While the main territory of France (metropolitan France; French: la Métropole, or France métropolitaine) is located in Western Europe, France is also constituted from a number of territories in North America, the Caribbean, South America, the southern Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and Antarctica (sovereignty claims in Antarctica are governed by the Antarctic Treaty System). These territories ...

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France, France - Geography, France - History, France - Government and politics, France - Military, France - Administrative divisions, France - Economy, France - Demographics, France - Population, France - Languages, France - Cities, France - Culture, France - Marianne, France - Religion, France - Terminology, France - Origin of the country's name, France - Meanings of the name France, France - Miscellaneous topics, France - International rankings, France - Notes and references

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France's economy combines extensive private enterprise (nearly 2.5 million companies registered) with substantial (though declining) government intervention (see dirigisme). The government retains considerable influence over key segments of infrastructure sectors, with majority ownership of railway, electricity, aircraft, and telecommunication firms. It has been gradually relaxing its control over these sectors since the early 1990s. The government is slowly selling off holdings in France Télécom, Air France, as well as the insurance, bank ...

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France, France - Geography, France - History, France - Government and politics, France - Military, France - Administrative divisions, France - Economy, France - Demographics, France - Population, France - Languages, France - Cities, France - Culture, France - Marianne, France - Religion, France - Terminology, France - Origin of the country's name, France - Meanings of the name France, France - Miscellaneous topics, France - International rankings, France - Notes and references

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English does show a trace of something that could be regarded as ergativity. With an intransitive verb, adding the suffix -ee to the verb produces a label for the person performing the action: "John has retired." → "John is a retiree." "John has escaped." → "John is an escapee." "John is standing." → "John is a standee." However, with a transitive verb, adding -ee does not produce a label for the person doing the action. Instead, it gives us a label for the person to whom the a ...

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Ergative-absolutive language, Ergative-absolutive language - Ergative vs. accusative languages, Ergative-absolutive language - Realization of ergativity, Ergative-absolutive language - Morphological ergativity, Ergative-absolutive language - Syntactic ergativity, Ergative-absolutive language - Split ergativity, Ergative-absolutive language - Distribution of ergative languages, Ergative-absolutive language - Traces of ergativity in English, Ergative-absolutive language - Philippine languages as ergative, Ergative-absolutive language - Bibliography

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Prototypical ergative languages are, for the most part, restricted to specific regions of world: the Caucasus, parts of North America and Mesoamerica, and Australia. Some specific languages are the following: Basque Sumerian Dyirbal and several other Australian Aboriginal languages, which are famous in the linguistic literature for their ergative patterns Berber languages (Afro-Asiatic) Sāmoan and many other Austronesian languages Virtu ...

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Ergative-absolutive language, Ergative-absolutive language - Ergative vs. accusative languages, Ergative-absolutive language - Realization of ergativity, Ergative-absolutive language - Morphological ergativity, Ergative-absolutive language - Syntactic ergativity, Ergative-absolutive language - Split ergativity, Ergative-absolutive language - Distribution of ergative languages, Ergative-absolutive language - Traces of ergativity in English, Ergative-absolutive language - Philippine languages as ergative, Ergative-absolutive language - Bibliography

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While the main territory of France (metropolitan France; French: la Métropole, or France métropolitaine) is located in Western Europe, France is also constituted from a number of territories in North America, the Caribbean, South America, the southern Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and Antarctica (sovereignty claims in Antarctica are governed by the Antarctic Treaty System). These territories have varying forms of government ranging from overseas département to "overseas country". Metropolitan France possesse ...

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France, France - Geography, France - History, France - Government and politics, France - Military, France - Administrative divisions, France - Economy, France - Demographics, France - Population, France - Languages, France - Cities, France - Culture, France - Marianne, France - Religion, France - Terminology, France - Origin of the country's name, France - Meanings of the name France, France - Miscellaneous topics, France - International rankings, France - Notes and references

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Image:A17.jpg Main articles: Government of France, and Politics of France, and [[]], and [[]]See also:

France, France - Geography, France - History, France - Government and politics, France - Military, France - Administrative divisions, France - Economy, France - Demographics, France - Population, France - Languages, France - Cities, France - Culture, France - Marianne, France - Religion, France - Terminology, France - Origin of the country's name, France - Meanings of the name France, France - Miscellaneous topics, France - International rankings, France - Notes and references

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The French armed forces are divided into four branches: Army (Armée de Terre) Navy (Marine Nationale) Air Force (Armée de l'Air) Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale), a military police force which serves for the most part as a rural and general purpose police force. Military age is 17. Since the Algerian War of Independence, conscription has been steadily reduced and was abolished by the government of Jacques Chirac in 1996. Among the larger European economies, France and the United King ...

