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Sesquipedalian #4
the SESQUIPEDALIAN Volume VII, No. 4
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Jane Seymour executed (1537) October 24, 1996
KABINDA, ZAIRE--In a move IBM offices are hailing as a major step
in the company's ongoing worldwide telecommunications revolution,
M'wana Ndeti, a member of Zaire's Bantu tribe, used an IBM global
uplink network modem yesterday to crush a nut.
Ndeti, who spent 20 minutes trying to open the nut by hand, easily
cracked it open by smashing it repeatedly with the powerful modem.
"I could not crush the nut by myself," said the 47-year-old Ndeti,
who added the savory nut to a thick, peanut-based soup minutes
later. "With IBM's help, I was able to break it." Ndeti discovered
the nut-breaking, 28.8 V.34 modem yesterday, when IBM was shooting
a commercial in his southwestern Zaire village. During a break in
shooting, which shows African villagers eagerly teleconferencing
via computer with Japanese schoolchildren, Ndeti snuck onto the set
and took the modem, which he believed would serve well as a
"smashing" utensil.
IBM officials were not surprised the longtime computer giant was
able to provide Ndeti with practical solutions to his everyday
problems.
"Our telecommunications systems offer people all over the world
global networking solutions that fit their specific needs," said
Herbert Ross, IBM's director of marketing. "Whether you're a nun
cloistered in an Italian abbey or an Aborigine in Australia's Great
Sandy Desert, IBM has the ideas to get you where you want to go
today."
According to Ndeti, of the modem's many powerful features, most
impressive was its hard plastic casing, which easily sustained
several minutes of vigorous pounding against a large stone. "I put
the nut on a rock, and I hit it with the modem," Ndeti said. "The
modem did not break. It is a good modem."
Ndeti was so impressed with the modem that he purchased a new,
state-of-the-art IBM workstation, complete with a PowerPC 601
microprocessor, a quad-speed internal CD-ROM drive and three 16-bit
ethernet networking connectors. The tribesman has already made good
use of the computer system, fashioning a gazelle trap out of its
wires, a boat anchor out of the monitor and a crude but effective
weapon from its mouse.
"This is a good computer," said Ndeti, carving up a just-captured
gazelle with the computer's flat, sharp internal processing device.
"I am using every part of it. I will cook this gazelle on the
keyboard."
Hours later, Ndeti capped off his delicious gazelle dinner by
smoking the computer's 200-page owner's manual.
IBM spokespeople praised Ndeti's choice of computers. "We are
pleased that the Bantu people are turning to IBM for their business
needs," said company CEO William Allaire. "From Kansas City to
Kinshasa, IBM is bringing the world closer together. Our
cutting-edge technology is truly creating a global village."
-\-/-\ LINGUISTICS COLLOQUIUM \-/-\-
Once again there is no linguistics colloquium this week. However, you
will surely not want to miss the Symbolic Systems Forum today,
Thursday (see below).
------------------
For directions and a complete list of colloquia, see
http://www-linguistics.stanford.edu/Linguistics/colloq/colloq.html
-/-\-/ SYMBOLIC SYSTEMS FORUM /-\-/-
***********************************
* Toward a Physical Interpretation*
* of *
* Extra Sensory Perception *
***********************************
Edwin C. May, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Cognitive Sciences Laboratory
Palo Alto, CA
on Thursday, 24 October
4:15 p.m., Bldg. 460:146 (Margaret Jacks Hall)
Abstract:
We have been conducting interdisciplinary research of extra sensory
perception (ESP) under government contract for over 20 years. Our mission
has been to determine whether ESP can be verified under the strictest
laboratory protocols, and if so, explore potential mechanisms and possible
applications. The program enjoys significant scientific oversight, and
our work meets or exceeds the accepted standards for certification of a
statistical anomaly. That is, a statistically stable, but weak
information-transfer anomaly exists that cannot be explained by improper
protocols, lack of controls, poor statistical analyses, or fraud. Our
conservative approach has been to assume that this phenomenon, which we
now call anomalous cognition (AC), will eventually be understood in terms
of an additional sensorial system. We expect that cellular receptors, an
energy-transfer mechanism, and a "source" will eventually be identified.
As part of an on-going research effort, we have conducted two extensive
experiments to explore a potential physical variable that may be related
to the "source" of AC. A typical trial in these experiments involves a
random selection of a target photograph from a pre-defined set. An
individual, called a receiver, who is blind to the particular target, is
asked to describe in words and drawings her/his impressions of the
selected target. In our latest experiments, data from a few hundred
trials were subjected to a pre-specified set of statistical analyses.
We observed substantial evidence for AC in these studies, and the results
suggest a strong correlation of the quality of the AC data with the
gradient of Shannon entropy of the target material. Additionally, we did
not observe a significant correlation with the magnitude of Shannon
entropy; these results are suggestive of a sensorial system.
