LINGUIST List 8.352

Tue Mar 11 1997

Qs: Case, Biling., Reduplicate, Portuguese

Editor for this issue: T. Daniel Seely <seelylinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Stuart Robinson, Tense/Aspect Case-marking Splits
2. M.J. Bonin, Bilingual connetionist models
3. Brian Keegan, Reduplication
4. Sensory, Portuguese orthography reform

- ----

I am conducting a survey of languages whose case-marking systems are
split according to tense/aspect. In such languages, the trend is
ergativity in the past tense or perfective aspect but accusativity
elsewhere. (The only exception, as far as I know, is Cari=F1a
(Carib).)

If you know of a language/languages that exhibit(s) such a split,
please inform me. In particular, I would like to know:

A) details of the language (name, where spoken, family to which it
pertains, etc.) 
B) where it has been described, and by whom (i.e.,
references) 
C) whether there is textual material available (preferably
in an electronic form)

If you have the time, inclination, and erudition to write a brief
description of the split, please do so.

I will compile and post a summary of responses.

- Stuart <Stuart.Robinsonanu.edu.au>

I should be most grateful to anyone who could provide me with
information regarding bilingual conectionist models. I am most
intereted in bilingual lemma retrieval and phonological encoding, as I
am trying to put together a model which could account for bilingual
lexical blends (eg Dutch "Kwam" + English "Came" =Kwame).

Any info would be most appreciated.

MJ Bonin
RCEAL
University of Cambridge

 I am looking for help with reduplicative forms which consist
of a central constituent between two identical constituents, for
example, the interjections in English "dear oh dear" and "boy oh
boy". I am looking for help with forms of this type and not other
reduplicative forms such as, "goody goody" or "helter-skelter".

 I would appreciate any opinions, further examples from any
language or references to published material.

 Thanks,

 Brian Keegan

 Universidad de Le=F3n

 dfmbkunileon.es

Please to JamesSensoryInc.com.

I seem to recall that Portugal, Brazil, and the Lusophone countries of
Africa entered into an agreement (1) to drop the circumflex over the
first of two identical vowels, e.g. *vo^o* ('flight') and *enjo^o*
('nausea'), and (2) to drop the trema over the *u*,
e.g. *lingu:i'stica* and *sequ:e^ncia*. I read about these reforms in
a newspaper article in Brazil in early 1992, possibly earlier.

These two 'reforms' seem to me to have been completely ignored. Were
they ever passed as official spelling reform laws in Brazil? Also,
have there been any other spelling reforms since then?

I am interested in this subject, since I have been doing freelance
proofreading and am in doubt about these cases.

James