Romance Languages Research Articles

The MuLeCo Project: A learner corpus of L1 German learners of Romance languages

The MuLeCo Project: A learner corpus of L1 German learners of Romance languages

The tsarist policy of russification of education and the “unfavorable realities” in Bessarabia (second half of the 19th century)

The article reveals the process of radical transformation of the education system in Bessarabia in the second half of the nineteenth century, as a result of the tightening of the national policy of the Russian Empire and the intensification of the national-cultural Russification of the non-Russian peoples, the attempts of the Czarist authorities to modernize and homogenize the multinational Russian Empire, according to the model of European states. The author highlights two stages of the policy of Russification of education in Bessarabia. The first stage – years 1866-1872 – is characterized by the undermining of Romanian and mixed parochial primary schools (Romanian-Russian), the prohibition of teaching Romanian language at the regional gymnasium, theological seminary, county schools, etc, by creating a Russian primary and secondary education system in Bessarabia. The second stage – years 1873-1900 – is characterized by the attempt to radically transform the linguistic and cultural realities of the Bessarabian villages, causing the exponential growth of the number of Russian schools in rural areas, mass learning of the Russian language by the Romanian peasants in Bessarabia, the imposition of the Russian language not only in state institutions, but also in the privacy of families. The discussions in this regard within the Committee of Ministers of the Russian Empire highlighted the following dilemma: either the application of force to boost the policy of Russification, or the continuation of the policy of gradual Russification.Understanding the impasse that the Russian Empire would have entered, the authorities finally decided to achieve the goals of the policy of russification of the Romanians in Bessarabia, not through repressive methods, but „gradually and without violence”.

Tense and aspect in the interlanguage of Slavic speakers learning Romance languages

ABSTRACT The study addresses the research gap of how being a speaker of a Slavic language influences the ability to convey tempo-aspectual meanings in Romance languages by examining personal and impersonal narratives delivered in written and spoken mode by learners of L3 Spanish and L3 Italian with L1 Slovak and L2 English. Narratives are analysed following the methods of interlanguage analysis proposed by Ellis and Barkhuizen [(2005). Analysing learner language. Oxford University Press] and Salaberry and Comajoan [(2013). Research design and methodology in studies on L2 tense and aspect. De Gruyter Mouton], such as coding for grounding, frequency analysis of tense forms and lexical aspectual classes, etc. Following the ideas presented by Bayley (2013, Data analysis: Quantitative approaches. In M. R. Salaberry & L. Comajoan (Eds.), Research design andmethodology in studies on L2 tense and aspect (pp. 357–390). De Gruyter Mouton), binomial logistic regression models were built which showed that (a) the combination of discourse grounding and lexical aspect is of predictive power regarding the appropriateness of participants’ choices of morphological marking; (b) the distributional characteristics of morphological marking on telic predicates differs from activities and statives. One of the main differences compared to the results of previous studies, conducted on speakers of Germanic languages, is that the data did not provide enough evidence for morphological marking being used to convey primarily temporal distinctions (see Salaberry, 1999, The development of past tense verbal morphology in classroom L2 Spanish. Applied Linguistics, 20(2), 151–178. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/20.2.151; Wiberg, E. (1996). Reference to past events in bilingual Italian-Swedish children of school age. Linguistics, 34(5), 1087–1114. https://doi.org/10.1515/ling.1996.34.5.1087]) and presented the marking of telic predicates in foreground with perfective morphology as consistent, disregarding the level of participants’ performance.

ROMANIAN GLOSSONYMS: PROPER NAMES OF LANGUAGES AND (SILENT) CLASSIFIERS

The paper investigates Romanian proper names of languages, referred to throughout as glossonyms, and proposes a tripartite classification of such constructions. The first category of Romanian glossonyms is represented by structures of the type limba română / language.DEF.FEM Romanian.FEM / ‘Romanian language’, for which the paper proposes an analysis in terms of complex proper names (van Riemsdijk 1998; Cornilescu 2007), where limba ‘language’ functions as a classifier. The second category of Romanian glossonyms consists of complex proper names with covert classifiers, of the type LIMBA română / LANGUAGE Romanian / ‘Romanian’. Finally, the third category is represented by -ește glossonyms, where the (nominalizing) suffix is syntactically active, signaling the presence of the same covert classifier. In the latter category, two other points are made in the paper. First, where ambiguity arises between two interpretations of -ește derivatives, i.e. the like X and the language X interpretations, two prepositions serve the purpose of disambiguation: în ‚in’ and pe ‘on’. Second, the same prepositions are used to encode a temporally-bounded interpretation of the speaking event, as opposed to a generic / habitual one in the absence of the prepositions.

