Faits De Langues 

Abstract: L'A. propose une typologie des systemes de classification nominale afin de mettre en relief les systemes particuliers dits de classificateurs. Dans un premier temps, il distingue trois types d'organisation dans les langues du monde en les situant sur un continuum lexico-grammatical : les langues a classes (langues bantoues) caracterisees par des marques d'accord nombreuses et contraignantes ; les langues a classificateurs (chinois) qui exigent que toute notion nominale soit associee a un classificateur ; les langues pouvant presenter des termes de classe qui ressemblent aux classificateurs sans en avoir la systematicite ni, en fait, la fonction (francais, anglais). Revenant ensuite sur les classificateurs, il montre que ceux-ci se repartissent en trois classes principales (numerale, nominale et genitivale) et que chacune presente des affinites marquees avec certains traits semantiques

Abstract: Most studies dealing with variation and change between Verb-Framed and Satellite-Framed strategies adopt a synchronic approach. In this paper, adopting a diachronic approach, we will see whether it is possible to account for changes driving languages from one prevalent strategy to the other. We will begin with an overview of the main proposals about the typology of motion event encoding from a variationist perspective, the theoretical premises of our approach to the analysis of (diachronic) change, and their relevance for a 'Working Typology', arguing in favour of applying typological classifications to the matching between individual event types and linguistic patterns rather than to languages as a whole. In the second part of this paper, taking Romance languages as a case study of typological change, we argue that \"macroscopic\" typological shifts may result from \"microscopic\" changes and that these phenomena cannot be adequately explained within the framework of a holistic typology: the dynamics of change can be understood only through a careful investigation of the different strategies adopted for the encoding of motion and their relationships with different kinds of events. Changes affecting motion event expression may also be the effect of phenomena which are independent from motion encoding. The final part of the paper lists a series of phenomena related to the encoding of path in Romance languages which rather than exceptions to the VF type may be considered more or less significant indicators of the emergence of SF patterns, hence to be interpreted from a methodological point of view as possible relevant signals of ongoing typological change in the preferred way of expressing motion.

Abstract: Donabedian Anaid. Le pluriel en armenien moderne. In: Faits de langues, n°2, Septembre 1993. Le nombre. pp. 179-188.