xiii, 145 p. : map. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Nominalization and its various functions is a topic of considerable current interest in Tibeto-Burman (TB) studies and has both typological and historical implications. This thesis documents and discusses data of nominalizing velar prefixes in the different branches of the TB language family. Based on the reconstruction ofa Proto-TibetoBurman (PTB) 'adjectival prefix' *gV- suggested by TB wide-scale comparativists such as Wolfenden, Shafer, Benedict, and Matisoff, this study incorporates extensive data on velar prefixes covering other functions that are, just like deriving adjectival modifiers, typically associated with nominalization in TB. The various pieces of evidence thus suggest that the existence of a PTB *gV- nominalizer is the best explanation for the distribution of forms and functions of the respective prefixes in TB languages. / Committee in Charge: Dr. Scott DeLancey, Chair; Dr. Spike Gildea

Previous research on Sumi, a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the extreme northeast of India, has found it to have three lexical tones. However, the few phonological studies of Sumi have focused mainly on its segmental phonology and have failed to provide any substantial account of the tone system. This thesis addresses the issue by providing the first comprehensive description of tone in this language. In addition to confirming three contrastive tones, this study also presents the first acoustic phonetic analysis of Sumi, looking at the phonetic realisation of these tones and the effects of segmental perturbations on tone realisation. The first autosegmental representation of Sumi tone is offered, allowing us to account for tonal phenomena such as the assignment of surface tones to prefixes that appear to be lexically unspecified for tone. Finally, this investigation presents the first account of morphologically conditioned tone variation in Sumi, finding regular paradigmatic shifts in the tone on verb roots that undergo nominalisation. / The thesis also offers a cross-linguistic comparison of the tone system of Sumi with that of other closely related Kuki-Chin-Naga languages and some preliminary observations of the historical origin and development of tone in these languages are made. This is accompanied by a typological comparison of these languages with other Tibeto-Burman languages, which shows that although these languages are spoken in what has been termed the ‘Indosphere’, their tone systems are similar to those of languages spoken further to the east in the ‘Sinosphere’. Finally, a more global typological comparison of Sumi with ‘African’ and ‘East Asian’ tone languages demonstrates that Sumi displays features typically associated with both these language ‘types’. This finding suggests the need to re-evaluate this traditional dichotomy of tone systems, and the need to consider morphological structure in typologies of tone.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

xvi, 138 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This study attempts to reconstruct Proto-Boro-Garo (PBG), the ancient language from which the modern Boro-Garo (BG) family evolved. BG is a largely underdocumented sub-branch of Tibeto-Burman that is spoken primarily in the Brahmaputra valley of northeastern India. While other comparative studies have focused on PBG phonology, this study concentrates on grammatical elements and syntactic structures. An initial reconstruction is attained by examining data from the limited number of descriptive grammars available on BG languages and using the comparative method to determine the oldest forms of grammatical elements. Where elements correspond across languages, they can be reconstructed for the common ancestor. When they do not, we have evidence for independent innovation. This is accounted for, when possible, by language-internal reconstruction. / Committee in Charge: Dr. Scott DeLancey, Chair; Dr. Spike Gildea

