LINGUIST List 3.180

Tue 25 Feb 1992

Qs: Fonts, Lexicon, Phase Verbs

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Directory

1. "E_Dean.Detrich", Re: 3.169 Qs: Chinese, Dictionary, Final Devoicing
2. , IPA fonts for pc
3. "CHRISTOPHER A. BREWSTER", Lexicon construction software - request info
4. JEROEN WIEDENHOF, Query: phase verbs

Message 1: Re: 3.169 Qs: Chinese, Dictionary, Final Devoicing

> Date: Fri, 21 Feb 92 21:18:56 EST
> From: Alexis_Manaster_RamerMTS.cc.Wayne.edu
> Subject: Spanish la -> el
>
> I am informed that the words azucar and avestruz are optionally
> feminine, but always take the article el. Are there any Spanish
> speakers who would care to send me their feelings about this.

I am not a Spanish speaker and cannot answer the query, but I would like
to add to the query on behalf of a colleague not on e-mail. She asks:
"How do the Spanish speakers on the network say "[the] a personal" when
referring to that preposition in Spanish?"

E. Dean DETRICH 22743mgrmsu.bitnet
Department of Romance and Classical Languages 22743MGRMSU.EDU
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan 48824

A while back there was a discussion of IPA fonts, from which I obtained
information about PalPhones and other fonts for Macintosh, but I've
forgotten what was said about pc fonts. Are some public domain fonts
available through the net?

 --David Bedell, U. of Alabama (dbedell3ua1vm.ua.edu)

I would like information on lexicon build-up software.

In particular, I would like to know what has been created, what is
available either commercially or for research purposes, and any
publications which describe such software.

I would be grateful for any pointers to work in this field.

Thank you.

Christopher Brewster
Wire Communications Laboratory, Dept. of Electrical Engineering,
University of Patras, Patras, Greece.

In German and Dutch, the terms _Phasenverb_ 'phase verb' (e.g. Li 1991:31)
and _fasewerkwoord_ 'phase verb' (e.g. Barentsen 1985:62) are used for verbs
which point at a particular phase of another verb. Examples of phase verbs
are:

 _to start_, as in _to start feeling desperate_;
 _to go on_, as in _to go on seeing her_.

 Comrie (1976:48) describes 'phase' as 'a situation at any given point of
time in its duration' - 'situation' being Comrie's (1976:13) cover-term for
states, events and processes. This definition of 'phase' matches the meaning
just given for 'phase verbs', but Comrie does not use the term 'phase verb',
as far as I know. I would be interested to find other sources for the term
'phase verb' (or 'phasal verb'?). Can anybody help?

Jeroen Wiedenhof


 references:
 ----------
 Barentsen, Adriaan Arij, _'Tijd', 'aspect' en de conjunctie_ poka.
 Amsterdam: MS, 1985.
 Comrie, Bernard, _Aspect_. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976.
 Reprinted with corrections, 1981.
 Li, Chor-Shing, _Das Aspektsystem im modernen Chinesisch_. Frankfurt:
 Peter Lang, 1991.