- Theoretical Linguistics, Syntax, Linguistic Typology, Grammatical Theory, Lexical Semantics, Romance Languages, and 31 moreLexicon, Semitic Languages (Languages And Linguistics), Chinese Studies, Political Theory, Modernity, Philosophy Of Language, Information Structure, Cleft Sentence, Light Nouns, General linguistics, Languages and Linguistics, Linguistics, Part of Speech, History of Linguistics, History of Linguistic Thought, Epistemology of linguistics, Ferdinand de Saussure, Romance Languages and Literatures, Linguistic iconicity, Biolinguistics, Origins of Language, Diachronic Linguistics (Or Historical Linguistics), Grammar, Lexicography, Lexicology, Lessicografia italiana, Electronic Dictionaries, Corpus Linguistics, Lexicography and Corpus Studies, Multiword Expressions, and Written Languageedit
A relatively non technical illustration of the nature of grammar, its main mechanisms and paths of change, with rich data from many languages, hypotheses and inquiries about several grammatical phenomena on a sharp pragmatic basis.
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A pragmatically based exploration into language formats and the operations required to adapt them to the speaker's needs, with extensive exemplification from several languages.
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The universal and typological status of the notion of word class — closely related to part-of-speech systems, morphology, syntax and the lexicon-syntax interface — continues to be of major linguistic theoretical interest. The papers... more
The universal and typological status of the notion of word class — closely related to part-of-speech systems, morphology, syntax and the lexicon-syntax interface — continues to be of major linguistic theoretical interest. The papers included in this volume offer a fresh look at the variety of current theoretical and descriptive approaches to word class issues, and present original analyses and new data from a number of languages. The primary focus is on methods (including computational ones) and criteria for identifying and representing major word classes and subclasses in specific languages, with considerable attention also directed towards the characterization of the nature and role of minor — or neglected — word classes, including trans-categorization processes. The range of topics and perspectives covered makes this volume of considerable interest to both theoretical linguists and typologists.
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This book is the first to explore how much of knowledge based on research on spoken languages needs to be refined in the light of the growing field of sign linguistics. Drawing upon a broad cross-linguistic perspective, the contributors... more
This book is the first to explore how much of knowledge based on research on spoken languages needs to be refined in the light of the growing field of sign linguistics. Drawing upon a broad cross-linguistic perspective, the contributors focus on topics of general theoretical interest: linearity and arbitrariness principles, definition of units and levels of analysis, expression of grammatical categories, semantic relations, and cohesion mechanisms. The book is of interest to language typologists, theoretical and descriptive linguists, scholars in the fields of semiotics, anthropology, gesture studies, and cognitive sciences at large.
... iconicity and other semiotic parameters in language/Wolfgang DressierIconicity from the point of view of arbitrariness/Rudolf Engler-Isomorphism in ... Iconicity in co-verbal gestures in aphasics/Isabella Poggi and Emanuela... more
... iconicity and other semiotic parameters in language/Wolfgang DressierIconicity from the point of view of arbitrariness/Rudolf Engler-Isomorphism in ... Iconicity in co-verbal gestures in aphasics/Isabella Poggi and Emanuela Magno-Iconicity in children's first written texts/ Clotilde ...
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An early assessment of the distinctive features of written, spoken and digital text, discussed on the background of legal textuality, whose properties are absolutely peculiar. In: Scrittura e diritto (Quaderni della «Rivista... more
An early assessment of the distinctive features of written, spoken and digital text, discussed on the background of legal textuality, whose properties are absolutely peculiar.
In: Scrittura e diritto (Quaderni della «Rivista trimestrale di diritto e procedura civile»), Giuffré, Milano 2000, pp. 3-30.
In: Scrittura e diritto (Quaderni della «Rivista trimestrale di diritto e procedura civile»), Giuffré, Milano 2000, pp. 3-30.
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In (various authors) Teorie e pratiche della traduzione nell’ambito del movimento port-royaliste, ETS-Slatkine, Napoli-Paris, 1998, pp. 73-102. (Also published in Gambarara D. et al. (eds.), Philosophies of language, Nodus Publikationen,... more
In (various authors) Teorie e pratiche della traduzione nell’ambito del movimento port-royaliste, ETS-Slatkine, Napoli-Paris, 1998, pp. 73-102.
(Also published in Gambarara D. et al. (eds.), Philosophies of language, Nodus Publikationen, Münster 1998.)
(Also published in Gambarara D. et al. (eds.), Philosophies of language, Nodus Publikationen, Münster 1998.)
