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Sesquipedalian #6
the SESQUIPEDALIAN Volume VII, No. 6
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Bolsheviks take St Petersburg (1914) November 7, 1996
POLICING LICENSE PLATES TAKES LINGUIST
AUSTIN, TEXAS: There may be few state employees who blush as easily as
Debby Waits. Few have as much reason.
Waits, a customer service clerk with the Texas Department of
Transportation, checks requests for special license plates. Her job
is to weed out those she deems inappropriate or offensive.
'I'm just a little old country girl,' said Waits, 40, who grew
up on a dairy farm in Blanco, Texas. 'I'm coming out of it, though.'
She not only looks for any dirty words that might appear in a
request, she also must catch those that people try to sneak past her.
Among the ways they attempt to do so is by spelling them backward,
substituting numbers for vowels, using puns, ethnic argot or simply
obscure slang.
'You have to know Pig Latin,' she said. 'That was the problem
in one case. It was in Pig Latin, and I didn't catch it.'
That vanity plate, which made a specific suggestion to other
motorists, was issued to a resident in Henderson, Texas. The local
police saw it, easily translated it into English and complained to
Waits' office. As is standard procedure in such cases, state
officials notified the plate's owner that it had been declared invalid
and instructed him to exchange it for a new one at the county tax
office.
'I talked to him on the phone. He didn't try to deny that it
said what we thought it said,' Waits said. 'He knew he did wrong.'
Most rejections are not so dramatic. Bill Pool, manager of
the transportation office department that issues special license
plates, said requests are more often rejected because they would
duplicate plates that are already in existence.
Department rules also require rejection if a request is
considered obscene or objectionable. Beyond noting that
'objectionable' includes ethnic slurs, the rules leave Pool's office
wide discretion. 'I think it's more or less common sense,' Pool said.
The state of Texas received 51,000 requests for special
license plates last year. Each passed through a basement room of a
government building a few blocks from the Capitol. There, Waits
estimated, she rejected one or two a week on the grounds of taste--
about five percent of the total rejections.
Sometimes what one person finds objectionable, another may
not. After the transpotation department issued the plate UZI 4ME,
several people complained that it promoted automatic weapons. Pool
contacted the plate's owner, the proprietor of a gun store, who argued
that the plate sumply reflected her business. After weighing the
issue, Pool decided to allow the plate to remain but to disallow it
when it came up for renewal.
Applicants will sometimes make requests in all innocence that
the department nonetheless feels compelled to deny. A few months ago,
Waits phoned a man who worked for a federal credit union, politely
explaining that his request for a plate with the company's initials
could be misread.
'He said he'd been in the Army and he had heard language
before, and he didn't think it was offensive,' she said.
She held her ground. 'I told him that no matter what he and I
thought, that if we put it on the plate, it would look pretty bad,'
she said. He did not take the rejection well, she remembered. Most
applicants don't.
'It used to be people were kind of sheepish,' Pool said.
'Nowadays, they'll accuse you of violating their right to free
speech.'
To Michael Koicuba, it just seemed like prudishness. After
sporting plates such as DYTRAN and 55HAHA, Koicuba recently requested
one that he said would express the fact that his Corvette was a very
fast and a very naughty car. The request was rejected.
'I've seen a lot worse things of bumper stickers,' said
Koicuba, 27, an independent contractor in San Antonio. 'When I asked
them why it was rejected, they said it was vulgar.' It WAS vulgar, he
acknowledged. 'But I mean, come on. It's just a license plate,' he
said. 'I called the department, and it sounded like it was a bunch of
little old ladies.'
He apparently did not talk to Charles Allen. Allen had Waits'
job from 1984 until she took it over last year. When asked his
qualifications, he laughed. 'You've just got to have a vulgar mind,'
he said.
He does not feel inadequate in that regard, but he said he was
sometimes astonished at the resourcefulness of his fellow Texans. One
time, he remembered, he approved what seemed to be an innocent, if
indecipherable, combination of letters and numbers.
When viewed in a rearview mirror, how ever, it became an
invitation of sorts.
'It got right by me,' Allen said. 'Fortunately, one of the
inmates at Huntsville caught it when they made the plate.'
But there are some requests that have eluded even the most
discerning eyes at the Huntsville state prison. A proctologist in the
Rio Grande Valley requested a license plate that memorialized human
waste. He did so in French, however, and Allen, who grew up on the
east side of Austin, unwittingly approved the request.
