An aspect of the Romance languages that defies neat linguistic analysis is tense usage. In particular, students of Romance languages as well as grammarians have found it difficult to provide a consistent explanation for the imperfect - preterite opposition. Two main points of contention concern (i) the question of whether the two forms have an inherent aspectual content and (ii) the structure and role of lexical aspectual information in determining the overall meaning of a sentence. While the attempts at explaining French and Spanish usages of the imperfect and the preterite are numerous, hardly any work has been done in the interpretation of Romanian data. Furthermore, a general assumption that the same form - function opposition holds across Romance languages has led to cross-linguistic differences rarely being examined. I argue that the imperfect and the preterite do have an inherent aspectual content. However, in opposition to previous accounts, I maintain that the preterite does not provide a ‘closed’ viewpoint and that an atelic eventuality described by the verb phrase in the preterite can continue up to the present moment. I propose a description of the imperfect - preterite opposition that includes finer distinctions of lexical aspect based on its constituent stage structure. These finer lexical aspectual distinctions allow the identification of an area of divergence in the use of the two forms in French, Spanish, and Romanian: the preterite was found to be used more widely with states in Romanian than in French and Spanish.

This thesis explores the notion of opposition in the Sonetti romaneschi by the Roman poet Giuseppe Gioachino Belli (1791-1863). It sees the poet as a warring rebel on the literary scene and examines his poetics and rhetoric of war through his choice of form (the hallowed sonnet structure), language (the ‘rotten’ vernacular) and subject (the downtrodden, previously voiceless underclass); it shows that these cornerstones of Belli’s opus are in polemical response to literary stimuli and intimately connected to the political, religious and sociological upheavals in and beyond Rome in the troubled run-up to Unification. Chapter one, entitled ‘Breaking the mould’, draws on Belli’s explicit declaration of war on his literary predecessors, and considers the influence of the Milanese writer Carlo Porta, arguing that Belli is more inimical than amicable, and not the simple imitator as thought to date. Chapter two, ‘A passage of arms: possessing the dialogue sonnet’, maintains that the fulcrum of Belli’s antagonistic poetics and his realist enterprise lies in his unprecedented use of the dialogue sonnet form and the staging of direct debate. Chapter three, entitled ‘The Battle of the Sexes’, treats opposition at a thematic level, applying gender studies and related theory to Belli for the first time. Chapter four, ‘War and peace: the silent revolution’, examines Belli’s creation of a totally new literary language, fulfilling the criteria for what Deleuze and Guattari, within broadly Marxist parameters, would identify as a ‘minor literature’ in the work of Kafka, in which a major language is somehow wrested from its anchors of power, or ‘deterritorialized’, to subvert the literary world from within. The thesis shows that Belli is more revolutionary than previously thought as a literary innovator, and an understudied giant of modern European literature as opposed to the marginal figure the historiography is wont to maintain.

This thesis examines the presence of modernist ideas regarding identity, language and narrative in the work of the neglected Sardinian author, Grazia Deledda (1871-1936). It has the overall aim of redefining Deledda’s later work as modernist for she has been disregarded by most critics and is generally classed as a minor, veristic writer. Drawing Deledda out of these restricted interpretations, this thesis demonstrates that Deledda straddles two literary modes, for she matures beyond veristic influences and looks forward to modernist ideas, particularly regarding the complex nature of the self. The thesis approaches Deledda from an entirely new perspective in that it focuses upon the crisis of identity in Deledda’s work, and its construction in the narrative of her novels, and its integral relationship with the theme of language. The theoretical framework of Julia Kristeva, Paul Ricoeur and Adriana Cavarero enables an innovative study of identity as a linguistic and narrative construct in Deledda’s work. I maintain that Deledda’s characters construct, control and understand their identities through their application of language or their command of narrative perspective, voicing their inner selves through linguistic self-expression. This study engages in a close textual analysis of three of Deledda’s key texts. La madre (1920) and Il segreto dell'uomo solitario (1921) illustrate Deledda’s movement away from verismo. Their protagonists suffer a crisis of identity which is bound up in linguistic expression and/or narrative control. Cosima (1937), which is Deledda’s most autobiographical text, displays the author’s close affinity with her writing. Creating a fiction of her own life, Deledda becomes both narrator and protagonist, self and other in the exploration of her own identity, which is integrally connected to the act of writing. The very composition of this text demonstrates the construction of identity in language and narrative which is illustrated within Deledda’s other works.

