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Sesquipedalian #15, February 3, 1994

The SESQUIPEDALIAN WEEKLY HERALD		       Volume IV, Number 16
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						       February 3, 1994

			BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND

The Sesquiditors are swamped this week, so we regret that we will not
be able to provide you with a feature story in this issue. (And there
was much rejoicing.) However, due to several requests, we include an
article from a previous (dare we say 'classic') issue:

English can be the most wonderfully expressive of languages, but at
times may make it difficult to express complicated abstract concepts
concisely.  One should never overlook the facility of other languages
in this regard.  For example, this sampling of words not easily
translatable:

1. Cavali riscaldati: (Italian) The attempt to revive a dead love
affair. (Lit. 'reheated cabbage')

2. Dohado: (Sanskrit) The unorthodox cravings of pregnant women.

3. Esprit de l'escalier: (French) The brilliantly witty response to a
public insult that comes into your mind only after you have left the
party. (Lit. 'the spirit of the staircase')

4. Drachenfutter: (German) A gift from a husband to his wife after he
has stayed out late. (Lit. 'dragon fodder')

5. Razbliuto: (Russian) The feeling a man has for someone he once
loved but now does not.

6. Ondinnonk: (Iroquoian) The soul's innermost benevolent desires, or
the angelic parts of human nature.

		 -\-\-\ LINGUISTICS COLLOQUIUM /-/-/-

Alex Lascarides will be the speaker at this Friday's Linguistics
Colloquium (Feb. 4th).  The talk will be held at 3:30 in Cordura 100,
and will be followed by a Happy Hour, and by a dinner outing with the
speaker.
	   LEXICAL DISAMBIGUATION IN A DISCOURSE CONTEXT
		  	Alex Lascarides
	             Stanford University

In this talk, I will explore the flow of information from the
semantics of words to the structure of discourse; and from the
structure of discourse to the semantics of words.
	Flowing from words to discourse, I will show that the
semantics of words can affect the rhetorical relations---such as
Contrast, Narration, Elaboration and Explanation, among others---that
hold between the discourse constituents.  Moreover, two discourses
that feature semantically linked words should trigger the same rules
and inferences for computing rhetorical relations, to avoid problems
of parsimony.  I will show how this can be achieved by augmenting a
theory of discourse interpretation, which computes the rhetorical
relations between discourse constituents on the basis of the reader's
background information, with a theory of lexical semantics.
	Flowing from discourse to words, I'll present some discourses
where the process of lexical disambiguation is crucially affected by
the rhetorical structure of the discourse, and the constraints on
coherent discourse that the rhetorical structure imposes. Through
folding together the theory of lexical interpretation with the theory
for discourse interpretation, I will be in a position to model two
novel heuristics for disambiguation which are lacking in current
theories on lexical processing: disambiguate words so as to avoid
discourse incoherence; and disambiguate words so that rhetorical
connections are reinforced.  Encoding these heuristics in the unified
theory will enable me to tackle several cases of word disambiguation,
that have until now been outside the scope of theories on lexical
interpretation.

NEXT WEEK: Roger Schwarzschild.

	       -\-\-\ FELLOWSHIPS/ASSISTANTSHIPS /-/-/-

-- TRAVEL GRANT COMPETITION: WORLD CONGRESS OF AFRICAN LINGUISTICS.
The LSA has received a grant from the NSF to conduct a competition for
funds to help defray the travel expenses of a limited number of
scholars from the US who plan to attend the First World Congress of
African Linguistics in July in Kwaluseni, Swaziland.  Applicants will
be rated on the basis of professional qualifications and role and
function at the international Congress.  Applicants selected will
evidence in their papers a primary concern with basic linguistic
research.  Recipients must use the award exclusively for
transportation on US-owned carriers and must provide the LSA with a
brief post-Congress report evaluating the scientific worth of the
conference to the recipients' research or scientific career.  Grant
applications may be obtained from
	LSA Secretariat
	1325 18th St. NW, Suite 211
	Washington, DC 20036-6501
	(202) 835-1714
	email: zzlsa@gallua.gallaudet.edu
Application deadline: 15 April 1994.  For information about the
congress, contact:
	World Congress of African Linguistics
	Department of African Languages
	University of the Witwatersrand
	Private Bag 3	
	Witwatersrand 2050
	South Africa
	fax: 011-716-8030
	email: 140rocks@witsvma.wits.ac.za

