This dissertation is a study of the work of Michel de Nostredame (Nostradamus). Born in Provence, France in 1503, this true "Renaissance man” (astrologer, doctor of medicine and translator) achieved fame with the publication of his Centuries or “Prophecies”. This work presents 10 centuries of quatrains – almost a thousand short poems of only four rhymed lines each. The first third was published in 1555, another third in 1557 and finally the ten Centuries all together, posthumously, in 1568. The present study concentrates on the first edition, consisting of the first 353 quatrains. The main purpose of this thesis is to explore and analyse the language, the style and the genre of the Centuries, aspects rather neglected by the critics hitherto. The large number of quatrains analysed in detail provides a solid basis for accurately characterizing the distinctive features of the text. The methods applied are mainly quantitative and comparative. Initially, a short presentation of Nostradamus’ life and work sketches in the background for the creation of the Centuries. The analysis of the poetic form illustrates the stylistic as well as linguistic consequences of the use of the quatrain: it is argued that the poetical structure of the text influences its language as well as its oracular genre. The language of the Centuries is quantitatively examined, first at the sentence level and then at the phrase level. In order to define its specific nature, comparisons are made with the language of other texts from the same period, i.e. the Délie by Maurice Scève and the Pantagrueline Pronostication by François Rabelais. The results demonstrate that the most prominent differences concern what may be referred to as Nostradamus’ strategy of omission, where the restrictive metrical form of the quatrain demands that he be sparing of words. Thereafter, the dissertation concludes that the number of textual themes and motives of the Centuries is quite limited (war, catastrophe, government), the prodigy being identified as the general poetic topic that contributes to the coherence of the text. A subsequent section thoroughly investigates stylistic elements such as enumeration, repetition and onomastics. The objective of the final section is to define the genre of the Centuries. The close connection between the concepts of poetry and prophecy during the French Renaissance is well documented. It is thus suggested that the enigmatic, dark oeuvre of Nostradamus inspired several of the Pléiade poets, whose group that in many ways explored the oracular genre in the 1550s and 1560s. It is furthermore demonstrated that the concept of oracular poetry is appropriate for defining the style and the genre of the Centuries. Together, the different results of our survey lead to a discussion of the poetic qualities of the Centuries. The present study promotes the conclusion that Nostradamus is to be considered much less a prophet than an author of oracular poetry.

Naming is a very important tool used among various African cultures to convey certain messages, either to an individual, family members or a community. Naming of various objects is linked with the socio-political factors of countries where anthroponyms and toponyms are found. It is for this reason that onomastics (the study of names) can never be isolated from studying the dynamics of various societies, the behaviour and the psychology of different individuals. While names can unite communities, they can also serve as a dividing tool in various communities. It is from names that one can learn the various cultures that have been present in a particular place, and have an understanding and the appreciation of the history of a place. Onomastics is multidisciplinary in nature. It can be approached from different perspectives. These include linguistic, historical, sociological, philosophical, economical and other perspectives. Chapter two focuses on the linguistic and semantic aspects of names. It explores onomastic definitions and the comparison between the meaning of Euro-western and African names. In Chapter two an argument is presented on the morphological structure of Zulu and/or Xhosa names for boys and girls. In this Chapter the orthography of place names is also discussed. The importance of standardising names for purposes of having one name for one entity and asserting the country's history and heritage cannot be overemphasised. As indicated above that onomastics can also be approached from a historic approach, Chapter 3 looks at the changing political scenario in South Africa that has had an impact on the culture of indigenous people, their identity and the existence of Euro-western names among them. The arrival of white people in South Africa contaminated the indigenous culture and the African belief systems. The traditional belief system of the indigenous people is discussed in Chapter three together with the advent of Christianity. Chapter four looks at the sociological approach in onomastics. Names of any nature exist in a society. These names reflect the social dynamics of the societies where they are found. The society plays a major role in influencing the choice of names given to individuals and entities. These names have different functions in societies. The different functions that names have in various communities are also discussed. In Chapter four the significance of anthroponyms and toponyms is discussed. Various types of names are also looked at. Political changes witnessed in the country play a major role in transforming the country whether economically, culturally or socially. The impact of political changes and the attitudes of South Africans towards name changes are discussed in Chapter five. President Thabo Mbeki's call for an African renaissance came at the time when South Africa attained its independence. The adoption of African names was on the increase during this period. Chapter six looks at the link between changing naming patterns and the African renaissance. As an African renaissance calls for the rebirth of African culture and ways of living, xenophobic attitudes among Africans are examined. It is argued that Africa's rebirth is dependant on various issues including the respect and value that Africans give each other. Onomastics, as mentioned above can be studied using different approaches, however the limitedness of this study prevents discussion on all approaches. Onomastics is a relatively new field in South Africa, however its multidisciplinary nature and the abundance of data, invites more studies to be conducted. Chapter seven makes recommendations on some of the onomastic studies that may be conducted in future. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal,Durban, 2003.