After the plate was issued, someone who understood the word's
implications saw it on the street and complained. The Francophonic
doctor received a letter ordering him-- in plain English-- to turn the
plate in at the county courthouse.
Another time, the special license plate office received a
complaint about a plate that contained a slang term indigenous to
Australia. 'I don't pretend to be naive, but there are some I've
never heard about,' Allen said.
Some of the vulgarisms are so obscure that few motorists would
notice them, he acknowledged. 'I question myself sometimes whether we
scrutinize too much, but I think we're fair and just in doing what the
public expects,' he said. His own rule of thumb, he said, was 'to
look at a request and ask, "Is this something the department wants
with the word 'Texas' on it?"'
Waits said that when in doubt, she will run requests by other
employees. A fellow office worker who speaks Spanish, for example,
has proved a frequent help. A nearby copy of the 'New Dictionary of
American Slang,' by Robert L. Chapman is considered the definitive
source.
Waits insisted that she catches most of what passes her desk
using her own well of knowledge. 'I know what the words are, I just
don't say them,' she said. 'I'm not naive about these things. I'm
married to a plumber.'
[David Flick, Fresno Bee]
-\-/-\ LOOK WHO'S TALKING \-/-\-
-- Henriette de Swart will present 'Aspect shift and coercion' at the
Berkeley Linguistics colloquium, this Monday, November 11.
-- John Rickford speaks TODAY at 4:15 in the Symbolic Systems forum,
abstract below. Note room change!
-- Look who's playing: Kyle Wohlmut will be presenting an evening of
harp music this Saturday, November 9, 8-11 pm at the Stanford Coffee
House. Kyle will be performing with harpist Kristina Steffenson as
their duo, 'The Telltale Harps.' Guest appearances by Stanford
linguists include Jennifer Arnold and Emily Bender.
-\-/-\ LINGUISTICS COLLOQUIUM \-/-\-
Friday, November 8, 3:30pm
Margaret Jacks Hall (460), Room 146
Salvador Pons
University of Valencia and Stanford University
Measuring a Prototype: The Case of Spanish Connectives
The concept of prototype is one of the most popular ones in modern
Linguistics, and can be applied to many phenomena consisting of a
center and a periphery. But this advantage is a disadvantage too,
since it is difficult to objectivize the criteria that would lead to a
fuzzy categorization. The theory may then seem based on subjective,
researcher-dependent criteria. In this work we claim for the need of a
formalization of the theory and we suggest that it can be achieved by
measuring a prototype with the help of statistical techniques.
The major problem with the measure of a concept lies in the fact that
a qualitative concept should be quantified. Some of the more recent
findings in Multivariate Statistics point towards the quantification
of subjective concepts such as tastes and smells.
We claim that this theoretical framework can be successfully applied
to cognitive linguistics and we exemplify it with the definition of
the term connective. Trying to determine its scope, an inductive
analysis has been performed in which eleven central and peripherical
connectives have been analized, on a corpus of casual style Spanish
conversations. Twenty one questions have been asked to any occurence
of them.
After the analysis, the application of Multivariate Statistics lets
the qualitative corpus to be quantified and a diagram can be drawn, in
which central and peripherical connectives are measured as the output
of the quantification process. The concepts of center and periphery
can be seen now as the joint effort of linguistic subjective analysis
and mathematical objective techniques.
------------------
Reception follows.
For directions and a complete list of colloquia, see
http://www-linguistics.stanford.edu/Linguistics/colloq/colloq.html
-\-/-\ SYMBOLIC SYSTEMS FORUM \-/-\-
"American English: Changing Even As We Speak"
by John R. Rickford
on Thursday, 7 Novemeber
4:15 p.m., Bldg. 260-008 (or thereabouts)
Studies of American English vernaculars over the past 30 years have
helped us to understand better how language changes--even as we speak. In this
talk, I'll discuss the ubiquity of change in language but the
difficulty of studying it in prgress, and then go on to discuss what we've
discovered about several ongoing changes in American English.
