Variation and Change in French Morphosyntax: The Case of Collective Nouns

Collective nouns such as majorité or foule have long been of interest to linguists for their unusual semantic properties, and provide a valuable source of new data on the evolution of French grammar. This book tests the hypothesis that plural agreement with collective nouns is becoming more frequent in French. Through an analysis of data from a variety of sources, including sociolinguistic interviews, gap-fill tests and corpora, the complex linguistic and external factors which affect this type of agreement are examined, shedding new light on their interaction in this context. Broader questions concerning the methodological challenges of studying variation and change in morphosyntax, and the application of sociolinguistic generalisations to the French of France, are also addressed.

Reviews:

‘Cet ouvrage constitue un apport majeur dans le champ de la linguistique variationniste et diachronique, tant par les résultats mis au jour que par la qualité de sa démarche méthodologique.’ — Sophie Prévost, French Studies 69.4, October 2015, 578-79

‘While language variation and change have been the focal point for linguists on this side of the Atlantic, Tristram argues that studies on morphosyntactic variation in French studies are lacking due to a focus on phonology and dialectology as well as denial of variation and change in the French language. Tristram’s book is thus a welcome contribution.’ — Samira Hassa, French Review 89.3, 2016, 108

‘Anyone teaching variation in French will want to talk about the findings and reflections reported in this study. A remarkable amount of ground is covered in a small compass. This is a highly welcome addition to the Legenda list, and one must hope that further linguistics titles will be added to it before very long.’ — Nigel Armstrong, Journal of French Language Studies 26.2, 2016, 211-13

Substrata Uralica : Studies on Finno-Ugrian Substrate in Northern Russian Dialects

The thesis consists of five articles and an introduction. It treats the problems of the Uralic substrate, most notably, the substrate toponyms, in the Russian dialects of Arkhangelsk region. The articles contribute to the general linguistic discussion concerning the nature of linguistic substrate and the outcome of language shift and to the onomastic discussion concerning the etymologisation and ethnic interpretation of substrate toponymy. Among the questions the articles scrutinised are the following: 1) How may phonetic and morphosyntactic substrate interference be verified? 2) How typical is the transfer of vocabulary in the case of a language shift? 3) How the borrowing of toponymy and appellative vocabulary are connected in the case of a language shift? 4) How does the etymologisation of the toponyms differ from the etymologisation of appellatives? 5) How reliable can the toponymic etymologies be? 6) How can the substrate language be identified? It is found that the substrate interference that can be meaningfully studied, from the point of view of historical linguistics, is predominantly lexical and not related to phonetics and morphosyntax, as presumed in many handbooks. New methods are outlined for the identification of substrate languages separately from the lexical, phonological and typological point of view by using the substrate toponymy as the main source of information on extinct languages. A reliability scale for the toponymic etymologies is developed that helps to identify the kinds of etymologies containing ethnohistorically meaningful information. The study also sheds light on questions related to Uralistics and Slavistics. The most important of these are the following: 1) Which Uralic languages were spoken in North Russia prior to Slavic? 2) When did the Slavicisation of the Finno-Ugrian population take place in the area of the Arkhangelsk Region? 3) What is the significance of the Finno-Ugrian substrate in northern Russian dialects to comparative Uralistics? 4) Are there any traces of pre-Uralic substrate languages in north-eastern Europe? The Finnic substrate languages, already identified by earlier studies, seem to have consisted of two groups, one of which was closest to the southern Finnic. Also, language(s) close to Sámi in some respects though not identical with it where spoken in pre-Slavic North Russia.

