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Sesquipedalian #22
the SESQUIPEDALIAN Volume VII, No. 22
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Corrupt Society Day April 3, 1997
ENGLISH IS A CRAZY LANGUAGE (PART IV)
Richard Lederer
English is weird.
In the rigid expressions that wear tonal grooves in the record of our
language, beck can appear only with call, cranny with nook, hue with
cry, main with might, fettle only with fine, aback with taken,
caboodle with kit, and spic and span only with each other. Why must
all shrifts be short, all lucre filthy, all bystanders innocent, and
all bedfellows strange? I'm convinced that some shrifts are lengthy
and that some lucre is squeaky clean, and I've certainly met guilty
bystanders and perfectly normal bedfellows.
Why is it that only swoops are fell? Sure, the verbivorous William
Shakespeare invented the expression "one fell swoop," but why can't
strokes, swings, acts, and the like also be fell? Why are we allowed
to vent our spleens but never our kidneys or livers? Why must it be
only our minds that are boggled and never our eyes or our hearts? Why
can't eyes and jars be ajar, as well as doors? Why must aspersions
always be cast and never hurled or lobbed?
Doesn't it seem just a little wifty that we can make amends but never
just one amend; that no matter how carefully we comb through the
annals of history, we can never discover just one annal; that we can
never pull a shenanigan, be in a doldrum, eat an egg Benedict, or get
a jitter, a willy, a delirium tremen, or a heebie-jeebie; and that,
sifting through the wreckage of a disaster, we can never find just one
smithereen?
Indeed, this whole business of plurals that don't have matching
singulars reminds me to ask this burning question, one that has
puzzled scholars for decades: If you have a bunch of odds and ends and
you get rid of or sell off all but one of them, what do you call that
doohickey with which you're left?
What do you make of the fact that we can talk about certain things and
ideas only when they are absent? Once they appear, our blessed English
doesn't allow us to describe them. Have you ever seen a horseful
carriage or a strapful gown? Have you ever run into someone who was
combobulated, sheveled, gruntled, chalant, plussed, ruly, gainly,
maculate, pecunious, or peccable? Have you ever met a sung hero or
experienced requited love? I know people who are no spring chickens,
but where, pray tell, are the people who are spring chickens? Where
are the people who actually would hurt a fly? All the time I meet
people who are great shakes, who can cut the mustard, who can fight
City Hall, who are my cup of tea, and whom I would touch with a
ten-foot pole, but I can't talk about them in English -- and that is a
laughing matter.
If the truth be told, all languages are a little crazy. As Walt
Whitman might proclaim, they contradict themselves. That's because
language is invented, not discovered, by boys and girls and men and
women, not computers. As such, language reflects the creative and
fearful asymmetry of the human race, which, of course, isn't really a
race at all. That's why six, seven, eight, and nine change to sixty,
seventy, eighty, and ninety, but two, three, four, and five do not
become twoty, threety, fourty, and fivety. That's why first degree
murder is more serious than third degree murder but a third degree
burn is more serious than a first degree burn. That's why we can turn
lights off and on but not out and in. That's why we wear a pair of
pants but, except on ery cold days, not a pair of shirts. That's why
we can open up the floor, climb the walls, raise the roof, pick up the
house, and bring down the house.
In his essay "The Awful German Language," Mark Twain spoofs the
confusion engendered by German gender by translating literally from a
conversation in a German Sunday school book: "Gretchen. Wilhelm, where
is the turnip? Wilhelm. She has gone to the kitchen. Gretchen. Where
is the accomplished and beautiful English maiden? Wilhelm. It has gone
to the opera." Twain continues: "A tree is male, its buds are female,
its leaves are neuter; horses are sexless, dogs are male, cats are
female -- tomcats included."
Still, you have to marvel at the unique lunacy of the English
language, in which your house can simultaneously burn up and burn
down, in which you fill in a form by filling out a form, in which you
add up a column of figures by adding them down, in which your alarm
clock goes off by going on, in which you are inoculated for measles by
being inoculated against measles, and in which you first chop a tree
down -- and then you chop it up.
[(c) 1996 Richard Lederer]
-/-\-/ LOOK WHO'S TALKING /-\-/-
-- Professor John Rickford presened 'Ebonics and Education, a bridge
to Standard English and success' on the Channel 6 Education Forum
series (Dialoguing about contemporary and current educational issues).
Professor Rickford discussed the systematic nature of Ebonics, or
African American Vernacular English, and dramatic failures of inner
city African American children in American schools and the evidence
that Ebonics can be used as a bridge to the mastery of reading,
writing, and Standard English.
