LINGUIST List 14.1877

Mon Jul 7 2003

Qs: Proverb Source; Eng Ling Web Study

Editor for this issue: Naomi Fox <foxlinguistlist.org>

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Directory

  1. JPKIRCHNER, Proverb
  2. Marie Safarova, Looking for linguistically naive AmE subjects

Message 1: Proverb

 Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 19:49:28 EDT
From: JPKIRCHNER <JPKIRCHNERaol.com>
Subject: Proverb


I have been trying to get to the origin of a European proverb, which
loosely translated is this:

"As many languages as a person knows, that's how many people he is."

I have found this proverb attributed to T.G. Masaryk, the first
president of Czechoslovakia, to Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire,
and to Ralph Waldo Emerson (but not yet to Lenin). It seems to me it
goes back to Greek or Roman times, but I can't prove it. My search of
the Linguist site wasn't effective.

Can anybody tell me how early the quote is attested, and to whom?

Please respond off list, and I'll post a summary. Thank you.

James Kirchner
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Message 2: Looking for linguistically naive AmE subjects

 Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2003 08:11:08 +0000
From: Marie Safarova <mnilsenoscience.uva.nl>
Subject: Looking for linguistically naive AmE subjects

For my research concerning the prosodic properties of questions in
American English, I'm looking for 40 linguistically naive subjects who
could perform one of two 15-minute web-based experiments. I've
contacted friends and colleagues but so far have had no (or negative)
response. Does anybody have an experience with a similar kind of
experiment and possible ways of getting subjects? Marie Safarova
University of Amsterdam

Subject-Language: English; Code: ENG
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