Este trabalho trata da descrição e da análise do contorno entoacional total de sentenças interrogativas globais e parciais, neutras e não-neutras, da variedade paulista do português brasileiro (PB). Investigamos a relação entre a associação de eventos tonais ao contorno entoacional dessas sentenças e a formação de domínios prosódicos. Nosso objetivo é identificar padrões entoacionais que codifiquem prosodicamente o significado pragmático dos diferentes tipos de sentenças interrogativas do PB. Partimos da hipótese de que o contorno entoacional total tem papel fundamental na codificação de significados pragmáticos, além do contorno nuclear. Em nosso trabalho, utilizamo-nos de corpora de fala controlada obtida em tarefa de leitura de sentenças interrogativas antecedidas por contextos propícios à produção de diferentes tipos frásicos interrogativos e de fala semicontrolada obtida em tarefa de leitura de mapa em dupla. A descrição e a análise prosódica das sentenças interrogativas de nossos corpora foram feitas à luz da visão integrada entre a abordagem Autossegmental e Métrica da Fonologia Entoacional (Pierrehumbert 1980; Pierrehumbert & Beckman 1988; Ladd 1996, 2008; Jun 2005/2014; entre outros) e a Fonologia Prosódica (Selkirk 1984, 1986, 2000; Nespor & Vogel 1986, 2007). Levamos em conta, para o desenvolvimento das análises desta investigação, os trabalhos desenvolvidos nesse mesmo quadro teórico e aplicados ao português (Frota & Vigário 2000; Tenani 2002; Fernandes 2007a, 2007b, Serra 2009, Toneli 2014; e, mais especificamente para sentenças interrogativas, Moraes 2008, Truckenbrodt, Sandalo & Abaurre 2009, Castelo 2011, 2016 e Frota et. al. 2015a). Os resultados obtidos a partir de nossa investigação revelam que (i) de maneira geral, o contorno nuclear das sentenças interrogativas da variedade paulista do PB tem um padrão ascendente-descendente; (ii) o contorno entoacional total tem papel importante na codificação do significado pragmático da interrogação; (iii) há características prosódicas especiais associadas ao contorno entoacional total que correspondem a significados pragmáticos específicos, como, por exemplo: (a) a marcação prosódica de foco e ênfase que varia a depender do significado pragmático associado à marcação de foco e ênfase nos diferentes tipos frásicos; (b) a associação de downstep ao contorno nuclear de sentenças interrogativas neutras; (c) a associação de upstep marcando o elemento enfático em sentenças interrogativas antiexpectativa; (d) o rebaixamento da gama de variação tonal no trecho do contorno entoacional correspondente à primeira palavra prosódica e o contorno nuclear em sentenças interrogativas retóricas; (e) as diferenças quanto à densidade tonal em sentenças interrogativas neutras e não-neutras; entre outras características prosódicas especiais associadas a significados pragmáticos específicos. Tais resultados revelam o cumprimento dos objetivos da pesquisa e confirmam nossa hipótese inicial de trabalho. / This study aims to describe the intonational contour of global and partial, neutral and non-neutral interrogative sentences of the Paulista variety of Brazilian Portuguese (BP). We investigate the relation between tonal events assignment and the formation of prosodic domains. Our goal is to find intonational patterns that codigy pragmatic meaning of different clause types of BP interrogative sentences. Our hypothesis is that the total contour has a fundamental role in codifying pragmatic meaning, besides the nuclear contour. In our work, the corpora analyzed includes controlled speech data obtained in a reading task that exposed interrogative sentences along with context to elicit the production of interrogatives with different pragmatic meanings and semicontrolled speech data recorded in a map task. The description and the prosodic analysis of the intonational phrasing of the interrogative sentences of our corpora were developed according to an integrated view of the Autossegmental Metrical approach within the framework of Intonational Phonology (Pierrehumbert 1980; Pierrehumbert & Beckman 1988; Ladd 1996, 2008; Jun 2005/2014; entre outros) and the Prosodic Phonology framework (Selkirk 1984, 1986, 2000; Nespor & Vogel 1986, 2007). Our analysis take into account previous works developed in this same framework and applied to Portuguese (Frota & Vigário 2000; Tenani 2002; Fernandes 2007a, 2007b, Serra 2009, Toneli 2014; and, more specifically regarding interrogative sentences, Moraes 2008, Truckenbrodt, Sandalo & Abaurre 2009, Castelo 2011, 2016 e Frota et. al. 2015a). The results achieved through this investigation reveal