Romanisch und Deutsch am Hinterrhein. Heft 1: Heinzenberg/Mantogna, Romanisch By Clau Solèr and Theodor Ebneter (review)

Abstract

BOOK NOTICES 723 an interesting wealth of data as that offered under pouvoir, savoir, and vouloir (the latter entry includes examples such as // veut pleuvoir ). H's is also the work where one finds the best description of an intriguing problem of French grammar, viz. the mood used after sentence -initial Lefaitque ... The work offers much food for further reflection on grammatical problems (see also the stimulating review article of G. Straka, Revue de Linguistique romane 47.469-76, 1983). Throughout this dictionary, I find very little with which to disagree (though on p. 239, 1 cannot accept the assignment ofan adverbial status to comme in Voilà comme je suis and Vous ne savez pas comme il vous aime). My only wish would be that H, who has an admirable knowledge ofthe French grammatical tradition, could give us a revised edition which would include a short historical survey and a select bibliography for the major grammatical problems. Some articles (e.g. on après que, or on aspects of negation ) clearly reflect H's familiarity with recent publications, and it would be worthwhile to give the reader some directions for further reading. The Nouveau dictionnaire is also a masterpiece from the typographical point of view: it is beautifully printed, and extremely well proofread . Together with the 1 1th edition of M. Grevisse 's Bon usage, published (also by Duculot) in the same format, H's volume is a standard work for French grammar, and every scholar of French should have it within arm's reach. [P. Swiggers, Belgian National Science Foundation.] Romanisch und Deutsch am Hinterrhein . Heft 1: Heinzenberg/Mantogna , Romanisch. (Begleittexte zu den Sprechplattendes Phonogrammarchivs der Universität Zürich, 4.) By Clau Solèr and Theodor Ebneter . Zürich, 1983. Pp. 48. Ebneter is well known for his grammatical and lexicographical work on Rhaeto-Romance (see his Das bündnerromanische Futur, Bern, 1973; and his Wörterbuch des Romanischen von Obervaz Tübingen, 1981, reviewed in Lg. 60.661-2, 1984); for his active interest in formal and theoretical linguistics (see his Konditionen und Restriktionen in der generativen Grammatik , Tübingen, 1985); and for a number of handbooks in applied linguistics (especially his Angewandte Linguistik, München, 1976, 2 vols.) At the language laboratory of the University of Zürich, E has promoted phonetic research in combination with dialectological and sociolinguistic studies. One ofthe main projects is the study ofRomance/German bilingualism in the Hinterrheintal (situated in the Graubünden canton of Switzerland). The aim of the project since 1978 has been to investigate the status and mutual relations of Bündnerdeutsch and Bündnerromanisch (rumantsch) in the area between Andeer and Reichenau (the four principal valleys are Heinzenberg, Domleschg, Schams, and Boden). The results of the project will be published in eight fascicles, half for the RhaetoRomance dialects and half for Bündnerdeutsch, a mixture of various German dialects. The fascicle under review, the first of the series , is the product of the collaboration of Ebneter and Solèr, a Rhaeto-Romance linguist; it is devoted to the rumantsch dialect of Heinzenberg (or Mantogna). The booklet accompanies an LP record distributed by the Phonogrammarchiv of the University of Zürich. This archive , now directed by Ebneter, has established its reputation by phonographic recordings of German, Italian, and Rhaeto-Romance dialects; even so, the quality ofthe present record is outstanding , and surpasses that of comparable recordings by Italian companies (e.g. of Italian and Sardinian dialects). Moreover, the fascicle provides us with all the necessary information for adequate use ofthe recorded texts: these can be used in the classroom, or for individual study. In fact, the fascicle not only includes the recorded texts, but also opens with an extremely useful introduction (5-23), which I strongly recommend to all those interested in Rhaeto-Romance. The introduction opens with a brief description of the linguistic situation in Heinzenberg, where the number ofRhaeto-Romance speakers is steadily decreasing. Given that German has replaced Rhaeto-Romance in the schools, younger speakers' knowledge of Sutsilvan (the variety oirumantsch spoken in the Hinterrhein) is extremely poor. In this respect, it is interesting to note the numerous interferences from German and spectacular cases of...