The Relevance of the Cross-Border-Student Mobility along the Hungarian-Romanian Border Region

The settlements inhabited by the Hungarian minority in Romania have mixed (with Hungarian and Romanian language) and partly segregated (Hungarian) school network. After the Romanian integration to the European Union and the simplification of border crossing, the Hungarian minority along the Hungarian-Romanian border, a new process appeared: the cross-border commuting of university and secondary school students the two-step migration. This process fills some of the demographic deficit in the Hungarian education network, but, at the same time it is creating hiatus in the Hungarian school network in Romania. This process has a negative effect on the sustainability of minority institutions in the short term, and in the medium term it has a negative effect on the available human resources and limits the development opportunities of the local economy. Over the past four years, we have followed the process of choosing a high school with the help of quantitative and qualitative studies. The results are suitable for exploring the significance and proportion of the process of cross-border two-step migration.

On the Issue of Symbolic Politics in Modern Moldova (1989–2023)

The article examines the evolution of narratives of symbolic politics in modern Moldova (1989–2023), including among the political “rights”. The analysis of documents and political discourse allowed the author to identify three key narratives: Russia as a threat, European integration as a national idea, the myth of the identity of the Romanian and Moldovan languages (language narrative). Particular attention in the article is paid to the dynamics of political narratives, their coherence. The current policy of Moldova in constructing the Romanian identity among Moldovans, reflecting the interests of ethnic minorities (“unionist Romanians”), provokes social disunity, which is confirmed by the growth in the number of opposition forces and protests, and in recent years – in a decrease in trust in the foreign policy vector of the republic (European integration). However, the nationalist ideological trend, in general, is developing, overcoming “multi-vectorality” and neutrality.

D-features or ellipsis in null subject licensing? Evidence from Brazilian and European Portuguese

Abstract Holmberg (Holmberg, Anders. 2005. Is there a little pro? Evidence from Finnish. Linguistic Inquiry 36(4). 533–564) and its revised version in Holmberg et al. (Holmberg, Anders, Aarti Nayudu & Michelle Sheehan. 2009. Three partial null-subject languages: A comparison of Brazilian Portuguese, Finnish, and Marathi. Studia Linguistica 63(1). 59–97) derive the availability of null subjects in a given language from the interaction between T with/without a D(efiniteness)-feature and the features of subject pronouns. Their theory predicts the existence of consistent null subject languages, whose T has the D-feature, and partial null subject languages, whose T lacks the D-feature. This paper examines this D-feature approach to null subjects against the empirical evidence provided by Brazilian Portuguese, a partial null subject language, and European Portuguese, a consistent null subject language, showing that it cannot account for the range of microvariation observed with respect to different null subject pronouns and the type of T (finite vs. participle vs. gerund). We argue that, in comparison, the ellipsis account of null subject licensing put forward in Martins and Nunes (Martins, Ana Maria & Jairo Nunes. 2021. Brazilian and European Portuguese and Holmberg’s 2005 typology of null subject languages. In Sergio Baauw, Frank Drijkoningen & Luisa Meroni (eds.), Romance languages and linguistic theory 2018. Selected papers from “Going Romance” 32, Utrecht, 171–190. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins) fares better. It retains from Holmberg (Holmberg, Anders. 2005. Is there a little pro? Evidence from Finnish. Linguistic Inquiry 36(4). 533–564 et seq.) the insight that the licensing of null subjects depends on the interaction between the features of T and the features of subject pronouns but resorts only to ϕ-features and Case. Crucially, it relies on the (theoretically and empirically) plausible assumption that the relation between abstract ϕ-features and verbal agreement morphology need not be transparent.

Dialogic and pragmatic aspects of early object realization: a crosslinguistic comparison of three Romance languages

This exploratory research aimed to assess the impact of pragmatic and dialogic factors on the choice of referring expressions at the onset of transitive constructions in three Romance languages. The study was conducted using a corpus of three adult-child dialogues with three 2;6-year-old children acquiring Brazilian Portuguese (BP), Spanish (Sp), and French (Fr). After analyzing the distribution of forms for accusative and dative objects, we assessed the impact of the input (through two levels of influence) and of the attentional and discursive status of the referents (through four degrees of accessibility). Overall, the results showed the children’s sensitivity to pragmatic factors, but we also found different uses for null objects in each language: the Brazilian child used more over-explicit forms when nulls would be accepted, while the French child used null objects when pronouns were expected. The Spanish-speaking child showed little disparity from the adults’ usage. The three children adopted linguistic forms from the adults' speech, and this strategy seems to contribute to the children's assessment of referent accessibility and the acquisition of challenging weak forms.