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Sur la base d'une analyse de corpus, cet article propose de reconnaitre la sous-classe des "Noms Legers ", dans laquelle peut se detacher une classe de Noms Support. Les Noms Support, a certains conditions syntagmatiques... more
Sur la base d'une analyse de corpus, cet article propose de reconnaitre la sous-classe des "Noms Legers ", dans laquelle peut se detacher une classe de Noms Support. Les Noms Support, a certains conditions syntagmatiques (par ex., lorsqu'ils entrent dans des construction specifiques), partagent des proprietes avec les Verbes Supports, car ils agissent comme marqueurs de traits grammaticaux comme la numerabilite et l'aspect. La construction envisage dans l'article est du type [N1 de N2], N1 etant le Nom Support et N2 le nom determine. La recherche se base sur des donnees italiennes, mais elle presente aussi des evidences suggerant que la notion de Nom Support a egalement une validite interlangues.
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This paper investigates which nominal strategies are available in a language to encode the dot-like process, i.e., the one described by the features [Àdurative, þtelic]. A variety of solutions is available: clausal, phrasal and lexical.... more
This paper investigates which nominal strategies are available in a language to encode the dot-like process, i.e., the one described by the features [Àdurative, þtelic]. A variety of solutions is available: clausal, phrasal and lexical. The language taken into consideration is Modern Standard Chinese, where lexical and phrasal solutions are used, both interestingly involving a characteristic use of classifiers. Three (plus one) different types of lexicaliza-tions are identified for the encoding of dot-like processes in Chinese. The paper also suggests an affinity between such nominals and classifiers and corroborates the claim that operations such as nominalization spread through typologically different languages.
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Although the interest of literature in word combinations has significantly increased over the last decades, the full classification of their types and comprehensive collection of their forms is far from complete and flawless. This paper... more
Although the interest of literature in word combinations has significantly increased over the last decades, the full classification of their types and comprehensive collection of their forms is far from complete and flawless. This paper presents the results of a research project devoted precisely to the collection and analysis of Italian combinatorial lexicon. The investigation has both a theoretical and an empirical import. From the former point of view, it takes into account multiword units as specific forms of lexical entry. On the basis of the most recent achievements in lexicology, the notion of ‘word format’ is introduced and the vast variety of the combination formats is considered and classified. Various specific case studies of combinations are discussed. From the empirical point of view, the CombiNet dictionary is presented, an on-line lexicographic tool recording a sample of Italian multiword entries implementing an ample variety of entry formats. In addition to describing the lexicographic layout in detail, the paper illustrates the advanced research tool CombiNet is equipped with, as a device for both lexicographic and lexicological investigation
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The paper proposes to view word in terms of a stratification of formats of different nature, partially interacting with each other. A Format in general is an abstract layout of properties, characterizing not a single word but entire... more
The paper proposes to view word in terms of a stratification of formats of different nature, partially interacting with each other. A Format in general is an abstract layout of properties, characterizing not a single word but entire classes of words. The proposed formats include the Entry Format, the Morphological, Phonological, Semantic and Graphematic ones. Entry Format and Semantic Format are discussed in detail, with examples from various languages. The paper shows how the notion of format may be of use in descriptive as well as typological analysis and also as a solution to leftover problems, like the one of 'impossible words'. KEYWORDS: word • parts of speech • lexicology • language format 1. Recurring problems in linguistics One of the core epistemological features of linguistics as a discipline is the fact that various of its problems resurface every now and then, even when they seem to have arrived at a generally satisfying solution. This is not a marginal detail since it derives from an inherent property of the discipline. In a previous paper (Simone 2001) I suggested to explain it in terms of the fact that linguistics, in spite of its time-honoured aspiration to be 'empirical' and 'scientific', is properly a 'philosophical' matter (even if its practitioners are seldom philosophers stricto sensu) and it is bound accordingly to face with recurring problems over and over again-exactly like philosophy. The aim of this paper, however, is not to raise this issue once again, but, more specifically, to resume one of such recurring problems and to propose one more interpretation for it. The problem is no small feat, however: it is about " What is a word? " , a question that has taken various forms and dec-linations over time and that, in spite of the appearances, seems not to have found an acceptably stable answer so far (Ramat 2005, 2016). The case for 'word' has been reopened, on the other hand, by the recent robust revival of interest towards lexicon, lexicology, and lexical information, and, as an unavoidable consequence, towards its core notion, namely word (a survey in Jezek 2016). In this paper I shall decline the answer to the above issue under a slightly different form. I shall not ask " What is a word? " or, to put it otherwise, " How can we define 'word'? " , but rather " What is a word made of? " I shall claim that it consists of a stratification of 'formats' (the core notion of the paper) of various nature, interacting with each other in several ways. After presenting and articulating this interpretation I shall say something more in detail on two of such formats, i.e., the Entry Format and the Semantic Format. 2. Which formats stratify in a word The term format has to be understood in its general sense, as a layout of elements and categories that tend to occur together according to a certain pattern. A clear instantiation of such concepts is offered by morphology. The Arabic word, for instance, is typically formed by two discontinuous morphs, a vo-calic and a consonantal one, the former conveying the grammatical information, the latter the lexical one: both interlace according to specific formats. For instance, the meaning of NOUN OF AGENT has to meet the following constraints in order to get expression:
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The paper aims at proposing a theoretically based interpretation of a typical case of polysemy of deverbal nouns. The pivot notion for this purpose is lexical cycle, the claim that the transition from one meaning to another over time is... more
The paper aims at proposing a theoretically based interpretation of a typical case of polysemy of deverbal nouns. The pivot notion for this purpose is lexical cycle, the claim that the transition from one meaning to another over time is not accidental at all but follows an ordered path. This path, where metonymy has a significant part, is illustrated and exemplified through an Italian corpus. The prediction entailed by the notion lexical cycle is confirmed by a set of nominalizations, whose semantic expansion respects the cycle. As a side argument, the paper also proposes that the semantic expansions taken into account differ for frequency.
