Du statut des prépositions dans la grammaire

La plupart des études sur les catégories proposent une distinction formelle entre catégories lexicales et catégories fonctionnelles, distinction fondée habituellement sur des critères sémantiques. Le présent article porte sur la catégorie P et offre des arguments théoriques et empiriques en faveur d’une définition morphosyntaxique de cette catégorie. Nous montrons que le concept sémantique de RELATION est inadéquat pour décrire la classe des prépositions (qui inclut les locutions prépositives et les prépositions grammaticales) et que ce concept doit être reformulé en termes de transitivité.Most works on syntactic categories propose a formal distinction between lexical and functional categories, a distinction usually based on semantic criteria. This article about the category Prep presents theoretical and empirical arguments in favor of a morpho-syntactic definition of that category. We will show that the semantic concept RELATION is inadequate for a description of prepositions as a class (including complex and grammatical prepositions) and that this concept must be reformulated in terms of transitivity

Alternances d’arguments internes en français et en anglais

Le présent article a pour but de démontrer qu’il est possible de rendre compte des alternances d’arguments internes en postulant une relation formelle entre les deux arguments. Cette hypothèse est confirmée par l’observation que la relation existant entre les deux arguments internes ressemble à la relation entre une tête nominale et son complément. Cette analyse permet de rendre compte des alternances datives et bénéfactives en anglais et en français. Il sera proposé que le français a une alternance dative, mais que cette alternance ne change pas la structure de surface.Thise paper shows that alternations of internal arguments can be accounted for if one posits a formal relationship between the two arguments. This hypothesis is confirmed by the observation that the relationship between the two internal arguments of a ditransitive verb is similar to that between a head noun and its complement. The proposal accounts for both dative and benefactive alternations in French and English. It is argued that French does have a dative alternation, but that this alternation is covert

Avoir ou être

Le présent article propose que le français a deux copules : avoir et être et que leurs différences distributionnelles sont conditionnées syntaxiquement. Ils sont semblables en ce que ni l’un ni l’autre ne peut assigner de rôle-θ (comme dans Guéron 1987). Ils diffèrent toutefois en ce que seulement avoir peut assigner un Cas (accusatif).Cette proposition nous permet de rendre compte de façon élégante d’un certain nombre de constructions avec être et avoir, telles que les constructions possessives et épistémiques.This paper argues that French has two copulas: avoir "have" and être "be" and that their distributional differences are syntactically conditioned. avoir and être are similar in that neither can assign a θ-role, as in Guéron (1987). They differ however in that only avoir can assign (accusative) Case.This proposal allows us to account elegantly for the selection of avoir and être in a number of environments such as possessive and epistemic constructions

La contribution de l’évaluation à la démocratisation du système de santé et de services sociaux

Au cours des dernières décennies, l'évaluation des services, des programmes et des politiques a connu une évolution marquée. Alors que sur la scène épistémologique se sont affrontés les modèles positivistes et constructivistes, dans l'arène politique plusieurs catégories d'acteurs ont tenté de dominer les choix publics. Si la maîtrise de savoirs scientifiques, méthodologiques et techniques des uns est indispensable à la compréhension des enjeux en présence, la légitimité des autres est la seule susceptible d'assurer un véritable consensus démocratique. L'évaluation des politiques, des programmes et des services doit contribuer à rationaliser et à améliorer la qualité des services; elle devra aussi créer un espace convivial de négociation des enjeux et des pratiques, un univers de significations et de valeurs où individus et communautés pourront faire des choix légitimes et construire ensemble une société véritablement démocratique.During the last decades, the evaluation of services, programs and policies has evolved considerably. While on the epistemological scene tenants of positive and constructive theoretical models opposed each other, on the political scene many actors tended to dominate public choices. The evaluation of policies, programs and services must not only contribute to the rationalization and to the upgrading of service quality. It must also create a convivial space for the negotiation of stakes and practices, a world of significant meanings that let individuals and communities make legitimate and transparent choices in order to build together a real democratic society

Texting the Future in Belgium and Québec: Present matters

This study investigates the variation in the expression of Future Temporal Reference in text messages in Belgian and Québécois French. Three variants are considered: The Futurate Present, the Synthetic Future and the Analytic Future. The results of multivariate analyses show that the use of the Futurate Present does not appear to be subject to dialectal variation: Both communities use this variant at similar rates, and the use of the variant is constrained by the same linguistic factors. The two dialects show differences in their choice of the Synthetic vs the Analytic Future. Unlike Québécois French, Belgian French strongly favours the Synthetic Future. The two dialects also differ with respect to the linguistic constraints in effect. Our analysis shows the need to explore the relationship between variants, and to distinguish between Covert T (realized as Present tense) and Overt T (either Synthetic or Analytic Future). Our results point toward the hybrid nature of text messages: While our results show patterns of use in line with oral/conversational corpora as reflected by the dialectal variation observed, text messages are not exempt from the influence of written French, as shown by the use of Synthetic Future forms in affirmative sentences in the Québec corpus

A Real-time Analysis of the Variable Use of Expletive \u27il\u27 in Montréal French

This paper examines the linguistic and social factors constraining the variable use of expletive il in Montréal French. Based on two corpora of spoken French recorded in 1971 and 2012, we study the evolution of the omission of il over 40 years. The analysis of the linguistic factors shows a general omission increase between 1971 and 2012, but within a stable language system, as this variable is subject to the same linguistic constraints despite the passage of time. However, while the general tendencies suggest that the omission is on the rise in the Montréal community, the apparent-time analysis of the 2012 data shows a reversal of this trend toward the standard variant (il realization)

Sexual abuse of intellectually disabled youth : a review

Intellectual disability (ID) is a condition characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, which affects various everyday social and practical skills. This disability manifests itself before the age of 18 (American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities [AAIDD], 2010). While the global prevalence of ID is only 1% (Maulik, Mascarenhas, Mathers, Dua & Saxena, 2011), research shows that the risk of being sexually abused is 2 to 6 times greater among intellectually disabled youth than among typically developing youth (Dion, Bouchard, Gaudreault & Mercier, 2012). It is also argued that the prevalence of sexual abuse may be underestimated among intellectually disabled youth, as disclosure may be more difficult for them because of their limited vocabulary and communicative abilities (Murphy, 2007). Despite this higher risk, professionals who work with this population have little information on the issue. Myths and prejudices which devalue intellectually disabled people in our society, such as the notions that they are asexual or that they do not suffer, may increase their vulnerability to sexual abuse (Mansell & Sobsey, 2001). Expanding our knowledge in the field of ID and sexual abuse may help dispel these myths and break down these prejudices. This article presents a literature review that aims to 1) provide an overview of sexual abuse of intellectually disabled youth, and 2) discuss the implications for prevention and intervention for these vulnerable youth