuvaan pyrkiviss�� lausunnoissa Kezilahabin runouden on hyvin usein m����ritelty olevan poliittista. Monet Kezilahabin runoista ottavatkin kantaa yhteiskunnallisiin kysymyksiin, mutta niiden pohdinta on kuitenkin runoissa vain yksi taso. Sen lis��ksi Kezilahabin lyriikassa on paljon muuta ennen kartoittamatonta t��m�� tutkimus keskittyy veden kuvaan (the image of water). Kezilahabi vietti lapsuutensa saarella Victoria-j��rven keskell��, ja h��nen vesikuvastonsa on rikasta. Tutkimuskysymyksen�� on, mit�� veden kuva runoteoksissa Kichomi ja Karibu Ndani esitt����. Runojen analysoinnissa ja tulkinnassa on tarkasteltu my��s sit��, miten ����nteellinen taso osallistuu kuvien luomiseen. Tutkimuksen m����ritelm�� kuvasta pohjautuu osittain Hugh Kennerin n��kemykseen, jonka mukaan oleellista kuvassa on kirjaimellinen taso. Kennerin l��ht��kohtaan on yhdistetty John Shoptawin teoriaa, joka korostaa runon ����nteellisen puolen t��rkeytt�� merkityksen muodostumisessa. Foneemien analyysiss�� vaikutteena on ollut Reuven Tsurin teoria. Analyysiosio osoittaa, ett�� veden kuva edustaa ja k��sittelee teoksissa lukuisia teemoja: el��m����, kuolemaa, fyysist�� vetovoimaa, runoutta, mielikuvitusta ja (ali)tajuntaa sek�� moraalia. Veden kuvan tutkimuksen pohjalta on n��ht��viss��, ett�� Kezilahabin filosofia asettuu el��v��/kuollut- ja el��m��/kuolema dikotomioiden ulkopuolelle.

Malesia, Singapore ja etniset kiinalaiset : Kaksi tapaa rakentaa kansallista yhten��isyytt��

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on perehty�� Malesian ja Singaporen kiinalaisten etniseen ja kansalliseen identiteettiin. Tutkimus tarkastelee ja vertailee erityisesti Malesian ja Singaporen valtionhallintojen keinoja rakentaa kansallista yhten��isyytt�� ja v��hent���� etnisen identiteetin merkityst��. Lis��ksi tutkimus luo kriteerijoukon, jonka avulla voidaan vertailla Malesian ja Singaporen yhteiskuntien onnistumista tai ep��onnistumista kansallisen yhten��isyyden rakentamisessa. Tutkimusteht��v�� jakautuu kahteen kysymykseen: Miten Malesian ja Singaporen valtionhallinnon menetelm��t vaikuttavat etnisten kiinalaisten kansalliseen ja etniseen identiteettiin, ja miten maiden menetelm��t eroavat toisistaan? Lopuksi vertailemalla Malesiaa ja Singaporea tutkimuksessa p����tell����n luodun kriteerijoukon avulla, miten kansallinen yhten��isyys on toteutunut n��iss�� kahdessa maassa. Tutkimuksen teoriatausta perustuu etnist�� ja kansallista identiteetti�� tutkineiden Fredrik Barthin, Nathan Glazerin ja Daniel P. Moynihanin, Donald Horowitzin, Milton J. Esmanin, Benedict Andersonin, Anthony D. Smithin ja Stuart Hallin teorioihin. N��m�� tutkijat painottavat eri tekij��iden merkityst�� kansalliselle identiteetille ja yhten��isyydelle, toisiaan t��ydent��en. Kyseess�� on teoreettinen tutkimus. Siksi sen aineisto koostuu p����asiassa sekundaaril��hteist��: tieteellisist�� teoksista ja artikkeleista sek�� s��hk��isist�� lehtiartikkeleista. Prim����ril��hteit�� ovat Malesian ja Singaporen perustuslait, Malesian ja Singaporen tilastokeskuksien tilastot sek�� Malesian entisen p����ministerin Mahathir bin Mohamadin vuonna 1991 pit��m�� Vision 2020 -puhe. Aineistoa on analysoitu tutkimuksen teoriataustan avulla. Monipuolisemman kuvan muodostamiseksi on tutkimukseen valittu sek�� l��nsimaalaisten tutkijoiden ett�� singaporelaisten ja malesialaisten tutkijoiden tutkimuksia. Lis��ksi, puolueellisuuden v��ltt��miseksi, on tutkimukseen valittu eri etnisiin ryhmiin kuuluvien tutkijoiden artikkeleita ja teoksia. Tutkimuksessa on p����dytty seuraavan tulokseen. Jotta kansallinen yhten��isyys voidaan saavuttaa Malesian ja Singaporen monietnisiss�� yhteiskunnissa, tulee valtionhallinnon keskitty�� erityisesti seuraaviin viiteen teht��v����n: kansantalouden kehitt��miseen, etnisten ryhmien v��lisen taloudellisen tasa-arvoisuuden edist��miseen, poliittisen aktiivisuuden ja osallistumisen kannustamiseen, etnisten yhteis��jen samanarvoisuuden toteuttamiseen lain edess�� ja tasa-arvoisen koulutusj��rjestelm��n rakentamiseen. N��iden kriteerien perusteella Malesia ja Singapore eiv��t ole kansallisesti yhten��isi�� valtioita. Singapore on kuitenkin kansallisesti yhten��isempi, sill�� se t��ytt���� viidest�� kriteerist�� kolme, kun Malesia t��ytt���� vain kaksi kriteeri��. Malesialla ja Singaporella on kaksi hyvin erilaista tapaa rakentaa kansallista yhten��isyytt��, mutta lopputulokset ovat kuitenkin hyvin samankaltaiset. Tutkimus p����ttelee, ett�� etnisten yhteis��jen institutionaalinen asema molemmissa maissa on yksi ratkaisevimmista esteist�� kansalliselle yhten��isyydelle.

