Grammar-and-Interlocution: English Articles as Markers of Recipient Role

Mon analyse du système de l’article en anglais est fondée sur l’hypothèse que l’article est un des moyens offerts par la langue pour résoudre le problème fondamental de l’accord interlocutif sur le référent. Cette hypothèse découle de la conception du nom défendue par Gardiner 1932, selon laquelle le nom en soi ne permet pas l’accès de l’interlocuteur à la « chose-signifiée » par le locuteur. J’en viens ainsi à définir les articles comme marqueurs du rôle assigné au pôle allocutif (β) dans le processus de validation. Plus précisément, les trois articles — à savoir Ø, a et the — correspondent à trois configurations différentes du cadre interlocutif qui déterminent les modalités de résolution de l’accord. Mon analyse est étayée par une étude en contexte des principaux effets de sens des trois articles. Finalement, je suggère que ce cadre détermine non seulement le système des articles, mais aussi toute l’organisation interne de la langue anglaise.My core hypothesis is that the article system is directly motivated by a universal communicative problem, which is the necessity of mutual understanding. In the first place I argue, following Gardiner 1932, that a word does not mean per se and that a referent (Gardiner's "thing-meant") can only emerge from the agreement reached by the interlocutors in the referring process. I then suggest that articles play a key role in the process by which referents come to be shared. Their primary function is to determine the interlocutive framework within which the validating process can be achieved. Articles are thus defined as being basically markers of the role assigned to the recipient (β) in the referring process. Detailed examination of contextualized uses supports my analysis. To conclude I suggest that the distinction between different ways of reaching self and other agreement does not only structure the article system but the whole internal organization of the English language

La carte du sang de l'immobilier chinois, un cas de cyber-activisme

International audienceThe aim of this paper is to explore new forms of social mobilization in urban areas that use the Internet technologies. The development of online social networks offers new possibilities of expression and protest. Web 2.0 is transformed into a digital public space complementary to the traditional physical public space especially when this one is particularly controlled. The Chinese bloody map of real estate is particularly representative of these changes. Published in October 2010, this map uses cooperative knowledge of Internet users to list real estate developments that led to physical violence. These can range from simple protest repression to self-immolation. The checked version of the map shows 85 events and the open version 199 cases. The diffusion of the news of this map in the Chinese and international medias helped to put this social issue on the international political agenda related to urban development and real estate in China.L'objectif de cet article est d'explorer les nouvelles formes de mobilisation sociale en milieu urbain qui utilisent les technologies de l'Internet. Le développement des réseaux sociaux en ligne offre en effet de nouvelles possibilités d'expression et de contestation. Le Web 2.0 se transforme ainsi en un espace public numérique complémentaire de l'espace public physique traditionnel surtout lorsque celui-ci est particulièrement contrôlé. Le cas de la " carte du sang de l'immobilier chinois " est particulièrement représentatif de ces transformations. Mise en ligne en octobre 2010, cette carte coopérative fait appel à la connaissance des internautes pour répertorier les développements immobiliers ayant donné lieu à des violences physiques. Celles-ci peuvent aller de la simple répression de manifestations à des immolations par le feu. La version vérifiée de la carte présente 85 événements et la version ouverte 199 cas. La publication de cette carte a été reprise dans les médias chinois et internationaux, participant ainsi à l'inscription sur l'agenda politique international des enjeux sociaux liés au développement urbain et immobilier chinois

In vitro investigations of human bioaccessibility from reference materials using simulated lung fluids

An investigation for assessing pulmonary bioaccessibility of metals from reference materials is presented using simulated lung fluids. The objective of this paper was to contribute to an enhanced understanding of airborne particulate matter and its toxic potential following inhalation. A large set of metallic elements (Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn) was investigated using three lung fluids (phosphate-buffered saline, Gamble’s solution and artificial lysosomal fluid) on three standard reference materials representing different types of particle sources. Composition of the leaching solution and four solid-to-liquid (S/L) ratios were tested. The results showed that bioaccessibility was speciation- (i.e., distribution) and element-dependent, with percentages varying from 0.04% for Pb to 86.0% for Cd. The higher extraction of metallic elements was obtained with the artificial lysosomal fluid, in which a relative stability of bioaccessibility was observed in a large range of S/L ratios from 1/1000 to 1/10,000. For further investigations, it is suggested that this method be used to assess lung bioaccessibility of metals from smelter-impacted dust

