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SUMMARY:Verse Texts as Evidence for Linguistic Change: the Case of Medieva
 l French. - T. M. Rainsford ( Department of Linguistics)
DTSTART:20091001T183000Z
DTEND:20091001T190000Z
UID:TALK20542@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Shakir Mohamed
DESCRIPTION:I will discuss several ways in which verse texts can be used b
 y historical linguists to trace linguistic change\, drawing my examples fr
 om Medieval French.  Beginning with an illustration of standard techniques
 \, such as the use of rhymes\, assonances and syllable count\, I will then
  focus on a key area of my own research: the use of verse as evidence for 
 the nature of stressed syllables in French.  Reconstruction of the rhythm 
 of eight-syllable lines of verse in a variety of texts across the Medieval
  period shows that a weak-strong stress alternation in the earliest texts 
 (C9-C11) is lost during C13\, and subsequent texts show no stress-based or
 ganization of verse.  I will argue that this illustrates a crucial change 
 in the perception of stress by French speakers\, the effects of which are 
 still present in the French spoken today.
LOCATION:Old Music Room (A First Court)\, St John's College
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