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Sesquipedalian #5

the SESQUIPEDALIAN 				       Volume V,  No. 5
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'More than you ever wanted to know'		       November 3, 1994


                         PROPER CARE OF FLOPPIES

	The computer support staff has recently received a
preponderance of problem reports regarding the computers in the
cluster areas of Building 460.  It seems misuse of the disk drives is
causing some problems so we would like all users of these machines to
take note of a few guidelines to prolong the lives of the computers:

  1.  Diskettes should be cleaned and waxed once a week.  Microscopic
      metal particles can be removed by waving a powerful magnet over
      the surface of the disk.  Any stubborn metallic shavings can be
      removed with scouring powder and soap.  When waxing the
      diskettes, make sure the surface is even.  This will allow the
      diskette to spin faster, resulting in better access time.
  
  2.  Do not fold diskettes unless they do not fit into the drive.
      "Big" diskettes may be folded and used in "little" disk drives.

  3.  Never insert a diskette into the drive upside down.  The data can
      fall off the surface of the disk and jam the intricate mechanics
      of the drive.

  4.  Diskettes cannot be backed up by running them through the xerox
      machine.  If your data is going to need to be backed up, simply
      insert two diskettes into the drive.  Whenever you update a
      document, the data will be written on both diskettes.

  5.  Diskettes should not be inserted or removed from the drive while
      the light is flashing.  Doing so could result in smeared or
      possibly unreadable text.  Occasionally the light remains
      flashing in what is known as a "hung" or "hooked" state.  If your
      system is "hooking" you will probably need to insert a few coins
      before being allowed access to the slot.

  6.  If your diskette is full and you need more storage space, remove
      the disk from the drive and shake vigorously for 2 minutes.  This
      will pack the data enough (Data Compression) to allow for more
      storage.  Be sure to cover all the openings with scotch tape to
      prevent loss of data.

  7.  Data access time can be greatly improved by cutting more holes in
      the diskette jacket.  This will provide more simultaneous access
      points to the disk.

  8.  Diskettes should not be used as coasters for beverage glasses, 
      unless they are properly waxed beforehand.  Be sure to wipe the
      diskettes dry before using.  (see item 1 above)

  9.  Never use scissors and glue to manually edit documents.  The data
      is stored much too small for the naked eye, and you may end up
      with data from some other document stuck in the middle of your
      document.  Razor blades and scotch tape may be used, however,
      provided the user is equipped with an electron microscope.

  10. Periodically spray diskettes with insecticide to prevent system
      bugs from spreading.

  11. Never leave diskettes in the disk drive, as data can leak out of
      the disk and corrode the inner mechanics of the drive.  Diskettes
      should be rolled up and stored in pencil holders.

 	           ^/^/^/ LINGUISTICS COLLOQUIUM \^\^\^

At last!  A regular colloquium in the regular place!

              THE CONTEXT-DEPENDENCY OF IMPLICIT ARGUMENTS
                     Cleo Condoravdi and Mark Gawron
                              CSLI and SRI

                      Friday, November 4, 3:30 p.m.
                            Cordura 100 (CSLI)
                         Happy hour will follow.

Relational predicates such as _win_, _local_, _within a day_,
_imminent_ exhibit a type of context-dependence that calls for an
integration of indexicality with anaphora (Mitchell 1986, Partee 1989,
Nunberg 1992).  Their implicit arguments have indexical, discourse
anaphoric and bound variable readings:
 (1) a. A local bar is selling cheap beer. (indexical)
     b. A reporter for the Times got seriously drunk.
        A local bar was selling cheap beer. (discourse anaphoric)
     c. Every sports fan watched the Superbowl in a local bar. (bound
variable)
In this talk we provide a unified account of these distinct readings
within a dynamic system of semantic interpretation extended so as to
incorporate the context of utterance. We analyze context-dependent
predicates as having presuppositions similar to those of definite
descriptions (Heim 1982) with respect to their implicit argument. The
descriptive conditions associated with an implicit argument as part of
its meaning specification are minimal, basically the sortal properties
required by the predicate it is an argument of; in a given context,
however, they end up being richer as a result of accommodation
necessary for presupposition satisfaction. Our proposal accounts for
the varieties of context-dependent elements, preserves Kaplan's (1989)
insights about the semantics and logic of indexicals, and resolves the
problem of the scopal interaction between operators and
context-dependent predicates on readings determined by the context of
utterance (Nunberg 1992).