Flow coherent structures and frequency signature: Application of the dynamic modes decomposition to open cavity flow

International audienceThe dynamic dimension of an impinging flow may be significantly reduced by its boundary conditions and self-sustained oscillations they induce. The spectral signature is associated with remarkable spatial coherent structures. Dynamic modes decomposition (DMD) makes it possible to directly extract the dynamical properties of a non-linearly saturated flow. We apply DMD to highlight the spectral contribution of the longitudinal and transverse structures of an experimental open-cavity flow

Correlation between multiple modulation instability side lobes in dispersion oscillating fiber

We investigate numerically and experimentally the spectral correlation between multiple modulation instability (MI) side lobes in a dispersion oscillating fiber. By leveraging the dispersive Fourier transformation, we acquire instantaneous spectra and investigate the energy correlation between individual MI sidebands through scattergrams. We found that conjugate MI side lobes are strongly correlated while other combinations experience a very low degree of correlation, revealing that parametric processes related to each side lobe pair act quasi-independently.published_or_final_versio

Centrosymmetric molecules as possible carriers of diffuse interstellar bands

In this paper, we present new data with interstellar C2 (Phillips bands A-X), from observations made with the Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph of the European Southern Observatory. We have determined the interstellar column densities and excitation temperatures of C2 for nine Galactic lines. For seven of these, C2 has never been observed before, so in this case the still small sample of interstellar clouds (26 lines of sight), where a detailed analysis of C2 excitation has been made, has increased significantly. This paper is a continuation of previous works where interstellar molecules (C2 and diffuse interstellar bands) have been analysed. Because the sample of interstellar clouds with C2 has increased, we can show that the width and shape of the profiles of some diffuse interstellar bands (6196 and 5797 A) apparently depend on the gas kinetic and rotational temperatures of C2; the profiles are broader because of the higher values of the gas kinetic and rotational temperatures of C2. There are also diffuse interstellar bands (4964 and 5850 A) for which this effect does not exist.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted to MNRAS 201

The Emergence of a Collaborative Approach Challenges Hong Kong’s Urban Planning Model

Urban planning in Hong Kong is being transformed with the expansion of civil society and the development of various community movements. They are posing a challenge to current urban planning practices and throwing up conditions for a collaborative approach to urban planning, fashioning alternative strategies

Stefan Al (ed.), Mall City, Hong Kong’s Dreamworlds of Consumption,

Stefan Al, professor of urban design at the University of Pennsylvania, presents a third collection discussing a facet of China’s urban development. In 2012, he focused on southern China’s factory towns, and in 2014 he wrote about urban villages in the same region. This new publication is concerned with commercial centres, especially in the case of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. As the title indicates, Hong Kong is often seen as the quintessential urban object of commercial cent..

Foliar lead uptake by lettuce exposed to atmospheric fallouts

Metal uptake by plants occurs by soil−root transfer but also by direct transfer of contaminants from the atmosphere to the shoots. This second pathway may be particularly important in kitchen gardens near industrial plants. The mechanisms of foliar uptake of lead by lettuce (Lactuca sativa) exposed to the atmospheric fallouts of a lead-recycling plant were studied. After 43 days of exposure, the thoroughly washed leaves contained 335 ± 50 mg Pb kg−1 (dry weight). Micro-X-ray fluorescence mappings evidenced Pb-rich spots of a few hundreds of micrometers in diameter located in necrotic zones. These spots were more abundant at the base of the central nervure. Environmental scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis showed that smaller particles (a few micrometers in diameter) were also present in other regions of the leaves, often located beneath the leaf surface. In addition, submicrometric particles were observed inside stomatal openings. Raman microspectrometry analyses of the leaves identified smelter-originated Pb minerals but also secondary phases likely resulting from the weathering of original particles. On the basis of these observations, several pathways for foliar lead uptake are discussed. A better understanding of these mechanisms may be of interest for risk assessment of population exposure to atmospheric metal contamination