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Sesquipedalian, Volume III, Number 18
The SESQUIPEDALIAN WEEKLY HERALD Volume III, Number 18
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February 18, 1993
HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LINGUIST AND A PHILOSOPHER
In recent years linguists and philosophers have displayed a
great deal of interest in each other's work. Linguists can be found
attending philosophy courses and philosophers linguistics courses in
significant numbers, and there is a remarkable overlap among the names
that are dropped in the conversations of both groups (while today
there is no known instance of a philosopher referring to John Ohala or
a linguist to Anaximander, who knows what tomorrow will bring?). It
has even been suggested that it is difficult to even distinguish
between a linguist and a philosopher these days. For the benefit of
anyone who is interested in drawing that distinction, we submit the
following compendium of spot checks:
THE LINGUIST IS THE ONE WHO: THE PHILOSOPHER IS THE ONE WHO:
---------------------------- -------------------------------
owns the CLEAN copy of Quine's owns the clean copy of Austin's
'Word and Object' 'How to Do Things With Words'
cites Greek words in the
original orthography
uses an example sentence as is offended by use-mention
an example of more than one thing confusions unless they are
spoken in upper-class British
uses example sentences that contain vocabulary drops to infantile
dependent clauses level when making up example
sentences
I.Q. drops to infantile level when has finished writing paper
writing textbooks before leaving for the meeting
to present it
will present a critique of Chomsky will present a paper on the
and Halle's stress rules at a hangman paradox to a symposium
conference on phonetics on capital punishment
owns a dictionary of English
plays chess talks about chess
feels comfortable eating with
a knife and fork
knows the 7-times table salivates when mathematics is
mentioned
refers to Copernicus and Galileo refers to Chomsky in a paper on
in a paper on Mongolian vowel harmony quantified modal logic
-/-/-/ LOOK WHO'S TALKING /-/-/-
Visiting scholar Li-chiung Yang presents 'Forms of Prosody in Mandarin
Discourse' this weekend at the Penn Linguistics Colloquium (February
20-21). All are encouraged to attend!
Professor Marcyliena Morgan (Assistant Professor of Anthropology,
UCLA) delivered a guest lecture on the language of hip-hop and rap
music in John Rickford's L73 (African American Vernacular English)
class today. Prof. Morgan will be staying at Stanford overnight and
would be happy to discuss her work on narrative and discourse
(especially among African American women) with anyone who's
interested. There will probably be a dinner session this evening.
Contact John Rickford (rickford@csli) if you would like to join in.
-/-/-/ CALL FOR PAPERS /-/-/-
-- ESCOL '93: The Tenth Annual Eastern States Conference on
Linguistics takes place at the Ohio State University, August 6-8 1993,
immediately following the LSA Linguistics Institute at OSU. Abstracts
are invited for 20-minute talks in all areas of theoretical
linguistics. Abstracts must be recieved by May 15, 1993.
Requirements: Any individual may submit one individual and one joint
abstract. Abstracts must be no more than one standard page,
single-spaced (a seperate sheet for data/references is acceptable).
Five copies of the abstract should be submitted. Abstracts should be
anonymous. Each submission should be accompanied by a 3x5 card
containing author's name, title of paper, author's address and
affiliation (include phone number & e-mail address). Send to
ESCOL 93
Department of Linguistics
The Ohio State University
222 Oxley Hall
1712 Neil Avenue
Columbus OH 43210
e-mail: escol@ling.ohio-state.edu
-/-/-/ LINGUISTICS COLLOQUIUM /-/-/-
This week's colloquium, Friday at 3.30 in Cordura 100, presented by
Chris Pinon. We will then go for dinner with the speaker at a fine
Polish restaurant. Contact Lynn Cherny (cherny@csli) for details.
MAPPING ASPECTUAL CONTENT IN POLISH
Christopher J. Pinon
Stanford University
A dissertation proposal
In the world of differences between Polish and English, one hides in
the process interpretation of the imperfective. Polish requires that
the referent of a plural object NP simultaneously participate in the
process described, whereas English lacks such a requirement. Thus, a
Polish sentence like `Bozena jadla trzy jablka' (`Bozena was eating
three apples') is true only if Bozena was eating three apples
simultaneously, whence the contrast with its English counterpart,
which can be true even if Bozena was eating one apple, albeit with the
intention (explicit or otherwise) of eating all three. This
distinction between simultaneous vs. sequential participation in the
event is actually more general, extending to Path-denoting PPs as
well, as I will show.
