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Sesquipedalian #17, February 10, 1994

The SESQUIPEDALIAN WEEKLY HERALD		       Volume IV, Number 17
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						       February 10, 1994


			   GUILTY AS CHARGED
	The CSLI Systems Administrators would like to point out that
electronic chain letters of ANY kind are illegal, immoral, annoying,
and fattening (especially any containing the phrase, 'make money
fast').  Honestly, this problem is really getting out of hand.  Just
look at what was received in the Sesquipedalian box recently...

> Dear Fellow Scientist:
> 
> This letter has been around the world at least seven times.  It has been
> to many major conferences.  Now it has come to you.  It will bring you 
> good fortune.  This is true even if you don't believe it.  But you must 
> follow these instructions:
> 
>  -  include in your next journal article the citations below.
>  -  remove the first citation from the list and add a
> citation to your journal article at the bottom.
>  -  make ten copies and send them to colleagues.
> 
> Within one year, you will be cited up to 10,000 times!  This will
> amaze your fellow faculty and assure your promotion and/or tenure.
> In addition, you will bring joy to many colleagues.
> Do not break the reference loop, but send this letter on today.
> 
> Dr. H. received this letter and within a year after passing it on she 
> was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.  Prof. M.  threw this 
> letter away and was denied tenure.  In Japan, Dr.  I. received this 
> letter and put it aside.  His article for Trans. on Nephrology was 
> rejected.  He found the letter and passed it on, and his article was 
> published that year in the New England Journal of Medicine.  In the 
> Midwest, Prof. K. failed to pass on the letter, and in a budget cutback
> his entire department was eliminated.  This could happen to you if you 
> break the chain of citations.
> 
> 1. Miller, J. (1992).  
> Post-modern neo-cubism and the wave theory of light.
> Journal of Cognitive  Artifacts, 8, 113-117.
> 
> 2. Johnson, S. (1991).  
> Micturition in the canid family: the irresistable pull of the hydrant. 
> Physics Quarterly, 33, 203-220.
> 
> 3. Anderson, R. (1990).  Your place or mine?: 
> an empirical comparison of two models of human mating behavior.  
> Psychology Yesterday 12, 63-77.
> 
> 4. David, E. (1994). 
> Modern Approaches to Chaotic Heuristic Optimization: 
> Means of Analyzing Non-Linear Intelligent Networks
> with Emergent Symbolic Structure. 
> (doctoral dissertation, University of California at 
> Santa Royale El Camino del Rey Mar Vista by-the-sea).

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

		         Roger Schwarzschild
		 The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

	   DERIVING "ASSOCIATION WITH FOCUS" FROM CONTRAST
		    Friday, February 11th, 3:30pm
			  CSLI, Cordura 100
		       Happy hour will follow.

     In Jacobs 1991, Krifka 1992, Rooth 1985,1992 (henceforth R92),
von Stechow 1989, and elsewhere, the focus in example a. below, is
treated differently from the focus in b.
	a. John only [VISITED Madrid].
	b. John [VISITED Madrid].
  In a., it is claimed, that the the meaning of the bracketed
phrase has a focus-component which is used to restrict the domain
of quantification for only.  This ultimately results in a meaning
for the predicate of (a) different from the meaning of the
predicate in: 
	c. John only [visited MADRID].
  In a. and c., the foci are said to be associated with only while
the focus in b., on the other hand, is termed 'contrastive' or
'free', and its presence is explained pragmatically, with reference
to prior or following discourse.  Contrary to this view, I will
argue that association with focus is simply the product of
contextual restriction of quantifier domains along with general
constraints on contrast-related focus marking, as in b. above.  No
focus-sensitive component of the semantics is involved.  The foci
in a. and b. fall under the same theory.
	The talk is organized as follows:
A.  An analysis of contrastive foci based on R92 will be presented
in terms of a constraint relating the focus structure of one
utterance to the content of another, one with which it is linked
conversationally.  This will, for example, be used to connect the
focus in a reply to the question it answers. 
B.  Next, I will introduce key examples, such as the one below, in
which the presence of an associated focus is regulated by the
contrast constraint.  
	Q. What places did John visit?
	A1.   He only visited MADRID.
	A2. # He only VISITED Madrid.
These examples will necessitate the modification of the ordinary
and focus meanings of A1,A2. The contrast constraint will then be
shown to cover cases of contrastive associated foci.
C.  Given the modifications in B, I show that the contrast
constraint not only regulates the position of contrastive
associated foci, but it also constrains the choice of
quantification domain for only, rendering the semantic account of
association superfluous.  The discussion closes with examples that
are handled by the pragmatic account but are troublesome for the
semantic accounts.

