LINGUIST List 12.561

Wed Feb 28 2001

Qs: Ellipsis in English, Anglicisms in Spanish

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

Directory

1. George A. Senf, English Elipese
2. Douglas C Walker, Anglicisms in Spanish

Dear Readers,

I have heard that English is more elliptical than other languages from
two sources. One is a grad student working on a degree in
linguistics. The only thing remaining in her program in her
thesis. When asked for documentation, she could produce none. The
second source was Sharon Russel in a TV graduate course broadcast over
channel 58 in Los Angles as part of course 407 from Cal. State
Dominguez Hills. My notes reflect the same comment. I have attempted
to contact her for citations but she has not responded as of yet. My
sources include most of D, Crystal's Encyclopedias; Jean Aitchison's
Linguistics; L. Obler and K Gjerlow's Language and the Brain; Jean
Aitchison's Seeds of speech. and The Language web; Several of R. L
Trask's volumes including Key concepts in Language and Linguistics;
Weisler and Milekic's Theory of Language; Fromkin and Rodman' An
Introduction to LAnguage; R. M. W. Dixon's two works The Rise and Fall
of Languages and A new Approach to English Grammar on Semantic
Principles; and of course Baugh' first and third edition with Cable A
History of The English Language. I have a few others but am now
zeroing in on my own theory of language that appears to be from left
field to some. I also inquired the news group sci.lang and got
some bizarre responses. Only one made sense from Arnold Zwicky who
concludes that my sources were off hand remarks and have little to do
with reality.

Does anyone know where I might find factual support for this claim?

Thank you; George Senf

Dear Colleagues,

I am working with a student who is studying the influence of
English on Spanish, particularly syntactic and semantic rather
than straightforward lexical borrowings (what Pratt 1980, in
El anglicismo en el espa�ol peninsular contempor�neo, called
"los anglicismos no patentes"). We would appreciate receiving
references to theoretical discussions of this issue, as well as
indications of sources of data, especially data in electronic form.

Many thanks in advance. We'll post a summary if responses
justify it.

Doug Walker.