that (i) in general, the nuclear contour of interrogative sentences of the Paulista variety of BP show a rising-falling pattern; (ii) the total contour plays an important role in conveying pragmatic meaning of questions; (iii) there are special prosodic characteristics assigned to the total contour that correspond to specific pragmatic meaning, such as: (a) focus and emphasis marking that varies depending on the pragmatic meaning associated with different phrase types; (b) downstep association to the nuclear contour in neutral interrogative sentences; (c) upstep association to the emphatic element in counter expectation sentences; (d) lower tessiture of the range of variation in the portion of the intonational contour corresponding to the first prosodic word and the nuclear contour in rhetoric questions; (e) differences in tonal density between neutral and non-neutral sentences; among other prosodic characteristics associated with specific pragmatic meaning. These results confirm lead us to achieve our objectives and confirm our main hypothesis.

M.A. / The pre-sentence evaluation committee was an innovation of the 1980's. It is a multidisciplinary team constituted primarily to assist probation officers with their cases in making relevant recommendations on offenders to the court. The concept of the pre-sentence evaluation committee survives in the provisions of the Probation Services Act No. 116 of 1991, and the Strategic Management Plan of the Department of Welfare and Population Development, Gauteng Province. In effect, it has been discontinued in almost all of the decentralized offices of the Department of Welfare and Population Development within the Gauteng Province. The objective of this study is to determine if the pm-sentence is still relevant to probation officers who are the major stakeholders of the committee and If so what form should the committee assume to meet the needs of probation officers. It therefore falls within the program evaluation genre in terms of its purpose. The study entails a survey of fifteen social workers in the employ of the Department of Welfare and Population Development. The majority of these are dedicated probation officers. Data is captured in using a standardized open-ended interview schedule. A qualitative research design isfollowed using a framework based on the work of Strauss and Corbin (1990). Use is made of the NUD.IST computer based program to deal with the transcripts of the fifteen interviews with departmental social workers. The program assists with the treatment of the data and the establishment of hierarchies of concepts developed during the application of Strauss and Corbin's framework. Conclusions of the study are that probation officers In general recognize that the pre-sentence evaluation committee continues to have relevance in court work. That it has greatest relevance for inexperienced social workers and workers confronted with difficult cases. On the basis of the research recommendations are made for a flexible application of the concept of the pre-sentence evaluation committee and that there are additional alternatives which can be considered in addition to the pre-sentence evaluation committee.

Topic sentence writing is an important component of academic writing. Through studying topic sentences in Chinese students’ English essays, this research aims to find out the frequency and the placement of topic sentences, the wording within topic sentences and the relationship between topic sentences and paragraph unity. In this research, 45 English essays written by Chinese students were collected from WECCL corpus and targeted topic sentences were selected out afterwards. Depending on Wordsmith 3.0, results related to topic sentences were generated including the frequency, the placement, the wording of topic sentences and the unity between topic sentences and supporting sentences. Results show that Chinese students have a good awareness of writing topic sentences and placing them at the beginning of paragraphs. However, Chinese students are not good at applying transitional phrases and expressing ideas objectively as academic writing requires. Moreover, paragraph unity in some Chinese students’ essays is poor. In addition, as a part of this empirical study, an interview about how to write topic sentences was conducted among ten Chinese students majoring in English in order to verify the results. Based on the responses from the interview and previous research, this research suggests that Chinese rhetoric convention and school instruction on writing are two major factors leading to the present results.