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The paper argues that the main mechanisms and resources of grammar fit to enpower narration and claims that narration could be a significant reason for the evolution of language.
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An old paper pops up from my files. It discusses some procedures of knowledge by the linguist which could explain, by analogy, some aspects of the organization of language.
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Some mechanisms of reported speech are discussed with particular reference to the "sfift" phenomena and their linguistic markings.
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Two classes of nominal are discussed: the phrasal and the non-phrasal ones. A typology in proposed and their Pragmatic Force is explored.
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The paper presents and discusses the case of a language (Salentino dialect, Southern Italy) without infinitive. How can it encode the meanings usually associated with the infinitive form? In fact its develops two different... more
The paper presents and discusses the case of a language (Salentino dialect, Southern Italy) without infinitive. How can it encode the meanings usually associated with the infinitive form? In fact its develops two different complementizers, with distinct functions: those functions are inquired and an interpretation of them is proposed.
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The daring incursion of a 25-year-old linguist (then in a vaguely Hjelmslevian mood, later disavowed) into one of the cult linguistics journals of that time. A great meeting of friends and masters: in an issue in memory of the great and... more
The daring incursion of a 25-year-old linguist (then in a vaguely Hjelmslevian mood, later disavowed) into one of the cult linguistics journals of that time. A great meeting of friends and masters: in an issue in memory of the great and neglected Henri Frei, edited by my friend and his pupil René Amacker, in the company of Benveniste and Jakobson.
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The main ideas of Saussure as a theoretical linguist are discussed, in order to assess which of them are still alive and which are dead. The discussion is preceded by a sketch of the structure of a linguistic theory, to be used in the... more
The main ideas of Saussure as a theoretical linguist are discussed, in order to assess which of them are still alive and which are dead. The discussion is preceded by a sketch of the structure of a linguistic theory, to be used in the susequent analysis. The overall conclusion is that some of Saussurean ideas got absorbed into linguistics in general; many are surpassed and little still has a future.
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An exploration of what is alive and what is dead in Saussure's theoretical linguistics a century after his death.
(One of the papers of mine I care most about.) This paper deals with the problem of the linguist's cognition, which is to say the manner in which linguists proceed in their work, the tools they operate with, and the cognitive status of... more
(One of the papers of mine I care most about.)
This paper deals with the problem of the linguist's cognition, which is to say the manner in which linguists proceed in their work, the tools they operate with, and the cognitive status of their claims. Saussure had dreamt in his time of providing linguistics with a method of its own which, albeit not borrowed from other sciences, had the rigor of scientific methodology (of mathematics in particular). At the same time, he had clearly understood that methodological issues in linguistics could not be separated from the issue of understanding what the object of linguistics is; the adequacy of the method will depend on the correct assessment of what language is. Language is presented here as a "meso-object", that is, one made of, and interlaced with, different and not homogeneous components. This causes linguistics itself to be a "meso-science", at least insofar as it must remain homologous to its object. The epistemological status of linguistic objects and abstraction is also discussed, with the final conclusion that linguistics is not an empirical science, but something more theoretically oriented.
