LINGUIST List 2.430

Fri 23 Aug 1991

Disc: Linguistic novels, Radio program

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Directory

1. , Henry Lee Smith's radio program
2. Ron Smyth, Re: Responses: titles, file-processing
3. "Joyce Neu, Re: Linguistics novels

I think the program was called Where Are You From? He would ask a partici-
pant to pronounce various words (say Mary, marry, Mary) and was said to be
able to home in on the dialect or dialects to which that person had been
exposed--something like, I can teel you were born in the Piedmon area of
Virginia (Piedmont, i.e.) but have since spent time in Dallas...
I don't know whether any of the tapes have been preserved. I took a course
from Smith and Trager at Georgetown many years ago and asked Smith if there
were recordings to go with the course. He said they weren't necessary be-
cause it was always very easy to get numerous examples from people in the
class. I didn't think to ask him about the radio program. Too bad!!!
Would be most interested in hearing if you get better information than
I've been able to give you. I fear most of those who might be able to answer
your question have long since died.

I recall a science fiction novel entitled "The Embedding". My memory is
vague on this; it was by Ian something (don't ask me why I remember the
first name only!), and had something to do with a top secret project
having to do with communication with aliens. I think the idea was that
children were being raised to be able to understand multiply centre-embedded
sentences, and possibly other 'illegal' things in human language. I have
forgotten most of it, but I think it would be interesting to see an
updated version (made-for-television?) in which children are tutored in
violations of GB constraints. What did you ask for titles and? Authors,
I presume.
Ron Smyth
smythlake.scar.utoronto.ca
p.s. I'm interested in hearing of novels with linguists as leading
characters. Any suggestions?
rs

 This is not quite what was asked for, but David Carkeet has written
at least two books that I know of that have a linguist as their central
character. One is called _Double Negative_ and the other is _Full
Catastrophe_. _Double Negative_ is a mystery with the linguist being
a child language researcher. There are several references in both
books that only linguists would probably enjoy (or understand?).
Cheers,
Joyce Neu