Doctorat en philosophie et lettres / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / There are approximate thirty years, started a debate among philosophers W. V. O. Quine and D. Davidson about where it should be located in the causal chain speaking- world, the element that determines the empirical meaning of observation sentences - henceforth will call this element of "stimulus." According to Quine, who supports what might be called the "proximal conception," such stimulus would be located on the sensory surface speaker, ie, in a position close to him in this causal chain - proximal stimulus -; Davidson, on the other hand, criticizes the proximal conception, because it would not be able to explain the public nature of language and he suggests Quine to abandon the proximal conception in favor of distal conception, sustained by himself, according to which such a stimulus would be located in own objects and events about which the sentences speak, ie, in a position farther from the speaker - distal stimulus. Despite the suggestion of Davidson, Quine insists until the end of his work in not officially sustain the distal conception, introducing, however, some modifications in its conception in order to escape the criticism proceeded by the author. Given this di-vergence between the two authors, this work aims to carry out the reconstruction and evaluation of this debate. It should be noted, first of all, that Quine is a philosopher very systematic and his theses are closely interconnected, so it is necessary a more general overview of his philosophy whenever one want to understand a particular problem that is inserted in it, otherwise prejudice the proper understanding of it. Therefore, this work will be divided into two main parts: the first one will be reserved for the attempt to situate the central problem that it will be examined in the wake of broader Quinean philosophy as a whole, while the second part will be devoted to the reconstruction of the debate. The conclusion reached is that the final formulation of the conception of Quine can be considered as satisfactory solution of many problems of the initial formulation of proximal conception since we follow the suggestion of Lars Bergström and understand that the meaning of a observation sentence must consist of a subject s dispositions to assent and dissent to sentence, instead of identifying the meaning with set of proximal stimuli that the speaker ties to sentence. Furthermore, though it may be possible to raise objections to the Quine s final solution, it may be considered more appropriate solution to the problems of proximal conception since compared to the suggestion made by Davidson, because the adoption of conception distal would not be satisfactory for Quine s philosophical purposes. / Há aproximados trinta anos, iniciou-se um debate entre os filósofos W. V. O. Quine e D. Davidson a respeito de onde deveria ser situado, na cadeia causal mundo-falante, o elemento que determina o significado empírico de frases de observação − doravante, chamar-se-á tal elemento de estímulo . De acordo com Quine, que sustenta o que se pode chamar de concepção proximal , tal estímulo estaria localizado na superfície sensorial do falante, ou seja, em posição próxima a este em referida cadeia causal − estímulo proximal −; Davidson, por outro lado, critica a concepção proximal, pelo fato de que a mesma não seria capaz de explicar a natureza pública da linguagem, e sugere a Quine seu abandono em prol da concepção distal, por ele próprio sustentada, conforme a qual tal estímulo estaria situado nos próprios objetos e eventos sobre os quais falam as frases, isto é, em posição maibs distante do falante − estímulo distal. A despeito da sugestão de Davidson, Quine insiste até o final de sua obra em não adotar oficialmente a concepção distal, introduzindo, contudo, algumas modificações em sua concepção a fim de escapar às críticas procedidas por aquele autor. Tendo em vista essa divergência entre os dois autores, a presente dissertação tem como objetivo proceder à reconstrução e avaliação desse debate. Há que se ressaltar, antes de tudo, que Quine é um filósofo muito sistemático e que suas teses estão intimamente conectadas entre si, de modo que se faz necessária uma visão mais geral de sua filosofia sempre que se deseja entender um problema específico que se encontra nela inserido, sob pena de prejudicar a adequada compreensão do mesmo. Por essa razão, este trabalho será dividido em duas partes principais: a primeira delas será reservada à tentativa de situar o problema central que será nele examinado no bojo mais amplo da filosofia quineana como um todo, enquanto a segunda parte será dedicada propriamente à reconstrução do debate. A conclusão a que se chega é que a formulação final da concepção de Quine pode ser considerada satisfatória como solução de muitos problemas da formulação inicial da concepção proximal desde se siga a sugestão de Lars Bergström e se entenda que o significado de uma frase de observação deve consistir nas disposições de um sujeito para assentir ou dissentir a ela, em vez de identificar o significado com o conjunto de estímulos proximais que o falante vincula a ela. Ademais, por mais que seja possível levantar objeções contra a solução final de Quine, ela pode ser considerada a saída mais adequada aos problemas da concepção proximal quando comparada à sugestão feita por Davidson, uma vez que a adoção da concepção distal não seria satisfatória para os propósitos filosóficos de Quine.

