LINGUIST List 9.430

Fri Mar 20 1998

Qs: Preverb,"Practical Action",French Prepositions

Editor for this issue: Martin Jacobsen <martylinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Domenico LEMBO, The Concept of "Preverb"
2. Richard Cameron, Ethno/CA "Practical Action" Question
3. france martineau, Prepositions in French

This question is about the concept of "preverb" (lat. praeverbium,
fr. pre/verb, germ. Praeverb). The history of the notion is, I'm
afraid, not well known. The first occurrence of the term
*praeverbium* as referring to a verbal particle seems to be in Varro,
who distinguishes it from *praepositio* (De lingua latina VI 38; VI
82). Later on, it is not clear where the term survives or comes to
life again. I wonder especially where and when appears the notion of
"void preverb" (praeverbium inane). Any hints?

Thanks in advance

D. Lembo


_________________________________
Domenico LEMBO
Dip. di Filologia Classica
Facolta' di Lettere - Universita' di Napoli
Via Porta di Massa 1
80134 Napoli 
ITALY
_________________________________
e-mail: lembounina.it
fax: 01139-81-7810828
ph: 01139-81-5800534
_________________________________

	Within Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis, one may
read of language use as a "practical action".

Can anyone direct me to a specific published source where the term
"practical action" is defined and illustrated?

		Thank you - 	Richard Cameron
				rcameronuic.edu

I am looking for papers or books on prepositions introducing
infinitive complements in French. I work in a diachronic perspective;
I found interesting variation between the use of 'a' and 'de' in
Classical French and I want to read more on syntactic or semantic
aspects of this phenomenon.

France Martineau
University of Ottawa