The cross-linguistic study of sentence production

The mechanisms underlying language production are often assumed to be universal, and hence not contingent on a speaker’s language. This assumption is problematic for at least two reasons. Given the typological diversity of the world’s languages, only a small subset of languages has actually been studied psycholinguistically. And, in some cases, these investigations have returned results that at least superficially raise doubt about the assumption of universal production mechanisms. The goal of this paper is to illustrate the need for more psycholinguistic work on a typologically more diverse set of languages. We summarize cross-linguistic work on sentence production (specifically: grammatical encoding), focusing on examples where such work has improved our theoretical understanding beyond what studies on English alone could have achieved. But cross-linguistic research has much to offer beyond the testing of existing hypotheses: it can guide the development of theories by revealing the full extent of the human ability to produce language structures. We discuss the potential for interdisciplinary collaborations, and close with a remark on the impact of language endangerment on psycholinguistic research on understudied languages

A CASE tool for demonstrating Z specifications

The CASE tool described, is designed to enable software engineers to produce a faithful animation of specifications written in Z. Desirable properties which animations of this kind should possess, and which have guided the authors in developing the tool, are the following: the executable code (i.e., the animation) must be easy to produce; the structure of the code should not be too far removed from the Z; and the animation should be sufficiently user friendly to enable a client to understand and interact with it. The CASE tool is based around the program development tool known as CRYSTAL. CRYSTAL is sold as an expert system shell by Intelligent Environments Ltd. It is essentially a rule-based programming language offering excellent input, output, and menu facilities, as well as all the standard features expected of any expert system shell

Industrial Change in Old Port Areas, the Case of the Port of Toronto

The classical association of ports with industry needs revising. Traditionally, industry in the port area was concerned with the port operation itself, with ships, and with the cargoes transported by the ships. In recent years, as a result of technological changes, land use in the central water-front has tended to switch into residential, recreational, commercial and institutional uses, while new industries have been attracted to the adjacent old port-areas. These new industries have an entirely different role, being much more closely tied to the function of the city itself. They include: industry oriented to serving the local urban market; noxious industry; and labour-oriented industry. Many port-related industries are now located downriver or at deep-water greenfield locations where extensive sites are available. The illustration of these changes is presented with a case study of Toronto and the example of some major Canadian port cities.L'association classique entre les ports et les industries doit être réexaminée. Traditionnellement, les industries situées dans les zones portuaires étaient dépendantes du fonctionnement du port lui-même, des navires, et des marchandises transportées par ces navires. Récemment, par suite de changements technologiques, la zone située à proximité des quais centraux a vu apparaître des usages résidentiel, récréationnel, commercial et institutionnel, alors que de nouvelles industries ont été attirées par les vieilles zones portuaires qui sont contiguës. Ces nouvelles industries ont un rôle tout différent, car elles sont associées aux fonctions de la ville elle-même. Elles comprennent les industries associées au marché urbain régional, les industries nuisibles pour l'environnement et les industries étroitement dépendantes de la main-d'oeuvre. Beaucoup d'industries dépendant directement du port ont émigré dans les zones situées en aval ou dans des sites d'eau profonde à proximité d'espaces vacants. Ces changements sont illustrés à l'aide du cas du port de Toronto et de l'exemple de quelques grandes villes portuaires canadiennes

how to talk to a peacock

page 2