This thesis is about the viability of meta-normative expressivism. On what I take to be the dominant conception of the view, it subscribes to two theses. First, that the meaning of sentences is to be explained in terms of the mental states these sentences conventionally express. Second, that there is a fundamental difference in the roles of the states expressed by normative sentences and the states expressed by descriptive sentences: descriptive sentences, according to expressivists, express mental states which are representational and non-motivational, while normative sentences express non-representational and motivational states. Expressivism has attracted many naturalistically inclined philosophers for its ability to explain many of the distinctive features of normative discourse and thought, without adding entities to our ontology that are metaphysically and epistemologically problematic. In this way, expressivism promises to preserve the legitimacy of our ordinary normative practice within a naturalistic world-view, without giving up on any of its distinctive features. Despite it’s benefits, expressivism also faces significant problems. While one of these problems, the Frege-Geach Problem, has attracted a lot of attention, there are several other problems that have not been sufficiently addressed by . But, given that the reasonable assumption that the plausibility of philosophical theories needs to be assessed holistically, it seems that one should pay attention to these problems to be able to assess expressivism’s overall plausibility. In this thesis I explain how expressivists can solve two of these problems. The first problem the dissertation is concerned with is the normative attitude problem. This is a dilemma based on the challenge that expressivists need to give an account of the nature of the attitude that normative thinking consists in. The dilemma is then that expressivists could either do this by holding that normative thinking consists in sui generis attitudes, which is uninformative and potentially in conflict with naturalism, or by holding that normative thinking reduces to attitudes fully describable in non-normative terms, which is in conflict with our intuitions about normative thinking. I argue that this dilemma is structurally identical to a dilemma which meta-normative representationalism faces (expressivism’s dialectical rival) and that expressivists can use the same theoretical resources to address the normative attitude problem meta-normative representationalists have used to address their version of the dilemma. I also argue that these resources will not only help more traditional versions of expressivism, according to which normative thinking reduces to familiar kinds of attitudes fully describable in non-normative terms, but opens up the possibility of an expressivist view according to which normative thinking consists in sui generis attitudes. The second problem I consider is a challenge to a particular expressivist project: quasi-realism. Part of this project is to show that expressivism is compatible with a web of closely connected assumptions, namely, that normative thought and discourse are truth-apt and normative judgements are beliefs. While quasi-realists have made some progress in this direction, there is one relevant phenomenon that has so far been neglected, namely, those uses of that-clauses that are associated with propositional content. This is a problematic neglect, because that-clauses figure prominently in platitudes characterizing our ordinary notions of “truth-aptitude” and “belief ”, and so expressivists need to provide a plausible account of these uses of that-clauses which fits with their allowing that normative thought and discourse are truth-apt and normative judgements are beliefs. I address this challenge as follows: I first remove any worries that one might have that a plausible account of that-clauses that helps the quasi-realist could be given, by introducing the distinction between semantics and meta-semantics and locating expressivism at the level of metasemantics. I then develop a deflationist view of that-clauses which suits the quasi-realist’s purposes. I start by giving such a view for the use of that-clauses in meaning-attributions by expanding on the work of Wilfried Sellars. I then go on to explain how the account can be generalized to the use of that-clauses in belief-attributions and propositional attitude ascriptions more generally, in a way that allows expressivists to say that normative judgements are beliefs.

