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Sesquipedalian #8

the SESQUIPEDALIAN 				       Volume V,  No. 8
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'More than you ever wanted to know'		       December 1, 1994


			    STILL NOAM C. TO ME
     (Sung to the tune of 'Still Rock 'n Roll to Me' by Billy Joel)

What's the matter with my antecedent?
 Don'tcha know it ain't locally bound
Just what happened to my transformations?
 I don't know but I'll look around
Don't you know that it's the new theory, baby
All ya need's move-alpha and subjacency, maybe
It's the next phase, trace craze, A-chains, anyways
It's still Noam C. to me

What'samatter with my R-expression?
 Don't you know that it's gotta be free
What's the matter with the trace I'm leaving?
 Take a look at the ECP!
Nowadays ya can't be language-specific,
If ya want your theory to be really terrific
NPs, VPs, CPs, any Ps
It's still Noam C. to me

Everybody's talking 'bout the new theory, funny, but
It's still Noam C. to me

[Harry Bratt]

		     ^\^\^\ LOOK WHO'S TALKING /^/^/^

-- At ISOKL-1995 (International Symposium on Korean Linguistics) at
Harvard, January 13-15, Peter Sells will present 'The Category and
Case-Marking Properties of Verbal Nouns,' and Jong-Bok Kim will
present 'On the Existence of NegP in Korean.'

-- Arnold Zwicky has been named the Exemplary Faculty Member Award
winner at Ohio State University.  In recognition of his exceptional
strength in research and teaching, and having served as a role model
for students and younger colleagues.  His work in virtually all areas
of linguistics has made him a world-class luminary in the field, and
he has served as advisor to nearly half the Ph.Ds in the department's
28-year history.  The award also carries a $1500 stipend.  We are
extremely pleased to welcome Arnold back to Stanford next quarter.

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

	   THE LOCALITY OF INTERPRETATION:  THE CASE OF BINDING
			   Pauline Jacobson
		     Brown University/UC Santa Cruz

		     Friday, December 2, 3:30 p.m.
		  	  Cordura 100 (CSLI)
			Happy hour will follow.

   This talk takes as its point of departure the hypothesis that
surface structures are directly assigned a model-theoretic
interpretation, without being mapped into (or derived from) some other
level such as LF.  Note that if this is correct, it entails a second
hypothesis - that each surface expression has a meaning; I refer to
this as the hypothesis of local interpretation.  So, for example, this
entails that in (1) "Mary loves" is asigned as meaning; so is "John
hates"; and so also is "Mary loves and John hates".  Recent work
within Categorial Grammar (Steedman, 1987; Dowty, 1987) has shown that
this is a tenable analysis of (1), and so Right Node Raising sentences
do not need to be mapped into another level to be interpreted:
(1)  Mary loves and John hates model-theoretic semantics.
   This talk explores the interaction of the local interpretation
hypothesis with an approach to binding making no essential use of
variables in the semantics (Curry and Feys, 1958; Quine, 1966;
Szabolcsi, 1987; Jacobson, 1991, 1992, etc.).  I argue for one
particular implementation of this idea, and show that it differs
crucially from a standard semantics with variables in lcoating both
the effect of a pronoun and the effect of binding much "more locally".
I further show that exactly this type of locality allows us to
maintain the hypothesis of local interpreation in general.  The reason
centers on the fact that natural language syntax allows "small
expressions" to "move around" or stand alone in such a way that they
behave with respect to binding phenomena as if they were surrounded by
additional material, even when on the surface they in fact are not.
Two examples are as follows:
(2)  The woman who every Englishman(i) admires is his(i) mother (Geach,1965)
(3)  Every man(i) loves but no man(j) wants to marry his(i/j) mother.
(the intended reading for (3) is one with across-the-board binding)
Under the standard view of how binding works, such cases force us to
give up the hypothesis of local interpretation, and to instead posit
abstract levels at which these "small" expressions are indeed
surrounded by toehr material.  For example, in the ATB binding case in
(3) we would be required to posit a level of representation in which
Right Node Raising constructions actually involve two sentences (and
each pronoun is bound separately in the two different sentences).  But
given the approach to binding developed here, I will show that (2) and
(3) both allow direct, local, surface interpretation.
   Moreover, I argue that the approach here has significant advantages
over an approach which posits abstract levels of representation.
Trying to account for the binding in (2) by an abstract level (as has
often been attempted) cannot account for the rest of its semantics.
As to (3), positing two separate sentences fails to account for the
generalization that there cannot be binding out of just one conjunct;
it will be shown that this generalization follows immediately under
the present approach.