Word frequency cues word order in adults: cross-linguistic evidence

[EN] One universal feature of human languages is the division between grammatical functors and content words. From a learnability point of view, functors might provide entry points or anchors into the syntactic structure of utterances due to their high frequency. Despite its potentially universal scope, this hypothesis has not yet been tested on typologically different languages and on populations of different ages. Here we report a corpus study and an artificial grammar learning experiment testing the anchoring hypothesis in Basque, Japanese, French, and Italian adults. We show that adults are sensitive to the distribution of functors in their native language and use them when learning new linguistic material. However, compared to infants’ performance on a similar task, adults exhibit a slightly different behavior, matching the frequency distributions of their native language more closely than infants do. This finding bears on the issue of the continuity of language learning mechanism.

Semantic change

[ES] En este trabajo se define el cambio semántico, se analizan las causas de que se produzca y se especifican sus tipos en el griego antiguo.

Mario Pereira de Souza Lima: uma etapa de consolidação do pensamento gramatical brasileiro anterior à NGB

Este trabalho, estruturado em três capítulos, é uma análise crítica da Grammatica Expositiva da Língua Portuguesa de Mario Pereira de Souza Lima, publicada em 1937, pela Companhia Editora Nacional, em sua Bibliotheca Pedagógica Brasileira, Serie 2 Livros Didacticos Vol. 70, somente reeditada, em 1945, pela Livraria José Olympio Editora, sob o título de Gramática Portuguêsa. No primeiro capítulo, faz-se a contextualização histórica do surgimento da Grammatica Expositiva, com a apresentação de seus antecedentes e as correspondentes referências às linhas do pensamento gramatical e do pensamento pedagógico que norteavam as publicações dos compêndios didáticos de estudos gramaticais. Mostra-se a filiação teórica da obra compulsada, no segundo capítulo, no qual se examinam as influências incidentes sobre os procedimentos de interpretação adotados por Mario Pereira. A análise da estrutura da Grammatica Expositiva da Língua Portuguesa é feita, criticamente, no terceiro capítulo, com o intuito de aferir o caráter inovador da abordagem que efetua dos conteúdos gramaticais, explicitando-se as suas peculiaridades, quando confrontada com duas outras obras coexistentes: a Grammatica Expositiva (Curso Superior) de Eduardo Carlos Pereira e a Grammatica Secundaria de Manuel Said Ali, a partir dos critérios de conceituação dos fatos e categorias gramaticais, em especial as classes de palavras e as funções sintáticas. Quanto aos fins pedagógicos e ao perfil do corpus, caracteriza-se a obra, através do exame do conceito de uso padrão adotado, majoritariamente literário, com indícios, entretanto, de preocupação com a variação da língua, com alguns indicadores das diferenças entre o uso brasileiro e o português. Selecionam-se, também, temas acompanhados de comentários, com destaque para o novo, para o descritivamente mais consistente. Em conclusão, é assinalada a singularidade da obra, no contexto dos estudos gramaticais realizados, na época de sua publicação, tendo em vista a sua abordagem inovadora, particularmente, no que se refere à perspectiva morfossintática de exame pela qual se inicia

Neurolinguistic measure of typological effects in multilingual transfer: introducing an ERP methodology

This article has two main objectives. First, we offer an introduction to the subfield of generative third language (L3) acquisition. Concerned primarily with modeling initial stages transfer of morphosyntax, one goal of this program is to show how initial stages L3 data make significant contributions toward a better understanding of how the mind represents language and how (cognitive) economy constrains acquisition processes more generally. Our second objective is to argue for and demonstrate how this subfield will benefit from a neuro/psycholinguistic methodological approach, such as event-related potential experiments, to complement the claims currently made on the basis of exclusively behavioral experiments. Palabras clave