En droit de l’exécution des peines, deux procès essentiels peuvent se jouer pour le condamné : le procès disciplinaire et le procès d’application des peines. En dépit du clivage droit privé-droit public qui les caractérise, ces deux procès se sont inscrits ces dernières années dans une même logique juridictionnelle. Souvent envisagés de manière distincte, l’intérêt de notre étude sera de démontrer qu’au delà du polymorphisme du droit et des organes juridictionnels ou non juridictionnels auxquels ces procès se rattachent, ces derniers ont connu une évolution concomitante en termes de reconnaissance de garanties procédurales. Ainsi, aujourd’hui, on peut affirmer qu’un véritable droit commun de l’exécution des peines est né. Néanmoins, ce tronc commun présente encore de nombreuses insuffisances au regard des principes qui doivent caractériser un procès équitable (indépendance, impartialité, publicité...). Malgré cela, les juridictions françaises refusent toujours de reconnaître l’applicabilité de certains principes supra-législatifs au milieu carcéral en se fondant sur des critères qui leur sont propres et sur une qualification erronée du contentieux disciplinaire. Dès lors, cette étude se propose de mettre en exergue la véritable qualification "pénale" de ce contentieux et prône le principe d’unicité de l’action répressive. De ce fait, il s’agira de déterminer l’organe le mieux à même de protéger les droits des condamnés. Se posera alors la question de l’hypothèse d’un procèscommun par la prise en compte du lien existant entre les procès de l’exécution des peines au travers des retraits de réductions de peine / In the law of enforcement of the sentences, two essential proceedings are at stake for the sentenced person : the disciplinary proceeding and the enforcement proceeding. In recent years and despite the division between private law and public law that characterizes them, these proceedings have come within the framework of a unique jurisdictional logic. Although they are often envisaged as different, the interest of this study is to demonstrate that beyond the polymorphism of the law, on the one part,and the jurisdictional and non jurisdictional organs to which these proceedings are connected, on the other part, the last ones have known a concomitant evolution in terms of recognition of procedural safeguards. Thus, today, we can assert that a real general law of enforcement of the sentences was born. Nevertheless, this common-core syllabus still shows numerous inadequacies towards the principles which must characterize a fair trial (independence, impartiality, public hearing…). In spiteof this, French courts still refuse to admit the applicability of certain supra-legal principles in prison environment, basing themselves on proper criteria and on an erroneous legal definition of disciplinary proceedings. Therefore, this study intends to underline the real criminal definition of these proceedings and advocates the principle of unity of law enforcement. As a matter of fact, the question is to determine the organ best to protect the rights of the sentenced person. Then, will arise thequestion of the hypothesis of a common proceeding by taking into account the existing link between the enforcement of the sentence proceeding, through revocations of reductions of sentences

This research deals with the effects that living with a sibling with Autism/PDD has. The aim of the research was to investigate the effect of living with a sibling with Autism/PDD by using play therapy methods. In order to achieve this goal the researcher undertook a literature study to provide a better insight into the dimensions and complexities of defining Autism/PDD and its related conditions, an in-depth look at the triad of impairments and the influence this has on the functioning of siblings of children with Autism/PDD. The second objective was to undertake an empirical study with regards to the influence of Autism/PDD on the functioning of these siblings. The third objective was to make recommendations to parents and people working in families with children with Autism/PDD that will enable them to respond to the needs of these siblings. The researcher made use of applied research. The data collection phase consisted of unstructured interviews, conducted in the form of a play process. The research question was the following: What is the effect of living with a sibling with Autism/PDD? Qualitative research was used in this study to enable the researcher to do a subjective exploration of reality as opposed to the outsider perspective of quantitative research. This study focused on the following aspects: helping, advocacy, awareness and a need for information, positive and negative feelings that the respondents experienced about their siblings, the effect on the child in middle childhood as well as family stresses. The researcher came to the conclusion that siblings of children with Autism/PDD experience both positive and negative feelings with regards to their brother/sister with Autism/PDD. / Dissertation (MSD (Play Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Social Work / unrestricted