In the presentation, we will outline the technical protocols, show
examples of the AC data, and display the correlations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Edwin C. May is a distinguished member of the parapsychology community
and now the President-elect of the Parapsychological Association.
Currently, Dr. May is the Executive Director of the Cognitive Sciences
Laboratory which now resides within the Laboratories for Fundamental
Research. Prior to this appointment, Dr. May was the Director of a
similar program at Science Applications International Corporation and
before that at SRI International. An experimental nuclear physicist by
training, Dr. May completed his Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh in
1968. He has been involved in anomalous mental phenomena research since
1972.
-/-\-/ PHONOLOGY WORKSHOP /-\-/-
Chang Yong Sohn
Stanford University
OPTIMALITY THEORETIC ACCOUNT OF THE METER OF BEOWULF
A Dissertation Proposal
Margaret Jacks Hall, Seminar Room 146
Thursday, October 24, 1996, 7:30 pm
In this talk I present an Optimality Theoretic analysis of Old English
meter, specifically that of Beowulf. Contrary to the traditional
approaches mainly concerned with the classification of "Types", the
present analysis focuses on the notion of metrical complexity.
In keeping with the fundamental tenets of generative metrics, two
distinct components (metrical and prosodic) interact in an interesting
way with their own constraints. Assuming the inverse relationship
between the complexity and the frequency, I explore various ways
uniquely available in OT for capturing the complexity, which in
procedural terms amounts to "evaluation metric". Parallel to the OT
interpretation of "preferredness" in variations, ranking and violation
of the constraints add to the complexity, leading to less instances in
the corpus.
Overall, the present analysis demonstrates that, without preconceived
notion of "Types", the meter in Beowulf is not so unique as to defy
the limits of parametric theory of the meter.
=================
Next Phonology Workshop:
November 14, Stuart Davis (UC Santa Cruz/Indiana University)
-\-/-\ CALL FOR PAPERS \-/-\-
-- CELTIC STUDIES CONFERENCE: The Nineteenth Annual University of
California Celtic Studies Conference will be held March 7-9, 1997, on
the Berkeley campus. Submission of abstracts is solicited on a wide
variety of Celtic topics including anthropology, archaeology, art,
folklore, history, linguistics, literature, and music. Abstracts
should be one page in length; papers should be no more than twenty
minutes. Abstracts should be received by November 30, 1996. Please
send them to
Heather Jones
c/o Linguistics Department
2337 Dwinelle Hall
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-2650
--CSDL-3: Cognition and Function in Language. Third Conference on
Conceptual Structure, Discourse and Language, May 24-26 1997,
University of Colorado at Boulder (Department of Linguistics and the
Institute of Cognitive Science). CSDL 3 features three panel
sessions: Space and Language, Text, and Historical Semantics. We
invite papers that provide cognitive and functional analyses of
linguistic phenomena. Topics include linguistic meaning, sentence
processing, conversational practice, meaning change, acquisition, and
language pathology. Anonymous one-page abstracts for 20-minute talks
must be received by January 17, 1997. Abstracts must accompany a
separate sheet listing paper title, author name(s) and affiliation(s),
topic area (e.g., lexical semantics, syntax, discourse,
neurolinguistics), email and mailing address. Send four copies of
your abstract to
CSDL 3/Department of Linguistics CB 295
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309
Email submissions to: csdl@babel.colorado.edu
For More Information
Email: csdl@babel.colorado.edu
Phone: (303) 492-1990
-- BLS-XXIII: The Berkeley Linguistics Society is pleased to announce
its Twenty-Third Annual Meeting, to be held February 14-17, 1997. The
conference will consist of a Special Session on Friday, followed by a
General Session and a Parasession on Saturday through Monday. The
main session will cover areas of general linguistic interest. The
parasession (Pragmatics and Grammatical Structure) will accept papers
bearing on all aspects of the relationship between pragmatics and
grammatical structure, such as how pragmatics shapes grammar, how
grammar constrains pragmatics, what kinds of regular relationships can
be found between pragmatic function and linguistic form, and how
grammar and pragmatics combine to create/encode meaning. The special
session (Syntax and Semantics in Africa) will feature research on the
syntax and semantics of African languages. We invite submissions
concerning any African language or language family from any framework,
including formal, functional, cognitive, sociolinguistic, and
historical approaches. We encourage proposals from diverse
theoretical frameworks and welcome papers from related disciplines,
such as Anthropology, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Literature,
Philosophy, and Psychology. Papers presented at the conference will
be published in the Society's Proceedings, and authors who present
papers agree to provide camera-ready copy (not to exceed 12 pages) by
