1,987 research outputs found
Kayardild Morphology, Phonology and Morphosyntax
Kayardild possesses one of, if not the, most exuberant systems of morphological concord known to linguists, and a phonological system which is intricately sensitive to its morphology. This dissertation provides a comprehensive description of the phonology of Kayardild, an investigation of its phonetics, its intonation, and a formal analysis of its inflectional morphology. A key component of the latter is the existence of a âmorphomicâ level of representation intermediate between morphosyntactic features and underlying phonological forms.
Chapter 2 introduces the segmental inventory of Kayardild, the phonetic realisations of surface segments, and their phonotactics. Chapter 3 provides an introduction to the empirical facts of Kayardild word structure, outlining the kinds of morphs of which words are composed, their formal shapes and their combinations. Chapter 4 treats the segmental phonology of Kayardild. After a survey of the mappings between underlying and (lexical) surface forms, the primary topic is the interaction of the phonology with morphology, although major generalisations identifiable in the phonology itself are also identified and discussed. Chapter 5 examines Kayardild stress, and presents a constraint based analysis, before turning to an empirical and analytical discussion of intonation. Chapter 6, on the syntax and morphosyntax of Kayardild, is most substantial chapter of the dissertation. In association with the examination of a large corpus of new and newly collated data, mutually compatible analyses of the syntax and morphosyntactic features of Kayardild are built up and compared against less favourable alternatives. A critical review of Evansâ (1995a) analysis of similar phenomena is also provided. Chapter 7 turns to the realisational morphology â the component of the grammar which ties the morphosyntax to the phonology, by realising morphosyntactic features structures as morphomic representations, then morphomic representations as underlying phonological representations. A formalism is proposed in order to express these mappings within a constraint based grammar.
In addition to enriching our understanding of Kayardild, the dissertation presents data and analyses which will be of interest for theories of the interface between morphology on the one hand and phonology and syntax on the other, as well as for morphological and phonological theory more narrowly
Cricket bowling: A two-segment Lagrangian model
In this study, a Lagrangian forward solution of the bowling arm in cricket is made using a two-segment rigid body model, coupled with projectile equations for the free flight of the ball. For given initial arm positions and constant joint torques, the equations are solved numerically to determine the ball speed and arm angle at release so that the ball can land on a predetermined position on the pitch. The model was driven with kinematic data from video obtained from an elite bowler. The model can be analysed in order to study the biomechanics of the bowling arm as well as to quantify the effects of changing input parameters on the trajectory and speed of the ball
Evolution and trade-off dynamics of functional load
Functional load (FL) quantifies the contributions by phonological contrasts to distinctions made across the lexicon. Previous research has linked particularly low values of FL to sound change. Here, we broaden the scope of enquiry into FL to its evolution at higher values also. We apply phylogenetic methods to examine the diachronic evolution of FL across 90 languages of the PamaâNyungan (PN) family of Australia. We find a high degree of phylogenetic signal in FL, indicating that FL values covary closely with genealogical structure across the family. Though phylogenetic signals have been reported for phonological structures, such as phonotactics, their detection in measures of phonological function is novel. We also find a significant, negative correlation between the FL of vowel length and of the following consonantâthat is, a time-depth historical trade-off dynamic, which we relate to known allophony in modern PN languages and compensatory sound changes in their past. The findings reveal a historical dynamic, similar to transphonologization, which we characterize as a flow of contrastiveness between subsystems of the phonology. Recurring across a language family that spans a whole continent and many millennia of time depth, our findings provide one of the most compelling examples yet of Sapirâs âdriftâ hypothesis of non-accidental parallel development in historically related languages
Design of an Auxiliary Power Distribution Network for an Electric Vehicle
This paper presents the design of an auxiliary power distribution network for an electric vehicle. Efficiency is a key element in the design for any electric vehicle and a 48Vdc distribution network will be used throughout the vehicle. The high efficiency Cuk converter has been
selected as the most appropriate topology to supply the various distributed loads. To achieve the best compromise between efficiency and component sizes, a switching
frequency of 100kHz is used. The results from simulations and experimental measurements are discussed and a range of proposals is also made to modify some of the
existing loads to further improve efficiency
Re-evaluating phoneme frequencies
Causal processes can give rise to distinctive distributions in the linguistic
variables that they affect. Consequently, a secure understanding of a
variable's distribution can hold a key to understanding the forces that have
causally shaped it. A storied distribution in linguistics has been Zipf's law,
a kind of power law. In the wake of a major debate in the sciences around
power-law hypotheses and the unreliability of earlier methods of evaluating
them, here we re-evaluate the distributions claimed to characterize phoneme
frequencies. We infer the fit of power laws and three alternative distributions
to 166 Australian languages, using a maximum likelihood framework. We find
evidence supporting earlier results, but also nuancing them and increasing our
understanding of them. Most notably, phonemic inventories appear to have a
Zipfian-like frequency structure among their most-frequent members (though
perhaps also a lognormal structure) but a geometric (or exponential) structure
among the least-frequent. We compare these new insights the kinds of causal
processes that affect the evolution of phonemic inventories over time, and
identify a potential account for why, despite there being an important role for
phonetic substance in phonemic change, we could still expect inventories with
highly diverse phonetic content to share similar distributions of phoneme
frequencies. We conclude with priorities for future work in this promising
program of research.Comment: 29pp (3 figures, 3 tables). This article has been provisionally
accepted for publication (Frontiers in Psychology, Language Sciences).
