LINGUIST List 2.249

Monday, 27 May 1991

Qs: LSA, Wierzbicka, Parser info, PSDN database, Minority lg

Editor for this issue: <>

Directory

1. , Apartment Sharing at LSA Summer Institute
2. William J Frawley, Re: Anna Wierzbicka
3. , Pseudo-oblique Subjects and Objects
4. , Information on PSDN databases

We are looking for a single person (male/female) or a couple to fill up
the last room (a single) in an on-campus apartment that we are renting for
the LSA Summer Institute at UC Santa Cruz. The room is a single but if you
are a couple that really likes each other you should be able to live in it.
Some of us are going to be doing that too. So far there are five of us, all
grad students at Umass Amherst. If we find one more person the share for
each will be $717.50, if we find a couple it will be $615. In any case, a
lot less than the outrageous prices charged by the Institute if you request
housing on your own. Please respond as soon as possible if you are interested
since some of us are going to be taking off pretty soon.

E-mail to: fintellinguist.umass.edu or stunstallhampvms.bitnet
Phone: (413) 584-8765

Kai von Fintel / Sue Tunstall (UMass Amherst)

I am trying to contact Anna Wierzbicka. The only address I have for her yields
no reply. If she is on this list, could she contact me directly? Or does anyone
know her e-mail address? Thanks.
Bill Frawley

I am currently working with a GPSG-based parser to produce analyses of
sentences that engineers use to describe engine tests. This brought a rather
curious phenomenon to my attention--the need to use prepositional phrases as
modifiers (specifiers ?) of nominal phrases. It follows from the engineers' 
need to describe ranges, but the constructions in question are quite common:
 _ _
| Between 5 and 10 | angry people responded to the query.
| From 5 to 10 |
|_Up to 10 _|

(The engineers have a propensity for saying things like "between 5 to 10 
volts", which grates on my linguistic nerves, but it is unprofessional to argue 
with informants. :-) 

These things look like a reduced structure of some sort, but you do get the
following data as well:

Between 5 volts and 10 volts were applied to the connector.

Perhaps it is best to ignore data like that last one. Pretend it isn't
there. ;-) So, can anyone point me to interesting literature on 
this kind of construction? You can imagine the fun that a parser has in 
trying to distinguish these things from normal prepositional phrases. 

 Rick Wojcik (rwojcikatc.boeing.com)

Could anyone tell me what databases and other services of
interest to linguistic researchers are available through
the X25 (PSDN) european network?

Having just aquired access to this network, I am not sure
what resourses are available.

Thank you

Christopher Brewster