Submitted by Neusa Fagundes (neusa.fagundes@unioeste.br) on 2017-09-18T18:19:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Camila_Silva2017.pdf: 2191632 bytes, checksum: a498062a35c029d6678298916c6a04c9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-18T18:19:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Camila_Silva2017.pdf: 2191632 bytes, checksum: a498062a35c029d6678298916c6a04c9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-17 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The present study aims to evaluate the efficiency of anaerobic codigestion of landfill leachate in association with glycerol, obtained from biodiesel production. The substrates (leachate and glycerol) were characterized by physicochemical parameters. The assays, used to evaluate anaerobic codigestion, were carried out in batch reactors, connected to eudiometers that measured biogas volume. At the same time, replicas destructive were developed as testimony of the reactors. Thus, an experimental planning tool was used to determine the optimal sizing parameters for anaerobic codigestion and significant factors for anaerobic codigestion were determined by Plackett and Burman delineation. Subsequently, the Rotational Central Composite Design applied to the Response Surface Methodology was used to establish the optimal conditions for the codigestion process. Firstly, four independent variables were analyzed: time (30, 40 and 50 days), pH (6, 7, 8), leachate + glycerol concentration (99% + 1%, 95% + 5% and 91 + 9 %) and food/ microorganism ratio (0.5, 1.2, 1.9 g COD/g of VSS). Three influential variables were evaluated after the definition of variables that influenced codigestion process: time (14, 18, 24, 30 and 34 days) leachate + glycerol concentration (93.4%+6.6%, 90%+10%, 85%+15%, 80+20% and 76.6+23.4) as well as food/ microorganism ratio (0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8 g COD/g of VSS). By optimizing the anaerobic codigestion process, it was possible to increase glycerol concentration and decrease reactors operating time as well as obtain feasible results to remove COD (96%) and methane production (205 L CH4/m³). / O presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar a eficiência da codigestão anaeróbia de lixiviado de aterro sanitário em associação com glicerol proveniente da produção de biodiesel. Os substratos foram caracterizados pelos parâmetros físico-químicos. Os ensaios para avaliar a codigestão anaeróbia foram realizados em reatores batelada, ligados a eudiômetros que mediram o volume de biogás. Simultaneamente, réplicas destrutivas foram desenvolvidas com a finalidade de realizar o testemunho dos reatores. A fim de determinar os parâmetros ótimos de dimensionamento para codigestão anaeróbia, foi utilizada a ferramenta de planejamento experimental. Os fatores significativos para a codigestão anaeróbia foram estabelecidos pelo emprego do delineamento Plackett e Burman. Posteriormente, o Delineamento Composto Central Rotacional aplicado à Metodologia de Superfície de Resposta foi utilizado, a fim de se estabelecerem as condições ótimas para o processo de codigestão. Primeiramente, foram analisadas quatro variáveis independentes: tempo (30, 40 e 50 dias), pH (6 ,7, 8), concentração de lixiviado + glicerol (99%+1%, 95%+5% e 91+9%) e relação alimento/microrganismo (0.5, 1.2, 1.9 g de DQO/ g de SSV). Após a definição das variáveis que exerciam influência no processo de codigestão, foram avaliadas três variáveis influentes: tempo (14, 18, 24, 30 e 34 dias), concentração de lixiviado + glicerol (93,4%+6,6%, 90%+10%, 85%+15%, 80+20% e 76,6+23,4) e relação alimento/microrganismo (0,5; 0,6; 0,7; 0,8 g de DQO/ g de SSV). A partir da otimização do processo de codigestão anaeróbia, conseguiu-se aumentar a concentração de glicerol e diminuir o tempo de operação dos reatores, além da obtenção de resultados satisfatórios em termos de remoção de DQO (96%) e Produção de metano (205 L CH4/m³).

This dissertation is a description of Darma, an under-documented Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the eastern corner of the state of Uttarakhand, India. With fewer than 2,600 speakers and no writing system, Darma is considered endangered. This is the most comprehensive description of Darma to date. Like the other Himalayan languages, the genetic classification of Darma has not been definitively determined. It is widely described as a western Himalayish language that is closely related to Byansi, Chaudangsi and Rangkas (the latter being extinct). The data presented in this dissertation were obtained through three methodologies: direct elicitation, participant observation, and the discourse-centered approach to data collection advocated by University of Texas linguistic anthropologist Joel Sherzer. The discourse-centered methodology relies on naturally occurring speech, including conversation, stories, songs and public dialogues. The resulting data are contextualized in a cultural framework, which is useful to linguists and anthropologists alike; and the majority of examples presented come from these texts. The dissertation is presented in five sections with a total of nineteen chapters and a glossary. The first section provides background information on the Darma people, the language, and how this project came about. The second section describes the sound system of Darma, including its typologically unusual class of oral stops. The third section introduces the words that comprise a noun phrase including nouns, personal pronouns, and pronominal demonstrative forms, which are marked on a spatial axis (e.g. proximate, neutral, distal, and non-visible). The fourth section examines the affixes that combine with verb stems to form clauses and sentences. This includes a discussion of the basic SV/AOV constituent order, and the ergative/absolutive alignment system. Here nominalization/relativization, a common feature of Tibeto-Burman languages, is also presented along with the clause chaining strategy commonly found in narrative discourse. The analysis for this dissertation is informed by a functional-typological perspective, and an effort has been made to capture general patterns found in the grammar. The goals are to provide a description of the grammar of Darma in a format that is accessible to many, and to avoid relying on any overly specific theoretical framework that may become obsolete. / text

The Conversation with Burman, a comprehensive and densely packed philosophical interview, is a work of extraordinary interest. In it, Descartes is closely questioned about some of the most central problems in his philosophy and expresses himself with a directness and informality which is not to be found in the published works or correspondence. Isolated references to the Conversation sprinkled through articles on Descartes, particularly in recent years, show that its importance is being increasingly recognised; but it has never been translated into English, and the work as a whole has received no systematic attention by philosophers. It is the aim of this thesis to fill both these gaps, by presenting and English version of the work and by providing a detailed philosophical commentary on the text. The main purpose of the Commentary is to show how the Conversation throws a fresh light on some of the most vexed and crucial issues in Descartes' philosophy.