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France, France - Geography, France - History, France - Government and politics, France - Military, France - Administrative divisions, France - Economy, France - Demographics, France - Population, France - Languages, France - Cities, France - Culture, France - Marianne, France - Religion, France - Terminology, France - Origin of the country's name, France - Meanings of the name France, France - Miscellaneous topics, France - International rankings, France - Notes and references

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The distinguishing feature of an ergative language is that it maintains an equivalence between the object of a transitive verb and the subject of an intransitive verb, while treating the subject of a transitive verb differently. This contrasts with nominative-accusative languages (such as English), where the subject of transitive and intransitive verbs are treated like each other but distinctly from the object of a transitive verb. These different arguments can be symbolized as follows: O = object of transit ...

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Ergative-absolutive language, Ergative-absolutive language - Ergative vs. accusative languages, Ergative-absolutive language - Realization of ergativity, Ergative-absolutive language - Morphological ergativity, Ergative-absolutive language - Syntactic ergativity, Ergative-absolutive language - Split ergativity, Ergative-absolutive language - Distribution of ergative languages, Ergative-absolutive language - Traces of ergativity in English, Ergative-absolutive language - Philippine languages as ergative, Ergative-absolutive language - Bibliography

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Phonotactic rules determine which sounds are allowed or disallowed in each part of the syllable. English allows very complicated syllables; syllables may begin with up to three consonants (as in string or splash), and occasionally end with as many as four (as in prompts or sixths). Many other languages are much more restricted; Japanese, for example, only allows /n/ and a chroneme in a coda, and has no consonant c ...

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Syllable, Syllable - Syllable structure, Syllable - Syllables and suprasegmentals, Syllable - Syllables and phonotactic constraints, Syllable - Syllabification, Syllable - Syllables and stress, Syllable - Syllables and vowel tenseness, Syllable - Syllable-less languages, Syllable - References and recommended reading

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Egyptian music is a rich mixture of indigenous, Arabic, African and Western influences. As early as 4000 BC, ancient Egyptians were playing harps and flutes, as well as two indigenious instruments: the ney and the oud. However, there is no notation of Egyptian music before the 7th century AD, when Egypt became part of the Arab world. Percussion and vocal music became important at this time, which has remained an important part of Egyptian music today. From the 1970s, Egyptian pop music has become increasingly listened to, as has folk music from Eg ...

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Culture of Egypt, Culture of Egypt - Language, Culture of Egypt - Literature, Culture of Egypt - Religion, Culture of Egypt - Visual art, Culture of Egypt - Egyptian art in antiquity, Culture of Egypt - Egyptian art in modern times, Culture of Egypt - Science, Culture of Egypt - Ptolemy, Culture of Egypt - Eratosthenes, Culture of Egypt - Library of Alexandria, Culture of Egypt - Ahmed Hasan Zewail, Culture of Egypt - Egyptology, Culture of Egypt - Music and dance, Culture of Egypt - Cuisine

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Culture of Egypt - Egyptian art in antiquity. The Egyptians were one of the first major civilizations to codify design elements in art. The wall paintings done in the service of the Pharaohs followed a rigid code of visual rules and meanings. Early Egyptian art is characterized by absence of linear perspective, which results in a seemingly flat space. These artists tended to create images based on what they knew, and not as much on what they see. Objects in these artworks generally do not decrease in size as they ...

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Culture of Egypt, Culture of Egypt - Language, Culture of Egypt - Literature, Culture of Egypt - Religion, Culture of Egypt - Visual art, Culture of Egypt - Egyptian art in antiquity, Culture of Egypt - Egyptian art in modern times, Culture of Egypt - Science, Culture of Egypt - Ptolemy, Culture of Egypt - Eratosthenes, Culture of Egypt - Library of Alexandria, Culture of Egypt - Ahmed Hasan Zewail, Culture of Egypt - Egyptology, Culture of Egypt - Music and dance, Culture of Egypt - Cuisine

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While the main territory of France (metropolitan France; French: la Métropole, or France métropolitaine) is located in Western Europe, France is also constituted from a number of territories in North America, the Caribbean, South America, the southern Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and Antarctica (sovereignty claims in Antarctica are governed by the Antarctic Treaty System). These territories have varying forms of government ranging from overseas dé ...

