LINGUIST List 3.172

Sat 22 Feb 1992

Disc: Marr, Phonics, Texts

Editor for this issue: <>

Directory

1. , off the wall
2. , About Marr (Reply to Kucera)
3. Michael Sikillian/Annotext, Hooked on Phonics
4. Vicki Fromkin, Re: 3.167 Queries: Data, Texts
5. Helene Ossipov, English prime

My speculation of the derivation of "off the wall" is that it comes from
the days of padded cells in mental institutions, where crazy people were
referred to as "bouncing off the walls." so off the wall=crazy.
Susan Fischer

Since Prof. Kucera recently reminded us of Marr, I would point out
that it is misleading to suggest that Marr's four elements represented
a proto-language in our sense of the term. The whole idea of Marrism
was to deny the reality of proto-languages and to viciously attack
those who believed in (such people were called "Indo-Europeanists"
no matter what they actually worked on). The basis for the attack
was the claim that languages do not diverge over time, but rather
converge (or perhaps both).

To Mr. Dennis Barron:

>And the NCTE I believe has come out with a strong denunciation of
>the hucksterism involved in this particular program. No, I don't
>know if it works, but I wouldn't bet on it or anything else sandwiched
>between sound bites and competing ads for reconditioned copy machines
>and basement de-waterers. Context, as we know from reading, is all!

This sounds like a rather patronizing response to the product. Is it bad
because it is mass market or because it is not pedagogically sound?
And why doesn't the NCTE come out with a cheap cassette series that could
help illiterates learn to read? I once met someone who worked in the inner
city neighborhoods in Newark, NJ. He said that in the inner city his rate of
selling encyclopedias was three times what it was elsewhere. There are a lot
of people out there who have never heard of the NCTE, a university, or
correct pedagogy. Hooked on Phonics is most probably a sham,
trying to fleece people of their income (it costs $200). But what other
alternatives do the poor or illiterate have?

Michael Sikillian
Annotext

Message 4: Re: 3.167 Queries: Data, Texts

re intro texts: if I may be self serving (and who will stop me) Fromkin
and Rodman AN INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE is at least worth a try. We under-
stand people shift to other texts but keep coming back to ours. The
5th edition will be out end of August 1992. Students seem to like it
very much. The instructor's manual with answers to problems is carefully
done by a wonderful grad student at ucla, Karen Wallace (who will be
looking for a job as soon as she finishes her dissertation). The cartoons
are funny and do make a point. Lots of English teachers use it all
over the country as well as anthro and thankfully linguists. Since
we received so many suggestions and help when I requested same via
LINGUIST (and all of you are getting acknowledged in the new edition preface)
someone out there must like it.
Thank you Anthony, Helen, and Brian for the free advertising. Since other
authors of texts will undoubtedly do the same I don't feel too guilty about
taking this opportunity.

re address of IPOA: Peter Ladefoged, the IPA president's e-mail
address is idu0pnluclamvs.bitnet

Vicki Fromkin

Thanks to all who responded to my question about English Prime. I've got
the article about it in the February 1992 issue of Atlantic Monthly.