Representational layering in Functional Discourse Grammar

The paper addresses the internal structure of layers at the Representational level in Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG), and proposes three adaptations of the representation of frames with respect to what is now standing practice (HENGEVELD; MACKENZIE, 2006; Forthcoming). Our main concern is a reappraisal of Dik’s (1989, 1997) original argumentation for the endocentric use of argument variables within restrictors of terms, which we argue are fundamental to FDG theory and should be generalised over all representational layers. Based on this view, we propose a transparent usage of square brackets, which embrace equipollent configurations of which the argument variable is part. This in turn reveals problems in the representation of the nuclear event description - the verb and its arguments - as an identifiable entity, which is an old problem in FG, as well as in the representation of reference modification. As a unified solution, we invoke exocentric layers to account for the special structural properties of these units. The result is a more consistent and transparent structure of representational frames in FDG

Housing First as a System Approach: What Does This Require from the Netherlands?

According to conservative figures, almost 40 000 people in the Netherlands arehomeless. In december 2022, the Dutch Government launched a new NationalActionplan on Homelessness based on Housing First principles 1. Housing First is an evidence-based approach to successfully support people experiencing homelessness by providing stable and independent housing and intensive personalised case management. The innovative policy taken by the Government focuses on citizens who are experiencing homelessness, or who are at risk of this due to eviction or leaving institutions and is a response to the sharp increase in homelessness in the past 10 years. The current policy programme is based on the success of local Housing First programmes, which until now have not had the national attention from the Government they required. There are currently 47 Housing First practices in 93 municipalities. This represents a cautious starting point for national coverage, which is critical for the national roll out of the programme. People experiencing homelessness in the Netherlands currently have an estimated 10% chance of access to Housing First. The current system is relatively expensive and ineffective (Boesveldt, 2015; van Everdingen et al., 2021) and lacks a coordinated government-led approach. Much of the help provided for people experiencing homelessness concerns temporary options, with no prospect of a sustainable solution. Based on the eight core principles of Housing First, this paper describes the status quo and the necessary development for a successful system approach to Housing First in the Netherlands

Probing the Light Pseudoscalar Window

Very light pseudoscalars can arise from the symmetry-breaking sector in many extensions of the Standard Model. If their mass is below 200 MeV, they can be long-lived and have interesting phenomenology. We discuss the experimental constraints on several models with light pseudoscalars, including one in which the pseudoscalar is naturally fermiophobic. Taking into account the stringent bounds from rare K and B decays, we find allowed parameter space in each model that may be accessible in direct production experiments. In particular, we study the photoproduction of light pseudoscalars at Jefferson Lab and conclude that a beam dump experiment could explore some of the allowed parameter space of these models.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figure