May 15, 1997. Presentations will be allotted 20 minutes with 10
minutes for questions. We ask that you make your abstract as specific
as possible, including a statement of your topic or problem, your
approach, and your conclusions. Please send 10 copies of an anonymous
one-page (8 1/2" x 11", unreduced) abstract. A second page, or
reverse side of the single page, may be used for data and references
only. Along with the abstract send a 3"x 5" card listing: (1) paper
title, (2) session (general session, parasession, or special session),
(3) for general session abstracts only, subfield, viz., Discourse
Analysis, Historical Linguistics, Morphology, Philosophy and
Methodology of Linguistics, Phonetics, Phonology, Pragmatics,
Psycholinguistics, Semantics, Sociolinguistics, or Syntax, (4) name(s)
of author(s), (5) affiliation(s) of author(s), (6) address to which
notification of acceptance or rejection should be mailed (in late
December 1996), (7) author's office and home phone numbers, (8)
author's e-mail address, if available. An author may submit at most
one single and one joint abstract. In case of joint authorship, one
address should be designated for communication with BLS. Send
abstracts to: BLS 23 Abstract Committees, 2337 Dwinelle Hall,
University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-2650. Abstracts for the
general session and parasession must be received by 4:00 p.m.,
November 18, 1996. Special session abstracts must be received by 4:00
p.m., November 25, 1996. We may be contacted by e-mail at
bls@garnet.berkeley.edu; however, we cannot accept e-mailed or faxed
abstracts. Additional guidelines for abstracts may be requested by
email (bls@garnet.berkeley.edu) or may found at our web site,
http://www.linguistics.berkeley.edu/lingdept/research/BLS.html
-\-/-\ TRUE LINGUISTICS \-/-\-
LETTER FROM A NORWEGIAN IMMIGRANT TO A PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER
Papaikou the 21th Juin 1882
Sir!
When i have hea af Mr. Severents the Scheriff in Hilo, that yo
wont some Laborrers am I Tacking my the Liberty af to adress yo a
Quiston, ef yo have some use for my? and in case af that ef yo please
will paid the many for my to Mr Hitschcock against that i sign a new
Cantract with yo. I am sheped from Narway to Mr Hitschcock for 3 years
af wich i have serv him 17th mants at date. I am 27 years ald, and are
able to all Work belonging to a Sager plantagen, and withaat that i am
Painter and understand very well Carpainterwork too. I understand very
gad English. Ef yo shaald please to tack my in yars Work, ar give my a
chance in that way by same ather will i if yo wont it, send yo a
Recomandtian from Mr Hitschcock, he are willing to late my go as yo will
see af that folawing Paper.
Haping that yo will send my a answar an this with the very first
Post, in ang case.
i sign my Servantey yors,
FALCH BJORNGARD
(Source: Bernice P. Bishop Museum Archives, MS Group 329, Box 64, Folder
24) [Contributed by Julianne Roberts]
-\-/-\ 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.)
-- SDSU: The Department of Linguistics and Oriental Languages at San
Diego State University announces a tenure-track position for a
linguist specializing in applied linguistics, ESL methods, and/or
language acquisition. Appointment will be at the assistant professor
level, salary in the mid to upper thirties depending on degrees and
experience. Minimum qualification is Ph.D. or ABD in Linguistics,
publication highly desirable. Candidates with inter-disciplinary
teaching and research interests and the ability to work well with
students from diverse cultural backgrounds, as well as a commitment to
scholarship and teaching excellence, both graduate and undergraduate,
are strongly encouraged to apply. Send applications to include cover
letter, CV, at least three letters of recommendation, and sample
papers or publications to Search Committee, Department of Linguistics
and Oriental Languages, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
92182-7727. The Department will start reviewing applications on
November 30, 1996, and continue until position is filled. Contact the
Department for interview locations. Telephone (619) 594-5268, fax
(619) 594 4877, e-mail dpoole@sciences.sdsu.edu.
SDSU is an Affirmative-Action/Equal Opportunity/Title IX
Employer and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of
race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, marital
status, age or disability.
-- GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY: Assistant Professor of English, Ph.D. in
Linguistics. Tenure-track position beginning August 1997. The
Linguistics Program at George Mason University solicits applications
for a theoretical linguist specializing in Second Language Acquisition
with a secondary specialization such as child language acquisition,
morphology, syntax, phonology. Ability to relate theory to practice,
and interest/expertise in applying computer technology to teaching,
desirable. Position pending budgetary approval. Send vita,
representative work, recommendations, and a statement of research
interests to
3E4 - Charles Jones
Linguistics Search
English Department
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
All materials must reach us by November 15 1996. AA/EO Employer.