This paper deals with the problem of the linguist's cognition, which is to say the manner in which linguists proceed in their work, the tools they operate with, and the cognitive status of their claims. Saussure had dreamt in his time of providing linguistics with a method of its own which, albeit not borrowed from other sciences, had the rigor of scientific methodology (of mathematics in particular). At the same time, he had clearly understood that methodological issues in linguistics could not be separated from the issue of understanding what the object of linguistics is; the adequacy of the method will depend on the correct assessment of what language is. Language is presented here as a "meso-object", that is, one made of, and interlaced with, different and not homogeneous components. This causes linguistics itself to be a "meso-science", at least insofar as it must remain homologous to its object. The epistemological status of linguistic objects and abstraction is also discussed, with the final conclusion that linguistics is not an empirical science, but something more theoretically oriented.
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Is there a default language in an environment characterized by a high degree of linguistic variation? and how is this language recognized?
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A time-honored, still expressive, paper on the characters that distinguish Italian from other major Romance languages, seen primarily from the perspective of their stability vs. instability.
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The paper presents a view of grammar (called Grammar of Categories and Construcions) based on two notions: constructions and categories, considered as the two channels into which grammatical meaning has to distribute. In particular, the... more
The paper presents a view of grammar (called Grammar of Categories and Construcions) based on two notions: constructions and categories, considered as the two channels into which grammatical meaning has to distribute. In particular, the notion of ctegory is discussed, which can apply also to word classes -- from which a new view of this phenomenon derives. A comparison between verbal and signed languages from this point of view is proposed as a conclusion.
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In Claudio Marazzini & Ludovica Maconi (a c. di). L’italiano elettronico. Vocabolari, corpora, archivi testuali e sonori. 17-32. Firenze: Accademia della Crusca 2016.
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This paper deals with the problem of the linguist's cognition, which is to say the manner in which linguists proceed in their work, the tools they operate with, and the cognitive status of their claims.
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2015 - The paper proposes the notion "discourse operations", i.e., operations performed at the discourse level that may bring about system phenomena. In particular two types are discussed: transpositions and format coercions. Data from... more
2015 - The paper proposes the notion "discourse operations", i.e., operations performed at the discourse level that may bring about system phenomena. In particular two types are discussed: transpositions and format coercions. Data from various languages are used to illustrate the usefulness of such operations and to show how they also may be in action in various diachronic phenomena.
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Si descrive l'evoluzione delle strutture sintattiche causative dal latino alle lingue romanze, mostrando che il latino già conteneva virtualmente tutte le soluzioni che le lingue romanze hanno poi elaborato per rispondere alla necessità... more
Si descrive l'evoluzione delle strutture sintattiche causative dal latino alle lingue romanze, mostrando che il latino già conteneva virtualmente tutte le soluzioni che le lingue romanze hanno poi elaborato per rispondere alla necessità di esprimere le strutture di eventi di tipo causativo. In base a criteri sia sintattici che semantici, si propone una scala a tre livelli delle strutture causative
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Three aspects of modernity are focussed and discussed: a. the idea of progress as it is conceived of and the very phenomenon of progress as it is going on currently; b. the idea of personal identity and the metamhorphoses and alterations... more
Three aspects of modernity are focussed and discussed: a. the idea of progress as it is conceived of and the very phenomenon of progress as it is going on currently; b. the idea of personal identity and the metamhorphoses and alterations it is experiencing in a world dominated by media; c. the phenomenon of fun and entertainment in its current manifestations, included the extreme ones, which
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Just published in Italian, the essay focusses on the recent big migration process and explores all dimensions of its impact on the European Paradigm. It also proposes some categories to understand the "figures" migrants represent and to... more
Just published in Italian, the essay focusses on the recent big migration process and explores all dimensions of its impact on the European Paradigm. It also proposes some categories to understand the "figures" migrants represent and to foresee the possible outcomes of the current European ways of welcoming them..
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RefDoc Bienvenue - Welcome. Refdoc est un service / is powered by. ...
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L'auteur donne. des informations sur l'état actuel des débats concernant le développement du langage dans l'école italienne d'aujourd'hui, et prop6se U:ne "nouvelle" notion de linguistique appliquée,... more
L'auteur donne. des informations sur l'état actuel des débats concernant le développement du langage dans l'école italienne d'aujourd'hui, et prop6se U:ne "nouvelle" notion de linguistique appliquée, considérée en tant que confrontation de systèmes de sens, plutôt de systèmes de formes.
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... Raffaele Simone ... Nel momento in cui scrivo, ad esempio, sono professori il presidente e due consiglieri di amministrazione (su cinque in totale) della Rai; è professore il presidente dell'Iri; altri professori siedono nel... more
... Raffaele Simone ... Nel momento in cui scrivo, ad esempio, sono professori il presidente e due consiglieri di amministrazione (su cinque in totale) della Rai; è professore il presidente dell'Iri; altri professori siedono nel consiglio di amministrazione, rinnovato da poco, della Telecom ...