xxxix, 729 p. : ill. (some col.) / Kurtop is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by approximately 15,000 people in Northeastern Bhutan. This dissertation is the first descriptive grammar of the language, based on extensive fieldwork and community-driven language documentation in Bhutan. When possible, analyses are presented in typological and historical/comparative perspectives and illustrated with ample data, drawn mainly from texts but also elicitation as need be. Within Tibeto-Burman, Kurtop has been placed within the East Bodish sub-branch. Data presented in this study support this placement and confirm previous observations that the East Bodish languages are close relatives, but not direct descendants of Classical Tibetan. The link between the current East Bodish languages and Bhutanese prehistory remains unclear but the Kurtop grammar is a first step at understanding the historical relations. The most remarkable aspect of Kurtop phonology is the tonal system, which is contrastive following the sonorants, but incipient following the obstruents, except the palatal fricative, for which tone has completely replaced a previous contrast in voicing. Tone is present only on the first syllable of stems, where vowels are also slightly longer. Kurtop is agglutinating and polysynthetic. Words generally consist of two or three syllables, but may be as long as five or six, depending mainly on suffixing morphology. Like most languages of South Asia, Kurtop exhibits verb-final syntax and the typological correlations that follow, including postposition (or relator noun constructions), auxiliaries after the verb, and sentence-final particles. The case marking system is 'pragmatic' ergative, where an ergative marker is required in some transitive contexts, but not in others. In other contexts, including for some intransitive verbs, the ergative signals a variety of pragmatic or semantic factors. This ergative system, though typologically unusual, is characteristic of many Tibeto-Burman languages, including neighboring Dzongkha and Tshangla. Nominalization and clause-chaining are two essential components of Kurtop syntax, constituting a majority of clauses and a diachronic source for much of the main clause grammar. The evidential/mirative system in Kurtop is also of typological interest, encoding a wide range of values pertaining to speaker expectation as well as mirativity and source of knowledge. / Committee in charge: Scott DeLancey, Chairperson and Advisor; Spike Gildea, Member; Doris Payne, Member; Gyoung-Ah Lee, Member; William Ayres, Outside Member

Submitted by Amanda Silva (amanda.osilva2@ufpe.br) on 2015-03-04T14:05:27Z No. of bitstreams: 2 TESE Flávia Gonçalves Domingues.pdf: 1926448 bytes, checksum: 2b318582500f7f05a9fc66b2fff717c8 (MD5) license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-04T14:05:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 TESE Flávia Gonçalves Domingues.pdf: 1926448 bytes, checksum: 2b318582500f7f05a9fc66b2fff717c8 (MD5) license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / FACEPE; CNPq; BNB / A indústria biotecnológica futura deverá ser responsável pela produção de muitos dos bens de consumo que hoje são derivados do petróleo, como plásticos e combustíveis. Atualmente, obtido por síntese química a partir de derivados do petróleo, o 1,3- propanodiol (1,3-PDO) é uma substância que tem despertado crescente interesse das indústrias químicas. Devido às suas inerentes propriedades, pode ser utilizado como monômero para o desenvolvimento de novos polímeros, como o poli(tereftalato de trimetileno) - PTT. Este um termoplástico com propriedades físico-químicas semelhantes ao poli(etileno tereftalato) (PET) sendo este o fator que mais tem contribuído para o interesse da indústria na obtenção do 1,3-PDO de forma abundante, mais econômica e sustentável. Embora o 1,3-PDO já seja produzido industrialmente por um processo fermentativo, a partir da glicose, a matéria-prima utilizada neste trabalho é diferente e inovadora, o glicerol, que se tem disponível em grande quantidade e baixo custo no país, o que modifica todo entendimento das vias metabólicas, assim como, dos parâmetros envolvidos no processo. Este é gerado em grande quantidade durante a produção de biodiesel e tem se tornado um substrato potencialmente atrativo para a produção bacteriana de produtos de valor agregado, como o 1,3-PDO. Além disso, o micro-organismo a ser utilizado também é importante, pois direcionará os controles mais fundamentais do processo e os subprodutos que são formados. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo a produção de 1,3-propanodiol por via biotecnológica a partir da fermentação do glicerol e a síntese do PTT. A primeira parte do trabalho visou avaliar a produção do 1,3-PDO por quatro cepas: Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824, Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 10132, Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 4259, Clostridium butyricum DSMZ 10702. Três linhagens mostraram-se capazes de produzir 1,3-PDO. O Clostridium butyricum DSMZ 10702 apresentou maior rendimento no produto de interesse. Para otimização das condições de cultivo, utilizou-se a seleção de variáveis através do delineamento experimental Plackett-Burman (PB) avaliando a produção de 1,3-PDO. As melhores condições de fermentação foram pH (6,5-7,0), temperatura (35,0±0,5oC) e concentração de glicerol (10 g.L-1). A partir da definição das melhores condições de cultivo, os ensaios foram repetidos utilizando glicerol residual. Foi avaliada a cinética de crescimento do Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 4259 por ser o micro-organismo que apresentou bons resultados quanto ao aumento de biomassa e produção do 1,3-PDO durante a fermentação. Em outra etapa foi realizada a polimerização do PTT em regime de batelada utilizando-se o 1,3-propanodiol comercial e caracterizado por FTIR e DSC. Na análise de FTIR os comprimentos de onda dos grupos funcionais característicos do poliéster foram identificados, como carbonila, aromático e éster. Já com a análise de DSC o comportamento térmico do PTT foi caracterizado, apresentando temperatura de fusão de 195,25±9,92oC e a parir desse resultado determinou-se sua cristalinidade, em torno de 60%.