Noon is a West-Atlantic language of the Cangin subgroup, spoken by 25 000 people in central Senegal, in and around the town of Thies. The aim of this study is to provide a full grammatical description of Noon, since no such study has been done on the language. We have not followed a specific linguistic model as framework, but rather tried to work from the classical approach of presenting the structures in the grammatical units of the language, from morphology to discourse, All analysis is presented with language examples from data collected in the Thies area over the years 1994-1998. The study is divided into 11 chapters, followed by a short interlinearised text sample with a free translation. The first chapter presents a brief overview of the phonology and the morphophonological processes that take place in affixation. Another important feature described in this section is the restricted regressive vowel harmony process, based on the ATR feature. In chapters 2-3, the nominal system is described, including the noun class system of 6 basic classes with which most nominals are in agreement. There is also a threefold locative distinction present in determined nominals. This locative distinction is further elaborated in the demonstratives. Chapter 4 treats prepositions and adverbs. In chapters 5-6, verbal morphology and the verb phrase are presented, A major feature of the Noon verb is the derivational affixation which, apart from carrying aspectual information, also has bearing on the valency of the verb. The conjugational system is based on affixation, but also on the use of auxiliaries and particles. Chapter 7 deals with conjunctions, particles and interjections, and chapter 8 treats clause structures: independent ones, both verbal and non-verbal, but also dependent clauses. In chapter 9, different simple sentence types are described, followed by the complex sentences, including serial and reduplicative types. Chapter 10 depicts some important features that occur on the discourse level such as the wider use of spatial deixis in temporal and textual references. Finally, in chapter 11 is presented a comparative view of some of the major dialect differences in Noon.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-17T14:55:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 parte1.pdf: 5749826 bytes, checksum: 2b00f7e218a036950850a02dff818203 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-18 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Reef environments are amongst the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Many studies attempting to explain the mechanisms which influence reef fish distribution and the factors responsible for high species diversity in these environments were accomplished in the last decades, but much controversy still exists and more information is, therefore, necessary. The present study evaluated the processes related to small-scale patterns of distribution, temporal dynamics and the influence of habitat complexity on an assemblage of reef fish in Fernando de Noronha Archipelago. Spatial variations of microhabitat characteristics were highly significant between two substrate types (consolidated and unconsolidated), but showed small temporal fluctuation. Species fluctuated accordingly to this spatial pattern, but significant temporal fluctuations were observed, particularly due to differences in the abundances of juveniles. Habitat complexity had a major positive influence on species richness and diversity, and to a less extent, in the abundance. The present study provides evidence on how habitat complexity acts as an important determinant of species richness in a continuous area, where geographical barriers are lacking. / Os ambientes recifais estão entre os ecossistemas mais diversificados do mundo. Vários estudos visando explicar os mecanismos que influenciam a distribuição dos peixes recifais e os fatores responsáveis pela alta diversidade de espécies nesses ambientes foram realizados nas últimas décadas, mas muita controvérsia ainda existe e novas informações são necessárias. O presente trabalho avaliou os fatores relacionados aos padrões de distribuição em pequena escala, a dinâmica temporal e a influência da complexidade ambiental em uma taxocenose de peixes recifais no arquipélago Fernando de Noronha. As variações espaciais das características ambientais foram bastante significativas entre dois tipos de substrato (consolidado e não-consolidado), mas mostraram pouca flutuação temporal. As variações das espécies refletiram esse mesmo padrão espacial, mas flutuações temporais significativas foram observadas, principalmente devido às diferenças na abundância de jovens. A complexidade ambiental teve uma influência positiva na riqueza e diversidade e em menor grau na abundância. O presente trabalho fornece evidências de como a complexidade ambiental é um importante determinante da riqueza de espécies em uma área contínua, sem presença de barreiras geográficas.