		     -\-\-\ CALL FOR PAPERS /-/-/-

-- UNIVERSITAT DE VALENCIA: THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
LINGUISTIC CONTACT (September 1995).  The Department of English &
German Philology at the University of Valencia (Spain) is organizing
the Ist International Conference on Linguistic Contact (ICOLC) to be
held at the University of Valencia in September 1995. Scholars
currently working in the various (sub)fields of linguistic contact are
welcome to participate.  The Conference will deal with linguistic
contact in general, embracing the areas of historical linguistics &
language contact, language transfer, bilingualism & diglossia,
'Sprachbund', interlanguage, pidginization & creolization, and the
role of contact in second language acquisition.  The Conference will
be organized in plenary lectures and sessions containing semiplenary
lectures and short papers. We also envisage organizing workshops and
presentation of ongoing projects. Plenary and semiplenary sessions can
be arranged upon receipt of abstracts.  English is the official
language of the Conference.  Consider this to be a call for papers for
those who wish to participate actively. Please, send a two-page
abstract, laser-quality, print-out, standard typing. The 31st
December, 1994 is the deadline for the submission of abstracts to be
considered for acceptance.  All participants should send the attached
form no later than the 30th of July to the above address. so that we
can issue a second circular (early October 1994) giving more details
concerning the organization of the Conference (registration form &
fees, accommodation facilitiesj travel arrangements, etc.). This
second circular will only be sent to those who have completed the
form.  We would be very grateful if you could inform other colleagues
at your own university about the Conference.
	Dr Miguel Fuster
	Departamento de Filologia Inglesa y Alemana
	Facultad de Filologia 
	Universitat de Valencia	
	Avda. Blasco Ibanez 28-46010 Valencia, SPAIN
	email: Filing@mac.uv.es

		   -\-\-\ 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.)

-- POMONA COLLEGE: The Intercollegiate Linguistics Program in
Claremont has a full-time equivalent (5 courses) replacement position
for 1994-95, to be staffed full-time if possible (salary competitive),
or part-time if necessary.  Four courses available at Pomona, one
morte at Pitzer.  Courses to be taught include Syntax and
Phonetics/Phonology, plus three more.  Ph.D./ABD. in Linguistics and
interest in teaching in a liberal arts college are essential.
Position open until filled, review process begins February 15th.  Send
cover letter, resume, and dossier, including three letters of
recommendation, to
	Professor Rene Coppieters
	Linguistics Program
	Pomona College
	Claremont CA 91711-6333
EOE/AA

-- MIT: The MIT program in Media Arts and Sciences, in conjunction
with The Media Laboratory, seeks candidates for four tenure-track
faculty positions, principally at the assistant professor level.
Candidates' research should focus on the design and creative use of
new enabling technologies for interaction, communication, expression
and learning.  Applicants should have a Ph.D. or equivalent in a
relevant field, strong record of research related to any of the themes
described above, and first-hand experience in defining and
establishing new, innovative, and controversial ideals.  Teaching
experience at the university level is desired.  Responsibilities
include research, teaching (graduate seminars and undergraduate
courses), and supervision of students.  Qualified candidates should
submit a resume, representative materials, the names of three
references, and a concise summary of research definitions and teaching
interests.  Inquiries or electronic submissions should be sent to
search@media.mit.edu.  Documents must be received by March 1.
	Professor Whitman Richards, Chair
	Faculty Search Committee
	MIT Media Laboratory, E15-416
	20 Ames Street
	Cambridge MA 02139-4307

-- HUMBOLT The English Department at Humboldt State University has an
opening for a one-year, full-time leave replacement in language
studies beginning August 1994 (contingent on available funding).
Assistant Professor level, salary range: $34,824 - $36,468.  Ph.D. in
linguistics/English with a specialty in applied linguistics preferred.
Must be able to teach linguistics classes for undergraduate and
graduate (M.A.)  majors and teacher education students.  Minor
specialty in TESL, literature, or writing desirable.  To apply, send a
letter, CV, supporting materials (including evidence of effective
teaching), and representative publication to
        John C. Schafer, Chair
        Department of English
        Humboldt State University
        Arcata, CA  95521
The deadline for applications is FEBRUARY 15, 1994.  HSU is an
AA\EEO employer.

-- RMMLA: the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association (48th Annual
Meeting October 27-29, 1994) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, welcomes
proposals for 15-minute presentations at the Annual Meeting.  Authors
may submit abstracts of 300 words or less dealing with any aspect of
dialects in the United States (both English and other languages) to
	Felice Coles
	Linguistics Program
	University of Montana
	Missoula MT 59812
	Attn: RMADS Session
	phone: 406/243-5851
	email: LINGFAC@lewis.umt.edu
Deadline: March 15, 1994.

(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 /-/-/-

Who said: 'Tota caret carie; lampas oculorum concertat carbunculo.
Sicut flos est florum rosa, supereminet virginalem chorum.  Silici
scintillulas excitat amorum.'

First correct answer wins this week's insta-prize...

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  		   -\-\-\ CONSERVE DISK SPACE /-/-/-

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Neither Stanford University nor the Linguistics Department, nor any of
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Water resistant to 50m

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