The list will include LEXICAL changes (e.g. the numerous, constanly
evolving set of slang words for "very good," and the use of quotative
introducers like "go," "be like" and "be all" instead of "say"),
PHONOLOGICAL changes (e.g. the pronunciation of "r" and "ah" in New York
City and Philadelphia, and the increasing frequency of high rising
Terminal intonation in statements), and GRAMMATICAL changes (e.g. the use
of repeated questions to signal emphatic agreement: "Is it hot, or is it
hot?!", the loss of "be concerned" in "as far as" constructions, and the
emergence of invariant "be" as a habitual marker in African American
Vernacular English). In closing, I'll summarize some of the general
principles and findings about language change which have emerged from
these specific cases.
-/-\-/ PHONOLOGY WORKSHOP /-\-/-
Sharon Inkelas
UC Berkeley
Margaret Jacks Hall, Seminar Rm 146
Thursday, November 7, 1996, 7:30 pm
DOMINANCE EFFECTS AND THE THEORETICAL STATUS
OF CONSTRUCTION-SPECIFIC PHONOLOGY
This talk is about the intersection of two topics: the phenomenon
of phonological alternations specific to particular morphological
constructions, on the one hand, and the theory of phonological level
stratification, on the other. The particular issue to be addressed
is the construction-specific phenomenon of dominance effects
(mainly, though not exclusively, due to affixes), which I will use
to illustrate and motivate conclusions reached elsewhere (Orgun 1995,
Inkelas and Orgun 1995) about the nature of the phonology-morphology
interface.
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
We are updating the pinterest mailing list, and future workshop
announcements will be sent out to pinterest. If you want to be
added, or cancelled from the list, please contact Eunjin Oh
(eunjin@csli).
-\-/-\ CALL FOR PAPERS \-/-\-
-\-/-\ TRUE LINGUISTICS \-/-\-
SERIOUS LETTER DEPARTMENT: Anyone interested can peruse the materials
that are mentioned in this letter, which we received in the department
this week.
'I am sending you this information on behalf of a former professor of
Linguistics from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dr
Salvador Bucca worked on several languages of ancient tribes, many of
them now extinct. An example of these is the kitsai language of the
Caddoan. On this project he worked jointly with Professor Alexander
Leeser from the Hofftra University, here in the United States.
'Unfortunately, Dr Bucca currently suffers from Alzheimer's
Disease and is unable to continue his work. Because my wife and I are
friends of his wife, she asked us to attempt to get in touch with some
prestigious organization which might be interested in the field. She
might be interested in establishing a contact that would lead to the
acquisition of his extensive work.
'We are in Mountain View for two months and will return to
Buenos Aires after that. It would be a pleasure for us to speak with
you or someone that you may recommend. I am including a copy of an
article which appeared in the International Journal of American
Linguistics for your consideration. I am also including Dr Bucca's
curriculum vitae.
'I thank you in advance and am awaiting an answer, I remain
sincerely yours,
Lic. Manfred Hammerschlag
172 Ada Ave. #10
Mountain View CA 94043
415 938 2883
-\-/-\ 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 CALGARY: The Department of Psychology at the
University of Calgary invites applications for one or two tenure-track
appointments in Cognitive Psychology effective July 1 or September 1,
1997. Responsibilities: Maintain a productive, funded research
programme in cognitive psychology, teach in the Department's graduate
and undergraduate programmes, and contribute to university service
activities. Qualifications: Ph.D. in Psychology or equivalent,
evidence of effective teaching and a demonstrated ability to conduct
research in cognitive psychology. In addition, we are looking for
someone who has research links with current Department research areas
including ergonomics, perception, and behavioural neuroscience.
Teaching experience in research design and quantitative methods is an
asset. In accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, priority
will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.
The University of Calgary is committed to Employment Equity.
Applications, including a statement of interest, curriculum vitae,
recent publications, and three letters of reference should be sent by
January 15, 1997 to
Dr. Charles Scialfa, Chair
Cognition Search Committee
Department of Psychology
University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4
Tel: (403) 220-4951 Fax: (403) 282-8249
e-mail: scialfa@acs.ucalgary.ca
or
Susan Graham, Ph.D.
Dept. of Psychology
University of Calgary
2500 University Dr. N.W.
Calgary, AB T2N 1N4
403-220-7188
fax: 403-282-8249
email: grahams@acs.ucalgary.ca
-- UNIVERSITY OF OREGON: The Department of Linguistics at the
University of Oregon announces that a regular tenure-line position may
become available, pending budgetary approval, beginning Fall 1997.