		     ^\^\^\ SOCIORAP SESSION /^/^/^

There will be a special talk sponsored by the Historical Linguistics
Interest Group and the Bay Area Sociolinguistic Group on FRIDAY DEC 2nd
>From 12--1 in 110-110A:

			IAN E. ROBERTSON
	University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

The Sociohistorical Development of Berbice Dutch in Guyana, with Emphasis
on Dutch-Ijo Connections.

The presentation will review the arguments which led to the search for
a Dutch-based creole in Guyana. It will also present some of the
evidence for a seminal influence from one Niger Delta language--
Eastern Ijo--in the formation of Berbice Dutch. The evidence will
be examined for any challenges to standard theories of the
creolization process.

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

-- LPSA: The Center for South Asian Studies, School of Hawaiian, Asian
and Pacific Studies, University of Hawai`i, announces its Eleventh
Annual Spring Symposium entitled LANGUAGE AND PREHISTORY IN SOUTH
ASIA, to be held March 20 & 21, 1995 (Monday and Tuesday) from 9:00 am
to 4:00 pm on the University of Hawai`i at Manoa campus.  Papers are
invited up to thirty minutes in length, focusing on any aspect of the
structure, use, and history of any of the modern or classical
languages of South Asia (including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, Maldives, Pakistan, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, and Tibet) as well as
relationships and contacts among the languages of this area and
between these languages and the languages of mainland and insular
South East Asia, East Asia, Central Asia, Western Asia, Africa or the
Pacific Islands (e.g. Fiji).  The proceedings will be published in
Summer or Fall 1995.  Send abstracts (one copy, one page, not
anonymous) to the attention of 
	Karina Bingham
	Symposium Coordinator
	Center for South Asian Studies
	Moore Hall 416, 
	University of Hawai`i/Manoa
	Honolulu, HI 96822
For more information, contact Dr.  Lawrence A. Reid, Dept. of
Linguistics, (808)956-3223 or reid@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu.

-- BFDL-I: The First Annual Baloney-Foney-Deep-Life-Philosophy
conference will be held at Stanford on April 1, 1995.  Abstracts are
invited for presentations in all areas of simpering, self-indulgent
rationalizing, deep thoughts, unorthodox interpretations of modern
thought, whining, peeves, the-way-things-really-are-except-you-are-
the-only-one-who-knows-it, or pretty much anything.  Invited speakers:
Rachel Nordlinger, Sam Wein, and Stanford alumnus Sigourney Weaver.
Please, please keep abstracts under one page (with an additional page
allowed for data/references), and submit three anonymous copies with a
3x5 card indicating name and contact information, and expected length
of presentation to
	Daniel Dor/Kyle Wohlmut
	BFDL-I Committee
	Building 460
	Stanford CA 94305-2150
	phone: 415/723-4284
	email: dor@csli.stanford.edu, kyle@csli.stanford.edu
We cannot accept e-mail or fax submissions of abstracts, but abstracts
somehow addressing any aspect of Star Trek are strongly encouraged.
Deadline for abstracts: January 10.  Supplicants will be notified
almost immediately.