Hearsay Evidential Markers: On the Degree of Grammaticalization of Italian dice che and Romanian cică

In this study, I examined the hearsay evidential markers, namely dice che in Italian (central southern varieties) and cică in Romanian, both of which convey the meaning ‘it is said that/allegedly’ and have solidified into functional elements within their respective languages. To verify that the forms dice che/cică represent evidential markers, I analysed them phonologically, morphologically, syntactically and semantically. I began with Italian dice che, which has not undergone phonological reduction. Subsequently, after a brief overview of other Romance languages, I examined Romanian cică to understand its degree of grammaticalization. The results thus obtained clearly show the differences in the degree of grammaticalization between dice che and cică: Italian dice che is still in an early stage of grammaticalization, while Romanian cică is much more advanced.

Mijloace de redare a filiației în spațiul romanic medieval. Polisemia prepoziției de

The preposition de ( lat. de) is being used in early medieval Latin documents in order to compile the complementary denomination, marking mainly the provenance of the denominate (for the first centuries of the documentary use, at least). De prepositional structures occur always after the personal name (i.e. first name) with the same functionality in the medieval documents from the whole Roman space. But the vernacular way of name composition, involving the use of the preposition de with the parentage meaning (inherited in the Western Romance languages, but not in the Eastern Romance ones) are also being registered in the Romance documents (from the XIIth century in the aragonese official documents, and from the XIVth century in the Occitan ones). These prepositional phrases always involve an anthroponym (as selected Noun Phrase), indicating thus the parentage relation, instead of the provenance indication, as seen before, in the official acts drafted in the chancellery Latin. When these two different ways of composition of the complementary denomination are being used in the official acts in the same historical stage, one can expect the complete elimination of the preposition: few members of the same occitan family bear the same name, but linked differently: Ramun de la Pena, Miquel de Pena, but Bernat Pena. On the other hand, Romanian inherited the preposition de but only with the provenance use (e.g. Stan de Câne, in which Câne is the name of the personal estate); for the parentage meaning, the Old Romanian specialized some genitival proclitic markers (al, lui), used mainly in the popular anthroponymy that one can encounter in the Latin Medieval documents: Ioan al popae; Dumitru al Myrkey, Zawa fychor allu Mayne.

Româna devine limbă oficială în Republica Moldova

On March 2 and 16, 2023, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova adopted the project regarding the replacement of the name “Moldovan language” with “Romanian language” as the official language. The im portance of this decision was commented on by politicians, analysts, writers, linguists, and state institutions. At the same time, however, it provoked criticism and protests from the parliamentary opposition and reverberated in the official circles of the Russian Federation. The materials published in Izvestia reveal all commentators’ concern in relation to the great danger in adopting the name of Romanian language. They fear that Moldova, as an independent state, will lose its sovereignty and will be united with Romania. The publication is an example of how the language problem has been politicised.

Integration of ADEI Competencies in the Specialized Practice of Social Work Students and in the Act of Professionalization of Social Work

Considering the set of key competencies supported by social work organizations in the development of the social work profession at the global level, we aim to analyze from a theoretical point of view those competencies that presuppose the involvement in professional practice of attitudes and behaviors that support non-discrimination, cultural diversity, equity and inclusion in the training of social work students. The student in the field of social work here can be both the one who benefits from training and continuing education, and the one who in turn perpetuates future practices and balanced client-professional relationships, after being integrated into specific social work organizations. The analysis starts from how the professionalization of future social workers is correlated with their guidance and involvement in practices based on anti-racism/non-discrimination, equity, equal opportunities, cultural diversity and inclusion. The objective of this paper is to draw, at a theoretical level, lines of connection between professionalization practices at the international level - as formulated by the Boston University School of Social Work in agreement with the Council on Social Work Education, the national association that represents education of social work from the United States, with Romanian national norms - adopted from European and international practices - the National College of Social Workers in Romania (NCSWR/ CNASR - the acronym in Romanian language), in agreement with UNICEF and ISCO.

Aproximación estadística al reparto de <b> y <v> en manuscritos latinos de autores hispanos

Abstract This paper studies the graphemes <b> and <u, v> in a corpus of medieval Latin manuscripts from the 8th to the 12th centuries, containing texts by three Hispanic writers: Isidore of Seville († 636), Braulio of Zaragoza († 651), and Ildefonso of Toledo († 667). The manuscripts written in Hispania are compared with those produced outside the Iberian Peninsula to extract data about the graphic distribution of <b> and <u/v> in the textual transmission. After data annotation and statistical processing, the results are analyzed with two complementary objectives. Firstly, the mentioned graphemes are studied as evidence of the geographical distribution of the geographical distribution of the velar semiconsonant and the sonorous bilabial stop, and their Romance outcomes. Secondly, the results contribute to the phonetic and graphic characterization of Hispanic medieval Latin in the context of the emergence of Romance languages.