	 	      ^/^/^/ CALL FOR PAPERS \^\^\^

-- SRCLD: The Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders
provides a dynamic forum for the presentation of research in child
language disorders. The format of this meeting fosters continuity and
interaction among participants because there are no parallel sessions.
This interaction is maintained during professional and social
activities scheduled throughout the symposium. The Lakeshore room of
the Wisconsin Center, which overlooks scenic Lake Mendota, offers an
ideal setting for symposium activities.  Data-based paper and poster
presentations addressing syntactic, semantic, phonologic and pragmatic
disorders in children and other related topics are being solicited.
Authors should indicate their preferred presentation format, paper or
poster; however, the final format of all presentations will be
detennined by the program committee. Each paper presentation will be
allotted 20 minutes. Only completed research that has not been
previously presented or published should be submitted. No more than
two proposals per author.  Proposals will be reviewed blindly by the
program committee.  Enclose a self-addressed, stamped card if you want
notification that your submission has been received.  Submissions must
be received by Tuesday, January 17, 1995.  Send submissions to
	SRCLD 
	c/o Vicky Meyers 
	1500 Highland Ave #481 
	Madison WI 53705-2280
Travel awards are available for students currently enrolled in
undergraduate through post-doctoral levels of training.  A number of
these awards have been set aside for minority students.  For an
application or further information please contact Vicky Meyers.
Phone: (608) 263-6791, FAX: (608) 263-0529, or EMAIL:
SRCLD@waisman.wisc.edu

-- SEALS-V: The Southeast Asian Linguistics Society is pleased to
announce its Fifth Annual Meeting, to be held May 19-21, 1995 at the
University of Arizona in Tucson.  The conference will feature papers
>From the languages of Southeast Asia (Austroasiatic, Austronesian,
Miao-Yao, Tibeto-Burman and Thai-Kadai). Topics will include
descriptive, theoretical or historical linguistics, topics in
linguistic anthropology (ethnolinguistics, language attitudes and
ideology, discourse and conversational analysis, language and gender,
language and politics), language planning, literacy and bilingual
education.  Abstracts are invited for the conference. Please send five
copies of an anonymous abstract by January 15, 1995 with a separate
3x5 card identifying: (1) the author, his/her affiliation, (2) address
where notification of acceptance or rejection will be mailed (in mid
February), (3) a day-time phone number, (4) an e-mail address, if
available. The abstract should be no more than one page long, (an
additional page with data and references may be submitted). Please
send these to
	SEALS, Department of Linguistics
	University of Arizona
	Tucson, Arizona 85721
Questions should be addressed to the local organizers through email or
phone: Shobhana L. Chelliah, phone, (602) 628-1287; email,
shobs@ccit.arizona.edu and Willem J. de Reuse, phone, (602) 621-6308;
email, wdereuse@ccit.arizona.edu.

-- SLLPP: Symposium on Language Loss and Public Policy.  In
conjunction with the 1995 Linguistic Institute of the Linguistic
Society of America, University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico
(June 30-July 2, 1995).  The Symposium will bring together scholars
>From different disciplines to discuss the linguistic,
psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic, cultural, and policy aspects of
language loss. LANGUAGE LOSS is used here in its broadest sense to
subsume three areas of investigation: the ATTRITION of native language
skills by individual members of indigenous and immigrant communities;
societal SHIFT from the use of the native ethnic language to the use
of a dominant official language; and the consequent DEATH of the
subordinate language.  The clear interrelationships among these three
areas -- in the linguistic processes involved and especially in the
societal conditions that give rise to loss -- gives a meeting such as
this Symposium considerable scholarly significance. The fact that the
incidence of linguistic and cultural disruption worldwide is rapidly
accelerating also makes the need for such a Symposium pressing.
Central objectives of the Symposium will be, in light of what is known
about language loss, to examine its ecological significance, that is,
its effects on individuals, communities, and society as a whole, as
well as the policy implications of what is now seen to be a worldwide
and rapidly accelerating phenomenon. Another important objective is to
provide information to members of the wider community both as an
educational objective and as a resource for those concerned with
questions of policy.  Persons intending to submit a formal abstract
for the Symposium should send an expression of interest by November 1,
1994. This preliminary submission should include a tentative title and
specification of the language situation(s) examined, the area of
language loss that will be the emphasis of the report, and whether the
paper will focus on the nature and causes of loss or on the
consequences of loss and policy implications.  The deadline for
receipt of formal abstracts providing greater details is January 31,
1995 Abstracts should not exceed 500 words, and may be submitted by
regular mail, FAX, or electronic mail.  Preliminary expressions of
interest, formal abstracts, and requests for additional information
should be directed to
	Garland D. Bills
	Department of Linguistics
	University of New Mexico
	Albuquerque NM 87131-1196
        phone: (505) 277-7416 or (505) 277-0324
	fax: (505) 277-6355
	email: gbills@bootes.unm.edu