-- John Baugh was an invited speaker in 'RACE', 'CLASS' &
'CITIZENSHIP' IN WESTERN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES, a conference
presented by the Cultural Studies in the African Diaspora Project at
UCLA. This conference explores issues of migration, identity and
ethnicity in Western Europe and the US. It addresses current debates
around African Diasporan identity, social class, marginalization,
affirmative action, restitution, and national debates and struggles
over citizenship. John Baugh's talk was titled "The Evolution of the
Ebonics Controversy: From Ann Arbor to Oakland."
-- The department is well-represented at the Linguistics Association
of Great Britain annual conference this weekend in Edinburgh,
Scotland. Joan Bresnan is an invited speaker (delivering 'Morphology
competes with syntax: beyond the inflectional paradigm'), and other
department and former department affiliates are Peter Sells ('The
expression of the Japanese copula: the survival of the weakest'),
Rachel Nordlinger ('A new approach to case marking in
nonconfigurational languages of Australia'), Miriam Butt, Jim Scobbie,
and Gillian Ramchand.
-/-\-/ FELLOWSHIP AWARDS /-\-/-
-- Our students who were awarded LSA Fellowships include Emily Bender,
Yukiko Morimoto (in conjunction with the Chinese Linguistics
Institute), and Shiao-Wei Tham. Congratulations to them.
-/-\-/ SYMBOLIC SYSTEMS FORUM /-\-/-
Hans van Ditmarsch
On Proof Visualization and Logic Teaching
Thursday, April 3 at 4:15 pm
Room 146, Margaret Jack Hall
Bldg 460, Stanford University
Abstract
Success in learning and practicing formal reasoning does not depend
only on one's choice of symbols but also on how one visualizes proofs. I
will elaborate on three areas in logic in which visualization is
essential:
- Linear vs Tree format in visualizing natural deduction
(illustrated by the specifications of computer
programs such as: MacLogic, Hyperproof, Carnegie Mellon Proof
Tutor and Jape).
- Two ways of visualizing the modal rule in (modal propositional)
natural deduction.
- Use of unlabeled refutation trees in teaching logic programming.
Several observations on proof visualization have to be linked in a
common descriptive framework. Results will be helpful in designing
user interfaces for automated theorem provers, educational logic
software, and classroom teaching.
Time allowing, at the end of the talk I will shortly outline the
Cognitive Science and Engineering (TCW) program (MSc) at Groningen
University, Holland. This is an interdisciplinary collaboration
between the departments of Philosophy, Computer Science, Physics,
and Psychology. I will highlight some of the similarities and
differences with the Symbolic Systems Program here at Stanford.
The work presented in this talk is part of my PhD project with
Johan van Benthem (Amsterdam and Stanford Philosophy).
Biography:
Hans van Ditmarsch is a lecturer at the Cognitive Science and Engineering
(TCW) programme (MSc) at Groningen University (Holland) and is also
involved in a nationwide project to introduce information technology in
formal and knowledge-based systems education. He has also worked over
the past five years on course development (Computer Science) at the
Dutch Open University. His main area of research is logic education.
He is currently a CSLI visitor.
-/-\-/ FELLOWSHIPS/ASSISTANTSHIPS /-\-/-
-- ESSLLI-97 GRANTS: Aix-en-Provence, France, August 11 - 22, 1997.
http://www.lpl.univ-aix.fr/~esslli97
Deadline : May 30th
Several student grants will be available for ESSLLI'97. They will cover the
registration fees. A selection will be done according to the following
criteria :
- the student's motivation,
- the economic situation of the country and the institution.
Some extra criteria will be taken into account according to the number of
requests, and in particular :
- an accepted paper to the ESSLLI'97 student session,
- a presentation during one of the ESSLLI'97 workshops.
Moreover, the recommendation of the student by senior researchers will be a
plus.
The application must be sent before May 30th either by e-mail, fax or surface
mail to:
ESSLLI'97
LPL - Université de Provence
29, Avenue Robert Schuman
F-13621 Aix-en-Provence
FRANCE
tél: +33 (0) 442.95.20.73
fax: +33 (0) 442.59.50.96
e-mail : esslli97@lpl.univ-aix.fr
-- DISSERTATION GRANTS IN JAPANESE STUDIES: The Institute for Japanese
Studies and the Japan Fund will be accepting applications for grants
to support dissertation-related activities for advanced-level graduate
students specializing in Japanese studies. Advanced standing assumes
that residency requirements have been met. Awards will be given
primarily to those who are:
-- preparing disseration proposals
-- undertaking dissertation field research and requiring
supplemental assistance;
-- or writing up the results of dissertation research.