I propose a natural solution to this comparative semantic problem,
adopting a mereological (i.e., part-theoretic) approach to nominal and
verbal reference (cf. Krifka 1989, Ojeda 1991). To the solution,
however, there is a scenic route, via events, individuals, mappings,
parts, and boundaries. If correct (and one hopes for the best),
strange semantic stipulations are banished, and the contrast between
Polish and English ultimately reduces to the strangest of strange:
morphology.
-/-/-/ JOINT HISTORICAL/SOCIO WORKSHOP /-/-/-
TONIGHT (Thursday, Feb. 18) at 7.30 in Ventura 17:
BRITT-LOUISE GUNNARSSON (University of Uppsala, Sweden) will speak on
'The Semantic Development of Scientific Prose During the Last Three
Centuries.'
-/-/-/ SOCIOLINGUISTICS RAP /-/-/-
There will be two more sociorap sessions this quarter. Note that due
to a large turnout at the last session, we will be holding these in
90-91A.
Monday, February 22, 12-1 pm: BRITT-LOUISE GUNNARSSON (University of
Uppsala, Sweden) speaks on 'Speech, Discourse, and Communicative
Community-- Three Sociolinguistic Concepts.' She will discuss these
three concepts in relation to the study of speech and writing in
various settings in the private and public spheres.
Monday, March 8, 12-1 pm: PRAYAG TRIPATHY (Institute of Language
Studies, Addis Abbaba) 'English from the "Outer Circle."'
-/-/-/ FELLOWSHIPS/ASSISTANTSHIPS /-/-/-
The University of Pittsburgh's Faculty of Arts and Sciences has just
established a new set of Fellowships. In what follows general
information on the fellowships is included, as well as some specific
information for linguist applicants from Pitt's Department of
Linguistics: `... these Fellowships are intended to foster the
professional development of recent African American recipients of
doctoral degrees. Fellowships are awarded on an annual basis. Each
fellowship carries a stipend of $27,500.00 + $2,500.00 for travel and
related research costs. Fellows are expected to be in residence for
the duration of their appointment, to engage in advanced study,
research, and writing, and to teach one course for one term. Fellows
are eligible for a maximum of two years of fellowship support.
Preference is given to applicants a) whose research projects are
relevant to the interests and expertise of specific faculty at the
University of Pittsburgh; b) in academic areas where African American
faculty are most under represented; c) from academic units where new
faculty are likely to be hired. Applicants are expected to have
successfully completed all doctoral degree requirements prior to Sept.
01 of the fellowship year. ' Approximately five fellowships are to be
awarded. Supporting materials include: 1. A cover letter indicating
the department of interest in Arts & Sciences; 2. A two or three page
abstract of the applicant's dissertation; 3. A five to ten page
proposal which discusses the research project, a timetable for its
completion, and a description of the human resources, research
materials, facilities to be used; 4. a certified graduate transcript;
5. A curriculum vitae; and 6. Three letters of recommendation that
address the applicant's qualifications for postdoctoral study.
DEADLINE for receipt of application and all supporting material is
*APRIL 15, 1993*.
African American Postdoctoral Fellowships
Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
910 Cathedral of Learning
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
(412)624-6094; FAX (412)624-5299
********
For linguists: Pitt's Department of Linguistics is interested in
any speciality for these fellowships, although we will give
preference to phonologists, following eligibility criterion (c) above.
The Department of Linguistics is also interested in answering any
questions that potential applicants might have. Please direct
such questions to:
Prof. Daniel L. Everett, Chair
Department of Linguistics
2816 CL
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
(412)624-8101; FAX(412)624-6130; email: dever@pogo.isp.pitt.edu
-- FELLOWSHIPS for intensive beginning Akan (Twi or Fante) at the
University of Florida, Summer 1993 (May 10-Aug 6). Foreign Language
and Area Studies Summer Fellowships are available for the study of
Akan (Twi or Fante) from the Center for African Studies under Title VI
of the Higher Education Act. Stipend: $1500 plus tuition and fees.
Travel: $500 maximum. Awarded to non UF out-of-state students for
travel to Gainesville. Forms available from
Center for African Studies
427 Grinter Hall
University of Florida
Gainesville FL 32611
phone: 904/392-2183
Deadline: April 15, 1993. For further information contact Dr. Paul
Kotey, 904/392-7015.
