LINGUIST List 3.237

Mon 09 Mar 1992

Qs: Intro. Lx, Polarity, Idioms, EST

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1. Warren Brewer, Intro lx for a Chinese clientele
2. tovena lucia, polarity idioms
3. , Off the cuff
4. , request

RE: Introduction to linguistics for Chinese students

 For five years, I have been looking for the best way to teach
introductory linguistics to Chinese students in Taiwan, who are
second- or third-year English majors, most of whom will get jobs in
trading companies or as primary and secondary school teachers.
The problem with texts on the market is one of relevance; the most
widely used texts here are completely grounded in a Western cultural
milieu and are consequently unintelligible to my students in great
part; naturally, everything here must be related to Chinese to have
effect. Several years ago, I tried a text (in English) from the
Mainland, on the notion that it was a primer written by Chinese for
Chinese students; but it was way too abstract, closely toeing the
fashionably American formalist line, with which I lose patience anyway.
If anyone has any suggestions for a two-semester intro lx course, geared
to a Chinese clientele, several colleagues here and I would be eternally
grateful, hopefully before we embark on solving the problem ourselves.

 In the interim, I have settled on Crystal's encyclopedia, because
of its comprehensiveness, lack of ideological axe-grinding, and clarity:
it seems as if for the first time my EFL students can understand what
a linguist is trying to write. [A State-side correspondent tells me
there's a 1991 paperback, which should make students happier.] Mike
Darnell's mentioning [LINGUIST Vol-3-210] of his colleague's using the
same approach indicates a glimmer of hope for some sanity in the field.

 Warren A. Brewer
 Tamsui, Taiwan
 e-mail: bae01twntku10.bitnet

I am looking for bibliography on idiomatic polarity sensitive
expressions.

Please send references directly to:
luciadivsun.unige.ch

Something struck me as I read Johanna Rubba's recent posting:
>...a few off the cuff observations...
What kind of a thing is "off the cuff"? An adjective? If so, it is
certainly an example of an idiom whose part of speech does not match
its head. Are there more examples of such idioms? Off hand, I can't
think of any, e.g. I can't say "*An out to lunch man" or a "down in
the boondocks boy."

********************************************************
Mike Maxwell Phone: (704) 843-6369
JAARS Internet:maxwelljaars.sil.org
Box 248
Waxhaw, NC 28173

I am now collecting EST materials for a reading corpus in my research
project called "CARP" (a computer reading program). I would like to get
in touch with people who are doing similar researches in CALL and we
can then exchange our opinions, with particular emphasis on the critera
of material production. Hope to hear from you soon.
Zhang