Abstract

This paper deals with a number of geosynonyms within grapes and wine terminology in Catalan; twenty-nine names of vines and grapes (technically called «ampelonyms») are analyzed: «boval, garnatxa, giró, pansal, palop, monastrell, picapoll or moscatell», amongst others. The author, aware of the lack of dialectal maps concerning specific terminology, has drawn nine maps of these ampelonyms, based on extensive fieldwork, with surveys he has carried out in all Catalan-speaking areas. The paper is supplemented by numerous bibliographical references and complementary information (often in footnotes) on the names of the grapes studied: etymological hypotheses, parallelisms in other Romance languages, etc.

Abstract

The name of letters, derived from Latin, are not exactly the same in the various Romance languages. The study of references to the name of letters made by grammarians and lexicographers reveals the continuity of forms going back to the origins of language and still remembered, although occasionally, at the beginning of the 20th century: a, be, ce, de, e, ef; ge, hac, i, jota, ka, el, em, en, o, pe, qu, er, es, te, u, ve, xeix, y grega, i tzeta. However, in the 19th century, Castilians gradually substituted these names, and consequently, the codification of Catalan by Pompeu Fabra and the Institut d'Estudis Catalans was carried out with disregard to its own grammatical tradition.

Abstract

This work is a discussed exposition, with references to Romance languages nearer to Catalan, of two hypotesis which have tried to explain peculiar evolution e " [í] and o " [ú] because of the iod in Catalan. The most accepted explanation says the iod was the cause of diphthongation of both vowels (the same as in Occitan) and after this they monophthongized in [í] and [ú] respectivelly, But I try to notice you, by following the line that Badia Margarit in his Gramàtica suggested, also it could be accepted an explanation based on direct inflection of open vowels (the same as in Castilian and Portuguese).

Abstract

L’etiqueta de gènere s’aplica a nocions gramaticals diverses: la distinció de classes convencionals de noms, la distinció de diverses categories semàntiques (particularment, els inanimats i el sexe dels animats) o la caracterització de pronoms referits a persones o a coses en general. Aquest article repassa el funcionament del gènere gramatical en les llengües romàniques. Comença per fenòmens coneguts en aquestes llengües, tals com les menes de distribució de les marques, l’existència d’una classe de noms ambígena en algunes llengües, la variació en l’atribució de gènere i els casos de concordança. En acabat, s’ocupa de manera especial de l’anomenat neutre de matèria, i també de l’oposició entre els pronoms referits a persones o a coses en general. Pel que fa als noms femenins col·lectius i al neutre de matèria, s’hi mostra com morfemes que són aparentment marques de gènere s’utilitzen per a expressar l’oposició entre comptable i no comptable, associada habitualment al nombre. Respecte a l’oposició entre els pronoms referits a persones i a coses en general, es dóna una explicació de l’ús de formes de femení amb pronoms que tenen valor de neutre.

Abstract

L’autor presenta i comenta les obres sobre gramàtica contrastiva del català i altres llengües realitzades per lingüistes alemanys des de 1502 fins a l’actualitat. S’hi consideren al voltant de quaranta títols referits de manera gairebé exclusiva als altres idiomes romànics i a l’alemany. Al començament, només era possible trobar qüestions de caire contrastiu en obres més generals, però a partir de 1917 comencen a aparèixer llibres i articles amb una orientació directament contrastiva.

Abstract

In this article we will discuss the causal and final adverbial values connected to the conjunction «que» in Catalan and in other Romanic languages. In the first part, we analyse the evolution of the complex conjunctions system in Classical Latin and the posterior oral usages which originated the preliterary Romanic languages. In the second, we study the causal and final subordinate propositions introduced by the nexus «que». As we will try to show, in Medieval Time the nexus que, as it happens today, was used to introduce both argumentative adjuncts, integrated in the predicate, and propositional adjuncts, more external and with a discursive function. Since the 13th century, the progressive substitution of que through other conjunctions will affect causal subordinate and final circumstantial propositions, but otherwise que will maintain its function to introduce discursive causality and finality, specially in oral language.

Abstract

The author looks at an ancient poem from the romance language domain, from its first documented appearances, which starts with «Eu·m levei un bon matí» or similar words and goes on to explore the thematic motif of the nightingale as a confidant and messenger on romantic errands.

Abstract

This paper presenta a contrastive analysis of the Romance verbs derived from ESSE and STARE. The lexical and syntactic characteristics of these verbs in Latin and their locative and atributive uses clearly contrast with actual Romance uses. This contrast highlights the variable extension of the verbs derived from STARE assuming the space of those derived from ESSE.One extreme of the clyne is represented by the Hispanic languages (i.e., Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan), which have developed more uses and thus extended further the STARE forms. On the opposite extreme, there is French, which has no STARE uses. In between, there are Occitan, Sardinian, Italian and Romanian, which include some forms derived from STARE, but their extension is inferior to the extension reached in the Hispanic languages. The analysis focusses on the factors that have interacted and influenced on this extension of use and points to the present tendencies.