Women and their Agency in the Neo-Assyrian Empire

T��m�� pro gradu-ty�� k��sittelee naisten toimijuutta uusassyrialaisessa imperiumissa. Toisin sanoen ty��ss�� tutkitaan naisten vaikutusmahdollisuuksia assyrialaisessa, patriarkaalisessa yhteiskunnassa ��� aihe, johon ei aiemmin ole juurikaan kiinnitetty huomiota. T��ydenn��n ty��ss�� assyriologista n��k��kantaa kulttuuritieteiden ja antropologian k��sitteist��ll�� ja teorioilla. Ty��n teoreettinen viitekehys liittyy yksil��n, yhteiskunnan ja vallan v��lisiin suhteisiin, jotka kohtaavat toimijuuden k��sitteess��. Vaikka ty��ss�� esittelen toimijuuden k��sitett�� laajemminkin, p����dyin aineiston asettamien rajoitusten takia m����rittelem����n toimijuuden seuraavasti: toimijoita ovat ne naiset, jotka toimivat aktiivisina subjekteina yhteiskunnassa. N��in m����ritellyt toimijat jaoin viel�� kahteen ryhm����n, eksplisiittisiin (explicit agents) ja implisiittisiin (implicit agents) toimijoihin. Ensimm��isen ryhm��n j��senet selke��sti toimivat teksteiss�� jollain tavalla, j��lkimm��isen ryhm��n j��senten toimijuus on p����telt��v�� asiayhteydest��. Pro graduni perustuu laajan tekstiaineiston analyysiin. Jaan imperiumin toimijanaiset kolmeen laajaan ryhm����n: palatsissa, temppeliss�� ja niiden ulkopuolella toimineisiin naisiin. Jokaisen n��ist�� kolmesta ryhm��st�� jaan viel�� useisiin alaryhmiin, useimmiten ammattinimikkeen tai arvonimen mukaan. Suurimmaksi ryhm��ksi osoittautuivat palatsissa toimineet naiset. Heist�� erityisen aktiivisia olivat ��akintut, jotka hoitivat vastuullisia hallinnollisia teht��vi�� palatseissa. My��s kuningatarten ja muiden kuninkaallisten naisten rooli toimijoina oli uusassyrialaisella kaudella merkitt��v��. Temppeleiss�� toimineista naisista merkitt��vin ryhm�� toimijuuden kannalta olivat naispuoliset profeetat, jotka toimivat aktiivisissa rooleissa ainakin toimittaessaan jumalallisia sanomia. Palatsien ja temppelien ulkopuolelle j��i vain v��h��n naistoimijoita: omaksi selke��ksi ryhm��kseen erottuivat ainoastaan harimtut, prostituoidut. Lopuksi pohdin jokaisen ryhm��n toimijuutta ensin taulukkomuodossa (taulukot 9, 10 ja 11) sitten lyhyess�� analyysikappaleessa.