Lexicultura na Língua Chinesa e na Lexicografia Bilingue de Chinês-Português

No contexto de internacionalização de hoje, acompanhando os contactos cada vez mais intensos entre o mundo chinês e o mundo lusófono, é exigida a maior atenção à questão da lexicultura na comunicação interlingual e intercultural, pois o que preocupa as partes envolvidas não é apenas descodificar os signos meramente linguísticos, mas também perceber a cultura que a língua, nomeadamente as unidades lexicais transportam, visando um comportamento culturalmente correto e adequado nessa comunicação. Partindo desta preocupação, este trabalho tenta, através da abordagem e análise da língua, da escrita e do léxico chineses, comprovar que o chinês, devido às suas peculiaridades inexistentes em outras línguas do mundo, constitui o vivo exemplo que exemplifica e alarga o conceito de lexicultura, pois a própria língua, sobretudo a sua escrita e as suas unidades lexicais, além de refletirem a cultura popular e partilhada, também contam verdadeiras histórias da Humanidade e da China. Baseando-se nesta abordagem e análise, a tese apresenta um novo modelo de dicionário cultural chinês-português, com propostas concretas de seleção de vedetas para a sua macroestrutura e de definição de vedetas na sua microestrutura, ao serviço da comunicação entre os dois mundos em questão.

El habla de la comunidad cubana en Montreal

Ce travail contient une première caractérisation générale du discours de la communauté cubaine à Montréal, avec une attention particulière sur deux aspects: le comportement de certains traits qui caractérisent l'espagnol de Cuba chez les locuteurs migrants, et les possibles variations produites par le contact linguistique. Pour ce faire, nous utilisons les données d'un corpus élaboré par la chercheuse à partir de conversations semi-dirigées enregistrées (registre colloquial) avec 19 Cubains: dix hommes et neuf femmes vivant à Montréal. L'analyse des données nous permet de vérifier que les traits caractéristiques étudiés se sont conservés dans le discours des Cubains résidants dans la ville, mais quelques variations se sont produites, provoquées par le contact avec les langues dominantes (français-espagnol, et moins en anglais-espagnol) et d'autres variétés de l'espagnol, ainsi qu’avec une réalité socio-économique, politique et culturelle très différente de celle d’origine. Les variations morphosyntaxiques ont été détectées principalement dans les mots invariables (prépositions). Au niveau lexico-sémantique, nous avons trouvé essentiellement des emprunts lexicaux. Il existe également des prêts sémantiques, des calques et des changements de fréquence de certains mots. Concernant le niveau pragmatique, nous avons remarqué un ralentissement du rythme dans les conversations de l'échantillon qui pourrait être dû à la situation du bilinguisme fonctionnel. En résumé, le discours des Cubains participants dans cette étude montre quelques-uns des traits caractéristiques à toute situation de contact de langues, mais aussi des particularités relatives aux caractéristiques de la communauté étudiée (les attitudes linguistiques, par exemple), à la distance typologique entre les langues impliquées (espagnol et français) et au contraste entre les sociétés d’origine et d’accueil, entre autres.

Una taxonomía de la primera persona del plural

En este artículo se busca elaborar filosóficamente el concepto nosotros. Metodológicamente, se utiliza al constructivismo filosófico de Deleuze y Guattari. Se parte de una taxonomía comprensiva de la pragmática del pronombre de primera persona plural ‘nosotros’, y luego señalando juegos de oposiciones que brindan consistencia interna y externa al concepto. Se muestra que el pronombre implica múltiples usos que permiten tratarlo como una herramienta discursiva que afecta el campo de lo social.

Dethroning the myth: cognitive dissociations and innate modularity in Williams syndrome

Despite increasing empirical data to the contrary, it continues to be claimed that morphosyntax and face processing skills of people with Williams syndrome are intact, This purported intactness, which coexists with mental retardation, is used to bolster claims about innately specified, independently functioning modules, as if the atypically developing brain were simply a normal brain with parts intact and parts impaired. Yet this is highly unlikely, given the dynamics of brain development and the fact that in a genetic microdeletion syndrome the brain is developing differently from the moment of conception, throughout embryogenesis, and during postnatal brain growth. In this article, we challenge the intactness assumptions, using evidence from a wide variety of studies of toddlers, children, and adults with Williams syndrome.