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France, France - Geography, France - History, France - Government and politics, France - Military, France - Administrative divisions, France - Economy, France - Demographics, France - Population, France - Languages, France - Cities, France - Culture, France - Marianne, France - Religion, France - Terminology, France - Origin of the country's name, France - Meanings of the name France, France - Miscellaneous topics, France - International rankings, France - Notes and references

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The borders of modern France are roughly the same as those of ancient Gaul, which was inhabited by Celtic Gauls. Gaul was conquered by the Romans in the first century BCE, and the Gauls eventually adopted Roman speech and culture. Christianity also took root in the second and third centuries CE. In the fourth century CE, Gaul's eastern frontier along the Rhine was overrun by Germanic tribes, principally the Franks, from whom the ancient name of "Francie" was derived. The modern name "France" derives from the name of the feudal ...

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France, France - Geography, France - History, France - Government and politics, France - Military, France - Administrative divisions, France - Economy, France - Demographics, France - Population, France - Languages, France - Cities, France - Culture, France - Marianne, France - Religion, France - Terminology, France - Origin of the country's name, France - Meanings of the name France, France - Miscellaneous topics, France - International rankings, France - Notes and references

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The French armed forces are divided into four branches: Army (Armée de Terre) Navy (Marine Nationale) Air Force (Armée de l'Air) Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale), a military police force which serves for the most part as a rural and general purpose police force. Military age is 17. Since the Algerian War of Independence, conscription has been steadily reduced and was abolished by the governmen ...

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France, France - Geography, France - History, France - Government and politics, France - Military, France - Administrative divisions, France - Economy, France - Demographics, France - Population, France - Languages, France - Cities, France - Culture, France - Marianne, France - Religion, France - Terminology, France - Origin of the country's name, France - Meanings of the name France, France - Miscellaneous topics, France - International rankings, France - Notes and references

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The constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by referendum on September 28, 1958. It greatly strengthened the authority of the executive in relation to Parliament. Under the constitution, the President of the French Republic is elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a 5-year (originally 7-year) term. Presidential arbitration assures regular functioning of the public powers and the continuity of the state. The president names the prime minister, presides over the cabinet, ...

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France, France - Geography, France - History, France - Government and politics, France - Military, France - Administrative divisions, France - Economy, France - Demographics, France - Population, France - Languages, France - Cities, France - Culture, France - Marianne, France - Religion, France - Terminology, France - Origin of the country's name, France - Meanings of the name France, France - Miscellaneous topics, France - International rankings, France - Notes and references

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Ancient Egyptian religion was a polytheistic system that saw the world as in conflict between forces of order and chaos. The Pharaoh, representative of order on Earth, was seen as divine and descended of the falcon god Horus. There was a strong cult of resurrection in the next life centered around the god Osiris. Coptic Christianity became popular in the Roman and Byzantine periods, and Egypt was indeed one of the strongest early Christian communities. Today, Chris ...

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Culture of Egypt, Culture of Egypt - Language, Culture of Egypt - Literature, Culture of Egypt - Religion, Culture of Egypt - Visual art, Culture of Egypt - Egyptian art in antiquity, Culture of Egypt - Egyptian art in modern times, Culture of Egypt - Science, Culture of Egypt - Ptolemy, Culture of Egypt - Eratosthenes, Culture of Egypt - Library of Alexandria, Culture of Egypt - Ahmed Hasan Zewail, Culture of Egypt - Egyptology, Culture of Egypt - Music and dance, Culture of Egypt - Cuisine

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Ancient Egyptian literature dates back to the Old Kingdom, in the third millennium BC. Religious literature is best known for its hymns to various gods and its mortuary texts. The oldest extant Egyptian literature are the Pyramid Texts: the mythology and rituals carved around the tombs of rulers. The later, secular literature of ancient Egypt includes the 'wisdom texts', forms of philosophical instruction. The Instruction of Ptahhotep, for example, is a collation of moral proverbs by an Egyptian administrator. The authors of the liter ...

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Culture of Egypt, Culture of Egypt - Language, Culture of Egypt - Literature, Culture of Egypt - Religion, Culture of Egypt - Visual art, Culture of Egypt - Egyptian art in antiquity, Culture of Egypt - Egyptian art in modern times, Culture of Egypt - Science, Culture of Egypt - Ptolemy, Culture of Egypt - Eratosthenes, Culture of Egypt - Library of Alexandria, Culture of Egypt - Ahmed Hasan Zewail, Culture of Egypt - Egyptology, Culture of Egypt - Music and dance, Culture of Egypt - Cuisine

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Literature

There are two kinds of numerals used in Arabic writing; standard numerals and "East Arab" numerals, used in Iran, Pakistan and India. In Arabic, these numbers are referred to as "Indian numbers" (أرقام هندية arqām hindiyyah). In most of present-day North Africa, the usual We ...