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487 SISTEMI INTELLIGENTI / a. XII, n. 3, dicembre 2000 RAFFAELE SIMONE RISPOSTA A PARISI ... Ma non penso neanche (e quindi non lo scrivo) che si apprenda soprattutto facendo, con le mani e con il corpo. Questo mi pare un detrito di... more
487 SISTEMI INTELLIGENTI / a. XII, n. 3, dicembre 2000 RAFFAELE SIMONE RISPOSTA A PARISI ... Ma non penso neanche (e quindi non lo scrivo) che si apprenda soprattutto facendo, con le mani e con il corpo. Questo mi pare un detrito di materialismo vecchia maniera. ...
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To be published in Le Débat (Gallimard), Octobre 2016
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Ospitiamo un saggio che affronta, con posizioni molto diverse da quelle di MicroMega, la questione dell’immigrazione. Perche i flussi migratori si indirizzano principalmente verso l’Europa? Perche le masse di profughi che si accalcano ai... more
Ospitiamo un saggio che affronta, con posizioni molto diverse da quelle di MicroMega, la questione dell’immigrazione. Perche i flussi migratori si indirizzano principalmente verso l’Europa? Perche le masse di profughi che si accalcano ai nostri confini non si dirigono verso mete piu vicine e teoricamente accoglienti? La Russia, ad esempio, o l’Arabia Saudita e gli Emirati arabi? Probabilmente perche “nessuno di quei paesi ha la tradizione di ‘mitezza’ dell’Europa unita, nessuno il suo welfare universale e gratuito, nessuno le sue leggi generose, nessuno i suoi sensi di colpa storici”. Fino a quando pero quest’Europa puo reggere un’accoglienza indifferenziata e disordinata?
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The current crisis of book is discussed and its probable reasons are investigated: the triumph of digital immaterial media, the metamorphosis of the very nature of texts, changes in the ecology and ethology of reading and learning.
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The concept of progress as worked out by modern thought is analyzed and it is suggested that in modernity the only form of progress recognized is the technical-scientific one. The naive idea of progress has become a meme: it assumes that... more
The concept of progress as worked out by modern thought is analyzed and it is suggested that in modernity the only form of progress recognized is the technical-scientific one. The naive idea of progress has become a meme: it assumes that for every major inconvenience science and technology must have a solution. The covid pandemic has shown that this is not the case.
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A short discussion of the concept of progress and of the risks associated to the "excess of progress". In L’avenir du progrès, Institut Diderot, Paris, 2011, pp. 33-38. THOSE INTERESTED IN THIS SUBJECT CAN FIND AN EXTENDED DISCUSSION... more
A short discussion of the concept of progress and of the risks associated to the "excess of progress".
In L’avenir du progrès, Institut Diderot, Paris, 2011, pp. 33-38.
THOSE INTERESTED IN THIS SUBJECT CAN FIND AN EXTENDED DISCUSSION OF IT IN THE FIRST CHAPTER OF MY BOOK "DIVERTIMENTO CON ROVINE. LA NOSTRA VITA TRA GUERRA E PANDEMIA", Solferino: Milan 2022 (in Italian, but being translated into several languages) -- available on Amazon.
In L’avenir du progrès, Institut Diderot, Paris, 2011, pp. 33-38.
THOSE INTERESTED IN THIS SUBJECT CAN FIND AN EXTENDED DISCUSSION OF IT IN THE FIRST CHAPTER OF MY BOOK "DIVERTIMENTO CON ROVINE. LA NOSTRA VITA TRA GUERRA E PANDEMIA", Solferino: Milan 2022 (in Italian, but being translated into several languages) -- available on Amazon.
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An analysis of, and a proposal about, the way of establishing new cultural relationships between Italy and France, not only including the traditional realms of humanities and sciences, but also the recent vibrations of globalized culture.
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Discours tenu devant la Classe de Sciences Sociales de l’Académie Royale de Belgique, Bruxelles, Séance du 14 mai 2018
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The earliest kernel of the volume L'Ospite e il Nemico, concerning the impact of the clandestine immigration on Europe and its political paradigms.
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"MicroMega" ottobre 2016
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THOSE INTERESTED IN THE TOPIC OF PROGRESS ARE INVITED TO REFER TO MY OWN BOOK "DIVERTIMENTO CON ROVINE", IN PRINT IN OCTOBER 2022, WHERE SUCH TOPICS ARE MORE EXTENSIVELY DISCUSSED.