The nine volumes of the "Romanian Music Chronicle", printed by the Music Publishing Hause, Bucharest, in 20 years (1973-1991) are the fruit of an extremely elaborated investigation, that broke all the walls that tried to hide this real patrimony of spirituality. The author, Octavian Lazar Cosma, shouldered the responsibility of a difficult cultural mission to establish the main points of the Romanian music evolution during these two millennia.

O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar as preposições de três línguas: latim, português e romeno. Divide-se, assim, em duas partes: uma teórica e outra, exemplificativa. Na primeira parte, após a exposição do método, comparativo e diacrônico, e do objeto de estudo, a língua e não a norma (segundo definição de COSERIU), desenvolve- se sucintamente um levantamento do uso dos termos \\\"preposição\\\" e \\\"prefixo\\\" desde sua criação até os dias atuais. Parte-se, depois, para uma definição de ambos os termos e para a delimitação de seu uso. Cita-se, então, o problema dos falsos prefixos, das preposições acidentais e das locuções prepositivas. : Feita a . distinção formal entre preposição, prefixo e advérbio, inicia-se uma explanação dos planos semânticos: espacial, temporal, biossocial e gramatical. O plano espacial será ó plano básico, a partir do qual se derivarão todas as demais idéias. Elenca-se e explica-se, enfim, certo número de passos do raciocínio (\\\"orientações semânticas\\\"). Na segunda parte, são apresentados os exemplos dos quais se deduziu a teoria da primeira parte e os oito capítulos que se seguem versam sobre um movimento ou posição determinada, a saber, \\\"afastamento\\\", \\\"aproximação\\\", \\\"meio\\\", \\\"circularidade\\\", \\\"verticalidade\\\", \\\"seqüência\\\", \\\"interioridade\\\" e \\\"proximidade\\\". Cada tipo é representado Partindo-se do latim, chega-se ao português e ao romeno, que, como sabido, são os extremos da România. Argumenta-se que as preposições conservam muito de seu sentido original, desde que sejam aplicadas essas \\\"orientações semânticas\\\". Observa-se, com isso, que elas não são desprovidas de significado e que sua complexidade semântica não deve ser entendida como um esvaziamento. / The aim of this work is a study of the prepositions of three languages: Latin, Portuguese and Romanian. It is divided into two parts: a theoretical and a demonstrative one. In the first part, after the exposition of the method - comparative and diachronical -and the subject, namely the language and not the norm (according to COSERIU\\\'s definition), a survey about the use of the terms \\\"preposition\\\" and \\\"prefix\\\" is briefly developed from their origin until nowadays. After that, both terms are defined and their use is delimited. The problems concerning false prefixes, accidental prepositions and prepositional locutions are also dealt with. A formal distinction has been made among prepositions, prefixes and adverbs. The semantic plans (spatial, temporal, biossocial and grammatical) are afterwards explained. The spatial plan is the basic one, from which ali other ideas are derivated. · Some raciocination steps are at last listed and explained (\\\"semantic orientations\\\"). In the second part, some examples are exhibited, from which the theory of the first part was inferred and the eight following chapters deal about a determined movement or position: \\\"severance\\\", \\\"approximation\\\", \\\"means\\\", \\\"circularity\\\", \\\"verticality\\\", \\\"succession\\\", \\\"interiority\\\" and \\\"proximity\\\". Each is represented by some prepositions/ prefixes. Starting from the Latin, one arrives at both already mentioned romanic languages that, as everyone knows, are spoken in the most extreme parts of the Roman Empire. The author argues that the prepositions preserve a great portion of their original sense, if those semantic orientations are applied on them. So, one observes that they are not meaningless and their semantic intricacy should not be understood as an emptying.

