From Number Cycle to Split Plurality and Back in Albanian

Albanian plural morphology is analysed in the paper as split between the Num and n heads. This is shown to result diachronically from a plural-to-singular reanalysis cycle, where splitting the number morphology between Num and n has worked as a competition resolution strategy in Albanian. The system is still in transition, however, and represents a long-lasting state of a dynamic equilibrium.

A Clock in the Sun?

The sunspot cycle is quite variable in duration and amplitude, yet in the long term, it seems to return to solar minimum on schedule, as if guided by a clock with an average period of close to 11.05 years for the sunspot number cycle and 22.1 years for the magnetic cycle. This paper provides a brief review of the sunspot number cycle since 1750, discusses some of the processes controlling the solar dynamo, and provides clues that may add to our understanding of what controls the cadence of the solar clock.