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

-- THE UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS: Centre for Computer Analysis of Language
And Speech (CCALAS) PhD RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIPS.  The University of
Leeds has up to 5 Research Scholarships for full-time PhD study
available for take up by UK students in October 1994.  The
scholarships cover academic fees at the UK rate and a maintenance
grant of #4,950 a year.  CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: 11 MARCH 1994.
To join the CCALAS research centre, you will need a BSc/BA (ideally
First Class Honours) in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science,
Education, Engineering, English, Linguistics, Modern Languages,
Philosophy, Psychology or a related discipline; and interest in
corpus-based computational linguistics.  Informal enquiries about
research opportunities in CCALAS may be made to
	Eric Atwell
	tel 0532 335761
	fax 0532 335468
	email eric@scs.leeds.ac.uk
	or Clive Souter
	tel 0532 335460
	email cs@scs.leeds.ac.uk 
	or Peter Roach
	tel 0532 335759 
	fax 0532 335749
	email peterr@psychology.leeds.ac.uk
Application forms may be obtained from the Research Degrees and Scholarships
Office (UK Studentships), The University, Leeds LS2 9JT,  tel 0532 335771

		     -\-\-\ TRUE LINGUISTS /-/-/-

WHAT I MEANT TO SAY WAS...: More actual headlines gleaned from
newspapers where the copy editors apparently need a few general
semantics courses... (we still don't know what some of these were
about...)

                  POLICE BEGIN CAMPAIGN TO RUN DOWN JAYWALKERS

                  SAFETY EXPERTS SAY SCHOOL BUS PASSENGERS SHOULD BE BELTED

                  DRUNK GETS NINE MONTHS IN VIOLIN CASE

                  SURVIVOR OF SIAMESE TWINS JOINS PARENTS

                  FARMER BILL DIES IN HOUSE

                  IRAQI HEAD SEEKS ARMS

                  PROSTITUTES APPEAL TO POPE

                  BRITISH LEFT WAFFLES ON FALKLAND ISLANDS

                  EYE DROPS OFF SHELF

                  TEACHER STRIKES IDLE KIDS

                  SQUAD HELPS DOG BITE VICTIM

                  ENRAGED COW INJURES FARMER WITH AX

                  PLANE TOO CLOSE TO GROUND, CRASH PROBE TOLD

                  MINERS REFUSE TO WORK AFTER DEATH

                  JUVENILE COURT TO TRY SHOOTING DEFENDANT

                  STOLEN PAINTING FOUND BY TREE

                  TWO SOVIET SHIPS COLLIDE, ONE DIES

                  2 SISTERS REUNITED AFTER 18 YEARS IN CHECKOUT COUNTER

                  KILLER SENTENCED TO DIE FOR SECOND TIME IN 10 YEARS

                  DRUNKEN DRIVERS PAID $1000 IN '84

                  WAR DIMS HOPE FOR PEACE

                  IF STRIKE ISN'T SETTLED QUICKLY, IT MAY LAST A WHILE

                  COLD WAVE LINKED TO TEMPERATURES

                  ENFIELD COUPLE SLAIN;  POLICE SUSPECT HOMICIDE

		    -\-\-\ 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.)

-- OXFORD: The University of Oxford, in association with Linacre
College, advertises a Lecturership in General Linguistics.
Applications are invited for this post tenable from 1 October 1994.
Stipend according to age on a scale from 13601 pounds sterling to
26803 pounds sterling per annum. The successful candidate may be
offered a (non-stipendiary) fellowship at Linacre College.  The
initial period of appointment for a university lecturership is five
years, but after that the University Lecturer is eligible for
reappointment until retiring age.  The preferred areas of
specialization are morphology, syntax or semantic theory, possibly
with reference to particular languages or language families. The
lecturer should be prepared to contribute both to undergraduate
teaching and to graduate teaching and supervision; (s)he may be asked
to give undergraduate lectures on major figures and themes in
twentieth-century linguistics and to provide introductory courses in
general linguistics. For the graduate courses students are given a
first term of intensive instruction in general linguistics run jointly
by all members of the linguistic staff and it is expected that the
lecturer will play a considerable role in these courses and in the
more specialized ones which follow.  A preprinted sheet of further
written particulars containing details of the duties and the full
range of emoluments attaching to both the university and the college
posts as well as basic information about linguistics at Oxford can be
obtained from 
	Mr R.J. Brooke, University Offices
	Wellington Square
	Oxford OX1 2JD, UK
	phone: (0)865-270057
	fax: (0)865-270708)
Completed applications (8 copies, but one only from overseas
applicants) comprising a C.V. (containing a statement of age,
qualifications and experience), a list of publications, examples of
work, and the names and address of three referees, should be sent by 7
March 1994. Referees should be asked to write directly to Mr Brooke by
that date.  Interviews for short-listed applicants will be held on 25
March 1994 and candidates will be informed of the results shortly
after that.  They are likely to be invited to the interview at short
notice and the application should contain an indication of how they
can be reached by telephone, fax or e-mail between 7 March and 25
March.

(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 /-/-/-

NEW MATH: How can you correct the following equation, WITHOUT adding
or removing any lines or numerals?

			     XI + I = X

First correct answer via e-mail wins this week's star prize.

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

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before you've read it), the Sesquipedalian Weekly Herald is stored
online both at Stanford (in directory /user/linguistics/Sesquip), and
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