O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar as preposições de três línguas: latim, português e romeno. Divide-se, assim, em duas partes: uma teórica e outra, exemplificativa. Na primeira parte, após a exposição do método, comparativo e diacrônico, e do objeto de estudo, a língua e não a norma (segundo definição de COSERIU), desenvolve- se sucintamente um levantamento do uso dos termos \\\"preposição\\\" e \\\"prefixo\\\" desde sua criação até os dias atuais. Parte-se, depois, para uma definição de ambos os termos e para a delimitação de seu uso. Cita-se, então, o problema dos falsos prefixos, das preposições acidentais e das locuções prepositivas. : Feita a . distinção formal entre preposição, prefixo e advérbio, inicia-se uma explanação dos planos semânticos: espacial, temporal, biossocial e gramatical. O plano espacial será ó plano básico, a partir do qual se derivarão todas as demais idéias. Elenca-se e explica-se, enfim, certo número de passos do raciocínio (\\\"orientações semânticas\\\"). Na segunda parte, são apresentados os exemplos dos quais se deduziu a teoria da primeira parte e os oito capítulos que se seguem versam sobre um movimento ou posição determinada, a saber, \\\"afastamento\\\", \\\"aproximação\\\", \\\"meio\\\", \\\"circularidade\\\", \\\"verticalidade\\\", \\\"seqüência\\\", \\\"interioridade\\\" e \\\"proximidade\\\". Cada tipo é representado Partindo-se do latim, chega-se ao português e ao romeno, que, como sabido, são os extremos da România. Argumenta-se que as preposições conservam muito de seu sentido original, desde que sejam aplicadas essas \\\"orientações semânticas\\\". Observa-se, com isso, que elas não são desprovidas de significado e que sua complexidade semântica não deve ser entendida como um esvaziamento. / The aim of this work is a study of the prepositions of three languages: Latin, Portuguese and Romanian. It is divided into two parts: a theoretical and a demonstrative one. In the first part, after the exposition of the method - comparative and diachronical -and the subject, namely the language and not the norm (according to COSERIU\\\'s definition), a survey about the use of the terms \\\"preposition\\\" and \\\"prefix\\\" is briefly developed from their origin until nowadays. After that, both terms are defined and their use is delimited. The problems concerning false prefixes, accidental prepositions and prepositional locutions are also dealt with. A formal distinction has been made among prepositions, prefixes and adverbs. The semantic plans (spatial, temporal, biossocial and grammatical) are afterwards explained. The spatial plan is the basic one, from which ali other ideas are derivated. · Some raciocination steps are at last listed and explained (\\\"semantic orientations\\\"). In the second part, some examples are exhibited, from which the theory of the first part was inferred and the eight following chapters deal about a determined movement or position: \\\"severance\\\", \\\"approximation\\\", \\\"means\\\", \\\"circularity\\\", \\\"verticality\\\", \\\"succession\\\", \\\"interiority\\\" and \\\"proximity\\\". Each is represented by some prepositions/ prefixes. Starting from the Latin, one arrives at both already mentioned romanic languages that, as everyone knows, are spoken in the most extreme parts of the Roman Empire. The author argues that the prepositions preserve a great portion of their original sense, if those semantic orientations are applied on them. So, one observes that they are not meaningless and their semantic intricacy should not be understood as an emptying.

Univerzita Karlova v Praze Filozofická fakulta Katedra jihoslovanských a balkanistických studií DIPLOMOVÁ PRÁCE Martin Brtník Rumunský symbolismus: Ion Minulescu a George Bacovia. Rozbor motivů a témat Romanian Symbolism: Ion Minulescu and George Bacovia. Analysis of motifs and themes Praha 2012 Vedoucí práce: PhDr. Libuša Vajdová, CSc. Děkuji touto cestou vedoucí své diplomové práce PhDr. Libuši Vajdové, Csc. za odborné vedení, za trpělivost a zejména za osobní přístup. Děkuji také své rodině a svým přátelům za podporu. Zvlášť bych rád poděkoval Danovi Apostu. Prohlašuji, že jsem diplomovou práci vypracoval samostatně, že jsem řádně citoval všechny použité prameny a literaturu a že práce nebyla využita v rámci jiného vysokoškolského studia či k získání jiného nebo stejného titulu. V Praze 19. 8. 2012 Martin Brtník Abstrakt Tato diplomová práce se zabývá dvěma důležitými představiteli rumunského básnického symbolismu, Ionem Minulescem a Georgem Bacoviou. Hlavním cílem práce je analyzovat typické motivy a témata obsažená v básních těchto dvou hlavních reprezentantů uvedeného básnického směru a na jejich základě porovnat jejich básnické styly. Hlavní důraz je v práci položen na rozbory a interpretace vybraných básní a na celkové porovnání témat a motivů, jež ve svých verších oba umělci využívají. Na analýze...