The position is advertised at the Assistant or early Associate
Professor level. Salary will be dependent on qualifications and
experience. We invite applications from qualified individuals in
empirical descriptive linguistics or psycholinguistics. Candidates
must have completed the Ph.D. degree by the time of appointment. An
excellent record of research and publication is a must, as well as
evidence of excellence in classroom teaching. Relative to empirical
descriptive linguistics, we seek a candidate with strong grounding in
the functional approach to morphosyntax and discourse, field work with
non-European languages, and cross-linguistic grammatical typology.
Relative to psycholinguistics, we seek a candidate with strong
grounding in functional approaches to grammar and discourse,
experimental cognitive psychology, cognitive science, empirical
quantitative methods (experimental, text-based, etc.), and language
processing. The successful candidate in either area will, in his or
her work, be able to contribute to several foci within the Department.
We enjoy a long tradition of work within the functionalist and
typological tradition, with major concentrations in descriptive field
work, experimental linguistics, second language acquisition and
teaching, and cognitive science. Please submit a letter of
application which includes a statement of research interests, vitae,
sample publications, and have three letters of reference sent to:
Search Committee
Department of Linguistics
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Review of applications will begin on January 6, 1997, and will
continue until position is filled. For more information consult our
web site at logos.uoregon.edu, or contact Doris Payne, Chair
(dlpayne@oregon.uoregon.edu). The University of Oregon is an equal
opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural
diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
-- UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH: The Department of Linguistics at the
University of Pittsburgh announces a tenure-track position in
Phonology at the rank of Assistant Professor, starting September 01,
1997. In addition to a strong record of research in theoretical
phonology, the ideal candidate should also have experience in some
related area of linguistic research, e.g. acoustic phonetics,
morphological theory, or the syntax-phonology interface. Field
experience, especially with American Indian languages, would count in
a candidate's favor. It is essential that candidates be able to
document ability to teach a general introductory course, as well as an
elementary course in at least one other core area of Linguistics (e.g.
acoustic phonetics, syntax, morphology, or semantics). We expect the
successful candidate to be interested in and able to contribute
strongly to development of an undergraduate program in Linguistics.
Complete CVs, along with three letters of recommendation should be
sent to Prof. Richmond Thomason, Chair, Search Committee, Department
of Linguistics, 2816 CL, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
15260. Please include phone numbers and email addresses. The
deadline for applications is December 01, 1996. We expect to interview
candidates who have passed initial screening at the LSA meetings in
Chicago, in January 1997. Salary will be competitive. The University
of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer.
-- INJE UNIVERSITY: The Department of English Language and Literature
at Inje University in Korea invites applications for a faculty
position in the area of English Phonology. The candidate, who is
expected to teach at both the undergraduate and graduate levels,
should hold an earned Doctorate or Ph.D. candidacy. Applicants should
send a resume, verification letters of past and current employment,
two copies of publication lists, one copy for each of the last four
years' publications (since March 1, 1993) including Doctoral
dissertation, one copy for each of original transcripts of
undergraduate and graduate schools, and one copy for each of Master's
and Doctoral diploma, NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 16, 1996, to
Dean of Academic Affairs
Inje University
607 Obang-dong
Kimhae, Kyungnam, 621-749
KOREA
phone: 525 20 3013
fax: 525 34 0713
-- GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Assistant Professor of Spanish,
tenure-track, beginning Fall 1997. Broad training in Spanish
linguistics with emphasis on theoretical linguistics. Expertise in one
or more of the following areas: semantic theory, computational
linguistics, pragmatics. Somgn Romance linguistics and Portuguese or
Catalan linguistics desireable. Demonstrated excellence in Language
instruction and commitment to undergraduate/graduate teaching and
scholarly research. Native or near-native fluency in Spanish
essential (all courses taught in Spanish). Ph.D. in hand by August 1,
1997. AA/EOE. Send letter, CV, placement dossier, and transcript of
graduate work to
Thomas J. Walsh
Chair, Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese
Georgetown University
Washington DC 20057-1039.
Deadline for receipt of all application materials: November 22, 1996.
(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 \-/-\-
Solution to last week's hidden quote: 'If I had more time, I would
write a shorter letter.'
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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
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For occasional use only. If problem persists, consult a physician
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