LINGUIST List 12.1828

Mon Jul 16 2001

Qs: German Determiners, "Ventriloquizing"

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Vettori Chiara, determiners in the dictionary
2. CynGordon, "ventriloquizing"

Dear Linguists,

I'm an Italian scholar of linguistics and I'm collaborating on an electronic
learner's dictionary (Italian - German). 
My project is based on the class of determiners in German language: I'll
have to develop a new and possibly innovative way to include grammatical and
structural information on these particles in the dictionary, so as to create
a complete and useful instrument for the learner of German.
However, since this field is quite new to me, I ask for your help: I'd be
very pleased if you could give me any information on this kind of research
(about the origins and present state of it, some bibliographical references
on the subject, etc.).

Many thanks in advance!

Chiara Vettori

European Academy Bolzano/Bozen
"Language and Law"
via Weggensteinstr. 12/a
39100 Bolzano/Bozen
e-mail: Chiara.Vettorieurac.edu

Hello,

I am working with Deborah Tannen on a phenomenon that she calls 
"ventriloquizing," where three or more parties are present in interaction and 
one speaks to a second through a third, usually a child or a pet. Similar 
phenomena are, e.g., Bakhtin's notion of "ventriloquating," and Schiffrin's 
notion of "speaking for another." I am writing to inquire if anyone could 
point us to other references for "ventriloquizing/ventriloquating" or similar 
phenomena. I did, by the way, see the review of Steven Connor's book 
"Dumbstruck."

Thanks.
Cynthia Gordon
Georgetown University