-- CLS: The 31st Annual Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic
Society, April 20-22, 1995.  General Session: April 20-21.  We invite
original, unpublished work on any topic of general linguistic
interest.  We especially wish to remind people that this year we
celebrate the Meeting's 30th birthday, and papers which make a
connection to papers presented at earlier meetings are encouraged.
Parasession: April 21-22; 'Clitics.'  We invite original, unpublished
work in any area of linguistics dealing with the nature and structure
of clitics and processes of cliticization.  Abstracts from a broad
range of theoretical perspectives will be considered.  Abstracts (for
both general session and parasession): Please submit ten copies of a
one-page, 500-word, anonymous abstract (for a 25-minute paper), along
with a 3"x5" card with your name, affiliation, address, phone number,
e-mail address, title of paper, and indication of whether the paper is
intended for the main session or the parasession. If the paper is
intended for the main session, please specify its subject matter
(e.g., Phonetics/Phonology, Syntax/Semantics, Morphology, Historical
Linguistics, Discourse Analysis, etc.).  The abstract should be as
specific as possible, and it should clearly indicate the data covered,
outline the arguments presented, and include any broader implications
of the work.  One page of data and/or references may be appended, if
necessary.  An individual may present at most one single and one
co-authored paper.  Authors whose abstracts are accepted agree to
submit a camera-ready copy of their paper by May 15th, 1995.  Deadline
for receipt of abstracts is January 30th, 1995.  Send abstracts to
                  Chicago Linguistic Society
                  1010 E. 59th Street
                  Chicago, Illinois 60637
                  (312) 702-8529
Abstracts sent via e-mail will not be accepted, but further information
can be obtained from cls@sapir.uchicago.edu

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

ANEK-DOTEN DEPT: In Japan, an American exchange student went to a
restaurant with his Japanese host family.  While waiting for their
food to be brought, he asked where the bathroom was: 'Otera wa doko
desu ka?' The father was puzzled, but he said he would take the
student to the nearest one if he really needed to go.  The student
insisted it was urgent, so his host led him outside and through the
city to the nearest Buddhist temple.  The student finally realized he
had coalesced the vowels of 'otearai' (bathroom) and 'otera' (temple).
He said a quick prayer in the temple and used the bathroom at home two
hours later.

Meanwhile in California, a Japanese exchange student was being shown
her American host family's garden and suddenly asked, 'Excuse me,
where is the rubber tree?'

		    ^\^\^\ 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.)

-- UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD: RESEARCH STUDENTSHIP IN NATURAL LANGUAGE
PROCESSING.  The department seeks to recruit a postgraduate student to
start in January 1995 in the area of natural language processing,
preferably in lexicon construction, or computational pragmatics or
semantics.  Candidates should have a good honours degree in a relevant
discipline (not necessarily Computer Science), and preferably some NLP
experience. The award is for three years and is at the standard rate
(just under 5K pounds a year) but there may be opportunities for
additional income within the university's regulations on graduate
student	employment. A brochure on the work of the NLP group can be
obtained from liz@dcs.sheffield.ac.uk.  Enquiries and applications
should be addressed to
	Professor Yorick Wilks, Director of Research,
	phone +44(0)114-282 5563, 
	email yorick@dcs.sheffield.ac.uk

-- THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO: Division of
Bicultural-Bilingual Studies.  The University of Texas at San Antonio
seeks applicants for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position for
Fall 1995, pending budget approval, in the area of
bicultural-bilingual studies.  The Division offers a Master of Arts
degree in: Bicultural Studies, Bicultural-Bilingual Education, and
English as a Second Language.  It also provides undergraduate and
graduate programs for teacher certification as well as support courses
for other programs in the University, and is currently developing a
new doctoral program. Responsibilities: Teaching graduate and
undergraduate courses, advising graduate students, pursuing an active
research agenda, and involvement in development of proposed doctoral
program.  Required Qualifications: Doctorate or ABD with expertise in
bicultural-bilingual studies and formal preparation in a related
discipline.  University teaching experience. Candidate must have a
record of research and publication in one or more of the following
areas: education of language minority populations, biculturalism,
bilingualism, biliteracy, or language policy.  Native, or near native,
proficiency in Spanish and English.  Preferred Qualifications:
Experience in teaching or conducting research in public schools
(K-12), experience with funded research projects, ability to direct
graduate student research, and ability to work collaboratively with
colleagues.  Appointment: Starting Fall 1995 semester. Doctorate must
be completed by August 15, 1995, for rank of assistant professor
without tenure; ABD applicants close to completion will be considered
at rank of instructor.  Salary is competitive and commensurate with
qualifications and experience.  Send a letter of application,
curriculum vitae, and three letters of references to:
	Dr. Mauricio Charpenel, Chair
	Search Committee
	Division of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies
	College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
	The University of Texas at San Antonio
	San Antonio Texas 78249-0653
Applicants who are not U.S. citizens must state their current visa and
residency status. Completed applications, including all supporting
letters, must be postmarked by December 31, 1994.

-- UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO: The University of Texas at San
Antonio seeks applicants for a tenure-track Assistant Professor
position for Fall 1995, pending budget approval, in the area of
English as a second language.  The Division offers a Master of Arts
degree in: Bicultural Studies, Bicultural-Bilingual Education, and
English as a Second Language.  It also provides undergraduate and
graduate programs for teacher certification as well as support courses
for other programs in the University, and is currently developing a
new doctoral program.  Responsibilities: Teaching graduate and
undergraduate courses, advising graduate students, pursuing an active
research agenda, and involvement in development of the proposed
doctoral program.  Required Qualifications: Doctorate or ABD with
expertise in second language learning and literacy and formal
preparation in a related discipline.  University teaching experience.
Candidate must have a record of research and publication in one or
more of the following areas: teaching English as a second language,
second language acquisition, second language literacy, education of
language minority populations, bilingualism, or language policy.
Preferred Qualifications: Experience in teaching or conducting
research in public schools (K-12), experience with funded research
projects, ability to direct graduate student research, ability to work
collaboratively with colleagues, international experience, and
proficiency in Spanish.  Appointment: Starting with Fall 1995
semester.  Doctorate must be completed by August 15, 1995, for rank of
assistant professor without tenure; ABD applicants close to completion
will be considered at rank of instructor.  Salary is competitive and
commensurate with qualifications and experience.  Send a letter of
application, curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference to
	Chair, ESL Search Committee
	Division of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies
	College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
	The University of Texas at San Antonio
	San Antonio Texas 78249-0653
Completed applications, including all supporting letters, must be
postmarked by December 31, 1994.

-- UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA at BIRMINGHAM: Assistant/Associate Professor,
tenure earning.  Department of Biocommunication, Schools of Medicine
and Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham.  Research
scientist with minimal teaching responsibilities. The Department of
Biocommunication is a joint basic science department in a major urban
medical center.  Technical support and laboratory facilities are
excellent. We seek an individual who is committed to pursing a career
in speech research with emphasis on normal or disordered processes.
Candidates should have demonstrated research ability and excellent
written/verbal skills. The person will be expected to publish and seek
external funding.  CLOSING DATE:   March 1, 1995 or until filled.
Send letter of interest, resume, and three current letters of
recommendation to 
        James E. Flege, Ph.D.
        Chair, Search Committee
        Department of Biocommunication
        University of Alabama at Birmingham
        VH, Box 503
        Birmingham, AL 35294-0019
	tel: (205) 934-3644
	FAX: (205) 934-7420
	email: FLEGEJE@BIOCOM1.BIOC.UAB.EDU

(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 \^\^\^

EUREKA: You have an irregularly-shaped glass bottle almost
full of a powerful acid.  There are only two marks on the bottle: the
higher mark indicates 10 liters, the lower mark indicates 5 liters.
Someone has used an unknown small quantity of the acid, lowering the
liquid's level a trifle below the 10-liter mark.  You wish to pour out
exactly 5 liters to use in an experiment, but the acid is too
dangerous and volatile to pour out into other measuring containers.
How can you make sure you pour out the right amount?

Solution to FISCAL YEAR: It seems no one had any problems
understanding why one-thousand nine-hundred and eighty-eight dollar
bills have a greater value than one-thousand nine-hundred and
eighty-seven...


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                    ^\^\^\ CONSERVE DISK SPACE /^/^/^

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before you've read it), the Sesquipedalian Weekly Herald is stored
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at Berkeley (in the directory /usr/pub.)  The most current issue of
the Herald can be found by typing 'help quip'.

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Do not read if safety seal shows signs of tampering

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