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Arabic alphabet, Arabic alphabet - Structure of the Arabic alphabet, Arabic alphabet - Abjadi order, Arabic alphabet - Presentation of the alphabet, Arabic alphabet - Primary letters, Arabic alphabet - Hamza, Arabic alphabet - Diacritics, Arabic alphabet - Numerals, Arabic alphabet - History, Arabic alphabet - Arabic alphabets of other languages, Arabic alphabet - Current uses of the alphabet for other languages, Arabic alphabet - Former uses of the alphabet for other languages, Arabic alphabet - Computers and the Arabic alphabet, Arabic alphabet - Arabic keyboard layout

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Common features of the Afro-Asiatic languages include: a two-gender system in the singular, with the feminine marked by the /t/ sound, VSO typology with SVO tendencies, a set of emphatic consonants, variously realized as glottalized, pharyngealized, or implosive, and a templatic morphology in which words inflect by internal changes as well as prefixes and suffixes. Some cognates are: b-n- "build" (Ehret: *bĭn), attested in Chadic, Semitic (*bny), ...

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Afro-Asiatic languages, Afro-Asiatic languages - Common features and cognates, Afro-Asiatic languages - Classification history, Afro-Asiatic languages - Etymological bibliography, Afro-Asiatic languages - Sources

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The Arabic alphabet can be traced back to the Nabatean alphabet used to write the Nabataean dialect of Aramaic, itself descended from Phoenician. The first known text in the Arabic alphabet is a late fourth-century inscription from Jabal Ram (50 km east of Aqaba), but the first dated one is a trilingual inscription at Zebed in Syria from 512. However, the epigraphic record is extremely sparse, with only five certainly pre-Islamic Arabic inscriptions surviving, though some others may be pre-Islamic. Later, dots were added above and below the ...

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Arabic alphabet, Arabic alphabet - Structure of the Arabic alphabet, Arabic alphabet - Abjadi order, Arabic alphabet - Presentation of the alphabet, Arabic alphabet - Primary letters, Arabic alphabet - Hamza, Arabic alphabet - Diacritics, Arabic alphabet - Numerals, Arabic alphabet - History, Arabic alphabet - Arabic alphabets of other languages, Arabic alphabet - Current uses of the alphabet for other languages, Arabic alphabet - Former uses of the alphabet for other languages, Arabic alphabet - Computers and the Arabic alphabet, Arabic alphabet - Arabic keyboard layout

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Arabic script has been adopted for use in a wide variety of languages other than Arabic, including Persian, Kurdish, Malay and Urdu. Such adaptations may feature altered or new characters to represent phonemes that do not appear in Arabic phonology. For example, the Arabic language lacks a [p] phoneme, so many languages add their own letter to represent [p] in the script, though the specific letter used varies from language to language ...

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Arabic alphabet, Arabic alphabet - Structure of the Arabic alphabet, Arabic alphabet - Abjadi order, Arabic alphabet - Presentation of the alphabet, Arabic alphabet - Primary letters, Arabic alphabet - Hamza, Arabic alphabet - Diacritics, Arabic alphabet - Numerals, Arabic alphabet - History, Arabic alphabet - Arabic alphabets of other languages, Arabic alphabet - Current uses of the alphabet for other languages, Arabic alphabet - Former uses of the alphabet for other languages, Arabic alphabet - Computers and the Arabic alphabet, Arabic alphabet - Arabic keyboard layout

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Main Article: Languages of Egypt The Ancient Egyptian language, which formed a separate branch among the family of Afro-Asiatic languages, was among the first written languages, and is known from hieroglyphic inscriptions preserved on monuments and sheets of papyrus. The Coptic language, the only extant descendant of Egyptian, is today the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The "Koiné" dialect of the Greek language was important in Hellenistic Alexandria, and was used in the philosophy and science of that culture, a ...

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Culture of Egypt, Culture of Egypt - Language, Culture of Egypt - Literature, Culture of Egypt - Religion, Culture of Egypt - Visual art, Culture of Egypt - Egyptian art in antiquity, Culture of Egypt - Egyptian art in modern times, Culture of Egypt - Science, Culture of Egypt - Ptolemy, Culture of Egypt - Eratosthenes, Culture of Egypt - Library of Alexandria, Culture of Egypt - Ahmed Hasan Zewail, Culture of Egypt - Egyptology, Culture of Egypt - Music and dance, Culture of Egypt - Cuisine

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