Formal linguistic approaches to L3/Ln acquisition: a focus on morphosyntactic transfer in adult multilingualism

The goal of this article is to introduce the reader to contemporary adult multilingual acquisition research within generative linguistics. In much the same way as monolingual and bilingual acquisition studies are approached within this paradigm, generative multilingual research focuses primarily on the psycholinguistic and cognitive aspects of the acquisition process. Herein, we critically present a panoramic view of the research questions and empirical work that have dominated this nascent field, taking the reader through several interrelated epistemological discussions that are at the vanguard of contemporary multilingual morphosyntax work. We finish this article with some thoughts looking towards the near future of adult multilingual acquisition studies.

On the typological economy of syntactic transfer: word order and relative clause high/low attachment preference in L3 Brazilian Portuguese

One central question in the formal linguistic study of adult multilingual morphosyntax (i.e., L3/Ln acquisition) involves determining the role(s) the L1 and/or the L2 play(s) at the L3 initial state (e.g., Bardel & Falk, Second Language Research 23: 459–484, 2007; Falk & Bardel, Second Language Research: forthcoming; Flynn et al., The International Journal of Multilingualism 8: 3–16, 2004; Rothman, Second Language Research: forthcoming; Rothman & Cabrelli, On the initial state of L3 (Ln) acquisition: Selective or absolute transfer?: 2007; Rothman & Cabrelli Amaro, Second Language Research 26: 219–289, 2010). The present article adds to this general program, testing Rothman's (Second Language Research: forthcoming) model for L3 initial state transfer, which when relevant in light of specific language pairings, maintains that typological proximity between the languages is the most deterministic variable determining the selection of syntactic transfer. Herein, I present empirical evidence from the later part of the beginning stages of L3 Brazilian Portuguese (BP) by native speakers of English and Spanish, who have attained an advanced level of proficiency in either English or Spanish as an L2. Examining the related domains of syntactic word order and relative clause attachment preference in L3 BP, the data clearly indicate that Spanish is transferred for both experimental groups irrespective of whether it was the L1 or L2. These results are expected by Rothman's (Second Language Research: forthcoming) model, but not necessarily predicted by other current hypotheses of multilingual syntactic transfer; the implications of this are discussed.

Neurolinguistic measures of typological effects in multilingual transfer: introducing an ERP methodology

This article has two main objectives. First, we offer an introduction to the subfield of generative third language (L3) acquisition. Concerned primarily with modeling initial stages transfer of morphosyntax, one goal of this program is to show how initial stages L3 data make significant contributions toward a better understanding of how the mind represents language and how (cognitive) economy constrains acquisition processes more generally. Our second objective is to argue for and demonstrate how this subfield will benefit from a neuro/psycholinguistic methodological approach, such as event-related potential experiments, to complement the claims currently made on the basis of exclusively behavioral experiments.

L1 Acquisition of interface properties across Portuguese dialects: modular and interdisciplinary interfaces as sources of explanation

This study investigates the child (L1) acquisition of properties at the interfaces of morphosyntax, syntax-semantics and syntax-pragmatics, by focusing on inflected infinitives in European Portuguese (EP). Three child groups were tested, 6–7-year-olds, 9–10-year-olds and 11–12-year-olds, as well as an adult control group. The data demonstrate that children as young as 6 have knowledge of the morpho-syntactic properties of inflected infinitives, although they seem at first glance to show partially insufficient knowledge of their syntax–semantic interface properties (i.e. non-obligatory control properties), differently from children aged 9 and older, who show clearer evidence of knowledge of both types of properties. However, in general, both morpho-syntactic and syntax–semantics interface properties are also accessible to 6–7-year-old children, although these children give preference to a range of interpretations partially different from the adults; in certain cases, they may not appeal to certain pragmatic inferences that permit additional interpretations to adults and older children. Crucially, our data demonstrate that EP children master the two types of properties of inflected infinitives years before Brazilian Portuguese children do (Pires and Rothman, 2009a,b), reasons for and implications of which we discuss in detail.