	 	      ^/^/^/ TRUE LINGUISTICS \^\^\^

CHOMSKY ON THE USS ENTERPRISE (PART 15): For everybody in L120 this
quarter, we present excerpts from Geoffrey K. Pullum's transcription
of this historic interview with Noam Chomsky, Riny Huybregts, Henk van
Riemsdijk, and Mr Spock.  We pick up the interview on page 41*:

H/vR: Don't you think that the situation has begun to change since
your 'Conditions on Transformations'?
Ch: My own personal feeling is that this is the first work that I have
done that may lead to the possibility of a conceptual revolution, if
you like.  Most of what preceeded seems to me pretty much common
sense, though I did find it hard and exciting at the time.  But I am
very hesitant because there are a lot of problems with it.  It also
has to be emphasized, as you know very well, that this framework is
only taken seriously by a tiny minority in the field, certainly in the
United States.
S: Your remarks are not supported by factual observations, Professor.
Computer data indicate that approximately 81.39 percent of the
graduate students doing syntax in the United States (as opposed to
0.00012 percent on the planet Vulcan) are followers of your work.  But
forgive me, I am interrupting you.
Ch: For example, I rarely give a talk in a linguistics department on
any work of the past ten or fifteen years.
S: Professor Chomsky, this might have something to do with the fact
that your lecture schedule is booked up in advance by approximately
17.628 earth months, and linguistics department colloquia are
generally planned by an overworked teacher or student no more than
three months ahead?  In any case, it does not seem logical for you to
claim that you would like to give talks at linguistics departments but
they do not wish to invite you, since the record shows you have spoken
about your work at many of the most important campuses in the United
States.
Ch: If I talk about such things it is in philosophy departments or to
literary people, but those are not technical talks.
S: You present the material of 'Conditions on Transformations' to
audiences consisting of specialists in philosophy and literature??
Ch: A lot of this material can be presented in a fairly informal and
accessible fashion, and often I do.  But I rarely go into technical
details with linguists, because there are very few who are interested.
S: I am loath to contradict you on an empirical point, Professor, but
records made of the conversations of linguists during the seventies
indicate a great deal of desire to learn the technical details of the
proposals you loosely adumbrate in your publications of the period-- a
desire that seems largely to have been left unfulfilled.  Dr van
Riemsdijk, please stop kicking my ankle.

* Hubybregets', van Riemsdijk's, and Chomsky's comments are presented
as they appeared in 'Noam Chomsky on the Generative Enterprise'
(Foris, Dordrecht 1983), and Mr Spock's contributions to the
discussion were divined by Geoff Pullum in his essay 'Noam Chomsky on
the Enterprise: A Discussion with Spock' (in 'The Great Eskimo
Vocabulary Hoax,' University of Chicago Press 1991).

		     ^\^\^\ JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS /^/^/^

(REDUNDANCY NOTICE: 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.)

-- RUTGERS: The Department of Linguistics at Rutgers University, New
Brunswick, invites applications for a tenure track Assistant
Professorship in theoretical linguistics with a specialization in
phonology. The appointment will be made for either fall 1995 or fall
1996. Applicants should have a PhD by June 30, 1995, and should be
prepared to teach at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.  The
deadline for receipt of applications is December 1, 1994.
Applications should include a CV and samples of recent work, and have
three letters of recommendation sent to should be sent to
	Selection Committee
	Linguistics Department
	Rutgers University
	18 Seminary Place
	New Brunswick NJ 08903

-- RUTGERS: Three year tenure-track appointment as Assistant Professor
of Linguistics beginning September 1995. An interest in rhetoric and
composition theory will be helpful. Five course per year teaching load
includes a broad range of linguistics courses on both undergraduate
and graduate levels. Ph.D. required, with teaching experience and
demonstrated commitment to scholarship.  Send letter and cv by Nov. 30
	Robert Ryan, Chair
	English Department
	Rutgers University
	Camden NJ 08102
Enclose card or SASE for acknowledgement. Rutgers University is an
AA/EOE employer, committed to recruiting women and minority
candidates.  This search is contingent upon funding availability.

