No abstract

In this article, we discuss the implications of the fact that adult second language learners (outside the classroom) universally develop a wellstructured, efficient and simple form of language -the Basic Variety (BV). Three questions are asked as to (1) the structural properties of the BV, (2) the status of these properties and (3) why some structural properties of 'fully fledged' languages are more complex. First, we characterize the BV in four respects: its lexical repertoire, the principles according to which utterances are structured, and temporality and spatiality expressed. The organizational principles proposed are small in number, and interact. We analyse this interaction, describing how the BV is put to use in various complex verbal tasks, in order to establish both what its communicative potentialities are, and also those discourse contexts where the constraints come into conflict and where the variety breaks down. This latter phenomenon provides a partial answer to the third question, concerning the relative complexity of 'fully fledged' languages -they have devices to deal with such cases. As for the second question, it is argued firstly that the empirically established continuity of the adult acquisition process precludes any assignment of the BV to a mode of linguistic expression (e.g.. 'protolanguage') distinct from that of 'fully fledged' languages and. moreover, that the organizational constraints of the BV belong to the core attributes of the human language capacity, whereas a number of complexifications not attested in the BV are less central properties of this capacity. Finally, it is shown that the notion of feature strength, as used in recent versions of Generative Grammar, allows a straightforward characterization of the BV as a special case of an I-language. in the sense of this theory. Under this perspective, the acquisition of an 1-language beyond the BV can essentially be described as a change in feature strength.

[1] Earthquakes and the faults upon which they occur interact over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. In addition, many aspects of regional seismicity appear to be stochastic both in space and time. However, within this complexity, there is considerable self-organization. We argue that the occurrence of earthquakes is a problem that can be attacked using the fundamentals of statistical physics. Concepts of statistical physics associated with phase changes and critical points have been successfully applied to a variety of cellular automata models. Examples include sandpile models, forest fire models, and, particularly, slider block models. These models exhibit avalanche behavior very similar to observed seismicity. A fundamental question is whether variations in seismicity can be used to successfully forecast the occurrence of earthquakes. Several attempts have been made to utilize precursory seismic activation and quiescence to make earthquake forecasts, some of which show promise. INDEX

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