Origine dell’it. anche e dei suoi correlati romanzi

Abstract The origin of it. anche ‘also, too’ and of its Romance cognates is commonly traced back to Protoromance *anque, a reconstructed form, which is interpreted as a derivative of the dubitative Latin particle an. This explanation turns out to be untenable, because it does not account for the primitive meanings of anche and its Romance cognates, that is ‘still’ and ‘never’, as is evident from the oldest records of the Romance languages. Therefore, Nicholson’s hypothesis of a derivation from Latin antequam is reconsidered through the meanings of ‘before this time’, ‘up to this time’, which later evolved to ‘still, yet’ and ‘never’ in a negative context. The mechanism whereby a conjunction may become an adverb through the ellipsis of the verb is shown by quoting parallel examples in Italian.

Social and Cultural Factors in Expressing Politeness in English and Romanian

Even if the Romanian language, on the one hand, and the English language, on the other hand, have different historical backgrounds, with no genetic relatedness, there are quite a number of similarities in expressing politeness in both languages. Our present survey is focused on the investigation of politeness from the socio-cultural point of view, emphasizing the similarities and differences that exist between the two languages. We have discussed the main linguistic theoretical aspects regarding this phenomenon, from different points of view: the conversational view, the face-saving view and politeness viewed as a conversational contract. Afterwards, we have approached in detail the problem of linguistic politeness, highlighting the social and cultural factors that have the strongest impact on choosing a certain way of addressing. We have come to the conclusion that the similarities and differences that exist among the Romanian and English languages as regards politeness expression are triggered by various value systems and by different cultural and social systems.

Oral Communication – A Fundamental Means of Language Development in Preschoolers

Preschool educators have the noble mission of teaching young children fluent, grammatically correct expression and a varied lexicon appropriate to their age. I believe pedagogical mastery lies in how each educator personalizes the instructional-educational process to develop lifelong learning competencies. Using teaching methods such as storytelling, retelling, picture reading, conversation, and educational games maximizes children's intellectual capacities, maintains their interest in the subject matter, stimulates their creative attitude, and encourages their own effort in developing logical and analogical thinking through practicing correct communication skills in the Romanian language. Communication must be continuously practiced not only to learn specific techniques and procedures but especially to learn to express thoughts and ideas coherently, thus making cooperative project-building an activity that involves understanding the world, others, and oneself

Des archaismes Roumains Du Domaine Militaire D’origine Française

In this article we will focus on some words of French origin which were once encountered in the Romanian language, but which are no longer in use nowadays. These words are considered lexical archaisms, as they designate different aspects of reality which have disappeared. In this article we will talk about some words that belong to the military field

Expressing Politeness in English and Romanian – Some Grammatical and Pragmatic Aspects

The English and Romanian languages are quite different, with dissimilar historical backgrounds and with no genetic relatedness. Yet, as far as linguistic politeness is concerned, we may encounter a number of similarities between the two languages. Our survey will highlight the fact that, even if the resemblance between Romanian and English, from the grammatical point of view, is not so evident, yet, there are many similarities as far as the pragmatic view on politeness is concerned. We might speak of a certain constant when referring to the common characteristics of the two languages, of a common universal factor that characterizes the communicative competence of the people.

False friends in the romanian and english languages a comparative survey

False friends or false cognates, a linguistic phenomenon, are an important topic within the study of language, a living organism that is constantly changing and evolving. Even though the focus of analysis in this paper is the concept of false friends, it is very important to comprehend the difference between these and cognate words. False friends often confuse what people are trying to communicate, especially when context cannot help in resolving the confusion. Hence, to avoid possible misunderstandings that might arise, it is important for learners to know the most important false friends between two languages.

Abordarea limbajului economic prin prisma terminologiei în predarea limbii române studenților străini

In the acquisition of economic language by foreign students, it is necessary to assimilate a terminology specific to the field, and this is possible primarily through a good knowledge of the Romanian language. Foreign students must not only possess a set of knowledge, theories, specialized terminologies, but must also be able to communicate in an appropriate economic language. In teaching-learning the economic language to foreign students, the accessibility of the message and the individualization of the training are very important.