-- TEXAS A&M: We are looking for an Assistant Professor in
rhetoric-composition and linguistics. The successful candidate must be
able to teach in both areas and at their intersection and contribute
to our new Ph.D. concentration in Discourse Studies. Expertise is
desirable in one or more of the following: applied linguistics/ESL,
literacy, history of English, computers and writing, text linguistics,
pragmatics, composition theory, and technical writing. The Discourse
Studies Concentration is a track in our Ph.D. program in which
students take courses in rhetoric, critical theory, and linguistics as
well as a keystone course that combines all three. The program
prepares them to write dissertations in a variety of interdisciplinary
areas. We are looking for someone who will contribute to this program
both as a teacher and as a role model. Thus we are interested in
recruiting candidates with serious interdisciplinary teaching and
research interests whose work involves rhetoric and
linguistics. Specific research topic and methodology are open.
Undergraduate courses the candidate might be asked to teach (depending
on his or her areas of interest) include Introduction to Linguistics,
Structure of English, History of English, Applied Linguistics,
Approaches to Literacy, History of Rhetoric, and Rhetorical
Theory. Possible graduate courses include Topics in Discourse Studies,
Composition Theory, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory, Rhetoric and
Composition, History of Rhetoric, Computers and Composition, Structure
of Discourse, Applied Linguistics, and General Linguistics. New
courses could also be developed. Candidates must have the Ph.D. in
hand by August 1997 and demonstrate a strong commitment to excellence
in teaching and research; preference will be given to those with
publications. Send a letter of application and curriculum vitae
postmarked by 5 November to
James L. Harner
Search Committee Chair,
Department of English
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-4227
Interviews will be conducted at the MLA convention. Texas A&M
University, an AA/EEO employer, encourages applications from women and
minority candidates.
-- UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: The Department of Language & Linguistics at
the University of Essex invites applications for the following
permanent post: LECTURER/SENIOR LECTURER/READER IN ARABIC LINGUISTICS.
Candidates must have a strong research record and show evidence of
potential for continuing research excellence. Applications will be
welcomed from scholars offering specialisms in any area of descriptive
or comparative Arabic Linguistics. The person appointed will provide
the intellectual leadership for a new MA/PhD program in Arabic
Linguistics, and contribute to the development of a new MA/PhD program
in Comparative Linguistics. Appointment to this permanent post will
be from 1 September. Application details may be obtained:
- - by phone: ++44/1206/87-2462 (24 hours), quoting reference S/095
- - by fax: ++44/1206/87-3396
- - by email: staffing@essex.ac.uk
- - by snail mail:
Personnel Section
University of Essex
Colchester C04 3SQ
UK
The closing date is: *8 November 1996*
-- DRAGON SYSTEMS: Dragon Systems is the world market leader in PC and
Mac#based speech recognition technology, with a revolutionary approach
to user interaction. Our organization thrives because our people are
uniquely qualified. Our markets grow because our technology is
universally accepted. Our future is promising because we offer a
diverse line of voice activated products for users, developers and PC
hardware and software. With a highly imaginative, incredibly talented
team, we are expanding the frontiers of speech and language
recognition technology. Voice your expertise and bring your talents to
Dragon Systems.
NATURAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPER
Join Dragon and play a key role in developing NLP tools for
advanced speech applications. Requirements include: Strong
implementation skills (language not important), a willingness to work
in C++, and experience in development of NLP or AI algorithms. BS/MS
in CS/AI/ Computational Linguistics also essential. Multi-lingual
experience a plus.
TO APPLY, please send your resume to: T. Rosker, Director, HR,
Dragon Systems, Inc., 320 Nevada Street, Newton, MA 02160. Email:
Tamahr@dragonsys.com; Fax: 617-965-8348. Natural Language Developer
(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 \-/-\-
THE EIGHT QUEENS PROBLEM: What is the largest number of queens that
can be placed on an 8x8 chessboard in such a way that no queen is
threatened by another? (For non-chess players, this means that no two
queens can be in the same row, column, or diagonal line).
This problem was posed by puzzler Max Bezzel in 1848. While
the number of pieces involved is (fairly) easily determined, it was
not until three years later that the total number of possible
solutions (not counting rotations and reflections of the same
solution) was published, and not until -thirty- years later that the
proof was published, by the English mathematician J.W.L. Glaisher.
For this week's insta-prize, tell me
(1) The largest number of queens that can be placed, and
(2) The number of possible different solutions.
[From 'Classic Brain Puzzlers,' Philip J. Carter and Ken A. Russell.]
Solution to THINK OF A NUMBER: 729.
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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/), and at
Berkeley (in the directory /usr/pub.), or on the Linguistics
Department home page (http://www-linguistics.stanford.edu/). 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
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University or the Linguistics Department, or their employees. Any
similarity to actual linguists, living or dead, is purely
coincidental. 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. It is a violation of federal law to
use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labelling.
For best results, squeeze from bottom end up
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