Expenses which may be covered include tuition, travel to, from and
within Japan, and reasonable living expenses. No funds are available
to cover travel or maintenance costs of dependents. Applications are
due Monday, April 7, 1997. Information and applications available
from the IIS web site at:
http://www-iis.stanford.edu/
or call 415 725 2564
-- STANFORD HUMANITIES CENTER: Predoctoral Fellowships.
*3rd/4th year studet
*formal coursework completed
*$1,500 (supplement to student's current sources of financial
support) to be used for research-related expenses
*fellows will have offices at the Center and are expected to
be active in daily life of Center
Dissertation Resident Fellowships:
*need not be in one of the traditional humanities disciplines, but research
should be concerned with questions of value and should employ cultural,
historical, linguistic, literary, or philosophical approaches.
*applicant at dissertation writing stage
*$1,500 (a supplement to student's current sources of financial support)
to be used for research-related expenses
*fellows will have offices at the Center and are expected to be active in
daily life of Center
*previous HumCtr awardees ineligible
Deadline: Thursday, May 15, 1997, 5pm
Applications can be obtained at the Humanities Center, Mariposa House. For
more info, contact Susan Sebbard: 3-3053 or sebbard@leland.
-\-/-\ CALL FOR PAPERS \-/-\-
-- NEW YORK SOCIETY FOR PIDGIN AND CREOLE LINGUISTICS: LSA and SPCL
Annual Meeting, 9-10 January 1998, New York. The Society for Pidgin
and Creole Languages will meet in conjunction with the annual meeting
for the LSA. Abstracts on phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics,
lexicon, social aspects of language, history of the discipline or any
pertinent issue involving pidgin and creole languages are invited for
anonymous review by a five-member panel. Two abstracts of different
length should be submitted. (1) a short, publishable abstract for the
1998 LSA Meeting Handbook (for format specifications, see the December
1997 LSA bulletin), and (2) a longer, single-spaced one-page version
of the abstract which the panel of reviewers will use for evaluating
your submission. Your name, address, affiliation, status
(student/faculty), e-mail, fax and phone number should appear above
the SHORT abstract. Please put the full title of the paper on BOTH
abstracts. Deadline for receipt of abstracts: 31 July, 1997. Mail
abstracts (e-mail submissions cannot be accepted) to
Prof. Armin Schwegler
Dept of Spanish and Portuguese
University of California, Irvine
Irvine CA 92717
phone: 714 824 6901
fax: 714 824 2803
mailto: aschwegl@uci.edu
-\-/-\ TRUE LINGUISTICS \-/-\-
RETURN TO LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH:
As reported previously in the Sesquipedalian,
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrowbwllllantysiliogogoch is according
to one source the longest place-name in the world, with 58 letters. It
is a town in North Wales meaning "St. Mary's Church in the hollow of
the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool of Llantysilio of the red
cave" or "St. Mary's (Church) by the white aspen over the whirlpool,
and St. Tysilio's (Church) by the red cave" in Welsh. Dale Williams of
New Zealand says that the Welsh place-name is a nineteenth-century
fabrication, adopted to look good on their railway place boards,
whereas a Maori name for a hill in New Zealand is genuine and was in
general use. Its abbreviated version is
TAUMATAWHAKATANGIHANGAKOAUAUTAMATEAPOKAIWHENUAKITANATAHU, and means
"When Tamatea's brother was killed in a battle near here, Tamatea
climbed this ridge and played a lament on his flute." It often appears
with another section in the middle explaining who Tamatea was, which
means "the man with the big knee who slid." Williams says "the
location is eight miles south of Porangahau in Hawke's Bay, and if we
want to go there now (it's a country hill) we call it Taumata." There
is also a 66-letter place name in Wales, according to Dr. David
Crystal's Encyclopedia of Language:
GORSAFAWDDACHAIDRAIGODANHEDDOGLEDDOLONPENRHYNAREURDRAETHCEREDIGION,
meaning "the Mawddach station and its dragon teeth at the Northern
Penrhyn Road on the golden beach of Cardigan bay." According to The
Book of Names by J. N. Hook, the longest place name in the U. S. may
be NUNATHLOOGAGAMIUTBINGOI, the name of some dunes in Alaska, taken
from Eskimo. However, in Massachusetts, there is Lake
CHARGOGAGOGMANCHARGOGAGOGCHARBUNAGUNGAMOG, usually listed on maps as
"Lake Webster." The shortest place-names in the US may be L, a lake
in Nebraska, and T, a gulch in Colorado, each named for its shape.