The Homeless Etiquette : Social Interaction and Behavior Among the Homeless in Taito Ward, Tokyo

The thesis focuses on the social interaction and behavior of the homeless living in Tokyo's Taito Ward. The study is based on the author's own ethnographic field research carried out in the autumn 2003. The chosen methodologies were based on the methodology called "participant observation", and they were used depending on the context. The ethnographic field research was carried out from the mid-August to the beginning of the October in 2003. The most important targets of the research were three separate loosely knit groups placed in certain parts of Taito Ward. One of these groups was based in proximity to the Ueno train station, one group gathered every morning around a homeless support organization called San'y��kai, and one was based in Tamahime Park located in the old San'ya area of Tokyo. The analysis is based on the aspects of Takie Sugiyama Lebra's theory of "social relativism". Lebra's theory consists of the following, arguably universal aspects: belongingness, empathy, dependence, place in the society, and reciprocity. In addition, all the interaction and behavior is tied to the context and the situation. According to Lebra, ritual and intimate situations produce similar action, which is socially relative. Of these, the norms of the ritual behavior are more regulated, while the intimate bahavior is less spontaneous. On the contrary, an anomic situation produces anomic behavior, which is not socially relative. Lebra's theory is critically reviewed by the author of the thesis, and the author has attempted to modify the theory to make it more adaptable to the present-day society and to the analysis. Erving Goffman's views of the social interaction and Anthony Giddens' theories about the social structures have been used as complementary thoretical basis. The aim of the thesis is to clarify, how and why the interaction and the behavior of some homeless individuals in some situations follow the aspects of Lebra's "social relativism", and on the other hand, why in some situations they do not. In the latter cases the answers can be sought from regional and individual differences, or from the inaptness of the theory to analyze the presented situation. Here, a significant factor is the major finding of the field study: the so called "homeless etiquette", which is an abstract set of norms and values that influences the social interaction and behavior of the homeless, and with which many homeless individuals presented in the study complied. The fundamental goal of the thesis is to reach profound understanding about the daily life of the homeless, whose lives were studied. The author argues that this kind of profound understanding is necessary in looking for sustainable solutions in the areas of social and housing policy to improve the position of the homeless and the qualitative functioning of the society.

Confucian education and enlightenment for the masses in the manner of Guwen guanzhi

The topic of this study is the most renowned anthology of essays written in Literary Chinese, Guwen guanzhi, compiled and edited by Wu Chengquan (Chucai) and Wu Dazhi (Diaohou), and first published during the Qing dynasty, in 1695. Because of the low social standing of the compilers, their anthology remained outside the recommended study materials produced by members of the established literati and used for preparing students in the imperial civil-service examinations. However, since the end of the imperial era, Guwen guanzhi has risen to a position as the classical anthology par excellence. Today it is widely used as required or supplementary reading material of Literary Chinese in middle-schools both in Mainland China and on Taiwan. The goal of this study is to explain the persistent longevity of the anthology. So far, Guwen guanzhi has not been a topic of any published academic study, and the opinions expressed on it in various sources are widely discrepant. Through a comparative study with a dozen classical Chinese anthologies in use during the early Qing dynasty, this study reveals the extent to which the compilers of Guwen guanzhi modelled their work after other selections. Altogether 86 % of the texts in Guwen guanzhi originate from another Qing era anthology, Guwen xiyi, often copied character by character. However, the notes and commentaries are all different. Concentrating on the special characteristics unique to Guwen guanzhi���the commentaries and certain peculiarities in the selection of texts���this study then discusses the possible reasons for the popularity of Guwen guanzhi over the competing readers during the Qing era. Most remarkably, Guwen guanzhi put in practise the equalitarian, educational ideals of the Ming philosopher Wang Shouren (Yangming). Thus Guwen guanzhi suited the self-enlightenment needs of the ���subordinate classes���, in particular the rising middle-class comprised mainly of merchants. The lack of moral teleology, together with the compact size, relative comprehensiveness of the selection and good notes and comments, have made Guwen guanzhi well suited for the new society since the abolition of the imperial examination system. Through a content analysis, based on a sample of the texts, this study measures the relative emphasis on centralism and localism (both in concrete and spiritual terms) expressed in the texts of Guwen guanzhi. The analysis shows that the texts manifest some bias towards emphasising innate virtue on the expense of state-defined moral. This may reflect hidden critique towards intellectual oppression by the centralised imperial rule. During the early decades of the Qing era, such critique was often linked to Ming-loyalism. Finally, this study concludes that the kind of ���spiritual localism��� that Guwen guanzhi manifests gives it the potential to undermine monolithic orthodoxy even in today���s Chinese societies. This study has progressed hand in hand with the translation of a selection of texts from Guwen guanzhi into Finnish, published by Gaudeamus Helsinki University Press: Jadekasvot ��� Valittuja tarinoita Kiinan muinaisajoilta (2005), Jadel��hde ��� Valittuja kirjoituksia Kiinan keskiajalta (2007) and Jadepeili ��� Valittuja kirjoituksia keisarillisen Kiinan kulta-ajoilta (2008). All translations are critical editions, complete with extensive notation. The trilogy is the first comprehensive translation based on Guwen guanzhi in a European language.