Subjunctive is the most complex mood in the Romance languages from a structural point of view. It shows a large diversity of uses. In the present study we have compared the use and values of this verbal mood among the major Romance languages, though sometimes some others have also been included (Galician, Catalan and Sardinian). It is interesting to notice that not all the languages show the same number of tenses and even that the origin of some of the tenses have different sources in Latin. Romanian is the main study target, and it is the starting point for the whole study. It will be seen that, despite all the differences, Romanian follows similar patterns to the rest of the Romance family. Even so, a specific peculiarity of Romanian syntax, the lack of infinitive in completive constructions, contrasts with the overdeveloped Portuguese conjugated infinitive. Apart from the analysis of the values and the uses, the study closes with a selection of chosen sentences in these six major languages allowing us to make conclusions as for the nature and behaviour of current subjunctive mood.

Resumption has been the object of lively research (Doron 1982; Sells 1984; McClauskey 1990; 2002; Shlonsky 1992; Cann 1999; Sharvit 1999; Alexopoulou 2006; Guilliot 2006; Malkawi 2009; Rouveret 2011) and various analyses consider it a form of agreement, a last syntactic resort or a special kind of ellipsis. On the theoretical side, I survey the issues that are the background of the research, such as the nature of the pronouns that are involved in resumption. I develop a syntactic analysis of resumptive pronouns in which they are clitics (Cardinaletti and Starke 1999; Dechaine and Wiltschko 2002; Roberts 2010) and they form a complex determiner phrase together with the relative pronoun or interrogative pronoun. I argue that when resumption is obligatory, it follows from requirements in the syntax and only when it is optional it is a phenomenon at the syntax-pragmatics interface. On the empirical side, I contrast and compare the pronominal paradigms of Arabic and Romanian, an Eastern Romance language which strikingly shows a similar pattern of resumption as Arabic: (i) obligatory resumption in relativization, (ii) designated relative pronoun. Though for Romanian nobody has disputed the nature of the clitic pronouns as clitic in the sense that I am adopting (Cardinaletti and Starke 1999), it has not been thoroughly documented either. I then discuss the pragmatics of resumption in contexts in which it is optional, such as D-linked questions in Arabic. The difference between obligatory resumption and optional resumption is not found in the syntax, because this same syntactic derivation is associated with different interpretive effects depending on whether it occurs in obligatory or in optional contexts. I argue that the presence of the pronoun when it is not required by the syntax triggers a change in interpretation: the module pragmatics assigns it a pragmatic feature.

The objective of this study was to examine symptomatology; stress responses for everyday academic and social stressors; and cognitive coping resources among 11-year-old children adopted from Romanian orphanages. Two groups were established by the amount of time spent within the institutional system. Early adoptees (EAs, n=25) spent less than 6 months while late adoptees (LAs, n=14) endured 6 months or more of institutionalization. A comparison group of non adopted, same-age peers (Canadian Born (CBs), n=25) was included. The first goal was to investigate whether there were differences between EAs and LAs in ratings of symptomatology and stress responses. The second goal was to compare all Romanian adoptees (RAs) to CBs on the same set of factors. The third goal was to identify predictors of symptomatology and predictors of stress responses for RAs only. The main findings were as follows. EAs and LAs did not differ in any symptom ratings or stress responses, showing a lack of evidence for duration of deprivation as a grouping factor. Significant differences were detected by adoption status. Ratings were higher for RAs than CBs in parent-rated symptomatology, including the rate of RAs who exceeded the borderline clinical cut-off. RAs reported less secondary control coping for social stressors than CBs. Models to predict symptoms from stress responses were not supported, with one exception. More disengagement coping for social stress and less involuntary disengagement for academic stress predicted less externalizing and generalized symptoms by teacher report. Models to predict stress responses from cognitive coping resources were significant except for disengagement coping. One of the main findings was that predictors of secondary control coping varied by stressor domain. In conclusion, the findings were important in demonstrating that duration of deprivation does not differentiate between post-institutionalized preadolescents in aspects of psychosocial adjustment. Adoption status is a significant factor. Stress responses do not contribute to models of symptoms. The cognitive coping resources of perceived academic competency and social-support contribute to models of stress responses, yet with room to improve the predictive power of the models. Implications of the findings are discussed along with limitations and directions for future research.