LINGUIST List 7.1299

Wed Sep 18 1996

Qs: PC dictionary, Text abstraction, Mood

Editor for this issue: Ann Dizdar <dizdartam2000.tamu.edu>

Directory

1. hiro-t, Query: PC dictionary
2. pajjpower1.snu.ac.kr, Technique for text abstraction
3. John Oaklands, mood puzzle

Dear colleagues,
 I am writing an item of an English-Japanese collocational
dictionary, especially, _man_. I am told that I have to write about
the paraphrase relationships between the two words, such as _chairman_
and _chairperson_, _fireman and _fire fighter_, etc. Does anyone
introduce me such a PC dictionary? I only know there is a dictionary
called DOT published by the USA Governemnt in 1977, but it is rather
too old. I want to know the present, more contemporary, situations
about this matter.

 Thanks in advance. I will write a sumamry soon. I am looking
forward to your reply.

Best Wishes,
Hiroaki Tanaka, Associate Professor,
Tokushima University, Japan
E-mail: hiro-tias.tokushima-u.ac.jp

 Dear Colleague,
 We have been working to devise a computer program for text abstraction.
 Text abstraction helps people whose mother tongue is not English
to easily have access to English Text such as in Web seas.
 If this project goes well, there should be great efficacy in
handling English Text information, as is anticipated.
 We are desperately seeking to get information about certain
techniques for abstracting English Text into another target language.
 If your laboratory or institution or project are working on this
topics, or if you can give some helpful news, we cordially invite you
to our lab. through this account.

 Thanks.

I have a query about mood in French and other languages.

In French the mood in certain kinds of subordinate clauses is
influenced by the mood of the main clause, sometimes in an apparently
surprising way.

As we might expect, a main clause indicative requires an indicative
mood in the restrictive relative clause, as in 1(a), while a main
clause imperative allows either indicative or subjunctive, with a
change in meaning, as in 1(b).

1(a) *Elle epouse un garcon qui ait de la terre
 She is marrying (IND) a young man who has (SUBJ) land

1(b) Epouse un garcon qui a/ait de la terre!
 Marry (IMP) a young man who has (IND/SUBJ) land

None of this is surprising.

Likewise, a main clause subjunctive preceded by "que" allows either
indicative or subjunctive, again with different meanings.

What seems strange is that when the main verb is in the conditional
mood, the verb of the relative is required to be in the indicative and
therefore sentence 2(a) is ungrammatical:

2(a) *Il trouverait un camerade qui lui soit devoue
 He would find (COND) a companion who is devoted (SUBJ) to him

In other words a subjunctive cannot be used in the relative clause
when the main clause has a conditional.

It would seem that the relation imperative to subj/ind, "que" plus
subj to subj/ind and ind. to ind. are logical. However, the puzzle is
the relation cond. to ind/*subj. Is there any known reason why the
subj. cannot be used when the main clause verb is conditional?

At the same time there is the question of a second subordinate clause
when the first subordinate clause has a subjunctive, for example.

The examples cited above are to be found in Brigitte Kampers-Manhe's
_L'opposition subjonctif/indicatif dans les relatives_ (Amsterdam,
1991).

Is anyone aware of other treatments of this question, either
descriptive or theoretical, and of other languages with a similar
puzzle?

Please reply to lnjvocc.newcastle.net.au.

Thank you

John Oaklands