Les formes d���adresse dans un corpus de films fran��ais et leur traduction en finnois

The use of forms of address in French films and their Finnish translations The use of forms of address constitutes an integral part of speakers��� communicative competence. In fact, they are not only used to assign to whom the speech is addressed, but also to construct the relationship between speakers. However, the choice of a suitable form is not necessarily evident in modern, pluralistic society. By the notion form of address, I refer to pronouns of address (tu vs. vous) and different nouns of address like names, titles (Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle), kinship terms, occupational terms, terms of endearment and insults. The purpose of the present thesis is, first, to study the semantic and pragmatic values of forms of address in dialogues of modern French films, and, second, their translation in Finnish subtitles. It is evident that film language is not spontaneous, but only a representation of authentic speech, and that subtitles are a written version of the original spoken language. Consequently, this thesis studies spoken fictive dialogues and their written translations. The methods applied in the study are the Interactional and Pragmatic Approach as well as Translatology. The role of forms of address in an interpersonal relationship is studied with dimensions of distance and power (Brown and Gilman 1960, Kerbrat-Orecchioni 1992), whereas the pragmatic dimension permits studying in particular the use of forms of address in speech acts (Kerbrat-Orecchioni 2001). The translation strategies are studied with the help of Venuti���s (1995) notions of foreignizing and domesticating strategies. The results of the thesis suggest that the pronoun use in the studied films is usually reciprocal. However, the relations of power have not disappeared, but are expressed in a more discrete manner with nouns of address (for instance vous + Docteur vs. vous + Anita). The use of the pronoun of address vous seems still to be common, but increased intimacy is expressed by accompanying familiar nouns of address like first names. The nominal forms of address accompany different speech acts, but not in a systematic manner. In a dialogue they appear usually in the first speech act, and more rarely in the response, but not in both. In addition, they have an important role in the mechanics of conversation. The translators here face multiple demands, and their translations seem mostly to be a compromise between foreignizing and domesticating strategies.

La coordination et les phrases juxtapos��es en fran��ais

Coordination and juxtaposed sentences The object of this study is the examination of the relations between juxtaposed clauses in contemporary French. The matter in question is sentences which are composed of several clauses adjoined without a conjunction or other connector, as in: Je d��tournai les yeux, mon c ur se mit �� battre. The aim of the study is to determine, which quality is the relation in these sentences and, on the other hand, what is the part of the coordination there. Furthermore, what is this relation of coordination, which, according to some grammars, manifests through a conjunction of coordination, but which, according to some others is marked in juxtaposed sentences through different features. The study is based on a corpus of written French from literary and journalistic text sources. Syntactic, semantic and textual properties in the clauses are discussed. The analysis points to differences so, it has been noted, in each case, if one of the clauses is affirmative and the other negative and if in the second clause, the subject has not been repeated. Also, an analysis has been made on the ground of the tense, mode, phrase structure type, and thematic structure, taking into account, in each case, if the clauses are identical or different. Punctuation has been one of the properties considered. The final aim has been to eliminate gradually, based on the partition of properties, subordinate sentences, so that only the hard core of coordinate sentences remains. In this way, the coordination could be defined similarly as the phoneme is defined as a group of distinctive features. The quantitative analyses have led to the conclusion that the sentences which, from a semantic point of view, are interpreted as coordinating, contain the least of these differences, while the sentences which can be considered as subordinating present the most of these differences. The conditions of coordination are, in that sense, hierarchical, so that the syntactic constraints have to make room for semantic, textual and cognitive factors. It is interesting to notice that everyone has the ability to produce correct coordinating structures and recognize incorrect coordinating structures. This can be explained by the human ability to categorize which has been widely researched in the semantic of prototype. The study suggests that coordination and subordination could be considered as prototypical cognitive categories based on different linguistic and pragmatic features.