Legislation regulating minimum sentences in South Africa was re-introduced by sections 51 to 53 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 105 of 1997 which came into operation on 1 May 1998. These provisions were regarded as a temporary measure to be effective for two years, where after they were extended from time to time. After they had been extended for several times, section 51 was rendered permanent on 31 December 2007 by the Criminal Law (Sentencing) Amendment Act 38 of 2007. At the same time sections 52 and 53 were repealed by the same Act. Minimum sentence legislation was the result of a call by the community for heavier penalties and for the offenders to serve more realistic terms of imprisonment. There was also a general dissatisfaction about the perceived leniency of sentences imposed by the courts for serious crimes. During 1996 and in the wake of these concerns the Minister of Justice requested the South African Law Reform Commission to investigate all aspects of sentencing in South Africa. A Project Committee chaired by a judge of the High Court was appointed and it operated from the late 1996 to March 1998. Minimum sentences for certain serious crimes were one of the options to be investigated by the Project Committee. Consequent to this the Criminal Law Amendment Act 105 of 1997 was promulgated with effect from 1 May 1998. The legislature intended this Act to defer criminal activity, to avoid disparities in sentencing and to deal harshly with perpetrators of serious offences. The subsequent amendments to the Act included the granting of jurisdiction to the Regional court to pass life imprisonment, an automatic right of appeal against life imprisonment in respect of a juvenile accused and identification of circumstances that do not constitute substantial and compelling circumstances. Judicial discretion and departure from prescribed minimum sentences had initially presented a problem regarding its interpretation in a variety of cases in our courts. Eventually our courts came up with a clear interpretation of the meaning of the phrase substantial and compelling circumstances. This research project will analyze the provisions of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 105 of 1997 with regard to minimum sentences for certain serious offences. In the process case law and other literature will be discussed regarding the interpretation of minimum sentence provisions in the Act. Recommendations for legislation which will cover the aspect of sentencing on a wider scale are made.

The Criminal Law Amendment Act introduced a scheme where minimum sentences are prescribed for serious offences into the South African Criminal Law. The limitations put on the courts’ sentencing discretion were not received with unanimous approval from all quarters. The Constitutional Court declared the general working of the Act to be constitutional soon after its inception. Specific provisions pertaining to certain offences remained unpopular. The hefty sentence of 15 years imprisonment prescribed for the possession of a semi-automatic firearm is put forward as an example in this regard. High Courts avoid the minimum sentence prescribed for this offence by using different interpretational methods. Despite the sense of animosity towards the unfair contents of this provision, no ruling is made on the constitutionality thereof. An apparent deference towards the legislature could be detected on the part of the judiciary. South African jurisprudence discourages our courts to rule on the constitutionality of a law. It is only done when the defect could not be remedied by any other available means. The reluctance of our courts to make a ruling on the constitutionality of the semi-automatic provision does not promote legal certainty. High Courts attach different interpretations to the “true intention” of the legislature in order to bypass this provision. Logic dictates that inexperienced presiding officers with inferior interpretational skills would continue to hand down the minimum sentence while it remains on the law books. A sentence of fifteen years is also prescribed for robbery with aggravating circumstances. The existing common law on the interpretation of the definition of this offence provides for a wide range of human conduct to be included. Case law could be expected where the courts deviate from the prescribed sentence on a regular basis. This unscientific approach should be discouraged and a rethinking of the boundaries of this offence is suggested. The Act is doing more harm than good to our Criminal Law. The legislature could still provide other visible measures against serious crime without invading the sentencing discretion of the judiciary.