Supplementary information, data and code available at
http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.388621
Phylogenetic signal in phonotactics
Phylogenetic methods have broad potential in linguistics beyond tree
inference. Here, we show how a phylogenetic approach opens the possibility of
gaining historical insights from entirely new kinds of linguistic data--in this
instance, statistical phonotactics. We extract phonotactic data from 111
Pama-Nyungan vocabularies and apply tests for phylogenetic signal, quantifying
the degree to which the data reflect phylogenetic history. We test three
datasets: (1) binary variables recording the presence or absence of biphones
(two-segment sequences) in a lexicon (2) frequencies of transitions between
segments, and (3) frequencies of transitions between natural sound classes.
Australian languages have been characterized as having a high degree of
phonotactic homogeneity. Nevertheless, we detect phylogenetic signal in all
datasets. Phylogenetic signal is greater in finer-grained frequency data than
in binary data, and greatest in natural-class-based data. These results
demonstrate the viability of employing a new source of readily extractable data
in historical and comparative linguistics.Comment: Main text: 32 pages, 17 figures, 1 table. Supplementary Information:
17 pages, 1 figure. Code and data available at
http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3936353. This article is in review but not yet
accepted for publication in a journa
Lamellar Structures of MUC2-Rich Mucin: A Potential Role in Governing the Barrier and Lubricating Functions of Intestinal Mucus
Mucus is a ubiquitous feature of mammalian wet epithelial surfaces, where it lubricates and forms a selective barrier that excludes a range of particulates, including pathogens, while hosting a diverse commensal microflora. The major polymeric component of mucus is mucin, a large glycoprotein formed by several MUC gene products, with MUC2 expression dominating intestinal mucus. A satisfactory answer to the question of how these molecules build a dynamic structure capable of playing such a complex role has yet to be found, as recent reports of distinct layers of chemically identical mucin in the colon and anomalously rapid transport of nanoparticles through mucus have emphasized. Here we use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to image a MUC2-rich mucus fraction isolated from pig jejunum. In the freshly isolated mucin fraction, we find direct evidence for trigonally linked structures, and their assembly into lamellar networks with a distribution of pore sizes from 20 to 200 nm. The networks are two-dimensional, with little interaction between lamellae. The existence of persistent cross-links between individual mucin polypeptides is consistent with a non-self-interacting lamellar model for intestinal mucus structure, rather than a physically entangled polymer network. We only observe collapsed entangled structures in purified mucin that has been stored in nonphysiological conditions
Understanding Harris' understanding of CEA: is cost effective resource allocation undone?
We summarise and evaluate Harris' criticisms of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and the alternative processes he commends to health care decision makers. In contrast to CEA, Harris' asserts that individuals have a right to life-saving treatment that cannot be denied on the basis of their capacity to benefit. We conclude that, whilst Harris' work has challenged the proponents of CEA and quality-adjusted life years to be explicit about the method's indirect discriminatory characteristics, his arguments ignore important questions about what âlives savedâ mean. Harris also attempts to avoid opportunity cost by advocating the same chance of treatment for every person desiring treatment. Using a simple example, we illustrate that an âequal chancesâ lottery is not in the interest of any patient, as it reduces the chance of treatment for all patients by leaving some of the health budget unspent
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