The subject of this thesis is surnames and nicknames of inhabitants of Český Rudolec. The basic material was obtained from a list of the names of local inhabitants. To get a list of nicknames, the exploratory methods were used (usually by means of an interview). The analysis of names and nicknames will be conducted using traditional classification methods. The goal of the thesis is an analysis of official and non-official names of the local inhabitants.

Basotho family odes (diboko) form part of oral literature, and refer to names of families, clans or totems. They constitute poetic compositions conveying information about clans' historical origin, philosophy and ancestors. The performance of this oral art form makes use of formulaic techniques such as linking, parallelism, alliteration, etc., which are commonly used in praise poetry. As basis to the content of these oral art forms, the genealogies of the various Basotho clans are discussed to show the reflection of the progenitor names in the clan praises. The functions of family odes are of educational, social and religious nature. Other functions include their use in compositions of other genres, such as, praise poems, mine workers' chants, traditional doctors' falls (mawa) and songs. The recitation of this oral art form is characterised by the instability of the texts, which takes the form of extensions, additions, truncations, improvisations and genre transitions. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

O presente trabalho, realizado no Programa de Doutorado em Letras da Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS) e do Centro Universitário Ritter dos Reis (UniRitter), pesquisa situada no ramo da Onomástica, tem como objetivo geral mapear os nomes das crianças batizadas na Paróquia Santa Teresa, de Caxias do Sul-RS, bem como relacioná-los ao contexto histórico, sociocultural e religioso da comunidade. O método utilizado no desenvolvimento do presente trabalho foi o indutivo. Partimos dos dados registrados, fizemos a sua análise e os explicamos, para, depois, estabelecermos generalizações. A pesquisa é documental e bibliográfica, e leva em conta o modelo qualitativo de análise, conjugando-o com o quantitativo pela utilização de dados, de suas ocorrências e dos respectivos percentuais. O corpus é compreendido por 57.168 nomes de pessoas com batismo registrado entre 1875 e 2005, sendo que o total dos nomes mais recorrentes (masculinos e femininos, agrupados) corresponde a 47,5% da amostra. Eles são divididos em gêneros e em quatro períodos pré-estabelecidos (1875-1906, 1908-1939, 1941-1972, 1974-2005). O recorte efetuado para realização deste estudo compreende a área de abrangência da Paróquia de Santa Teresa de Caxias do Sul-RS. Foi escolhida a comunidade dessa paróquia por ter sido essa igreja a primeira criada, em 20 de maio de 1884, na então Colônia Caxias, nove anos depois da chegada dos imigrantes italianos. Pelo caráter interdisciplinar, o estudo onomástico estabelece outras relações acerca do nome, evidenciando aspectos linguísticos e culturais que dizem respeito tanto a um indivíduo, quanto à comunidade em que ele vive. / Submitted by cmquadros@ucs.br (cmquadros@ucs.br) on 2018-01-30T16:57:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Tríssia Ordovás Sartori.pdf: 2683308 bytes, checksum: fbc5b3aedd06bd0606a1f5a8ec336d57 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-30T16:57:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Tríssia Ordovás Sartori.pdf: 2683308 bytes, checksum: fbc5b3aedd06bd0606a1f5a8ec336d57 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-01-30 / The present work, conducted in the Doctoral Program in Literature at the University of Caxias do Sul (UCS) and the University Center Ritter dos Reis (UniRitter), research located in the branch of Onomastics, has as the main objective to map the names of the children baptized in Saint Teresa Parish, in Caxias do Sul-RS, as well as to relate them to the historical, sociocultural and religious context of the community. The method used in the development of the present study was the inductive. We started from the recorded data, proceeded to their analysis and explained them, to then establish generalizations. The research is documental and bibliographic, and takes into account the qualitative analysis model, combining it with the quantitative for the use of data, their occurrences and their percentages. The cut made for this study comprises the coverage area of St. Teresa Parish, in Caxias do Sul-RS. It was chosen this parish community for being it the first church established, in May 20, 1884, in the then Caxias Colony, nine years after the arrival of the Italian immigrants. By its interdisciplinary character, the Onomastic study establishes other relations concerning the name, showing linguistic and cultural aspects that relate both to an individual, as to the community in which he lives.