[Jeff Miller]
-\-/-\ 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 THE WITWATERSRAND: The Linguistics Department at the
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, has a
vacant post for a Lecturer in SEMANTICS and PRAGMATICS with secondary
interest in COGNITIVE SCIENCE. The successful candidate will have
proven teaching experience and a research interest in Semantics and
Pragmatics. If the PhD has not been awarded, the thesis should be
well under way and near submission. In addition to mainly
undergraduate teaching, staff members are expected to conduct
scholarly research and to contribute to the academic community as a
whole. The starting date of the appointment is hoped to be 1st July
1997, but if this is not feasible, a slightly later date may be
negotiated. The closing date for applications is 30 April 1997. The
Linguistics Department has a strong tradition of research in Khoisan
and Bantu languages and the Department has a history of co- operation
with the Department of African Languages at the University. Therefore
a candidate's interest in African languages, although not necessary,
will be considered an asset to any application. The University of the
Witwatersrand seeks to serve South Africa by furthering access to
equal opportunity while striving for excellence in teaching, learning,
and research. We therefore encourage applications from a wide range
of backgrounds. Send letters of application, including CV and names,
addresses and fax or e-mail of three referees to:
A. Traill
Chair, Linguistics Department
University of the Witwatersrand
Private Bag 3
WITS 2050
South Africa
fax: +27-11-716-4199
mailto:104anth@muse.arts.wits.ac.za
-- McGill University School of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Assistant Professor. Exceptional career opportunity to join dynamic
Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at an outstanding
research university. Requires a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and
Disorders or a related field and evidence of scholarly excellence,
including the potential to obtain external funding. Preference will
be given to applicants with an interest in Neurogenic Disorders
including speech-motor control, but ALL areas will be considered.
Duties include teaching of M.Sc./Ph.D. students in Speech-Language
Pathology and research supervision of M.Sc./Ph.D. students in
Communication Sciences and Disorders. Salary commensurate with
qualifications and experience. Start date September, 1997. This is a
three year position possibly leading to tenure track. In accordance
with Canadian Immigration requirements, this advertisement is directed
to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada. Non-Canadians
are also invited to apply. McGill is an equal opportunity employer.
Please send curriculum vitae with three letters of recommendation and
copies of representative publications to Gloria Waters, Ph.D., Acting
Director, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill
University, 1266 Pine Ave. West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 1A8.
Telephone: (514) 398-4134, Fax: (514) 398-8123, e-mail:
mailto:czgw@musica.mcgill.ca
Applications will be accepted until a suitable candidate is found.
-- OHIO UNIVERSITY: Vacancy in German for Academic Year 1997-98.
Visiting instructor or assistant professor, possible renewal for not
more than two additional years, available September 1, 1997.
Qualifications: Excellent proficiency in German, excellence in
undergraduate language teaching including first-year level. At least
ABD status. Teach nine undergraduate German language courses per
academic year on quarter system. Application deadline: May 1. Apply
to
Mary Jane Kelley. Chair
Modern Languages
Ohio University
Athens OH 45701-2979
Send vita, transcripts, and three recent letters of recommendation.
Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. AA/EEO
-- CORNELL UNIVERSITY: The Department of Linguistics has a one-year
visiting position at the assistant professor level in Phonology
available for the 1997-98 academic year. Duties will include teaching
four courses (two per semester), including both undergraduate and
graduate courses, of which one will be an undergraduate
phonetics/phonology course. Ph.D. must be completed by August 1997.
Letter of application, curriculum vitae, one publication, and three
letters of recommendation should be sent to
Phonology Search Committee
Department of Linguistics
Morrill Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca NY 14853-4701
To be assured fullest consideration, applications should be received
by April 11, 1997. Include a self-addressed postcard for
acknowledgement of receipt. For further information, contact Abby
Cohn ("mailto:acc4@cornell.edu") or Draga Zec
("mailto:dz17@cornell.edu")
AA/EOE
(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 \-/-\-
-- THEATRE OF THE GROTESQUE: Any theories on the origin of the word
grotesque?
(a) Latin: 'grot' (ugly) and the standard suffix 'esk' (very, or extreme)
(b) Latin: 'grotta' (grotto, an artificial cavelike structure), by way
of the Italian word 'grotesco' (odd or extravagant)
(c) French: 'grotesque' (peculiar or unusual)
First correct answer wins this week's insta-prize.
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-\-/-\ CONSERVE DISK SPACE \-/-\-
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