LINGUIST List 15.1675

Sat May 29 2004

Qs: American English 'l'; Darwin/Child Lang

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

Directory

1. Mark Jones, Interdental /l/ in American English
2. Elodie Vialleton, Darwin on child language acquisition

Dear List Members,

As a native speaker of British English, I have the impression that an
interdental lateral /l/ is a possible realisation in American English,
perhaps associated with young West Coast females. I would appreciate
hearing from anyone who has any insights and observations, or
published data, on how common this realisation of /l/ is and whether
my impressions are correct. I will post a summary of any responses in
due course.

Many thanks

Mark J. Jones
Department of Linguistics
University of Cambridge, UK 

Subject-Language: English; Code: ENG 

Dear colleagues,

I am looking for some of Darwin's notes on child language acquisition,
and hope some of you might be able to help me trace such documents.

In 'Mental Evolution in Man: origin of human faculty' (London: Kegan
Paul, Trench and Co. 1888), Georges Romanes mentions notes taken by
Darwin on the linguistic development of one of his grand-children. One
passage describes the child calling a duck 'quack', and then by
association calling water (and then all liquids), insects and birds
the same. Later on, he goes on to designate coins using the same word,
because of an eagle engraved on one.

I would be very grateful if someone had any pointers about where to
find the original text, either as a manuscript of in published form. I
will post of summary of responses.

Yours,

Elodie Vialleton
Besse Senior Scholar
Worcester College
University of Oxford
elodie.vialletonworc.ox.ac.uk