Les romans de Chrétien de Troyes ont suscité beaucoup de réécritures. A partir du XIIIè et jusqu’au XVè siècle, plusieurs romanciers ont repris la trame du Champenois en dépassant l’écriture en vers et en adoptant une écriture en prose jugée mieux garante de la véridicité et de la vraisemblance de l’histoire. Les versions se font concurrence, mêlant différents styles et différentes stratégies et célébrant un phénomène qui s’épanouit surtout dans la prose du Lancelot, l’entrelacement. La langue évolue aussi au fil des siècles. Cette évolution se fait remarquer dans des mises en prose qui sont mieux structurées que d’autres, et ce tant sur le plan narratologique que syntaxique. Cependant, ce souci d’organisation va jusqu’à créer parfois des amalgames sémantiques. Mais dans tous les cas, il révèle la spécificité de chacun des auteurs et leurs choix d’écriture respectifs dans les différentes réécritures des romans de Chrétien de Troyes. / Chrétien de Troyes’ novels aroused many rewritings. From the XIIIth until the XVth century,several novelists resumed the framework of Chrétien’s language by overtaking the writing inverse. They adopted writing in prose considered best granter of truth, similitude andcredibility for the story. The versions would compete through mixing various styles andstrategies and mainly by celebrating a phenomenon which blooms particularly in the prose ofthe Lancelot, the interlacing. The language also evolved in the course of the centuries. Thisevolution is getting noteworthy when used in prose style as such it looks much betterstructured than the other styles in both narration and syntax. Nevertheless, this care fororganization goes as far as creating sometimes some semantic confusion. And yet in mostcases, it reveals the specificity of each author and his own preferences in terms of writingwhen rewriting Chrétien de Troyes’ novels.

Le cycle Lancelot-Graal, et le Perlesvaus, écrits dans la première moitié du XIIIe siècle, sont construits autour d’un temps horizontal, organisé autour de la figure du roi Arthur, ce qui rend toute idée de succession problématique. Mais dans le même temps, la société a subi de profonds bouleversements. Qu’il s’agisse de l’institution du mariage, des règles de transmission de l’héritage, ou encore de l’ancrage du lignage dans des lieux géographiques très précis, les relations entre les individus se sont lentement modifiées. Les auteurs doivent donc faire coexister des éléments disparates, voire même contradictoires. La généalogie entre dans le roman arthurien par le biais du cycle de la Vulgate. Ce temps vertical influe sur le roman, et les relations de parenté sont déterminantes dans les constructions narratives des personnages. / The cycle Lancelot-Graal, and the Perlesvaus, written in the first half of the thirteenth century, are built around a horizontal time, organized around the figure of King Arthur, which makes any idea of succession problematic. But at the same time, society has undergone profound changes. Whether it is about the institution of marriage, rules of transmission of the inheritance, or the anchoring of the lineage in very specific geographic locations, relationships between individuals have slowly changed. Authors should therefore ensure the coexistence of disparate elements, even contradictory. Genealogy get in Arthurian romance through the Vulgate Cycle. The vertical time affect the novel, and relationships are crucial in narrative constructions of characters.

O presente trabalho, realizado no Programa de Doutorado em Letras da Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS) e do Centro Universitário Ritter dos Reis (UniRitter), pesquisa situada no ramo da Onomástica, tem como objetivo geral mapear os nomes das crianças batizadas na Paróquia Santa Teresa, de Caxias do Sul-RS, bem como relacioná-los ao contexto histórico, sociocultural e religioso da comunidade. O método utilizado no desenvolvimento do presente trabalho foi o indutivo. Partimos dos dados registrados, fizemos a sua análise e os explicamos, para, depois, estabelecermos generalizações. A pesquisa é documental e bibliográfica, e leva em conta o modelo qualitativo de análise, conjugando-o com o quantitativo pela utilização de dados, de suas ocorrências e dos respectivos percentuais. O corpus é compreendido por 57.168 nomes de pessoas com batismo registrado entre 1875 e 2005, sendo que o total dos nomes mais recorrentes (masculinos e femininos, agrupados) corresponde a 47,5% da amostra. Eles são divididos em gêneros e em quatro períodos pré-estabelecidos (1875-1906, 1908-1939, 1941-1972, 1974-2005). O recorte efetuado para realização deste estudo compreende a área de abrangência da Paróquia de Santa Teresa de Caxias do Sul-RS. Foi escolhida a comunidade dessa paróquia por ter sido essa igreja a primeira criada, em 20 de maio de 1884, na então Colônia Caxias, nove anos depois da chegada dos imigrantes italianos. Pelo caráter interdisciplinar, o estudo onomástico estabelece outras relações acerca do nome, evidenciando aspectos linguísticos e culturais que dizem respeito tanto a um indivíduo, quanto à comunidade em que ele vive. / The present work, conducted in the Doctoral Program in Literature at the University of Caxias do Sul (UCS) and the University Center Ritter dos Reis (UniRitter), research located in the branch of Onomastics, has as the main objective to map the names of the children baptized in Saint Teresa Parish, in Caxias do Sul-RS, as well as to relate them to the historical, sociocultural and religious context of the community. The method used in the development of the present study was the inductive. We started from the recorded data, proceeded to their analysis and explained them, to then establish generalizations. The research is documental and bibliographic, and takes into account the qualitative analysis model, combining it with the quantitative for the use of data, their occurrences and their percentages. The cut made for this study comprises the coverage area of St. Teresa Parish, in Caxias do Sul-RS. It was chosen this parish community for being it the first church established, in May 20, 1884, in the then Caxias Colony, nine years after the arrival of the Italian immigrants. By its interdisciplinary character, the Onomastic study establishes other relations concerning the name, showing linguistic and cultural aspects that relate both to an individual, as to the community in which he lives.

No description available.