-- UNIV. of FLORIDA, Gainesville. Tenure track position for assistant
professor of linguistics.  Applications sought from specialists in
phonology and/or SLA (preferably both) with a strong teaching record
and a well-defined research program. Salary range 32K to 38K, based on
experience. Please send dossier and an informative application letter
by January 15th, 1995 to 
	Dr. Marie Nelson Chair
	Linguistics Search Committee
	112 Anderson Hall
	Univ. of Florida
	Gainesville, FL 32611, 
	phone: (904)392-0639
	fax: (904)392-8480
	email: JEANCASA@PINE.CIRCA.UFL.EDU

-- UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO: The Department of Linguistics at the
University of New Mexico seeks applicants for a tenure track Assistant
Professor position in Native American linguistics beginning August 14,
1995.  Minimum qualifications: Ph.D. in linguistics by starting date
of appointment; current program of linguistic research; demonstrated
ability to work effectively in Native American communities. Desirable
qualifications: native or native-like proficiency in a Native American
language; research on one or more Native American languages of the
U.S. Southwest, area of expertise in syntax; ability to communicate
effectively with students and colleagues.  Deadline for receipt of
applications is November 30, 1994. Send letter of interest, curriculum
vitae, and names of three references to
	Search Committee, Department of Linguistics
	University of New Mexico
	Albuquerque NM 87131-1196.
EOE/AA

-- INDIANA UNIVERSITY: The Department of Linguistics, Indiana
University, seeks to appoint a tenure-track assistant professor in
phonetics/phonology, starting August 1995.  Clear promise of
distinction in research and excellence in teaching is required.
Preferred specializations include intonation, tonology, and the
interface of phonology and syntax/semantics. Expertise in
computational approaches to language or quantitative sociolinguistics
would be an advantage. A Ph.D. in hand by June 1995 is required, and
some publications and teaching experience are preferred.  Teaching
assignments will include phonetics (both instrumental and
articulatory), phonology, and general introductory courses as well as
courses in the area of specialization.  Please send a letter of
interest, a curriculum vitae, a concise description of your research
program, three letters of recommendation, and a maximum of three
samples of written work to
        Phonetics/Phonology Search Committee
        Indiana University
        Department of Linguistics
        Memorial Hall 322
        Bloomington, IN 47405
Applications received by December 12, 1994 are assured of
consideration. We expect to conduct preliminary interviews at the LSA
meeting in New Orleans. Indiana University is an equal
opportunity/affirmative action employer.

(REDUNDANCY NOTICE: 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 \^\^\^

GREAT OPENING LINES PART II: Speaking of Enterprises, identify the
work of literature that begins with the following quote to claim this
week's insta-prize:

'You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the
commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil
forebodings.'

PAYOFF AT THE POLES: It was astutely observed last week that the other
place on the globe the pilot could start from and follow those
directions to return to the starting point was a point above the South
Pole such that travelling 100 km south would put the pilot on a circle
where the circumference of the Earth at that point equals 100 km, so
the pilot would circle the Earth once by travelling 100 km east, then
return to his starting point (which turned out to be any point 115.9
km north of the South Pole) by travelling 100 km north.  Now, the
question for this week WAS to be to find another point, not the North
Pole and not on THAT circle, but it has been already pointed out by
that same astute student that one could then choose a point 100 km
north of a circle with a circumference of 50 km, then one at 25 km,
etc... 

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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 at Stanford (in directory /user/linguistics/Sesquip/93-94), 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
any legal liability or responsibility regarding any information,
disclosed, in this publication, or represents that its use would not
infringe privately owned rights.  No specific reference constitutes or
implies endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Stanford
University or the Linguistics Department, or their employees.  The
views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those
of Stanford University or the Linguistics Department, or their
employees, and shall not be used for advertising or product
endorsement purposes.

In case of fire, break glass

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