-- IIS, STANFORD: IIS research grants in International Studies are
intended to fill gaps in available university or external funding of
graduate work. Applicants must have advanced graduate standing
(having met all residency requirements). Awards are made on a
competitive basis for
- preparation of dissertation proposals
- dissertation field research
- dissertation write-up
- advanced research related to academic degrees
Expenses which may be covered are costs directly related to research
(tuition, travel to/from/within the country where research is being
conducted), and reasonable living expenses. Funds are not available
to cover travel or maintenance costs of dependents. Application
deadline for grants from these sources is Monday, April 12, 1993:
GRANTS IN JAPANESE STUDIES: The Japan Fund Committee awards a limited
number of grants to support advanced level research by graduate
students specializing in Japanese studies. Students in professional
school programs with a career committment to Japan or US-Japan
relations may apply for support or field research related to their
program.
GRANTS IN CANADIAN STUDIES: The Canadian Studies Committee will
consider applications for research support by advanced graduate
students specializing in Canadian studies. Students in professional
school programs may apply for support for research having a strong
emphasis on Canada or US-Canada relations as long as that research is
clearly related to their academic program.
Information on these fellowships and application forms can be obtained from
Kim Hoskins, Institute for International Studies
Encina Hall, Room 200
Stanford CA 94305
phone: 415/725-2564
-/-/-/ JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS /-/-/-
(NOTE ON REDUNDANCY: For fuller listings of these and other jobs,
don't forget to check the Jobs binder in the Greenberg Room, and the
file 'jobslist.txt' on the CSLI directory /user/linguistics.)
-- ACTING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, Department of Linguistics, University
of Washington. A one-year position for academic year 1993-1994 is
intended in the area of syntactic theory. Applicants must have the Ph.
D. degree in hand by September 1993. Teaching responsibilities involve
six courses in three 10-week terms, including both general
introductions to linguistics and introductory and advanced syntax
courses. Duties include being an unofficial member of several M.A. and
Ph. D. committees. Applications, including a curriculum vitae,
statement of research and teaching interests, and three letters of
recommendation, should be sent to
Professor Frederick J. Newmeyer, Chair
Department of Linguistics, GN-40
University of Washington,
Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Priority will be given to applications received before April 15. The
University of Washington is building a culturally diverse faculty and
strongly encourges applications from women and minority candidates.
AA/EOE.
(NOTE ON REDUNDANCY: For fuller listings of these and other jobs,
don't forget to check the Jobs binder in the Greenberg Room, and the
file 'jobslist.txt' on the CSLI directory /user/linguistics.)
-/-/-/ INSTA-PRIZE /-/-/-
No one keyed into the fact that the five words last week all began
with the number 'one' in various languages: ENumerate (Danish),
UNOccupied (Spanish), ONErous (English), UNusual (French), BIRd
(Turkish). But someone did ask me to print the answer this week. So,
there you are. This week, a puzzle that we absolutely PROMISE you
don't have to have some particular bit of arcane knowledge to solve.
HYPER-JUMBLES: You are given three words; rearrange the letters in two
of them to form a synonym for the third. (For example:
DEED-EMPTY-REST; the letters in 'deed' and 'rest' are rearranged to
spell 'deserted,' which is a synonym for 'empty.') First two correct
answers to any TWO of them will be insta-prized.
SAD-PIECE-LARK WHEEL-SEER-OUT CALL-MAIL-CROP
MAR-SEND-STINT TAME-PEER-SOAK MET-SOBER-REPEAT
-/-/-/ FINAL SCORE /-/-/-
You can all relax now that the Sharks -avoided- breaking the record
for longest losing streak EVER in the NHL (17 games) by beating the
Winnepeg Jets in Winnepeg 3-2. However, their one-game winning streak
was snapped this week by the Washington Capitals (ironically, the team
that set that record originally) in an exciting match that ended
Capitals 4, Sharks 3. Tonight the Sharks try to break their -new-
losing streak by beating the Minnesota North Stars in the Cow Palace.
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-/-/-/ CONSERVE DISK SPACE /-/-/-
So you may delete your copy after you've read it (or better yet,
before you've read it), the Sesquipedalian Weekly Herald is stored
online both at Stanford (in directory /user/linguistics/Sesquip), and
at Berkeley (in the directory /usr/pub.) The most current issue of
the Herald can be found by typing 'help quip'.
Neither Stanford University nor the Linguistics Department, nor any of
their employees, makes any warranty, whatsoever, implied, or assumes
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employees, and shall not be used for advertising or product
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Void where prohibited
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